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Cheap DIY Camera Systems Perform Amazing Photographic Feats
Author: Dave MosherDave Mosher
By day, Linden Gledhill develops pharmaceuticals. After hours, he pushes the limits of high-speed, up-close and on-the-cheap digital photography. The British native's latest science-inspired shots of insects in midflight, splattering paint droplets and butterfly wing scales are made possible by a small photographic-accessories company in Michigan. When Gledhill hits a barrier to his artistic will, he calls up Cognisys co-founder Paul DeZeeuw for help. "Our mission is to help photographers capture what they wouldn't normally be able to, and for cheap," DeZeeuw said. Some of the equipment Cognisys sells for a few hundred dollars can cost tens of thousands of dollars from other companies. "My friend and I started this whole thing in a basement, and Linden was one of our first customers. He's been suggesting features and accessories and all sorts of things since then." The two have already created a high-speed handheld photography rig and are joining forces on other devices to capture Gledhill's impossible shots, including a shutter system that can actuate in about 5 milliseconds from pushing the button to recording a photo. That's about 12-13 times faster than systems built into today's consumer digital cameras. "This collaboration has opened up a whole new world for me. It's enabling me to do professional work," he said. Despite taking on such professional work — including a recent contract to create images for Canon — Gledhill still describes himself as an amateur. His modesty runs so deep that, if you let him, he attempts to hide his engineering prowess behind soft-spoken statements about overcoming "slight" technical barriers. But this is a man who went out to the garage and built a high-speed camera shutter from an old hard drive when his camera wasn't fast enough to capture images of flying bugs. "My dad was an engineer, mechanical-maintenance kind of guy, so we built things together. But he was also interested in photography, and I picked up the hobby with him," Gledhill said. "Even in those days, when I was 11 or 12, we built an infrared trigger system for a camera" and a made-from-scratch telescope. Gledhill cultivates his passions from the home he shares with his wife and three children, uploading his work (along with images of his do-it-yourself camera rigs in the living room) to Flickr. We share some of his favorite images here, plus some of the technological magic behind their creation. Images: Wasps in flight. Credit: Flickr/Linden Gledhill (top pane, bottom pane).
Gledhill started using Cognisys equipment when he wanted to capture flying insects, such as the honeybee above. "I have a problem with killing them, plus they don't fly when they're dead," Gledhill said. He didn't want to pay a hefty sum to get the job done, so he picked up StopShot in 2008. The unit designed by DeZeeuw is made of a laser-based sensor hooked up to a timing computer, which then plugs into a digital SLR camera. When the beam is broken, it instantly instructs the camera to take a picture. "A flying insect is in your field of view for maybe 10 milliseconds. That's way too fast for human systems to respond," DeZeeuw said. "That's why we use electronics. It's a whole lot faster and far less frustrating to capture what you want." The one-beam StopShot system was good for immobile objects, Gledhill says, but a bug could trigger the camera shutter when off-frame. To resolve the problem, he prototyped a new two-laser unit (below) with Cognisys. It triggers a photograph only when both beams are broken, giving complete control over where a subject appears in a camera's view. The yellow cylinders attached to the front of the aluminum frame are lasers pointing to mirrors (bottom left, bottom right), ultimately guiding the beams to receiving sensors within the frame. When both beams are simultaneously broken, the computer triggers the camera (center) as well as any attached flash units (right, left). One has to wonder how many times Gledhill gets stung while taking photos only a few inches away from wasp and bee nests. The dual-beam StopShot system is programmable and more or less fully automated, however, allowing "hundreds of images" to be taken while he's watching from a safe distance. Images: Flickr/Linden Gledhill (top pane, bottom pane)
Leave sweet or sour food to fester on a warm day, and chances are tiny fruit flies will flock to it like miners to a gold rush. Gledhill used his custom dual-beam rig to create the above composite. "I've been pushing the boundaries of StopShot's sensitivity, and it's a very fine dot maybe a couple millimeters across," he said. "It can detect very small objects like fruit flies." Some of the fastest dSLR cameras have a delay of 60-70 milliseconds, which still wasn't speedy enough for Gledhill to capture especially fast insects. So he created a high-speed shutter from a hard drive (below) and attached it to the front of his camera, giving his equipment a response time of 11 milliseconds. "The drive's arm pivots on a coiled magnet, which allows it to move very rapidly with some current. I put a shutter blade onto the arm, made a casing for it, made a power supply and hooked StopShot up to the thing," Gledhill said. DeZeeuw and Gledhill are now collaborating on a production version of the shutter boasting a mere 6-millisecond delay. Images: Flickr/Linden Gledhill (top pane, bottom pane)
Water Figure on Leaves
Another interest of Gledhill's is capturing the hidden dynamics of liquids. "As soon as a drop hits the water's surface, you have about 5 milliseconds to react. You could photograph it all day and maybe get a few keeper photos," DeZeeuw said. Using a high-speed system vastly increases the number of good images a photographer can get, which DeZeeuw says allows more time to focus on the creative process instead of technical limitations. Gledhill captures dancing water and paint with advanced yet surprisingly low-budget setups. At the far right of the rig below is a StopShot computer, which has three input ports for flexibility in triggering photographs. Infrared beams and sensors (grey L-shaped devices, bottom left and middle right) await a falling drop, telling the computer to engage the camera shutter and flash unit (left center) as the liquid splashes upward. Hidden behind three reflectors (center) is a stage where pump-controlled drops of liquid (top) arrive. Everything here (minus the flash unit) costs about $400 and provides "priceless" hours of entertainment, Gledhill says. Images: Flickr/Linden Gledhill (top pane, bottom pane)
To make this jewel-studded crown, Gledhill used his water-figures rig and a touch of glitter. "It's a different spin on the classic water-drop crown," Gledhill said. "This also demonstrates the use of StopShot for triggering flash units based on the position of a falling water drop." Image: Flickr/Linden Gledhill
Triple Exposure
One of Gledhill's most famous series is his paint-splattered figures, inspired by Flickr user fotoopa's work. Gledhill makes the images by dribbling paint over a rubber membrane stretched onto a speaker. When he pumps sound through the speaker, the paint shoots upward and a microphone triggers the computer. Adopting a "no Photoshop" approach for this image, Gledhill designed an advanced rig (below) to capture three separate instances of the same splash, spaced 10 milliseconds apart, in a single shot. "A spinning mirror was used to displace the image across the camera sensor while the flash guns were strobed three times," Gledhill said. A variable resistor controls a DC motor (left), driving the belt around an axle (bottom). On top of the axle is a high-grade mirror. By trial and error, Gledhill tuned the resistor and his flash unit to paint the three evenly spaced images onto his camera's sensor. Images: Flickr/Linden Gledhill (top pane, bottom pane)
Canon Advertisement
Gledhill's colorful water figures eventually landed him a contract to help Canon with a new Pixma printer advertising campaign. To bring the splashes of color to life in video, he teamed up with design agency Dentsu London and used a 5,400-frames-per-second video camera attached to a rotating platform. (By comparison, a typical video camera captures images at 60 frames per second.) Gledhill says it was an a amazing experience, but finds it even more amazing that amateurs can do similar work "without hundreds of thousands of dollars of extremely heavy equipment." Video: Vimeo/Dentsu London Image: A water figure. Credit: Flickr/Linden Gledhill
Another photographic interest of Gledhill's is capturing images of tiny insects in stunning detail. Taking such shots requires a high-magnification camera setup, including extension tubes and teleconverters to boost a lens' magnification power. Luck and patience are other necessary ingredients. Image: Flickr/Linden Gledhill
One serious challenge of shooting objects at high magnification is working with an increasingly limited plane of focus, also called depth-of-field. "Normally you get only a slice of your subject in-focus," DeZeeuw said. "The rest is fuzzy," he says, because of the physics of light traveling through a lens with a wide aperture. Using a process called focus stacking, however, photographers can merge digital images to expand their depth of field. Gledhill combined five separate images of the tobacco hornworm (above) to widen the in-focus portion of the image. Image: Flickr/Linden Gledhill
Harlequin Cabbage Bugs Hatching
From the underside of a leaf, tiny harlequin cabbage bugs hatch from their hinged egg cases. Gledhill says digital photography allows him to take images the film cameras of his childhood couldn't. "Film is precious. Now you can take thousands of photos and learn more quickly," Gledhill said. In addition, the low-light sensitivity of good digital cameras "has gotten to point where it exceeds film," he said. Image: Flickr/Linden Gledhill
Mold on a Raspberry
At 7x magnification, this "alien landscape" of sprouting mold spores looks much less fuzzy. Gledhill used 35 individual shots taken in 40-micron steps to create this photograph. To create similar focus-stacked macrophotography, Gledhill first used a homemade, hand-powered macro rail with a camera mount attached to it. By turning a dial attached to a fine-pitch screw, he nudged his camera closer to tiny subjects and snapped one in-focus slice at a time. After the shoot, he merged the photographs with software. It was tedious work, so Gledhill now uses Cognisys' StackShot macro rail — another computer-controlled piece of equipment that he pushed DeZeeuw to create. With a bit of programming, its stepping motor can inch a camera along in movements as small as 10 microns. "You're basically building a master image one slice at a time," DeZeeuw said. "If you try to go out and get a microscope with [focus] stacking, you're looking at tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. Now we can get that capability with several hundred dollars." Gledhill's setup (below) uses two StackShot computers to control the vertical and horizontal movement of his camera, lens and flash units. Images: Flickr/Linden Gledhill (top pane, bottom pane)
Peruvian Lily Nectar
Using StackShot, Gledhill compiled this image of an Alstroemeria stigma. Tiny grains of pollen, some sprouting tubes to deliver their genetic cargo, are trapped in the nectar dripping off the flower's female reproductive organ. The shot is composed of 40 separate images taken at 17x magnification. Each image was taken in 20-micron (1/50 millimeter) steps. Image: Flickr/Linden Gledhill
Small Spider
It's not often that a live subject will stay still enough for macrophotography, but this patient spider played her role well for Gledhill. He stacked 10 images at approximately 4.5x magnification to create this photograph. Image: Flickr/Linden Gledhill
Butterfly Wing Scales
Gledhill also uses his computer-controlled setup to photograph structures normally hidden to human eyes. The blue and white scales of a butterfly wing in this cropped image made of seven focus-stacked images, for example, pop out in clear detail next to veins. Image: Flickr/Linden Gledhill
Sunset Moth Wing Scales
The iridescent scales of a sunset moth's wing show up in stunning detail, thanks to focus-stacking work by Gledhill. This 17x-magnified image covers a 1.3-millimeter-wide section of the wing. Gledhill says the higher magnification you use, the more physics works against good image quality. "If you want to see the scales on a moth or butterfly wing, you have to stack images," he said. "It allows you to reduce diffraction and circumvent the natural blur from your optics." Image: Flickr/Linden Gledhill
Magnetic Ferrofluids
In the presence of a magnet, tiny particles of iron suspended in liquid, called a ferrofluid, morph into impossible shapes. Gledhill took the impossibility of the material a step further by combining multiple images of ferrofluids at high magnification. The above crop is a 7x-magnified shot made of 20 separate images, and below is a 1.5x-magnified photo showing the twists and turns of the magnetic field. It's easy to assume Gledhill's work is driven by a geeky passion for high-tech toys, but he says that's only a small part of it. Weighing in most heavily are deep appreciations for science, engineering and nature. To be more productive, focus on creativity and cut out frustration without busting his wallet, he turns to DeZeeuw to prototype new tools. Their collaboration has created real-world applications other than pure aesthetic satisfaction. A new deal with the U.S. Army, for example, will give soldiers StopShot systems to photograph disease-carrying bugs. "Scientists can get the right information very rapidly to identify insects," DeZeeuw said. Scientists are also reaping benefits from the machines in other ways. "Some of our biggest customers are now museums and entomologists," DeZeeuw said, noting they use the StackShot system to convert fragile insect collections into digital archives. "One guy's ultimate goal is to use products like ours to do away with hand drawings of bugs. He wants to rapidly create digital 3-D models of them." Images: Flickr/Linden Gledhill (top pane, bottom pane)
All images © Linden Gledhill.
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Real Sociedad vs Sevilla Preview and Line Up Prediction: Draw 1-1 at 11/2
Real Sociedad and Sevilla will play their twenty-fourth game of the La Liga season at Estadio Municipal de Anoeta on Sunday, 22nd February. Match Preview: The teams last played in September 2014 and Sevilla won the game 1 – 0. In March 2014 they played and Sevilla won 1 – 0. Real Sociedad is twelfth
Join the Greeks in WMS Gaming's Centaur Slots
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Europe's Top Casinos and Gambling Destinations
Europeans love to gamble, it a central part of the culture and is widely accepted as an enjoyable pass time. As a result it is no surprise that there is an abundance of top quality casinos across the continent and any gambler who wishes to travel and visit some excellent casinos at the same time
Elche vs Real Madrid Preview and Line Up Prediction: Real Madrid to Win 3-0 at 6/1
Elche and Real Madrid will play their twenty-fourth game of the La Liga season at Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero on Sunday, 22nd February. Match Preview: The teams last played in September 2014 and Real Madrid won the game 5 – 1. In February 2014 they played and Real Madrid won 3 – 0. Elche is
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If you're a little bored of regular blackjack then Silverstreams' latest app release, Blackjack Solitaire, may be the answer you are looking for. The app offers players the choice between regular blackjack and GoGo21. GoGo21 is partially based on blackjack rules but incorporates elements of solitaire. The object of the game is to place the
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Earlier this week Ezugi released a new app that baccarat fans are sure to enjoy. Simply titled Live Dealer Baccarat the app provides exactly what the name suggests. Players can enjoy a high quality mobile casino experience playing at the baccarat tables which are staffed by professional and friendly dealers. The app is built extremely
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Head into the Arabian Nights with 1x2gaming's new release Aladdin's Destiny slot. It is a 5 reel, 25 payline slot that fans of the genre are sure to love. On the reels players will find symbols including Aladdin, Princess Jasmine, the Genie, Ja'far, Aladdin's lamp and an all seeing eye. There are also two wild

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Excel - Range, Select, Change contents, Allignment or Offset?
I have a case at the moment where I am moving down the column with the names below and clicking on a macro, that then marks the indicator with a 35, a few columns down to the right. Due to the nature of the page, I am wanting to count how far down the list I am when I review a name and activate the macro. So what I want to do is instead of just selecting and marking the one name I want to mark that row and all preceeding rows with a 35. That way the graphs and calculated COUNTA value changes with the progress of the reviewer as he/she goes down the sheet.
Then as an FYI, my export macro which is only supposed to export line items that are manually highlighted (Not the automatically filled preceeding ones).
So what I have thought is, is it possible to, for my first macro, be able to have the one marker (35) at 6 columns to the right. Have all preceeding rows markerd too, then maybe just a marker in the 7th column for that row. That way my calculcated row count runs off the new column 6. And my export off column number 7.


Two weeks ago Chad (my hunky husband) and Janie (our sweet, silly dog), were sending out cranky vibes, so I took them on a midday walk. Whilst walking, I locked eyes with a little kitten scurrying up a neighbor's driveway. I approached the kitten, low and slow, but the kitten slinked under the neighbor's porch. An hour later, I returned to the neighbor's house with a can of kitten food. The kitten was seemingly waiting for me on the neighbor's front porch. It ran off when I got close, but resurfaced within the hour to devour the food I left for it. I also left a note for my neighbor asking if the kitten belonged to them. The next day, I spied the same kitten loitering on the neighbor's porch. We did the same dance where it ran off as I approached with food, but quickly resurfaced to eat. The neighbor called that afternoon in response to my note, saying that the kitten was not his, that it was feral, and could likely use some help. Our neighbor has a humane trap and got it out so we could catch the kitten. Within an hour of baiting the humane trap, the kitten was moving into a giant dog crate in our dressing room (formerly known as the guest bedroom). I outfitted the crate with a heating pad bed, food, water and a small litter box.
Little Bit just after capture.
Chad and I thought of several gender-neutral names for the kitten, but none of them seemed to fit this kitten. I kept calling her Little Bit, and that name stuck. We call her L.B. for short.
L.B. uses the litter box every time, despite starting life as an outdoor kitty. She cleans her plate at every meal. She loves to play, and get her back scratched while she purrs. She loves other kitties, but is scared of our dog. L.B. did an outstanding job of charming the staff at the veterinarian office during her first visit. She had intestinal parasites and a gastro-intestinal infection, but has completed her meds, and is all better. L.B. still needs one more round of kitten shots. As of today, she is approximately 14 weeks old and weighs 3.5 pounds.
L.B. cozy after climbing 6.5 feet to the top of Chad's closet.


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February 23, 2016 July 8, 2016 misciwriters Research, science behind the scenes, Science communication
Escaping the bunker mentality, part II…
By Kirsti Ashworth
Last week, I introduced the process of transdisciplinary research: an iterative, co-operative approach that brings communities and researchers together to collaborate at all stages of the research process. But given the difficulties of finding funding for traditional scientific research, can this kind of research become a reality? There are plenty of examples out there that suggest it can.
There are already signs of change: many scientists are starting to consider the practical implications and applications of their research, looking beyond the narrow confines of their discipline, and engaging with local stakeholders. International institutes, science co-ordinators, and funding agencies are actively promoting inter- and transdisciplinary research. The field of sustainability is a prime example. Continue reading "Escaping the bunker mentality, part II…" →
February 16, 2016 July 11, 2016 misciwriters Research, science behind the scenes, Science communication
Escaping the bunker mentality
Save the date! 2016 is the Year of the Future.
A future that's bright, a future that's transdisciplinary…
Image credit: Arnaud Bouissou/MEDDE/SG COP21
On December 13th 2015, the world's leaders reached a rare consensus and ratified an historic accord designed to limit climate change to 2°C. January 1st 2016 marked the official launch of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals and the start of the next Assessment Report for the IPCC. These events have shifted the emphasis from investigating and reporting the physical science behind the unprecedented changes we're seeing on our planet to identifying and implementing strategies to avoid further change (mitigation) or to minimize their impacts (adaptation).
Continue reading "Escaping the bunker mentality" →
February 9, 2016 July 8, 2016 misciwriters Chemistry, Research, Technology
Water splitting part II: Research at University of Michigan
By Jimmy Brancho
You know what they say: "You can't store solar energy without cracking a few water molecules."
Or, at least, many scientists around the world are working to make that so. As was discussed earlier on this blog, solar water splitting could enable a cleaner energy future by storing energy from the sun's rays in a stable chemical fuel like hydrogen that can be used on-demand. Ideally, the only inputs needed would be water and sunlight, and the only waste product oxygen. However, the current state of technology is a long way off. Bart Bartlett, Charles McCrory, and Neil Dasgupta are among several faculty here at the University of Michigan that are working to make solar water splitting devices a reality. Each of them approaches the problem from a diverse angle.
Continue reading "Water splitting part II: Research at University of Michigan" →
February 2, 2016 July 8, 2016 misciwriters Science education, Technology
Coding in the classroom: The next generation of computer literacy
By Hillary Miller
Remember when "computers skills" meant you could type a certain number of words per minute while keeping your hands on the home row? Back in the early 2000's, I took a keyboarding class where they taught us how to type and said, "You're good!". Looking back, though, there was so much more to learn. I don't believe my teachers were intentionally withholding information about computers and all their uses, but additional training would have been useful later in life.
Continue reading "Coding in the classroom: The next generation of computer literacy" →


♥ Plant: Silver Wattle, a Wattle (or Mimosa) found in south-eastern Australia.
♥ How it's made: the flowers were collected, pressed and dried, then carefully set between multiple layers of clear eco resin.
♥ Size & Shape: These resin drop of the earrings measures about 20 mm wide and 30 mm long. Total dangle length is about 50 mm.


We usually use USPS,EMS, DHL.
DHL:The Shipping Time is 3-7 Working Days.
You can freely choose different express companies. Of course, we would also give you the best suggestion on the most suitable express company. It can help you save cost and shipping time.
If other issue like faild to sent you the goods or send the wrong goods,we'll guarantee to give you a full refund or resend a new package.
Pending: Your order is waiting to be processed.
Confirmed wait proccess: your order is submited to our stockroom, your order is preparing.
Package On The Way: Your order has been shipped and me posted your tracking number to your account.
Out Of Stock: The whole order is out of stock. And your money has been refunded or you will have to reorder.
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I never believe that products with higher price can deliver better than drugstore ones. I received this lipgloss from my coolest aunt from NYC. She loves makeup too but settles for the high end ones. She keeps on telling me how good Chanel foundation is. Ohh how I wish I have the money to buy one too.. haha Upon opening this gloss I was not really impressed. It does not have any sweet scent to it which I am always on the lookout when buying glosses until I tried it.
I got Rose Tentation which is a sheer lilac pink shade.
I love the gold cap and the brush applicator. I am getting tired of the doe foot applicator which most glosses have.
The shade is really sheer but SUPER shiny.
It gives my lips a more plumper look (although my lips does need more plumping because it is naturally plump). It gives my lips that high shine. I apply it on top of my lipstick. It is not drying like most glosses that I have. Plus, it stays on for hours on my lips .
My friend is asking me what lipgloss is not sticky and I suggested her my all time favorite Careline lipgloss. If you want a high end brand, this one is worth it. hehe It not sticky at all and goes one very smooth on my lips.
I don't know how much this costs here in the Philippines.
I miss doing lip swatches!!A LOT!
Look how shiny it is? The shimmers are just enough to give your lips a bit of sparkle. The color is very sheer and cannot cover my dark upper lips.. yay.. I wanted to show the shade without anything on my lips to show you the beautiful sheen it gives.
It's sooo pretty. I love how the fine shimmers are so visible.
haha! i knew it! ako maiisip mo dyan! may peach shade ba?
dazzleglass is good too..not really sticky & heavy.
actually hate glosses but i am making an exception for dazzleglasses na!
i guess that high end brands do have a certain edge,right?
love the gold cap din!
Another Guerlain post! :P It looks really pretty!
The gloss is super pretty!


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Director Nick Connor belongs to the Loachian school of filmmaking, that uses the medium as a way to tackle social issues and provoke discussion. For Cotton Wool that issue is the families of stroke victims, especially young children, who have no choice but to become full time carers. This desperately needed to be feature length over forty minutes but it demonstrates that, with the right funding, Connor can rise up to take the place of the ageing Loach himself.
Rachel (Leanne Best), a single mother living in the North of England, works tirelessly to support her two children. There is little time for introductions however and just a few minutes in she suffers a devastating stroke.
The only person by her side is son Sam who is far too young to understand the gravity of what he is seeing, and thinks his mum is trying to scare him. Best is sublime in this sequence, painting a horrifically realistic portrait of the realtime effects of a stroke.
The road to recovery is very slow and Rachel finds it difficult to cope initially. Wheelchair bound and forced to use a tablet to communicate, she is relying on Sam to take care of her. Best continues to excel here, the frustration at her own helplessness is painfully clear. Her daughter Jennifer is resentful in having to take care of her mother, opting to go to a pub with her friends instead.
Sadly the short runtime impacts this aspect of the film greatly. Had there been a handful more scenes fuelling the tension between mother and daughter both before and immediately after her stroke, Jennifer's escape to the pub would have evoked far more emotion. A necessary escape from the stress of being the sudden head of the household rather than the petulance of a selfish young girl.
It is during this time that Rachel has another, smaller, stroke. Thankfully Sam, having been taught by a nurse a few days prior, knew exactly what to do. The awareness of Sam (Max Vento) at his young age is astonishing, calmly waiting the five minute he was told before pressing the button for help.
When Jennifer comes home, she discovers that neglecting to care for her mother could have meant losing her entirely. This forces a change in mentality, and she tearfully apologises to her mother. The scenes of Jennifer coming home and of her apologising were fraught with emotion but again suffered in the rush to squeeze an 80 minute story into 40 minutes.
While Best was the standout performance in Cotton Wool, she was not alone in bringing Connor's thought-provoking vision to life. Having previously worked on his last film Northern Lights, Gemma North and Katie Quinn once more delivered capable performances and Max Vento, at just 6 years old, perfectly encapsulated the innocence of a small child in the face of a traumatising situation.
With his next film, The Wall, already announced, Connor is hardly pausing for air before taking on his next challenge. Following the distinct climb in quality from Northern Lights, it feels only natural that The Wall would see his step up into feature length filmmaking, a challenge I'm sure he would face with great vigour.


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Behind The Mask Gallery
What Is Drawn On The Way?
We spend most of our lives
"on the way," Rushing, commuting, running from task to task and place to place. Drawn On The Way is a collection of sketches — drawn live, in the moment — that celebrates the people, moments and objects often overlooked in the rush of our day-to-day lives.
Drawn On The Way is a daily reminder that each one of us is a work of art.
Thanks for visiting & see you soon,
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It's About Seeing The World Differently
Drawn On The Way is a daily reminder that each one of us, just we are, is a work of art.
In a city like New York, where people are crowded together, perpetually in motion, we choose to be anonymous strangers — to look past each other as we make our way.
Your Voting Guide: Make a plan to Vote and Be The Change!
The Days of Awe: What is it to suffer?
Poems for Summer // Before It's Gone
©2018 Drawn On The Way | Powered By Slake | Contac


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By Chacha O
Blood is said to be thicker than water, that, however, doesn't translate to siblings looking so much alike most times. For Ukeme and Ini Edo, the story is totally different as the two have such strong a striking resemblance to each other that questions have been asked at different points concerning the relationship that exists between the two women.
The beauty, facial features, and physical appearance shared between these two have left many to wonder if they are twins or the resemblance is only a mere coincidence. Are the two actually twins, continue reading to find answers to the questions below
Ukeme and Ini Are Sisters But Not Twins
So, to answer the question outrightly, Ukeme and Ini Edo are not twins. Many people have been living with the idea/illusion for so long that the two are twin sisters all because of their striking resemblance but in reality, they are not. Ukeme Edo is actually Ini's elder sister.
There is not so much information flying around about when she was born, however, the much we know is that she attended Immaculate Conception Secondary School Itak Ikono where she graduated in 1995 before proceeding to further her studies at the University of Uyo. She is an entrepreneur and the CEO of Kemzeal Foods: an online store that deals in crayfish, dry sea fish, and original palm.
There is no information about her personal life, if she is married, has kids, or not, but judging from her social media pages where she bears Ukeme Ekim, she might be a married woman. Although there is no confirmation that she is married, there is also a possibility that she is married and has decided to keep the identity of her man and possibly family off the piercing eyes of the public. Ukeme is visible on Instagram and Facebook as kemzyliving where she showcases her goods with over 5k followers on Instagram.
A post shared by Ukeme Ekim (@kemzyliving)
The Sisters Appear To Be Pretty Close
Ukeme and Ini Edo appear to be very close. They never miss being together, especially on ceremonial occasions like family celebrations or on their birthdays when they celebrate each other on their social media timelines.
A post shared by Ini Edo (@iniedo)
Ini Edo once talked about her love for her sister, Ukeme, and for her family as a whole. She proudly stated that after her love for God, the next is for her family. She is seen to regularly post pictures of herself with her family members on Instagram, where she has amassed a huge number of fans following her.
They Both Share Two Siblings
Ukeme and Ini Edo share two other siblings together; a sister who goes by the name, Ify Edo, and a younger brother, Oti Edo. This means that they are only four children from their parents.
The two sisters are quite close to their siblings as well, this can be seen in the way they tag each other on social media and celebrate together as a family.
Ify Joe Mark (Nee Edo)
Ify Joe is the only sister they share together. We are not sure what she does for a living as there is no available information on that. What we do know is that she tied the knots with her sweetheart Joe Mark in 2014 and the brown sugar princess was all out sharing in her joy, as well as her other siblings.
Oti Edo
Their younger brother, Oti Edo, goes by the name edojnr on Instagram with 26k followers, He is also into entertainment, although not as popular as his sister Ini, he is doing well in his niche and gradually gaining popularity.
He is the CEO of Maximum Disturbance Entertainment. A promising record label that currently has one artiste signed to its platform. He seems to also be into movie production sort of as his Instagram walls are littered with pics from what appears to be a movie location with Rokstudios.
A post shared by CEO 000 000 000 (@edojnr)
The young CEO is also the brain behind 04 Grill: a Grills and Cocktails outlet in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. He appears to be single as there are no indications that he is married or has children.
A post shared by 04 Grill (@04grill)
Is Queen Wokoma Ini Edo's Sister?
A post shared by Queen Wokoma (@queenwokoma)
Ini Edo is definitely one of a few celebrities that have many look-alikes, one of them is Nollywood actress, Queen Wokoma. With the striking resemblance, the two actresses can easily be passed for sisters any day any time but interestingly they are not.
The looks, height, physique, and facial appearance are so much alike, leaving most of their fans awestruck at the wonders of God's creation and at the same time explaining the reason they are most often mistaken to be sisters. The two are not even related in any way, they are nothing beyond colleagues in the industry.
Wokoma is also from the Southern part of Nigeria just like Ini Edo, but she is a Rivers State-born actress. She is a graduate of Public Administration from Abia State Polytechnic, joined the movie industry in 2011, and made her debut in the Blood of Fire and went on to feature in other movies such as Snake Lord, Nurses Cult, Dangerous Mafians and countless more.
She studied English at the University of Calabar, obtained a bachelor's degree, and later earned a scholarship to go read law at the National Open University of Nigeria, AKA NOUN. Wokoma looks up to Ini as a senior colleague in the industry and holds her in very high esteem and this she is vocal about.
IIni Edo and Esther Urrah Image Source
Another person people have also mistaken to be Ini's sister is Esther Urrah. Although a lot of people initially thought that she and Ini Edo were identical twins. We found out that Esther Urrah hails from Otukpo in Benue State while Ini Edo comes from Onna in Akwa Ibom State.
Esther on her own claims she never knew that she and her popular colleague shared a similar facial resemblance until her friends pointed it out to her. From then onwards she wished to be in a movie with Ini Edo.
Chacha O
Chacha is a writer with a wealth of experience who has contributed across several channels. Her specialty includes celebrity lifestyle including how top movie stars, musicians, and comedians live their lives.


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Ongoing study reports two new Omicron symptoms; all you need to know
As per Tim Spector, Professor of Genetic Epidemiology at King's College London, who is leading the study, these symptoms are common in those who are double-jabbed or even boosted.
New Delhi | January 4, 2022 10:00 IST
Here's what to keep in mind about Omicron (Source: Getty Images/Thinkstock)
The Omicron variant — or B.1.1.529 — which has been designated as a variant of concern by the World Health Organization (WHO) has been spreading faster, even though the symptoms have been mild. Now, shedding more light on the same, a Covid-19 fitness tracking app in the United Kingdom, called ZOE Covid study app, has reported two new symptoms that have been seen in Omicron patients — nausea and loss of appetite.
Also Read |Covid-19: Your complete guide to caring for someone at home
As per Tim Spector, Professor of Genetic Epidemiology at King's College London, who is leading the study, these symptoms are common in those who are double-jabbed or even boosted.
"Quite a few of them had nausea (and therefore lack of appetite), slight temperature, sore throats and headaches," he said in a YouTube video.
Using recent data from London, where Omicron prevalence is higher than other region of the UK, ZOE data scientists analysed symptom data from positive cases recorded in the study and compared with data from early October when Delta was dominant. They found that only 50 per cent of the patients have experienced the classic three symptoms of fever, cough, or loss of sense of smell or taste. They also found that there was no significant difference in the symptom profile of Delta and Omicron variants.
"These findings come from a very small batch of data who have reported their RT-PCR to be positive and includes but suspected and confirmed Omicron cases. We need to look into a larger data to confirm the same," said Dr Chetan Rao Vaddepally, consultant pulmonologist, Yashoda Hospitals Hyderabad.
"Omicron-related infections are very mild, and include throat issues, loss of appetite, and generalised weakness. The conventional symptoms like cough, cold, breathlessness, loss of sense of smell and taste are not seen in majority of cases, as per national and international data," Dr Gopi Krishna Yedlapati, consultant interventional pulmonologist, Yashoda Hospitals, Hyderabad told indianexpress.com in an earlier interview.
Agreed Dr Sanket Jain, pulmonologist Consultant, Masina Hospital who also shared that "one of my patients, just five days back, got admitted with a complaint of loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting. As per protocol, we conducted RT-PCR, and it came positive. Such symptoms are commonly being observed nowadays especially in infections of Omicron".
Should you get tested if you have nausea and loss of appetite?
As per the study, people infected are between 40 and 70 per cent less likely to be admitted to hospitals. "While Omicron and Delta may feel like a cold to many of us, it can kill and leave 1 in 50 with long-term symptoms that disrupt their day-to-day lives," warns the study app.
What can you do to protect yourself and others from Omicron?
Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain noted that people with no travel history found infected with Omicron means "it's gradually spreading in community".
As per ZOE app, it is important to
*Recognise "all of the symptoms of Omicron, get tested and isolate when you experience them"
*If you live in an area experiencing high rates of infection, consider staying home and reducing social contact
*Get fully vaccinated
*Wear a mask in crowded places
*Improve your immune health with small changes to your diet
As per MoHFW, it is essential to mask yourself properly, take both doses of vaccines (if not yet vaccinated), maintain social distancing and maintain good ventilation.
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Home / Money & Career /
Is the Cost of Putting a Roof Over Your Head Too High?
Eric McWhinnie Google+ Twitter
Source: Thinkstock
Owning the roof over your head has long been a staple of the American Dream, but it's becoming increasingly difficult to accomplish. In today's environment of rising asset prices and stagnant wages, even the cost of renting a home can be a nightmare.
Following the housing bubble collapse of yesteryear, home values continue to rebound to new highs. According to Zillow's latest reading, home values in the United States rose 6.6 percent on a year-over-year basis in August. The firm's home value index now stands at $175,600, its highest level since March 2005. On a monthly basis, home values gained 0.5 percent from July to August. Zillow predicts home valuations will slow to a 3.1 percent pace from August 2014 to August 2015.
Among the nation's 35 largest metros, all but Indianapolis experienced an annual home value increase last month. The sharpest increases were seen in Miami-Fort Lauderdale (16.6 percent), Las Vegas (16.3 percent), Riverside (16.2 percent), and Atlanta (15.5 percent). However, these metros all remain well below their peak values. Of the 515 housing markets covered in the Zillow report, 449 (87 percent) experienced annual home value appreciation in August.
"We now have several different types of markets emerging, including markets that are still muddling along the bottom; markets that shot up immediately after the recession ended and are now cooling quickly; and markets that are still very hot," said Zillow chief economist Stan Humphries in a press release. "Each of these environments presents unique challenges and opportunities for buyers and sellers, and what works in one area won't necessarily work in another."
Renters are also facing challenges. The Zillow Rent Index, which covers 860 metropolitan and micropolitan areas, posted year-over-year gains in 684 of the areas covered. National rents increased 3.3 percent on an annual basis in August. Rents have been growing at a stronger pace since May, a troubling trend considering affordability levels.
Americans are already spending a larger portion of their incomes on rent. Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies reports that half of U.S. renters pay more than 30 percent of their income on rent, up 12 percentage points from a decade earlier. In fact, 27 percent of renters now pay more than half their income to landlords. Meanwhile, homeownership rates reported by the Census Bureau remain at their lowest level in nearly two decades.
"The gravity of the situation for the large proportion of renters spending so much of their incomes on housing is plain," said Eric Belsky, managing director of the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard. "We are losing ground rapidly against a chronic problem that forces households to cut essential spending. With little else to cut in their already tight budgets, America's lowest-income renters with severe cost burdens spend about $130 less on food each month, and make similar reductions in healthcare, clothing, and savings.
"And while many choose longer commutes to lower their housing costs, the combined cost of housing and transportation means even less remains for other expenses."
More from Personal Finance Cheat Sheet:
5 Reasons Why the War on Poverty Feels Like a Losing Battle
7 States Leading the Rebound in Foreclosure Activity
10 Worst College Majors for Today's Job Market
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Garratt Park School is an outstanding special school in Earls field in the London Borough of Wandsworth. We cater for184 students aged 11-19 with moderate learning difficulties (MLD). Around 40% of our students also have Autistic Spectrum Conditions, and around two thirds have communication and interaction difficulties. In addition, we have a number of students with a variety of complex needs.
We are a welcoming and inclusive school community with a highly cohesive and positive staff. We offer high-quality in -service training.
A visit to the school prior to interview is expected. To arrange this, or for any further details please contact Janice Button at the school on the telephone number below or by email recruitment@garrattpark.wandsworth.sch.uk.
Completed application should be returned to the school by email, post or fax.


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Hi everyone! Today two of my friends brought up the topic of being hooked on to the Vocaloid song "Just be friends", so I thought I'll chime in too!
I'll be frank, initially I didn't like the song because I didn't like the English lyrics "Just be friends, all you gotta do is just be friends. It's time to say goodbye, just be friends...". I just thought that in reality when you break up with your partner it's really difficult to say "hey, forget everything that happened between us and we'll just be friends". This is of course skewed with my bias of not believing in "love/falling in love" (this is a matter I will not ponder about in this post).
But what I do want to share with everyone today is a cover that Clear did of the song JBF (Listen here!). I really like this version of the song. The tempo is slowed down a lot from the original song. It contains plain piano accompaniment, which I think brings out the pain of breaking up with someone you love. Adding on Clear's beautiful and moving voice listening to this version will definitely make you cry!
Another cover of JBF is by NicoNicoChorus (in fact if you do a Youtube search you'll find many NicoNico covers). This one is one of favourites. I feel that the various human voices have been mixed in successfully, nothing seems out of beat or out of tune. I am also biased because Halyosy is part of the team singing this song.
One day I would like to make my own "Chorus". Go gather up a few friends, sing covers of Vocaloid songs and record them. But of course that is one naive dream. For starters I don't know Japanese so pronunciation is a problem, and secondly I can't sing ;_;.
Anyhow, I'll stop being depressive and leave you guys with a cosplay photo based on JBF.
Disclaimer: I don't own this photo. All credits goes to the cosplayers and photographer.


The loser of the tender to build an underground motorway junction in Sydney's inner west as a part of WestConnex will receive up to $20 million in compensation from NSW taxpayers.
The government has struggled to entice large contractors to bid for the interchange – which will be dug to as deep as 65 metres – at Rozelle due to its complexity and construction risk.
The interchange will be up to 65 metres below the surface at Rozelle.
The state's roads agency took control of the interchange last year from the corporation set up to oversee WestConnex after only one bid was received from a joint venture of construction giants Lendlease, CPB Contractors and John Holland.
In an attempt to get another party interested, the agency has since offered to compensate the unsuccessful bidder up to $20 million.
Roads and Maritime Services said it was standard practice for governments to reimburse bidders for "certain costs incurred during the bid phase", such as expert advice and early design work.
"Design and construction firms incur significant expense when bidding for infrastructure projects," it said in a statement.
More than five years ago, the state offered to compensate the losing bidders in the competition to run Sydney's north west metro rail line from Chatswood to Rouse Hill.
Shortly before the latest tender closed several weeks ago, Lendlease pulled out of the joint venture bid for the interchange, leaving John Holland and CPB vying against a consortium of Italian contractor Salini Impregilo, Korea's Samsung C&T and Australia's Clough.
Lendlease's engineering business has been under pressure from underperforming projects. In NSW, the $3 billion NorthConnex tunnel it is building with French company Bouygues in Sydney's north is running six months' late, which will delay its opening to motorists until 2020.
The company said in a statement that it had pulled out of bidding for the Rozelle interchange after "careful consideration of our current projects and future pipeline".
"Lendlease has to be disciplined with which projects it bids for," it said.
The Rozelle interchange will be complex to build because it will comprise three levels of tunnels and scores of entrances and exits, including a link to the proposed Western Harbour Tunnel.
The roads agency has repeatedly said that the interchange will open in late 2023 despite toll road company Transurban telling investors recently that it expects it to open by mid 2024. A Transurban-led consortium paid $9.2 billion last month for control of WestConnex.
It also emerged last month that the state will have to pay penalties of $2.3 million to the new owners of WestConnex if the Rozelle interchange is six months late opening.
A price tag of $7.2 billion was put on stage three of WestConnex, which comprises the Rozelle interchange and twin tunnels between St Peters and Haberfield.
While Transurban will contribute to the cost of the 7.5-kilometre twin tunnels, the full cost of the Rozelle interchange will be borne by the roads agency.


Copies of "Junk Sale" will be available for purchase at the store on the day of the event. Classics Books & Gifts is located at 4 West Lafayette Street. Parking is along the street as well as in the lot next to Patriots Theater at the War Memorial. No tickets needed–the event is free to attend.


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Plessisville est une ville du Québec située dans la MRC de L'Érable dans le Centre-du-Québec, au Canada.

Plessisville est enclavée par la municipalité de paroisse de Plessisville.

Le recensement de 2011 y dénombre .

Faits divers
Plessisville oriente son développement selon les principes du développement durable.

Selon le site Walkscore, sur une liste de  du Québec, Plessisville se situe au  de la ville la plus praticable à la marche. Parmi les villes de moins de dix milles habitants, la ville se situe au deuxième rang.

Géographie

Municipalités limitrophes

Toponymie
Le nom de la ville et de la paroisse fut donné en l'honneur de Monseigneur Joseph-Octave Plessis, évêque de Québec au début du . Le gentillé « plessisvillien » utilisé en 1905 a été remplacé par plessisvillois et plessisvilloise en 1976.

Histoire

Le canton de Somerset est érigé le . À l'automne 1835, Jean-Baptiste Lafond et son fils, originaires de Baie-du-Febvre, sont les premiers à s'y installer. Ils sont rejoints rapidement par d'autres habitants venus défricher la région. La paroisse Saint-Calixte-de-Somerset ouvre ses registres en 1840 et est officiellement constitué le . Un premier curé résident entre en fonction en 1850.

Le , la municipalité de village de Plessisville est créée. Quelques mois plus tard, la municipalité du canton de Somerset-Sud est constitué autour du village. Somerset-Sud devient la municipalité de paroisse de Plessisville en 1946. Des poursparlers sont en cours pour fusionner les deux entités plessisvilloises, mais des différends entre les deux municipalités empêchent leur fusion.

Le , un incendie rase une grande partie du village. L'église Saint-Calixte, telle qu'elle existe aujourd'hui, ouvre ses portes en 1902. En 1913, des hommes d'affaires fondent la Compagnie Électrique Plessis. Elle est rachetée par la Shawinigan Water and Power Company en 1929. En 1923, l'hôtel de ville est construit dans un style Second Empire, inspiré entre autres par la maison Cormier. En 1928, la Coopérative des producteurs de sucre d'érable du Québec installe à Plessisville sa première usine de transformation. En 1981, un centre communautaire est inauguré.

Héraldique

Démographie

Administration
Les élections municipales se font en bloc et suivant un découpage de six districts.

Culture
La ville de Plessisville est souvent reconnue comme étant la « capitale mondiale de l'Érable ».

Gastronomie
Le fromage Le ChamPaître est fabriqué par la fromagerie Éco-Délices à Plessisville. Il est fait de lait de vache, à pâte demi-ferme à croûte lavée, aux arômes de fleurs sauvages.
La fromagerie produit aussi le Mamirolle, un fromage à pâte semi-ferme à croûte lavée. Son odeur fruitée avec une pointe d'amande s'accompagne d'une saveur de fruit.

Festival de l'érable de Plessisville
« Le Festival de l'érable de Plessisville, célébré officiellement depuis 1959, souligne le rôle senti de cette industrie dont les Amérindiens sont en quelque sorte les pionniers puisqu'ils ont attiré l'attention des Blancs sur le traitement de l'eau d'érable et des produits que l'on pouvait en extraire comme le sirop, le sucre et la tire. Plessisville jouit de ce titre notamment parce que le mouvement coopératif y a implanté un centre d'entreposage, de classification et de mise en marché des produits de l'érable pour tout le sud du Québec. »

Personnalités notables
 Christiane Bélanger, ballerine
 Denis Blondin, anthropologue
 Napoléon-Charles Cormier (1844-1870), homme politique et homme d'affaires
 William Deslauriers, musicien
 Claude Forand, auteur
 Pierre-André Fournier, archevêque catholique
 Monique Gagnon-Tremblay, femme politique
 Raymond Garneau, homme politique
 Louis-Édouard Roberge, homme politique
 Louis Houde, avocat et homme politique
 Normand Rousseau, romancier
 François Théodore Savoie, homme politique
 Jean-Philippe Baril-Guérard, auteur
 Lorraine Pintal, comédienne
 Pierre Bourque, saxophoniste
 Mavrik Bourque, joueur de hockey

Notes et références

Annexes

Articles connexes
 Liste des villes du Québec

Liens externes

 Office de tourisme
 Développement économique de L'Érable
 Festival de l'Érable (fondée en 1958)

Municipalité au Centre-du-Québec
Municipalité dans L'Érable
Ville au Québec

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Joe Mantello as Ned Weeks in "The Normal Heart" on Broadway.
Joe Mantello, who was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance as Ned Weeks in the 2011 Broadway production of "The Normal Heart," has signed on for a different role in Ryan Murphy's film adaptation.
Mantello will play Mickey Marcus in the on-screen incarnation of Larry Kramer's autobiographical drama about the early days of the AIDS epidemic in New York City. The previously announced Mark Ruffalo will star as activist Weeks.
Emmy-winner Murphy ("Glee") will direct the "Normal Heart" film, which Kramer adapted from his 1985 landmark play. Production is slated to start in New York this summer, with a 2014 premiere planned on HBO.
Mantello joins a cast that includes stars of stage and screen, including Oscar-winner Julia Roberts as Dr. Emma Brookner, Matt Bomer ("White Collar") as Felix Turner and Jim Parsons ("The Big Bang Theory") reprising his role as Tommy Boatwright from the Broadway revival.
The big-screen debut of "The Normal Heart" has been a long time coming.
Barbra Streisand in the 1980s signed on to direct the drama, but the project stalled following years of attempts at rewrites and financing.
'Motown: The Musical' on Broadway: What did the critics think?


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Albany County District Attorney David Soares seeks fifth term in office
Emily De Vito
Updated: January 20, 2020 11:11 PM
Created: January 20, 2020 10:44 PM
Albany County District Attorney David Soares announced he is running for re-election in 2020. It would be his fifth term in office.
Soares was first elected in 2004 winning a democratic primary against his boss, Albany County District Attorney Paul Clyne. Soares ran unopposed in the last two general elections.
He said now more than ever he finds similarities between the first time he ran and now. He said back in 2004 he was running for Rockefeller reform.
"I find myself feeling the same way now when I think about the new reforms," said Soares referring to the criminal justice reform laws that went into place on Jan. 1. "The opportunity to come on in to implement some of these reforms and also have the opportunity to work on eliminating the collateral consequences of the reform."
Over the past 16 years, Soares said his office has really focused on victims. He also said they managed to reduce the jail population by almost two-thirds. Soares said his office also had many firsts in the state including being the first to decline to prosecute low level marijuana offenses.
"Most recently it's raise the age," explained Soares. "Where the state has made it now a family court offense for 16 and 17 year olds we've expanded on that to include 18 to 24 years old attempting to give people a second chance. So this new term again it will be about tough on crime and protecting communities and it will also be about exploring further reforms."
When asked what changes he still wants his office to work on he said crime prevention. This past summer his office created the "Court Vision Academy." It was a program to keep children and teens in the West Hill neighborhood of Albany busy on Friday and Saturday nights. It aims to keep them away from crime. Soares said he would like to expand on that.
"That's an area we're continuing to expand beyond just one area in the city," said Soares. "There's South End communities in Albany that need a lot as well as North Albany."
So far Soares is running unopposed.
"Albany is a town that is stocked in certain traditions, but Albany also recognizes hard work and they value hard work," said Soares. "The thing about doing hard work is that you can always rest on your record of achievement and I don't worry about others coming along and challenging me."
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Home /Is Notre Dame ready to beat Alabama and college footballs elite when it matters most? – ESPN
Is Notre Dame ready to beat Alabama and college footballs elite when it matters most? – ESPN
Shortly before Notre Dame played Clemson in a College Football Playoff semifinal in 2018, coach Brian Kelly complained that the Fighting Irish were being unfairly judged for what had happened six years earlier.
"We're still being compared to what happened in 2012, fair or unfair," Kelly said at the time, referring to Notre Dame's 42-14 loss to Alabama in the BCS National Championship played after the 2012 season. "We need to set a new kind of parameter there."
The Fighting Irish promptly lost to the Tigers 30-3 in their first CFP appearance.
After that game, Kelly told anyone who would listen that the Irish had closed the gap on the sport's heavyweights more than the one-point improvement that the scores would indicate.
"Do I feel like it's different than that [Alabama] game? Oh, I do. Absolutely," Kelly said afterward. "I left that game feeling there was so much work to be done from the inside out, so much development, so much recruiting.
"[Clemson was] the better team today — there's no doubt about it. [But] this is a totally different feeling. I feel like this football team is on the brink [of a championship], where when I left that [Alabama] game, it was, 'Boy, do we have a lot of work to do.' … We can come back here and win. So it's a different, real different, feeling for me."
It has been eight years since the Crimson Tide steamrolled the No. 1 Fighting Irish — yes, Notre Dame was unbeaten and ranked ahead of Alabama — by scoring the game's first 35 points and piling up 529 yards of offense to win their third BCS title in four seasons.
On New Year's Day, the No. 1 Tide and No. 4 Irish will meet in the CFP semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Capital One (4 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN App). And while both programs and their head coaches have evolved since that forgettable night for the Fighting Irish in South Florida, some things have remained the same.
Nobody is giving Notre Dame much of a chance.
Alabama opened as a 20.5-point favorite, the largest ever in a CFP semifinal or national championship. ESPN's FPI gives the Tide an 81% chance of winning the game.
Given its recent postseason history, does Notre Dame have more to prove than the other teams in the CFP?
"No, I mean, we're knocking on the door every year, playing really good teams and great opponents," Kelly said this week. "And there's elite football teams. I don't know why this narrative continues to pop up when we're always in the games."
Quarterback Ian Book and the Irish are out to finally celebrate in the big game — Notre Dame is 0-6 in BCS or New Year's Six bowl games since 1998. Matt Cashore/Pool Photo via AP
Under Kelly, the Fighting Irish are enjoying their most successful era in more than three decades, since Lou Holtz guided them to the 1988 national championship and nine consecutive January bowl games from 1987 to 1995.
After a 4-8 blip in 2016, the Fighting Irish have won 41 regular-season games over the past four seasons, the most in a four-year stretch in school history. They are one of only five teams to make CFP appearances in multiple seasons; Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Oklahoma are the others. Since the start of the 2018 season, Notre Dame has a 33-4 record. It has won 24 consecutive games at Notre Dame Stadium since Sept. 30, 2017, the longest home winning streak in the program's modern era.
This season, while playing in a conference for the time in its 114-year history because of scheduling issues related to the coronavirus pandemic, Notre Dame went 10-0 in the regular season while competing in the ACC. The Irish upset then-No. 1 Clemson 47-40 in two overtimes (albeit with Tigers quarterback Trevor Lawrence sidelined because of COVID-19) and reached the ACC championship game, losing a rematch to the Tigers 34-10.
The Fighting Irish did enough to reach the CFP and will play in the Rose Bowl for the first time since the Four Horsemen galloped past Stanford 27-10 on New Year's Day in 1925 to win the school's first consensus national championship.
Yet despite all that success, Friday's Rose Bowl feels like Lucy and Charlie Brown to almost everyone residing outside the shadow of the Golden Dome.
"I understand we're going to get that narrative, but it can be a little frustrating," Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick said.
That perception, fair or not, has followed the Irish because of how they have performed on the sport's biggest stage during the past two decades. This will be Notre Dame's seventh appearance in a BCS or New Year's Six bowl game since 1998. The Irish were 0-6 in the previous games and outscored by a total of 144 points, with none of the contests decided by less than two touchdowns.
"Look, the history of playing those teams in those games obviously plays a factor," said former Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn. "It's hard to get by that."
Swarbrick said Notre Dame's independence — this will be its only season playing in the ACC — is the primary reason it has received more flak than other teams that have flopped in the postseason.
"No matter what we do in the regular season, it's always going to give people a basis for saying, 'Well, we should have been in [the playoff] instead of them,'" Swarbrick said. "We can't be in it, whether it was the BCS and now the CFP, without somebody's conference champion not getting in. That independent dynamic will always put a certain target on our backs in the postseason."
Still, it's not like Notre Dame is the only team that has taken it on the chin in the CFP semifinals. Defending national champion Florida State lost to Oregon by 39 points in a CFP semifinal in January 2015. In other CFP semifinals, Alabama beat Michigan State by 38, Washington by 17 and even Clemson by 18. Oklahoma is 0-4 in its CFP appearances, losing by an average of 18 points.
Even Alabama and Clemson, the two most dominant teams in the CFP era, have been on the wrong end of beatdowns. The Tigers defeated the Crimson Tide by 28 points in the 2019 CFP National Championship; Clemson lost to LSU by 17 in the title game last season.
Of the 12 CFP semifinals that have been played, only three teams have won by fewer than 10 points and eight have won by 17 points or more. The average margin of victory was 21.3 points in those games.
Brian Kelly went to work on changing Notre Dame's program immediately after the BCS National Championship game loss to Alabama following the 2012 season. AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee
"In past years, I'm pretty sure Alabama got blown out by Clemson," Notre Dame offensive tackle Liam Eichenberg said. "I'm pretty sure other teams have been blown out as well in the playoffs. I'm not specifically concerned about that. This is a different year. This is a different team."
Unfortunately for Notre Dame, it might not be able to show how far it has come in the past eight years against this Alabama team, which is averaging 49.7 points and 544 yards per game. Quarterback Mac Jones and receiver DeVonta Smith are Heisman Trophy finalists. The Associated Press named six Alabama players to its All-America team; the Irish had two players selected — guard Aaron Banks and linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.
Notre Dame might be a much better team and still just not as good as Alabama.
The Irish insist that what happened eight years ago won't have any bearing on what happens on New Year's Day.
"That was a long time ago for us," said offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, who was a backup quarterback for the Irish in 2012. "And I was there. I remember it. And it wasn't a fun night, obviously. I think the program's come a long way under Coach's leadership. I think the way we've recruited, the way we developed within our program has increased.
"And then I think just we've been in this situation now multiple times and there's a belief within the program that we're consistently one of the best five teams in the country, and we handle ourselves that way and we have that belief."
After the 28-point loss to Alabama in 2012, Kelly rebuilt his program to improve recruiting, strength and conditioning, nutrition and his on-field staff.
"Look, if you're not getting better every year in everything in life, you're getting left behind," Kelly said. "So you need to look internally at what you're doing. Even after going undefeated that year [in 2012], we lost in the national championship game, and we were looked at as not a very good football team. We needed to look at the things that could help us grow. And we've been doing that each and every year.
"So are we a different football team? We're a different program. We have to be. You have to change and you have to be able to stay up with the current trends and things that are occurring every single day. We all do, right? Whatever business we're in."
Notre Dame was undefeated and ranked No. 1 in 2012, until getting blown out by Alabama in the BCS National Championship game. Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
Kelly, 59, also took on a softer, gentler demeanor on the sideline. He delegated more responsibility to his coaches, including Rees, who was the target of some of Kelly's sideline outbursts when he played quarterback for the Irish from 2010 to 2013. Kelly promoted Rees, 28, to playcaller when Chip Long was let go after three seasons in January 2020.
"I can't tell you how impressed I am," Swarbrick said. "Forget just the coaching community. It's anybody, any leader, any businessperson, who is really willing to reexamine everything about the way he operates a business and engage in substantive changes and how he reacts personally, I just think that's the most impressive thing. I was so fascinated by it when we were going through it, and then to see the results of it has been really rewarding. I just don't think there are a lot of people who can do it, who can really make fundamental changes in the way they approach something they've done for a quarter-century."
When defensive coordinator Mike Elko left for Texas A&M after the 2017 season, Kelly promoted linebackers coach Clark Lea. The Irish rank 14th in scoring defense (18.6 points), 15th in run defense (110.6 yards) and 20th in total defense (335.1 yards) among FBS teams. That performance helped Lea recently land a head-coaching job at Vanderbilt, his alma mater.
Recruiting has been one of the areas that have greatly evolved over the past eight years. The Irish have put more emphasis on the offensive and defensive lines, and on building depth. That was one of the revelations from the loss to Alabama in 2012. Of the 22 players who started for the Tide in that game, 16 played in at least one NFL game. The Irish had nearly as many with 15 players (offensive tackle Christian Lombard, another potential NFL player, was forced to retire from football as a senior in 2014 because of a back injury).
The difference was that Alabama had players such as future NFL running backs T.J. Yeldon and Kenyan Drake, linebacker Reggie Ragland, safety Landon Collins and offensive lineman Ryan Kelly playing as reserves.
"The depth was the difference," Swarbrick said. "Our starting defensive linemen were [Stephon] Tuitt, [Louis] Nix and [Kapron] Lewis-Moore. But we didn't have the next three and the next three that Alabama would roll out."
Notre Dame has excelled in recruiting and developing offensive linemen. In 2018, guard Quenton Nelson and tackle Mike McGlinchey were top-10 picks in the NFL draft. Eichenberg is the sixth-best tackle available for next year's draft, according to ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr., and Banks is the fifth-best guard.
"I think Notre Dame has been able to realize that they're putting out some of the best offensive linemen in the NFL," Quinn said. "There's no reason they shouldn't be able to recruit at the highest level for those guys, and they've done that. If you're a running back in high school, why the hell wouldn't you want to come to Notre Dame and play behind those offensive lines?"
In April, Alabama had nine players selected in the first three rounds of the NFL draft, including four first-rounders. The Irish had three players picked in the first three rounds — none in the first. Kiper projects that four Alabama players will be chosen in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft, and Najee Harris is the No. 1 tailback and another potential first-rounder. He has one Notre Dame player — Owusu-Koramoah — projected among the first 32 picks.
It seems for every step Notre Dame takes forward, Alabama takes another leap.
"No, we haven't won a national championship, that's correct," Kelly said. "I'm not changing the record. But we are there every single year and we're grinding it out just like everybody else. And only one team gets to celebrate at the end of the year. And we're going to keep banging it and we're going to keep getting back here. And that's our job. And that's our challenge each and every year is to compete for a national championship, and we'll continue to do that."


- Elastic Soccer. Play the ball with the blue set of players, using the mouse and hold the SHIFT key to control the goalkeeper. Score as many goals as you can!
- Dumbolf. Enjoy of a funny mini golf with this elephant like protagonist. Help him to complete all the holes in the smaller number of hits than you can do.
- Manole. Help Manole to fly the distance larger that you can. Click to start running, click again to jump from the belfry and again and again to fly. Very addictive!
- Virtual Champions League. Choose a team and try to win the Champions League, starting to play in the quarter finals. Controls: Arrow keys and Z and X keys.
- Bola. Version of Puzzle Bobble a bit difficult and addictive, where you have to swap two neighbouring balls to form groups of at least three of the same color, before time runs out.
- MemoTST. The color of a certain number of bricks will be shown for a few seconds. To pass the level, try to remember the color of every brick when you will be asked.
- Wormcraft Doom Island. Help these little worms to go back home in this version of Lemmings. Use the action buttons in the lower side of the screen in order to get it.


text:
Within each police force individual responsibilities are clearly defined:
The Chief Constable and Police and Crime Commissioner make the initial commitment to the Operation Encompass scheme, for which a member of the Senior Management Team takes on strategic responsibility.
An officer of appropriate responsibility is appointed as police lead to oversee implementation of Operation Encompass by the force, and to direct associated policies. This officer ensures effective delivery of Operation Encompass as directed by the Home Office and identifies the most effective method of communicating with schools ahead of the school day.
The force briefs every school's Designated Safeguarding Leads - Operation Encompass provides the appropriate teaching materials. These briefings ensure that the highly confidential information the police supply to the DSL is treated with appropriate care and sensitivity, in situations which are frequently rapidly evolving.
The force maintains up-to-date contact details for all DSLs trained in Operation Encompass procedures.
All frontline officers within the force are fully trained in Operation Encompass - its purpose, when to apply it and how to apply it correctly.
The force provides a letter template to schools, used to inform parents of the school's participation in the scheme.
The force records the number of children supported and shares this data with the Operation Encompass charity.
> Sign your force up
> How to use the website


The official lyric video for the song "Shades Of Gray" from Finnish melancholic dark metal forerunners Amorphis can be seen below. The track comes off the band's eleventh album, "Circle", which will be released on April 19 via Nuclear Blast Records. Production and mixing duties for the follow-up to 2011's "The Beginning Of Times" were handled by Hypocrisy and Pain mastermind Peter Tägtgren, who has previously worked with such bands as Children Of Bodom, Celtic Frost, Immortal and Dimmu Borgir. The recordings took place at Petrax Studio (Nightwish, Children Of Bodom, Korpiklaani) in Hollola and 5K Studios in Helsinki. The cover artwork was created by Tom Bates (Bleed From Within, Devil Sold His Soul) and can be seen below.
The official lyric video for the song "Hopeless Days" can be seen below.


If I Put In 2 Weeks Notice Can I Be Fired?
If you're asking, can you be fired just for putting in a 2 week notice, this would be unethical on the part of the company. While still employed, you still have to abide by company policy and procedure.IE: You put in your 2 week notice today, and your 10 minutes late for work tomorrow. You can be terminated. Most states are "right to work" states, so you can be terminated for almost any reason.
No you cannot be fired after you put in your resignation . If they you can take them to labour court , your company's trying to blacken your name , trying to discredit you .
Yes you CAN in fact be fired after you put in your 2 weeks notice. I would not attempt to fight it because you will lose.
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In The State Of Nevada, Can I Collect Unemployment If I Get Fired?
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So, I know that I can't put fresh tap water in with newborn guppies...and that I have to use some of my main tank water, but how old do they have to be before I can use tap water for their tank? They are 2 weeks-2 months of age right now.
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text:
Media Decoder | Book Will Describe Raid That Killed Bin Laden
Book Will Describe Raid That Killed Bin Laden
By Julie Bosman
August 22, 2012 12:53 pm August 22, 2012 12:53 pm
Aamir Qureshi/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesThe day after, local residents and the news media gathered at the hideout in Pakistan where Osama bin Laden was killed by United States forces.
A detailed first-person account of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, written by a member of the Navy SEALs who participated in the mission and was present at Bin Laden's death, will be released next month, the publisher said on Wednesday.
A closely held secret within Penguin, the publishing house that is planning to release it on Sept. 11, the book promises to be one of the biggest titles of the year, with the potential to rattle the presidential campaign in the final weeks before the Nov. 6 election.
Titled "No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama bin Laden," the book was written by a member of the SEALs who is using the pseudonym Mark Owen. Dutton, the imprint of Penguin that acquired the book, said he used a pen name and changed the names of other SEAL members for security reasons.
The author, a former member of SEAL Team 6, was a leader in the operation that resulted in the death of Bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan, on May 2, 2011. According to a description of the book provided by the publisher, the author gives a "blow-by-blow narrative of the assault, beginning with the helicopter crash that could have ended Owen's life straight through to the radio call confirming Bin Laden's death." It describes the book as "an essential piece of modern history."
He also recalls his childhood in Alaska, the grueling preparation to become a member of the SEALs and his other previously unreported SEAL missions. He has completed 13 combat deployments since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and he retired within the past year.
A co-writer, Kevin Maurer, is the author of four books and was embedded with Special Forces in Afghanistan six times.
Penguin officials would not address whether they sought approval to publish the material from any government agencies. Rear Adm. John Kirby, the Navy's chief spokesman, said in an e-mail: "The author did not seek Navy support/approval for this book. We have no record of any request from an author associated with that book company."
Tommy Vietor, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said in response to questions: "We learned about this book today from press reports. We haven't reviewed it and don't know what it says."
George Little, the Pentagon press secretary, said he had not read the book and was unaware that anyone in the Defense Department had reviewed it.
The book could get caught up in the politically charged arena of the presidential campaign, similar to what occurred with another planned narrative account of the raid, a film by Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal called "Zero Dark Thirty." That film was originally scheduled for release in October, but the release date was moved to December after Republicans said it would help dramatize one of the president's signature achievements right before the election. The project also prompted complaints from some Republicans that the administration had provided improper access about the raid to the filmmakers, an accusation the White House denied.
In August 2011, The New Yorker published an account of the raid that was so detailed it included information about what the pilot of a Black Hawk helicopter was thinking as the aircraft was on the verge of crashing. That article relied on interviews with officials who had debriefed members of the SEAL team, not with the individuals themselves.
"No Easy Day" joins a crop of books by other former members of the Navy SEALs who have turned their experiences into literary drama and landed coveted spots on best-seller lists. Last year, Chuck Pfarrer, a former SEAL commander, wrote "SEAL Target Geronimo," an account of the Bin Laden raid based on interviews with members of the Navy SEALs.
The publisher is expecting a major best seller, with a planned print run of 300,000 copies in hardcover.
Because the book is written under a pseudonym, the author will appear in disguise during television interviews to promote the book, and his voice will be altered. At least one major network prime-time appearance has been planned, a publishing executive familiar with the plans said.
The book will go head-to-head with another blockbuster fall release: the latest nonfiction tome by Bob Woodward, which is also being published on Sept. 11. Mr. Woodward's book, "The Price of Politics," will look at the attempts by President Obama and the Congressional leadership to fix the economy during Mr. Obama's first term.
Bookstores have been kept guessing about the book about the Bin Laden raid for weeks. One independent bookstore owner said in July that she was told by Dutton, the publisher, only that it had added a "big, major book" written by an anonymous author to its fall list, and that she should prepare by ordering dozens of copies in advance.
Cathy Langer, the lead book buyer for the Tattered Cover bookstore in Denver, predicted Wednesday that the book would be an unusually big seller.
"This sort of book is too often what I call a F.I.P., flash in the pan, with good sales for a week or so after the initial publicity," she said in an e-mail. "But this one may have legs into the holidays."
Thom Shanker and Mark Landler contributed reporting.
A version of this article appears in print on 08/23/2012, on page A13 of the NewYork edition with the headline: Book to Give Commando's Account of Bin Laden Raid.
Donations by Media Companies Tilt Heavily to Obama
Ex-Giant Michael Strahan Is Seen as Favorite to Join Kelly Ripa on 'Live'


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CAF changes rules for president elections eliminating Hayatou challenger
By Play the Game
At the Confederation of African football's (CAF) congress in the Seychelles this weekend, CAF votes to adopt a controversial amendment that will bar anyone outside the executive committee from entering the race for president of the organisation.
The change of the rules was proposed by CAF president Issa Hayatou and the adaptation of the proposal has put a stop to Jacques Anouma's ambitions of dethroning the long-serving CAF president next year.
The controversial amendment to the rules states that anyone seeking the presidency must be a voting member of the executive committee, writes BBC Sport. Hayatou, who was rumoured to step down because of a poor health when his term runs out next year, recently announced his intention to stand for four more years. Critics of Hayatou claim that the amendment was proposed with the intention of barring Anouma run for the presidency.
Anouma sits on the FIFA Executive Committee by virtue of which he has a place on CAF's Executive Committee as an ex-officino member. Such ex-officino members are not directly elected by CAF's ExCo and do therefore not have any voting rights, although they are allowed to participate in all deliberations.
In 2011, investigative journalist Andrew Jennings exposed Hayatou as one of the FIFA officials who received bribes from the now defunct ISL sports marketing company.
Read the article 'Sums of bribes for top FIFA officials exposed at hearing in Brazil'.
Source: BBC Sport
Keywords: africa, football
African football: A house of smoke and mirrors - 08.10.2019


Lovely flowers and delightful vines enhance this trio of silk pillows.
Stunning designs from the Divine Flowers and Vines Embroidery Collection add luxurious detail. The specially-designed tufted velvet embroidery stitches provide a unique velvety effect. With the BERNINA 830 as your design partner, you can create simply divine pillows with ease.
Apply ArmoWeft Fusible Interfacing to the back of all the silk dupioni fabrics. Fuse according to the manufacturer's directions.
Cut 15" square from the light blue silk.
Cut (2) 2 ½ " x 15" strips from medium blue silk.
Cut (2) 2 ½ " x 19" strips from medium blue silk.
Using Foot #57D and straight stitch. Attach the smaller strips to each side of the 15" square. Press all seams open.
Attach the longer strips to each for the remaining sides.
Reduce design #BE110201 20%. Print 7 templates and layout on the center of the pillow top in a pleasing array. Mark each design placement with Target Stickers. Or use the Bernina Embroidery Software 6 kaleidoscope feature to create entire array to fit within the Jumbo hoop.
Cut a piece of OESD Ultra Clean & Tear to fit the Jumbo Hoop. Use a temporary spray adhesive to apply the stabilizer to the back of the pillow front.
Embroider the wreath design in the center of the pillow.
Center design BE110205 into the center of the array and stitch.
Cut a 9" square from mauve silk or color of choice.
Cut 4 - 3 ½" squares for the corner pieces.
Cut & Piece 4 rectangle units - 3 ½" x 9". Use the Pink Power Quilt Pattern as a piecing guide or create a pleasing patchwork border of choice.
Piece it together as pictured below.
Sew the rows together to complete front.
Print out template for design # B110220 and BE110216.
Layout the templates as desired on the pillow front and mark design placement with Target Stickers.
Stabilize and embroider following the same directions as in the large pillow.
Cut 16" x 9" rectangle from medium gray blue silk or color of choice.
Cut (22) 2" x 2" squares in varying shades of complementary colors.
Piece 11 of the 2" squares together to create a strip measuring 2" x 16 ½". Trim each end so that the strip measures 2" x 16".
Repeat for remaining 11 pieces.
Sew the one strip to each 16" side of the rectangle.
Print template for design #BE110222.
Layout the template as desired on the pillow front and mark the design placement with Target Sticker.
Carefully slice the "velvet" stitching areas following the instructions included with the Divine Flowers and Vines Embroidery Collection.
An easy center lapped zipper technique is used for the pillow closures.
For each pillow, cut 1 piece of fabric the same height as the pillow front – and 4" wider than the pillow front. Fold this piece in half and cut so that the width is cut in half.
Press zipper flat. Zipper is larger than needed to allow ease in sewing. The zipper will be cut to size later.
Align zipper along the inner just-cut edges of one of pillow back halves, right sides together.
Using Foot #1D, engage dual feed and move needle to far right.
Stitch the zipper down by aligning the center mark on the zipper with the center line on foot #1D as shown.
Open fabric and press. Topstitch along the fabric edge using Zipper Foot #4D.
Press under a 1 ½" hem along the inner edge of the remaining half. Then place this piece right side down on the table.
Lay the piece with zipper right side down over the hemmed piece aligning the un-sewn zipper edge with the raw edge of the hem. Pin in place.
Stitch through all layers by aligning the center mark on the zipper with the center line on Foot #1D as shown.
Lay the pillow front on top of the back and mark where you need to trim so that the front and back are the same size…do not trim yet! Important - Open zipper halfway so that this zipper pull is in the middle of the pillow back. Trim.
Stitch a zigzag stitch at each end of the zipper to created a "stop" so the pull does not accidentally fall off.
Sew the front of the pillow to the back right sides together using ½" seam.
Reach in and open zipper and turn right side out.
Medium and Rectangle pillow: Add pillow form.
Large Pillow: Topstitch ½ along all side of pillow creating a small flange. Then add pillow form.


That includes summer, unfortunately. But, hey, it'll come again! And autumn is on the way, which makes me happy because it's my favourite season. Autumn includes knitwear, blankets, general cosiness, pretty-coloured trees, Halloween, and my birthday! So, I'm excited.
But in the meantime, until autumn officially arrives, here are the highlights from the end of my summer.
Wow, I was productive this month in the areas of literature!
In the past few weeks I've read One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (it was assigned to me for schoolwork) and Maximum Ride Forever (which, as the final book in a series I've followed for five years, packed a heartbreaking, exciting, and beautiful conclusion). *Hint: Click on the links to visit my review for each book.
Looking back, this was also a super-special time of year for The Book Club! I kicked off the month by adding a soundtrack to the blog. Ten days later, I published my 100th post! This happened only a few days before The Book Club's first blogiversary (which I still can't really believe has happened already. It's too soon!).
Oh, and I also became aware of the fact that I am a Slytherclaw.
Wow, so many people I know have birthdays in August. My sister, and a number of my friends . . . Even though I spent far more money on birthday gifts than I did on books for myself this month, I spent a lot of time at birthday parties! One of them involved stargazing, which was fun and something that I should really participate in more often.
Image via Vogue Entertainment Group.
I've also started driving! At first it was intimidating to be in control of a vehicle (Aah! It's moving!! Help!) but now I find it more enjoyable. I hope to practise a lot over the next several months.
I expect this school year to be incredibly busy! I'm taking some college-level courses, I have a job, I need to take my driving exam this year, and I'm taking lots of standardised tests for university. Not only that, but this year I'm taking chemistry (which I have been told is a difficult course) and pre-calculus (mathematics is my worst subject).
All I can say is: I hope that twelfth grade is a very relaxing, uncomplicated year for me, because in eleventh grade I'll be working very hard.


Stock status is current as of 4/26/2019 8:45 AMET.
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Whether or not you're a captain of industry, few pleasures in life are as uncomplicated as clicking through impossibly luxe (and ridiculously expensive) real estate listings.
This week, we're donning our best cowgirl ensemble for an outing at Carole King's impressive Idaho ranch, which features its own village of private guest cottages.
We're also contemplating a spray tan to match the mega-mansion (complete with "outdoor oasis") that Gavin Maloof—billionaire brother to "Real Housewife," Adrienne—is heaving on the Las Vegas market.
Which new listings have you drooling this week? Tell us in the comments below!
HEAD OF THE HARBOR, NEW YORK: This massive family farm looms atop a bright green hilltop. Behind the white-painted stone walls you'll find high roller necessities like indoor and outdoor swimming pools, marble terraces, roof decks, and a lighthouse turret. $26,500,000 at East Farm Estate.
BELVEDERE, CALIFORNIA: This epic, 15,000 square foot California mansion hangs over the side of a cliff. Precarious, yes, but what the home lacks in safety it makes up for in opulence thanks to a temperature controlled wine cellar, 6,000 square feet of terraces, and marble bath tubs with bay views. $35,880,000 at Sothebys.
BUCK'S COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA: Mid-century architect Paul Rudolph conceived of this sleek, glass-walled mini mansion, which is nestled inside thirty acres of Buck County forest. Some of the furnishings may be in need of a "refresh," but the floor-to-ceiling glass along the front—which looks over the surrounding mountains—is tough to beat. $2,795,000 at Zillow.
IDAHO: Diva Carole King is unloading her Sawtooth Mountain Ranch—an impressive 128 acre property that features a central log compound, an airy greenhouse, and a series of "guest cottages" that feel like their own small village. $9,900,000 at Hall Hall.
INDIANA: This conceptual Indiana house was designed by buzzy Chicago firm Wheeler Kearns, and comes complete with four bedrooms, glass walls, and carefully manicured gardens that lead to the surrounding farmland. $1,100,000 at Estately.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA: Gavin Maloof—billionaire brother to Real Housewife Adrienne Maloof—is heaving his massive Las Vegas mega-mansion on the market. Inside, Maloof-y details like an "outdoor oasis" (basically a blue-lit pool surrounded by rocks), limestone floors, and a movie theater add authentic Vegas glitz. $12,000,000 at Zillow.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON: We're swooning for this Tom Kundig property on the outskirts of Seattle. Fashioned from repurposed green materials, the sleek two-story structure exudes a museum-like vibe, with geometric planes of glass and a wrap-around terrace. $4,995,000 at Estately.
AMAGANSETT, NEW YORK: Formal and casual dining rooms? Check. Screened-in outdoor entertaining area? Check. Five fireplaces, a Hollywood-size theatre, and "staff apartments?" Double check. This is Amagansett, after all—do you really need to ask? $20,000,000 at Saunders.
TUCSON, ARIZONA: This architectural gem is situated on 3.5 acres in the Arizona desert, and features 360 views of the surrounding red rocks. Better yet, all of the furnishings—hand-picked by the designer, Rick Joy—are included in the price tag. $5,595,000 at Sothebys.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA: Rich widow Maria Kluge, wife to media mogul Kohn Kluge, is selling her rustic, 100-acre Virginia mansion, which comes loaded with custom iron and woodwork along with a private pond, yoga studio, and artist loft. $3,875,000 at Frank Hardy.


The Joanne Winter Arizona Silver Belle Championship has become nationally recognized as one of the premier events for young women amateurs. This year's event consists of 54 holes of stroke play, and will be conducted at ASU's Karsten Golf Course from December 28-30. Entrants from around the world are welcome, and are selected based on rankings from a number of sources including the Junior Golf Scoreboard, AJGA Polo Ranking, Golfweek Amateur Rankings and World Amateur Golf Rankings. Currently, to minimize the effects of short winter days and potential weather delays, the field has been reduced from 112 to 96 to avoid playing past sunset.
In the early years the Silver Belle was usually conducted in summer months to take advantage of free or reduced green fees. But former Silver Belle President Tina Huiskamp explains that "The tournament grew into a large destination for high school, college, and even foreign players. We moved the date to the winter holidays to accommodate these players with prep or NCAA restrictions. Families came, then stayed for holiday or football games. The Silver Belle has become a great tourney for young women… a win ─ even a good finish ─ is a high mark for any girl." In fact college recruiters, who can scout potential players and then enjoy an Arizona holiday vacation, have become one of the largest groups of spectators.
Now approaching 50 years, the Silver Belle exists because of three key elements: the visionary who breathed life into it, the volunteers who have nurtured its development, and the players of great skill and character who have given it an outstanding reputation.
This tournament would not exist without Joanne's dreams and insight.