If you had WSUS (or SCCM) running tonight with auto approval on you might have woken up this morning to virtual machines that can boot anymore.
Great, another update gone wrong. Time to restore from backup as that can be the fasted way to restore services when in a pickle and if you have a good solutions for that in place. For the others you can do what I did is below. Actually a couple of us MVPs were on this issue at a number of sites as our fist task this morning. But first the root cause.
Well read this link Express update delivery ISV support and you have all you need. Basically the delta and the full cumulative update of October (KB4041691 – https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4041691) ended up in WSUS without you explicitly putting it there. That should not happen, normally the delta is not published for it to be downloaded and heaven forbid auto approved. You could also have manually approved everything without really knowing what and why. Not a great idea at all.
So your VM get's offered both of them and that is BAD!
Normally you get into this pickle if you some how managed to install both of these yourself or via other tools (see the link above), which you shouldn't do.
Now if you don't have decent restore capabilities from backups or snapshots there is another way out by removing the updates.
Select to open the command prompt and stay away from any other auto repair options.
We now use DISM to remove these updates. Do first create the C:\Temp folder with MD temp if it doesn't exist yet!
When done, close the command prompt, shut down the VM and then start it.
It will take a while but if will succeed and you'll be greeted by a logon screen. Good luck!
Important: Do not try any other repair options or removing the updates with DISM might fail. We choose to remove all 3 updates from tonight to make sure. It might suffice to remove the delta one alone but we wanted to have an VM back as it was last night so more testing can be done before it is deployed again.
So, basically, don't auto approve updates blindly, but test, validate & roll out in phases. Have great backup and TESTED restores. All by all we were only bitten in the lab, a couple of test/dev VMs and some of our infra VMs. Most of these are redundant and are patched stagger so our services were never badly effected. That gave us time to trouble shoot and investigate and warn our colleagues. As you can see here the issue was a delta update that made it into WSUS and was installed together with the full CU. Just manually downloading the CU and testing it would not have given you the heads up. About an issue. This is a reminder you need to test your real live situation and processes as realistically as possible. When you're done with testing and cleaning up any fallout of this issue, make sure to patch your systems again!


Louise McCullough will be providing advocacy training this week in Centurian, South Africa.
The training is sponsored by the Inns of Court College of Advocacy (ICCA) and the Rule of Law Expertise Programme and hosted by the General Council of the Bar of South Africa. The trainers from the UK will be joined by trainers from South Africa and Namibia.
Louise is an experienced Advocacy Teacher and teaches at all levels including "Training the Trainers". She has taught with the Advocacy Training Council, as then was – now the ICCA, at the International Criminal Court in The Hague in 2015 and South Africa in 2016.


text:
Customizing Flask-User
======================
.. include:: includes/submenu_defs.rst
.. include:: includes/customizing_submenu.rst

--------

From the very beginning, Flask-User was specifically designed to be fully customizable
in addition to being secure and reliable.

- Flask-User can be configured through :doc:`configuring_settings`.
    - Enabling and disabling of features
    - General settings
    - Token expiration settings
    - Complete control of Passlib's password hash settings
    - Form URLs
    - Form template file paths
    - Email template file paths

- :doc:`customizing_forms`
    - :ref:`CustomizingFormTemplates`
    - :ref:`CustomizingFormClasses`
    - :ref:`CustomizingFormValidators`
    - :ref:`CustomizingFormViews`

- :doc:`customizing_emails`
    - :ref:`CustomizingEmailTemplates`

- And then there are :doc:`customizing_advanced`
    - :ref:`CustomizingManagers`
    - :ref:`CustomDbAdapters`
    - :ref:`CustomEmailAdapters`

--------

.. include:: includes/submenu_defs.rst
.. include:: includes/customizing_submenu.rst

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
3 social media tools to predict elections
by Evan Abrams	,	March 31, 2013
Egypt's elections suffered from a lack of traditional polling methods. Could analyzing social media predict the outcome of future elections?
Many Americans followed the run up to the recent Egyptian presidential election with great interest. It seemed there was no reliable way to predict the results or to gauge voter sentiment. Conducting a traditional poll in Egypt would be expensive and time consuming, and, given the current political climate there, perhaps impossible. While social media cannot completely replace traditional polling you just might be surprised at how close it can come. There is a huge range of online tools that when compiled and analyzed in their aggregate can provide critical insight to political events where little other quantitative analysis is available.
1. Intrade.com
Perhaps, the best known tool for such online political analysis is intrade.com. Intrade allows users to bet on political events through buying "shares" if they believe a certain outcome is likely. Just like the stock market, share prices move up or down based on demand and Intrade is able to produce predictions for various events based on market sentiment. For example, Intrade calculates that there is a 45% chance that Bashar al-Assad will not be president of Syria by the end of this year. It gives an Israeli air strike against Iran a 32% percent chance of occurring and Chavez a 78% chance of winning re-election in Venezuela. Though betting might seem an odd way to analyze political events, Intrade has a surprisingly strong track record. In 2004 they correctly predicted every state in the U.S. presidential election and in 2008 they missed only two states.
Intrade.com is what I would call a "secondary market" for analysis. It aggregates information from people around the world who may or may not be involved in a specific political event. There are several other tools that can give analysts a better sense of "primary market" sentiment.
2. Twitter Political Index
Twitter received lots of press for its recently launched Twitter Political Index that tracks sentiments of users towards President Obama and Governor Romney.
At last look, the index had Romney with a +12 advantage over Obama in terms of sentiment, perhaps reflecting his anticipated convention bump. The index also tracked sentiment over Romney's potential VP choices and clearly shows the stock of Rep. Ryan rising over the past several months while several other candidates such as Senator Portman saw their name trend downwards.
The Twitter Political Index is powered by Topsy, which has a paid version that gives robust analysis for search terms. Traditionally this tool has been used for market research by corporations, for example to track sentiment on Nike vs. Adidas. However, it can also be a powerful tool for political junkies.
Google Trends offers a similar, though slightly differentiated tool. It gives you excellent insight into search volume by language and region. Thus, you can tell that Chavez is not only mentioned more, but he is also searched for more. An additional, albeit more crude, method of analysis is to compare the followers and friends of political leaders and track the engagement of those individuals.
Admittedly, all of these social media tools have their limitations – particularly when it comes to developing countries. Limited internet penetration is the most obvious hurdle and can often prevent statistically significant samples from being gathered. Various government censorship efforts can skew results and can be difficult to account for. Finally, internet users tend to be younger and wealthier than the average citizen in most countries. Controlling for these factors is essential to gathering accurate information.
Despite these obstacles, social media tools for political analysis can help substitute for the absence of traditional polling. Over time these tools will continue to be honed and sharpened, but some organizations have already had clear success. Tweetminster predicted UK national election results with 91% accuracy. The UK market is much less challenging than Egypt or Venezuela, but it is likely just a matter of time until that level of success is replicated around the globe.
Categories:	International, Technology and infrastructure
Tags:	social media
Evan Abrams
Evan was previously a strategy consultant with Anant Corporation, where he helped companies streamline and grow their online operations. He has interned at the United States Senate, the U.S. Department of Commerce, and SRI World Group. He is particularly interested in international monetary and trade policy. Evan also closely follows the private space sector, on which he completed a master's thesis. He is currently pursuing a Juris Doctor at the Georgetown University Law Center. He holds a master's degree in international relations from the London School of Economics and a bachelor's from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service.
How politicians are hurting tech in India
Africa: A tech innovation hub?
Navigating the international patent mess
Is the time right for high tech investment in Azerbaijan?
Lead, Engage and Balance: U.S strategic options for integrating China
An emerging tablet market; investors should act swiftly
Educational détente in the UK toward Latin America
How protectionist will the upcoming EU-US trade agreement be?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
[Piano v3] Chapter 3: Rhythm Section (part 2)
Here's part two.
Also, there's David, our newest member of the team. He'll be helping me with SPS and Eden. As for the introductions, I'll leave it to him.
I did not catch any glimpse of Tetsurou when I reached home. His shoes were not in the shoe cabinet when I took a look inside. That means there is a high possibility that he went for a drink with his friends (Tetsurou usually goes out in sandals). Thank god, I do not have to prepare dinner tonight. I did not have much of an appetite after going through that strange form of torture. Not to mention, my back is still aching......
I took out my bass after I was done changing in my bedroom on the second floor. The words said by Chiaki during the day was still echoing in my mind.
"So Nao is feeling frustrated because he could not do anything for Mafuyu?"
Mafuyu, Kagurazaka-senpai, and Furukawa whom we performed with together on the same stage last month—
And more than anyone else, there's Julien.
After coming into contact with quite a few outstanding musicians and listening to their music with my very own ears, I was always left with a complicated feeling within me. I understood how immature I am, and that was mixed in together with a sense of helplessness.
Should this continue, I will just become someone who happens to be in the band by chance. I will even drag the band down. Furukawa had once said this straight out: "You should quit the band". My reply to that was nothing more than just a farce.
What should I do? What step should I take next? I have no idea at all.
It was until I met Julien that I finally saw it.
I understood the question which I have to answer.
Am I able to become Mafuyu's greatest pillar of support?
Not just to the guitarist Mafuyu, but also to the pianist Mafuyu — can I continue to stay by her side by taking on the role of the heart who pumps her blood and life?
The timbre of Mafuyu's piano is bright and clear, and its tempo is forceful and dynamic. Some of the conductors who performed with her before had commented that her piano is 'as forceful as the river that corrodes the fjords continuously'. The reason for the harsh criticisms of Mafuyu's playing is because there are very few orchestras capable of accepting the force of her playing. And so Mafuyu's fingers were frozen, and the sounds of her piano had disappeared before she could locate her true place of belonging.
I used to think that she will not be returning back to the embrace of the piano. That was not the case however. Perhaps Mafuyu was just searching for that place.
Someone who can be next to or close to her while support her playing — a place that exists forever.
Do I...... have the right to be there?
Perhaps Yuri is the only person who can reach that place for now.
But how much further do I have to walk before I can reach that place as well?
I switched on the stereo and inserted the CD. My fingers were searching for the simple overlapping bass lines accompanying along with Mafuyu's solo of Rachmaninoff's <Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini>. Mafuyu's piano led the orchestra methodically as she changed the tempo of the variation rapidly .
I gradually lost hold of the sounds of my bass. I could not keep up with her pace at all.
In my mind was the image of Mafuyu sitting before the piano as she appeared on feketerigó's stage. Before the raised wings that were giving off a black luster, I could see the drums that were giving off a faint glow, as well as Chiaki's brown colored hair. When I turned my head, I saw the back of Kagurazaka-senpai standing there, grabbing onto the microphone on its stand tightly as she faced the passionate audience.
It began with the piano chorale that was rising from silence, followed by the careful integration of the drums via fill-ins. Next is the inclusion of the overlapping clean tones of the guitar, and finally the coarse vocals of Senpai which can seep into the deepest areas of the body. [TLNote: Fill-in is a sort of drumming technique or something, not sure if named similarly in English]
But where do I stand?
How should I go about carving my rhythm on the stage?
I had no idea. That place is just too far, too high and too dazzling for me.
Rachmaninoff's piece had ended, and the stereo at the head of my bed was no longer playing. I was pulled back to reality, back into my room. I realized that I was deep in thought while sitting on my bed with my bass in my arms.
That was replied to with Chiaki's voice in my head: "Do I even have to say it? Practice". She's right.
I really want to plug my bass into the amplifiers and practice at the loudest volume possible! There's a limit to the time I can spend in the school's practice room, and I'll be distracted by Senpai and Mafuyu's timbres anyway. Tetsurou's not at home, but it's not like I can use the speakers in the living room either, since I'll be disturbing the neighbors if I do that.
If so—
I checked the time on the clock. It's still not eight, so I should be able to make it. After packing the bass into its casing, I jumped onto the bike and left my house.
The southern entrance of the sizable train station is about twenty minutes away from my house by bicycle. The building where Nagashima's Musical Instrument Store is in is located a few steps away from the overhead bridge, at the boundary between the shopping street and the residential area.
It's Senpai's working place, and I've been under their care for numerous occasions. There are three studios on the third story, though they are rather small and cramped. However, since Senpai holds the weaknesses of the store manager (though she calls it the privileges of the employees), the store manager said the members of feketerigó can use the studios for free as long as they are not occupied.
I do pity the store manager, but as a poor student, I am grateful for the privilege as well.
"Eh? Nao?"
When I walked into the store where even the walking space are filled with guitars, the store manager revealed his face from behind a music magazine. Looks like he is manning the store by himself. With his hair tied up roughly behind his head, it seemed like he was a hippie. However, that look of his made this store look even more like one that is on the brink of collapse. There was no customer around for today as well.
"Did you guys agree to meet up beforehand? She went up already," said the store manager while pointing towards the ceiling.
"...... Eh? Are you referring to...... Senpai?"
"Nope. Chi-chan."
Upon opening the ridiculously heavy soundproof door, I was greeted by a series of intense drumming at the corridor. However, the beats stopped all of the sudden.
"...... Nao?"
Chiaki was sitting between the drums with her forehead glistering in sweat. She froze with her mouth opened wide when she saw me. Though that applies to me as well. Why is Chiaki here? Were all that practicing we had earlier still not enough for her?
"Hey? What's going on here?"
Chiaki walked towards my direction. Her face was giving off a radiant glow. She was only wearing a T-shirt and short pants even though it was already October. It was very much like what she wore during our summer training camp though. Then again, it is indeed hot and stuffy in the studio.
"Eh? Are you actually here to practice?" She asked when she saw my bass casing.
"Y-Yeah...... I want to practice with the amplifiers on."
"You'll have to end the practice if there are any customers here," with that said, the store manager pushed me into the studio and closed the door. The smell of tobacco from the walls was mixed with the sweet scent of sweat. For some unknown reason, Chiaki was happily setting up the bass' amplifiers for me.
"What a coincidence. I am very surprised. I was feeling very uneasy due to the lack of practice today. Did Nao come here because you find the amount of push-ups lacking as well?"
"Nope, I have had enough of push ups. Also, am I bothering you here?"
"Not at all, because we are the rhythm section. It will be better for us to play together."
But if possible, I hope to practice on my bass alone......
"Oh well, let's start! Just treat me as a metronome and play your bass!"
After starting on our practice, I realized it's just like what Chiaki said — the bass and drums are no enemies. Just like the sounds of heartbeats and footsteps, the instruments resonate with each other in order to move forward. The quavers, semiquavers and triplets — Chiaki was supporting my stiff wobbles with her steady steps.
What an inconceivable feeling. Come to think of it, this may be my first time playing together with Chiaki alone. There would always be the sound of Kagurazaka-senpai's guitar (which is like the scattering rays of the sun) or that of Mafuyu's guitar (akin to the crystallization of the cold air in the night bathed in the moon's light) mixed in between us.
It's mind-boggling. Compared to when Chiaki was drumming alone by herself, the sounds the drums made were much brighter than before — I could clearly hear each and every beat from her. Each time I pumped blood into my bass via my fingers, I will be reciprocated by the comfortable sound of a footstep. I could almost grasp the glimmer of the two hi-hat cymbals with my hands.
"...... Wait, Chiaki. Let's rest for a while."
We had been practicing nonstop for god knows how long. Thanks to my sore wrists, it took me much difficulty to pull my fingers away from the strings in order to request Chiaki to stop. Drops of sweat were trickling down from my hair.
"Mafuyu can still continue playing, you know?"
The red-faced Chiaki said that provocatively as she swerved her knees and shoulders happily.
"Nope, sorry. I can't do that."
I took a gulp of bottled water. I finally can kind of understand the reason for Mafuyu to play together with Chiaki nonstop, as if she was bitten by a tarantula or something.
Because the 'legs' will move on their own. There is no way we can stop.
With a smile on her face, Chiaki stood up from her chair to snatch away the bottled water from my hands before chugging it down. Water seeped out from the sides of her mouth and flowed to her collars along her neck.
"Phew!"
After the sigh, Chiaki took off her hair clip and shook her head. Some of her hair were stuck to her wet lips. I quickly diverted my gaze for some strange reason.
"It has been a while since I had so much fun with drumming."
"...... Aren't you having fun all the time?"
"Hmm?"
Chiaki gave me a puzzled look as she stretched her wrists while holding onto the drum sticks.
"That's not the case. I am actually very nervous whenever Senpai or Mafuyu is around."
I looked at Chiaki's face in shock.
"Those two girls...... though it's not nice to be saying this, but they are practically monsters. I'll feel very uneasy whenever I am drumming behind them. There will be times where I think to myself: can I really sit here?"
I slowly sat myself down on a round chair with uneven legs and stared blankly at Chiaki's face. It looked like her gaze was on a place far away.
So she does experience such feelings...... as well, huh?
"I know, Senpai invited me into the band without any having expectations of me as a drummer, but there is nothing I can do about that. I just hope she can say this to me, that 'we cannot do without you'."
There was nothing else I could say. Chiaki was around Senpai much earlier than I have, and she was deeply attracted by Senpai's tone. However, she too knows she lacks the abilities to respond to Senpai's timbre. And she is following closely by Senpai's side precisely because she knows that.
— That's just like the way I am now. However, she did not turn her eyes away; neither did she run away from anything. She did not remain stagnant due to her sense of helplessness. She was not defeated by it.
And that's how impressive Chiaki is.
"...... Chiaki is already our indispensable drummer."
I tried to say it to her truthfully.
A brief look of loneliness flashed in Chiaki's eyes. She then smiled shyly and said,
"Thanks. I hope that there will be a day when Senpai says that to me as well."
"Senpai must have felt so all along, yeah? You're already very impressive, Chiaki. To think that you can make it till now just because of your love for Senpai—"
Chiaki suddenly stretched out her hands and pressed the tip of her drum stick against my collarbone.
"W-What?"
"Nao, you've just said something really rude."
"Eh, why?"
"I do not only like Senpai. I am not so simple as to bind myself tightly to the band just for that reason alone."
"U-Urm...... S-Sorry."
Yeah...... her relationship with Mafuyu has improved as well. She did like hard rock all this while, and she never backs down whenever we have some disagreements on the arrangements of the songs.
"...... But my biggest misfortune is probably the fact that the person who I like is in the band together with me right from the beginning."
Chiaki suddenly leaned weakly against the wall and murmured,
"I am very satisfied with the way things are right now. Even if there are no improvements in our relationship...... but isn't it great for us to be together like this for now? And I have no idea what I should do. Moreover, our relationship may become irreparable if I am to force our relationship to the next step, and we will never be able to revert to the way things were. If that is the case, then I might as well keep things the way they are......"
I have no idea why, but I can more or less understand her feelings. If we are talking about Senpai, it is impossible for things to end well regardless of what they do, since they are both girls. No, Senpai will probably think that things will work out by themselves or something. I really can't tell if she is serious about the things she says. But at the very least, they can be together at the same place for now.
But that will not do. Things will go nowhere if she is content with the status quo. There will be a day when Senpai finally dumps her, and by then Chiaki will never be able to catch up with Senpai again.
It's the same for me as well.
I am by Mafuyu's side, and at a much closer distance than Julien is.
But that status quo is only something that happened by chance.
Just then, Chiaki began drumming me on my shoulders, forehead and chest with her sticks. Owowow! I lifted my arms in an attempt to shield myself, but that ended up with them being rapped by her mercilessly as well.
"H-Hold on, Chiaki, it really hurts! Why are you hitting me? What's wrong?"
"Nothing! Hey, rest time's over, so let's get going! We'll never catch up to them if all we do is rest."
Chiaki roared at me all of the sudden. She then tossed the bottled water towards me and returned to her seat between the drums. What the heck's with that?
"Didn't Senpai say this already? We'll be performing multiple suites during the school's festival! There will be no time for both of us to rest, so we have to practice more on the variations that we can use during the buffer."
"M-Mmm."
When she returned back from the student council's office, Senpai told us that she had managed to obtain permission to use the sports hall. However, that means they will have to reschedule the timetable all over again, so we do not know how much time we will be allocated. Because of that, Senpai suggested that in order for us to fully utilize the limited amount of time given to us, we should work on pieces that take up a longer duration. While the vocals and guitar solos would be separated by different phases, there would be no time for the rhythm section to pause and rest. There is a high possibility that we will be depended on to maintain the heated atmosphere of the performance.
"There is no charm in Nao's bass at all!"
"Mmm......"
I do kind of realize it as well. However, that is one of the most truthful and harshest criticism that I've received from others. I see, so it lacks any charm......
"You know, you are over-coordinating yourself to me. It may be safe for you to play along to the bass drums, but you will never get to be in the spotlight like that. You are to add in a phrase whenever I pause. Understand?"
"...... Got it."
"Let's start from the intro!"
After twirling around Chiaki's right palm once, the stick landed straight on the floor tom. I squeezed in a series of low notes from behind the beats which sounded like they were digging against the ground. The cramped stage was once again engulfed by the passionate heartbeats.
So when people say that one will 'forget the time', they do really mean that.
With that, we continued playing despite being drenched with sweat. We did not even have time to catch our breaths. When I regained my senses, I heard someone singing. I was wondering to myself where I have heard the voice before, and then I realized the singer was none other than me. The bass and drum forms the 'shape' of a band, of which we can use to expand on the imagination of all the notes. I could not bring myself not to sing. We did not even notice the lighting up of the red light which signaled the end of our time. It was only when the store manager came in gingerly to stop us by switching off the power supply that we realized we were exhausted — we slumped onto the floor in exhaustion.
I could still faintly feel the vibration of the strings on my fingers. That feels just great.
From the next day onward, Chiaki and I decided to head to Nagashima's Musical Instrument Store everyday after school. Since Senpai cycles to and from school, and Mafuyu lives in the opposite direction as us, we are the only ones to take the train home.
"Let's practice in secret and surprise them!"
Chiaki said that to me excitedly. However—
"You and young man have been frequenting the studio lately."
"Eh? W-What do you mean?"
Chiaki feigned ignorance when she was questioned by Senpai. Then again, Senpai's an employee there, so it's natural for her to know that.
"Then again, to think that both of you were hiding it from Comrade Ebisawa and me. That's very cold of you two."
"Because we were planning to surprise the hell out of you two during the actual performance after we have undergone a series of intensive training in secret!"
"Whatever. I shall make use of the time to deepen the friendship between Comrade Ebisawa and I."
"E-Eh?"
Mafuyu, who was strumming her guitar in the corner of the room while sneaking peeks at us, suddenly jumped up in shock. Her hair rose upwards for an instant.
"You guys probably don't know this, but Comrade Ebisawa recently came to me crying. As she hugged me, she complained about how young man has been ignoring her. I have no choice but to console her."
Eh? Me?
"Stupid Kyouko! I did not do that!"
Mafuyu stood up with her face flushed red. Quit staring at me! Don't you worry, I did not believe a single word of Kyouko.
Senpai ended the topic frivolously by hugging Mafuyu tightly and tapping her gently on her shoulders. She then turned to face me and said,
"I am glad to see that everyone's fired up."
But something happened that poured cold water over us.
It was after school on a Friday. Since the sports day is coming close, Chiaki and Mafuyu were required to join in the practice for our fight against the other classes, so they will only be coming for club activities later. Since I had nothing to do on my hands, I decided to take a trip to the music preparation room to find some classical music scores that we can use for the performance.
Everyone had already gathered at the practice room after I returned there with a bundle of sloppily picked music scores. It seemed that Chiaki and Mafuyu had rushed down to our place straight after from their practice — they were still wearing the blue and yellowish-green cheerleading outfit. However, the atmosphere in the room was incredibly heavy. It was as though the colors of their costume were dulled due to that. Just what is happening here?
"It seems like we are allocated only twenty minutes for our performance......"
Said Chiaki in a distressed mood.
"I am talking about the amount of time we can use the sports hall for during the school's festival. They said that the schedule is filled up by performances by the Drama Club and Karate Club, so they can only spare us a maximum of twenty minutes."
"Twen......"
I was at a loss for words. It would be okay if we can perform four to five songs within twenty minutes. However, fifty minutes went by in a flash when we were performing live back in summer.
There is no way Chiaki and I can showoff the results of our special training should we be allocated such a short amount of time. No one was done with the preparation of their instruments, perhaps because of how depressed everyone was from the bad news.
"There's nothing much we can do within only twenty minutes. It would be over when we are just done with heating up the atmosphere."
"...... Kyouko, is there nothing we can do?"
Mafuyu looked at Kagurazaka-senpai, who was hugging one of her knees as she sat on the long table in the room.
There was no response from Senpai, however. Nothing was said; all she did was to press her forehead against her knee.
"Kyouko?"
"Mmm? Ah, nothing. Sorry. I was just...... thinking about something."
Senpai must have suffered a huge blow from the the way the committee members dealt with this. However, knowing Senpai, she should be thinking of a way to break the deadlock......
"My eyes are drawn by their cheerleading outfit. What do you think, young man? Let's wear that when we get on stage."
"Please be more serious about this!"
I slammed my fist into the wall without even thinking. Senpai said unhappily,
"I am thinking about it seriously. I think they should be here soon."
"Who are you referring to?"
"Our enemies."
When the school bell rang at five (a nominal indication of the end of school), the door of our practice room was suddenly rapped hard by someone. We were practicing on our ensemble, so the room was filled with the sound of rock. We would not have realized there was someone knocking on the door if I was not leaning against it.
And so I raised my hand to stop our playing. That is my responsibility as part of the rhythm section. The music will come to a stop very quickly should the sounds of either the bass or drums be missing.
"...... Someone's here?"
Asked Senpai as she wiped her sweat. I nodded my head and opened the door.
"Hello, sorry for interrupting—"
The first person who stepped into the room as he greeted us with a stupid-sounding voice was a tall second-year student with a funny face. I've seen him a few times in the student council's office, and he is indeed one of its members. Another two to four people came in after him, and the room of Folk Music Club was cramped as a result.
"Well then, Kagurazaka. As per our agreement, I have brought them here. You can discuss your things over there."
And with that, the students council member waved his hand irresponsibly. The scary thing was, two of the people behind him consisted of stocky guys in their karate gear. There was also two...... girls(?) dressed in kinagashi with a pair of daisho hanging around their waists. I had no idea what was going on around here. Mafuyu hid herself behind Chiaki in fear. [TLNote: Daisho wiki link here. Google for the image of kinagashi]
"What, why are we discussing at a place like this?"
One of the girls in the vagabond garb asked unhappily.
"Didn't I explain it already?"
The student council member answered in a irritatingly relaxed tone.
"Because the timing for the classes' performances are untouchable! There's the masquerade contest, after which we have to split up the two hours between the Drama Club, Karate Club and Folk Music Club. Negotiate among yourselves should you have any problem with the allocation decided by us."
Oh, those two samurai are from the Drama Club — so they came here in their costumes. I was shocked by their appearances earlier on......
"See ya, Kagurazaka."
The student council member waved his hand gently and walked out of the practice room after he pushed the samurai and the karate duo aside. Meaning to say, the student council and the committee members have shoved the problematic scheduling away from themselves. How could they be so irresponsible?
"The Folk Music Club should perform at the music hall!"
Said one of the tall black-belt irritatingly as he sat on the bass amplifiers.
"That will solve everything. Things are so complicated because of you guys cutting in from behind."
"It's the Karate Club who cut into the queue in the first place......"
One of the Drama Club members said that softly, and she was greeted with a fierce stare from the orange-belt. It felt like he shot a glance at me as well. Fear began to swell up in my heart.
However, Kagurazaka-senpai pushed me aside and stood herself before the black-belt.
"Will the Karate Club be responsible for any injuries that may happen during our performance?"
"What does that have to do with us? We've already decided to perform more than a hundred variations of moves, followed by a talk given by a master. If the Folk Music Club must join in the fray, then you guys will have to end your performance in ten minutes."
"Hold on, don't decide that by yourselves. We are already done choosing our script!"
The vagabond interrupted.
"The Folk Music Club and Drama Club will have to finish everything in forty minutes! And even with that, we are still running very tight on time for our preparation!"
"What? You've got to be kidding me!"
"You should have told us earlier that you want to use the sports hall! We have been preparing for this since last year!"
"Why don't you guys perform at the music hall as well? They can fit in more audiences there."
"The stage is not designed for plays! Stop talking if you know nothing! Also, why don't you guys perform at the combative sports center instead?"
"Where the hell are we going to get our audiences from!?"
"It's not like anyone will be interested anyway."
"What did you just say!? Are you asking for a fight?"
Why the hell are you people quarreling in our practice room!? I have no chance of interrupting them, so I scanned around the room once to see if there is anyone who could save us. Just then, I saw Kagurazaka-senpai beside me lick her round her lips once. Oh god, this person here is actually enjoying the atmosphere.
Just as Senpai was about to join ithe battle, the cymbals behind us gave a sudden clash.
I reacted a second slower than the karate guy and the vagabond who were about to brawl it out. We turned our head backwards in shock.
"Stop stirring up a ruckus in our practice room! Now is not the time for us to be quarreling. We should at least know how much time each club needs!"
Chiaki stood up furiously behind the drums.
The members from Drama Club finally sat themselves down after being pointed at by Chiaki's drum stick.
"We definitely need eighty minutes. However, that is just the performance. We'll require ten minutes for the preparation of the large props."
Chiaki then directed her sight on to the black-belt.
"We need forty minutes for our performance."
There is really no time to spare even after we've excluded the Folk Music Club. And we did not even factor in the time needed for preparation and packing-up.
"How much time does the Folk Music Club want?" the Drama Club member asked exasperatedly as she crossed her arms before her chest.
"There will never be enough, even if we multiple forever by itself. But conservatively speaking, we need at least an hour."
Kagurazaka-senpai made yet another provocative line of hers. The two Karate Club members put on a haughty expression and grunted.
"That is definitely unacceptable. Darn, one of you two should just give up already."
"It's the sports hall we are talking about here, so the cultural clubs should scram already!"
"What? I don't understand a single word of what you've said!"
Another round of meaningless squabble. I stole another glance at the profile of Senpai. Her face was filled with energy. My intuition told me: ah, it's about time for her to say it.
"How about this then......"
Even though she did not yell, her voice was penetrating. Everyone that was quarreling stopped and looked at her silently. Senpai then said,
"Let's decide via a competition."
Posted by zgmfx09a at 7:43 PM
Thank you for latest piano
Thank you for the SPS. Also, welcome David XD
Thanks for translation as always!
Sakurai Evsa July 20, 2012 at 11:17 PM
Thanks for the translation.
You have to be pretty fucking dense to mistake your childhood friend's affection for you with her being a lesbian. Holy crap, Nao, you are hitting all the gold medals in those categories.
Thanks for another translation. I also liked the grammar in this chapter more, if it was David, then he certainly did a good job. ;)
Can't wait for more
hahaha.. 'sigh' kyouko~ XD
and thank you for translating this.. :D
KasuganoS July 22, 2012 at 8:29 PM
Thank for part 2.


Three months after I joyfully accepted Christ into my life, I received the shocking news that my mum was diagnosed with stage-four lung cancer.
But I was confident that she would somehow be miraculously healed by God. On top of that, just three days after her cancer diagnosis, my mum accepted Christ on her hospital bed. So I thought that God has a plan to use my mum's life powerfully once He has healed her!
That didn't happen. After a draining 14 months of fighting the disease, my mum left me, just a month before Christmas. What used to be a robust, chubby and full-of-life body became a frail, underweight and lifeless shell.
I don't understand why God didn't let my mum live longer than her 57 years on earth.
Four years after she is gone, I still wish that my mum & I would have the chance for a great mother-daughter relationship, now that, through Christ's love, I know how to love her better.
In my pain, I seek comfort from knowing that with her salvation through Christ, she now has an eternity with God. No more tears and suffering. Thank you, Lord.
Every sickness, every weakness, every fear, and doubt and shame; every burden, every hurt is overcome in Jesus name.


text:
Proceedings of the Nutrition Society
Gut microbiota and energy balan...
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August 2015 , pp. 227-234
Gut microbiota and energy balance: role in obesity
Michael Blaut (a1)
Department of Gastrointestinal Microbiology, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke, 14558 Nuthetal, Germany
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0029665114001700
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 18 December 2014
The microbial community populating the human digestive tract has been linked to the development of obesity, diabetes and liver diseases. Proposed mechanisms on how the gut microbiota could contribute to obesity and metabolic diseases include: (1) improved energy extraction from diet by the conversion of dietary fibre to SCFA; (2) increased intestinal permeability for bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS) in response to the consumption of high-fat diets resulting in an elevated systemic LPS level and low-grade inflammation. Animal studies indicate differences in the physiologic effects of fermentable and non-fermentable dietary fibres as well as differences in long- and short-term effects of fermentable dietary fibre. The human intestinal microbiome is enriched in genes involved in the degradation of indigestible polysaccharides. The extent to which dietary fibres are fermented and in which molar ratio SCFA are formed depends on their physicochemical properties and on the individual microbiome. Acetate and propionate play an important role in lipid and glucose metabolism. Acetate serves as a substrate for de novo lipogenesis in liver, whereas propionate can be utilised for gluconeogenesis. The conversion of fermentable dietary fibre to SCFA provides additional energy to the host which could promote obesity. However, epidemiologic studies indicate that diets rich in fibre rather prevent than promote obesity development. This may be due to the fact that SCFA are also ligands of free fatty acid receptors (FFAR). Activation of FFAR leads to an increased expression and secretion of enteroendocrine hormones such as glucagon-like-peptide 1 or peptide YY which cause satiety. In conclusion, the role of SCFA in host energy balance needs to be re-evaluated.
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COPYRIGHT: © The Author 2014
Corresponding author: M. Blaut, email blaut@dife.de
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Lydstep Beach caravan Park commands a lofty position on the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path, overlooking Caldey Island - so its all about nature, tranquillity and dramatic sea views (who will be the first to spot the seals?). Were next to a Blue Flag beach with coastal walks to enjoy. Not to mention the opportunity to try kayaking, jet skiing or power boating. And theres a heated indoor pool for a relaxing dip.
Welcome to the untapped beauty of South Wales, where youll find fewer crowds and a relaxing atmosphere. Where theres a feeling of getting away to seaside places that keep it simple, fresh and unchanging. Where National Geographic voted second best coastal destination in the World.


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· Published April 2, 2019
Ronald Acuna Jr. contract is unhealthy for MLB Labor peace
By Michael Dixon
Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
The Atlanta Braves announced on Tuesday that they had agreed to a contract extension with reigning National League Rookie of the Year Ronald Acuna Jr.
The deal will pay Acuna a minimum of $100 million through 2026. Atlanta also has $17 million club options for the 2027 and 2028 seasons.
For the Braves it's a great deal: For anyone hoping for labor peace and for eventual work stoppage to be avoided? Not so much.
First things first, yes, this is a record deal for someone with as little service time as Acuna has.
Still, this actually leaves even a worse taste than the deal that Eloy Jimenez signed the Chicago White Sox, which was a record for players who hadn't yet debuted in the majors.
When Jimenez signed that deal, we were pretty sure that he'd be making far below his market value by the time the deal was up.
With Acuna, there's even less doubt. Jimenez has incredible potential. But Acuna is already an MLB star.
We're talking about a guy who hit .293/.366/.552 with 26 home runs and 14 steals as a 20-year-old rookie. Even that came in a season in which he played only 111 games and took 433 at-bats.
The prime years of baseball players generally come in their mid-late 20s. Assuming the Braves pick up those team options (which barring a drastic change is an incredibly safe bet), Acuna won't be a free agent until he's 30. He's not going to sign for the same kind of money that someone at 26 or 27 would.
And that really gets us to the meat of the problem. When Bryce Harper signed his deal, he had true options. He could have made far more money per year with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but opted for the long-term stability that the Philadelphia Phillies offered.
It was his choice to do so. Therefore, even if you would have done something else, it's kind of hard to say that Harper got a bad deal. He made a choice.
With Acuna, though, the "choice" was much different: That's because MLB's pay structure — at least as it relates to players on their rookie deals — is badly broken.
Acuna could have gone through the rookie contract and become a free agent in 2024. But to do so would have meant going through years of team control.
In layman's terms, team control means paying young players peanuts compared to what older players are making. For reference, Juan Soto, Acuna's fellow 2018 rookie phenom, is making only $578,300.
Acuna will be making just short of 30 times that at the end of his current deal and will still be underpaid.
The contract that Acuna just signed is well under his market value. But it's still a tremendous amount of money, especially for a 21-year-old kid from Venezuela.
That really gets us to the root of the problem: And it's where the labor unrest is a real threat.
There's no way that the union wants to see someone like Acuna signing a deal like this.
On the other hand, teams have seen contracts get out of hand (in their eyes, anyway) and have constantly looked for ways around that. The early years of a player's career are when his team has, by far, the most control. Once a player reaches the arbitration years and certainly free agency, things change.
The union will no doubt want the team control years significantly modified — and that's putting it mildly. It will give guys like Acuna more of a real choice on deals like this one.
Teams will unquestionably fight that.
And no, this isn't a doomsday prophecy. There are compromises. They just won't be easy to find and certainly won't be easily reached.
Contracts like this are done for long-term stability. But from an overall standpoint, it can do the exact opposite. We can't fault Acuna for signing the deal by any means. But the fact that it essentially had to be signed makes significant labor unrest a very real possibility.


Hockey! I come from a hockey town (Pittsburgh). And as a kid growing up, my mom and I were glued to the tv for just about every figure skating show or event on tv and I just fell in love with it. So I am excited about the author we have for today and her upcoming book, Picks and Pucks. Take it away, Teegan!
Thanks for having me on your blog, Grace. I guess this would be considered the first official introduction of my upcoming release called Picks & Pucks, and it's the absolute perfect day for me! Today is the semi-finals of the NCAA Frozen Four tournament. AND by coincidence, my wonderful alma mater is playing in the semi-final game tonight. GO UND! Release date for the book is April 21, 2014.
Hopefully, most of you can tell what the book is about from the title. Picks refers to those jagged teeth on figure skates and pucks represent the game of hockey.
People always like to give advice to writers, and one of the most often quoted piece of advice, is write what you like and what you know. I don't remember a time when I didn't know how to skate. When I was a youngster, I took skating lessons and performed in shows in sparkly costumes. I adored the ice. But as I got older, I had to make choices. And when it came down to choosing between volleyball and skating, I opted for volleyball. Not because I didn't love skating, but because I despised getting up at 5 a.m. in the bitter cold of winter, and playing volleyball meant more time spent with friends. Singles skating can be a lonely sport.
But I couldn't stay away from the ice. A few years later, I was back as a figure skating coach. I taught a lot of little boys and girls how to skate. Some went on to compete in skating, and others went on to play hockey. I will always believe that a great hockey player has to learn how to skate before he or she picks up a stick.
So, I'm writing what I know and what I love, and I can honestly say that when Justin skates his programs in my story, I can see every connecting step, jump, and spin in my head. I picked his music and choreographed his programs like he is a real person. I hope I can bring him to life for you.
Rising men's figure skating star, Justin Corrin, is coming home to train for the upcoming season and face his demons. The last thing Justin needs is to fall in love with a hockey player. Instead of getting rid of his demons, Justin is collecting more. He tries desperately to control his growing feelings for CJ Daly, but finds being with CJ keeps his nightmares away.
Jack threw another puck at me, and I snagged it out of the air with my stick so it settled on the blade. Jack shook his head, trying to hide his awe.
The memories fogged a little, so I wasn't really clear on what happened next, but somehow we got into a huge argument about figure skating and hockey. I remember opening my big mouth, proclaiming neither was very hard. Janae and her coach, Marina Kirolova, scoffed at me. Jack shook his head and looked like he wanted to stuff a puck down my throat.
Before I knew what was happening, Marina and Janae had me in figure skates. At first the toe picks messed me up, but after a few laps, I was racing around the rink. Out of the corner of my eye, I could feel Marina watching me closely.
Teegan Loy began writing a long time ago. Notebooks filled with ideas were stacked around the house. One day, she sat down with renewed ambition and something fantastic happened: she completed a story. Now most of her time is spent writing, but she takes occasional breaks to go to the movies, where she imagines her stories on the big screen. She also enjoys watching hockey, filling her iPod with music, and driving her daughter around town to various activities.
Lovely post! It's so great when writers have a passion that they're able to bring life to through their writing. This sounds like a fun story, I'll have to check it out! Congrats on the upcoming release!


Like Ottawa Focus for all your festival updates and to see pictures from the event.
Follow @BluesNews2014 to stay up to date on events and connect with artists.
Favourited by RBC Ottawa Bluesfest.
I have a feeling @TheKillers are going to kill it tonight @OttawaBluesfest.


Near the second largest shopping centre in the UK, The Old Trafford Centre, Chill Factore is a stones throw from central Manchester and has become a true entertainment hotspot with bars, restaurants and cafes alongside the indoor slope. How do I collect my Chill Factore tickets? Take advantage of our great summer lift pass offer.


About 30 years ago, after being in the transportation industry for some time, we saw there was a void, a need for a transportation option with a more personal, professional touch. Chauffeurs Unlimited provides that option, whether it be the need for a designated driver, or to make last minute preparations for an important meeting, spending the night out with friends, or going to the airport, we enable you to leave the driving to us in the comfort of your own vehicle.
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Kick the Can: The Tea Party's Least Favorite Game
Republicans are fed up with kicking the debt can down the road
By Eric Randall
The cliché: "Kicking the can down the road — a great Washington tradition when the two major political parties reach a budget impasse — is not an option this time if the U.S. is to maintain its privileged financial standing in the world," writes Patrice Hill at The Washington Times. Israel Ortega at Latino Fox News says, "Kicking the can down the road will no longer do.For far too long, our government has been racking up debt by spending unabashedly in government programs and services." Matt Kibbe at The Daily Caller writes, "Democrats... insist on a debt ceiling increase that will last through the 2012 election, in the hopes that voters will forget about their spending binge until after they're re-elected. All that accomplishes is kicking the can down the road while debt continues to pile up on our children and grandchildren."
Where it's from: Kibbe titles his column "Tea Partiers are the adults in the debt ceiling debate." Maybe so, but all this talk of can kicking actually refers to the kid's game "Kick the Can." As a refresher for those born in the last 50 years, kick the can is a variation on hide and seek. Players kick a tin can as far as they can down the street. One person retrieves it and returns it to its starting place while the other players hide. The searcher must then find any one player before someone else has a chance to run out from hiding and kick the can, prolonging the game. It has been played in some variation since at least the start of the 20th century, and has since become a favorite metaphor for any action that extends or delays a process. At this point, as William Safire noted in 2004, "The metaphor is in play more than the game."
Why it's catching on: Its near constant presence in recent months on editorial pages and opinion sites show it to be a favorite metaphor of the Tea Party and its supporters, like Michele Bachmann, who fear the state of America's budget deficit and argue that raising the debt ceiling and "kicking the can down the road" on America's debt problem will lead to more disaster than would default on foreign loans. They have focused themselves around the metaphor to emphasize their position that a vote to raise the debt ceiling is a vote to procrastinate on dealing with long-term borrowing problems.
Why else? Jacob Weisberg points out in Slate that "Tea Partiers are constantly talking about "restoring honor," getting back to America's roots, and 'taking back' their country." Weisberg isn't sure just which era the nostalgic partiers seek out, whether it is the Revolution which spawned the Boston Tea Party and the new group's name, or just the years before Barack Obama's election. Either way, the rhetoric often evokes a Leave it to Beaver-esque era when 5-year-olds ran through the streets entertaining themselves by kicking an old paint can down Main St.


A casual feel with luxe details places this fabulous look in a class of its own. The drapey top is hand embroidered with bronze chains that echo the flair of the standout windowpane plaid pants of black and subtle sand dollar.
Luxury has a Bohemian edge in this refined pullover jersey knit blouse with a front necklace of sparkling hand-sewn gunmetal chains and a flowing handkerchief hem.
Christy fit ankle-length dress trousers in a suave square-framed check are simultaneously low-key and visually exciting.


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Costa Rica to go to court with U.S. oil company over contract
Tico Times December 21, 2011 December 21, 2011
Costa Rica will go to court with U.S. company Mallon Oil after President Laura Chinchilla reaffirmed Wednesday morning that she would not sign an oil exploration contract.
In 2000, then-President Miguel Ángel Rodríguez (1998-2002) awarded Mallon Oil a contract to look for oil and natural gas in the north of the country for 20 years.
Approximately 200 court appeals, filed mainly by environmental groups, blocked the project for more than a decade. The Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court in April rejected the last of the appeals. But Chinchilla, backed by the support of many government officials and environmentalists, maintained she would not allow oil exploration to take place within the country.
On Monday, Mallon Oil sued the Costa Rican government after Chinchilla refused to sign the contract, the daily La República reported. Chinchilla then had 15 days to decide if she should sign the contract or go to court. Two days later, she made her decision final to not sign the contract.
'A Christmas Carol' comes to new Jacó theater
Oil and gold projects out, CO2 reduction in


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There's something magical about teaming the look of wood with the softness of woven tapes that makes it a simply wonderful combination, so timeless and trendy.
This Dover Grey & grey faux wood blind is no exception. In fact, it's got the incredibly stylish colour on its side too; a warm neutral that oozes character and grace.
An excellent service. Did exactly what it said on the tin. I have now placed my second order for all the downstairs blinds!
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Located at Rooksmoor on the A46 oposite The Old Fleece pub. The last use of the building was a retail unit for bamboo furniture and other quirky household items.
The river is diverted alongside the front of the building and into the wheelhouse tunnel at the side near the road. I imagine the river once fed into a mill pond in front of the building that has since been in filled with the river now running towards the building on the cycle track side (the old railway line) of it.
Records first list the mill in 1729 as a cloth mill and I think the old original mill was probably behind this red brick building and has long gone.
The first two photographs were taken in January 2001 while it was in use as the retail unit.
The following photographs show the building as it is in the summer of 2008. The last photograph shows a filled in arch on the cycle track side of the building.
'Hybrid' planning application. Full planning permission for 54 residential units, reinstatement of millpond, construction new access and associated car parking and landscaping. Refurbishment of cottage building. 1,300sqm of commercial floorspace (uses within Classes B1, B2, B8) – (Revised Plans received 28/02/2017).


text:
Курегово — присілок, Глазовський район, Удмуртія
 Курегово — присілок, Зав'яловський район, Удмуртія
 Курегово — присілок, Малопургинський район, Удмуртія

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Senyorita Lakwachera: Another great reason to shop at Zalora.
Another great reason to shop at Zalora.
Wow – time runs so fast its weekend again I hope you had a wonderful one. As for me, I would like thank Zalora Philippines for adding a blast on my week and I am happy to share that Senyorita Lakwachera is now one of Zalora's brand ambassador. This will be making our online shopping more exciting.  Aside from more than 10,000.00 products to choose from, zalora also carries almost all of your favorite brands from local brands like Ichigo to International brands like Gucci.
You may wonder aside from the wide variety of brand and choices, what else makes online shops more amusing for me rather than going to the mall?
1. First and foremost I am a busy person.
2. I don't have much time to spend for shopping.
3. I consume most of my time facing my computer.
4. I am fanned of durable clothing.
5. I love those trendy once.
6. I love free shipping and discounts (like I hate 12% tax).
7. I hate the traffic jam.
Philippines held to be one of the cyber capitals of the world and that the online shops and seller invaded us and one of those who benefit to that are professionals like me. Thus online selling is truly convenient there are still a lot of risks, racing the importance of being vigilant to scams. When I get to find a shop who sells authentic goods then this makes me fall. Then followed by valuable propositions like bank deposit as an payment option- No credit card NEEDED , just deposit your payment on their bank accounts then you can sit back and relax while waiting for it to be delivered right on your door steps.
Too good be true? Why not try? Zalora.com.ph is giving away an introductory gift worth Php.250.00 when you sign up, just so you could try.
Ready to shop? Already used you P250.00? Me in partnership with Zalora is giving away 5% discount voucher that every one of you can enjoy for your purchases above P500.00. I am privilege to let you use and abuse this code!
Thanks for your comment! I also saw your post, that's nice with you. I just followed you. hope your follow back ;) !
Amazing online shopping! I will try it!
p.s.Love your blog too!! I follow you now with google friend connect! Hope you'll do the same!! I wait for you in my blog!! Kisses!
ohhhi don't think they have that shop in where i live :[ btw, thanks for your comment.
This is very cool, Congratulations wishing you the very best!
Love your blog!! :) Thank you for your sweet comment!! Of course we can follow each other! I start now following you now with google friend connect! Hope you'll do the same! I wait for you in my blog!! Kisses!
thanks for your lovely comment, dear. nice blog!
that is such a nice shot and super fun bra!