This show has been a roller coaster of emotions constantly causing me to turn against my favourite characters and then returning to side with them once again. Yooh Ah In and Kim Myung In managed to bring to life characters that I never really gave much thought as a non-Korean.As a result I will be reading up a lot more about Jung do Jeon/Sambong and Lee Bang Won/King Taejo. They are both complicated characters and any actor who can manage to portray them both in a believable manner at their most humane and at their most ruthless is amazing indeed.
The supporting cast were also quite amazing and they all brought life to fictional and historical characters in quite an interesting way. The writers of this Drama quite outdid themselves taking an already known history and rewriting it in a way that kept the viewer hooked on each episode with the dedication of a brainwashed cult member. Characters like Moo Hyul (Yoon Gyun Saan) and Lee Bang Ji (Byun Yo Han) were so well portrayed that it had many of us wishing that they were actually real life historical figures.
For all fifty episodes of the six flying dragons, my love for the two characters was equal and unwavering ,from the young sociopath Lee bang Won to the mischievous but focused Jung do Jeon. The two characters were both compelling and charismatic and made an amazing team taking the viewer through the twists and turns of establishing the Joseon Empire. As they achieve their goals together, the viewer gets to watch a beautiful teacher -student relationship deteriorate into a bitter rivalry filled with ingratitude, betrayal, tactical mistakes and several ideological differences that honestly could have been worked out differently from my view on the couch.
It also helped that the visuals for this show were quite stunning and the fight scenes especially those involving Lee Bang Ji were so elegantly choreographed as to seem more like a beautiful, breath-taking but deadly dance rather than an actual sword fight.
I would recommend watching Six Flying Dragons to anyone as it has everything, a good script ,great actors ,amazing visuals and a more than satisfactory ending. I also forgot to mention that this is a prequel to the drama Tree With Deep Roots although tree came much earlier but it is worth it to watch tree in order to have better clarity about some characters and events.
So sad I couldn't follow this. Never watched a full episode. The leads were not really my choice for sageuk but this review has inspired me to check it out asap. The only 50-episode drama I tried was Empress Ki… I dream of something like this showing up soon.
I assure you this will be well worth your time. Yooh Ah In took many viewers to a different dimension with his performance. You know reality just got altered when three quarters of the viewers begin supporting the resident psychopath and justifying his actions,which is what most of us wound up doing. For a start check out the recaps on Dramabeans they will inspire you to watch this show to its final wonderful conclusion.
Thanks, definitely planning my weekend around marathoning Six Dragons!!


Come Play at Our House!
Join us for In Great Company's annual fundraiser, which this year is benefiting GiGi's Playhouse, a one-of-a-kind achievement center for individuals with Down Syndrome. Dinner, great music, raffle prizes, and a silent auction will fill a night dedicated to supporting a great cause!
With over 30 locations across the United States and Mexico, GiGi's Playhouse is the only network of Down Syndrome Achievement Centers. Every day, they provide free, life-changing therapeutic, educational and career training programs for 30,000+ individuals of all ages. GiGI's Playhouse empowers families by maximizing opportunities for daily achievement and lasting acceptance. Their goal is to show the world what individuals with Down Syndrome are truly capable of achieving as students, co-workers, volunteers, friends, and valued members of their communities.
On February 6th, 2019, In Great Company was honored to present a check for $16,450 to Gigi's Playhouse!
Tickets are $45 each or $360 for a table and must be purchased in advance. Please contact Cindy Adkins (cindya@mediquant.com or 440-630-9123) or Carrie Smallwood (csmallwood@mediquant.com or 440-671-6400) for tickets.
Hope you can join us for a wonderful evening!
A hearty thank you to our Platinum-level Corporate Sponsors!


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Victoria Lim And Peter Sheren Got Married Three Times
aswerdloff
Filed to: altarcations
altarcations
intern alexis
Do you believe in love? Perhaps you do! But you totally definitely believe in money. Because it's very hard to love when you have no money and you're hungry! The Weddings and Celebrations section of the 'New York Times' is where money and love meet, and where our Intern Alexis finds that in the mix, someone always comes out the winner.
There's something about high-powered bankers based in Hong Kong that just sends us into a tizzy. For some reason, we just find it really impressive. So sue us! And even though there was a couple with a hipster photo, Katie Couric's executive assistant, someone named Cheshire Webb III, a former White House intern who helped write the traditional Thanksgiving speech in which a turkey receives a pardon, S.I. Newhouse's nephew and a TV news reporter whom Magee Hickey referred to as "a sex kitten and a smart reporter," it was three-wedding-ceremonies-having Victoria Lim and Peter Sheren who sprinted to the lead.
Victoria Lim and Peter Sheren
They were married by an Episcopal priest: +1
They had a Jewish ceremony in Washington and a Korean ceremony in Soeul — making that three ceremonies in total!: +3
Groom is Jewish and bride is Asian: +2
Victoria is keeping her name: -1
Victoria is a is a vice president for investment banking in the Hong Kong office of Credit Suisse, specializing in capital markets and mergers and acquisition advice for technology companies in the Asia-Pacific region; Peter is a vice president for stock sales and trading in Hong Kong for a securities unit of JPMorgan Chase, specializing in sales and trading for hedge funds in the stock markets of the Asia-Pacific region. For both being fincancial big wigs based in Hong Kong: +10
Victoria graduated from Stanford: +1
Even though the couple went to the same high school mixers in the early 1990s, when she was at Madeira in McLean and he was at St. Albans in Washington... they did not meet until half a decade, and half a globe, later. For both attending schmancy DC-area private schools: +3

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Current: 2019 August 13 - 14 The Glynn and Suzanne Crain Science Fiction Collection Signature Auction - Dallas 5442 (18) Current: 2019 August 1 - 3 Comics & Comic Art Signature Auction - Dallas 7211 (48) Current: Sunday Comics, Animation, & Art Weekly Online Auction 121929 (22) Coming Soon: 2019 November 21 - 23 Comics - Dallas 7212 (1) Coming Soon: Sunday Comics, Animation, & Art Weekly Online Auction 121930 (34) Coming Soon: Sunday Comics, Animation, & Art Weekly Online Auction 121931 (3) Coming Soon: Sunday Comics, Animation, & Art Weekly Online Auction 121934 (2) Coming Soon: Sunday Comics, Animation, & Art Weekly Online Auction 121937 (2)
Make An Offer (114) Active (bid/track) (2) Popular (views) (10)
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$1 - $99 (34) $100 - $999 (49) $1,000 - $4,999 (5)
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Reserve (if any) Not Posted (48) No Reserve (40)
Poor 0.1 to Very Good- 3.5 (12) Very Good 4.0 to Very Fine- 7.5 (92) Very Fine 8.0 to Near Mint- 9.2 (76) Near Mint 9.4 to Gem Mint 10.0 (64)
CGC (190) CBCS (4) Uncertified (50)
DC (46) Marvel (37) Dell (23) Fiction House (14) Street & Smith (14) Gold Key (13) Culture (12) Quality (9) Munsey (5) Better Publications (5) More...
1933 (10) 1946 (10) 1948 (9) 1947 (7) 1952 (7) 1939 (5) 1949 (5) 1950 (5) 1934 (4) 1935 (4) More...
Bid or Buy 244 Available Items
Blue Ribbon Comics #1 (MLJ, 1939) CGC VF+ 8.5 OFF-WHITE TO WHITE pages....
Boy Commandos #17 (DC, 1946) CGC VF 8.0 Off-white pages....
Boy Commandos #6 (DC, 1944) CGC VF+ 8.5 Cream to off-white pages....
Boy Explorers Comics #1 (Harvey, 1946) CGC VF/NM 9.0 White pages....
Buccaneers #20 (Quality, 1950) CGC VF/NM 9.0 Off-white pages....
Challengers of the Unknown #46 (DC, 1965) CGC FN/VF 7.0 CREAM TO OFF-WHITE pages....
Amount: $67
Conan the Barbarian #17 (Marvel, 1972) CGC NM- 9.2 White pages....
Conan the Barbarian #2 (Marvel, 1970) CGC NM- 9.2 Off-white pages....
Conan the Barbarian #2 (Marvel, 1970) CGC VF+ 8.5 Off-white pages....
Conan the Barbarian #2 (Marvel, 1970) CGC VF+ 8.5 White pages....
Conan the Barbarian #3 (Marvel, 1971) CGC NM- 9.2 Off-white to white pages....
Conan the Barbarian #3 (Marvel, 1971) CGC NM- 9.2 WHITE pages....
Conan the Barbarian #4 (Marvel, 1971) CGC VF- 7.5 Cream to off-white pages....
Conan the Barbarian #5 (Marvel, 1971) CGC NM 9.4 Off-white to white pages....
Conan the Barbarian #7 (Marvel, 1971) CGC FN+ 6.5 Cream to off-white pages....
Conan the Barbarian #7 (Marvel, 1971) CGC NM 9.4 OFF-WHITE pages....
Conan the Barbarian #7 (Marvel, 1971) CGC NM 9.4 WHITE pages....
Conan the Barbarian #7 (Marvel, 1971) CGC NM+ 9.6 OFF-WHITE TO WHITE pages....
Conan the Barbarian #7 (Marvel, 1971) CGC VF- 7.5 OFF-WHITE TO WHITE pages....
Conan the Barbarian #8 (Marvel, 1971) CGC NM 9.4 Cream to off-white pages....
Congo Bill #2 (DC, 1954) CGC VG- 3.5 Cream to off-white pages....
Congo Bill #3 (DC, 1954) CGC VG 4.0 Cream to off-white pages....
Congo Bill #6 (DC, 1955) CGC VG/FN 5.0 Off-white to white pages....
Danger Trail #2 (DC, 1950) CGC VG+ 4.5 Off-white to white pages....
DC Special #24 (DC, 1976) CGC NM+ 9.6 Off-white to white pages....
Devil Dinosaur #7 (Marvel, 1978) CGC NM 9.4 White pages....
Devil Dinosaur #7 (Marvel, 1978) CGC NM+ 9.6 White pages....
Extra! #1 (EC, 1955) CGC VF 8.0 OFF-WHITE TO WHITE pages....
Feature Films #1 - Davis Crippen (D (DC, 1950) CGC VF 8.0 Off-white to white pages....
Feature Films #2 (DC, 1950) CGC VF+ 8.5 Off-white to white pages....
Feature Films #3 (DC, 1950) CGC NM 9.4 Off-white pages....
Feature Films #3 - Davis Crippen (D (DC, 1950) CGC VF 8.0 Off-white pages....
Four Color #1283 (Dell, 1962) CGC VF 8.0 OFF-WHITE pages....
Four Color #1286 (Dell, 1962) CGC VG 4.0 Cream to off-white pages....
Four Color (Series One) 24 Captain Easy (Dell, 1942) CGC VG/FN 5.0 Cream to off-white pages....
Frontier Fighters #1 (DC, 1955) CGC VG+ 4.5 Cream to off-white pages....
Gentle Ben #2 (Dell, 1968) CGC NM 9.4 Off-white to white pages....
Heroic Comics #28 (Eastern Color, 1945) CGC NM 9.4 Cream to off-white pages....
Heroic Comics #44 - File Copy (Eastern Color, 1947) CGC NM- 9.2 OFF-WHITE pages....
Heroic Comics #52 - File Copy (Eastern Color, 1949) CGC NM 9.4 Off-white pages....
Heroic Comics #69 (Eastern Color, 1951) CGC NM 9.4 Off-white pages....
Hit Comics #38 - Crowley Copy (Quality, 1945) CGC NM- 9.2 Off-white pages....
John Wayne Adventure Comics #3 (Toby Publishing, 1950) CGC FN- 5.5 OFF-WHITE TO WHITE pages....


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Showing posts with label Patricia Preston. Show all posts
A QUICK AND QUIRKY #MFRWauthor Interview To Save a Lady @Pat_Preston
A Quick and Quirky Interview with MFRW Author Patricia Preston
Patricia writes stories that have strong characters, some humor, some romance, some adventure, and lots of emotion. She has won several awards for her fiction, and she is currently working on a series, the French Quarter Brides and a series of contemporary romances set in Lafayette Falls, a fictional city near Nashville. She had a Western romance available from Carina Press entitled Almost an Outlaw, and two humorous short stories, "The Yard Sale" and "Laid to Rest" available on Amazon.
If money were not an object, where would you like to live?
I'd love to live in a townhouse in the French Quarters where I'd have access to Pat O'Briens and Café Du Monde on a daily basis. Gotta love them beignets and Hurricane cocktails.
If you were a tool, what would people use you to do?
I bet somebody already said 'screwdriver', huh?
What song best describes your life?
Picture yourself as a store, what would be sold there?
Definitely books and music. There would be free e-readers and internet access. And there's a music room where you can sample an entire song instead of a 30-second clip. And you can sit in massage chairs and chill with music and books. Also, there'll be a wet bar. Yes and maybe pole-dancing classes. We'll call the store Books, Ballads and Bottoms Up! We'll open soon.
I don't think you should attach the word guilty to pleasure. You should never feel guilty about enjoying yourself, regardless of what that involves. Just make sure you don't electrocute yourself and remember you can take guilt-free pole dancing classes at my store.
If you were stranded on a deserted island, who would it be with?
Rick and Daryl from The Walking Dead!!! They know how to survive and plus they are sexy and Southern. That's a plus, y'all.
What is the funniest thing that ever happened to you?
Besides being born?
If you were on a reality show, which one would it be?
Well, I don't watch reality shows. Maybe America's Got Talent for Writers. Everyone gets up there and reads a chapter…Naw…What about a bunch of redneck pole dancers taking classes at Bottoms Up. They are vying to a win a spotlight performance at Big Earl's Place. You gotta let your imagination go there, people.
Tell us about your latest book.
To Save a Lady, Book One, French Quarter Brides
Mainstream (PG13) Historical Romance
Romance & Adventure in old New Orleans. . .
A move from Paris to New Orleans brings disaster to Elise Plaisance's predictable life as a lady's maid. The son of her grief-stricken mistress disappears, and Elise is drawn into a web of espionage and lies as war threatens the city. Captain Jesse Cross doesn't fancy himself as a lovelorn soldier desperate for a woman until a mysterious French spy captivates his imagination.
Elise's romance with the captain is a frail illusion, born in the darkness of a French Quarter courtyard and never meant to last forever. Amid war and betrayal, Elise must risk everything to rescue her mistress's son before all is lost, and Jesse knows he has to save her even if it means sacrificing his honor and his life.
During the War of 1812, a dauntless American captain and a desperate lady's maid from Paris finds romance and danger in the sultry French Quarter of New Orleans.
Captain Jesse Cross strode through the blanket of thick fog that rose from the banks of the Mississippi river and filled the dark streets of the French Quarter. A discarded playbill from an opera house lay in a mud puddle, and the muffled sound of piano music came from a closed theater where a musician practiced after the show.
New Orleans was on the brink of war. Nevertheless, on any given night, a man could attend an opera, a play, or a concert in this muggy city filled with wealthy residents who loved to be entertained.
Also, on any given night, a man could be robbed, shot, or stabbed to death. Crime thrived in the cultural city, which had its share of cutthroats and thieves who prowled the streets at night, looking for unwitting victims.
Jesse had no plans to become one of those victims.
The navy greatcoat he wore over his uniform brushed the tops of his riding boots and concealed the flintlock pistol he cradled against his thigh. As the moon ducked behind a cluster of heavy clouds, he listened carefully to the quiet footsteps that echoed his own. He had been followed since leaving a tavern on Rue Dauphine.
He continued at a steady pace, walking south on Rue Toulouse. Townhouses and shops jammed against sidewalks called banquettes in this city where French was the primary language.
The midnight hour approached. The houses were shuttered, and the streets deserted. There was no good reason to think the man trailing behind him was just out for a jaunt, not in the middle of a winter night.
Jesse picked up his pace as the damp, cold air breezed about him.
He longed to be elsewhere. Lying in front of a warm fireside, with a glass of good wine and a woman eager to ride him. That would be such a joy right now. When had he last known such pleasure? He would have to dig deep in his memory to answer that question.
He tightened his grip on his pistol. The sound of footsteps grew closer. Faster now in the darkness. Coming up behind him while he walked along the banquette as if he suspected nothing. He drew in a steadying breath.
There was nothing like the element of surprise.
CONNECT with Patricia Preston
Website: www.patricia-preston.com
Blog: www.patricia-preston.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/16kagF5
Twitter: http://ow.ly/E8xdW
Pinterest: http://ow.ly/E8xD5
Goodreads: http://ow.ly/E8xY2
Labels: #excerpt, #MFRWAuthor, Author Interview, historical romance, Patricia Preston, Self Published


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Charles Stanley –Obstacles to Obedience
November 25, 2018 broboinhawaii	Leave a comment
2 Kings 5:11-17
Obedience is a powerful action that can unleash God's glory in ways beyond our imagination. Yet obeying is often difficult because our desires are being put to the test. Sometimes we're afraid that by doing what the Lord says, we'll end up losing what's important to us. But choosing not to obey may actually cost us the very thing we desire most.
In yesterday's reading, three obstacles initially kept Naaman from following God's instructions—and almost prevented his miraculous healing.
Pride. As a high-ranking official, Naaman feared obeying would cost him his dignity. Conversely, his servants had the wisdom to see pride was robbing him of life. How often do we balk at doing what God says, for fear of looking foolish?
Self-centered expectations. Naaman was furious when his very specific expectations weren't met. We, too, often get angry at the Lord when He doesn't comply with our demands. But if we really want His perfect will, we absolutely must "let" Him do things His way.
Unbelief. Because Naaman's faith extended only to his own vision of how he'd be healed, he initially didn't see how obeying would cure his leprosy. It took the faith of his servants to help him see the truth: that obedience was key to unlocking God's answer to his greatest need.
The call to obey often uncovers strongholds from which the Lord wants to free us. When we choose to respond in faith, He reveals Himself to us in a new way that strengthens our trust in Him—because ultimately, our greatest need is to know Him better.
Bible in One Year: Romans 10-13
http://www.intouch.org/
BibleCharles Stanleychristianitychurchcurrent-eventsdaily devotionfaithgodholy spirithuman-rightsJesusjesus christJoylord jesus christlovenaturePeacePrayerreligionspiritualitytheologyTruth
Our Daily Bread — Quiet Witness
Read: 1 Peter 2:11–21 | Bible in a Year: Ezekiel 24–26; 1 Peter 2
Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. 1 Peter 2:12 nlt
Amy lives in a closed country where it's forbidden to preach the gospel. She's a trained nurse who works in a big hospital, caring for newborn babies. She's such a committed professional that her work stands out, and many women are curious about her. They are moved to ask her questions in private. It's then that Amy shares about her Savior openly.
Because of her good work, some co-workers were envious and accused her of stealing some medicine. Her superiors didn't believe them, and authorities eventually found the culprit. This episode led some of her fellow nurses to ask about her faith. Her example reminds me of what Peter says: "Dear friends . . . . Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God" (1 Peter 2:11–12 nlt).
Our everyday lives at home, in our work environment, or at school make an impact on others when we let God work in us. We're surrounded by people who are watching the way we speak and behave. Let's depend on God and have Him rule our actions and thoughts. Then we'll influence those who don't believe and this may lead some of them to turn in faith to Jesus.
Father, help me to live in such a way that Your name will be honored wherever I go.
Our lives speak louder than our words.
By Keila Ochoa
Being misunderstood or falsely accused is inevitable in a broken world. But in those vulnerable moments, Peter argues, it's especially crucial for believers to strive to follow Christs example of responding to suffering with love rather than lashing out (1 Peter 2:12, 21). "Submitting" to those with power (v. 13) doesn't mean blind obedience, but rather letting go of our natural desire to control or overpower others. And as we fearlessly display Christ's love and the ways of our Lord's kingdom (vv. 13, 16), God may even use us to guide others to His love.
Monica Brands
http://www.odb.org
Biblechristianitychurchcurrent-eventsdaily devotionfaithgodholy spirithuman-rightsJesusjesus christJoylord jesus christlovenatureOur Daily BreadPeacePrayerreligionspiritualitytheologyTruth
Joyce Meyer – A Doubtful Mind
And Elijah came near to all the people and said, "How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him." And the people did not answer him a word. — 1 Kings 18:21
Adapted from the resource Love Out Loud Devotional – by Joyce Meyer
Like many people, I assumed that doubt and unbelief were the same, because we usually put them in the same context. In recent years, however, I've learned that there is a difference. Obviously, doubt and unbelief do not honor God, but I want to show you how they function in different ways.
The story of the prophet Elijah is an excellent picture of doubt at work. King Ahab was the most evil leader the people had known. Elijah declared that because of Ahab's wickedness, no rain would fall until he, the prophet, said so. For the next three-and-a-half years, drought scourged the land.
Now, that's a pretty clear picture. There had been sufficient rain before Elijah's declaration—but after he spoke, the skies quit yielding water. That is pretty obvious. Who would question God or His prophet? But apparently, the people's fear of Ahab—as well as the lack of rainfall—caused their minds to be filled with questions.
Elijah finally called all the people together, along with the king and the false prophets, and asked them why they doubted. Why were they caught between two possible answers? That's what doubt really is. Doubt isn't simply unbelief—it's more of an attitude that says, "I believe, but . . ." or, "I want to believe, but . . ."
Doubt often comes to reside where faith once lived. Doubt is active opposition to faith, and it tries to push faith aside. The people had believed the prophet, but as time wore on—three-and-a-half years—apparently questions arose, and uncertainty crept in.
If Elijah really did this, he ought to stop it right now. Maybe it just happened. Or, How do we really know that was the word of God? As soon as they seriously asked themselves these questions, they opened the door for Satan to bring doubt into their minds.
Doubt never comes from God—it is always in opposition to His will.
In writing to the Romans, Paul pointed out that the Lord gives each of us a measure of faith (see Romans 12:3). When we cling to that faith, we push away doubts. But when we allow questions to enter in—any kind of uncertainty that takes our minds away from God's wonderful work in our lives—that's doubt.
It is also a subtle, sneaky entry point for our enemy. He plants doubt in our minds, hoping it will cause us to oppose God. We probably don't think of doubt as something that strong, but it is—it's the first step of opposition to what God declares. That's why we need to know God's Word. If we know the Word, we can recognize it when the devil lies to us and causes us to question.
Elijah wouldn't allow the people of his day to move back and forth from doubt to belief. He made the options clear: Believe the true God or believe a false idol. Don't fall into the trap of saying you believe in God when your heart is filled with doubts and questions. Choose true faith and say, "Lord, I believe. I may not always understand, but I trust You."
Prayer Starter: True and faithful God, in the past, I've been weak, allowing Satan to make me question You, Your love, and Your plans for my life. Not only do I ask You to forgive me, but I also ask You to teach me Your Word and strengthen me so that Satan can never trick me again. Thank You for hearing my prayer. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
http://www.joycemeyer.org
Biblechristianitychurchcurrent-eventsdaily devotionfaithgodholy spirithuman-rightsJesusjesus christJoyJoyce Meyerlord jesus christlovenaturePeacePrayerreligionspiritualitytheologyTruth
Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – God Protects Us
"You don't need to be afraid of the dark any more, nor fear the dangers of the day… For the Lord says, 'Because he loves me, I will rescue him; I will make him great because he trusts in my name.' " (Psalm 91:5,14).
"Ladies and gentlemen, we should be out of the storm in a few moments…" The calm voice over the intercom was hardly reassuring as our Pam Am 707 pierced the fury of a storm during our flight from New York to Washington, D.C. Lightning flashed as the aircraft bounced and shuddered in the turbulence.
I gripped Vonette's hand. "I don't know how much longer the plane can endure this storm without breaking into pieces."
She nodded gravely.
The 707 began to twist — first to the right, then to the left. Its wings flapped like those of a giant bird struggling against a violent downdraft. Vonette and I began praying. Convinced that our aircraft could not survive the turbulence much longer, I tenderly said goodbye to Vonette and she to me. We told our wonderful Lord that we were ready to meet Him.
Then I remembered how the Lord Jesus had calmed the winds when His disciples feared that their boat would capsize during another violent storm. If it was His will, He would protect us, too. I prayed aloud, "Lord, You control the laws of nature. You quieted the storm on the Sea of Galilee. Please quiet this storm."
In a very short time, the rain and turbulence stopped. Amazed and thankful, Vonette and I praised God for protecting us.
Hours later, the pilot landed the plane at a freight terminal in Norvolk. The flight that should have taken sixty-five minutes had lasted four hours and taken us far from our destination. Lightning had knocked a huge hole in the fuselage near the cockpit, destroying all the radar equipment. The pilot said this was the most violent storm he had ever experienced. But God was more powerful than the storm!
God promises to protect and rescue those who trust Him. What peace and joy this gives us as we turn over the difficult circumstances in our lives to Him!
Bible Reading:Psalm 91
TODAY'S ACTION POINT: With God's help, I will claim His promise to protect me and will not be afraid of danger
http://www.cru.org
BibleBill BrightCampus Crusadechristianitychurchcurrent-eventsdaily devotionfaithgodholy spirithuman-rightsJesusjesus christJoylord jesus christlovenaturePeacePrayerreligionspiritualitytheologyTruth


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\section{Introduction}
The most precise determinations of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM)
matrix element~$|V_{cb}|$~\cite{Kobayashi:1973fv} are obtained using
combined fits to inclusive $B$~decay
distributions~\cite{Bauer:2004ve,Buchmuller:2005zv}. These determinations
are based on calculations of the semileptonic decay rate in the
frameworks of the Operator Product Expansion (OPE)~\cite{wilson} and Heavy Quark
Effective Theory (HQET)~\cite{Bauer:2004ve,Benson:2003kp} which
predict this quantity in terms of $|V_{cb}|$, the $b$-quark mass
$m_b$, and non-perturbative matrix elements that enter at the
order $1/m^2_b$.
The spectator model decay rate is the leading term in a well-defined
expansion controlled by  the parameter $\Lambda _{\rm QCD}/m_b$~\cite{Benson:2003kp,gremm-kap,falk,Gambino:2004qm} with
non-perturbative corrections arising to order
 $1/m_b^2$. The key issue in this approach is the ability to separate non-perturbative
 corrections and perturbative
 corrections (expressed in powers of  $\alpha _s$).
High precision comparison of theory and experiment requires a precise determination of the heavy quark masses, as well as the non-perturbative matrix elements that enter the expansion.  We make use of the HQEs \cite{Bauer:2004ve,Gambino:2004qm,Benson:2004sg} that express the semileptonic decay width  $\Gamma_{SL}$, moments of
the lepton energy and hadron mass spectra in $B\to
X_c\ell\nu$~decays and the photon energy spectrum in $B\to
X_s\gamma$~decays in terms of the running kinetic quark masses $m_b^{\rm kin}$ and $m_c^{\rm kin}$ as well as the 1S $b$-quark mass $m_b^{\rm 1S}$. These schemes should ultimately yield consistent results for $|V_{cb}|$.  The precision of the $b$-quark mass is also important for $|V_{ub}|$, a limiting factor in the uncertainty on the unitarity triangle.

The present results are based on a $140\,{\rm fb}^{-1}$ data sample collected at the $\Upsilon (4S)$ resonance with the Belle detector
at the KEKB~\cite{KEKB} asymmetric energy $e^+ e^-$ collider, containing $1.52 \times 10^8$ $B \overline B$ pairs.  An additional $15\,{\rm fb}^{-1}$ data sample taken at 60MeV below the $\Upsilon (4S)$ resonance is used to perform subtraction of background from the continuum $e^+e^- \rightarrow q \bar q$ process.

\section{Inclusive spectral moments}

We first identify hadronic events~\cite{hadron}, then fully reconstruct one $B$ meson in one of several hadronic modes to determine its charge, flavour, and momentum ($B_{\rm tag}$).
The number of $B^+$  and $B^0$  candidates in the  signal region,  after background subtraction, is $63185\pm621$(stat.) and $39504\pm392$(stat.), respectively.  We search for leptons produced by semileptonic $B$ decays on the non-tag side.   We partially recover the effect of bremsstrahlung
by searching for a photon  around the electron direction.
The reconstructed lepton momentum  spectrum is contaminated by background processes, evaluated and subtracted from the distribution before the extraction of the moments.  Backgrounds are predominantly continuum, combinatorial,
 cascade charm decays $b \rightarrow c \rightarrow q \ell \nu$,  $J/ \psi$, $\psi (2S)$, Dalitz decays, photon conversions,  fake leptons and  $B \to X_u \ell \nu$ decays. We use the LLSW~model~\cite{LLSW} to predict the relative abundance
and form factor shapes of the different components in $B\to D^{**}\ell\nu$.

\subsection{Electron Energy Spectrum}
To measure the moments of the electron energy spectrum, we determine the true electron energy spectrum by unfolding~\cite{ref:13} the measured spectrum for distortions by various detector effects, in the $B$ meson rest frame, $E_{e}^{*B}$.
 The unfolded spectrum is corrected for QED radiative effects using PHOTOS~\cite{PHOTOS}.
Belle measures the the  $B^0$ and $B^+$ weighted average partial branching fractions~$\mathcal{B}(B\to
X_c\ell\nu)_{E_\ell>E_\mathrm{min}}$ and the first four moments of the electron energy spectrum in $B\to
X_ce\nu$, $\langle E_\ell\rangle_{E_\ell>E_\mathrm{min}}$, $\langle
(E_\ell-\langle E_\ell\rangle)^2\rangle_{E_\ell>E_\mathrm{min}}$,
$\langle (E_\ell-\langle
E_\ell\rangle)^3\rangle_{E_\ell>E_\mathrm{min}}$ and $\langle
(E_\ell-\langle E_\ell\rangle)^4\rangle_{E_\ell>E_\mathrm{min}}$, for
 electron energy thresholds, $E_\mathrm{min}$, from 0.4 to 2.0~GeV)~\cite{el} (Fig. \ref{fig1}) .
The principal systematic errors originate from event selection, electron identification, background estimation and signal model dependence.
The independent partial branching fractions at $E_{\rm cut}=$0.6 GeV are $\Delta \mathcal{B}(B^+ \to X_c e \nu$)=$(10.34 \pm 0.23({\rm stat.}) \pm 0.25({\rm sys.}))$\% and $\Delta \mathcal{B}(B^0 \to X_c e \nu$)=$(9.80 \pm 0.29({\rm stat.}) \pm 0.21(\rm{ sys.}))$\%; consistent with our previous measurements~\cite{okabe}.  The $\Delta \mathcal{B} (B^+ \to X_c e \nu)$/$\Delta \mathcal{B} (B^0 \to X_c e \nu)$ ratio, at $E_{\rm cut}=$0.4 GeV, is $1.07 \pm 0.04({\rm stat.}) \pm 0.03({\rm sys.})$, consistent with the $B^+/B^0$ lifetime ratio~\cite{PDG}.

\begin{figure}
\includegraphics[width=0.24\textwidth]{m0.eps}
\includegraphics[width=0.24\textwidth]{m1.eps}\\
\includegraphics[width=0.24\textwidth]{m2.eps}
\includegraphics[width=0.24\textwidth]{m3.eps}\\
\includegraphics[width=0.24\textwidth]{m4.eps}
\caption{Moments and partial branching fractions as a function of the electron energy cut-off, $E_{cut}$}
\label{fig1}
\end{figure}

\subsection{Hadron Mass Spectrum}
The 4-momentum $p_X$ of the hadronic system~$X$ recoiling against
$\ell\nu$ is determined by summing the 4-momenta of the remaining
charged tracks and unmatched clusters. Events with particles missing in the reconstruction are rejected by
requiring $|M^2_\mathrm{miss}|<3$~GeV$^2$/$c^4$.  To improve the resolution in $M^2_X$, we constrain the neutrino mass
to zero, and recalculate the 4-momentum of the $X$~system,
$p'_X = (p_\mathrm{LER}+p_\mathrm{HER})-p_{B_{tag}}-p_\ell-p_\nu$, where LER and HER refer to the low energy and high energy beams,
respectively.
We measure the $M^2_X$~spectrum in from 0 to
15~GeV$^2$/$c^4$,  and unfold the finite detector resolution in this
distribution to a range of $M^2_D$ to
about 15 GeV$^2$. The bin width is 1~GeV$^2$, except around
the narrow states, ($D$, $D^*$, $D_1$ and $D^*_2$) where smaller
bin sizes are chosen.  Belle measures the first, second central and second non-central
moments of the unfolded $M^2_X$~spectrum in $B\to X_c\ell\nu$, $\langle
M^2_X\rangle_{E_\ell>E_\mathrm{min}}$, $\langle(M^2_X-\langle
M^2_X\rangle)^2\rangle_{E_\ell>E_\mathrm{min}}$ and $\langle
M^4_X\rangle_{E_\ell>E_\mathrm{min}}$ for lepton
energy thresholds, $E_\mathrm{min}$, from 0.7 to 1.9 GeV~\cite{mx} (Fig.~\ref{fig:2}).
Principal systematic errors originate from background estimation, unfolding and signal model dependence.
\begin{figure}
  \begin{center}
    \includegraphics[width=0.48\textwidth]{fig2.eps}
  \end{center}
  \caption{The hadron invariant mass moments as a function of $E_{\rm min}$. The error bars indicate the statistical and
   total experimental errors.} \label{fig:2}
\end{figure}

\section{HQE parameters}
Using these measurements and Belle measurements of the photon energy moments in $B\to X_s\gamma$ decays~\cite{Abe:2005cv}, we determine the CKM matrix element $|V_{cb}|$, and HQE parameters by performing global fit analyses in the kinetic and 1S schemes~\cite{bellefit}.  We exclude
measurements that do not have corresponding theoretical
predictions and those with high cutoff energies ({\it i.e.} semileptonic moments with
$E_\mathrm{min}>1.5$~GeV and  photon energy moments with
$E_\mathrm{min}>2$~GeV).  All fit results are preliminary.

\subsection{1S Fit}
The inclusive spectral moments of $B\to X_c\ell\nu$ decays have been
derived in the 1S scheme up to
$\mathcal{O}(1/m_b^3)$~\cite{Bauer:2004ve}. The theoretical
expressions for the truncated moments are given in terms of
HQE parameters, and coefficients determined by theory, which are functions of
$E_\mathrm{min}$. The non-perturbative corrections are parametrized by
$\Lambda$ ($\mathcal{O}(m_b)$), $\lambda_1$ and $\lambda_2$
($\mathcal{O}(1/m_b^2)$), and $\tau_1$, $\tau_2$, $\tau_3$, $\tau_4$,
$\rho_1$ and $\rho_2$ ($\mathcal{O}(1/m_b^3)$).  We find the following results for the fit
parameters (Fig. \ref{fig:3}),
\begin{eqnarray*}
  |V_{cb}| & = & (41. 49\pm 0.52_\mathrm{fit}\pm 0.20_{\tau_B})\times
   10^{-3}~,\\
   m_b^\mathrm{1S} & = & (4.729\pm 0.048)~\mathrm{GeV}~,{\rm~and}\\
   \lambda_1 & = & (-0.30\pm 0.04)~\mathrm{GeV}^2~.
\end{eqnarray*}
The first error is from the fit including experimental and
theory errors, and the second error (on $|V_{cb}|$ only) is due to the
uncertainty on the average $B$~lifetime ($\chi^2/$n.d.f.$=5.7/17$).  Using the
partial branching fraction measurement at
$E_\mathrm{min}=0.6$~GeV, we obtain for the full semileptonic branching
ratio, $ {\mathcal B}(B\to X_c\ell\nu)=(10.62\pm 0.25)\%~$.

\begin{figure}
  \includegraphics[width=0.24\textwidth]{mbl1.eps}
  \includegraphics[width=0.24\textwidth]{mbvcb.eps}
  \caption{Fit results for $m_b^\mathrm{1S}$ and $\lambda_1$ (left), and
    $m_b^\mathrm{1S}$ and $|V_{cb}|$ (right) to
    $B\to X_c\ell\nu$~data only   (dashed blue line) and $B\to X_c\ell\nu$ and $B\to
    X_s\gamma$~data combined (solid
    red line). The ellipses are $\Delta\chi^2=1$.}
    \label{fig:3}
\end{figure}
\subsection{Kinetic fit}
Spectral moments of $B\to X_c\ell\nu$~decays have been derived up to
$\mathcal{O}(1/m^3_b)$ in the kinetic
scheme~\cite{Gambino:2004qm}. The
theoretical expressions used in the fit contain improved
calculations of the perturbative corrections to the lepton energy
moments~\cite{ref:2} and account for the $E_\mathrm{min}$~dependence
of the perturbative corrections to the hadronic mass
moments~\cite{Uraltsev:2004in}. For the $B\to X_s\gamma$~moments, the
(biased) OPE prediction and the bias correction have been
calculated~\cite{Benson:2004sg}.  All these expressions depend on the $b$- and $c$-quark masses
$m_b(\mu)$ and $m_c(\mu)$, the non-perturbative parameters $\mu^2_\pi(\mu)$ and $\mu^2_G(\mu)$ ($\mathcal{O}(1/m^2_b)$),
$\tilde\rho^3_D(\mu)$ and $\rho^3_{LS}(\mu)$ ($\mathcal{O}(1/m^3_b)$),
and $\alpha_s$~\cite{ref:3}. The CKM element $|V_{cb}|$ is a
free parameter in the fit, related to the semileptonic
width $\Gamma(B\to X_c\ell\nu)$~\cite{Benson:2003kp}.
We find the following results for the fit parameters (Fig. \ref{fig:6}),
\begin{eqnarray*}
|V_{cb}|&=&(41.93\pm 0.65\pm 0.48
\pm0.63)\times 10^{-3},~\\
\mathcal{B}_{X_c\ell\nu}&=& (10.590 \pm 0.164\pm  0.006)\%~,\\
m_b  &=& (4.564 \pm 0.076 \pm 0.003)~{\rm GeV}~, \\
m_c &=& (1.105 \pm 0.116 \pm 0.005)~ {\rm GeV}~{\rm and}\\
 \mu^2_\pi&=& (0.557 \pm 0.091 \pm 0.013)~{\rm GeV}^2.
\end{eqnarray*}
The first error is from the fit
(experimental error, non-perturbative
and bias corrections). The second error is
obtained by varying $\alpha_s$ in the expressions for the moments. The last error is a 1.5\% uncertainty from
the theoretical expression for the semileptonic width~\cite{Benson:2003kp} ($\chi^2/$n.d.f.$=17.8/24$).
\begin{figure}
  \begin{center}
    \includegraphics[width=0.48\textwidth]{fig3.eps}
  \end{center}
  \caption{The kinetic scheme fit repeated
    using lepton energy moments only, hadron mass moments only and
    photon energy moments only. The ellipses are $\Delta\chi^2=1$.}
    \label{fig:6}
\end{figure}

\section*{Acknowledgments}
We thank our colleagues at Belle; C.~Schwanda, E.~Barberio, and A.~Limosani for providing input to this proceeding.
\balance

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


Well, it looks like " Punxsutawney Phil ", The #1 groundhog in Pennsylvania (and probably the Nation) did see his shadow this morning (groundhog day), which means 6 more weeks of winter weather, according to groundhog tradition, etc.
That news can either be classified as "good news" or "bad news", depending on how you feel about winter.
As far as I am concerned, it is HORRIBLE news as I am so ready for winter to be over already!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
However, if you think about it, whether the groundhog sees his shadow or not, there are still going to be atleast 6 more weeks of winter until Spring arrives - you can tell that just by looking at the calendar.
I know there are other groundhogs in different areas who also give predictions on groundhog day, but I haven't heard what any of the rest of them predicted. Anyone else know if they agree or disagree with " Phil " ????
Read a story this morning that New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg was bitten by a groundhog yesterday during Groundhog day festivities. The Mayor seems to be okay and won't have to take rabies shots since the animal was raised in captivity, etc.
New York's famous groundhog is apparently named "Charles G. Hogg", and his nick name is "Staten Island Chuck".
There was an interesting poll in the article about whether or not you believe groundhogs can predict the weather or Spring's arrival. So, what do you think?
Can Groundhogs Predict the weather and Spring - Yes or No ?
I'd have to say I don't believe this one. I've seen the groundhogs get it wrong too many times.
Bumping this thread up for a new year in 2010.
Sad news that ole official groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil in Philadelphia, saw his shadow this morning which means 6 more weeks of winter weather.
Oh man, I hope he's wrong about that. I'm ready for Spring already!
GZ and I are going to watch "Groundhog Day" with Bill Murray tonight, in spirit of Punxsutawney Phil and Groundhog Day (one of my fave movies).
And I'm with you, Silver... I am sooooo ready for Spring.
The weather forecast is calling for snow this weekend here, so I'm not holding out much hope for an early spring this year.
Apparently Phil saw his shadow so we're up for 6 more weeks of snow.
Tomorrow (Wednesday), Feb. 2, is "Groundhog Day" in the U.S. and Canada!
Anyone want to make any predictions this year as to whether the world famous Groundhogs will see their shadow, or not??
With the upcoming weather in the U.S. predicted to be so bad, it will be a surprise if any groundhogs see their shadow here, but we'll have to wait and see what happens.
I'm ready for winter to be over. I'm tired of the cold. We seem to be out of the snowy season here now, but the rainy season has begun. We can use the rain, but I just wish it was more consistently warm.
Okay, first, I'm wondering how he saw his shadow when it was partly cloudy, etc., but nonetheless, it remains to be seen whether his weather prediction will come to pass, or not. Groundhogs are wrong sometimes, ya know, and this could be one of those times.
Anyone here have an official groundhog from your town or area who made a prediction today, and if so, did they see their shadow or not?
Regardless of the groundhog's prediction, if you think about it, there are probably atleast six more weeks of winter anyway until Spring arrives in March, and we'll just have to wait and see if we have winter weather during those weeks or the Spring weather we have been having lately here....it was nearly 70 degrees here today...wooo hooo!!! That's the kind of winter weather I love!!!
Happy Groundhog day this year of 2012 all!!


text:
Backstrom, Ovechkin power 1st-place Caps past Blue Jackets
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Nicklas Backstrom scored twice, Alex Ovechkin had a goal and an assist and Braden Holtby earned his league-leading 30th win to lift the NHL-best Washington Capitals past the last-place Columbus Blue Jackets 6-3 on Tuesday night.
Marcus Johansson added a goal and an assist, and Jason Chimera and Andre Burakovsky also scored for Washington, off to the best start in franchise history at 35-8-3. Evgeny Kuznetsov had a career-high four assists, and Matt Niskanen chipped in with two.
Holtby made 32 saves after being pulled Saturday in a 4-1 loss to Buffalo. The following night he couldn't finish a win against the Rangers because of a migraine that blurred his vision.
Kerby Rychel had a goal and an assist, and Boone Jenner and Ryan Murray also scored for Columbus, which was attempting to match its longest winning streak of the season at three games. Seth Jones added two assists.
The Blue Jackets also welcomed back their No. 1 goalie, Sergei Bobrovsky, who missed 17 games with a groin injury. He was rusty at the start, allowing two goals on the Capitals' first three shots and five goals on their first 15 before finishing with 22 stops — including a penalty shot by Ovechkin in the third period.
Columbus outshot Washington 35-28.
The Blue Jackets opened the scoring when Rychel netted his first career goal in his 21st game at 9:30 of the first period. He finished a slick 2-on-1 backhand pass from William Karlsson, but it was all Capitals the rest of the way.
Only 3 minutes later, Dalton Prout couldn't corral the puck at the attacking blue line and Ovechkin took off on an odd-man break. He nudged the puck to T.J. Oshie, who pushed it to Backstrom for a quick strike over Bobrovsky's glove.
Later in the period, Justin Falk turned the puck over into the high slot. Chimera, who had briefly gone into the locker room after taking a shot to his hand, quickly scored on a snap shot for his 13th to give the Capitals a 2-1 lead at 15:52.
Falk was also in the mix again early in the second period, and again the outcome wasn't good for him. He was sent off with a high-sticking double-minor and Washington scored twice to increase its lead to 4-1.
It took 13 seconds into the first penalty for Ovechkin to rip a shot from the left circle by Bobrovsky for his 28th. Backstrom followed with his second of the game and 14th of the season at 4:47, standing still with nobody near him and easily tapping in Kuznetsov's centering pass.
Jenner made it 4-2 at 9:35, stuffing in his own rebound on the power play for his team-leading 16th.
Burakovsky got the goal back 50 seconds later with a shot from high above the left circle that sailed past Bobrovsky.
Murray backhanded a loose puck near the crease to make it 5-3 at 5:07 of the third period.
Johansson capped the scoring with an empty-netter at 19:27.
NOTES: Washington D Karl Alzner has played in 422 consecutive games to tie Bob Carpenter for the longest streak in franchise history. ... Columbus LW Scott Hartnell, the team's co-scoring leader but also first in penalty minutes, was a healthy scratch for the second time this season. ... The Capitals have the best road record (17-5-2) in the league. ... Blue Jackets captain and LW Nick Foligno missed his fifth straight game with an upper-body injury. ... Washington improved to 26-0-1 when leading after two periods.


text:
Attempts to Tame COVID-19 Pandemic Saw Greater Focus on Rapid Antigen Tests by White House in 2021
Dec 22, 2021 | Kelsy Ketchum
NEW YORK – Beginning before he even took office, President Biden and his administration turned to ramping up the availability of rapid antigen tests for COVID-19 as a crucial step to try to control the pandemic.
Throughout much of the first year of the pandemic, some healthcare experts called for greater use of rapid antigen tests to identify individuals who had the SARS-CoV-2 virus and manage them more quickly. To them, the federal government was mistakenly ignoring the utility of such tests because they are less sensitive than molecular tests – a drawback that proponents of antigen tests said can be easily overcome with serial testing.
In 2021, those clarion calls began to be answered under the Biden administration. The president's $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, unveiled on Jan. 15 before his inauguration, allocated $50 billion to expand COVID-19 testing, with much of the money invested in rapid tests and expanding laboratory capacity. An additional $30 billion was earmarked to invest in the Disaster Relief Fund to provide supplies, such as glass vials and testing reagents, and another $10 billion was invested in expanding domestic manufacturing for pandemic supplies.
Six days later, on his first full day in office, the president released another plan – this time solely focused on the COVID-19 pandemic. His National Strategy for the COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness created a national pandemic testing board to implement a clear and unified approach to testing and directed agencies to provide free testing for people without health insurance. Under the plan, the federal government expanded the rapid testing supply and increased antigen and molecular testing manufacturing in the US.
As part of the plan, Biden also invoked the Defense Production Act (DPA) to fill supply chain issues for testing supplies, including PCR sample collection swabs, test reagents, pipette tips, PCR instruments, high-absorbency foam swabs, nitrocellulose material for rapid antigen tests, and rapid test kits. The federal government also committed to a five-year investment in onshore manufacturing of test kits and related supplies for COVID-19 and other emerging biological threats.
In February, the White House focused more specifically on at-home SARS-CoV-2 tests, announcing it was finalizing contracts with six companies to increase domestic testing capability for at-home tests. It followed an announcement by the US Department of Defense that the agency, in coordination with the US Department of Health and Human Services, had awarded Ellume USA $231.8 million to produce the Ellume COVID-19 Home Test.
Later in February, DoD and HHS announced they were investing $815 million to build and scale up domestic manufacturing of testing supplies, including supplies for point-of-care antigen tests, as a bridge before the American Rescue Plan was passed in Congress in March.
After a slowdown in the number of COVID-19 cases early in the summer, the infection rate started to rise again later in the season, resulting in Biden announcing in September a new COVID-19 Action Plan, which emphasized the importance of rapid POC and at-home antigen tests.
According to the plan, Biden would use the DPA to further accelerate rapid test production, procuring 280 million tests from multiple manufacturers and making them available for long-term care facilities, community testing sites, shelters for unhoused people, prisons and jails, and other congregate settings and vulnerable populations. Twenty-five million free at-home rapid tests were sent to 1,400 community health centers and hundreds of food banks. At the same time, the plan expanded the number of retail pharmacy sites where people could get tested for free.
The increase was also intended to provide for stockpiles of tests and the ability to further scale up manufacturing if necessary. Retailers, including Walmart, Amazon, and Kroger, were also required to sell rapid tests at-cost for the rest of the year, allowing people to buy the tests for up to 35 percent less than pricing at the time, the White House said. Medicaid was also required to cover at-home tests for free for its beneficiaries.
The DoD also announced in September the awarding of four procurement contracts totaling $647 million to purchase over-the counter COVID-19 tests. OraSure Technologies received $205.2 million to deliver 20.6 million test kits; Quidel received $284.2 million to provide 25.6 million tests; Abbott secured $47.8 million to deliver 3.8 million tests; and Intrivo Holdings nabbed $109.8 million to provide 10 million tests. OraSure later received an additional $109 million contract from the agency to scale up manufacturing capacity for its InteliSwab rapid antigen tests.
The sky-high demand left industry worried about test developers' ability to meet demand and manufacture enough tests not only to fulfill the federal government's contracts, but also retail needs. Market analysts and other stakeholders have noted that labor shortages and supply chain issues could impact the ability of testing companies to manufacture tests at the levels they've claimed.
In an analyst note in September, William Blair's Brian Weinstein said that "there is simply nowhere near enough supply of POC or OTC tests … today to meet the demand of the US government (280 million tests), employers (likely millions of tests per week), schools, traditional healthcare settings, and retail demand." He added that "even with the DPA invoked, it will likely be months before meaningful additional supply comes on the market to be able to address the current demand, and at that time it is unclear what the demand will look like."
Mara Aspinall, a professor in the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University who is also on OraSure's board of directors, wrote in her weekly COVID-19 newsletter that Biden's move to increase rapid antigen assays was "a big step in the right direction for testing in this country," but noted that "it's not clear how some test manufacturers, who are already struggling to keep up with demand, will handle this new push."
She added that she hopes "the right incentives and infrastructure are quickly put in place to ensure that tests become easily and readily available to all."
That infrastructure has not necessarily made its way to the US, unlike in Europe. Despite the steps taken by the White House throughout the year, the US has lagged behind Europe in adoption of rapid antigen testing, partly due to lack of supply and higher costs. More stringent regulatory policies have also handicapped efforts to expand antigen testing in the US, where only 13 rapid antigen at-home tests have received Emergency Use Authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration. In the Germany, at-home tests are available from dozens of manufacturers, and both the UK and Germany provide rapid antigen tests for free to its populations.
One key concern for many consumers, in light of the higher cost of rapid antigen tests compared to Europe, was who would pay for these tests. Unlike lab-based tests, which are largely covered by insurers, at-home tests have been paid for completely out of pocket. Earlier this month, the President addressed the issue by mandating private health insurers cover 100 percent of the cost of at-home tests purchased by plan members.
However, the policy doesn't apply to tests purchased before it is enacted in January 2022, and people covered by public insurance won't be eligible for reimbursement. For those who aren't covered by private insurance, the White House said it will distribute 50 million free at-home tests to community sites.
In October, the US seemed to be following Europe's lead, investing $1 billion to expand access to rapid antigen tests and purchasing an additional 180 million tests over the next year. But stakeholders, including members of Congress, have called on the administration to invest more in antigen testing and make more tests available, with US Rep. Kim Schrier (D-Washington) requesting Biden issue an executive order providing an expedited approval process for tests that have already been approved in Europe.
Heeding those calls, HHS established its Independent Test Assessment Program, creating an accelerated pathway to support FDA evaluation of tests with potential for large-scale manufacturing. Under the program, HHS experts will work with companies to assess over-the-counter tests, compile necessary data, and work toward performance benchmarks to help developers submit their tests for FDA review.
The FDA also provided recommendations for labeling updates allowing over-the-counter, single-use testing for symptomatic patients for tests that currently only have EUA for serial testing. Developers are now able to request authorization to add the additional indication without having to submit more data to the FDA.
Also in October, the National Institutes of Health's Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics initiative awarded $77.7 million for the development and manufacture of 12 new rapid diagnostic tests for SARS-CoV-2 for use at the point of care and in the home – five for detecting viral RNA, and six for detecting viral antigens.
And earlier this week, in wake of the surge in the number of COVID-19 cases resulting from the Omicron variant, the White House announced it is launching new federal testing sites and distributing 500 million free COVID-19 rapid tests. It is also once again using the DPA to increase production of rapid tests. The administration said it is building a website where people can request free rapid tests, with delivery beginning in January 2022.
antigen testing


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text:
Juana Granados de Bagnasco es una hispanista italiana.

Trayectoria
Escribió para la RAI o Radiotelevisione Italiana un Corso pratico di lingua spagnola (Torino: E.R.I., 1959, y luego en dos vols 1964 y 1966); también Quiero hablar español: conversaciones y gramática elementales: lecturas y ejercicios correspondientes (Torino [etc.]: G. B. Paravia, 1967); La lingua spagnola (Torino: Paravia, 1960, 2 vols.: I: Fonetica, lessico e grammatica elementare; II: Morfologia, sintassi e fraseología idiomatica con cenni di grammatica storica e di metrica); Para estudiar la lengua italiana (Torino: Paravia, 1939),; con Antonio Badía Margarit, Appunti di sintassi e stilistica spagnola. Sintassi del verbo e fraseologia (s.l.: s.n., s.a).

También se interesó por la literatura, y escribió una introducción a una nueva traducción de Don Quijote de la Mancha; sobre Cervantes hizo también unos Motivi e ricordi d'Italia nell'opera cervantina (Milano: La goliardica, 1960); se dedicó sobre todo a la narrativa y el ensayo de comienzos del siglo XX en España y publicó Los ensayistas del noventa y ocho (Milano: La goliardica, 1962) y Los ensayistas del noventa y ocho: Miguel de Unamuno (Milano: La goliardica, 1964), así como Lineamenti della letteratura spagnola del Novecento (Milano: La goliardica, 1958) e I narratori dei primi anni del secolo (1959); también se acercó al mito de Don Juan con L'aspetto classico e romantico del Don Juan, 1957 y Due aspetti del Don Giovanni spagnolo (Milano: Ed. La goliardica, 1952).

Colaboró con Carmen Conde en un poemario, Mientras los hombres mueren (1953)

Referencias

Lista de sus obras en Google books.
Trabajos académicos que la citan.

Hispanistas de Italia
Gramáticos del idioma español
Cervantistas
Filólogos de Italia del siglo XX
Científicas de Italia
Italianas del siglo XX
Filólogas

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Former Most Beautiful Girl In Nigeria 2013 (Tourism) Powede Lawrence walked down the aisle on September 9 in Lagos and we brought you some first photos from the flamboyant wedding which had lots of celebrities in attendance.
On Thursday, September 7, Powede and Ikenna aka Eniola and Nelly celebrated their traditional union. It was a joyful meeting of Yoruba and Igbo cultures.
The groom wore an Agbada by Vodi Tailors while Powede started the day by representing both cultures in a stunning green AsoOke look designed in an Igbo-bridal inspired style with an off-shoulder blouse and skirt with a double-wrapper effect. Such a creative look crafted by Tubo.


text:
The Shipping Industry's $1 Trillion Problem
The global shipping industry is…
How China Could Restart The U.S. Oil Export Boom
China may resume purchases of…
Irina Slav
Irina is a writer for Oilprice.com with over a decade of experience writing on the oil and gas industry.
Protests Halt Production At Iraqi Oil Field
Huge New Field Sends Norway's Oil Production To 9-Year-High
France Helps Saudi Arabia Protect Oil Facilities From New Attacks
US Oil Production To Grow While Energy Emissions Are Set To Drop
Japanese Only Operational Nuclear Reactor Shut, Increasing Fuel Costs
Mexico To Start Importing Light Crude Next Month
By Irina Slav - Sep 27, 2018, 9:30 AM CDT
Mexico's state-owned oil company Pemex plans to start importing up to 100,000 barrels of light crude daily, ending decades of oil self-sufficiency as declining domestic production meets rising energy demand.
Reuters quotes Pemex chief executive Carlos Trevino as saying, "A hundred thousand barrels (per day) more or less is what we're going to import to process and incorporate into our refineries, mostly at Salina Cruz. We're going to mix it with Mexican crude, with some of our mix to be able to process at the levels we want to get back to in refining. We should be around 800,000 barrels (per day of refining in the country's entire system) by the end of the year."
Pemex has six refineries with a combined capacity of 1.6 million barrels daily. This year, however, due to operational problems and outages, as well as Pemex's focus on generating as much revenue from its crude as it can, which means exporting more, these have been operating at 40 percent of this capacity.
The oil imports will begin in late October and continue at least until late November, with the most likely source of the feedstock Mexico's neighbor to the North. At the same time, Pemex still must tackle declining local production: Trevino told Reuters the company would not be able to meet its production target for this year, which was 1.95 million bpd. The CEO said the actual output will be "considerably below" the target.
Related: Don't Underestimate The Trade War Impact On Oil Demand
On a positive note, the executive said he was certain there will be an oil and gas auction next February. The auction was scheduled by the outgoing government of Enrique Pena-Nieto, but President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has canceled all auctions until a review of contracts signed under previous ones are reviewed.
Yet even with new tenders, Pemex is in for another year of production declines, Trevino also said. What's more, it's questionable how many more tenders there will be: Obrador said he will give Pemex the powers to select its partners rather than have them picked by the national hydrocarbons commission in tenders.
By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com
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Trina on September 27 2018 said:
Mexico and Venezuela have the same business plan.
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Adblock Plus mobile browser beta stops ads cold
Shane McGlaun
Odds are that most of us are familiar with Adblock Plus, it's the browser plug-in that will block all the ads we are inundated with as we try and surf the web. Adblock Plus has now announced that it is bringing that same ad blocking capability to mobile device users via what it claims is the first mobile browser designed from the ground up to block ads.
The mobile browser promises to block ads automatically and Android users can download the beta of the browser and help test it out now. The browser is powered by the Adblock Plus tech we are already familiar with from the desktop browser extensions.
By blocking ads, the company also claims the browser is faster since ads cause pages to load more slowly and increase battery usage. Blocking the ads can also make surfing the web on your mobile device safer since accidental ad clicks are common and there can be malware behind the ads.
Users of the browser do have the ability to allow non-intrusive ads to be displayed on the mobile device. To join the beta for Adblock plus mobile browser, users need to join the Adblock Browser beta forum on Google+ at the link below.
SOURCE: Google Plus


Dora Theophilou Haute Parfumerie is credited with bringing some of the world's most luxurious and innovative fragrance and cosmetic brands to Cyprus. The company, which was founded in 1978 in Limassol, now has a new home in the Hilton Cyprus in Nicosia.
The brand new store offers friendly, personalised service and professional guidance from trained and experienced staff, as well as a careful edit of the best names in perfumery, skincare, haircare and cosmetics.
The store's selection of boutique perfumes, which include offerings from Amouage, Puredistance Master Perfumes and Lubin, will make it easy to find a new favourite.
Skincare from Dutch company Bergman, cosmetics from By Terry and hair products from JF Lazartigue offer effective and dependable solutions.


Swedish development studio Image & Form Games released the first SteamWorld Dig in 2013 and I realize just how tragic it is that I missed out on that game. Why? Because I have enjoyed its sequel so much. You know that feeling when you run into something that was made for you and you think "Where have you been all my life?" I dig this game.
SteamWorld Dig 2 I compare to a much more focused version of Terraria, a friendlier flavor of Super Metroid, and what Dig Dug would be if they turned the arcade classic into an RPG. Apparently it's also bigger than its predecessor. Dig 2 takes the better elements of its influences and buffs out the smudges representing their worst elements: frustration over getting lost without any sense of what you need to do next, begrudging backtracking, getting flooded by largely useless upgrades with too much to chose from. Dig 2 is a fairly brief jaunt underground but it ensures that you know where you need to go next before patting you on the booty and saying "now shoo!".
This is due in large part to a strong emphasis on traditional storytelling over building a personal narrative through exploration.
SteamWorld Dig 2 opens with Dorothy McCrank, a Steambot and mere NPC in the first game. This time 'round, she's the shero of the day. She's searching for her missing friend Rusty in a wild wild west stylized desert. On her way to the mines of El Machino, she tumbles into the legend of a hidden temple and meets a digital sprite entity called Fen, who despite his appetite for violence aids Dorothy on her adventure.
Dorothy also runs afoul of some rogues cultists worshiping machines of destruction and prophesying about the end of the world. Besides for finding Rusty and discovering what happened to him after the events of the first Dig, she'll also help the well-meaning but bumbling citizens of El Machino and face off against the Cult of the Destroyer and the Shiners (the nemeses of robotkind with whom they share a long-running history of strife).
Dig 2's world is interesting and unusual: not indulgently steampunk, not a straight Western, and not merely self-serious or kiddie sci-fi. The game comes off as a combination of stereotypes (the Old West, robot society cartoons, Metroidvania gameplay) but each of these contribute to a universe which at times feels familiar yet remains distinct. Distinctiveness, that elusive quality among entertainment these days.
There are a variety of areas to explore in Dig 2, not just the El Machino mines which seem to go down and down for ever. There's the windswept surface, the ancient Mayan-like ruins, the mechanized lava pits, the subterranean forest. Each area feels different, possessed of its own unique lore and character with its own set of traps and dangers. Exploring them is a delight and there's an air of deliberateness in their design. By that I mean that delving deeper into each area yields layers of history and culture that build up this world and help us to understand it and its characters and races. It's not merely passing through sediments of clay, granite and igneous rock. This gives the game purpose in its exploration and that much needed characteristic in these digging/Metroidvania games: focus.
The exploration is only half of what SteamWorld Dig 2 has to offer, though. On its own, it's interesting but it's one side of a coin. If only exploration was present, the game would probably not entice players on the merits of its slender story and small world. Fortunately, there's upgrades to close the loop and bring the gameplay into a perfect circle.
By relying on these two things to get you addicted to its world, exploration and upgrades, SteamWorld Dig 2 draws you into itself. In order to progress further in the game, you'll need to expand your inventory, but in order to buy a bigger backpack you'll need to harvest some ore. Once you get your gold sold and you're bigger satchel is in hand, then you'll be able to go deeper. But ah! Your lantern quickly goes out, so you'll need to find more treasures and rarer gemstones to sell to upgrade your light. With bitterer foes comes the need for better armor and so on it goes. The odd machinery you find underground compatible with Dorothy grants her new abilities or gear, such as a hookshot and a jetpack, which in turn can then be upgraded as well.
Upgrading gear and abilities not only improves their performance. Doing so grants you access to new cog mods for each armament and armor. Cog mods each require a set amount of cogs to activate and you can find more cogs by buying them or digging them up underground. The best part about this system is that you can return to El Machino to swap your cog mods around, allowing Dorothy a certain degree of customization to suit each situation as well as the player's chosen emphases.
Not all of the cogs are worthwhile but many of them are essential. Some of the best in the game include support abilities such as preventing your lantern from completely running out of fuel, minimizing damage from lava or acid pools, and allowing you to teleport back to town instantaneously provided Dorothy is standing in a safe area.
There's no place like home. That tagline is significant so far as SteamWorld Dig 2 is concerned. Several gripes against the Metroidvania sub-genre include too much emphasis on backtracking and getting hopelessly lost. Dig 2 attenuates the impregnability of traversing the average Metroidvania world by including not only the aforementioned teleportation ability but also transport tubes that lead directly back to El Machino. The tubes allow Dorothy to quickly backtrack to sell off materials when her bag fills up and then dive down again without having to manually crawl back to where she left off. The tubes also provide easy access between Dig 2's areas. They're essential for navigation and they make the game less tedious to explore. That's polish. You won't have to build a "Hellelevator" à la Terraria.
The presence of El Machino itself is, in my opinion, a fortunate addition to this kind of game. As a hub, it's an anchor for the player to return to and venture out from in any direction, providing a much needed center of stability to prevent you from getting lost. It's a haven more functional than Samus' ship or a mere save room in Symphony of the Night. The NPCs in El Machino don't all provide you with substantial aid but they're willing to dialogue with Dorothy and yes a few of them offer goods, rewards, or other perks. You'll find yourself constantly returning to El Machino to drop off your ores and gems, and the place quickly feels like your home away from home between exploring and upgrading.
Gaming history has proven that these twin elements of explore to get more and upgrade to get ahead (doesn't rhyme, shuddap) nearly always equal addictive gameplay. SteamWorld Dig 2 furnishes that in amounts nearly as tremendous as the amount of secrets packed into this game. There is still plenty more to find post-game by the time you reach the end of its still too brief story, a journey that'll take the average player around six to twelve hours depending on how often you stop to scour for treasures. Upgrades and abilities can make these secrets easier to find but only the very dedicated will want to backtrack and examine every wall for an invisible passage, hidden cog, or buried artifact.
Still, Image & Form promised that those who completed the game 100% would be rewarded. There's a "big gem" hidden after all the spelunking and avarice are over… something "as surprising as it is challenging!" I can attest to the fact that the descriptor "challenging" is very true. Not only did it take me a chunk of time just to hunt down every last artifact (I haven't found every cog), but I sense it may take a greater amount of time to beat the post-game content.
SteamWorld Dig 2 gives you a hearty meal to sink your teeth into and, after all is said and done, I simply want more.
I don't often say this but that parallax scrolling is on fleek. Generally speaking, 2D graphics reached their peak early on and there's not much room left for innovation in this category of visuals but the techniques which developed over time, such as those which provide an illusion of depth and perspective even on a side-scrolling plane, these techniques have been further refined. SteamWorld Dig 2 proudly displays a richness of color, a sense of background penetration, a hint of living ecology, and a lot of personality through its graphics.
There's more than a little tendency toward pixel art in indie games, that's no secret, but SteamWorld Dig 2 sheds the pretense and pretending of paying tribute to the 16-bit era by featuring modern, fluid, painted character models and settings. The few downsides in this game's visual department include some lack of transitional animation frames and as well as little ultimate variation in the enemies and hazards you face. Though the different areas in the game are each unique, I could probably count the total enemies in the game on two hands. This reminds us all too wearily of Dig 2's status as an indie project and not as, say, a double-A game: it's still sadly short and you may find yourself still wanting more content, even visually.
Everyone who has seen me playing this game has commented on the music. As with visuals, there's a tendency toward a specific philosophy of music in indie games. I'm sure many of you reading this can at this moment summon up the sounds of chirpy chiptune tracks and synthetic warbling in vein of the original Nintendo's range. SteamWorld Dig 2 dispenses with that commonplace 8-bit ambiance and takes aim instead for a flavor of music which is as strange in its juxtaposition with the rest of the game as steampunk robots are with the Wild West with the threat of doomsday cultists.
I really love this song. It's my favorite in the game and it plays in El Machino. We have the Swedish main composer El Huervo, aka Niklas Åkerblad, for the smooth, jazzy, hip-hop, country guitar fusion that goes on in this game. Huervo worked on various tracks for Hotline Miami and Hotline Miani 2: Wrong Number before joining this project. Here, Huervo brought a notable urban sound the Steamworld. This musical approach was surprising but so charming that it ended up being one of my favorite elements of the game.
At the start of the game, you'll really feel constricted. Dorothy's pack hardly has room for any gems at all, her lantern runs out of fuel in a snap, she can't attack when in midair, her pickax has difficulty piercing the deeper soils, and fall damage can be final. Death in SteamWorld Dig 2 isn't permanent but you do lose a portion of your resources every time Dorothy dies before she respawns at the surface. Considering the treasures underground do not respawn, there's a chance that frequent deaths can make paying for every last upgrade a steep but not impossible challenge. Enemies still drop bloodstones which can be sold for a bit of coin but it's not much. Be careful. Take as many trips back to the surface as you need in order to sell off items without wastage and in order to plan out your next spearhead of progress.
The item descriptions are pretty funny with more than a few pop culture references.
These frequent trips back up to town with the initially extremely limited inventory space can be frustrating, though. I felt that perhaps Dorothy starts out with a little too little capability in this regard and I wonder if any players were put off by how slow going digging is at the start of the game? If you manage to push past it, you'll find that money and upgrades flow fairly quickly. Once you begin to get the loop in motion, it's easy to get hooked. Flying around through your self-made tunnels launching grenades and throwing out your grappling hook marks a comparative level of freedom which makes the sluggishness at the beginning worth wading through.
What else? The game, as mentioned, is pretty short. It seems geared for the completionist mentality with so many percentiles tracked automatically for you by the game and so many invisible checkboxes to tick, such as finding every artifact. Those looking for a swift and casual excursion may find a lot of enjoyment here, and likely will completionists as well, but those looking for that robust RPG or Metroidvania experience may find SteamWorld Dig 2 to be lacking. It has a functioning experience points system and a boss or few but not much in the way of the kind of vigorous gravity that some players may be looking for. Just remember it's an indie title.
Hey now since this is a new game I'm throwing up the SPOILERS warning right here. If you don't want to listen in on story-talk, press Ctrl+f and search up Replayability to skip to the next section.
It seems like the world is some distant future akin to Wells' Time Machine but with robots. The mechanoids dwell on the surface in their yeehaw society whereas the remaining humans mutated and live underground, the Shiners, beneath a wall erected during the last robot/human war. Robot cultists worship the end of the world and there are doomsday devices underground designed to earthquake the earth to smithereens. I thought of Beneath the Planet of the Apes, as well.
"SteamWorld is an alternative world set on Earth – an alternative past leading to an alternative future. After having embraced and developed advanced technology already in the 19th century by adapting ideas and actual blueprints of British inventor Charles Babbage (1781-1871), humanity develops mechanical computers and, later, simple robots to carry out meanly chores.
Unfortunately, as an effect of this leap in technology, very advanced weapons were also developed, leading to premature, full-scale world war. All sides lose, and history is changed forever.
In this post-apocalyptic world, where time has stopped at the height of steampunk and Western style at the onset of the 20th century, these hard-working, steam-driven robots – Steambots – have inherited the Earth.
So yes the SteamWorld games are related to each other, however it's that relationship and not the somewhat basic storyline of Dig 2 which brings down the Narrative score a little. This game tells a simple story and there's no problem with that and in fact the ending of the game is surprisingly sad. Not moving but definitely involving a real sense of regret and loss. No, the issue I took was with how heavily this game required I be familiar with its world and characters as presumably outlined in previous games.
For example, Dig 2 references the events of the first Dig frequently but I don't think I ever got a working idea of what happened in the first game beyond "good guy beat bad guy". Now that good guy is missing but it's hard to visualize why or who Rusty even is. Maybe a flashback would've had some merit here? Even after having completed the game, I still don't know why Rusty went missing at all and why it fell upon Dorothy to go find him.
Perhaps the most baffling inclusion was the sudden intermission into the realm of Vectron, which I gathered to be significant to the events of the first game but here it seemed like an aside put in for the sake of connective tissue and continuity. Without explanation, even from in-game encyclopedias or artifacts, all I got was Dorothy entered some kind of ruined alternative dimension of crazy, futuristic and markedly evil machinery with the aid of Fen? Take note that this all wasn't a deal breaker for me, a guy who unfortunately hadn't played the other SteamWorld games before this one, but grading it from my perspective as a newcomer to the series I think that the narrative could've benefited from expounding on that connective tissue. It certainly seems like there's a lot of interesting interconnecting between the games. I don't know if preserving an air of mystery was the devs' intent or if they assumed everyone would be familiar with the lore. I'll just have to play the others to know more about it… or I could read the wiki.
I sincerely believe that this game's strength is just how fun it is. The exploration-upgrade cycle plays out to full effect in SteamWorld Dig 2 in a way that still tempts me to play it, even after I've scoured its surface and underbelly. Even though I've played many a video game that utilizes this gameplay loop, I felt that the replay value of SteamWorld Dig 2 testified to how well this game implements that loop. I didn't want the loop to end but all good things must cross their finish lines, some sooner than others.
With your only real losses being financial, there's not too much pressure on you through the bulk of SteamWorld Dig 2's play time. Two or three puzzles stopped me in my tracks for a good portion of time but they didn't withstand trial and error solving methods. There are only a handful of bosses and even the final confrontation is energetic, if not hectic, but far from impossible. The core of the game, the exploration itself, isn't particularly challenging either. You've got to keep an eye on your health and traps but again, if you die it's only resources that you'll lose.
Interestingly, however, there are a few cog mods which let you bump up the difficulty of the game, causing enemies to become more deadly. Perhaps these are best used on a playthrough? By the time I accumulated them and then felt comfortable switching them on, I was already at the end of the game with pretty much everything discovered and unlocked. The true challenge lies in the post-game content, but given that it's set that far at the extreme end of the game's playthrough, it's not something which swayed my grading here. You can play through SteamWorld Dig 2 casually enjoying the sights and be just fine.
SteamWorld Dig 2 has a few improvements over the first game, an already well-received title, by my understanding. Most notably, people seem to be reporting that Dig 2 is beefier in content than its predecessor. We could expect that from a sequel but there's also the technical steps taken forward and the now non-linear underworld rather than a linear procedurally generated one. Can't forget about the cog mod system, as well. Combine these changes with the distinctiveness of this Steamworld and we're talking about a notable indie game. And in 2017, no less! I know, can you believe it?
I am so close to beating this thing into the ground. That's good! At the time of this writing, I only have found all the artifacts and upgraded everything to the max. I'm at around 94%-96% completion in each area of the game. After the end, I discovered (spoilers: highlight to reveal) a floating skull-shaped island in the sky but I cannot beat those trials!! I might've conquered nearly everything in SteamWorld Dig 2 but I haven't bested its allure. I quite nearly want to play it through a second time, learning from my past mistakes, upgrade my lantern right away in order to better spot secrets, farm EXP for a bit to raise my sales bonus multiplier before harvesting gems and ore.
I looked forward to playing SteamWorld Dig 2 since it was first announced as one of the headlining Nindies on the Switch, and I'm also thankful to Image & Forms Games for bequeathing me with a press copy of the game for review. Thank you! I hope that my take on the game has been informative and encouraging. SteamWorld Dig 2 left me wanting more, so now I begin the hunt for SteamWorld Dig and Heist!
Never tried the game, or it's previous title but after reading this review, it might be something I will be getting for the Switch…once I can afford it of course. Nevertheless, I liked how you explain the way of its setting, game- and sound design. Hopefully a third game will come out that might go the extra mile and include more than what is already being presented.
I believe it's going price is $19.99 which isn't too bad compared to AAA costs but once you can afford it I definitely recommend it for a fun and rather short experience. Thanks for reading!
I loved SteamWorld: Heist, but I haven't played the "Dig" games yet. Sounds like something that's right up my alley, though.
Well hi there and thank you for commenting! If we haven't met before, welcome and thanks for sharing your thoughts. I encourage civil discourse around here if you have other opinions you'd like to share. If we HAVE met before, then forgive my lapse of memory! It's just getting progressively worse the older I get, which I suppose is one reason why I like to write things down. Anyhow, as mentioned, I haven't played any of the other SteamWorld games, including Heist. I'm sure you'd be charmed by Dig 2. It's just a really polished and fun game.
Would you recommend Heist? What were your impressions of it?
It's a really good turn-based strategy game, though it can get a bit repetative at points. I'm sure I'll talk about it more in a later review of my own, but know that is has great presentation and unique gameplay; unlike other strategy games like it, whether your shots line up or not isn't up to random chance. You have to move the units and line up shots yourself, whinch makes it very skill-based. I liked it, but it's not perfect, and if you're looking for a deep story or more fast-paced game, it's not for you. Otherwise I recommend it.
It sounds a lot to me like my impression of Mario+Rabbids. Did you play that game? I don't have much time for huge SRPGs anymore so the more manageable ones are fine with me.
I have not, I don't have a switch yet. I'm hoping to get one soon, though.
I recommend to everyone on the fence about the Switch that they wait until the end of 2017. It's gaining plenty of great 1st party games, a few good 3rd party games, and a fine selection of indies. The system is made for indies. It's perfect for them.
I've got my review coming out today, too. I absolutely love it! It's fantastic. The first one is excellent, but they've really worked hard and improved on it enormously. Brilliance!
Very cool! I want to catch your review when it rolls out! It was really an enjoyable game and better than I expected it to be, coming from a perspective of not having played the first game. It's pretty rare that I want to restart a game immediately after beating it without a new game plus.
Hey thanks for stopping in to drop a comment, Cheesy! I loved this game a lot. Very fun to play. I just wish it was a lot, lot longer. Maybe eventually we'll get something huge like Terraria but I wouldn't want a Dig game to lose 2's sense of focus and drive. I have to hunt down the first one too. Would you say that the sequel improves upon its predecessor?


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The community right to challenge enables town and parish councils, and voluntary and community groups, to submit expressions of interest to the District Council to take over the running of council services, either across the borough or in particular areas. Where an expression of interest is accepted, this triggers a procurement exercise in which the submitter of the expression of interest may or may not be the successful bidder. In order to be acceptable in law, expressions of interest must include certain information, and our expression of interest template has been designed to ensure that all of this information is provided.
Before submitting an expression of interest under the community right to challenge, you should consult our commissioning calendar, which specifies periods during which expressions of interest for different services will be accepted. You are also strongly advised to contact us for an informal discussion prior to submission of an expression of interest, as the community right to challenge may not always be the best mechanism for enabling community groups to take on services.
Expression of Interest Guidance Notes [PDF 0.6MB]
Services right to challenge [PDF 0.80MB]


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Home > Removals Man with a Van in Biggin Hill Airport
Removals Man with a Van in Biggin Hill Airport
Our professional team of movers and packers from Removals Man with a Van in Biggin Hill Airport in will take care of protecting and transporting your household goods.
About Biggin Hill Airport
London Biggin Hill Airport is an operational general aviation airport at Biggin Hill in the London Borough of Bromley, located 12 NM (22 km; 14 mi) south-southeast of Central London. The airport was formerly the Royal Air Force station RAF Biggin Hill, and a small enclave on the airport still retains that designation.
Westbourne Green
Canbury
Osidge


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category: javascript
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> IFE 历史精选课程,斌斌带你一起从0开始学习JavaScript

* [HTML&CSS Task Collection](http://codepen.io/collection/XQKYey/)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


The abiotic stresses, such as soil salinity and sodicity are largely responsible for the low productivity of crops mainly due to low availability of micro-nutrients especially as zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe). Therefore, judicious management of plant nutrients in these soils is as important as their reclamation. A field experiment was conducted for 4 consecutive years, consisting of 12 treatments laid out in randomized block design to evaluate the effect of rate and methods of zinc and iron as single or combined soil as well as foliar application in pearl millet-mustard cropping system grown on salt affected soils. Soil application of Zn and Fe were applied at the time of sowing with FYM or without FYM (addition of FYM done only in pearl millet) and foliar application of respective nutrients were also applied at 30 and 45 days after sowing of crops. The results of experiment showed that, application of FYM 10 t ha-1 along with 5 kg Zn+10 kg Fe significantly (p=0.05) improved the yield parameters of pearl millet and mustard followed by 5 kg ha-1 Zn and 10 kg ha-1 Fe as soil application. The results also indicated that combined soil application of 5 kg Zn+10 kg Fe +10 t FYM increased the pearl millet grain yield (36.6 q ha-1) and mustard seed yield (22.7 q ha-1) by 57.1% and 42.8% higher over control, however, yield improvement was 35.6 and 20.7 % due to application of 5 kg Zn+10 kg Fe without FYM, respectively, in pearl millet and mustard over control. Ferrous-iron content in both crops proved to be a better index of Fe nutrition status compared to total plant Fe and DTPA- extractable soil Fe under salt affected soils. Salt affected soils are having vast potential to produce a significant amount of food grain by applying optimum dose of Zn, Fe and FYM in pearl millet and mustard. Combined foliar application of Zn and Fe also increased the yields of pearl millet and mustard grown in saline soils. Ferrous iron (Fe2+) is better indicator for iron nutrition in crops.


This guide will help you install SM Extra Slider step by step.
After installing, go to System -> Configuration and find SM Extra Slider (in the left of column) to configure.
Button page – Allow to choose Button page: Top/Under.
Effect – Allow to choose style of Effect: Slide/Fade.
Product Order Dir: Include or Exclude Products from Child Categories.
Row – Allow to enter the row of the module.
Keep on Strip Tags – If you are using 'Strip html tags'='Yes'. Please enter tagname if you want keep it.
Display Review – Allow to display reviews OR not.
Display Readmore – Allow to display Readmore link not.


A 34-year-old rug maker from Argentina has created something truly amazing. These rugs she created look like moss and grass, but I assure you they are not! These wool rugs inspired by nature bring the look and feel of outdoors into your home.
The artist of these masterpieces grew up in a family of rug makers and the design is inspired by landscapes in her home country. Some of them also resemble paintings. Each rug is handmade and made with spare scraps from her family's rug factory. Definitely a creative approach! Just imagine what she could create without using only scraps.
Of course, masterpieces like this are not easy to make. Each one can take around two months to complete. So if you want one, you better find a way to order it now! I wish I could get one of these for my home. They look so cozy!
There is no word if they will be for sale anytime soon, or how much they will be. Either way, we can enjoy their beauty now!
These wool rugs inspired by nature truly are a work of art. Which one is your favorite?
1. These mossy rugs bring the outdoors right into your home!
2. They look super cool and comfortable.
4. Some of them even represent landscapes!
5. They are meant to represent the maker's home country.
6. The designer of these rugs, Alexandra Kehayoglou, grew up in a family of rug makers.
7. Some of these rugs also resemble paintings.
8. And they can take up to two months to complete!
9. But they are definitely worth it.
What are your thoughts on these wool rugs inspired by nature? Please share your comments below!


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Market shift
If the application vendors have been slow to adjust to multicore, the public has not. According to the hardware vendors, buyers these days are counting cores instead of gigahertz.
"In the past, people really cared about the frequency of the processor and about making sure they had the latest speed," says Bob Grim, an AMD marketing executive. "Now we see them being more concerned about what kind of visual experience they will get."
(Perhaps for old time's sake, a few hobbyists and gamers still try overclocking, ramping their processor clock speeds from, typically, about 3.2GHz to 3.8GHz or even 4.5GHz, using ordinary heat sinks. If overclocking doesn't work, the system typically just reboots and the owner can try again at a lower speed, Grim explains. The record he was aware of was a 3.2GHz processor boosted to 6.9GHz, using liquid helium as a coolant.)
"Gigahertz used to be the metric for buyers, but now there is tiering," agrees Glenn Jystad, senior manager at PC vendor Acer Inc. in Irvine, Calif. "Single-core processors are limited to entry-level systems, while dual-core is a step up, and you really start to realize performance in the quad-core category, which is now mainstream." He predicts that three-core processors, promoted by AMD, will fade away by the end of the year, as there is little price difference compared to the more powerful quad-core systems.
Meanwhile, performance issues aside, vendors favor multicore processors for their ability to help reduce system power consumption. If the other three heads of a quad-core system have nothing to do, "you can put them to sleep," Turley says. "Being able to throttle back is one of the charming side-effects of multi-core processing."
"Using multiple cores will let us get more performance while staying within the power envelope," agrees Acer's Jystad. "Today's 95-watt Intel quad-core processor is substantially more powerful than the 95-watt Pentiums of three years ago."
But regardless, notes Alfs at Intel, "Moore's Law continues. We continue to integrate more and more capability onto the processor and the computer." But the chief result, he indicates, will be more cores.
Lamont Wood is a freelance writer in San Antonio. He can be reached at lwood@texas.net .