Police in Lebanon have launched an investigation after a British embassy worker was found strangled by the side of a road.
A forensic official in the country has told the Associated Press news agency that Rebecca Dykes, who worked at the embassy in the capital Beirut, was strangled with a rope.
The unnamed official added that authorities are investigating the exact cause of her death and whether she was sexually assaulted.
A security official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, told AP Ms Dykes' body was discovered by the side of a road east of Beirut on Saturday.
According to Lebanese media reports, choke marks were found on Ms Dykes' neck and she had been raped.
Sky's Adele Robinson says that there are local reports that she had been out on Friday at a party in the city and she left on her own.
A family spokesman said they were "devastated by the loss of our beloved Rebecca".
"We are doing all we can to understand what happened," he added.
According to Ms Dykes' LinkedIn profile, she had been working as a programme and policy manager for the Department for International Development (DfID) on the UK government's Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) programme in Lebanon.
Friends said she had been due to fly home for Christmas on Saturday.
A DfID spokesman said: "Our thoughts are with Becky's family and friends at this very upsetting time.
"Following the death of a British woman in Beirut, we are providing support to the family," a spokesman said.
The British Ambassador to Lebanon, Hugo Shorter, tweeted his condolences.
Under Lebanon's CSSF programme, the UK government has spent millions of pounds supporting the country's armed forces to address "security threats originating from Syria".
Cash has also been spent on preventing "illegal cross border activity" between Lebanon and Syria – an area where jihadists have been active – and assisting local policing.


La Nueva Providencia, Guatemala is a new village that exists on the site of a former coffee finca (farm) that was abandoned 12 years ago at which time many of the Maya indigenous workers remained on site. The San Lucas Toliman Mission bought the finca property and in turn handed it over to the former employees and current residents of the land.
The demand for light in homes is everywhere in the village and affects all gender and age groups because lights can: decrease the use of kerosene for better health; provide safety and security; give light for children to study at night; increase household income by allowing parents to produce products to sell at the market; and improve community social structure.
The 'Mighty Light' is a solar powered LED light that can last up to 30 years (on 8hrs daily use) and designed to help decrease a family's dependency on kerosene, candles and wood to provide indoor lighting. Due to the growing energy crises worldwide, we learned that the "Mighty Light" is the best solution to provide light in a home.
Each and every one of us can make changes in the way we live our lives and become part of the solution.
Isa Mundo visited the village in May 2007 with the help of Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Marquette University Chapter. The need for electricity and light is important as dusk at 6PM often brings darkness to economic activity, education, and safety.
In partnership with EWB Marquette and Cosmos Ignite Innovations, Isa Mundo launched the Light Up A Home campaign as its first Environmental Project. Cosmos Ignite's vision aligns well with Isa Mundo and their expertise in producing technology that is low cost and environmentally friendly is a model that we wanted to use in communities.
The "Mighty Lights" were successfully installed in all homes in Providencia in May 2008. This project was added in the United Nations Habitat's database as one of the Best Practices in Improving the Living Environment.


We are seeking to find for our law firm client a knowledgeable family and children law practitioner.
Experience in represented HNW TO MNW clients in all areas of financial remedy applications including cases involving high conflict, s.37 Avoidance of Disposition Applications, complex factual matrixes, significant pension arrangements, share portfolios, property portfolios, cases involving the instruction of expert witnesses.
Represented cohabitants, including TOLATA disputes following significant periods of cohabitation requiring assimilation of complex facts and legal application.
Drafting legal documents including, Petitions, Applications, Questionnaires, Statement of Issues, Costs Statements, S.25 statements and Orders including complex Financial Consent Orders.
Familiar with applying all areas MCA , FPR and PD'S; TOLATA and CPR.
Developed arguments and strategies in preparation for presentation of cases, presented key evidence and exhibits during family court applications. Questioned and cross examined witnesses.
Advised on and managed all trial preparations for family court hearings including MCA/TOLATA/IA/Schedule 1 CA, FLA, all areas Private and Public Law CA disputes.
Gained drafting skills providing Written Opinions, Court Documents, Applications, Questionnaires, Statements and Orders.
• Private Children Act applications.


1. FC Nürnberg and FC Schalke 04 are celebrating their long-standing friendship with a special kit for their upcoming derby this year. So here they are!
Enjoy & please don't steal and/or post these kits somewhere else.


Lyme disease is a bacterial illness caused by a bacterium called a "spirochete." Deer's carry certain ticks that contain the bacterium in their stomachs. When a person's skin is bit by one of these ticks, Lyme disease spreads and infects the body. This can result in abnormalities in the skin, joints, heart and nervous system.
With Lyme disease, different parts of the body are affected and the severity varies as the disease progresses. The bacteria enters the body through the skin at the site of the bite and the skin will often have a reddish rash often associated with "flu-like" symptoms. As the disease progresses, abnormalities in the joints, heart and nervous system can begin to surface.
1.) Early localized disease where the skin becomes inflamed.
3.) Late disease where motor and sensory nerve damage, brain inflammation as well as arthritis can result.
In the early phase of the illness, the skin surrounding the bite develops an expanding ring of unraised redness. This usually occurs within days to weeks of the initial bite and may also include an outer ring of brighter redness and a central area of clearing which gives a "bulls-eye" appearance. This initial rash is known as "erythema migrans" and is often accompanied by generalized fatigue, muscle and joint stiffness, swollen glands and headache. Bear in mind however, that more than 25% of people with Lyme disease never even experience the rash.
In about a month's time, the redness resolves by itself but the bacterium and its effects spread throughout the body and can lead to disease in the joints, heart and nervous system.
Always wear long pants, long-sleeved shirts, a hat and gloves when in wooded areas.
Check the body carefully for ticks after spending time outside.
Be sure to check children for ticks regularly before bed in the summer months.
Also inspect pets for ticks on a regular basis.
Keep lawns mowed and dispose of leaf litter.
Do not keep wood piles near the house in the summer.
If a tick is found on the body, remove it as soon as possible using tweezers. Don't twist the tweezers or squeeze the tick's body. Once removed, wash your hands and the bite area thoroughly.
Watch the area closely for the symptoms listed above. If symptoms occur, see a doctor immediately.
Essential Fatty Acids (take as directed on label) - Reduce inflammation and stiffness in the joints.
Primrose Oil (1,000 mg 2-3 times daily) - Helps combat inflammation by producing prostaglandins.
Garlic (2 capsules 3 times daily) - Natural antibiotic and immune-booster.
Multivitamin Supplement (take as directed on label) - Provides all needed nutrients. Be sure to use a high-potency formula.
Zinc Lozenges (1 15 mg lozenge every 3 hours for 4 days) - Support healthy immune function.
Samento (take as directed on label) - Decreases the symptoms of lyme disease.
Colloidal Silver (take as directed on label) - Natural antibiotic and immune system booster.
Alfalfa (take as directed on label) - Supplies needed minerals.
Echinacea (take as directed on label) - Natural immune system booster.
Selenium (200 mcg daily) - Destroys free radicals.


From a young age, I have loved books. Books to read, books to study, books to discuss, books to analyse; BOOKS!
Books in New Zealand are expensive. Something I could have bought for 9.99 in the States costs at least 29.99 here. As a result, I have stopped purchasing books, and started utilising the library. I have access to both the city library (where I get my leisure reading, both fiction and non), and the University library (where I get my academic and scholarly reading). Finding texts I need for my research, however, is often difficult.
Walk into a library (or book store) and you can find hundreds of books on dieting, weight loss, and the destructive nature of obesity (responsible for global warming, rising health costs, poor academic achievement of Western youth, the death of kittens, and the break up of the Beatles). What is harder to find are texts that are critical of the dominant discourse about fatness.
I've been thinking about what books are available at libraries, and to whom certain books are marketed within the library. What books get placed in prominent places? What books are highlighted by staff? Which ones make the end caps and the front table? I do not have the information to address these questions, nor was I able to find an extensive list of what fat friendly books my libraries carry. There is definitely not a 'Fat Studies' section, sitting side by side with 'Queer Studies', 'Women's Studies' and 'Ethnic Studies'.
***Luckily, I know a fatlicious librarian, and she has done a bit of investigating. Check out what Kath at Fat Heffalump found!
So I decided to challenge myself for the month of June. I called it, 'Build a Better Library', and the challenge was to submit a request for a new Fat Studies text to my University library every day. I tracked my progress on Tumblr, and while I did not actually make a new submission every day, I did make 30 submissions in the 30 days of June.


text:
Western Canada gets an oil outlet as NEB allows Enbridge pipeline reversal
Jeffrey JonesMergers and Acquisitions Reporter
The "Line 9" Enbridge oil pipeline is seen being worked on in East Don Parkland in Toronto, March 6, 2014.MARK BLINCH/Reuters
Enbridge Inc. has won approval to reverse the flow of oil in its Line 9 pipeline between Southern Ontario and Quebec, a contentious project aimed at giving Quebec refiners access to more affordable Western Canadian and North Dakota oil.
The National Energy Board, the country's main energy regulator, said the $110-million project can go ahead provided Enbridge meets 30 conditions it laid out related to safety, public consultation and other issues. The NEB denied the company's request to start operations when it believes it is ready, saying the conditions must be met and the pipeline inspected first.
The project is among several aimed at diversifying markets for Canadian crude oil, which has suffered deep price discounts due to oversupply in its traditional areas of use. Suncor Energy Inc.'s Montreal refinery and Valero Energy Corp.'s plant near Quebec City will be beneficiaries of the pipeline reversal. In recent years, those facilities have run a combination of costly imported oil and increasing volumes of North American supplies that arrive via train.
Line 9 is not the only initiative to get Alberta crude to Eastern Canada. Earlier this week, TransCanada Corp. started the regulatory process for its Energy East pipeline, a $12-billion proposal to move much larger volumes to Quebec and Atlantic Canada by later this decade.
But the approval process for Line 9 highlights the difficult hurdles that such projects must now clear. Although the pipeline has existed since the 1970s, the Enbridge proposal went through a lengthy regulatory process that included a rancorous 10-day public hearing that wrapped up in October. The board shut down the final oral portion of the hearing in Toronto, saying it feared for participants' safety when protesters became disruptive.
In its decision for Line 9, the board said the approval enables Enbridge to react to market forces and provide benefits for Canadians while ensuring it operates in an environmentally sensitive manner. "In approving Enbridge's application, the board has imposed conditions that will enhance current and ongoing pipeline integrity, safety and environmental protection measures to which Line 9 is already subject," it said.
Enbridge said it is reviewing the conditions to determine how much work it will need to put in. Still, it welcomed the NEB ruling. chief executive officer Al Monaco said the company will continue its consultation efforts with communities affected by the project and actions at bolstering safety. "The approval of this project is not the end of the process for us," he said in a statement.
Line 9 extends to Montreal from Sarnia, Ont. With the approval, capacity will rise to 300,000 barrels a day from 240,000. A section between Sarnia and Westover, Ont., near Hamilton, had already received clearance for reversal.
Several environmental groups oppose the reversal, saying it presents major risks of oil spills near populated regions. Following the approval, a coalition called Rising Tide Toronto said it is launching a petition asking people to conduct civil disobedience to disrupt the project.
The company has argued that it had instituted an exhaustive program of inspections and digs to make sure the line could handle the volumes.
Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver lauded the decision, which essentially returns the pipeline to its original use when it was built during the energy-crisis era nearly four decades ago.
"This will protect high-quality, skilled jobs in Quebec and create market opportunities for Western Canada's oil producers. Furthermore, by replacing higher-cost foreign crude with Canadian crude, the reversal will strengthen Quebec's refining and petrochemical industries," Mr. Oliver said.
The pipeline was first built to carry Western Canadian crude to Quebec. In the late 1990s, its flow direction was changed to East-West when Southern Ontario refineries sought imported oil. In recent years it has been seldom used as the cost of imported crude surged.
Follow Jeffrey Jones on Twitter: @the_Jeff_JonesOpens in a new window
Quebec's Line 9 decision should be an easy one
As decision looms, seven facts on Enbridge's proposed Line 9 reversal
Why, nine years later, Keystone XL's fate is still in limbo
We should assess new pipelines like the Americans do
The slick strategy of the reusable pipeline
Minister rules out Ontario environmental assessment of Line 9 reversal
Alberta oil sands, pipeline projects protested in rallies across Canada
Jeffrey Jones

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Adding content to your Learning Site is a process of utilising the Learning Resources content areas made available by the SCU unit template where possible, hiding unused content areas from student view and adding new content areas where your delivery plan deems it necessary.
Each content area can be developed by editing existing content items or adding new items. The built-in content editor allows you to copy and paste content, apply formatting, and add links, images and other media to each item.
The content that you add should align with principles of academic integrity and should be prepared with accessibility of all students in mind.
Learning resources can be added progressively as the teaching session progresses, or can be added in advance of delivery and made available to students as required.
You can test your developed content from the perspective of your students by utilising MySCU's Student View function.
All Blackboard Learning Sites in MySCU are first created using the SCU unit template. The template defines the initial Learning Site appearance and structure, and the default items in the site menu.
Content such as study guides, lecture recordings and links to MyReadings have dedicated content areas built into the template under the Learning Resources heading. Additional resources such as notes and tutorial questions can be added to the Other Resources content area. There are separate headings for locating assessment information and tools, as well as collaborative tools such as discussion forums and Collaborate sessions.
Unit content can be added to a content area by first selecting the menu item, then choosing the desired type of content item from the action bar that appears. The Build Content menu on the action bar allows you to choose from commonly used content item types including items, learning modules, folders and mashups.
When editing or adding content items, the built-in content editor provides an easy-to-use editable area with toolbars and icons, into which content can be copied and pasted or typed and then formatted. The content editor also allows you to create hyperlinks, add images and multimedia, attach files, undo and redo actions and add mashups.
Academic integrity and copyright compliance are important considerations when developing content for your Learning Site.
When preparing content for your Learning Site, you should design and build content so that all students can effectively access the information. Some of your students will have limits to the amount of visual and/or audio information they can access. Accessibility principles help accommodate the needs of such students so they are not disadvantaged by the use of images, podcasts, videos and other multimedia in your Learning Site content.
When teaching in MySCU, you have the ability to control the release of content to your students, allowing you to prepare the content on your Learning Site in advance and giving access to students as appropriate.
There are three ways that availability to students can be controlled. You can hide menu items from students, toggle availability on each content item that is added to a content area, or you can apply Adaptive Release which allows access to students only upon meeting predefined criteria.


Coming soon a wide selection of non-certified and below 0.50cts diamond engagement rings.
Engagement rings are the symbol of your betrothal. Engagement rings feature a diamond, the hardest sustance in existance and the most perfect of gemstones. Traditionally, but not necissarily, worn on the fourth finger of the left hand, the engagement rings' diamond is cradled in a delicate setting. The setting holds the diamond securely while displaying the diamond in it's best light. The choice of shank style and weight finishes engagement rings as items of beauty and a symbol of love.
There are almost innumerate options for the style of an engagement ring with different shank styles, different shoulders and different engagement ring setting styles. There are several different diamond shapes and then there is the choice of metal; gold, white gold or platinum. Let us help you choose the perfect engagement ring for you.


Most Popular for A Good Reason!
The Road Force 6' wide line-up may very well be our most popular trailer. Why? Manageable size, wide selection (including single axle, tandem axles, and V-Fronts), impressive capacity range (1580 lb. to 5200 lb.), flexible (work or play), customizable (add packages or individual items) and sharp looks to boot!


text:
Collider Finds New Particle To Physics
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has made its first official discovery as researchers continue to pour through libraries of data.
The CERN particle accelerator near Geneva is to report its first clear observation of a new particle since beginning its experiments in 2009.
The particle is a type of boson known as Chi-b (3P) and is responsible for communicating forces between minute quantum distances.
The discovery, which was made after scientists observed unexpected "mass peaks" has not yet been published, but was reported on the Arxiv pre-print server.
The LHC is the largest and most sophisticated man-made construction in history. The huge underground circuit accelerates protons at speeds close to the speed of light and smashes them together.
Scientists then hunt through the debris produced in magnetic detectors, to assess the composition of particles on the smallest scales.
The Chi-b (3P) is an excited state of Chi particles already seen in previous collision experiments.
The news comes only a week after it emerged scientists have come close to identifying the sought after Higgs Boson. The search for the deeply mysterious particle was one of the chief reasons behind building the multi-billion euro collider, and understanding its properties could explain how and even why particles have mass.
(DW/GK)
'God Particle' Evidence Spotted By Scientists
The multi-billion pound search, using the largest and most sophisticated machine ever built, has found hints of the mysterious 'God Particle' that would explain the building blocks of the universe.


If there's anything we love more than our favorite celebs, it's their kids. Watching them grow up is kind of like watching a fairytale happen before our very eyes. While we're going to have to wait a few years to hear some of the younger ones confess what it's like to grow up with superstar 'rents (imagine when North West tells us about life with Kim and Kanye) it's no matter, because we have plenty to tide us over. Here, Lily-Rose Depp gives us the first exclusive peek at her life during an interview with Love magazine, the first that she's doing on her own.
"It is delicate being my age, and trying to do all the regular teenager stuff, and then having that in the spotlight," Lily said. "But I am grateful for what it brings and it is honestly a small price to pay to get to do what I want to do — I am very happy about that." She continued by saying that she's had all kinds of privileges, such as knowing people like Karl Lagerfeld since she was just eight.
As for her future career plans (aside from that amazing Insta) she's got her eyes set on following in her parents' footsteps — and luckily for her, she has the opportunity to do so already: "I can act every single day because I love it; it's just so liberating. It might be rare, but there are certain moments when you really don't feel like yourself. When you are in the character so fully, it's the best feeling ever. I so love it. Even if those moments come just once a day or every other day, they are just worth it."
As it turns out, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.


I like FRAC. FRAC (Food Research and Action Center) works to improve public policies and public-private partnerships to eradicate hunger in the US, and I've found them a source of valuable information about hunger-related issues. (For a great read, see FRAC's publication Eight Essential Strategies to End Hunger in America at http://frac.org/pdf/plan-to-end-hunger-in-america.pdf.) When offered the opportunity to travel to Washington, DC to attend FRAC's 2016 National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference, I jumped at the chance!
And, I wasn't disappointed - two and a half days chock-full of seminars addressing a wide variety of issues affecting our country's safety net for people who are food insecure; the opportunity to learn from experts in our field, including Kathryn Edin, co-author of Two Dollars a Day, (another must read!); and meetings with the staff of each of our U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey… and a surprise visit with Congressman Seth Moulton!
Sounds like enough excitement for one conference, but, it was the session I attended called Food is Medicine – Improving Health through Healthcare Partnerships that provided me with resources that I hope will prove invaluable to future programs at Our Neighbors' Table.
Health care providers are becoming increasingly aware that an important piece of improving patients' health is addressing food insecurity, and many physicians and hospitals around the country have taken a preventive approach by actively screening for food insecurity, and offering services to address them. Building partnerships between healthcare providers and community service organizations like Our Neighbors' Table is a model that has seen a great deal of success across the country.
During this session, I had the opportunity to meet with Lynn Knox, who has implemented such a program at the Oregon Food Bank. She generously shared materials that should be very helpful to ONT, should we decide to implement a Healthcare partnership model here in our service region. As we look for creative ways to reach people in our service area, these tools and relationships will provide a strong foundation for effective programs.
So, all in all, this trip to Washington far exceeded any expectations that I could have hoped for at the outset. I felt assured by our Senators' and Representative's commitment to helping our most vulnerable citizens. And I look forward to putting to use the resources I picked up from colleagues across the country.
Do you work for a local doctor's office? Are interested in helping us implement a Healthcare partnership model in our area? If so, please contact Lori Townsend.
Check out this brief video from Feeding America on the relationship between health and food insecurity.


Hilton Head Island Business & Convention Facilities - Guide to Hotel Convention Centers, Banquet Rooms, Conference Facilities and Accommodations for Business Groups and Meetings on Hilton Head Island, SC.
Guide to Hotel Convention Centers, Banquet Rooms, Conference Facilities and Accommodations for Business Groups and Meetings on Hilton Head Island, SC.
Doing business on Hilton Head Island is easy with a variety of luxury hotels, resorts and accommodations for business conferences or meetings. Stay on the beach in oceanfront resorts with ameneties such as tennis, day spas, fine dining, poolside relaxation, bicycle rentals and all the conveniences at your disposal. Hilton Head is a fantastic destination for business, with plenty of accommodations to choose from as well as a wide variety of restaurants, shops and amenities for business travelers. You will find the finest luxury resort hotels from Omni, Marriott, Sonesta, Westin, Ramada, Holiday Inn and other leading brands of hoteliers who know a thing or two about Southern Hospitality.
Within walking distance of Hilton Head's most popular beach. Great rates, complimentary delux continental breakfast, free local calls, pet friendly and an outdoor pool. Modern rooms in a casual hotel offering an outdoor pool, a gym and a free breakfast buffet. Set amongst lagoons and woodland, this informal hotel is an 8-minute walk from Coligny Beach Park, and 5 miles from the Harbour Town Lighthouse and Museum. Featuring modern decor, the streamlined rooms offer free Wi-Fi and flat-screen TVs, plus minifridges, microwaves and coffeemakers. Upgraded rooms add sofabeds and/or balconies. Kids age 19 and under stay free with an adult. Freebies include parking and a breakfast buffet served in a casual dining area. There's also a tree-lined outdoor pool, a fitness center and a kids' mini-golf course.
Condos and vacation homes in an upscale beachfront property with golf, tennis, a marina and restaurants.
Relax and unwind at our oceanfront resort. Upscale resort with modern dining and bars, plus 3 outdoor pools, a day spa and direct beach access. Rejuvenate your mind and body at Heavenly Spa by Westin, feed your soul with low country cuisine and discover the finest Hilton Head has to offer.
Multipart venue hosting drama, comedy, musical and experimental theater, plus a visual-arts gallery.
Elegant quarters in an upscale resort with 3 golf courses, tennis courts and multiple restaurants.


text:
Reading Women Since 2013
My Lit Work
Book Reviews Elsewhere
Fiction Publications
Reading Fat Women
Recommended Comic Books
Recommended General Fiction
Recommended Fiction by Genre
Recommended Nonfiction
Recommended Poetry
Recommended YA & NA fiction
December 17, 2020 December 13, 2020 Grab the Lapels
Game of Hearts by Cathy Yardley
When a hipster man comes into Summer Auto Garage and is greeted by a woman asking him questions about the problem with his vehicle, he's incredibly dismissive. Of course he is. Why is this secretary asking about his van? Because Kyla is the co-owner of the auto garage and practically runs the place alone while her brother, the other co-owner, runs around with his girlfriend and takes loads of time off. Kyla is a mechanic, orders parts, and does all billing on the computer.
But when she receives a phone call from her brother saying he's broken his arm on a ski trip and can't help at all (not even the billing, Billy? so lazy…), Kyla panics. It's not just the auto garage. She's also a costume designer, making one-of-a-kind pieces for cosplayers at comic conventions, and the big Comic Con in San Diego is coming up. With a chance to win a costume contest and land free advertising in a magazine, Kyla isn't screwing around with Billy's idiocy.
The only mechanic she can afford (that is, a volunteer) is Jericho, a traveling mechanic who customizes motorcycles. When he was a teen, Jericho and his mother fought like crazy, so he spent most of his time on Kyla and Billy's family couch — and even more time at their house after Jericho's mom threw him out. But chosen family is still family, so Jericho heads to Summer Auto Garage to be of assistance.
One of the first things I noticed about Cathy Yardley's Game of Hearts is she has a diverse cast of characters, but never adds labels to them in a ham-handed way. She doesn't write, "Jericho is a 6'7″ Native American with a white mom." Information about his parents and heritage aren't clear until around 2/3 through the novel. Other characters — a gender fluid person, a person with agoraphobia, or even Kyla in regards to her size — are all introduced as people first, and then context clues tell readers the rest. I've read some pretty exhausting books that work really hard to make sure you know their characters aren't all straight, white, cis people, which always takes me out of the story. Plus, that's not how I am introduced to people in real life, so it reads awkwardly. Yardley does an excellent job writing a diverse cast of folks who are individuals before labels.
The author also encourages all of her characters to be decent. When Billy says to Jericho that he's not worried that his friend would date his sister, because Kyla is not Jericho's type, Jericho is confused. Billy's reason: because she's "heavy." Yardley's choice to write contrasting male characters demonstrates she knows how people tend to be — Billy is selfish, shallow — and how people can be — Jericho admires Kyla for her work ethic, loyalty, and creativity — creating foils for a refreshing romantic comedy with a fat female character treated with dignity and isn't fetishized.
Game of Hearts include a few steamy scenes and plenty of playful dialogue. There are characters we root for and those we can hate, so the tension between people drive the plot forward. When you pick up a rom-com, you know you're in for a happy ending, and Yardley leads us predictably there. Well, except that part where Kyla disables a potential kidnapper and then puts him a costume contest. Fresh yet obvious, Game of Hearts is a fun read that will fill a few hours of your time.
Can't get enough? Yardley wrote more books about the characters you meet in Game of Hearts. At this time, I don't plan to read them, but if you're in the headspace for romance, nerds, and comedy, Yardley provides. Bonus: no need to read them in order.
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fat girls and women
Published by Grab the Lapels
I'm a graduate of the MFA fiction writing program at the University of Notre Dame, which inspired me to follow along with trends in teaching, publishing, and reviewing. I also have an MA and BS from Central Michigan University. I used to teach composition, creative writing, and literature in higher education, and then did a brief stint at a civic theatre, but now work at a public library.	View all posts by Grab the Lapels
Previous Mini Review: Bones on Ice by Kathy Reichs 🎧
Next Sunday Lowdown #98
Laila@BigReadingLife says:
wadholloway says:
I'm glad you're finding success in your quest. Do you think Kyla needed to validate her femininity by designing clothes as well as being a competent mechanic? And, I might be a bit disconcerted if I had been imagining Jericho as a weedy 5'6″ white boy and then suddenly he's a very tall Native American.
Grab the Lapels says:
I felt like Kyla was pretty feminine as a mechanic, too, though there was a section in which she thought about how designing costumes allowed her to express her femininity, so I thought that was interesting.
Jericho is always described as tall, and I had a fair sense of what he looked like, but I didn't know he was tribal until later. The author does a good job of blending details in.
Literary Elephant says:
Ooh, always nice to see books that use the same cast of characters but don't have to be read in order! I wish that was a more common trend. This must be the book you mentioned to me featuring diverse characters who are introduced as people first, not labels. Lovely to see that done well. Great review!
Yes, this is the book I mentioned. I also enjoy books that are in the same universe, but not in order. Those fun beach reads we got into earlier this year, the ones by Jenny Holiday, are like that, too.
The first example that comes to mind for me is Helen Hoang's romances with autistic characters, which feature the same cast of characters but can be read in any order. I wonder if that kind of series is a romance novel trend, or if it just seems obvious because that's the genre we're talking about at the moment? Hmm. I can see why it's so conducive to romance though, it's easy to get invested in the characters in that genre without needing a continuous plot!
It might be a romance thing, especially since the whole point of romance is the happily ever after. A genre like fantasy is more episodic, with those long journeys being more the point, so I don't see a lot of room for each book being a stand alone.
I'm glad this was a good read! My initial reaction to your first paragraph was that this was a book about a character who Isn't Like Other Girls (a trope that always bothers me) but it sounds like it's actually a fun read with interesting characters.
She actually had skills and wasn't "too cool," but I super know what you mean!
annelogan17 says:
Sounds cute, and I so know what you mean about authors trying too hard to label their characters as diverse. I have so much more respect for a writer when we learn these things naturally about a character as we get to know them better, not just right off the bat to check a box.
I recently started reading Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant, and right away she labels people. Most memorable thus far are the big game hunters: a woman of Japanese descent who sounds totally Australian because that's where she's from and comes from a family of whale hunters, and her partner, a French-Canadian man with a matching accent who has no regret about killing lions
That sounds strange LOL
This sounds fun and well done in its portrayal of diverse characters – hooray! Her books are available on Kindle here but I'm not sure they're not too geeky for me, i.e. I won't understand the context. But I'm glad they exist anyway.
The most geek thing the characters mentioned were Game of Thrones, which I've not seen or read, but I still followed along easily. Kyra creates three costumes of characters I didn't know, but the characters don't matter so much, either.
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Categories Select Category #AmWriting Book Reviews Book Tours Meet the Writer Misc. Tech Tips


text:
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using Effekseer.Utl;

namespace Effekseer.Data.Value
{
	public class FloatWithRandom
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				return GetCenter();
			}

			set
			{
				SetCenter(value);
			}
		}

		public float Max
		{
			get
			{
				return GetMax();
			}

			set
			{
				SetMax(value);
			}
		}

		public float Min
		{
			get
			{
				return GetMin();
			}

			set
			{
				SetMin(value);
			}
		}

		public float Amplitude
		{
			get
			{
				return GetAmplitude();
			}

			set
			{
				SetAmplitude(value);
			}
		}

		public DrawnAs DrawnAs
		{
			get;
			set;
		}

		public float Step
		{
			get;
			set;
		}

		public event ChangedValueEventHandler OnChanged;

		internal float DefaultValueCenter { get; private set; }
		internal float DefaultValueMax { get; private set; }
		internal float DefaultValueMin { get; private set; }
		internal DrawnAs DefaultDrawnAs { get; private set; }

		internal FloatWithRandom(float value = 0, float max = float.MaxValue, float min = float.MinValue, DrawnAs drawnas = Data.DrawnAs.CenterAndAmplitude, float step = 1.0f)
		{
			_max = max;
			_min = min;
			_value_center = value.Clipping(_max, _min);
			_value_max = value.Clipping(_max, _min);
			_value_min = value.Clipping(_max, _min);

			DrawnAs = drawnas;
			Step = step;

			DefaultValueCenter = _value_center;
			DefaultValueMax = _value_max;
			DefaultValueMin = _value_min;
			DefaultDrawnAs = DrawnAs;
		}

		protected void CallChanged(object value, ChangedValueType type)
		{
			if (OnChanged != null)
			{
				OnChanged(this, new ChangedValueEventArgs(value, type));
			}
		}

		public float GetCenter()
		{
			return _value_center;
		}

		public void SetCenter(float value, bool isCombined = false)
		{
			value = Math.Min(value, _max);
			value = Math.Max(value, _min);

			if (value == _value_center) return;

			float a = Amplitude;

			float old_center = _value_center;
			float new_center = value;
			float old_max = _value_max;
			float new_max = Math.Min(value + a, _max );
			float old_min = _value_min;
			float new_min = Math.Max(value - a, _min);

			var cmd = new Command.DelegateCommand(
				() =>
				{
					_value_center = new_center;
					_value_max = new_max;
					_value_min = new_min;

					CallChanged(new_center, ChangedValueType.Execute);
				},
				() =>
				{
					_value_center = old_center;
					_value_max = old_max;
					_value_min = old_min;

					CallChanged(old_center, ChangedValueType.Unexecute);
				},
				this,
				isCombined);

			Command.CommandManager.Execute(cmd);
		}

		internal void SetCenterDirectly(float value)
		{
			_value_center = value;
		}

		public float GetMax()
		{
			return _value_max;
		}

		public void SetMax(float value, bool isCombined = false)
		{
			value = Math.Min(value, _max);
			value = Math.Max(value, _min);

			if (value == _value_max) return;

			float old_max = _value_max;
			float new_max = value;
			float old_min = _value_min;
			float new_min = Math.Min(value, _value_min);
			float old_center = _value_center;
			float new_center = (new_max + new_min) / 2.0f;

			var cmd = new Command.DelegateCommand(
				() =>
				{
					_value_center = new_center;
					_value_max = new_max;
					_value_min = new_min;

					CallChanged(new_max, ChangedValueType.Execute);
				},
				() =>
				{
					_value_center = old_center;
					_value_max = old_max;
					_value_min = old_min;

					CallChanged(old_max, ChangedValueType.Unexecute);
				},
				this,
				isCombined);

			Command.CommandManager.Execute(cmd);
		}

		internal void SetMaxDirectly(float value)
		{
			_value_max = value;
		}

		public float GetMin()
		{
			return _value_min;
		}

		public void SetMin(float value, bool isCombined = false)
		{
			value = Math.Min(value, _max);
			value = Math.Max(value, _min);

			if (value == _value_min) return;

			float old_max = _value_max;
			float new_max = Math.Max(value, _value_max);
			float old_min = _value_min;
			float new_min = value;
			float old_center = _value_center;
			float new_center = (new_max + new_min) / 2.0f;

			var cmd = new Command.DelegateCommand(
				() =>
				{
					_value_center = new_center;
					_value_max = new_max;
					_value_min = new_min;

					CallChanged(new_min, ChangedValueType.Execute);
				},
				() =>
				{
					_value_center = old_center;
					_value_max = old_max;
					_value_min = old_min;

					CallChanged(old_min, ChangedValueType.Unexecute);
				},
				this,
				isCombined);

			Command.CommandManager.Execute(cmd);
		}

		internal void SetMinDirectly(float value)
		{
			_value_min = value;
		}

		public float GetAmplitude()
		{
			return Math.Max(_value_max - _value_center, _value_center - _value_min);
		}

		public void SetAmplitude(float value, bool isCombined = false)
		{
			value = Math.Abs(value);

			float old_center = _value_center;
			float new_center = _value_center;
			float old_max = _value_max;
			float new_max = Math.Min(_value_center + value, _max);
			float old_min = _value_min;
			float new_min = Math.Max(_value_center - value, _min);

			if (new_max == old_max && new_min == old_min) return;

			var cmd = new Command.DelegateCommand(
				() =>
				{
					_value_center = new_center;
					_value_max = new_max;
					_value_min = new_min;

					CallChanged(new_min, ChangedValueType.Execute);
				},
				() =>
				{
					_value_center = old_center;
					_value_max = old_max;
					_value_min = old_min;

					CallChanged(old_min, ChangedValueType.Unexecute);
				},
				this,
				isCombined);

			Command.CommandManager.Execute(cmd);
		}
	}
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Confidence in the UK housing market stabilises
Jane Howdle
Published: 9:34 AM April 24, 2017 Updated: 2:59 PM November 1, 2020
Halifax reports renewed confidence in the market following a period of decline (Photo: Archant) - Credit: Archant
Confidence in the UK housing market has stabilised after a record period of decline, a new study has revealed.
The latest Halifax Housing Market Confidence Tracker showed that 58 per cent of respondents expect prices to rise over the next 12 months, compared to 14 per cent who predict they'll fall.
The majority (30 per cent) believe prices will rise by less than 5 per cent, while 19 per cent expect an increase of 5-10 per cent. 23 per cent think prices will remain the same however, while 7 per cent predict a fall of up to 5 per cent.
House price optimism peaked in May 2015 around the time of the General Election, when 72 per cent of people predicted a rise in house prices.
Martin Ellis, Halifax housing economist, said: "House price optimism is little changed since the October 2016 measure, which is significant because it was the first post-Brexit survey and recorded the steepest fall since the tracker began. The latest results suggest that consumer confidence in the housing market is potentially settling into a new lower 'normal'.
"This sentiment echoes the slowdown in the annual rate of house price growth, which has more than halved over the past 12 months."
But while more than a third (38 per cent) believe the next year would be a good time to buy and sell, confidence in the wider economy has fallen sharply.
Martin Ellis added: "We are seeing a renewed drop in confidence amongst consumers regarding the general economic outlook, which is coinciding with the UK Government starting its two-year period of EU exit negotiations.
"The gap between house price optimism and economic optimism has only been bigger once – March 2016 – indicating that whilst there is greater consumer uncertainty over the wider economy, confidence with the housing market is holding up well, possibly due to other factors such as a shortage of available housing."


text:
'Wake Up, Sir!'
by Sara Bir
: Jonathan Ames is an inveterate navel-gazer. –>
Jonathan Ames' 'Wake Up, Sir!' is a dashing yet thoroughly wacky comedy
Writers, being the highly introspective types that they are, often write about writing. Perhaps this is because, for most writers, writing can be an agonizing, demanding exercise in tedium; for every sentence tapped out on the keyboard, there are at least five minutes spent picking at fingernails, gazing at the proverbial bellybutton and–the penultimate writing procrastination black hole known to modern scribes–playing computer solitaire.
Alan Blair, the narrator of Jonathan Ames' sprightly screwball novel Wake Up, Sir! (Scribner; $23) is all too familiar with this cycle. The 30-year-old Alan is in the midst of composing what he'd like to think of as "the Great New Jersey Novel," though he's spending more time losing his composure than actually composing. Aside from anxieties about his Jewishness, his health and his penis ("Wild Jewish sexuality must be an inherited trait, an evolutionary adjustment to shortened life spans due to pogroms, genocide, bad colons and general dislike," he muses), Alan's main cause of distraction is alcohol. As the book opens, we find him fresh from a failed stint in rehab, living with his elderly aunt and uncle in suburban New Jersey and, when not fine-tuning his computer solitaire skills, drinking solitarily in his room.
Writers–productive or not–get lonely, and to remedy this, Alan does a very unusual thing for a young, floundering alcoholic writer: he employs a valet named Jeeves. For those of you who neither pilfered from your grandfather's book collection nor watched Masterpiece Theater, Ames is giving an affectionate nod to P. G. Wodehouse's early-20th-century series of Jeeves and Wooster books, in which the stoic Jeeves was constantly disengaging his nincompoop charge, Bertie Wooster, from disastrous capers. These follies took place in a world of well-dressed young gentleman, eternal cocktail hours and gigantic estates in the English countryside.
Such a world is of great appeal to Alan, who wears his obsession for bygone eras of dandy but gallant gentlemen on his Brooks Brothers sleeve. Stable, collected and possibly not actually composed of vulnerable human flesh, Alan's Jeeves is everything Alan is not, and Alan finds great comfort in Jeeves' refined yet placating words of encouragement, which are typically along the lines of "Very good, sir."
After Alan's drinking overstays its welcome, Alan and Jeeves escape New Jersey to upstate New York, where Alan's beer-fueled libido sparks a drunken brawl and marks him with a broken nose. Once again, he and Jeeves must flee; luckily, Alan's aunt informs him that he's been accepted to stay at an artists' colony in Saratoga Springs.
Face pulverized and obscured behind a floppy hat and sunglasses, Alan rolls into the Rose Colony with the purest intentions of sobering up and immersing himself in his novel. Instead, he immerses himself in cheap white wine and immediately becomes fixated with a resident sculptress and her magnificent nose. Everyone at the Rose Colony turns out to be slightly loopy–and, in some cases, totally nuts, though Alan may be the looniest of all. In a beautiful twist of irony, Jeeves is the only one who keeps Alan sane.
Ames is probably best known for the hapless persona of his real-life sexual escapade "City Slicker" columns that appeared in the New York Press and were collected in the books What's Not to Love? and My Less Than Secret Life. In all of his work, both fiction and fictionalized nonfiction, there's an obsession on self that somehow manages to be endearing and familiar, a worst-case scenario of the struggle to reconcile innate goodness with the self-loathing desire to simply be shot.
There's an island of timelessness permeating Ames' writing. His narrators move through modern days and constantly distill them for the reader with what they perceive to be the lenses of yore: they yearn to be charming, to be dashing, to be loved for spiffy neckwear. But we know they're never going to pull it off, and ultimately that's why Ames' writing is so frustrating and yet lovable. As Alan says, "Live and don't learn–that's my motto."
It may not be the sunniest-sounding summer reading material, but there's a twisted jolliness propelling the tomfoolery throughout Wake Up, Sir! that both alleviates and intensifies its dark streak. All players of computer solitaire will doubtlessly identify.
From the August 4-10, 2004 issue of the North Bay Bohemian.
© Metro Publishing Inc.
Previous articleCongresswoman Lynn Woolsey
Next articleAbsinthe


text:
Tickets for events at Sage Gateshead
St Mary's Square, Gateshead, NE8 2JR
Sage Gateshead tickets
Wed 11 Sep
7:00 PM Kelly Jones
Sage Gateshead, Gateshead On sale on Friday, 19 Jul 2019 at 10:00 AM
Tue 24 Sep
7:00 PM Fisherman's Friends
Sage Gateshead, Gateshead
7:30 PM An Evening With Armistead Maupin
Tue 08 Oct
7:30 PM All You Need Is Love
7:00 PM Midge Ure - Vienna & Visage - 1980 Tour
Performing: Midge Ure
Wed 30 Oct
7:00 PM OMD - Gateshead
Performing: OMD and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
7:30 PM Marillion With Friends From The Orchestra
Performing: Marillion and Harry Pane
7:00 PM Steve Hackett Genesis Revisited 2019
Sage Gateshead, Gateshead Contact venue for tickets
Performing: Steve Hackett
7:30 PM Sophie Ellis Bextor
Performing: Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Fri 20 Dec
7:30 PM Ronnie Spector & The Ronettes Christmas Show
Performing: Ronnie Spector
Thu 19 Mar
7:30 PM Anton & Erin
Cycle racks are available adjacent to the building.
The nearest station is Newcastle Central (around three hours to London King's Cross, one and a half hours to Edinburgh). If you arrive into Newcastle Central Station you can choose to either: 1. Catch the yellow Quaylink Q1 bus from outside Central Station (about fifteen minutes). 2. Walk across the Swing Bridge from Central Station (about fifteen minutes). (See Google Map below) 3. Take a taxi (about eight minutes).
From the A1(M) / A1: Take the exit signposted (from the South) Gateshead and Newcastle (Centre) A184 or (from the North) Gateshead A184. Keep in the left-hand lane of A184 signposted Gateshead town centre. At roundabout, take third exit, signposted Gateshead town centre. Go straight through two sets of traffic lights. Get into the right hand lane to go straight over at a third set of lights. At the fourth set of lights, turn left onto Oakwellgate and immediately right under the railway bridge up the steep slope into our car park, or second right to the drop-off point, or blue badge parking. From Newcastle Centre: From the Tyne Bridge, go through the pedestrian traffic lights, under the railway bridge and straight across the next traffic lights. At the next lights, take the left signed Gateshead Quays and East Gateshead (NOT the loop signed Consett or Metro Centre). At the first lights with Mecca Bingo on your right, turn left onto Oakwellgate. Stay in the right hand lane under the railway bridge and take first right into our car park or second right to the drop-off point or blue badge parking. From the Swing Bridge: Go straight up Bridge Street, which turns into Cannon Street: as the road bears round to the right, go left for the drop-off point or blue badge parking or follow the road right into Oakwellgate and take the first left to our car park just before the railway bridge. There is a drop-off and collection point at the west door of Sage Gateshead.
We offer a free phone at Coats Desk which connects you directly with the taxi company.
The Quaylink bus is a handy way to explore Newcastle and Gateshead Quayside including Sage Gateshead. The buses run up to every 15 minutes during the day and every 30 minutes in the evening For some Sage One evening classical concerts, we provide a dedicated service on two routes: 1. Hexham and Corbridge 2. Alnwick and Morpeth via Felton Tickets cost £8 return and should be booked in advance on 0191 443 4661. Newcastle coach station is operated by National Express and is situated at St James' Boulevard just a ten minute walk from the Metro at Central Station.
Sage Gateshead has its own car park with lift access situated directly behind the building. (Please note Mill Road car park, situated at the bottom of the steps near the Millennium Bridge, is not operated by Sage Gateshead). Up to 30 minutes: FREE - go straight to the exit with your ticket. Up to 1 hour: £1.90 Up to 2 hours: £3.50 3 hours or more: £4.80 - Pre-payment required before entering the building. If you are staying for 3 hours or more and pre-payment is not made, then an hourly rate of £1.90 will apply to your visit. Pre-payment charges will cover until 6am the following day, at which point an hourly rate of £1.90 will apply.
Assistance Dogs are welcome at our venue, without any additional charge, subject to production of a valid identification document from Assistance Dog (UK) or equivalent international organisation.	A separate ticket is not required, however we ask customers to inform our team prior to the day of the event so that any necessary arrangements can be made.


text:
Phishing Scam Spoofs IRS to Obtain Fraudulent Outstanding Tax Payment
by titanadmin | Nov 16, 2020 | Email Scams, Phishing & Email Spam |
A phishing campaign has been identified that spoofs the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and advises recipients that they are facing imminent legal action to recover outstanding tax.
The emails are convincing and well written and are final demands for payment to prevent legal action to recover the outstanding funds. The emails warn the recipient that the IRS has made several attempts to make contact by telephone after no response was received to a written demand for payment that the emails claim was mailed 18 months previously in May 2019. The failure to respond has led to the IRS taking legal action, with charges due to be filed imminently to recover the outstanding tax.
In contrast to many scams that seek login credentials or attempt to get the user to open file attachments to trigger a malware download, this scam uses social engineering techniques to scare the recipient into making contact via email to resolve the fictitious issue. The purpose of the scam is to get the recipient to make a fraudulent payment or disclose their financial account information.
The lack of any hyperlinks or email attachments makes it more likely that the email will be delivered to inboxes and will not be identified as malicious by security solutions. Fortunately, SpamTitan users will be protected from this scam as multiple checks are performed which identify the scam for what it is.
The message body contains all the classic hallmarks of a phishing scam:
There is urgency to get prompt action taken – Immediate resolution of the issue is necessary
There is a threat of negative consequences if no action is taken – Legal action to recover funds
The request is plausible, but an atypical request is made – to only make contact via email
The emails include a case file number, detail the outstanding amount – $1450.61 in this case – and include a docket number and warrant ID for the impending legal action. The recipient is told that legal action will proceed in 4 days if payment is not made, and that the opportunity for voluntary action to rectify the issue is coming to an end.
In addition to the threat of legal action and a court case, the recipient is informed that credit reference bureaus may also be notified about the late/missed payment, which would negatively impact their credit score.
The emails have the subject line "Re: Re: Case ID#ON/7722 / WARRANT FOR YOUR ARREST," indicating this is not the first time that the message has been sent, helping to emphasize that this is a final warning.
Steps have been taken to make the email appear official, with the display text of the sender address indicating the message has been sent from support @ irs.gov – the legitimate domain used by the IRS. However, the reply to email address supplied is legal.cc @ outlook.com – Which is clearly not an official IRS domain and the message headers show that the email was not sent from the domain stated.
The email does include a postal address; however, no telephone number is supplied. Full contact information would be provided in official IRS communications, although the IRS would not initiate contact with individuals via email.
The phishing emails highlight the importance of stopping to think about what is being requested and to take time to check emails carefully before responding, no matter how pressing the threat may be. Any request for payment should be verified by phone, with contact information obtained from a trusted source, never the contact details supplied in the email. A call to the IRS would quickly reveal this to be a scam.
The reason these scams succeed is because they rely on individuals responding quickly without thinking. Fortunately, an effective spam filter will detect these scam emails and will quarantine or reject the messages.


Shabby Chic Upholstered Bench: Farmhouse style table and chairs dining storage with.
Gray washed desk cabinet design ideas.
Fresh ways to style your home with buffalo check digsdigs.
Carved wooden wall panel distressed white amazon.
Grey fabric button bench upholstered bed.
Nina farmer boston house winter home makeover ideas.
Coffee table with glass panels remove and replace.
Gorgeous oversized entrance mirror ideas shelterness.
Beautiful carved shabby chic french style bed end bench in.
Upholstered long bed end stool.
Farmhouse style table and chairs dining storage with.


Avril Lavigne is a Canadian singer-songwriter whose high energy, punk rock music gained popularity in the United States after the release of her debut album, Let Go. With three hit singles on her Let Go album ("It's Complicated," "I'm With You," and "Sk8er Boi"), Lavigne became the second artist in history to have three top-ten songs from a debut album on Billboard's Mainstream Top 40 Chart.
Avril jumps right into sight to begin telling the story of "Sk8er Boi," wearing black high top chucks.
Avril shows off her punk rock style, complete with striped knee socks, studded wristbands, and black chucks.
During the instrumental introduction of the song and the beginning of the video, Avril's band is promoting the concert via posters, flyers, graffiti, etc. Avril then jumps into a velvet chair—wearing chucks—and begins to tell the "Sk8er Boi" story. Avril sings, her friends and band mates play the drums and guitar, skateboard, and wreak other sorts of havoc, as punk rockers typically do. Her studded leather wristbands and tomboy apparel make it clear that she is more of a "skater boy" than a girly girl. Lavigne and her band arrive at the Los Angeles street intersection and perform the concert on the roof of a car.
A rowdy crowd surrounds Avril as she rocks out in black chucks on the hood of the car.
The crowd of rowdy fans surrounding them grows quickly and the concert turns into a mini punk rock riot. Towards the end of the video, a helicopter hovers over the concert and attempts to settle and disperse the crowd. As the impromptu concert comes to an end, Avril uses her red electric guitar to smash the car's rear windshield.
Wearing black high top chucks, Avril uses her guitar to smash the back windshield of the car as her impromptu performance comes to a close.


Two things I love love love, prawns and peanuts! This is how I combine them to make a succulent little dish..
In a small bowl, combine peanut butter, rice vinegar, mirin, sesame oil, soya and hot water.. Mix well and set aside. Then heat a pan or wok and add a large dollop of nut oil, the ginger, garlic and chili.. Cook these just a little and then when everything seems nice & sizzling, add the prawns and cook for about 1-2 minutes..
Just ONE thing I love, love, love: D's yummy-licious cooking! Regardless of what the "D Chef" makes - it's gonna' be finger-lickin' good! Trust me, the extra few pounds are well worth it :). Great blog D.


text:
Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks (9 p.m., National Geographic) – In the season finale, three southern boats are each within reach of the top spot in the final two days of the tuna season.
Great Food Truck Race (9 p.m., Food) – We're down to three teams (Raleigh's Pho Nomenal Dumplings truck is in the final three!) and they arrive in Tulsa, Okla., where phones and internet access is stripped.
Fear the Walking Dead (9 p.m., AMC) – Madison and Travis see different sides of the National Guard's occupation in their neighborhood, and the family tries to adopt to the new world.
WRAL anchor Jeff Hogan describes bodysurfing accident
Divorced NC couple wins $1 million on "Beat Shazam"
By Brooke Cain
For Summer 2019 watch the best binge-worthy streaming TV shows on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu and CBS All Access (plus cable series from HBO and BBC America). See "Fleabag," "Chernobyl," "Killing Eve" and more.
MORE HAPPINESS IS A WARM TV
What to Watch Friday: Eddie Murphy and others in new season of Seinfeld's 'Comedians in Cars'
What to Watch on Thursday: Vivica A. Fox in a new 'Wrong' movie on Lifetime
What to Watch on Wednesday: 'Suits' spinoff moves to the world of Chicago politics
The 2019 Emmy nominations are out, and Raleigh is once again represented
What to Watch on Tuesday: Documentary looks at the final year of JFK Jr's life


Whether it's walking, climbing, fishing, arts, crafts, kayaking, history, photography or wildlife that takes your fancy then Lower Breakish in south Skye is the perfect location to do it all.
Central for exploring The Isle of Skye and Wester Ross it's an ideal base.
As its name suggests, The Bijou Hideaway is a cosy, well equipped, open-plan self-catering studio for two. Compact but perfect for two as a base to chill and relax during your Skye holiday. Surrounded by stunning views, coastal walks, peace, tranquility and nature it is the ideal getaway.
Lower Breakish is a quiet crofting community where sheep and cows roam freely and otters can often be seen wandering through the garden. It's an ideal base for touring Skye and Lochalsh. It is advisable to have a car when staying here.
The studio is located only 3 miles from the village of Broadford where you can pick up local supplies at the supermarket, fuel (24hrs), atm, pubs, restaurants and there is also a village hospital. Red Skye restaurant is a 10-15min walk from the studio and is frequented by our guests regularly.
Take a look around our website for further information about the property, the area and how to book.
Proprietors Derek and Angela Dougan look forward to welcoming you and will be more than happy to assist if you require any further information about the area.


The State of Florida has online assistance for parents who want to make child support payments or are receiving child support payments. The eServices site allows you to get updates on your case, see payments made and see your child support order. The myFloridacounty website allows you to make payments online.
Step 2: Click on "Login" and enter your user name and password.
If you forgot your password, click on "forgot password" and you will be brought to a screen that will allow you to enter your user name and answer a previously set security question.
In Florida, in order to apply for child support, you must go to one of the local child support offices to obtain an application or you can call 1-800-622-5437 to have an application mailed to you.


Crisis of Battlefield IN ARIES � Birth of personality � death of Soul.
IN SCORPIO � Death of personality � birth of Soul.
VENUS IN TAURUS � Attracts form, money, possessions, desire. Desire for Knowledge.
IN GEMINI � Understanding of spiritual purpose behind all types of relationships (Spirit/Matter).
IN LIBRA - Equilibrium between material personal desire (Taurus) and intelligent spiritual love.
IN CAPRICORN � Love and mind meet in Soul consciousness (Christ).
The Birth Place IN ARIES � Diffuses illusion, expands Higher Mind, functions at Buddhi � relates spirit to matter � mediates between Soul/Personality, Soul/Monad.
IN GEMINI � Mediates and heightens sense of all dualities � rules X activity � mental fluidity/agility is greatest asset and difficulty � analytical.
IN VIRGO � Son of Mind holds idea of God - synthesis of Mind/Wisdom through the Soul � Intelligence/Wisdom blends with pure reason.
IN SCORPIO � Transformative in own/others thoughts � brings about collective transformation of consciousness for humanity so they can transfer from Mutable Cross to Fixed Cross.
MOON IN CANCER � Gives birth to the form � causes emotional conflict.
IN VIRGO � Nurtures the form (Veils Vulcan/Uranus) � Spirit/matter are one).
IN AQUARIUS � (Veiling) causes great transference from intellectual perception to intuitive knowledge � (Veiling Uranus) group consciousness of individual is developed.
Cancer and Virgo are both Mother symbols - Virgo differentiates the potential wholeness of Cancer into the many physical forms (Devas).
JUPITER IN SAGITTARIUS � Goal of fusing lower and Higher Mind � gaining experience feeding senses � wisdom emphasised.
IN PISCES � Expands contact with world of senses � brings two fishes together � sacrificial � love emphasised.
IN AQUARIUS � Soul expression � pouring forth of waters of love � fusion of heart and mind � impersonal love.
IN VIRGO � Soul consciousness temporarily hidden in matter � quickens Soul consciousness on physical plane.
SATURN	IN CAPRICORN (EX) � A ladder from material to spiritual (Rays 7, 3,1) � materialism, crystallisation, limitation, ambition � karma.
IN CAPRICORN (ES) � Spiritual ambition � break free of forms to be creators of forms � limitation now opportunity � crises and life situations give freedom of choice � dharma (Dweller).
URANUS IN AQUARIUS � Desire becomes gained knowledge � relates spirit and matter � spontaneous activity � occult knowledge.
IN LIBRA � Relates impersonally, collectively � social ideals � brings groups together � mystery of money � crisis of the burning ground � free choice by Initiate.
IN ARIES � Relates spirit and matter (A� 1 & 7) � burning ground of final stages of Path � occult way � mystery of initiation.
IN PISCES � Collectively � group consciousness.
IN CANCER � True and inclusive love supercedes life of emotional reaction � compassion � nurturing love energy.
IN LEO � Mystical consciousness � Heart of Sun.
PLUTO IN SCORPIO � Collectively � expresses energy because it is the Soul aspect to Leo/Neptune. �Death by Drowning� � martial fires of desire are put out.
IN PISCES � Death is transformation � Pluto cuts the thread between the 2 fishes � burning ground of Solar Plexus.
The three �gunas� are the three qualities of matter itself, sattva, raja and tamas, or rhythm, activity and inertia, and are inherent in all forms. The student needs to remember that every form on every plane is thus characterised, and this is true of the highest form as of the lowest, the manifestation of these qualities only differing in degree.
1) The attribute of inertia (or tamas) characterises the lower personal self, the sheaths of the threefold lower man.
2) The attribute of activity is the prime characteristic of the soul, and it is this quality which causes the intense activity and constant labour of the man as he seeks experience and later, as he seeks to serve.
3)	The attribute of rhythm, or balance, is the quality of Spirit or Monad and it is this tendency to perfection which is the cause of man�s evolution in time and space and the factor which carries all life through all forms to the consummation. Let us bear in mind here, however, that these three qualities are the qualities of substance through which the triple spirit is manifesting in this solar system.
1) The attribute of balance or rhythm (sattva) distinguishes the mental vehicle.
2) The quality of activity or mobility (raja) is the characteristic of the emotional or astral nature.
Every rotating sphere of matter is characterised by the three qualities inertia, mobility and rhythm ie. tamas, rajas and sattvas.
1)	Inertia. This characterises every atom at the dawn of manifestation (or one hundred years of Brahma), at the commencement of a chain, of a globe, or any spheroidal form whatsoever without exception. This statement, therefore, includes the totality of manifesting form within the solar system.
Let us keep clearly in our minds that we are simply considering the three qualities of matter itself and are not considering consciousness. Inertia is the result of lack of activity and the relative quiescence of the fires of matter. These fires, during obscuration or Pralaya, though latent, are free from the stimulation that comes from the aggregation of atoms into form, and the consequent interplay of the forms upon each other. Where form exists and the Laws of Repulsion and Attraction are coming into force, making radiation therefore impossible, then comes stimulation, emanative effect, and a gradual speeding up which eventually, from within the atom itself, by its own rotary movement produces the next quality.
2) Mobility. The inherent fires of Matter produce rotary movement. Eventually this rotation results in radiation. The radiation of matter, the result of its dual heat, produces necessarily an effect upon other atoms in its environment (it matters not whether that environment is cosmic space, systemic space, or the periphery of the physical body of a man), and this interaction and interplay causes repulsion and attraction according to the polarity of the cosmic, systemic or physical atom. Eventually this produces coherence of form; bodies or aggregates of atoms come into being or manifestation, and persist for a length of their greater or lesser cycles until the third quality is brought into definite recognition.
2)	Rhythm (sattva), or the attainment of the point of perfect balance and of equilibrium. This point of perfect balance then produces certain specific effects which might be enumerated and pondered upon, even if to our finite minds they may seem paradoxical and contradictory.
a) The disintegration of form.
b) The liberation of the essence which the form confines.
c) The separation of Spirit and Matter.
d) The end of a cycle, whether planetary, human or solar.
e) The production of obscuration, and the end of objectivity or manifestation.
g) The end of time and space as we understand it.
h) The unification of the three Fires and the bringing about of spontaneous combustion, if one might so express it.
i)	The synthetic activity of matter in the three types of movement - rotary, spiralling, cyclic - and onward progression in which unified movement will be produced by the interaction of the fires of matter, of mind and of Spirit upon each other.
When the point of rhythm or balance is reached in a solar system, in a plane, in a ray, in a causal body, and in the physical body, then the occupier of the form is loosed from prison; he can withdraw to his originating source, and is liberated from the sheath which has hitherto acted as a prison; and he can escape from an environment which he has utilised for the gaining of experience and as a battle-ground between the pairs of opposites. The sheath or form of whatever kind then automatically disintegrates.


Height (bottom to top) 26.36"
Depth (front to back) 20.28"
Storage Drawer interior (2) 16.50" x 15.00" x 5.00". Media opening (2) 18.00" x 19.61" x 7.50". Center compartment with removable, adjustable shelf.
The replicated oak grain finish offers a rustic casual appeal to this TV stand. Its warm brown finish and simple design will look great in your entertainment space, while its spacious size and plentiful storage provides room for your TV, electronic components, and decorative accents.


text:
@implementation DemoSingleton

singleton_implementation(DemoSingleton);

//static DemoSingleton *_instance = nil;
//
//+(instancetype)sharedDemoSingleton{
//
//
////    NSLock *lock = [[NSLock alloc]init];
////    [lock lock];
////    if (_instance == nil) {
////        _instance = [[self alloc]init];
////    }
////    [lock unlock];
////    return instance;
//
//
////    @synchronized (self) {
////        if (_instance == nil) {
////            _instance = [[self alloc]init];
////        }
////        return _instance;
////    }
//
//
//    static dispatch_once_t onceToken;
//    dispatch_once(&onceToken, ^{
//        _instance = [[self alloc]init];
//    });
//    return _instance;
//}
//
//
//+(instancetype)allocWithZone:(struct _NSZone *)zone{
//    static dispatch_once_t onceToken;
//    dispatch_once(&onceToken, ^{
//        _instance = [super allocWithZone:zone];
//    });
//    return _instance;
//}
//
//-(id)copyWithZone:(NSZone *)zone
//{
//    return _instance;
//}
//
//-(id)mutableCopyWithZone:(NSZone *)zone
//{
//    return _instance;
//}

@end


text:
Corey Graves Is Impressed With Samoa Joe On The WWE RAW Announce Team
By Darren Wood | December 05, 2019
Corey Graves was a long-time commentator on RAW along with Renee Young and Michael Cole. He would also provide commentary on SmackDown before the blue brand moved to the FOX Network in October.
Since the WWE Draft, the commentary teams in WWE have been shuffled and now Graves is exclusively on SmackDown along with Cole, while the RAW team was changed to Vic Joseph, Jerry Lawler and Dio Maddin.
Samoa Joe, who is currently out of action recovering from a thumb injury, has been recently used as a commentator on RAW after Brock Lesnar attacked Maddin a month ago.
Graves has been impressed by Joe on commentary. During the latest episode of After The Bell, he stated that it was the one thing which has stood out to him on RAW in the past few weeks, saying the injured star was "freakin'" awesome at his job.
"He was awesome," Graves said. "It is surprisingly hard for a lot of superstars to transition into commentary because it goes against what you're taught.
"It's sort of a selfish business where you're about promoting yourself and talking everything relating to yourself and your point of view. So to be able to break that in basically two nights on commentary - Samoa Joe could be the WWE's answer to Tony Romo - everyone is in love with his perspective - I think it's refreshing."
On WWE Backstage this past Tuesday, it was revealed that Joe will continue to commentate on RAW until he is cleared for in-ring competition. Maddin will be heading back to the WWE Performance Center in Florida to train to become a wrestler. Graves noted that he does not believe that Joe's move to the announce booth is permanent, and would like to see Joe have a run at the World title before ending his in-ring career.
"Samoa Joe is great, personally, as one of my long time friends - he is one of the most talented human beings that I know," Graves admitted. "He's entertaining and incredibly smart. Not to mention a complete bad ass in the ring. Selfishly I'm hoping Samoa Joe gets a world championship run at least before he decides to step out of the ring for good.
"I don't believe there is a transition in the works, but damn it, if Joe needed to prove to anybody he's done so in an emphatic way! Samoa Joe on commentary, one day, I hope to verbally spar with the dude. Physically he has beat me up enough in the past."
If you use any of the quotes from this article, please credit After The Bell with an H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
Former WWE Star Stacy Keibler Expecting Third Child
WWE Elimination Chamber 2020 Ticket Details And Poster
Live WWE SmackDown Results, Your Feedback
Don Callis Reveals Job He Turned Down Multiple Times With WWE
WWE Elimination Chamber Date Reportedly Changing


Chicken is probably the most popular of all meat products. Some interesting food facts about chicken are described in the following article. Read on to know more.
Chicken is probably the most eaten and most loved non-vegetarian food product. This bird was probably domesticated in the very early centuries, after the nomadic man started settling down and domesticated animals for his benefit.
This bird is a descendant of the Red Junglefowl hybrid. The Gray Junglefowl were in fact domesticated before the Red Junglefowl. The idea to domesticate Junglefowl originated in the northern parts of India.
One can keep a raw chicken frozen for a time span of about 2 years. Though this kind of storage is possible and does not change the taste or flavor, it is advisable not to consume chicken stored for such a prolonged time period.
Have you heard about incubators that are used at poultry farms? Well, the prototype appeared about 4,000 years ago in Egypt, and it could hold 10,000 chicks.
A poultry farm worker who separates chicks into males and females is known as the sexer, and can separate 1,000 chicks per hour with almost 100% accuracy.
Chicken is not just popular, but it is also the staple diet of many people. Over 80 pounds of this meat is consumed by an average American every year.
If you are health and diet conscious, then this is something that you should definitely know. An average dish of cooked chicken meat, weighting about 4 ounces, contains 337 calories. If you fry it, then the calories almost double.
The human body can derive about 30 different nutritional substances from just 100 grams of chicken.
Just as the nutritional value of chicken is very high, so is the energy measure. 100 grams of this meat contains about 916 kilojoules of energy.
There are 120 calories on an average in one serving of chicken meat. Sounds less for one serving, but it totals up to a big figure when we have a meal. They say that a good sense of taste on the tongue and a big appetite is not just a virtue, but it can also be a vice.
Fried chicken nutrition? Well, about 900 calories per serving, that contain about 50 grams fat, 200 milligrams of cholesterol, carbohydrates, oils, and proteins. Phew, that's quite a lot! Avoid eating at night, and if you do, exercise the next day.
Did fried chicken originate in the United States? The answer is "yes and no". Fried chicken that we eat today originated in the United States, but the concept of frying this meat originated in Europe in the Middle Ages.
Everybody enjoys a bowl of chicken soup when they are down with flu. Because of this, more than half the revenue of chicken soup manufactures of the United States is generated during the cold and flu season.
The chickens that are used to make soup products are known as "stewing hens".
There are several other facts about chicken that we do not know. For example, in olden times, Blancmange was made with chicken, meat, and sugar.


text:
Piano (Basic Architecture)
AIA Gold Medal | Renzo Piano, 2008
While some architects have a signature style, Renzo Piano seeks to apply coherent ideas to extraordinarily different projects. His buildings impress as much for their individual impact as for their diversity of scale, material, and form.
Piano rose to international prominence with his co-design of the Pompidou Center in Paris, described by the New York Times as a building that "turned the architecture world upside down." Since then, he has continued to craft many high-profile cultural spaces, including the Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago; the Morgan Library Renovation and Expansion in New York; and, most recently, the Whitney Museum of American Art, an asymmetric nine-story structure in Manhattan's Meatpacking District with both indoor and outdoor galleries. In New York and London, the Renzo touch has also transformed the skyline with the towers of the New York Times Building and the Shard.
This essential introduction travels from Osaka, Japan, to Bern, Switzerland, and through many cities, structures, and islands in between, to explore the staggering scope of the Renzo Piano repertoire. From the "inside-out" Pompidou to the airy shells of the Tjibaou Cultural Center in Nouméa, New Caledonia, this is a thrilling journey through the beauty of architecture, where, in Piano's own words, "each time, it is like life starting all over again."
By Philip Jodidio
The Modern Wing: Renzo Piano and The Art Institute of Chicago
$ 44.99 $ 44.99 $ 60.00 $ 60.00
Architecture and Automobiles
Brick: A World History


text:
Cell phone in the magic world
Xu Yi reached out his hand in a confused manner and found that Great Magician Camilla had tossed a silver white metal box that was twenty centimeters long and five centimeters wide.
This metal box felt very light, so it should have been made from the new light rare earth element alloy that had just been developed.
This new rare earth element alloy was not only light, it was also very firm, and it had a very good magic penetration. When Magic Arrays were placed on this rare earth element alloy, the Magic Array would have a better effect compared to when it was on a normal metal.
The Frestech Chamber of Commerce's magic machines were gradually using this rare earth element alloy for their Magic Array core, as well as updating all their previous products.
The new generation of bladeless variable speed Magic Fan that were going to the market this summer, the core Magic Array for them would be made from this rare earth element alloy.
According to the results of the magic research facility, because of this change, the new Magic Fan's output would be increased by 17%. It was even better than directly increasing the grade of the Magic Array by one.
Because there weren't many rare earth elements from the Mirando Duchy, there weren't many alloys made. So the Frestech Chamber of Commerce was careful with the use of these alloys, they were even stingy. They only used it to build the power supply and to perform a few magic experiments.
Great Magician Camilla was a top researcher of the magic research facility and had the rights to use various research materials, but even he wouldn't casually use them.
Then…..what was this metal box used for?
"You'll know if you inject some magic." Great Magician Camilla pointed at the metal box as he said this to Xu Yi with a smile.
"What is this new magic machine that you developed?" Xu Yi was very confused because he couldn't tell what kind of machine this was.
"Try it, you'll know after you try it." Great Magician Camilla urged him.
Xu Yi was speechless at how Great Magician Camilla became more childish as he aged. He rolled his eyes before sending his magic into the metal box.
The box as expected released the glow of a magic array.
But unexpectedly, the light that came from the slit in the metal box wasn't the glow of the four normal magic elements, rather it was a strange purple glow.
While Xu Yi was stunned, there was a familiar voice that suddenly came from the metal box.
"Xu Yi…..can you hear me? Hey? Are you there? Xu Yi, is grandfather beside you?"
"Still?!" Xu Yi was instantly shocked.
Although it was a bit different from the original voice, Xu Yi could easily tell that this was Still's voice.
Xu Yi looked at the metal box in his hand in surprise. Could it be that this thing could record voices? Did it record Still's voice?
However, he found that his guess was wrong.
Still's voice came from the metal box again.
"Is that you, Xu Yi? I heard your voice, are you beside grandfather? Did grandfather give you his Magic Communicator?"
Xu Yi was stunned.
Could it be that this thing didn't record, but rather transmitted Still's voice in real time?
Xu Yi calmed himself and said into the metal box, "Right, it's me. Still, are you also holding another Magic Communicator? Are you having a real time conversation with me?"
"Right, how did you know?" Still's voice had a bit of surprise, "Did grandfather tell you?"
Xu Yi looked at Great Magician Camilla and found that there was a bit of surprise on his face.
"No, grandfather just gave me this thing. Are you at home right now?"
"Un, I'm at home. Akali is with me, she brought this Magic Communicator to me and said she wanted to give you a pleasant surprise." Still's voice showed a clear joy, "This thing really is good. Although I'm at home, I can talk to you, it really is convenient."
"Un, it is indeed convenient. But you should tell Akali for me that as a researcher of the magic research facility, she's actually hiding research results from me, the chairman. I will deduct her bonus this month." Xu Yi said.
"Based on what!" When Still gave a laugh, Akali said in a worried and unconvinced voice, "Chairman, this was Great Magician Camilla's idea. He wanted to hide it from you, why don't you take his bonus away first!"
Xu Yi laughed, "I don't care, I'm taking your bonus away this month!"
"I didn't do it, chair….."
Akali's voice suddenly stopped, but it was Xu Yi who stopped injecting magic into the metal box.
Seeing the normal looking metal box in his hand, Xu Yi looked at Great Magician Camilla with a face filled with pleasant surprise.
"Grandfather, how did you think to study this thing? What is the Magic Array inside this? Is there any hope of making it popular? What is the maximum range of this communicator? How many people can talk at the same time? Can it divide between different people's frequencies? Can you set up a middle station and….."
"Wait!" Great Magician Camilla raised his hand and cut off Xu Yi's questions.
He knit his brows as he looked over Xu Yi before Great Magician Camilla asked with a confused look, "I thought that you would be very surprised by this new thing, but I've found that you don't seem surprised at all and even feel familiar with it? Could it be that someone told you ahead of time?"
Xu Yi gave a laugh. This cell phone was very popular on earth, this thing was just as crude as a walkie talkie, so it could never surprise him.
But to be honest, he was a bit surprised. Only he wasn't surprised by this Magic Communicator itself, rather he was surprised that there was a Magic Array that could have this effect.
If this thing could be developed in the way he wanted, could it be that he could create cell phones in this world?
Thinking of a cell phone in a magic world like the Sines Continent, Xu Yi's expression couldn't help becoming a bit strange.
"No one told me ahead of time, but didn't you mention before that you wanted to make a magic machine that makes it easier to contact each other?" Xu Yi asked.
"Did I?" Great Magician Camilla knit his brows to think, why couldn't he remember that he had mentioned this to Xu Yi before?
But this wasn't important. Compared to this, Xu Yi had just mentioned several things that he cared about.
"There's a small Space Array inside this. This array is a transfer array, but after studying it, I changed it to a Magic Array that only sends sound through space." Great Magician Camilla said.
"Space Array?" Xu Yi took a deep breath.
Space Arrays were something that one could come in contact with after becoming a Great Magician. However, even for Great Magicians, space arrays were still very difficult.
A Great Magician's grasp of Space Arrays was a demonstration of his strength.
Among Space Arrays, Transfer Arrays were a difficult kind of magic.
Before this, the magicians of the Sines Continent had used this Transfer Magic to create Transfer Arrays, which were used to transport humans.
But a complete Transport Array was very hard to build and it was very expensive to maintain. So on the entire Sines Continent, there were only a few countries that had kept less than twenty Transfer Arrays.
Even the City in the Sky where the Magicians Guild headquarters was only had two Transfer Arrays left.
Great Magician Camilla being able to use Transfer Arrays wasn't surprising, but the fact that he could change it into an array that could only transfer sound, it really was too shocking.
Xu Yi wasn't a Great Magician and couldn't use Space Arrays, so he didn't understand how Great Magician Camilla had achieved this.
But that didn't stop him from understanding how difficult this was.
The cell phones on earth could contact each other using precise mechanical instruments to decode sound waves before sending them off and turning them back into sound at another cell phone.
The complexity of that was self evident.
On earth, the cell phone had taken many discoveries to create. But for this place, Great Magician Camilla just changed a single Magic Array and finished this experiment, which made Xu Yi feel was incredible.
Looking at the metal box in his hand, Xu Yi suddenly had an idea.
"Grandfather, did you work together with Akali for your research this time?"
"Un, so I had Akali give the other Magic Communicator to Still while I came looking for you." Great Magician Camilla said with a sigh, "Based on her voice, Still seemed quite happy, but you weren't surprised at all by this. It really makes me disappointed."
Xu Yi laughed, "I am very surprised, but my surprise isn't the same as Still's. Grandfather, since you are working with Akali, you should know about the Magic Array resonance that she normally studies, right? If my guesses aren't wrong, the Magic Array inside the metal box that Still and I have should be the same, right?"
Great Magician Camilla revealed a faint smile, "This kid, you really are smart. Right, this thing has this design, what? Do you have some opinion on this?"
"I don't have any opinions right now since I only learned about this thing today." Xu Yi shook his head and said with a sigh, "But grandfather…..you can't imagine just how much influence this thing will have on the world."


text:
<?php

/*
 * This file is part of the MilioooMessageBundle package.
 *
 * (c) Michiel boeckaert <boeckaert@gmail.com>
 * This source file is subject to the MIT license that is bundled
 * with this source code in the file LICENSE.
 */

namespace Miliooo\MessagingBundle\Tests\Entity;

/**
 * Test file for Miliooo\MessagingBundle\Entity\ThreadMeta.
 *
 * Since this class is needed and used in doctrine mappings we need to test
 * that this class exists and extends the right class.
 *
 * @author Michiel Boeckaert <boeckaert@gmail.com>
 */
class ThreadMetaTest extends \PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
{
    public function testInstanceOfModel()
    {
        $messageMeta = $this->getMockForAbstractClass('Miliooo\MessagingBundle\Entity\ThreadMeta');
        $this->assertInstanceOf('Miliooo\Messaging\Model\ThreadMeta', $messageMeta);
    }
}


A person with direct knowledge of the decision says Dallas Mavericks guard Seth Curry will have surgery for a stress fracture in his lower left leg, an injury that has sidelined him all season.
The season-ending procedure is planned because the injury wasn't healing fast enough on its own, the person told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday because the surgery hasn't been announced.
Dallas had planned to start Curry alongside rookie point guard Dennis Smith Jr., the No. 9 pick in last year's draft. The 27-year-old was coming off his best season, averaging 12.8 points and shooting 43 per cent from 3-point range in his first season with the Mavericks in 2016-17.


text:
NewsFood & Entertainment
Iconic '80s toy bear Teddy Ruxpin is back
By: CNN Wire
NEW YORK – Teddy Ruxpin, the iconic talking bear from the late '80s, is back — and he's flaunting some timely upgrades.
The toy bear made a splash when he launched in 1985. He was a first-of-its-kind animatronic toy with motorized eyes and mouth, and he told stories through a cassette player (remember those?) in his back.
Teddy Ruxpin is back from @wickedcooltoys!!! And we want to be his friend! Can't wait to get this one in the office!!! #ttpm #wickedcooltoys #teddy #teddyruxpin #hesback #relaunch #toys #toyreview #falltoypreview2016 #80s
A post shared by TTPM (@ttpmofficial) on Sep 28, 2016 at 9:23am PDT
"Kids adored Teddy Ruxpin so much that he became a multi-billion dollar product in five years," said Jeremy Padawer, co-president of Wicked Cool Toys, the company behind Ruxpin 2.0. (The original Teddy was created by Ken Forsse and Alchemy II in 1982. Wicked Cool Toys is working with Alchemy II on the new iteration.)
Why is the toymaker bringing Teddy Ruxpin back?
"The kids who embraced him back then are 28 to 40 years old now. They have young kids who they'd want to introduce Teddy Ruxpin to," said Padawer. "We felt the time was right to bring back this nostalgic toy but with the right technology to fit the time."
Teddy Ruxpin will still read stories with a motorized mouth. But now he has color LCD eyes that show 40 animated expressions synched to the stories.
Look at the new Teddy Ruxpin's expressive LCD eyes https://t.co/SL0A61PWdS pic.twitter.com/02sczX56jx
— Gizmodo (@Gizmodo) September 29, 2016
He can blink and look up and down, but his eyes also flash hearts, stars, even snowflakes. He has an internal hard drive with 10 stories about his adventures, with an option to download additional ones.
The 14-inch tall bear (priced at $99) also has touch sensors in the hands and feet. "This is meant to allow an easy interface for young kids. By pressing the touchpad on the hand or foot, they can start, pause or switch a story," said Padawer.
With the upgrade, Ruxpin also got a companion app that lets kids read along with him.
True to the original Teddy, the new bear is meant to be a fun and educational toy.
"He's balancing education with a fun experience for children," said Padawer. Now for the sad part. New Teddy doesn't hit stores until July 2017.


Do you remember, not too terribly long ago, that mixing stripes and plaids was a big fat NO-NO? I'm sooo glad times have changed.
Decorating with patterns is a fun and fabulous way to add more and more pizazz to a room. Now, I will admit, this style of decorating can be a bit tricky; it's not really an "anything goes" kind of deal. There can be some misses with your hits.
Let's start simple. Let's choose pillows to practice your layering. You can do this in a store and not have to buy a thing. Just for fun. Arrange some pillows on the floor or better yet a nearby chair or bench. Once you have something you feel comfortable with and like, take a picture of it for future reference and decide if it's a hit or a miss. This will get easier with practice, I promise.
First, choose your colors. Delete the ones from your selections that don't seem to get along with the other colors. What you ultimately want are different shades of the same color (to start with). Red-different shades and hues; Blue, same thing, etc. And you want to look for different shapes working in different directions.
Add a contrasting color. Once you have your main color chosen, add a bit of contrast. Say your main color is blue, try adding an element of yellow or orange.
Choose patterns with differing scale. Some large, some medium, and some small. Try not to use more than one size pattern in a close setting (like pillows). More than one element of the same scale tends to look like you tried and missed. There are some fabulous designers that have this down to an art, but those of us novices….well we better start easy. If you have a fabric that you are in love with, especially if it's a large scale, don't choose another large scale pattern for it to fight with.
The complete picture: a small geometric pattern, a medium fluid pattern, and a large floral pattern; or any variation of the above. Ideally, each of these patterns would run in a different direction.
Now, notice I said the "complete picture", not the only picture. There are thousands upon thousands of colors, patterns, and textures to choose from. These are decorator's guidelines and we all know that our inner decorator is the boss! Have fun and love your result!


Our mens stainless steel black faced medical id alert sports band watch features a stainless steel case, water resistant up to 100 meters and fully adjustable from 5- 9.5 inches. The band has a stainless steel buckle. Our medical id watch has japan movement and hypo allergenic .Comes with a medical alert wallet card and 1 year warranty. This will be custom engraved at no extra charge for you. Our medical id alert watches for men are stylish and classy.


text:
HomeMost awaited Updates of Red Dead Redemption has finally received
Most awaited Updates of Red Dead Redemption has finally received
By Meghna Gupta
Red Dead Redemption has finally received the updates the players have been waiting for and it is all that they imagined. Rockstar Games has also promised more updates in the coming weeks.
The video game Red Dead Redemption 2 was released in 2018 and the online version was beta tested right after, but fans were not happy with it. Rockstar Games has finally released the new update for the game to fix what it lacked and also to add new features to it. Luckily, for PS4 fans, four new missions will be available before the official release which is set for June-July 2019.
They have already added new challenges, such as the Wild Animal Kills challenge where the bonus points have been increased according to the size of the animal hunted. This Free Roam event also has the added feature where offensive attacks have been disabled during the challenge, which allows players to focus on the hunt.
In addition to that, they also added the 'Head for the Hills' mode where players have to get to their safe houses while other participants can hunt them down; it is a part of the Showdown Mode. The creators have promised two new showdown modes- Public Enemy and Sport of Kings.
The cowboy game has also added new bonus levels for the new players in 'A Land Of Opportunities' where they can earn RDO$50 for completing the first mission. 10 gold bars will also be rewarded to those who complete the 'Destroyed by Grief' mission; And can earn RDO$75 for completing, 'Kill them, Each and Every One' mission.
New packages have been added that have been inspired by the new Showdown Mode. Instructions for picking them up has been listed on the official website for Rockstar Games.
The wardrobe has also been updated with new clothes for the characters.
An advantage has been added for people with a Social Account, who with the help of a 2 Step verification can avail certain benefits provided by the creators for the users.
Red Dead Redemption 2 has been promised new updates as well. The fans are awaiting the Summer Expansion where new roles will be included: the bounty hunter, the trader, and the hunter, which will provide career paths to online characters.
Furthermore, creators from Rockstar Games said, "Players will have the option to focus on a specific role to advance quickly and unlock each role's unique attributes, or simultaneously progress across multiple roles as you play naturally to create your own unique character and path through the frontier."
Although the new update will not be available anytime soon, Rockstar Games will be updating them with details about the new features.
With all the new updates for the previous glitches and disappointments for the game, fans are left satisfied, and are awaiting the newer updates that the creators have provided.
Meghna Gupta