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James McKeown, Nelson McCausland MLA, ACC Duncan McCausland (PSNI) and Ian Paisley Jnr MLA.
The World Police and Fire Games will be coming to Northern Ireland in 2013 and will involve 10,000 partipants with another 15,000 family and friends coming to support them. I have been visiting potential venues for specific events and yesterday I travelled up to Ballymena to see the Carnview Farms Shooting Club.
The facility was developed by James McKeown, a farmer and shooting enthusiast, in 1996 and it is now one of the best in the United Kingdom.


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CRL Polish Stainless Center Housed Patch Keeper
The CRL European Glass Mounted Patch Keeper is designed to be used in glass-to-glass type applications. This Keeper and the EUR681 Patch Lock can be used on double glass doors, or on a door and fixed glass panel. NOTE: Lock and Keeper must be ordered separately. Glass Fabrication Required: One Cutout

subset: commoncrawl


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I think most people know about the traditional use of soaked tea bags on the eyes for beauty-care. Why? Because of the astringency of tea, it makes a perfect mild toner for the skin and is especially good for keeping the complexion clean, smooth, and bright. That same astringency also reduces eye puffiness. Tea contains high amounts of polyphenols, which research suggests has protective effects against free radicals and toxins. Applied externally, tea, probably by way of these same compounds, also helps prevent against sun damage by squashing free radicals and reducing inflammation (not by blocking UV rays!). These properties also help prevent signs of aging by reducing the inflammation that can lead to wrinkles. Using green tea, and other tea (Camellia Sinensis) preparations with freshly brewed concoctions, taken internally or used externally, is the best way to receive the benefits from this wonderful plant!
Tea Toner
1/4 cup boiling water
2 tea bags — (green, white, oolong, or black)
1/4 witch hazel distillate
Pour boiling water over tea bags.
Steep at 30 min – 1 hr or longer for a strong infusion.
Combine cooled tea with witch hazel. (the distillate is better to use than commercially prepared witch hazel preparations found in drug stores)
Tub Tea
Large muslin bag or extra-large tea-ball
1/4 cup dried herbs (optional)
1/4 cup dried tea (green, white, oolong or black)
1/4 cup sea salts (optional)
The same properties that make tea so lovely for the face, also make it great for a full-body bathing ritual. Some herbs you can add to the tea blend include rosemary (stimulating), chamomile (relaxing), lavender (relaxing), raspberry leaves (invigorating), mint (stimulating), sage (cleansing, thyme (cleansing), lemon verbena (stimulating, cleansing), and rose (relaxing, comforting).
Sweet Feet Tea
Astringency at its best! Keep your feet smelling fragrant and clean. Soaking feet in black tea helps reduce foot odor and perspiration. How? The tannins in tea actually change the skin's pH!
2 black tea bags
2 cups boiling water
2 quarts cool water
Make a very strong infusion: steep tea bags in boiling water for 30 min – 1 hour
Fill a large bowl or plastic pan (rectangular plastic dishwashing tubs work great for this) with cool water and mix in tea infusion.
Soak feet for 20-30 min. Repeat treatment daily for a week to achieve a decrease in foot odor.
If you have some favorite tea beauty rituals, share them with me!
If you are a tea lover, you might also like a post I wrote a little while ago on various blends of Indian Chai Tea


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I spent some time organizing things in my craft room yesterday and emptied out a basket that had some misc. projects in it. Grace soon discovered it and settled in for a nice nap. Which kept her out of mischief for a bit. :)
|"Please don't take pictures of me while I'm beauty-napping"
|"I am Googling catnip!"


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A recent New York Times piece about the evolutionary origins of human morality, generosity and kindness was interesting. Birds haven't yet evolved to that extent. The question this year: Have human politicians?
A recent New York Times piece about the evolutionary origins of human morality, generosity and kindness was interesting. Birds haven't yet evolved to that extent. The question this year: Have human politicians?
Ecosystems are extremely complex, as are the relationships among animals, plants and microscopic organisms. It also covers birds and the humans who feed them.
Birds need lots of calories in winter when it's cold and when their other food sources (seeds, bugs, fruits) are scarce. They establish a feeding pattern that includes a range of places, possibly in some kind of sequential order, and they fly from spot to spot to get enough to eat.
We have trained our birds to come to the window while we eat breakfast. Trained the birds? Indeed, you say.
Actually, what we're doing is to attribute human characteristics to "our" birds. It's called anthropomorphism, a common failing among conservationists. You can't really train wild birds, but you can establish a memory on their feeding patterns.
The easiest ones are the chickadees, the smallest ones. We had two or three families. When they see us walk by the window in the morning, they come and sit in a bush and wait for the handful of sunflower hearts to be put on the covered feeder. When I work in the garden in the summer they will fly around my head — signaling for their handful of food.
Why sunflower hearts? Because all species of birds will eat them. And the black seed coat of regular sunflower seeds contains a herbicide that inhibits germination so when dropped, it interferes with the garden, particularly under the feeder.
Why only a handful of seeds? Because our regular birds come first and eat and hopefully finish everything before the rotten squirrels come and frighten the birds away. We shoo the squirrels with barks, growls, meows and squirrel distress calls, but it's a never-ending battle. Our chickadees sit in the bush and wait, right next to us. Our little friends.
This is our fantasy, of course, more anthropomorphism. They are not our friends. We are just their breakfast table.
Pecking order is what rules. First comes size, then aggressiveness. The smallest, the chickadees, fly in, grab a seed quickly and fly out. When the slightly larger titmice come, the chickadees sit and wait.
The resident cardinals sit inside the feeder and gorge themselves while everyone else waits. We have two cardinal families. The big fat pair comes in the morning; the other ones in the late afternoon. This because the morning male chases the smaller afternoon male away. Guarding his territory, you know.
I think the afternoon female is the daughter of the morning male. Last summer, he tenderly trained her not to be afraid of eating at the feeder. This year he shoos her and her skinny husband away. I called Audubon to discuss cardinal lifespans (average 3 years, can be more) and the ornithologist angrily told me the word "husband" was highly inappropriate. Anthropomorphizing again. Bird paternal love extends only until one takes a mate.
This winter, we have new birds that are dispossessing our resident population. First, six juncos came from northern Canada to winter here. They prefer eating on the ground, but eventually, one got brave enough to venture into the covered feeder. The others followed. Now the chickadees and juncos are afraid of them.
We have a new tiny female redpoll that pecks at any bird who comes near the feeder while she's stuffing herself. And nuthatches and unusual sparrows, even a wren. One is supposed to be proud when unusual birds come but I prefer my little friends who stay all year and recognize us in the window.
Ecosystems have no morality. It is just survival of the fittest ... or biggest ... or most aggressive. Endowing ecosystems and their birds or animals with Victorian romanticism is more a reflection of one's personal needs than the reality of nature.
Incidentally, birds carry many viruses, although resident birds carry far fewer than migrating species. If you clean a bird feeder, cover your hands with disposable gloves or plastic bags, and wash well when finished. Perhaps in the future, as avian flu spreads to this continent in migrating birds, we will no longer choose to attract our feathered friends to our gardens.
Ruth S. Foster is a landscape consultant and arborist, and contributor to the Belmont Citizen-Herald. More gardening information can be found on her Web site: www.mothersgarden.net.


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|Hotel Name
|SPICE JUNGLE() OR Simillar
|BLOOMING PARADISE() OR Simillar
|PAGODA RESORT() OR Simillar
4 Nights 5 Days | Destinations : MUNNAR (2 nights) THEKKADY (1 night) ALLEPPEY (1 night)
4 Nights 5 Days Alleppey Tour Package Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive at Cochin and head to Munnar (4 – 5 hrs. Journey)
Arrive at Cochin airport in the morning from where we'll start our journey to Munnar – a beautiful hill station situated 1800 mtr above sea level and also the place of South India's highest peak (Anamudi - 2695 mtr). Enroute we'll visit Valara, Cheeyappara waterfalls and Tea Plantations. On arrival at Munnar, check in at the hotel. After some leisure, we'll head to visit the Rajamala (Eravikulam National Park - open as per the directions by the forest authorities), the best place to see Nilgiri Tahr (Hermitragus Hilarious) - the mountain goat of South India followed by Tea Museum. Return to hotel in the evening for overnight stay.REQUEST PRICE
Day 2: Local sight-seeing in Munnar
Wake up lazy morning. After breakfast, we'll proceed for local sightseeing including Maduppatty Dam, Echo Point, Kundalay Dam, Pothenmedu View Point, and Blossom Park etc. In evening, return to the hotel for overnight stay. Note: Eravikulam National Park is closed during FEB & MAR every year due to breeding period. Visiting hours – Eravikulam National Park – 09.00 hrs. - 16.00 hrs. Tea Museum – 10:00 hrs. - 16:30 hrs. Mattuppetty Dam – 09:30 hrs. - 15:00 hrs.REQUEST PRICE
Day 3: Head to Thekkady
After Breakfast, check into the hotel and have lunch (personal expense).In the afternoon, proceed for a boat cruise at Periyar Lake in Thekkday (Direct payment), which is synonymous with wildlife and nature treks. Later in the evening, visit the theatre (non air- conditioned) to have a firsthand experience of arts and crafts through the traditional Mallari Show. After that, you can either shop in the local market or opt for an elephant ride (on direct payment basis) in the evening. Return to the hotel in the evening. 1. Periyar National Park- Periyar National Park is the most important reserve of Southern India which is an important Tiger and Elephant habitat. Rich in flora and fauna, the national park is a feast for all those who love nature and wildlife more than people. Enjoy a walk in the nature bliss which lies untouched by the human disturbances. Look out for the ambush of tigers and herd of elephants playing in the lake. It could be a sight that you will behold in your heart for a long time. The principle attraction of the national remains the Periyar Lake spread in the area of 25sq km that surrounds the national park. This is where you can enjoy the elephants playing in the water or the tigers on the bank quenching their thirst. 2. Elephant ride- When you are at Periyar National Park, a mere sight of the elephant isn't just enough to make your trip worthwhile. Enjoy the elephant ride hitching slowly in his habitat. If you think that's enough the mighty creature will further surprise you with its Trunk on your head giving you blessings or you could just enjoy the bath with the elephants in nature's Jacuzzi. 3.Kalari show- Thekkday is full of surprises. When you have had enough of wildlife, it will offer you its culture, rising up your interest again. Kalari or Kalaripayattu is one of the major contributions India has given to the world. Kalari is an ancient form of Martial art which originated in South India and is still a popular art of Kerala.REQUEST PRICE
Day 4: Head to Alleppey
Check-out the hotel after breakfast and we'll continue towards Alleppey. Reach Alleppey in the afternoon and check-in at the Hotel/Resort. Enjoy the boating in backwater by self and have your breakfast in the Hotel/Resort. Overnight stay in the Hotel/Resort.REQUEST PRICE
Day 5: Drop at Cochin Airport
Check out the Hotel/resort after breakfast and you'll be transferred to Cochin airport to board the flight back to home.REQUEST PRICE


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Authentic Assessment Toolbox
The Authentic Assessment Toolbox is a resource to help K-12 teachers, especially new teachers, create authentic tasks, rubrics, and standards for measuring and improving student learning.
What is Authentic Assessment? defines and gives examples of authentic assessment, compares it to traditional assessment, and suggests that a combination will most likely meet teacher and student needs.
Why Use Authentic Assessment? explains why authentic assessment is appropriate in certain cases:
- it provides direct measures;
- captures constructive nature of learning;
- integrates teaching, learning and assessment; and,
- provides multiple paths to demonstration.
In How Do You Create Authentic Assessments? the development process is presented in four steps, which comprise the heart of the website:
1. Identifying Standards
The section on Standards distinguishes standards from other student performance statements by considering breadth of coverage and feasibility of measurement and observation.
2. Selecting Authentic Tasks
The section on Authentic Tasks describes characteristics of authentic tasks and distinguishes them from traditional tasks.
3. Identifying the Criteria for the Task
An extensive section on types of authentic tasks lists and provides PDFs of examples.
4. Creating the Rubric
The section on Rubrics covers descriptors, levels of performance, and analytic versus holistic rubrics.
A section on Portfolios explains why they are useful, how to create a portfolio assignment, and how teachers who haven't used portfolios before can get some experience by using them on a smaller scale.
A section of Examples provides specimen documents for standards, tasks and rubrics, and portfolios for K-12 and higher.
A Glossary of Authentic Assessment Terms is included.


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Any of the top four here, or any of these except for the green one. Can you see the little figure in the center of painting above? She's the same figure featured in the Sunflower pictures I've been posting; very very tiny here, on the beach here.
How about this one? Look at the charming details! How about this one? Look!! It's with Jonathan Franzen!!!
Are you a gallery? Why don't you pick five for $600 each and try to sell them for two grand apiece? Maybe not so hard to do in a better market and you would profit seven thousand dollars!! Come to my house.
FYI - the most I have ever sold a painting for was $3,500, from a show at the Philadelphia Art Alliance. Second highest was $2,600 from a show at ADA Gallery. Biggest fell swoop was selling four large works-on-paper for $2,000 apiece; those works are currently hanging in the Mission Park building at Williams College.
* shipping and/or delivery is not included. This offer may not last long. Act now.


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To hear Senate Democrats as they broke a Republican filibuster of gun-control legislation, you would think they'd made history. "Love won this week," declared Connecticut's Chris Murphy. New York's Chuck Schumer cast the gun fight as a Biblical battle of darkness and light. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid crowed that the vote defied critics who call the Senate hopelessly dysfunctional.
But even Reid admitted what every gun-control supporter knows all too well: that Thursday's vote was the first milepost on a very long road. All Democrats have done so far is limp to the starting line. "The hard work," he said, "starts now."
In the Senate, even clearing a routine procedural hurdle can be an occasion for triumphalism. Sixteen Republicans broke ranks to help Democrats overcome a filibuster by a vote of 68 to 31. Just two Democrats — Mark Pryor of Arkansas and Mark Begich of Alaska, both up for re-election in conservative states next year — voted no. Yet many of the Republicans who voted to proceed with debate are likely to oppose the actual bill. One of them, South Carolina's Lindsey Graham, noted that the legislation is still susceptible to a filibuster. And even if the gun package passes the Senate, where the amendment process will begin next week, it faces even longer odds in the Republican-controlled House.
And if the politics are challenging, there is little evidence that the bill's passage would do much to cure the epidemic of gun violence in a nation where 3,300 people have been shot to death since the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary in December. Its core provision is an expansion of background checks, now required only for sales by licensed firearm dealers, to gun shows and online transactions. While that would represent the most significant restriction on gun sales in two decades, it's still a modest step.
For one thing, it doesn't close gaping gun loopholes. "It just reshapes them," says Adam Winkler, a constitutional law professor at UCLA who has authored a book on the Second Amendment. The bipartisan compromise struck this week by Pennsylvania Republican Pat Toomey and West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin exempts private transactions from background checks and record-keeping requirements. That means you can still get a gun from a friend, family member or neighbor without filling out the paperwork law-enforcement officials say is necessary to track gun crimes. That's hugely important to the NRA, which fiercely opposes background checks and record-keeping — a fact that is surely not lost on Toomey and Manchin, who enjoy "A" ratings from the powerful organization and are intent on crafting a compromise that can attract broad bipartisan support.
In addition, "even the gun-show provision is effectively toothless," Winkler says. "You can meet someone at a gun show and say, meet me in 15 minutes in the parking lot." (The deal's outline suggests it will address the parking-lot scenario, but it doesn't say how.) "It's hard to imagine how much more diluted you can get," he adds. And yet conservatives in both the Senate and the House will do their best to water it down further.
It was the Toomey-Manchin deal, which will be introduced as an amendment on Tuesday to replace a more stringent standard opposed by Republicans, that allowed Democrats to win Thursday's opening skirmish in the Senate's gunfight. During the roll call vote Manchin, broad-shouldered in a brown suit, planted himself in the center aisle of the Senate chamber, grabbing backs and greeting well-wishers like a parent accepting congratulations at his child's wedding. Toomey huddled quietly with GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell. When Manchin saw his chance, he steered his Republican partner toward a huddle with Reid, clasping his hands on both their shoulders as if to forcibly prevent them from escaping. Democrats smiled and glad-handed, while Republicans sat impassively at their polished wooden desks. When the vote was over, Blumenthal beamed up at his constituents in the gallery and gave them a thumbs-up.
One of those constituents was Jillian Soto, 24. Her sister Victoria, 27, died shielding her students in a first-grade classroom at Sandy Hook. Since the shooting, she has taken time off from college to lobby for new gun restrictions. On Thursday she spoke at a press conference in a walnut-and-marble sanctum on the second floor of the Capitol, fiddling with green bangles on his wrist and trying not to cry as she told an audience how she wanted her sister to have "died for a reason." She was composed and articulate after the vote, but dismayed by the fact that it had taken so long to start debate on a measure backed by 90% of Americans. "It's such a slow process," she says. "It's going to be such a slow process with all of the amendments to the bill. To me, it's common sense. These are things that will save people's lives. The fact that it took so long to do this, and that there are still so many people opposed – it frightens me. It shows that our country is in trouble."
And what was it like to be in Washington — to watch her own moral certainty about guns, sharpened by tragedy, collide with the paralyzing forces of national politics? "It sucks to be here," she says. "I have to be here to honor my 27-year-old sister, because she was murdered. So it sucks. But I take some relief knowing that what I am doing is being heard. There are senators who are listening to us. And I take some honor in knowing that."


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MIAMI (AP)Derek Fisher(notes) might be why Miamis new trio of superstars left money on the table.
Fisher met Saturday with Heat president Pat Riley, one day after the team lavishly introduced LeBron James(notes) and Chris Bosh(notes) as Dwyane Wades(notes) newest teammates. James, Bosh and Wade all will make less than the $16.6 million they could have commanded next season, giving Miami the chance to lure other players.
Riley declined comment Saturday.
Fisher has been part of all five Los Angeles Lakers championships in the Kobe Bryant(notes) era. After the Lakers won their second straight title last month, Fisher said he would return to Los Angeles, and Bryant insisted he wouldnt allow Fisher to play anywhere else.
But after Fisher reportedly received a $2.5 million offer for next season from Los Angeles, he listened to other possibilities, including the chance to play in Miami, which had enough cap room to not only keep Wade and add James and Bosh, but could lure a slew of other talented players as well.
Its about sacrifice now, Wade said.
James, Bosh and Wade all signed six-year contracts. The value of James and Boshs deals is nearly $111 million, while Wade took around $107 million. They could have received about $125.5 million apiece if they had taken the maximum value allowed under the current collective bargaining agreement.
What we signed for is not important, James said Friday night at Miamis welcome celebration. One thing that is important is we all sacrificed money, sacrificed a lot of things to be a part of this. But what we signed for is not important. What were going to do this coming fall is whats most important.
Fisher averaged 7.5 points and 2.5 assists while starting all 82 regular-season games last season. In the playoffs, he averaged 10.3 points and 2.8 assists, again the starter for all 23 postseason contests.
Wade, James and Bosh all have given names to Riley of various players they would like to see join the Heat. Miami is closing in on a deal with Mike Miller(notes) and expects to keep Udonis Haslem(notes), who has more lucrative offers from other clubs but wants to remain in South Floridahis lifelong home.
Hes been a part of this with me for seven years. We want Udonis back and were going to do everything we can to make sure Udonis stays home, Wade said Friday night.
Riley said Friday that there might be some good news about Haslems status with the Heat in the coming days.
Nonetheless, now with only four playersJames, Wade, Bosh and Mario Chalmers(notes)under contract, the work continues to fill out Miamis roster.
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported Saturday that Miami has had contact with forward Juwan Howard(notes). Other free agents who are known to have expressed interest in Miami include Raja Bell(notes), Chris Quinn(notes), Quentin Richardson(notes) and Jamaal Magloire(notes), and the Heat still have the rights to restricted center Joel Anthony(notes).
Dorell Wright(notes) is moving on, however. The swingman who spent his first six seasons in Miami agreed in principle to a three-year deal Saturday with Golden State, returning to his native California.
Wade said after Miamis season ended in May that he hoped Wrightone of his closest friendswould return to Miami. But on his Twitter feed late Saturday night, Wade offered congratulations, saying Im a proud big bro.


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*For selected area only
Pink Rose Hobnob Bouquet FA105866
Pink Roses, Purple Alstroemeria, Pink Waxflower, White Monte Casino, Colorful Hobnail Vase
Close your eyes and imagine a burst of floral color like you've never seen before...surprise, this is what you've imagined and the sweet someone in your life will truly appreciate your thoughtfulness.
Wrapping, decoration, fillers and packaging/vase may vary. FlowerAdvisor reserves the right to replace any item with another of equivalent value depending on season and availability.


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By Sergei A. Grando, MD, PhD, DSci
Professor of Dermatology
University of California Davis
The Need for Alternative Therapies for Pemphigus. In autoimmune pemphigus, systemic glucocorticosteroid treatment is life saving but may cause severe side effects. Pemphigus patients therefore need drugs that will provide safer treatment of their disease by replacing systemic use of glucocorticoid hormones such as Prednisone. Development of non-hormonal treatment is hampered by a lack of clear understanding of the mechanisms leading to pemphigus lesions. Pemphigus can be associated with myasthenia gravis, and in both diseases the autoantibodies to acetylcholine receptors are produced, suggesting a common mechanism of disease development.
First experience of treatment with Mestinon and azathioprine without systemic glucocorticoids. In a 33 year old female patient from New York, pemphigus vulgaris developed on the background of myasthenia gravis which was treated for approximately four years with the cholinergic drug Mestinon and a topical glucocorticoid cream. During worsening, azathioprine was added and the treatment was continued without need for using systemic glucocorticosteroids. The intriguing aspect of management of this patient is that the conventional glucocorticoid therapy has never been instituted. Although it is possible to maintain pemphigus patients in remission using immunosuppressive drugs only, initial treatment of pemphigus vulgaris usually relies on the high dose of systemic glucocorticoids. Since control of pemphigus in this patient was achieved without using systemic glucocorticoids, Mestinon should be considered as a therapeutic agent that could ameliorate the natural course of pemphigus.
How could Mestinon ameliorate pemphigus? Mestinon inhibits the destruction of acetylcholine by acetylcholinesterase and thereby permits stronger adhesion of the skin cells keratinocytes. Acetylcholine competes with the disease-causing pemphigus antibodies preventing them from attachment to keratinocytes, and reverses pemphigus antibody-induced detachment of keratinocytes in cell culture. Although it has been postulated that pemphigus vulgaris is caused by autoantibodies to the adhesion molecules desmogleins 1 and 3, the results obtained in my research laboratory show that the pool of disease-causing pemphigus antibodies includes the autoantibodies to keratinocyte acetylcholine receptors in approximately 85% of patients.
An opportunity to test the therapeutic efficacy of Mestinon in pemphigus. Each Mestinon tablet contains 60 mg of the reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitor pyridostigmine bromide, which is used to treat muscle weakness in patients with myasthenia gravis. Pyridostigmine bromide is FDA approved for use in myasthenia gravis, but is experimental for the treatment of patients with pemphigus without myasthenia gravis. The Human Subjects Review Committee of University of California-Davis has recently approved the protocol of clinical trail of Mestinon in pemphigus. The study will be conducted in my dermatology clinic at the University of California-Davis Medical Center in Sacramento. Upon my request, ICN Pharmaceuticals has furnished Mestinon tablets for this clinical trial.
Description of the clinical trial of mestinon in pemphigus. The preliminary trial will be carried out in a limited number of patients with acute pemphigus vulgaris and pemphigus foliaceous. If the results are encouraging, we will extend the trial. Patients who are willing to participate in the study will not receive the standard treatment for pemphigus. Instead, they will receive Mestinon tablets orally from one to six per day, that is from 60 to 360 mg of pyridostigmine bromide per day. The dose of Mestinon will be adjusted for each particular patient based on his or her response to treatment. Experience with the use of Mestinon in myasthenia gravis patients indicates that failure of patients to show clinical improvement may reflect underdosage, by analogy with a lack of therapeutic effect of low-to-mid doses of Prednisone in acute pemphigus vulgaris.
Adverse reactions to Mestinon and contraindications. The side effects of Mestinon are most commonly related to overdose. These side effects may include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, frequent passing of flatus and/or a need to have a stool, increased production of saliva, increased bronchial secretion, excessive sweating, muscle cramps and twitching, and muscle weakness. Mestinon is contraindicated in mechanical intestinal or urinary obstruction, and in patients with bronchial asthma. If you are willing to participate in the clinical trial of Mestinon in pemphigus, you may inquire about enrollment eligibility by contacting me:
Phone: 916-734-6057
Email: email@example.com
Or write:
Dr. Sergei A. Grando
UC Davis, Department of Dermatology
Ambulatory Care Center
4860 Y Street, Suite #3400
Sacramento, CA 95817


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Brit designer Tom Dixon made an appearance at Hong Kong's Lane Crawford on Thursday night to celebrate the launch of his new Industry collection and a book by the same name.
New products in the collection include 'Peg' a funky little solid wood, stackable café-style chair (seen below) and some wonderful new lighting designs using the Dixon signature metal- copper. I've always been such a fan of copper so its nice to see someone using it in a new way.
'Industry' the book is the first of a new series of self-published books by Tom Dixon. The series will highlight and discuss a particular topic, the first being a subject at the forefront of Dixon's mind - challenging society's accepted means of design and production. The paperback outlines a critique of various design production formulas followed by Tom's own proposal for a Future Industry, and includes previously unpublished conversations between Dixon and design critic Laura Houseley. In the same spirit of his philosophies, this publishing venture cuts out the middle man by employing Print On Demand technology. The book doesn't appear to be available online yet, but I'm hoping the Tom Dixon website or Amazon will make it available to non British residents...it sounds like an interesting read!


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Rams Win Fifth Straight with Blue Knight Shutout
Farmingdale State - 3, Mount Saint Mary College - 0
Farmingdale, N.Y. - The Farmingdale State men's soccer team won their fifth straight game today with a 3-0 shutout against Mount Saint Mary College. The Rams are now 7-4-1 overall and 6-1 in Skyline play, while the Blue Knights hold a record of 5-5-1, 1-3 in the conference.
Senior goalkeeper Patrick Gubbins (East Patchogue, N.Y./Bellport) made four saves in his fourth shutout of the season. Gubbins has allowed just one goal in the Rams five game win streak.
Farmingdale broke out to a quick lead in the first fifteen minutes of play, behind goals from sophomore forward Nick Pancotto (Islip, N.Y./Islip) and junior midfielder Alex Mendolia (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown East). The Rams controlled the half with a 15-4 shot advantage, holding a 2-0 lead at the break.
The second half featured a 10-4 shot advantage from the Rams, while junior forward Ryan Paul (Sayville, N.Y./Sayville) scored the halfs only goal with 2:06 remaining, and Farmingdale went on for the 3-0 victory.
Mount Saint Mary goalkeeper Paul Aries made eight saves in defeat.
The Rams will return to action as they host Hunter College on Wednesday, October 14th at 3:00 p.m.


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Behind the Scenes of the PodCacher Podcast
[Editor's Note: Geocachers love to spread the word about the adventure of geocaching. Sonny and Sandy from the PodCachers have spent years sharing the joy of geocaching through their podcast the PodCacher podcast. Here's a rare look behind the scenes of their podcast.]
By Sonny & Sandy,
Gorillas, a wild-west jail, a Halloween prop and Dave Ulmer – sound like the start of a bad joke? No, just another typical day at the PodCacher studios, putting together an podcast full of geocaching goodness for a listener community that spans the globe.
We are Sonny and Sandy (from sunny San Diego, California) and we have hosted the PodCacher podcast (the weekly audio show all about geocaching) for almost eight years. From the very first show, where we shared about some geocaches we found in Kazakhstan and Amsterdam, to the latest interview with Dave Ulmer, hider of the first geocache, our 400+ shows have circled the world to offer geocaching content to inform, inspire and entertain.
The rich connections with people we have never met, the truly kindred spirits we have stumbled upon, the numerous poignant emails that share how deeply we have touched someone in a time of stress or grief – these are the amazing gifts we have received from this podcast.
The shows often begin with the latest in geocaching and GPS news. This is where gorillas come into the conversation. A fascinating study about a concept called inattentional blindness which has prevented 83% of radiologists from seeing a gorilla photo-shopped into a lung scan, led to a discussion of caches that are hidden in plain sight, and how easy it is to miss a simple cache, when you have a preconceived notion of what it is supposed to look like. Has this ever happened to you?
Many PodCacher shows include a mention of super cool geocaches. You might hear about several unique or unusual geocaches in one show. One of the greatest resources we have is our diverse, experienced and creative (not to mention good-looking) listener community, and it is amazing what they share with us. On Show 409, for example, a Halloween prop from the dollar store was easily turned into a fun hide called, Lend Me a Hand. Another cacher created a miniature adobe brick-style jail for travel bugs including jail cells and "most wanted" posters for the cache Deputies, bring in those travel bugs.
You may have heard that the famous, yet somewhat reclusive, Dave Ulmer was recently interviewed on PodCacher. He unexpectedly showed up at the recent Mega-Event in Yuma, Arizona, at the invitation of Team 360.
Dave hid the very first geocache (called "stash hunt" at the time) back on May 3, 2000, and he spent some time reminiscing with us about that exciting time, and the amazing world-wide phenomenon that his "little" idea set into motion. He shared about staying up all night when selective availability was to be taken off, watching the accuracy on his GPS change from 300 feet to 30 feet, and realizing that "something magic has to happen from this!" That magic has now passed 2 million active caches on Geocaching.com. Listen to show 409 for more of this fascinating interview.
We love to record from "out in the field", at geocaching events or just along the trails, capturing that authentic audio that makes it feel like you're right there with us, but most often we can be found recording in our "home studio". This is actually a small corner of a home office, partitioned off with a bookcase and sound-dampening blankets hung on rope. To make it even cozier, Sonny built a wooden ceiling that sports more acoustic sound-proofing. We have a printed show outline to guide us, as well as any email, feedback or news items that we need to read, but our favorite times are the spontaneous moments of hilarity that often erupt out of nowhere. We've certainly gotten better at recording after all these years, but we still manage to create some great bloopers that often find their way into the end of the show.
We invite you to come and join the international geocaching community at podcacher.com!


text:
Read here. He deserves this opportunity considering how well he's done with QBs while in Green Bay.
Also – I'm finding myself rooting hard already for Joe Philbin in Miami. I'll be following them carefully next year hoping he can pull off a turnaround. (And by the way, while I anticipate the Dolphins will certainly be looking at QBs, including Matt Flynn, I think they may have a better QB there already than people realize in Matt Moore. He had some downright impressive games this past year and I'd think Philbin could help him develop relatively fast.)


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- "It's like trying to catch smoke... like trying to catch smoke with your bare hands."
- —Bem on trying to catch Sirius Black[src]
Bem (born c. 1979-1980[1]) was a Nigerian[2] wizard who attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from 1991 to 1998.[4] He was Sorted into Gryffindor and is in Harry Potter's year, however he does not dorm with Harry and friends.
Hogwarts education
Early years
Bem began his education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1991, along with students Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley.[1] He was Sorted into the house of Gryffindor, but would not share a dormitory with the other known Gryffindor boys in his year.[4] During Bem's second year, the school would be under attack from a Basilisk. Many students became petrified. Hogwarts was under threat of being closed. Bem was not a mentioned casualty.[5]
Third year
Bem chose Care of Magical Creatures and Divination as electives in his third year.
The name Bem means "peace" in the language of the Tiv, of Nigeria and Cameroon and also means "good" in Portuguese.[6] "BEM" is also an abbreviation for British Empire Medal, a medal received from British royalty for meritorious civil or military service, which reflects Bem being Sorted into Gryffindor.
Behind the scenes
- Like the character Nigel Wolpert, Bem is not mentioned in the books, but is credited in the films. Played by Ekow Quartey, the character is listed in the credits for Prisoner of Azkaban as simply "Boy 1". However, on the Prisoner of Azkaban DVD, the closed captions identify the character as "Bem" during the Divination class scene.
- Bem was created purely for the films (particularly Prisoner of Azkaban).
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film) (First appearance)
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Bem's age can be extrapolated from his presence during the third-year Divination class in the Prisoner of Azkaban film.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Prisoner of Azkaban script on IMSDb (archived here via the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine)
- ↑ He was not sent away from Hogwarts while it had been taken over by Death Eaters, so he was not Muggle-born.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
- ↑ He did not appear in CoS, but still the CHARACTER would still be at Hogwarts, even if introduced later, just like Luna, she still attended Hogwarts before OotP but was never mentioned really.
- ↑ The New Age Baby Name Book by Sue Browder


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Arts Education Seen as Common-Core Partner
At the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, the painting "El Jaleo"—a canvas spanning 11 feet that features a flamenco dancer—is a popular starting point for getting students to spend time with a work of art.
But viewing and discussing the 1882 piece by the American artist John Singer Sargent isn't just a cultural experience. It also presents a powerful opportunity to tap into some of the same skills asked of students under the Common Core State Standards, said Michelle A. Grohe, the director of school and teacher programs at the museum, which has a close partnership with four Boston public schools.
"When one of our schools is focusing on 'close' readings, to read an excerpt of text and describe the main idea and provide supporting evidence or details, that is very similar to what we do with the visual arts," she said.
As educators nationwide seek to help students meet the demands of the common core in English/language arts and mathematics, many arts education advocates are making the case that the arts can be a valuable partner. And in some cases, they're identifying ways to make the links explicit.
"There are a lot of natural connections," said Susan M. Riley, a curriculum specialist with the 77,000-student Anne Arundel County district in Maryland, where part of her job is to work with teams across all academic departments on implementing the new standards. "I see the common core as a great platform for the arts to really rise and share their importance in the educational fabric of a school."
Seeing Connections
Ms. Riley, who has a background in arts integration, said her district is developing resources to help teachers make classroom connections between the common core and other disciplines, including the arts. One lesson she created on her own asks students to read a passage from Robinson Crusoe and examine illustrations for the book by the artist N.C. Wyeth.
In New York City, the school system is developing a set of arts-focused instructional units that "will be very explicit" in their alignment with the common core, said Paul King, the executive director for the arts in the 1.1 million-student district. He cites an elementary dance unit on the Underground Railroad and a high school theater lesson that involves producing an original monologue.
"We're working very deeply with arts teachers" on the common core, Mr. King said. "How do they engage in good discussion? What are good inquiry questions? What is good writing in the arts? And how do you do that without sacrificing the artmaking?"
One regular cultural partner with the New York City schools, the nonprofit ArtsConnection, got a $1.1 million federal grant in 2010 to connect theater and dance with the new English/language arts standards, with a focus on developing and documenting interdisciplinary units of study and formative-assessment practices.
The 'Great News'
The new standards are also getting significant attention at arts education conferences and workshops.
"It's very much on the radar screen" of the arts education community, said Sandra S. Ruppert, the director of the Washington-based Arts Education Partnership. "The common core clearly is the big education reform game-changer right now."
In September, the advocacy group Americans for the Arts hosted a weeklong "blog salon," where about a dozen experts explored and debated the standards, and in some cases, offered ideas on how to connect them with the arts.
Embracing the common core may be something of a survival strategy for the arts in schools, some experts suggest, given how much time, energy, and resources districts and schools are devoting to the standards.
"A lot of people in the arts have been worried, 'Oh gosh, we're just going to get lost in the sea of the common core,' " said Kristen Engebretsen, an arts education program coordinator at Americans for the Arts, based in Washington. "But if you walk into the principal's office and say, 'Hey, I can connect this to the common core,' you're going to get their ear."
Meanwhile, a new set of voluntary national standards for arts education is being developed by leaders in the field. Organizers say they're working to ensure strong and clear alignment between that document and the common core.
The common standards, adopted by all but four states in English/language arts and all but five in math, embody some potentially big changes to instruction in many public schools. Although arts educators say the standards in both subjects have strong potential for arts infusion, the ELA standards appear to be drawing more attention so far.
After the weeklong Americans for the Arts blog salon wrapped up, David Coleman, a lead writer of the English/language arts standards, wrote a response on how the arts fit in.
He started by outlining some of the critical components of the English/language arts standards: building knowledge through reading, writing, listening, and speaking, with a focus on "high-quality source material"; engaging in careful observation in reading; and basing analysis of a text or work of art on evidence.
"The great news is that the standards call on so many things the arts do well," wrote Mr. Coleman, who this fall became the president of the College Board. "The tradition of careful observation, attention to evidence and artists' choices, the love of taking an artist's work seriously lies at the heart of these standards."
Mr. Coleman said curricular materials in the arts that seek to align with the common core "need to shift to embrace these core shifts" in the standards. He suggests that the "next generation of arts materials" should examine fewer works of art more closely, look for and share "the most magnificent things written about the arts at higher levels of text complexity," and pay "special attention to the choices artists make when students are observing or making art."
Careful analysis of specific scenes in drama, he added, provides a "particularly promising opportunity to explore at once textual evidence and visual interpretation."
The ELA standards make explicit reference to disciplines across the curriculum, suggesting that literacy should be a schoolwide endeavor. A separate section for grades 6-12 even outlines standards for literacy in science, social studies/history, and technical subjects.
Some arts experts lament that the section did not specify the arts. But the standards do touch on the arts, including drama, illustrations, and drawing.
A variety of resources have been developed to help schools and teachers connect the arts with the Common Core State Standards.
The Arts and the Common Core Curriculum Mapping Project
This 55-page document from the nonprofit group Common Core suggests many arts-infused lessons, with references to specific English/language arts standards.
Center for Student Work
Developed by the nonprofit Expeditionary Learning and the Harvard Graduate School of Education, this website has collected a large set of exemplary project-based student work, much with a strong arts dimension. For each, it indicates relevant common-core math and English/language arts standards (as well as other state standards).
Americans for the Arts Blog Salon
This weeklong "blog salon," hosted in September by Americans for the Arts, brought together about a dozen experts to weigh in on the common core and the arts. They explore the new standards and, in some cases, offer both conceptual and practical advice on how to bring them together.
For instance, an 8th grade reading standard says students should analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production of a story or drama stays faithful to or strays from the text or script, evaluating the choices made by the director or actors. A 2nd grade writing standard says to use "a combination of drawing, writing, and dictating" to compose informative or explanatory texts.
A 3rd grade standard says to "explain how specific aspects of a text's illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting)."
An appendix to the standards that features suggested "text exemplars" includes ample examples of drama, but also a volume on art history and The Illustrated Book of Great Composers.
Robinson Crusoe
The use of illustrations alongside text is part of the lesson from Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe that Ms. Riley of Anne Arundel County developed.
"After reading the text and having a rich, deep discussion" about its meaning, "then you take a look at the traditional illustrations," she said. "What techniques were used? Shadings of light and dark. What does that mean? Really delving into that artwork."
She added, "You're looking at whether or not they are able to closely read a piece of text, but also a piece of art, and whether or not they can understand perspective and how it changes, based on how it is written or portrayed."
The district also has produced materials to help teachers integrate the arts with common-core math concepts. A one-pager for 4th grade—featuring hyperlinks to math standards and state arts standards—serves up many examples. For instance, it suggests for operations and algebraic thinking that students "compose and analyze melodic and rhythmic patterns" or "create a movement pattern and then depict it through drawing."
At the Integrated Arts Academy at H.O. Wheeler, a magnet school in Burlington, Vt., a 4th grade unit brings together study of the painter Wassily Kandinsky and his abstract work with geometric concepts. Students identify various angles in the Russian's work, then create their own art inspired by his approach and label the types of angles they use.
At Genesee Community Charter School in Rochester, N.Y., which has long embraced arts integration, teachers find natural fits with the common core.
"Using art as text, we're teaching children to look at art or movement or listen to music and derive meaning from it," whether a "famous painting or through watching 'Swan Lake' or singing Erie Canal [folk] songs," said Principal Lisa A. Wing. The school also looks at "using the arts as a vehicle of expression, the communication side of the common core, and knowing how to create artwork that creates a message and that conveys details," she said.
The nonprofit organization Common Core includes more than 100 arts-infused activities in a set of detailed "curriculum maps" for the English/language arts standards that it created to help educators, said Lynne Munson, the president and executive director of the Washington-based group. It developed a separate, 55-page document that pulls out those examples to show where English/language arts instruction "could be enhanced" by the arts.
The lesson ideas are intended for use either by English teachers or arts teachers, or in collaboration. They draw on a vast array of material, including paintings by Vincent Van Gogh, Georgia O'Keeffe, and the Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai, and music as diverse as that of Mozart, Bob Dylan, and a Duke Ellington-Irving Mills collaboration.
'Not Just Any Painting'
Writing for the Americans for the Arts blog salon, Ms. Munson said that "works of art can, indeed should, be 'read' in a very similar way to a poem by Shakespeare or a speech by Winston Churchill."
But she cautioned that any such activities should be done "in addition to (not instead of) teaching the arts for their own sake."
The key to such close reading is "in selecting works of art that are of sufficient quality to serve as a basis for asking the kind of text-dependent questions called for by the [common core]," Ms. Munson, a deputy chairwoman of the National Endowment for the Arts under President George W. Bush, said in an email. "Not just any painting, photo, film, or piece of music will do."
She also highlights the potential of the arts in grappling with the standards for speaking and listening.
Ms. Riley said high-quality arts-infused lessons require careful planning and collaboration between arts educators and regular classroom teachers. "This is the only way to ensure integrity in both aligning the standards and in their execution and application," she said.
In Boston, the Gardner Museum's school partnership program brings students to the facility twice a year to view and discuss art. Teachers also get professional development so they can facilitate further lessons on their own at school.
Ms. Grohe says the painting "El Jaleo" is a great starting place for students.
"There's so much to talk about," she said. "The movement. How characters are interacting, the lighting."
The museum's approach is guided by a teaching method called Visual Thinking Strategies, which aims to provide an open-ended group discussion that invites students to share what they're observing.
When students first encounter a piece of art, they are asked to spend a few minutes looking silently at the image, Ms. Grohe said. Their guide begins by asking what's going on in the artwork. As students share impressions, they are asked, "What makes you say that?"—a question that directly ties to multiple common-core standards for evidentiary reasoning in both English/language arts and math, she said.
A third question, Ms. Grohe said, is "What more can we find?"
By spending 15 to 20 minutes at a time with one work of art, "the students learn to slow down and look carefully, attention skills that also are used when grappling with new or unfamiliar text, math equations, or problems," she said.
"Instead of sharing what we have learned with students, we basically flip it," Ms. Grohe explained. "We take a very open-ended approach and ask students what they see and what meanings and connections they can come up with."
Vol. 32, Issue 14, Pages 1, 18-19Published in Print: December 12, 2012, as Common Core Taught Through the Arts
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Re: How are Boba's Unarmed skills?
well.. "basic combat" is a pretty vauge term. for example the standard unarmed combat out current U.S. Army grunt gets is pretty short and sweet, by no means does it give them great abilities A soldier is supposed to do his killing with his weapon, not his fists.
Ths more I think about this, the more I think Boba doesn't have the heart to stand toe to toe with a guy. He'll just sneak up on him and shoot him in the back later. that's the outlaw way!


text:
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text:
|Biosequences .. Software .. Molbio soft .. Network News .. FTP
>Hammond: the question then: Is there direct evidence from > crop yield and other agricultural data on parthogenetic > (asexual-clonal) plants, which indicates a significant > VARIANCE in adult size, from which we may conclude > that there is such a thing as an "ADULT GROWTH DEFICIT" > in these plants (in the actual environment), whereby > they are generally always somewhat smaller than some > "theoretical genetic maximum adult size"? > And further, from the Normal Distribution Curve > for the adult size of these (clonal) plants, can > we ESTIMATE the "theoretical genetic size" of the > plant, statistically.... by for instance assuming > that it must be near "2-Standard Deviations" above > the mean clonal size? That question isn't very interesting. Because of variations in the environment (soil, water, light, pests, etc.) there will be variations in size even with with identical genes. The largest of these sets a minimum value on the size for that genotype as a whole. It is well neigh impossible to estimate what the maximum size would be for a species, only set a lower bound. In other words, it is tautological that all plants must be smaller than their "theoretical genetic maximum adult size." You will never find a plant larger than that limit. At best all you can do is, as you say, make observations to the distribution of sizes and apply some arbitray cutoff in the extrapolation to determine what that size might be. So the answer to your question '[may we] conclude that there is such a thing as an "ADULT GROWTH DEFICIT" is "yes" but it isn't interesting or useful. The environment does have a big impact on the size. For example, some plants would do much better in a CO2 rich environment compared to what there is now. Others are affected by the timings of the rains. I'll bet even more are limited by being in a 1g gravity field and would grow a lot bigger at 1/2 g. So the environment needed to produce the "maximum adult size" might not even be available on this planet and any extrapolation you make must necessarily - if only implicitly - include that environmental limitation in its qualifiers. Why is your concern on the adult plant size? Wouldn't other attributes be more important, like ability to produce food or to reproduce? Or drought or pest resistance? It isn't good to be a big plant if you can't survive seasonal droughts. Hmm. Thought of a related issue to point out why I don't think the question is all that intesting. Consider viruses. Nice, simple reproductive factories. You can apply your same arguments to them to an even higher degree - after all, there is a much smaller set of genes needed to make the virus and hence less possible variation called by environmental effects on gene expression. Take HIV as an example virus. It's an enveloped virus and the size of the envelope can vary somewhat. Again, by definition, any HIV virus can be no bigger than the biggest possible HIV virus. Given the distribution of observed sizes it's a pretty safe bet that we've never seen the largest HIV virus which has ever been produced, much less the biggest which could be produced. Hence, viruses also suffer from an "ADULT GROWTH DEFICIT"! (Because of differences in human cells, perhaps a better choice would be a bacteriophage virus. I don't know enough about that field to pick a good example.) Since your statement can be applied to almost every species and for every possible variable characteristic, I can only conclude that it is not a very useful concept. > I'm not advising you to take a graduate degree in theoretical > physics either Too late. Already did that. :) Andrew dalke at acm.org


text:
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
78 comments:
woot woot ask her stick her PAP badge on her head then she can become Harry Potter lor! Lagi zhun.
- Wednesday, March 30, 2011 3:44:00 PM
Rocksonnnn is back!!!
- Wednesday, March 30, 2011 4:11:00 PM
- BigBrownBearBear said...
Aiyah. 3rd place. I think she is hawt too. I heard she is also very smart and very hawt. But I dun think she realise how jialat running for the PAP is going to be on her social life siah.
- Wednesday, March 30, 2011 4:35:00 PM
look like slim female version of William Hung only leh.. like that chio ah??????
- Wednesday, March 30, 2011 5:17:00 PM
yay! fucking waiting for your post for this!
- Wednesday, March 30, 2011 5:22:00 PM
wow... u rocks man. I'm not in any way related to Tin PL; i'm just a TR fan.
with your smelly mouth and words that comes out like shit; i wonder how you will feels if Tin PL is your family member and u get to read shit like this.
I hope u get to experience it too.
Wow... u really rock man...
- Wednesday, March 30, 2011 5:45:00 PM
- Jerrie said...
I think the comments written here are quite unfair to Ms. Pei Ling. I was acquainted with her when I was still in JC and helping out in one of the projects at Ulu Pandan YEC, she is quite a nice person.
Perhaps you don't like the way her husband looks but it is her choice to marry whoever she wants to and some people are not so superficial and may choose to go for personality instead.
Just my two cents worth.
- Wednesday, March 30, 2011 5:48:00 PM
freedom of speech in the internet please. if you don't like what he's saying, don't read it. even after you've read it and you don't like it, suck it up like a man and keep protective comments to yourself.
- Wednesday, March 30, 2011 6:20:00 PM
Simply cannot understand why PAP is taking our country to be one big joke. Field this useless PLP girl.
Haven even been elected already talking bird. Say all the things that people dun want to hear. All the issues that we care about, she pretend it doesn't exist.
And when she finally acknowledges one problem, which is the ridiculously widening income gap, she says it is NOT THE RESPONSIBILITY of the government.
Knn Jiao wei. She just flash cb at clown prince's secretary then expect to earn million dollar salary. KNN PUI! Die also won't vote her.
- Wednesday, March 30, 2011 6:22:00 PM
Jerrie, she has proven herself completely incompetent and irrelevant as a politician.
And now she is looking to draw our taxpayers' money by the millions and blight our country with her incompetence and bird talk while doing so.
Doesn't seem very 'nice' of her.
- Wednesday, March 30, 2011 6:26:00 PM
U are a very cool and good writer, bro !!
- Wednesday, March 30, 2011 6:29:00 PM
Rockson, you is back!!! Mr Rockson I is a big fan of yours (your writing not horse). Since the General Erection is coming, I is hopes see you writing more often!
- Wednesday, March 30, 2011 7:12:00 PM
"the comments written here are quite unfair to Ms. Pei Ling" - huh?
Is it fair she will be riding into parliament even if she is not fit for office?
Is it fair for tax payers to "subsidize" her education in politics?
Is it fair that she is making a mockery of the electoral process?
If she is so "nice" she would not be hanging out with the mafia.
- Wednesday, March 30, 2011 7:14:00 PM
Exactly. Not 'nice' of her at all.
Jerrie, there are bigger bigs here than to mindlessly defend an acquaintance
- Wednesday, March 30, 2011 7:54:00 PM
- Wednesday, March 30, 2011 7:55:00 PM
Heard that she is pregrant, not sure how true?
- Wednesday, March 30, 2011 7:56:00 PM
- hASHbrown said...
Rockson!!!! RazorTv got an interview of her and the press asked her bout her comments on your posting of her.
- Wednesday, March 30, 2011 8:49:00 PM
nabei why your standard so low?
- Wednesday, March 30, 2011 9:08:00 PM
nabei you say standard low? nabei i say fat body go fat (but short) dick! nabei i say power hungry slut!
- Wednesday, March 30, 2011 10:47:00 PM
ha ha ha, wait anciously to meet you weekly at meet the people session. hope you
- Wednesday, March 30, 2011 11:03:00 PM
wahhh~! RocksooonnN! miss you and your horse la!! blog more often!!
- Wednesday, March 30, 2011 11:47:00 PM
Majulah PAP! Majulah TPL!
SSP supports you ALL THE WAY! You made us proud! You are the true daughter of Singapore. You will have my vote! You can count on me!!!
Count on me TPL,
Count on me TPL,
Count on me to give my best and more,
Together Singapore Singapore!
Together Singapore Singapore!
Together Singapore Singaporrrrreeeeeee!!!!
SSP aka TPL hardcore supporter
- Thursday, March 31, 2011 12:19:00 AM
Crazy, What the fcuk are they doing. You think She can do anything for the people meh? Go and drink twenty more year milk. I will never support her. Luckily she is in Singapore PAP. Everything go liao jiao cover. You let her go to other countries election and try, one single mistake, you are gone. 27 years old still act like children. you need to have some peanut. She, even peanut also dont have. PAP, want some changes for the next generation, please lower down the all fcuking pricing, we are too tired living here. You think asking pretty girl to brain wash us, i dont buy this.
- Thursday, March 31, 2011 2:33:00 AM
Crazy, What the fcuk are they doing. You think She can do anything for the people meh? Go and drink twenty more year milk. I will never support her. Luckily she is in Singapore PAP. Everything go liao jiao cover. You let her go to other countries election and try, one single mistake, you are gone. 27 years old still act like children. you need to have some peanut. She, even peanut also dont have. PAP, want some changes for the next generation, please lower down the all fcuking pricing, we are too tired living here. You think asking pretty girl to brain wash us, i dont buy this.
- Thursday, March 31, 2011 2:34:00 AM
Rockson, you fucking cheebye lah. People like her you steam liao?
You must live overseas like me . I am in Europe where I got pretty ang moh cher bao to mast for me.(1st time when we meet)
You really desperate huh?
- Thursday, March 31, 2011 3:01:00 AM
Rockson, you fucking cheebye lah. People like her you steam liao?
You must live overseas like me . I am in Europe where I got pretty ang moh cher bao to mast for me.(1st time when we meet)
You really desperate huh?
- Thursday, March 31, 2011 3:02:00 AM
- Unknown said...
Be careful while you bonk her. She is a blood sucker and will suck all the money out of you. You need to have a job in top civil service to make sure you have enough $$$ to let her suck.
- Thursday, March 31, 2011 1:30:00 PM
- Unknown said...
I also think her husband likes young girls, the younger the better.That's why she still have to act very young. I just wonder if she will try out the Xiao Tian Tian trick, with 2 pony tails and wear school uniform for her husband.....
- Thursday, March 31, 2011 1:33:00 PM
- Soojenn said...
In charge of the social media..internet dept? and use "social media to reach out to the younger generation" in this coming election, "to build friendship online"!
After the onslaught, she locks herself out? Typical PAP style, cower back behind the oldies for protection. As usual, talk only. Her actions conflicts with her talk.
The internet, social media is a free for all place, and looks like she is unable to take the heat or even manage such simple interactions online, and has to resort to the MSM for protection? to state her positions?
You can wait until "ti kern" for her to open her lock to let your "horse" in..... hahahhahaa
- Thursday, March 31, 2011 1:53:00 PM
We should give her the benefit of doubt. This is an obvious plan to get the youth vote from younger voters bored with the older PAPers, and generate some buzz for the PAP Obama-style or SarahPalin-style. LHL has learnt from overseas n also his last election against the Hobbits in Mordor, that a youth element in his team can help and TPL is it.
If you all whack her too much you will actually help her get the SYMPATHY VOTE also, which used to be reserved solely for ChaimSeeTong.
The older voters will find her irrelevent, whether she is there or not, they'll still vote for PAP or opposition, but the younger ones(21-30YO), even the gals, may just give her a few more votes, either out of sympathy or because she is young like them, n this is obviously why she is there.
Don't you opposition-lovers jack off so much that you start to underestimate her and fall into the PAP's nice little trap.
Your blog is really funny n I will keep on reading it(even tho I m a PAP voter), pls keep up the goodwork.
- Thursday, March 31, 2011 4:44:00 PM
i think your blog post on TPL transcends targetting her on a personal scale. you have terribly belittled women on the whole, so to say.
keep the perverted thoughts to yourself. and, respect women. you have no reason to, you came to this world from a w____'s birth canal.
fill in the blank.
- Thursday, March 31, 2011 5:27:00 PM
those people come here scold rockson really one kind, they enjoy reading his dirty posts and after that pretend to be morally upright/uptight and curse him. hahahha, such losers!!!!! these men and women should just arrange to fuck themselves up and don't act so pretend!!!!
- Thursday, March 31, 2011 9:33:00 PM
hahaha, if this tin let me fuck her then i will vote her and her grc team in, hahahhahaha. down 1 button not enough for me to vote her lah, tell her to get real!!!!! in geylang i get tons of cb 100 times prettier than her!!!!! hahaha, 1 button down with that kind of face and act cute think can win votes, hahahhahaha!!!!
- Thursday, March 31, 2011 9:39:00 PM
this blog is absolutely majestic. beautiful. these people are really sending the lamb to the slaughter man.
- Thursday, March 31, 2011 10:26:00 PM
Rockson try offer heron tweeter $1500/1/1 =DD LOL!!!
- Friday, April 01, 2011 10:56:00 AM
ROCKSON you are the man. You are soooo fcuking funny ... I almost died reading your blog. You NEED to blogmore bro!!! I look forward to reading more of your post!
- Friday, April 01, 2011 1:37:00 PM
- Unknown said...
Knn, these people coming in here trying to whack Rockson for trying to bonk Tin Tin obviously are virgin readers and never heard of him.
You come in here you expect nothing except hardcore comments with hidden wisdom.
In fact, Rockson's essay on Tin Tin is already very mild, I am surprise by how much milder than those he wrote in the past.
- Friday, April 01, 2011 2:50:00 PM
I wonder if Ms Tin can sure the author for sexual harassment.
sure there is freedom of speech on the net but you have to pay the consequences of what you said too.
- Friday, April 01, 2011 6:19:00 PM
KNN...if she is last CB left on earth, i also won't vote for her.
- Saturday, April 02, 2011 4:19:00 PM
Rockson you ARE good!
- Saturday, April 02, 2011 9:21:00 PM
TPL looks like one China gal ive f**ked b4...........Damn chio like her..
- Sunday, April 03, 2011 1:44:00 PM
I never know PAP garment so good to we all, give us erection before the election!!!
- Sunday, April 03, 2011 4:25:00 PM
This is PAP's idea of a good candydate ;-)
- Sunday, April 03, 2011 9:58:00 PM
i found one chio gal, maybe rockson like it..
- Monday, April 04, 2011 8:28:00 PM
Please tell me I'm not the only one laughing like mad! Hahahahahaha!
- Tuesday, April 05, 2011 1:16:00 AM
- Tuesday, April 05, 2011 6:53:00 PM
Rockson, hope she falls for you and on your horse! FTW!
- Wednesday, April 06, 2011 12:33:00 PM
All talks on TPL, she is innocent victim of politic scene, if she knows before hand, I don't think she agreed to stand out. Her introduction clearly shows PAP no longer used to be righteous and fair, they became too arrogant and ignore peoples opinion and expectation, LHL will need to know TPL is his greatest failure towards PAP and his father; his strict and high standards as perceived was a big let off
- Monday, April 11, 2011 11:24:00 PM
Hi there, awesome site. I thought the topics you posted on were very interesting
- Wednesday, April 13, 2011 1:03:00 AM
I don't care whether you are a friend or an acquaintance to this airhead. But honestly, I ALSO heard she isn't a person who has manners. Using people and disposing them after is more like it. No way she's getting my vote, such a letdown.
TPL, stop embarrassing yourself and please "shyly" resign from your position. A person like you who may lay new laws for Singapore is a major disaster waiting to happen.
- Thursday, April 14, 2011 12:03:00 AM
At their wedding, Tin Pei Ling and her husband, Ng How Yue, reenacted how she forced him to propose to her, thinking it's a romantic episode.
They claim that they were looking through his old photos, and they came across a picture of his ex girl friend. Tin Pei Ling promptly flew into a rage and locked herself up in the room, threatening to break up with Ng How Yue.
Feeling desperate, Ng How Yue went out and came back within 2 hours with a ring to propose to her.
This was before Tin Pei Ling had turned 25, and while Ng How Yue was in his late 30s. How pathetic can these 2 leaders-to-be of Singapore be? How pathetic is Singapore to vote for someone like Tin Pei Ling?
Remember that this pathetic and spineless Ng How Yue drafts public policies which affect all our lives, while making $300k per year.
- Thursday, April 14, 2011 2:41:00 AM
So if 20 Plus can be as a PAP member !...
I wanna to join the opposition Party !...
hee hee :D
- Thursday, April 14, 2011 4:36:00 AM
dude your post is freaking awesome, i laughed throughout the whole post. im sure Tin PL and her PAP would appreciate the vote from you and your Horse.
- Friday, April 15, 2011 1:37:00 PM
- Wendy said...
I am better than her!
You come find me!
Click on my name!
And as for the rest of you: 该骂! 犯贱!
- Saturday, April 16, 2011 2:51:00 PM
"freedom of speech in the internet please. if you don't like what he's saying, don't read it. even after you've read it and you don't like it, suck it up like a man and keep protective comments to yourself."
You ridiculous moron. Freedom of speech works both ways.
- Sunday, April 17, 2011 10:12:00 PM
Rockson, fuck you la, your cheebye brains full of rubbish and sex. You are such a fucking loser, tin pei ling will never even look such a pathetic little worthless piece of shit like you. Go fuck your own hand la, cheebyekia..
- Monday, April 18, 2011 3:31:00 AM
tin pei ling very chio ??? ur eyes got problem ? she only looks "good" cause she is competing wit all the aunties !its akin to saying that she is the prettiest woman in the world if only her and an old grandmother left on the planet. oh gosh den all the movie stars r goddesses muz b goddesses in ur eyes liao.
- Thursday, April 21, 2011 2:46:00 PM
"Nice"? Did someone say she was nice working on a project together at JC? Beware! Apparently nice people have high EQ; manipulative, subtle, ungrateful and would make you think they're loyal, intelligent, genuine while you're their total opposite! Well, if Tin were sincere, she would wait another decade to be in the limelight. She would stay at grassroots, doing humble tasks quietly and not expecting any monetary reward or praise. But I dare say she's the sort who wants publicity, good or bad. She posed with such sensual stunt with a big man.....giggled like a tickled toddler....memorised phrases with such apparent pretention during interview.....absolute absurdity that the PAP is fielding her!
- Thursday, April 21, 2011 4:29:00 PM
After hearing all the top Opposition parties & their online supporters air their manifesto, the following song (sung to the tune of "We are Singapore") seems apt:
There was a time when people said
That Singapore is about PAP, but they're wrong
There was a time when our Parliament is only
Third class, but now we're First
We gonna win the Election, by all means, by attacking PAP
And also Tin Pei Ling
Chorus 1:
We are Opposition, We put Singapore First
We cut GST, We ask Foreigners to leave
We offer free HDB, We don't need GDP
We are Singapore, Opposition ye..
Singapore our homeland, we don't need Malaysians
All of us united, lets use up our reserves
We've come so far together, our common destiny
Singapore Opposition, will offer free medical
( Repeat Chorus 1 )
( Sung )
We the Opposition of Singapore
Pledge ourselves as anti-PAP grouping
Regardless of global competition, lack of natural resources
Lets ask foreigners to accept second class status
Based on Singapore first principle
So as to raise our median income
Provide social welfare for our nation
Chorus 2:
We are Opposition, We put Singapore First
We will stand together, tap our reserves
We are Singapore, we don't need MNCs
We're a nation strong and free forevermore
( Repeat Chorus 1 & 2 )
We are Singapore, Singaporeans ( X 2 )
Vote wisely countrymen.
- Friday, April 22, 2011 1:20:00 AM
Wa... u not scared ur blog hijacked ar... temasekreview alr kena shut down by mafiahs .. be very worried urs cld be next..
- Friday, April 22, 2011 12:49:00 PM
The Greatest regret of PAP... KNN like that i also can be MP draw $19k? a month lor... please take her off from MArine Parade! How to vote like that!!!!!
- Friday, April 29, 2011 10:06:00 PM
I really think Pei Ling should have owned her own brain and not to be herded like a cow. Pei Ling, your speech has disappointed everyone in Singapore who owns a brain.
In NAZI Germany, Imperial Japan, and the fascist Italy their parliaments were all rubber stamps, stooges, puppets, parrots, etc. You are telling the whole world you are one of them. What a shame ! You have chosen the wrong path; the path of evil and infamy.
- Saturday, April 30, 2011 6:10:00 AM
It's a joke they field this brainless chick. What do they think our country is, some fucking fascist Disneyland?
These jokes award themselves salaries benchmarked to U.S. CEOs and talk complete rot. They have no idea what the issues are!
I hope enough of us have the guts to give these clowns a good lesson on Election Day.
- Sunday, May 01, 2011 7:50:00 AM
Cum in you TPL,
Cum in you TPL,
Cum in you to give my best and more,
Together Singapore Singapore!
Together Singapore Singapore!
Together Singapore Singaporrrrreeeeeee!!!!
- Sunday, May 01, 2011 10:34:00 AM
- KO said...
LOL...cant stop laughing...Rockson u reali rocksssssssssss....muahahaha
- Sunday, May 01, 2011 7:01:00 PM
what a joke.
- Tuesday, May 03, 2011 2:32:00 PM
- Sunday, May 08, 2011 1:35:00 AM
Give her a break.... At least she dares to stand out in public. Those be a jealous pig. If you want to challenge her, compete openly with her. Mocking at her isn't gentleman way. She might not be perfect, be good. Do give her a chance to prove herself.
- Sunday, May 08, 2011 11:11:00 PM
Give her a break.... At least she dares to stand out in public. Don't be a jealous pig. If you want to challenge her, compete openly with her. Mocking at her isn't gentleman way. She might not be perfect, be good. Do give her a chance to prove herself.
- Sunday, May 08, 2011 11:15:00 PM
- XAV1337 said...
Hey, you drive a AE86 ah??? very rare in spore leh
- Monday, May 09, 2011 9:22:00 AM
I'm rare cos I'm not complain king.... Like others esp WP.. keeps on complaining but cannot fix the problem!
- Monday, May 09, 2011 6:34:00 PM
Please fuck her hard and tear her small cheebye with your big horse!!!!
- Monday, May 09, 2011 10:17:00 PM
I so totally agree that you are being so unfair to Ms.TPL. Leave her alone! Let her do what she wants! Why must you so kaypo care about her? Let her suffer for all I care! You should'nt even bother interfering with her own personal affairs.
- Monday, May 16, 2011 5:22:00 PM
NO,Don't leave her alone. Make sure she gets what she deserves - OUT OF PARLIAMENT. TPL is useless and moronic, not fit to be MP; a disgrace to Singapore. Everybody, makes sure you continue to insult her until she gets it into her head that Singaporeans want her OUT!OUT!OUT!
- Monday, May 16, 2011 11:36:00 PM
Those men against TPL in this blog: you r either 1. Dumped by her or ladies like her of the same calibre n Hv unsettled emotions or 2. U r mentally unsound n Are probably sexually dysfunctional 3. U Hv no respect for fellow mankind n yrself too (am hoping u are not a Singaporean who's ranting off like an ignorant fool ) OR all of the above. Do get a life n live a worthy life. see a psychiatrist for yr well being too. Singapore will be a better place if bitter people like u get help n treatment!
- Thursday, May 19, 2011 1:41:00 AM
She is such a laughing stock not only in Singapore but around the world, especially the developed countries. It will indirectly affect our economy, especially when investors doubt the credibility of the ruling party in choosing their MPs.
- Monday, May 23, 2011 12:18:00 PM
Read every single post and felt really disturbed and sad at the same time. Why be so vulgar and vicious against a lady who could be just another you and me. She doesn't deserve all these vitriol and those who have participated in this slugfest ought to be ashamed of yourselves. Can your actions stand up against the facade you put up daily in your double lives? How would your children or parents feel if they know you wrote those senseless attacks against a fellow citizen? I think MM's words are more appropriately used on you guys, go live and repent!
Kylie Pang, Russell Lim
- Tuesday, May 24, 2011 12:29:00 AM
i feel that u should just watched and listened silently without voicing anything out. As netizens, we should always give her some time to prove herslef, as if the next day she became MP, she will be able to make wonders. please kindly use ur brain to think and use ur compassionate heart to feel for her. it is not easy to stand up in front of the public. is she is trying very hard, we should give her some support, this will be a motivation for her. if u think she is not great or fit enough to be a MP , why not u come out and be the next candidate if u think u are so so so so so great! no offence.
- Tuesday, January 10, 2012 2:42:00 AM


text:
With the recent announcement that Lamb of God will release seventh album "Resolution" early next year, now seems a good time to take a look at their studio history at the latest in our Box Set series. Lamb of God have been a firm favourite of mine from the first time I heard a tiny snippet on a Wanadoo Broadband advert (which you can see at the bottom of the page).
Forming in 1994 under the moniker Burn the Priest, Lamb of God have released 6 studio albums, a live album and three DVD's. They've supported some of the biggest names in metal such as Motorhead, and toured the world several times over under their own headline banner. Lamb of God have come a long way over the years and have firmly placed themselves as one of the top metal bands of the last decade.
Burn The Priest (1999)
I debated whether to include this or not as it's technically not Lamb of God in name, but decided it was relevant as the only current band member missing was guitarist Willie Adler and occasional tracks are still played live. It's a vital piece in the history of the band though and deserved to be included.
Burn The Priest is pretty rough. It's not the most listenable material now due to the pretty poor recording compared to recent releases, but the fundamentals of the bands sound are here to be found albeit in unrefined form. The technical skill from later releases isn't missing exactly, but nowhere near as impressive as later albums. You can hear elements of later records in this early prototype, especially where the drumming is concerned, although it does sound a little too tinny for my liking.
The difference in vocal is particularly noticeable as it's pretty much just straight screaming and howling and it's difficult to pick out any lyrics other than 'mother-fucker' here and there. But it was the beginning, and you gotta start somewhere, right?
It might be rough, but it's certainly not without merit. Opening track "Bloodletting" is still one of my favourite songs today. Most of the tracks are around the two minute mark and are quick and angry and are over almost as soon as they start. It's not the greatest record in the world, but you can do a lot worse with 40 minutes to spare.
Add to playlist: Bloodletting
New American Gospel (2000)
Follow up New American Gospel is a lot like Burn The Priest in its overall sound style although the length of songs and their structure has changed a lot with most being over the 4 minute mark. I'd say that this really sets out the blueprint for a lot of later material.
Despite being released only a year later it's a much better record. The difference in recording quality is instantly noticeable on the albums opening track and live favourite "Black Label".
Vocal is still heavy on the indecipherable wailing, but there's more range in the screams and some gut-wrenching growls. Overall production is considerably better with the tinniness gone from the drumming revealing a much more clear and crisp sound that really begins to let you hear the true talents of Chris Adler.
I really like this record. It's the roots of a band that I've really enjoyed listening to over the years and I like to return to this album quite often. It has something that pushes it beyond other albums released at the time – dare I say a certain x-factor before the term was shat on by the soulless corporate types. It's definitely one to check out if you're only familiar with Lamb of God's later works, but be prepared to be surprised by how different it sounds.
Add to playlist: Black Label, In the Absence of the Sacred, The Subtle Arts of Murder and Persuasion, Pariah
As the Palaces Burn (2003)
For me, this is where Lamb of God move into their own territory and become a true force to be reckoned with. From this album onwards when you hear even a snippet of a song, be it a growl, a drum fill or a riff, you can recognise it as being Lamb of God. It's a difficult thing to be part of an established genre and yet unique enough that you can be picked out from the crowd on only a few notes.
Eschewing any sort of introduction, opener "Ruin" just blasts into life and is stunning. It runs straight into the next track without even a pause for a breath and doesn't relent until final track "Vigil", which despite a slow start remains one of my favourite tracks of all time. The pace of the album results in it being just shy of 40 minutes and over all too quickly. Luckily though, it's so damn good it's more than welcome to let it loop and enjoy all 10 tracks over again.
Most notably, vocal is clearer now yet without losing any of the power and authority from before. Lyrics are listenable without any detrimental effects. There are some great solos and drumming, again reinforcing Chris Adler's excellent skills. There are also the odd post production tid-bits like the final crash of "Ruin" that runs into the eponymous second track but these enrich the experience rather than being superfluous.
Add to playlist: Ruin, As the Palaces Burn, 11th Hour, A Devil in God's Country, Vigil. Actually, just add all of it.
Ashes of the Wake (2004)
Fourth album Ashes of the Wake continues very much in the same vein as Palaces. It's only a year apart and like the first two albums in this article are cut from the same cloth, although Ashes is a good twenty minutes longer.
Again, it's a brilliant record from start to finish. There's more in the way of solos this time round too although not too many as to become a clichéd growl-growl-solo song template. I think it's the whole band sound that makes Lamb of God such a successful outfit even though every member is a master of their chosen instrument.
Like its predecessor, Ashes opens with a superb track, "Laid To Rest". It's not quite as in your face as "Ruin" is, but it's no less awesome a start. Again, the pace is viscously fast with some awesome fret work on the guitar. Take a look on Youtube for the band showing you how to play some of the songs. Even in what's supposed to be them playing slowly, the technical skill here is astounding.
Fifth track "Omerta" is a highlight of the album and the entire Lamb of God catalogue. Starting with a short spoken section, it's a brooding, menacing and threatening song as befits its lyrical content about the Mafioso code of silence. Like the aforementioned "Vigil" it's a song of two halves, changing half way through from the threat to the violence.
Penultimate track "Ashes of the Wake" is instrumental for the most part and features snippets from an interview with a US Marine detailing some poignant experiences of his time in Iraq. It bleeds into the final track resulting one of the best album closes I've ever heard.
Add to playlist: Laid To Rest, Hourglass, Now You've Got Something To Die For, Omerta, Ashes of the Wake
Sacrament (2006)
To me Sacrament marks the beginning of a third chapter in the bands musical progression. This album isn't as raw as anything that's come before, although that's not to say that it's lacking. It still has the anger you expect, yet it's much more refined and contained, like the fury has a target instead of just unadulterated lashing out.
There's a lot more production polish here making everything sound much cleaner and crisper. There's a noticeable change in vocal again in that it doesn't sound quite so vitriolic and has more fiddling on it such as distortion effects that were never there before. It's like Randy's put in a lot of practice and lost the raw edge, which I think is both an achievement as it's more controlled and varied, and a bit of a shame at the same time as it doesn't have the same oomph. As much as I love the vocal in the last two records, it wouldn't fit the overall improvements in the recording and music and so the progress is welcomed in the end.
Everything is sharper on Sacrament overall. Guitar is excellent with a fair few solos that sound superb. There are also some great songs that retain the unique band fingerprints on them. Still no duffers or fillers here which 5 albums into a career is a hell of an achievement. I will confess though that in the end, as much as I like Sacrament, I must admit I still prefer to listen to the last two records before this.
Add to playlist: Walk With Me In Hell, Redneck, Blacken The Cursed Sun, Descending, Beating on Death's Door
Wrath (2009)
Finally we have 2009's Wrath. I was expecting a lot from this album, and boy I wasn't disappointed.
It opens with a two minute instrumental which I thought was quite odd, but it does actually fit rather well and leads straight into the first track proper. The vocal feels a little over polished to me again, though I suppose I've got used to after Sacrament, but the overall music is excellent. There's a bit more quick-fire blast drumming on this album and a little less solo work and it all sounds great.
I'm no musician, purely a consumer and I do really enjoy this although I do find myself leaning toward the earlier material. Interestingly my brother who is a multi instrument playing musician reckons this is the best album they've ever put out. I guess he see's more technicality in it and can appreciate it from that point of view. Me, I just love the metal.
There are some magnificent songs on here mind you. "Set To Fail" and "Contractor" in particular are back to back highlights, and "Grace" is something special indeed, starting with a beautiful intro that offsets the rest of the song perfectly.
Add to playlist: In Your Words, Set To Fail, Contractor, Grace, Choke Sermon
And last but not least, here's that advert I mentioned. Unfortunately the quality is awful as it's an old video, but it's still a bit of fun.
Since this article was written Lamb of God have now released Resolution, and it made it into my top ten of 2012!
- Royal Republic – The Garage, Glasgow – 30/03/17 - April 7, 2017
- Dave McPherson and Friends, Nice'n'Sleazy's, Glasgow, 27/09/16 - September 29, 2016
- Ruminating 25 Years of Pearl Jam - September 16, 2016


text:
This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Lehman Caves, Great Basin National Park • What's inside this gnarly rock maze hardly seems like it could mirror the world outside.
For seemingly endless miles in every direction above and around the caves, drought is blighting the simmering hot desert. In contrast, life inside the mile-long cave network relies on steady 50-degree temperatures and dank air.
But Gretchen Baker, an author and park ecologist, explains that inside and outside are intimately related and always have been. To see a sign of the record drought outside, she shows visitors two popular attractions inside, pools dubbed the King's and the Queen's bathtubs.
"These generally have water in them many months of the year," she said.
"They have been so dry, they haven't gotten any water in them this year at all."
It turns out the caves are a time machine, reflecting not only what's happening on Mount Wheeler and in the Snake Valley outside but also centuries worth of global climate patterns. That's the crux of research on Lehman Caves stalagmites.
One of the scientists involved in the work, Wally Smith Broecker, has been called "the father of global warming."
A scientist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and professor at Columbia University, he was the first to use what is now a hot-button term in his 1975 scientific paper, "Climate Change: Are we on the Brink of a Pronounced Global Warming?"
Broecker would go on to use isotope dating and chemical tracers to show the interconnection between ocean currents and global climate scientific findings that have become central to climate science.
Now he and a team of colleagues are using similar tools to decode stalagmites the calcite rock spires that jut up from the ground from the Lehman Caves.
This team analyzes the layering of minerals left by water drops for a century-by-century account of temperatures and precipitation that goes back thousands of years. The rock equivalent of reading tree rings, the technique is now considered one of the most precise ways to understand geologic change.
"In a sense," said Broecker, "the caves track monsoons."
He won't call last year's super-dry weather the result of climate change. Echoing other climate experts, he noted that anything short of a few decades is considered too brief a snapshot in time to make such a sweeping conclusion.
Still, the drought outside Lehman Caves fits the patterns Broecker first noticed decades ago and scientists worldwide have verified over and over.
Back in New York, where it has been an exceptionally warm, wet year, Broecker said the effects of shifting climate are playing out globally, not just in the record dryness along Utah's western edge. He pointed to unprecedented shrinking of ice in the Arctic and expanding summer slush in Greenland as examples.
"We expect more and more of those things as time goes on," the scientist said.
Looking to the winter, spring and the years beyond in western Utah, many worry what will happen if predictions come true and severe drought becomes the "new normal" in an already arid land.
Broeker said their worry is warranted, and he wondered aloud if there is time enough for humans to deflect the trend.
"The kind of changes we expect with warming, these changes are changes that affect our lives," he said
Baker, meanwhile, welcomes research from outside experts. She looks forward to untangling more mysteries with the help of the quirky plants, animals and minerals inside the park's caves.
"During these dry periods," she said, "it makes us appreciate what we have even more."
Twitter: @judyfutah


text:
NRHH Awards
NRHH Member of the Year
This award is for the member who has shown outstanding leadership and service to the chapter, residence halls, university apartments and surrounding community during the academic year. These members have gone above and beyond the duties of an active member by being enthusiastically involved in meetings, programs, and committee work. The winner is announced at the Residence Life Leadership Awards ceremony.
Distinguished Service Award
This award was created as a way to recognize an outstanding student leader who has served the residence life community for several years. This student leader should exhibit dedication, service and leadership in a variety of areas — including, but not limited to — hall/apartments councils, RHA, NRHH, MUSG, RA, PA, DR, hall secretary or ORL administrative assistant.
The services provided by this student should clearly improve the lives of Marquette residents. This award is given out at the discretion of the executive board, chaired by the president, with the consultation of the adviser. It can only be given once per academic year and is presented at the Residence Life Leadership Awards ceremony.
Bronze Pins
This national award is the highest honor an individual can receive on their campus. RHA and NRHH presidents can give out eight pins total, four each, and they are given to the men and women who have supported the presidents of NRHH and RHA.
Service and Leadership Pins
This national award is given out by the NRHH president to individuals who exemplify outstanding dedication, service and leadership to their Hall or Apartment Council, RHA, NRHH, and the Office of Residence Life at Marquette.