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Full list of CDs
Devilfire—Dark Manoeuvres (2017)
Posted on Monday 10 September 2018
Mixed by Romesh Dodangoda (Motörhead, Bring Me The Horizon, Bullet For My Valentine) and co-produced by Dodangoda and Devilfire frontman Alex Cooper (She, Quireboys Spike, Ginger). Released Friday 6 October 2017
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Alex Cooper—Vocals
Baz Blackett—Guitar
Kieran Topp—Guitar
Dan Bate—Bass
Lars Wickett—Drums
Ready for war?
She's like fire
(In and out of love) all of the time
Waiting for a rockstar
Lay it on the line
Kill your love
Tear me apart
God give me vengance
Devil in your eyes
(You gotta) revolution
She's always on the run
A thousand times
From the birthplace of such diverse bands as Black Sabbath, Ocean Colour Scene and Duran Duran comes the dark, melodic hard-rock of Devilfire. Formed by vocalist Alex Cooper the album took around four years to write and rewrite and features a collection of songs that reflects his experience of the UK rock scene: love, loss, hate, jealousy, arguments, ego, sex, drugs and rock n' roll.
As the promo material points out, it's hard to believe that this is only their debut album. The album has a fabulously clean and clear production. The songs are polished and overflowing with melody—it's hard to see how they could be any more melodic; at times they feel sickly sweet and have the cheeriness of an over-saturated US comedy—with more than a nod of the head to 80s glam rock, AOR and bands like Europe and Thunder.
Devilfire live
It must be something to do with Cooper's influences but the first time I listened to this album I kept thinking, "I'm sure I've heard this song before".
"Ready for war" (track 1) opens gently with a warm keyboard-sounding pad, that is actually bass guitar and guitar, before opening up to a mid-paced rocker of a song about standing up for yourself in a relationship. Paradoxically, it has both a melancholic and hopeful feel to it. It is a good album opener and is representative of what's to come.
"She's like fire" (track 2) gets straight to the point straight out of the blocks. Melodically, it feels very similar to the previous track but it's a fun, energetic song about someone Cooper met—extrovert, like a whirlwind, dancing with desire. And then like some relationships, the song burns out and disappears.
"(In and out of love) all of the time" (track 3) slows things down a little with a more considered riff and lament-ful melody.
"Waiting for a rockstar" (track 4) is a fun and bouncy song that reminds me of something else that I've reviewed here but can't quite put my finger on. (Hookah the Fuzz? Kyrbgrinder?) The girl in the song, seemingly, is a metaphor for the music industry: "a cold, callous femme fatal that can eat you up and spit you out". It's one of the stand-out songs of the album.
"Lay it on the line" (track 5) is another easily accessible track with a melody that gets stuck in your head. As is "Kill your love" (track 6) which is a surprisingly upbeat and cheery song about destructive relationships.
"Tear me apart" (track 7) slows things down with what sounds like a piano and slide guitar intro. "Have you ever felt emotion so deep towards someone you feel it might actually tear you in two?" asks Cooper. That's what this song is about. Live, I imagine, this is a good opportunity to get the Zippos out to wave above your head in the dark.
"God give me vengeance" (track 8) returns us to Devilfire's signature stabbing/jabbing riff style and a gloriously melodic vocal line that soars above it. About two-thirds of the way through, the chorus gives way to a middle-eight and guitar solo that feels neither indulgent nor overstays its welcome.
"Devil in your eyes" (track 9) pounds out of the starting blocks with a riff that started life as an upbeat Thin Lizzy-style song but morphed into something else.
"(You gotta) revolution" (track 10) has everything you want from a stadium rocking classic right from the go, including a melody line that you hear crowds singing along to ("woah-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, etc.") and shouting along to ("You. Got. This. War. Coming!") For me this is another standout track and definitely one I'd love to see/sing along to live.
"She's always on the run" (track 11) opens with a riff that wouldn't feel amiss on a James Bond soundtrack (à la Chris Cornell's "You know my name" from Casino Royale). A little over halfway through the song takes a tour through a couple of key changes before resolving to take the song home. It's a gentle rocker that I found myself swaying to.
"A thousand times" (track 12) has perhaps the most driving guitar-led riff on the album. A stabbing riff and a lamentful lyric about people not living up to your expectations.
"Somehow" (track 13) closes the album with a delicate song played on a nylon-strung guitar. It feels raw and personal. "Ever feel that no matter what you do, you can never do anything right?" asks Cooper. That's what this song explores.
It is hard to dismiss this album as simply a saccharine exercise in melodic rock. On each listen-through I heard something new, something deeper. The instrumentation is layered and complex in places, the lyrics are personal, and the melodies are sublime. 80s AOR just got an upgrade.
Definitely a band to keep an eye out for in the future, and go see them live.
Review score: 85%
1 thought on "Devilfire—Dark Manoeuvres (2017)"
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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text:
HomeBooksHelen Keller In Love
Helen Keller In Love
A Q&A with Rosie Sultan, whose new book explores the little-known romance of an American icon.
When a review copy of the book "Helen Keller in Love" by former fellow at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts Rosie Sultan arrived in the mail, we were intrigued. As the book jacket notes, the public image of Helen Keller and "The Miracle Worker" ends when Helen is 7 years old. After that, most people have no idea what she did or accomplished, but we weren't necessarily prepared for the story that follows.
Thanks to Sultan's excellent storytelling ability and her ability to embellish the facts when necessary, the love story captured in this book, which hits shelves May 1, rivals that of the best romance novels. When Helen is in her thirties and her teacher, Annie Sullivan, is diagnosed with tuberculosis, a young man steps in as her private secretary. That man was Peter Fagan, and Helen fell fast and hard for him. As pressure mounts, the lovers plan to elope, but Helen is caught between her family and public obligations and the man who introduced her to a whole new world of feeling.
"Why was I so brazen – so forward with Peter? I was thirty-seven years old and had never been alone with a man, never mind a man with a mouth like night." – Helen Keller In Love
Helen Keller was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama, and her childhood home is open to the public there. Each summer, starting in June, "The Miracle Worker" is performed on the grounds during the town's Helen Keller Festival. While the book is set mostly in Massachusetts, where Helen and Annie lived during her adult years, references are made to Tuscumbia, and Helen also travels to her sister's home in Montgomery. A blend of fact and fiction, this book is a must-read for any Helen Keller fan, as well as those readers who just enjoy a good love story.
Editor Erin Z. Bass spoke with Rosie Sultan by phone about the book last month.
You became fascinated by Helen Keller when you were 8 years old. Why?
I think the way it happened for many people. School had a series of books you could choose about women. I chose Amelia Earhart, Eleanor Roosevelt and Helen Keller. I remember sitting down on my bed, opening the book about Helen Keller and being astonished about who she was and what her life was like. After that, as things would come out about her, I would read them.
How did you discover the story of Helen and Peter Fagan?
I had no idea she had any love interest. There's a chapter in the back of "Helen Keller: A Life" by Dorothy Herrmann that tells the story of Helen having an affair with Peter Fagan. It was very short, just the description of what the known facts are. I was stunned. I put the book down and thought, there's a really big story here and I'm gonna tell it.
The week after, I went to the local library and got out all the books by and about Helen Keller (pictured on the right in a 1913 photo from the Library of Congress). I read her "Story of My Life" and books she wrote, and she wrote a memoir in the middle of her life, and in the middle of that book there are a couple of paragraphs where she hesitantly talks about her affair. She's very apologetic about it, calls it her 'little isle of joy.' She's in some ways regretful about having kept this from her family. She says, 'I am a human being with a human being's frailty and inconsistency.' It's a plea on her part to be seen as human. I found that heartbreaking.
Then, I started doing research at the American Federation for the Blind in New York and there was this one file in hundreds of files of letters with 'Peter Fagan' on it. In that file, there was one letter from the daughter of Peter saying her father had kept a photo of her [Helen Keller] all these years and why would he have had that photo. Her secretary responded that she was ill.
Your book reads like a desperate love story. How many of the facts are true and what did you embellish?
The letters that they [Helen and Peter] exchanged were all burned in a fire in her home in Connecticut. There was an actual newspaper article published in The New York Times announcing the engagement. Her mother did read the article and banish Peter from the house. Helen was taken to Alabama, there was a scuffle with her brother-in-law, Peter did try to take her twice and didn't show up at the end. That chronology is real. Actual moments when they're together to a certain extent are imagined. I know the things she's talking about, things they're grappling with were happening in her life at the time.
"The car shuddered beneath my feet. For the first time I felt real fear slice through me. Peter stroked my hair. 'Helen, I'm willing to chase you all the way to Montgomery if I have to, but please tell me that you don't have a passel of gun-toting relatives down there.'" – Helen Keller In Love
Do you think Helen really wanted to marry Peter or did she just want to get away from Annie and her mother?
I think that they both probably entered into the relationship with great excitement and happiness, but I also think Helen was so dependent on Annie and thinking Annie had tuberculosis was a real feeling of fear of how would she would go forward. Maybe out of that enters Peter, who offers to take care of her. I think that fueled that desire quite a bit, along with a desire for independence and a fuller life.
It's probably fair to say she might have had an unrealistic expectation and so did he of what a marriage under those circumstances would be like.
You're exploring a different side of Helen Keller in this book. What other things did you find out about her that people may not know?
I was very surprised at how passionate she was about world events and had this incredible sense of justice, not just for the disabled but for anyone. Way before anyone else, she sent a letter to the NAACP and she was from the South and people were scandalized by that. I was surprised by the empathy she felt for anyone who suffered, how outspoken she was, constantly writing letters to the newspapers, and one thing that was surprising was that editors didn't want to hear her opinions on those issues. She struggled with that.
I was surprised to read about how fine a line she walked between being a celebrity — people mobbed her and pulled flowers off her hat — but I also was surprised at how complicated that was for her to have that public image. For example, in the early 1900s, Helen Keller cannot be sexual or seen as a sexual being in any way. She's the one who writes a letter to Ladies Home Journal about the leading cause of blindness [syphilis at the time], but she's seen as saintlike and pure, not able to have the life of any normal active woman. Also, that she was funny.
Did you visit her home in Tuscumbia (pictured on the right) while working on this book? It seems like Helen had conflicting feelings about her childhood home.
I didn't have a chance to visit her home, but I did read much of what she wrote about it. When Anne Sullivan first arrived in Tuscumbia, she wrote letters to Sophia Hopkins in Massachusetts describing her daily activities with Helen and the household.
What are you working on next?
There was so much that came up in the research that I have enough material to start another one. I think I need to write about Anne Sullivan. She was an amazing, fascinating woman who has a story that really needs to be told.
Published by Viking, "Helen Keller In Love" will be on sale May 1. We'll be doing a special giveaway of the book starting tomorrow for Literary Friday, so stay tuned to win a copy here first.
book reviewshelen kellerhelen keller in loverosie sultanthe miracle workertuscumbia alabama
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Ron Joullian / June 14, 2012
As a native of Alabama, I read of Helen's life and appreciate your adding a human dimension to this great Alabama native.
erinzbass / Author / June 14, 2012
Thanks Ron!
Hadassah / November 8, 2017
Me too but i am in cali im doing a history day project and this website was a huge help!
Won't Tell you / November 19, 2019
Susheela vernekar / September 24, 2019
Thank you. So much I also want to know about her love story. What about Peter, why he doesn't reach out? Did something happen? Is something wrong? These questions are in my mind.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Gabriela, aka, Gabby, was very patient with us as we arrived a bit late at our hotel and needed a bit of lunch that was not scheduled in the tour, so she adapted well and got us back on track after we stopped for lunch. The tour of the city was a great way to begin our 3 days in Granada, and Gabby knows the city extremely well. She speaks wonderful English and is very personable. She also went out of her way to help us make dinner reservations for the evening. It was a great tour.
TOUR GUIDE RESPONSE: Thank so much for your great review, Rick! I hope you and Sarah enjoy my beautiful city the days you spend here as much as I always do!!!


…adrift in your ocean…trying to find my way. The re-imagined works of Vincenza Gamba (Galilei) by David (scout) McQueen.
…trying to find my way. (Scope) Etched brass, oak, neodymium, thread..
adrift in your ocean… Kinetic installation comprised of 23 basswood boats, plastic, steel, motor.
not all boats go to heaven 2012. Kinetic sculpture, 10 ft. x 24 in. x 20 in.
The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, 2012. Kinetic re-presentation of the ocean's surface, 36 x 36 x 36 inches.
David McQueen's machines employ elaborately constructed bureaucracies of parts to re-present simpler singular events: an ocean swell, a flock of birds, or a sleeping dog. These minor events, however, are approximations, and in their architecture they become dark homologues of their natural counterparts. That flock of birds stutters and stops, the sleeping dog is also a beached whale and a ship run aground, and that ocean swell reminds us of an ever-rising tide – at once both fantastic and tragic.
David McQueen won a 2011 NYFA fellowship in Sculpture.


text:
Rescue dog adoptions surge in the Midcoast
Some of the many recent adoptees, who were brought to Maine by kind and human organizations and humans
Sarah Shepherd
Numerous new canines have taken up residence in the Midcoast, stepping out smartly on walks around town, visiting local dog parks and soaking up the waterfront scenery with their new adoptive and foster families.
Many of these next generation of Midcoast dogs are rescues from southern states, where high-kill shelters are prevalent, mostly due to over population. More rescues are also traveling here from farther away, like Puerto Rico, where large populations of dogs are homeless, often mistreated and living hard lives after being abandoned on the streets.
Percy was adopted a little over a year ago from PAWS in Camden. He arrived from a rescue in Texas called Sweetpups that works with PAWS to re-home southern dogs. "Originally we were to foster Percy, but he got also along so well with our other dog, who was also a rescue through PAWS from Texas, that we welcomed him into our family," said Heather Forcillo. "He has a huge personality packed into a seven-pound body and he loves any adventure in any weather! PAWS was wonderful to work with and their staff was very accommodating and helpful."
Many of the transports to Maine are coordinated through local shelters, although some rescues are arriving via private and independent rescues.
The owner of the Lincolnville nonprofit Maine Coast Animal Rescue, Danielle Mills Blake, calls her rescue work "the Southern Connection."
Cootie, a Jack Russell and dachshund mix, was adopted by Peggy Jones East in November 2020. Cootie had been transported north from South Carolina.
She has close relationships with the True North Animal Transport and Southern Pup Rescues in Mississippi and now that the COVID travel restrictions have eased up, monthly transports have resumed.
Blake said that many rescues are puppies and mixed breeds, but added there are also specialty breeds and senior dogs available for adoption and fostering. It depends on what is available at the time.
P.A.W.S. Animal Adoption Center in Camden collaborates with Love4Satos who have rescue "sato" or street stray dogs from the streets of Puerto Rico. According to the shelter director at P.A.W.S., so far they have received 34 dogs from the organization for adoption. More dogs arrived in April and more are expected in the upcoming weeks.
"Ace," said Robin Harlow. "Best dog evah!" Ace was adopted four years ago, arriving in Maine from Mississippi, a rescue.
Calico, Maya was rescued from the Bahamas and adopted in October 2019. The orange is Clementine and the buff is Huckleberry. "They were litter mates we fostered early in the pandemic and adopted in May 2020," said Shannon Bullis Burns, who, with her husband B.J., and their girls Karis and Lauren, adopted them. "This photo is from the fall. Huck is bigger than Maya now."
The Pope Memorial Humane Society in Thomaston has been partnering with rescue organizations in South Carolina and generally transfer in about 15-20 animals a month. Another transport arrived in April, according to the Executive Director, Tracy Sala.
Blake said that the demand for rescue dogs is never-ending.
"They are highly adoptable and lovable dogs and you're saving the life of an animal."
Tips for adopting rescues
Stacey Contakos, DVM, Veterinarian and owner of the Camden Hospital for Animals, shares some general tips and insights about adopting a rescue dog.
Have you been seeing many rescue dogs in your practice?
This is Jack, a 4-year-old, 100-pound Alapaha Blue Blood Bulldog. Said Seth Thayer: "We found him on Facebook and drove to Ohio to pick him up. We have a 5-year-old rescue Alapaha, as well, who has been with us for two years already and we knew we wanted another dog of the same breed. Jack lived most of his life in a crate for 12 hours a day while his humans were at work. The crate was too small and his hips never developed properly. Jack loves it in Maine. He gets to be with his humans most hours of the day, is never in a crate, and loves to swim! Jack is our third Alapaha Blue Blood Bulldog rescue, having four or first one at PAWS in Camden about 10 years ago."
During COVID, there was a massive influx of rescue dogs. I think people felt like it was a good time to adopt. My experience has been that a lot of the dogs have been coming to Maine from out-of-state, with most transports coordinated through local shelters with about 30% have been adopted through independent rescues. I have seen a fair amount of mixed breeds with Catahoulas and Border Collie and German Shepherd mixes.
Penit, companion of Blackie. (See above).
What should happen soon after adopting a rescue dog?
A new owner should get their rescue established with a veterinarian for an initial wellness exam. The owner should also bring any shot or medical records to the appointment since most rescues have already had their first distemper and kennel cough vaccines.
The Lyme vaccine should be administered since tick borne diseases are prevalent in Maine.
The new owner should also discuss any endemic problems their dog may already be treated for. Heartworm prevention should be addressed.
A high amount of the rescues we have seen at the Camden Hospital for animals have already been neutered so that hasn't been an issue.
What is typically the transition process for rescue adoptions?
The transport can be a stressful event for some dogs so it may take time for them to get adjusted and settled into their new homes, possibly taking six to eight weeks.
Establish good routines so they can really thrive.
We are seeing more rescues who are eight, nine and 12 months old and some may be skittish and aloof based on their past experiences. Some may have had a "rough go of it" before arriving at their new homes.
"We have Izzie," said Anne Edmands. "She came from Texas through PAWs!"
Any additional advice?
I suggest enrolling the rescue dogs in obedience classes. It is a valuable time to bond with their new family members and an opportunity to build training and socialization skills.
"We adopted our first dog in 13 years from Pope Memorial Humane Society," said Kate Moody Marchessault "Maddie had been adopted from Pope two years ago (originally from South Carolina) and was surrendered back due to human health issues. We applied for a small dog, and she was the smallest they had at the time. We needed a dog that would not try to eat our rabbit, and would tolerate our cat. Maddie has been perfect. She is shy, quiet, somewhat lazy, and generally well behaved. We found through chance that she loves hiking, so I take her ad often as I can. She has been a blessing to our family especially during Covid."
Tips for managing your pet's stress when you return to the workplace
As Mainers continue to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and life nears a return to pre-pandemic normalcy, pet owners around the state will be tasked with returning to work and will, once again, be altering the routine of their pets.
Blackie arrived in Maine with his companion, Penit. They both came from All Satos Rescue, based in Somerville, Mass., and which rescues dogs from Puerto Rico. They were transported to Biddeford, where Charlene Bailey met them. All Satos saves the street dogs of Puerto Rico, sending them north "when the going gets ruff."
The pandemic and shift to working from home reduced our inclination to maintain a structured schedule, and it's time to change that as workplaces reopen.
Pet owners should set a fixed time for different activities, including play, exercise, walking, and meals, advises Petmate.
"Ensure that the routine you set is the same one you will follow once you go back to work," the pet products manufacturer said. "This will allow your pet to get used to the changed lifestyle."
Stop feeding your pets at random times of the day, and instead feed them at the time you normally would feed them pre-pandemic as it fit around your work schedule.
"A little over a year ago, our kitten Bruin came to us from Southern Pup in Mississippi, via 3DogsRescue in Southern Maine, as did our pup Indy back in 2016," said Linda Lorenzen.
"Take your daily walks at the time you would each morning or night," advised Dogtopia. "You can even run through your typical morning routine: get ready, make breakfast, pack your work bag, leave the house and start your car."
The Northeast Animal Hospital, in Florida, suggests leaving the house more frequently as your return to work nears, even if simply taking the pet to places you usually bring your furry friend such as a park, store or outdoor restaurant space.
"It has been a little more than a year," said Lisbeth Whitney. "Louise was in a kill shelter outside of Houston, Texas, along with some of her litter mates. She was on death row as a 4 month old puppy when a Texas rescue picked her up along with her litter mates and brought them to PAWS. She is the smartest, friendliest dog we have ever had and her disposition is always sunny! She has me laughing every single day."
"Don't underestimate your pet's ability to learn and recognize details in your daily routine," the hospital said. "If you normally wear certain clothes for work, carry a particular bag, or give them a special treat before we leave, begin these 'rituals' again as we leave for our excursions."
If planning to leave your furry friend behind while heading out for a day's slate of activities, engage in a brief period of play and activity, the American Veterinary Medical Association recommends, to help your pet burn energy and prevent anxiety from setting in once you leave.
Hello I'm Walter. I'm 11 months old and love to run, wrestle, sniff and devour any stick that comes my way. Half lab /half hound – Who knows! I came from Mississippi, but Maine is a great place to live now with my adopted family. Maybe I'll see you at the dog park in Camden.
Janelle Metiva, a certified professional dog trainer and dog behavior specialist at Best Friends Animal Society, told the TODAY show separation anxiety can become an issue for pets.
"If the dog is used to that constant attention and suddenly it goes away, that huge, abrupt change could definitely cause them some big initial panic," she said. "We have to do prep work now so that it's not such an extreme transition."
Sam and Goose and Pippin all arrived via a rescue van this past winter and early spring from Mississippi and love living in Maine.


I am a recent graduate from Texas Christian University with a Bachelor's of Science in Kinesiology. I am also a professional triathlete living and training in the Phoenix, Arizona area.
Born and raised in the Metro Phoenix, Arizona, where my parents, Scott and Joanie, are my top sponsors! I have an older sister, Courtney, who is a flight attendant and speaks four languages. My twin sister, Keely, is working for a PR firm in northern California.
As a four year old, in 1997, I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL), a cancer of the blood. I spent 4 years in chemotherapy before being declared cancer free and finished with treatment. I went back to the clinic every year for a decade in long term followup. Despite how young I was, the four year battle with this disease made me stronger and much more mature than my peer group.
Swimming has been part of my life since I learned to swim at age 5 from the same coach, Joe Phillips, who taught my Dad when he was 5. Dad was a high school and college All-American, and his grandparents were state champions in freestyle in California and Colorado. It's in my genes!
From the summer rec league for the country club, through USA club swimming, and onto high school swimming, I have always been a freestyler, first, with individual medley a close second.
I attended Brophy Prep, Arizona's Jesuit High School. Brophy has won 34 state titles in swimming and diving, including 28 in a row through 2015. Although I would have been a star on any other high school team in Arizona, at Brophy, I couldn't crack the state championship team, which comprises the fastest 4 guys in each event. By senior year, it was getting pretty frustrating still being 5th on the depth chart in all my events. I was ready to quit swimming when my parents suggested I try a sprint triathlon, using a borrowed bike.
My dad was still swimming for exercise and decided with his practice group to attempt an Alcatraz swim in 2008. He knew I could handle it, so he had me join the group. In a field of about 600, we each won our age groups, and I was third overall. I loved swimming in open water. I went back in 2009, and won the whole thing, 1st overall, and got mentioned in the Weekend Edition of the Wall Street Journal.
In 2010, my triathlon debut was a reverse sprint event on Thanksgiving Day. This triathlon started with the run, then the bike, and ended in the pool. This way, the field would be spread out before the swim, and not be so crowded in the pool. When I was one of the first few runners into T1, my Dad figured we were onto something. I managed to finish in the top 10% overall that day and had found my new sport.
I did a couple more sprint races, but did not enter my first Olympic distance race until the Tempe International in May, 2011. My fitness would be tested at the longer distance. Without a solid race plan, I went out like a rabbit on the swim and the bike, then died on the run. I ran close to an hour that day for my 10k. It was hot. I cramped from poor fueling and being under-prepared. This race taught me some big lessons. A month later, I competed in Escape From Alcatraz, a modified Olympic course with a 1.5 mile swim, a hilly 18 mile bike course, and an 8 mile run with a huge stair climb. I managed to place very well in a competitive field.
During my sophomore year at TCU, I met Brent Poulsen, my current coach, during a weekend group ride in Fort Worth. I made the switch from my previous coach in February 2014 and it was the best decision I ever made. Brent was able to train with me, and made a fantastic training partner, while being a superb coach. Brent raced as a pro on the ITU circuit, as well as some 70.3's, for about a decade through October 2015, when he announced his retirement from triathlon. It will be a challenge to train without him but I know I still have a running partner as he's got his sights set on doing some big things in the running world.
Also as a sophomore, I became president of the TCU Tri Frogs club team. We are small in number, and I am the only freakishly dedicated triathlete in the group. We are, for the most part, recreational athletes and students trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle. A race now and then keeps us honest in that regard. I coach the team from on deck at swim sessions and organize weekly rides and runs. I've also done volunteer work with the local YMCA, coaching little guys and gals in swimming, and helping them learn why they might like triathlons as they get older. I also worked as a lifeguard for three years, and as assistant coach for a country club swim team which prepared me for dealing with the youngsters.


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	///
	/// Roslyn compiler service

	/// 基于Roslyn的编译服务

	///
	internal class RoslynCompilerService : ICompilerService {
		///
		/// Target platform name, net or netstandard

		/// 目标平台的名称, net或netstandard

		///
#if NETCORE
		public string TargetPlatform { get { return "netstandard"; } }
#else
		public string TargetPlatform { get { return "net"; } }
#endif
		///
		/// Loaded namespaces, for reducing load time

		/// 已加载的命名空间, 用于减少加载时间

		///
		protected HashSet<string> LoadedNamespaces { get; set; }

		///
		/// Initialize

		/// 初始化

		///
		public RoslynCompilerService() {
			LoadedNamespaces = new HashSet<string>();
		}

		///
		/// Find all using directive

		/// And try to load the namespace as assembly

		/// 寻找源代码中的所有using指令

		/// 并尝试加载命名空间对应的程序集

		///
		/// <param name="syntaxTrees">Syntax trees</param>
		protected void LoadAssembliesFromUsings(IList<SyntaxTree> syntaxTrees) {
			// Find all using directive
			var assemblyLoader = Application.Ioc.Resolve<IAssemblyLoader>();
			foreach (var tree in syntaxTrees) {
				foreach (var usingSyntax in ((CompilationUnitSyntax)tree.GetRoot()).Usings) {
					var name = usingSyntax.Name;
					var names = new List<string>();
					while (name != null) {
						// The type is "IdentifierNameSyntax" if it's single identifier
						// eg: System
						// The type is "QualifiedNameSyntax" if it's contains more than one identifier
						// eg: System.Threading
						if (name is QualifiedNameSyntax qualifiedName) {
							var identifierName = (IdentifierNameSyntax)qualifiedName.Right;
							names.Add(identifierName.Identifier.Text);
							name = qualifiedName.Left;
						} else if (name is IdentifierNameSyntax identifierName) {
							names.Add(identifierName.Identifier.Text);
							name = null;
						}
					}
					if (names.Contains("src")) {
						// Ignore if it looks like a namespace from plugin
						continue;
					}
					names.Reverse();
					for (int c = 1; c <= names.Count; ++c) {
						// Try to load the namespace as assembly
						// eg: will try "System" and "System.Threading" from "System.Threading"
						var usingName = string.Join(".", names.Take(c));
						if (LoadedNamespaces.Contains(usingName)) {
							continue;
						}
						try {
							assemblyLoader.Load(usingName);
						} catch {
							// Retry next name
						}
						LoadedNamespaces.Add(usingName);
					}
				}
			}
		}

		///
		/// Compile source files to assembly

		/// 编译源代码到程序集

		///
		public void Compile(IList<string> sourceFiles,
			string assemblyName, string assemblyPath, CompilationOptions options = null) {
			// Use default options if `options` is null
			options = options ?? new CompilationOptions();
			// Parse source files into syntax trees
			// Also define NETCORE for .Net Core
			var parseOptions = CSharpParseOptions.Default;
#if NETCORE
			parseOptions = parseOptions.WithPreprocessorSymbols("NETCORE");
#endif
			var syntaxTrees = sourceFiles
				.Select(path => CSharpSyntaxTree.ParseText(
					File.ReadAllText(path), parseOptions, path, Encoding.UTF8))
				.ToList();
			// Find all using directive and load the namespace as assembly
			// It's for resolve assembly dependencies of plugin
			LoadAssembliesFromUsings(syntaxTrees);
			// Add loaded assemblies to compile references
			var assemblyLoader = Application.Ioc.Resolve<IAssemblyLoader>();
			var references = assemblyLoader.GetLoadedAssemblies()
				.Select(assembly => assembly.Location)
				.Select(path => MetadataReference.CreateFromFile(path))
				.ToList();
			// Set roslyn compilation options
			// Generate pdb file only supported on windows,
			// because Microsoft.DiaSymReader.Native only have windows runtimes
			if (!PlatformUtils.RunningOnWindows()) {
				options.GeneratePdbFile = false;
			}
			var optimizationLevel = (options.Release ?
				OptimizationLevel.Release : OptimizationLevel.Debug);
			var pdbPath = ((!options.GeneratePdbFile) ? null : Path.Combine(
				Path.GetDirectoryName(assemblyPath),
				Path.GetFileNameWithoutExtension(assemblyPath) + ".pdb"));
			// Create compilation options and set IgnoreCorLibraryDuplicatedTypes flag
			// To avoid error like The type 'Path' exists in both
			// 'System.Runtime.Extensions, Version=4.1.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a'
			// and
			// 'System.Private.CoreLib, Version=4.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=7cec85d7bea7798e'
			var compilationOptions = new CSharpCompilationOptions(
				OutputKind.DynamicallyLinkedLibrary,
				optimizationLevel: optimizationLevel);
			var withTopLevelBinderFlagsMethod = compilationOptions.GetType()
				.FastGetMethod("WithTopLevelBinderFlags", BindingFlags.Instance | BindingFlags.NonPublic);
			var binderFlagsType = withTopLevelBinderFlagsMethod.GetParameters()[0].ParameterType;
			compilationOptions = (CSharpCompilationOptions)withTopLevelBinderFlagsMethod.FastInvoke(
				compilationOptions,
				binderFlagsType.GetField("IgnoreCorLibraryDuplicatedTypes").GetValue(binderFlagsType));
			// Compile to assembly, throw exception if error occurred
			var compilation = CSharpCompilation.Create(assemblyName)
				.WithOptions(compilationOptions)
				.AddReferences(references)
				.AddSyntaxTrees(syntaxTrees);
			var emitResult = compilation.Emit(assemblyPath, pdbPath);
			if (!emitResult.Success) {
				throw new CompilationException(string.Join("\r\n",
					emitResult.Diagnostics.Where(d => d.WarningLevel == 0)));
			}
		}
	}
}


John and I always keep an iChat window open with each other while we're working. This is so John can send me various funny and/or cute pictures he finds on Reddit to distract me from my serious work of pinning my latest craft aspirations and catching up on Twitter.
Me: "D'AWWWWW!! So cute! And they totally look like they're skydiving! Someone should photoshop them onto a sky. Right? Right?!"
Me: "BWA-HA-HAA! Except now they look like they're plummeting to their deaths. They need parachutes."
Me: "Ok, now they really need some goggles."
Me: "Oh, come on. You've come THIS far."
Me: "YES! I love it. Now it just needs a big LOL cats-type caption with, 'DON'T LET GO,' or 'I'VE GOT YOU' on it, right? Something cute like that.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have some very serious work to BWAHHAHAAA!! Sorry, I couldn't even get that out TYPING. Heh. Aheh. Heh.
Double rainbow. *Sobbing* What does it mean???
I'm just a little concerned with the parachutes not having been strapped to the kitties. Looks like a cartoon waiting to happen.
You've got me? Who's got you!?
You know if you ever tire of John he'll be snapped up in a second.
It was awesome before, but the cow? Inconceivable? Pure genius!
Oh my. I think I just about died laughing. John rocks so hard.
I die. All this laughing-gasping-choking is not good for my trying-to-heal-from-near-death sore throat, but it's totally worth dying over! Hilarious!
Too funny! The first thing I thought when I saw the first pic was "Too bad the bedspread isn't blue, then they'd look like they were flying."
Also, "inconceivable" = pure AWESOME.
I do believe that this exchange is the definition of awesome.
This is why I love the internets.
Hahahaha. After I saw the 2nd pics, I thought, "No parachutes?" and then there they were when I scrolled down. Luvin the cow!
First of all, that tummy FLOOF WAS AMAZING! But the cow tipped it over the edge (sorry for the pun). Tipped? Get it? Word of caution, when tipping a cow make sure it is a COW and not the Bull. Just saying.
This is my new desktop background.
It's very rare that I truly lol at so etching, never mind uncontrollably. But I for real lost it when the inconceivable cow picture popped up.
i like the way you think. that last one is just pure brilliance. i love how the top hat has blown off the other cat's head, too.
I love this blog. This literally made me LOL.
thought you might want to know!
My friend (well not really, since we've never really met except exchanging a few emails and you probably don't remember me), I've had some really rough stuff happen in the past few days, starting on Wed when our water pump died and when you live in the desert and have horses NOT having water is really bad, yet our landlord gave me HELL about getting it fixed. Then an undercover tape was revealed showing serious horse abuse with the breed I'm involved in that I am trying to save from said abuse...well, it's been hard to say the least. Anyway, this just made my night and really made me laugh. I loved it. And if I ever get a cow I'm naming it Inconceivable. Which is possible, seeing as how we have horses and all.


The British Chamber of Commerce Thailand hosted the monthly multi-chamber event for April and took something of a chance by choosing a venue a bit out of town.
Sponsors (L to R) KC Cuijpers, Managing Partner, Re/Max Town & Country, Marc Sittl, GM Mövenpick Hotel Pattaya, Porntip Utsahaphan, International Marketing Manager of Samitivej Hospital, Chris Thatcher, Vice Chairman BCCT, Paul Scales, President Irish – Thai Chamber, Ragil Ratnam, Chairman South African – Thai Chamber, Joanna Kearney, Director of Admission & Marketing for Regents School International Pattaya, Simon Matthews, Chairman BCCT, Mark Bowling, BCCT Director, Brendan Cunningham, Executive Director AustCham, and Kiatchai Kittitirakorn, Wall Street English.
Yet it was a gamble that paid off with more than 100 people turning up at the T55 New York Grill Room at the Mövenpick Siam Hotel, near the Ocean Marina Yacht Club in Sattahip's Najomtien Sub-district.
It turns out it wasn't such a reach after all, as the German chamber had hosted a networking event at the same location a month earlier.
T55 was inspired by New York's famed meatpacking district and recreates the Big Apple's hipster vibe without being pretentious. As a homage to the district, aged prime cuts are laid out in chilled glass boxes in the butcher room for guests to choose and have chefs prepare.
Stuart Foulkes, Town & Country Property, and Herman V Gucht.
The networking was spread over three adjoining areas: registration, beverages and an extensive buffet that included a wide variety of hors d'oeuvres, freshly cooked meats, and potatoes and vegetables.
The staff perambulated the room, ensuring glasses were refilled, allowing the guests to focus on meeting new business contacts and reuniting with friends and colleagues.
The sponsors for the event included Mövenpick Siam Hotel Pattaya, Samitivej Hospitals, RE/MAX Town & Country, Regents International School and Wall Street English schools.
In addition to representatives from the sponsors, the event attracted a large number of professionals from the Eastern Seaboard in real estate, media, automotive, logistics, health insurance, Rotary and members from other chambers of commerce.
The next multi-chamber event will be held at the Avani Pattaya Resort & Spa May 19 at 6 p.m.
Regil Ratnam from SATCC, Pasit Foobunma, director and webmaster at SATCC, and Steve Devereux.
Joanna Kearney from Regents International School presents Andy Hall from CEA Project Logistics with a lucky draw prize.
Grant Gillies, Kirsty P. and Joanna Kearney from Regents International school Pattaya.
(L to R) Bernard Lamprecht, General Manager of Backri Cono shipyard, Kevin Tarrant, and James Goddard from One Sport & Media Management.
(L to R) Regil Ratnam from the South African Chamber of Commerce, Brent Gladney, Allied Pickfords, and Warren Boyes, Macallan Insurance Broker.
Ray Matti, Public Relations Consultant of Chiang Mai international cricket sixes, and Stuart Daly, Managing Director of Pattaya Realty.
Martin Van Bree chats with Adrian Berry.
The Pattaya Realty team consisting of Managing Director Stuart Daly and Nick Creasey.
David R. Nardone, President and CEO of the Hemaraj Land and Development Company Limited, and George Strampp, Automotive Manufacturing Solutions of BCCT.
Simon Matthews, Manpower, and Ray Matti, Public Relations Consultant of Chang Mai international Cricket Sixes.
Brendan Cunningham and Bill Craig.
Town & Country Property Company's team.
Many beautiful female professionals also attended the event.
Allan Riddell, Consultant to the board at SATCC, Brian Songhurst and Archie Dunlop, South African Chamber of Commerce.
(L to R) Watcharin Holzer from Tinfish Thailand, Matthew Hansen, Mike Hansen, and Frank Holzer, Executive General Manager of MHG Thailand Co., Ltd.
Dr William van Ewijk, Herman van Gucht, KC Cuijpers, Managing Partner Re/Max – Town & Country, and Tom Robson Fabulous 103.
Pasit Foobunma, director and webmaster at SATCC, Steve Devereux, Paul Scales, President Irish – Thai Chamber, and Allan Riddell, Consultant to the Board at SATCC.
Martin Roessing, BorgWarner Thailand, and Horst Wiezorrek, Pacific Cross Health Insurance PCL.
David R. Nardone, President and CEO of the Hemaraj Land and Development Company Limited, George Strampp and Claude Dugas.
Philip Coates from BeLuThai and Brendan Cunningham from AustCham.
Kevin Tarrant, One Sport & Media receives his lucky draw prize from Porntip Utsahaphan, International Marketing Manager at Samitivej Hospital as Chris Thatcher, Vice Chairman of BCCT looks on.
Horst Wiezorrek, Pacific Cross Health Insurance PCL, Dr. Otmar and Margret Deter, Rotary E-Club Dolphin Pattaya International.


Every human life is precious and sacred. Whenever someone is murdered, there is a sadness that penetrates to the core and echoes for many years.
There is also a pervasive foreboding that the same fate could befall any of us. I am deeply perturbed by all murders, but it is especially disturbing when the victim is someone who isn't a stranger.It's shocking when one day, you see the individual looking healthy, fit, happy, walking around and talking, and then, in a few days or weeks, you get the news that the person was brutally killed. You can't help but wonder what his or her last moments of terror were like, and, tsunami of horror washes over you.The brutal murder of Dr Lynvale Bloomfield was shocking to me and to innumerable other people who knew him or knew of him. He was always quiet and humble and never flaunted his status in life. His reserved demeanor was out of keeping with the role that he played in the lives of his patients, community and in representational politics.He appeared to be the sort of person that no one would want to harm, let alone murder. This impression of him made his murder all the more shocking and devastating.It's not that one particular life is more precious than any other, but whenever those who contribute in a positive way to society are murdered, it's mesmerising and especially egregious. The same applies when little children and the helpless elderly are slain.It is natural for us to wonder about the motive for such a despicable act.
Unless it is known that the murder took place as a result of a grievance or during a robbery or because of some other major crime, speculations always run rampant about whether he or she was murdered because of this, that or the other.If we are to reduce their frequency, murders need to be solved.
The capture and punishment of the perpetrators are very effective preventative measures. Doing so requires good detective work, solid forensics and, often, the invaluable assistance of those good citizens who provide the investigators with information.Solving murders on an individual basis is extremely important for many reasons – justice for the family of the victim, for the prevention of other murders to keep our society safe and, in our setting, to keep our invaluable visitors safe. But we must also concentrate on mitigating the root causes of murders and other violent crimes.
The level of violence in our country has been blamed on our ancestral roots. Some claim that the more violent slaves were dropped of here, in Jamaica, in order to get rid of them before the slave trip continued on its journey.Others believe that the violence could be as a result of the high concentration of harmful chemicals (like lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury) found in our soil that affect our organs and nervous system.
They can lead to learning problems in children and result in a propensity for violence.Our problems were compounded by the political rivalry of the 1970s and 1980s. Respect for human life was sacrificed for the election votes to acquire those famous 'scarce resources and spoils'. And, many needy communities were set on an alternative (anti) social path to secure their survival.Jamaica has evolved into an undisciplined society where anything goes.
We must bring back order and discipline on our roads, or we'll never reduce crime. There is too much dependence on handouts and the proceeds of illegal activities within our underprivileged communities.We need to fix our social ills and assure the proper upbringing/acculturation of our nation's children in order to reduce crime, especially murders.


text:
NGC 5222-2 is een spiraalvormig sterrenstelsel in het sterrenbeeld Maagd. Het hemelobject werd op 12 april 1784 ontdekt door de Duits-Britse astronoom William Herschel.

Synoniemen
 UGC 8558
 MCG 2-35-5
 ZWG 73.39
 KCPG 383B
 Arp 288
 VV 315
 PGC 93122

Zie ook
Lijst van NGC-objecten

Externe links
  NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database
  SIMBAD Astronomical Database
  SEDS

NGC-object in Maagd
Sterrenstelsel in Maagd

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Tandem skydiving is one of the safest ways to experience the thrill of flight! You and your instructor climb high above the earth while the anticipation builds! Don't waste another minute, and book now!
Explore the picturesque mountains of Colorado through a memorable, out-of-this-world experience! Enjoy a 15-minute plane ride, looking over Glenwood Springs, CO! Plummet back to earth at 120 MPH, followed by a few minutes of a scenic parachute-ride.
Contact us if you should have any further questions or concerns. We look forward to seeing you in the sky. Book now!
Use the form below to book your jump now!
Participants must be at least 18 years old; ID required upon sign in.
Jumpers must be generally healthy and under 225 lbs.
Must completely fill out a Release of Liability Agreement prior to skydive.
Skydiving is a weather-reliant sport. Due to safety, restrictions may allow skydiving to be an all-day activity. However, on a weather-perfect and air-traffic perfect day, each flight with two tandems take about an hour and a half or so from sign-in, to pre-flight preparations, to the actual skydive. Please plan your trip accordingly.
Comfortable and streamlined clothing recommended (tee shirt, long pants & sneakers).
48-hour cancellation or rescheduling notice required. Failure to abide by this policy may result in forfeiture of deposit.
Reservations must be made at least 1 full day in advance, with a $50 non-refundable deposit per person.
Tipping your instructor is not required but is highly appreciated.
Feel free to contact us for any questions. You may also read through our Frequently Asked Questions page for information.
If your group is larger than the availability listed or you have questions about availability for a date less than 1 day in advance, please call (970) 364-3737 or e-mail info@roaringforkskydivers.com for assistance.


Family owned Italian manufacturer of marine quality cooking appliances and sinks. Modern and innovative kitchen solutions for boats, motorhomes and specialist vehicles. Three generations of the family work together to develop business through new ideas and solution providing.


The Keynote Address was given by Jerry Nickelsburg, Senior Economist, UCLA Anderson Forecast.
The 2016 State of the County Address was given by Supervisor Efren Carrillo, District 5.
Sonoma Center is an excerpt from the 2016 State of the County presentation.


Darby Stanchfield plays Abby Whelan, and she's come a long way to get to D.C. She actually grew up in small-town Alaska. Her father was a crab fisherman and in an interview she revealed that the Discovery Channel reality series Deadliest Catch actually films in her old neighborhood in Dutch Harbor.
Some of you remember Guillermo Díaz from Chappelle's Show, many of us remember him on Weeds, but if you haven't seen Stonewall, you're truly missing out on a completely different side of the actor. In the 1995 film he plays a drag queen named La Miranda. The film tells the powerful story of the police raid on the Greenwich Village Stonewall bar, and the riot that would go down in gay rights history.
Although Jeff Perry says that "nepotism does not actually work in Hollywood", it's very interesting to know that he's married to the casting director for all things Shondaland. Linda Lowy and Perry have been married for some time now and they have one daughter– so Perry (who played Thatcher Grey on Grey's Anatomy) has definitely got the hook-up. But we know that the real reason he's playing Cyrus Beene is because nobody else could pull off a work-related, afternoon heart attack like he did last season.
Can you imagine walking into class one day and seeing Kerry Washington standing in front of the blackboard? Because this used to happen to children in New York City schools on a daily basis. Washington worked as a sub right through her first few gigs, but finally had to retire after students started to recognize her as Chenille from Save the Last Dance.


text:
Women's Journeys
Birding Adventures
Hotels We Love
JB Journeys is a woman-owned travel & tour company.
Jean Kelly Warneke, CTC*
Jean is managing director and a founder of JB Journeys. She suffers from wanderlust. Growing up her family moved all over the US with her dad's job. She has visited all 50 states, and is now in the process of traveling to all the countries and territories in the world - current count is 74. She has worked in the travel industry since her college days and has done it all – retail travel agent, specialty tour manager, receptive operator, meeting planner, conventions, incentive programs - she even has been known to drive airport transfers! Since working in nature tourism in the early 90's, she is dedicated to eco-tourism as a mutually beneficial business model. Jean is an avid reader, loves to cook and entertain, practice yoga, hike, watch birds, and tries to do all of that when traveling!
Jean has a B.A. in German and Spanish and is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC). She has also earned the designation of Travel Specialist for Panama, Guatemala, and St. Lucia. She splits her year between Austin, Texas and Cape Cod.
Bob Warneke
Bob Warneke is a recovering lawyer and recently has taken on marketing efforts for JB Journeys.
Bob is the son of one of the few career military men who never took his family abroad. It was only by the great fortune of marrying a travel agent that the world opened up for him. When possible he accompanies Jean on her travels. Hiking and birding are his favorites; indeed, the outdoors are where he wants to be. Bob considers himself a conservationist before all else. He serves on the boards of the Latin American Committee of Travis Audubon Society, Texas Conservation Alliance, and of the Malcolm C. Damuth Foundation (which he also serves as president), a small but effective group who work to save habitat for endangered species. He was also a long-term board member of the American Birding Association. Bob has a B.A. and M.S. in biology, as well as a J.D. He splits his year between Austin, Texas and Cape Cod.
Sandra Skrei
Sandra's love for learning about nature is surpassed only by her love for helping others learn, while working to conserve wildlife and habitat. She fondly remembers her first time in Mexico (as a 3rd grader, on a trip to Nogales with her grandparents!), and has returned many times, including a college study abroad to Guadalajara, and while working for Zoo Conservation Outreach Group and National Audubon Society. She is a consultant to Grupo Ecologico Sierra Gorda in Queretaro, and is excited about working with JB Journeys to promote sea turtle and ocean conservation eco-tourism in Baja California. Sandra has led educational tours for teachers to Australia and Belize, and other trips to Costa Rica while working as the Curator of Education at the Gladys Porter Zoo. She has also led trips to colonial Mexico and the Texas Coast for spring migration while running Naturally Curious, an on-line nature resource store. Sandra lives on High Hope Ranch in Glen Rose, TX.
Eric Stager
Eric leads birding tours for JB Journeys. He grew up on the Upper Texas Coast where he was bitten by the birding bug in 1981 at the age of 13. Although detrimental to his teenage social life, his obsession with birds was spurred on by kind mentors and nourished by the excitement of growing up in one of North America's top birding locations. While still in high school, Eric was leading field trips for the local bird club, compiling his local Christmas Bird Count, and operating the Texas Coast Rare Bird Alert (in the days of cassette tape answering machines). Eric left the coast to attend the University of Texas and has lived in Austin ever since. He has expanded his sights with birding trips in South America, Africa, Asia and Australia. In Austin, Eric leads field trips and teaches birding classes for Travis Audubon Society, and also serves on the board of directors. He works as a Senior Environmental Scientist for the City of Austin
Pam Whitehair
Pam, like the others of JB Journeys, got into the travel business more than 25 years ago to satisfy her wanderlust. She started in the eco-tourism field, then joined a travel company that specialized in Latin American tours, where she met Jean and Barbara. During her travel career, she has worked in both the retail and corporate travel business, booking travel for high-tech executives throughout the world, including challenging assignments like booking oil crew rotations in and out of Mongolia. Pam is a dedicated "walker", having completed 12 Avon breast cancer benefit walks, walked across Panama and in September of 2016, the 500 mile Camino de Santiago pilgrimage through France and Spain. She enjoys cooking, entertaining friends, yoga, photography and music. Pam lives in San Marcos, Texas.
Barbara Baggett, CTC*
Barbara is a a travel counselor emeritis and a founding member of JB Journeys. At the age of 10, Barbara's parents took her to South America. Another world filled with llamas, prop-planes, iguanas and native peoples, opened her senses and sparked a passion for new experiences. During the ensuing years she has hiked, scuba dived, birdwatched, safaried, and dined her way through more than 30 countries. She finds great enjoyment in the diversity of the world's people and wild places.
Barbara has more than 20 years in the travel business, including work with specialty companies promoting diving, Mexico, Central America and bird watching. She is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) as well as a Panama Travel Specialist and Africa Destination Specialist. She has a BS in Forestry and Environmental Management and is a Licensed Massage Therapist.
Our planet's wealth of culture and unspoiled wild places are a siren's call to Barbara. Her intention is to facilitate memorable vacations that will support and sustain the world's treasures, and to inspire people to enrich their lives by traveling with an open mind, a gentle heart, a light step and a curious nature. Barbara is a native of Austin, and lives in Utopia, Texas.
Steve Bartolomeo
Artist and web-designer and all around taskmaster
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) Stephen Bartolomeo's life ought to be a model for us all. He has overcome numerous difficulties to arrive at his well-acclaimed status. Born in the dusty and remote town of Lake Jackson, Texas, in 1957, he had a mediocre and uneventful childhood until the age of 6 when what can only be described as a bizarre and uneventful accident forever changed the course of his life. One afternoon while walking his dog," Rocket", he was grazed by a falling wheel from a DC-10 airliner. He escaped unscathed and except for a small bump on his head and in severe aversion to burnt rubber. His dog Rocket, however, was not so lucky.... SunDogDesign.net
Steve is an amazing artist and has (obviously) a vivid imagination.
*What is a CTC?
A CTC is a Certified Travel Counselor, an individual who has completed a program of rigorous training and testing, and has at least five year's professional travel experience. CTCs must continue their professional education and remain current on industry trends in order to maintain their certification. CTCs are the only group within the travel industry that meets such high standards…on average, they represent the industry's highest degree of professionalism.
Website by Sundog Design


Predict football position using height, weight, state, and school year.
Stroke prediction based on a random sample of the approximately 6 million patient records from GE Medical Quality Improvement Consortium (MQIC) database.
Netflix's catalog titles created using their OData catalog API at http://developer.netflix.com/docs/oData_Catalog. Great to see that October is the month when everybody gets ready for the Holiday season.
Classifies handwritten digits using data taken from the MNIST database of handwritten digits by LeCun&Cortes. Also used by the Kaggle competition tutorials.
ZIP-based 2008 tax data patterns.
Data based on administrative records (individual income tax returns) from the Internal Revenue Service's Individual Master File (IMF) system, which includes a record for every Form 1040, 1040A, and 1040EZ filed with the IRS. The records included in this study were returns that were filed between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2009. Generally, these are Tax Year 2008 returns although a limited number of late-filed returns for tax years before 2008 were also filed during this period. If a taxpayer filed returns for multiple years during this period, only the most recent return was included.


text:
Here's the East Harlem street where Scorsese recreated a real-life mobster hangout in 'The Irishman'
E 115th Street between First and Pleasant Aves today.
One of the movies nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars this Sunday is Martin Scorsese's The Irishman, the mob flick that follows the rise of Teamster Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro) and his friendship with Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino).
Like Joker, another Best Picture contender, parts of The Irishman were filmed in Harlem–East Harlem, to be exact.
The neighborhood—New York's original Little Italy—was once the stomping ground of Genovese crime boss Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno. The mobster used an East Harlem storefront called the Palma Boys Social Club as his base.
A screenshot of the Palma Boys Social Club as it appears in The Irishman.
Incredibly, Scorsese was able to recreate Fat Tony's social club in its original location: 416 E 115th Street (between First and Pleasant Avenues).
To set the scene, the movie's production designers diligently replicated the hand-painted signage on the storefront. They had little else to change—based on old photos, the rest of the small brick building looks pretty much the same as it did in the 1970s and '80s.
See it for yourself in Scorsese's masterful epic on Netflix, then take a walk down East 115th Street and go relive the moment yourself.
ICYMI: The surprising Harlem location where "Joker" was filmed
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Sage Group plc has been operated in the enterprise software market for more than three decades. For this impressively long period the company has amassed and retained about 5 million customers in more than 150 countries to become one of the largest CRM software companies in the world. However, such giants as Microsoft, SAP, SalesForce.com and Oracle create formidable competition and business risks which threaten Sage's business operations in the market. Moreover, small CRM software vendors provide Sage alternatives which are as featured as cost-effective.
Sage provides two CRM options for businesses: cloud-based solution on-premises software application. For the last several years, the cloud-based solution has been demonstrating impressive growth caused mainly by increased interest of businesses in cloud technology - as experts from CRMSearch.com reported. Sage alternatives in the cloud provided by MS Dynamics, Oracle and SAP have also shown almost the same growth.
Sage's on-premises software application wasn't so successful. Although the application comes up with extensive sales management and CRM features, the last several years have demonstrated evident reduction in sales. The most probable cause for this reduction is growing interest in SaaS solutions. Many large and midsize companies are looking at SaaS software delivery model as a great way to reduce consumption of their IT resources and reach cost-effectiveness. Meanwhile, small businesses continue to use the on-premises software as well as Sage alternative, such as CentriQS.
A convenient way to estimate competitive positioning of Sage CRM application in the market is to highlight its strengths and weaknesses. For many businesses the application has been known for its reliability and business process support. However, some customers claim about too many features they would never use as well as high license costs. For those customers Sage alternative seems to be a better choice and they often switch to such solutions as SalesLogix, MS Dynamics, Oracle CRM or CentriQS.
Comparing to some alternatives, Sage offers narrow feature sets for marketing and sales support, which limits the application and make it less attractive for businesses requiring more extensive functionality.
Sage uses a single data center in Dublin to manage its cloud, which inherits risk of downtime. Meanwhile, most SaaS vendors use multiple data centers to minimize disaster or business interruption.
Sage CRM cloud-based solution supports only one browser - Internet Explorer.
Sage CRM cloud-based (on demand) solution provides several customization options for customers to let them tailor their user interface. Particularly, you can use My User Preferences, My CRM configuration, Team CRM configuration and presentation layer themes to make little customization to personal preferences or company branding. Only the on-promises software allows for more customization options (the so-called "Component Manager") - you can add new objects, add scripts, make custom fields, specify table level scripts, and more. However, such customization can be done by Sage business partner channel.
For comparison, CentriQS software offers its own database configuration tool that allows you to set up and customize your database to your specific business needs. The greatest advantages are flexibility and affordability. CentriQS customization is flexibly because you can tailor your database with many options, such as custom entities, properties, tables, workflows, OLAP cube rules, expressions and enums. It is adorable since you don't need to hire external consultants - you can make customization in CentriQS Configurator with simple mouse clicks and without coding or special programming skill.
Sage CRM on demand is easy to use and quick to implement. Businesses get to a fully provisioned environment, so beginning their activity is just a matter of days. On the other hand, weak customization doesn't allow online users to completely tailor the solution to their needs.
The on-premises software application could be a way to solve this issue, however, if you choose this option - be ready to invest extra money in third-party consulting and training.
If you own a small business, investing considerable amounts in Sage CRM customization won't be a great idea for you. You would rather go and find Sage alternatives that could offer cost-effective customization and simplicity of use. And CentriQS should be included in your shortlist. Try this CRM software within 30 days for free, test the sales management functionality, customize your database, and make sure CentriQS is worth your investment.


This book introduces children to the five senses through nature's pristine sensory experiences. Whether the gentle morning breeze or an evening's sunset, we feel, taste, hear, smell, and see nature's beauty every day.
Suitable for Ages 3 - 6. Books use 98% post-consumer recycled materials and are printed with eco-friendly ink.


The distance between Budapest, Hungary and La Coruna, Spain is approximately 2,176 km or 1,352 mi.
To reach Budapest in this distance one would set out from La Coruna bearing 68.2° or ENE and follow the great circles arc to approach Budapest bearing 88° or E .
Budapest has a marine west coast climate (Cfb) whereas La Coruna has a Mediterranean warm climate (Csb).
The average annual temperature is 2.9 °C (5.3°F) cooler.
Total annual precipitation averages 432.9 mm (17 in) less which is equivalent to 432.9 l/m² (10.62 US gal/ft²) or 4,329,000 l/ha (462,799 US gal/ac) less. About 4/7 as much.
There are 52 fewer hours of sunlight per year in Budapest. In whichever way circa 0h 09' less per day or about 1 as many.
The altitude of the sun at midday is overall 4.1° lower in Budapest than in La Coruna.
The table shows values for Budapest relative to La Coruna. You can also view this comparison the other way around from the perspective of La Coruna vs Budapest.


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After a fantastic season, Team Ditcheat are heading into Aintree with the horses in top form and with plenty of exciting chances. Harry Derham, Assistant Trainer to Paul Nicholls gives us the low down on the Nicholls Team for the Aintree Grand National Festival and tells us his fondest memories of the World's Most Famous Race.
What are your best chances for the week?
We've got a really exciting team of horses to run over the 3 days but the highlight on Thursday would have to be Clan Des Obeaux, in the Grade 1 Betway Bowl. He was a brilliant winner of King George at Christmas and ran well in The Gold Cup, where he maybe didn't quite get home over the last couple of furlongs. The flat track at Aintree will suit him well and I think he'll run a big race. It's obviously a bit of a risk when he hasn't had long after Cheltenham but it's the same for all of them and he schooled really well at home this week.
Topofthegame would be our best chance on Friday in the Grade 1 Betway Mildmay Novices' Chase. He obviously won the RSA Chase at The Cheltenham Festival and I actually think he's improved since that run. It wasn't a straight forward preparation for Cheltenham but he's better now I think that he was going into Cheltenham and I think he'll take all the beating.
Tommy Silver is going to run in the race before the Grand National, the 3-mile Handicap Chase. We've trained him for this race. He ran what was probably a career-best at Ludlow last time where he jumped really well, it was his first time over 3 miles which seemed to suit him and I like to think a sound surface over 3 miles will be right up his street again.
What horse are you most looking forward to running over the course of the 3 days?
It's hard to say as we're taking a great team and we've got some really good chances. I think Politologue in the Melling Chase would have a very good chance.
I'm really looking forward to seeing Christopher Wood run in the Juvenile Hurdle on Thursday. I don't think by any means we've seen the best of him yet and I think good ground around Aintree will suit him well. McFabulous is another really nice horse we run in the bumper on Friday.
If I had to say one was our best chance for the week however I'd probably say Topofthegame.
Do you run anything in The Grand National and who do you fancy?
We possibly run Warriors Tale. He'd have an outside chance – obviously, the National is a wide-open race and you've got to jump all the fences but you'd be suspect to whether he'll stay or not.
The horse I fancy for the race is Rathvinden, trained by Willie Mullins.
What is your favourite memory of the Grand National?
The Grand National itself would have to be Neptune Collonges, winning in 2012. It was just an unbelievable day. I was actually riding at Chepstow on the day but I remember screaming him home from the weighing room and to be a small part of a Grand National winner was amazing.
But my favourite memory of the Aintree Festival as a whole is by far Politologue winning the Melling Chase last year. It was immense – it was one of my best days racing ever. He went into Aintree after a heavy defeat at Cheltenham and to bounce back like he did was absolutely brilliant.


RUNNER Megan Huxley has been earmarked by UK Athletics for her long-term potential and she has even met Seb Coe.
But the 13-year-old Middlewich girl is happy to follow her club's philosophy, more softly-softly than fastly- fastly.
After all she is doing nicely so far and Vale Royal AC have produced a string of international middle distance and cross-country runners.
Megan, of Wardle Mews, may well follow in their footsteps.
In fact, she is already one step ahead of Vale Royal's star, Stevie Stockton from Crewe.
Hardly the cutting edge of competitive athletics. But Vale Royal produce winners by a less pressurised approach and Megan is thriving under coaches Shaun McGrath and Andy Carter, the former British 800m record holder.
She won the Cheshire Schools U13s Cross Country title in January, qualifying for the England finals in which she was 21st, finished 10th in the national clubs championships and ran for Cheshire in the Inter- Counties event.
All of which impressed the UKA who invited her to an endurance camp in July at which she met Lord Coe, the London 2012 boss and former Olympic gold medallist.
David added: 'That was exciting for her and it was nice to be selected. She is level headed and not dreaming about the Olympics. All that matters is she is enjoying herself.
While she prefers cross-country to track events, Megan is doing well over 1500m and her personal best four minutes 54 seconds was only two seconds short of qualification for the English Schools Championships.
Megan, who was also runner-up in the Cheshires, is ranked 69th in the country and 10th in the North West over the distance, though is up to two years younger than her rivals. She also took part in the London mini-marathon.
Megan is aiming for a podium position at her first attempt in the Cheshire U15s Cross Country event in January.


The auricular style or lobate style (Dutch: Kwabstijl, German: Ohrmuschelstil) is a style of ornamental decoration, mainly found in Northern Europe in the first half of the 17th century, bridging Northern Mannerism and the Baroque. The style was especially important and effective in silversmithing, but was also used in minor architectural ornamentation such as door and window reveals, picture frames, and a wide variety of the decorative arts. It uses softly flowing abstract shapes in relief, sometimes asymmetrical, whose resemblance to the side view of the human ear gives it its name, or at least its "undulating, slithery and boneless forms occasionally carry a suggestion of the inside of an ear or a conch shell". It is often associated with stylized marine animal forms, or ambiguous masks and shapes that might be such, which seem to emerge from the rippling, fluid background, as if the silver remained in its molten state.
In some other European languages, the style is covered by the local equivalent of the term cartilage baroque because the forms may resemble cartilage (e.g. Knorpelbarock in German, bruskbarokk in Norwegian, bruskbarok in Danish). However, those these terms may be rather widely and vaguely applied to a bewildering range of styles of Northern Mannerist and Baroque ornament. In Dutch, a "dolphin and mollusk" style is mentioned.
Although precedents have been traced in the graphic designs of Italian Mannerist artists such as Giulio Romano and Enea Vico, the auricular style can first be found in 1598 in the important ornament book of Northern Mannerism, Architectura: Von Außtheilung, Symmetria und Proportion der Fünff Seulen ..., by Wendel Dietterlin of Stuttgart, in the second edition of 1598. It can be found in the designs of Hans Vredeman de Vries in the Netherlands, and was used most effectively in the hands of the Utrecht silversmiths Paul and Adam van Vianen, and Paul's pupil Johannes Lutma, who settled in Amsterdam. Another Dutch silversmith who worked in the auricular style was Thomas Bogaert. At mid-century, designs for plate by M. Mosyn were published in Amsterdam. Christian van Vianen, a son of Adam, worked in England at the courts of Charles I and Charles II, and took the style there. A bratina or Russian toasting-cup in the Walters Art Museum was made in Russia in 1650–70 in an auricular style that was presumably copied from pieces brought in by Dutch traders, perhaps as gifts to ease trade deals.
In metalwork, the style was in harmony with the malleable nature of the material, often giving the impression that the object is beginning to melt. It contrasted strongly with the preceding Mannerist style of crowded figurative scenes, as for example in the Lomellini Ewer and Basin of 1620–21, although some works managed to combine the two styles, as in a silver-gilt ewer and basin of 1630, made in Delft and now in Utrecht, with auricular elements replacing strapwork.
Most of the key works are in the Netherlands, especially the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, whose collection includes ewer and basin sets by Paul van Vianen (1613, with Diana and Callisto) and Johannes Lutma (1647). Especially important is a gilded ewer by Adam van Vianen (1614).
The Adam van Vianen ewer is "a strikingly original work that is largely abstract and completely sculptural in its conception", and was commissioned by the Amsterdam goldsmiths' guild to commemorate the death of Paul, despite neither brother living in Amsterdam or being a member of the guild. The piece became famous and appears in several Dutch Golden Age paintings, both still lifes and history paintings, "no doubt in part because its bizarre form allowed it to pass as an object from an ancient and foreign land", and so useful for Old Testament scenes and the like. According to James Trilling, it "is one of the very few ornamental works that deserve recognition as art-historical turning points. Van Vianen's breakthrough was the introduction of inchoate or indeterminate form, which paved the way for both Rococo and modernist ornament." It was raised by a lengthy process of chasing from a single sheet of silver, and chasing was the main technique used in auricular silver.
The Diana and Actaeon bowl of 1613 by Paul van Vianen (Rijksmuseum), shows scenes from the myth of Diana and Actaeon, with a border in the Auricular style.
The "Dolphin Basin", which presumably once had a matching ewer, is an asymmetric form with watery motifs by Christian van Vianen (1635), now in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
The style was also effective in carved wood, and used for furniture and especially picture frames. Different varieties became popular in both English and Dutch frames. One English type are known as Sunderland frames after the frames Robert Spencer, 2nd Earl of Sunderland put on the pictures at Althorp, his new country house.
Around the mid-century, Cardinal Leopoldo de' Medici had his large picture collection, housed in the Pitti Palace in Florence, reframed in the auricular style, perhaps influenced by Stefano della Bella. These Medici frames were more three-dimensional than the other frame styles, with more areas both raised or entirely cut through. The framing styles were long-lasting, surviving in use long enough to be reinvigorated by the Rococo.
^ Schroder, "[the style] in its fully developed form is found only in metalwork."
^ Schroder, "... its origins seem to lie in the graphic designs of such 16th-century Italian Mannerist artists as Giulio Romano (e.g. drawing for a fish-shaped ewer; Oxford, Christ Church) and Enea Vico. The latter's designs for plate were published in the mid-16th century and may have been known in Utrecht."
^ A ewer is illustrated in John Fleming and Hugh Honour, Dictionary of the Decorative Arts, s.v. "Auricular style".
^ Schroder in Oxford Art Online, "Adam van Vianen"
^ Liedtke (2007), 186-188, giving examples including Joseph and his brothers (this is the Warsaw version) by Gerbrand van den Eeckhout.
^ Designs for chairs in auricular style were published by the furniture-maker Friedrich Untensch, Frankfort-am-Main, ca 1650 (noted in Fleming and Honour 1977).
^ Mosco; An example is noted in Harold Osborne, ed. The Oxford Companion to the Decorative Arts, s.v. "Auricular Style" is a frame made by Lucas Killian of Augsburg for his portrait of Elias Holl, 1619.
^ Sacorafou, Suzanne, "A 'Sunderland' frame", "Auricular Style: Frames project" website.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Auricular style.
The Auricular Style: Frames project, with abstracts of papers from a 2016 conference on auricular picture frames, and links to some full texts.
This page was last edited on 29 January 2019, at 20:26 (UTC).


Obviously, Castner was not killed in Iraq, but his experience there as commander of an Ordinance Disposal Unit - a unit charged with the task of disarming or destroying insurgent bombs (think The Hurt Locker, but for real) – left him changed forever. Not just changed: Crazy. That's what Castner calls it, always capitalized, as if it is now a tangible thing, another part of himself, an addenda to his soul.
Every war America has fought has produced fine writing. The first wave of literature coming out of America's latest wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is just beginning to be published, and I am sure that some of it will leave a lasting impact on our cultural psyche, in the way Michael Herr's Dispatches did after the Vietnam War. That book haunted me because Vietnam was my generation's war. Even though I was too young to serve, I grew up on that war, watching it unfold every evening on the network news and also watching as it tore the nation apart at home. Iraq, even though it was fought as I journey through middle-age, has been more on the periphery of my daily existence, even though it should have hit closer to home as former students of mine signed up and served. It never felt personal to me. It was just something going on in the background, like the sound of a distant storm, which I preferred not to think about too much, if at all.
Brian Castner wants you to think about it. He thinks about it all the time, every day, because he has no choice. He wants you to know what he knows. Much of this book is very hard to read, and Friends with an aversion to realistic depictions of violence should be forewarned. The style is disjointed, not a linear narrative, which fits perfectly the message that Castner is trying to convey: This is how his mind works now, this is what the war has done to him, maybe forever.
Dave Austin teaches middle school history and social studies in Marlton, New Jersey. He is a member of Haddonfield (NJ) Monthly Meeting.


Guide Dogs Queensland is providing free Vision Assessment Clinics for local residents throughout 2017.
The clinics provide essential services to blind and vision impaired people, or those who are losing their vision. Attendees are offered one-on-one consultations to discuss the latest information on vision conditions and receive personalised advice on life with a vision impairment from industry specialists, including Optometrists.
Our specialist instructors are also on hand to provide help and advice with low vision aids, adaptive technology and general orientation and mobility.
To book a free appointment call (07) 5352 7800 or email sunshine@guidedogsqld.com.au. Bookings are essential.


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Prime Minister António Costa of Portugal champions innovation in MIT talk
Visit follows renewal of popular MIT Portugal Program.
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Caption: Prime Minister of Portugal António Costa gave a speech to a full house in the Kirsch Auditorium at the Stata Center, which included many students in the MIT Portugal Program.
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Caption: Prime Minister António Costa met with MIT President L. Rafael Reif in his office.
Caption: Prime Minister António Costa poses for photos after speeches in the Kirsch Auditorium of the Stata Center with students in the MIT Portugal Program.
Caption: Prime Minister António Costa (center) visited the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and met members of the Robot Locomotion Group, including Professor Russ Tedrake (right), who described the Atlas robot (left), which competed in the DARPA Robotics Challenge.
Caption: Prime Minister António Costa (center) listens to students in the MIT Portugal Program discussing what they are doing at MIT and how they're enjoying their work. Next to him at right is Manuel Heitor, Portuguese minister of science, technology and higher education.
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Prime Minister of Portugal António Costa gave a speech to a full house in the Kirsch Auditorium at the Stata Center, which included many students in the MIT Portugal Program.
Image: Allegra Boverman
Prime Minister António Costa met with MIT President L. Rafael Reif in his office.
Prime Minister António Costa poses for photos after speeches in the Kirsch Auditorium of the Stata Center with students in the MIT Portugal Program.
Prime Minister António Costa (center) visited the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and met members of the Robot Locomotion Group, including Professor Russ Tedrake (right), who described the Atlas robot (left), which competed in the DARPA Robotics Challenge.
Prime Minister António Costa (center) listens to students in the MIT Portugal Program discussing what they are doing at MIT and how they're enjoying their work. Next to him at right is Manuel Heitor, Portuguese minister of science, technology and higher education.
Prime Minister António Costa of Portugal heralded the importance of science and innovation in a visit to the Institute on Monday, days after his country formally renewed the popular MIT Portugal Program.
'The future arrives quicker than expected," said Costa, in remarks to a filled lecture hall in MIT's Stata Center, adding: "There is no better way to prepare our modern society and economy for the unexpected path of innovation and technological development than to invest in the education of younger generations."
Costa's visit came about 10 days after the official renewal of the MIT Portugal Program, a joint endeavor to push forward scientific research and innovation while creating collaborations between industry and academia.
MIT Provost Martin A. Schmidt, speaking just before Costa, said Institute leaders were "pleased and thrilled" to have seen "MIT Portugal develop across a range of programs and projects in research, education, and innovation."
Costa also had a one-on-one meeting with MIT President L. Rafael Reif, who told the Portugese leader that it was a "tremendous honor" to meet him. 'There is much to admire about your country," he said.
The MIT Portugal program provides opportunities for exceptional students to study at MIT and in Portugal, working with faculty from both MIT and Portugese universities. Now entering its third phase, the program will have an emphasis on research in earth sciences, climate studies, data science, digital design and manufacturing, and urban studies.
The program was created in 2006 and renewed for the first time in 2013, with this year's long-term renewal of support by Portugal being made official on June 1. The program has had over 1,000 students over the last 12 years.
"MIT Portugal has had a huge impact on our scientific system and universities," Costa said.
MIT's faculty lead for the new phase of the program will be Dava Newman, the Apollo Professor of Astronautics and Engineering Systems at MIT, who praised Portugal on Monday for having "the vision to invest in their work force."
Costa, a native of Lisbon, has been prime minister of Portugal since 2015. He served the federal government in Portugal in a variety of ministerial roles for about a decade before serving as mayor of Lisbon from 2007 through 2015.
Costa was accompanied by a delegation of Portugese officials, including Manuel Heitor, the Portuguese minister for science, technology, and higher education.
"MIT Portugal is about the future," said Heitor, an engineering professor by trade who has written extensively about science and technology policy, and also spoke at the event. Heitor added: "We want to address new challenges."
The Portugese leaders also toured workspaces at MIT, including an extended stop at the Robot Locomotion Group led by Russ Tedrake, the Toyota Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Aeronautics and Astronautics, and Mechanical Engineering at MIT.
Costa and Heitor also talked to a group of about a dozen Portugese graduate students currently at the Institute as part of the MIT Portugal Program. The students discussed their fields of study, which included clean energy, civil engineering, management, and medical research.
"These people are leaders — who represent our own ambition," said Heitor, referring to the students.
At one point, Costa also asked the students, "What can we do to improve the program?" In response, Luiz Lisboa de Silva Cardoso, a graduate student in mechanical engineering, simply quipped, "Keep going."
Costa affirmed his desire to do so in his talk, concluding, "We are proud to have MIT as our partner because, we believe, with MIT, the sky is not the limit."
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Gaining weight is something every lady dreads. They try all steps to control weight and stay slim. No matter how much you try, some areas are prone to accumulation of fat. Hips, thighs, and waist are such areas that tend to get fat easily. So, you need to concentrate and work on these areas.
A number of creams, gels, and diets are available, that claim to help you lose fat. But, all these do not actually work well for all. Exercising is the best thing you can do to keep fit. They have no side effects and make you healthy, too. You could either hit the gym, or follow yoga exercises. You can perform yoga in your house as well. Here are a few simple exercises that can help you down your body right from home. Read on to know how you can perform yoga for your hips and thighs.
Lie down on the ground on your back. Keep your legs stretched out and bend the knees. Your feet must be on the ground.
Put your arms at your sides. Your palms should be facing the ground.
Raise your hips slowly. Keep your hands and feet on the ground as you do this.
Lift your hands and keep them over your head.
Stay in this position for a while.
You could also raise one of your legs and hold it in the air for a while.
Drop the leg, and then lift the other leg.
Sit down on the floor with your spine straight. Bend your knees, and let the soles of your feet face each other.
Your spine should be kept elongated, and the posture must be straight.
Bring the soles of your feet together and press them against each other. Stay in this position for about a minute or so.
Keep your feet together as you stand straight.
Put your hands up as you inhale.
Bend your knees a little, and squat as you exhale.
Stay in this pose for almost a minute, and then stand again.
Repeat it times for the first time, and increase the number slowly.
Keep your feet at a distance of 12 inches and stand straight with your arms in front.
Inhale deeply and squat down. Your knees must be at an angle of 90 degrees.
Close your eyes and lie down on your back. Raise your left leg high and inhale as you do it.
Keep your right leg on the floor. Do not give any strain on it.
Keep your abdomen tight, and breathe out. Bend your left knee and hold it close to your chest. Hold the ankle still with your hand.
Raise your head, and touch the left knee. Hold the pose for about 5 to 10 seconds.
Put your head back on the ground, take a deep breath, and put back your left leg.
Repeat all the steps with your right leg.
Lie down flat on your belly. Put both your arms on your sides and let your palms face the ceiling.
Take a deep breath inside and raise your legs. Lift your upper torso and keep all your weight on your abdomen. Support your body and stay in this position for a few seconds.
First of all, stand in the position in Warrior II.
Arch your back slowly and keep your left hand on the back part of your left leg.
Lift up your right hand on top of your head. Stay in this position as you breathe 5 times, and then repeat all the steps on the other side.
Keep your spine straight as you stand up. Your feet should be together, and your hands must be on your waist.
Raise your left leg straight up. Support on your left leg as you do this.
Stay in this position as you breathe in and out a few times.
Get back to the initial position and repeat the above steps with your other leg.
Follow the steps for the downward dog pose.
Raise your right leg in the air. Support all your weight on your left leg and your hands.
Take 5 breaths, and then put your leg down.
Repeat the above steps with your other leg as well.
Keep your feet slightly apart and stand straight.
Shift your left leg and form a distance of 3 to 4 feet between your legs.
Rotate to your left, keeping your left foot straight and rotating your right foot slightly.
Bring your torso forward to the left, and bend your left knee as you do this. Raise your hands and form a Namaste pose.
Follow the steps given above in Warrior Pose I.
In the last step, instead of forming a Namaste with your hands, raise them and old them parallel to the ground, on your sides.
All these exercises work well on your thighs and hips, and even tone down your buttocks. Follow these steps in the correct manner, and make it a regular practice to devote some time to your exercises. Within a few weeks, you will see the results.


The Mediterranean Diet It has been awarded the Intangible Cultural Heritage designation and is internationally renowned for being a very healthy diet. You can enjoy it all over Spain. Why is it Cultural Heritage? Because it is a food culture that promotes social interaction, respect for the land and biodiversity, and preservation of traditional and craft activities connected with agriculture and fishing. Main ingredients Olive oil, cereals, fruits, vegetables, a moderate amount of meat, fish and dairy products, and a lot of seasoning and spices.