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Michael Albasini Wins Final Tour de Romandie Road StageSat 3 May 2014
Michael Albasini took his third stage victory at the 2014 Tour de Romandie in a three-up sprint, beating Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) and Jan Bakelants (Omega Pharma – Quick-Step) to the line. The trio were part of an early five rider breakaway that formed shortly after the first ten kilometres on stage four. The win is the fifth this week for ORICA-GreenEDGE and the 20th professional victory for Albasini. Nine of those wins come during Albasini's tenure with the Australian outfit.
"I was not counting," said Albasini, who seemed surprised to learn that he had reached a career milestone. "It's a nice number, but I'm always watching for the next one. The 19th or the 20th or the 21st – it doesn't matter. I'm just happy to win."
Jean-Marc Marino (Cannondale) and Alexis Vuillermoz (Ag2r La Mondiale) joined Albasini, Bakelants and Voeckler up the road on the opening lap of the 30 kilometre course. The penultimate day of racing included six times round the circuit that began and ended in Fribourg. The lumpy loop included one category three ascent.
"It was actually Albasini who put it out there that it would be great to have a guy in the break today," said Sport Director Neil Stephens. " 'I'm really eager to go into the break,' he said. We were all going to work together to put Albasini, Nino [Schurter], Christian [Meier] or Cameron [Meyer] into the move."
"It was a really fast and really aggressive start," Stephens added. "It wasn't like a chess game where there was one move and then a response. It was one attack and then another attack and then another attack – consistent attacking for awhile. The ones that were the first to get a gap were the five that we saw go away."
Fifty kilometres into the stage, the escape group had stretched out their advantage a bit beyond the six minute mark. The gap would hover there for the next hour. Steadily but very slowly the gap began to fall in the second half of the stage.
"Everybody was working really well together," said Albasini. "We worked out how we were going to ride and everybody committed to the breakaway. We had to keep it going because we knew it could be quite close at the end."
"That was a group of good bike riders," Stephens added. "I was confident they were gauging their efforts. We knew there would pick up the chase at the end, and they saved some of their energy for a final push to the line."
At the start of the sixth and final lap, Team Sky controlled the pace at the front of the bunch. The gap had fallen to 3'28. In an attempt to shut down the move, Lampre-Merida, Tinkoff-Sax and Trek Factory Racing all sent riders to the front before the final ascent of the categorised climb. As the chase heated up so too did the pace in the breakaway
"Bakelants made an acceleration on the last climb that separated us from the other two guys," explained Albasini. "It was actually a bit unnecessary how hard he rode up there. It put everybody in the red. It was a little risky."
The peloton overtook Marino (Cannondale) and Vuillermoz, but they were unable to bridge the distance to the remaining three leaders. A crash mid-pack briefly disrupted the chase, benefiting the breakaway. Albasini led the trio under the flamme rouge with a 24" advantage over the bunch.
"In the last few kilometres, I was doing the work," said Albasini. "I knew I would have to ride from the front because there was no room for playing games and watching each other. They were never going to let me on their wheel, so I would have to lead out the sprint from the head of the group. I closed out one side, and I was controlling attacks."
Two hundred metres from the finish, Albasini opened his sprint. Although both Bakelants and Vocekler jumped to respond, they were unable to match Albasini's powerful acceleration. He pumped his fist in the air as he crossed the finish, proudly delivering another Swiss victory at home.
"I knew that I could do the sprint from 200 metres," said Albasini. "When I started, the other guys had to make up my bike length, so I had an advantage that way. I'm also not that slow in the sprint. I knew it would work out well for me."


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Contact Us
The Financial Aid Office suite is located in Shuster Hall, Room 136.
Our Mailing Address:
Lehman College
Financial Aid Office
250 Bedford Park Blvd West
Bronx, NY 10468
We can also be reached by telephone at 718-960-8545 or by fax at 718-960-8328.
Our e-mail address is email@example.com.
The Financial Aid Computer Lab is located in Shuster Hall, Room 131A. The Lab's telephone number is 718-960-8620.

subset: commoncrawl


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One evening late last week, a Wisconsin engineer who calls himself "Joe" test-fired a new version of that handgun printed on a $1,725 Lulzbot A0-101 consumer-grade 3D printer, far cheaper than the one used by Defense Distributed. Joe, who asked that I not reveal his full name, loaded the weapon with .380 caliber rounds and fired it nine times, using a string to pull its trigger for safety.
The weapon survived all nine shots over the course of an evening, as you can see in the YouTube video below. (The clip was filmed by Michael Guslick, a fellow Wisconsin engineer who helped Joe with his tests and who is known for printing one of the first working lower receivers for AR-15 semi-automatic rifles.)
Joe's proof-of-concept could raise the stakes another notch in the growing controversy over 3D printed guns, an idea that threatens to circumvent gun control and let anyone download and create a lethal weapon in their garage as easily as they download and print a Word document. The first successfully fired 3D-printed gun that Defense Distributed revealed to Forbes earlier this month, dubbed the Liberator, was printed on an $8,000 secondhand Stratasys Dimension SST printer, a refrigerator-sized industrial machine. In testing, that prototype has generally only been fired once per printed barrel. The gun printed by Joe, which he's nicknamed the "Lulz Liberator," was printed over 48 hours with just $25 of plastic on a desktop machine affordable to many consumers, and was fired far more times. "People think this takes an $8,000 machine and that it blows up on the first shot. I want to dispel that," says Joe. "This does work, and I want that to be known."
Eight of Joe's test-fires were performed using a single barrel before swapping it out for a new one on the ninth. After all those shots, the weapon's main components remained intact–even the spiraled rifling inside of the barrel's bore. "The only reason we stopped firing is because the sun went down," he says.
Just how the Lulz Liberator survived those explosions isn't exactly clear. Joe claims that the plastic he used, the generic Polylac PA-747 ABS fed into most consumer 3D printers, is actually stronger than the more expensive ABS plastic used in a Stratasys printer. In fact, before using a Lulzbot-printed barrel, he and Guslick tested one made on Guslick's Stratasys printer. That barrel exploded on firing, though Joe blames the problem in part on its having been printed with a smaller chamber, the space at the back of the barrel into which the round is inserted.
Joe's printed gun contains a few more pieces of metal hardware than the original Liberator. Rather than print plastic pins to hold the hammer in the body, for instance, he used hardware store screws. Like Defense Distributed's gun, the Lulz Liberator also uses a metal nail for a firing pin, and includes a chunk of non-functional steel designed to make it detectable with a metal detector so that it complies with the Undetectable Firearms Act. The rifling that Joe added to the barrel is designed to skirt the National Firearms Act, which regulates improvised weapons and those with smooth-bored barrels.
Still, Joe's cheap homemade gun isn't without its bugs. Over the course of its test firing, Joe and Guslick say it misfired several times, and some of its screws and its firing pin had to be replaced. After each firing, the ammo cartridges expanded enough that they had to be pounded out with a hammer. "Other than that, it's pretty much confirming that yes, Defense Distributed is correct that this functions," says Guslick. "And it's possible to make one on a much lower cost printer."
It's not yet clear if or when Joe or Guslick plans to release their modified blueprint for the Liberator online. That kind of publication may be legally tricky: When Defense Distributed put its CAD files online earlier this month the State Department responded with a letter demanding that it take the files down until they could be reviewed for export control violations. But that didn't stop the Liberator files from being downloaded 100,000 times in their first two days online and then spreading further on filesharing websites like the Pirate Bay.
When Defense Distributed founder and anarchist Cody Wilson set out to create the world's first 3D-printed gun last year, he told me at the time that his focus was on making guns as widely accessible as possible via the Internet, a move he believed would demonstrate governments' inability to control digital objects. He planned to eventually adapt his model to be printable on a sub-$1,000 printer known as a RepRap. "Anywhere there's a computer and an Internet connection, there would be the promise of a gun," Wilson said at the time.
Joe's experiment brings that idea of a universally-available gun with uncensorable online blueprints one step closer to reality. "I'm trying to do the same thing Cody wants to do. I'm not an anarchist, but I don't like the idea that the government is telling us 'You can't have that,'" he says. "I agree with Cody's idea that this is a perfect fusion of the first and second amendments."
Of course, there's a certain thrill of pioneering a new gun design, too, Joe admits. "I may be the first person in the history of mankind to fire a bullet through a plastic rifled barrel. It's an interesting feeling," he says. "I feel like Samuel Colt."


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UnNews:Hospitals 'infested with patients'
This article is part of UnNews, your source for up-to-the-microsecond misinformation.
6 August 2008
LONDON, England -- The cleanliness of most NHS hospitals in England is threatened by frequent invasions of men, women, boys, girls and other patients, a report claims.
Figures released today show that 70% of NHS Trusts brought in the doctors to control the influx of patients at least 50 times between January 2006 and March 2008. Sick people were found in wards, clinics and even operating theatres. A spokesrat for the group Common Rodents Against Patients said the situation was 'revolting'.
Rodent leaders played down fears the infestations could lead to disease. The figures were obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, with every hospital asked to reveal how often doctors had visited over the two-year period in question. Of those who replied, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust topped the table, with more than 1,000 incidents, and five other trusts passed the 800 mark. All the respondents had reported some patient problem in the two-year period.
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust said that, as the fourth largest in England, it was likely to encounter more patient admission problems, and might be recording incidents differently to other trusts.
While most admission occurred in clinical, non-vermin breeding areas, some trusts reported problems nearer to pest-breeding areas. One had babies in close to a wasps nest and wards in the flying ant zone, while another reported dead bodies stored next to a major termite colony.
Shadow Vermin secretary Andrew Lansley said: "The Government have said over and over that they will improve standards for the protection of rodents, insects and other creatures in our hospitals, but these figures clearly show that they are failing."
Both the Department of Health and the Health Protection Agency (HPA) were sceptical of suggestions that the presence of patients could help spread infections among the vermin. A spokesman for the HPA said: "In countries with good standards of parasite care, the possibility for patients to transmit infections in hospitals would be very remote."
- BBC "Hospitals 'infested with patients'" BBC, August 06, 2008


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Hi all -
I've finally decided i could sell my spare TCA-5. It's the big one, the 5 cup model, which Square Mile etc don't stock. I find this a perfect size for sharing (between 2 or 3), or very usable for 1 if you like a mug of coffee!
It's in perfect condition, only used once! Like i say, it's a spare - i have another which I use day to day. It has the burner, hario measuring spoon, and cloth filter with it - these have all never been used. The box is a bit tatty, but the contents are all perfect, looking brand new.
Selling because I need the space and the cash, to be honest!
Would like £75 for it, delivered. If you're within 40 miles of Oxford, let me know and I could maybe bike-courier it to you. If you can collect, that would be even better!
It'd make a fantastic gift for a coffee person, or even just for yourself! Thought I'd offer it here, as i know someone on TMC could get the best from it!


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Madeira in semi-final after dramatic match in Helsinki
AM Madeira Andebol SAD have reached the semi-finals of the Men's Challenge Cup after a 26:26 draw away against Finnish Dicken. Also, A. E. K. Athens HC, HC Neva SPb and CSM Bucuresti comfortably advanced as the return matches of the quarter-finals were carried out this weekend.
In the semi-finals, with the first leg on 20/21 April, Madeira will take on last year's finalists Athens and Neva will face CSM.
Dicken come up one goal short
Madeira survived an extremely close quarter-final encounter with European Cup debutants Dicken from Finland. Having won 28:27 at home, Madeira just made it with a 26:26 draw in Helsinki on Saturday afternoon.
However, the home team were close to snatching the ticket at the end of the second leg. Until the last minutes, Madeira seemed to be cruising towards the semi-final. They led 12:10 at half-time and were up 17:11 early in the second half.
But at 25:20 down with seven minutes left, Dicken started an impressive comeback and with 14 seconds left, Tadas Stankevicius equalised for 26:26.
Just one goal more would have sent Dicken to the semi-finals, but there was no time for another attack.
Athens make up four-goal deficit
Madeira's next opponents, Athens, were chasing a four-goal deficit against Dynamo-Victor after losing 25:21 in Russia last weekend, but on home court, A. E. K. had no trouble catching up.
Dynamo-Victor were only able to follow the home team until 6:6, but the hosts had already built a 14:9 lead at half-time and they even went 10 ahead early in the second half.
The visitors created a bit of tension as they reduced to 27:21, but Athens, who were in the final last year, stayed six goals ahead until the end, 30:24.
Another six-goal win for CSM
CSM Bucuresti conceded three late goals (from 25:16 to 25:19) at home in the first leg against RK Borac m:tel last weekend, but their aggregate win came never under threat in the return leg on Saturday.
Despite the support of a massive 3,300 spectators, Borac could not keep CSM from landing another clear win. The visitors were leading 16:9 at half-time already and ultimately cruised into the semi-final with a 29:23 win.
Huge wing for St. Petersburg
In the semi-final, CSM will be up against HC Neva SPb. The Russian team had all odds on their side after winning their first match 33:26 away against HC Vise BM.
And the St. Petersburg-based team were even more dominating at home, where they completely overran their Belgian opponents.
It only took St. Petersburg 22 minutes to get their first 10-goal lead (16:6), and at half-time, they were leading by 12 (22:10).
In the second half, the home continued increasing their lead for a thumping 41:19 victory.Author: Peter Bruun / ew


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Relationships with
Photo Credit: André Previn's picture is courtesy of André Previn website. Photographic illustrations of André Previn are copyright © by their respective holders. The images are published with permission or as allowed by the copyright law's fair use or quotation provisions. If any copyright holder objects to an image being included, please notify us and it will be removed immediately.
Disclaimer: This information about André Previn is derived from astrological interpretation of André Previn's date, time, and place of birth.


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San Antonio Versus Dallas PreviewWestern Conference Second Round
#1 San Antonio (63-19) vs. #4 Dallas (60-22)
Dallas can win if…the Mavericks sustain a high level of play defensively, Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard outplay Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili and Dallas limits Tony Parker's dribble penetration.
San Antonio will win because…San Antonio is just thismuch better than Dallas; Nowitzki has had a better regular season than Duncan, but Duncan has much more playoff and big game experience; Howard is a very good and versatile swingman, but Ginobili always seems to find a way to make the key play offensively or defensively; Jason Terry has had a splendid season, but he will have trouble containing Parker's dribble drives.
Other things to consider: Dallas Coach Avery Johnson won a championship while playing for Gregg Popovich's Spurs and has quickly emerged as one of the NBA's best coaches. Dallas is a team on the rise and is certainly capable of beating the Spurs. It is important to remember that these teams are seeded one and four in the West only because of the NBA's quirky playoff system. The Spurs and Mavericks had the two best records in the West and trailed only Detroit (64 wins) for the best record in the NBA. The teams are so closely matched that one injury could tip the balance, a factor which would seem to favor Dallas since San Antonio has so many players who are banged up--but in the end I expect that San Antonio's championship experience (and home court advantage) will be the difference.
posted by David Friedman @ 3:10 AM


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Text of Regulation
5 C.F.R. part 2636 interprets and implements provisions in 5 U.S.C. app. 4 §§ 501-505 applicable to certain noncareer employees. More specifically, it implements the 15 percent outside earned income limitation at 5 U.S.C. app. 4 § 501(a) and the limitations at 5 U.S.C. app. 4 § 502 on outside employment and affiliations. Review the rulemaking history of 5 C.F.R. part 2636.
Note: When initially published in 1991, Part 2636 included provisions implementing the honoraria ban at 5 U.S.C. app. 4 § 501(b). However, in National Treasury Employees Union v. United States, 513 U.S. 454 (1995), the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the honoraria ban as to most executive branch employees. Subsequently, the Department of Justice determined that because of the scope of the Supreme Court decision, the statutory honoraria ban was inoperative as to all Government employees. Accordingly, in 1998, OGE published a rulemaking that removed from Part 2636 that portion of the regulation that had implemented the honoraria ban. The 1998 rulemaking also removed a provision requiring the confidential reporting of information about payments to charitable organizations in lieu of honoraria, a requirement that would have implemented 5 U.S.C. app 4. § 501(c) but that never became effective. To date, Subpart B of the regulation remains "reserved."
Brief Summary of 5 C.F.R. Part 2636
Subpart A – General Provisions
Subpart A establishes the framework for the rest of the regulation. It includes definitions, addresses enforcement and penalties, and implements the statutory provision, at 5 U.S.C. app. 4 § 504(b), concerning advisory opinions.
Subpart B [Reserved]
Subpart C – Outside Earned Income Limitation and Employment and Affiliation Restrictions Applicable to Certain Noncareer Employees
Subpart C warns that some Presidential appointees are subject to an outside earned income ban, defines additional terms (including "covered noncareer employee"), and contains provisions explaining the 15 percent outside earned income limitation and the limitations on outside employment and affiliations in 5 U.S.C. app. 4 §§ 501(a) and 502:


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Your course in research wiki states that if I click on "Learn" I will be able to type in my location or subject. All's I am getting is the message 'getting started' and I have done all your courses. I am discouraged at this point. I am not able to find my great grandfather in any of your records. Not as easy as you make it sound.My heart goes out this person. Yes, unfortunately, it is not as easy as we can make it sound. I wish I could sit down with this person and help them find their great grandfather. I am not sure what the reference is to "your records." But, although this is an extreme example, it is not uncommon for people to somehow have the idea that we have a file with all their relatives and all they have to do is look at that file to get the information. There is part of the common misconception that genealogy is nothing more than looking at a list.
This is the kind of request that can only be really addressed through a one-on-one question and answer period. My recommendation to this person would have been to seek out someone to help him (or her) find what he (or she) is looking for.
I realize that it is highly unlikely that anyone who has a question like the one quoted above will ever read my blog posts, but I do have several basic rules or principles about getting started in genealogy:
Rule One
Don't build bridges in the air.
Start from what you know and look for information about known ancestors before you begin to look for information about a remote ancestor. In other words, this person needs to be looking for records about his grandfather, not his great-grandfather. Too many new researchers dive right in and start looking for a remote ancestor without ever taking the time or making the effort to "get to know" all of the ancestors in between. My most common suggestion is to step back a generation or more and find out about the family before you start trying to identify the next generation back.
Rule Two
Always look in more than one source
Failing to find your ancestor on the FamilySearch.org website or any other website merely means that either you are looking for the wrong person or have some wrong information or the person is not on any of the records on that particular website. No one website has anything close to all of the records that can exist for an individual.
Rule Three
Information about your ancestor may not yet be on the Internet
Although this particular person is asking about a great grandparent, it is not unusual for me to have younger patrons whose grandparents are still living or were alive within the last 50 years. Information about such individuals may still be subject to basic privacy laws and not yet on the Internet in other than special websites dedicated to lawyers, banks and other such businesses. On the other hand, there may be records about your ancestor in some specific location that have not made their way to the Internet as yet.
Rule Four
Don't give up if you don't find information immediately
Genealogy is not a pursuit for those who want instant gratification. Sometimes a search for an ancestor will take months or even years before the crucial records are found. Don't give up.
Rule Five
Ask for help
There are whole lists of ways to get help, mainly from other genealogists. There are online forums such as Forums.FamilySearch.org and others. There are Family History Centers. There are genealogical societies. There are genealogy clubs. Ask around, it is very likely that someone in your community will help you and usually, for free. Remember, you can always hire a professional to help you with your research.
What I would say to this person, I would say to all: There is help. There are resources. You are not alone and there is no reason to be discouraged.


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|Programming C, bash, Python, Perl, PHP, Java, you name it.
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What's your relashionship with C#?
Well, I think after having this thread, it is only fair to have this one. So I will ask the same question for this language:
What's your relashionship with C#?
Love to hear your comments, experience with C#, its's pro's and con's ... almost anything except flaming.
My personal experience, has only been a 'groaning' whenever Gnome pulls in gtk# and associated stuff as dependencies.
Never bothered to learn it either, since I've never seen much purpose to it after having already picked up Java, unless someday, by some blind cursed twist of fate, I end up in .NET land lol. Yes, you could say I consider C Sharp to be the MS+CLI equivelent of Suns Java, which ain't exactly my favorite language in of itself.
My Journal
Thou shalt check the array bounds of all strings (indeed, all arrays), for surely where thou typest ``foo'' someone someday shall type ``supercalifragilisticexpialidocious''.
Feel the same. Have no use for it whatsoever.
We're just good friends and that incident with the sheep was totally blown out of proportion by the media.
My next door neighbor claims he is an uber programmer in it, but his yard looks like you could tee up on it and he OCD's about the dandelions in my yard.
I have no relationship at all with it, in fact, I demand a restraining order now!
I've been forced to learn it for my day job.
I don't like the .NET part of the language as in all the bloat that you have to install. But I like the language syntax and construction. So in all we have an amicable relationship but at times it gets on my nerves. kind of like a long marriage.
"The basic tool for the manipulation of reality is the manipulation of words. If you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use the words." -Philip K. Dick
As a veteran C and Perl programmer, I'm just beginning with C# and mono over the past few days. Despite a few bugs cropping up in monodevelop (including one where it crashes and loses changes... ugh) I'm actually rather liking the language itself. Once I become more familiar with the classes available, I think it will be a rather powerful tool. It seems to lack the annoying little quirks that kept me away from Java and C++, so if the performance turns out to be vastly superior to that of a Perl or Ruby script, it may end up becoming a language I use an awful lot.
I certainly hope to see more FreeBSD & mono love in the future. Novell is pretty invested in their [SuSE] Linux, so it'll likely fall to us in the BSD community to make the best stuff happen.
I'm awfully suspicious of any language that requires me to install a framework (Mono) to work. I understand C# may be nice but that's just no right. It also bothers me that Mono is, essentially, a framework for a different operating system, so it's all just a little strange.
As far as mono being a framework for a different operating system, I'd have to disagree. While Novell has strong ties to Linux due to their ownership of SuSE, Mono works just fine on FreeBSD, and there's a bsd-sharp development group which seems to be formally sanctioned by Novell. A lot of other open source projects are primarily developed on Linux, too, so it's nothing we aren't used to. This is why the ports system has support for lots and lots of patches per port.
In addition to Mono, there's also the DotGNU suite, though I'm not at all familiar with it personally. Might be worth looking into if you want to experiment with .NET development in C# on FreeBSD without using Mono, however.
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|21st November 2008 07:07 AM


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Classic Open-Top Vintage Bus Tour of London and Christmas Lunch Cruise - Christmas Day 2019
What better way to see the highlights of London than from on board a vintage double-decker bus?
View London without any traffic or crowds!! Enjoy great views of Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and the London Eye as we meander through the streets and history of our great city, all brought to life by our expert guide.
Take your seat on our beautifully restored double-decker bus and marvel at all of London's highlights, including Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and the London Eye, all brought to life by our expert guide.
Have your cameras at the ready as we stop for photos at Sir Christopher Wren's masterpiece, St. Paul's Cathedral where Admirals Nelson and Wellington are buried and where Princess Diana was married. Then join us at the Tower of London that was built nearly a thousand years ago and is now home to the Crown Jewels protected by the famous Beefeaters. The imposing former palace was once used as a fortress and a prison and your guide will take you to see Traitors Gate where prisoners entered the Tower for the last time!
Christmas Day lunch on the River Thames
Take your place for an unforgettable traditional Christmas lunch cruise for the finest festive dining experience you will find on the Thames. With a luxurious 4 course menu and an elegant, seasonal atmosphere, we promise you'll never know another Christmas like it.
Sample Menu:
Roast butternut squash, cumin & coriander soup
Roast turkey with herb & onion stuffing, bacon rolls and chipolatas served with roast potatoes with a delicate hint of garlic and rosemary, honey-roasted parsnips and carrots, Brussel sprouts with roast chestnuts, gravy and with cranberry sauce
OR Vegetarian Option (must be requested at time of booking)
Baked wild mushroom, spinach, cranberry, hazelnut & brie pastry with cherry tomato & red onion confit served with seasonal vegetables (v)
White and dark chocolate gateau with cream
Tea or coffee served with mince pies and mints
Tour finishes at Westminster pier at 3.15pm.
Premium Tours will drop off at convenient locations no more than a short walk to your hotel after the lunch cruise.
Cancellation and amendment must be received in writing before 1st December 18. Also vegetarian option must be requested at the time of booking.
Upper deck seating will be first come first serve, this is an open top bus tour - please be prepared for the possibility of rain/snow.
- Amba Charing Cross
- Citadines Trafalgar Square
- Crowne Plaza Kings Cross
- Grosvenor House, JW Marriott
- Hard Rock Hotel (formerly Cumberland Hotel)
- Hilton Kensington
- Hilton Metropole
- Hilton Olympia
- Hilton Paddington
- Holiday Inn Kensington
- Ibis Earls Court
- Indigo Kensington
- Kipton Fitzroy (formerly Principal London)
- Lancaster Gate
- Langham Hotel
- Leonardo Royal London Tower Bridge
- Marriott Grosvenor Square
- Marriott Maida Vale
- Marriott Regents Park
- Melia Whitehouse
- Millennium Gloucester (Casino Entrance)
- Novotel London West
- Park Plaza Westminster Bridge
- President Hotel
- Pullman St. Pancras
- Radisson Vanderbilt
- Rembrandt Hotel
- Ritz Hotel (Casino Entrance)
- Royal Gardens Hotel
- Strand Palace
- Thistle Kensington Gardens
- Victoria Coach Station, 164 Buckingham Palace Road, Victoria, SW1W 9TP


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Table of ContentsWindurst Part 1: The FederationWindurst Part 2: Rapifafa's First MissionsWindurst Part 3: The Book of the GodsWindurst Part 4: The Three NationsWindurst Part 5: Castle OztrojaWindurst Part 6: Journey to JeunoWindurst Part 7: MagiciteWindurst Part 8: A Red Mage's StoryWindurst Part 9: The Shadow LordA Minister's LifeWindurst Part 10: Full Moon FountainA Black Mage's Story: The Great Star TreeWindurst Part 11: The Lost JournalsA Ranger's Story: The Sin HuntersWindurst Part 12: The Five MinistersA Summoner's Story: Secret of the DollsWindurst Part 13: Doll of the DeadWindurst Part 14: Stars of HopeWindurst Epilogue: The PromiseA Thief's Story: Atarefaunet's BandSan d'Oria Part 1: The Tomb of the Dragon KingA Paladin's Story: A Knight's ArmorSan d'Oria Part 2: A New HeirA Dragoon's Story: The Shifting CrestSan d'Oria Part 3: Breaking BarriersA White Mage's Story: Pieuje's DecisionSan d'Oria Part 4: The Heir to the LightSan d'Oria Epilogue: Peace for the SpiritA Beastmaster's Story: Man's Best FriendThe Starlight CelebrationThe ArchdukeA Bard's Story: The Circle of TimeA Dark Knight's Story: The Dark LegacyA Monk's Story: Ghosts of the PastBastok Part 1: Crisis in the RepublicRise of the Zilart Part 1: The Warriors of the CrystalRise of the Zilart Part 2: The Temple of UggalepihBastok Part 2: On My WayRise of the Zilart Part 3: The Headstone PilgrimageBastok Part 3: The Chains That Bind UsRise of the Zilart Part 4: The Chamber of OraclesA Ninja's Story: The LegacyBastok Part 4: The ReturnA Warrior's Story: The Talekeeper's GiftBastok Part 5: Where Two Paths ConvergeBastok Epilogue: Do You Like Bastok?A Samurai's Story: The Mysterious Far EastRise of the Zilart Part 5: Return to Delkfutt's TowerRise of the Zilart Part 6: Tu'lia, the Gate of the GodsDynamis: The Shrouded LandRise of the Zilart Part 7: Divine MightRise of the Zilart Part 8: AwakeningRise of the Zilart Epilogue: A WhisperGood DeedsChains of Promathia Intro Chapter 1: Ancient Flames Beckon い: In the Baptism of Life ろ: ROad Below the Arks は: HAil the Crystal Which Births Us Chapter 2: Isle of the Forgotten Saints に: NIlling Invitation Westward ほ: HOmeland Forgotten へ: HEed a Distant Belief と: TO An Eternal Melody ち: CHIliads-Old Vow Chapter 3: A Transient Dream り: RIng of the Wyrmking's Call ぬ: NUbilous Voyage る: The Road Forks: RUinous Line of Francmage を: The Road Forks: WOman in Black and A Comedy of Errors わ: WAtching Over Aged Wounds か: CAlling Oneself a God
though my disapointment that this wasn't anything that I hoped for eventually won and I quit FFXI
Quality post here mate. =3I have very little MMO experience, but when I was a little kid, not quite understanding what an MMO was and just thinking FFXI was the sequel to FFX, I begged my dad to get me this game and subscription. I picked Tarutaru, so this starting area is a little nostalgic for me - though my disapointment that this wasn't anything that I hoped for eventually won and I quit FFXI
I actually like the Tarutaru more than the falalala's of FXIV... I think it's because in general, FFXI was a bit more committed to cartoony appearances than 14 is (or the limited graphics made that happen).


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Global semiconductor companies delivering platforms: Jaswinder Ahuja, Cadence
Some time ago, Cadence Design Systems Inc. had announced the EDA360 vision! As per Jaswinder Ahuja, corporate VP and MD of Cadence Design Systems India, the Cadence vision of EDA360 is said to be well and alive. The organization has been aligned around the EDA360 vision.
The EDA360 is a five-year vision for defining the trends in the EDA industry, based on what Cadence is observing in the industry and the direction in which, it feels, the industry will go.
At Cadence, the Silicon Realization Group is headed by Dr. Chi-ping Hsu. The SoC Realization Group is headed by Martin Lund, and Nimish Modi is looking after the System Realization Group. Cadence's focus has been on in-house development and innovation. Tempus has been a major announcement from the Silicon Realization Group.
What's going on with EDA360?
There has been a renewed thrust in the SoC Realization Group at Cadence. Already, there have been three acquisitions this year — Cosmic Circuits, Tensilica and Evatronix. Cadence is buying the IP part of the business from Evatronix. This acquisition is ongoing and will be announced in June 2013.
On the relationship between the electronics and the EDA industries, Ahuja said the electronics industry is going through a transition, and that the EDA industry needs to change. The importance of system-level design has increased. Companies are currently focusing on optimizing the end user experience.
Read more…
Global semiconductor industry outlook 2013: Jaswinder Ahuja, Cadence
How will 2013 turn out to be for the global semiconductor industry? Will there be growth for the global EDA industry? Importantly, how will the Indian semiconductor industry perform in 2013? I asked Jaswinder Ahuja, corporate VP and MD, Cadence Design Systems India these questions.
Outlook for global semicon industry in 2013
First, how is the outlook for global semiconductor industry in 2013 going to be? Ahuja said: "The long term outlook for the semiconductor industry remains positive, with mobility and cloud computing being the key drivers. The global economy is forecast to grow around 4 percent annually through 2016, according to an April 2012 report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
"In its June 2012 report, Gartner predicted growth in electronics and semiconductor industries to outpace that of the world GDP growth, at 5½ percent annually to approach $2 trillion for electronics and 6 percent annually for semiconductors through 2016. So, the semiconductor industry outlook remains very positive overall.
"In the near term, multiple challenges will need to be weathered with respect to the global economic climate, especially in European markets. The JP Morgan/GSA Semiconductor Index of Leading Indicators points to a soft semiconductor industry in 2013. However, there are lot of new products in the mobile and tablet space that are driving demand, such as the iPhone 5, Microsoft Surface, and Samsung Galaxy S III.
"The China semiconductor space is emerging as a key market for semiconductor company revenue, and forecasts predict that it will show rapid annual growth rate. The consolidation and M&A activities that we are seeing in the global semiconductor industry also indicate a positive outlook for the upcoming year.
"In India as well, the semiconductor industry will continue to see growth. The injection of funds and other support outlined in the National Policy on Electronics will provide an impetus to home-grown design and manufacturing, which should start gaining traction in 2013."
Five trends for 2013
What would be the three or five trends likely to be visible in 2013? Ahuja said Cadence sees five big trends that will drive growth in the near and long term. These are: mobility, application driven design, video, cloud and security.
Probably, the most pervasive change in electronics recently has been mobility. When we talk about mobility, it's just not about smart phones or tablets, but any kind of device which is mobile. Within the mobile space, software applications help system manufacturers and vendors differentiate themselves and stand apart from the competition. The need to have apps on all kinds of devices is driving rapid growth, as well as placing new demands on EDA companies.
The entertainment industry will be the key driver for video, and as the year progresses, we will continue to see more and more products and solutions introduced to tap into the demand. For the semiconductor industry, video will drive growth both in the end consumer market (mobile platforms) and the enterprise space (networking industry).
In many ways, the backbone to mobility is the cloud. With its network servers and infrastructure, the cloud is what delivers much of the content and value to all of those mobile devices. Statistics show that we need one server for every 600 smart phones and one for every 120 tablets. So there is a big need for data centers which can provide support for all the computing and back-end operations.
Security of data in mobile devices and the cloud will continue to be a challenge in the near future. There will be renewed calls to develop products that can protect critical infrastructure and sensitive information from security breaches.
Read more…
Pressing need to build capabilities in universities: Jaswinder Ahuja
CDNLive India held its University Conference today. Welcoming the delegates — largely made up of faculty members from various institutes across India and students, Jaswinder Ahuja, corporate VP and MD, Cadence Design Systems (I) Pvt Ltd, highlighted that there are over 300 universities in India that have access to Cadence's EDA software.
Dwelling on how Cadence went about developing its University program in India, he said that the EDA vendor first started its faculty training program. "As a next step, we wanted the students to develop some real designs, and to innovate. So, we launched the Cadence Design Contest. We have had this for five to six years now. This year, we split the contest into Masters and Bachelors levels." Cadence started the University conference last year.
Ahuja re-iterated, "It is important that we develop a community — where the faculty and students come together and share their experiences." A visiting professor from Gerrmany shared his experiences in Europe during last year's CDNLive India University conference.
Challenges in university ecosystem
Ahuja added: "This year, we have started the Cadence VLSI Certification Program (CVCP). The whole idea is to ensure is that through the curriculum, labs and the like, we can help the student to be industry ready from day one!
"Right now, it takes anywhere from six months to two years to achieve that — which s simply, productive time lost. Our goal is to build capabilities in the universities. We also have two pilots going on under CVCP. Once those are over, we will be ready to scale up.
"One of the challenges that we face when we look at the university ecosystem today — the faculty is the backbone of the academic infrastructure. It is important that the faculty is world class. If some of our best and briightest don't make the choice to be part of faculty, then the entire industry is at threat. Those who have the passion to teach and impart education, should definitely stick around."
He noted that the government of India is also very keen on investing in education. That's going to improve prospects for higher education and for those who would want to get into the education field. It is said that some of the bills that have to be passed in the Indian Parliament are built around enhancing and growing higher education. Read more…
VDAT 2010: Real, but 'different' opportunity in emerging markets — Jaswinder Ahuja, Cadence
The VLSI Design and Test Symposium 2010 (VDAT 2010) was held last week (July 7-9) at the picturesque Chitkara University Campus, Himachal Pradesh, located 32 kms from Chandigarh.
VDAT is an annual activity of the VLSI Society of India, and was initiated to provide a discussion forum for Indian academicians and industry professionals working in the areas related to VLSI.
Delivering the keynote, Jaswinder Ahuja, corporate vice president and managing director, Cadence Design Systems India, said: "There is a "real" but "different" opportunity in the emerging markets. One would have to immerse himself/herself to understand the market better. India is also a great proxy for the emerging markets. It has the design expertise as well to address this market.
"The next 10-15 years present a unique window of opportunity to India entrepreneurs to play a leadership role in the global economic growth."
Elaborating on the "real" but "different" opportunity in emerging markets, he added: "The base of the pyramid opportunity is very real. As per World Resources Institute, there are four billion people in the developing world representing a $5 trillion market opportunity who have real needs and aspirations but are under served.
"At least 700 million of these people are in India and represent a real business opportunity as well as an opportunity to "do good" and help include them into the formal economy and enable India to achieve its aspiration of 9-10 percent "inclusive" GDP growth. This requires business innovation and a different mind-set presenting a transformative opportunity to marry low cost, good quality, sustainability and profitability at the same time."
India a great proxy for emerging markets!
India is also said to be a great proxy for the emerging markets. Ahuja explained: "India is many markets — urban, semi-urban and rural) in one and presents a broad spectrum of challenges that need to be overcome to be able to reach the 700 million people market opportunity."
"If we can make something (product or service) work in India, we can make it work pretty much anywhere else in the developing world – whether it is financing, distribution, logistics, operating environment or anything else."
Opportunity for Indian entrepreneurs to play leadership role
The next 10-15 years present a unique window of opportunity to India entrepreneurs to play a leadership role in the global economic growth.
According to Ahuja: "The markets of the future are in our backyard and we have among the best design talent in the world. If we can immerse ourselves in the market to understand the real needs and opportunities and then leverage our design expertise to build products for this market we will be best positioned to serve the next 4 billion consumers of the world.
"Indian entrepreneurs have an opportunity to play a leadership role in the global economic growth across sectors, but especially in electronics. No other country in the world has this unique convergence of circumstances. This opportunity is once in a lifetime and ours to lose if we do not create the right environment and framework to leverage it." Read more…
EDA360 unplugged with Cadence's Jaswinder Ahuja
Following the announcement of the EDA360 last week, I managed to get in touch with Jaswinder Ahuja, corporate vice president and managing director, Cadence Design Systems (I) Pvt Ltd. We discussed a variety of topics such as why the EDA industry is at the crossroads, EDA360 unplugged, the integrators vs. creators concept, the IP stack and the road ahead for EDA360.
First, why is the EDA industry at the crossroads?
"Semiconductor companies are being asked by system companies to provide the hardware platform as well as the software that will run on that particular platform. That is the trend that Cadence is seeing today, and that is what is discussed in the EDA360 manifesto," he added.
EDA is at crossroads because EDA companies can no longer provide the tools only for IP integration and silicon realization like they have been doing all these years. EDA now has to encompass SOC realization (including bare metal software) and then move towards system realization, which includes mechanical/board design, he noted.
EDA360 and its key features
Ahuja said that EDA360 represents System Realization, the development of a complete hardware/software platform ready for applications development; SoC Realization, the creation of a single SoC including hardware-dependent software; and Silicon Realization, which includes complex digital, analog, and mixed-signal designs.
The traditional approach to system development starts with the hardware, and appends the software and the applications later. With application-driven System Realization, designers start by envisioning the applications that will run on the system, define requirements, and then work their way down to hardware and software IP creation and integration. This flow requires some new and expanded capabilities.
Part of system realization is project management. EDA360 reaches beyond engineering teams to help customers meet project and business objectives.
Key features of EDA360 include:
The four chapters of the EDA360 manifesto take a look at:
Can 2014 be a major year for global semicon industry?
The year 2014 is expected to be a major year for the global semiconductor industry. The industry will and continue to innovate!
Apparently, there are huge expectations from certain segments such as the so-called Internet of Things (IoT) and wearable electronics. There will likely be focus on the connected car. Executives have been stating there could be third parties writing apps that can help cars. Intel expects that technology will be inspiring optimism for healthcare in future. As per a survey, 57 percent of people believe traditional hospitals will be obsolete in the future.
Some other entries from 2013 include Qualcomm, who introduced the Snapdragon 410 chipset with integrated 4G LTE world mode for high-volume smartphones. STMicroelectronics joined ARM mbed project that will enable developers to create smart products with ARM-based industry-leading STM32 microcontrollers and accelerate the Internet of Things.
A look at the industry itself is interesting! The World Semiconductor Trade Statistics Inc. (WSTS) is forecasting the global semiconductor market to be $304 billion in 2013, up 4.4 percent from 2012. The market is expected to recover throughout 2013, driven mainly by double digit growth of Memory product category. By region, all regions except Japan will grow from 2012. Japan market is forecasted to decline from 2012 in US dollar basis due to steep Japanese Yen depreciation compared to 2012.
WSTS estimates that the worldwide semiconductor market is predicted to grow further in 2014 and 2015. According to WSTS, the global semiconductor market is forecasted to be up 4.1 percent to $317 billion in 2014, surpassing historical high of $300 billion registered in 2011. For 2015, it is forecasted to be $328 billion, up 3.4 percent.
All product categories and regions are forecasted to grow positively in each year, with the assumption of macro economy recovery throughout the forecast period. By end market, wireless and automotive are expected to grow faster than total market, while consumer and computer are assumed to remain stagnant.
Now, all of this remains to be seen!
Earlier, while speaking with Dr. Wally Rhines of Mentor, and Jaswinder Ahuja of Cadence, both emphasized the industry's move to 14/16nm. Xilinx estimates that 28nm will have a very long life. It also shipped the 20nm device in early Nov. 2013.
In a 2013 survey, carried out by KPMG, applications markets identified as most important by at least 55 percent of the respondents were: Mobile technology – 69 percent; Consumer – 66 percent; Computing – 63 percent; Alternative/Renewal Energy – 63 percent; Industrial – 62 percent; Automotive – 60 percent; Medical – 55 percent; Wireline Communications – 55 percent.
Do understand that there is always a line between hope and forecasts, and what the end result actually turns out to be! In the meantime, all of us continue to live with the hope that the global semiconductor will carry on flourishing in the years to come. As Brian Fuller, Cadence, says, 'the future's in our hands; let's not blow it!'
How's global semicon industry performing in sub-20nm era?
Early this month, I caught up with Jaswnder Ahuja, corporate VP and MD, Cadence Desiign Systems India. With the global semiconductor industry having entered the sub-20nm era, there are a lot of things happening, and Cadence is sure to be present.
Performance in sub-2onm era
First, let's see how's the global semiconductor industry performing after entering the sub-20nm era.
Ahuja replied: "Increased demand for faster, smaller, low-power chips continues to drive the geometry shrink as one of the ways to manage the low-power, higher performance goals in smaller form factors—in other words, PPA is driving the move to advanced node design.
"At Cadence, we are seeing a lot of interest in the wireless space, which includes smartphones, tablets, and consumer devices. In this market, you must support different standards, the device must be really fast, it must have Internet access, and all this must be done at lower power so the that it does not drain the battery. We're also seeing interest for advanced nodes in other segments such as computing and graphics processors."
When speaking of advanced nodes, let's also try and find out what Cadence is doing in helping achieve 10X faster power integrity analysis and signoff.
Cadence Voltus IC power integrity Solution is a full-chip, cell-level power signoff tool that provides accurate, fast, and high-capacity analysis and optimization technologies to designers for debugging, verifying, and fixing IC chip power consumption, IR drop, and electromigration (EM) constraints and violations.
The Voltus solution includes innovative technologies such as massively parallel execution, hierarchical architecture, and physically aware power grid analysis and optimization. Beneficial as a standalone power signoff tool, Voltus IC Power Integrity Solution delivers even more significant productivity gains when used in a highly integrated flow with other key Cadence products, providing the industry's fastest design closure technology.
Developed with advanced algorithms and a new power integrity analysis engine with massively parallel execution, Voltus IC Power Integrity solution:
* Performs 10X faster than other solutions on the market.
* Supports very large designs—up to one billion instances—with its hierarchical architecture.
* Delivers SPICE-level accuracy.
* Enhances physical implementation quality via physically aware power integrity optimization.
Supported by major foundries and intellectual property (IP) providers, Voltus IC Power Integrity Solution has been validated and certified on advanced nodes processes such as 16nm FinFET and included in reference design flows such as for 3D-IC technology. Backed by Cadence's rigorous quality control and product release procedures, the Voltus solution delivers best-in-class signoff quality on accuracy and stability for all process nodes and design technologies.
FinFETs to 20nm – are folks benefiting?
It is common news that FinFETs have gone to 20nm and perhaps, lower. Therefore, are those folks looking for power reduction now benefiting?
Ahuja replied that FinFETs allow semiconductor and systems companies to continue to develop commercially viable chips for the mobile devices that are dominating the consumer market. FinFETs enable new generations of high-density, high-performance, and ultra-low-power systems on chip (SoCs) for future smart phones, tablets, and other advanced mobile devices. Anyone who adopts FinFET technology will reap the benefits.
Foundry support for FinFETs will begin at 16nm and 14nm. In April of this year, Cadence announced a collaboration with ARM to implement the industry's first ARM Cortex-A57 processor on TSMC's 16nm FinFET manufacturing process. At ARM TechCon 2012, Cadence announced a 14nm test chip tapeout using an ARM Cortex-M0 processor and IBM's FinFET process technology.
Read more…
Outlook for electronics and semiconductors in 2013
Happy new year to everyone! Here is an outlook for the electronics and semiconductors sectors in 2013, provided by Jaswinder Ahuja, corporate VP and MD, Cadence Design Systems (India) Pvt Ltd. (Thanks a lot, Pallavi).
First, the past year, 2012, in review.
Globally, 2012 has been a challenging year for the semiconductor industry with the economic slump in Europe and the US. However, the long term outlook remains positive, with Gartner reporting that the growth in the electronics and semiconductor industries will outpace world GDP growth till 2016.
In India, the ambiguity around the telecom market, traditionally the biggest consumer of semiconductor equipment, was the main handicap to growth. On the positive side, the passing of the National Policy on Electronics (NPE) in 2012 promises a much-needed fillip to the electronics ecosystem. In 2013 we expect to see a positive impact in terms of home-grown electronics thanks to the provisions of the Policy.
Worldwide technology trends in 2013
User experience is the driving force behind many of the semiconductor design trends that we will see in 2013 and beyond. Consumers are demanding devices on which games, music, cameras, internet, and other apps all run simultaneously and seamlessly. As a result, mobility, application-driven design, video, cloud and security, all of which enable an enhanced user experience, are the drivers of the electronics and semiconductor world today.
Mobility is the single biggest driver for the semiconductor industry. The pervasiveness of mobility does not only affect the telecommunications industry, but also entertainment, home electronics, automotive and medical electronics.
For example, cutting edge mobile solutions in the healthcare field include devices that can monitor blood pressure and blood sugar levels remotely, and then transmit the readings to the physician for diagnosis and treatment; in the automotive sector, in-vehicle infotainment is expected to be the next big thing and end-consumers can look forward to real-time traffic reports, weather information, and entertainment options from next-generation cars.
Mobility has fundamentally altered how we produce and consume information. In the future, we can expect that devices will go one step further and actually interact intelligently with the user – we see the first steps of that with Apple's Siri software.
Mobility has also created a completely new market for applications that enable a more interactive and satisfying user experience. It is via applications that system companies differentiate themselves and stand apart from the competition. The need to have applications on all kinds of devices is posing unique challenges to the semiconductor and EDA companies.
Whereas traditionally the hardware (silicon) was built first and then the software was added later, now developing the software and designing the hardware are becoming a parallel process. This gives rise to new EDA technologies that enable early software development using software models of system hardware long before silicon is ready. We will see this new way of designing continue to be a challenge going into 2013.
Per reports from Cisco, video will soon drive more than 90 percent of all global traffic on the Internet. As more and more entertainment and collaboration tools are launched, bandwidth-hungry video traffic will drive growth both in the end consumer market (mobile platforms) and the enterprise space (networking industry).
The cloud is closely intertwined with the growth in mobility – it is the cloud of network servers and backbone equipment that deliver the content and value to all mobile devices. For every 600 smart phones and every 120 tablets, one dedicated server is needed. With the demand for mobiles showing accelerated growth, the need for cloud computing technologies will be another key driver for the semiconductor industry.
Security underpins our information age. The vast amount of data residing in mobile platforms and cloud architectures is extremely vulnerable. As we move into 2013, we foresee a sharper focus on securing data and critical infrastructure from theft and hacker attacks.


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Just watching some of my favourite Abernethy vids there. You know, he's a man who believes that there is no one style that is best; just that there is a method that best suits a particular context. That said, it frustrates me that we are trained to do things a certain way then chastised when we are too tense as we strive to get it correct. Later on we are asked to loosen up and flow more, although inevitably we fail at this; perhaps it is not that we as a nation are too tense, but that we are trained and drilled to be tense from the white belt. This does not help with kumite and I feel that practical application also requires a certain understanding of the fact that the body may be trained to react in a certain way, but that it moves in a way that is different for and specific to each person. What do you think?
A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing. A search for "Kime" is a root cause for a lot of stiffness in Karate. For decades instructors shouted "More Kime" without either understanding it themselves, or their students misinterpreting it to mean that they should be more stiff, tense and, I hesitate to say, strong.
The funny thing is that the translation of "kime" does not remotely mean that a person should be tense. The Chinese use a term "Fa-jing" to express a similar concept and it translates into an explosive power. A muscle must be relaxed in order for it to accelerate at its maximum. The sudden stop at the end is "Kime", and the whole concept could be described as "Fa-jing". Practioners like Asai were masters of this and you can see the origins of Karate from the White Crane system in their movements.
Stiffness and tenseness is natural in beginners who are learning movements and is brought on by anxiety and excessive concentration to get things right. Unfortunately this has been cultivated in some schools/associations/styles/whatever, to become the desired objective of their techniques as it 'feels' powerful, especially when you are only punching and kicking thin air.
Just my thoughts...
Physically tense people training are very common, I am one of them.
It's not so much to do with the body alone, i have learned this. Its to do with breathing and mental focus, we also need to develop the ability to relax the relevant muscles during the 'gaps' of technique execution, i.e to much focus is often given to the end points in basic karate training.
Personally I think many give to much credit to being relaxed, to much of the time. The body is built that muscle tension serves a purpose, and thinking of combat its clearly there for a reason (to protect us as much as anything else), so I feel we need to find the right kind of tension, in the right places, at the right time.
Also reality often 'delivers' tension in our bodies, like it or not. So Training can help us work with this to remain functional.
But at the end of the day, skill in this area is secondry to the ability to apply things. A punch in the mouth is still a punch in the mouth, tense or not..............
I have found, of course with skill the body produces more, or perhaps a different type of force by using acceleration x mass, and incorrect muscle tension has nothing to do with those things. Mobility is also significantly improved by correct tension, as is the ability to change following tactile signals.
Good question Kuro1979!
I think part of the issue is what we think we mean by the words tension and relaxation and then mistakenly applying them to movement and posture. As Jim points out above, 'tension' is a necessary part of posture and movement. I think Jeff also hits the nail on the head vis a vis kime.
You cannot function without muscular contraction and relaxation. To be able to move effectively when the muscles that create one position are contracted, their counterparts must be relaxed. When we start introducing words like tension then many students try and contract both sets of muscles at once all the time (particularly in the upper body), useful as a strengthening exercise (albeit not to my knowledge as useful as weights or bodyweight press ups or squats), but unhelpful when we are trying to create fast and adaptable techniques and postures.
I tend to tell students whether they are doing a flexor or extensor movement and explain in those terms why they are having an issue. One of my early syllabus written exams asks students to give examples of each.
My own view on this is that a little can go a long way. A tiny bit more explanation in training as to what needs to be contracted, why and when, can get students into the habit of 'bracing' certain parts of the body correctly.
All the best
John Titchen
I'm new and feel bad that this is my first post responding to someone elses, but it caught my eye on the way to the introduction forum.
I personally like practicing my kata relaxed and slow. Personally when I try and do my kata fast, and I mean fast not rushed, I don't have a chance to notice little things that I don't like that I'm compensating for with muscle power. Practicing my kata slow forces me to address body mechanic issues that I might not notice while doing them fast because my brain is saying FAST.
During my short time in the United States Marine Corps there is a saying I heard tossed around that I like. It is "Slow is smooth, smooth is fast"
Basically the idea is that if you are focused on doing something fast that's what you do, you try and do it fast, you are not focused on doing it correctly. Not so important with somethings but when you're clearing a malfunctioning firearm you want to do it right, you don't want to try it fast and screw up and then have to try again.
Also in the book The Way of Kata, they have a line where they basically say, first comes form then comes speed then comes power. I feel that if I always focus on technique and form that it will become natural and those natural responses will have speed because I'm relaxed.
In a nutshell I think that slowness is for my kata and speed is for my sparring. But I'm usually not thinking speed when I'm sparring, it's usually something like "Oh crap my wife just suckered me into an arm bar and I'm about to eat dirt!"
Nice Post/Thread
I'm not too sure with regards to this traditional Kata anymore as I'm Ashihara so even the likes of Bassai, Neiseshi & ChilSung Ee Ro Hyung are done at the same spead as the Ashihara Kata, even the stances are "shortened" to allow fighting stances to be adopted.
I always advise new students that compare how they stand and react with their friends during conversations etc, this is how they should be with karate, Karate should be natural as if it is so natural it will appear natural when you need it most.
The Rigidness comes with trying too hard to perpfect techniques as opposed to just being stiff.
I believe the saying is "Ready Stance for beginners; Natural Stance for Seniors"
I know when I went from Kyokushin (where we tried to hit hard all the time) to Enshin I was impressed by their impact levels despite a real economy of effort.
Kancho Ninomiya hits as hard as anyone I have ever met and his favourite expression is "Make smooth".
The really good ones always make it look easy, don't they?
Good thread. Again.
It's almost a 'chicken and egg' notion... does relaxation improve technique or does technique improve relaxation? I'm more inclined to look at the latter and nod my head. I'm no master of body mechanics or physiology but personally I've found that the more familiar you become with a technique, the more you gradually relax 'into' that technique, the more natural the action becomes and this all informs the effectiveness of the technique.
So, for me, concentrate on getting the technique technically correct and the relaxation will follow. I know of very few people who relax the first time they're confronted with something new, especially in martial arts given that most new things are new and interesting ways of causing yourself or others pain! Breakfalls would be a good example: the more relaxed you are the better the breakfall is but most folk I know all tensed somewhat at the thought of their first front breakfall as the prospect of your face making a large dent in the floor/mat does tend to be off-putting until you trust yourself enough.
According to Pavel Tsatsouline (of kettlebell renown) most fighters hit the hardest at a 'perceived rate' of around 80%
This allows the correct ratio of effort / relaxation that translates into good yet fluid impact.


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Kevin Phillips's 1775: A Good Year for Revolution is well worth your time, but possibly not for the reason the author intended. His thesis is that it was not 1776 which was the critical year in America's struggle for self-determination, but rather the previous one, since much of the groundwork for the colonies' political and military success was laid over the course of what Phillips calls the "long 1775," meaning the period from late 1774 through early 1776. Having read his argument—and it's not a brief one—I'm not entirely convinced that he's made his case. In the course of the attempt, however, Phillips covers so much material of interest that the book functions as a fine overview of the Revolution's beginnings.
A longtime student of American political trends, Phillips devotes the book's first section to the demographic, religious, economic, and ideological factors at play on the eve of the Revolution. Religious affiliation, he argues, was an important factor in determining an individual's allegiance; New England Congregationalists, backcountry Presbyterians, and low church Anglicans in the South were at the forefront of imperial resistance. Tightening economic constraints were irksome to a growing colonial population plagued by currency shortages, indebtedness to British merchants, and restrictions on trade. Seamen and laborers dependent on maritime activities were especially zealous participants in Whig mobs. Frontier expansion was another source of ferment and division between western settlers and colonial authorities, complicating the efforts of both sides to draw on backcountry support. Much of this background information will be familiar to readers who have read the work of scholars such as Patricia Bonomi, Woody Holton, and Gary Nash.
The book's second section examines how the political, logistic, and military contests between America and the empire actually played out over the course of the "long 1775." Both sides had been moving toward armed confrontation for some time before Lexington and Concord, with de facto government and military power falling into Patriot hands across the colonies. A key component of this early stage of the struggle was the contest for resources. Americans scored a critical logistical victory in their effort to obtain gunpowder and other munitions, despite the trade restrictions imposed by the British in retaliation for the Continental Association's import/export boycott. British authorities, meanwhile, neglected their own logistical needs, causing serious problems for their forces besieged in Boston. Raids by American privateers exacerbated these problems.
From a military standpoint, the British squandered a number of opportunities and committed a series of important mistakes in 1775 and early 1776. Efforts by royal officials to enlist the aid of slaves and Indians only stirred up white colonists against British authority. Raids on coastal towns, and threats to destroy these towns when supplies were not forthcoming, similarly made for potent American propaganda fodder. British strategists neglected American vulnerable points while wasting time and troops on poorly-coordinated efforts such as the ill-fated expedition to the Carolinas, and allowing most of their forces to remain tied down in the demoralizing siege at Boston. English attempts to obtain foreign mercenaries proved controversial at home, while the French and Spanish seized the opportunity to avenge their losses in earlier wars created by the American rebellion.
Patriots, meanwhile, enjoyed a number of military successes during this same period, as Whig militias acted to suppress Tory uprisings and makeshift American naval forces wreaked havoc on British supply lines. Although Americans did lose their dramatic wintertime gamble to capture Quebec at the end of 1775, Phillips emphasizes the extent to which this campaign came close to victory, as British forces in Canada were stretched extremely thin.
During the "long year" of late 1774 to early 1776, then, the American Revolutionaries scored important military, logistical, and political victories that would help carry them through the disappointments and disillusions to come. And since Phillips emphasizes how the Whigs had already taken de facto control of colonial governments, the eventual decision for independence comes off as anti-climactic, necessary only for diplomatic reasons and to shore up resolve before the massive British invasion of New York that same year. But having built up the importance of the long '75, he doesn't spend much time demolishing the edifice of 1776, despite a few hints at how that year's mythic status arose out of shifts in cultural memory after the Revolution.
Phillips does, however, demonstrate how the American successes and British missteps of the long '75 gave the Revolution the breathing room it needed to mature. Taken as a wide-ranging examination of the war's formative period, this is one of the better books on the Revolution to be released by a commercial publisher in recent years, drawing on an impressive reading of the secondary literature.


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Swiss Re has announced that it is offering a rebate of up to CHF 5000 ($4058) to each of its employees who commit to reducing her or his personal carbon footprint. The "COyou2 reduce and gain" programme supports employees' investments in measures that contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, particularly in relation to mobility, heating and electrical energy. Such measures, which vary according to regional circumstances and preferences, include low-emission hybrid cars, use of public transport, and the installation of solar panels or heat pumps.
The world's largest reinsurer, Swiss Re has committed significant expertise and financial resources over recent years to promote research and better understanding of climate change. The company has already set up its own initiatives to reduce {CO2} emissions, declaring in 2003 that it would make its operations carbon neutral by 2013. Now, as part of the Clinton Global Initiative, Swiss Re has decided to support measures taken by its employees that contribute to the reduction of {CO2} emissions.
According to Ivo Menzinger, Head of Sustainability & Emerging Risk Management, who is in charge of the "COYou2 reduce and gain" programme, "Swiss Re is actively engaged in mitigating climate change and its consequences. This programme is an investment that will encourage our employees to make a personal contribution and further raises awareness of the issue."


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Mercruiser Engine Parts
For fishing, boating, boat racing, and watersport activities, the MerCruiser sterndrive provides ample power for every boating activity. Maintaining your MerCruiser sterndrive well, however, is key to its performance and your continued boating pleasure. Keeping your MerCruiser sterndrive trouble free is easy when you know where to go for the right replacement MerCruiser parts. Wholesale Marine carries everything marine mechanics require to perform routine maintenance or make simple or complex repairs to almost any MerCruiser sterndrive model. For boat owners and boat mechanics, when you need replacement MerCruiser engine parts, come to us!
Since the 1950s, the MerCruiser by Mercury has been one of the most popular sterndrive manufacturers. Known for their performance and reliability, it is easy to take your MerCruiser sterndrive, made by one of the industry leaders, for granted. Here are some basics to understand, even if you do not plan on performing maintenance and/or repairs yourself.
Key Mercruiser Parts That Require Routine Maintenance
Routine maintenance is key to extending the life of your sterndrive. It's best to refer to your MerCruiser Service Manual for guidance. We discourage boat owners from performing the actual work themselves; this is not a job for amateurs. But troubleshooting after every voyage will help to find possible problems before these become major expenses.
Most sterndrive engines are constructed from parts that include metal alloys. These can corrode through a process called galvanization. Regardless of its name, corrosion must be avoided. One way to accomplish this is to apply a superior antifouling product. Wholesale Marine stocks a full line of these products and we'll be glad to advise you on the product that is best for your sterndrive.
Drives have bearings that permit rotations. The drives are usually made from a steel/aluminum alloy that requires frequent lubrication to prevent corrosion. We recommend Mercury 2-4-C Marine Lubricant with Teflon for superior protection. Gear oil must also be checked regularly. Located just below the round gear housing you can access it by using a slotted screwdriver. Back out the plug until it loosens and some oil starts to run out. Translucent = good; milky means water has compromised your oil. Then it is time to have your seals replaced.
Next, check your propeller shafts by rotating them. If these are not rotating perfectly straight, a bent shaft which requires immediate replacement could be the culprit. Lastly, check the bellows hoses for the drive shaft and shifting controls. These must have water-tight seals as well. Raise the drive and inspect them looking for signs of cracking and fouling. Rout any sign of algae or barnacles which can easily destroy the bellows. Check their clamps for rust and replace if necessary.
Find something amiss? Want to know what Mercruiser parts to order? Use Wholesale Marine's engine parts locator form or give us a call and we'll be glad to assist. Marine Mechanics and DIYers know that Wholesale Marine is your one-stop Mercruiser engine parts shop! If you have a question or are ready to order, give us a call at (877) 388-2628. We're here from 9AM to 6PM Monday through Friday and welcome your call! Looking for even more savings on top quality marine products? You've come to the right place. Ask our customer service reps about our Captain's Club Rewards Program for additional savings the very next time you shop at Wholesale Marine.


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8PCS - 8 BOBINE - 8KG ABS 1.75mm 3D printer consumables pink ALTA QUALITà
8PCS - 8 BOBINE - 8KG ABS 1.75mm 3D printer consumables pink ALTA QUALITà
8PCS - 8 BOBINE - 8KG ABS 1.75mm 3D printer consumables pink ALTA QUALITà GARANTITA SU MAKERBOT, MULTIMAKER, ULTIMAKER, REPRAP, PRUSA
Questa offerta è per 8 bobine (totale 8 kili).
ABS Overview
Chemical name ABS acrylonitrile - butadiene - styrene ( Product Name Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene plastic) acrylonitrile , butadiene and styrene terpolymer , A is acrylonitrile , B is butadiene , S is styrene. ABS resin is one of five synthetic resin , its impact resistance, heat resistance, low temperature resistance , chemical resistance and excellent electrical properties , easy processing , product size and stability , surface gloss and good features , easy to paint , coloring, you can also surface plating metal plating , welding , pressing and bonding and other secondary processing , widely used in machinery , medical, design , automotive parts , electronics , instrumentation and other industries , is a highly versatile engineering thermoplastics.
- Compatible with most 3D Printers such as RepRap, Makerbot, Ultimaker, Mendel, Huxley UP, WeisTek, Thing-o-matic, Ult, flash cast, Mai Rui , etc.
The Difference Between the PLA and ABS
When printing PLA smell of cotton candy smell ( odor sensitive to this cautious buying ) , unlike the ABS as the pungent smell bad child .
PLA can print large part model in the case without heating the bed corners will not tilt.
PLA having a low shrinkage , even when printing a large size model also performed well
PLA has a low melt strength , easier shaping print model , excellent surface gloss , colorful.
Differences between the PLA and ABS :
Crystalline PLA , ABS is a non- crystalline .
When heated slowly converted gel liquid ABS : without state change.
PLA as frozen water on the other hand , directly from the solid to the liquid in one step .
ABS ( not required phase change ) become more liquidity to further fill the barrel.
Because there is no phase transition , ABS does not suck nozzle heat.
Part of the PLA, the risk of phase change cooling nozzle , so that the risk of greater blockage .
The main advantage of polylactic acid has the following aspects :
( 1 ) polylactic acid (PLA) is a novel biodegradable material, a plant resources ( such as corn ) proposed the use of renewable raw starch .
( 2 ) good mechanical properties and physical properties. Polylactic acid suitable for blow molding, thermoplastic and other processing methods , processing convenience , is widely used.
( 3 ) compatibility with biodegradable good. Polylactic acid in the field of medicine is also widely used , such as to produce a one-time infusion equipment, free split -type surgical sutures and other low molecular weight polylactic acid packaging for drug delivery agents .
( 4 ) polylactic acid (PLA) biodegradable plastics in addition to the basic features , but also has its own unique characteristics. Traditional biodegradable plastic strength, transparency and resistance to climate change are not as good as ordinary plastic .
( 5 ) similar basic physical properties of polylactic acid (PLA) plastics and petrochemical synthesis , that is, it can be widely used to manufacture a variety of applications. Polylactic acid also has good gloss and transparency , and the use of polystyrene film is quite prepared , other biodegradable products are not available .
( 6 ) Polylactic acid (PLA) has good tensile strength and the elongation , the polylactic acid can produce a variety of common processing methods , for example: melt extrusion molding , injection molding, blown film molding, foam molding and vacuum forming , the polymers are widely used at present have similar forming conditions , in addition it is also the same as a conventional film printing performance .
( 7 ) The polylactic acid (PLA) film has good air permeability, permeability and oxygen permeability of the two carbon dioxide , it also has the isolation characteristic odor . Viruses and molds attached easily biodegradable plastic surface , the safety and health concerns , however, the polylactic acid having excellent antibacterial unique biological and anti-mold properties of biodegradable plastics .
( 8 ) When the incineration of polylactic acid (PLA) , its heat of combustion and incineration same paper is incinerated half of traditional plastic ( eg polyethylene ) , and the incineration of polylactic acid will not release nitrides, sulfides and other toxic gases.
How to determine the material is PLA or ABS?
A: On the surface it is difficult to judge, comparative observation was matt ABS , and PLA is very bright . Was heated to 195 degrees , PLA extruded smoothly , ABS can not. Heated to 240 degrees , ABS can smooth out , PLA muster bubbles appear , and even carbonation, carbonation will block the nozzle , very dangerous


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Studying a cycle of protein interactions needed to make fat, Johns Hopkins researchers say they have discovered a biological switch that regulates a protein that causes fatty liver disease in mice. Their findings, they report, may help develop drugs to decrease excessive fat production and its associated conditions in people, including fatty liver disease and diabetes.
A summary of the research appeared online on Jan. 29 in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
"We've learned how the body finely tunes levels of a protein called SCAP that is required to turn on fat production in cells," says Peter Espenshade, Ph.D., professor of cell biology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "We hope this new information will eventually lead to interventions that could help people suffering from obesity-induced fatty liver disease and diabetes."
Espenshade explains that fats, which include cholesterol, are essential to the life of organisms, but too much can sabotage systems that rid the body of toxins and regulate hormones, among other functions. Crucial to the right balance of fats is a family of proteins called sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBPs), which turn on fat-making genes when fat levels in cells are low.
SREBPs are made and embedded in the membrane of the cellular compartment called the endoplasmic reticulum, or ER. To get to the cell's nucleus to turn on genes, the business end of SREBPs has to be clipped away from the membrane. Two different proteins, S1P and S2P, make those clips in sequence. But S1P and S2P live in a different cellular compartment, known as the Golgi.
To safely make the trip to the Golgi, says Espenshade, cells give each SREBP a chauffeur — the protein SCAP — which binds to SREBP before they both make their way to the Golgi. Once there, S1P and S2P free SREBP from the membrane so that it can move to the nucleus.
"We knew lots about this first part of the cycle, but we didn't know what happened to SCAP after it 'dropped off' the SREBP," says Espenshade.
While testing a chemical inhibitor of S1P activity, Espenshade says, he and his team added the chemical to hamster cells and were surprised to find that SCAP disappeared from the cells. That meant that it was either no longer being made or was being broken down somehow, he says.
When they added both the S1P inhibitor and a chemical that prevents SCAP from leaving the ER, SCAP reappeared. This suggested that SCAP was still being made but that the S1P inhibitor was somehow encouraging the destruction of SCAP once SCAP left the safety of home base. Further testing revealed that SCAP was indeed being broken down — in another part of the cell called the lysosome.
Tweaking the components of the cycle again, they engineered cells to keep SREBP in the ER while allowing SCAP to move to the Golgi on its own. This time, even though S1P was blocked, SCAP was no longer broken down by the lysosome, suggesting that what determines the fate of SCAP is the clipping of SREBP by S1P. SCAP can only cycle back to the ER for more rounds of SREBP transport if S1P is able to do its job.
"We don't know what is responsible for freeing SCAP from SREBP, but we now understand that SCAP keeps the cycle going," says Espenshade. "Since SCAP is so central to fat production and all of its consequences, we hope this improved understanding of its activity will help others develop drugs to better regulate the process."
The other author of the report is Wei Shao, Ph.D., of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
This work was supported by grants from the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (12-60-25-ESPE) and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (HL077588).
On the Web:
Related stories:
Primitive yeast yields secrets of human cholesterol and drug metabolism
Media Contacts:
Catherine Kolf; 443-287-2251; [email protected]
Vanessa McMains; 410-502-9410; [email protected]


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I told you there was going to be more bacon. In fact, there's plenty of it. So much so, that I finally had to slice up what was left of my maple and savory bacon and give it to the freezer so my heart can have a respite from the goodness of it. I've told you I'm taking part in Charcutepalooza, if you don't know too much about it, give a read to my Maple Bacon Cheddar Scones post and that should fill you in. You could also make up the scones, this quiche, add a few side items and have yourself a fabulous bacon brunch!
Quiche is a go-to dish in our house. There's always a pie crust, or at least the ingredients to make it, on hand. Eggs from one our several local farms are usually plentiful. Local and fresh vegetables are usually overflowing our produce bin. You can basically design a hearty weeknight dinner with a substantial quiche and a simple salad or soup on the side with very little. You know what we have a lot of? Homemade bacon. And parsnips from my Winter CSA from Heron Pond Farm in NH. So they are the stars in this simple winter weeknight quiche.
Parsnip and Bacon Quiche
Makes: 8 servings (1 slice)
Base quiche recipe adapted from Emeril's Quiche Lorraine
1 pie crust (you can buy, or use whatever homemade recipe you'd like)
6 ounces thick cut bacon, cut into narrow strips (like lardons)
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 large egg yolks, room temperature
1 1/4 cup half and half (you can use milk, but you won't get the custard-like consistency)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
pinch of freshly grated (or just ground) nutmeg
1 cup shredded cheddar (I used Cabot's double-double shredded of mild and extra sharp)
1/2 cup diced parsnip (about 2 medium-large, cleaned and peeled)
Roll out your pie crust so it's large enough to drape over the sides, and fit into a 9-inch pie pan (you can use a fluted tart pan here too). Refrigerate for 30 minutes (it can be more as well). Take your eggs out of the fridge now as well so they can come up to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Line the pie crust with parchment paper (use parchment, wax burns) and fill with pie weights (or like me, use dried beans). Bake until crust is set about 12-14 minutes. Remove parchment paper and beans or weights, and pop crust back into the oven another 8-10 minutes until crust is golden brown. Take out of oven and leave out on a baking rack to cool. Leave your oven on.
|homemade savory bacon
Now in large bowl, take your eggs, yolks and half and half and beat it all up. Add the remaining ingredients (salt, pepper, nutmeg, cheddar, parsnip and finally, bacon) and whisk to make sure everything is combined. Pour mixture into your cooled pie crust.
Bake until the custard is puffed, golden but still slightly wiggly in the center about 30-35 minutes. Take out of oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for a bit before serving.


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Wow, the month of March has snuck up on me. Between starting a new job and the less-than-ideal weather, time has flown and it's hard to believe that spring is (theoretically) almost upon us. Like last year, I want to share with you some of the recent recipes on my blog that are Passover friendly. Here goes…
Main Courses:
– Moroccan brisket with olives and preserved lemons (just make it without couscous)– Anna Sortun's Spoon Lamb
– Tomato and Onion Braised Brisket– Pomegranate Chicken
– Onion soup – make it without the bread (try matzah instead), with or without cheese
Sides and Salads:
– Eggplant spread with tomatoes (it looks gross, but tastes great)
– Spinach salad with beets and grapefruit
– Vic's salad– Feta watermelon salad
– Yellow (or green) beans with hazelnuts – just use whatever oil you have if you can't find hazelnut
– Quinoa with persimmon, pomegranate, and walnuts – use the dressing and try other available fruits
– Amaretti (almond) cookies; Gianduia (chocolate hazelnut) cookies


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Click the Book Above to Order Now
BUY IT TODAY! A Soul Sealed at Character Perfection
Audio Bible Online – Free King James Version
WHY IS GOD'S CHARACTER ON TRIAL? new
Rom. 1:16,17
4 Angel's Messages including The Loud Cry
"… unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people"
Phil. 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
Phil. 3:10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
Phil. 3:11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
Rom. 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
Rom. 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Victory Over Sin
Jude 1:24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
Jude 1:25 To the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
1Thess. 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
God bless, Dionne Sabbay Thompson
About the Author & Mission statements, biblically referenced
Three Angels' Messages
Rev. 14:1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Zion, and with him a hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.
Rev. 14:2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:
Rev. 14:3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.
Rev. 14:4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.
Rev. 14:5 And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.
Rev. 14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
Rev. 14:7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
Rev. 14:8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
Rev. 14:9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
Rev. 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
Rev. 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Rev. 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
The Loud Cry of the Third Angel
Rev. 18:1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
Rev. 18:2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
Rev. 18:3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
Rev. 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
Overcomers, Shall Receive Power
Rev. 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Rev. 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
Rev. 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
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An all-new single strap silhouette, the Tribeca takes every day style to new levels. Perfectly brokering the middle ground between heritage design and modern styling, the Tribeca is just as at home in a business meeting as a cool, Tribeca bar with friends!
Exterior features:
- Hard wearing premium Polyester fabric
- Rubber detailed front straps
- Magnetic front 'clips'
- Reinforced and adjustable back straps
- Additional back padding
- Spacious front pocket
- Easy access front zip pocket
- Spiral branded zips
- Padded grab handle
- Premium metal Spiral labelling
Interior features:
- 14L full-accessible capacity
- Hidden zip pouch
- Inner laptop / book divider
- Spiral branded inner lining
Dimensions – 41.5 x 29 x 12 cm