text:
Heir of Memory and Shadow by Rachanee Lumayno Virtual Book Tour
Heir of Memory and Shadow
Kingdom Legacy Series
Rachanee Lumayno
Genre: Fantasy/ YA Fantasy
Publisher: Miss Lana Press
Date of Publication: May 2022
Word Count: 72, 197
Cover Artist: Fiona Jayde
Kaernan Asthore may be one of the most gifted Seekers in the kingdom of Orchwell, but he wants nothing more than to be rid of his gift: the ability to find lost loves, which often ends in heartbreak.
So when Lady Adallia Pahame hires him to find her own lost love, Kaernan assumes it will be an easy, routine commission.
But when the mystery surrounding his new traveling companion causes them to run afoul of an infamous gang of bounty hunters, Kaernan realizes this is one commission he might not return from. Will he be able to uncover the truth in time to save his friends — and himself?
Heir of Memory and Shadow is the second book in the Kingdom Legacy series.
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I bow over the lovely young woman's outstretched hand as I agree to assist her. As we ride together, I see the sunlight halo behind her head, hearing her sweet laughter as she smiles hopefully at me, believing the world is full of possibility.
But, unfortunately, her hope is misplaced.
I watch as her face crumples in tears. Not the restrained, dignified sniffles that I would have expected from someone of her standing. Instead, the tears are great gulping sobs that rack her thin frame, threatening to break her in two.
Just as her heart was breaking.
I had been taught to remain neutral, but it is difficult to see to see the poor young lady react so violently to the news. But what had she honestly expected?
I try to calm her, to comfort her, even though it isn't my place nor my business. I hold her firmly by the shoulders, speaking in a low, soothing voice as if she is an easily spooked animal.
The wild look in her eyes begins to settle. The tears begin to slow.
I breathe easier. It will be all right now.
Then, without warning, her hand shoots out toward me. I instinctively recoil, expecting to feel the sting of a slap. Instead, she grabs the hilt of the dagger sheathed at my belt. In one swift motion, she draws the knife out and plunges it into her heart. Her eyes never leave mine as the light fades from them.
I scream.
Or, at least, I think I do. All I know is, my mouth is gaping open in shock as she falls gracelessly into my outstretched arms. Her blood is everywhere. On my hands, my arms, splashed all over the front of my shirt. Pooling on the floor beneath her crumpled body. Her now sightless eyes are still fixed on me.
Accusing me, forever, that I could have prevented this needless death.
Couldn't I?
I came out of the magically-induced memory doubled over, gasping for air, even though I wasn't bound by enchantment or by physical means.
No, I was just bound to the lady Rosemary through my memories of my failed commission. "Thank you for allowing the Council to see that once more," a deep, gravelly voice above me said. "I know that isn't easy for you to relive, over and over."
The voice recalled me to where I was: in my home country of Orchwell, standing before the kingdom's other governing body, the Council of Seekers, on day ten of what seemed like a never-ending trial.
My trial.
Because my commission had ended so brutally, the Council had called me before them, repeatedly going over the events that led to Rosemary's death. This was the fifth time I had had to relive the memories of what had occurred.
While the memories were painful, they were nothing compared to the possible futures before me. Depending on the Council's ruling, I could be stripped of my Seeker ability, which at best meant I would lose my livelihood and at worst meant I would go insane. Or they could even sentence me to death.
I didn't know which was the better outcome.
My breathing now under control, I looked up to regard the seated members of the Council of Seekers. Pellham Ravenwood, head of the seven-person Council, regarded me from his place at the center of the raised stand where he was flanked on both sides by the other council members. I recognized some of their faces: elderly Madame Kenestra, her white hair piled high on her head as she turned her shrewd brown eyes on me; the former knight Sir Lantley, a lean, athletic man with silver-streaked black hair; and Lord Olivera, the queen's cousin, a bulky, solidly-built man with long blond hair that he often wore tied back from his face. He was at least a good five or ten years younger than his peers on the Council.
Orchwell's ruling king and queen were the ultimate authority in our country, but they tended to delegate many of the day-to-day affairs of governing to the Council of Seekers. It made sense; Orchwell's royal family was, by design, one of the few families of nobility that did not have the Seeker ability running through their veins. Or, if any of the royals did, it was often an extremely weak ability, akin to a minor magical skill. If anyone in the direct line of succession showed a strong aptitude for seeking, they weren't eligible to inherit the throne. There were too many headaches as a Seeker — and in my world, heartaches — to wish upon a future king or queen. Orchwell needed their rulers at home in the kingdom, fully able to focus on their duties.
Which was another reason why the Council of Seekers existed.
Several of those on the Council were members of the royal family who had been ineligible for succession. The rest were former Seekers who had since passed on their duties to other family members, but still wanted to serve the kingdom in some way. Members of the Council weren't paid, but would occasionally receive monetary gifts from the Crown.
Pellham Ravenwood was a rare combination: as the king's fourth younger brother with strong Seeker abilities, he had actually been allowed to pursue his Seeker career since he was never a strong contender for the Orchwell throne. Being a part of both worlds gave him remarkable insight and made him a formidable leader, which helped him earn the position as Head of the Council.
Pellham turned to Lord Olivera. "Well, as you were the one who requested Kaernan go over his commission yet again, are you satisfied with what you saw?"
Lord Olivera tapped his chin thoughtfully. He was wearing an extravagant wide-brimmed red hat with a silver feather; as he nodded, the feather nodded in time with him. "It was thorough, to be sure, but it didn't give us any new information. It would be nice to have another perspective on the situation."
I ground my teeth, pressing my lips into a thin line to stop myself from blurting my thoughts. Of course my story, rehashed multiple times, wouldn't have given the Council new insights. The only person who could give the Council another perspective is dead.
While I hadn't expected much sympathy from the Council during my trial, I found I really disliked Lord Olivera. The man seemed to enjoy torturing me, asking the same questions repeatedly, making me relive the commission over and over before the Council, and casting doubt on every move or motive I had during Rosemary's commission. I already had recurring nightmares about it, and had barely slept for the last four months since returning home with the lady's death on my hands.
Besides my nightmares and insomnia, I was constantly on edge from not exercising my Seeker ability. Seekers had to use their gifts regularly or potentially go mad, and I had been denying my gift for several months. And pre-trial, when I had to undergo the Council's intense process of magically sealing witnesses from talking outside of the courtroom, I had barely recovered from it.
So I was definitely not in good physical or mental shape right now. And Lord Olivera's "attention to detail" — as he called it, although I would have termed it otherwise — wasn't helping me. I firmly believed that the Council would have come to a decision about my fate much sooner if he hadn't been present.
"Perhaps we could —"
"Pause the hearing here, and meet again in ten minutes after we get some refreshments."
Madame Kenestra smoothly interrupted Lord Olivera. "These old bones can't go for much longer without some sustenance."
"I, for one, agree with Madame Kenestra." Sir Lantley also cut off whatever Lord Olivera was going to say. "A short break would do wonders to clear my head."
"If we could just —"
"Sir Lantley, you agree with me? Now that is a first! Pellham, did you hear that? Have the Council secretary note this day, for it truly is a momentous occasion: Sir Lantley agrees with me." The twinkle in Madame Kenestra's eyes as Lord Olivera's face grew mottled red with rage told me she knew exactly what she was doing. I almost felt sorry for Lord Olivera.
Pellham Ravenwood sighed. After spending a few days with the Council, I had a vague idea of what he had to put up with on a daily basis. I ducked my head so the Council members wouldn't see my smirk.
"Who would like to continue the hearing?" he asked the group. Only Lord Olivera's hand shot up. "Who would like to take a short break?" Everyone else, including Pellham, raised a hand.
"All right, then, the majority has it. We will take a break and reconvene in, oh, about ten minutes."
Pellham looked at me, then, really taking in my haunted eyes and drooping shoulders.
"And then, we will decide on the fate of Kaernan Asthore."
Rachanee Lumayno is an actress, voiceover artist, screenwriter, avid gamer, and amateur dodgeball player. She grew up in Michigan, where she spent way too much of her free time reading fantasy novels. She still spends too much of her free time reading fantasy novels, although now she writes them too. Heir of Memory and Shadow is her second novel, and the second book in the Kingdom Legacy series.
You can find her online at:
Website - http://www.rachanee.net
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/rachanee
Discord - https://discord.gg/Ru6qPxq
Twitter - https://twitter.com/rachaneelumayno
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rachaneelumayno/
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@rachaneelumayno
Newsletter signup - https://www.rachanee.net/
Books 2 Read - https://books2read.com/rachanee
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXVJnaB6cV48iVsL5UqSG2w


The category browse retargeting campaign is a recurring one because it's a newsletter that is constantly send at a specific time interval. Once you create the campaign, you have the possibility to choose the content created by us by clicking the Copy from Gallery button.
The campaign works daily and it sends an email to very user who visited at least 3 times a category two days before and didn't complete a purchase. The email contains a message and 6 products from the category he visited.
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text:
1. The Old Woman, the Stag, and Me
We lived harmoniously for some years; the old woman, the stag and me. We took a small castle on the hill for our own. I say small when it was tiny really, with just one room on each of its four floors, but it was enough for us.
The old woman took the lower floor, beneath the receiving hall which was at ground level. Being underground, it was the most spacious of the rooms, so much so that it housed a swimming pool at the centre of beautiful chapel-like architecture. There were six pillars around the pool, and an altar facing east. It was always lit in such a way that it felt grandiose, yet soft and homely all at once. The old woman was wizened, and wore thick black robes and a veil that made her terrifying in appearance if she was in a bad mood. Her moods used to hang around the whole castle like a thick fog, and we had to open all the windows lest it might get onto our lungs. We could hardly blame her for it though, given all that she had seen. It was the dark side of her immense wisdom, which to her credit she most often used with the care and compassion of a loving grandparent.
The stag was a powerful magician. He used his space on the first floor primarily as an area for preparing and storing alchemical potions. There was a large circle painted in red on the polished hardwood floor which he used to contain his rituals, and there was a small curtained-off area for treating clients. He and the old woman were both healers of sorts; she with herbal remedies and he with elixirs and the power of touch. The stag had such a wonderful sense of humour that even the most sour-faced of folk found it hard to stay that way when in his presence. He would play elaborate tricks at times, tell convoluted jokes and act the fool, though we knew that beneath that exterior he was the epitome of sapience.
I considered myself most fortunate to have occupancy of the octagonal tower at the top of the house. I had a pool too, though a much smaller one than the old woman had. Mine wasn't big enough to take a swim, but was heated and the perfect place to submerge myself for vision quests, or to simply view from the sumptuous sofa beside it. I kept a supply of the best of the magician's potions to hand, as it aided the prophetic images in welling up to the surface if I poured a little in. There was a balcony at each of the four cardinal points, and in between there were books piled right up to the ceiling. The three of us spent many an evening in my room as it was by far the most intimate and settling. We would play cards, or tell old tales. Sometimes we would smoke shisha, sometimes not. Some evenings, if conditions were favourable, we would take the opportunity to exercise our animals selves. The old woman flew out as an owl, I would prowl the rooftops as a black cat, and the stag was – well, a stag. He never fully transformed into a human, poor thing, and seemed destined to keep the hooves and stumps of antlers for all time. To avoid startling clients he would disguise his legs with a long cloak and cleverly designed shoes, and wear a hood about his forehead.
Each of us knew that someday the time would come for us to step out of this comfortable village residency and into the larger world, though we never made it a topic of conversation. What we didn't know is what might instigate such a move, and whether we would make it as three or as one.
The Old Woman, the Stag, and Me
amwriting, creative writing, fantasy, prose, short story, supernatural
Dark Matter – Blake Crouch
The Active Side of Infinity – Carlos Castaneda
7 thoughts on "1. The Old Woman, the Stag, and Me"
Please tell me there's going to be more to this story. You describe the characters as you would an old friend, and the effect is profoundly intimate and personal. I love the setting, almost as much as I love how you describe it. Wow, I'm getting emotional. But seriously, there's going to be more, right? There's got to be more.
Thank you so much for your words of encouragement. There is more to this, yes. I'm supposed to be working on my novel but this idea keeps pushing it's way to the surface and flowing out. I never was very good at sticking to a linear plan!
Well that makes two of us. I stopped fighting it a long time ago: now I just jump between ideas depending on what I feel like working on at the moment. The good news is I rarely have to force myself through shitty writing, the bad news is I also rarely ever get anything completed. I guess I'm not really the best person to take advice from, but I'd say if one idea is really starting to come to fruition then don't suppress it.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Due to the wiki spam we regularly get on our wiki, and the fact that the various extensions that I have tried have failed to prevent it, I have decided to adjust the wiki's permissions settings so that all users must be manually confirmed by an administrator in order to create or edit pages on the wiki. I have set up some of our more recent contributors with the correct access levels already, but to anyone who finds they can no longer create articles, or to anyone who wants to sign up for a new account on the wiki, please post here with your wiki username to have it added to the confirmed users group.
Hi there. Sign me up.
I already have an account on the wiki I simply need it confirmed.
Kenneth Boa wrote: Hi there. Sign me up.
I can't find that account on the wiki yet - you need to create the account yourself (go to Log in/Create account in the top-right corner of the wiki), and then post here again when you've done that so that I can give you access.
The other two are done.
I haven't been on there in a couple of days, but I planned to work on it some more tomorrow. I assume I've already been taken care of?
You need to register first in order to be activated. Admins can not make an account for you. If you've already registered simply let the Admins know what Username to be on the look out for.


Metaglossary.com - Definitions for "beach erosion"
Natural process where sand moves off a beach during storms.
The removal of beach sand caused by wave action and longshore currents.
wearing away of beaches by wind and waves.
The movement of beach materials by wave action, currents and tides, or wind.
The carrying away of beach materials by wave action, currents, tides, or wind.


text:
Hotel Continues To Be Well Regarded As Margaret River Celebrates 100 Years
The Margaret River Hotel is said to have paved the way for the start of tourism in the area. It was when Bernard Henry Everingham McKeown was holidaying in Margaret River that he purchased an acre of land in the heart of the town. Part of this land later became the site of the Margaret River Hotel, which started operation in 1936.
The news article "100 Years of Margaret River: Hotel stands test of time" talks about the history of the Margaret River Hotel. It says, "It [the hotel] opened with much flourish and advertised that it had hot and cold running water in all of its 16 bedrooms – a luxury at the time. Electricity was provided by a Crossley 12-horsepower semi-diesel 250-volt generator which was turned off at midnight and candles prevailed after that." http://www.margaretrivermail.com.au/story/1281649/100-years-of-margaret-river-hotel-stands-test-of-time/?cs=790
Cold drinks were made at the hotel yard, where an aerated water plant was set up, housed in a small shed.
The Margaret River Hotel was especially famous because of the excellent service it offered to guests. Those arriving at the hotel were received by a white-jacketed valet who would carry their luggage to their rooms.
For a rate of four guineas per week or 12 shillings a day, a guest could get a daily newspaper, early morning tea with toast, breakfast, lunch (or packed lunch in a hamper) and a four course evening meal.
The inaugural day at the Margaret River Hotel on 11th April 1936 was a very special day for the entire town as music and dance performances were presented in the new, commodious town hall after the hotel's celebrations.
The hotel's inauguration was a huge hit – with 12oz pots of beer being sold at six pence each. The bar's proceeds totalled 100 on that day.
Mrs Bernard was an admired and respected supervisor who managed the hotel. Her brilliance as a sempstress was obvious in the eye-catching hotel linen and she placed vases of fresh beautiful flowers everywhere in the hotel.
Vegetables for meals served at the Margaret River Hotel were grown in a kitchen garden located behind the main building.
Over the years, the hotel has gone through several transformations and refurbishments, but it continues to be a landmark in Margaret River, one of the very few buildings to have survived.
To find out more about the Margaret River Hotel, please check out their website
Filed Under: Featured Articles
About Benji
I am married and live on a farm near Margaret River with my wife, daughter and son. I set up The Margaret River Guide to assist people coming to Margaret River Western Australia to easily find what they are looking for. I also wanted to allow people to find activities they did not know about and to be able to openly comment on/ review businesses.


What a riot this family was to shoot! They were full of giggles and pranks! I happen to love that a few of them (ah, hem... mom and dad) attempted to "photobomb" each photo. While they were very playful, it is very obvious that they have an incredibly awesome and loving relationship with each other. Speaking of photobombs - I've never in my life had a furry feline attempt it!


text:
Зохар (, сјај) класични је текст јеврејског мистицизма, настао крајем 13. века у Шпанији. Аутор највећег дела овог трактата је Моше де Леон (умро 1305). Зохар читаву стварност посматра као симболичку алузију на Божији унутрашњи живот. Учествовање у јеврејском ритуалу, али и сексуални однос мужа и жене, значе сједињење са Богом. Утицај Зохара у јудаизму је велики и често се изједначава са утицајем Библије и Талмуда.

У новембру 2020. године издавачка кућа Метафизика покренула је пројекат објављивања комплетног Зохара на српски језик. Реч је о првом великом издавачком подухвату овог типа на нашим просторима који има за циљ објављивање целокупног дела Зохар у 23 књиге, или 23 тома. Издање Метафизике садржи оригинални текст дела на арамејском и хебрејском језику, превод изворног текста на српски језик, уз транслитерацију и објашњења свих важних делова Зохара директно с језика на којем је писан на српски језик. Српско издање Зохара такође долази са детаљним предговором делу који обилује објашњењима врло врло специфичне терминологије што прати главнину дела и кључни је сегмент за опште разумевање целине и смисла овог драгуља Јеврејског миситицизма, односно кабале.

Види још
 Талмуд

Референце

Литература

Beyer, Klaus. "Aramaic language, its distribution and subdivisions". 1986. (from reference 2 above)
Tenen, Stan, Zohar, "B'reshit, and the Meru Hypothesis: Scholars debate the origins of Zohar", Meru Foundation eTorus Newsletter #40, July 2007
Blumenthal, David R. "Three is not enough: Jewish Reflections on Trinitarian Thinking", in Ethical Monotheism, Past and Present: Essays in Honor of Wendell S. Dietrich, ed. T. Vial and M. Hadley (Providence, RI), Brown Judaic Studies:
The Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic, and Mysticism, Geoffrey Dennis, Llewellyn Worldwide, 2007
Studies in the Zohar, Yehuda Liebes (Author), SUNY Press, SUNY series in Judaica: Hermeneutics, Mysticism, and Religion, 1993
"Challenging the Master: Moshe Idel's critique of Gershom Scholem" Micha Odenheimer, MyJewishLearning.Com, Kabbalah and Mysticism
Scholem, Gershom, Zohar in Encyclopadeia Judaica, Keter Publishing
Scholem, Gershom, "Kabbalah" in Encyclopadeia Judaica, Keter Publishing
Margolies, Reuvein "Peninim U' Margolies" and "Nitzotzei Zohar" (Heb.), Mossad R' Kook
Luria, David "Kadmus Sefer Ha'Zohar" (Heb.)
Unterman, Alan Reinterpreting Mysticism and Messianism, MyJewishLearning.Com, Kabbalah and Mysticism
Adler, Jeremy, "Beyond the Law: the artistry and enduring counter-cultural power of the kabbala", Times Literary Supplement 24 February 2006, reviewing: Daniel C Matt, translator The Zohar; Arthur Green A Guide to the Zohar; Moshe Idel Kabbalah and Eros.

Спољашње везе

 Predgovor srpskom izdanju Zohara
 Projekat objave 23 toma Zohara na srpski jezik
 ספר הזהר, Sefer haZohar, Zohar text in original Aramaic
 Translation:Zohar at English Wikisource
Zohar Pages in English, at ha-zohar.net, including the Introduction translated in English, and The Importance of Study of the Zohar, and more
Complete Zohar, Tikkunim, and Zohar Chadash in Aramaic with Hebrew translation, in 10 volumes of PDF, divided for yearly or 3-year learning
A four-pages-per-sheet PDF arrangement of the above, allowing for printing on 3 reams of Letter paper duplex
Zohar and Related Booklets in various formats in PDF files, at ha-zohar.net
Sefer haZohar, Mantua edition (1558), at the National Library of Israel, DjVu file
Sefer haZohar, Cremona edition (1559), at the National Library of Israel, DjVu file
Zohar text files (TXT HTML) among grimoar.cz Hebrew Kabbalistic texts collection
The Zohar in English: Bereshith to Lekh Lekha
The Zohar in English: some mystical sections
The Kabbalah Center translation of the Zohar
Original Zohar with Sulam Commentary
Daily Zohar study of Tikunei Zohar in English
Zohar texts, Hebrew-English, PDFs in GDrive
Tikkunei Zohar in English, Partial (Intro and Tikkun 1-17) at ha-zohar.info; permanent link
Copy of the Zohar
The Aramaic Language of the Zohar
7 brief video lectures about The Zohar from Kabbalah Education & Research Institute
Zohar and Later Mysticism, a short essay by Israel Abrahams
NOTES ON THE ZOHAR IN ENGLISH: An Extensive Bibliography
The Zohar Code: The Temple Calendar of King Solomon
The Zohar on the website of the National Library of Israel

Јудаизам
Мистицизам

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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I actually started working at American Auto Insurance in 2006 about one day a week. Back then, the stuck me in "The Hole" (the office without windows). I was doing admin work... you know... the stuff none of them wanted to do!
They liked me so much that in 2011, when they needed to add an agent to their staff, they asked me to work for them full time and got me licensed. I chose to leave my work in the restaurant business and become an agent for American Auto to be a part of a growing industry and a great local company. I truly feel like part of a family here. I work both in sales and customer service.
Outside of the office, I enjoy running and working out. I also love spending time with friends, family and my cat, Harley, who likes to eat plastic!


The owner of a van burned out after it was torched by the roadside said he's puzzled by the motive for the incident.
The van, belonging to the Pug Pubs group was spotted ablaze by passing police officers driving down the A6 at around 2am on Saturday, when they saw the van on fire on the Glen Gorse roundabout between Great Glen and Oadby.
As they approached the van, a suspect ran from the scene.
Police now want to trace the man as part of their investigation into criminal damage.
The van was parked about half a mile from the group's Pug and Greyhound gastro pub, in Great Glen.
Director Nigel Pinegar said: "Police saw someone running from the van as they drove past it. There was nothing of any value in there, apart from to ourselves.
"It contained fixed booth seating which I was going to take down to our Leamington pub on Saturday morning.
"It had Pugs Pub sign writing on van, but I don't think it's anyone who's got a grudge against the company, we're a food-led pub.
The seating, which was in a refrigerated compartment at the back of the van, was saved because of its insulation.
He added: "It was parked in a lay-by just off the island, all four doors had been jemmied off which must have taken some force, the entire side door was lying on the ground.
Officers described him as being around 6ft 2in tall, slim and at the time wearing dark clothing.
Anyone who was in the area and saw a man acting suspiciously is asked to come forward.


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Transfer into the J.D. Program
Thank you for your interest in transferring to UCLA School of Law. The transfer application for fall 2022 will open on May 2 and will close June 30. The priority deadline is June 15. Please note that applicants must be enrolled at another American Bar Association (ABA)-approved law school. You may submit your application with your fall semester grades only. The admissions committee may in some circumstances review applications prior to receipt of second semester grades.  Applying early is highly encouraged as it may allow for a decision to be rendered more quickly.
UCLA Law believes transfer students further enrich the quality of UCLA's academic program. There is ample evidence of the ways transfer students contribute to the institution in classroom interaction, in the energy devoted to clinical efforts, in student projects, and in faculty-supervised research. The faculty believes that it is appropriate to make some spaces available in the second year for those individuals who have achieved academic distinction during their first year at other law schools. Your application for admission must be submitted through the LSAC online application service.
If you are a current student enrolled in the UCLA LL.M. program interested in transferring to our J.D. program, please contact the admissions office at admissions@law.ucla.edu for more detailed instructions regarding specific application procedures.
Apply to Transfer Today
J.D. Transfer Credit Acceptance Policy
Transfer applicants must have successfully completed an entire first-year curriculum at another American Bar Association (ABA)-approved law school. UCLA will award a maximum of 39 credits earned at another institution. Transfer students must spend four (4) full-time semesters at UCLA School of Law upon transferring. Students from law schools that are only state-approved are not eligible for admission. For more information about the transfer admission process and procedures, please contact our Admissions Office at (310) 825-2080 or admissions@law.ucla.edu.
J.D. Transfer Application Procedures
Applicants must submit the following:
A transfer application found at LSAC.
An essay that discusses background, goals and reason(s) for interest in completing a legal education at UCLA School of Law. The essay should not exceed two double-spaced pages or be less than 11 pt. font.
Current résumé.
Official transcripts of law school grades from an American Bar Association (ABA)-approved law school sent directly to LSAC or UCLA School of Law.  In order to expedite the review process, we will accept unofficial law school transcripts sent via email to admissions@law.ucla.edu.  Please note that you may submit your application with your fall semester grades only. The admissions committee may in some circumstances review applications prior to receipt of second semester grades. Applying early is highly encouraged as it may allow for a decision to be rendered more quickly. However, please note, official transcripts are required once a student is admitted.
Two letters of recommendation (no more than two) submitted through the LSAC Letter of Recommendation Service or e-mailed/mailed directly to the Law School are required. The two letters of recommendation should be from members of the law faculty who can comment on the applicant's performance and potential.
LSAC law school report (including LSAT score and undergraduate transcripts) sent directly from the Law School Admission Council.
Letter of good standing from current (ABA)-approved law school, including class rank if available, sent directly from the current law school's dean of students or registrar to admissions@law.ucla.edu.
David J. Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy application, if applying to that program.
Nonrefundable application fee in the amount of $75. You may submit your application and pay the fee electronically via LSAC.
Applicants with GRE Scores:
An applicant who has taken both the LSAT and the GRE is required to submit all LSAT test scores from the last five years but may choose whether or not to submit their GRE score(s). However, if the applicant elects to submit a GRE score in addition to the LSAT, the applicant must submit all GRE scores from the last five years.
An applicant who only takes the GRE and not the LSAT must also submit all GRE scores from the last five years.
GRE scores should be submitted directly to UCLA Law by the Educational Testing Service ("ETS"—the organization that administers the GRE) using UCLA Law's ETS school code 4837 and the department and major field code 5201.
Applicants applying only with a GRE score are still required to subscribe to and utilize the LSAC Credential Assembly Service, even if transcripts and letters of recommendation are submitted directly to UCLA Law as referenced above.
Applications for transfer admission will be available online May 2, 2022, and must be submitted on or before June 30, 2022. Applicants will be notified of a decision by the end of July 2022.
Law Admissions Office
71 Dodd Hall
admissions@law.ucla.edu
Office of Admissions - J.D. Program 71 Dodd Hall, Box 951445, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1476 310.825.2080 admissions@law.ucla.edu
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UCLA Law and MacArthur Justice Center launch prisoners' rights partnership


ARTICHOKE UES, LLC is a business entity registered in the state of New York under the legal form of DOMESTIC LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY. It can be found in the register by the DOS ID 5481700. The company was established and set into the register at 24th January 2019 and its current status is ACTIVE. Company´s jurisdiction is in the state of NEW YORK in county RICHMOND. Process address of this entity is at 459 MANHATTAN STREET, STATEN ISLAND, 10307, NEW YORK.
FIRST STEP DAY CARE OF STATEN ISLAND 4 CORP.
DONALD P. MCPHEE, ATTORNEY AT LAW, P.C.
METRO 124 WEST 24TH STREET, L.P.
KITCHEN AND BATH DEPOT, INC.
RENWICK & WINTERLING REALTY, INC.
THE NEW YORK CENTRAL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION RIFLE AND REVOLVER CLUB OF MANHATTAN, INC.
BABY CHAT SPEECH THERAPY P.C.
MILLERS ADVANCED BASEBALL TRAINING, INC.
THE TSUNAMI CHILDREN'S RESCUE FOUNDATION, INC.
SALSA SALSA TAKE OUT FOOD INC.
QUALITY PEST CONTROL & QUALITY HOME INSPECTIONS, INC.
CENTERBRIDGE SPECIAL CREDIT PARTNERS GENERAL PARTNER III, L.P.
LIGHT OF DAY CONTRACTING, INC.
STATUE OF LIBERTY SOCIETY INC.
PORT RICHMOND MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATES, INC.
JB'S SMALL ENGINE WORKS INC.
NEW YORK TAE KWON DO CENTER, INC.
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CONTEMPRA FINE CABINETRY AND CUSTOM FABRICATIONS INC.
CANCER AND BLOOD MEDICAL SERVICES OF NEW YORK, P.C.


Ignite Arts Academy direct week-long (as well as the occasional day-long intensive) performing arts style workshops in Music, Dance, Drama and Costuming.
In our Holiday Workshops, attendees are generally between 6 and 14 years of age. For our intensive day-long workshops, attendees ages are more specific depending on the workshop on offer.
How are our holiday workshops different from other kids' holiday programmes?
At Ignite we have years of experience in delivering top quality, fun, performing arts classes within a new purpose built arts environment; including music studios and dance studios. Our instructors are highly skilled, with many years of experience in; percussion, guitar, vocal, dance, keyboards, visual art, drama, costume creation, set design and more. Their personal abilities are matched by their passion to ignite pupils with a desire to learn, to identify areas of talent and grow in confidence.
Our popular holiday workshops provide a teaching/coaching environment where young people are encouraged to recognise and develop their talents and potential. We cater for a range of abilities whether early beginners or for those already with some level of expertise.
IGNITE Holiday Workshops are an OSCAR approved holiday programme (contact your local WINZ office for more details).


text:
Q: What does it mean for a function to be a property in Python? I have seen two examples of people using Flask writing a function like
@property
def serialize(self):
    return { # object data in easily serializable format }

I understand property as a replacement for getters and setters, but who would be getting or setting a serialize function? Is there some native serialize method that we are attaching extra code to? Why isn't this just an instance method?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Babbobox CTO, Sabrina Lim (yes.. she's a female CTO), will be speaking at CloudExpo Asia - DevOps Live at 12.05pm on 12 Oct.
Essentially, she'll be speaking about a combination technologies covering Media, Search, A.I., Cognitive and unstructured data (all the stuff that we are using) from the DevOps perspective. So yes... it'll be a bit geeky and techie!
So if you are at the show, do drop by and say hi!


Movin' Barcelona is a Destination Management Company with a difference. With many years of experience behind us and a team of local experts on the ground in Barcelona and throughout Catalonia, we can bring your project to life. Be it a corporate event or a more exclusive travel plan, Movin' Barcelona will provide fully comprehensive, efficient, creative and bespoke solutions to all of your practical and logistical requirements.
Movin' Barcelona is your one-stop solution to a seamless and successful stay.
Our wide array of hand-picked accommodation means that we can meet your lodging requirements in a made-to-measure way. Whether you need a no-frills, convenient lodging for business trips, a mobile office, a home from home experience or an exclusive hotel for a more bespoke sojourn, we will ensure that all your creature comforts and practical needs are met.
With access to Barcelona and Catalonia's most exclusive and stunning venues that are both functional and stylish, we have the perfect space solutions for any type of event. Whether you are looking to host a conference, gala dinner, product launch or award ceremony, we can provide you with the ideal backdrop to perfectly suit your event.
Barcelona and Catalonia have a rich and diverse culinary tradition. With some of the world's best restaurants at your fingertips, we can make you a reservation at a Michelin-starred establishment, arrange for you to spend an evening overlooking the sea whilst eating fresh fish, or book you into a local tapas bar nestled in between the medieval walls of the old town. If it's a private event with catering that you want to arrange, let us bring these marvelous culinary choices straight to your chosen venue. The choice is yours.
Barcelona's diverse cultural heritage, stunning gastronomy, and breath-taking natural environment mean that there is no shortage of exciting leisure and/or team building activities on offer. We have inside knowledge of the city's best hotspots, from dancing and dining to sailing and surf. Just let us know your preferences and we'll come up with a diverse and exclusive selection of things to do. Just do it.
Movin' Barcelona will also provide all the additional services required for the successful execution of your event, including transfers, on-site bandwidth, entertainment and A/V and we can organize any other special facilities you might need. Just ask.


You'd never think to embark on a business venture without a thorough and coherent plan. So why do so many people stagger through life with no real strategy—just going with the flow, seeing what happens? It's time we gave our lives the same importance we give to our business exploits.
What you need is a compass—a tool which helps you when you're unsure which way to go and enables you to answer all the questions in your life. The Personal Business Plan will help you to understand and adapt the patterns in your life, so that you can feel free and focus on the future.
This essential guide offers a field-tested framework to help you define your purpose, plan your actions, reduce life's complexity, and create order from chaos. You'll develop a life ambitious attitude that will enable you to turn thoughts into action—and action into value. With a rich source of tools, techniques, templates, exercises, and case studies along the way, you'll learn how to become the best version of yourself and live a life that truly looks like you.
Experience the complete toolkit at thepersonalbusinessplan.com.
Introduction: What Can I Use The Personal Business Plan For?
1: What is My Situation?
What Baggage from the Past Must I Let Go Of?
What is Meaningful to Me Right Now?
2: How Can I Thrive?
What Don't I Like Doing?
3: When Do I Perform at My Best?
What is My Deep Down Motivation?
What is My Worst-Case Scenario?
5: Where am I on My Personal Journey?
What are My Personal Priorities?
What is My Potential for Personal Growth?
6: How Do I Become Happy?
Why Must I Do Something Now?
How Can I Obtain 20/20 Vision?
7: How Do I Reinvent Myself?
What is My Life Ambition?
8: How Do I Differentiate Myself from Others?
What am I Better at than Anybody Else?
What Else Differentiates Me from the Rest?
How Good Do I Want to Be?
9: What is My Personal Business Plan?
How Can I Reinvent Myself in Order to Remain Relevant?
10: What Have I Learned?
1 What is My Situation?
2 How Can I Thrive?
3 When Do I Perform at My Best?
5 Where am I on My Personal Journey?
6 How Do I Become Happy?
7 How Do I Reinvent Myself?
8 How Do I Differentiate Myself from Others?
9 What is My Personal Business Plan?
10 What Have I Learned?


text:
Q: Add conditional in jquery handler or inside the function? A simple favourites system. I wrote it like this:
$(".favourite").click(function(){
  // It's active; deactivate it
  if ($(this).hasClass('active')) {
    changeFavourites('remove', -1);
    }
  // It's not active; activate it
  else {
    changeFavourites('add', 1);
    }
  });

However that was some old code and I'm refactoring it. Would this code be better?
// Handle clicking on favourites to add or remove them
// Cannot use .click() ( http://stackoverflow.com/a/12673849/938236 )
$(document).on('click', ".favourite.active", function(){
  changeFavourites('remove', -1);
  });

// :not() http://stackoverflow.com/a/520271/938236
$(document).on('click', ".favourite:not(.active)", function(){
  changeFavourites('add', 1);
  });

The main issue I see is that I'm embedding a conditional within the selector instead of making it an obvious if. I'm concerned the readability of the code will decrease and the future me will not be happy when I come back to this code. If I'm not mistaken, I think the second code could be called polymorphism.

A: This would be my preference:
$(document).on('click', ".favourite", function(){
    var active = $(this).hasClass('active');
    changeFavourites(
        active ? 'remove' : 'add',
        active ? -1 : 1
    );
});

That's the conditional (ternary) operator
-- [boolean] ? [value-if-true] : [value-if-false]

A: And here is my version:
$(document).on('click', '.favourite', function() {
    isActive = $(this).hasClass('active');
    //v1
    var method = isActive ? 'remove' : 'add';
    var flag = isActive ? -1 : 1;
    changeFavourites(method, flag);

    //v2 - bit silly
    var params = isActive ? ['remove', -1] : ['add', 1];
    changeFavourites(params[0], params[1]);
});

A: While both answers are good enough, I still found them lacking a little bit (as my initial code). After much thinking and trying, something I can afford while learning, I decided to go with this code. I am using the two handlers, but also I'm adding another layer of abstraction, saveFavourites(); that will handle keyboard shortcuts and when the user gets to the element pressing tab and clicks enter when arrived to the upvote/downvote:
// Handle clicking on favourites to add or remove them
$(document).on('click', ".favourite:not(.active)", function(){
  saveFavourites('add');
  });

$(document).on('click', ".favourite.active", function(){
  saveFavourites('remove');
  });


Grand Canyon by Jason Chin is a phenomenal non-fiction picture book packed with the history and science behind the formation of one of the seven wonders of the world. More than just a large whole in the ground, the Grand Canyon is home to many different types of plants and animals. In fact the conditions vary so much from level to level of the canyon that each layer sustains a different type of plant and animal life entirely! How cool is that?
Jason Chin tells "the story" of the Grand Canyon as a father and daughter pair embark on a camping trip. Diagrams are great text features in helping the reader better understand complicated scientific concepts including erosion.
This book includes flashbacks in time so the reader can better understand how the Grand Canyon was formed by the movement of different bodies of water over time. For example, this illustration accompanies the description of what the Grand Canyon would have looked like 1.2 billion years ago when the only things living on Earth's surface were tiny microbes. This mud would eventually transform into a layer of rock that became part of the canyon.
Grand Canyon is packed with many different lenses through which the reader can learn about this amazing natural phenomenon. Jason Chin leaves us with a breathtaking four-page spread of the Grand Canyon that adds to the awe and wonder he inspires throughout the book.
Click here to purchase a copy of Grand Canyon (affiliate link).
*I received a complimentary copy of Grand Canyon in exchange for my honest review.


text:
Tag Archives: Penny Dell Puzzles
Puzzles pop up all over the television landscape, whether you're expecting them or not. For instance, while watching an old episode of The Sopranos the other day, I was surprised to see a Crostic puzzle from our friends at Penny Dell Puzzles in the hands of an FBI agent on the show.
You never know where puzzly ideas will show up, though thanks to a recent viral campaign, we do have some details on the latest Cartoon Network show with a puzzle element.
Infinity Train.
[Image courtesy of Gizmodo.]
Based on an 8-minute short film by Owen Dennis — who worked as both writer and storyboard editor for Regular Show — Infinity Train is an adventure/mystery series featuring a student named Tulip who has a knack for coding and solving puzzles. Tulip ends up on the titular train, discovering not only endless strange worlds inside the train, but dangerous foes and a puzzly mystery to solve.
The folks at Cartoon Network even whipped up a puzzle-fueled challenge for interested viewers.
It started with this brief teaser trailer for the show:
A link in the description box on YouTube directed folks to this website, where a piano puzzle — similar to the one from The Goonies — awaits:
Intrepid solvers quickly figured out that the solution to the puzzle is to play that brief melody you heard in the teaser. If you press (in order) D, B, G, and F#, a full trailer plays as your reward, revealing more scenes from the upcoming TV show.
It's a cool piece of viral marketing that definitely sparked greater interest in the show, and even before the first episode has aired, fans are already speculating about the infinite train, the strange number on Tulip's hand that changes depending on her actions, and the sinister characters that want her to "return to her seat."
[Image courtesy of Infinity Train Fans.]
There is an intriguing mix of danger and excitement to the proceedings, as Tulip and her companions seem eager to unravel the train's many mysteries, but never forget that they are in peril. It's a tough tightrope to walk narratively, but if done correctly, it will add tension and drama to the show's puzzly premise.
Given how much fun — and how challenging — solvers found some of the puzzles connected to Gravity Falls, there's real potential for those same solvers to find new joys with Infinity Train.
Oh, and hey, here's the full trailer in case you couldn't crack the piano puzzle:
Posted in Games, Kids, PuzzleNation, Puzzles	| Tagged cartoon, cartoon network, crostic, Gravity Falls, Infinity Train, musical puzzle, mystery, owen dennis, Penny Dell Puzzles, Penny Press, piano puzzle, Puzzles in Pop Culture, Puzzlin' fool, regular show, teaser trailer, The Goonies, the sopranos, viral marketing, viral puzzle	| Leave a reply
ALIEN VS. EDITOR: Caption Contest Results!
Long-time readers know that we periodically invite our fellow puzzlers and PuzzleNationers to show off their wordplay skills with puzzly prompts like our recurring hashtag game. We even invite our friends at Penny Dell Puzzles to participate!
But this month, we did things a little differently. A member of the Penny Dell crew cooked up an image for us, New Yorker-style, and we challenged our friends and readers to compose the perfect caption for it.
So, without further ado, let's check out what all these clever folks conjured up!
"Well General, it appears he's looking for a 2-letter word for 'Spielberg Film.'"
"He appreciates the mention in the Crossword, but he still thinks that two-letter entries are bad form."
"He wants an answer for 3 Across, 'Earth ending.'"
"He says they come in peace, but that could deteriorate very rapidly if we don't give him the answer to 17-Across."
"He travelled 47.2 light-years to tell us he needs help with 23-Across."
"I guess he finds the clue 'Little green man' offensive. Some aliens are so touchy!"
"Sheesh, he thinks we have nothing better to do than help him with the Sunday Crossword every week? And they accuse us of being non-intelligent life forms."
"Take me to your proofreader."
"He appreciates the Crossword as a gesture of goodwill, but says he's partial to Sudokus."
"They harnessed nuclear fusion and have spaceships that travel three times the speed of light, but they still can't make heads or tails of that Crossword."
"Well this is awkward. He says his name is Oz, he comes from the planet Toto, and that Crossword he's holding? He thinks it's a map of Kansas."
"Oh crap. Doug, remember that time capsule that we planted on Mars? The one with the Crossword puzzle? I guess we forgot to include the answer."
"Apparently, on Proxima Centauri, they've never heard of Britney Spears."
"All right…which one of you is Will Shortz?"
"IT'S A COOKBOOK!!!"
"I guess E.T. wants us to phone Dell".
"Commander, he's armed with a Easy Fast & Fun Crossword, someone get Penny Dell Puzzles on the phone!"
"Guess they don't like being defined as aliens!"
"Says they found an alt-solve!"
"We don't want to cross him."
"He looks pretty cross."
"Excuse me, can you show me where we are?"
In the background another alien yells out "Honey, I told you we don't need directions!"
And the other, "Ugh, this is so embarrassing."
One of our Facebook followers, Pat Manzo, offered up the delightful "He's from the planet Rebus."
Have you come up with any fun captions for this image? Let us know! We'd love to see them!
Posted in Games, PuzzleNation, Puzzles	| Tagged alien, caption, caption contest, comic strip, Contest, crossword, DIY puzzling, hashtag game, new yorker, Penny Dell Puzzles, Penny Press, Puzzle art, PuzzleNation, PuzzleNation live game, Puzzlin' fool, puzzly art, the new yorker	| Leave a reply
A Coin Puzzle: My Two Cents (Plus 97 More)
Our friends at Penny Dell Puzzles recently shared the following brain teaser on their social media:
Naturally, we accepted the challenge.
Now, before we get started with this one, we have to add one detail: which coins we're allowed to use. It's safe to assume that pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters are available, but the question doesn't say anything about half-dollar coins.
So we're going to figure out the correct answer without half-dollar coins available, and then with half-dollar coins available.
Let's begin.
[Image courtesy of How Stuff Works.]
The easiest way to get started is to figure out the smallest number of coins we need to make 99 cents, since that's the highest number we need to be able to form. Once we have that info, we can work backwards and make sure all the other numbers are covered.
For 99 cents, you need 3 quarters, 2 dimes, and 4 pennies. That's 25 + 25 + 25 + 10 + 10 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 99.
Right away, we know we're close with these 9 coins.
You don't need more than 3 quarters, for instance, because your possible totals are all below $1.
Now, let's make sure we can form the numbers 1 through 24 with our chosen coins. (If we can, we're done, because once we've covered 1 through 24, we can simply add one quarter or two quarters to cover 25 through 99.)
Our four pennies cover us for 1 through 4. But wait, there's 5. And we can't make 5 cents change with 4 pennies or 2 dimes. In fact, we can't make 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9 cents change without a nickel.
So let's add a nickel to our current coin count. That makes 3 quarters, 2 dimes, 1 nickel, and 4 pennies. (Why just 1 nickel? Well, we don't need two, because that's covered by a single dime.)
Our four pennies cover 1 through 4. Our nickel and four pennies cover 5 through 9. Our dime, nickel, and four pennies cover 1 through 19. And our two dimes, one nickel, and four pennies cover 1 through 29. (But, again, we only need them to cover 1 through 24, because at that point, our quarters become useful.)
That's all 99 possibilities — 1 through 99 — covered by just ten coins.
[Image courtesy of Wikipedia.]
But what about that half-dollar?
Well, we can apply the same thinking to a coin count with a half-dollar. For 99 cents, you need 1 half-dollar, 1 quarter, 2 dimes, and 4 pennies. That's 50 + 25 + 10 + 10 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 99.
Now, we make sure we can form the numbers 1 through 49 with our chosen coins. (Once we can, we can simply add the half-dollar to cover 50 through 99.)
Once again, we quickly discover we need that single nickel to fill in the gaps.
Our four pennies cover 1 through 4. Our nickel and four pennies cover 5 through 9. Our dime, nickel, and four pennies cover 1 through 19. Our two dimes, one nickel, and four pennies cover 1 through 29. And our one quarter, two dimes, one nickel, and four pennies cover 1 through 54. (But, again, we only need them to cover 1 through 49, because at that point, our half-dollar becomes useful.)
That's all 99 possibilities — 1 through 99 — covered by just nine coins.
Posted in Games, PuzzleNation, Puzzles	| Tagged Brain teaser, change, coin puzzle, counting, deduction, dime, Geeking Out, half-dollar, logic, math puzzle, mind tickler, nickel, pennies, penny, Penny Dell Puzzles, Penny Press, Puzzle to solve, PuzzleNation, Puzzlin' fool, quarter, word problem	| Leave a reply
TableTop Day 2019: PuzzleNation Style!
International TableTop Day is one of our favorite days of the year around here! Whether you play board games, role-playing games, card games, dice games, puzzles, or logic games, this is the holiday for you, family, and friends to come together and play games.
As we discussed in a previous post, there has been some controversy surrounding the date of TableTop Day this year, so we decided to celebrate our own in-house TableTop Day last Tuesday!
For the seventh year in a row, we put aside some time to indulge in some puzzles and games with our friends at Penny Dell Puzzles, and as always, it was a delight. Games were played, snacks were consumed, and fellow puzzlers and PuzzleNationers were introduced to some terrific games.
For our TableTop Day event, we focus on quick-play games and games for 2 to 4 players, since that allows people the opportunity to try several games without taking too big a bite out of the workday. Not only that, but with smaller groups or 1-on-1 games, it's easier to introduce someone to a game and really get into the mechanics and gameplay swiftly.
[The spread of games available for the event. Can you name them all?]
As usual, the event started with people picking out their favorites and introducing new players to the game. Quarto was immediately snatched up, and I played several rounds of Tak with a newcomer to the game who really enjoyed the board game's strategy, simplicity, and elegant design.
At another table, several rounds of the quick-play pattern-matching card game Loonacy marked a fast-paced and chaotic start to the day's festivities for new players and familiar faces alike.
A few games of the British History edition of Timeline soon followed, as well as new players trying out the labyrinth-building challenge of The Abandons, which quickly proved both difficult and addictive for one particular celebrant. One-player puzzles like Puzzometry and Knot Dice were also popular.
We concluded our celebration of gaming and community in suitably epic fashion with a round of Exploding Kittens. The players bravely tried to avert and avoid the catastrophes induced by various adorable, oblivious, combustible cats, and it made for a fun, silly ending to another terrific event.
People got to blow off some steam, try some new games, and enjoy some snacks. What more can you ask for? All in all, we definitely call that a success!
[Naturally, people waited with baited breath to see who won our raffle AND this terrific bundle of games and goodies!]
So, fellow puzzlers and PuzzleNationers, do you celebrate International Tabletop Day? Let us know in the comment section! We'd love to hear from you!
Posted in Games, PuzzleNation, Puzzles	| Tagged About Us, bananagrams, british history, codenames, DIY puzzling, Exploding Kittens, games, Geeking Out, girl genius, girl genius: the works, Holidays, International TableTop Day, Knot Dice, Loonacy, national tabletop day, Penny Dell Puzzles, Penny Press, Pop culture, PuzzleNation, Puzzlin' fool, Puzzometry, Quarto, TableTop, tabletop day, tak, tak a beautiful game, the abandons, Timeline, Wordplay	| Leave a reply
New Puzzle Sets for PDCW App and Daily POP Crosswords!
Posted on May 9, 2019 by gmdirect
Hello puzzlers and PuzzleNationers!
We're excited to announce new puzzle sets for both of our marvelous crossword puzzle apps! Yes, whether you're a fan of our Penny Dell Crosswords App or our Daily POP Crosswords app, we've got something special for you!
First off, for Daily POP Crosswords users, we have our latest featured set, Superhero Fun!
Consisting of ten puzzles, all with superpowered themes, this puzzle set offers the smart, pop culture-savvy cluing you've come to expect from PuzzleNation, all in ten marvelous puzzles collected for your convenience and enjoyment!
The Avengers might have reached their Endgame, but we're just getting started!
And for the Penny Dell Crosswords App, we have two new deluxe sets available!
If you're looking for something sweet, we have the Dessert Deluxe bundle, and if you want a playful twist on crosswords, there's the Games Deluxe bundle!
With special themed puzzles and loads of great crosswords at all difficulty levels for you to enjoy, these bundles are a fresh and fun way to relax and keep your puzzly wits sharp!
All three are available now for in-app purchase, so don't miss out on these terrific new puzzle bundles!
Happy puzzling, everybody!
Posted in Games, PuzzleNation, Puzzles	| Tagged About Us, Announcements, Cluing, crossword, crosswords, Daily Pop, daily pop crosswords, daily pop crosswords app, deluxe puzzle, deluxe puzzle bundle, Deluxe puzzle set, dessert deluxe, games deluxe, Geeking Out, Penny Dell Crossword App, Penny Dell Crosswords App, Penny Dell Puzzles, Penny Press, Penny/Dell Puzzles, Pop culture, puzzle bundle, puzzle set, PuzzleNation, Puzzlin' fool, superhero fun, Wordplay	| Leave a reply
Our Annual TableTop Tournament: Recap!
We wrapped up our fourth annual in-house tabletop tournament last week, and as you probably expected, it was loaded with all sorts of board game goodness.
So what went down?
Well, it was a 12-person two-week tournament with different games to play every round. With four competition days across two weeks, it was a virtual gauntlet of gaming to determine who is the best in the company.
One of the things I liked about the layout of the tournament was how there are no one-on-one match-ups until the final. Instead of a single-elimination tournament, competitors were first slotted into groups of three. Each group of three played two games, and the two winners (one from each game) from each trio moved on to the next round.
So to survive round 1, you had to win either Timeline or On the Dot.
In the first bracket, former champ Kevin and last year's defending champ Nikki moved on. In the second bracket, yours truly was bested in On the Dot by newcomer Ryan AND in Timeline by perennial top contender Rick. In the third bracket, Gordon and Sam moved on in impressive fashion. And in the fourth bracket, former champ Jen and newcomer Laura each earned a spot in the next round.
So right away, all three former champs were in the running, along with some new blood and some tough competition with tabletop experience. This was shaping up to be one heck of a tournament.
Round 2 began the following Thursday, and this time around, competitors were slotted into groups of four. Each group of four played two games, and the two winners (one from each game) moved on to the next round.
So to survive round 2, you had to win either Noueni or Guillotine.
Guillotine is a card game for 2 to 5 players set during the French revolution. As the royals are marched to the guillotine in one big line, you play cards in order to switch the royals around so that the most valuable royals are beheaded on your turn, adding their scores to your pile. (You can also manipulate the hands of the other players by forcing them to give you cards or discard them.)
Played over three rounds, the player with the highest score (i.e. the most valuable royals beheaded) wins.
Noueni is a card game for 2 to 4 players that involves pattern-matching, color-based scoring, and cards that can either overlap or sit next to other cards. Your score is determined by how many of your scoring orbs are on the board at the end of the game.
Each card has two colored scoring orbs and a pattern of black lines emerging from them. Those lines are the connectors, and they determine how the cards are placed in the play area. Any card played must link up with the other cards on the board, whether there's zero, one, two, or three connectors along that neighboring edge.
Noueni was a new experience for all of the players, though it is similar to Qwirkle, which the competitors had played before.
All of the players quickly took to Guillotine, deftly maneuvering valuable royals into their score piles. Noueni proved to be a tougher play experience, as many players devoted so much time to covering up the colored orbs of other players that they neglected to play simpler moves to add colored orbs to their own scores. Too much defense can be a bad thing if it hinders your offense.
In the end, four more players were eliminated from the field, including the first two tournament champions. After this colorful round of play, only Rick, Gordon, Laura, and returning champ Nikki remained.
Round 3 began the following Tuesday, and the remaining players were collected into one final group of four. But they would all play the same game, and the top two point-scorers would move on to the finals.
The game for round 3? Sheriff of Nottingham.
Sheriff of Nottingham is a card game that mixes strategy, resource management, and bluffing. The players collect cards with different goods to take to market — apples, chickens, bread, and cheese — as well as cards of contraband items (like spices, mead, and weapons). Each of these cards is worth points, and the contraband goods are worth more than the legal goods. Of course, the contraband goods are illegal, so if you're caught bringing them to market, there's a penalty.
And, unfortunately, in order to get your goods (legal or otherwise) to market, you have to get past the Sheriff.
For example, in a four-player game, let's say the first player is the Sheriff. The other three players will each place up to five cards in their bag, then snap it shut, and declare what's inside to the Sheriff. A player may be telling the truth about the contents of her bag, or she may be lying. The Sheriff can choose to either let a bag pass through unchecked or open and inspect the contents of any bag.
Anything that gets through the Sheriff goes into your market stand and is worth points at the end of the game. If the Sheriff chooses to check your bag, one of two things happens. If you were honest about what's in the bag, the Sheriff pays you the value of those items. If you lied about the contents of your bag and the Sheriff catches you, you must pay him a penalty, and any contraband goods in the bag are seized.
Of course, you can always negotiate with the Sheriff before the bag is opened. Bribes (of coin, product, or favors) can be offer, and deals can be made.
Once the Sheriff has either let the players' bags through or finished the inspections, everyone settles their goods in the marketplace, the next player takes over as Sheriff, and the cycle starts again.
The game ends after every player has been the Sheriff twice. Then the players count up the value of everything they've brought to market — including any contraband they've snuck through — as well as their coin piles. (Plus, there are bonus points to be gained if you brought the most of any product to market. For instance, the person who brought the most apples is King of Apples, and the person who brought the second-most is Queen of Apples. Both titles are worth points.)
Once starting coins and cards were allotted to each player (plus a few coins extra to encourage wheeling-and-dealing/bribery), the game commenced. In the end, only two of the four players at the table would be moving on to the finals. What combination of Nikki, Rick, Gordon, and Laura would face off for the championship?
As it turned out, a game all about duplicity can be won with transparency. In this cutthroat round, honesty reigned supreme as most players opted to avoid contraband and move only legal goods through the Sheriff to market. Rick, as the most suspicious Sheriff, ended up paying some hefty fines to players whose bags he checked.
(Personally, I probably would have cut a deal with one of the other players and promised to allow whatever they wanted through when I was Sheriff, in exchange for the same treatment from them. That way, you could move a LOT of valuable contraband one round, and play it safe the other rounds. But I am nefarious that way.)
After a tense game, the judges swooped in to count everyone's haul, and the players stepped away from the table to enjoy some marvelous cookies and treats provided by the judges… and await their fate.
In the end, Nikki and Gordon had accumulated the top two scores, and they would be moving on to the finals.
Or would they? In the end, there was one more wrinkle!
It turns out that Laura had forgotten to empty her bag of goods in the last go-round, and with her additional contraband, she had outearned Gordon! Shock and heartbreak!
It would instead be Nikki and Laura in the finals.
Now, given that this was our fourth annual tournament, we'd finally amassed some proper stats and trivia regarding the event. You see, not only had no previous champion ever repeated as champion, but no previous champion had ever made it to the finals again!
So already, Nikki had set a new precedent as the only previous champion to return to the finals. Would she be our first repeat champion (back-to-back, even!) or would we have our fourth new champion in four years as the newcomer Laura ascended to the throne?
Let's find out.
Unlike the previous rounds, this was a head-to-head match-up, winner-take-all. So, naturally, we made posters to hype the event like a prizefight.
And to survive round 4, the finalists would need some help from the audience, as they played a round of the card game Cult Following.
Cult Following is a card-based improvisation game, similar to Superfight, wherein you have to draw several cards that dictate what your cult is about, and then improvise your answers to various questions posed by the other players, who are potential recruits for your cult. Once the round of questions is over, the potential recruits vote on which of the cults they'd rather join, and the cult with the most recruits wins.
To make the task even more daunting, both players had to stand in front of the audience and plead their case.
Nikki's cult centered around saving the planet from toxic waste (and yes, she did acknowledge the possibility that you might gain superpowers from said toxic waste). Laura's cult centered around the magical ability to transform yourself into any animal you wished.
Although many potential recruits in the audience were wowed by this idea, I couldn't get past the very real danger that you could end up as prey rather than simply enjoying life as an animal.
After answering questions from the audience about recruitment, rules, cult theme songs, and more, both competitors turned their backs to the audience so the audience members could vote for the cult of their choice.
Nikki made a valiant effort to retain her crown, but unfortunately, the cards were not in her favor, and more potential recruits opted for Laura's were-cult. (Not me, though. I was a toxic avenger all the way.)
And thus, Laura dethroned the previous champion in impressive fashion to become the new tabletop tournament champion!
The traditional crown, scepter, and Game Night Gift Pack awaited the new champion, as did an enthusiastic round of applause and a well-earned chance to sit down after the fierce improvisational back-and-forth.
Alas, we must bring this marvelous recap to a close. With a new queen atop the tabletop throne, what will her reign be like? Peaceful? Warlike? Boastful? Quiet? Only time will tell.
Posted in Games, PuzzleNation, Puzzles	| Tagged About Us, cult following, DIY puzzling, games, Geeking Out, guillotine, Holidays, Noueni, on the dot, pdp tabletop tournament, Penny Dell Puzzles, Penny Press, Pop culture, PuzzleNation, Puzzlin' fool, sheriff of nottingham, tabletop day, TableTop gaming, tabletop tournament, Timeline, tournament	| Leave a reply


This 10.00 Acre property in PRESIDIO County, Texas is located 16 miles from Presidio, TX with a dirt road going through it. The property's elevation is 3,173 feet.
In addition to being able to hunt, the owner of this property is also free from zoning requirements, meaning you welcome to use the land however you want!
It's seclusion makes for an ideal campground, or even a private hunting cabin. The land is ideal for off-roading and 4x4s.
Taxes: $45 per year. Taxes have been paid through 2017.


text:
FBI: Orlando gunman had strong indications of radicalization
By Associated Press Jun 13, 2016, 12:10pm MDT
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Bystanders wait down the street from a multiple shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., Sunday, June 12, 2016. Twenty people were killed and multiple people have been wounded, police said Sunday. Phelan M. Ebenhack, Associated Press
Dr. Michael Cheatham, chief surgeon of the Orlando Health Regional Medical Center hospital, addresses reporters during a news conference after a shooting involving multiple fatalities at a nightclub in Orlando, Fla., Sunday, June 12, 2016. Watching are Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings, second from right, and Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. Phelan M. Ebenhack, Associated Press
Jermaine Towns, left, and Brandon Shuford, second from left, wait down the street from the scene of a shooting involving multiple fatalities at a nightclub in Orlando, Fla., Sunday, June 12, 2016. Towns said his brother was hiding in a bathroom at the time. Phelan M. Ebenhack, Associated Press
Concerned friends and family of victims at Pulse nightclub, where multiple fatalities were reported, wait outside of the Orlando Police Department, Sunday, June 12, 2016, in Orlando, Fla. Orlando Sentinel via Associated Press, Joe Burbank
Imam Muhammad Musri, center, president of the Islamic Society of Central Florida, addresses reporters while flanked by members of law enforcement and community leaders during a news conference after a shooting involving multiple fatalities at a nightclub in Orlando, Fla., Sunday, June 12, 2016. Phelan M. Ebenhack, Associated Press
Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla., left, addresses reporters during a news conference after a shooting involving multiple fatalities at a nightclub in Orlando, Fla., Sunday, June 12, 2016. Phelan M. Ebenhack, Associated Press
Ray Rivera, left, a DJ at Pulse Orlando nightclub, is consoled by a friend, outside of the Orlando Police Department after a shooting involving multiple fatalities at the nightclub, Sunday, June 12, 2016, in Orlando, Fla. Orlando Sentinel via Associated Press, Joe Burbank
Law enforcement personnel block off a street near Pulse nightclub after a fatal shooting Sunday, June 12, 2016, in Orlando, Fla. Orlando Sentinel via Associated Press, Joe Burbank
An injured man is escorted out of the Pulse nightclub after a shooting rampage, Sunday morning June 12, 2016, in Orlando, Fla. A gunman wielding an assault-type rifle and a handgun opened fire inside a crowded gay nightclub early Sunday, killing at least 50 people before dying in a gunfight with SWAT officers, police said. It was the deadliest mass shooting in American history. Steven Fernandez, Associated Press
Fort Pierce police officers block one of the entrances to an apartment complex possibly linked to the fatal shootings at an Orlando nightclub, Sunday, June 12, 2016, in Fort Pierce, Fla. Alan Diaz, Associated Press
Bomb disposal officers check for bombs at an apartment complex of a suspect linked to the fatal shootings at an Orlando nightclub, Sunday, June 12, 2016, in Fort Pierce, Fla. Alan Diaz, Associated Press
Jermaine Towns, left, and Brandon Shuford wait down the street from a multiple shooting at a nightclub in Orlando, Fla., Sunday, June 12, 2016. Towns said his brother was in the club at the time. A gunman opened fire at a nightclub in central Florida. Twenty people were killed and multiple people have been wounded, police said Sunday. Phelan M. Ebenhack, Associated Press
Orlando Police officers direct family members away from a multiple shooting at a nightclub in Orlando, Fla., Sunday, June 12, 2016. Twenty people were killed and multiple people have been wounded, police said Sunday. Phelan M. Ebenhack, Associated Press
Jermaine Towns, left, and Brandon Shuford wait down the street from a multiple shooting at a nightclub in Orlando, Fla., Sunday, June 12, 2016. Towns said his brother was in the club at the time. Twenty people were killed and multiple people have been wounded, police said Sunday. Phelan M. Ebenhack, Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The gunman at the Orlando gay nightclub had "strong indications of radicalization" and was likely inspired by foreign terrorist organizations, the FBI director said Monday.
James Comey also said the man, who has been identified as 29-year-old Omar Mateen, spoke with a 911 operator three times during the deadly event. At one point, Comey said, he pledged loyalty on the call to the head of the Islamic State group.
Comey's remarks offered further detail on the shootings that left 49 victims dead and more than 50 hurt, making it the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Mateen died in a gun battle with police.
President Barack Obama said Monday the killer was inspired by extremist information over the internet, calling it an apparent example of the "homegrown extremism" that U.S. officials have been worrying about for years.
Mateen had twice come to the FBI's attention before Sunday's shooting, the FBI said. It investigated him for 10 months, beginning in May 2013, because he had made "inflammatory and contradictory" statements about ties to terrorist groups that caught his coworkers' attention.
Mateen was working at the time as a contract security guard at a local courthouse. He has held a Florida license to be an armed security officer since at least 2011, state records show.
The FBI director said that Mateen at the time claimed family connections to al-Qaida and said he was a member of Hezbollah, which Comey said "is a Shia terrorist organization that is a bitter enemy of the so-called Islamic State."
Mateen had also told coworkers "he hoped that law enforcement would raid his apartment and assault his wife and child so that he could martyr himself," Comey said.
The FBI's Miami field office opened a preliminary investigation to determine whether Mateen was "possibly a terrorist." The FBI began introducing him to confidential sources, following him, reviewing some details of his communications and running him through government databases looking for ties to terrorism.
Comey said Mateen admitted making the statements reported by his coworkers, but explained that he did it in anger because he thought they were discriminating against him and teasing him because he was Muslim, Comey said.
Agents closed the first investigation in early 2014, but Mateen's name came up in a separate FBI investigation a few months later, in July 2014.
This time, the FBI was investigating Moner Mohammad Abusalha, a Florida man who blew himself up in a suicide attack in Syria on behalf of the al-Qaida affiliated Nusra Front.
The FBI found Mateen and the man had attended the same mosque and knew each other casually. "But the investigation turned up no ties of any consequence between the two of them," Comey said.
Comey said that one witness interviewed during the investigation into Abusalha brought up Mateen's name when asked if the witness knew of anyone "who might be radicalizing."
The witness said he worried about Mateen because he mentioned videos of Anwar al-Alwaki, an al-Qaida leader killed in 2011 by a U.S. drone strike. But the witness said his concerns had diminished after Mateen got married, had a child and got a job as a security guard.
Comey said that FBI agents interviewed Mateen again during the investigation, but found no "significant contacts with the suicide bomber for Al-Nusra" and moved on.
Associated Press writers Chad Day and Eileen Sullivan contributed to this report.
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Possible motives emerge for club gunman as Orlando mourns


For everybody interested in using our service to host their own XMPP domain we have good news! You do not have to ask an administrator to add your domain or add users for your domain anymore. You can do it on your own.
Please note, this is very new stuff. Something may go wrong or may not be polished. Please report any problems, notices or suggestions.
This is the guide to walk you through the new functions and describes how to add a new domain and new users within your domain.
You can do everything from your XMPP client or you can use our web application that allows you to connect to the service and execute admin commands. I recommend Psi because of its excellent support for parts of the XMPP protocol which are used for domains and user management. You may use other clients as well, but we can only offer support and help if you use Psi client.
Secondly, you need an account on the server. This is because all the commands and features described here are available to local users only. Therefore, if you do not have a registered domain with us yet, please go ahead and register an account on the website either the Jabber.Me or Tigase.IM.


Vic Bond Sales is proud to present this chrome finished item, by American Standard. The 066116-0020A is made from premium materials, this Item offers great function and value for your home. This fixture is part of American Standard's decorative DRAIN / HEATER Collection, so make sure to check out other styles of fixtures to accessorize your room.


It's more fun in the Philippines! The ever-present slogan of the official tourist office of the Philippines applies to tourists – but does it also apply to the business world? I have the answer to that question: decidedly, yes. Economic growth throughout South East Asia is strong, and businesses throughout the region should be paying particular attention to growth here.
According to the World Bank's latest Global Economic Prospects report, the Philippines is on the fast track for growth, among the top in Southeast Asia with an expected growth of 6.6% by 2020. It's a country with high growth potential, and overall excitement and energy radiating from it. That energy is attracting some of the top professionals in fast-growing industries with it.
The biggest industries are currently services, consumer and industrial, and the growth within these industries is increasing every year, with services such as shared service centres (SSC) and business process outsourcing (BPO) making up a large part of that growth. Remittance business remains to be number 1 in the revenue sector for the Philippines economy. While most of the activity is focused in Manila, the government is doing what it can to spread the wealth to other key cities in the Philippines, such as Cebu City (the second largest city in the Philippines), Davao, Laguna, Batangas, Clark City, Subic City and Baguio.
With many MNCs opening offices in Manila, the question becomes: what can both organisations and professionals expect in the current job market?
The job market has been really lucrative; more and more clients are seeking to recruit top talents to join their organisation. As the economy soars higher, demand on organisations and their employees increases as well. Organisations have to be more productive and must upskill their resources to cope with the market change and demand.
Commercially, our biggest economy is the exportation of our talent: globally and wherever you go, you will see Filipinos providing world class service– be it in the medical field, engineering or business arena. As more opportunities become available in Manila, more of our talent abroad comes back to work here to contribute back to society, make a difference and boost the growing economy.
Numbers of spectacular growth aside, it's Filipinos themselves who make the best case for doing business in the Philippines. They are hard-working, gritty, determined and fiercely loyal. Filipinos by nature are passionate, hardworking, sincere and helpful. We have the grit and understand what it takes to work hard to elevate ourselves and people around us.
The way that Filipino professionals progress through their career is generally well defined by their age group. The older generations are loyal to companies where they are happy to stay for years, looking forward to retirement at 65 or 70 years old. The younger generation of millennials and Gen Y's are more interested in new challenges, taking risks and moving to new environments, sometimes every 2-3 years. It's up to companies to decide whether the roles they are looking to fill would best be suited for a more experienced and senior professional who has proven track record and tested abilities, or newer candidates who count their willingness to experiment and innovate processes as their strongest assets.
Additionally, English is spoken widely in the Philippines, reducing the number of lost in translation issues when working with MNCs and the government gives good corporate tax rates to encourage investment.
With a large population, Filipino professionals are abundant, but the challenge can be finding the right set of skills and experience to match the unique roles that each company has. Michael Page provides quality candidates versus a large quantity, and we are able to search through the pool of eager candidates to find the right fit for each organisation.
Aside from finding the top professionals to hire, Michael Page is able to provide advice in terms of new business set-up and how to partner with the right organisations and the right channels. Michael Page is also able to provide advice on labour laws and other legal matters.
Contact us for more information and insights about doing business in the Philippines.


I was introduced to track and field in grade ten where I was asked to try pole vault, I remember being terrified to give it a try but soon found a strong passion for the event. Through the competitions put on by Dino Athletics and the ASAA I was able to develop my abilities as a pole vaulter and saw much success in my high school track and field career. I then continued on with track and field into university where I became a member of the Dinos varsity track and field team which I have competed for, for 4 years and have had some of the most memorable experiences of my life. Along with fun team bonding experiences I was able to win back to back Canada West championships and another silver medal in pole vault, a Canadian Interuniversity Sport bronze medal and was a silver medalist at both the Western Canada Summer Games (2011) as well as the Canada Summer Games this past summer in Sherbrooke, Quebec. Being involved in track and field has been the most rewarding experience of my life and I encourage young athletes to find their passion in the sport and enjoy every minute of it! Welcome to Calgary and best of luck to all those competing!


A gynecologist had become fed up with malpractice insurance and HMO paperwork, and was burned out. Hoping to try another career where skillful hands would be beneficial, he decided to become a mechanic. He went to the local technical college, signed up for evening classes, attended diligently, and learned all he could.
"The instructor said, "During the exam, you took the engine apart perfectly, which was worth 50% of the total mark. You put the engine back together again perfectly, which is also worth 50% of the mark." After a pause, the instructor added, "I gave you an extra 50% because you did it all through the muffler, which I've never seen done in my entire career".