Located just minutes away from Apalachicola is St George Island. It is home to miles of protected untouched beach in the state park on one end of the island, to restaurants, vacation homes and private communities at the other.
St George Island is a 28-mile barrier island known to have some of the most beautiful, serene beaches on the Gulf Coast. It is one of the few unspoiled barrier islands in Florida, with miles of uncrowded beaches. Sun, swim, fish, observe nature... it's completely up to you.
Visitors to St George Island can rent a beach cottage, a multi-story luxury beach home, or stay at one of the Island's hotels or inns. Well-behaved pets are welcome in many of the beach rental homes.
St George Island State Park occupies the last nine miles of the eastern end of the island. The park has a series of hiking trails, boardwalks, picnic areas, and observation platforms.
Rent a bike and ride the paved bike trail along the main road or head down to the state park for a challenging ride on the off road trails. Kayaks, motorbikes, and other motorized vehicles are available for rent as well.
St George Island has several restaurants that are well worth visiting. Nearly all of the restaurants on "The Island" (as the locals say) have a view of the water, be it the Gulf of Mexico or the Apalachicola Bay.


text:
Check out the website: https://lenspoliticalnotes.com Look at the recent Political Notes and Len’s Letters on the website:
January 31, 2023 Political Note #536 Gabe Vasquez NM 02
2024 General Election
If we are going to regain a Democratic majority in the House of Representatives, we should have already begun. And we have (See Len’s Political Note #538 Adam Frisch CO 03). On the whole, this is a time for defense. We know which Democrats won close races and can be expected to face serious opposition in 2024. We begin protecting the endangered.
If we measure vulnerability by how close the 2022 win was, Gabe Vasquez is the most endangered Democrat in the House of Representatives. He defeated the incumbent, Yvette Herrell, by 1,350 votes – the narrowest margin of any Democratic winner.
In the past few election years, since Republican Steve Pearce chose not to run for reelection, close races have been characteristic of this district. In its current form, NM 02 covers the entire southern part of New Mexico and half the western part of the state – as far north as half of Albuquerque.
In 2018, the Republican incumbent Steve Pearce did not run for reelection. Democratic attorney and former field rep for Senator Tom Udall, Xochitl Torres Small, defeated the Republican State Representative Yvette Herrell by 3,722 votes.
In 2020, Republican Realtor and former State Rep Yvette Herrell defeated the Democratic incumbent Xochitl Torres Small by 19,855 votes.
And, of course, as noted above:
In 2022, Las Cruces City Councilor Gabe Vasquez defeated incumbent Yvette Herrell by 1,350 votes.
Redistricting had assisted Gabe Vasquez in his 2022 victory. The Blue Wave of 2018 had assisted Xochitl Torres Small. Notwithstanding the Democratic dominance of New Mexico, the redistricting could be negated. The New Mexico Supreme Court, responding to a suit by the New Mexico Republican Party, is considering whether it has the authority to consider a political gerrymander under New Mexico’s constitution. For the first time, New Mexico had an Independent Redistricting Commission. The legislature considered three maps submitted to by the Commission and then chose its own. The Republicans argue that the legislature had “cracked” (unfairly divided) Republican voters in Southeast New Mexico.
If the New Mexico Supreme Court decides for the Republicans, it will still have to consider whether the Republican argument about “cracking” is accurate and that the legislature, in creating districts for 2022, had acted in a way that violated the state’s constitution. However the lawsuits work their way out, Gabe Vasquez, will find getting reelected a challenge.
Gabe Vasquez was born in Texas and raised in Mexico. He graduated from New Mexico State University in 2008, majoring in English and journalism. He lived the journalism part, serving as editor-in-chief of the New Mexico State student run newspaper. After graduation, for three years, he was the business editor for the Las Cruces Bulletin. He spent a year as the communication director for the Las Cruces Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and two years as a field director for Senator Martin Heinrich. Gabe Vasquez spent two years in Washington with First Focus, primarily an advocacy organization for children.
Worthy as First Focus was, he found work on the policy issue he loves most. Gabe Vasquez returned to New Mexico in 2018 to be Deputy Director of the New Mexico chapter of the Wilderness Society. He went on to be Deputy Director for Federal Lands for the Western Conservation Foundation. Elected to the Las Cruces City Council, he sought to create a Civilian Conservation Corps to “address a severe youth unemployment problem, address racial and social inequities, and help our nation reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the impacts of climate change.”
In those roles, he combined an understanding of business, his commitment to addressing racial and other inequities, and his belief in our central need to address the climate crisis. He helped found Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project in 2017 which provides “communities of color with sustainable opportunities for community engagement, access and education around public lands and waters…”. He was instrumental in the creation of the Outdoor Equity Fund which began to award grants in 2020. The goal was to award grants toward ensuring that “access to the outdoors should be low-cost and ubiquitous for all New Mexicans.” While these projects created jobs and new businesses, his business oriented ambition is best express by the Outdoor Equity Fund’s Incubator and Accelerator … awarding grants to support “early stage outdoor businesses…..”
Gabe Vasquez has been clear. Conservation goals are not projects for the elite. Everyone should benefit from projects that improve the outdoors. It is not just the wealthy who can create businesses that are part of New Mexico’s and America’s effective dealing with the climate crisis. Nor should it be the children of the elite who are necessarily ‘the next generation of conservation leaders.”
Gabe Vasquez will be facing a contest in 2024 in a district he won extremely narrowly. If he is to be reelected, he needs to start building a campaign fund now. In 2022, he was pretty good at it. He raised and spent $3.6 million to Yvette Herrell’s $4.3 million. He will need more for 2024. Start helping Gabe Vasquez now.
February 21 and April 4
Virginia Fourth Congressional District Special Election on February 21
Jennifer McClellan is running to replace the only current vacancy in the US Congress – Virginia’s Four Congressional District. A state senator representing the 9th Senate district, she is the child of a civil rights activist and a university professor. She ran Terry’s McAuliffe’s transition team when he was elected governor in 2013, is vice chair of the Virginia Democratic Party and of the legislature’s Black Caucus. She is the favorite to defeat Pastor and Navy veteran Leon Benjamin, Sr. See Len’s Political Note #527.
New Hampshire Special Election on February 21
House District 8, Rochester Ward 4
Incumbent Chuck Grassie is running because of a rarity. In November, he and former mayor Republican David Walker tied. Because New Hampshire’s House of Representatives is so large, you would not expect that a single seat would matter much. This election in February matters. Republicans have a narrow majority – 201-198. Make it a little narrower (201-199) by helping to reelect Chuck Grassie.
Wisconsin Supreme Court Multiparty Primary on February 21 followed by a General Election on April 4
Janet Protasiewicz is running for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Her win in the February 21st primary and the April 4th General Election would flip the Wisconsin Supreme Court from 4-3 Republican to 4-3 Democrat with enormous implications for issues such as abortion and redistricting. This is an open seat because a Republican Justice retired. Because crucial issues like abortion and redistricting are up for grabs in Wisconsin, some of said that this will be the most important election in 2023. The election is in the spring rather than November because Wisconsin strives to limit partisanship in judicial elections. See Len’s Political Note #528
Wisconsin Primary on February 21 followed by a Special Election on April 4
Jody Habush Sinykin is running in the special election for Wisconsin’s State Senate District 08. She is also running to prevent Republicans from having two thirds of the seats in the Wisconsin State Senate. If the current State Senator for the District had not retired, Republicans would have 22 of the 33 State Senate seats now. Some Republicans are arguing they can use impeachment as a tool to oust Democratic incumbents. See Len’s Political Note #529

domain: politics


text:
Students Participation in Volunteer Work and Its Role in Developing Social Capital A Field Study in Salahuddin Governorate, Balad City | مشاركة الطلبة في العمل التطوعي ودوره في تنمية راس المال الاجتماعي - دراسة ميدانية في محافظة صلاح الدين، قضاء بلد
The problem of the study is the societal necessity to raise awareness of the importance of social capital and its consequences for the individual and society and reduce the waste of social capital by activating social relations, exchanging trust and building bridges of love and cooperation operations by activating volunteer work for junior high students, in addition to that the study aims to shed light on The reality of students' awareness of the concept of volunteer culture and their attitude towards participation in volunteer work. The researcher adopted the method of social survey in the interpretation and analysis of the studied phenomenon. The study used a questionnaire from several axes, and the research sample included 100 students in the stage A junior high in the district gathered country of scientific, literary and professional disciplines. Among the most prominent results are the existence of fixed religious, human and moral values among the study sample as a catalyst for providing assistance, services and cooperation with others.

domain: library


text:
The First Cut: Investing in Vice
by John Bajkowski
If you gain comfort by restricting your investments to companies considered to be socially responsiblestop reading now!
In this article
Share this article
Socially responsible investing integrates social and environmental considerations into the stock selection process. For example, it is common to avoid companies providing products and services related to alcohol, the military or weapons, gambling, and tobacco.
To read more, please become an AAII member or CLICK HERE.

domain: economics


text:
The Butler's note..This wonderful collection of tales based upon nursery rhymes will add a touch of whimsy to your librarY!
The Buttlers note..
Ten Candelight Tales by Alison Littley (Vintage, Christmas)The book is in good condition for its age other than tears to the jacket and a gift aid sticker on its back. There is also a small calligraphed inscription on the endpaper; a wonderful Christmas gift for any bibliophile!
Author: Alison Littley
Publisher: Faber and Faber
Publication Date: 1942
Format: Hardback with dust jacket

domain: literature


text:
Only 38% have any faith in our police... so Jacqui Smith is promising to scrap all their targets
Less than half of the public have confidence in the police to deal with crime and loutish behaviour, a Government survey revealed yesterday.
In some force areas, the approval rating is an alarmingly low 38 per cent, while nationwide it is only 46 per cent, the Home Office said.
Now Home Secretary Jacqui Smith is demanding that all forces achieve a confidence rating of 60 per cent by 2012 - even though this will still leave four out of ten people without faith in the police.
As faith in the police plummets, Jacqui Smith is demanding that all forces achieve a confidence rating of 60 per cent by 2012
Miss Smith said that, with immediate effect, she was scrapping all the targets currently imposed on police forces by her department, such as asset recovery, monitoring prolific young offenders and race equality employment.
In their place will come the single new measure of confidence. To hit a confidence rating of 60 per cent, some forces will have to make dramatic improvements.
Critics said the Government was responsible for the public having so little trust in the police to protect them.
They said officers were so bound up in red tape they were unable to do the jobs the public demanded - such as patrolling the streets.
Conservative policing spokesman David Ruffley said: 'This underlines the real urgency of getting more police back on the beat to deter anti-social behaviour and make arrests where necessary.
'That is what the public want to see in their neighbourhoods. Twelve years of Labour red tape and bureaucracy have wasted police time, keeping them away from front line crime-fighting.'
Simon Reed, vice-chairman of the Police Federation, said: ' This reflects not so much the public's attitude to the police, but to the criminal justice system in general.
'The view is that the whole system is failing and because the police are in the front line we take the brunt of it. How can any society be expected to cope with 70 per cent re-offending rates?'
The findings, based on the British Crime Survey of 30,000 homes, are the first directly to address the question: 'Do you have confidence in police and local councils in dealing with anti-social behaviour and crime?'
Lincolnshire scored only 38 per cent while South Wales managed 38.7 per cent, Humberside 39.2 per cent and Gwent 39.3 per cent.
Miss Smith said: 'I have a single-minded focus on building public confidence in policing and that means the police should be answering to the public, not the Government. That is why I have scrapped all but one central target for the police - to raise public confidence.
'I have always been clear that this target needs to be challenging if we are to see real change in public confidence in the police. By 2012, I want to see at least 60 per cent of people confident that the police are addressing what matters locally.'
However, police insiders questioned the significance of the Home Office scrapping the existing targets. Forces will still be answerable to other Whitehall departments, such as the Audit Commission, and will also remain free to set their own local targets.
Meanwhile, complaints against police officers in England and Wales have risen to record levels.
According to the Independent Police Complaints Commission there were 48,280 complaints in the year to March, up 5 per cent on the previous year and the highest total since independent investigations began more than 20 years ago.
Most of the complaints concerned alleged failures to investigate or record crimes properly.
Most watched News videos
- CCTV of man dubbed 'Britain's worst neighbour' after his imprisonment
- Roger Kendrick tells PM not to listen to the CBI during Brexit debate
- Melinda Messenger talks about meeting boyfriend Chris
- Road rage brawl turns fatal after one fighter pulls gun and shoots
- Nelly Pelaez, 11, seen in happier times before her suicide
- Woman fractures ankle attempting to jump into frozen lake
- Shocking moment man gets sucker punched in a Russian supermarket
- Slo-mo footage shows moment F3 driver suffers horrific crash
- Horrifying moment dozen dogs and a deer plunge off cliff during hunt
- Surveillance video of suspects who fatally shot shop clerk in Houston
- Adorable moment chimpanzee washes himself during shower time at the zoo
- Five people hospitalised after horror Formula three crash in Macau

domain: law


|How to get the boat down without doing your back in?|
One of the major hurdles to going for a row is actually getting your boat to the water. Some rowers are lucky enough to live on the water or have their boat moored but even so they might want to start their trips from different locations.
This leads to either using a trailer or perhaps putting the craft on top of your car. The size and weight of the average boat makes car topping generally difficult but due to the Rack and Roll System and the lightness of my boat I am able to load and unload the dory on to the roof racks by myself.
First extend the side rack...
The dory and oars weigh about 55 kg (120 pounds). The boat can be easily shifted so that its stern is resting on the arm that attaches to the roof racks off the side of the car. The bow is then brought down to the ground and then the stern is lifted down.
...then slide the boat onto it.
The system can cope with loads up to 65 kg (143 pounds) so it won't suit all boats but it has allowed me to go out in the morning without calling on a second person to help shift the dory on and off the car.
Bow comes down...
...and onto the launching dolly.


text:
- 2013 (63)
- 2012 (189)
- 2011 (227)
- 2010 (222)
- 2009 (293)
- 2008 (218)
- 2007 (1)
Thursday, March 3, 2011
4:06 PM | | Edit Post
Mama wants to know what I was blogging about last year at this time and I thought it might be fun to look back and see.
- LOST. I spent a lot of time recapping the final season of LOST and as I glance back over the pictures I remember what I loved so much about this show. I'm pretty sure it had little to do with the plot.
- THINGS NO ONE HAS EVER ASKED ME TO DO. The list included baptise their baby; cook a gourmet meal, sing at their wedding, gut a deer, change a tire, co-host the View, shingle a roof and build them some furniture. Sadly, a year later and I have yet to be asked to do any of these things.
- WEATHER. I spent a lot of time blogging about the evils of Mother Nature and what I may have done to vex her. If it wasn't snow it was pouring down rain.
- JDRF. March is the time of the year when my family gets together for a walk in support of my nephew.
- MY PEDOMETER. I loved game that my husband found for the DS. You could make your own mii and it came with a little gadget to where on your shoe or belt. Alas, I ruined it over the summer when I jumped into the pool while it was still in my pocket. I should think about getting another one.
- A DO OVER. I spoke candidly about a day in my life I'd like to do over. It was the last time I could remember having fun as a family unit. Before my parents divorced, before my sister moved too far away.
Little G said, "It's always nice to stop by and see friends before you go to battle." That still makes me smile.
What were you blogging about this time last year?
- I'm a 41 year old (gasp) freelance writer, school cafeteria manager, wife and mother. I have three children and one anxious and overweight beagle. I use my blog to make others laugh, to share some cool crafts, to document my lunchlady adventures and to lament about the challenges faced by us all on the journey called life. Thanks for visiting. Please leave some crack...um...I meant some comments.

domain: hobby


text:
The team from BRS joined Leighton Walker, and GCMA professional development manager, in a joint Know How webinar and Golf Club Talk UK podcast to look through the latest numbers…
Golf’s pandemic participation boom has begun to slow – but the numbers of people playing the sport are still well up on pre-coronavirus levels.
In a GCMA Know How webinar, and GCMA Insights podcast on Golf Club Talk UK podcast, Kevin Murray and Karen Moss, from BRS, went through the latest UK and Ireland golf participation numbers for the second quarter of 2022.
They revealed that the number of member rounds played in England between April and June were one million down on the same period in 2021.
But that 3.5 million total was still 1.6 million more than in 2019 – showing that despite the return to work from furlough, and the country fully exiting Covid restrictions, the interest in playing golf was still strong.
Ireland posted 1.5-million-member rounds over the same period, a figure that was largely the same in 2021 but was 600,000 up on 2019, while Scotland enjoyed 1.2 million member rounds.
That was 300,000 down on last year but remained 300,000 up on 2019. Northern Ireland recorded half a million member rounds and Wales 300,000 – both down on last year but still an increase on pre-pandemic levels. “Golf is still in a pretty healthy position,” said Murray, who added that BRS member numbers – that is those golf club members whose clubs used the BRS system – remained fairly static at 675,000 this year.
“We’re probably now at a point of retaining members as opposed to acquiring new members,” he explained.
Revealing that around 14,000 golfers took part in the survey, Moss said a specific question had been asked around the cost of living and whether members viewed playing golf as a luxury or a necessity.
Just over half of respondents said it was a necessity, while around a third revealed it was a luxury, and around 15 per cent weren’t sure either way.
“We were really interested to find out about this because we all now fully realise the impact of the cost of living crisis and it’s not just about inflation, fuel prices rising, and wages not increasing in line with the cost of goods and fuel,” she said.
“We know there is a big impact coming and perhaps we still haven’t fully felt it. This winter could be pretty intense for a lot of households.
“Do people still think that in the light of that cost of living pressure on household incomes, and the fact that so many new members have joined over the last few years, we thought this was a pertinent question to ask.
“Do people still think that their golf club membership is a necessity? We found that the majority of them do think it is still a necessity.
“But we did have a third saying they considered it to be a luxury item so it’s definitely something golf clubs will want to keep an eye on towards autumn and winter when the cost of living starts to impact even more.”
Moss said BRS were encouraging clubs to make use of custom payment schemes and keep an eye on members to see who was and wasn’t fully utilising their membership. That would give clubs the best indication of who was a possible leaving risk.
Do you subscribe to the GCMA’s weekly E-newsletter? Make sure you’re not missing out on the latest in the world of golf club management. Click here to join in.


Serval cats are slender, medium sized creatures with a widespread distribution in Africa south of the Sahara Desert. They are rare north of the desert. They have an average height of 54 – 62 cm (21 – 24 in) at the shoulder and weigh 9 – 18 kg (20 – 40 lb). Males are slightly larger than females. They have the longest legs relative to body size of any cat.
These carnivores eat mainly rodents which they capture by leaping high into the air and coming down upon them with their forelegs. They also eat birds, reptiles, frogs and insects. They prefer to hunt in areas of tall grass or reeds near water sources.
They are solitary animals except during mating who hunt by day or night. They usually rest during the midday.
Serval Cat @ Safari Niagara
- Safari Niagara is home to two Serval Cats.
- Their names are Aziza & Gemeni.
Did you know?
- Servals are protected under CITES Appendix 1.
- They have been associated with humans since the time of ancient Egypt.
- However, they do not make good pets.


text:
There are, perhaps, more important prizes on the games industry calendar. The annual Game Awards held each December in LA draw a huge online audience and can add considerably to a game’s sales figures. But the Baftas have a status and romance that nothing else in this medium can really match.
After the ceremony, then, the big winners were understandably ecstatic. The big theme of this year’s event was the domination of independent games. Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture by The Chinese Room, Rocket League by Psyonix and Her Story by Sam Barlow, were all low-budget projects that beat major releases such as Witcher 3, Destiny: The Taken King and Fifa 16. It was a night of leftfield success – as a Bafta night probably should be.
For Dan Pinchbeck and Jess Curry, founders of the Chinese Room, the success of Rapture was a genuine surprise. “We were nominated for five Baftas with Dear Esther and we didn’t win any,” says Curry. “We were genuinely expecting not to come away with anything tonight and were OK with that.”
They weren’t surprised, though, that all three of their awards – Music, Audio Achievement and Performance (won by actor Merle Dandridge for her role as Kate in the game) – were effectively for sound. “I think having a composer and a writer at the head of The Chinese Room, stories and music are always going to be at the forefront of what we do,” says Curry. “Music is integral to the process.”
Pinchbeck continues: “I don’t know of any other studios that create concept music as well as concept art. Everybody at our studio responds to that. Our environment artist Alex Grahame, who’s an amazing artist, is always saying to Jess, ‘Can you write me a piece of music that I can, like, concept art to?’ That’s why the audio is so good: it’s central to what we do.”
For Barlow, who worked in mainstream development for a decade before going solo and creating Her Story, the most important of his three awards was Mobile & Handheld. “Mobile gaming has a bad rap, but it was the thing that made me go indie,” he says. “I looked at studios like Simogo and other mobile developers, and, like, there’s often two or three people involved, and they make something incredibly awesome.
“I reached a point where I was feeling jealous of them. I was like, ‘You’re making these cool games, and there’s just two of you in a room!’ If there weren’t people doing crazy experiments on the App Store, if there weren’t people like Simogo, then I wouldn’t have felt like I could go out there and find an audience.”
Barlow was surprised though, that Viva Seifert, the actor from Her Story, did not make it into the nominees shortlist for Best Performer. “She has won all the other performance awards, or been nominated,” he says. “When I first pitched Viva on doing this with me, I was like, ‘You can get a Bafta for video games now. They won one for Thomas Was Alone. That was someone being a rectangle.’”

domain: entertainment


text:
There may not be an objective best manga of all time, but if I had to pick one then Berserk would be at the top of my list. In many ways, I feel Berserk is underappreciated and flies somewhat under the radar due to its hyper-violent dark fantasy world, long lead times between releases, and just a general lack of promotion. I remember seeing it on shelves at bookstores–it was published under the Dark Horse imprint in the US–and wanting to peek at its glory. That was basically the only way to read the series stateside unless you found an online translation way back then in the 90’s, which is a whole different rodeo in the dark ages of Internet. It’s too bad because the series has excellent artwork and a unique style, plus a gripping story of intense suffering and perseverance.
Berserk is essentially a lifelong project of creator Kentaro Miura, debuting with a 48 page prototype in 1988 while he was still in manga school. It’s 2017 and the manga is still ongoing and seemingly nowhere near a conclusion yet. Yes, that’s about 30 years that this project has been going on for.
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD
If you want the premise, awesome fighter Guts gets betrayed by his best friend Griffith who rapes his lover/sacrifices all of their friends so Guts is on a quest for ultimate revenge against Griffith while fighting a bunch of demons.
It’s mainly targeted to an adult audience so the potential readership is smaller than more widely appealing young adult series like Bleach, Naruto, One Piece, etc. Imagine my joy when I found out they had released a new anime series for Berserk. I’ll be reviewing season 1 of the Berserk 2016/2017 series, but first a little history lesson.
Running on from the 90’s
Recently, I found out they were starting up an animated series for Berserk again. This isn’t it’s first time in anime form–there was single season series run in 1997 that I should probably watch if I don’t want to look like a jackass talking about things I’m ill informed on. From what I hear on the internet, the series is supposed to be pretty good:
I’m one of those guys who usually read the manga before watching the anime. You can imagine, then, what my sentiments were like when I began watching a 25-episode-anime of which I’d read 300+ chapters of manga. To clarify, I was preparing for a completely unripe anime-draft of a manga praised to the heavens that’d actually been worth it, and then some. To my pleasant surprise I discovered the anime adaptation of Berserk lost to its original version in nothing but length and detail. – Source
From my extensive reading of the Wikipedia page, it looks like the 90’s series covers the beginning arcs of Berserk–basically the Golden Age, a small part of the Black Swordsman arc (like 1 episode small), and up to the Eclipse where SPOILER ALERT
Dumbledore everyone in the Band of the Hawk besides Guts, Casca, and Griffith dies.
In addition to the 90’s anime, there was a series of 3 films released from 2012 to 2014 covering the Golden Age arc using an updated 3d/2d animation method. I watched those films and they are actually pretty decent–though I won’t be going into detail here. The art style for this updated 2017 Berserk series is pretty much in the same vein–a CG hodgepodge reminiscent of cel shaded games.
But enough about the past, let’s talk about the now.
First, the Good
There are a significant number of flaws with this new series, but I thought I should be fair and start with the good things in this 2017 rendition of Berserk. The series is quite faithful to the manga, starting off in the retaining many of the major plot points, though some story elements are cut from the Black Swordsman arc–no Elves of the Misty Valley, no Snake Baron, and a much truncated Count storyline. It would have been nice to have these just to watch Guts murderin’ some fools, but oh well. The rest of the plot is kept pretty much the same as the manga with a few edits to introduce characters like Puck and Isidro earlier.
There’s no significant loss of content due to the cuts since the Black Swordsman arc always served as an introduction to the world of Berserk. The truncation essentially just assumes foreknowledge of the series on the part of the viewer with less background exposition or exploration of Guts’ quest of infernal hatred of Griffith.
Thankfully, the adult tone and mature themes are preserved–this is definitely not PG. One of the aspects that makes Berserk’s world so great is how in-your-face-no-holds-barred gory, graphic, sexual, and ultraviolent it is. People get sliced in half with their intestines leaking out, heads are crushed, blood spills like bottles of wine juggled by a drunk clown slipping on a banana peel, and the death count is staggering. It’s pretty gnarly. It’s pretty great. They didn’t cut out any of the several full or partial nudity scenes involving women either.
It wouldn’t be Berserk if the studio had tried to tone it down. You’ll be happy to hear that there’s still death and destruction aplenty in the animated series. No sugarcoating.
Quick aside–did you know Adult Swim wanted to show Berserk but it was deemed too violent for broadcast television?
Many of the key art quirks and unsettling weirdness of key characters make a fine translation to animated form. For example, Mozgus’ grotesque appearance with a veined face of religious fervor is rendered faithfully in the manga’s style. The characters look like who they’re supposed to be–that should be a given, but you’d be surprised how art can get distorted due to budget when it moves to an animated form. Compared to the manga, the art is cleaner, not necessarily a good thing, but at least it isn’t all muddled to hell. More on that later.
Later is Now
So remember how I said the art style was very clean? Well, I think the cleanliness of the art style kind of loses some of the original soul from the Miura’s manga source material. Here, have some side by side comparisons:
There’s a lot of dynamic detail in the source’s line work that seems to be missing in the anime version. If you read the manga, you’ll notice how well the compositions, line work, inking, and shading convey the chaos of the many battles and grotesqueness of the demonic forces at play. In many scenes, there’s so much chaos it’s almost like you’re not quite sure what’s happening–and that’s a good thing. The personality in the art makes you feel the ugliness of each battle, its confusing stress. I’d even say that the art is reminiscent of a medieval woodcut art piece with its linear shading idiosyncrasies.
When you’re watching the animation, the world feels a little too sterile, too clean. If there’s one thing to be said for Berserk’s atmosphere, it’s the desperation and sheer perseverance of a man in a dirty, dark hellhole of a world. A lot of the expressive art and chaos captured in the manga’s depictions of various scenes aren’t fully translated over to the cg animated form. It’s almost like the cg animation is at odds with the mood of Berserk. Still, it’s different mediums so I supposed I shouldn’t be so hypercritical of the stylistic difference, but I feel they still could have done a better job.
Berserk should always be absolutely berserk.
Panning for Gold?
A minor point–the anime uses some slow panning over nearly stationary artwork. The slow pans give viewers the feeling that cost savings and budget constraints were ruling the director’s choices. The worst example of this is actually in the second season, but it still feels cheap when you have a couple seconds of the camera slowly moving across an a barely moving character.
Ever rewatch Dragonball Z to see how many times they did a slow pan over characters mostly remaining still? Or a slow pan of the camera across a vast unmoving landscape? Or zooming out of a barely moving image? Or even just moving slowly across someone’s eyes? That technique certainly saves on the animation budget and pads the running time of every episode, but you can’t say it’s something that made you excited.
I’m not sure if it’s a consequence of the CG art or budget constraints, but a lot of faces have a robotic uncanny valley thing going on. Essentially, faces appear almost doll-like c instead of human. The eyes and mouths of characters evoke a feeling of working independently from the rest of the unmoving face, a bit similar to the movements of a clockwork animatronic figure. Every facial expression feels too limited, like they had a few presets programmed into the computer that they couldn’t change too much. CG doesn’t have to equal unrealistic facial expressions either, just look at how natural the facial expressions were in Half Life 2, a game released 10 years ago.
Definitely not the best look.
This awkwardness extends to the movement depictions. It actually reminds me a bit of early CG animated TV shows, where everyone’s walking looked a bit stiff. Arm movements also appear a bit jerky and unnatural, almost inhuman. The wooden movements of every character further emphasize a kind of cold clinicality that is already present from the clean artwork. I would say the animation is missing organic-ness or humanity, something I believe a more hand drawn approach would have had. I mean, you can go back and look at the old series and see how the older artwork had more personality in it.
Got Some Fight Left in Ya?
Berserk is all about the legendary fights.
It’s about watching Guts struggle to beat enemies against overwhelming odds, about seeing his sheer force of will, his tenacity through adversity, his unwillingness to let anyone except himself shape his fate even as he suffers, bleeds, breaks bones, loses consciousness, and more. Then you watch him emerge, exhausted, barely alive, but all the stronger for conquering his trials.
Berserk fights are just wicked SICK.
The thing about Guts is that he doesn’t have some one-shot special attack that he spams all the time to beat enemies, a common anime trope. Sure he has a big ass sword, throwing knives, explosives, a cannon in his arm, and an automatic crossbow, but he ends up having to use all of his weapons–in addition to his wits–to defeat tough enemies. It’s more about wearing down his enemies, outlasting them, and striking them when they’re finally vulnerable, at a cost to himself, but always tactically calculated.
Thus, when it comes to the animated version of these fights, I would like them to be extended as much as possible with a lot of detail in every little action. If there’s one place to spend the most time on, it’s the fight scenes. I want them to be technical, showing the little feints and flourishes, the little moves that show the contest for advantage in a fight. Most of the time a fight in real life isn’t won by one big special move–though knockouts do happen, see Aldo vs McGregor–so it’s a lot more exciting when they add in the little things that show the struggle.
If you can’t tell, I have high standards for fight scenes.
That’s why I was a little disappointed with the fighting animation. While I wouldn’t say it’s bad, it just feels adequate. All the broad strokes of each battle are faithfully translated from the manga, but I feel they missed an opportunity to expand the content and really make it shine in animated form. Again, the art style doesn’t help the character of each battle with its lack of personality. The scenes just lack a certain dynamic–Guts feels a little too static–and cinematic composition
The fight scenes lack the set-piece feeling and rhythm you would get from a well choreographed martial arts movie, which would have been an admirable target. I don’t expect it to be ultra-realistic, especially since we’re talking about a guy wielding a giant dragon slaying sword that likely weighs ~400lbs while fighting colossal supernatural demons, but I appreciate an effort to attain a certain level of in-world believability.
Since I mentioned the Dragonslayer sword, I should mention how they chose to animate Guts’ handling of his sword. He just swings his sword like a giant log, less swordplay and more edged bludgeoning. It makes sense conceptually–it’s a giant lump of iron that isn’t all about finesse–but it would be nice if they showed a little more agility with his swings. As it is, it feels a bit dull even though he’s shown moving it precisely.
Overall, the fighting is okay, my complaint is more that they didn’t try as hard as they could have in fight choreography when they could have taken it much further.
Don’t let me just talk at you about this, watch it for yourself to get an idea of the animation quality (ignore the garbage music choice):
And another one that’s extra NSFW:
Minor Quibbles: Pacing & Fairy Dust
These aren’t very big criticisms so I’ll only mention them briefly.
Guts’ initial encounter with the Holy Iron Chain Knights is weirdly paced, in that the episode starts off with it, yet the previous episode made no mention that he got himself surrounded. The last episode just ends with him walking along on his journey, then the next episode starts with him already surrounded by the knights. If I hadn’t read the source material, I would have felt lost, like something was missing in that jump to the action.
Second quibble–Puck’s healing fairy dust is never mentioned in this season. Guts’ remarkable healing abilities after every life and death fight seem almost healing factor-ish since they never mention that Puck is healing him post battle.
I’ll Keep Watching, But I’m Left Wanting
Overall, I think it’s still pretty watchable and faithful to the source, but I’m disappointed they couldn’t do more with the anime. Berserk deserves top tier treatment, at least in my estimation. The one major thing that would have really made the series excellent would be quality drawn artwork, instead of the CG. Just look at a One Punch Man fight sequence and tell me you wouldn’t want the same witchcraft performed for Berserk.
I’m glad they kept the mature tone–that is essential to the world of Berserk–because that’s the only way it should be. I’ll keep watching to see how the series develops over 2017, but my reservations will always be there nagging at me, like the threat of rage consuming Guts.
It’s fine, it’s still Berserk.

domain: artistic


text:
Intimacy can be defined in many ways, but one of the definitions I came across a long time ago really stuck with me. It was defined as follows: “knowing the self, being known by another, and knowing another”.
Intimacy requires two people who are willing to courageously look inward and make themselves totally visible to each other. I’m sure you and your wife know each other very well. That said, I’m also sure you can know each other deeper. So how do you do that?
Women love being able to emotionally connect with others, especially their romantic partner. One of the best ways (besides physically connecting with them) to do this is via intimately charged conversations. The problem is that this can be difficult for couples who have known each other as long as the two of you have to do. That’s why I created my product 88 Conversational Connection Bridges.
Ignite Intimacy Pathways Like Never Before...
This product contains 88 conversation starting questions that result in fun, intimate, and interesting interactions where the two of you learn more about the other person and yourselves. It also results in forming an intimacy bridge between the two of you, which people love to feel and experience in their relationships.
None of the questions are loaded with negative potential either (i.e. How would we respond if we were on a desert island together). They’ve been carefully designed to yield only positive outcomes.
Please note: this product is available only as a special upgrade after a previous purchase of other products or services.

domain: psychology


text:
Veterans Matter expands to two cities after $60,000 donation from UT's Songfest
TOLEDO, OHIO (WNWO)-- A local organization helping homeless veterans will now be able to reach even more people. Veterans Matter is expanding into Cleveland and Columbus. Proceeds from UT's Student Songfest made it possible.
Students raised more than $60,000 dollars that was matched dollar for dollar by donors. One hundred percent of the proceeds will help with housing and provide independence and security for veterans struggling to find homes.
"There's a veteran somewhere praying for a way to find the deposit so he and his family can get into ready housing and the donors of veterans matter are ready to be that guardian angel," said Ken Leslie, advocate in chief of the organization.
To give back to the non profit, for the rest of May 10 percent of all proceeds at Andy's Sports Bar and Grill on Dorr Street will go back to the group.


text:
You will also like...
According to Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection, preferable genes are favored by nature in the gene pool, and ..
Freshwater ecology focuses on the relations of aquatic organisms to their freshwater habitats. There are two forms of co..
This tutorial presents the benefits and the possible adverse eventualities of genetic engineering. Know more about this ..
Muscle cells are specialized to generate force and movement. Learn about the different types of muscle tissues in this t..
This tutorial investigates perception as two people can interpret the same thing differently. Know more about human perc..

domain: biology


text:
- 6333 new corona patients found within last three days in Maharashtra
- The number of patients in the country on May 18 was 1 lakh 326, while on May 19, there were 1 lakh 6 thousand 480 patients.
- Railways have so far run 1813 laborers special trains, 2.2 million people reached home; Maximum 912 went to Uttar Pradesh
May 21, 2020, 07:26 AM IST
new Delhi. There have been one lakh 12 thousand 24 cases of coronavirus in the country. 5547 patients were found on Wednesday alone. More than 11 thousand cases of corona have been reported in the last three days. Out of this, more than 6 thousand patients are from Maharashtra alone. That is, about 54 percent of the total infected are from here.
Corona infection is increasing rapidly in the country. On May 18, where the number of patients was 1 lakh 326. One day later this figure increased to 1 lakh 6 thousand 480. At the same time, on Wednesday, the number of patients exceeded one lakh 12 thousand. On the other hand, in Maharashtra, on May 18, 2005, on May 19, 2078 and on May 20, 2250 new patients were found. Within three days, 6333 infected were found here. On Wednesday, 743 patients were found in Tamil Nadu, 534 in Delhi, 398 in Gujarat, 270 in Madhya Pradesh. These figures are based on information received from covid19india.org and state governments.
Five days when the worst case
|The date||The case|
The infection spread to 26 states and 7 union territories
Coronavirus infection has spread to 26 states. 7 Union Territories are also vulnerable. These include Delhi, Chandigarh, Andaman and Nicobar, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Puducherry and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
|state||How infected||How well||How many deaths|
|Jammu and Kashmir||1390||678||17|
|Andaman and Nicobar||33||33||0|
|Dadar And Nagar Haveli||1||1||0|
According to the Union Health Ministry, there are 1 lakh 6 thousand 750 patients of Corona in the country. Out of this, 61 thousand 149 are being treated, while 42 thousand 297 are also healthy. So far, 3 thousand 303 people have died.
5 states and 1 union territory
- Madhya Pradesh, Infected- 5735: The state saw 270 patients on Wednesday, while the death toll from coronavirus rose to 267. Coronavirus infection has reached 48 out of 52 districts of Madhya Pradesh. Now the patients who are coming in the state have migrated and reached home districts from other states. The patients who have been found in Dindori, Panna, Damoh, Guna, Mandla, Seoni, Umaria, Rajgarh, Singrauli, Tikamgarh and Chhatarpur have come from other states.
- Maharashtra, Infected- 39297: On Wednesday, 2250 new patients were found in Maharashtra, while 65 people died. So far, 1390 patients have died from Corona in the state. The number of active patients in the state is 27 thousand 581. On Wednesday, 1372 patients were found in Mumbai, while 41 people died. So far, 23 thousand 935 corona positive patients have been found in the capital.
- Uttar Pradesh, Infected – 5175: On Wednesday, 249 Corona patients were found in the state. In this, 50 cases were reported in Barabanki, 12 in Prayagraj, 10 in Rampur, 11 in Pratapgarh, 10 in Rampur. 323 corona infected patients were found in 24 hours from Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday morning. This is the largest number of infected in 24 hours in the state. Earlier, 208 patients were found in the state on Tuesday and 203 on Monday.
- Rajasthan, Infected- 6015: The state received 170 cases on Wednesday. These include 17 in Nagaur, 22 in Dungarpur, 12 in Sikar, 5 in Sirohi, 8-8 in Jhunjhunu and Sikar, 6 in Kota, 4 in Sirohi, 3 in Udaipur, 2 in Jaipur, 1 in Jhalawar and Baran. . The corona report of 338 patients came positive on Tuesday.
- Bihar, Infected – 1607: On Wednesday, 88 people reported positive in the state. Here 10 people have died from Corona. The number of infected in Bihar has increased due to the arrival of migrants. In the last ten days, 891 new infections were detected.
- DayLly, infected- 11088: In Delhi, 534 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours. With this, the total number of infected people in the capital has increased to more than 11. The corona report of 500 patients came positive on Tuesday, 265 patients recovered and 6 died. Of the total infected, 5720 are being treated here, while 5192 patients have been cured.

domain: medical


text:
29 June 2020
According to the latest report from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), men and women working in social care, including home carers, both had significantly raised rates of death involving Covid-19, with rates of 50.1 deaths per 100,000 men (97 deaths) and 19.1 deaths per 100,000 women (171 deaths).
Among the occupations where men were found to have raised rates of death involving Covid-19 were: taxi drivers and chauffeurs (65.3 deaths per 100,000; 134 deaths); bus and coach drivers (44.2 deaths per 100,000; 53 deaths); and chefs (56.8 deaths per 100,000; 49 deaths).
For women, one of the occupations with the highest raised rate of death involving Covid-19 was sales and retail assistants (15.7 deaths per 100,000 women, or 64 deaths).
Of the specific health care professions, nurses had elevated rates among both sexes (50.4 deaths per 100,000 men or 31 deaths; 15.3 deaths per 100,000 women or 70 deaths).
Of the 17 specific occupations among men in England and Wales found to have higher rates of death involving Covid-19, 11 have statistically significantly higher proportions of workers from Black and Asian ethnic backgrounds; for women, two of the four specific occupations with elevated rates have statistically significantly higher proportions of workers from Black and Asian ethnic backgrounds.
Head of Health Analysis and Life Events, Ben Humberstone, cautioned: “Today’s analysis shows that jobs involving close proximity with others, and those where there is regular exposure to disease, have some of the highest rates of death from Covid-19. However, our findings do not prove conclusively that the observed rates of death involving Covid-19 are necessarily caused by differences in occupational exposure.”
Although the ONS found that nearly two-thirds of Covid-19 deaths were of male workers, the Unite union has urged that due attention must also be paid to the high level of deaths among women workers in sectors including retail, health and social care.
Assistant general secretary Diana Holland said: “Many of the professions with the highest number of deaths are not only low paid but have both a long and unsocial hours culture, which often creates specific health problems over time.”
She has called for a full public inquiry into these deaths to investigate not only if these workers were failed by a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE), but also if they were significantly more susceptible to the disease due to the cumulative effects that working long and unsocial hours had on their health.


Fork Terminal, vinyl insulated, 22 - 18 AWG, #8 stud size, expanded insulation for large wire O.D.
- Expanded wire entry designed to accommodate wire with a larger insulation thickness
- Fork design provides for fast and easy installation, without the need to remove fastener
- Insulation support helps to prevent wire damage in bending applications
- Brazed seam protects terminal barrel from splitting during the crimp process
- UL Flammability UL 94V-0, maximum insulation temperature 221F (105C)
- Internal barrel serrations assure good wire contact and maximum tensile strength
- UL and CSA rated up 600 V per UL 486


text:
Brayden 3 Tier Hanging Basket
The practical design of Brayden baskets complements Heirloom bathroom accessory ranges so you can find that piece to hold what you need and have it just where you need it. A quality product made from stainless steel and finished in chrome this product is part of the comprehensive Brayden range of high quality baskets and shelves.
Hanging baskets have the advantage that they are easy install as no holes are required in wall surfaces, can be relocated, and transported to your new home if you move.
Width 325mm, Depth 135mm, Height 750mm,

domain: design


Marketplace is community-funded public service journalism. Give in any amount that works for you – what matters is that you give today.
The Internet is powered by vast banks of computers which chew up energy. That’s a big cost for the people who run these servers — and the earth, depending on how all the electricity is generated.
Aaron Rallo, CEO of TSO Logic which has been working on this issue, says the key is adjusting how many servers are powered up based on demand.
“We’re seeing 50-60 percent savings,” Rallo says. “We build out all the server infrastructure to support holiday shopping, and then in March, all of those servers stay on. The opportunity to save there is just massive.”
It’s a bit like turning off two of the three burners on a barbecue, if all you are doing is grilling up a single patty.
“We don’t always turn [the servers] off,” Rallo says. “In some cases we can just reduce the power draw of a machine or hibernate a machine.”
Another company that has come up with ways to make servers much more energy efficient is Joyent. It’s Chief Technology Officer, Jason Hoffman, thinks server demands are going to get so high on our digital systems — given all the computer chips going into computers, tablets, cars, household appliances and more — that some grand new leap in innovation is going to have to take place.
To hear Hoffman’s thoughts on evovling our digital systems and capacity, click on the audio player above.
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.
Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.


text:
24-year-old Terada Aki is a part-time worker who’s unsuccessful in job hunting. After the boyfriend she had been living with cheated on her, she ends up sharing an apartment with a former junior high school classmate, and her first boyfriend Hongyou Tomoya. About the last two years he has been helpless but by chance reacts to Aki, so he asks her to help to cure him…
- Japanese : カカフカカ
- Synonyms : Ka ka Fuka ka,KKFK
- Type : Manga
- Status : Publishing
- Published : Oct 25, 2013 to ?
- Authors : Ishida, Takumi
- Score : 7.42


text:
States Challenged By Education Bill
President George W. Bush this week signs into law the domestic policy centerpiece of his first term agenda, an education spending reauthorization that sponsors say will bring the most dramatic overhaul of U.S. public schools since the first Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)took effect in 1965.
The $26.5 billion bill won final congressional passage days before Congress recessed for Christmas. One of its goals is to close the gap in classroom performance and test scores between poor minorities and kids for whom English is a second language and their more affluent classmates. Although federal money represents just seven percent of state and local school budgets, the federal share increases in low-income areas.
States are wary of some of the costly requirements in the new law, especially at a time when state revenues are in a nosedive. The bill provides up to $490 million for testing, a fraction of the $2 billion to $7 billion that some experts estimate the expanded testing will cost.
“There is less money in state budgets and the bill requires states to test more – it is going to be the biggest challenge for Governors trying to meet the requirements of this new law,”says Dale Linn, education policy director of the National Governors’ Association.
However, governors, state legislators and education officials like other aspects of the bill. These include:
A better distribution system for federal dollars earmarked to help needy students. Cities are the biggest winners. For example; New York City will receive $636 million next year, up from $492 million. Paul Marshall of Ohio’s Education Agency applauds the change. “Congress had lost the original focus of Title 1 that is trying to provide services to the really low income kids. This (new formula) is getting back to helping kids that need it the most.”
More money for rural schools, a provision that Bruce Hunter, Government Relations Director for the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), calls a “hidden jewel.” The bill’s architects “created a rural program that finally gives small rural schools enormous flexibility. They can roll all their programs together and do things they couldn’t do before,” he says.
More spending flexibility for states and school districts. “The most positive feature of this bill is the flexibility. There is significant flexibility with some of the federal money and districts will have more monetary responsibility than was ever considered before,” says Doug Stone, a spokesman for California superintendent of education Delaine Eastin.
More money to improve the quality of teaching with training and support.
Controversial aspects of the new law include, first and foremost, its testing mandate.”This comes at a time when Montana can ill-afford to spend additional revenues on testing… it could bankrupt our state’s schools and divert preciously needed resources away from the real needs of Montana’s children, ” state superintendent of public education Linda McCulloch told the Missoulian.
The bill requires every public school to test third through eighth graders in reading and math annually. Every public school student must be tested again sometime in high school. School systems will be required to compile and publish detailed reports on each child’s progress and break down the test results by school, ethnicity and income level by 2005.
For the first time, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a heretofore voluntary achievement test given by the US Department of Education, will become mandatory in every state.
No money was set aside to help states create databanks to store the testing and student information required in the new law. The bill also fails to provide the long-promised 40 percent federal share of the cost of educating students with disabilities. And some state legislators believe it usurps their authority because it allows the federal secretary of education to make agreements directly with state education agencies and school districts.
“Try and find another federal program where a federal executive enters into agreement with somebody other than the legislature or the governor. If you want to talk about federal intrusion into local schools that has got to be the king of them all,” says David Shreve, an official of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL).
Under the new law, states will have 12 years to improve student performance. But it remains to be seen what will happen if they don’t. Most states were able to get waivers when Congress tried to force school reforms in 1994.
“They (Feds) still haven’t enforced the 1994 ESEA that called for testing in three grades and that is the foundation for increasing the testing to every year in 3-8,” Shreve told Stateline.org.
Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphics.


text:
The new M local store, on Palatine Road, will open next Monday and will create 20 jobs.
Morrisons began trialling the M local concept in 2011 with branches near Manchester University and ones in Wilmslow, Ilkley, Doncaster and Birmingham.
It announced earlier this year it would accelerate its roll out of M local stores, with plans to open 70 by the end of 2013.
The Northenden branch will target families and young professionals and will place an emphasis on fresh meat, fish and produce sold at the same price as in Morrisons supermarkets.
It will stock more than 100 lines of fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as freshly-baked bread, fresh meat and fish prepared at Morrisons' Eccles supermarket and delivered daily
There will also be a salad bar, delicatessen items and hot 'food to go'.
*Sainsbury's is to create 10,000 jobs over the next three years as it continues to open new stores.
The new roles will be in the firm's smaller convenience and Local stores, which have seen a big increase in business this year.

domain: news


About Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia
Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia is a Center City-based nonprofit that advocates for a connected network of streets safe for bicycling and walking.
Generocity Coverage (31 posts)
- Astrological philanthrophy? Let’s talk zodiac sun signs and giving in 2020
- ‘Dangerous’ bicyclists are change agents, building a healthy and sustainable region
- On the Market: 14 Philly impact jobs to snag before the year ends
- Happy #GivingTuesday! Here are 38 Philly nonprofit campaigns to support today
- As easy as riding a bike: Why safer streets for cyclists mean safer streets for all


text:
1. British Pop Group 2. French progressive electro-pop/rock band 3. Hiphop alias of Canadian multi-genre musician Andrew "Songs to Wear Pants To" Huang 4. VzyalSoundsystem, ambient/dub/techno duo from Ukraine.
1. VS were a British pop group, the brainchild of former Blue member Simon Webbe (who was also their manager), Melody from DJ Pied Piper and established singer/songwriter Ali Tennant who came together to form production company Love For Music.
Checkout Websites - www.jaimejay.com and http… read more
|1||Play on youtube||Call U Sexy||7 listeners|
|2||Flamingo Hangover||3 listeners|
|3||Play on youtube||Love You Like Mad||2 listeners|
|4||Flamingo Hangover (feat. Africaine 808 & Umeme Afrorave)||2 listeners|
|5||Make It Hot||1 listener|
|7||All Kinds of Trouble||1 listener|
|8||U & Me||1 listener|
|9||Dance Of The Harpy||1 listener|
|10||Flamingo Hangover (STW Premiere)||1 listener|
Don't want to see ads? Subscribe now


text:
Apply today for the HHMI BioInteractive Ambassador Academy! The Academy is a multi-year professional development experience designed to support evidence-based teaching practices. We’re looking for educators with diverse backgrounds and teaching contexts who are committed to centering equity in their classrooms.
This activity guides the analysis of a published scientific figure from a study on prehistoric human food sources. In this study, scientists used carbon isotopes to determine how the advent of agriculture affected human diets.


text:
Members of the computer and gaming industry were treated to an exhilarating product launch of Alienware's computers and laptops. The Staging Connections Melbourne team embarked on a path to take members of the audience on a journey from the alien planet to our own, through digital mediums, projection, pyrotechnics, actors and lighting.
This event required the collaboration between the client's 3D animation content with our 3D projection design, 3D mapping and reform. The design was precisely plotted in 3D software and 11 projectors were driven by 14 Watchout PCs onto a set space that canvassed a 22m-wide screen, full-size caravan model and floor space surrounding the area. Together with the 3D animated projection map and surround sound, time code generated cues for both stunt actors and pyrotechnics completed a theatrical experience.


text:
Thanks for coming to find out more about who we are. We are Wild Trails, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to promote the use, expansion and protection of trails in greater Chattanooga. One may ask how such an organization may have come about. It's quite a story actually.
Our story began with a local independent outdoor retailer committed to using outdoor retail as a platform to encourage outdoor recreation and environmental stewardship and to improve access to the back country. Almost 10 years ago, Matt Sims, a Rock/Creek employee at the time, and avid trail runner, decided it was time for the general public to discover the trails in Chattanooga. It all started with a trail running race called the Rock/Creek River Gorge. The Rock/Creek StumpJump 50k followed shortly after.
As the Rock/Creek River Gorge and StumpJump 50k settled into their respective positions in the early Spring and Fall, Kris and Randy Whorton, with all of their seasoned experience and passion for trail running and building and preserving trails moved to Chattanooga. Quickly discovering all that Chattanooga had to offer the outdoor community and the great unrealized potential for trails in this region, Kris and Randy got to work and haven't really stopped since.
In 2007, Kris and Randy, Dawson Wheeler, Mark McKnight, Matt Sims and Chad Wamack, all with similar vision, founded the Wilderness Trail Running Association, a.k.a., "The Boonies", with a mission to promote the sport of trail running and the the preservation of trails in Chattanooga. The Rock/Creek River Gorge and StumpJump 50k & 11 Mile trail races now growing in popularity were then joined by 6 other trail races. These 8 races became known as the Rock/Creek Trail Series.
With the overwhelming growth of the Rock/Creek Trail Series and expanding workload of the non-profit, in 2009 the board decided to hire their first full time employee. Jonathan Mobley came on board as the Race Director of the Rock/Creek Trail Series and Executive Director of the Wilderness Trail Running Association.
In the months following, the board went through a process of refining its mission and honestly evaluating what would be required to build a sustainable organization committed to promoting outdoor recreation and preserving trails in our region. Trail running will always be our first love, but we realized that the work we were doing on trails was benefiting not just the trail running community but all users of trails. We also realized that to gain the momentum we needed to affect positive change and create a culture of commitment to preservation we needed the support of more than just the trail running community.
Now with a new identity and an expanded mission and vision for the future, we are committed to establishing Wild Trails as an organization that is committed to bringing people together who share a passion for the outdoors and recognize the responsibility we have to protect trails for ours and future generations. Please join us in our efforts.


text:
In one of our visits at the Ace Hardware
in Hayarkon, area of Tel Aviv, I chanced upon this box of solar garden lights.
I found them cheap (at NIS 100 a box - one box contains 4 lights), so despite our Jaffa Tel Aviv apartment not having a garden, I bought 2 boxes.
No garden? I have my living room to decorate with these lights which I place among the pots and ornamental plants (see picture) while the rest can be found in the balcony.
Quite nice accents they are, especially at night when the emit a soft bluish white glow, complementing my incandescent lamps.


text:
This sweet tequila lime glaze is coated over crispy, oven baked chicken. It’s a delicious combination of flavors.
Do you ever have some random phrase pop into your mind and you have no idea where it came from? Last week while making various tequila recipes, I kept thinking about a tequila lime chicken. I’ve never had tequila lime chicken nor did I come across any related recipes lately, but those three words just kept repeating in my mind. Tequila lime chicken. Tequila lime chicken.
The flavors just seemed like they would be amazing. Since I’m still obsessed with crunchy baked chicken, I decided to make a tequila lime glaze. This pale golden colored sauce is perfect. It’s even better than I had dreamed. It’s just the right balance of sweetness and you can definitely taste the tequila and the lime juice. I couldn’t get enough of this. I’m definitely going to be making this one again and using this sauce in other dishes as well.
Rita’s Italian Ice has continued to expand throughout San Diego, with their newest opening in Rancho Penasquitos last week. The popular shaved ice chain from the East Coast has several more locations set to open in San Diego in the next few months. For their grand opening, they offered a free regular ice or regular sized gelatis for $1. It was such a hot day we decided to get some after work, hoping the lines had died down.
Speaking of weather, how crazy were the random thunderstorms in San Diego this weekend? I can’t even remember the last time it rained in July, much less thunder. But in a flash, they were gone, and it was sunny weather again. So bizarre.
Anyhow, we were wrong about the lines. They were still pretty long, but we were already there, so we decided to wait anyway.
Mango Strawberry Ice with Vanilla Custard
These fluffy little muffins taste like old-fashioned donuts, but are baked instead of fried. The make a perfect treat any time of the day.
These mini donut muffins are one of my favorite recipes. I recently went to a really fun BBQ/game night party and brought these sugar donut muffins for dessert.
I’m going to keep this post relatively short. I’m pretty exhausted after being at San Diego Comic Con for the past four days. Waking up at 4am, walking more than 10,000 steps a day, trying to get through all the insane crowds, it really takes a toll. When I’m fully recovered I’ll share a few pictures. Some of the highlights of my weekend included getting sketches from Tokidoki artist Simone Legno, winning one of the coveted LEGO mini figures raffled away, taking pictures with Game of Thrones actor Isaac Hempstead-Wright (Bran Stark), riding in the Gotham PD cab, and watching Jim Lee live sketch.

domain: food


- About Us
- Legislative Session & Scorecard
- Elections & Endorsements
- County Leadership Committees
- News & Events
- Act Now
- Support Us
Engaging Pints and Engaging Priorities
Thursday, February 28, 2013 (All day)
Join the Oregon League of Conservation Voters and elected officials to discuss the top environmental issues facing Oregon in 2013. Hear from the pros as they breakdown the Oregon Conservation Networks priorities and other important issues in the 2013 legislature. Minimal wonkiness guaranteed, promise.
They'll be time before and after for networking and we'll have time for Q and A too, so, make sure to bring your questions about the issues you care about.
This is a free event, please invite others.
Thursday, February 28, 2013 @ 6:30 pm - 8 pm
3120 N Williams Ave.
Portland, OR 97227
Join us in fighting for Oregon's environment
OLCV EMAIL SIGNUP
We have a responsibility to protect that for our kids and to protect the natural resources that make Oregon a great place to live--the salmon, the trees…
Katy Daily - OLCV supporter


Many of the years that followed were challenging from a national economic perspective. However, naysayers, critics and tough business conditions notwithstanding, a decade later M&C Saatchi Abel is celebrating its 10th birthday as one of the top-ranked, and one of the most rapidly growing, creative companies in South Africa.
“It is an incredible milestone to have reached 10 years. We are all very proud and happy to celebrate this achievement. However, it is important to highlight that 10 years doesn’t represent an arrival, but rather a solid foundation from which to continue our growth and upward trajectory,” says founding partner and CEO Mike Abel.
M&C Saatchi Abel opened its Cape Town office with 13 people and no clients. Audacious? Perhaps. But so are all bold moves, says Abel.
He knew, even before there was furniture in the office, that the goal was to create a diverse, respected, effective agency that would provide real value for its clients while striving to become the most desired creative company on the continent.
“Our ambitions were bold – and they still are. But we knew we wouldn’t fail because we believe implicitly in our vision,” Abel says. From humble beginnings, M&C Saatchi Abel grew into one of South Africa’s largest agencies, with offices in Cape Town and Johannesburg, and a presence throughout sub-Saharan Africa, with a level one BBBEE accreditation.
Its 13 employees expanded to more than 300 of the most talented creatives in the country. And from zero clients, M&C Saatchi Abel can now count some of the most important blue-chip clients in South Africa, with a long list of awards bearing testament to its successes, the most recent being its sterling night at the 2019 FM Adfocus Awards, including Large Agency of the Year, Partnership of the Year for its work with Nando’s, and the Industry Leader award for its chief creative officer Neo Mashigo. How the agency managed to achieve this is no secret. Abel has said the meteoric growth has been, and continues to be, dependent on an uncompromising commitment to their clients. “Have we grown their top line? Have we grown their market share? Have we grown their brand equity? Our job is to provide measurable value,” he says.
Razzle dazzle, gimmicks and applause, says Abel, are transient. Results-driven by an unflinching commitment to creativity and underpinned by ‘brutal simplicity of thought’ is a golden thread that has underpinned the agency’s journey.
Another vital aspect of M&C Saatchi Abel’s success has been a commitment to its staff’s growth and diversity – both in people and thought. Abel says the agency set out to have a partner structure where entrepreneurial creatives would thrive. Today, he says, the agency has a talent pool of industry heavyweights and maverick thinkers, strategists, creatives of all disciplines and business people.
“Another key aspect of our success with the incredible clients we have is that we strategically marry our talent with clients. We understand that true magic happens when there is a long-term relationship built on trust,” says Abel.
“I would like to thank every single partner and employee that has been involved in our journey, all our clients who currently include, Takealot Group, Nando’s, Standard Bank, Lexus, and Mweb, as well as the myriad of people we interact within the industry. Here’s to the next 10 years, where we will strive to continue finding simple solutions in an increasingly complex world and to tell stories that resonate with audiences,” he says.
About M&C Saatchi Abel:
Established in 1995 by brothers Maurice and Charles Saatchi and founded on the philosophy of ‘brutal simplicity of thought’, M&C Saatchi is today the largest independent advertising agency network in the world, with 29 offices globally. Locally, the M&C Saatchi Group (South Africa) comprises six separate companies, one of which is M&C Saatchi Abel. The agency’s doors opened in 2010 and, in less than five years, grew to have offices in Cape Town and Johannesburg, as well as a presence throughout sub-Saharan Africa. In addition to being one of the most influential agencies in the country, M&C Saatchi Abel is renowned for creating beautifully simple solutions to a complex world that have earned the company an ever-increasing list of accolades and awards. The remaining companies in the M&C Saatchi Group (South Africa) are M&C Saatchi Connect, M&C Saatchi Africa, Dalmatian, Creative Spark and Levergy.


text:
Santorini, Greece - The most beautiful island in Greece. Some say that Santorini is part of Plato's Atlantis, it's up to you if you wanna call it like that, anyway the island is magical. My team created the Top Destinations and Santorini was part of them.
Braies Lake, Italy by Giorgio Galano The Pragser Wildsee, or Lake Prags, Lake Braies is a lake in the Prags Dolomites in South Tyrol, Italy. It belongs to the municipality of Prags which is located in the Prags valley

domain: geography


The ongoing situation surrounding the blockchain platform, Multichain, has been stirring up increased fear, uncertainty, and doubt within the world of digital currency. However, the recent uproar within the community results from a tweet that displays a potential basis for a rug-pull. Based on the information shared in the tweet, it has come to light that Multichain holds almost $1.8 billion in different currencies across different chains.
Multichain has $1.8 Billion in locked assets under control, across several chains, not just Fantom. It will impact prices on all assets, across all chains if they did indeed rug, which I suspect is the case. pic.twitter.com/rqZPqvWlRC
— TruthLabs 💄 (@BoringSleuth) May 25, 2023
If Multichain makes a move to cart away with the funds, similar to that in a rug pull, the overall effect on the market would be increasingly catastrophic.
Analysts suggest that the overall position of Multichain in the market, along with the uncertainty revolving around the team’s internal affairs and plans might set the stage for UST-like rug pull, which continues to impact the broader crypto market to this date.
The entire assumption of Multichain seeking to defraud its customers results from the announcement of the unavailability of some of its cross-chain routes. The protocol did mention that it was working to restore them as soon as possible but did not provide an exact timeline.
However, Multichain promised to reimburse users for all possible losses, with many believing that the promise would not be fulfilled. At the same time, considering how the firm has now landed under the radar, it would become relatively easy to keep track of funds under the control of the firm. The MULTI token, currently, has suffered a decline of an astonishing 21.98%, pushing the trading price down to approximately $3.82. At the same time, the total market cap of the token is currently $55 million.
Fantom Impacted the Most in the Multichain Fiasco
The ongoing situation with Multichain has sent shivers down the spine of the crypto market, and more than $1.8 billion in assets have been frozen. Out of the total value locked, the Fantom blockchain remains the most impacted with almost 36.7%. Currently, the total assets on the Fantom blockchain account for $1.66 billion, with more than 40% being wrapped on Multichain.
Multichain is one of the largest blockchain bridges in the crypto space and facilitates the swapping of tokens on different exchanges. Similarly, Multichain also serves as the official cross-bridge for Fantom. A total of 191 million USDC tokens and 82 million USDT tokens on the Fantom blockchain have been issued by the firm.
Fantom Foundation Director Andre Cronje said,
“No point to LP at times of uncertainty. You can see in the wallet the funds haven’t been sold, as soon as Multichain is able to release a statement around this and clear it up we will LP again”
Following the uncertainty surrounding Multichain, the Fantom Foundation has withdrawn all funds from its liquidity pools on Sushiswap. As of now, the foundation has pulled out MULTI tokens worth $2.4 million.


text:
Simon Cowell has already paired off his son Eric with wife - as he’s convinced the two year old will marry his ex-girlfriend Terri Seymour’s daughter.
Simon’s stayed close pals with Terri since their six year relationship ended in 2008, and their children have become friends too - and they're all on holiday in Barbados at the moment.
Terri ’s 21 month old daughter Coco gets on very well with little Eric, and she thinks there's a future in it too.
“Eric and Coco are madly in love with each other and Simon is convinced they’re going to get married,” Terri told Closer magazine .
“Eric calls Coco his girlfriend but they’re having a long-distance relationship. “It’s funny as they’re apart so often as Eric spends so much time in the UK, but he’s also very loyal.
“Coco on the other hand isn’t so loyal and has another little boyfriend called Henry, so Eric had better get back in the picture as Henry is moving in there.”
And she says being a father has changed Simon, and she reckons he and his girlfriend Lauren Silverman will have baby number two.
"I wouldn't be surprised if he has another one soon,” she says. “I think it would be good for him to have a little girl and for Eric to have a playmate.
"He has Coco but it isn't the same as having a sibling. I'd say watch this space."

domain: celebrity


Gulf Coast Community Foundation picks Phillip Lanham as new president and CEO
New CEO will start in Venice on June 1
VENICE – The Gulf Coast Community Foundation has tapped Phillip P. Lanham, currently chief philanthropy officer of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, as its new president and CEO, effective June 1.
David Green, president of the Gulf Coast board of directors, announced the choice in a Tuesday afternoon email, in which he noted that Lanham “has built a reputation for delivering bold and proactive initiatives and creating a culture of excellence.
Lanham, 47, succeeds Mark Prichett, who announced his retirement last July.
Lanham will become the fifth person to run the foundation, created in 1995 as the Venice Foundation with seed money from the sale of Venice Hospital to Bon Secours Health Systems.
Since then, Gulf Coast and its donors have invested more than $510 million in the community.
Pritchett said via text that he plans to start the transition this week and will hold weekly meetings with Lanham, who will relocate to the area this spring, along with his wife Tami and two sons.
Lanham could not be reached for comment.
After Pritchett announced his retirement following a 14-year tenure at Gulf Coast, the foundation’s CEO search committee worked with the executive search firm Russell Reynolds.
A Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy, Lanham earned his bachelor's degree and MBA at the University of Cincinnati and has spent his career serving philanthropic and nonprofit communities.
He led the philanthropic partnerships team at the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, which provides guidance on relationships between donors, nonprofits, businesses and private foundations.
Lanham is the immediate past chairman of the Advancement Network for community foundations.
He also serves as vice chairman of the board of directors for the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and the board of directors of the Music Hall Revitalization Company, which maintains the home of the Cincinnati Ballet, Cincinnati Opera, Cincinnati Symphony/Pops Orchestras, and May Festival.
“Phillip brings the right blend of intellect, creativity, and bold strategic focus to complement and advance Gulf Coast’s culture of excellence and commitment to our community,” Green said in a a prepared statement. “As a dedicated and passionate leader with a proven track record of delivering bold and proactive initiatives, we could not be more optimistic for the future of Gulf Coast Community Foundation and the impact Phillip will make.”