FiTech Fuel Injection is introducing the all new Ultra Ram SBC EFI self-tuning induction system for SBC engines designed for the do-it-yourself hot rodder to the professional EFI tuner! This system is ready to go with everything you need to convert your carbureted small block Chevy to top of the line EFI FiTech self-learning technology. Made to fit your crate stock rebuilt motor to your custom built race SBC. Upgrade your induction system and be on the road sooner than any EFI system on the market today!


OFE Refrigerated Transport has prime movers and drivers available for permanent contracts or Ad-Hoc work all across Melbourne and interstate if required. Our fleet of prime mover trucks are kept in perfect condition at all times and are able to transport just about any stock you might have and any time you need it moved.
Our modern trucks are equipped with GPS technology and tracking, which can help you make better decisions for your business. We have single drive, bogie drive and B-Double rated prime movers available in our fleet, so we can accommodate medium and small loads depending on your needs.
In addition, OFE Refrigerated can provide relief in emergency situations where something has gone wrong on your end or a truck has been disabled. Our same-day service means we can provide an emergency prime mover and driver within hours no matter what time of day.


"Finding the right questions is as crucial as finding the right answers," says devotional writer Henri Nouwen. Yet how easy it is to run ahead of God's Spirit as we talk to unbelievers about Christ, giving pre-packaged answers before we listen to their questions.
Paul and Silas, thrown into prison for the gospel's sake, provoked a deep spiritual question in the heart of their jailer. This question was raised not because they had preached a three-point sermon at him but because they prayed and sang hymns to God. When an earthquake opened the prison doors and broke their chains, the jailer was about to kill himself, fearing that he would be put to death if his prisoners escaped. But Paul and Silas stopped him by choosing to stay in prison for his sake. At this he cried out, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16:30).
Today, as then, the Spirit will create the right questions in people's hearts and make them ready for the right answer Jesus Christ.
Others will trust Him if only you prove True, every moment you live.
Wilson © Renewal 1952, The Rodeheaver Co.


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PM: Khaleda leading lavish life in jail
Ali Asif Shawon
Bangladesh Awami League National Committee meeting at Ganabhaban, December 4, 2019 PID
She came up with the comments while delivering the opening speech at a meeting of the National Committee of Bangladesh Awami League
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia is leading a lavish life in jail, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said.
"In the jail, Khaleda Zia is getting facilities like a queen usually gets. She has a maidservant there. I never heard that any prisoner in any country of the world gets a servant," Sheikh Hasina, also the president of Bangladesh Awami League, said.
She came up with the comments while delivering the opening speech at a meeting of the National Committee of Bangladesh Awami League at Ganabhaban on Wednesday afternoon.
"Now-a-days, people are struggling to find a servant, but Khaleda Zia got one in prison to aide her for a relaxed life," she said.
It was a scheduled meeting of the party ahead of its triennial national conference.
Tangail folk singer jailed after remand
Khaleda's sentence: AG says govt may look into it upon appeal
Earning back the people's trust
7 youths return after serving jail term in India
BNP:Khaleda not being provided with proper treatment
PM: Awami League's goal is to build prosperous Sonar Bangla
Khaleda Zia
PM Sheikh Hasina
lavish life

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Supersized episode today as Tim and Ray talk with Brittany McGee of The Humblebee Shoppe and her world and her treats. Ray and Tim talk about Shokunin Ramen, the magical place called Yamas, Winston Junction Market, Dave and Busters, Burke Street Spring Fling, Spruce Street Garden Craft Tavern to go in where Dynasty Asian was. Shout outs to listeners.


The FED derived its name from Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky's initials, the founder of the Soviet Secret Police. The FED was made in Kharkov, Ukraine at a Youth Rehabilitation Commune. FED was the first successful Leica copy first made in 1934, only two years after Leitz introduced the Leica II.
KMZ "Krasnogorsk Mekanicheski Zavod" or Krasnogorsk Mechanical Factory is in a suburb of Moscow and is named after the suburb. Both Zorki and Zenit brands were made there through the 1990's.


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Home » International
Bianchi plans carbon frame factory and headquarters in Italy
TREVIGLIO, Italy (BRAIN) — Bianchi has unveiled plans to build a new headquarters building and factory here. The 30,000 square meter (325,000 square foot) facility will have about 17,000 square meters devoted to bike production. Production is expected to begin in 2023. At full capacity, the factory will be able to make 1,000 bikes per day.
Bianchi CEO Fabrizio Scalzotto went over the plans Thursday at the company's current headquarters in Via delle Battaglie – which has been home to the company for over 50 years.
The redevelopment project will stay within the Municipality of Treviglio and is intended to revitalize an historic industrial area. "Key to Bianchi's vision and strategy is the beginning of a re-shoring process, bringing back to Italy the technical and production capacities that had been outsourced outside of Europe in the previous decades," Scalzotto said.
Salvatore Grimaldi, the president and owner of Bianchi, said, "Growing and developing companies is the challenge that fascinates me more than any other, and today we are embracing a new one: creating at Bianchi one of the most advanced bicycle manufacturing plants in the world."
At full capacity, the new site will employ more than 250 people including clerks, technical resources and production personnel.
The new Bianchi venue also will host a Bianchi Museum. The overall investment in the project is more than 40 million euros ($45 million). Work began last month.
Posted in Announcements 1 hour 56 min ago


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McBride firefighters' connection to Peru
Published on : September 13, 2013 September 20, 2013 Published by : The Goat
In June, volunteers working with Firefighters Without Borders moved donated fire trucks and equipment – including old turnout gear from McBride – from northern areas of BC to Vancouver to be donated to Peru.
High standards in Canada for protective gear for firefighters mean that potentially useful equipment can no longer be used here. Instead of sending that equipment to a landfill, Firefighters Without Borders collects and delivers it to countries in need.
Fire Chief David Hruby of the McBride District Volunteer Fire Department told the Goat that in BC, turnout gear (personal protective equipment) has an expiry date of 10 years. Throughout the year, expired but still serviceable equipment is gathered and boxed up. This spring, Melanie Perrin, Fire Services Coordinator for the Regional District of Fraser – Fort George and representatives for Firefighters Without Borders Canada, collected firefighting equipment from around the Prince George area – enough to fill a 14 ft cube van – to add to a shipment of donated fire trucks from Smithers and Kitimat.
Volunteers involved in the project, from Vancouver, Kelowna and Summerland, traveled at their own expense to move the trucks and equipment to Vancouver. The cost of transporting the vehicles (like fuel and insurance) was funded by donations made to Firefighters Without Borders Canada, and U-Haul assisted with some of the cost of the truck rental for the gear. Firefighters Without Borders Canada is supported by GearBulk Shipping, Pangea Logistics and ACGI Shipping to make it possible to send the apparatus and equipment to countries in need.
The Cuerpo General de Bomberos Voluntarios del Peru (CGBVP) is an all volunteer National Fire Service serving the over 29 million citizens of Peru. There are approximately 10,000 male and female Bomberos protecting the citizens and property of Peru from 196 fire stations. While the country moves forward with a booming economy, the Fire Service is also trying to modernize with their main emphasis being on improved training and equipment. Over the past two years, FWB Canada has donated three apparatus, hundreds of sets of turnout gear, SCBA's and tons of other firefighting equipment to Peru. The Peruvian Fire Service have expressed their gratitude for these donations and quickly become proficient in the use of these donated items and quickly put them into service in the communities they serve.
Firefighters Without Borders Canada (www.fwbcanada.ca) is a registered charity in Vancouver BC. What began as a group of dedicated firefighters in 2008 as Engines for El Salvador, then became Firefighters Without Borders BC and finally Firefighters Without Borders Canada. The mission of the group is to collect outdated firefighting apparatus and equipment and donate it to countries where there is a need. Since 2008, the group has donated 13 fire trucks, over 1000 sets of turnout gear, over 400 breathing apparatus and over 20 tons of equipment valued at over $2 million to Belize, Cebu Philippines, The Congo, El Salvador, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru and Thailand. Also in that time they have deployed on training missions to El Salvador- 5 times; Paraguay- 4 times; Peru- 4 times and once each to Panama and Thailand. The main emphasis on these deployments is to deliver training. Firefighters from all over B.C. have participated in the training, using their own vacation time and paying their own airfares to participate.
By: Korie Marshall
Tagged in : apparatus BC donation fire truck Firefighting McBride mcbride bc Melanie Perrin modernize newspaper old equipment peru rdffg regional district of fraser fort george south america trucks turnout gear
Categorized in : News and Views
Big Foot Trail grand opening
Runaway bride… and groom? Tying the knot at the Mt. Robson Marathon


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Dibora Monick Olga "Deborah" Gravenstijn, (* 20. srpna 1974 Tholen, Nizozemsko) je bývalá reprezentantka Nizozemska v judu. Po matce má surinamský původ. Je držitelkou dvou olympijských medailí.

Sportovní kariéra
S judem začala v 9 letech v Rotterdamu. Později se připravovala v tréninkovém centru Jana de Rooije v Goirle. Po zranění krční páteře v roce 2005 spolupracovala s Marjolein van Unenovou.

V prvních letech své její sportovní kariéry byla ve stínu sester Jessici a Jenny Galových. S blížícími se olympijskými hrami v Sydney v roce 2000 se proto zmáčkla do pololehké váhy a podařilo se jí nasbírat dostat bodů pro kvalifikaci. Svůj úvodní duel proti Severokorejce Kje Sun-hui sice prohrála, ale přes opravy postoupila do souboje o bronzovou medaili a obsadila nakonec 5. místo.

Od roku 2001 startovala ve své oblíbené lehké váze a bez větších problémů si zajistila účast na olympijských hrách v Athénách v roce 2004. Nestačila pouze na výborně připravenou Němku Bönischovou a získala bronzovou olympijskou medaili. Po olympijských hrách jí však stíhala jedna tragédie za druhou. Na podzim jí zemřela mladší sestra. V roce 2005 si během mistrovství Evropy poranila krční páteř a na tatami se vrátila až po dvou letech. V roce 2007 ke všemu zemřela její matka. Po těchto životních útrapách se jí přesto podařilo nasbírat dostatek bodů pro účast na olympijských hrách v Pekingu.

V roce 2008 jela do Pekingu pro jednu z medailí s odlišnou taktikou jako před čtyřmi roky. Na cestě do finále vítězila opatrně na body a ve finále se utkala s Italkou Quintavalleovou. Potom co se soupeřka dostala do vedení na yuko nenašla způsob jak zápas otočit a musela se spokojit se stříbrnou olympijskou medaili.

Se sportovní kariérou se rozloučila v roce 2009 po domácím mistrovství světa v Rotterdamu.

Výsledky

Podrobnější výsledky

Olympijské hry

Reference

Externí odkazy

 Výsledky a novinky Deborah Gravenstijnové na Judoinside.com

Nizozemští judisté
Narození v roce 1974
Žijící lidé
Ženy
Narození 20. srpna

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


For nerds with a zoobiological cast, there are few things more fun than speculative biology: the creation of fictitious life-forms upon extrapolation from what is known of reality. If nothing else, such speculation is a stimulating exercise when engaged in for its own sake (see "Hallelujah! Snaiad is Back" for several fine examples of this); but it takes on a decidedly silly cast when one attempts to formulate rationalizations for fictional organisms that were never intended to conform to the bounds of scientific plausibility. Godzilla, in particular, has been the focus of this sort of attention with respect to its physiology and phylogeny (Naish, 2010); although not so widely known outside of Japan, other kaiju have also received something resembling this treatment. Rather more humorous are the speculations I've seen on Elmo's morphoecology.
In this post, I will speculate on the anatomy and ecology of the Ohmu: outsized arthropods which appear in Hayao Miyazaki's film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) and its associated manga (serially released over the course of 1982-1994; Miyazaki, 2009). I regard the literary incarnation of this anime as that director's magnum opus, which, considering this animator's reputation, is saying a lot. Within this post, I will principally refer to the manga as my primary source (in the form of the English edition from Viz Media), since a) it contains considerably more material from which to gain an accurate picture of Ohmu morphology; b) I own a copy, whereas I have not been blessed with one of the film; and c) I am a geek.
Irrespective of which iteration of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind one uses, the Ohmu are prominently featured. The mis-a-scené is a post-apocalyptic future (which I reckon at c. 3800 A.D.†) in which much of the terrestrial biosphere has been replaced by a sylvan biome stocked with gargantuan arthropods (of which the Ohmu are the most impressive) and characterized by pulmonary-toxin-emitting flora intertwined with a panoply of fungal symbionts (although there is some confusion as to which are botanical and which are fungal in classification; vol. 2, p. iii); termed a name translatable as "Toxic Jungle" or "Sea of Corruption", not only does its toxicity in and of itself displace all other ecosystems, but its spread is facilitated by the phoretic dispersal of spores via Ohmu (Miyazaki, 2012).
But first an anatomical overview is in order. The Ohmu are clearly arthropodan in nature, what with their jointed appendages and chitinous exoskeleton; this is confirmed in both film and manga by the portrayal of exuviae‡, demonstrating that the creatures engage in ecdysis§ (Miyazaki, 2012) and is corroborated by the blue coloration of their blood (vol. 1, p. 207), which indicates that their circulatory metalloproteins are hemocyanins (as is typical of arthropods; Jaenicke et al., 2012). The trunk consists of a frontal prosoma consisting of four visible segments, the posterior two of which bear ommatidia: six on the anterior and eight on the posterior. The trunk's remainder (which we may term an opisthosoma) bears at least seven apparent tergites in the case of what is explicitly denoted as a juvenile (p. 202), with up to thirteen in mature individuals (p. 207). Even the smallest observed Ohmu in either film or manga reaches behemoth dimensions for an arthropod at a meter in length (p. 128). While not impossible—the largest extant terrestrial arthropod has a comparable leg-span (Drew et al., 2010) (if a lesser body mass)—this size is outlandishly dwarfed by adult Ohmu, which could conservatively be estimated at fifty meters in length (p. 126).
Considering both this observation and the size disparity between these two age groups, we can deduce that Ohmu add new opisthosomal segments with growth: that is, their ontogeny can be classed as anamorphosis, which is observable in such unrelated arthropods as proturans and trilobites (Minelli et al., 2003; Fusco, 2005). Interestingly, the aforementioned juvenile individual appears later in the manga, significantly grown (yet still immature) and with an identical number of tergites (vol. 2, p. 225): this hints at a sort of inverse hemianamorphosis (Enghoff et al., 1993), with segment addition commencing after the first few instars. Intraspecific variation is also not impossible, if myriapods are any model (Fusco, 2005). Tangentially, it is worth noting here that the film version of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind reveals that ambulating Ohmu move via peristalsis: that is, they inch. This is not only atypical of arthropods (one Cambrian xenusian—a member of the clade Panarthropoda||—may have engaged in peristaltic movement; Vintaned et al., 2011), but is also mechanically peculiar, seeing as Ohmu do not burrow.
The trunk's anterior is equipped with a suite of prolapsed, deflexed appendages, ambulatory much like those visible at the edge of each pleurite; their number is unclear, but I would venture a guess that there are at least six pairs in evidence. The number of legs per apparent segment is also obscure, but it can be pinned down as three pairs (vol. 2, p. 224): a count that is odd both in the numerical and usual senses. This can most readily be attributed to fusion of multiple segments in the Ohmu embryo, opening the possibility of decoupling in the number of ventrites relative to tergites, which occurs most famously in notostracans (Minelli & Fusco, 2004) but is widespread. We rarely get a good look at an Ohmu underside, but when we do, it appears that the trunk's ventrites neatly correspond to each opisthosomal tergite, whereas the prosoma possesses a single ventrite to its four tergites (pp. 133, 226). These views reveal additional anatomical strangeness in the form of a row of short locomotory appendages at the rear rim of each ventrite, running the trunk's breadth (Miyazaki, 2012). It is unclear if these are legs, but even if that is their identity I can think of no analogy among actual Arthropoda. There is a great deal of embryological funkiness going on here.
Lastly, it would behoove us to consider Ohmu internal anatomy. Since Nausicaä is at one point protectively swallowed by a mature individual (vol. 2, p. 151), we are given a glimpse of a foregut with a papilla-covered lumen, but the creatures' viscera are otherwise ignored; this is unfortunate, since knowledge of the whys and wherefores of their respiration could help explain their implausibly humongous size. The most peculiar revealed aspect of an Ohmu interior would be the golden tendrils that can be everted from the anterior for manipulatory purposes, reaching up to a length equal to that of the prosoma (vol. 1, pp. 204, 207). Their number is, again, unclear (there are at least five pairs); but these appendages' greatest import lies in the fact that they are unsegmented. In an adult, said appendages are about four centimeters in diameter right down to their blunt tip—unlike most sensory extremities among the arthropods, these do not taper. Gripping capability is provided by an abrasive surface and transparent cuticular bullae (p. 110). These pasta-like tentacles are so bizarrely un-arthropodan that it is tempting to posit that their place in the Ohmu genome is derived from some organism completely outside that phylum; but I will imminently detail two ways in which their provenance could plausibly be arthropodan (Miyazaki, 2012).
With that, it is at long last appropriate to speculate on the phylogenomic origins of the Ohmu. Their plumply sclerotized demeanor causes them to be often likened to pillbugs (Armadillidiidae) by fans, but this comparison breaks down immediately upon even the most cursory of examinations: compared to "roly-polies", Ohmu have far too many legs, simple—as opposed to compound—eyes, and are conspicuously lacking in antennae. Along with their apparently uniramous legs, this latter absence strongly indicates that Ohmu heritage has little of the Crustacea in it (if any at all); comparisons to trilobites are inaccurate for selfsame reasons (Hughes, 2003).
Their undifferentiated tagmosis and multitude of legs puts one more in mind of myriapods: specifically oniscomorphan millipedes, which have a number of apparent segments comparable to that of the Ohmu (Racheboeuf et al., 2004) and multiple leg pairs on each somite; but since Ohmu are presumably unable to protectively enroll (what with their prominent spines and ellipsoid outline), I venture that their closest topological and behavioral cousins among the Myriapoda would in fact be the glomeridesmidans (sole extant members of the superorder Limacomorpha), which are likewise incapable of volvation (Blanke & Wesener, 2014).
Beyond pentazonian millipedes (constituted by the Oniscomorpha and Limacomorpha; Enghoff, 1990), Ohmu might also be comparable to the Merostomata: both by dint of their absent antennae and in a more superficial fashion by the prosoma/opisthosoma dichotomy introduced earlier. This taxon is of course now considered invalid (Schultz, 2007), at least in its traditional sense (Garwood & Dunlop, 2014), although the "merostomoid" mien of an Ohmu is undeniable. Nevertheless, the fact that the Ohmu prosoma is not fused into a cephalon sets them apart from the misnamed "sea scorpions" (Eurypterida) and their purported kin.
Finally, we must jury-rig a hypothesis as to the genetic derivation of the Ohmu sensory tendrils. As they are unsegmented, it is tempting to deny that their transgenic origin lies among the Arthropoda; but two alternative possibilities occur to me: first, that the twining appendages are an atavism, homologous with lobopodians'¶ extremities; second, that they represent extensions of a labrum. The former of these two postulates proceeds from a recognition that "arthropodization" (the acquisition of exoskeletal joints on ancestrally unsegmented limbs) occurred in at least two lineages within the Panarthropoda (Ma et al., 2013), and moreover that said clade covers a variable morphological continuum from the completely articulated arthropods themselves to taxa that are not armored in any way, shape or form (Edgecombe, 2009), suggesting that the presence or absence of jointed limbs has some evolutionary plasticity (note also that some analyses situate the lobopodian Onychophora within the Arthropoda; Koenemann et al., 2010): the Ohmu might have secondarily lost segmentation in their manipulatory appendages, which in this scenario are homologous with one or several pairs of cephalic appendages in other arthropods—albeit multiplied a number of times that is beyond belief.
But these tendrils' lack of segmentation also brings to mind the labrum, a lobe situated anterior to the mouth in hexapods, crustaceans and other taxa (Racheboeuf et al., 2008; Posnien et al., 2009) that acts as an "upper lip" in feeding. Whether or not this appendage is a muscular extension of the head, or a modified trunk appendage (as are all other cephalic limbs in the Arthropoda) is a matter of ongoing embryological debate, but this contention is immaterial to its posited presence on the Ohmu head. That titanic pseudo-arthrosphaerid's labrum under this hypothesis would be digitate after the fashion of perilampid and eucharitid wasps (Darling, 1988), but exaggerated to an unparalleled degree.
As an appendix to this discussion, I should bring up what can be inferred from our primary sources regarding Ohmu ecology and behavior. We are granted little information as to the latter, other than that the creatures are sentient and engage in some degree of brood care (given their behavior in vol. 1); reproduction is completely ignored, although if they resemble the majority of arthropods, Ohmu are both dioecious and viviparous. Diet is at least partly fungivorous (vol. 2, p. iii). The ommatidia turn from the usual azure to crimson when an individual is angered: I know of no biochemical mechanism that would enable this, and it must be regarded as narrative license, humanizing a species that has nothing in the way of anthropomorphism.
Their ecological role as a keystone organism in the Sea of Corruption is fleshed out to a much more pronounced degree: zoochory of the Sea's flora via these arthropods (vol. 2, p. 143) is essential to its spread, and fungal and botanical growth will sprout outright on the surface of aged or dying individuals (p. 181). Epizoic associations of suchlike intimacy seldom occur in arthropods, but have been documented on weevil species (Gradstein et al., 1984), a harvestman (Machado & Vidal, 2002), and a millipede (Martínez-Torres et al., 2011); the latter exemplar supports 10 separate species of bryophytes classified in half that many families. Although commensal cuticular mosaics consisting of fungi in the likeness of those observed on the Ohmu—as opposed to bryophytes—have never been reported on arthropods (to my knowledge), epizoic communities of this sort are far from inconceivable.
In sum total, the only impossibility of Miyazaki's conception of the Ohmu is physiological: namely, their aforementioned gigantism. The largest known terrestrial arthropod in geological history was merely two meters in length, and only permitted to evolve such colossal dimensions by dint of the atmosphere it inhabited (14% more oxygenated than our contemporary air; Beerling, 2007): while the hydrosphere in Nausicaä's era is laden with pollutants, it is uncertain what residual effects humanity's ecological ruination has had upon atmospheric composition. Using Occam's Razor (or at least so I think), I propose that it is most likely that Ohmu respiration and circulation was genetically modified to facilitate their size.
...And now that we have exhausted the possibilities for intelligent discussion of the Ohmu, I consider this post finished.
*A clade consisting of the Abelisauroidea and Ceratosauridae (Pol & Rauhut, 2012).
†A ballpark estimate that remains in the realm of fanon, based upon the prologue's statement that industrial civilization collapsed roughly a millennium after its beginning, and that the story is set a millennium after that (Miyazaki, 2012); this is summed, of course, with a dating of the Industrial Revolution as commencing c. 1800 A.D.
||The most inclusive group constituting the common ancestor of the phyla Arthropoda, Onychophora, and Tardigrada and all its descendants.
¶A morphological grade referring to primitive panarthropods too basal to lie within any of that clade's extant phyla.
Beerling, D. (2007). The Emerald Planet: How Plants Changed Earth's History. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Carpenter, K. (1998). A dinosaur paleontologist's view of Godzilla. In Lees, J. D. and Cerasini, M. (eds.): The Official Godzilla Compendium (pp. 102-106). New York: Random House.
Enghoff, H. (1990). The ground plan of millipedes (external morphology). In Minelli, A. (ed.): Proceedings of the 7th International Congress of Myriapodology (pp. 1-22). Leiden: E. J. Brill.
Enghoff, H.; Dohle, W.; and Blower, J. G. (1993). Anamorphosis in millipedes (Diplopoda)—the present state of knowledge and phylogenetic considerations. Zoological Journal of the Linnaean Society, 109, 103-234.
Gradstein, S. R.; Vitt, D. H.; and Anderson, R. S. (1984). The epizoic occurrence of Daltonia angustifolia (Musci) in Papua New Guinea. Cryptogamie: Bryologie et Lichénologie, 5, 47-50.
Minelli, A. and Fusco, G. (2004). Evo-devo perspectives on segmentation: model organisms, and beyond. TREE, 19, 423-429.
Miyazaki, H. (2009). Starting Point: 1976-1996 (vol. 1). San Francisco: Viz Media.
Miyazaki, H. (2012). Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. San Francisco: Viz Media.


Horizontal Louvers – Formas Inc.
With rising energy costs, architects and developers are increasingly seeking new and innovative ways to control the temperature and climate conditions inside buildings. Hendrick Architectural Products include perforated sunscreens and sunshades, both of which are efficient ways to manage the amount of sunlight entering a building. Sunscreens and sunshades are simply metal canopies and awnings with perforated patterns that block unwanted light. For new or existing structures, Hendrick offers several standard sunshade designs with a selection of four different hole patterns.


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Norfolk Southern Skeptical Of $28.4 Billion Takeover Bid By Canadian Pacific Railway
Aaron Mamiit, Tech Times 19 November 2015, 06:11 am
Norfolk Southern Corp., a railroad operator in the United States has all but rejected the $28.4 billion takeover bid by Canadian Pacific Railway, stating that the offer was "low-premium" and warning that the takeover bid could face difficult regulatory challenges.
The offer by Canadian Pacific is $46.72 in cash and 0.348 of a Canadian Pacific share for every Norfolk Southern share which represents a value of around $94.94. This figure is a 9 percent premium to the value of Norfolk Southern shares upon the closing of trading on Nov. 17.
Norfolk Southern, however, said that it would be carefully evaluating the takeover offer, despite the confidence-stomping response to the bid by Canadian Pacific and its largest shareholder, Pershing Square Capital Management, an activist hedge fund owned by William Ackman.
Ackman has been a major advocate for the consolidation of the railway industry of North America. He was the one that recruited back in 2012 current Canadian Pacific CEO Hunter Harrison, who was previously the CEO of Canadian National Railway.
According to Canadian Pacific, a successful takeover of Norfolk Southern will result in a combined railroad that can offer customer service and rates that would be unparalleled in the industry. The company also believes that the takeover would be approved by the United States Surface Transportation Board and regulators in Canada.
For the merger to be approved by the United States Surface Transportation Board, the deal should pass antitrust concerns and lead to improvements in service, public safety and economic efficiencies.
However, Canadian Pacific has not yet convinced Norfolk Southern that if it accepts the takeover offer, regulators will approve of the merger. In addition, there has been no offer for protection to shareholders of Norfolk Southern in case the takeover would be blocked by regulators, according to a source who wishes to remain anonymous as the details have not yet been publicized.
Last week, the two companies held merger talks, but these were still in the early stages. Norfolk Southern CEO James Squires then had a meeting with Harrison for the discussion of the takeover. Squires said he believed the regulatory hurdles were insurmountable, and that the company had its own plan to increase shareholder value.
Concerns that regulators would block the merger are based on the failed deals in the past, including the failed bid by Canadian National Railway to purchase Burlington Northern Santa Fe, owned by Warren Buffett, in 1999 to 2000.
A more recent failed takeover bid in the industry is the collapsed merger talks between Canadian Pacific and CSX Corp., which owns a rail network in the eastern region of the United States.
Tags: Norfolk Southern Canadian Pacific Railway
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We have members and visitors from all over the South Bay Area, which includes Lomita, Torrance, Long Beach, Lakewood, Carson, Redondo Beach and other surrounding cities. This covers an area that is one of the most culturally, economically, and ethnically diverse in the United States.
One of the most difficult issues facing the area is homelessness and we are committed to doing our part to address this need wherever possible.
We also participate in our community in other ways by hosting a preschool, taking part in neighborhood events, and are always looking for ways to partner up with other churches and community organizations to better the health and quality of life of the people living in the area we serve.
Beacon Light Mission ministers the love and grace of Jesus Christ to the homeless in the South Bay by providing a safe and nurturing environment where they can receive food, clothing, temporary shelter, discipleship and spiritual encouragement in their present life circumstances.
In September 2011, Beacon Light Mission opened the Doors of Hope Women's shelter to help homeless women in the South Bay by providing a safe and nurturing environment where they can receive food, clothing, temporary shelter and spiritual encouragement in their present life circumstances.
Since 2002 St. Mark's has actively supported the Walteria Community Hot Meal at Walteria United Methodist Church in Torrance. This vital ministry feeds the homeless and poor on the second Saturday of every month.
Community's Child is committed to offering women and their infants with healthy alternatives by providing safe living environments, training and education to end poverty, neglect, abuse, addictions and hopelessness.


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Proposed Rule 41.42 - Treatment of Customer Funds; Applicability of CFTC and SEC Customer Protection, Recordkeeping, and Bankruptcy Rules and the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970 to Accounts Holding Security Futures Products (Dec. 05, 2001)
File No. S7-17-01; Applicability of CFTC and SEC Customer Protection, Recordkeeping, and Bankruptcy Rules and the Securities Investor Protection Act of 1970 to Accounts Holding Security Futures Products (Dec. 05, 2001)
Customer Margin for Security Futures (Dec. 05, 2001)
File No. S7-16-01; Customer Margin Rules Relating to Security Futures (Dec. 05, 2001)
Rules Relating to Intermediaries of Commodity Interest Transactions; 66 Fed. Reg. 45221 (Aug. 28, 2001)
File No. S7-13-01, Release No. 34-44455 - Registration of Broker-Dealers Pursuant to Section 15(b)(11) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 - 66 Fed. Reg. 34042 (June 26, 2001)
Notice Registration as a Futures Commission Merchant or Introducing Broker for Certain Securities Brokers or Dealers; 66 Fed. Reg. 27476 (May 17, 2001)
File No. S7-10-01; Registration of National Securities Exchanges Pursuant to Section 6(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Proposed Rule Changes of National Securities Exchanges and Limited Purpose National Securities Associations
Proposed Rules Concerning A New Regulatory Framework for Trading Facilities


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Clean Energy Finance Corporation — capital investment in renewable energy, low-emission technology and energy efficiency in Australia Clean Energy Finance Corporation — capital investment in renewable energy, low-emission technology and energy efficiency in Australia
Sustainable economy
Investment programs
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< Media
Pilbara Minerals sets sights on growing lithium demand as CEFC lifts investment
The CEFC has strengthened support for Pilbara Minerals with a new investment to steer the company through the next critical phase as its Lithium-Tantalum Project (Pilgangoora) gears up to meet growing demand for lithium.
The CEFC commitment of up to US$36.7 million extends its original $US15 million investment in the Australian lithium pioneer in 2017 and is part of a new US$110 million Pilbara Minerals funding structure alongside BNP Paribas.
"The CEFC is proud to strengthen our commitment to a company forging a new path for our resource sector while helping Australia transition to a low carbon economy," CEFC CEO Ian Learmonth said.
The development of a renewable supply chain is critical to our clean energy future. Pilbara Minerals is helping build Australia's capacity to supply much needed resources for the clean energy technologies that will play a vital role in increasing the use of renewables in our future energy mix.
Ian Learmonth
CEO, CEFC
"CEFC finance enables this important work to continue when it steps up during times of economic uncertainty and we hope that this syndicated facility will allow the opportunity for other banks to participate shortly."
As part of the additional CEFC investment commitment, Pilbara Minerals will implement additional sustainability targets at Pilgangoora to set important new low emissions benchmarks in the mining sector.
These include installing renewable energy, implementing emissions measurement, and monitoring to better manage carbon impacts and developing planning to achieve net zero emissions in its operations over time.
Pilbara Minerals will also adopt external reporting in line with the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). The TCFD is a voluntary climate-related financial risk disclosure mechanism for use by companies in providing information to investors, lenders, insurers, and other stakeholders.
Pilgangoora is central to Australia's emerging lithium industry and the first direct investment of the CEFC in the renewable supply chain – a key part of Australia's transition to a low carbon economy.
The International Energy Agency has forecast that global renewable power capacity will grow by six per cent in 2020, predicting that next year renewable power additions will rebound to 2019 levels.
Pilbara Minerals mines and processes lithium at Pilgangoora to produce a spodumene concentrate, a key raw material for lithium hydroxide production, which is fast becoming a central component of high energy density battery chemistries used in electric vehicles and energy storage. Independent market analysis has forecast that demand for lithium hydroxide will grow 57 per cent this year.
CEFC head of Western Australia and Resources, Rob Wilson, said: "The increasing uptake of electric vehicles that use lithium ion batteries, and the growth in energy storage solutions requiring lithium supplies is driving worldwide growth in demand for lithium.
Lithium is also an important component of Australia's future energy mix. Residential and commercial scale battery storage systems are helping increase the penetration of renewable energy, while electric vehicles will be critical to the decarbonisation of our transport sector.
Head of Western Australia and Resources, CEFC
Construction of Stage 1 at Pilgangoora was completed in 2018, with the operation now fully commissioned and able to mine and process at maximum capacity. The financial restructure reflects more appropriate funding for Pilgangoora as the international lithium market matures.
The CEFC finance will also demonstrate the maturity of the renewable supply chain market and encourage institutional investors to participate in Australia's lithium sector.
About the CEFC
The CEFC has a unique role to increase investment in Australia's transition to lower emissions. We invest to lead the market, operating with commercial rigour to address some of Australia's toughest emissions challenges – in agriculture, energy generation and storage, infrastructure, property, transport and waste. We're also proud to back Australia's cleantech entrepreneurs through the Clean Energy Innovation Fund. In investing $10 billion on behalf of the Australian Government, we work to deliver a positive return for taxpayers across our portfolio.
About Pilbara Minerals
Pilbara Minerals is an Australian lithium-tantalum producer listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX: PLS). Through the development of its 100% owned, Pilgangoora Lithium-Tantalum Project (Pilgangoora Project), the Company is positioned to become a major player in the world's rapidly growing lithium supply chain, underpinned by the electric vehicle and energy storage markets.
Located in Western Australia's resource rich Pilbara region, the Pilgangoora Project hosts one of the world's largest hard rock lithium-tantalum deposits and is recognised as one of the most important new sources of lithium raw materials globally. With production underway, Pilbara Minerals is focused on an expansion and diversification strategy to become one of the biggest and lowest cost lithium producers, and a fully integrated lithium raw materials and chemicals supplier in the years to come.
Media release, 2020
CEFC and Adamantem target ambitious emissions reduction across private equity sector
Media release — 08 Dec 2020
CEFC and TransGrid Services in landmark investment to support Snowy 2.0 grid development
Media release — 27 Nov 2020
CEFC backs revolutionary eArc panels in next wave of solar innovation for Australia
Accelerating investment, backing technology and innovation to deliver a low emissions economy
Media release — 20 Oct 2020
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Yesterday I had time on my mind. I imagine a lot of people did, linear creatures that we are. To many people, the turning of the year reveals a blank page — a chance to begin again. I don't know why resolutions and new diets and vows of change have to happen when one year ends and another begins. That stuff can happen any day of the year. I do know my personal vow to run should I see another cookie comes from the yummy treat-filled excesses of the holiday season. I literally cannot look another gingerbread man (or ninja-bread man in my house) in his beady candy eye. My New Year's resolution: No cookie shall pass these lips until April at least. I think a three-month cookie detox is doable.
So like I said, I had time on my mind after hanging up my new calendar. What is it about humans that we must measure and delineate every day of our lives?
In the beginning, long before doctor appointments, music lessons, and soccer meets filled our days, we kept track of the passing of time for our optimal survival. If you counted the full moons from the winter solstice on, you'd know spring was approximately 4 or 5 moons away. That meant plant foods and game would once again be plentiful. When agriculture took root (no pun intended) this knowledge was even more important. You wouldn't want to plant your seeds if killing frost was still possible. And so the tally stick was conceived. Tally sticks from the Paleolithic age have been found. These bone or wooden sticks are marked with deliberate notches to track the passage of time. Some show lunar accounting. This is the forerunner of our modern calendar.
Calendar from the Latin calare — to proclaim. Roman priests observed the activity in the heavens and notified the king of the new moon cycle each month.
Our concept of a year is based on the earth's trip around the sun. Our month is one complete orbit of the moon around the earth. We literally organize our modern lives in accordance with the sun and the moon. The calendar we use today focuses on the earth's orbit. I'm not sure if these other timekeepers are still in use today but the Islamic calendar focused on the Moon's orbit, and the Hebrew and Chinese calendars combined both sun and moon tracking.
Funny thing about calendars, they have always been imperfect timekeepers. People have tried to work the kinks out over the centuries. That's the reason for leap years.
If you enjoy my daily musings, subscribe to get them sent to your inbox. A new year full of curious and compelling posts awaits!
🙂 Just in case you wanted more to ponder today, today is National Cream Puff Day. Cream puffs are my absolute favorite desserts. I had no idea how "mysterious" they were. Here's a bit of history.
This entry was posted in Past Posts - you'll never know what you'll find and tagged calendars, Comet Lovejoy, early astronomy, moon cycle, National Cream Puff Day, Romance, Rose Anderson. Bookmark the permalink.
Not only are there leap years, but from time to time to be as completely accurate there are leap seconds added.
I go back to why we are compelled to count time. Do you suppose it's because we live within physical time limits?


Check out the history of the island and how it came to be what it is today.
The New York State Legislature created the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC), a New York State Public Benefit Corporations, in 1984 to take over development and operations of Roosevelt Island.
Check out the history of the tram in Roosevelt Island and how it evolved over time.
Read about the development history of the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation.


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Home › News › Trade shows
Premium denim still hot with US consumers, investors
By Alexandria Sage
LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - The crowds pressing to enter the booths at a trade show here weren't in line for the buffet or to catch the latest show in town. They were apparel buyers, anxious to place orders for jeans.
True Religion jeans - Photo: www.truereligionbrandjeans.com
Not just any old jeans: premium denim, which uses costlier fabric and more sophisticated fits and finishes. The category remains strong even as the broader apparel market licks its wounds from a disastrous selling year.
At the PROJECT show in Las Vegas, where U.S. buyers connect with apparel brands, all the focus was on high-end denim, where prices routinely hit $200 or more.
"Walking the show, denim as a category was the busiest category. And True Religion was by far the busiest," said Needham & Co analyst Christine Chen. The company is known for a horseshoe design stitched onto its back pockets.
At rival Citizens of Humanity, orders logged on the first day of the show were double those of a year ago, said Chief Operating Officer Gary Freedman.
The premium denim market held up over the holiday quarter and first part of this year, when other apparel categories saw plummeting sales from the sharp pullback in consumer spending.
That may be because premium jeans can be worn day or night and for special occasions, and cost the same as a dress.
The $1.32 billion market grew 5 percent in the 12 months ended June, according to research firm NPD Group. Sales in the overall apparel industry slid 5 percent in the same timeframe.
The category's strength has spurred many other brands not known for denim, such as Cache Inc and AnnTaylor Stores Inc, to add jeans to their mix, albeit at lower prices.
And it still captures the interest of investors, attracted by margins that can rise to as much as 60 percent.
True Religion stock has risen 77 percent since January, compared to the 11 percent rise at the S&P 500 Index.
At the tony San Francisco boutique Sarah Shaw, young women in their 20s as well as mothers wanting to show off their figures shell out $184 for a pair of Paige premium denim.
The price tag doesn't faze them, said Alexandra Faay, manager and assistant buyer -- what's important is fit.
"It's all about the quality. You can go to Gap and you can go to Old Navy and get your cheap fix on denim but these ladies are spending $200 because they know they'll last," she said.
Gap Inc is currently promoting what it calls its new "premium" jeans, which cost about $54.
Investors are also considering longevity. Paul Zaffaroni, vice president of investment banking at Roth Capital Partners, said there is still keen investor interest in premium denim brands. A few new deals will be announced by year's end, he said.
"When private equity looks at premium denim brands, they're looking for ones they can develop into full-blown lifestyle brands," he said, referring to those with a strong image that are capable of selling a range of categories beyond just jeans.
Premium denim already has fat gross margins, around 50 to 60 percent of sales, and adding new categories that can be licensed is an attractive and profitable strategy.
Because of the relatively low sales volume of premium jeans, those margins are rarely undercut, said Brean Murray, Carret analyst Eric Beder.
When the premium denim boom first hit about five years ago, an excess of brands flooded the market. But those that couldn't deliver to retailers on time, or those with ill-fitting or ho-hum product, have fallen by the wayside, leaving major names such as Rock & Republic, J Brand and William Rast, to cement their hold on the market.
Rather than cut prices in the downturn, premium denim players are becoming more nimble. Stores want quicker turnover of product and smaller orders, so Citizens of Humanity now provides a wider range of styles that can be supplied quickly, Freedman said.
Lowering prices is neither necessary, nor smart, he said.
"That's not who we are," Freedman said, adding that any move from a $175 to a $125 jean might stimulate sales "but it's not a good long-term policy."
Back at the boutique, manager Faay said the best-fitting jeans are worth the price: "The women who buy premium are still going to. They're not going to stop."
(Reporting by Alexandria Sage; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)
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Pure London announces new brands for February, Pure Edge sponsor
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Eid Ul Adha 2023 Holidays in Pakistan
Eid Ul Adha is a religious festival celebrated by Muslims worldwide. The Islamic celebration of Eid Ul Adha commemorates the eagerness of Hazrat Ibrahim (A.S) to offer his son Hazrat Ismail (A.S) as a sacrifice in devotion to Allah. It was merely a trial from Allah Almighty to test the strength of the faith of Ibrahim. Muslims sacrifice their beloved animals, cows or sheep, to honor this day and Ibrahim's sacrifice. Eid Ul Adha is a time of joy and happiness, and it's a chance for Muslims to remember the importance of submission to Allah.
Celebrated by Muslims worldwide, Eid Al Adha is a time of reflection and Prayer. It's also a time for families to come together and celebrate. In addition to preparing special meals, people exchange gifts frequently.
When is Eid Ul Adha 2023
Celebrated on the 10th day of the last month of the Islamic calendar, Dhu-al-Hijjah, the meaning of Eid Ul Adha is the "Festival of Sacrifice". Eid ul Azha is a day to reflect on the teachings of Islam, that if we fully submit ourselves to the commandments of Allah Almighty, He will surely provide us with many of His blessings.
One of the two major religious celebrations in the Islamic calendar is Eid Ul Adha, and the other is Eid-ul-Fitr. Eid Al Adha 2023 is one of the most important Muslim holidays, and every Muslim nation in the globe offers three days off to celebrate this occasion. Muslims will mark the first two days of the Eid Ul Adha 2023 Holidays in Pakistan on 29 and 30th June, while the 3rd day will start on 1st July 2023. This post will discuss how Muslims in Pakistan celebrate this heartwarming Islamic festival and learn about Eid al Adha Greetings.
Native Names/ Pronunciation
Celebrating Eid Ul Adha 2023 Holidays in Pakistan involves much religious zeal and general festivity. Each country and person has its way of sending Eid Al Adha Greetings and saying Eid Ul Adha Wishes.
Since Eid ul Azha can continue up to three days in a row, Eid Al Adha 2023 is also known as "Bari Eid" (Big Eid) in Pakistan. Other names of Eid Al Adha are "Bakra Eid" and "Eid-e-Qurban." The Arabic word "Bakra" is for "The Cow." Eid ul Azha is famous for the native name of Bakra Eid because Muslims sacrifice various animals on this occasion, including Cows, lambs, goats, and camels. The meaning of Eid-e-Qurban is "Eid of Sacrifice". As people prepare different mouthwatering mutton and beef dishes on this occasion, another name for Eid ul Azha is "Meaty Eid."
In Persian-speaking countries like Afghanistan, Iran, and other areas where this language is prevalent, such as the Indian subcontinent, some pronunciations and writing expressions of Eid al-Adha are Eid ul Azha, Eid al-Azha, and Eidul Azha.
Background of Eid Al Adha 2023
Do you know the story of Ibrahim and Ismail? It is both heart-wrenching and fascinating at the same time. The history of celebrating Eid ul Azha dates back to the time of Hazrat Ibrahim (A.S), when he faced numerous heart-wrenching challenges. The most beloved person for him in the whole world was his only son, Hazrat Ismail (A.S). According to historical facts, Hazrat Ibrahim constantly visualized his dreams of sacrificing his beloved son with his own hands. Hazrat Ibrahim was aware that this was another challenge from Allah Almighty to test his steadfastness. As narrated in the Holy Quran, Hazrat Ibrahim informed his son, "Oh beloved Son, I am having nightmares that I am slaughtering you". Upon listening to this, Hazrat Ismail replied smilingly, "Father, do whatever Allah commands you. Indeed, you will find me determined in the path of Allah." To submit to the commandments of Allah and prove his devotion to Allah, Ibrahim sacrificed his son in Allah's name.
Ibrahim placed his son on his forehead to carry out Allah's order. He was about to slaughter his son when he heard the voice of Angel Jibreel from heaven, calling him, "O' Ibrahim, you have succeeded in this trial." Allah the Almighty honored Ibrahim and Ismail after recognizing that Ibrahim was ready to sacrifice his son for Allah's love. They were indeed the faithful servants of Allah. Prophet Ibrahim was given a lamb from heaven to slay in place of Ismail by Angel Jibreel. That is why Bakra Eid knows Eid ul Azha. Bakra Eid is a day of celebration for Muslims worldwide to honor Ibrahim's commitment and Ismail's perseverance.
Why Do Muslims Celebrate Eid ul Adha?
Muslims celebrate Eid ul Azha to commemorate the Prophet Ibrahim's complete dedication to Allah Almighty and his unwavering obedience. When he was ready to sacrifice his son, Allah Almighty replaced him with a lamb. This act of obedience was because Allah SWT wanted Prophet Ibrahim's faith tested – at this time, he passed with flying colors. That is why Eid-ul-Adha means sacrifice. Eid Al Adha 2023 is a time to acknowledge that we can only succeed in this world and the day of judgment if we obey the commandments of Allah without any question.
What is the Meaning of Eid ul Adha?
Derived from the Arabic word "Ed", the meaning of the word "Eid" is Feast, Holiday, or Festival. The literal meaning of Eid is habitual. It also means to return, to repeat. In short, it means an event that is recurring or repeating. Muslims encounter the blessed festival of Eid ul Azha every year, and Eid brings happiness to their lives. Adha and Qurban have the same meanings in Arabic as "sacrifice" (animal sacrifice), libation, and offers. Adha means "to immolate; to offer up; to sacrifice; to offer thanks." That is why Eid ul Azha is known as the Festival of Sacrifice.
How Many Days is Eid ul Adha Celebrated?
Saudia Arabia celebrates the Eid Ul Adha 2023 Holidays for three consecutive days. Following the conclusion of the yearly Holy obligation of Hajj, the Eid ul Adha dates depend on a valid moon sighting. Eid ul Adha dates start from the 10th to the 12th month of Dhu-al-Hijjah.
What to Do During Eid al-Adha?
People celebrate Eid ul Adha In Pakistan with great zeal and zest. People dress up in their best outfits and offer Eid Prayer. Men prepare themselves for the ritual sacrifice of their animals, while women prepare mouthwatering meaty dishes to enjoy on the occasion of Bakra Eid. Kids feel sad on Eid Al Adha 2023 as they watch their favorite animals slaughter, yet sacrificing animals is a requirement of Allah Almighty, and we should perform this without hesitation.
Eid al Adha Greetings
Eid ul Adha In Pakistan starts around dusk on the night of the completion of Hajj. On Eid day, people meet each other while offering Eid al Adha Greetings and Wishes by saying "Eid Mubarak" ( Blessings of the Eid day), and its reply is "Khair Mubarak." Many people rush to grocery stores to purchase condiments, sauces, and ingredients to cook delicious food on the day of Bakra Eid. The business of knives, sharp-edged tools, and Bar.B.Q instruments flourish during the Bakra Eid festival.
Eid Prayer
Eid prayer is a special prayer performed on this auspicious occasion. People gather in a public space under an open sky, like a garden, mosque, or community center, to offer Eid Prayer in the congregation. Unlike the other five obligatory prayers, there is no call to worship for this Eid prayer. Eid ul Azha prayer consists of two Rakats/units with seven Takbirs and five Takbirs in the 1st Raka'ah and the 2nd Raka'ah, respectively. The Imam's khutbah, or speech, comes after the completion of Prayer. Following the prayers and sermon, Muslims hug, greet one another with Eid ul Adha Wishes, exchange presents, and pay visits to their relatives and friends. To introduce people to Islam and Muslim culture, many Muslims also use this occasion to invite their friends, neighbors, coworkers, and students to their Eid celebrations.
Sacrificing of Animals
The main religious tradition followed on Eid Al Adha 2023 is the sacrifice of animals to honor the sacrifice of Hazrat Ibrahim and Hazrat Ismail. Sacrificing animals on the eve of Bakra Eid is mandatory for every financially stable Muslim. Immediately after offering the Eid prayer, people gather with their animals in slaughterhouses to have them sacrificed in the name of Allah. The sacrificed animals must meet specific age and health criteria to be appropriate for the obligation of sacrifice. The animal should be physically fit, and there should not be any wounds.
Allah has mentioned clearly in Quran about the meat of the sacrificed animal. It is a worthy deed to separate the sacrificial animal's meat into three portions. One-third of the share is of the family offering the animal, another third is of loved ones, friends, and neighbors, and the final third is of the less fortunate and the poor. On this occasion, Muslims ensure that no one remains hungry. Eid ul Adha In Pakistan is when even those who cannot afford meat throughout the year can enjoy Mutton and Beef this Holy festival. That is the beauty of Eid ul Azha, as it promotes a sense of compassion and empathy for humanity.
Tradition and Celebrations
After completing the obligation of sacrifice, people are now excited to enjoy a hearty feast made of mutton and beef. Following the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), the first dish prepared in Pakistani homes is "Kaleji", which translates to Liver in English. Kaleji is the special treat of Bakra Eid. People enjoy Kaleji and distribute it among their neighbors as a form of Eid al Adha Greetings. Eid ul Adha In Pakistan is undoubtedly a source of immense happiness and fun. It is celebrated throughout the week while enjoying delicious cuisines. People organize Bar.B.Que parties at night and invite their friends and family.
Hajj and Kabah
Hajj is one of the most important five pillars of Islam. It is an annual pilgrimage to the Holiest city of Mecca in Saudia Arabia. Performance of Hajj is obligatory for every Muslim at least once in his/her life who is physically fit and financially stable enough to afford the expenses of Hajj and supporting their family while they are away from home.
The Hajj is a pilgrimage to the Kabah, often known as the "House of Allah," in Saudi Arabia's holiest city, Mecca. Hazrat Ibrahim, along with Hazrat Ismail, constructed the Kabah on the instructions of Allah Almighty. The Hajj serves as a symbol of the Muslim community's unity and commitment to Allah. "Hajj," which means "to attend a voyage," encompasses the outer act of traveling and the inner action of having intentions. The pilgrimage rituals carry on for five or six days, from the eighth to the twelfth or thirteenth of Dhu al-Hijjah, the final month of the Islamic calendar. There is no discrimination of caste, color, and creed in the eyes of Allah Almighty. All people are equal in status; no one is superior or inferior to another.
Male pilgrims wear two white seamless garments, one draped over the left shoulder and fastened at the right side and the other around the waist reaching just below the knee. This dressing is Ihram. The goal of Ihram is to demonstrate the equality of all pilgrims before Allah, without distinction between rich and poor. In comparison, women cover themselves with Abaya (traditional Islamic wear).
Pilgrims from all over the world crowd together to worship at the Masjid al-Haram; they stand before the Kabah and make rounds around it (Tawaf) while chanting the prayers. Some people try to kiss and touch the sacred Black Stone (Hajr-e-Aswad), placed in the eastern corner of Kabah. Muslims highly respect it. After Tawaf, the pilgrims offer two Rakaat prayers at the Place of Ibraham (Muqam-e-Ibrahim), close to the Kabah inside the mosque. Then they drink Zamzam water available in coolers throughout the Kabah. During the obligation of Hajj, pilgrims arrive at the land of Arafat and make supplications, atone for their past transgressions, seek God's favor, and listen to the sermon delivered by Islamic scholars. Then they leave for Muzdalifah and offer their Maghrib and Isha prayer.
Stoning of Satan
When Hazrat Ibrahim was about to follow the order of Allah, Satan tried to convince Ibrahim and his Son not to follow Allah's word, but Ibrahim repelled him by hurling pebbles at him. On 11th Dhu al-Hijjah, as a reminder of their denial of Satan, the pilgrims throw seven stones at each symbolic pillar in the region of Mina. This act is known as the "Stoning of Satan."
Tawaf al-Wada
The Tawaf al-Wadaa is the final Tawaf pilgrims do before departing from Mecca. Wada is an Arabic word that means "to say goodbye." The pilgrims go around the Kabah seven times in a counterclockwise direction.
Why is Eid ul Adha known as the "Feast of Sacrifice "?
As the most important Islamic holiday, Eid ul Azha is a time to commemorate the sacrifice of Hazrat Ibrahim. And one of the most important rituals associated with Eid Al Adha 2023 is the sacrifice/Qurbani of animals. People have to offer their beloved animals gifts during Bakra Eid. Qurbani is the sacrifice of an animal in the name of Allah. And it's an opportunity for Muslims to thank their blessings. It's also a time to remember Ibrahim's faith and devotion to Allah. In many ways, Qurbani is a symbol of selfless giving. And it's an act greatly appreciated by Allah as Muslims distribute meat among their unprivileged brothers. That is why Eid ul Azha is known as the "Feast of Sacrifice."
Difference between Eid Al Azha and Eid ul Fitr
Eid ul Azha and Eid ul Fitr are religious occasions of utmost importance in Islam, but both have different histories and significance. Eid ul Fitr marks the end of the Holy month of Ramadan and the start of the 10th month of Shawwal. On Eid ul Fitr, Muslims celebrate the completion of fasting for 30 days of Ramadan. While Eid ul Azha marks the completion of Hajj, another pillar of Islam includes fasting. People pay Fitrana on the occasion of Eid ul Fitr while on the eve of Eid ul Adha, Muslims sacrifice animals and distribute meat among family, friends, and the poor. On the eve of Eid ul Fitr, elders give Eidi to the youngsters, while there is no concept of Eidi on the occasion of Bakra Eid.
Celebration of Eid ul Adha in Pakistan
Eid ul Adha in Pakistan is a time of joy, sharing, and happiness. Celebrated on the 10th day of the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah, Eid Al Adha 2023 is a three-day holiday during which Muslims in Pakistan celebrate by gathering with family and friends, exchanging gifts and prayers, and enjoying festive meals. People wake up early in the morning to offer Eid prayer in congregation at Eid-gah. Then obligation the sacrifice the animal is performed in full swing. People spend all day distributing meat among the family and the poor. Then they enjoy flavorful meals for the entire week. Eid ul Azha is when people celebrate their shared beliefs and values. There's usually a lot of food, festivities, and family gatherings, so it's an excellent time for Muslims in Pakistan.
Celebration of Eid ul Adha in Saudi Arabia
Saudia Arabia celebrates this three-day public holiday on Eid ul Azha with great enthusiasm. The festival of Bakra Eid marks the end of the Hajj journey for those taking part in this beautiful obligation. After the stoning of Satan, pilgrims offer the commitment of sacrifice on the 10th of Dhu al-Hijjah to honor the sacrifice of Hazrat Ibrahim and Ismail. Muslims in Saudi Arabia affirm their desire to submit to the Creator's will by offering animal sacrifices and other charitable deeds by participating in this Feast of Sacrifice. During Eid ul Azha, Saudi Arabian Muslims must give large sums of money, food, and clothing to the homeless and the less fortunate.
Importance of Eid ul Adha for Muslims
The festival of Eid Al Adha 2023, every year, is very close to the heart of Muslims as it teaches selflessness and submission to the order of Allah. It commemorates the heartwarming story of the beloved Prophet Hazrat Ibrahim (A.S) and promotes a sense of gratitude in our hearts. The narrative of Ibrahim teaches us that Allah's will is of the ultimate significance and that we should love no one more than Him. Because the day of Eid ul Azha represents the pinnacle of the Hajj or Pilgrimage, this festival has special significance.
What Do Muslims Sacrifice on Eid ul Adha?
During Eid al-Adha, the Muslim community engages in the act of sacrificing their animals to remember Ibraham's obedience. The sacrificial animal may be a cow, camel, or lamb, and the animals should be physically healthy. One portion of the meat of a sacrificial animal goes to those who sacrificed it and their nearest kin. The other part is for friends and relatives, while the remaining portion goes to those in need, such as orphans and widows.
Eid Ul Adha 2023 Holidays in Pakistan is one of the most important Islamic holidays, commemorating Ibrahim's sacrifice. This holiday is a time of celebration and family reunion, and it's a chance to reflect on the teachings of Islam. The celebrations will include prayers, food, and family time. Eid ul Azha is a time to connect with friends and family and celebrate Muslim culture.


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Source: A woman holding sparklers | Source: Unsplash
By Titi Dokubo
https://amodays.com/298543-fairy-quotes-remind-you-that-magic-exist.html
Fairies are legendary and magical beings who look like humans but have powers. No one knows where they originate from, but they come in different sizes, have different skin colors, and some have wings, while others do not.
Fairies have diverse personalities and gifts, with some using their skills for good. Some watch over men and their destinies, others care for nature, and more. Even though most people cannot see fairies, it is believed that if they love you, they could surprise you.
As you open your heart to believe in the endless possibilities found in nature, read these 53 fairy quotes to remind you of the magic in every moment.
J. M. Barrie's quote: "Dreams do come true if only we wish hard enough. You can have anything in life if you will sacrifice everything else for it." | Image: Amo Days
Fairy Quotes on the Beauty of This Mystical Creature
"It is frightfully difficult to know much about the fairies, and almost the only thing for certain is that there are fairies wherever there are children." ― J.M. Barrie, "Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens"
"Fairies are invisible and inaudible like angels, but their magic sparkles in nature." ― Lynn Holland
"David tells me that fairies never say 'We feel happy': what they say is, 'We feel dancey.'" ― J.M. Barrie, "Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens"
"Nothing can be truer than fairy wisdom. It is as true as sunbeams." ― Douglas Jerrold
"Do not think the fairies are always little. Everything is capricious about them, even their size. They seem to take what size or shape pleases them." ― William Butler Yeats
Lynn Holland's quote: "Fairies are invisible and inaudible like angels but their magic sparkles in nature." | Image: Amo Days
"And at three a.m. you sit near the window and wonder if there is magic because all you need are some fairies to take your pain away and help you sleep." ― Sanhita Baruah
"Tink was not all bad: or, rather, she was all bad just now, but, on the other hand, sometimes she was all good. Fairies have to be one thing or the other, because being so small they, unfortunately, have room for one feeling only at a time. They are, however, allowed to change, only it must be a complete change." ― J M Barrie, "Peter Pan"
"Faërie contains many things besides elves and fays, and besides dwarfs, witches, trolls, giants, or dragons; it holds the seas, the sun, the moon, the sky; and the earth, and all things that are in it: tree and bird, water and stone, wine and bread, and ourselves, mortal men, when we are enchanted." ― J.R.R. Tolkien
"Funny how women are ashamed of their inner fairy whereas men are forever proudly displaying their inner cowboy or fireman" ― Dawn French, "A Tiny Bit Marvellous"
"There is a latent fairy in all women, but look how carefully we have to secrete her in order to be taken seriously. And fairies come in all shapes, colours, sizes and types, they don't have to be fluffy. They can be demanding and furious if they like. They do, however, have to wear a tiara. That much is compulsory." ― Dawn French, "A Tiny Bit Marvellous"
Sanhita Baruah's quote: "And at three a.m. you sit near the window and wonder if there is magic because all you need are some fairies to take your pain away and help you sleep." | Image: Amo Days
"Fairies have to be one thing or the other because being so small they, unfortunately, have room for one feeling only at a time." ― J.M. Barrie
"Of all the minor creatures of mythology, fairies are the most beautiful, the most numerous, the most memorable." ― Andrew Lang
Fairy Quotes about the Wonders of Fairy Tales
"Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale." ― Hans Christian Andersen
"Fairy tales are more than true, not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten." ― Neil Gaiman
Andrew Lang's quote: "Of all the minor creatures of mythology, fairies are the most beautiful, the most numerous, the most memorable." | Image: Amo Days
"Someday you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again." ― C.S Lewis
"If you see the magic in a fairy tale, you can face the future." ― Danielle Steel
"Everything you look at can become a fairy tale, and you can get a story from everything you touch." ― Hans Christian Andersen
"Happiness is like those palaces in fairy tales whose gates are guarded by dragons: we must fight in order to conquer it." ― Alexandre Dumas
"If I'm honest, I have to tell you I still read fairytales, and I like them best of all." ― Audrey Hepburn
C.S. Lewis' quote: "Someday you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again." | Image: Amo Days
"If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales." ― Albert Einstein
"Folklore, legends, myths, and fairy tales have followed childhood through the ages, for every healthy youngster has a wholesome and instinctive love for stories fantastic, marvelous, and manifestly unreal." ― L. Frank Baum
"Obsessed by a fairy tale, we spend our lives searching for a magic door and a last kingdom of peace."― Eugene O'Neil
Poetic Fairy Quotes
"Come fairies, take me out of this dull world, for I would ride with you upon the wind and dance upon the mountains like a flame!" ― William Butler Yeats
Albert Einstein's quote: "If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales." | Image: Amo Days
"We need not be afraid of expecting the unexpected, but let us wheedle each instant we enjoy and endear each happy moment we encounter; let us watch each step we take and each move we make, ever since happiness is a loving and appealing fairy, but utterly frail and vulnerable. ("Happy days are back again")" ― Erik Pevernagie
"Watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it." ― Roald Dahl
"I believe in everything until it's disproved. So I believe in fairies, the myths, and dragons. It all exists, even if it's in your mind. Who's to say that dreams and nightmares aren't as real as the here and now?" ― John Lennon
"First, rehearse your song by rote to each word a warbling note: hand in hand, with fairy grace, will we sing, and bless this place." ― William Shakespeare
"Shed no tear! Oh, shed no tear! The flower will bloom another year. Weep no more! Oh, weep no more! Young buds sleep in the root's white core. Dry your eyes! Oh, dry your eyes! For I was taught in Paradise; To ease my breast of melodies,—Shed no tear. Overhead! Look overhead! 'Mong the blossoms white and red—Look up, look up! I flutter now; On this fresh pomegranate bough. See me! 'Tis this silvery bill; Ever cures the good man's ill. Shed no tear! Oh, shed no tear! The flower will bloom another year. Adieu, adieu—I fly—adieu! I vanish in the heaven's blue,—Adieu, adieu! - Fairy Song" ― John Keats, "The Complete Poems"
John Lennon's quote: "I believe in everything until it's disproved. So I believe in fairies, the myths, and dragons. It all exists, even if it's in your mind. Who's to say that dreams and nightmares aren't as real as the here and now?" | Image: Amo Days
"She bore dust in her veins where humans had blood and gods had ichor she had fairy dust. That powered the enchantment that was her heart, she was a spell waiting to be cast. All you had to do was look at her." ― Rosalinda Azukaeme
"Sometimes, I crush my thoughts into powder and blow it out, like fairy dust, hoping it would bring in magic." ― Sreepriya Menon
"I don't believe in magic. The young boy said. The old man smiled 'you will when you see her.'" ― Atticus, "Atticus Poetry"
"Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?" ― Douglas Adams, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"
"Come away, O human child! To the waters and the wild With a faery, hand in hand, For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand." ― William Butler Yeats, "The Stolen Child"
Sreepriya Menon's quote: "Sometimes, I crush my thoughts into powder and blow it out, like fairy dust, hoping it would bring in magic." | Image: Amo Days
Fairy Quotes for Magical Inspiration
"Happiness has no heights when adorned with fairy lights. It keeps on shining so bright, leaving us in awe and delight." ― Silent Eyes
"My heart has wings and I can fly. I'll touch every star in the sky. So, this is the miracle I've been dreaming of." ― Brothers Grimm
"I've always believed in experiencing everything in life. When you walk out with blinders on, you cut yourself off from the angels and the fairies." ― Alyssa Milano
"There is no law stronger than that of magic. - Kian" ― Kailin Gow, "Bitter Frost"
"It is not in doing what you like, but in liking what you do, that is the secret of happiness." ― J. M. Barrie
Brothers Grimm's quote: "My heart has wings and I can fly. I'll touch every star in the sky. So, this is the miracle I've been dreaming of." | Image: Amo Days
"Even miracles take a little time." ― Brothers Grimm
"The very things that hold you down are going to lift you up." ― Timothy Mouse
"May the odds be ever in your favor!" ― Suzanne Collins
"The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it." ― J.M. Barrie
"Remember, you're the one who can fill the world with sunshine." ― Snow White
Timothy Mouse's quote: "The very things that hold you down are going to lift you up." | Image: Amo Days
"Actually, the best gift you could have given her was a lifetime of adventures." ― Lewis Carroll
"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream." ― C.S. Lewis
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"What's the point of magic, to begin with, if I can't use it to protect my friends." ― Shuras
"A little magic can take you a long way." ― Roald Dahl
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye." ― Antoine de Saint-Exupery, "The Little Prince"
RELATED: Transport Yourself to a Magical Land with These 41 'Court of Thorns and Roses' Quotes
C.S. Lewis' quote: "You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream." | Image: Amo Days
"I have been bent and broken, but I hope in better shape." ― Charles Dickens, "Great Expectations"
"Love is putting someone else's needs before your own." ― Olaf, "Frozen"
"Remember, you're the one who can fill the world with sunshine." ― Snow White, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"
"Dreams do come true if only we wish hard enough. You can have anything in life if you will sacrifice everything else for it." ― J. M. Barrie, "Peter Pan"
"I know you; I walked with you once upon a dream." ― Lana Del Ray, "Once upon a Dream"
RELATED: 49 'Practical Magic' Quotes for the Witch in All of Us
Snow White's quote: "Remember, you're the one who can fill the world with sunshine." | Image: Amo Days
While no one can give exact details of where fairies come from, their name dates back to the old French. However, some scholars believe they once existed but are now extinct. Their alleged extinction has been blamed on religion, while others think the Celts drove them out.
Whatever the case, it is best not to let anyone's belief system shape yours. Always remember that there is magic around you, and you only have to believe. Read these magic quotes about magic if you need more reasons to believe.
56 Fly High Quotes to Inspire You to Dream Bigger and Soar Higher
Whether it be through rockets, planes, getting higher grades, or getting a promotion at work, we as human beings are constantly trying to move up and fly higher. Read these below that embody and encourages this feeling of exploration, curiosity, and ambition.
57 Snowflake Quotes That Speak of Beauty, Wisdom, and Originality
Snowflakes elicit a sense of peace, remind us of winter and, for some, Christmas, and are synonymous with the idea that being different is powerful. Read the following 58 quotes about the beauty and wisdom that snowflakes possess.
Transport Yourself to a Magical Land with These 41 'Court of Thorns and Roses' Quotes
Romance, fantasy, and adventure are all beloved genres by readers everywhere. Mix all three, and you're likely to get a best-seller; in this case, that would be "A Court of Thorns and Roses." Read these 42 quotes to understand why this book has captured such widespread attention.
52 Evil Eye Quotes for Either Fear or Fashion
The evil eye symbol was not so recently a massive fashion trend. But there is much more to this beautiful adornment than meets the eye. Read the following 52 quotes to find out more.
51 Eartha Kitt Quotes on Self-Love and Social Justice
Eartha Kitt was a multitalented performer, unafraid to speak her mind and forge her own path. Find out more about her thoughts and life by reading these 52 quotes.
78 Jhene Aiko Quotes on Music, Self-Love, and Her Spiritual Journey
An almost Grammy-winning singer, vocalist Jhene Aiko is moving up in the world and making some noise along the way. Read these 78 quotes to hear what exactly she has to say.
108 'Adventure Time' Quotes: Wise Words from the Land of Oo's Kooky Residents
"Adventure Time" is packed with many hues, exciting personalities, and adventures that require heaps of courage. Learn from the show's many characters about how you can find your inner fearlessness.
Superhero films and series are a popular genre packed with inspiration throughout every storyline. We've curated 20 quotes from superhero movies to inspire your inner power.
55 "Shrek" Quotes That True Fans Will Never Forget
Are you a fan of the "Shrek" franchise from way back? Or have you always wondered what the hype around these animated films is? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, here are 20 "Shrek" quotes.
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text:
Darwin, Australia
Chitose, Japan
Whitby, England
Harbin, China
Incheon, Korea
Tromsø, Norway
Darwin, Australia Magadan, Russia Chitose, Japan Whitby, England Harbin, China Incheon, Korea Tromsø, Norway
Location: Northern Territory, Australia
Area: 973 miles²
Population: 130,000
Lord Mayor: Kon Vatskalis, 2017
Major Industries: Mining, tourism, oil and gas production, freight hub
Anchorage's southernmost sister city, Darwin is located in the Northern Territory Providence of Australia along the Timor Sea. Anchorage and Darwin experience opposite climates and are located across the globe from one another; however, the similarities between the two cities far outweigh the differences.
Darwin has a tropical climate with a traditional wet, and dry season with a similar temperature year-round, independent of which season it is. Darwin is relatively low-lying with large coastal areas. Because of the proximity to the ocean, much like Anchorage, recreational reserves and excellent fishing thrive here. The lands in which Darwin is settled upon are the ancestral home to the Larrakia people. Darwin is still home for the highest proportional population of Indigenous Australians of any Australian capital city. Darwin is the country's fastest growing city with an annual growth rate of 2.6 percent, leaving the populating at 145,916 and growing. Similar to Anchorage, Darwin is incredibly diverse. The population is comprised of many different ethnic backgrounds, with 18.3 percent of the population was born overseas. After World War II, there was an influx of immigrants to this coastal town, so after English, the languages most commonly spoken are Greek, Australian aboriginal, Italian, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and Cantonese.
The name Darwin comes from the famous anthropologist, Charles Darwin. As a former shipmate of the HMS Beagle, upon its arrival to the port town along the Timor Sea, it gained the recognition as "Port Darwin" in honor of the famous scientist. The most significant economic sectors in Darwin are mining and tourism. Because of its location, geographically Darwin acts as a "gateway" from Australia to Asia for travelers.
Similar to Anchorage, Darwin's residents have ready access to outdoor adventures, superb national parks, exotic wildlife viewing, and premiere fishing and diving.
The Sister City relationship between Anchorage and Darwin began in September of 1982 after former Darwin Mayor Dr. Ella Stack was interested and visited Anchorage in 1976. Anchorage and Darwin have enjoyed a healthy exchange of dignitaries and ideas, despite being separated by nearly 10,000 miles. The Darwin Fire Department and Anchorage Fire Departments participated in a year-long job exchange. Currently, a Pen Pal program between two schools in Anchorage and two schools in Darwin is underway.
Learn more about Darwin on Wikipedia
© 2023 Anchorage Sister Cities Commission.


Peach Drop, the Largest New Year's Eve Celebration in the Southeast, continues a 28-year tradition in Downtown Atlanta with an evening of top-notch entertainment! Beginning at 7 p.m., Underground Atlanta will be the focal point for ringing in the New Year with live music and tens of thousands of fellow revelers.
As 2017 nears, the main stage will light up with live performances, and the 800-pound Peach will begin its decent just before the clock strikes midnight. Following the drop, a fireworks show will illuminate the sky and millions of pieces of confetti will rain down on the crowd!
Packed full of excitement, the Peach Drop is Atlanta's favorite way of ringing in the New Year!
Work on MARTA Overpass at W. Trinity Place and Atlanta Ave.
The mural on the MARTA Overpass at W. Trinity Place and Atlanta Ave. is almost complete. The Milagros Collective, consisting of artists Felici Asteinza and Joey Filastre, began work on the mural in the middle of November.
The project was initially delayed in order to do a lead abatement on the steel girders and while the rain was much-needed, it caused more delay in the painting process. The artists worked for a month through the middle of December and one side of the mural is just about finished along with the pilings under the Overpass.
The other side has been pressure washed and primed and is ready for the detail work. Felici and Joey are part of a residency program at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) from the end of December through the end of January.
They will return to finish the mural the first week of April when the weather is warmer so the paint will adhere better.
In addition to finishing the mural, they will be working with Decatur Active Living and the community at the Decatur Housing Authority to enhance the area under the bridge. The area under the bridge has been funded by a KaBoom! Play Everywhere grant to create a playspace that will give the community a pleasant place to stop by and be physically active.
The space will be an extension of the mural and have features such as hopscotch, four-square, an artist-created bench and more. The space is also used as a bus stop by the adjacent community and once the mural is complete and the space is activated, it will be brighter, more welcoming, and add an element of fun to the area.
December 15 • 7-8 p.m.
Join the community for marshmallow roasting around the popular 10′ x 20′ bonfire on the square. It's a festive evening complete with student choral groups and holiday music. The event is free, but reservations are encouraged to ensure we have enough marshmallows and roasting sticks!
Beautyrest mattress is hosting a special donation ceremony in support of the DeKalb County Fire Rescue Department next Monday, Dec. 12. I thought you may be interested in covering the project, which involves a "mattress makeover" for DeKalb County fire stations -- after all who is more deserving of a good night's sleep than first responders?
Once this year's donation is complete, Beautyrest will have given 235 mattresses to DCFRD so all DeKalb firefighters can get the restful sleep they need to perform optimally and keep residents safe.
I've provided a media alert below with information about Monday's event along with background about Beautyrest's Firehouse Recharge program for your reference. We'd love to see you out at DeKalb Fire Station 6 on Monday morning; however, if you're unable to attend, I'm happy to provide images and additional details as a follow up to the event.
Next Monday, Dec. 12, Serta Simmons Bedding (SSB), LLC, will host a ceremony celebrating its donation of 235 Beautyrest® mattress sets to the DeKalb County Fire Rescue Department (DCFRD). DeKalb County Fire Chief Darnell Fullum will join company representatives and firefighters at DCFRD Station 6 at 9 a.m. for the mattress makeover followed by the brief ceremony at 10:30 a.m. This year's donation includes 85 mattress sets, which – when combined with last year's donation of 150 mattresses – will outfit all of the bunkrooms in DCFRD's 26-station department covering 15 communities.
Now in its fourth consecutive year, Firehouse Recharge is the Atlanta-based Beautyrest brand's philanthropic initiative to provide fire departments in Atlanta and the surrounding metro area with new mattresses, so firefighters get the restful, recharging sleep they need to keep our communities safe.
SSB believes in the importance of good, quality sleep for firefighters and the average person alike. Firehouse Recharge is an opportunity for the company to continue championing good sleep for those who need it most, while also creating a platform to inform and educate the public. With more than 100,000 yearly responses, and one of the largest territories in the state, there is hardly a team more worthy of restful sleep than the DeKalb County Fire Rescue Department.
Beautyrest has donated more than 500 mattresses to local fire departments over the course of its ongoing initiative and plans to continue expanding its efforts to the greater metro area and beyond.
Who: Hosted by Serta Simmons Bedding, LLC. Interviews will be available with Darnell D. Fullum - DeKalb Fire Chief, Michelle Montgomery - Vice President, Beautyrest Marketing Communications and Station 6 Fire Rescue personnel.
When: Mattress makeover begins Monday, December 12, 2016 at 9 a.m.; Donation ceremony will take place at 10:30 a.m.
Shop Local at our biggest pop-up event of the year! There will be 45+ makers on hand, plus live music,food and activities. Enter the $500.00 Makers Givaway. Swag bags for first 50 Saturday Dec 10th.
New Hours: Fernbank Museum is now open 10am - 5pm daily.
Prepare to ooh and aah over two floors of twinkling, beautifully decorated trees showcasing celebrations around the world in this enchanting exhibit. Twinkling with lights, glimmering with color and shining with a variety of cultural objects, more than 25 trees and displays recognize the diversity of celebrations, holidays, traditions and events from around the world.
The Holiday Tree and Candle Sale will be from 9:00am and end at 3:00pm. The tree sale will also be open on Sunday December 4th, from 11:00am-3:00pm. Frazier . Fraser Fir trees and wreaths are delivered freshly cut from a farm in North Carolina. There are several sizes to choose from, with prices ranging from $65-$85. We will also be selling Hanukkah candles at a price of $10 a pack. Checks and credit cards will be accepted.


400 GSM Polar Fleece Fabric.
Upsewn collar for air-tight protection.
Extra Long Side Pockets for comfort and storage. Mobile Phone Holder in Pockets.
Featuring Xtra-stretch technology for body fitting comfort.
Washable and Drycleanable. Iron on mild settings.
Standard Indian FREE Size. One size fits all.


Park City Dental Spa Wins "Best of State"!
"Best of State" is comprised of business and community leaders who are committed to supporting and recognizing excellence, achievement, and community service through the Best of State Awards Program. The judging process is one of the most important dimensions of Best of State. The process is designed to make judging as impartial and objective as possible. Judges review the nominations online and evaluate submitted materials, and assign three separate scores to each nominee. There are a total of 100 points possible for each nominee. The points are weighted to reflect three specific judging criteria- Excellence, Innovation/Creativity, and Contributions to Quality of Life in Utah.The judges are selected based on their expertise and credibility in their particular fields and are required to use integrity and objectivity during the judging process.
Dr. Abraham is dedicated to making his patients feel relaxed and comfortable. He entertains the idea that each person is not only unique in their personality, but in their smile too. The one -size fits all has never been his philosophy- he believes in creating smiles that are unique to you and your needs. This philosophy, along with the countless hours of continuing education, creative thinking, community service and establishing a unique relaxing spa environment at Park City Dental Spa, has helped Dr. Abraham win two "Best of Park City" awards and now the 2015 "Best of State" award. He also attributes much of his success to working along side a highly trained and personable staff, and feels fortunate to be in the "Best Town" in America.


This is not a weight loss post, because I would not even know where to start. I was very lucky till college. I used to be active in sports, so I never gained weight in spite of eating chips and cakes on a daily basis. The trouble is I have sweet tooth too, a big one. Coupled with the travel I am doing, I eat all kind of stuff. I am anyway hopeless with curbing my food intake. On the other hand due to my long commute, I do not exercise on a regular basis anymore. So this leaves me in a love hate relationship with the weighing machine.
I love the weighing machine when I come back from a big trek, I pretty much hate it every other time of the year. I am not the dieting type. As, I said if I eat only salads, I will faint and fall. I did try to cut my diet at one point and it didn't work at all. I really don't have a weight problem but I do have a fitness problem. I wish to keep trekking for at least 15 more years. The way my fitness is I am sure sooner rather than later it can become a distant dream.
To sum it up, I do not have a weight problem but I used to be thinner. My fitness is in pits and that is a serious concern as I want to keep trekking. And I love sweets so it takes me back to one. Now if I would exercise more I could trek more and I could eat more sweets! I see a New Year resolution taking shape out of this post. I have staunchly stayed away from any New Year resolutions in the past but let us see if they make any difference. I am going to review this next December.