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Well hello! It’s been a while.
I’m now in Yazd, one of the world’s oldest cities, near the centre of Iran. It’s a grey, chilly day, and there’s the heavy scent of rain in the air, but I don’t mind, because I rode 136 miles yesterday, covering two days’ distance in one, so that I could afford to spend a day off the bike today, sitting around, eating, catching up on my admin (and blog) and admiring the old town. I’m well into the desert now, and most of the older buildings are made of mud – beautiful sheer golden walls, little winding streets without, spacious courtyards within, and gorgeous blue-tiled domes and minarets on every horizon.
Iran has been tough so far, and I feel very definitely that this is no longer a holiday, but a proper expedition. However, I’ve come through relatively unscathed, and am enjoying the glow of success and achievement, and beginning to think that there’s an outside chance that I really might make it all the way round the world. I’m five months in now, and am still happy. Nothing’s gone seriously wrong, and I haven’t yet faced a challenge I couldn’t rise to.
The first challenge of Iran was the cold. After the freezing mountain passes of Turkey, I had assumed the weather would warm up, and was looking forward to riding into the spring. And for the first two days it was pleasantly balmy. I started camping again, and slept deeply and comfortably in my tent, without being woken up by cold toes every half an hour. In fact, sometimes in the middle of the day, I’d even find my feet were too hot. I was still riding through mountains, but unlike in Turkey, the road seemed to wind gently in and out of them, rather than going straight up and over the top, so there was a lot less climbing (although a fierce headwind made the going almost as tough at times).
A few miles before Tabriz I heard a bicycle bell behind me, and a few seconds later a large cyclist on a fully laden tourer whizzed past me, grinning. I whooped with surprise and delight – he was the first cyclist I’d met on the road (all the others were in hostels and campsites), and it seemed marvellously unlikely and incongruous that we should have found each other, here, in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of Iran, in the middle of the winter. His name was Johannes (see his website here), he was riding to India, and we quickly discovered that he had also stayed with Kahraman in Kirsehir, less than a week after I’d passed that way myself. We carried on into Tabriz together, devoured a kebab, bonded over our mutual obsession with merino, and agreed to ride east together the following day.
Immediately after Tabriz the road started to climb again, and we spent a long hard day battling upwards, every now and then checking Johannes’ altimeter to reassure ourselves with how many metres we’d gained in the past hour. And as the road went steadily up, the temperature went steadily down. We camped in between snowdrifts in a frozen orchard, and when we woke up, Johannes’ thermometer told us it was -10. It carried on telling us it was -10 for the next few days, until we realized that that was as far down as it could detect, and that the actual temperature was probably far lower.
The following night we were lucky enough to find a Red Crescent station at the exact moment we decided to stop, and were able to spend a comfortable night playing chess with the paramedics, revelling in their hot shower, and sleeping on their floor. When we set off the following morning we realized that it had snowed again in the night – the road was a mess of slush and ice, and although the sun was bright, the temperature was still uncomfortably low.
A couple of hours into the morning, a truck roared past, tooting frantically, and skidded to a halt a few metres ahead of us. The driver jumped down from his cab, motioned to us to wait while he dialled a number on his phone, and then handed it to the mystified Johannes.
“Hello?” he said, assuming (as did I) that he’d be speaking to some member of the driver’s family, who happened to speak English and wanted to welcome us to Iran.
“You speak English?” he continued, and then “I’m sorry – where are you from? Oh, Belgium!”
Suddenly I realized what was going on.
“Ask him his name!” I interrupted, excitedly.
And sure enough, it was Ben, whom I’d ridden with to Doğubeyazıt, and left behind when he realized (at the very last minute) that he wouldn’t be able to use cash machines in Iran, and would need to spend a couple of days withdrawing enough cash to see him through the next month. He had now made it to Iran, but given up trying to ride through the snow and hitched a lift in a lorry. And the driver who’d stopped us somehow knew that his colleague had a cyclist on board, so when he saw two other cyclists, he decided that we should be put in touch with each other.
A few minutes later, the lorry carrying Ben overtook us, with Ben himself hanging excitedly out of the window, and after promising to have lunch with the driver at his family home in Zanjan, the three of us continued in convoy. By now the sun was warm enough to melt the ice, leaving behind a damp and horrible mess of mud and grit, which our wheels flung up onto the face and bike of the rider behind us as we slipstreamed each other the remaining 30km to Zanjan. When we arrived at the driver’s house (after struggling to keep up with a friendly taxi driver who offered to show us the way) I discovered that my face was speckled all over with brown splashes of mud, like enormous freckles, and my panniers and bike were caked in dirt.
We spent the remainder of the afternoon filling up on chicken kebabs and large plates of buttery rice, and enjoying being in a warm, clean room, with warm friendly people, before heading out to the outskirts of town to pitch our little village of tents in yet another frozen orchard. It snowed again during the night, and when we packed up the next morning we left three white outlines on the ground, for passersby to puzzle over.
Ben and Johannes were heading towards Tehran, where they both had friends, and I planned to ride with them as far as Soltaniye, before striking out over the mountains for Hamedan, my next stop. We arrived in Soltaniye just before lunch, shared a pot of tea before saying goodbye, and then decided to explore the town’s impressive mausoleum – the third largest dome in the world, and once the centrepiece of the 14th century Ilkhanid capital, though now it dwarfs the tiny town, its enormous turquoise roof visible for miles around against the snowy plain and jagged mountains that surround it.
It was bitterly cold, and as we wandered through the unheated building my fingers began to sting – no matter how I tried, I couldn’t warm them up. We backtracked slowly through the snow-encrusted streets, and decided to have lunch before going our separate ways. Crammed onto a park bench we gnawed our way through fresh flatbreads, white cheese and a pot of rose-petal jam, our movements frantic and jerky with the cold. I was growing more and more concerned about the road ahead. From Soltaniye I was planning to ride due south, cutting straight across the mountains, and I was already shivering uncontrollably. I had no idea how much further the temperature might drop, how icy the road would be, how steep the climbs, and whether I’d make it to the next town by nightfall, or be forced to camp alone in probably the lowest temperatures I had experienced. Judging by my map, the road I planned to follow was a back route, with very little in the way of settlements or services.
I checked the map again, and found that, if I continued another half a day’s riding down the road we had followed so far, there was another road leading south to Hamedan. It would be a longer ride, but this was a main road, and there would be petrol stations, and Red Crescent paramedics, and even friendly lorry drivers to rescue me if anything went wrong. I took a deep breath and asked Ben and Johannes if they could cope with my company for another day. To my relief they said yes, and we finally got on our bikes and set off, still shivering.
But we were clearly meant to stay in Soltaniye. Within seconds, Johannes had a flat tyre, and after another twenty minutes of trying to fix it, he managed to break his rear axle. We were stranded, and it looked likely that poor Johannes might have to take a train to Tehran, and wait around there while someone posted him a new axle out for Germany. Luckily, Iranians came to our rescue. The family outside whose house we had stopped brought us a tray of tea, and then a bag of fruit. Someone else came up and handed us a bottle of (alcohol-free) beer.
And then a friendly English-speaking man drove past, sent Johannes off to a bike shop in Zanjan with a friend of his, and bundled me and Ben around the corner to his house, where we spent the rest of the afternoon warming up, and eventually celebrating as Johannes returned victorious from Zanjan, bearing cakes and a brand new axle, which, despite our misgivings, he had managed to find.
The following morning we said our goodbyes – to our host and to each other – and I set off on my own, having fortified myself with a good night’s sleep and decided to brave the mountain road after all. It was a crisp, clear, beautiful day, but the air was still frighteningly cold. But it was a strangely satisfying ride. Up I went, over the line of mountains that marked the edge of Soltaniye’s plain, and down onto the plain on the other side, nothing around me but blue sky, bright sunlight, and miles upon miles of glistening white snow, rising up into mountain ranges on every horizon. The road was mercifully clear, and I sped along it, knowing that there were only three towns I would pass that day, and slightly unsure of whether I’d be able to reach the third before darkness fell.
With this doubt circling in my mind, I pushed myself, legs and lungs burning, through the dazzling, otherworldly wilderness, and rolled exhaustedly into the small town of Shirin Su just as the sun was sinking behind the mountains. As I sat in a friendly teashop, warming up and contentedly listening while the men of the town debated where I should be sent to sleep (in the end on of them wheeled my bike around the corner to his family home and I spent the evening falling asleep over tea and supper), the light slowly faded away, until nothing but a brilliant orange glow remained on the horizon, clashing curiously with the streetlight outside, under which my bike sat, a stranger in a strange town.

domain: geography


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Welcome to the Stampin’ Pretty Pals’ Blog Hop!
This month, the theme is Fabulous Flowers. We really hope that you will be inspired by all the amazing creations the Pals are sharing with you! As you hop from blog to blog, we would love for you to leave a comment. You will find the lineup at the end of my post to help you “hop” along from Pal to Pal.
For my project, I chose the Flowering Tulips Bundle and the Flowering Fields Designer Series Paper. I use the Fluid 100 Watercolor Paper to crop out the tulips, stems and leaves, then I watercolored them to coordinate with the colors of the tulips in the designer paper. I tucked a piece of the Layering Designs Vellum behind the tulips to help them pop a little. To finish off my card I used some Linen Thread to make a small bow and added a birthday greeting from the Flowering Tulips Bundle, cropped out with a die from the (retiring soon) Tasteful Labels Dies. I decorated my envelope flap to coordinate using a different sheet from the Flowering Fields Designer Series Paper.
More inspiration awaits, so use the lineup below to visit the rest of the Design Team. The Pals are excited to show you what they’ve created! Then, please mark your calendars for our next blog hop on May 11, 2022. Our theme will be New 2022-2024 In Colors, with the Pals showcasing the brand new In Colors in the new Annual Catalog.
Until then, have fun in your own crafty space.
Stampin’ Pretty Pals Blog Hop
- Mary Fish at Stampin’ Pretty
- Su Mohr at Aromas And Art
- Tricia Chuba at ButterDish Designs
- Sue Jackson at Just Peachy Stamping
- Stesha Bloodhart at Stampin’ Hoot!
- Jackie Beers at Blue Line Stamping
- Amanda Howard at Papercrafting With Amanda
- Windy Ellard at Windy’s Wonderful Creations
- Mary Hanson at Up North Stampin’
- Jill Loveland at Simple Stamping
- Beth McCullough at Stamping Mom
- Pamela Sadler at Stampin Pink Rose
- Lisa Ann Bernard at Queen B Creations
- Debbie Mageed at Secrets to Stamping
- Deb Walker at Deb Stamps Life
- Melissa Seplowitz at The Stamping Ninja
- Peggy Noe at Pretty Paper Cards
- Terri George at Stamp Me Crafty
- Rae Burnet at Wild West Paper Arts
Have a Crafty Day,
11 thoughts on “Fabulous Flowers for an April Hop”
Kilgore, love, love the tulips, they’re so bright and cheery!
Thanks for all the lovely comments. I’m just going through the hop now… everyone did a wonderful job!
What a beautiful card, Terri! I just love this suite and tulips are so classic. I really hope we keep this one around for a while. Thanks for joining the blog hop this month!
So so pretty! I really love the vellum behind the flowers.
OMG… this is an absolutely beautiful card Terri! So vibrant and cheerful.
Lovely card and layout! Like the vellum behind, too.
So pretty Terri! I love those tulips!!
This is beautiful, Terri! I love how you made your tulips coordinate with the designer paper!
Lovely work Terri! Terrific fun to see how you put your own stamp on Fabulous Flowers!
LOVE this DSP, and your use of the vellum! This bundle is a winner for sure, and certainly says Spring to me! Beautiful!
Your water coloring of the tulips is spectacular! They perfectly match the paper. Those and the layer of vellum turn this into an amazing card.
Comments are closed.

domain: design


Building PC with ASUS Sabertooth Z77 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA / 6Gb/s, USB 3.0 ATX Intel motherboard. 512GB SSD, 2TB Storage, 850 Power supply, Blue Ray Burner. Looking for suggestion on Video Card - looking for CUDA core. Considering NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 or Quadro 2000D. Anyone with experience who can suggest? Thanks.


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Over lockdown, I’ve found new uses for my YouTube channel: it’s an ideal place to post content for my students. Some videos are backing tracks for singers to perform along to, some are demonstration videos of techniques or sections of pieces that my students are learning, and others are full performances of my students’ study pieces to act as a guide for them to follow and / or play along to. You can SUBSCRIBE to the channel HERE.
Here are a couple of examples of videos that might interest you:
Lesson slots fully booked this week
If you’re after booking a last minute music lesson this week, I’m afraid you’re out of luck – all my slots have been taken for the coming 7 days. However, keep an eye on my other social media (Facebook & Twitter) for updates.

domain: artistic


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Reminder To Blood Donors in the Mullingar Area
The Irish Blood Transfusion Service Mobile Unit will be located in the
Annebrook House Hotel, Mullingar on:
- Monday 3rd December, 2018
- Tuesday 4th December, 2018
- Wednesday 5th December, 2018
- Thursday 6th December, 2018
From 4:30pm to 8:00pm
Please Note Days & Clinic Opening Times
Help Ensure Essential Blood Supplies are Always Available by Giving Blood Regularly
New and former Donors always needed If you are fit and healthy, aged 18 to 65 (between 65 and 70 years if you have donated in the last 10 years),
over 7st.12 lbs (50kg) and have not donated in the last 90 days, please make a special effort to come along.
This week, approximately 1,000 Irish people will receive a blood transfusion.
To meet this demand from our hospitals we need 3,000 donations of blood each and every week.
Help us to help others. Help ensure that essential blood supplies are always available. Remember YOU can make a difference.
For further details, please contact
Finbar Gethins, Area Organiser at our Ardee Regional Office on 041 – 685 9994 www.giveblood.ie

domain: health


Watch the new sneak peak from Cruella!
“Cruella,” which is set in 1970s London amidst the punk rock revolution, follows a young grifter named Estella, a clever and creative girl determined to make a name for herself with her designs.
She befriends a pair of young thieves who appreciate her appetite for mischief, and together they are able to build a life for themselves on the London streets. One day, Estella’s flair for fashion catches the eye of the Baroness von Hellman, a fashion legend who is devastatingly chic and ...
Watch the trailer for Mortal Kombat – in Aussie cinemas April 22!
The film is helmed by award-winning Australian commercial filmmaker Simon McQuoid, marking his feature directorial debut, and produced by James Wan (“The Conjuring” universe films, “Aquaman,”), Todd Garner (“Into the Storm,” “Tag”), McQuoid and E. Bennett Walsh (“Men in Black: International,” “The Amazing Spider-Man 2”).
The diverse international cast reflects the global nature of the brand, with talent spanning the worlds of film, televi...
The Owl and the Pussycat is coming to the Brisbane Powerhouse!
The Owl and the Pussycat is an enchanting and intimate theatrical experience for families, based on Edward Lear’s beloved childhood poem. Created by a national team of award-winning artists, be swept away in this all-new opera, featuring stunning vocals, theatre, puppetry and a Puffin.
Aboard a giant magical pea green boat moored at Brisbane Powerhouse, meet our pair’s colourful and eccentric new friends, as they are brought to life on deck.
Ahoy! Come set ...
Retro Movie Review – Shutter Island
The film starts out with a boat ride that would be helped by a shot of Dramamine as U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio) and his partner Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) are sent to a hospital for the criminally insane located on an isolated island to investigate the disappearance of one of its patients. This sets off a chain of events that will push the already unstable Marshal to and over the edge.
The movie’s trailer to the contrary, the film is more of a psychol...
Peter Rabbit 2 Movie Review
The humans from part one of the saga, Bea (Rose Byrne) and Thomas (Domhnall Gleeson) are now married and living an idyllic life on the farm with their furry friends. Bea has continued with her creation of books based around Peter Rabbit and his friends and goes to the big city with her animal family in tow to meet up with a publisher. Once there Peter (James Corden) feels misunderstood and ventures out on his own.
He soon falls in with a bad crowd and gets roped ...
Win tickets to Willy’s Wonderland at Dendy Cooparoo!
A quiet loner (Nic Cage) finds himself stranded in a remote town when his car breaks down.
Unable to pay for the repairs he needs, he agrees to spend the night cleaning Willy's Wonderland, an abandoned family fun center. But this wonderland has a dark secret that the "The Janitor" is about to discover.
He soon finds himself trapped inside Willy's and locked in an epic battle with the possessed animatronic mascots that roam the halls. To survive, he must fight ...
Watch Bob Odenkirk transform from mild-mannered comedian into tough-as-nails action hero!
Emmy winner Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul, The Post, Nebraska) stars as Hutch Mansell, an underestimated and overlooked dad and husband, taking life’s indignities on the chin and never pushing back. A nobody.
When two thieves break into his suburban home one night, Hutch declines to defend himself or his family, hoping to prevent serious violence. His teenage son, Blake (Gage Munroe, The Shack), is disappointed in him and his wife, Becca (Connie Nielsen, Wonder Woman), seems to pull ...
The Last Vermeer Movie Review
Van Meegeren profited greatly from selling Johannes Vermeer paintings to high-ranking German officials during the war. After hostilities ended he was charged with selling Dutch cultural property to the Nazis and faced a possible death sentence. During the trial, he used the defense that he actually forged the paintings and thus was able to avoid capital punishment.
Starting as an investigative yarn, the film features Danish actor Claes Bang playing Captain Joseph ...
Godzilla vs. Kong Movie Review
Following Kong: Skull Island in 2017 and Godzilla: King of the Monsters in 2019, this latest edition in Legendary's MonsterVerse pits the two biggest box office titans against each other while the fate of the world hangs in the balance. The final battlefield this time takes place in Hong Kong and the city comes off very second best. The level of destruction is impressive.
The filmmakers have relied on the spectacle of the fight scenes to carry the movie as the ...
White Riot Movie Review
The lines were drawn between the Callaghan government and their passive support of the anti-immigrant National Front and the opposition to this status quo by the more forward-thinking youth of the time. This situation found its champions in Red Saunders, Jo Wreford, Pete Bruno, and others. They conceived a one-off concert called Rock Against Racism as a reaction to the racist rhetoric put forth by Eric Clapton, yes that Eric Clapton.
That concert helped start a ...


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The city of Detroit has a problem with goats, among other significant challenges. It has been battered with political corruption (two former mayors are in jail) and it is trying to sheppard (pun intended) through a huge bankruptcy but goats are where the city draws the line.
The city also a tremendous amount of potential and is desperately trying to reinvent itself. My wife’s family is from the Detroit suburbs and I went to college in the Michigan for 4 years – one thing I noticed – the suburbs and the City of Detroit are mutually exclusive unlike most big US cities I have visited. One of the best explanations of Detroit’s fall was a recent read of mine: Detroit: An American Autopsy by Charlie LeDuff. The original urban planners got it all wrong.
But let’s talk about goats. Last year a Detroit city councilman had a vision, that vision was eventually carried out by a billionaire hedge-funder who brought unlicensed goats to control the overgrown vacant lots of Detroit. Goats as lawnmowers are used in other cities.
I don’t think many people in the US realize just how much abandoned property there is within the city boundaries – the size of Paris.
An op-ed piece in the Detroit News made an argument for it, but the city was not interested.
The hedge funder explains:
Detroit is very much a place that lives by what I call ‘home rule.’ The people are bound by a lot of laws from years ago that restrict them from doing things that can help their community. The people of Brightmoor have decided to step up to ensure the survival of their families and the community. One of the ways they are doing this is with guerrilla farming. Guerrilla farming brings attention to pieces of publicly controlled land within the city that have been abandoned, left vacant or have been left to grow wildly out of control by absent owners. It cleans these areas, brings them into a productive capacity and converts them from a nuisance to an asset within the community.
The housing market won’t recover without the abandoned elements being removed ie unkept lawns, condemned housing and commercial structures. One of the surprising aspects of Detroit’s rise from the ashes has been the non-conventional nature of progress. Goats would definitely fit in.
Arguably my favorite type of goat entered this world from 1964-1967.
Tags: Detroit, goats, urban farming, hedge fund, Pontiac GTO, Curbed Detroit

domain: news


Engine TUGS-Featuring Thomas and Stepney 2 is a Thomas/TUGS Parody Series. It is all about Thomas the Tank Engine, The Fat Controller's first engine, Henry the Green Engine, The Fat Controller's sceond engine, Edward the Blue Engine, The Fat Controller's third engine, James the Red Engine, The Fat Controller's fourth engine, Gordon the Big Engine, The Fat Controller's fifth engine, Murdoch, The Fat Controller's sixth engine, Stepney the Bluebell Engine, The Fat Controller's seventh engine and Toby the Tram Engine, The Fat Controller's eighth engine and The Fat Controller's rival is Diesel 10 who has devious engines called Devious Diesel, Diesel 10's first engine, Arry, Diesel 10's second engine, Bert, Diesel 10's third engine Dodge, Diesel 10's fourth engine and Splatter, Diesel 10's last engine and with Bulstrode and George often and Spencer the Sliver Bullet Engine (Diesel 10's tenth engine in Engine TUGS-Featuring Thomas and Stepney 2 Season 2).
- Thomas as Ten Cents
- Gordon as Big Mac
- Edward as OJ
- James as Top Hat
- Henry as Warrior
- Murdoch as Hercules
- Stepney as Sunshine
- Toby as Grampus
- and more
- Stepney - Stepney arrives on the island.
- Trapped - A Big Tramp Steamer gets stuck and traps Dodge, James, Henry, Edward and Stepney.
- Quarantine - Edward almost gets scrapped.
- High Winds - Bulstrode arrives on the island and makes Arry do some flavors for him.
- Jinxed - Thomas and Stepney meet an unlucky green steamie named Duck.
- Gordon - Gordon works with Henry on rock divers.
- 4th of July - The Other Engines must save Toby before George blows him up.
- and more


These small plants I found growing on the wall of our local 14th century castle. The plants do not receive direct sunlight.
SOLVED: Could this little plant be Anogramma leptophylla?
Here is a link to Aquilegia vulgaris L., which grows all over Italy:
I see that Anogramma is a fern. . . There is no columbine-like foliage in photos 3 and 4. I'm guessing the columbine-like foliage in photos 1 and 2 is either a columbine growing right next to the putative fern, or the fern has some foliage stages that resemble columbine.
Right, now that I look at the photos again, there definitely are several distinct plants, one of which might be Aquilegia.
In the background there is Adiantum capillis veneris. These leaves, of course, could belong to a Chelidonium majus, more likely than an Aquilegia. see photo. I am still betting of a member of the Fern family. Aquilegia sp., being quite common in the region where I live, I know the plant well. It is not the habit of Aquilegia sp. to grow on walls, but on the edges of roads or woods, where there is to be found a rich soil.
Cannot determine which of these two families this plant belongs. Pteridaceae or Polypodiaceae. I have searched Google images and the only plant I could find that is practically similar is: Pteridaceae..Cryptogramma crispus. This plant is not is not to be found in the region where the photograph was taken. Could even be a Botrychium sp.?
Are you talking about the plant in the photo you posted on 11/17/13, or the ones at the top from 11/16/13?
Hi Spoonlegs, I refer to the 4 images posted on 11/16/2013. Crypogramma crispus is practically identical to the plant on the 4 images. But as I mentioned before, dispersion of this plant doesn't include the Region Campania.


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Why Affirmations Work
Man’s word is Spirit in man. Spoken words are sounds occasioned by the vibrations of thoughts; thoughts are vibrations sent forth by the ego or by the soul. Every word you utter should be potent with soul vibration. A man’s words are lifeless if he fails to impregnate them with spiritual force. Talkativeness, exaggeration, or falsehood makes your words as ineffective as paper bullets shot from a toy gun. The speech and prayers of garrulous or inaccurate persons are unlikely to produce beneficial changes in the order of things. Man’s words should represent not only truth but also his definite understanding and realization. Speech without soul force is like husks without corn.
Spiritual Power in Man’s Word
Words saturated with sincerity, conviction, faith, and intuition are like highly explosive vibration bombs, which, when set off, shatter the rocks of difficulties and create the change desired. Avoid speaking unpleasant words, even if true. Sincere words or affirmations repeated understandingly, feelingly, and willingly are sure to move the Omnipresent Cosmic Vibratory Force to render aid in your difficulty. Appeal to that Power with infinite confidence, casting out all doubt; otherwise the arrow of your attention will be deflected from its mark. After you have sown in the soil of Cosmic Consciousness your vibratory prayer-seed, do not pluck it out frequently to see whether or not it has germinated. Give the divine forces a chance to work uninterruptedly. …
Use of Will, Feeling, and Reason
As one uses different affirmations, his attitude of mind should change; for example, will affirmations should be accompanied by strong determination; feeling affirmations by devotion; reason affirmations by clear understanding. When healing others, select an affirmation that is suitable to the conative, imaginative, emotional, or thoughtful temperament of your patient. In all affirmations intensity of attention comes first, but continuity and repetition mean a great deal, too. Impregnate your affirmations with devotion, will, and faith, intensely and repeatedly, unmindful of the results, which will come naturally as the fruit of your labours. During the physical curing process, the attention should be not on the disease, lest one’s faith be dampened, but on the infinite powers of the mind. During mental overcoming of fear, anger, bad habits, and so on, one’s concentration should be on the opposite quality; that is, the cure for fear is the consciousness of bravery; for anger, peace; for weakness, strength; for sickness, health. … The subconscious idea-habit of disease or health exerts a strong influence. Stubborn mental or physical diseases always have a deep root in the subconsciousness. Illness may be cured by pulling out its hidden roots. That is why all affirmations of the conscious mind should be impressive enough to permeate the subconsciousness, which in turn automatically influences the conscious mind. Strong conscious affirmations thus react on the mind and body through the medium of the subconsciousness. Still stronger affirmations reach not only the subconscious but also the superconscious mind—the magic storehouse of miraculous powers. Declarations of Truth should be practised willingly, freely, intelligently, and devotionally. One’s attention should not be allowed to lag. Straying attention should be brought back again and again like a truant child and repeatedly and patiently trained to perform its given task.
Attention and Faith Are Necessary
All affirmations, in order to reach the superconsciousness, must be free from uncertainties and doubts. Attention and faith are lights that lead even imperfectly understood affirmations to the subconscious and superconscious minds. Patience and attentive, intelligent repetition are wonder-workers. Affirmations for curing chronic mental or bodily afflictions should be repeated often, deeply and continuously (utterly ignoring unchanged or contrary conditions, if any), until they become part of one’s profound intuitional convictions. It is better to die, if death has to come, with the conviction of perfect health than with the thought that a mental or physical ailment is incurable. Though death may be the necessary end of the body according to present human knowledge, still its “destined hour” may be changed by the power of the soul.
TECHNIQUE OF AFFIRMATION
Sit facing north or east. A straight armless chair over which a wool blanket has been placed is preferable. The cloth serves as an insulation against magnetic earth currents that tend to tie the mind to material perceptions.
- Close your eyes and concentrate on the medulla oblongata (at the back of the neck), unless otherwise directed. Keep spine erect, chest high, abdomen in. Take a deep breath and exhale it, three times.
- Relax the body and keep it motionless. Empty the mind of all restless thoughts, and withdraw its attention from bodily sensations, heat and cold, sounds, and so on.
- Do not think of the particular kind of healing you need.
- Cast away anxiety, distrust, and worry. Realize calmly and trustingly that the Divine Law works and is all-powerful. Permit yourself no doubt or disbelief. Faith and concentration allow the law to operate unhampered. Hold the thought that all bodily states are changeable and curable and that the idea of a chronic disease is a delusion.
One should use affirmations immediately after awakening in the morning or during the period of somnolence preceding sleep at night. Groups may meet at any suitable hour.
Quiet surroundings as far as possible. If the meeting has to be held in a noisy place, ignore the sounds and attend devotedly to your practice.
Before starting to affirm, always free the mind from worries and restlessness. Choose your affirmation and repeat all of it, first loudly, then softly and more slowly, until your voice becomes a whisper. Then gradually affirm it mentally only, without moving the tongue or the lips, until you feel that you have attained deep, unbroken concentration—not unconsciousness, but a profound continuity of uninterrupted thought. If you continue with your mental affirmation, and go still deeper, you will feel a sense of increasing joy and peace. During the state of deep concentration, your affirmation will merge with the subconscious stream, to come back later reinforced with power to influence your conscious mind through the law of habit. During the time that you experience ever increasing peace, your affirmation goes deeper, into the superconscious realm, to return later laden with unlimited power to influence your conscious mind and also to fulfill your desires. Doubt not and you shall witness the miracle of this scientific faith. …
These Affirmations Soul-Inspired:
Many processes are involved between the sowing of the affirmation seed and its fruition. All conditions of its growth must be fulfilled to produce the desired result. The affirmation seed must be a living one, free from the defects of doubt, restlessness, or inattention; it should be sown in the mind and heart with concentration, devotion, and peace, and watered with deep, fresh repetition and boundless faith.
Always Avoid Mechanical Repetition:
Repeat affirmations firmly and with intensity and sincerity until such power is gained that one command, one strong urge from within, will be sufficient to change your body cells and to move your soul to performance of miracles.
The Progressive Stages of Chanting:
Remember again that the affirmations should be uttered with the proper loud intonation, fading into a whisper, and above all with attention and devotion. Thus the thoughts are led, by one’s conviction of the efficacy and truth of the affirmations, from the auditory sense to the understanding of the conscious mind, then to the subconscious or automatic mind, and then to the superconscious mind. Those persons who believe will be cured by these affirmations. The five stages of chanting are: conscious loud chanting, whisper chanting, mental chanting, subconscious chanting, and superconscious chanting. …
Aum or Amen, the Cosmic Sound:
When you are passing from one stage of chanting to another, the attitude of the mind also should change and become deeper and more concentrated. The aim is to unite chanter, chant, and the process of chanting into one. The mind should enter the deepest conscious state—not unconsciousness or absentmindedness or sleep, but a state of such focused concentration that all thoughts are sunk into and merged with the one central thought, like particles drawn to an irresistible magnet.
Three Physiological Centers:
During will affirmations, your attention should be centered in the spot between the eyebrows; during thought affirmations, in the medulla oblongata;* and during devotional affirmations, in the heart. At appropriate times man automatically fixes his mind on one of these physiological regions; for example, during states of emotion he feels the heart center to the exclusion of all other parts of the body. By the practise of affirmations one acquires the power of consciously directing his attention to the vital sources of will, thought, and feeling. Absolute, unquestioning faith in God is the greatest method of instantaneous healing. An unceasing effort to arouse that faith is man’s highest and most rewarding duty.
* The medulla and the spot between the eyebrows are in fact the positive and negative poles, respectively, of one center of intelligent life force. Paramahansaji sometimes instructed devotees to concentrate at the spot between the eyebrows, and sometimes at the medulla, but the two are one by polarity. When the gaze of the eyes is centralized with calm concentration at the point between the eyebrows, the current from the two eyes goes first to that point in the forehead, and thence to the medulla. The single astral eye of light then appears in the forehead, reflected there from the medulla.
(Excerpts from Scientific healing affirmations by Paramahansa Yogananda)

domain: literature


Story: So-yeon (Kim Min-kyeong) loses her baby which isn't just a traumatic experience for her, but also for her husband Joon-sik (Jo Han-seon),
who since that day seeks solace in alcohol. Together the two do everything in their power for So-yeon to get pregnant again, but Joon-sik is still so
absorbed by the miscarriage that he becomes impotent. So-yeon has already visited a doctor, too, because of this, but it is without a doubt that Joon-sik
has become impotent because of the mental trauma and the pressure he is under. She suggests that they make a trip and so the two go to an island
where they sit in a remote restaurant surrounded by nature. The owner of the restaurant, Seong-cheol (Ma Dong-seok), seems quite odd, especially since he
treats his household help Min-hee (Ji An) like a slave. The food that is served also needs an acquired taste since it is all aimed at raising men's
potency. Moreover, it sizzles between So-yeon and Min-hee. Seong-cheol doesn't mind if he wants to spend the night with her and it even seems that the
visit of this odd restaurant was in fact planned by So-yeon in order to heal her husband from his impotence. However, the visit at the restaurant turns
into a fight for survival...
Review: "Deep Trap" is one of those thrillers where you know exactly what you get for your money. There is no bonus. Yet, the beginning
of the film makes you hope for more. It doesn't take long for you to realize, though, that this is your standard story revolving around a couple from the
big city that has to survive a clash with a killer at a cabin in the woods. This straight line is also what can win the movie some goodwill. In other words:
Fans of this horror subgenre will have a fun time. But for everyone else the story proves to be a bit too predictable. That the movie completely lacks surprises
of any kind and instead deliberately follows the common route of a psycho killer flick where the only exciting question is whether the protagonists manage to
survive until the end or not can also be a frustrating movie experience. Because an inventive movie certainly looks different.
However, there is very soon an interesting story hook becoming apparent. Because obviously it is the wife who planned the visit of the restaurant and even for her
husband to cheat on her in order to cure him of his impotence. This is where even in modern Korea the extremely patriarchic oriented society shows its
face, because for Western audiences all of this sounds rather implausible. The initial arc of suspense can be quite appealing, though. From the very get-go
So-yeon has her reasons why she can't stand odd Seong-cheol - after all she isn't really pleased with her own plan - and there is tension between her and
him. Sexual tension on the other hand is in the air when it comes to Joon-sik and mute Min-hee. These two aspects are what keeps the movie running nicely
and constantly ups the suspense level. Furthermore, there is also a pretty explicit sex scene.
The mystery surrounding the restaurant on a hill and its strange owners soon makes way for the certainty that the married couple eventually has to
try escaping the clutches of a mad killer. At this point the movie starts to become rather uninteresting. Yet, it needs to be pointed out that the characters
themselves sometimes can give us an unusual glimpse of depth. But that's probably the achievement of the actors/actresses who deliver good performances
all throughout, which isn't really given in the genre. Jo Han-seon ("A Better Tomorrow",
"My New Partner") plays a husband with alcohol problems who doesn't do everything right in his marriage and as the movie
progresses makes even more mistakes. But that's actually what makes him almost three-dimensional. Just "almost" since the film doesn't want to be a drama
after all, but clearly wants to dive into the more shallow waters of a horror thriller.
Kim Min-kyeong has mainly played in dramas before and you can tell during the scenes where she is allowed to shed some tears. Still, her character is somehow
the least likeable. Which naturally is even the more odd as Ma Dong-seok ("Chronicles of Evil",
"The Five") plays a killer. But it's the friendly relationship which develops between Seong-cheol and the husband as
well as the killer's smile that makes him win over our sympathies despite all else. It's a different story when you see him treat his "sister" like a slave,
though. And of course he shows his whole brutal nature as a killer, eventually. Ma Dong-Seok is in fact the one element that manages to spice up the movie.
Seong-cheol isn't the cliché-loaden psycho killer, but instead is somewhere between impulse-driven and cunning. In a certain way this makes him
Kwon Hyeong-jin ("For Horowitz", "Wedding Dress") is an experienced director, but hides this fact behind a deliberate independent flick flair. This in fact creates suspense and towards the end you certainly will sit at the edge of your seat, if you are willing to overlook the typical weaknesses of such a flick. For instance, there are of course countless plot holes which are indispensable for creating a decent arc of suspense and there are also incredibly stupid characters. That's my fundamental problem with this subgenre of horror. The genre demands that the protagonists present themselves as victims and never really fight back in order to survive. This kind of survival-via-escape may be the actual appeal of the genre, but it also leads to the fact that the protagonists are acting so dumb that you may think the world would be a better place without them. If you don't have any issues with that you will get an absolutely solid thriller, mainly thanks to Ma Dong-seok.


text:
Thu 22 August 2019 | 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm
P8 Gallery - HaPatish 1, Tel Aviv,
Waypoint | Ruby Beckle
Treasure | Gilad Efrat
Opening | 22.08.2019 Time – 20:00 In
Ruby Beckel’s exhibition, Landmark shows two series of works, dust paintings and oil paintings
on canvas of urban landscapes. The sights that sprout from Beckel’s paintings were created following his travels in his childhood districts
in the city of Or Yehuda and in his youth city in Tel Aviv.
Beckel created his paintings and dustworks from photographs taken in a medium format film camera.
There is a direct connection between the photography of the places and the sights that emerge from the paintings. These are mourning and lamentations,
paintings that represent in their language and materiality the inability to describe the intimate experience, the passage of time,
and the attempt to connect with these places. The urban areas that Bechel describes are frequently in a state
of variability, construction momentum and renewal – along with the disintegration and collapse of the buildings. These are attempts
To cling to and preserve it, in familiar and transparent generic areas, nostalgic images in the process of disintegration
and disappearance. This experience is intensified by the use of the bright white color that returns from the façades of the buildings and the presence of the
transient and grainy dust.


text:
An estimated 850,000 to 2.2 million people in the United States are living with Chronic Hepatitis B. A research team from the George Washington University (GW) received a $1.5 million grant from the Office of Minority Health of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) to reduce and evaluate liver diseases attributable to Hepatitis B virus (HBV) through screening, vaccination, and follow-up in the Washington, DC/Baltimore metro area.
The team is led by Dr. Y. Tony Yang, executive director of the Center for Health Policy and Media Engagement at GW’s School of Nursing and a professor of health policy and management at George Washington Milken Institute School of Public Health (Milken Institute SPH).
The researchers will test the implementation of comprehensive, culturally competent community-based Hepatitis B education, screening, vaccination and treatment programs in disadvantaged as well as racial and ethnic minority communities. The program was created with the HHS Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome) Policy and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Division of Viral Hepatitis.
“Hepatitis B, responsible for half of all deaths from liver cancer and a third of all deaths from liver cirrhosis, is a hidden threat both to public health and to patients themselves,” Dr. Yang said. “Tools and strategies are needed to prevent and treat it. It’s time to build capacity for scale-up HBV vaccination, testing and linkage to care services and surveillance to advance progress toward national Hepatitis B elimination goals.”Friday Letter Submission, Publish on August 09

domain: medical


Our remote control isnt working. If we push a button the STB button flashes but no light on the bulb flashes. The decoder box also isnt picking anything up. I have put new batteries in the remote incase it was that, but no change.
Hi, I bought Vodafone Tv 2 months ago on the 2nd of January, my remote no longer works it has no power going through it at all? It has not been dropped or misused and there are no children or animals here that could damage it. I have tried to reset as per the online instructions but it doesn’t work at all. There is no led light on the remote lighting up and it won’t turn on or do anything to the receiver box? It is not the batteries as I have tried others and also the ones in the remote work on my other remote for normal tv. I think the Vtv remote is faulty? Can you please advise if I can get a replacement and do i have to pay for that if i am not at fault? Or do you have any other advice that may help? I also turned everything off and on again.


text:
President Donald Trump sought to reassure National Rifle Association members at their 2018 annual meeting Friday that their Second Amendment rights are safe in the midst of a national conversation on gun law reform.
“Thanks to your activism and dedication, you have an administration fighting to protect your Second Amendment and we will protect your Second Amendment,” he said. “Your Second Amendment rights are under siege, but they will never ever be under siege as long as I am your president.”
This is Trump’s fourth consecutive address to the NRA’s annual meeting, but his first remarks to the group since the tragic Parkland, Florida, high school shooting that left 17 dead and sparked a national student-led push for gun law reform.
“The world is watching and we’re going to come up with a solution,” Trump assured a group of people affected by the nation’s deadliest school shootings during an emotional White House listening session one week after the attack.
In a separate meeting with lawmakers following the shooting, Trump vowed to get tough on guns, potentially expanding background checks, taking guns away from the mentally ill, and raising the minimum age for purchase.
The White House ultimately proposed providing some school personnel with “rigorous” firearms training and backed a bill to improve criminal background checks on gun buyers that has since passed, but backpedaled on the idea of increasing the minimum age to buy certain firearms — a policy Trump had initially said he would support.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders later said “the door isn’t closed” for a White House push for raising the age of gun purchases, but added that Trump’s focus is “pushing through things we know have broad support” in the Republican-controlled Congress.
Meanwhile, NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre doubled down on his efforts to block new gun restrictions in remarks to the Conservative Political Action Conference one week after the shooting, calling for increased school security but telling the conservative activists that voters should be “frightened” of future Democrat election victories, accusing Democrats of exploiting the deaths in an effort to destroy the Second Amendment.
The NRA spent more than $30 million to help elect Trump in the 2016 presidential election, according to the Center of Responsive Politics, and provided a boon of conservative bona fides at a time when Trump’s candidacy was met with skepticism by many who doubted his conservative credentials.

domain: law


text:
Remember the scary tale by Kit Newman, who says he was nearly struck by a truck on S Alaskan Way near Atlantic? Well, West Seattle bike commuter Tom Furtwangler (from Bikejuju) made a video clearly outlining the problem:
As you can see, the problem of trucks driving on the wrong side of the roadway here is significant. The truck drivers must see little danger in it when oncoming motor vehicle traffic is blocked by the passing train.
However, people biking are not impeded by the train, and many of them will choose to ride in roadway instead of the skinny, poorly-paved bicycle and pedestrian path. This situation is exactly what Newman described in his story, and you can see from the video that there simply is not room for a truck and a person on a bike to use that lane at the same time.
Something needs to be done to make this block safer. It is a major bicycle corridor and should be treated as such, especially ahead of the upcoming Alaskan Way Viaduct closure when many more people from West Seattle are expected to try biking as a way to get around the expected traffic backup.


text:
If you’ve been wondering what sort of features the new Helios 2 fly rods will offer, we’ve just launched a new information page. There you can learn about its astonishing light-in-the-hand feel, impact-resistant tip, and ridiculous casting accuracy. And more.
Watch this space on October 1 to learn how you could be the proud owner of a first-run Helios 2.
Share this with your friends:

domain: hobby


text:
Eyes were on the Armada Battle Stand!
Between June 6-10, 2018, the Armada Battle game was launched at the big game fair organized by CNR for 5 days. Armada Battle stand, the only local online giant in the giant fair, had many enjoyable hours. Armada Battle stand from 7th to 70th was the most frequent stand on the fuard. In addition to the gamers, we also sponsor Monster Notebook in our offices, Papara, GPay representatives in our payment systems; Mynet, Milliyet, OyunGG and many other news editors also visited our stand. GameGG, Milliyet and Mynet, we interviewed our founder Salih Selim BELEK. In addition to this, Denys Krasnikov, founder of CashTime.io, Samet Arslan, business development specialist of ByNoGame and representatives from many companies visited our stand to improve our relationship with Armada Battle.
They Played on Monster Notebook!
Our players who visit us in the fur and play our game game monster “Monster Notebook” on their laptop computers. We would like to thank Ilhan Yılmaz (CEO), Kayra Keri Küpçü (Business Development Specialist) and the entire Monster Notebook family for sponsoring us throughout the fair. We were proud to introduce Monster Notebook, a Turkish company like ours. We would like to mention that the player and our experience enjoy using game monsters.
Shots from Armada Battle Stand
We would like to thank Damla Demirci, our cosplayer, who was in our stand with pirate costume throughout the fair.

domain: game


Clamp for attaching to the boat sonar sensor developed by designers, “Practic-Scientific Center” specifically for domestic sounder practices.
Securely locking device on the boat, the clamp can effectively perform measurements at a speed not exceeding 10 km / h.
Clamp from the company “Practitioner-NC” differs reliable fastening and ease of use. A special feature of this design is the ability to adjust the height of the position sensor. To work correctly attached sonar sensor must be lowered into water to a level just below the bottom of the boat. This eliminates the multipath echoes. Another characteristic of the attachment to the boat sonar practitioner is the ability to adjust the rod-holder angle.
Opt for this design, the angler will not need to drill into the boat through holes for stationary mounting on the boat sonar Practitioner. Specially designed clamp for sonar “Practitioner” allows you to quickly attach it to the transom of the boat hard. If necessary, mount can be easily moved to another location of the boat. Mounting Sonar practiced on a boat made of durable and lightweight metal. It’s fast and easy to assemble. The unassembled mount takes up very little space. Kit Practitioner sonar sensor holder includes a clamp unit, rod holder, clip for sensor and screw it, as well as instructions. Detailed instructions shows all the major stages of assembly.
Clamp for the sounder firmly fixed on the transom of the boat hard, and with a sensor mount itself falls into the water below the boat, to increase the accuracy of the readings.
Not only professionals, but also newcomers to fishing, is already fully appreciated the benefits of sonar that produces scientific and production company “Practitioner-SC”. The developers of these rybopoiskovikov not escape his attention, and accessories, you can appreciate the quality of this accessory as a magnetic holder for the sonar.
The main goal of our designers – high quality of the devices and the accuracy of the data. To sounder for fishing Fishing has become a reliable assistant, he must have a reliable fastening system to the swimming facility. There are many different models of fasteners sonar “practice” on the boat, which can be divided into two main types – fixed and portable. Of course, much depends on the size of boat, its capacity and how often it is used. The experience of most fans – anglers favors clamp for sonar.
Putting mount sonar “Practitioner”
Three-piece collect post – holder.
Then insert them into the clamp.
Choosing the optimal position of the sensor and fasten it.
And another important point. No matter how much touted on the internet craftsmen their homemade mounts sonar, remember the adage “miser pays twice.”
We recommend purchasing only professional original accessories for echo sounders.
Qualitative depth sounder “Practitioner” – only reliable fastening!


text:
Chart Industries Inc. has completed the acquisition of CSC Cryogenic Service Center AB for approximately US$4 million.
CSC brings a strong service footprint in the Nordic Region with many overlapping customers to Chart, allowing the company to broaden its service and repair presence geographically. Chart’s strong original equipment (OE) installed base and continued OE forecasted growth in the Nordic region will benefit from this localised support.
In addition to expanding Chart’s geographic footprint, the acquisition broadens the company’s repair and service capabilities for mobile equipment, in particular trailers, as well as ISO containers, stationary and transportable tanks, pumps, flowmeters and LNG fuelling stations.
In a statement, Chart said that it has a number of customers looking to it for exclusive full care service and maintenance agreements in this region as well as installation and commissioning capabilities for LNG stations. CSC also brings strong relationships with key customers in the marine industry. Chart expects to realise synergies from the CSC offering with both companies’ marine customers.
“The CSC acquisition opens a broader geographic market to our Repair, Service and Leasing segment and broadens our capabilities for repair and service to our existing customers,” stated Jill Evanko, Chart’s CEO and President. “We want to welcome our CSC team, with whom we have worked over many years. We are pleased to have the CSC team continue as part of the Chart family under the continued leadership of Håkan Karlsson, CSC President.”
Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/gas-processing/19052022/chart-acquires-csc-cryogenic-service-center/
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thyssenkrupp Uhde has secured a basic engineering package (BEP) and FEED package for the establishment of a biopolymer plant on the Arabian Peninsula.


text:
15 E Cliff St has a Walk Score of 78 out of 100. This location is Very Walkable so most errands can be accomplished on foot.
This location is in the Potomac West neighborhood in Alexandria. Nearby parks include Funky Chairs, Eugene Simpson Stadium and Colesanto Park.
Nearby schools include Immanuel Lutheran School, Del Ray Performing Arts School and Alexandria Country Day School.
The closest grocery stores are Colonial Food, Mt Vernon Delicatessen and Giant.
Nearby coffee shops include Artfully Chocolate, Del Ray Café and St. Elmo's Coffee Pub. There are 20 restaurants within a 15 minute walk including Monroe's, Mama Reacers Soul Food and Rosemarino d' Italia.
There are minimal bike lanes and the terrain is flat as a pancake. 15 E Cliff St is bikeable, there is some bike infrastructure. Bike sharing is available from Capital Bikeshare.


text:
Around the World in Seventy-two Days and Other WritingsBook - 2014
Born Elizabeth Jane Cochran, Nellie Bly was renowned as America's first 'girl stunt reporter'. She was a pioneer of investigative journalism, including an exposé of patient treatment at a mental asylum and a travelogue from her record-breaking race around the world in emulation of Phileas Fogg. This volume, the only printed and edited collection of Bly's writings, includes her best-known works as well as many lesser-known pieces that capture the breadth of her career from her fierce opinion pieces to her remarkable World War I reporting.
Publisher: New York, New York : Penguin Books, 2014
Characteristics: xxviii, 331 pages : illustrations ; 20 cm
Alternative Title: Around the world in 72 days and other writings
Call Number: 070.92 BLY
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Intex Aqua Lions 3 review: Scores big on battery and camera
Price: Rs 6,499
Specifications: 5-inch IPS (1280 x 720 pixels), 1.25Ghz quad core Mediatek MT6737 processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB storage, dual SIM slot, dedicated microSD slot (up to 128GB supported), 8MP rear camera, 8MP front camera with flash, 4G, VoLTE, WiFi, Bluetooth, Android 7.0, 4,000mAh battery, 162g
Pros: Good battery life, vibrant screen, dedicated microSD slot, good results from rear and front camera, smooth day to day performance, brushed metal finish
Cons: Thick bezels around the screen, android navigation buttons are not backlit, not meant for gaming, lots of preloaded bloatware, lacks fast charge support
Intex has kept a sharp focus on the budget and mid-range smartphone segments. The Aqua Lions 3 from Intex is aimed at users who want a compact phone with big battery at an entry-level price.
At 162 grams, the Lions 3 is heavy for a 5-inch smartphone. The reason for this is not a metal body but the 4,000mAh battery. Thanks to the big battery and Android 7.0’s battery optimization, the Lions 3 easily delivers over a day and a half of battery life. However, keep in mind that this is a budget phone — which means no fast charging. It takes almost 5 hours to get a full charge on the phone.
Other specifications include a quad core Mediatek MT6737 processor, 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage. This is fairly common fare on devices at this price. It’s still capable of delivering an acceptable usage experience. Overall navigation is zippy and switching between running apps is also seamless as long as there aren’t too many apps in the background.
As for gaming, its best to stick to basic ones like Candy Crush.
Anything else and you will notice frame drops and lags. One good thing is that you get a dedicated microSD slot for expansion and it supports up to 128GB cards.
The display is 5-inch IPS unit with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. We liked the screen’s high brightness and rich colour but the thick bezels on all four sides are a turn-off. Also, the screen is a fingerprint and smudge magnet.
Under the screen are the three Android navigation buttons and like most phones in this price range, they are not backlit. We liked the brushed metal finish on the back of the phone — it offers a premium appearance even though it is a plastic panel.
The rear panel is removable and underneath it you’ll see the dual SIM slots, microSD slot and nonremovable battery. It would be nice to see a fingerprint scanner for security but it’s probably too much to ask for at this price.
Cameras are the surprising factor on the Lions 3. Both cameras are 8MP and offer surprisingly good results for the price. In daylight, both cameras were able to take pictures with natural colour and a good amount of detail. Indoors, the images are soft but still good enough to view on screen and share on social media.
Most phones in this price range have terribly noisy cameras so Lions 3 needs praise for this. One issue is that the rear camera has a 1 second shutter delay in low light which often leads to blurred images. That being said, the Redmi 4 still has a much better camera in the same price range.
The Aqua Lions 3 comes with Android 7.0, but there is no information on any software update for the device. Intex has kept the interface close to stock but preloaded a number of bloatware apps — there are 12 preloaded apps and half of them cannot be uninstalled.
Overall, the Aqua Lions 3 does score on its battery and camera, but faces tough competition from the Redmi 4. The Redmi 4 for the same price offers an octa core Snapdragon 435 processor, a superior 13MP rear camera, fingerprint scanner and fast charging support.
You can even consider the Kult Gladiator at Rs 6,999 — it offers a 5.5-inch HD screen, 3GB RAM, 32GB storage fingerprint sensor, MT6737 processor and a 4,000mAh battery.


text:
PET OF THE WEEK
Annie is a focused and gentle 7-year-old Labrador retriever mix. She loves playing with people and other animals, including dog-savvy cats, and would do best in an adult-only home or with children who are older and respectful of her. The SDHS's Head Start training class and a consultation with a member of their behavior training staff are included in her adoption fee of $134. The fee also includes spay, current vaccinations, permanent microchip identification, a certificate for a free veterinary exam and more. Visit Annie at the Humane Society at 5500 Gaines St. Adoption hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For more information, visit
www.sdhumane.org or call (619) 299-7012.
Sunday. Have a new kitten? Got some questions? Then come to the "Kitten Support Group" from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the San Diego Humane Society and SPCA, 5500 Gaines St., San Diego. Topics include litter box use, scratching and nocturnal activity. Kittens can be brought along if they are current on their vaccines and under 12 weeks of age. Cost: $15. Reservations required. Information: (619) 299-7012, Ext. 2247 or www.sdhumane.org.
February. The Escondido Humane Society is looking for volunteers to teach children about animals as part of its after-school enrichment program. Training is provided, and all classes are in the Poway area. For information, please call Ina at (760) 888-2261 or e-mail firstname.lastname@example.org
Compiled by Robert Muldowney. Send adoption/pet event information at least two weeks in advance to: Currents/Pets Calendar, The San Diego Union-Tribune, P.O. Box 120191, San Diego, CA 92112-0191; fax (619) 260-5093; or e-mail email@example.com.
Q&A STEVE DALE
DEAR STEVE: Our deaf, 13-month-old boxer is an inside dog, but for about four hours each day we keep him in an outdoor pen. When we're home, we've watched him in the pen, and he never stops pacing. He's no better in his kennel; he licks the entire time he's there. The kennel floor is soaked, and his paws are soggy by the time we get home. Because the dog can't hear, there's no use scolding him. Any advice?
–J.M., Union City, Ga.
ANSWER: "It's wonderful you've taken in this deaf dog," says Dr. Kersti Seksel, a veterinary behaviorist based in Seaforth, New South Wales, Australia. "At the very least, your dog is anxious and, in fact, may have separation anxiety and/or have a compulsive disorder. I feel sorry for that poor boy. Certainly, if he could hear, scolding wouldn't ease (his) anxiety. You ultimately require the assistance of a veterinary behaviorist or veterinarian interested in behavioral medicine to figure out exactly what's going on."
Also, see a dog trainer with experience working with deaf dogs. You'll learn how to better communicate with your pup.
From what you've described, your dog might be a candidate for a psychopharmacological medication to help ease his anxiety.
Until you get some help, don't keep your dog in the outdoor pen. Instead, take him on leash walks.
As for what's going on when you leave the dog in his kennel, it's impossible to determine based on your description, although he does appear to be salivating excessively and urinating on the floor. Certainly, your pup is not a happy camper and was probably never properly kennel-or crate-trained in the first place.
You can't go wrong teaching your dog to settle down. Whenever he seems fully composed, offer him a treat. Reward him for relaxed behavior.
Can rawhide endanger long-term intestinal health? Should I worry about salmonella?
–T.F., Washington, D.C.
For most dogs, rawhides are fine, says Dr. Dan Carey, director technical communications research and development for IAMS pet food company, Dayton, Ohio.
"Rawhide can play a role in helping to clean teeth," says Carey. Some rawhide manufacturers have created dental rawhides specifically to promote healthy teeth and gums. (Carey maintains, however, that there's still no substitute for brushing.)
It is possible, however, to get too much of a good thing, particularly among small dogs who scarf down big-dog rawhide portions, which can upset their tummies. Poor quality rawhide can also lead to temporary stomach upset. The problem is how to discern superior rawhide from an inferior product. According to Carey, the general rule is, if the rawhide is made in the United States, the maker is more likely to use quality control, and you get what you pay for. The risk of salmonella from better quality rawhide is minimal.
Some dogs manage to rip off and swallow giant-sized pieces of rawhide, which can cause choking. A few dogs just can't be trusted with rawhide. For all puppies, and for newly adopted dogs, it's a good idea to supervise until you're reasonably certain the dog will have no problems with a rawhide.
"Overall, dogs enjoy chewing, and occasional rawhide is a great outlet," Carey says.
Write to Steve Dale at Tribune Media Services, 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, N.Y., 14207. Send e-mail to firstname.lastname@example.org
Tomorrow. Dogs, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Petco, 925 Orange Ave., Coronado. Sponsor: S.T.O.P. (Save the Orphaned Pets), (619) 422-7240.
Dogs and cats, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Petco, 540 N. Second St., El Cajon. Sponsor: Imperial Valley Humane Society, (619) 670-9824.
Saturday. Small dogs, 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.,
PetSmart, 1034 N. El Camino Real, Encinitas. Sponsor: Foundation for Care of Indigent Animals, www.petfinder.org/shelters/CA09.html or (619) 466-0426.
Dogs, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Petco, 13375 Poway Road, Poway. Sponsor: Baja Animal Sanctuary, (858) 569-0975.
Dogs, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Petco, 13375 Poway Road, Poway. Sponsor: FOCAS, www.focas-sandiego.org or (619) 685-3536.
Saturday and Sunday. Dogs and cats, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Petco, 540 N. Second St., El Cajon. Sponsored by Imperial Valley Humane Society and East County Humane Society, (619) 440-0952.
Dogs and cats, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Kmart, 875 East H St., Chula Vista. Sponsored by S.T.O.P.
Dogs and cats, 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Petco, 2510 Jamacha Road, Rancho San Diego. Sponsored by El Cajon Animal Rescue, (619) 244-2778.
Cats, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Petco, 3994 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Clairemont. Sponsored by Rescue House, (760) 591-1211.
Sunday. Dogs, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Petco, 2749 Via de la Valle, Del Mar. Sponsored by FOCAS.
See listing information under Pet Events.

domain: pet


Slovakia halted military aid to Ukraine as the country underwent a government transition. Photo/Illustration
BRATISLAVA – Slovakia stops military aid to Ukraine. This happened after opposition from political parties who are currently negotiating to form a new government.
That’s what news outlet Dennik N reported on Wednesday, citing presidential spokesman Martin Strizinec.
The Slovak official told the outlet that Slovakia’s head of state, President Zuzana Caputova, stressed the need to “respect the results of democratic elections.”
For your information, the Slovak Social Democratic Party (SMER-SD) which won the election has promised voters not to have a single bullet (ammunition) for Ukraine.
“It is not a good precedent to decide to provide military equipment in a situation where there is a change in political power after the election,” Strizinec said as quoted by Russia Today, Friday (6/10/2023).
After winning parliamentary elections on Sunday, SMER-SD party leader Robert Fico, a former prime minister, told journalists that Slovakia and the Slovak people had bigger problems than Ukraine.
He added that if his party succeeded in forming a government, it would remain open to helping Ukraine, but only in a humanitarian way.
Last week, Kiev hosted the International Industrial Defense Forum with participants from 30 countries, where Ukrainian officials mounted a “charm offensive aimed at weapons makers,” Politico reported.


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Artwork - original - Bird on vase
Welcome to my Big Cartel listing.
Here we have an original, collaged artwork.
I have painted the background canvas fabric and applied a vase made from original Antique French paper with beautiful writing. Sitting on the top of the vase is my drawn and cut out bird.
Hand painted teeny Bees.
Backed and machine stitched to paper ... and in turn tacked to a piece of A5 handmade card, which measures : 6" across x 8 1/4".
15 x 20.5 cm.
Artwork only measures :
3 1/2" wide x 3 1/2"
9 x 9 cm
An unframed, one of a kind artwork. Made with care and attention to detail.
Your order will be packaged and posted with the utmost care for it's safe delivery.
Shipped from UK.
UK: First Class Signed For
International : Airmail
All images, content and product designs are copyright © hensteethart 2021
All rights reserved.


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Along with JB Smooth and Rosa Acosta, Bus, 40 and Nick Cannon get animated in The Dummiez’ latest rap video for their new Funny Or Die skit. They got so much bitches, their bitches got bitches. Previously: Nas
“You get them witness chips, you on that snitchin’ shit.” Makin’ Easy Money isn’t a simple as it used to be. That’s why for Bleek’s new video he hits the block for a share of that “Hustle Money”. Be on the look out for The Movement mixtape April 10th.
With George Zimmerman still yet to be charged, Los throws up his hood and pays tribute to Trayvon Martin for his latest recording.
The California state flag gets an alternate makeover full of smoke for the cover art of Game’s next project. Remember, only you can prevent forest fires. Mixtape coming soon. hhnm
While discussing D-Block’s upcoming projects with DaJaz1, Kiss has revealed the title of his next mixtape, Consignment, which will feature just about everyone who is anyone. Mixtape drops April 27.
Cleo, Stoney, Frankie and T.T., ain’t got shit on these bad broads. Thanks to them, Tyga, YG and Kurupt cash out with more than just a few bucks in their new clip. Off Tyga’s #BITCHIMTHESHIT and YG’s 4 Hunnid Degreez mixtapes. wshh YN Sidebar: You kids get familiar with the original.


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Troy Lee Designs SE4 Stranded Helmet
Troy Lee Designs has fresh graphics out for its SE4 MX helmet. The new graphic collection, called Stranded, has artwork depicting a surreal desert landscape full of scorpions, snakes, cacti and UFOs.
The SE4 Stranded helmet ($479) comes with MIPS, which helps protect the brain from damaging rotation that can happen in a crash. The SE4 has an aerospace-fiberglass-composite shell, and it is fully ventilated, with 16 intake and six exhaust ports.
VIDEO | Troy Lee Designs SE4 Stranded MX Helmet
For more information, visit www.troyleedesigns.com


Click on image to zoom
1932 Ford Truck Under Seat Pan- #2 Pan
This Direct Sheetmetal Replacement 1932 Ford Pick-Up Under Seat Pan, #2 Pan. The #2 Under Seat Pan is manufactured from 16 and 18 gauge cold rolled steel. It includes required mounting hardware and complete instructions. All of DSM parts are designed to make installation simple and comfortable in your home shop or garage.


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Enroll in the Academy of the Magical Arts and take your favorite workshops wherever, whenever and at your own pace.
In this On-Demand Workshop, you’ll learn everything you need to know to craft your own basic customized candle spell including these foundational topics and how to put them all together.
- What is magic?
- The power of symbol in candle spells
- The power of color in candle spells
- The power of herbs in candle spells
- Candle spell timing
- Basic candle spell format
- What to do with your spell remains
- How do you know your spell is working?
No magical experience is necessary and people of all spiritual paths are welcome.
When you purchase this workshop, you’ll get immediate access. Look for the link at the bottom of the purchase confirmation page as well as in your purchase confirmation email.
Once you purchase, you have lifetime access to the workshop. Watch the video modules at your own pace and rewatch them whenever you need a refresher.
Do you have questions? Reach out to us at firstname.lastname@example.org


COLLEGE STATION, Tex/ (KBTX) -- The rising cost of land in College Station is making it difficult for a local organization to help struggling families find affordable housing, but the City of College Station has found a way to help Habitat for Humanity continue to build.
In nearly 30 years of serving Bryan-College Station, Habitat for Humanity has built almost 300 homes.
"Everyone deserves a decent home and it's just critical for the lifeblood of the community," said the Director of Development for Habitat for Humanity, Carl Orozco.
However, the rising cost of land in College Station is making it more and more difficult for Habitat to help build solid foundations for families.
"We're competing against other developers, other people who are builders who are doing it for a living, so it would make it almost impossible because they price us right out of the market," Orozco said.
Orozco said they're right behind big cities like Houston, Austin, and San Antonio when it comes to the number of homes they build.
"On average, we're in the top five, top six as far as Habitat affiliates here," Orozco added.
But higher land prices means higher taxes, and that also rolls into the mortgages families living inside those homes have to pay.
"They're the only ones that are building for the market that's 60 percent or less of the area median income," said Debbie Eller, the City of College Station’s Director of Community Services.
Recently, the City of College Station awarded Habitat federal funds of $240-thousand to help them build three new homes on Carolina St.
"We have families that are working hard, they're saving money, but they just can't quite get to the point, without habitat's assistance, to be able to own their own home," Eller said.
Habitat for Humanity says the money will allow them to keep building and expand even further into the community.
"It's about building hope, building community, and giving back, and investing. Give where you live," Orozco said.
Some of those funds will also go towards building eight more homes in the Renee Lane subdivision. Those are expected to be complete sometime next year.


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Try this method for drying figs at home and they will be much softer and moister than any dried figs you can purchase at the grocery store. The method is quite simple:
Cut 10 medium-sized figs in half (I used adorable little Brown Turkey figs - the total weight of all 10 should be about 1 pound).
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat the foil with cooking spray. Arrange the fig halves in a single layer, and bake at 250 degrees anywhere from 90 minutes to 2 hours, judging when the figs are almost dry but still soft.
A 1/4 cup of dried figs is 60 calories. Snack on them plain, or you can chop them up and toss in a salad, or sprinkle over vegan ice cream.
The Vegan Pantry
- Vegan yogurt - Whole Soy http://www.wholesoyco.com/
- Vegan milk - Silk http://www.silksoymilk.com/
- Vegan Feta - Sunergia http://www.sunergiasoyfoods.com/
- Vegan Cheese - Galaxy Foods http://www.galaxyfoods.com/
- Vegan Eggs - Ener-G http://www.ener-g.com/
- Vegan Butter - Earth Balance http://www.earthbalance.net/product.html

domain: food


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BY ADAM LUCENTE
Stony Point—As the Stony Point Town Board convened for its second meeting of 2016 on Tuesday, January 26, the local sewer system was topic du jour.
The meeting mainly focused on a report by the head of the town Sewer Department, Karl Kirkpatrick. He explained to the board that the town’s sewage equipment is largely in good shape thanks to measures taken in recent years.
According to Kirkpatrick, the department was asked to divert the flow of sewage going to Haverstraw’s sewage plant as far back as 2006, to keep within 1 million gallons of sewage per year, a cap set by the NY Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). After the 1 million gallons, the excess had to be sent to Haverstraw.
Kirkpatrick addressed the board to explain how this issue was corrected by the purchase of a new flow meter for the town. “When we started doing this we were basing our flow on a flow meter from 1969. We had this (new one) put in roughly around 2008. Immediately after we had it put in, the numbers changed,” he said.
Now, Kirkpatrick says, the town is actually only pumping 600,000 gallons per year, well below the DEC limit, while only sending around 3,000 to Haverstraw. This is largely due to the improved measuring capacity of the flow meter, in his view. “It was a saving of about $200,000 per year,” he said on the reduction from the pre-2006 period.
“Everything at the plant is pretty much up-to-date and where we want it to be,” he concluded. Kirkpatrick did ask the town to consider the purchase of new aeration tanks for the town, as the current ones are rotting. He estimates this cost at $40,000.
Stony Point had threatened legal action against the Joint Regional Sewer Board (comprised of sewer districts within the North Rockland area) last year after they threatened to boot Stony Point from the local sewage arrangement over a dispute in costs. Stony Point claimed it was illegal to put residents at risk by booting a town from such a board without time to make better arrangements.
Following the report by Kirkpatrick, it appears the town is almost ready to voluntarily leave the arrangement. The town’s system is working well enough that officials are now considering applying to the DEC for the right to take additional flow.
Supervisor Jim Monaghan led the rest of the meeting as the board passed several administrative measures. The board approved a request to repair a town highway truck and the purchase of another replacement vehicle.
They also renamed Brainerd Court to Brainerd Drive. The street, once a cul-de-sac but now a through-street, has been listed under both names in different maps. This has caused confusion for emergency personnel, Monaghan said the Rockland County 911 Communications Board informed him.
Moreover, the board is accepting resumes for the newly vacant town senior citizens leader position, and allowed three town building and fire inspectors to attend the NYS Building Officials Conference. The board additionally waived the fees for using Kirkbride Hall for the United Women of Rockland and allotted $500 to host the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Finally, the board informed the public that they will request a ruling from the state comptroller on whether there are any requirements or restrictions to newly appointed councilman Mike Puccio’s office. Puccio, who was appointed for a one year term to the council seat vacated by Monaghan, admittedly has a business in Stony Point that does business with the town, although it currently has no such contracts.
Two public hearings were held, as well. Monaghan pointed out new training that will be provided at the Senior Citizen Center, and informed the public again of a January 28 meeting with developer Wayne Corts regarding plans to develop the Stony Point waterfront.
The meeting was held in honor of the late Joanne Conklin.


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OK, so we may not quite be reaching soaring temperatures that are reaching dizzying heights of heat, but the weather is certainly losing its chill, making many fur lovers retire their pieces for another few months, until the winter calls for a comeback. However, fur is becoming seasonless, with the catwalk incorporating fur into all collections, from winter, right through to the summer. It’s all about thinking outside of the box and not just placing your limitations of fur wearing on the good old fur coat; branch out, be brave and expand your fur horizons to allow your love of all things fur cross seasonal border.
Whether it is a bag, a collar or even cuffs – don’t necessarily think that wearing fur means you have to have it on your body in the form of clothing. Accessories work just as well, look just as chic and give many outfits a boost that they just otherwise wouldn’t have. Obviously, by not wearing the fur directly on your body, you aren’t affected by the heat that it creates, meaning that you can rock a fur clutch any time of the year without worrying about overheating for the sake of your fashion statement.
Keep it light
While fur is definitely becoming more and more acceptable in spring and summer wardrobes, don’t wear dark and oppressive colors that are going to look completely out of place. Light colors such as white and pastels work best and don’t be scared to mix your textures; the 70s trend is huge this season, so mix your fur with a swishy bell sleeved dress in true 70s chic style.
Walk this way
That’s right – you can wear fur on your shoes, not in the form of boots. The barely there shoe with a block heel is a real wardrobe staple this season, and many designers such as Gucci have incorporated fur into their shoe designs, with many going for spicing up the barely there front strap with some fur. Gucci was brave enough to make a full fur shoe, as well as fur pom poms that hang off a shoe boot; go as daring as you like, just be careful not to look like you’ve left the house in your slippers.
A vest is best
If you want to wear fur on your person, as opposed incorporating it into your outfit as an accessory, the best way to do this is in vest form. Buy a vest in a light fox fur that is in a knit design, which promotes air flow, meaning you won’t get too hot. Short vests won’t make you stand out as somebody who looks out of place for the season, and best of all, they look great with just about any other item of clothing.


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Hello friends! Welcome to another Stampin' Up! Artisan blog hop. This edition is a little unique. Half of the team is featuring the Waterfront Stamp set and half of us are featuring the Southern Serenade stamp set. Both of these sets are AMAZING and so very different. The set I am featuring is called Waterfront. The cards I've created today also use the Celebrate You Thinlet dies. A full list of supplies can be found below.
The Waterfront stamp set is beautiful. This set has a painterly and artistic feel. I really wanted to exaggerate that painterly look by incorporating more watercolor. This set is also super versatile and has many stamp images to help you create scenes for all seasons. I created a few seasonal scenes. I think these little vignettes look fantastic on their own but of course I am turning them into cards.
The watercolor look on my cards are fairly easy to achieve. All you'll need is an aqua painter, watercolor paper, classic ink and the Waterfront stamp set. Note: I've used the same technique on all cards with varying results. Each background/card is a unique and one a kind.
- First I created a clear water wash on watercolor paper with an aqua painter in the background shape I wanted (mostly squares and rectangles).
- Next I stamped the brushstroke stamp image(s) directly onto the water wash repeatedly. Stampin' Up!'s water based classic ink bleeds a little and expands in the water wash creating this soft and painterly feel. The images are generation stamped in ink (1, 2, and 3 times). You'll get more ink flow/bleed the wetter the watercolor paper is.
- Use a heat tool to dry the paper so you can quickly move onto the next layer. Once dry you can stamp your accent scene images.
Play around. I used an entire pack of watercolor paper before I landed on the backgrounds I liked best.
I love this celebrate winter card. In my neck of the world the snow has finally melted and summer is arriving. While I am not pining away for winter, I immediately wanted to create a winter scene when I saw the pine trees in this stamp set.
I created this snowy frosted tree look by stamping the tree repeatedly in Versamark ink (overlapping) and heat set with clear embossing powder. Repeat the same process for the falling snow.
This deserted island card has a picture postcard feel to it and would be perfect to send to that friend you'd like to be deserted with. The background was created using the seaside embossing folder and the speckle stamp. Stamp first, dry emboss second. I like how this adds a sandy ocean feel to the card.
I live in the woods, literally surrounded by trees. This card showcases a scene I witness nightly at dusk. It is beautiful when the trees are silhouetted against the darkening sky, almost fading into the sky.
Hope you have enjoyed these projects. I really enjoyed playing with this set and can't wait to see how the team has interpreted the Waterfront or Southern Serenade stamp sets.
Up next is fellow artisan Connie Collins. Her style is fantastic and I cannot wait to see what she made with her chosen stamp set.
The Artisan Design Team is a group of international Stampin' Up! demonstrators (16) chosen by Stampin' Up! to create exclusive projects for the company. BTW - Stampin' Up! is currently taking applications for the 2019 team. If you are an active demonstrator you can apply until the end of May. See this post for more details.
Sometimes links break. Oops! If this happens you can catch back up
with us by clicking on our blog homepage links below.
Charlet Mallett (YOU ARE HERE)
Linda van Wely-Zwolle
Are you Interested in purchasing Stampin' Up! products? I would LOVE to be your Stampin' Up! Demonstrator. If you live in the United States you can order your paper crafting supplies from my online store. So easy. THANK YOU!


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The Hacks To Find The Best Insurance Company
You will have made a step in your research for having landed here. Some of the readers cannot tell when it is the right time to apply for insurance and also why they should hold one or two. You should never consider having a cover when you need to pay the hospital bills. The policy you get after going through this article is worthwhile. The consequences of searching for insurance companies every time you have problems is going to cost you more and that is what you should avoid. Wastage of resources, cash plus time is guaranteed to those who do the last minute processing. Before you start looking for an insurer, you need to make sure that you have the best guidelines.
It is important always to check the reputation of the insurance company. You should not just assume that all the companies have a good background because not all of them are reputable. All the companies that have bad reviews on their reputation are the ones that fail to deliver. The advantage of settling with reputable companies is because they give you the guarantee of family safety. This is the opposite of companies which are badly reputed will offer.
The same procedure that takes part when shopping for other important stuff insurance also requires the same. In most cases, people do not settle for the first products they see. You should carrying out enough research and not on one company but many. You will still need to find for other companies that might have better deals than the one you first bumped on first. The field of insurers is a very wide ad that is why you should settle for the best. The charges of the services needs to be your concern when searching for insurance companies. Not all the insurers have the same charges for their services. Most of the cheap insurers will make sure that they have compensated their loss with the extra costs you will be receiving.
There is no need to risk being offered the services of insurance yet you cannot trust the service providers. It is crucial that whenever you are working with an insurance firm, you feel free to share your opinions. Thus, choose a company you trust so that you can open your heart and nothing but the truth about your information. Keep in mind that that misrepresentation you give will ruin your experience of working with the insurance firm. You need to give genuine information even when you are in the wrong. For instance, when you are injured, you need to tell the whole truth about what happened. As long as you are following the following steps, you will get the insurance you have always wished to have.
Supporting reference: published here

domain: finance


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natural vegetation occupies an area of about 14,365 sq. km.
which is nearly 64% of the total geographical area of the
State. The vegetation consists of a large variety of plants
ranging from short and tall grasses, reeds and bamboos to
trees of various species. Broadly, there are four types of
Tropical Semi-ever Green
(2) Dry Temperate Forest
(3) Sub-Tropical Pine
(4) Tropical Moist Deciduous
Pine, Oak, Uningthou, Leihao, Bamboo, Cane, etc. are important
forest resources growing in plenty. In addition, rubber, tea,
coffee, orange, cardamom, etc. are also, grown in hill areas.
The forests offer avenue of livelihood and employment to large
section of the hill population.
and cash crops occupy the main vegetation cover in the valley.
Paddy occupies about 86% of the total valley area. Other
important crops include sugarcane, potato, tobacco, mustard
and pulses. Horticultural trees and plants like pineapple,
banana, lemon, pears, peach, etc. constitute other vegetation


City Council Budget
Toronto City Council is the governing body for the City and comprises 26 members: the Mayor who is elected City-wide, and 25 Councillors who are elected in each ward across the City. As part of the City’s legislative process, Councillors make decisions at Council, Standing Committee and Community Council meetings. Councillors also serve in City agencies and corporations.
Download the Budget Analyst Notes for City Council for detailed information on service levels, key initiatives, challenges and performance measures. You can also review budget highlights below.
Under the City of Toronto Act (COTA), c. 131, the statutory role of City Council includes the following:
- Represents the public and considers the well-being and interests of the City;
- Develops and evaluates the policies and programs of the City;
- Determines the services the City provides;
- Ensures that administrative and controllership policies, practices and procedures are in place to implement the decisions of Council;
- Ensures the accountability and transparency of the operations of the City, including the activities of the senior management of the City;
- Maintains the financial integrity of the City; and
- Carries out the duties of Council under appropriate Acts.
As the governing body of the City, City Council:
- Executes its legislative and administrative responsibilities and all powers are exercised through by-laws, except where otherwise permitted by legislation.
- Creates and approves policies and programs, determines service mix, service levels and methods of service delivery, and oversees the work of implementing its decisions.
- Approves the City’s Operating Budget and 10-Year Capital Plan allotting resources to Council priorities.
- Awards contracts and approves the hiring and dismissal of statutory officers and executive staff.
- Council may, with some limitations, delegate its decision-making authority to committees, City agencies or the Toronto Public Service.
- City Council uses a committee system to manage its legislative process and make decisions.
- Each City Councillor serves on the Community Council that incorporates their ward.
- The Mayor is a voting member of all community councils.
Toronto City Council’s budget is $22.2 million gross and $21.6 million net.
- 4.6 per cent Budget increase over the 2018 Approved Net Operating Budget to meet City Council’s requirements.
- 2020/2021 Increases primarily for known inflationary adjustments for Councillors’ salaries and benefits and Constituency Services and Office Budget.
- The adequacy of the Council Transition Reserve is a key challenge. Council Transition Reserve, which funds end of Council term costs, are funded from City Council’s annual budget surplus. With budget reductions over the years and increasing expenses in the General Council Budget, the annual budget surplus has been declining in recent years.
- A sustainable funding source is required for the Council Transition Reserve.
- Establish a 2019 operating budget that responds to the Bill 5, reflects Council direction on December 4, 2018 on item CC1.1, and adequately funds the needs of Council.
Find more information on specific City issues, opportunities and challenges in the briefing notes and reports prepared by City staff. Documents will be posted as they become available.
Presentations made to committee and City Council provide an overview of the 2019 City budget. Documents will be posted as they become available.


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currently playing The sims 4 PC and Sonic Mania Plus PC
Its amazing how the sims games are so deep in terms on features now. its going to take awhile to relearn the game since the last time i played the sims 2 way back 15 years ago.
I had to get sonic mania. when i owned the sega genesis console sonic the hedgehog 2 was my all time favorite game. beaten it dozens of times, so its like a blast back in time. the genesis style graphics truly is nostalgic.
Ni No Kuni 2 (PS4) Game time: 115 hours. Completed with 100% achievements
Never seen so many different game mechanics in a JRPG game. skirmish style battles, real time action RPG battles, build-a-kingdom as time goes on, and tons of open world fetch sidequests. Had fun with this one.
Recently retired Overwatch (PC) a couple weeks ago. Playtime: 2,225 hours
I had a blast with it. Many 8 hours in a row marathons. Best FPS i've ever played. After 2 years or so, the game got pretty stale after the developers didn't bother to add a lot of content they had promised. Just a map or two or a new character every few months. Now I only come back for special events to collect limited time skins and such. Got my money's worth tough!
currently playing ni no kuni 2, almost at endgame but taking a break from main story doing most of the sidequests (120 out of 175 complete so far). still deciding wether or not if its worth the effort to platinum trophy this.
Some of the sidequests lead to "interesting" moments as you can see in the pics.


What Bubbles Beneath the Ice (Photos)
|Lake Abraham in Alberta Canada. Photo: Emmanuel Coupe-Kalomiris|
At a first glance, it appears that these frozen waters are bursting with some sort of strange sea creatures (a jellyfish, perhaps), but in fact, they are filled with innumerous methane frozen bubbles. Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada, hosts several lakes that freeze in the winter, capturing within bubbles of methane, which is a highly flammable gas.
The answer to the how and why of this and this begins with bacteria in the mud at the bottom of the lake munching on dead plants and other organic matter. This releases methane gas. As the methane attempts to escape, it bubbles toward the frozen surface of the lake and gets trapped beneath the ice.
|Paul Zizka, 35, tracked down the natural phenomenon,|
which he photographed at Lake Minnewanka,
the Vermillion Lake and Abraham Lake
That’s when the gas can pose a problem.
Methane is a greenhouse gas, with 20 times the effect on climate change as the more commonly fingered culprit carbon dioxide. There are many frozen methane lakes like Abraham Lake. In fact, ecologist worry that as the planet warms, more and more methane will be released from them, and they’ll increasingly add to the changing climate.
|Bubbles under the frozen surface of Lake Minnewanka. Photo: Paul Zizka|
Scientists working with methane-producing lakes in Alaska proved it was the flammable gas and not something less menacing bubbling up by drilling a hole, pouring in some warm water, like a tongue of flame,fire burst from the frozen depths.
But as dangerous as its flammability makes it, methane is also useful. Methane lakes are beginning to be utilized as sources of energy, such as the outfit on Lake Kivu in Rwanda. Here, developers have begun tapping into extensive gas deposits underneath the lake to be used in the creation of electricity.
Similar techniques are being used to mine something called methane hydrate, a frozen and extremely concentrated form of methane, from lake and ocean floors.
Its potential uses and dangers aside, though, methane from the floor of Abraham Lake creates a visual treat as the bubbles wind and churn in their slow, eventual struggle to escape the blue lake.
|Lake Abraham in Alberta Canada.|