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The Visual Language of Reality
The history of human culture is told and explored through story. In the beginning the medium was the voice, as stories were told around a fire and passed on through oral tradition. Later the medium changed to text on stone or paper, and still the story was recited through an actor’s voice. With the advent of photography and cinema a new visual language began to be explored. The narrative techniques for staged live performance were slowly replaced with newer more powerful techniques like editing, framing and compositing of imagery, enabling the artist to manipulate time and visual reality in order to tell the story in a whole new way.
The traditional stage methods of lighting and props were still used in films, but with the ability to slice a segment of film into parts and include totally different shots in sequences, the medium took an exponential leap in its ability to entertain and tell stories. These techniques have been further enhanced by the use of digital editing, compositing and virtual model making. We have come to the point where any fiction or reality can appear real, time travel, space exploration, death, re-birth, it is all within the realm of possibility when viewed through the eye of the cinematographer.
Now there is a new form of digital media brought about by the advent of digital graphics technology and cinematography called virtual reality. Virtual reality and its hybrid sibling augmented reality offer a new more immersive ways to tell stories. In many ways they should be the end of the evolution of story building, having come full circle to the point where the viewer can finally be the actor in the story if they choose to be. There is however a problem. The language of cinematography which enhanced film narrative to the level of art relies very heavily on the two dimensional nature of film. The frame of the shot and the ability to cut from one view to another instantly without cutting through the viewer’s engaged immersion is key to the powerful effect good cinematography has on story. Even theater was framed by the stage with the viewer’s perspective constrained to the lit view of the set and actors. The problem for virtual and augmented reality is that the medium surrounds the viewer and in the case of augmented reality overlaps the world around them.
How do you frame a shot when the story occurs in the world around you? How do you control a stage when the actor’s may be unknown individuals, on their way to work, walking between you and the focus of the story as it unfolds in the environment you both share? Is it possible to take a story intended for a specific place and allow it to occur anywhere? These are the questions that must be considered when thinking about narrative and visual story telling as it applies to digital realities.
Some may argue this is a problem that is already solved. Games are virtual realities, and they have stories, sometimes multi-narrative stories applied to them. So far games and narrative games have been played on a framed screen. Some have been attempted in virtual reality, which is easier to control from a director’s perspective. In a discussion with most people who have made these types of digital realities you will often hear the word “tradeoff” used. The interaction might be constrained to an “on-rails” approach or the interactor is standing on a platform which just happens to fit the narrative of the story. Some more “exploratory” examples might constrain the user to single room with one character and some props for exploration. There is a reason for the limitations applied to most virtual reality experiences. It is very hard to create an immersive compelling narrative when the view is controlled by the viewer. Imagine a movie which showed the director’s view behind the camera with no ability to cut from one shot to another and you begin to see the problem.
By exploring the theory and evolution of visual story telling solutions for theater and film it may be possible to develop a new visual language which allows the new medium to evolve and enables even more powerful forms of narrative. Since the advent of story, narrative and location have been locked together. With the advent of augmented and virtual reality it should be possible, given the right visual tool set, to allow any narrative to be retold specifically related to any location. Obviously, this magnifies the problems of traditional cinematography when applied to augmented reality, since the stage or set changes depending on the viewer’s location. For that matter who is the viewer in the narrative? Is she the main character, a third person viewer like a traditional film, or an extra in the movie? This further complicates the problem. However, given the powerful techniques of modern film and digital media, these problems are not insurmountable. They simply require a new way of thinking about visual story telling.
Narrative and Performance Studies
When film was first shown in cinemas the event was very similar to the production of a theatrical play. There was a stage and a screen on which the film was projected. And so the notion of how films could tell stories took on the methods of live theater. Some of the masterpieces of the time employ staged sets very much like a theatrical production would.
Eventually film evolved its own language in cinematography and montage. Now it was theater’s turn to borrow from cinema. The “epic theatre” of Berthold Brecht with its Verfremdungseffekt (translated as “defamiliarization effect”) uses several concepts such as a montage technique of fragmentation, interruptions in action, breaking the fourth wall and contrast and contradiction to allow the audience to feel detached from the play. The goal of these techniques was to promote rational self-reflection in the viewer. [‘Understanding Brecht’, Walter Benjamin. 1983.]
These types of effects might also be used within digital realities to allow the viewer to focus on the intended focus of the narrative. Elements within a scene could be slightly different or paused in action compared to the world around them in order to guide the user to the next sequence of events in a narrative. The thing that interrupted the viewer to create self-reflection for Brecht might serve well to grab their attention within an environment with no other frame of reference.
Perhaps one of the best visual examples of these techniques, as they might be applied to a virtual world, is embodied in a scene from the Matrix. The scene involves the teacher Morpheus taking the student Neo into the Matrix to explain how the system works. On this tour of the matrix, Morpheus moves through a very crowded street when a woman in a red dress, the only thing red on the street, walks by and Neo is distracted by her. Then Morpheus stops the action of the scene allowing Neo to adjust his focus to the lady in question, only to realize with a shock that she is an enemy [The Matrix, The Wachowski Brothers, 1999]. Though the scene has many Brechtian elements about it, it serves as an excellent example of how those same techniques can be used to focus attention in a chaotic immersive world.
The concept of defamiliarization can be explained as taking something common or taken for granted and presenting it in an unfamiliar or strange way. The Russian literary critic Victor Shklovsky declared this to be the essence of all art [ The Theory of Prose, translated from “Art as Device”, Shklovsky 1991 ]. The concept can serve well in the artifice of visual narrative as well, as witnessed in the Matrix.
If the red dress scene from the matrix was a virtual reality, and you were in it, who would you be from a narrative point of view? You could answer Neo, it is the obvious choice since he does not talk and is following Morpheus who is giving the speech. You obviously are not the lady in red since you notice her. There is another choice though, you could fill the role of the observer which is usually the role given to us in film and theater. Virtual reality transports us inside the fourth wall to the confines of the boundary as Janet Murray describes it in her book Hamlet on the Holodeck. The problem with being a third person viewer in a virtual reality is the lack of interaction. You are like the viewer who has wondered up on stage, immersed, but somehow in the way unless the author writes the narrative with you in mind. You could take on the role of the extra or supporting actor, but is this an interesting role that takes advantage of all that virtual reality affords?
In a recent interview Ed Catmull, co-founder of Pixar animation, warned that virtual reality technology is not storytelling. He stated that while virtual reality may have interesting contributions for gaming that he believed it was inappropriate for storytelling. He said, “Linear narrative is an artfully-directed telling of a story, where the lighting and sound is all for a very clear purpose. You’re not just wandering around in the world.” [ Interview with the Guardian. Stuart Dredge] This gets at the crux of his view, which has some merit but fails to consider the history of storytelling. He is comparing the art of cinematography to a new medium which has not discovered its own grammar. Virtual reality may try to mimic films and cinematography as a narrative medium, but eventually it will discover its own narrative tool set. In addition, what Catmull says is true; an artful story is well crafted and has a very specific designed and linear narrative. The concept of roaming through the story world seems to trample the concept of authorial intent, but does it really? In a poorly designed virtual reality it would, but what universal law of narrative prevents the viewer’s ability to freely explore a story world and the author’s intent for how the story unfolds? One “law” would seem to be pacing. If in the middle of a car chase scene a user stops the car and opens the door to look at a dead animal on the side of the road, the authors desire to create a tense and heart stopping action scene falls dead itself. Truthfully though, the concept that the viewer had to experience that particular scene the way the author created it is an illusion. Many people might step out of the theater to refill their popcorn in the middle of the film, how does this differ from a person walking around in virtual reality? Once the concept of authorial intent is seen for what it is, an illusion, then the concept that virtual reality is somehow inferior to film as a storytelling medium seems more ridiculous. In reality, the affordances offered by allowing the user to discover an author’s intent by exploring a scene from multiple viewpoints would be beneficial for both the author and the viewer. It is true that film’s language seems optimized and extremely specialized for telling stories, but to imagine that the language of film existed from the advent of photography is a fallacy. It had to be discovered over time. In fact the language of cinematography is still evolving as anyone who works at Pixar should readily admit.
Consider your viewpoint, if the red dress scene was an augmented reality. In other words, what if the red dress scene occurred in the real world around you? How is narrative viewpoint different in VR and AR? There is a subtle but powerful difference between a completely virtual environment and one which overlaps the real world. The real world has chaos, real objects to composite virtual objects against, real sensory experiences and many unexpected events. There are a million little things that create an impenetrable boundary wall within augmented reality narrative. This can be problematic for narrative but it provides affordances as well. One important affordance is that the scene does not have to rely completely on computer graphics for its environment; it can use the environment around it. The scene would not need hundreds of cg avatars and AI agents (programmed agents not Agent Smith) to animate them. We could take the role of any character in the scene as long as we played the part. There are real perceptual issues with forcing alternative viewpoints upon a viewer in virtual reality which can cause physical discomfort and loss of immersion. These issues do not occur in augmented reality since most of the view is reality as the user’s body experiences it. Augmented reality narrative appears to dismantle the concept of an “artfully-directed” story, but does it really? Is an artfully directed story completely locked to the author’s intent to the point it can only occur in one time and place? This is the crux of the discussion for a visual language for digital realities. Many stories are intended for a specific place and time, but only because those stories were limited by their author’s intent and the medium for which they are created. Consider a dinosaur in a book, walking along talking to another character. A film director could add more to the scene in order to fill in details or require extra lighting if the event took place at night. The question is; does the extra lighting affect the author’s intent? What affordances would drive the virtual reality director to create some other twist for the scene allowing them to artfully direct the story for their own medium?
Is the “Subject” of a narrative an immutable object which cannot be represented in multiple ways? For that matter what is the “Subject”? In his essay “Film Studies and Grand Theory”, David Bordwell discusses the commonalities between subject-position theory and culturalism as they relate to film. Bordwell discusses theories of subjectivity, specifically how both systems conflate the category of subject with that of the individual. The subject in subject-position theory should be a category that enables knowledge, experience and identity to occur within signifying practices. However, most adherents of “1975 Film Theory” use it to refer to the individual ego and the imaginary and symbolic domains equally. Subject-as-individual permeates culturalists’ theory as well. Bordwell describes the proclivity to turn subjects into conscious individuals who can assume roles, thus reaffirming the social agent’s freedom [Introduction to Post-Theory, David Bordwell 1996]. To answer the question on the immutability of subject from the author’s perspective we will assume that the “Subject” can be both the individual within the story and the category of knowledge represented within the story. We can investigate the question of “subject” as it relates to the author’s intent and the perspective of the individual to see how this is affected by the medium of digital realities. Using the example of the dinosaur story mentioned earlier, we can imagine trying to take that story and swap the environment out with a modern metropolis. Let’s assume the author’s intent with the story was to illustrate the nature of friendship between two very different species. How does the transposition of place and time affect to the original “Idea”? The dinosaur might befriend a businessman rather than a caveman. The more creative author might take this opportunity to illustrate the similarities of going out in hunt of work on a daily basis versus the way cavemen hunted for their food. There would be other inconsistencies to fix as well, but if you look at most movies today we tend to relate them to our modern viewpoint in an almost automatic way. Film makers tend to automate this process for us by anthropomorphizing non-human characters and creating cultural references and lingo within the film to further connect with the intended audience. The observant reader may have noticed that I intentionally use the word “idea” instead of story at this point. What is a story, but a group of ideas told to illustrate more ideas. Obviously changing the place and time for a narrative changes the mechanical structure of that narrative, but does it change the ideas? Culturalists might argue that it does. Subject-position critics might argue that it doesn’t, either way the point of the exercise is to realize that story like all of reality has parts that are important to it and parts that are relative and changeable. The exercise begins to look like the revelations of directors at the beginning of the 20th century with regards to film and its ability to change perceived reality as it was recorded through the use of cinematography and effects.
New Media Theory
In his book The Language of New Media, Lev Manovich discusses the essential elements of digital media as being databases and algorithms. He compares this to early works of film such as Dziga Vertov’s “Man with a Movie Camera” in which Vertov cut footage and laid it out in large grid like structures in order to plan and edit his media into a new narrative. In addition Vertov used elements of montage and “kino eye” to alter the image of the original footage creating a visual language which allowed the seemingly random database of shots to tell a story. Manovich points out that the linear structure of narrative and the non-linear structure of databases would seem contradictory, but that in effect linear narrative is really just one path through the database of a narrative’s fabula (everything within the narrative world). To illustrate his points Manovich enlists Ferdinand de Saussure’s concept of syntagm and paradigm as they were further expanded by Roland Barthes [The Death of the Author, Roland Barthes 1967]. Manovich describes the linear narrative is the syntagm, linear path through the world, of the author’s paradigm, all the imagined paths the author might have described [The Language of New Media, Lev Manovich 2001]. This, better than any other concept, can describe the viewer’s choices in a digitally constructed reality. The virtual reality must therefore be the author’s fabula or paradigm while the path of the user becomes the narrative or syntagm explored by the interaction of the viewer and the author’s skill in guiding the viewer on the path she desires for the main character in her plots. Whether the viewer follows the author’s direction or trots of to explore some other element of the story becomes irrelevant. The truth remains, a narrative exists, a more interactive narrative world exists and the viewer may read into it what they will. This is not a new concept. It has almost always been the case that the reader/viewer was the driver and the author was simply a helpful guide giving them a map allowing them to explore the world. Some authors are more capable than others, which gives the illusion that they direct the viewer completely. Some readers are less inclined to diverge from the path of the story created by the author, but still they have their own interpretation of the story to follow. New media simply brings about a swap in the status quo, the author creates a paradigm and the reader picks the syntagmatic path of their choosing. Where the database story world becomes the main tool for the author creating paradigmatic rules for her fantasy world, the algorithmic deciphering of rules for that world carried out by the viewer becomes the artfully directed path of the viewer.
AUGMENTED AND VIRTUAL REALITY AS A NARRATIVE MEDIUM
What are the narrative affordances associated with the database and algorithmic nature of digital media as well as virtual and augmented reality? In the beginning of the 20th century, film makers began to create their own visual language and techniques which enabled them to change the nature of the stories they could tell. For example a linear series of events could be cut and reordered to create a completely different perception of the story and event order. Suppose that everything about a specific time and place could be recorded as a series of events and media elements. This would enable the author to rearrange that database into any order and output various stories based on each new sequence of events. This is the advantage and essence of film as it relates to narrative. However, film does have its limits, in that it must be processed and can only be shot from certain angles. The framing of a film cuts off potential views of the environmental elements of a story, thus a master of cinematography becomes an artist known for his ability to create a masterpiece with every frame. That is the dogma of film and cinema, There can be no other view but the view framed and chosen by the cinematographer. This of course is a lie, considering the countless hours of footage left on the cutting room floor which find their way back into the “better” “movie as it was intended” directors’ cut. Obviously, the immersive nature of virtual reality allows the viewer to become the cinematographer, which with some guidance and visual trickery could be directed by the professional using elements of interface and visual language to allow the viewer to discover the best viewpoint for themselves. This brings up the interesting question of whether the artful direction of the cinematographer was the best possible choice for everyone or whether it was a mandate passed down from the dictator trying to impose his world view on each viewer. With VR/AR the power is handed back to the individual with director/author serving the role of masterful guide in their story world.
VR/AR gives the individual even more narrative control than they already possessed while enabling the cinematographer the opportunity to free themselves of the frame and attempt to see the world as a more artful reality. This of course comes with some very weighty pitfalls and problems for the medium which can literally make viewers sick given its persuasive inputs to their brain. For example, a cinematographer is free to establish shots at a distance and fly the character to the close-up perspective they intend for a scene. They may even choose a locked shot hovering thirty stories off the ground looking through a window. These artful methods are steeped in signs and symbols for the director and the audience. However, these same techniques become problematic within digital realities because they may break the viewer’s sense of immersion and physical engagement with the scene. The eagle-eyed view in film becomes the unintended vertigo inducing effect in reality. There seems to be no way to alter this without the use of props like platforms or avatar bodies which allow flight. These workarounds begin to weigh down the potential world rules with mechanical “filters” which tie the user’s imagination down and limit the author’s designs. This like the framed view of film becomes the advantage/disadvantage of digital realities at least until we crossover into Matrix and believe like Neo that we can jump across the fall and that flight is natural. Language is bound by rules and limitations, it is what allows understanding and a sense of wonder when the rules are broken and the limitations are forgotten. It is the artful manipulation of those limits which sets the cinematographer apart from the home videographer. It may be for these reasons that the visual language of digital realities will rely more on effects like Vertov’s “kino eye” and alternative forms of view manipulation like those used by magicians on stage and modern theater in order to artfully guide a user through a scene.
How will a viewer be directed from an establishing shot to the desired focal point of a scene in virtual and augmented reality? Obviously in virtual reality there is the “on-rails” approach and many VR narratives already employ this technique. This is one approach but is severely limiting in a medium which should seek to remove limits on the viewer. In addition this approach will not work for augmented reality since the user cannot be constrained in the real world. How then would you lead a viewer to the focal point for a scene in augmented reality? If this particular problem could be solved then the framework for a digital reality visual language can be set. Solutions include directing the viewer with a visual overlay or path, not unlike the subtle dodging and burning used in film to guide the viewer’s eye to the desired focal point of the frame. There is also the possibility for 3d sound which could enable a prop or character within the scene to call to the viewer in order to get their attention. In addition, the compositing of the scene could be controlled in such as way so that the element of focus could be the only element of the scene in color and the rest of the scene could be black and white until the viewer moved to the perimeter of the shot. Now the methods for exploration start to look more artful, similar to the fade from black of film, the iris close on the main character at the end of a scene used in film or the spotlight used to highlight the speaking characters on a stage. It could be said that the frame of the 2d film becomes the perimeter of the 3d scene. In this case then, the art of framing the scene for cinematography becomes the art of establishing the perimeter or possible perimeters for virtual and augmented realities.
What about the other affordances of database for digital realities. Film offers the affordance of recording ‘framed’ time. While reality has space, the time associated with it only moves forward. The history of the location in reality is buried or forgotten depending upon the viewers knowledge. Film’s linear cause and effect can be viewed forward and backward. Could there be a rewind for reality? Yes, and perhaps much more. Human culture is beginning to establish databases of time and space for large chunks of reality. Google earth, Google Street view and YouTube combined with cameras like GoPro are excellent examples of our human desire to record and catalog reality in as much detail as possible. One highly underused affordance of virtual reality and augmented reality in particular, is the ability to tap into the ever growing database of reality and use it to construct narratives. Let us imagine that the digital media revolution began when the film camera was created and that we have access to all the media created since that point in the form of a spatial database associated to a map of the world, similar to Google street view. The virtual Auteur could take an algorithm for artificial intelligence capable of parsing that record of space and time and use it to construct a narrative for an individual based on their current location. Obviously there is a lot of work that goes into the creation of this type of tool, but the building blocks are already there and the potential for narrative and visual language is enormous. This is one of the reasons I believe that the concept of virtual reality and augmented reality will eventually merge into one medium which is capable of both types of outputs. There are too many compelling uses for the database driven augmented reality narrative for it to play second fiddle to the less useful but more robust power of virtual reality. You could compare it to the difference between film in a theater versus the combined viewing of Netflix and Youtube cut into viewing segments based on sequences of actions and effects then re-sequenced into any combinative story imaginable.
The affordance of massive re-combinative media is extremely useful from a content perspective, but what does it mean for the proposed visual language of digital realities? These types of inputs become the foundation for rules that drive the compositing effects of digital realities. Modern film effects creation relies heavily upon 3d data. The same goes for digital reality compositing. In order to insert objects into a world scene, the compositor needs a 3d frame of reference. Taking geospatial positioning and databases of 3d data such as buildings from google earth it is possible to create the same types of compositing which occurs in film in augmented reality in real time. In addition using positioning, mapping, artificial intelligence and computer vision tools it is possible to find and track locations within the real world which map well with a director’s intended location for a scene. For example imagine that a scene requires the corner of a building and a side street in order to work well visually, as imagined by some AR director human or AI. The nearest best match for that requirement can be tracked and located through algorithms and databases, enabling other elements of the “visual language” to then guide the user to that location in order to lay the scene out around them and continue on with the story. Alternatively, the scene could be constructed to fit the surrounding environment or constructed completely in the case of virtual reality.
It should be noted that this essay makes many assumptions and chooses a very specific path to explore the perspective of a narrative within augmented reality. The reason for this choice is to push the questions and the answers for more complicated scenarios. The assumption being that if it is possible in augmented reality, it is easily possible in virtual reality since the author has much more control over the story world, and can craft it as specifically as a film director chooses sets and shots. The goal for both mediums is to consider the language of film and the language of new media in order to consider what hybrid child they might make.
There should be no question as to whether virtual reality and augmented reality are a powerful narrative medium. There are valid concerns and considerations for the medium’s approach to storytelling, these are no different than the initial learning steps which other mediums like film and video games have had to experience before they discovered their own grammar. The potential for the technologies discussed within this essay, specifically AI and its ability to drive this new visual language have far reaching implications for our culture as a whole. As it has often occurred in the past, new mediums come along and alter the way a culture consumes art and entertainment, which alters the way culture creates art and entertainment, which then goes on to create entirely new forms of media and new mediums to explore. It is easy from this viewpoint to imagine a future where a person can walk through a city experiencing a documentary about the buried history of the streets they walk on, not simply a linear narrative hard coded to tell the same story every time, but a narrative made different with every step and turn the viewer takes. A walk that starts as a trip down memory lane may end up as a dinner murder mystery or a walk through the park and a Shakespearian play like a Midsummer Nights Dream. We would not see them the way we experience these separate events today, but as one continuous flow of reality driven by the user and all the content at their disposal.
Writing about the hypothetical death of the author, Roland Barthes wrote, “We know the text does not consist of a line of words, releasing a single “theological” meaning (the message of the Author-God), but is a space of many dimensions, in which are wedded and contested various kinds of writing, no one of which is original: the text is a tissue of citations, resulting from the thousand sources of culture.” [ Elements of Semiology, Roland Barthes 1977]. The truth of these words can be seen across mediums and time as books become plays, which then become movies transposed upon the modern world which then become musicals or games, only to start the cycle anew. Creativity and imagination along with a standard vocabulary for visual storytelling appropriate to the medium are the only limiting factors preventing artful narrative within the realm of digital realities.


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I was a nerd in high school. I'm not ashamed. I like being smart.
My friends were kids like the Math Club president, the Debate Team captain, the Honor Society students, the ones taking Advanced Placements courses in their senior year.
One of the guys in our group was the valedictorian who went to Harvard. Jen was the salutatorian who earned a double-Ivy league degree. Jen is one of my best friends today.
Sure, we were nerdy. We didn't drink, smoke, have boyfriends, sneak out at night. We still had fun, and we are all still friends who see each other on a regular basis.
I was reading a recent Time magazine article about Life After High School and laughing as I recalled those four years. I actually had a good time in high school. I have a lot of fond memories of Kamehameha.
This article quotes a study that says "the higher a student's academic rank in high school, the lower the probability that he or she experienced health problems in late middle age." Great, I'm hopeful that applies to me.
On the other hand, my husband was a jock- a world-class swimmer who threw himself into the sport starting at age seven. The story says "male high school athletes make more money as adults than do men who didn't play sports." I'm going to have to remember to approach him with this article in hand, and ask when I can be a trophy wife.
Here are tidbits about the two other archetypes: The class officer will grow up to be a person more likely to vote, volunteer, and be involved in social causes. The cheerleader/populars enjoy the "popularity premium," in which the more friends students had in high school, the more money they were earning 35 years later.
What were you in high school and where are you now?
Also reach me via DianeAko.com

domain: sociology


The metal community lost one of its most respected and talented founding fathers on Thursday. Jeff Hanneman of Slayer died of liver failure at Hemet Valley Medical Center, near his home in Southern California. Jeff was bitten by a spider a little over two years ago and contracted a rare skin tissue disease called necrotizing fasciitis. The disease is a rapidly progressing monster that literally destroys skin and even deep tissue. Jeff endured several surgeries, including skin grafts and a medically induced coma as he fought to overcome the serious condition.
Jeff co-founded Slayer with Kerry King in 1981 and released ten studio albums after signing with Metal Blade records for their first two albums. The band shocked the music metal world after signing with the burgeoning hip hop label, Def Jam in 1986. Slayer have an untarnished reputation for delivering undiluted metal to the world despite the trends the genre has seen since its inception over 40 years ago. The lasting impact on the genre is something that will endure forever, inspiring musicians the world over. Jeff was a passionate fan of the Oakland Raiders and loved collecting World War II memorabilia. He is survived by his wife Kathy, his sister Kathy and his brothers, Michael and Larry.
Pretty depressing news, kids. I’m a huge fan of both Slayer and Henneman. His tremolo-laced solos were a mixture of raw intensity and face-melting aggression that no metal band could cover note for note. I vividly remember learning the opening riff to South of Heaven at a friend’s house in my hometown. I started playing guitar when I was 17 years after seeing Metallica on the Master of Puppets tour. As much as we worshiped Metallica back in the day, Slayer exhibited an exemplary approach to making music and love for their fans. You didn’t see Slayer making films with their fucking therapist – the music was therapy enough. Jeff will be greatly missed by fans from every walk of life, from every corner of the globe, never to be duplicated again in a world that drifts farther and farther away from actual music every year. Rest in peace, Jeff, you will be missed. Now, let’s get to the music.
If you’re a metal fan – this better be in your top five. They don’t do riffs like this anymore.
Slayer AND Christmas?
Old dudes and Slayer?
Church and Slayer?
A Slayer ballad? Fuck no. Slayer didn’t do ballads.
That’s it, guys. Listen to some Slayer tonight and light a candle for this metal lord gone too soon.


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Roasted Balsamic Brussels Sprouts & Cranberries
So, I don't know about you but I LOVE Brussels sprouts and I'm definitely not just waiting until Thanksgiving to eat them! In fact, in our house, it's pretty much a weekly staple.
But, what I love more than Brussels is a simple, easy-to-make recipe! Here's the great thing about this recipe, too. You can easily add many more things to the mix, based on your taste. As I was writing this, I thought it would be great with some crispy bacon chunks, or even better with a bit of bleu cheese crumbled on top.
I promise you if you don't like Brussels, you will after you try this recipe!
- 1-2 pounds Brussels sprouts
- 1/4 cup olive oil (I prefer to drizzle a thin layer on top)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
I like to cut off the base of the Brussels sprouts and cut in half. If you have extra large ones, I would suggest chopping them into quarters to prevent them from being too crunchy as they cook. The most important thing is to make sure that they are all as uniform in size as possible.
In a medium mixing bowl, drizzle the sprouts with a small amount of oil until they are all lightly covered. Do not drench them! Pour them on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper (for easier cleanup) and roast for 35 minutes. A cooked sprout will be crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.
While the Brussels are cooking:
Make the balsamic reduction: In a medium saucepan, bring the balsamic and sugar to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and reduce until glaze is the desired consistency. A good reduction will be thick and drizzle from a spoon. If you like, you can use honey or agave in lieu of sugar, depending on desired sweetness.
Once the sprouts have cooled, drizzle the balsamic reduction, mix and serve. Sprinkle with dried cranberries. For added crunch, you could add thinly sliced almonds or crispy chopped bacon!
*Adapted from this recipe from Platings & Pairings

domain: food


text:
Queen is BACK! The last time she was featured on the podcast (January 2019), she inspired us with her story of moving to Mexico and building a new life. Now, our adventurous retired Detroit public school teacher has written a second book under her Considerations of the Soul brand: Traveling Home Together.
No, she is NOT traveling back to the United States. Her newest book takes the reader through a sweet metaphorical journey of walking -or traveling- home from school, as we did each day when we were kids. She weaves life lessons and her awakened sense of consciousness into this collection of personal essays of life lessons.
Queen shares her new beliefs on her relationship with the universe. You may find her New Earth teaching to be a bit too “Woo-Woo”, but I urge you to listen with an open mind. As Queen herself says, she is only presenting information for your consideration. I do love her stories in the book about walking home from school. I was pretty shocked to read that she was sucked into a Nigerian Prince internet scam and curious to learn more about her psychedelic Sacred Ceremony experience involving a rare toad and a shaman. Say or think what you will, THIS WOMAN is living!
I find many of the themes in her book to align with the shared experiences of 50-year-old women. I think you will too.
There is no denying the immense benefits of meditation, which is where her story of awakening begins. If you have an interest in learning more about meditation, you will find this episode of great interest.
Her newest book is available in paperback or Kindle (Amazon affiliate link).

domain: library


text:
Posted August 08, 2008
This is incredible!! If you have see Toby live you know that he puts on an incredible show. From beginning to end it is pure energy! This year at Alive, Gabe Real accidently kicked Toby in the face and he kept on singing with blood dripping off his chin!! Rock ON!! I really don't like live albums that sound just like the studio album with clapping. Toby has reimagined ever song and given them a twist. It's like a brand new show every time. Only negative comment is the camerawork on the DVD left me dizzy and nauseous.
View All Music And Book Reviews By gpalmer0625 | View gpalmer0625's Profile

domain: entertainment


Mikazuki Wooden Sword Touken Ranbu Replica
Beautiful reproduction of the Mikazuki wooden sword in the manga Touken Ranbu. The Mikazuki Wooden Sword is one of the Five Great Japanese Swords. It is therefore particularly famous in the touken ranbu anime series.
This quality of the Mikazuki Wooden Sword replica proposed by Sword Anime is delivered with its solid wood scabbard. The handle of the Mikazuki Wooden Sword is made of hardwood painted in black. The Mikazuki blade is made of a carefully selected bamboo and a varnished effect on the blade of Mikazuki Wooden Sword.
- Material: Stainless steel & carbon
- Available model : Non-sharp Katana
- Scabbard: Hardwood
- Occasion : Birthday, Christmas, Japan Expo, Cosplay convention, training
- Character : Mikazuki
- Anime: Touken Ranbu
- Total length: 104cm
- Length of the blade : 69cm
- Blade thickness: 4mm
- Length of the handle: 29cm
✚: perfect size and weight, anime sword replica similar to the original model.


text: Filed under: Public Skate (open threads) Public Skate: Bruins vs. Capitals, Game 5 Sunday Night Hockey! By Dan.Ryan@bruinshockeynow May 23, 2021, 5:00pm EDT Share this story Share this on Facebook Share this on Twitter Share All sharing options Share All sharing options for: Public Skate: Bruins vs. Capitals, Game 5 Reddit Pocket Flipboard Email Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Happy Sunday evening! It’s time to shrug off those Sunday scaries for a little bit longer and enjoy some Sunday Night Hockey! Bruins! Capitals! Game 5! Liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive! Discuss.


The company HTC It has just announced its new model in Taiwan HTC Desire 700 as the top of this line, leaving above in size of the HTC Desire 601. In fact, it seems to share most features with the same except for screen size.
This model is to use a screen of 5 inch Although it maintains the qHD resolution. The company HTC continues to expand by filling those gaps of market between the mid-range and high-range, where this terminal will focus.
HTC Desire 700, specifications and design
This model has a frontal aesthetic inspired fully in HTC One and that is, in essence, the front of HTC Desire 601 but larger part. Noteworthy are the two front speakers BoomSound, differential element of the latest batch of HTC products.
Regarding the technical characteristics, apart from the – already mentioned – screen, this terminal mounted a Qualcomm chip Snapdragon 400, Although it is not known whether it will be quad-core Cortex A7 Variant or the model of dual-core 1.2 GHz Krait riding his little brother HTC Desire 601 (although the lack of LTE seems to indicate that we are talking about model quad – core A7). In terms of the amount of RAM, 1 GB, number of rigor for mid-range today it integrates.
Desire 700 integrates a rear camera’s 8 megapixel with backlit sensor and a lens with Aperture f/2.0. The front camera has a resolution of 2.1 Megapixel, also with backlit sensor. Both can record video 1. 080p.
The storage terminal is covered by no less than 8 GB Expandable via microSD. A smartphone is the first HSPA and the second GSM dual-SIM.
The autonomy of the terminal is given by the battery of 2100 mAh, something short to have a 5 inch screen, but sure that allows us to reach the next day without much problem.
Availability and price
THE terminal HTC Desire 700 It has been announced in Taiwan and there will reach a price that change come to be 470 dollars. However, demomento, not known if this terminal will cross the borders around the world and will come to our country.
So at first, is seems a high price to a terminal of these features, in addition to miss a minimum of 720 p for 5 inch screen.


text:
CA Sudhir Halakhandi
Please Announce the Date Extension Immediately
The 12th Version of the E-filing utility was introduced yesterday, the site was closed for two hours for maintenance the day before, all the software were not working for want of updation and the professionals are working very hard round the clock but this is a race “against the time”.
There are solid reasons for extension of date and practically there is no need to explain these reasons and the problems faced by the professionals this year.
Why there is so much delay in announcing the extension of date for filing of audit report?
Individually in every case one has the reasonable cause for delay in filing the audit report and causes are self explanatory as mentioned above but it will create a chaos – Section 271B read with section 273B of the Income Tax Act 1961.
It is already late hence there should be a prudent action from the concerned authorities to extend the date immediately without any further delay.
Also Read –
-CA Sudhir Halakhandi, -CA Abhas Halakhandi
“Halakhandi”, Laxmi Market, Beawar-305901(Raj)
Cell- 9828067256, MAIL –email@example.com

domain: law


text:
Alright, I for one am excited that it is August bank holiday weekend and with 3 days off work who wouldn't be!? So, I have selected my favourite songs of the moment to start the bank holiday weekend off with a bang!
First up is Crazy Cousinz featuring Omarion with 'Arch Your Back'. That's right the R'nB star from the US of A has teamed up with the mighty funky trio, famous for tracks such as 'I See You' and 'Go'. This has to be one of the biggest UK-US collaborations of this year. Definitely a guaranteed club banger, after having it on replay for the last 3 days I am hooked and I am sure that you will be too - Ladeeezzzz, Arch your back! US viewers I really want to hear your comments about this track. Let us know, don't be shy to post your comment below :).
For the official video click here Otherwise, the audio can be found here on UrbanVoice UK.
Second up, in time for carnival is Ms. Dynamite with 'Neva Soft', It just has a chilled reggae vibe that will get me in the mood whilst getting ready to head out to the Notting Hill Carnival. Speaking of the Notting Hill Carnival Cleo Sol's 'High' has to be up there as well and will be the third track to go in this 'Top Picks' post.
Forth up, it's 'Could Just Be the Bassline' from Artful featuring Kal Lavelle. Artful formerly part of Artful Dodger, the duo that brought you Craig David's Born To Do It album and the garage smash 'Moving Too Fast', is a veteran of the UK urban music scene. 'Could Just Be the Bassline' has a slightly more grown up feel and takes me back to being a teenager blaring vocal garage in my bedroom back in 1999 - 2000. I absolutely LOVE this track.
'Could Just Be the Bassline' is available to buy from iTunes here
My last (but not least) pick is another great collaboration, this time with our recent chart toppers Wretch 32 and Emeli Sande and their 'gift' back to the fans, a track entitled 'Underdog Law'. A heartfelt track with emotional lyrics about the struggles coming up from the underground music scene. What a lovely song dedicated to their fans...how nice are these guys?!
I hope you have enjoyed my selection, have a great weekend, and I will keep you posted on the best in UK music.

domain: artistic


|Review: Kvöl - In Similitude of a Dream|
|In Similitude of a Dream|
Year released: 2022
Genre: Black Metal
Review online: July 12, 2022
Reviewed by: Mjölnir
for:In Similitude of a Dream
Rated 3.8/5 (76%) (5 Votes)
Kvöl (Icelandic for "agony") are an Atmospheric Black Metal duo from the U.S. following in the footsteps of the mighty Summoning with dreamy synths overlaid on top of freezing guitar work and nasty shrieks. This one stands out a bit more by having a riff sensibility closer to second wave acts like Darkthrone and generally being a bit more guitar centric than average, along with having a less friendly melodic sensibility than a lot of their peers and even sporting some haunting female vocals on the massive album highlight, "Ageless War." This is all brought down a bit by the vocals being rather one-dimensional and the guitar tone sounding a little too artificial for my liking, sometimes sounding closer to a synthesizer than anything. Still, the songwriting and mood overall are fairly solid and encompassing, and tracks like "The Looming Black" and the aforementioned "Ageless War" do a good job of evoking works like Minas Morgul without sounding like a direct imitation, which is more than can be said for plenty of bands in this vein. Worthy.
|Click below for more reviews|
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Copyright © 1999-2023, Michel Renaud / The Metal Crypt. All Rights Reserved.


text:
Good oral health is important for your pet. If you’ve been neglecting your pet’s dental care, there’s no time like the present to make amends. At Fort Mill Animal Hospital, Fort Mill, SC, we offer comprehensive pet dental services in the form of dental exams, dog teeth cleaning, and treatment of tooth pain, tooth infection, and dental disease. Through quality dental care, your pet can enjoy good oral health well into its senior years.
Common Dental Problems in Pets
Poor dental care can result in pets developing many of the same dental problems as people, such as loose or broken teeth, tooth pain, tooth infection, periodontal disease, and tooth loss.
Periodontal disease is quite common in dogs and cats, with many pets showing signs of diseased gums by the time they’re 3 years of age. Left untreated, periodontal disease can destroy the bone structure of your pet’s teeth, causing tooth loss. Periodontal infections can spread to your pet’s bloodstream as well, putting your pet at risk of heart, liver, and kidney damage. Routine dental care from your Fort Mill, SC veterinarian can prevent many of these issues and help keep your pet’s teeth and gums in good health.
Signs Your Pet Needs Oral Care
Your pet may need dental treatment if it is showing any of the following symptoms:
- Bad breath
- Swollen or bleeding gums
- Discolored teeth
- Abnormal chewing
- Excessive drooling
- Loss of appetite
- Irritability for no apparent reason
Pets can become irritable or show irrational changes in their behavior due to painful dental issues. If you suspect your pet’s in pain or needs dental treatment, contact our Ft. Mill vet.
What to Expect from Dental Exams and Cleaning
During a dental exam, our team will thoroughly inspect your pet’s teeth, gums and mouth for signs of irregularities. We’ll take x-rays to evaluate bone health beneath the gum line where periodontal disease can breed. If we uncover dental problems like tooth infection or gum disease, we’ll recommend appropriate treatment.
Dog teeth cleaning entails scaling your pet’s teeth to remove plaque, tartar, and harmful bacteria that can destroy its teeth. We’ll then polish your pet’s teeth to leave them smooth and shiny. Regular cleanings can help eliminate bad breath, tooth discoloration, swollen gums and other dental issues.
Our dental services are done under anesthesia so your pet feels no discomfort or pain during treatment. Sedating your pet enables us to do a thorough exam and cleaning without your pet thrashing about or trying to bite a member of our team.
See Our Fort Mill, SC, Veterinarian for Pet Dental Care
To schedule dental services for your kit or pup, contact Fort Mill Animal Hospital, Fort Mill, SC, at 803- 547-2014.

domain: pet


text:
Cubs one step closer to having on-site sports betting at Wrigley Field
The Cubs still need approval from the City Council, Illinois Gaming Board and the National Park Service.
CHICAGO - Kris Bubic carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning, and the Kansas City Royals beat the Chicago Cubs 4-2.
Whit Merrifield had three hits and stole home as part of a double steal, helping Kansas City to its fifth win in six games.
Bubic was working on a no-hitter when the game was delayed in the middle of the seventh because of an approaching storm.
The heavy rain never materialized, and Bubic returned after a 34-minute delay.
Frank Schwindel then led off with his second walk and Patrick Wisdom followed with his 20th homer.
DOWNLOAD THE FOX 32 NEWS APP
John Mares questions why Walmart carries Cubs gear and shows no love for the White Sox
Lockport resident wants White Sox merchandise in Walmart stores

domain: sports


text:
I currently developed a window form application using data binding concept.
Due to there are too many records (> 50K) in the database table, it take very long to load the form.
I am looking for a solution to partially fetch the record from database.
My idea is to fetch first 100 records when form is loaded. When user navigates (using binding navigator) the record let's say until record number 90, it will automatically fetch another 100 records. Same concept applies to datagridview. If user scroll down the scrollbar of a datagrid let's say scrolling until 3/4 of the scroll area, it will automatically fetch more record and shown in the grid.
Can anyone of you guys know about how to do it?

domain: design


text:
German business confidence weakened for the third straight month in September, survey results from the ifo Institute showed on Friday.
The business climate index dropped to 98.8 in September from 99.6 in August. The score was forecast to fall to 98.9.
Companies were less satisfied with their current business. They were also more skeptical about the coming months.
The current situation index declined unexpectedly to 100.4 from 101.4 in the previous month. The expected level was 101.8.
At the same time, the expectations index fell less-than-expected to 97.3 from 97.8 in August. The reading was seen at 96.5.
Problems in the procurement of raw materials and intermediate products are putting the brakes on the German economy, ifo President Clemens Fuest, said. Manufacturing is experiencing a bottleneck recession.

domain: economics


Hippie Speedball Seattle Schedule
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|White Lies Seattle||Preservation Hall Jazz Band Seattle||Shlohmo Seattle|


text:
Dublin Murders star Killian Scott has said crime fiction fans are set for a "very Irish" adaptation of Tana French's books when the new series begins soon on RTÉ One and BBC One.
The much-anticipated thriller sees French's first two books, In the Woods and The Likeness, brought together in adaptations by Sarah Phelps, who has re-imagined Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, Witness for the Prosecution and Ordeal by Innocence for the BBC.
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Love/Hate star Scott plays Detective Rob Reilly opposite Rosie star Sarah Greene as Detective Cassie Maddox, with the cast of the series also including Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Moe Dunford, Ian Kenny, Eugene O'Hare, Jonny Holden, Conleth Hill, Leah McNamara and Peter McDonald.
When asked by the BBC about the depiction of Dublin that viewers would see onscreen, Scott replied: "One of the things I liked about this show was that the humour felt uniquely Irish. It's extremely dark, and it is something I miss when I'm away from Ireland."
"There's a certain type of gallows humour that the cops in the show have with each other, and it's a little bit cynical but very Irish.
"As for the version of Dublin that is portrayed, we see tightly-knit small communities completely unravel due to a local incident, in this case a murder. That element was particularly Dublinesque for me."
"Previously, I worked on a show called Love/Hate which focused on gangland stuff in Dublin," Scott continued.
"It's a topic that has been explored before when using Dublin as a setting. What Dublin Murders does is that it goes further in depth, giving greater insight into other elements, such as the police department and property development."
"The show also doesn't romanticise Dublin, it shows the gritty, dark underbelly of the place," Scott explained.
"There is also this mythical quality to Dublin Murders, there is an ominous presence, you start to get this idea that these woods are somehow alive.
"It's a haunting quality that's hard to describe, but when you see it, with the sound and the visuals, it's something you get a sense of very quickly."


text:
So many of my friends have a blog and feel that I should have one too. At least that is what they (most everyone I know)keep telling me. Get a blog, you need a blog, do it dagnabit! So, I now have a blog, on my 55th birthday I am starting a blog.
I will be posting pics of my cat, cards I make, projects ... and I will be hopefully sharing my thoughts and random utterings that some of you seem to enjoy. I will not be advertising this until I get it going a little better but I do so hope that it fills the NEED that so many of you think I have.
I do have one more comment. Be careful what you wish for my dear friends, because you may just get want you think you want! LOL Linda aka Oz

domain: hobby


Utah to permit television cameras in court.
Starting in April, criminal and civil trials can be televised in Utah.
The Salt Lake Tribune reports that the Utah Judicial Council voted 9-3 to allow a single television camera in trial-level courtrooms. Since 1997, television cameras have been allowed in the appellate level.
The rule states that videorecording is presumed to be allowed, unless there are specific circumstances why it should not be allowed.
The new rule also allows laptop computers, tablets and smartphones to be used in courtrooms as well. The changes should make Utah courts more transparent.
Unfettered access to those in power, a push for government transparency and a vigorous defense of the First Amendment are perhaps more important now than ever before. Join us as we fight for the public’s right to know as an SPJ Supporter. Or, if you’re a journalist, we welcome you to stand with us as a Professional, Student or Retired Member.


"A meltdown of big band sound with house and techno
music." (Süddeutsche Zeitung)
With an average of 120 concerts per year, the Jazzrausch
Bigband is one of the busiest big bands in Europe. Through their concerts in
Europe, America, Asia, and Africa, they bring together jazz enthusiasts and
dance enthusiasts with "sonic power, groove, and tremendous stage
presence" (FAZ) like no other ensemble currently does. Groove with
intellect, electronic music with brass, jazz in a frenzy.
The driving forces behind the project are Munich-based
trombonist and music manager Roman Sladek and guitarist and composer Leonhard
Kuhn, who also resides in Munich.
The musical journey's nucleus and starting point is a Munich
institution: the "Harry Klein," one of the most renowned electronic
clubs in Europe. In 2015, just one year after its formation, the Jazzrausch
Bigband became the Artist in Residence at "Harry Klein," and the
young Munich audience went wild. A big band in a techno club. Truly unique. For
Munich and the world. Quickly, the stages grew larger, and the band filled
venues like the Muffathalle as well as high-culture temples like the Munich
Philharmonic, and they performed at renowned festivals across Germany. The
circles the band moves in continue to expand: concert tours have taken them to
the Lincoln Center in New York, the JZ Festival in Shanghai, the Safaricom
International Jazz Festival in Nairobi, the Ural Music Night in Yekaterinburg,
and the SXSW Music Festival in Austin.
It is not an exaggeration to call the band a phenomenon. One
that, in its own unique way, demonstrates what has been simmering and working
in this music called "jazz" for a long time: it is more than ever the
label for what doesn't fit into any box. And everyone, both musicians and the
audience, enjoys tearing down boundaries with delight. The music of the
Jazzrausch Bigband, it seems, fulfills several desires in this context: the
desires of clubgoers for something more authentic, handmade, fresh, and original.
And the desires of jazz and classical music listeners for more punch,
entertainment, big sound, and a fat groove.


ATLANTA (CBS46) — A Mattie's Call has been issued for 70-year-old Joe Sims in Jonesboro.
Clayton County Police say they were contacted on Sept. 21. Sims reportedly went missing from his group home on Sept. 17 around 6 p.m. after saying he needed to be closer to Atlanta.
Sims is 70 years old with grey and white hair and brown eyes. He is 6-feet 1-inch tall and weighs 2002 pounds. He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt and khaki pants.
Sims has been diagnosed with congestive heart failure and memory impairment. Sims left the group home without his portable oxygen or medication.
Anyone with any information on the whereabouts of Joe Sims is being asked to contact the Clayton County Police Department at (770) 477-3550.


REPORTING · 25th June 2010
The First Motion which came before council on Monday, June 26th was the topic of the Enbridge Brochure. This was hot topic at the last two Council meetings as it was discussed as being a breach of protocol by Mayor Joanne Monaghan.
Council had so far remained neutral on the subject but then the Mayor appeared in a pro pipeline publication produced by the proponent in her full Mayoral Regalia with a statement which was seen as endorsing the project.
Although Council was blindsided by a motion which had not been printed in their packages at the meeting on June 7th, they went ahead with in anyway and came to a decision to table whether or not they endorsed this statement until the 26th. On the 26th, Monaghan called for a motion and there was a moment of silence before Councillor Mario Feldhoff spoke up.
“That we endorse the Mayor making that kind of statement and we move forward,” motioned Feldhoff. “My impression is that some councillors are of the opinion that our Mayor cannot say anything unless she is speaking for Council as a whole. I’ve read the same books that they have referred to and I see that we have a subsequent motion to get some guidance from Mr. Cuff, the author of the book. I don’t see… My interpretation of what I’ve read is not quite as restrictive and if you take a close look at what she stated which appears in Enbridge’s Bulletin, I welcome debate on any particular sentence. I think that the concluding statement the Mayor makes is quite reasonable.”
Feldhoff read the line: “If the environmental review process confirms that no harm will be done, these are the kind of direct community benefits that I would like to see happen in Kitimat and along the shipping route”
He added that everyone in the community wanted the environmental aspects of the project to be scrutinized.
“Not everybody in our community wants to wait for the process to unfold. Some people are taking strong positions right now saying no to tankers, no to oil, no to this, in the same way that people did this and shut down KCP [the Kemano Completion Project] back in 95,” said Feldhoff.
He wanted to see the Joint Review Panel respond to the issues before people evaluate the project. He added he wished to go before the panel to address topics including the potential to create value added products and he was not going to condemn the project without first seeing the recommendations the Joint Review Panel makes.
He also commented on Kinder Morgan’s entry into the process as they are in direct competition with the Enbridge Pipeline. He said he did not wish to see people from far away directing the activities which go on in this community. He added he did not wish to have the Enbridge Project divide the community.
“I would hope that we would work together in putting our concerns forward to the Joint Review Panel and give that process an opportunity to comeback and make recommendations and then to accept those recommendations, that’s my personal opinion,” said Feldhoff.
Councillor Richard McLaren said he felt the statements were decent, on one side, the Mayor was expressing concerns over employment while on the other side, she was expressing concerns about the environment.
Councillor Rob Goffinet on the other hand was not going to take this motion lightly. “I take seriously what we are doing right now. I believe in the debate so far, we are mixing two things up. Does the Mayor or any Councillor have the ability to speak their mind. That’s not the motion. The motion is: “we endorse the Mayor making that kind of statement.” This is a very imprecise motion because what kind of statement are we voting on? This debate is focusing upon one that waited for the process that has begun to see if the environmental assessment process or joint review panel comes up with a recommendation… and we move forward,” said Goffinet.
He said: if the Joint Review Panel is going to arrive at the conclusion in 18 months, why is Council taking a position now to endorse the statement with out knowing the end result. He reminded them they were going to wait to evaluate the project. He said if they were to endorse a blanket statement in the proponent’s brochure, they could be accused of redisence to oppose.
He added: the community should active in the Joint Review Panel while listening to the other sides of the story and Council should read the report before making any motions to endorse the project. He wanted Council to remain neutral.
“If we at this time at the beginning endorse a statement within the centrepiece of the proponent’s Brochure, we are going against our stated purpose. I say we should not pass this motion, that we move a motion that this Council is interested in the environmental assessment process and Joint review panel and with other interested people in the region and the community, would look and see what the results of that assessment is. We will evaluate it with the community and then, as a leadership group in our community, we will make up our mind whether this is a proposal or a project that would benefit or detract from the community we think we’re making,” said Goffinet.
He urged Council not to endorse or take sides in this project until they know the facts.
“I think you are saying basically, exactly what I was saying what your saying cause I was saying: ‘I’m not endorsing this, I’m wait and get all the facts first and that’s exactly what your saying, that is what I said,’” said Monaghan.
Councillor Gerd Gottschling explained the Mayors confusion seemed to be coming from whether or not the Mayor had the right to speak as the Mayor of Kitimat without first consulting with Council. He quoted Cuff from the Council’s notes for the meeting. The notes said the Mayor has the implied obligation to discuss with Council.
“What I am saying, Madam Mayor is we never went through that process. You went and had your statements made in that brochure without considering your Council’s concerns and just as Councillor Goffinet was saying, we are far from making decisions, one way or the other. By appearing in that brochure, you are basically including us in the interpretation. That you’re including the whole council in endorsing the project,” said Gottschling.
Monaghan insisted she did not endorse the project and said the Manager looked at it. She stated they needed jobs for the Aboriginal and Non Aboriginal communities but would not endorse the pipeline unless it was environmentally sound. She said the reason she wanted to discuss it at this time was so that the Council could tell her what to say, whether they are for or against it because if they do not, she will continue to say the same thing.
Gottschling stated that Goffinet put it clearly: there are concerns and he wanted to know if the decision would be made on fact.
“I’m very glad that you feel that way because that is exactly what I said. So thank you very much, I really do appreciate that,” exclaimed Monaghan in an I told you so tone of voice. The gallery did not feel the same way as she was booed until Parliamentarian, Walter McLellen stepped in.
Feldhoff closed. He agreed with the points raised by Goffinet but he felt they were not contrary to what the Mayor said in her statement and with their George Cuff motion next, they will get some clarity. However, he added that he believed there was nothing wrong with what the Mayor said.
“The Mayor does have the ability to show leadership and express a viewpoint that has not come before Council yet,” said Feldhoff. He reread the statement and asked for further feedback.
The motion was called. In favour were Councillor’s McLaren, Feldhoff and Monaghan. Opposed were Goffinet, Gottschling and Councillor Bob Corless who had yet to speak. The motion was negated but another motion was about to hit the table.
Gottschling holds up the book written by George Cuff. He quoted Cuff in explaining the Brochure as a breach of protocol
Feldhoff stuck by the Mayor through out the meeting. He stated he saw nothing wrong with her statement.
Comment by Larry Thompson on 25th June 2010
I am looking at this article from my new job location at a remote camp 1.5 hours south of Fort McMurray. I feel that there has been a lot of time wasted on this subject. There is nothing wrong with what the mayor stated in the brochure. If she is endorsing the return of good paying jobs which might help pull Kitimat out of the Toilet then good on her! P.S. I would also like to say hi to my wife and kids who I miss very much while I'm away helping produce the "scary" OIL that we all use every day.
This is just typical of our community


Archives For Samsung Galaxy Note
The AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update was supposed to be fantastic. Instead, it has left some disappointed and dealing with bugs.
The Samsung Galaxy Note Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update has finally hit carriers in Canada through Samsung Kies.
The long-awaited AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update is now available, it seems, through Samsung's Kies software.
The AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update, which remains missing, is possible for May.
For today only, AT&T is hosting a deal for the original Samsung Galaxy Note that takes its on-contract price all the way down to under a dollar.
Thinking about buying a Samsung Galaxy Note 2? Here are three things to know before buying Samsung's phablet.
With Rogers taking down specific timing for its Galaxy Note Android 4.1 update, AT&T Galaxy Note owners are now completely in the dark about a release date.
The Samsung Galaxy Note Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update has rolled out to more users though owners of the AT&T Galaxy Note continue to wait.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is only a few months old, but already rumors of a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 release for 2013 have emerged.
The AT&T Galaxy Note Jelly Bean update could potentially land in March given the timing of another Galaxy Note roll out.
With the roll out of the Galaxy Note Jelly Bean update, two big Android 4.1 updates remain.
The Samsung Galaxy Note Jelly bean update to Android 4.1.2 started over the weekend, bringing Galaxy Note 2 features, Google Now and speed enhancements to the original Galaxy Note.
U.S. Cellular is detailing their 4G LTE plans for 2013 and it seems their subscribers will be able enjoy the some of the best data speeds around.
Three big Android 4.1 Jelly Bean updates remain missing as we head deeper into 2013.
The Samsung Galaxy Note Jelly Bean update could be rolling out in March, or perhaps, sooner if owners are lucky.
The Samsung Galaxy Note Jelly Bean update release date has inched closer.
At least one Canadian carrier thinks that it will be rolling out its Galaxy Note & Galaxy S2 Jelly Bean updates in February.
With the Galaxy S2 getting its Jelly Bean update, maybe the biggest name remaining without it is the original Samsung Galaxy Note.
The Samsung Galaxy Note Jelly Bean roll out is now rumored for January.
Rogers, the AT&T of Canada, will be rolling out Jelly Bean update to the Galaxy Note, Galaxy S2, and HTC One X in January. That means AT&T might as well.
The Samsung Galaxy Note Jelly Bean update has leaked again which is a sign that the release date has gotten closer.
The Samsung Galaxy Note Jelly Bean update has leaked again.
The Samsung Galaxy Note Jelly Bean update should be next to roll out.
The Samsung Galaxy Note Jelly Bean update could come loaded with features.
We take a look at how the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 stacks up against the Galaxy Note.
The fact that Samsung left many devices off of its Android 4.1 Jelly Bean upgrade list in the U.S. is pretty telling.
A look at the five best Android smartphones for October, 2012.
Samsung has confirmed Android 4.1 Jelly Bean for several devices today.
A look at the five best Android smartphones for September, 2012.
The Samsung Galaxy Note Jelly Bean update should roll out soon. But probably not for American carriers.
Samsung introduced the Galaxy Note II to a crowded auditorium in Berlin with a magic theme. Samsung played a video introduction to the Galaxy Note II after warming up the crowd with a live magician who threw cards around the aisle and fooled onlookers with sleight of ha...
Samsung has confirmed Jelly Bean for the Galaxy S III, Galaxy Note and Galaxy Note 10.1
The Samsung Galaxy Note and Galaxy S II Jelly Bean updates are reportedly still on track for Q4.
The T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note has reappeared on T-Mobile's website.


The new perspective
We are rapidly moving into a future where unmanned aircraft systems — commercial drones — bring more productivity, greater safety, and a whole new perspective to a wide range of industries. As an important and unique spoke in the IoT wheel, commercial drones provide more, better and new types of data to transform businesses. Aerial Innovation is working to advance that future in Silicon Valley and Japan.
Beyond hardware and beyond the the drone
The technologies, products and services that make commercial drones a transformative force are developing quickly. The ecosystem includes vehicles and components, but also embedded control and optimization software, and a broad array of payload possibilities. The off-vehicle ecosystem supports collecting and analyzing sensor data at scale and integrating it to improve business processes.
Far and wide across the economy
Commercial drones are already changing businesses across a host of industries.
The key to commercial drones at scale
Commercial unmanned aerial will require a new infrastructure for safety, control, and management of tens of thousands of unmanned aircraft at a time. Handling the data generated by these new end-points will require robust network capabilities and IoT platforms. And creating business improvements from that data will mean flexible analysis and visualization software.


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The former Chief Digital Officer of Nike, Adam Sussman, has been hired as the new President of Epic Games. Sussman shared the news on LinkedIn, where GamesIndustry.biz picked it up, and the news was confirmed by GameSpot.
In the post that Sussman shared the news he explained that this is a new and exciting opportunity that he’s happy to move onto after five and a half years with Nike. He added that working with Nike was an incredible experience, which he shared with a number of great people, and is sad to move on from. He ended by saying how honoured he is to be joining the fantastic team that built one of the biggest games in the world, Fortnite.
Sussman is excited to make the move to North Carolina, and return to gaming. He sees 2020 as a big year for Epic Games, and one that will change the face of the industry as we know it.
Prior to working with Nike, Sussman has been in various leadership roles within gaming. Between 2012 and 2014 he worked with Zynga as Vice President of Global Publishing, and before that he held the position of Senior Vice President of Publishing for DIMG Games with The Walt Disney Company. He’s also worked in similar roles with Take-Two Interactive and EA.
Epic Games’ previous President, Paul Meegan, stepped down in June last year. With Sussman at the helm, there’s no telling what strides the company will make both with Fortnite, and with new IPs that the company are working on.
Epic Games has gone from strength to strength since Fortnite took off for them. From hosting huge tournaments with thousands of attendees watching pro gamers play their battle royale game, to launching a brand new digital storefront that offers developers a better revenue cut than most others.
While interesting in Fortnite has waned somewhat since its peak, the game is still incredibly popular. There’s no sign of Fortnite dropping off as one of the most popular games on the market for years to come, which leaves the door open for Epic Games to outdo themselves with something new.

domain: news


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Born in Shanghai in Qing Dynasty to a prominent family of Shouchun Military General, Gai Qi benefited from his bourgeois education of Chinese arts and literature. As a child prodigy in arts, Gai established his fame in arts from his early age. When the book Dream of the Red Chamber gained in popularity, Gai painted illustrations for the book and his popularity rose. Since then, he explored a new style of painting noblewomen with a gentle streamline brushwork and created a new style called “the Style of Gai”.
GAI QI 改琦


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Talks to resolve the tense situation in Uzbekistan’s Sokh district, an exclave inside Kyrgyzstan's Batken Province, have stalled.
Batken governor Jenish Razakov told RFE/RL on January 20 that the negotiations with Uzbek officials on reopening border checkpoints and roads around Sokh had made no progress since January 10.
"We have sent our suggestions to resolve the issue of [blocked] roads [and borders] to the governor of [Uzbekistan's] Sokh district, and we called [Uzbekistan's] Ferghana regional governor's office with a suggestion to talk about the issue of [blocked] roads," Razakov said.
"We made the first step toward them, but we haven't heard any reply yet, no suggestion from their side. I think they would make some movement if they really needed these roads."
About 60,000 residents of Sokh, mainly ethnic Tajiks, have been cut off since clashes on January 5-6 with Kyrgyz border guards.
The violence began when the Kyrgyz authorities attempted to connect electric power lines to a new Kyrgyz border post.
Five Sokh residents were reportedly wounded by Kyrgyz border guards.
At least 30 Kyrgyz citizens were taken hostage and many injured, but all were released the following day.
Last week, Kyrgyz officials began installing barbed-wire fences near the Kyrgyz village of Charbak, where the violence took place.
Batken Province officials told RFE/RL that the barbed-wire fences will be installed at a 10-kilometer segment of the 136 kilometer-long Sokh border.
Almost 40 kilometers of the border around Sokh district remain disputed.
The Sokh incident reignited discussions on border-related issues in Kyrgyz, Tajik, and Uzbek media.
On January 18, Foreign Minister Hamrohon Zarifi of neighboring Tajikistan told journalists that he had officially asked the Russian Foreign Ministry to provide Dushanbe with historic documents related to borders between the former Soviet republics in Central Asia.
Zarifi said the documents were needed to clearly delineate Tajikistan's borders with neighboring Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, in order to prevent problems like those experienced in Sokh.
Meanwhile, Uzbek President Islam Karimov in televised comments on January 19 said that "the roots of many differences between Central Asian nations date back to Soviet times and the neighbors should solve all their problems themselves, without any mediators."
With reporting by RFE/RL's Kyrgyz, Tajik, and Uzbek services


Message: Re: PLEASE Mercedes Benz String commericial
Posted by Glen Foster on 17 years ago
It seems that unless Mercedes releases it, we will never see it on CD.
While checking around, I listened to Connie Evingson's Some Cats Know cd. It has the song, but I couldn't find a clip of it. But listening to other cuts, I found her voice to be very much like that in the commercial.
Copyright © 1998-2021 Clipland GmbH. All rights reserved. | Clipland.com - 1st in music videos online!


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Year 2009 was tough, but it was also the bottoming (or turn around) year for many important economical areas.
Last year, we saw a lot of bottoming happening:
- the Stock Market bottomed in March 2009
- the Housing Market started bottoming in the Summer of 2009
- In fall 2009, housing prices started to recover.
- The labor market’s decline practically bottomed too.
So while 2009 wasn’t a great year, it was an important year just because most things either bottomed or show signs of bottoming soon. As for the government, and what they are going… I’m not so happy with 2009…
I think the “cap and trade” legislation that passed by 1 vote, is a big mistake. Hopefully, the politicians will be thinking more clearly this year. We’ll see…
Anyway, I just want to personally welcome Year 2010!
2009 was important, but I’m glad to say goodbye to that year.
I wish everybody luck and prosperity this year!


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MORE THAN JUST NUMBERS - DESIGNED FOR MANAGING RURAL BUSINESS
About KEYPrime Accounts
Renowned for its ease of use, KEYPrime Accounts enables the user to run a set of accounts to Trial Balance with the industry’s most comprehensive set of management reporting and budgeting options included as standard.
Available as a PC install or web hosted, you can purchase KEYPrime Accounts or pay by monthly rental. Either way, you will experience award winning training and support provided by our experienced team.

domain: finance


DUBHE Series are Hi efficiency 4-channels mid/high power level amplifiers dedicated to the installation market where they can be connected loads in both, low and high impedance, through their input and output Phoenix connectors and output level control potentiometers in the rear panel.
In the design it has been implemented the advanced RAM Audio Power Control Management to configure how to sharing the power between the channels according to the user needs, having the possibility to obtain in just one channel the maximum power.
These amplifiers have many configuration possibilities such as bridge mode, subsonic filter, channel power limiter and signal link, among others, in order to satisfy the needs of any particular installation. These devices also can be equipped with a GPIO connection to interface with a third party control system.
Optional DanteTM Networking (AES67) and GPIO connection to interface with a third party control system are available for DUBHE amplifiers.
With all these configurations DUBHE amplifiers can meet the power requirements of any installation from 300 up to 2500 W.
• Low weight high efficiency class D topology
• Universal power supply with PFC
• Up to 10000 W in 4 channels
• 8, 4 and 2 Ohm low impedance operation
• 100, 70, 50 and 35 V high impedance modes
• RAM Audio advanced Power Control Management (PCMTM)
• Optional DanteTM Networking (AES67) and GPIO for third party interface
• Subsonic filter
• Signal link mini-dips configurable
• Output level control in rear panel
• Output mode configuration for high or low impedance with power limitation
• Phoenix connectors for inputs and outputs
• Up-side-down design to avoid fan dust accumulation
• Temperature controlled, front to back cooling fan
• ICL™: Intelligent Clip Limiting.
• PCM™: RAM Audio advanced Power Control Management to share the total power of the device between the channels according to needs.
• Soft-start, Turn-ON Turn-OFF transients, Muting at turn-ON, Over-heating, DC, RF, Short-circuit.
• Open or mismatched loads, Overloaded power supply.
|POWER TABLE||DUBHE 2.5Q||DUBHE 5Q||DUBHE 10Q|
|Number of channels||4||4||4|
|Total output power||2500 W||5000 W||10000 W|
|Output Power* (All ch driven / single ch)|
|2 ohm||4x 312 / 1x 312 W||4x 1250 / 1x 1250 W||4x 2500 / 1x 2500 W|
|2.67 ohm||4x 430 / 1x 430 W||4x 1250 / 1x 1700 W||4x 2500 / 1x 3300 W|
|4 ohm||4x 625 / 1x 625 W||4x 1250 / 1x 2500 W||4x 2500 / 1x 2500 W|
|8 ohm||4x 625 / 1x 1250 W||4x 1250 / 1x 1250 W||4x 1250 / 1x 1300 W|
|4 ohm Bridged||2x 625 W||2x 2500 W||2x 5000 W|
|8 ohm Bridged||2x 1250 W||2x 2500 W||2x 5000 W|
|Hi-Z 100V||4x 625 / 1x 1250 W||4x 1250 / 1x 2500 W||4x 2500 / 1x 2500 W|
|Hi-Z 70V||4x 625 / 1x 900 W||4x 1250 / 1x 1800 W||4x 2500 / 1x 2500 W|
|DENEB 2.5Q||DENEB 5Q||DENEB 10Q|
|Max output voltage||150 Vpeak||150 Vpeak||150 Vpeak|
|Max output current||18 Apeak||36 Apeak||50 Apeak|
|Total Harmonic Distortion||<0.05%|
|Crosstalk (20Hz-1kHz), typical||>70dB|
|Voltage Gain||26dB to 44dB|
|Signal to noise Ratio||111dB||111dB||111dB|
|Required AC Mains|
|Operating Voltage (50Hz-60Hz)||90V-265V AC|
|1/8 Rated Power (@230V, 4ohm)||2.1 A||3.7 A||7.3 A|
|Dimensions W x H x D||483x89x342 mm – 19″x3.5″x13.5″|
|Weight Net||7 Kg / 15.4 Lb|
Protections: Soft-start, Turn-on Turn-off transients, Muting at turn-on, Over-heating, DC, RF, Short-circuit, Open or mismatched loads, Overloaded power supply, ICL™ and PCM™.
* IEC filtered pink noise signal (40Hz-5kHz, 12dB crest factor). 230V AC mains.
Amp channel setup:
• 50Hz HP: 50Hz subsonic filter
• Output Mode: Hi impedance voltage selector. Low impedance power limitation
• Bridge mode: Low impedance bridge mode. 200V/140V high impedance mode
• Gain selection: change gain from 26dB to 40dB (2 dB steps)
• Input Link: link input signal in consecutive channels
• Ouput Levels: hidden potentiometers to adjust output level
• GPI Power: turn on/off by sustained contact or sustained voltage
• GPI Mute: mute/unmute completelly amplifier by contact or voltage
• GPO Monitor: monitor each individual channel, with switching contacts for fault/OK status
Standard Version: Standard DUBHE amp is equipped with industry standard Phoenix input and output connectors.
• Dante Version: this version of DUBHE amps includes Dante™ Networking, compatible with AES67 and Dante Domain Manager™ (DDM).
• GPIO Version: this version provides General Purpose Input Output module to interface with a third party control system.
Both options can be installed together.


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Rumors of a Microsoft Lumia 1030 started about a year ago, when a phone codenamed McLaren was leaked. Things were pretty quiet until about 6 months ago, when another prototype was leaked and believed to be the same phone.
However, it was further reported that Microsoft wasn’t working on a Lumia 1030, and the McLaren wasn’t even destined to be the successor of the Lumia 1020. Furthermore, the McLaren was supposedly cancelled, which shattered all hopes that Microsoft would offer a Lumia 1030.
The hope for a Lumia 1030 has now been renewed by newly leaked images that show the front panel of a phone that’s believed to be the Lumia 1030.
Let’s start with the obvious. You can clearly see “Lumia 1030” written on the glass with a marker. This, in itself, is obviously not enough proof that the panel photographed here is indeed for the Lumia 1030, but a trusted source from Nowwhereelse.fr assures the publication of its validity.
Now let’s move on to the not so obvious. Unless you have super eyesight, you probably didn’t notice the Microsoft logo at the top left of the device. Even more interesting is the Verizon logo at the top right, which means that this phone could be headed to Big Red at a minimum.
Here’s a closer look:
We do have to point out that this appears to be only a prototype, and it doesn’t necessarily prove that Microsoft will indeed launch a Lumia 1030 in the future. Assuming the prototype is legit, it only proves the the flagship existed at one point. We aren’t certain how old this prototype is, if the Lumia 1030 is actually in production, or if this is just an old discarded project.
There isn’t a whole lot to go on here, but previous reports pegged the display at 5-inches with a resolution of 1080p (1,920 x 1,080 pixels). The camera will obviously be the center of attention, if it’s a Lumia 1020 update. The camera could push 50-megapixels and would be a worthy upgrade over the 41-megapixel shooter on the Lumia 1020. The only other rumored spec was 2GB of RAM.
Possible fall release date
The Lumia 1030 could launch later this year, if it is indeed real. It was revealed last December that Microsoft would not release a new flagship phone until September 2015, and instead, concentrate on low-end models in the meantime. The Lumia 1030 would obviously classify as a flagship, so we will have to wait and see what Microsoft has to offer in a few months. Either way we’ll keep you updated here.
- I hope Microsoft adds this rumored AI feature to Windows 11
- Windows 11 leak gives us our first look at the radical new design
- Microsoft’s new Edge browser has launched, and it’s finally worth switching to


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Favourited 41 times
My name is Nicholas (39) I am the manager of a Bed-and-breakfast/hostel/backpacker (6 rooms dispatched in 3 bungalows, 25 places for hammocks in typical french amerindians huts located in the french Amazonia, in a town called Maripasoula, seeks volunteers to complete the team and share with us and be a part of that new experience of life.
I have just bought this place few months ago andI am the only operator to manage the site and the staff, a housekeeper, two gardeners and three boat drivers)
We are located west of French Guiana, on the banks of the Maroni River, which is also the border with Suriname, at the crossroads of two essentials cultures of French Guiana: Amerindians and Bushinengues. we also organize boat trips on the river to discover Amerindian and bushinengue cultures and provide logistic and organization of scientific journey.
Come join us and discover what life is , in that french part of amazonian rainforest, where you'll meet all the south america's different cultures...
Cooking / shopping
Help in the house
Helping with Tourists
To live in Maripasoula is a mix of different local and international cultures. Usually, there are more than 50 different ethnic groups living in French Guiana.
Living in Amazonia is also discovering the fauna and flora of the "lung of the planet". Nothing else to add ... ;-)
Within 4 or 5 hours of duty per day, 5 days a week as needed, with two days off ; for a week, a month or more.
We need skills in hostel management (operate check-in/check-out, gardening (mowing the grass, cutting plants, picking up dead leaves, support of the 2 main gardeners), fruit picking (limes, orange, mangos, bananas...), housekeeping (laundries, support the maid to clean the 6 rooms for example), Mainly, you'll help out the team already in. Not a big deal truly, mostly a great experience !
In a first time we need essentially service skills and in a second one (let's say 6 months from now), we'll need buiders, carpenters and skills like that.
French, spanish, portugues (brazil), english
15 square meters independent bedroom with a double bed (140x190 cm) in the owner's main house (made of amazonian wood) for free. I must say that the comfort of the house is rustic, simple, unpretentious but pleasant.
And a complete access to the house, site, garden and private pool.
We provide 3 meals per day of course.
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
4/5 heures par jour max, 5 j/sem.

domain: geography


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FN:s climate conference COP28 held this year in Dubai i United athe rab emirate. This has drawn criticism from both activists and climateorganizations, and a campaign to boycott the conference has spread worldwide. The development magazine analyzes the arguments for and against a boycott of COP28.
So said Greta Thunberg on the decision to allow an oil executive of a state-owned oil company in the United Arab Emirates to be chairman for the upcoming climate conference which is being held in Dubai this year.
Two of Sweden's largest environmental organizations - the Nature Conservation Association and the World Nature Fund - have announced that they will not participate in the climate conference, and refer to re-prioritization, according to Sweden's Nature.
- We are very critical that this oil sheik has been chosen as chairman, but we do not call for a boycott. It is incredibly important that civil society continues to be present and follow the negotiations, that is our general approach. Not least when fossilsThe lobby is so very strong, says the Nature Protection Association's general secretary Karin Lexén to Sveriges Natur.
The founder of the 2030 Secretariat, Mattias Goldmann, however, urges the environmental movement to stay away from the conference and make use of it elsewhere.
- This year's COP is the fossil fuelers' deathmatch, of course we must stay away from it. Those who really negotiate should have as small a delegation as possible and the rest of us should show how we can make greater climate benefits elsewhere, he says to Sweden's Nature.
The human rights organization Human Rights Watch also warns of the limited space for civil society in the United Arab Emirates, citing their extensive surveillance techniques and strict legislation on dissent. The country has stated that environmental activists and organizations should be allowed to "peacefully demonstrate" during the conference, despite a ban against unauthorized demonstrations.
Another criticism against the United Arab Emirates is that the country, which is en of the world's largest oil producers, has a strong climate impact and insufficient action plan to meet the Paris Agreement's goal of limiting global warming to 1,5 degrees, according to Climate Action Tracker.
Global campaign to boycott COP28
The "Boycott COP28" campaign advocates a boycott of the climate conference, citing the United Arab Emirates high climate emissions and human rights and war crimes.
- A boycott of the climate negotiations may seem counterintuitive for those who want to influence climate policy, but civil society is still largely relegated to the sidelines at the COP conferences, writes Tom Weis, chairman of the environmental consulting organization Climate Crisis Solutions, in a opinion text on Common Dreams.
Tom Weiss believes that the presence of civil society would give the conference an undeserved legitimacy and that the environmental movement should instead use their power to prevent the conference from "speaking in their name".
Ndileka Mandela - writer, activist and granddaughter of Nelson Mandela - believes, however, that this boycott could have negative consequences for developing countries that need climate finance. According to her is UAE first COP presidency to prioritize agreement to actually deliver money to global south.
- As parts of Africa suffer terribly from climate change - as illustrated by five consecutive years of drought in the Horn of Africa - we cannot afford to let the opportunity for a breakthrough in climate finance at COP28 go to waste, she writes in a opinion text in Bloomberg.
The UN climate conference, known as the Conference of the Parties (COP), has been an annual event since 1995. During the two-week summits, world leaders, politicians, experts, civil society representatives and a host of others gather to discuss the global climate crisis. It works as one meeting place for those who signed the UN's international agreement on climate change (UNFCCC) three decades ago.
After being held in Egypt last year, the 28th COP meeting will take place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates between 30 November and 12 December 2023. Four key objectives have been set for COP28:
- To speed up a fair, orderly and fair energy transition
- Fixing climate finance
- Putting nature, life and livelihoods at the center of climate action
- And mobilize for the most inclusive Conference of the Parties to date.


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Here at SeamlessWeb, we work with thousands of restaurants and we love them all equally. But we’re only human, and when blogs and newspapers write about our restaurants, some of them temporarily become more equal than others. Here’s a sampling of where SeamlessWeb restaurants made some news last week:
Vintage Fiats and Grilled Panini at Fiat Cafe – City Rover: New York
- Check out NoLiTa newcomer Fiat Cafe for delicious and satisfying Italian fare.
Sugar Rush: Banana Pudding at Tao – Serious Eats: New York
- Cakey wafers and slippery bananas make up this irresistible favorite dessert from Tao.
Feast List: Best Turkey Burgers – Feast
- Feast ranks New York’s top turkey burgers and a few SeamlessWeb favorites made the cut, including: Zaitzeff, Stand, and DuMont Burger
Daily Slice: Vinny Vincenz, East Village – Serious Eats: Slice
- East Village pizzeria Vinny Vincenz is a go-to spot for a banging Sicilian square.
Check back next week to read about some more SeamlessWeb spots!