text:
Obstacles Of Organizing A Bible Camp Analysis
I am currently an officer for my church youth group. Every year, the youth are responsible for organizing a bible camp. In order to prove myself, I agreed to lead every aspect of the camp. However, I quickly realized that this project was too complicated to handle by myself. Instead, I enlisted my fellow officers to assist me. Another obstacle was the lack of event awareness. Since our original marketing methods were unsuccessful, we pursued other avenues (i.e. social media campaign, promotional video). By overcoming these obstacles, my goal of conducting a successful bible camp was achieved.
Vote For National Honor Society
One of my very first instances of leadership was during a Boy Scout meeting about five years ago where I led our
My American Dream
Based on a unanimous decision, the scouts in my patrol voted for me as their leader. I was not the loudest nor the strongest individual, but I was a well respected and I listened to everyone's opinions. I made myself clear as the leader that I was their best friend that happened to make decisions. I never put myself on a pedestal and I believed that a true leader is someone who represents and takes on the difficult responsibility of the team. Three years later, I achieved the Eagle rank as a boy scout as I served as a leader and qualified for the
National Honor Society Essay Examples
In 6th grade, I was chosen to participate in a leadership program at Richard Hull Middle School. At this program, I worked with girls who possessed similar leadership qualities, and I learned more about what it is to be a good leader. This leadership position taught me what makes a good leader. For my three years in high school, I dreamed to be in NHS. This is not only a role, but also a responsibility. This past year, I was selected as one of four board members of the Youth Church Committee. I was placed in charge of organizing quiz meet, dance, and banquet programs in which it would occur at various times throughout the
National Honor Society Council Analysis
Though I no longer have the position due to the leader coming back and wanting more age appropriate help, I strongly believe I made a big impact on the group's life, not only as a leader but a friend. Also, I took over the leadership of the worship team from my church because the members before were not taking their positions seriously. Once I saw the disinterest in my fellow group members, I decided to have my own worship team in which I make sure that everyone has the mindset on the same goal. My dad picks them up every Sunday morning and brings them (three girls) to my house around 9 where we practice,playing a few hours later in the English service offered by our church. Once I started the new worship team, I took it upon myself to help out the English service no matter the how many girls attended; my only exception was whenever I was either extremely sick or I had to be at a robotics competition because of the
Cru Personal Statement
Acting as a leader in an international organization called Cru is a human service activity I participate in while I am an undergraduate student. I am a professing Christian. Cru's mission is for everyone on Grand Valley State University's (GVSU) campus to know someone who is faithfully following Jesus. The movement has a deep commitment to learning about God and caring for people; I align with these core biblical truths. As stated, I am a student-leader in the movement at GVSU. My role to is lead a freshman community group, disciple (spiritually mentor) faithful students in the movement and give some talks. God has used Cru to aid in discovering who I am and why I was created. Entering freshman year, I was lost and didn't know who I was. All throughout high school, I was an athlete. I began searching and thinking critically about what I believe and who I wanted to become. I was attracted to Cru because they promote critical thinking, analyzing context and discovery. Additionally, Cru tackles hard life questions which leaves me desiring to continue learning.
Personal Narrative: Life After The Color War
At the sleep away camp that I attended this summer, I was appointed "General" for an all camp activity known as Color War. For four days, the camp is divided into two teams that compete against each other in athletics and other competitive activities. Having been selected out of 400+ campers to take on this elite position was such an honor - I cried tears of happiness. While acting general was extremely rewarding, it quickly became a challenge. Carrying the responsibility to lead cheers, hold team meetings, while making sure the people I led were happy and enjoying the most exciting days of camp was nothing short of nerve-racking. However, every challenge I faced during those four days made each experience that more rewarding , even if my
Key Club Research Paper
Starting from Girl Scouts to CJSF, my early love for aiding others quickly developed. However, my most pivotal service experience is my involvement in Key Club. As I became further involved in this organization, the thought of advancing my role by becoming an officer became very persistent in my mind. Being extremely shy and withdrawn, the idea of being a leader was incredibly intimidating to even fathom. Despite my shyness and anxiety causing me to doubt myself, my love for serving others outweighed any uncertainty I had in myself. After a daunting speech and election process, I gladly accepted the challenge of a club secretary, which has given me the opportunity to not only serve my community, but the members of my club. My experience as a Key Club officer has enriched my perception of myself and widened my range to serve. It has taught me to take risks and step out of my comfort zone in order to pursue my passions. Key Club has served as a platform for me to become more engrossed in my community and lead me to consider careers in which I can help those in
Bible Group Assessment At W Ave G Temple
For this assignment the group that I observed was the Churches Touching Lives of Christ Bible study located at W Ave G Temple, TX 76504.The bible study group was small, it consisted of six adult group members in total. Each individual person had their own uniqueness about themselves and their contribution to the group. The leader of the group was a slender Asian male in his late forty's who was well spoken and maintained order in the group while still delivering a short sermon to the group. Whenever a person would speak out of turn he would let them speak and when they were done he would publicly correct them and tell the other adult group members that they should wait their turn to speak and if they have a
City Youth Ministries
City Youth Ministries is a family, even though they have social responsibility and a code of ethics. As soon as you watch the way Director Denise Snider interacts with the children, it is evident that this is an "organization family" treated like a "nuclear family." (DeSensi & Rosenberg, 2010) I have also learned the value in the way we communicate with others. This opportunity showed me that a successful organization, or team, begins with enthusiastic leadership. The book presents motivation "as the basis of the function of leading" (DeSensi & Rosenberg, 2010). One day, I might find myself leading a group, and I aspire to act like Mrs. Snider. The acquisition or loss of social roles affects the psychological effects of both men and women (Wilson & Musick, 2000). Adding this "social role", gave me a place where I felt appreciated. There was always something that needed to be done, and someone that needed to be loved. Whenever I finished an afternoon of volunteering, I was not tired or drained. On the contrary, I left with a sense of contentment and thankfulness. The children, faculty, and staff cared for each other in more than a typical organization, and I was lucky enough to be a part of
Essay On National Technical Honor Society
Throughout my high school career, I have been involved in various clubs and organizations to help me become a leader in my community. At Auburn High School I took on the role of being a Publicist officer for National Technical Honors Society the first two consecutive years that it became a part of our school. I gained a lot of leadership experience through this club. Implementing a new organization is never easy and takes a lot of hard work and dedication from the leaders of the club. By being a part of a very helpful, dedicated and motivated team, we helped affiliate all the eligible members into the club and in turn helped introduce this new club to the school. As publicist my role in helping the club grow was crucial; I helped in publicizing the clubs various projects and involvement.
All Girls Christian Camp Resort Case Study
The main location an all-girls Christian Camp Resort in Pocono's Pennsylvania, early spring, 60-degree temperature. Spacious cabin with a fireplace, two queen beds; nightstand, reading lamps, two rustic dark brown outlaw leather chairs, and ottoman; dark maple wood study desk, two Contemporary English Bibles and study materials. The landscape, mountain pink creeping phlox and fantastic trout lily, Virginia bluebells in shades of pink, blue purple, and white cover the winter barren ground and bees and butterflies hover in mid stillness extracting nectar from the flowers. Kizzy's eight and Diamond seven; Kizzy suspicious of unfamiliar people. The two become friends after Diamond catches a snake hid under the kitchen cabinet sink. Kizzy feels
Planning The Activites For The Kids
Over the past few months in our Business Communication class we participated in a service learning project called "Big Brothers Big Sisters". We divided into small groups in order to focus on different aspects of the organization during this project. The project included three main groups, each focused on different aspects of the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization. The first group was responsible for social media around campus. The second group managed Public Relations which made flyers and used other media resources to spread the word throughout campus. The third and final group focused on planning. This included different activities and parties for the children. As a class we were to plan and coordinate two functions that included the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.
Statement Of Purpose: The Four Pillars Of The National Honors Society
In the upcoming year, I would like to focus and work on my leadership skills, one of the four pillars of the National Honors Society. This year I was elected Vice President of marketing for the Jupiter High School DECA chapter. This role will help me with my leadership goal by teaching me the responsibilities of being part of/taking charge a larger group. it is now my responsibility to create invitations, direct social media, membership, and advertising the chapter and its activities. I am the head of a group of four directors who help me carry out and delegate these duties. in the next year, I plan to get all things done in a timely manner and treat all my responsibilities with equal value and necessity. Leadership is also about influencing
Bridges Youth Music Ministry: A Character Analysis
In Bridges Youth Music Ministry, I have been in charge of keeping practices and services running smoothly. This requires communication with others leading, speaking, and doing the technical aspect of the event. Another aspect of being a leader is being dependable enough for events to be entirely dependent on me. During a worship service I am responsible for leading while much of the flow of everything is entirely dependent on me running things smoothly. In theater, sometimes the success of show can depend on me. Another example of this takes place while leading for Link Crew. The flow and mood of the room depends on those leading, and the focus is put onto


The most terrifying legend lives on in Denver. 13th Floor is Denver's largest haunted house, named one of the scariest haunted houses in the country. This legendary haunt has been created from your darkest fears. Visit Dr. Hadelstein's Bio Engineer Facility that has never ceased operation, churning out all sorts of abominations. Trick or Treat with the Femoral family in Coalfell City where they have set up a carnival full of all sorts of tricks, hoping to make their visitors the treat. Then, visit an orphanage where restless spirits lurk in the shadows threatening to possess those who dare cross their paths. A night of excitement and thrills await. Get ready...for the most fun...you've ever had...getting scared!


text:
Q: mysql query for selecting records of similar column values for two given values id        | person  | cities travelled  | distance

----------+---------+-------------+-----------

1         | jack   | japan              | 8

2         | Joe    | florida            | 11

3         | Joe    | california         | 215

4         | Jane   | ghana              | 3

5         | Jane   | florida            | 8

6         | Joe    | jakarta            | 11

7         | Joe    | california         | 215

8         | Joe    | japan              | 3

For two given persons "jane" and "joe", i want to find common cities they traveled. what is the sql query for that. In this case we can see that common cities which both jane and joe have travelled is 'florida'. How can i find it with help of sql query?

A: You can do this with group by and having:
select CitiesTravelled
from t
group by CitiesTravelled
having sum(person = 'Joe') > 0 and
       sum(person = 'Jane') > 0;

By putting the logic in the having clause, you can easily generalize the query.  Here is the version for Jane or Joe:
select CitiesTravelled
from t
group by CitiesTravelled
having sum(person = 'Joe') > 0 or
       sum(person = 'Jane') > 0;

Here is the version for cities travelled by Jane, Joe, and Jack:
select CitiesTravelled
from t
group by CitiesTravelled
having sum(person = 'Joe') > 0 and
       sum(person = 'Jane') > 0 and
       sum(person = 'Jack') > 0;

EDIT:
If you want to add distance travelled, you can change the select to something like:
select CitiesTravelled, min(DistanceTravelled)
select CitiesTravelled, avg(DistanceTravelled)
select CitiesTravelled, max(case when person = 'Jane' then DistanceTravelled end)

A: select CitiesTravelled
from t
where person = 'Joe'
and CitiesTravelled in (
   select CitiesTravelled
   from t
   where person = 'Jane'
);

or
select CitiesTravelled
from t t1
where person = 'Joe'
and exists (
  select t2.CitiesTravelled
  from t t2
  where t2.person = 'Jane'
  and  t2.CitiesTravelled = t1.CitiesTravelled
);

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Data breaches happen daily around the globe and third parties either have no legal duty, or worse, just don't care about making sure your data is securely encrypted. Here at MaidSafe, our core values are privacy and security and as a result, these principles are central in how we design and build the SAFE Network. And self-encryption is no different.
First things first, what is self-encryption?
It is a version of convergent encryption with an additional obfuscation step….what?!
Let's take a few steps back. If we remove the prefix 'self' for the moment, you have encryption — a way of concealing information using a mathematical approach to obfuscate, so that only those intended to see the files can gain access. Sounds good right?
This is already a common practice by cloud-based solutions such as Dropbox. They encrypt all data in transit using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)/Transport Layer Security (TLS) between Dropbox apps and its servers. Once it reaches Dropbox servers, it is then encrypted with 256-bit AES, which is an industry recognised standard and (almost) impossible to crack without the encryption key.
So you might be thinking, "surely these solutions already encrypt my data so why do I need anything else?". However they don't provide client-side encryption which means you, the client, encrypts the file before it leaves your computer (although with Dropbox you can add your own encryption) they, the third party, manage the encryption keys along with your data. There are a couple of issues with this. First, the way data is stored on some cloud solutions means that your files are decrypted as soon as you log in. Why is this a problem, surely this makes the user experience more seamless as you don't need to take any extra steps? The problem arises if someone has access to your password. They can access your files — the encryption is now pointless and doesn't offer you any protection.
However, a second more sinister issue is Man in the Cloud attacks. Here, a hacker doesn't need your passwords. They simply access your computer, steal the synchronization tokens which are provided by the company to identify you as a user, and then place them on different computers. Because these cloud solutions cannot identify if the token is being used on another machine, this will go unseen. Therefore the hacker will then not only have access to the documents but also control your entire drive. Yikes!!
And last but not least, anyone who grants a third party responsibility for managing the safety and security of your data is troublesome, and we don't need to tell you why.
So we earlier mentioned that Self-encryption is a version of convergent encryption, which is also known as a content hash keying which creates identical ciphertext from an identical plaintext file. It contains some applications in cloud computing to eliminate all duplicate files from storage services, without a provider needing to have access to encryption keys.
Self-encryption is something new because it has no keys. A file is encrypted using its own contents as keys for encryption. After encryption, a Data Map is generated and this Data Map is used for decryption. And why is this so important? Because crucially, it ensures that all of your private data stored on the Network is unrecognisable and only those with the correct credentials and the relevant Data Map can fetch the chunks, decrypt them and put them together. And even if an encryption algorithm is compromised, a hacker won't be able to decipher the data. Cool huh?!
Right so how does this work? Things are always easier with an example, so let's say Bob has a Word doc he'd like to store on the Network. The Network takes this file and divides this up into a minimum of three chunks; Chunk 1, Chunk 2, Chunk 3. From this, the system creates a Data Map. A Data Map lays out the pre and post encryption details and the location of each chunk to enable Bob to retrieve his files whenever he likes. And, the Data Map can be run through the self-encryption process too.
So once each chunk has been hashed and documented on the Data Map it goes through the encryption process. To do this, the Network encrypts using the algorithm AES 256 encryption protocol and hashes each chunk. And this is where the additional obfuscation step comes in. So the hash of C1 is encrypted with the hash of C2, C2 is encrypted using the hash of C3 and C3 is encrypted using the hash of C1. To further obfuscate the data, every chunk is passed through an XOR function using the hashes of other chunks. So C1 would be XOR'ed with the hash of C2, and C3. And the hash of C2 would be encrypted with the XOR of C3 and C1 and…you've probably worked out how C3 would be encrypted. The output is then documented on the Data Map, which also can be run through the Self-encryption process.
All this happens on Bob's computer so that his data is already encrypted before it hits the Network and only Bob with his Data Map can access and decrypt his file. And this happened instantaneously, with no disruption to how Bob would normally store a file.
If Bob had bigger files (for example a file full of photography), this would automatically split into chunks and distributed autonomously across the decentralised network. This means larger data files are not stored in one central place, adding another level of security.
So there we have it. Self — encryption, the way the SAFE Network will solve issues with existing encryption solutions, based on trusted cryptography and a way for you to truly take control of your data.
If you are new to SAFE and are interested in understanding more about what we're doing to make the world a better place, join us on the Forum.


text:
Q: top ten ie7 css bugs? What css properties you avoid building web pages for ie7?
What you usually check first when you see page that does not render well in ie7?
UPD: as a programmer is not a designer usually, i think that it would be useful to collect short list of bugs which generate most share of failures, not going deep into css implementations. Programmer will never know all this staff.
Ie6 is leaving, Ie7 therefore is a most source of failures.

A: There is a great guide on CSS compatibility across browsers found on Quirksmode.
This compatibility table includes the following browsers:

*

*Internet Explorer 5.5

*Internet Explorer 6

*Internet Explorer 7

*Internet Explorer as 8 Internet Explorer 7

*Internet Explorer 8 as Internet Explorer 8

*FireFox 2

*FireFox 3.0

*FireFox 3.1b

*Safari 3.0 Win

*Safari 3.1 Win

*Safari 4.0b Win

*Chrome 1

*Chrome 2

*Opera 9.62

*Opera 10a

*Konqueror 3.5.7

Studying these tables and more importantly, understanding the browser differences will probably help you  a lot and is probably worth more than listing a top 10.
A great book that explains a lot of in-depth CSS and the reasons why it is rendered differently across browsers is CSS Mastery. It is my single most favorite CSS book.

A: This contains a list of bugs in IE.
Not specific to IE7.
Explorer Exposed!
178 bugs in Internet Explorer  7 for Windows

A: Take your pick:

*

*http://www.designdetector.com/2006/08/ie7-old-bugs-for-new.php

*http://css-class.com/test/bugs/ie/ie-bugs.htm

A: IE7 is already consistent with all common CSS style properties (which I would define as: colors/backgrounds & borders, font styles, and placement (margin, padding, spacing, wrapping)).
Now IE7 doesn't support CSS2 or higher, but I'd say it doesn't even matter because all main CSS rules as stated above are working well.


"Bridal Veil" oil on cradled wood panel, 11" x 14" x .5". Ready to hang.
This week I worked with a "seascape" closer to home - Bridal Veil Falls. It is really a "gorgescape" since the scene is the Columbia Valley River Gorge and not the ocean. This is painted entirely with Michael Harding handmade oil paints, which are non-toxic and have no smell whatsoever. A lovely relief when it is too chilly to open windows.
This piece is sold unframed but ready to hang (hanging wire attached) It will be shipped flat, carefully packaged in mostly repurposed shipping materials. Customs fees and duties are the responsibility of the recipient.


text:
PARIS with Éloïse
1 March 2019 21 May 2016 by panuma
By the end of June, we went back to France after almost two months in Casablanca. We finally had our final prototypes and the "Love collection" was ready to be launched!
While we were in France, we needed to do a photo shoot, to produce the video and present the project. We met the French artist so she could create the second illustration on the theme "The Other". We also prepared the launch party of our Ulule page. Timing was tight with only 3 weeks to complete the project!
It's in a Parisian café that Cécile met Eloïse for the first time, finally! She was the first artist that we met, for real, after having worked with her from abroad. Eloïse works as a graphic designer but she is fond of illustration and she works on occasional projects as a free-lancer. Eloïse told us that her thing, these days, was to create original patterns. She draws her inspiration from real pictures, flowers for instance, that she first draws in pencil and then develops it through a digital format. For her first drawing with the theme "Love", she wanted to show that two people who love each other often end up being similar… For the second one, Eloïse represented two people that look different from her, they seem to have African roots. The patterns stand out but the figures are close to each other.
This second illustration had been presented the day we had the Ulule launch party. It took place in the basement of a small Parisian bar, called "Le Barbiche" and we presented the four designs of the first collection on the love theme, in a festive atmosphere!
Two days later, we flew to Casablanca. The Ulule campaign was on tracks, all the travelling and meeting the artists could keep on going.
21.05.2016 - Montmartre - Photoshooting
26.05.2016 - Normandie - Film making
10.06.2016 - Bar "Le Barbiche" - Launching party
Categories Travels	Post navigation
CASA with Sarah
Ulule
© 2019 Panuma.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


I wonder if you could help me. I move to a new build home in December and unsure if Virgin Media is live on the development. The cables have been installed and it appears some of the residents have VM up and running. The development is Merlin Gardens in East Kilbride.
What is the best way to proceed in terms of our current VM subscription? Would we also qualify for the free 3 months as an existing customer- I didn't think so?
Any advice you could offer would be very much appreciated!
Regarding your query, you'd need to speak to the Home Builders team, and they'll be more than happy to assist you further.
They are contactable via 0800 073 7100.
I've been moved into a new property at four acres, Mickleover by Barratt Homes for the last 2 months and still waiting for the Virgin to be connected.
I've phoned up the sales team who cant advise of a connection date and therefore cant process a package until it is connected.
I've phoned the Nation home builders number but only been able to leave a message with no call back as yet.
I've spoke to Barratt's who tell me the property was signed off in early September and all details were passed over to Virgin.
Would just like to know when the connection is likely to happen as want to sign up to virgin but if its going to be months away then I will sign up to another provided as the BT line has been connected and up and running since the day I moved in on the 27 September 2018.
Forgive the lateness of my reply. There doesn't seem to be much of an update regarding the development. I've spoken to a few advisors and they have said Virgin Media are needing to install a cabinet at the development- but there has been no contact from Barratts to this end. Would you be able to enquire further? There are a few neighbours chasing this up- we would be ever so grateful to have this expedited. The LA have authorised this I believe, so all we would need is the cabinet and then the wires to each property.
I've popped a PM to you for me to take some details and I can ask the NHB teams to look into this for you that way if you have been unsuccessful on the phone.
I've also popped a PM to you for me to take the details I need to look into this further.
Sad news about the tie frame there for you but hopefully we may see you at some point in another year or so.
We have been in our property since start November. We phoned before we moved in to get VM installed however come back and said that unable to complete this as address isn't on the system.
A month down the line and there a a few houses at the start of the road who have now got virgin media however ours still isn't showing.
How can we get VM installed? The sales team don't seem to be very useful and keep saying keep an eye on the website etc.
Starting to get really frustrated.
Speaking with the developer and they said that everything is in place for the house to be connected up.
I am due to move into a new build property on 17th January, Virgin lines were recently installed in my area. It says online I cannot get virgin in my area when i enter my postcode.
I can double check what the hold up is although I will need some information from you first of all.


text:
Russia's invasion of Ukraine
11 - March - 2022
Russian strikes hit central Ukraine city Dnipro
On Friday, three missiles struck civilian facilities in Dnipro, central Ukraine, demolishing a shoe factory and killing one security guard.
In the Novokodatsky neighborhood, three missiles struck an apartment building, a migration office, and a council administration building, setting fire to the factory.
The regional military administration's public affairs officer, Valentin Yermolenko, stated there were no military facilities in the area and that one person, a security guard, was murdered.
The attack is being investigated by the district prosecutor for alleged violations of the laws of war.
The first explosion occurred shortly before 6:00 a.m. (0400 GMT), and the second occurred around 6:10 a.m., according to residents living near the shoe factory. The third strike was a little further out.
As snow fell and temperatures plummeted below zero, local residents and shop owners worked to clean broken glass and board up open frames on Friday.
"There was a huge explosion, and the windows shattered and pieces of the ceiling began to fall." "We hurried out to hide in the metro when there was a second one, but the entrance had already been broken," said Svetlana Kalenecheko, who lives and works adjacent to the shoe factory.
"Today, we were scheduled to welcome guests who require a great deal of assistance. We work with HIV and AIDS patients. We can no longer assist anyone."
A adjacent kindergarten's windows had also been blasted out.
In a video address, Mayor Boris Filativ stated that the situation is under control and that there are no Russian troops in the city.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, Dnipro has been considered a safe haven, with little strikes.
As a result, it has become a focal point for humanitarian aid coordination and for individuals fleeing the country's eastern conflict.
Air raid sirens repeatedly sounded as firemen battled the flames in the morning, prompting them to seek shelter in a nearby metro station.
Several generations of a family from besieged Volnovakha, a city near to the front line with Russian-backed rebels, said they had come to Dnipro for protection last week, sheltering in the subway.
They are terrified to leave the underground station after hearing about the attacks this morning, and they have no idea what they will do now because they have no money.


text:
using namespace std;

@interface LineSegment : NSObject{
    Vector2f slope;
}

@property (readwrite, nonatomic) bool remove;
@property (readwrite, nonatomic) bool startCorner;
@property (readwrite, nonatomic) bool endCorner;
@property (readwrite, nonatomic, retain) NSEdgel * start;
@property (readwrite, nonatomic, retain) NSEdgel * end;
@property (readwrite, nonatomic, retain) NSMutableArray * supportEdgels;
@property (readwrite, assign) Vector2f slope;

//- (void) setLineSegmentWithRemove:(bool)remove andStartCorner:(bool)startCorner andEndCorner:(bool)endCorner andStart:(NSEdgel *)start andEnd:(NSEdgel *)end andSupportEdgels:(NSMutableArray *)supportEdgels andSlope:(Vector2f)slope;
- (bool) atLine:(NSEdgel *) cmp;
- (void) addSupportedEdgel:(NSEdgel *) supportedEdgel;
- (bool) isOrientationCompatible:(LineSegment *)comparedLineSegment;
- (Vector2f) getIntersectionWithLineSegment:(LineSegment *)b;
- (void) setSlope:(Vector2f)slopeToSet;
//- (void) copyLineSegment:(LineSegment *)lineSegmentToCopy;

@end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


I was provided these pencils at no charge by DOMS for review purposes.
DOMS has been one of my favorite pencil brands since I discovered them a few years back. They're owned by F.I.L.A., who owns Ticonderoga, Lyra, Prang, and a whole host of other stationery brands. To me, they beat out the Hindustan brands Nataraj and Apsara in manufacturing quality and general performance. Every DOMS pencil I've used has been really well made and hasn't had a lot of manufacturing defects, like messed up paint, crooked ferrules, or wildly off-centered cores. While I like most of them, I can't say the same about Hindustan's offerings.
The Fusion pencil was unreleased when DOMS sent these to me last year. Unfortunately, I got them right as I was scaling back on posting for a while and never got around to them. They have since been released, but only in India. I haven't seen them anywhere else online except for Amazon India, and when I reached out to DOMS to inquire where my US readers might be able to buy them, they said they were looking into getting them on Amazon in the US. I'm fairly certain The Curios will have the Fusion, since I've seen them on their Facebook page from last year, so if you've bought from them before, you should be able to purchase these if interested.
Onto the pencil: The Fusion is something of an odd duck in the DOMS lineup. It's a black triangular pencil that has a soft rubbery finish. I like that part about it a LOT. But they put 3 different foil stamp colors on each side, green, blue, and red, in a pattern of stars which is supposed to help grip? I don't know. I do know that the stamp flakes off fairly easily. Each end is dipped in a silver paint with a colored stripe, either red, green, or blue. There are ten in a pack, so you get an extra of one of the colors. I'm thinking maybe they should've matched the end dip stripe with the foil stamp and only did one color of foil. Then you could have a pencil that is black and one other color instead of black and 3 rainbow colors.
Near the top of the pencil, they do a silver foil stamp of the DOMS logo, the UPC, and the grading on each side, which in this case is "X-TRA SUPER DARK". I'll never know the true grade of this pencil, but it is dark and soft. It has a thick core, which I love. And in true DOMS fashion, it is well-centered. I would say it's close to a 2B or 3B. If you write with a heavy hand like I do, the point retention isn't the greatest, but if you keep it light, it's not bad. With my heavy hand, I can get it looking Sharpie dark if I want to press just a bit harder. The core seems strong, and doesn't give me the feeling that it might snap if I press super strong to make a thick dark line. Grading is all over the place between brands and even country of orgin, as you know, and a German 2B is close to a Japanese HB and maybe the Indian pencil manufacturers are smart to keep those grades off their pencils so there won't be some preconceived notion about what you're getting. DOMS says you're getting an Xtra Super Dark pencil, and yeah, you are.
Carl CP-80 vs short point Erasner.
Of course, the box comes with something extra, because that's the best part of Indian pencil brands...you always get something fun inside. They have included a small ruler called the Crystal Scale and an eraser/sharpener combo called the Erasner. The sharpener part makes a fairly short point, and the eraser is good. I probably won't use the sharpener, but in a pinch, there are worse out there. I just don't really like short points.
Overall, these are nice pencils, design choices aside. They've made 2 versions of the same pencil before, like the Zoom, and I would love a different version of this Fusion pencil without the foil stamping in the grip area. The matte black rubbery coating is really nice and I think they didn't need the foil at all.
I'm not sure exactly the price, but with the general price of DOMS pencils, I can't see these being super expensive. The Amazon India listing I found had 5 10-packs for around $5. Again, Indian pencils are a steal.


FILE - A doctor exams mammograms, a special type of X-ray of the breasts, which are used to detect tumors, in Nice, France, Jan. 4, 2008.
Scientists have accused the alcohol industry of misleading the public over the link between alcohol and cancer.
Researchers looked at the websites of 28 global organizations representing the alcohol industry, and concluded that the vast majority distort or misrepresent the evidence of an alcohol-related cancer risk.
"What you might see is that certain health problems related to alcohol consumption are mentioned on the website, but cancer is missing, or specific types of cancer are missing, particularly breast cancer or colorectal cancer," said Mark Petticrew, professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who led the research.
The Washington-based International Alliance for Responsible Drinking, or IARD, is accused of misleading the public over the risk of contracting specific types of cancers, and trying to confuse the issue by highlighting a range of other risk factors.
In a statement provided to VOA, the IARD disputed the conclusions, saying: "We believe in sharing the current state of the scientific evidence and stand by the information that we publish on drinking and health."
Petticrew compares the industry's actions with those of the tobacco giants, which for a long time disputed the link between cancer and smoking.
"In the U.K., around 4 percent of cancers are attributable to alcohol consumption," Petticrew said. "I think what's important to remember is that the risk itself is quite low for people who consume at low levels. But the fact is that the information about the risk that is disseminated by these organizations is distorted and misrepresented."
The report says further research is needed on whether the alcohol industry is distorting information on other risks, such as cardiovascular disease.


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Icon Tag: infur
Posted December 20, 2019 by Lily B in Reviews / 18 Comments
Published by Disney-Hyperion on October 1, 2019
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Holiday, Romance
Sophie wants one thing for Christmas-a little freedom from her overprotective parents. So when they decide to spend Christmas in South Louisiana with her very pregnant older sister, Sophie is looking forward to some much needed private (read: make-out) time with her long-term boyfriend, Griffin. Except it turns out that Griffin wants a little freedom from their relationship. Cue devastation.
Heartbroken, Sophie flees to her grandparents' house, where the rest of her boisterous extended family is gathered for the holiday. That's when her nonna devises a (not so) brilliant plan: Over the next ten days, Sophie will be set up on ten different blind dates by different family members. Like her sweet cousin Sara, who sets her up with a hot guy at an exclusive underground party. Or her crazy aunt Patrice, who signs Sophie up for a lead role in a living nativity. With a boy who barely reaches her shoulder. And a screaming baby.
When Griffin turns up unexpectedly and begs for a second chance, Sophie feels more confused than ever. Because maybe, just maybe, she's started to have feelings for someone else . . . Someone who is definitely not available.
This is going to be the worst Christmas break ever... or is it?
Sophie has been looking forward to spending some private time with her long term boyfriend, Griffin, and now with her parents on the way to South Louisiana to take care of her pregnant sister, it looks like Sophie will get just that. Except, she overheard Griffin talking about needing space from Sophie, so instead she flees to her grandmother's house early to nurse her heartbreak. Her family has a wild idea to bring back the fun for Sophie when her grandmother decides it would be fun to set Sophie up on 10 Blind Dates, and aunts, uncles, friends, and cousins are all eager to join in.
This was such a cute read. I absolutely adored it and devoured it in two sittings. This YA book had everything I always want in YA. A fun storyline, a wonderful family relationship. I absolutely adored the relationship between Sophie and her grandmother as well as Sophie and her older sister. It was just so positive and something I root for in YA books.
The romance was adorable, so cute and slow and just absolutely perfect.
This book is a must-read for Christmas. It gave me all the feels, it was just a cute, fun, positive YA book that has left me looking forward to more from this author.
Christmas at Two Love Lane by Kieran Kramer
Series: Two Love Lane #1
Published by St. Martin's Press on October 3, 2017
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Holiday
Heat:
The best gift of all is the one you share with someone else. . .
From the moment he strode through the iron gate and into the offices of Two Love Lane on a crisp December day, it was obvious that Deacon Banks was something different. He wasn't a Charleston native, not with that adorable Yankee accent. And unlike the usual client at the elegant matchmaking agency, he had no interest in finding a woman to marry--just a few no-strings dates while he was in town.
Macy Frost takes her professional services very seriously--how could she not, when she's rumored to be a direct descendant of Cupid? Tech entrepreneur Deacon says he's just trying to make his social-climbing aunt happy by being seen out and about with a few prominent beauties, but Macy insists she can make her client fall in love...for real. And Deacon can't help but think she might be right. As charming as the palmetto trees and magnificent harbor may be, it's the beautiful, breath-of-fresh-air Macy who's become Deacon's favorite part of the scenery. But can the hopelessly romantic Southern belle stop trying to fix him up and just let Cupid do his work on her own heart?
Macy Frost works as a matchmaker in her own company with her three other friends in Charleston. They run a very successful business and have had amazing results in putting people together. So when Deacon Banks arrives in town and only comes to visit Macy to satisfy his aunt's demands, Macy isn't going to let him go that easily, when a woman who believes in finding true love wants Deacon to give her girls a fair chance, because she feels she can find him the right match.
Until she realizes that match is her.
And everything seems to go downhill from there…
Macy believes in finding love for others, but not herself. That to me is a bit awkward, especially when matchmaking is literally her job, but she pushes back if it's her.
I had a super hard time with the characters in general and didn't really feel connected to them, nor did I like them.
The girl's try to set Deacon up with Macy, when they realize he has feelings for her and Macy is avoiding him, by conveniently ditching him on dates. When Macy catches on to what's happening, she gets butthurt and feels betrayed like he had hurt her somehow and she can never trust him again. She says this, and then literally in the next moment does the exact same thing to Deacon's Aunt, by going behind her back to set her up with a man and is so proud that she had thought of that plan.
That made my head hurt. I didn't enjoy it. I skimmed the last part. Deacon didn't even want a serious relationship till like the last two pages of the book. It was weird, it was boring.. It just didn't work for me and the characters just all felt two-faced, and flat.
Posted December 3, 2019 by Lily B in Reviews / 16 Comments
Thin Ice by Paige Shelton
Series: Alaska Wild Mysteries #1
Published by Minotaur Books on December 3, 2019
Genres: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
First in a new series set in Alaska from beloved author Paige Shelton, Thin Ice will chill your bones.
Beth Rivers is on the run – she's doing the only thing she could think of to keep herself safe. Known to the world as thriller author Elizabeth Fairchild, she had become the subject of a fanatic's obsession. After being held in a van for three days by her kidnapper, Levi Brooks, Beth managed to escape, and until he is captured, she's got to get away. Cold and remote, Alaska seems tailor-made for her to hideout.
Beth's new home in Alaska is sparsely populated with people who all seem to be running or hiding from something, and though she accidentally booked a room at a halfway house, she feels safer than she's felt since Levi took her. That is, until she's told about a local death that's a suspected murder. Could the death of Linda Rafferty have anything to do with her horror at the hands of Levi Brooks?
As Beth navigates her way through the wilds of her new home, her memories of her time in the van are coming back, replaying the terror and the fear—and threatening to keep her from healing, from reclaiming her old life again. Can she get back to normal, will she ever truly feel safe, and can she help solve the local mystery, if only so she doesn't have to think about her own?
Beth Rivers is a thriller author better known as Elizabeth Fairchild, and Beth Rivers is on the run. After being kidnapped and held in a van for three days by her kidnapper Levi Brooks, Beth manages to escape but not unscathed. So she does the only thing she knows to do, she runs away and a cold, remote place in Alaska seems like a perfect hideaway.
The town is scarcely populated and the townspeople all seem to be there running and hiding from something. So when Beth arrives and a murder happens, she can't help but wonder if it's somehow related to her.
This was a perfect read for this time of year. I loved the atmosphere of an isolated village in Alaska, with a small population and cold. The characters were fantastic and I enjoyed following all of them as well as getting to know them.
By accident, Beth ends up staying in a halfway house, where she meets an interesting cast of characters and get involved in a police investigation. Beth also has a few issues. She's scared that Levi Brooks will find her. She has very little memory of the man himself since she hurt her head and needed surgery after jumping out of the van, and both her mother and an investigator are trying to find him.
This was a great read and I am looking forward to more from this town and characters in the future.
Lying in Wait by Liz Nugent
Published by Gallery/Scout Press on June 12, 2018
Genres: Psychological Thriller
From the international bestselling author of Unraveling Oliver, an "unputdownable psychological thriller with an ending that lingers long after turning the final page" (The Irish Times) about a Dublin family whose dark secrets and twisted relationships are suddenly revealed.
My husband did not mean to kill Annie Doyle, but the lying tramp deserved it.
On the surface, Lydia Fitzsimons has the perfect life—wife of a respected, successful judge, mother to a beloved son, mistress of a beautiful house in Dublin. That beautiful house, however, holds a secret. And when Lydia's son, Laurence, discovers its secret, wheels are set in motion that lead to an increasingly claustrophobic and devastatingly dark climax.
For fans of Ruth Ware and Gillian Flynn, this novel is a "seductively sinister story. The twists come together in a superbly scary denouncement, which delivers a final sting in the tail. Brilliantly macabre" (Sunday Mirror).
With an opening like that, this book seems to have the making of a great thriller, does it?
We follow three characters in this book, Lydia, the wife of a respectful, successful judge – a mother to a beloved son Laurence and a mistress to a grand house in Dublin. We follow Laurence, the son who discovers the deep dark secret earthed in the backyard of his sanctuary and Karen, the sister of Annie Doyle that is desperate to find her.
This book is twisted on a level of twisted. If you love a twisted psychological thriller, you might enjoy this one. And while a lot found this enjoyable with how twisted it was, I found this book irritating.
All of the characters in this book are unlikable. Lydia is a psychopath with a dark past and she is completely off her rocker. She's an overbearing mother who wants to keep her son from leaving her alone in the house, and goes through extreme measures to do so. Laurance is troubled in his own way and I found his sexual fantasies about the possible missing dead girl a little weird, especially when the author decided to take the route she did with him and Annie.
This entire book was just completely screwed up. I had a hard time believing the ending a bit, but even that was as shocking as it was messed up.
Overall, I just wanted to finish this. It was okay. If you like really messed up characters, 2/3 in this book will fit the bill. It does drag at times, and I had a hard time wanting to pick it up once I put it down. But overall, okay.
Review: Someone Knows by Lisa Scottoline
Posted April 10, 2019 by Lily B in Reviews / 10 Comments
Someone Knows by Lisa Scottoline
Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons on April 9, 2019
Genres: Mystery, Thriller
From the New York Times-bestselling author comes a pulse-pounding domestic thriller about a group of friends who have been bound for twenty years by a single secret—and will now be undone by it. Someone Knows is an emotional exploration of friendship and family, as well as a psychological exploration of guilt and memory.
Twenty years ago, in an upscale suburb of Philadelphia, four teenagers spent a summer as closest friends: drinking, sharing secrets, testing boundaries. When a new boy looked to join them, they decided to pull a prank on him, convincing him to play Russian roulette as an initiation into their group. They secretly planned to leave the gun unloaded—but what happened next would change each of them forever.
Now three of the four reunite for the first time since that horrible summer. The guilt—and the lingering question about who loaded the gun—drove them apart. But after one of the group apparently commits suicide with a gun, their old secrets come roaring back. One of them is going to figure out if the new suicide is what it seems, and if it connects to the events of that long-ago summer. Someone knows exactly what happened—but who? And how far will they go to keep their secrets buried?
Allie is headed home for the funeral of a childhood friend when she runs into two other people that share a terrible secret that they kept for twenty years.
Twenty years ago a terrible accident happened. No one was supposed to be hurt. The gun was never supposed to be loaded. But someone died, and four other people were there to witness and each carried the secret for years
This was my first foray into Lisa Scottoline's writing, although I have collected several books from her over the years, I picked this one because it sounded exciting.
I thought this book had a lot of potentials and I liked how it was entertaining enough to keep me flipping through the pages and engaged. Ultimately, it just missed the mark.
The book is riddled with unlikable characters and the book alternates between these characters in chapters, which to me just happened to be one of its downfalls because I really did not like or care for most of these characters. I think there were only one or two characters I really liked and they just did not have enough spotlight in the story.
Even if you skip reading the blurb, it's easy to predict who dies in the book. The book ends up being kind of split into two sections, one before the 'accident' and then the after.
I wish the actual twist in the book was who dies instead of the 'twist' that the author decides to throw at us in the end.
The last couple of chapters in the book I think is what ultimately spoiled the book for me. I thought it was just a mess. A completely freaken mess. It was clunky, a bunch of stuff thrown together for shock value that did not make sense to the overall story.
I don't even know how to explain the stuff that just pissed me off without spoiling the book.
One of those things is the stupid direction it goes with one of the characters that just made my head hurt and honestly felt like it was added to make this book into a thriller. I think this book would have been better off focusing on how the event that occurred shaped the character's lives.
Then this ultimate twist occurs at the end of the book and I almost threw the damn thing out the window because I was sooooo livid. IT DID NOT MAKE SENSE. I'm sorry. If it was added for shock value. Congrats. I am shocked. Shocked that it was even put in the book.
To break it down without spoiling it to the best of my ability. Knowing what we did from the book, this character's actions did not make sense to me, especially if the character knew what was going to already happen the following day at that moment in time. Also, the behavior of the character in the epilogue after learning this horrible twist did not coincide with the character's behavior from just witnessing the event. How it affected the character's life, then and how it affected life after just did not make sense to me. It felt like it would have affected them worse, instead it felt like they basically said "oh well, we know now… we move on"
It just…
Review Round Up #2
Posted March 16, 2019 by Lily B in Reviews / 7 Comments
Cooper's Charm by Lori Foster
Series: Summer Resort, #1, #1
Published by HQN Books on July 24, 2018
One summer, two sisters and a chance to start over…
Before the burglary that shattered her confidence, Phoenix Rose had a fiancé, a successful store and a busy, happy existence. After months spent adrift, she takes a job at the lakeside resort of Cooper's Charm. Surrounded by beautiful scenery, friendly colleagues and a charismatic, widowed boss, Phoenix is slowly inching her way back into the world.
Visiting Cooper's Charm to check up on her little sister, Ridley Rose impulsively agrees to fill in as housekeeper. Still reeling from an ego-bruising divorce, she finds satisfaction in a job well done—and in the attention of the resort's handsome scuba instructor.
For Phoenix and Ridley, Cooper's Charm is supposed to be merely temporary. But this detour may lead to the place they most need to be, where the future is as satisfying as it is surprising…
Pheonix rose hopes to take a job at a lakeside resort in order to get a fresh start and move on from her past. Before the burglary happened, Pheonix had everything, a great job, a fiance, and overall a happy existence. There she meets Cooper, the owner of the resort and who is just as broken after his wife dies in a tragic accident.
I thought the story was cute for the most part. I really loved Pheonix and Cooper, though I struggled with the attraction at first due to the reasons that Cooper felt the attraction and why he hired her. It felt like he was compensating for his past. I love Sugar the dog, she bought some heart into the story. Many of the secondary characters really made Cooper's Charm and I couldn't help but feel invested in most of them, especially Maris. I am really looking forward to her book and her attraction to one of the staff members.
The part that really broke this book for me was the unnecessary Ridley storyline. I ended up downright hating her character. She was so unrefined, shallow and undeveloped. I get that she had a "rough" break with her ex-husband, but in the end, somehow ended up super rich. She then buys a trailer to seduce Baxter one of the staff members, just for that reason alone to taunt him. The part that sealed the deal for me with her was the author's use of the world snarled towards the end of the book when Ridley continued to interact with Baxter, specifically when she drops some unexpected news and misunderstands his silence for the worse. I really did not care for her character, she was unnecessary to the story and I could have done without her.
Also was the brief suspense that was added to the last 5% of the book. I thought that was unrealistic and again, unnecessary.
From This Moment by Melanie Harlow
Series: After We Fall,
Published by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform on October 5, 2017
Source: Kindle Unlimited
It was like seeing a ghost.
When my late husband's twin brother moves back to our small town, I want to avoid him. Everything about Wes reminds me of the man I lost and the life we'd planned together, and after eighteen long months struggling just to get out of bed, I'm finally doing okay. I have a new job, an amazing support group, and a beautiful five-year-old daughter to parent. I don't want to go backward.
But I'm drawn to him, too. He understands my grief and anger and guilt like no one else — and I understand his. Before long, that understanding becomes desire, and that desire becomes uncontrollable.
He says he doesn't care what people think, and love can never be wrong. But life has taught me its cruelest lesson — love doesn't always win.
If only my heart would believe it.
A story about loss, love, and two people trying to heal when the odds are stacked against them. Hannah lost her husband. His twin brother moves back into town and she feels like she sees a ghost. Wes has been in love with Hannah since before his twin brother made a move on her and because he believed that Hannah and Drew were better off with each other, he never told his brother how he felt about her.
This was such a sweet story with a subject that's a bit taboo, really well done. I like how Hannah and Wes had a connection before Drew stormed in like a hurricane and swept her away. I loved Wes, sweet, caring, shy Wes with a heart of gold who gave up a girl he was in love with because of his love for his brother and his inadequacy with women.
I think Melanie Harlow is a wonderful writer, who makes believable characters and handles touchy subjects with respect to weave a story that uncovers layers of complication and showed their struggles and the wall they had to climb to overcome. I really liked both characters, it was both heartbreaking and heartwarming. I love their connection and how deep it ran. I like the struggle and how real it seemed. I thought Melanie Harlow did a fantastic job showing the very realistic bumps of unconventional love.
Review: Don't Wake Up by Liz Lawler
Posted February 26, 2019 by Lily B in Reviews / 11 Comments
Don't Wake Up by Liz Lawler
Published by Harper Paperbacks on February 5, 2019
Genres: Mystery, Psychological Thriller
A harrowing psychological thriller debut about a woman who awakens after an assault with no physical proof of the attack and who must try to convince everyone of what really happened.
When Dr. Alex Taylor opens her eyes, she is hooked up to an IV, is bound to an operating table, and her legs are raised in stirrups. Disoriented and alarmed, she assumes she's been anesthetized and brought to surgery after being in an accident. But the man standing over her, with his face hidden behind a surgical mask and wielding instruments, is no doctor she recognizes at the hospital where she works as a successful and respected doctor. He's a stranger—and he's calmly and methodically telling her how he's about to attack her. Before Alex can even scream for help, she succumbs to another dose of anesthesia, rendering her unable to defend herself….
When she comes to on a gurney, she finds herself surrounded by her colleagues and immediately reports the attack and rape. The police are skeptical of her bizarre story. And after a physical exam reveals no proof of any attack, even her boyfriend has doubts. Despite Alex's adamant claims, no one believes her, leaving her to wonder if she has, in fact, lost her mind.
Until she meets the next victim…
An edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller, Don't Wake Up is also a provocative, timely exploration of victimhood, abuse, and the discrediting of women in our culture.
Dr. Alex Taylor is a young, but a successful doctor who seems to have everything going for her until the night she gets attacked and her world is turned upside down. She thought the horror was over, but it all begins when she opens her eyes and then meet the other victim…
I have a hard time writing this review. I don't really know how to feel about this book and I find that I am completely torn on the rating.
The writing was good, it felt fast paced at the beginning, but slowly began to drag and parts of it quickly became boring and annoying.
The story as a whole, I had a hard time wrapping my head around it. It was frustrating. It's been a while since I've found myself so angry with the book. Let me explain.
Dr. Alex Taylor is a smart, successful doctor. She gets attacked and NO ONE. Not one single person believes her. Her colleagues don't believe her, her fiance does not believe her, even her "best friend" acts like a total jerk to her. I was so angry over everything and how everyone suddenly doubted her mental state and the control Dr. Alex Taylor was losing because of it. I didn't feel that the extent it went that it was realistic. The police might have doubted her because of the lack of evidence, but I didn't feel like there wasn't one person there that shouldn't have believed her. Even the man that 'loved' her was a complete and total loser. She also somehow ends up the prime suspect in the murder cases that follow and the lead detective that was trying to frame her with no evidence was driving me insane. How the hell was that realistic?
I kind of went into this book thinking it was a powerful tool during the #metoo movement as its blurb on the cover, but instead, I got nothing but frustration and not at all where I expected this book to go. It fizzled, it could have delivered some sort of a message, but instead, it left me more than a little underwhelmed.
Review: The Good Twin by Marti Green
Posted May 24, 2018 by Lily B in Reviews / 11 Comments
The Good Twin by Marti Green
Published by Thomas & Mercer on May 15, 2018
In Marti Green's twisting novel of psychological suspense, twin sisters become engaged in a dangerous deception…
Mallory Holcolm is an unfulfilled waitress and aspiring artist living in a Queens boardinghouse when she learns something astonishing about her past: she has an identical twin sister named Charly she never knew existed.
Charly is a Princeton graduate, a respected gallery owner, and an heiress married to her handsome college sweetheart, Ben. Charly got everything she ever wanted. Everything Mallory wanted, too. And now it might be easier than Mallory ever imagined. Because Ben has reasons of his own for wanting to help her.
It begins with his startling proposal. All Mallory has to do is say yes.
But as their devious plan falls into place, piece by piece, Mallory learns more about her sister and herself than she ever meant to—a discovery that comes with an unexpected twist. A chilling deception is about to become a dangerous double cross. And it's going to change the rules of Ben and Mallory's game to the very end.
I honestly don't know where to start with this book, it was a bit of a mess.
Try to suspend your disbelief when reading this because this book definitely requires you to.
We have a young mother that was thrown out of the house because she was pregnant and refused to give up her baby. At the age of 16 a young girl made a hard choice when she found out that she had twins. She gave up her first born in adoption and kept the second twin to raise by herself. One grew up in a very rich family, the other grew up in poverty.
Years later, Mallory is a waitress and stumbles upon a man who confuses her for someone else. Curious, she tracks down the woman he thought she was only to discover, wow, she looks just like her. Too afraid to approach her in person, she decided to visit the woman at her house only to be greeted by her husband and spun a bunch of lies.
Now Mallory thinks her sister is heartless and that Charly (the sister) believes that Mallory only wants to meet her because she wants her money, she believes her husband Ben who is spinning these lies.
Ben offers Mallory a proposal that if all Mallory does is say yes, her life will be changed forever.
I don't even know how to review this without spoiling everything.
All the things I found wrong and frustrating
1. I could not wrap my head around Mallory and her decision to go along with Ben's plan and still claim that she is such a good person and is deserving of so much more because what she agreed to do wasn't simple as blueberry picking. It's not a decision that a "good" person would step into lightly and quiet frankly, her reasoning made me sick as well.
2. The end was just a mess piled upon a layer of another mess and turned me beyond angry. I wanted to throttle Mallory, who became the world's BIGGEST freaking hypocrite, trust me guys, it is taking me a lot of self control here not to let out a string of curse words and how much I loathed that ending. I found it unrealistic, I found myself angry at everyone involved and in the end, I honestly just wanted to see them all burn. After everything that went down and how it went down and all the stupid lies and actions these two sisters did not deserve any kind of happiness.
The end kept kind of jumping forward in time quickly over and over again and I just could not wrap my head around who the hell did Mallory think she is, making those kind of decisions after what she herself tried to do and blah just no.
Overall, it was fast paced. Suspend your disbelief and you might enjoy it. For me? This book just made me angry beyond belief.
Review: Folded Notes from High School by Matthew Boren
Posted April 27, 2018 by Lily B in Reviews / 8 Comments
Folded Notes from High School by Matthew Boren
Narrator: Taylor Spreitler, Ramy Youssef, Ryan Newman, Christina Applegate, Selma Blair, Rebecca Budig, Vicki Davis, Katie Lowes, Meredith Salenger, Adam Shapiro
Published by Razorbill on April 3, 2018
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary
Format: Paperback, Audiobook
A status-obsessed senior unexpectedly falls for a freshman because of his Danny Zuko audition in their high school's production of Grease in this epistolary novel set in 1991.
It's 1991, and Tara Maureen Murphy is finally on top. A frightening cross between Regina George and Tracy Flick, Tara Maureen Murphy is any high school's worst nightmare, bringing single-minded ambition, narcissism, manipulation, and jealousy to new extremes. She's got a hot jock boyfriend in Christopher Patrick Caparelli, her best friend Stef Campbell by her side, and she's a SENIOR, poised to star as Sandy in South High's production of Grease. Cinching the role is just one teensy step in Tara's plot to get out of her hometown and become the Broadway starlet she was born to be. She's grasping distance from the finish line--graduation and college are right around the corner--but she has to remain vigilant. It gets trickier with the arrival of freshman Matthew Bloom, whose dazzling audition for the role of Danny Zuko turns Tara's world upside down. Freshmen belong in the chorus, not the spotlight! But Tara's outrage is tinged with an unfamiliar emotion, at least to her: adoration. And what starts as a conniving ploy to "mentor" young Matt quickly turns into a romantic obsession that threatens to topple Tara's hard-won status at South High....
This book takes us back to high school in 1991 and is told in an interesting format of folded notes. The book follows a girl named Tara Maureen Murphy, who is inspired by the mean girls Regina George and Tracy Flick, her boyfriend Christopher Patrick Caparelli, best friend Stef Campbell, freshman Matt Bloom and several other teenagers that end up entwined in Tara's world.
I liked the 1990's feel to the book and I can see how movies such as Mean Girls ran an inspiration there. Thought I loved the setting of the year, I wasn't sure how the teenager's of today's Era were really going to relate to this book. I do find that as far as subject matter goes, it does transcend time and although technology has changed, the action of some teenagers do not.
Tara was hard to follow, she was terrible. She ran hot and cold, flipped-flopped, so much that it gave me some serious whiplash and felt like she had some serious case of split personality. She was a classic mean girl and I found her grating. The things she did to the people around her, the way she lied was quiet a bit frustrating.
The other characters were fabulous, especially Tara's friend Stef and Matt, I loved them as characters and I was glad they were able to stand up to Tara and her conniving ways.
Because this is told from folded notes, we don't actually know why Tara is the type of character she is. Most the story centers on high school drama, such as dating and Tara not getting what she wants so she strikes back like a snake. She makes some really poor decisions with life choices and it makes you want to scream.
I did end up just listening to this book on Audio and I have to say, the audiobook saved it. The array of different narrators made this a much more addictive read and much easier to get through, they did an amazing job with capturing the different characters through their notes in this book. I do give the audio it four stars, even if I found the book just okay, because it definitely won me over.
The last page in the end, I think made me a bit angry because it felt like a cliffhanger of some kind that I felt was not needed. I don't know if the author is planning on a spin-off based on that paragraph left at the end, but if he isn't that part just left me annoyed. As far as I know, this is a standalone.
Review: All the Beautiful Girls by Elizabeth J. Church
This book may be unsuitable for people under 17 years of age due to its use of sexual content, drug and alcohol use, and/or violence.
Published by Ballantine Books on March 6th 2018
A powerful novel about a gutsy showgirl who tries to conquer her past amongst the glamour of 1960s Las Vegas--and finds unexpected fortune, friendship, and love.
It was unimaginable. When she was eight years old, Lily Decker somehow survived the auto accident that killed her parents and sister, but neither her emotionally distant aunt nor her all-too-attentive uncle could ease her grief. Dancing proves to be Lily's only solace, and eventually, she receives a "scholarship" to a local dance academy--courtesy of a mysterious benefactor.
Grown and ready to leave home for good, Lily changes her name to Ruby Wilde and heads to Las Vegas to be a troupe dancer, but her sensual beauty and voluptuous figure land her work instead as a showgirl performing everywhere from Les Folies Bergere at the Tropicana to the Stardust's Lido de Paris. Wearing costumes dripping with feathers and rhinestones, five-inch heels, and sky-high headdresses, Ruby may have all the looks of a Sin City success story, but she still must learn to navigate the world of men--and figure out what real love looks like.
With her uncanny knack for understanding the hidden lives of women, Elizabeth J. Church captures both the iconic extravagance of an era and the bravery of a young woman who dances through her sadness to find connection, freedom, and, most important, herself.
TRIGGER WARNING for Child Abuse/Sexual Assult.
I wish I knew about the trigger warnings in this book before I started reading this. I love historical fiction and have read quite a bit of it in the past, so needless to say when the author dwells into parts of child sexual abuse as part of her story, it took me a bit by surprise. I never expected it to be so in my face and in a way, graphic. I would have appreciated it if the author had implied the fact, but this felt like it crossed a line when a scene between the main character and her uncle takes a very disturbing turn. Was it meant to shock people or make them aware of such incidents?
The story follows a young girl named Lily, she is the sole survivor after her family ends up in a car crash. She ends up living with her Aunt and Uncle and as a little girl, she always craves for her aunts love and approval. Only problem is? Her aunt never had children and does not really know how to give love in the way Lily craves it. Her uncle on the other hand, is a disgusting pig who visits Lily at night time and takes advantage of her. I found these parts really hard to read, but I have this bad habit of not finishing a book so I somehow managed to plow on through all the stomach rolling scenes. To top it off, the frustration mounted when Lily, as a teenager finally lets the secret slip in front of her Aunt and she does not believe her despite the shock that rolls through her.
I felt as a reader, I am aware of certain things and that the author wrote some of the scenes between Lily and her uncle as a shock value. If it's meant to educate, I guess I can understand that, but I felt that implied would have been enough in the case that this is a historical fiction.
Moving on, Lily is in Vegas and is struggling. She is now going by the name of Ruby Wilde. She really wants to be a dancer, but is not cut out to be the type of dancer she wants. She is approached by a man asking her to reconsider being a showgirl and upon attending a show, Ruby Wilde changes her mind about how distasteful it is and becomes a showgirl.
This book started out rocky, it got a lot more interesting in the middle. I loved the entire part about her being the showgirl and her struggles with her past that she had to overcome in order to be comfortable around men and in her own skin. I have never read anything about Vegas in this era before so it was fascinating to learn about the type of bubble they lived, the glitz and the glamour while the rest of the world was going through reality and struggles.
I really loved how Ruby got close to her girlfriends and there was a struggle with drug use, but she managed to get past that with the help of her friend Rose.
It felt like it was going great, until Ruby meets a man and the book takes a disturbing turn into abuse category again. To top it off, it also proved that there was no character growth for Ruby until the last few chapters of the book. It was both infuriating and frustrating, especially since so many people who she trusts tried to warn her and help her.
I do have to say, the writing itself in this book was actually really well done. The author is a gifted writer, that is for certain, it's just the story in general did not work for me.
Overall, once you bypass the first part that wasn't just hard, but disturbing and disgusting to read – the Vegas parts of this book were informative – and then it takes a turn with the love interest I did not care for. I can't say I recommend this book, but if your interested, a library is a great way to go.
Review: Poison by Galt Niederhoffer
Posted November 27, 2017 by Lily B in Reviews / 25 Comments
Poison by Galt Niederhoffer
Published by St. Martin's Press on November 21st 2017
Poison is a literary psychological thriller about a marriage that follows minor betrayal into a bubbling stew of lies, cruelty, manipulation, and danger.
Cass and Ryan Connor have achieved family nirvana. With three kids between them, a cat and a yard, a home they built and feathered, they seem to have the Modern Family dream. Their family, including Cass' two children from previous relationships, has recently moved to Portland —a new start for their new lives. Cass and Ryan have stable, successful careers, and they are happy. But trouble begins almost imperceptibly. First with small omissions and white lies that happen daily in any marital bedroom. They seem insignificant, but they are quickly followed by a series of denials and feints that mushroom and then cyclone in menace.
With life-or-death stakes and irreversible consequences, Poison is a chilling and irresistible reminder that the closest bond designed to protect and provide for each other and for children can change in a minute.
Cass and Ryan Connor seem like a happy family on the outside. They have three children, two from Cass' previous marriage and one between them. They have moved to Portland, have stable jobs, and a lovely family home. But the perfect marriage turns into a nightmare when Cass starts to discover that her husband had started to lie daily to her omissions and white lies that turn into a series of denials and threats. Soon Cass is in trouble as she goes up against her husband, who seemed like a loving father, but is now a completely different person and the people who are bent on believing a man's word over the woman's.
Okay, I hate giving one star reviews, but with this book I just couldn't rate it higher.
I wanted to love it, but I quickly grew to despise it. If you are planning to read it and don't want any spoilers, I'd stop reading the review now because the rant that follows is why I have such strong dislike for this wrong.
One, the format. It was all over the place. Sometimes the story jumped between present and past with no clear cut definitive line and it makes your head swim as you scramble to find out what just happened. One minute it's in the past, the next minute the author is talking about the present, the switch is so sudden it felt like whiplash.
Second, I am not sure what the author was trying to do here. I get that she puts forth a lot of stuff she believes in and how she feels the world functions and it's very feminist to the point of being overwhelming?
Like for example. Cass has this perfect family and out of no where, her husband grows another head and becomes a man that she no longer recognizes, capable of violence. There are odd scenes between Cass and Ryan when she confronts him about his cheating and he attacks her, and chokes her, and says your life is over now, you will leave me – something along those lines. It was the most random and weirdest thing, like… ever
Now here is the part that really starts to piss me off. Cass is being poisoned by her husband, but NO ONE believes her, with the exception of her best friend. She goes to the hospital and rather than checking her first for poison, they escort her to the psych ward because apparently hospitals don't believe women if they come into the ER claiming that their husband is trying to murder them, only crazy people come into the hospital claiming to be poisoned. So rather than checking the person first to see if they are telling the truth, THAN sending them to loony bin if necessary, they do it automatically. Right…
So she goes to her lawyer, and he barely believes her.
She goes to the cops and they do not believe her…
She calls her father, who automatically accuses her of pissing her husband off. Oh, and does not believe her…
Even her mother turns on her.
So this well educated woman in her 30s? 40s? is suddenly being viewed by EVERYONE that she has a mental illness, because her husband said so and no one in this country believes women and they all try to discredit them, even our own parents and mothers will testify in court and say – yup this child I raised, who has a good education, has never had a mental illness is obviously mentally ill..
Excuse me? Are you KIDDING ME?
Fine… Let's say there are hospital in the USA that will throw you into a psych ward if you come in accusing your husband with poisoning you (I've been told otherwise, anyone heard differently?) but it's not like she didn't have symptoms, she did.
But I never got the sense that her mother would turn on her, like what? Why? I mean, come on…
Also, why did he all the sudden turn on her? I understand she accused him of cheating, which we never got quiet the answer to that, or why he was trying to kill her.
It just did not work for me at all. I get the sense that the author had a strong dislike for the male population in general, including how this country is run in courts, in police, in hopsitals, there is a strong emphasis on male misogyny and was trying to spread the word (or hate) through a psychological thriller, but I never felt like it worked.
Review: The Lost Children by Helen Phifer
Posted November 6, 2017 by Lily B in Reviews / 10 Comments
The Lost Children by Helen Phifer
Series: Detective Lucy Harwin #1
Published by Bookouture on March 24th 2017
Lizzy pulled the covers over her head. Then she realised what was being dragged behind the person with the torch. She rammed her fist into her mouth to stop herself from screaming…
For decades, The Moore Asylum was home to the forgotten children of Brooklyn Bay. But ever since a scandal forced its closure, the abandoned building has cast an imposing shadow. Until now – when an elderly man is found dead, his body strapped to an ancient gurney...
Detective Lucy Harwin, still reeling from a previous case that ended in the devastating murder of a mother and her child, finds herself on the trail of a killer ruthlessly fixated on avenging the asylum's wrongs.
What disturbing secrets lie within the asylum's walls? Together with her partner Detective Mattie Jackson, Lucy begins to unearth its terrible history, and the horrors endured by the vulnerable children.
As the attacks escalate and a woman is murdered on her own doorstep, Lucy is forced into a terrifying game of cat and mouse with a twisted individual. But can Lucy stop a murderer with nothing left to lose?
An absolutely terrifying and gripping thriller that will chill readers of MJ Arlidge, Angela Marsons and Rachel Abbott to the bone.
On her first day back to work after her last case ended in a devastating murder, Lucy Harwin is thrown into another case where a ruthless killer seems to be out to get everyone who did wrong back when The Moore Asylum was open. Past blends with the present as Lucy must figure out what had happened in the Asylum all those years ago and who would be responsible in committing such brutal murders before they strike again.
I don't know how to feel about this book. It started out strong and interesting. I liked the flash back to the past and learning about the Asylum, even thought what they did to those kids made my stomach turn it was weaving to be an interesting ARC.
Half way through the flashbacks stopped prematurely I feel and I never got the feel scope of why the killer decided to avenge, I felt like we did not get the full story of what drove the killer and the author probably should have stuck with it.
On top of it, I did not really know how Lucy came to the conclusion of who the murderer is because I felt like it could have been a number of people from the flashbacks. This of course leads back to me feeling like that particular part was left undeveloped. There was also one clue that threw me off, because when we get the murders perspective, the second murder smelled aftershave, which you would assume is usually associated with a man?
I also wished the characters were more likable, but outside of Mattie – Lucy's partner – who I tolerated, everyone else was really hard to like. Lucy in particular was hard to like. She is a workaholic who spends a lot of time focusing on her work, which is expected with the type of work she is doing. But Lucy also drinks a lot and has a really rocky relationship with her teenage daughter. There was one scene in particular that made me dislike Lucy more when she came home to a ransacked bedroom and automatically assumed that her teenage daughter was responsible for it. Based on what? Her daughter does not live with her. So she drives to her ex-husband's house and lays into her daughter without bothering to give her even one brief benefit of a doubt.
Lucy started to become redeemable at the end as she did her best to fix her relationship with her daughter, but I wasn't sure I was feeling her character anymore.
The story does feel like you are thrown into a middle of the series because Lucy is in the middle of a therapy session after her last case goes haywire. Unfortunately, we only get bits and pieces of this later on in the book.
Overall the plot could have been more interesting, a killer taking out revenge from the past? Sure. Flashback to the Asylum? Sure. But it all somehow fell flat in the end and a bit underdeveloped. I enjoyed myself when I wasn't frustrated but it could have been so much more and it wasn't.


text:
Felix Junior Stanislas, född 26 november 1989, är en engelsk fotbollsspelare (yttermittfältare) som spelar för Bournemouth.

Stanislas moderklubb är West Ham United och han har tidigare även spelat för Burnley.

Källor

Engelska fotbollsspelare
Spelare i West Ham United FC
Spelare i Southend United FC
Spelare i Burnley FC
Spelare i AFC Bournemouth
Spelare i Premier League
Spelare i English Football League
Födda 1989
Levande personer
Män

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Imagining Ireland
21/02/2020 7:30 pm - 11:30 pm Imagining Ireland Barbican Centre, London
Daily Discovery: Gil Scott-Heron, Makaya McCraven – Where Did The Night Go
London Gig Guide (January 2020)
At times, we are the first to lose track of how many exciting music events happen in London each month, so we have decided to offer you some sort of "public musical service", meant for all the locals and passers-by, with the aim of suggesting where to listen to some...
Preview: Global Sunday – Marcos Aganju @ Hootananny (London; Sunday 24th November 2019)
Brazil, Haiti and Western Africa; these are the three founding elements of Marcos Aganju's music; elements that the Lisbon-based Brazilian guitarist and technology researcher mixes, hybridises and allows to grow together with electronica and hip-hop to create a cultural and rhythmic crossing through the Atlantic Ocean. You can join him...
SPOKEN WORD SENSATION: SOPHIA THAKUR
07/11/2019 7:00 pm - 10:30 pm SPOKEN WORD SENSATION: SOPHIA THAKUR The Jazz Cafe, London
Dendê Presents: Noite Dos Tambores No Leste
02/11/2019 7:00 pm - 10:30 pm Dendê Presents: Noite Dos Tambores No Leste Poplar Union, London
Global Sunday – Marcos Aganju @ Hootananny
24/11/2019 9:00 pm - 11:30 pm Global Sunday – Marcos Aganju @ Hootananny Hootananny Brixton, London
Alsarah and the Nubatones / Juliana Yazbeck
25/10/2019 - 26/10/2019 8:00 pm - 1:00 am Alsarah and the Nubatones / Juliana Yazbeck ULU Live at Student Central, London
Caleb Femi + Shingai presented by julianknxx and friends
25/10/2019 7:30 pm - 10:30 pm Caleb Femi + Shingai presented by julianknxx and friends ICA, London
Preview: Benjamin Zephaniah & The Revolutionary Minds @ EartH (London; Wednesday 25th September 2019)
Catch Benjamin Zephaniah and The Revolutionary Minds playing Hackney venue EartH on Wednesday 25th September as part of the seventeenth London African Music Festival! Dr Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah is best known as a "dub poet", but he's worked across lots of genres, from poetry to music and from novels...


text:
Q: Derivation of the Mexican wave as Mean field equilibrium of an ergodic control problem I'm dealing with a Mean Field system introduced by Gueant, Lasry, Lions in their "Mean Field Games and Applications" which admits as solution the so-called Mexican wave. Without going into the details of the derivation (I don't know which one of you has read this work), they introduce the following ergodic control problem
\begin{equation}
\inf_{z(t,x)}  \liminf_{T \to +\infty}  \int_0^T \left( \left[ \frac{1}{\epsilon^2} \int_\mathbb{R}  \bigl( z(t,x) - z(t,x-y) \bigr)^2 \frac{1}{\epsilon} g \left( \frac{y}{\epsilon} \right)  dy \right] + F \bigl( z(t,x) \bigr) + \frac{\dot{z}(t,x)^2}{2} \right) dt
\end{equation}
where for any $t>0$ and for any $x \in [0,L]$, $z(t,x) \in [0,1]$ denotes the position at time $t$ of any individual which is sitting into the stadium at the position $x$ ($z=0$ means that the individual is sitting, $z=1$ that is standing). Moreover, $g$ is a Gaussian kernel, and the term in square brackets models, roughly speaking, the taste of mimicry of each individual. Finally, $F$ is a given function (is the cost payed if one decides to stay neither sitting nor standing) and the quadratic term is, intuitively, the cost due to the effort of standing up or sitting.
Is said that the previous ergodic control problem can be transformed, at least formally, in a differential way. More precisely the follwing relation is deduced
\begin{equation}
\left[ \frac{2}{\epsilon^2} \int_\mathbb{R}  \bigl( z(t,x) - z(t,x-y) \bigr)^2 \frac{1}{\epsilon} g \left( \frac{y}{\epsilon} \right)  dy \right] + F' \bigl( z(t,x) \bigr) =  \partial_{tt}^2 z(t,x)
\end{equation}
and finally it is said that letting $\epsilon \to +\infty$ the previous one becomes
\begin{equation}
\frac{\partial^2 z}{\partial t^2} (t,x) - \frac{\partial^2 z}{\partial x^2} (t,x) =  F' \bigl( z(t,x) \bigr)
\end{equation}
in the sense of distributions. Now, I am unable to explain me anyone of the two derivations. Could someone help me understand something more? I would be very grateful.

A: The first one seems to be the Euler Lagrange equation.
The second one is obtained formally as follow:
$$ \frac{2}{\epsilon^2} \int_\mathbb{R}  \bigl( z(t,x) - z(t,x-y) \bigr)^2 \frac{1}{\epsilon} g \left( \frac{y}{\epsilon} \right)  dy =
\frac{2}{\epsilon^2} \text{Var } z(t,x+\epsilon N) + O(\epsilon)
$$
where $N$ is distributed according to a standard normal law.
But $$
z(t,x+\epsilon N) \sim z(t,x) +  \epsilon N\partial_x z(t,x)
+ \frac 12 \epsilon^2 N^2\partial^2_{xx} z(t,x)
$$
so, as $EN = 0$ and $EN^2 = 1$, $$
\text{Var }z(t,x+\epsilon N) = \frac 12 \epsilon^2 \partial^2_{xx} z(t,x)
$$
giving the result.

A: Sorry to join late to this conversation, I just saw it. I'm afraid you have a typo in your question that can lead to further conffusion. Lions said it could be formally transformed in a differential way to
$$
-\frac{2}{\epsilon^2}\int \left(z(t,x)-z(t,x-y)\right)\frac{1}{\epsilon}g\left(\frac{y}{\epsilon}\right)dy+F'\left(z(t,x)\right)=-\partial^2_{tt}z(t,x)
$$
Note the absence of the squared sign. I've going a lot through this question and applying the Euler-Lagrange equation obviously can't give the same term squared.
Now applying the Euler-Lagrange equation (or starting with variational calculus if you have problems with the $z(t,x-y)$ term) gives the first equation correctly.
For the second equation a derivation similar to the one stated by mookid gives you the answer. First note that
$$
\int (z(t,x)-z(t,x-y))\frac{1}{\epsilon}g\left(\frac{y}{\epsilon}\right)dy=\mathbb{E}\left\{ z(t,x)-z(t,x-\epsilon \mathcal{N}) \right\}
$$
We can expand the whole term in parenthesis with Taylor series, leaving
$$
\mathbb{E}\left\{ \epsilon \mathcal{N} \partial_x z(t,x) - \frac{1}{2}\epsilon^2 \mathcal{N}^2 \partial_{xx}^2 z(t,x) \right\}=-\frac{1}{2} \epsilon^2 \partial_{xx}^2 z(t,x)
$$
So the whole term with the integral is equal to $\partial^2_{xx} z(t,x)$ and the equation reduces to
$$
\partial^2_{tt}z(t,x)+\partial^2_{xx}z(t,x)=-F'(z(t,x))
$$
Cheers
P.S. This is the essay by Lions http://mfglabs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/paris-princeton.pdf


Best Fpv #21 - Flying Wings, Fireworks, Mid Air Collisions, and More!
Hey guys, here's another video of our group flights. A couple of mid air collisions, my camera did not record the crash at the end of the video. I only have my buddy's perspective on his FT Storch. Hope you guys like it!


But the after-bath snuggles were great!
The head massage was the best.
After grooming, her skin had more space to heal.
The finishing touch: a pretty blue cone to keep her skin safe from scratching!
Nimbus used to live on the streets, trying to take care of herself. But this sweet senior kitty wasn't suited to life as an alley cat!
When she arrived at SAFe Rescue for help, Nimbus was truly a sorry sight. Her teeth were loose. Her paw and her tummy were wounded. Her long coat was infested by fleas and bugs.
Nimbus had a long road to recovery ahead of her. She got spay surgery, Epsom salt soaks for her wounded toe, and antibiotics for her infected tummy. Dental surgery made her a member of the "Four Tooth Club," but removing all of her damaged teeth definitely left her feeling more comfortable.
She As a shy girl, Nimbus also started the Jackson Galaxy's Cat Pawsitive behavior program. At first, she was so timid that she wanted to get as far away from people as possible. Her clicker training reward for not growling was for her handler simply to turn away from her and leave her alone.
Little by little, her sweet personality began to emerge. Now she even prefers pets and attention as her reward!
Even after all that TLC, though, Nimbus still wasn't feeling completely comfortable. She needed… a senior kitty spa day! Although the infestation in her coat had been treated, it left her with irritated, itchy skin. Nimbus needed a lion cut to let her skin heal and breathe.
Alissa Rose of Seattle Mobile Grooming kindly volunteered to visit the rescue to help Nimbus. This morning, it was spa time!
And it will grow back even more gorgeous than ever!
Do you know someone who might have a place in their heart for sweet Nimbus? Please share her story and help her find a home!
You can learn more about making Nimbus your new best friend on our adoptions page.
She is a doll. Thanks for rescuing her.


text:
In Flames, Sepultura, Dagoba - Heroes On Stage
When it was announced that In Flames would come to Holland again and with Sepultura as main support I was very excited to see these two great bands perform live. It even got better when I heard that Dagoba, a promising young band from France , would do the warm-up. Things turned out a little bit different than I expected but it would become an awesome night.
I wasn't the only person who was very anxious to see these bands perform live, already a few days before the show all the tickets where sold out and when I arrived at De Effenaar there was an enormous line of people eager to get in. We where so gentle to ourselves to take care we wouldn't miss Dagoba and after climbing the hideous red stairs we entered the hall. I especially use the word hall, because De Effenaar is just a big empty space without a balcony, it hasn't got a good vibe.
Anyway, when Dagoba started to abuse their strings only a few people where inside, too bad, because they're really talented. Their second album "What Hell is About" got rewarding reviews in the press and I would describe their sound as a mix of Metalcore and Deathmetal which is very effective. They also put some Industrial influences in their music as could be heard for instance in the opening song of their show, "Die Tomorrow". These long repeating Industrial riffs with atmospheric background samples really add to the music. The sound was ok and the band was full of energy. This paid off; they were getting some good reactions from the audience but unfortunately only at the last song, which also was the only song played from their debut, there where enough people to get a nice pit going.
Then it was time for Sepultura to enter the stage, unfortunately without Igor Cavelera because he stayed in Brazil to spent some time with his new born son. This was disappointment for me, but I was quite happy with his replacement by Roy Mayorga who previously drummed in Max's Soulfly. Man, he really rips up his drum kit; this guy puts so much energy in his drumming. With almost every hit he lifts his arms above his head, which you can definitely hear in the music and it's fantastic to see. They opened with the first song from their latest album, "Darkwood of Error", with the long opening riff built up the tension very well. From the moment that Derrick Green started to sing the place exploded and this was what the whole show would be like. You can really see that Sepultura is feeling well and Derrick Green totally grew into being the frontman, it definitely pays off in their live show and on "Dante XXI". The sound was perfect and off course all the classic came by such as "Roots" and "Refuse/Resist", but also some real old songs like "Beneath the Remains", which Andreas introduced with mentioning their first show in the Netherlands some 16 years ago. They even played "Troops of Doom" on which Derrick also handled the guitar. It was an amazing performance which proved that Sepultura is in really good shape.
In Flames had the honour to close the night. It's always a bit hard to get the audience going for the full 100% when such a big band like Sepultura supports you, first because a lot of people especially came to see Sepultura and second because people just haven't got as much energy any more. Though In Flames got enough people bouncing and moshing to create a good vibe from the first song they played, which surprisingly to me wasn't a song form their latest album "Come Clarity". They started off with "Pinball Map", which was a good opener, but I was a bit disappointed with the sound. I especially came to this show to see In Flames, but I must say that I was more convinced of the power of Sepultura. It seemed to me that Anders and his mates where doing a routine show, without much surprises in the set list, though it was fun to see that he took a camera from someone of the front row and made some close-up pictures from his band mates. The show was spiced up with some great pyrotechnics which started in the song "System"; it would be used several times in the show and also some firework would be added later. It was nice to see but unfortunately the band itself didn't come up with some real firework. The night closed with a big bang and a lot of snippets of paper raining down on the audience during "My Sweet Shadow". The show didn't turn out as I expected, but in total I had a fantastic night!
Details Written on Friday Apr 7th, 2006
Writer @Sledgehammer Messiah
Tags: #In Flames #Sepultura #Dagoba
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