Microsoft announced general availability of Team Foundations Service today at BUILD 2012. Team Foundations Service (TFS) is a combination of project management, code management, and build management services for developers.
And, it's free for teams up to five — or those with a MSDN subscription.
Jason Zander, a VP for Windows Azure demoed how developer teams can use TFS as a team portal which provides the ability to do code reviews, view project backloads, and generally manage software development projects. TFS integrates with Microsoft's suite of developer tools, including Visual Studio Express for Windows 8, Desktop, Phone 8, and Web.
Something that Microsoft has added, Zander said, was "kanban" support — an originally Japanese methodology for enabling just-in-time manufacturing. In TFS, that translates to a very visual way of displaying work in progress, flow of requests, change approvals, and capacity levels.
Zander also demonstrated triggering builds in the cloud, right from Team Foundations Service.
Before triggering a build, developers can re-check source code and review checkins. While "the cloud" is building an executable, it will run any test cases the team has created, ensuring that the new build passes the tests. And, of course, after the build, developers can revert to early versions if problems arise.
The service is free for small teams and MSDN subscribers, as previously mentioned, but also free until 2013, at which point additional terms and plans will be announced.


Kerri Hewitt has been teaching students in Australia for several years, bringing the 16 Guidelines into classrooms and ethics lessons. Her journey started on a weekend 16 Guidelines course at the Chenrezig Institute, Queensland Australia. Hearing the Dalai Lama speak of how needed secular ethics is in the future, and feeling inspired from her course, Kerri was keen to share what she had learnt with students. Here Kerri outlines her many experiences and future hopes in teaching children about the 16 Guidelines.
I started teaching younger students the Guidelines through Religious Education at Eudlo Primary, using children's storybooks that I created based on animals having a problem that gets solved. We would discuss the problem in relation to real life experiences; students would draw the animals and then practice the Guideline that week. The following week we would discuss how it went.
The lesson plan is available to download from my Dropbox or by emailing Kerri Hewitt.
I am also teaching ethics to a couple of students with special needs and learning support with reading, comprehension and writing tasks based on the Guidelines story books.
My ultimate hope is to have all mid-year students learn ethics at all schools as part of the curriculum, to help them with their future choices and to make a happier future.
Yes, this is a big ask but baby steps lead somewhere. Education is where it starts for our future society to take care of each other. Do we lobby our local government or the Education Department, who knows what's next?


text:
Destiny 2 Maker blasts YouTube's takedown system in wild trial
Picture: Bungie
Earlier this month, a bunch of Destiny 2 YouTube videos, including some by high-profile content creators and even Bungie themselves, have been hit by fraudulent copyright takedown notice generated by fake Google accounts. Bungie is now trying to sue those responsible and has called out YouTube for being tricked by alleged fraudsters in the first place.
the destiny The copyright removal spree began earlier this month, hitting soundtrack videos, cutscenes, and possibly other content, including videos released by Bungie itself. Streamers with hundreds of thousands of subscribers like My Name is Byf and AztecRoss were also affected, leading to a mini-panic that Bungie had changed its content creation guidelines, which had traditionally been extremely lax.
"These actions are NOT being taken at the request of Bungie or our partners," the company wrote at the time, to allay player concerns. "Please wait for future updates."
Bungie is now taking the case to court over who is responsible for the rogue takedowns, according to a new lawsuit filed March 25 and first reported by TorrentFreak. The lawsuit filed in the Western District of Washington targets up to 10 currently unidentified John Does accused of using fraudulent DMCA takedown notices to disrupt "Bungie's gaming, streamer and fan community and causing to Bungie almost incalculable damage".
While the studio is still subpoenaing information to uncover the identities of the fraudsters, it says in the lawsuit that it believes the rogue takedowns could have been retaliation for destiny the soundtrack videos that Bungie removed from YouTube earlier in the month. The fraudulent withdrawals apparently started a day after authorized withdrawals ended and used a fake Gmail address very similar to the one used in these previous withdrawals.
But wait, it gets weirder. According to the lawsuit, at least one of the people apparently responsible for the rogue takedowns apparently emailed some of the affected YouTube accounts a "manifesto" explaining why. "If you're looking for blame, place it on YouTube for its botched copyright removal system and Bungie for ignoring this issue for so long," it reads.
The lawsuit also targets YouTube's overall system for copyright takedowns, which Bungie accuses of being easily played and difficult to fix:
Bungie had to dedicate significant internal resources to remedying this and helping its players restore their videos and channels – an effort complicated by the fact that while YouTube has a form for anyone to claim to represent a rights holder author and to issue copyright strikes, it does not have a dedicated mechanism for impersonated copyright owners to notify YouTube of the DMCA fraud. As detailed below, this meant that Bungie had to go through several layers of YouTube contacts before they could communicate adequately and start resolving the issue.
According to Bungie, he first contacted his YouTube account rep on March 19, but got an out-of-office response. He then contacted the head of game publishers at Google and got another out of office response. A day later, he was still tossing emails until YouTube's director of game publishers and commercial content partners finally responded and asked if Bungie had filed a support ticket. It wasn't until March 22 that YouTube responded saying it had taken action against fake accounts and reversed fraudulent withdrawals.
"Thanks to YouTube's easy-to-follow reporting system, the attack was successful and the videos were removed (and the YouTubers were given 'copyright strikes' which, according to YouTube rules, threaten the future viability of their YouTube channels) based on the Fraudulent Takedown Notice," Bungie's attorneys write. While the lawsuit does not target YouTube, it says filing a civil lawsuit was the only way out. to get Google to share information about the identities of alleged pranksters.
DMCA takedown requests are a mess online, especially on YouTube. They became easily militarized and lead to a lot of headaches for content creators, whose work relies on commentaries, remixes or parodies of source material they do not own. As the Destiny 2 fiasco shows, it can also create problems for service games that rely on enthusiastic fan communities to drive the kind of engagement that funds them and keeps them alive years after release. It's also a reminder that content creators are ultimately at the mercy of the gaming platforms and companies they produce content for.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Home / People / ROMS Alumni / Adrienne Erazo
Adrienne Erazo
Ph.D. Graduate in Spanish
Current Position: Assistant Spanish Professor at Appalachian State University
Ph.D., Spanish and Latin American Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2019)
M.A., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2014
B.A., University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2011
Adrienne has lived in both Spain and Mexico and has also traveled extensively in Guatemala. Her area of specialization is in contemporary Latin American and Latino/a literature, with a focus on Mexico, Guatemala, and U.S.-based border narrative. Adrienne's particular interests include border theory, marginalization, otherness, identity construction, and gender studies. In the summer of 2015, Adrienne participated in an exclusive course on contemporary gender debates at the Colegio de México. Adrienne also acted as a co-coordinator of the Carolina Conference on Romance Literatures in the spring of 2015, and has also served as an editorial assistant for Romance Notes. Furthermore, Adrienne has taught both beginning and intermediate Spanish language courses at UNC, and always enjoys cultivating a budding interest in Spanish and Latin American culture in her students.
"The Fiction of Juan Rulfo: Irony, Revolution and Postcolonialism by Amit Thakkar (Review)." Romance Notes 54.1. (2014): 129-131.
"Crossing the Borders of Imagination, edited by María Del Mar Ramón Torrijos (Review)." Atzlán (2016).
"Blurring Borders: Construction of Narrative and Gender in Ana Clavel's Cuerpo náufrago." Chasqui (forthcoming in fall 2017).


text:
Beaver Creek is a stream in Mower and Fillmore counties, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is a tributary of the Upper Iowa River.

Beaver Creek was probably named for the North American beavers which inhabit the stream.

See also
List of rivers of Minnesota

References

Rivers of Fillmore County, Minnesota
Rivers of Mower County, Minnesota
Rivers of Minnesota

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
#AxeDrax: campaigners unite for climate justice against coal and biofueled deforestation
Almuth Ernsting
The Drax coal and biomass fired power station in North Yorkshire, one the UK's biggest point source emitters of greenhouse gases. Photo: Andrew Davidson via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND).
The Drax power station in North Yorkshire is among Britain's greatest greenhouse gas emitters, writes Almuth Ernsting. Not only is it burning some 6 million tonnes of coal every year, it is also burning its way through forests in the USA and other countries as it converts to biomass-fired units, rewarded by £1.3 million a day in subsidies. Join the #AxeDrax protest this weekend!
In 2015, Drax's biomass subsidies amounted to around £470m, whereas its profits were a mere £46m. Without the subsidies, it would not be economically viable for Drax to remain open.
On 22nd October, activists against coal, against forest destruction for bioenergy, and for climate justice will be protesting outside the UK's biggest power station: Drax in North Yorkshire.
10 years ago, Drax was the site of the first Climate Camp, a direct action movement against the root causes of climate change.
Several hundred people camped in a field 'in the shadow of Drax' to take part in a week of discussions, workshops and - above all - protests against the country's single biggest carbon emitter.
It was the start of six years of annual Climate Camps and year-round actions and protests against those most responsible for causing climate change in the UK, and experience which has continued to inspire and inform ongoing actions for climate justice.
Drax has been burning millions of tonnes of coal every year since 1974. In 2008, Drax started to ramp up what had previously been relatively small-scale co-firing of biomass. Since 2013, Drax has been gradually converting half its units to wood pellets.
Drax's subsidised biomass allows it to keep on burning coal
But far from replacing coal, Drax's partial biomass conversion is allowing the plant to avoid closure under EU emissions regulations, and to continue to burn millions of tonnes of coal a year, long-term.
The UK Government has announced a phase-out of coal burning for electricity by 2025 - which of course would mean ten more years of coal burning in power stations, which could and should be stopped immediately.
Even this unambitious aim is far from a firm government commitment - and Drax represents one of the biggest obstacles to any phase-out of coal burning for electricity. In 2015, Drax's biomass subsidies amounted to around £470m, while its profits were a mere £46m. Without the subsidies, it would not be economically viable for Drax to remain open.
And even if Drax's biomass burning was carbon neutral and sustainable - which is far from the case - stopping the £1.3 million biomass subsidies which the company receives every single day would still be vital for ending coal burning in the UK.
But Drax's biomass burning is far from carbon neutral or sustainable. It relies on the same extractive model as coal mining, with similarly disastrous effects: Drax is burning some 7 million tonnes of wood a year - more than the UK's total annual production.
Biodiverse wetland forests reduced to pellets
Virtually all of the wood is imported, most of it from the southern US. There, conservation NGOs such as Dogwood Alliance are campaigning against the destruction of some of the last remaining coastal wetland forests to make pellets which are shipped to Europe.
Last year, around 82% of those went to the UK. Drax is currently the only UK power station burning imported wood pellets, though at least two new big import-reliant biomass power developments are in the pipeline. Many of Drax's pellets are sourced from the clearcutting of wetland forests.
Drax claims that these pellets are all sourced from sawmill and forestry waste. However the Dogwood Alliance has traced trucks loaded with whole trees clear-cut from from lowland swamp forests on the coastal plain of North Carolina being transported to pellet mills. In turn, the pellet mills declare that their supply contracts are for power stations in the UK.
Those are amongst the world's most biodiverse temperate forests and aquatic ecosystems. They play a vital role in regulating the rainfall and water cycle - essential in a region at a particular risk of flooding, such as this year's disastrous flood in Louisiana. Local communities are seriously affected by wood dust, other pollution and noise from pellet plants. Wood dust is a known carcinogen and also linked to allergic and non-allergic respiratory and nasal diseases.
For the climate, burning wood pellets is no better than burning coal. In fact, the smokestack CO2 emissions from burning biomass are even greater than those from burning coal, per unit of electricity generated.
There are no universally agreed methods for comparing the full long-term lifecycle impacts of coal and biomass but the question exactly which is worse is ultimately futile. The urgency of the climate crisis means that we cannot afford to keep burning coal (nor other fossil fuels), nor to further destroy and degrade forests and other ecosystems.
Colombia's El Cerrejón mine spreads poverty and destruction
According to Drax's latest Annual Report, Drax burned around 6 million tonnes of coal in 2015, 46% of it from UK, with the remainder imported.
Investigations by Coal Action Network in 2015 showed that much of the UK coal comes from opencast mines in Northumberland in the north of England, with imports coming from Russia, the US, and Colombia. Some of Drax's coal comes from the notorious El Cerrejón mine in La Guajira, northern Colombia. Cerrejón is Colombia's biggest opencast coal mine and one of the largest in the world.
Earlier this year, Witness for Peace organised a delegation to La Guajira, which met, amongst others, with members of the Comité Cívico por la Dignidad de La Guajira. In recent years, at least 4,770 indigenous Wayuu children in the department have died from malnutrition. The Comité Cívico has shown a direct link between the ever-expanding Cerrejón mine and the widespread malnutrition which has led to those deaths.
Since the mine opened in 1985, the shares of agriculture and livestock, of industry and of commerce in La Guajira's economy have steeply declined. Mining now accounts for 61% of the department's GDP, but a mere 3% of jobs.
Food production has collapsed, unemployment has rocketed, and child malnutrition and anaemia rates are far above the average across the wider region. The mine is diverting rivers, depleting freshwater resources and destroying forests, with half the department now at risk of desertification.
Shutting down Drax is a necessity for stopping coal burning - with all its horrific impacts in the UK and far beyond - and to stop the destruction of the unique forests that supply its wood fuel.
Also on The Ecologist in response to this article: 'UK biomass power industry is a vital part of the renewable energy mix' by Nina Skroupska / Renewable Energy Association'.
If you are in the UK, please join the demonstration to #AxeDrax on 22nd October 2016.
If you live outside the UK, or cannot get to the event for other reasons, then you can take a photograph of yourselves with an #AxeDrax banner or placard and upload it to the Facebook events page, or email it to Biofuelwatch so that we can upload it.
You can also tweet your photo with #AxeDrax, @Draxnews (i.e. Drax) and @beisgovuk (that's the government department responsible for the subsidies).
Almuth Ernsting is a co-director of Biofuelwatch and has been reseasrching and campaigning against large-scale industrial biofuels and biomass electricity since 2006.
This article is a version of one previously published on Yes to Life, No to Mining.
UK plans first new coal power station since 1974 - and it burns forests too!
A new coal and biomass-fired power station could soon be built at Drax in Yorkshire, already the UK's biggest coal burner, writes Almuth Ernsting. It comes with a weak promise of possible 'carbon capture and storage' - an expensive, inefficient technology shunned elsewhere. As the Government's nuclear dream fades, could this be its equally flawed replacement?
Dirtier than coal: burning forests for 'green' energy
Matt Williams
The UK imports millions of tons of American wood pellets every year to be burned in power stations for 'climate friendly' electricity, writes Matt Williams. But his recent visit to the southern US showed him that this practice is devastating beautiful, natural forests rich in wildlife - while the UK government's own research shows that it's worse for the climate than the coal it replaces.
OECD chief: World must ditch coal, go renewable
Alex Kirby
| 5th July 2015
The secretary general of the OECD group of the world's 34 richest nations has issued a dramatic plea to its members to act now to end 'unabated coal' burning, writes Alex Kirby, and invest in renewables around the world to prevent climate disaster.
Theresa May's coal phase out plan has three dangerous loopholes
| 22nd March 2018
Theresa May and her Conservative government has promised to phase out the burning of coal in the UK by 2025. This should be a cause of celebration for climate change campaigners. But the plans have three dangerous loopholes, which means activists must remain vigilant, argues ALMUTH ERNSTING
It beats fracking - but can we believe Ecotricity's vision of 'green gas from grass'?
Just imagine: gas for your cooking and heating made by composting home-grown British grass, writes Almuth Ernsting. What's not to like? Well, it would need almost all the UK's grassland to match our gas demand, leaving cows and sheep to starve or forcing them into sheds to eat foreign-grown feeds. And methane leakage could easily wipe out any climate benefit.
Are the UK 'biomass sustainability standards' legitimising forest destruction?
Biofuelwatch
This month wood pellet mills in the southern US that supply the UK's Drax power station were awarded 'sustainability' certificates under a voluntary scheme governed entirely by energy companies. The certificates provide no credible guarantee that the fuel does not come from ecologically valuable natural forests and wetlands, clear-cut and replaced by industrial plantations.


FemFriday, presented by kulturen in bewegung and Weltmuseum Wien, is a concert series putting a spotlight on exceptional female* musicians. We want to conquer the man-dominated stages of the music business with excellent female* musicians and powerful performances.
The innovative and contemporary character of the chosen artists is also defined by their regional connections. Feminism, queerness and sexism are often topics of their musical work - confronting the audience and empowering to stand up for equality. Social challenges for female* artists in their environments will be questioned within a moderated artist talk before the concert. The talks will be held in German and English.


text:
import f5
import f5.util
import re

from .exceptions import NodeNotFound

from bigsuds import ServerError

def enabled_bool(enabled_statuses):
    """Switch from enabled_status to bool"""
    return [True if s == 'ENABLED_STATUS_ENABLED' else False for s in enabled_statuses]

def bool_enabled(bools):
    """Switch from bool to enabled_status"""
    return ['STATE_ENABLED' if b else 'STATE_DISABLED' for b in bools]

# Truncate availability_status
def munge_av_status(av_statuses):
    return [a[20:] for a in av_statuses]

class Node(object):
    __version = 11
    __wsdl = 'LocalLB.NodeAddressV2'

    def __init__(self, name, lb=None, address=None, connection_limit=None, description=None,
            dynamic_ratio=None, enabled=None, rate_limit=None, ratio=None, fromdict=None):

        self._lb = lb

        if fromdict is not None:
            if lb is not None:
                self.dictionary = fromdict
            else:
                self._dictionary = fromdict
        else:
            self.__name            = name
            self._address          = address
            self._av_status        = None
            self._connection_limit = connection_limit
            self._description      = description
            self._dynamic_ratio    = dynamic_ratio
            self._enabled          = enabled
            self._rate_limit       = rate_limit
            self._ratio            = ratio
            self._status_descr     = None

        self._lbcall = self.__lbcall

    def __repr__(self):
        return "f5.Node('%s')" % (self.name)

    def __str__(self):
        return self._name

    # This just adds the wsdl to calls to the lb for convenience
    def __lbcall(self, call, *args, **kwargs):
        return self.lb._call(self.__wsdl + '.' + call, *args, **kwargs)

    @classmethod
    def _lbcall(cls, lb, call, *args, **kwargs):
        return lb._call(cls.__wsdl + '.' + call, *args, **kwargs)

    ###########################################################################
    # Properties
    ###########################################################################
    # Asynchronous properties are prefixed with a '_'
    #
    # All properties are fetched directly from the lb, but also stored in local
    # variables prefixed with an underscore '_' for convenience.

    #### LB ####
    @property
    def lb(self):
        return self._lb

    @lb.setter
    def lb(self, value):
        self.refresh()
        self._lb = value

    #### NAME ####
    @property
    def name(self):
        return self.__name

    @property
    def _name(self):
        return self.__name

    @_name.setter
    @f5.util.updatefactorycache
    def _name(self, value):
        self.__name = value

    #### ADDRESS ####
    @property
    def address(self):
        self._address = self._lbcall('get_address', [self.name])[0]
        return self._address

    #### AV_STATUS ####
    @property
    def av_status(self):
        self._av_status = munge_av_status(
                [s['availability_status'] for s in self._lbcall('get_object_status', [self.name])])[0]
        return self._av_status

    #### CONNECTION_LIMIT ####
    @property
    def connection_limit(self):
        self._connection_limit = self._lbcall('get_connection_limit', [self.name])[0]
        return self._connection_limit

    @connection_limit.setter
    @f5.util.lbwriter2
    def connection_limit(self, value):
        self._lbcall('set_connection_limit', [self.name], [value])
        self._connection_limit = value

    #### DESCRIPTION ####
    @property
    def description(self):
        self._description = self._lbcall('get_description', [self._name])[0]
        return self._description

    @description.setter
    @f5.util.lbwriter2
    def description(self, value):
        self._lbcall('set_description', [self.name], [value])
        self._description = value

    #### DYNAMIC_RATIO ####
    @property
    def dynamic_ratio(self):
        self._dynamic_ratio = self._lbcall('get_dynamic_ratio_v2', [self.name])[0]
        return self._dynamic_ratio

    @dynamic_ratio.setter
    @f5.util.lbwriter2
    def dynamic_ratio(self, value):
        self._lbcall('set_dynamic_ratio_v2', [self.name], [value])
        self._description = value

    #### ENABLED ####
    # We do a little fancy stuff here, munging the internal (f5) enabled status to a bool and back.
    @property
    def enabled(self):
        self._enabled = enabled_bool([s['enabled_status'] for s in self._lbcall('get_object_status', [self.name])])[0]
        return self._enabled

    @enabled.setter
    @f5.util.lbwriter2
    def enabled(self, value):
        self._lbcall('set_session_enabled_state', [self.name], bool_enabled([value]))
        self._enabled = value

    #### RATE_LIMIT ####
    @property
    def rate_limit(self):
        self._rate_limit = self._lbcall('get_rate_limit', [self.name])[0]
        return self._rate_limit

    @rate_limit.setter
    @f5.util.lbwriter2
    def rate_limit(self, value):
        self._lbcall('set_rate_limit', [self.name], [value])
        self._rate_limit = value

    #### RATIO ####
    @property
    def ratio(self):
        self._ratio = self._lbcall('get_ratio', [self.name])[0]
        return self._ratio

    @ratio.setter
    @f5.util.lbwriter2
    def ratio(self, value):
        self._lbcall('set_ratio', [self.name], [value])
        self._ratio = value

    #### STATUS_DESCR ####
    @property
    def status_descr(self):
        self._status_descr = self._lbcall('get_object_status', [self.name])[0]['status_description']
        return self._status_descr

    @property
    def dictionary(self):
        d = {}

        d['lb']               = self.lb
        d['name']             = self.name
        d['address']          = self.address
        d['av_status']        = self.av_status
        d['connection_limit'] = self.connection_limit
        d['description']      = self.description
        d['dynamic_ratio']    = self.dynamic_ratio
        d['enabled']          = self.enabled
        d['rate_limit']       = self.rate_limit
        d['ratio']            = self.ratio
        d['status_descr']     = self.status_descr

        return d

    @property
    def _dictionary(self):
        d = {}

        d['lb']               = self._lb
        d['name']             = self._name
        d['address']          = self._address
        d['av_status']        = self._av_status
        d['connection_limit'] = self._connection_limit
        d['description']      = self._description
        d['dynamic_ratio']    = self._dynamic_ratio
        d['enabled']          = self._enabled
        d['rate_limit']       = self._rate_limit
        d['ratio']            = self._ratio
        d['status_descr']     = self._status_descr

        return d

    @dictionary.setter
    @f5.util.lbwriter2
    def dictionary(self, d):
        self._name            = d['name']
        self._address         = d['address']
        self._av_status       = d['av_status']
        self.connection_limit = d['connection_limit']
        self.description      = d['description']
        self.dynamic_ratio    = d['dynamic_ratio']
        self.enabled          = d['enabled']
        self.rate_limit       = d['rate_limit']
        self.ratio            = d['ratio']
        self._status_descr    = d['status_descr']

    @_dictionary.setter
    def _dictionary(self, d):
        self._name             = d['name']
        self._address          = d['address']
        self._av_status        = d['av_status']
        self._connection_limit = d['connection_limit']
        self._description      = d['description']
        self._dynamic_ratio    = d['dynamic_ratio']
        self._enabled          = d['enabled']
        self._rate_limit       = d['rate_limit']
        self._ratio            = d['ratio']
        self._status_descr     = d['status_descr']

    ###########################################################################
    # Private API
    ###########################################################################
    @classmethod
    def _get_objects(cls, lb, names, minimal=False):
        """Returns a list of node objects from a list of node names"""

        if not names:
            return []

        if not minimal:
            address          = cls._lbcall(lb, 'get_address', names)
            connection_limit = cls._lbcall(lb, 'get_connection_limit', names)
            object_status    = cls._lbcall(lb, 'get_object_status', names)
            av_status        = munge_av_status([s['availability_status'] for s in object_status])
            enabled          = enabled_bool([s['enabled_status'] for s in object_status])
            description      = cls._lbcall(lb, 'get_description', names)
            dynamic_ratio    = cls._lbcall(lb, 'get_dynamic_ratio', names)
            rate_limit       = cls._lbcall(lb, 'get_rate_limit', names)
            ratio            = cls._lbcall(lb, 'get_ratio', names)

        nodes = cls.factory.create(names, lb)
        if not minimal:
            for idx, node in enumerate(nodes):
                node._address          = address[idx]
                node._av_status        = av_status[idx]
                node._connection_limit = connection_limit[idx]
                node._enabled          = enabled[idx]
                node._description      = description[idx]
                node._dynamic_ratio    = dynamic_ratio[idx]
                node._rate_limit       = rate_limit[idx]
                node._ratio            = ratio[idx]
                node._status_descr     = object_status[idx]['status_description']

        return nodes

    @classmethod
    def _get(cls, lb, pattern=None, minimal=False):
        names = cls._lbcall(lb, 'get_list')

        if not names:
            return []

        if pattern is not None:
            if not isinstance(pattern, re._pattern_type):
                pattern = re.compile(pattern)
            names = [name for name in names if pattern.match(name)]

        return cls._get_objects(lb, names, minimal)

    ###########################################################################
    # Public API
    ###########################################################################
    def exists(self):
        try:
            self._lbcall('get_address', [self._name])
        except ServerError as e:
            if 'was not found' in str(e):
                return False
            else:
                raise
        except:
            raise

        return True

    @f5.util.lbtransaction
    def save(self):
        """Save the node to the lb"""
        if not self.exists():
            if self._address is None or self._connection_limit is None:
                raise RuntimeError('address and connection_limit must be set on create')
            self._lbcall('create', [self._name], [self._address], [self._connection_limit])
        elif self._connection_limit is not None:
            self.connection_limit = self._connection_limit

        if self._description is not None:
            self.description = self._description
        if self._dynamic_ratio is not None:
            self.dynamic_ratio = self._dynamic_ratio
        if self._enabled is not None:
            self.enabled = self._enabled
        if self._rate_limit is not None:
            self.rate_limit = self._rate_limit
        if self._ratio is not None:
            self.ratio = self._ratio

    def refresh(self):
        """Update all attributes from the lb"""
        self.address
        self.av_status
        self.connection_limit
        self.description
        self.dynamic_ratio
        self.enabled
        self.rate_limit
        self.ratio
        self.status_descr

    @f5.util.lbwriter2
    def delete(self, force=False):
        """Delete the node from the lb"""
        if force is True:
            # Delete all associated poolmembers
            # Replace this with a PoolMemberList when ready.
            for pm in self.lb.pms_get(pattern='^%s:[0-9]+$' % self.name, minimal=True):
                pm.delete()
        self._lbcall('delete_node_address', [self._name])

Node.factory = f5.util.CachedFactory(Node)

class NodeList(list):
    def __init__(self, lb=None, pattern=None, partition='/', minimal=False, fromdict=None):
        self._lb = lb
        self._minimal   = minimal
        self._partition = partition
        self._pattern   = pattern

        if fromdict is not None:
            self.dictionary = fromdict
        elif lb is not None:
            self.refresh()

    @f5.util.restore_session_values
    def refresh(self):
        self.lb.active_folder = self._partition
        if self._partition == '/':
            self.lb.recursive_query = True

        nodes = Node._get(self._lb, self._pattern, self._minimal)
        del self[:]
        self.extend(nodes)

    @f5.util.lbtransaction
    def sync(self, create=False):
        if create is True:
            self._lbcall('create', self.names, self._getattr('_address'),
                    self._getattr('_connection_limit'))
        else:
            self.connection_limit = self._getattr('_connection_limit')

        self.description   = self._getattr('_description')
        self.dynamic_ratio = self._getattr('_dynamic_ratio')
        self.enabled       = bool_enabled(self._getattr('_enabled'))
        self.rate_limit    = self._getattr('_rate_limit')
        self.ratio         = self._getattr('_ratio')

    def _lbcall(self, call, *args, **kwargs):
        try:
            return Node._lbcall(self._lb, call, *args, **kwargs)
        except ServerError as e:
            if 'was not found.' in str(e):
                raise NodeNotFound(*args)
            else:
                raise

    def _setattr(self, attr, values):
        """Sets an attribute on all objects in list"""
        if len(values) is not len(self):
            raise ValueError('value must be of same length as list')

        for idx,node in enumerate(self):
            setattr(node, attr, values[idx])

    def _getattr(self, attr):
        return [getattr(node, attr) for node in self]

    @property
    def partition(self):
        return self._partition

    @partition.setter
    def partition(self, value):
        self._partition = value
        refresh()

    @property
    def pattern(self):
        return self._pattern

    @pattern.setter
    def pattern(self, value):
        self._pattern =  value
        self.refresh()

    #### ADDRESS ####
    @property
    def address(self):
        values = self._lbcall('get_address', self.names)
        self._setattr('_address', values)
        return values

    @property
    def _address(self):
        return self._getattr('_address')

    @_address.setter
    @f5.util.multisetter
    def _address(self, values):
        self._setattr('_address',  values)

    #### AV_STATUS ####
    @property
    def av_status(self):
        values = munge_av_status(
                [s['availability_status'] for s in self._lbcall('get_object_status', self.names)])
        self._setattr('_av_status', values)
        return values

    @property
    def _av_status(self):
        return self._getattr('_av_status')

    ### CONNECTION_LIMIT ###
    @property
    def connection_limit(self):
        values = self._lbcall('get_connection_limit', self.names)
        self._setattr('_connection_limit',  values)
        return values

    @connection_limit.setter
    @f5.util.multisetter
    @f5.util.lbwriter2
    def connection_limit(self, values):
        self._lbcall('set_connection_limit', self.names, values)
        self._setattr('_connection_limit', values)

    @property
    def _connection_limit(self):
        return self._getattr('_connection_limit')

    @_connection_limit.setter
    @f5.util.multisetter
    def _connection_limit(self, values):
        return self._setattr('_connection_limit', values)

    ### DESCRIPTION ###
    @property
    def description(self):
        values = self._lbcall('get_description', self.names)
        self._setattr('_description', values)
        return values

    @description.setter
    @f5.util.multisetter
    @f5.util.lbwriter2
    def description(self, values):
        self._lbcall('set_description', self.names, values)
        self._setattr('_description', values)

    @property
    def _description(self):
        return self._getattr('_description')

    @_description.setter
    @f5.util.multisetter
    def _description(self, values):
        return self._setattr('_description', values)

    ### DYNAMIC_RATIO ###
    @property
    def dynamic_ratio(self):
        values = self._lbcall('get_dynamic_ratio', self.names)
        self._setattr('_dynamic_ratio', values)
        return values

    @dynamic_ratio.setter
    @f5.util.multisetter
    @f5.util.lbwriter2
    def dynamic_ratio(self, values):
        self._lbcall('set_dynamic_ratio', self.names, values)
        self._setattr('_dynamic_ratio', values)

    @property
    def _dynamic_ratio(self):
        return self._getattr('_dynamic_ratio')

    @_dynamic_ratio.setter
    @f5.util.multisetter
    def _dynamic_ratio(self, values):
        return self._setattr('_dynamic_ratio', values)

    ### ENABLED ###
    @property
    def enabled(self):
        values = enabled_bool([s['enabled_status'] for s in self._lbcall('get_object_status', self.names)])
        self._setattr('_enabled', values)
        return values

    @enabled.setter
    @f5.util.multisetter
    @f5.util.lbwriter2
    def enabled(self, values):
        self._lbcall('set_session_enabled_state', self.names, bool_enabled(values))
        self._setattr('_enabled', values)

    @property
    def _enabled(self):
        return self._getattr('_enabled')

    @_enabled.setter
    @f5.util.multisetter
    def _enabled(self, values):
        return self._setattr('_enabled', values)

    #### LB ####
    @property
    def lb(self):
        return self._lb

    @lb.setter
    @f5.util.multisetter
    def lb(self, value):
        self._setattr('_lb', value)
        self._lb = value[0]

    #### NAME ####
    @property
    def names(self):
        return self._getattr('name')

    @property
    def _names(self):
        return self._names

    @_names.setter
    @f5.util.multisetter
    def _names(self, values):
        self._setattr('_name', values)

    ### RATE_LIMIT ###
    @property
    def rate_limit(self):
        values = self._lbcall('get_rate_limit', self.names)
        self._setattr('_rate_limit', values)
        return values

    @rate_limit.setter
    @f5.util.multisetter
    @f5.util.lbwriter2
    def rate_limit(self, values):
        self._lbcall('set_rate_limit', self.names, values)
        self._setattr('_rate_limit', values)

    @property
    def _rate_limit(self):
        return self._getattr('_rate_limit')

    @_rate_limit.setter
    @f5.util.multisetter
    def _rate_limit(self, values):
        return self._setattr('_rate_limit', values)

    ### RATIO ###
    @property
    def ratio(self):
        values = self._lbcall('get_ratio', self.names)
        self._setattr('_ratio', values)
        return values

    @ratio.setter
    @f5.util.multisetter
    @f5.util.lbwriter2
    def ratio(self, values):
        self._lbcall('set_ratio', self.names, values)
        self._setattr('_ratio', values)

    @property
    def _ratio(self):
        return self._getattr('_ratio')

    @_ratio.setter
    @f5.util.multisetter
    def _ratio(self, values):
        return self._setattr('_ratio', values)

    #### STATUS_DESCR ####
    @property
    def status_descr(self):
        values = [s['status_description'] for s in self._lbcall('get_object_status', self.names)]
        self._setattr('_status_descr', values)
        return values

    @property
    def _status_descr(self):
        return self._getattr('_status_descr')

    #### DICTIONARY ####
    @property
    def dictionary(self):
        d = {}
        d['lb']        = self.lb
        d['partition'] = self.partition
        d['pattern']   = self.pattern

        self.address
        self.av_status
        self.connection_limit
        self.description
        self.dynamic_ratio
        self.enabled
        self.rate_limit
        self.ratio
        self.status_descr

        d['nodes'] =  [node._dictionary for node in self]

        return d

    @property
    def _dictionary(self):
        d = {}

        d['lb']        = self.lb
        d['partition'] = self.partition
        d['pattern']   = self.pattern
        # We're in asynchronous mode so we can simply use Node's builtin ._dictionary
        d['nodes']     = [node._dictionary for node in self]

        return d

    @dictionary.setter
    @f5.util.lbtransaction
    def dictionary(self, _dict):
        # Set asynchronous attributes so we don't refresh from lb
        self._lb        = _dict['lb']
        self._partition = _dict['partition']
        self._pattern   = _dict['pattern']

        del self[:]
        self.extend(Node.factory.create([d['name'] for d in _dict['nodes']], self._lb))

        self.connection_limit = [node['connection_limit'] for node in _dict['nodes']]
        self.description      = [node['description'] for node in _dict['nodes']]
        self.dynamic_ratio    = [node['dynamic_ratio'] for node in _dict['nodes']]
        self.enabled          = [node['enabled'] for node in _dict['nodes']]
        self.rate_limit       = [node['rate_limit'] for node in _dict['nodes']]
        self.ratio            = [node['ratio'] for node in _dict['nodes']]

    @_dictionary.setter
    def _dictionary(self, _dict):
        self._lb        = _dict['lb']
        self._partition = _dict['partition']
        self._pattern   = _dict['pattern']

        nodes = Node.factory.create([d['name'] for d in _dict['nodes']], self._lb)
        # We're in asynchronous mode so we can simply use Node's builtin ._dictionary
        for idx, node in enumerate(nodes):
            node._dictionary = _dict['nodes'][idx]

        del self[:]
        self.extend(nodes)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


The extension lets you implement structured data markup to show rich snippets, Twitter cards, and rich pins for your store.
Rich snippets are structured data, which are used to report users about additional website information in organic search. The module was designed for easy implementation of these data markup on your e-commerce store. You can test your website appearance in the organic search here and see how it looks now. After the extension installation, your snippet in the organic search will be expanded and look like on the screens.
The module adds five essential types of markup used by search engines (product, reviews, breadcrumbs, category, organizations) plus the markup for displaying Twitter Cards and Rich Pins for your website. No code editing or development needed. The extension supports all the types of Magento products, except for the bundle ones.
Also, with this extension, you don't need to use third-party services or pay any extra fees to Google.
You can enable all the types of markup or choose only the ones you need to show right now.


text:
Metal Master Kingdom
News and more...
Featured Band
Album / Song Review & Photo Request Submission Form
Heavy Metal Jam Night @ The Rockpile
MMK Merch Store
Album Review Archives >
Album Review blog
Band Reviews 2014
Show Reviews Archives >
Show Review Blog
Show Reviews 2014
Wacken Metal Battle Canada >
Wacken Metal Battle U.S.A.
W.M.B.C .2019/ 2018 / 2016
W.M.B.C. 2015 - Selected Bands & City Battle Rounds
W.M.B.C. SUBMISSION DETAILS
W.M.B.C. 2015 Compilation III
WMBC 2015 blog >
W.M.B.C. 2015 - Toronto Show Reviews
WMBC 2014 blog
JJ Tartaglia interview - Wacken Metal Battle Canada Founder and Organizer
420 Music and Arts Festival
Armstrong Metal Fest
Decimate Metalfest
Brutal Battle Cuba
Farmageddon
Shredmonton Conference and Show
Black Mourning Light Metal Fest
Loud as Hell Festival
CEMR MetalFest
Metalocalypstick Fest
Days of the Dead Festival
Kryptonite Metal Festival 8 - 2015
Miami's Kryptonite Metal Festival 7
Welcome to ROCKVILLE Festival >
Welcome to Rockville 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, and 2015
Interviews 2019 / 2018 /2017 / 2016
Photo Gallery 2018/2017 / 2016
North American Massive Collision tour 2015
Unleash the Archers, Crimson Shadows, & Ammo
The North American Extinction tour 2015
Summer's Last Stand Tour
Summer Slaughter 2015 - Cattle Decapitation & Beyond Creation
An Intimate Evening With Incantation and guests
The Return of Fetus Feast
Massive Addictive North America 2015 tour
The Missing Link Tour
My Hollow w/ Insurrection, & Matter in the Medium
North America Tour 2015 - Nightwish, Sabaton, and Delain
Through Space and Grind
Black Metal Warfare North America 2015
Within Temptation w/ Amaranthe
Meet The Krew
Album Reviews 2013 / 2012
Show Reviews 2013 & 2012
ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK MAYHEM FESTIVAL 2013
WACKEN METAL BATTLE CANADA 2013 >
Spread The Metal Festival
Rob Cranny Tribute
where metal reigns
Metal Master Kingdom's Album/Song review & Photo Request submission form here.
INTERVIEWS
Click here to get newest interviews.
REVIEWS
Click here to get to our newest reviews
Click here for recent show reviews
Click here for access to our
click here for News & more
Xavier's Top 10 Albums Of 2017
Blog author: Xavier Cattarinich
And so the page has turned on another year. As I review my top 10 list for 2017, I find it interesting to compare those entries with my top 10 of 1987. If anything, the comparisons show just how much the boundaries of metal have expanded over the past three decades, and how my own tastes have changed. Yet as I first sat down to work on my list late last autumn, I felt like I was wringing blood from a stone.
At first glance, I didn't think there was enough quality material out there from which to create a decent top 10 list. Silly me.
A friendly virtual nudge from Altars Of Grief vocalist Damian Smith pointed me towards releases I had overlooked during the year, some of which were mind-blowingly awesome (thanks, Damian!). Missing them would've been an embarrassment. But that's what happens when you spend too much isolating yourself under a rock, as I sometimes do. Each new discovery led me to another, and soon I had to acknowledge that yeah, 2017 actually was a pretty impressive year for metal.
In spite of my best efforts, I have only listened to a small fraction of the metal albums released in 2017. Even then, I expect that several of my entries might generate controversy of the "that's not real metal!" or "how could you not have included the new album by (insert artist name here)" variety, and that's fine. Some of the artists in my list probably don't even consider themselves "metal". I've honed in on quite a bit of experimental, alternative, folk-influenced and post-metal stuff, and all that really does is provide a snapshot of where my head and heart were in 2017 (i.e., largely trying to ignore and escape the world). Atmosphere and the sense of being taken on a dark journey matter more to me these days than exhibitions of pure aggression and technical proficiency for their own sake.
10. PILLORIAN - Obsidian Arc
I was so disappointed when Agalloch called it quits in 2016 after generating some of the best and ever evolving pagan neo-folk meets blackened doom metal known on this planet over the past two decades. The disappointment was short-lived when frontman John Haughm arose from the ashes with his new band, Pillorian, which released their debut album in 2017. Obsidian Arc picks up where Agalloch left off on The Serpent & The Sphere. The sound is familiar yet more feral, sinister and violent. Haughm's rasping voice seethes with a rage subdued in his previous works, and the dynamic compositions keep this journey interesting and unpredictable. Step aboard Pillorian's barge and absorb their dark poetry if you will, but heed the warning of the final song: "Dark Is The River Of Man".
09. MASTODON - Emperor Of Sand
Ah yes, I can already hear the snorts of derision. People tend to love or hate Mastodon, and those who hate them are pretty outspoken about their feelings. Regardless, Emperor Of Sand is a solid album that blends the best elements of Blood Mountain, Crack The Skye and The Hunter. Annoying and pedestrian poppy hit single "Show Yourself" notwithstanding, Mastodon continue to craft powerful songs set apart by the interplay of the three distinct vocal styles exhibited by Hinds, Dailor and Sanders. As with more recent releases, the band weaves lumbering riffs, proggy thrash, blues-tinged psychedelic rock, punk and grunge into their sound. While I would not say that Emperor Of Sand is better than Skye or Hunter, the underlying lyrical inspiration found in the struggles of family members and friends of the band battling cancer -- recast as the story of a lone wanderer sentenced to death in a desert waste -- really speaks to me. The chemistry between band members on Emperor really rivals that of Rush at their peak.
08. CHELSEA WOLFE - Hiss Spun
I love Hiss Spun because it makes me feel to an extent few other albums do, bar none. I hate Hiss Spun because it scares the shit out of me. Hiss Spun may not be what most people think of when they think of metal, but it is among the heaviest and most depressively doom-laden albums in existence. It would rank higher on my list if I could only bring myself to listen to it more frequently (if emotion was the only criterion, Hiss Spun would take first place hands down). Take PJ Harvey, Portishead, Miranda Sex Garden, early Sabbath, Bleach-era Nirvana and Nine Inch Nails, grind them in a blender with top removed, watch the contents splatter... and you're still a ways off. Chelsea Wolfe is the forlorn voice of despair. If you are not prepared to listen, then walk away.
07. MASTODON - Cold Dark Place
Just so the naysayers could moan even more, Mastodon released an EP only months after they released Emperor Of Sand. The four tracks on Cold Dark Place consist of material that didn't make the final cut on either Emperor Of Sand or Once More 'Round The Sun; surprisingly so, since the songs in this collection are among the band's very best — focused, gripping and heartfelt, if somewhat softer psychedelic prog rock with southern influences. Most of the songs would have been right at home on Crack The Skye. I for one would like to see the lads carry on in this direction.
06. NISHAIAR - Universum
Enigmatic newcomers Nishaiar unveiled two EPs in 2017, Era I in February and its follow-up Universum, in October. The Encyclopedia Metallum archives suggest that the unnamed members of the quarter hail from Gondar, Ethiopia, which has generated a fair bit of discussion in some YouTube comments section, with some doubting the veracity of the claim. If the band truly is from Ethiopia, then I think that's super cool. If not, I don't care, because the music is awesome regardless of who is behind it (I strongly suspect that Valkus Valkiria–see entry #5 on this list–is involved in the project, since at the time of writing, the only non-YouTube and non-Bandcamp site to host anything about Nishaiar is Valkiria's website.) Universum is to describe (transcendental cosmic post-black metal world music with hints of Delirium and Midnight Odyssey?) but who cares about inadequate labels. When I listen to Universum, I'm witnessing the beautifully chaotic birth and death of the universe from the heart of a maelstrom. It's one hell of an auditory journey that's got to be heard to be believed.
05. VALKIRIA - Visions Of Lost Souls / Kelthanir
In celebration of his project's 20th anniversary, Italian one-man-band Valkus Valkiria simultaneously released the stunning twin albums Visions Of Lost Souls and Kelthanir in 2017. I can't help but lose myself in the majesty of these masterpieces of gothic metal. While Valkiria sounds nothing like Opeth, a comparison between the Visions / Kelthanir pairing and Opeth's Damnation and Deliverance dual offering is apt. Visions is a more gentle (dare I say impressionistic?) and predominantly instrumental album. The music on that recording and vocal delivery on "No More Air To Breathe" strongly suggest Katatonia among Valkiria's influence. Someone that sounds remarkably like Kirsty Thirsk of the long-disbanded Rose Chronicles assumes the ethereal female lead on "I Am Here", and elsewhere the female vocals are reminiscent of Liesje Sadonius of Sterophonic-era Hooverphonic. Kelthanir continues the odyssey begun in Visions and leads it through more conventional but nevertheless awesome atmospheric black metal territory. Needless to say, Valkiria deserves broader recognition than he has received thus far.
04. SÓLSTAFIR - Berdreyminn
Regardless of genre, it seems that many Icelandic bands share qualities that give them a distinctively Icelandic sound, and that is true of Sólstafir as well. Initially formed as a black metal outfit in 1995, Sólstafir began its transition to a post-metal sound with the release of its third full-length album, Köld in 2009. Berdreyminn arguably is the most psychedelic and accessible of the group's albums to date–a recording for which the metal label is much too limiting. I had the good fortune of spending an entire month in Iceland in 2011, and this collection of songs that takes me right back there. The sense of naked isolation in a wild, wind-swept land shrouded in darkness half of the year is palpable in every composition. Imagine a harder edged Sigur Rós with a sprinkling of Pink Floyd and War-era U2, and you'll begin to picture the start magnificence captured Berdreyminn. As with all of Sólstafir's past recordings, the songs are sung entirely in Icelandic, leaving those who don't understand the language with an intensely emotional journey conveyed via the expressiveness of founder and lead singer Aðalbjörn "Addi" Tryggvason's fragile, mournful howls. This is great music.
03. ENSLAVED - E
Norway's Enslaved remain one of the most ambitiously experimental bands out there, and 2017's E is a standout in this regard. From meandering dreamy passages suggestive of Radiohead or Porcupine Tree to epic soundscapes featuring double-kick assaults, gutteral vocals alternating with clean harmonies, monstrous guitar riffs, psychedelic synth arrangements, Middle Eastern influences, and saxophones, this one has it all. More importantly, everything reinforces the album's thematic consistency. The deeply metaphysical lyrics explore the ties that bind humans to each other, and those that connect humans with their environment. Comparison to Opeth's late works are inevitable, but I would suggest that E is more ambitious in scope than anything Akerfeldt and company have released, while still showcasing Enslaved's extreme metal roots. Try telling me that you can listen to "The River's Mouth" without foot stomping and headbanging. Oh, and the Depeche Mode-esque closing track "What Else Is There" is sublime. What else is there, indeed.
02. BODY COUNT - Bloodlust
I never cared much for rap and hip-hop, so never really paid much attention to Body Count. Until now. While every other album on this top 10 list is apolitical, leans towards psycho-emotional introspection or cosmic exploration, and pulls me away from our messed up world, Bloodlust, yanks me by the hair and pushes my face against the TV screen for a close-up, in-your-face reminder of the ugly street level socio-political reality south of the border. Thought an 18-year (and counting) main cast run as a cop on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit would make Ice-T mellow out? Think again. This is the most angry, intense and real album I've listened to in years. Ice-T tells it like it is ("No Lives Matter"). Devil worship and imaginary evils ain't got nothing on the horror of America's present day urban civil war. Dave Mustaine, Max Cavalera and Randy Blythe make guest appearances on the album, and yes, I'll go out and say it, Body Count's cover of Slayer's "Raining Blood" (renamed "Raining In Blood" on Bloodlust) is better than the original.
01. MYRKUR - Mareridt
Myrkur's second full-length studio album, Mareridt ("nightmare" in Danish) might just be the darkest Nordic folk-influence metal album ever recorded. It is also hands down one of the most achingly beautiful recordings I have ever listened to, and an atmospheric masterpiece that could easily sub in as the soundtrack for The History Channel's series Vikings. The primarily Danish lyrics (a few tracks are in English) only enhance the mystique of the album. Songstress and multi-instrumentalist Amalie Bruun skillfully balances light with dark majesty, authentic traditional melodies and instrumentation with sinister modern arrangements, and black metal brutality with delicate, haunting femininity. While Sólstafir's Berdreyminn takes me to another place, Mareridt also takes me spellbound to another time. Chelsea Wolfe makes a welcome guest appearance on the track titled "Funeral" (as well as on "Kvindelil", if you pick up the deluxe edition of Mareridt). When I die, I want Amalie to sing at my funeral. Mareridt takes the crown as my favourite album of 2017.
Will To Power
At Dawn's Edge
Through Glass Eyes
Psychosis
Relections Of A Floating World
Forsaken Rite
The Northern Saga
Juliet Ruin
EP
Subscribe to our many media outlets:
Metal Master Kingdom's Album/Song
Review Submission Form here.
WE ARE MEDIA SPONSORS FOR:
Wacken Metal Battle Canada
Armstrong Metal Fest
Shredmonton
Tweets by @MetalMasterKing
A registered Canadian based webzine.
Contact Us
Partners In Metal
Designed by JennyIngles.com


text:
The Article II Safeguards of Federal Jurisdiction
Tara Leigh Grove, William & Mary Law SchoolFollow
Jurisdiction stripping has long been treated as a battle between Congress and the federal judiciary. Scholars have thus overlooked the important (and surprising) role that the executive branch has played in these jurisdictional struggles. This Article seeks to fill that void. Drawing on two strands of social science research, the Article argues that the executive branch has a strong incentive to use its constitutional authority over the enactment and enforcement of federal law to oppose jurisdiction-stripping measures. Notably, this structural argument has considerable historical support. The executive branch has repeatedly opposed jurisdiction-stripping proposals in Congress. That has been true even when the President was otherwise deeply critical of the federal courts' constitutional jurisprudence (such as during the Franklin Roosevelt and Reagan Administrations). Furthermore, even when jurisdiction-stripping measures do become law, the executive branch controls the enforcement of that law. The Department of Justice has repeatedly used this enforcement authority to urge the courts to interpret jurisdictional restrictions narrowly in order to preserve jurisdiction over constitutional claims. This executive branch practice has important implications for the current Justice Department as it litigates cases brought by current and former detainees in the war on terror. One provision of the Military Commissions Act of 2006 appears to preclude any court from examining a detainee's challenge to his "conditions of confinement" during his detention. The executive branch could substantially limit the impact of this law by conceding (as it has in prior administrations) that the federal courts retain jurisdiction over constitutional claims.
112 Columbia Law Review 250-318 (2012)
Grove, Tara Leigh, "The Article II Safeguards of Federal Jurisdiction" (2012). Faculty Publications. 1265.
Constitutional Law Commons, President/Executive Department Commons


text:
welcome race fans TO krazyaboutracing.com we are now in our 19th year of covering motor sports on the "world wide web"
"we may not have all the whistles and bells like the other auto race websites have however we have the best coverage of the sport period"
click the series logo above for the latest news and race coverage or the department below we update the site on a daily basis ..
(home) (LOCAL TRACK racing) (previous racing) (site news) (driver & team press releases) (LOCAL TRACK NEWS) (previous news) (MEET the staff) (newsletter) (web site info) (HALL OF FAME) (upcoming events) (RACING INSIDER) (trackpass) (the old'n days) (multimedia) (ONE ON ONE interviews) (ANNUAL AWARDS) (the peeled eye) (contact us)
AL UNSER SR. DIRT TRACK MASTER 4 TIME INDIANAPOLIS 500 WINNER
Al is a former American automobile racing driver, the younger brother of Bobby Unser and father of Al Unser, Jr.. He is the second of three men to have won the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race four times, the fourth of five to have won the race in consecutive years, and is the only person to have both a sibling (Bobby) and child (Al Jr.) as fellow winners. Al's brother Jerry and nephews Johnny and Robby have also competed in the 500.
His father Jerry Unser and two uncles, Louis and Joe, were also drivers. Beginning in 1926 they competed in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, an annual road race held in Colorado.
Joe Unser became the first member of the Unser clan to lose his life to the sport, killed while test-driving a FWD Coleman Special on the Denver highway in 1929.
Al's oldest brother Jerry became the first Unser to drive at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, qualifying 23rd and finishing 31st in the 1958 Indianapolis 500. However, tragedy struck the next year when he was killed from injuries sustained in a fiery crash during a practice session.
Middle brother Bobby drove in his first Indianapolis 500 in 1963, becoming in 1968 the first member of the family to win, and in 1983 son Al Unser Jr. drove in his first.
While driving the Johnny Lightning Special and winning the Indianapolis 500 in 1970 and 1971 for Vel's Parnelli Racing, a team owned by Vel Melatich and Parnelli Jones, he had Mario Andretti and Joe Leonard as his team mates.
He began racing in 1957, at age 18, initially competing primarily in modified roadsters, sprint cars and midgets. In 1965 he raced in the Indianapolis 500 for the first time and finished ninth.
He won the Indy 500 in 1970, two years after his brother, Bobby. During the race, he led for all but 10 of the 200 laps and averaged 155.749 miles per hour. His quick pit stops were a factor in the victory. That season he won a record 10 times on oval, road and dirt tracks to capture the United States Auto Club national championship.
In 1971 he won the Indy 500 again, starting from the fifth position with an average speed of 157.735 mph.
Unser's bid to become the first three-time consecutive Indy 500 champion was thwarted when he finished second to Mark Donohue in the 1972 Indianapolis 500.
Starting 1978 Indianapolis 500 from 5th position in an FNCTC Chaparral Lola, he was considered a long shot. He took the lead on lap 75 and won following the fortuitous engine failure of challenger Danny Ongais, averaging 161.363 mph.
American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association member
National Motorsports Press association member
©2002-2022 MOTOR SPORTS GARAGE PRODUCTIONS, All Rights Reserved
ALL LOGOS ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS OF THE RACING SERIES AND ARE USED FOR EDITORIAL PURPOSES ONLY
ALL PICTURES ARE PROPERTY OF THE RACING SERIES AND ARE USED FOR EDITORIAL PURPOSES ONLY
NO PART OF THE SITE CAN BE COPIED OR REPRODUCED WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION OF MOTORSPORTSGARAGE PRODUCTIONS
This site is dedicated to my dad " Hoot" who introduced me to the great sport of auto racing............. rest in peace DAD
larry criss....................A true race fan LIKE AN UNCLE TO ME
gary lee.................auto racing broadcast legend and personnel friend
charlie patterson ............my old friend that supported me when mo one else did
Carroll Horton .......................................life long friend and indy car owner
Judy Morris.................... a true race fan


I often wonder if previous experience in playing an #exergame impacts the overall experience and success of game play. Levac et al. also wanted to know whether motivation to succeed at the game impacted movement characteristics (quality and quantity) in children. Using force plate data while playing Wii Sports and Wii Fit #exergames, participants who had previous experience playing Wii Fit moved more than those without experience. As they also concluded, if exergames are to be used as a modality in rehab settings or as an educational tool, its important to sequence positive learning experiences to improve game performance as well as self-efficacy.
There is increasing interest in the use of commercially-available virtual reality video gaming systems within pediatric rehabilitation, yet little is known about the movement characteristics of game play. This study describes quantity and quality of movement during Nintendo Wii and Wii Fit game play, explores differences in these movement characteristics between games and between novice and experienced players, and investigates whether motivation to succeed at the game impacts movement characteristics. Thirty-eight children (aged 7-12) with and without previous game experience played Wii (boxing and tennis) and Wii Fit (ski slalom and soccer heading) games. Force plate data provided center of pressure displacement (quantity) and processed pelvis motion indicated smoothness of pelvic movement (quality). Children rated their motivation to succeed at each game. Movement quantity and quality differed between games (p<.001). Children with previous experience playing Wii Fit games demonstrated greater movement quantity during Wii Fit game play (p<.001); quality of movement did not differ between groups. Motivation to succeed did not influence the relationship between experience and outcomes. Findings enhance clinical understanding of this technology and inform the development of research questions to explore its potential to improve movement skills in children with motor impairments.


The CE claiming process is closed. If you have any questions, email either hcioffi@csha.org or mfielder@csha.org for assistance. To access copies of your certificates, please visit our FAQ page for step-by-step instructions.
Looking for Learning Outcomes? Click here.
Looking for Learning Disclosures? Click here.
Looking for Continuing Education Policies? Click here.
CLICK HERE to see a list of exhibitors and to see a floorplan of the exhibit hall! Exhibit booths are sold out for CSHA 2019.


text:
Man arrested in connection with murder in Luton
A man has been arrested after a man was found dead in a property in Luton yesterday afternoon (Wednesday).
We were called just before 3pm to a report that a body of a man in his 50s had been found in a flat in Hitchin Road.
We carried out enquiries into the circumstances of the death and a murder investigation has now been launched. A 39-year-old man from Luton was arrested on suspicion of murder today (Thursday) in connection with the incident and is currently in custody.
Detective Inspector Phil Moss from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit (MCU), investigating, said: "After carrying out a number of enquiries we have now made an arrest and are treating this death as a murder.
"It is therefore vital that anyone who may have information gets in touch with us immediately so we can piece together what happened and the motive behind this incident."
Anyone with information should contact us by calling DI Moss on 101 or visiting the force's online reporting centre, quoting Operation Torque.
You can also visit our online reporting centre or call Crimestoppers, anonymously, via 0800 555 111, or www.crimestoppers-uk.org
Luton man jailed for 12 years for child sexual abuse committed 50 years ago
Four people have been arrested after drugs were found during a warrant carried out by Bedfordshire Police's Boson team this morning (Friday).
Local community team recovers 10 bikes
The Dunstable and Houghton Regis community policing team carried out a successful intelligence led warrant earlier today (Thursday) in Spinney Crescent, Dunstable.
Two arrested in connection with stabbing in Luton
A 16-year-old boy, from Luton, has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and a 47-year-old man, also from Luton, has been arrested on suspicion of violent disorder in connection with the incident in Sherwood Road on Sunday evening.


text:
Macular pigment optical density and its relationship with serum and dietary levels of lutein and zeaxanthin
Beatty, S. and Nolan, John and Kavanagh, H. and O'Donovan, O. M. (2004) Macular pigment optical density and its relationship with serum and dietary levels of lutein and zeaxanthin. Archives Of Biochemistry And Biophysics, 430 (1). pp. 70-76.
Beatty_and_Nolan_2004_-_MPOD_&_its_relationship_with_Serum_&_L_Z.pdf
Observational evidence is accumulating that the onset of age-related maculopathy, the leading cause of legal blindness in the Western World, could be delayed, or even averted, with antioxidant supplements. Lutein (L) and zeaxanthin (Z) are two hydroxycarotenoids with antioxidant activity which accumulate at the macula, where they are collectively known as macular pigment (MP). It has been shown that MP is entirely of dietary origin, and that L and Z levels in serum, diet, and retina correlate. However, the nature of the relationships between L and Z in foodstuffs, blood, and macula is confounded by many variables including processes which influence digestion, absorption, and transport of the compounds in question, and accumulation and stabilization of the carotenoids in the tissues. If macular pigment is protective for age-related maculopathy, a clear understanding of the mechanisms whereby L and Z arrive at the target tissue (retina) from their source (foodstuff) is essential. In this paper, we review the literature germane to this growing area of interest. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
ISI Document Delivery No.: 851CQ English Article 0003-9861
age-related maculopathy carotenoids lutein zeaxanthin Beta-carotene oxidative stress alpha-tocopherol tissue concentrations human retina in-vitro plasma age supplementation absorption
Macular Pigment Research Group
School of Science > Department of Chemical and Life Sciences
http://repository.wit.ie/id/eprint/13


text:
World War II People
There were so many people involved in World War II. This was an event that was launched after Hitler invaded Poland in 1939, but it had been in the works for years as Hitler took over European countries and started eliminating the Jews and other inferiors in an attempt to build his "Master Race" that was spoken of in Nazi ideology. Hitler used propaganda to extort the Nazi ideology of Aryan supremacy and made people in Germany and other countries believe that the Jews really were the problem. He even went so far as to create "The Final Solution", which was formally known as the "Final Solution to the Jewish Question".
Because he had built such a following before he was appointed as chancellor, it was easy for Hitler to take over once the president died in 1934 and become dictator. He quickly turned the country into a totalitarian state where he had supreme rule and his leading Nazi party members became his right hand men in the Nazi regime. In no time, he got down to business discriminating against the Jews and other inferiors, starting with boycotting Jewish businesses and stripping their rights as citizens. By the time World War 2 actually started, thousands of Jews had already been killed as a result of Hitler's 'laws'.
Concentration camps were around before the war, but they became increasingly popular as Germany looked for an organized solution to handle all of the inferiors as they continued to take over countries throughout Europe. These camps were home to torture, squalor, medical experimentation, forced labor, and gas chambers and cremation furnaces where people were killed and incinerated. Some of the most famous Nazi leaders earned their fame by being in charge of these camps and ordering the deaths of millions of Jews and others that were being held prisoner.
The Nazis saw the end of World War II coming, and they tried to bury Auschwitz, the largest concentration camp that they had. Their goal was to make it 'disappear' so that no one knew what happened. That didn't work, however, and the Soviets liberated the camp at the end of the war, along with the few remaining survivors that were there. From the Nazis to the Jews and everyone in between, there were a lot of people involved in World War II. There were also wars going on in Japan and the South Pacific, but most people think of this war and remember the Holocaust.
World War II Movies Concentration Camps During The Holocaust
Holocaust Survivors and Heroes
Watch what the children of Nazis say about the Holocaust.
Help us prevent Holocaust denial.
Support future Holocaust research


Luxury hill-top villa with stunning 360 degree views of the Mediterranean Sea and the mountains for sale within the exclusive Marbella Club Golf resort. This peaceful and private property was designed by the architect Cesar de Leyva and is in a privileged location. Marbella Club Golf resort has an 18-hole golf course, a horse riding school and stables; a dream home for golf lovers or those who like to be outdoors.
On the main floor of the property we find the large living area with a fireplace providing warmth and a cosy atmosphere; high ceilings open up the space. There is a pleasant dining area and kitchen with a breakfast area. On this floor we also find the 3 guest bedroom suites with bathrooms for ultimate comfort and convenience. Moving up to the upper floor we find the master bedroom suite and study area. Finally on the lower floor, which is at garden level, there is the guest bedroom suite and staff quarters plus a useful storage area and a garage with parking for 4 cars.
Outside there is a stunning infinity pool with a Polinesian style gazebo to enjoy the Mediterranean climate in total luxury. The garden is well maintained, designed by Jerry Hogan.
This could be the ideal property for a large family or those looking for plenty of space. It is only 10 minutes from the beach and all its amenities.
Located within the exclusive Marbella Club Golf resort, this property enjoys a priviledged hill-top location with spectacular views. The property is only 10 minutes from the beach and all its amenities.


text:
High-integrity software is software whose failure may cause serious damage with possible "life-threatening consequences." "Integrity is important as it demonstrates the safety, security, and maintainability of… code." Examples of high-integrity software are nuclear reactor control, avionics software, and process control software.

A number of standards are applicable to high-integrity software, including:
 DO-178C, Software Considerations in Airborne Systems and Equipment Certification
 CENELEC EN 50128, Railway applications - Communication, signalling and processing systems - Software for railway control and protection systems
 IEC 61508, Functional Safety of Electrical/Electronic/Programmable Electronic Safety-related Systems (E/E/PE, or E/E/PES)

See also
 Safety-critical system
 High availability software
 Formal methods
 Software of unknown pedigree

References

External links

Software by type
Software quality
Safety engineering


The Troy Book Makers is reprinting a few local history books. This one is just in time for St. Patrick's Day but it good for any time of the year. It's a small book with brief biographies of Irish-Americans of Troy, NY in the 19th century.


text:
    <title>CG2 Test/Warmup</title>

    <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media="screen" href="style.css">

    <canvas id="drawing_area" width="400" height="400" style="position:relative;">

        If you see this text, your browser probably does not
        support the HTML5 canvas 2D drawing context.
    </canvas>

    <canvas id="lesson05-canvas" style="border: none;" width="400" height="400"></canvas>

        <input id="showDraggers" type="checkbox" checked>Anfasser zeigen


text:
Caesars Entertainment talks with billionaire investor Icahn
Caesars En...
LAS VEGAS (AP) - Caesars Entertainment said Wednesday that it has talked with billionaire investor Carl Icahn, who began pushing for fundamental changes this week after revealing a 10 percent stake in the casino operator.
Caesars said it is evaluating Icahn's ideas and will keep listening to the activist investor. The company's comments came a day after Icahn said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing that he wants the company to pursue a sale while making leadership changes and adding some of his own choices to the board of directors.
"Caesars Entertainment regularly engages with our stockholders and considers their ideas and input regarding stockholder value," the company said in a statement. "The company intends to carefully evaluate Mr. Icahn's suggestions, including his request for board representation."
In Tuesday's filing, Icahn said Caesars' stock is undervalued and the best way to boost it would be to sell the company. He also revealed that he wants a say in whom the company appoints to replace CEO Mark Frissora, who guided Caesars through its more than two-year-long bankruptcy reorganization.
Frissora was scheduled to leave his position this month, but that departure was pushed back to the end of April. Icahn said he doesn't want Frissora's tenure extended again and expects the company to put off appointing a new leader until he and the board have engaged "meaningfully."
The casino behemoth emerged from an $18 billion bankruptcy in October 2017. It operates more than 35 casinos in the U.S. Its casino-resorts operate primarily under the Caesars, Harrah's and Horseshoe brand names.
Shares of the Las Vegas-based company jumped more than 5 percent Tuesday on news of Icahn's involvement but were still down 27 percent from a year ago.
Caesars reports fourth-quarter earnings results Thursday.
https://www.hellotacoma.com/
The most haunted cities in North America
12 Labor-Free Labor Day Party Recipes Gallery
The Best Restaurants of 2019
The best life lessons we learned from our parents
Every Thanksgiving Side Dish, Ranked
AP FACT CHECK: Trump's week of fiction: trade, Google, polls
AP FACT CHECK: Trump's 'historic' economic gains, 2016 myths
Technology companies weighing again on US stocks; Oil falls
Average US mortgage rates tick up; 30-year at 4.54 percent
Esport betting platform gets license for video game gambling
Volkswagen profit rises despite emissions certification woes
Markets Right Now: Tech and health care stocks slip
Italy faces higher borrowing costs, sanctions on budget
Surge in spending gives gun control groups hope in midterms
Home Depot roars back the second quarter


The farmhouse, built as a result built as a result of a careful restoration of an old farmhouse dating back to 1300s, behind a VII century AD Byzantine crypt, is co-star of an important multifunctional reality characterized by the presence of a farm with its livestock and an oil mill.
During the work of restoration we have paid great attention to the floor with its "chianche"( Salento's typical stone floor) and the impressing walls of limestone embellished by vaults so that we could recreate the authentic atmosphere of ancient times.
The original large fireplace, at the entrance of the farmhouse, welcomes our guests leading them into the heart of the ancient House itself.
Overlooking the old "Court", the ancient rooms intended for the daily lives of the "massari" (people working the farm) have been turned into large and comfortable bedrooms furnished maintaining the atmosphere of the original places with elegant furniture from the early 1900s and wrought iron beds.
Near the old original structure, surrounded by a large park, on whose lawn you can relax, reading a good book and enjoying a glass of our "negroamaro" wine, there are the new and refined rooms. Decorated in pastel colours like the flowers adorning the garden opposite them, they lend themselves to a good night's sleep thanks to the silence and tranquility that only nature can offer.
…….and with the first rays of sunshine, mulberries, medlars, plums, and figs turned into delicious jams are available for you at breakfast time accompanied by fragrant biscuits and cakes, all rigorously prepared according to our family's old recipes.
The flavors of the land will delight you along with tasty cheeses from the farm, vegetables picked from our garden every morning,the slices of whole meal bread accompanied by our olive oil to be tasted plain orin delicious omelets prepared with fresh eggs from our free range chickens.
Would you like to experience a stay at our farm?
Fresh vegetables picked directly from our garden, tasty cheese and meat from our animals , our richextra virgin olive oil, our fine negroamaro,"durum wheat" pasta are essential to our cuisine. The natural flavours are enhanced in traditional dishes whose simplicity allows our guests to appreciate their authenticity and goodness.
Time pleasantly goes by taking long walks through the fields, vineyards, olive trees, reading a book on the lawn,relaxing by the pool (open from june until august), visiting the surroundings by bike and … … … just a few steps from us practicing kitesurfing, trekking in natural reserves, boat trips and diving excursions.
The agriturismoTorrevecchia because of its strategic location, at the centre of three provinces: Brindisi, Lecce and Taranto, represents a great starting point for exploring the entire Salento peninsula and beyond.
Come and visit us! We wait for you lots of travel tips!


Aggregate litigation's potential as a tool for the disempowered is not being realized. Class actions have come under serious attack in the last decade as critics have successfully worked to change traditional notions of victimhood. The leading narrative identifies big businesses as the vulnerable prey needing protection from large class claims and the greedy class actions attorneys who bring them. Relying on this narrative, courts and Congress have made class actions harder to pursue, from filing and class certification to settlement approval.
Vulnerability theory offers an alternative framework to rehabilitate class actions. From this perspective, the legal system currently disadvantages consumers. Without more balanced class action procedures, these vulnerable subjects have little realistic economic means to judicial access. This, in turn, further empowers corporate defendants by under-enforcement of the substantive legal theories most-often pursued as class claims, impacting overall social and economic well-being.
The ambitious goal of this Article is to describe vulnerability theory and its intersection with class actions. Part I provides a foundational understanding of vulnerability theory. Part II maps out a narrative shift in the legal literature that downplays class actions as a way to empower the unempowered and instead emphasizes the need to protect potential defendants. Part III highlights how battles over narratives have consequences. In class actions, the narrative shift means courts are ignoring the disadvantages consumers face in bringing claims, including financial, informational, and judicial favoritism challenges. Part IV, using vulnerability theory, explain how class actions offer consumers resiliency tools. Enhancing these resiliency tools provides a new direction for class action reform that redefines prey and predator.
Christine P. Bartholomew, Redefining Prey and Predator in Class Actions, 80 Brook. L. Rev. 743 (2015).


Deck Post Solar Lighting – We wanted the lighting effects to remain very crisp and clean yet never cold and stark. Layering of lighting elements including cove lighting, art accents, decorative elements and in some cases table and floor lamps achieve this. We always want the sunshine sources themselves to generally be as unobtrusive as possible. Decor and home decor are generally mistaken in order to be the same, nonetheless terms may not be completely interchangeable. Decor is definitely a profession that requires specific schooling and formal training, including space planning, furniture design, and architecture. An inside decorator does not possess that formal training and discusses the aesthetics as well as the surface appearance of one's space. Who you would hire depends on whether you could have any structural work or space aiming to be performed or you need anyone to plan the decor only. Balance can also be a principle, distributing the visual weight at a room. It's possible symmetrically, out of the box common in traditional interiors, or with asymmetrical balance as seen in casual interiors.
Lightingis a vital item of the design puzzle. Lighting design plays a very big role in how you go through a space. Without light, interior architecture shouldn't be fully designed and experienced. It has become the key tools for an interior designer. Within a Interior decoration, possibly the hearth or a joint of art. It sets itself apart by scale, color, or texture. Contrast and variety add visual interest with a room. Keep rhythm as the primary goal with repeating elements of the identical color, texture, or pattern, and a progression of sizes or colors. Scale is the term for overall size, while proportion relates how large is parts than the whole. Keep this pair factors in mind when opting for furniture. Harmony refers to the blending of similar elements, while unity refers back to the overall sense of belonging together. This can be a goal, so ensure that it stays planned when you add each new article of furniture or accessory.
Congratulations, you will be ready deal with the family room or rooms you'll want to decorate. In the entry to family members room to the office at home, you could find decorating help for each room as part of your home. Explore the fundamentals of installing accommodation and the finishing touches to create your space a reflection of the personality and good taste.
Find a very good Recessed Lighting Pendant Fixture ideas & inspiration to fit your style.
Lighting is a facet of interior design precisely as it enhances the aesthetic appeal and creates the mood and ambiance of a full time income space. Lighting fixtures that illuminate a bedroom creates a safe and comfortable environment besides adding style to the inside décor. Lighting can make or break the ambiance of the room. Hence proper lighting is a component of decorating your homes. Light could be the main element giving everyone in the room a particular look and transforms it towards a seamless comprehensive forensics education functionality and style. If you want inspiration for designing your Lithonia Led Outdoor Lighting, professionals as of this blog might help you. Our website provides you pictures and ideas that enable you to design or renovate your living room and style it in country, modern or minimalist styles. In addition it can help you to choose the right colour, material and furniture needed to make the family area a better place. Good Interior Designs have some things in common. They are harmonious, elegant and fit in with the taste and personality of the people who use it. You can have endless possibilities and tips to decorate your living room. Before buying furniture for the family area it is essential to look after the functional needs.
Under Shelves Lighting – Interior lighting design is essentially the most important decor basics, yet it's often the most neglected by DIY decorators. It doesn't matter what carefully you've furnished, arranged, and accessorized, you don't need to a well-decorated home until you've implemented some lighting design basics. While designing your room, Whatever it's, it's a good idea to think about certain key aspects like space available, the colours to be used, the sort of furniture and accessories you fancy. When styling larger rooms, use of space is crucial. Strategic use of carpets, furniture can help a balanced environment, that is pleasurable to invest time in. But when there is space constraint, it is about giving the impression of space. Select clever colour schemes for the walls, add textures with bricks or tiles, and find the right balance of furnishings to create a relaxing atmosphere. You can also style up the space using vivid colours or cool, pastel tones depending on your wishes.


It's an understatement: you love everyone–literally. My friends, family, people who've read this and those who haven't. Whether you've met them or not, you love them because your world is good and they are good for being in it. You are darling, Phoebe girl, though you sit on books to keep me from reading them and chew on my fingers when I'm writing. Your jealousy of inanimate objects knows no bounds, but your love is unquantifiable. Unquestionable. Unwavering.
You are a sweetheart little Phoebe girl. Now please, stop staring at me.
than all the love that came from you.
cause, now for sure were are the same.
Michael Douglas? Big deal. Matt Damon? Who cares?!
The real star of HBO's Liberace Behind the Candelabra is Baby Boy, the partially-blind poodle– and now he's got the accolades to prove it.
Baby Boy took home the top dog prize at the Cannes Film Festival by being awarded the Palm Dog.
Hey, Uggie… you better watch your back!