text:
Kerry Washington was all smiles at the the Emergen-C Gift Lounge at the Nokia Theater in LA
By Florence Anthony
There is finally a real "Basketball Wife" on VH1. Los Angeles Laker Matt Barnes and Gloria Govan got secretly married in Las Vegas on September 23. The wedding took place at Little Church of the West with Gloria's sister, fellow "Basketball Wives: LA" star Laura Govan and her fiance Gilbert Arenas by their sides. According to reports, Matt's teammate De Andre Jordan was his best man, and fellow ballers Chris Paul and Blake Griffin were also there alongside Gloria's parents. Congratulations!.
Lil Wayne showed off his beginner skateboarding skills alongside a group of professional skateboarders recently to mark the opening of the rapper's new Trukstop Park in his hometown of New Orleans. The park is located in the lower 9th Ward, one of the most devastated sections of the Big Easy after the Levees failed during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Says Lil Wayne: "I just want to help out my city, help out the people and the kids, and give them something to do."
The flawless Kerry Washington was all smiles the other week as she entered the Emergen-C Gift Lounge backstage at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles. The "Scandal" star got playful at the Emergen-C booth saying: "I always carry Emergen-C in my purse." When she saw the Pink Lemonade flavor, Kerry got sentimental, saying: "Pink would definitely be my favorite. My mom survived breast cancer so anything pink I tend to gravitate to."
For the past year or so, Beyonce's name has been attached to the Clint Eastwood remake of "A Star Is Born." Now Mr. Eastwood doesn't sound so sure. At the premiere of his latest film, "Trouble With The Curve," E! News asked Clint about Beyonce' starring in his next flick, and he sounded a little shaky, telling E!: "Beyonce's great. I don't know if she's available but we've talked a little bit."
The Apollo Theater in New York City will present the second event in its newly launched Apollo Uptown Hall series with a free viewing party of the second presidential debate between President Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney on Tuesday, October 16 at 7:30 PM. Prior to screening the presidential debate, there will be a panel discussion with several political analysts, who will discuss issues important to the community followed by a Q&A with the audience. the panel includes Esther Armak. Herb Boyd, Michael Brendan Dougherty, Mark Riley, William Tucker and Armstrong Williams. The panel will be moderated by Christina Greer.
+ Top Story
Diana Ross’ 25 year-old son Evan Ross announced he is ready to marry Jessica Simpson’s sister Ashlee. In a red carpet interview at the premiere of Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Evan dished to OMG Insider that Ashlee Simpson is ‘The One’ and that he plans to marry her one day.
Actor Morris Chestnut will be the American Black Film Festival’s (ABFF) 2014 Celebrity Ambassador and author/producer Tonya Lewis Lee will be its’ Host Committee Chair. The 18th annual festival will be held June 19-22, 2014, in New York City.
Anthony Mackie was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated on November 9 in New York City. According to E! News, the popular actor was initially pulled over because of his illegally tinted windows on his Dodge Challenger.
Handsome actor Idris Elba almost didn’t make it to the red carpet for the opening of “Long Walk To Freedom,” the new film from director Justin Chadwick in which Elba plays Nelson Mandela. He was rushed to the hospital in London after suffering...
12 Years A Slave leads the pack of nominations for the 23rd annual Gotham Independent Film Awards. The Fox Searchlight release, which offers a searing look at slavery in the American South, claimed three nominations - Best Feature, Best Actor for Chiwetel Ejiofor and Breakthrough Actor for Lupita Nyong’o.
“Single Ladies” star Denise Vasi, (whom I want to play the character Roshonda Rhodes in my novel “Deadly Stuff Players” if I can get a film deal), wed her longtime boyfriend, video director and filmmaker, Anthony Mandler. The stunning nuptials took place at a vineyard in Santa Ynez, California.

domain: celebrity


text:
The beautiful French Canadian actress Zoe Duchesne attended the 2014 Cannes Film Festival and her appearance did not go unnoticed despite her not being part of a film. In an appearance that was considered a bold artistic expression by some and one rife with controversy she presented herself as the "metaphor of a doll" who rejects her past experiences as a model which made her feel as if she were an object.
She attended the red carpet appearance made by the stars of the David Cronenberg film "Map to the Stars" wrapped in only scotch tape marked fragile, with red lipstick crudely applied to her lips and ... topless.
Her character is dressed in this manner to show the impact of the pressure of trying to emulate an almost impossible image and as a result decides to climb the steps of the prestigious Cannes film festival.
Some entertainment insiders consider her actions brilliant and bold as they show her as an actress who is unafraid of making a statement without saying a word. Other entertainment and fashion insiders look at her appearance at the Cannes Film Festival as dangerous to her career. Her character looks as if she had a nervous breakdown and for someone who became famous because of her modelling career some view her decision to play this character as dangerous in the sense that it is generally not the best idea to bite the hand (modelling) that made you (Zoe Duchesne) famous.
Zoe Duchesne seems to be at a crossroads in her acting career. Rumours are circulating that she plans to present this character at future events and if this is correct she might be embarking on career suicide or it could be a way to attract attention to her acting ability. One thing is certain and that is she has made a name for herself as an actress but the question for those in the entertainment industry is whether she has helped her career or hurt it.


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Philippine social researchers see the need for countries to have a well-supported international framework that protects territorial and fundamental rights in the age of globalization.
During the 5th Annual Public Policy Conference (or APPC) held in Pasay City, former senior research fellow at Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) Erlinda Medalla said “Globalization merely calls for better enforcement of our rights, wherein we need to have a global framework and global institutions to manage them.”
This framework could be written in the form of policies called global public goods (GPGs) —usually international agreements of laws —-like the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
GPGs, such as the UNCLOS, are potent tool to counter the negative consequences of globalization, such as global pollution and propagation of fake news and false information.
GPGs also empower smaller states against the possible economic and physical intimidation of larger states.
These GPGs are usually protected through international bodies, such as the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), or through incorporation in the municipal law of a nation.
But the problem with some GPGs are severely underfunded, according to researchers Roehlano Briones, Connie Dacuycuy, Francis Quimba, and Michael Abrigo, authors of the PIDS study, “Understanding the New Globalization: Implications for the Philippines”.
”Despite the increasing need for GPGs, total spending on them has remained relatively unchanged —even declining in some categories over the years,” they said.
For instance, the revenues of the United Nation System, including both mandatory and voluntary contributions from state and non-state actors, summed up to just less than 0.1 percent of the world gross domestic product in the past few years.
Since underfunded, there may be either poor implementation or non-compliance to some GPGs such as UNCLOS.
The PCA upheld the Philippines’ exclusive sovereign rights over the West Philippine Sea and declared China’s “nine-dash line” as invalid following the principles of UNCLOS in 2016.
China rejected the arbitral ruling and has intensified its physical activities in the West Philippine Sea. (Lyndon Plantilla/PIA-MIMAROPA)

domain: news


text:
My Live Space
The initial social networking energy has been ignited, I've happily started adding friends to my friends list on my Live Space. I'll see if this one sticks with me, I remember back when I got my first Orkut invite. One thing I do like about Live Spaces is that I don't have to use their blog engine, I can just syndicate my feed from this site as the main content. I also like the idea of adding gadgets to the page, maybe it will become a portal for me. Something like a homepage?

domain: hobby


ANTETOKUPO 100%Cotton Pillowcase- Envelope Style-Quality Super Soft Wrinkle Free 2-Piece Standard Size Pillowcases (deep grey)
Color:deep grey DOOD QUALITY:Designed for queen size pillows. 100% cotton pillow cases. BEST CHOICE:It is the best choice for you to use on bed in bedroom,guest room,children room,vacation home. Its lightweight design makes it ideal for storage. EASY TO CARE FOR:Wrinkle and Fade resistant. Machine wash in cold with like colors. Do not iron, dry clean or bleach.


text:
Property ID : G7858
For Sale €500,000 - Plot
The asset is field in Agia Marinouda. It is located 250m from the center of the village and 2,8km from Elea Golf & Spa Resort. The field has an area of 10,065sqm. It offers close proximity to all amenities and easy access to the Limassol – Paphos highway.

domain: geography


text:
Good with Kids:
German Pinscher with their origin in Germany is a playful dog but will quickly announce the presence of a stranger with loud barking. They are well balanced, well-muscled, powerful, full built, medium size, with elegant, flowing lines.
Country of Origin:
Medium dog breeds
This happy very intelligent and cunning dog is vigilant alert, friendly, playful & patient with children, loyal to its own family, a sense of humor brave not squeamish, sober and has considerable stamina. German pinschers only bark when necessary.
Working dog breeds
The shoulder height is 45-50cm (17Â½-19Â½in).
German pinscher usually get on very well with children, visitors will be announced with loud barking but then things usually calm down quickly. The dogs will define its territory handler and the family to the end against those intent upon harm normally they get on without problem with other household pets.
The German pinscher coat is smooth haired and plain red or black and tan.
The German pinscher required little grooming an occasional brushing to remove dead hairs is all that is necessary.
German pinscher breed learn very quickly. It is necessary to be firm to some extent but in a loving and consistent way German pinschers are capable of doing well in various sporting activities.

domain: pet


2018 BMW 5 Series GT Spied with Interior Details. A new model is coming on brand’s lineup, and the new 2018 BMW 5 Series GT has been spied again recently. This time, we should get a little information on its interior. At this point, the whole information is not much, but the new update along with a little reminder of what we know should amuse you already. Check this out.
2018 BMW 5-Series GT Specifications
Spy shots, Exterior and Interior
When spied, this future 2018 BMW 5-Series GT car is still covered with the same amount of camouflage as the last spy. However, this prototype now already gets what seems to be production-version of headlight and taillights. This car appears to feature elegant styling as well as sleek lines on its entire concept. The front end features angel eye headlights and double-kidney front grille.
Meanwhile, the rear end features tail lights molding with sculpted 3D effect and liftback tailgate. This is going to be taller than the standard 5 series. This car is also expected for some reduce body weight, around 100 kg, due to the use of carbon fiber, aluminum, and high-strength steel on its body and platform.
The new update is in its interior. The dashboard looks similar to one we can find on all-new 7-series, and the steering wheel seems new. The entire surface is still covered in the black finish so far, but we should get options on more shades or color of the finish.
Powertrain, Engine – 2018 BMW 5-Series GT
Up to this point, the entire options for the 5 Series Gran Turismo 2018 car remain unknown. However, it is estimated that this car will get gasoline and diesel units of the engine in four-cylinder and six-cylinder forms. Turbocharged of V8 gasoline engine is going to make it to the lineup along with what is expected as hybrid powertrain for the model.
- BMW 7-Series Coupe 2019 – All you need to Know
- 2017 BMW 5 Series Touring G31 Specs Review Price Release Date
- 2016 BMW 5 Series BARON Specs Review Release date Price
- 2017 BMW 5 Series GT | Specs Price Release date 2017 BMW 5 Series GT
- 2018 BMW 6 Series GT
The transmission will be automatic only, and two-wheel drive configuration should come as standard. Of course, all-wheel drive configuration will be available as options as well.
2018 BMW 5-Series GT Price and Release Date
At this point, pricing remains unknown, and it is hard enough to make estimation while the exact specs are still unknown exactly. This car is also expected to be released later this year, or earlier next year. Most possibly, we should see this car during the first quarter of 2017.
This car seems extraordinary enough especially comparing to the other model from the German automaker. Things are very promising, though, offering the very nice look and possibly performance as well. Stay tuned for the next 2018 BMW 5-Series GT update.
you might also like another new future car in 2017: 2018 Genesis G70 Specs, Spy Shots, Release Date, Price Leaked


text:
This cycling tour follows the St. James Way starting in León, at the entrance of the Gothic Cathedral. The cycling routes have an average distance of 41 km (minimum distance is 29 km and maximum 52 km). The itinerary will take you through the Castillian plains, surrounded by wheat and sunflower fields, until you head into "green" Galicia, where the landscape changes into rolling hills and colourful vineyards. The Camino offers many historical monuments and churches on the way, as well as small hamlets and villages that still seem lost in time. You cannot miss the experience of tasting the rich and traditional local cuisine and lastly enjoying the excitement of arriving with many other pilgrims at your final destination; Santiago de Compostela!
E-bikes are available in this tour!
From Valladolid, Oviedo or Madrid airport, you travel by public transport to Léon. Hopefully, you might have time to visit the cathedral, a masterpiece of the Gothic style.
After the rental bikes have been delivered, tested and adjusted, you start with a gentle ride of 48km through the plains of Castille to Astorga, a town of Roman origin, where the Camino crosses the Via de la Plata. In this fortified town, Gaudi built the archbishop’s palace in modernist style.
Challenge: 48 km, 250 m ascent
Villages along the way: S. Martín del Camino, Hospital de Órbigo
Testing of bikes and legs as you cycle from Astorga (at 880m altitude) through the hills of the Bierzo area to the Cruz de Fierro (at almost 1507m altitude) and then down to the village of Molinaseca. Most desolated rural area of the entire Camino, but there are small villages with some café’s.
Challenge: 49 km, 850 m ascent
Villages along the way: Cruz de Fierro
A relaxing day of only 30 km to the city of Vilafranca del Bierzo. On your way you pass Ponferrada, which was also founded by the Romans because they exploited coal mines in the nearby hills. The most impressive historic monument is, without any doubt, the Templar Castle of 8000 square meters, built in the 12th century. After Ponferrada you cycle through an ondulated area to Villafranca del Bierzo, an important gate way to Galicia.
Challenge: 30 km, 260 m ascent
Villlages along the way: Ponferrada, Cacabelos
Today the toughest climb of the entire Camino awaits as you cycle into Galicia; first along the old national road and then 6km steeply up along a dirt road to O Cebreiro (this section can be avoided by following the old national road to the pass Pedrafita and then follow a tarmac road to Cebreiro). O Cebreiro is a remarkable and emblematic village, full of legends and stories related to the Camino. It has a Romanesque church from the 11th century. Your hotel is just next door.
Challenge: 29 km, 800 m ascent
Villages along the way: Vega de Valcárcel, Las Herrerías
Today you start with a short ascent, but then you will have the next 35km mostly downhill through dense woods and the lush green Galician countryside. On your way today, the Monastery of Samos, which was founded in the 6th century but was continuously renovated (in the 18th century for the last time).
Challenge: 47 km, 200 m ascent
Villages along the way: Fonfría, Triacastela
During this long day, you will accomplish a total ascent of 600 m, but never more then 200m on one climb; often less. The landscape is rural and entertaining; continuously changing and with plenty of villages, café’s and restaurants where you can share experiences with fellow pilgrims. To reach the charming rural hotel for tonight you’ll have to make a small detour near Palas de Rei.
Challenge: 52 km, 600 m ascent
Villages along the way: Portomarín, Hospital da Cruz
A gentle and ‘ondulating’ day as you cycle from one village to the next, all focussed on diary production and services for pilgrims. Again, you will stay at a very charming rural hotel, in a typical Galician manor house; a so called Pazo.
Challenge: 31 km, 400 m ascent
Villages along the way: Melide, Ribadixo da Baixo
A ‘glorious’ day as you will finally reach the “Puerta del Perdón” of Santiago’s cathedral. The standard route goes via the airport and the Monte del Gozo through the outskirts of town. If you prefer a more scenic route, you cycle via Touro (50km).
Challenge: 40 km, 310 m ascent
Villages along the way: A Rua, Lavacolla
After breakfast your cycling tour ends.
All hotels of this trip are carefully selected because of their location, atmosphere and/or unique services. All rooms are en-suite.
You can find the standard hotels of this trip. If a hotel is fully booked, then we will book a similar one for you and inform you about the alternative booked.
Extra overnight: You can book additional night(s) at any of the accommodations along the way.
Located in the old town of León, in the very heart of one of the most outstanding Romanesque complexes in the whole peninsula. The Hotel Real Colegiata de San Isidoro; a perfect place to start the St. James Way, offering its guests an experience difficult to forget.
Hostel and traditional restaurant located in Piedrafita do Cebreiro
This hotel is strategically located in the heart of Astorga, in front of the cathedral. This monumental building was transformed into a hotel trying to maintain its unique and historical architecture, adding all the services and comfort of a modern accommodation. It has a large 19th century style garden, a library, a playroom, several lounges and two living rooms that preserve all the refined and aristocratic atmosphere from the time it was built.
This Hostel located in Molinaseca has been renovated recently. The building used to be called “La Casona de Don Pelegrín”, and the legend says that the Queen Urraca slept in the building when she travelled to Galicia.
Located in the main square in Villafranca del Bierzo, this hotel has been renovated taking care of every detail, using noble materials such as marble and fine woods. History and avant-garde blend perfectly in this hotel.
This hotel founded in 1930 is located in a quiet area in the town of Sarria, offering relax to the pilgrim in its comfortable rooms and a nice restaurant.
A charming rural hotel that offers its guests a good rest and comfort as well as the best local gastronomy in a beautiful natural environment. Tradition and new cuisine blend in the kitchens of “A Parada das Bestas” to show the visitor the best Galician dishes using local seasonal products.
A historical hotel created in the mid-18th century (founded in 1742). An oasis of tranquility and a welcoming place, ideal to enjoy some relax with family or friends. From here, charged with energy, we can step out to walk the last stages of the Camino de Santiago.
A hotel in which every detail has been thought of. Located only about 25m from the traditional Food Market of Santiago, the Belvís park and the "Puerta del Camino": one of the entries to the old quarters of Santiago and the entry of the French Way.
Arrival in León
By public transport from Asturias airport; Bus from Oviedo (Asturias) airport to León with five or six services daily. Travel time is 3 to 4 hours, and you may have to changes buses in Oviedo or Gijón. See www.alsa.es for further details.
By public transport from Madrid airport; Bus from Madrid-Barajas Airport T4 to León with 4 or 5 services daily. Travel time is 3.5 to 4.5 hours. See www.alsa.es for further details.
Departure from Santiago de Compostela
By public transport to Santiago airport (Lavacolla); Bus from Santiago city centre to Santiago airport, with departures daily every 30 minutes
By public transport to A Coruña airport (Alvedro); Bus from Santiago bus station to A Coruña, with departures every hour. 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes. This service is provided by Castromil / Monbus. From A Coruña bus station you take a city bus (Line 443) to the airport. Service provided by Autos Calpita.
9 nights accommodation
3 nights at standard accommodation and 6 nights at comfort accommodation
9 breakfasts and 4 dinners
Luggage transfers from one hotel to the next
Detailed route description and maps package
24/7 hotline (bilingual staff)
GPS tracks are available


text:
- "Nothing to worry," wrote Radhika Apte
- "All is well," she added
- "Safe and quarantined," Radhika wrote
Radhika Apte is doing absolutely fine. The Sacred Games actress posted a picture of herself, wearing a mask, on her Instagram profile. She revealed in the post that the picture happens to be from a hospital visit. Radhika also clarified in her caption that the visit was not for COVID - 19. She wrote: "Hospital visit! Not for COVID - 19." She accompanied her posts with the hashtags #Nothingtoworry, #alliswell and #safeandquarantined." Gully Boy actor Vijay Varma commented on her post: "OMG. Take care dear... God bless you."
Check out the post here:
On Friday morning, Radhika Apte shared a throwback photograph from a year ago. The caption on the post read, "Exactly one year ago.. I was in heaven." She added the hashtags #loveofdiving, #diving, #ocean and #readsea.
The novel coronavirus or COVID -19, that originated in Wuhan (China) last year, has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation. In India, total lockdown has been imposed for three weeks to fight the spread of coronavirus. On Tuesday night, PM Modi addressed the nation and said, "From midnight, the entire country will be in lockdown, total lockdown. To save India, to save its every citizen, you, your family... Every street, every neighbourhood is being put under lockdown."
Radhika Apte famously starred in Netflix shows and films like Sacred Games, Lust Stories and Ghoul. She also featured in PadMan, AndhaDhun, and Michael Winterbottom's The Wedding Guest. She also featured in Marathi plays such as Tu, Purnaviram and Matra Ratra, Samuel Beckett's That Time and Bombay Black in English and Kanyadaan in Hindi.


text:
The deposition of MoS2 and TiS2 thin films from the metal-organic precursors Mo(S-t-Bu)4 and Ti(S-t-Bu)4 has been investigated. Stoichiometric films with low levels of oxygen and carbon contaminants can be grown at temperatures between 110 and 350°C and low pressure. The films are amorphous when grown at these low temperatures and have granular morphologies in which the grains are 30-90 nm in diameter, the larger grain sizes being observed at higher deposition temperatures. For the MoS2 deposits, the electrical conductivity was ∼1 Ω-1cm-1. For both precursors, the organic byproducts generated during deposition consist principally of isobutylene and tert-butylthiol; smaller amounts of hydrogen sulfide, isobutane, di-tert-butyl sulfide, and di-tert-butyl disulfide are also generated. A β-hydrogen abstraction/proton-transfer mechanism accounts for the distributions of the organic byproducts seen during the deposition of MoS2 and TiS2 films. Our results differ in some respects from those of a previous study of the deposition of thin films from the titanium thiolate precursor.
|Number of pages||7|
|Journal||Chemistry of Materials|
|Publication status||Published - 1997|
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Chemical Engineering(all)
- Materials Chemistry

domain: chemistry


I have a NUCi9. I use a CalDigit Thunderbolt 3 dock plugged into the Thunderbolt port.
When Windows 10 puts the machine in sleep mode, the dock loses power, and so the keyboard plugged into it does not wake the machine back up.
Keyboards plugged directly into the machine at the same work perfectly to wake the computer from sleep, so there's clearly something going on with how the Thunderbolt port is powered during sleep states.
I have checked that Wake from USB and Wake from Thunderbolt are enabled in the BIOS. I tried setting the S4/S power bio setting on and it made no difference. I have checked that every device in the USB Controllers list in Device Manager has "Allow this Device to Wake the Computer" where possible. I have manually added every USB device on my machine to the wake list using powercfg /deviceenablewake.
What am I missing? Is there a way to keep the Thunderbolt port active whilst the machine is in sleep mode?
Thanks in advance.
I don't have that setting in the bios, or at least, I can't see it -- I'm on 0054 BIOS for NUC9i9QNB. Am I missing something?
I tried toggling the "Power on S4/S5" setting before posting here but it didn't make a difference....
I can concur. I set everything I possibly could in BIOS Setup and I still did not have power in the USB-C connectors (Note: I was checking with USB device, not TBT device).
Intel Customer Support will need to look into this issue (@Ronny_G_Intel?)
Thank you for checking this. Is this likely to be by design?
The dock I'm using has mains power; it's not fundamentally powered from the TB3 port, so the problem is not just that the port isn't passing power, but that it's completely inactive.
I know there were reports about TB3 security vulnerabilities to attacks from malicious devices -- perhaps the ports are disabled for that reason?
As I wrote in my other post I don't have NUC9i9QNX, but, I have an idea that may be is worthy to check:
Open BIOS Advanced > Power > Secondary Power Settings and check the status of Native ACPI OS PCIe Support. If this fill is enabled, uncheck it and see if this helps with the Thunderbolt.
But maybe you're on to something, @LeonWaksman
Whilst I can't find anyone else with this problem of waking TB devices from sleep on PC, googling brings up people seeking help for this same behaviour of unpowered TB ports during sleep on Macs, and particularly on "hackintosh" installs of MacOS on PCs. The consensus is that there's something happening in the ACPI interface - see e.g the solution here (https://osy.gitbook.io/hac-mini-guide/details/thunderbolt-3-fix/).
It also seems that something like a kernel-level fix to this has been part of conversations in the Linux community for a while (https://patchwork.kernel.org/patch/9941155/).
None of that should be happening in Windows, though. Is there maybe an issue with the way the NUC BIOS is power-gating the TB controller, @Ronny_G_Intel? If so, is there a way to check, and to fix?
Thank you for posting on this Intel® community.
@MattLodder, we would like to perform further investigation about this behavior internally, can please provide the following information from your system?
1. Run the Intel® System Support Utility (Intel® SSU) and attach the report generated:
2. How many devices are you connecting to the Thunderbolt 3 Dock? Please explain.
3. Did this feature used to work as expected before? If yes, do you recall making any changes before the issue started?
Intel Customer Support Technician
The CalDigit TS3 hub is connected into the Thunderbolt port on the NUC, and currently has a keyboard (Clueboard 66% Rev 2.0) in one of the front USB ports, a USB-C monitor (ASUS MB16AP) in the rear USB C port and some speakers (AudioEngine H3) in a rear USB port.
If I plug the keyboard into the NUC directly, it works to wake the machine just fine. I have another keyboard device (Rama Works M6-A) plugged directly into the machine at the same time, and that wakes the machine just fine.
The hub is only a week or two old, and I don't recall it ever working other than it does currently.
Thank you for your reply.
Please allow us to investigate this behavior internally, kindly wait for a response. As soon as we have an update, we will post it on this thread.
Intel Customer Support Technician
I performed some tests on NUC10i7FNH which has Aptio V Bios. Before starting this test I founded that the Advanced Power Setting in this NUC are very limited (see the attached image). I didn't liked this and even putting this NUC into sleep mode from the Start Menu was impossible, while from keyboard it worked. So in the BIOS I've make the following changes (before performing those changes, I've set NUC to SAFE Boot mode):
In Advanced Power Setting, I unchecked the Max Performance Enabled field (the other two: Balanced Enabled and Low Power Enabled are also unchecked). The important change I did is in the Secondary Power Settings - changed the Modern Standby to Legacy S3 Standby. Rebooted NUC and now the Advanced Power Settings are not limited any more (see the attached image). I can put my NUC into sleep from Start Menu. Most important, the Thunderbolt port is powered when the NUC is in Sleep state (BTW, the Native ACPI OS PCIe Support and the Thunderbolt Controller are enabled).


text:
If you tune into HGTV's Rock the Block every Monday night, you might still be thinking about Bryan and Sarah Baeumler's living room renovation. In the show, the Renovation Island stars are competing alongside three other HGTV power duos—Farmhouse Fixer's Jonathan Knight and Kristina Crestin; Page Turner and Mitch Glew from Fix My Flip; and Michael Smith Boyd and Anthony Elle of Luxe for Less fame—to reimagine four identical homes on one cul-de-sac in the town Berthoud, Colorado. While the majority of the teams decided to show off the home's incredible view by trading in the living room's pair of French doors for an accordion opening, the Bauemlers went in the opposite direction.
Instead, the duo pushed the doors to the side of the living room and added a two-sided fireplace between them. Meanwhile, a stacked stone wall served as the room's "wow" moment. As Bryan said during their brainstorming session: "This isn't a feature: It's a statement. It says, 'We win!'"
But when Mina Starsiak Hawk from Good Bones and No Demo Reno's Jenn Todryk stop by the cul-de-sac to judge this project, they pointed out that the setup obstructed that gorgeous mountain view. "You have it peek around it to see the view," Starsiak Hawk critiqued, "and I don't know, for this market, how that's going to play out."
Since then, the Internet has been vehemently taking sides. While some viewers agree with the judges, saying that they were "shocked" by this design decision, thers supported the Baeumler couple's choice. In fact, one commenter said, "Loved your design this week! Kudos to you for trying something different as everyone else had the same doors."
This design decision, it turns out, is not the first of its kind for the Baeumlers. In their hit show, Renovation Island, the couple was tasked with revamping a resort in the Bahamas. While Caerula Mar Club has easy beach access, the couple stuck with conventional windows and doors instead of prioritizing the beach background view. (It's a move that leans into the island's easy, breezy vibe and turns every room into a cozy respite from the great outdoors.)
So accordion doors and floor-to-ceiling windows have never been the Baeumler's go-to design move, and Rock the Block would be boring if each team opted for the same design elements. Their renovation might not be everyone's taste, but their goal was to achieve more with the room than purely set it up as a viewing platform.
"Is there a way we incorporate it all in this one space?" Sarah asked during the episode. "I agree with you: I want to see a fireplace. But I want to sit, and I want to look at the fire and still want to see the mountains." Now that's a vibe we can certainly get behind.
Want to catch up on Rock the Block? You can sign up for a free trial and stream the show on Discovery+.
Follow House Beautiful on Instagram.
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domain: design


England slump to defeat
England bowed out of the ICC Knock-out tournament as South Africa cruised to an eight-wicket quarter-final win in Nairobi.
All-rounder Jacques Kallis proved the thorn in England’s side, taking two for 26 in England’s below-par 182 and then compiling an undefeated 78 as South Africa romped home with 65 balls to spare.
A slow start had hampered Nasser Hussain’s side’s chances of a hefty total, with only Graeme Hick (65) mastering the hostile Proteas’ attack.
Yorkshire pace duo Darren Gough and Craig White each struck early blows _ Hick claiming two catches _ but Kallis and Boeta Dippenaar, who hit 65 not out, put on an unbeaten 132 for the third wicket.
Dippenaar lofted White for a straight six to put England out of their


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|Map Alt:||Map of New York State Route 24|
|Map Notes:||Map of Long Island with NY 24 highlighted in red|
|Maint:||NYSDOT, NYCDOT, Nassau County, and Suffolk County|
|Alternate Name:||Hempstead Turnpike|
|Terminus A1:||in Queens|
|Terminus B1:||in East Farmingdale|
|Section2:||East End segment|
|Terminus A2:||in Riverhead|
|Terminus B2:||in Hampton Bays|
|Counties:||Queens, Nassau, Suffolk|
New York State Route 24 (NY 24) is a 30.84adj=midNaNadj=mid east–west state highway on Long Island in the U.S. state of New York. The highway is split into two segments, with the longest and westernmost of the two extending 18.68miles from an interchange with Interstate 295 (I-295, named the Clearview Expressway) and NY 25 (Hillside Avenue) in the Queens Village section of the New York City borough of Queens to an intersection with NY 110 in East Farmingdale in the Suffolk County town of Babylon. The shorter eastern section, located in eastern Suffolk County, extends 12.16miles from an interchange with I-495 in Calverton to an intersection with County Route 80 (CR 80) in Hampton Bays.
NY 24 is one of three highways in New York that are split into two segments; the others are NY 42 in the Catskills and NY 878 in Queens and Nassau County. Like NY 42, NY 24 was a continuous route when it was assigned as part of the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York. The highway was split into two pieces in the mid-1930s. For a brief period during the late 1950s and early 1960s, NY 24 was routed on the Long Island Expressway from Manhattan to East Hills while its original surface routing was designated New York State Route 24A.
Most of the route is known as Hempstead Turnpike.
NY 24 begins at an intersection with the southern end of I-295 (the Clearview Expressway) and a junction with NY 25 (Hillside Avenue) in the Queens Village section of Queens. NY 24 proceeds southeast along two one-way couplets along Hollis Court Boulevard and 212th Street through dense housing for several blocks (the only unsigned section of the route). At the intersection with 91st Avenue, the couplets bend southward, entering an intersection with Jamaica Avenue, where NY 24 turns off Hollis Court and 212th and follows Jamaica Avenue eastbound for a block. At the junction with Hempstead Avenue, NY 24 turns off Jamaica for Hempstead, crossing under the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) main line through Queens Village.
Passing a Long Island Rail Road substation, NY 24 proceeds southeast along the four-lane commercial strip of Hempstead Avenue, intersecting with Springfield Boulevard as it crosses through Queens Village. A short distance later, the route enters a partial cloverleaf interchange with the Cross Island Parkway's exit 26B. After crossing the Cross Island Parkway, NY 24 enters Nassau County, changing names to Hempstead Turnpike and passing south of Belmont Park Racetrack and the Belmont Park LIRR station. Now a six-lane boulevard through the town of Hempstead, NY 24 crosses several parking lots used for Belmont Park Racetrack, paralleling the grounds to the south for several blocks.
After crossing into the Elmont neighborhood of Hempstead, NY 24 reduces to four lanes, crossing through a long commercial strip east of the racetrack. The route crosses through East Elmont before entering Floral Park Crest, where the roadway bends northeast through Hempstead. After crossing an intersection with Covert and Meacham Avenues, NY 24 straightens eastward once again, crossing a long commercial strip through town. The route soon makes a short bend to the southeast, crossing an intersection with New Hyde Park Road and Franklin Avenue later into West Hempstead. In West Hempstead, NY 24 crosses over the former connection between the Long Island Railroad West Hempstead Branch and Hempstead Branch before entering an intersection with NY 102 (Front Street). At this intersection, NY 24 drops the Hempstead Turnpike moniker, changing to Fulton Avenue. NY 24 then proceeds northeast through downtown Hempstead, remaining a four-lane commercial street through the city, bending south of a local park. At the junction with Clinton Street, NY 24 bends east for a block, turning northeast again at Peninsula Boulevard. Paralleling NY 102, NY 24 returns to its northeastern progression, regaining the Hempstead Turnpike moniker in front of Hofstra University. At Oak Street on the western end of the campus, NY 24 becomes a four-lane divided highway through Hempstead, passing south of Hofstra University Stadium and past several parking lots for the campus. East of Hofstra Boulevard, the road widens to six lanes. Just after Earle Ovington Boulevard, the route continues east in to Uniondale and runs alongside the parking lots for Nassau Coliseum, which is the home of the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League.
At the junction with Glenn Curtiss Boulevard, NY 24 passes the main entrance to the Coliseum's parking lots before passing north of Rexcorp Plaza. Just after Rexcorp Plaza, NY 24 enters an interchange (exits M4 and M5) with the Meadowbrook State Parkway. After the Meadowbrook, NY 24 enters East Meadow, remaining a six-lane boulevard past Merrick Avenue, passing south of Eisenhower Park. While the park runs along the westbound lanes, several commercial businesses line the eastbound lanes. After Bly Road, the park changes over to more businesses and a short distance later, NY 102 terminates at NY 24 at Front Street. After Carman Avenue, the route passes south of Nassau University Medical Center before returning to the commercial businesses that have surrounded the roadway.
Just to the east of Nassau University Medical Center, NY 24 enters an intersection with NY 106 (North Newbridge Road), and four blocks later, exit W3 of the Wantagh State Parkway. Continuing east through the town of Hempstead, NY 24 remains a six-lane divided boulevard, crossing north of the Levittown Public Library as the route crosses into Levittown, intersecting with Jerusalem Avenue at the western end of the community. NY 24 continues east along a commercial strip into an intersection with North Wantagh Avenue, bending southeast into an intersection with NY 107 (Hicksville Road). The route then crosses into the town of Oyster Bay. Retaining the Hempstead Turnpike name, NY 24 enters the Plainedge neighborhood of Oyster Bay.
After passing St. Joseph's Hospital, NY 24 crosses through Plainedge and into a large cloverleaf interchange (exit 7) with the Seaford - Oyster Bay Expressway (NY 135). Three blocks to the east, NY 24 condenses to four lanes, entering a partial cloverleaf interchange with the Bethpage State Parkway (exit B3). After crossing over the Bethpage, the route proceeds northeast through the town of Oyster Bay, crossing into the town of Farmingdale. After crossing under a line of the Long Island Rail Road, the route crosses Merritt Avenue at-grade, entering a junction with NY 109 (Fulton Street). Past the junction with NY 109, NY 24 changes monikers to Conklin Street, crossing through Farmingdale as a four lane street.
For several blocks, NY 24 passes residential homes, before becoming a two-lane commercial street. A short distance to the east, the route intersects with Secatogue Avenue, which connects to the Farmingdale station to the northwest. Re-expanding to four lanes, NY 24 crosses through Farmingdale on Conklin before crossing the county line into Suffolk County. Now in the town of Babylon, retaining the Conklin Street moniker before entering an at-grade junction with NY 110 (Broad Hollow Road) in front of Airport Plaza. This junction serves as the eastern terminus of NY 24's western segment.
As of October 2014, NY 24's Farmingdale section between its junction with New York State Route 109 and the eastern terminus at New York State Route 110 has been reduced to a two lane street.
The eastern segment of NY 24 begins at exit 71 of the Long Island Expressway (I-495) in the Calverton section of Brookhaven just east of the former Calverton station. NY 24 proceeds eastward along Edwards Avenue, concurrent with County Route 94 (CR 94) before changing monikers at the corner of South River Road. NY 24 bends northeast along Nugent Drive as a four-lane arterial through Brookhaven. NY 24 and CR 94 cross through Peconic Bog County Park, crossing into the town of Southampton. After leaving Peconic Bog County Park, the routes bend northeast along Nugent, paralleling the Peconic River past the Suffolk County jail and into a traffic circle just south of Riverhead.
At this traffic circle, NY 24 passes north of county offices for Suffolk County, leaving the concurrency with CR 94, which proceeds north into Riverhead. Meanwhile, in the town of Southampton, NY 24 enters another traffic circle, this time the northern terminus of CR 51 (Center Drive South). A short distance further east, NY 24 enters a third traffic circle in Southampton, this time serving the terminus of CR 104 (Riverleigh Avenue) and CR 63 (Lake Avenue / Peconic Avenue). After this traffic circle, NY 24 continues east along Flanders Road, which parallels the Peconic River. The route soon bends southeast through Southampton, crossing an at-grade intersection with CR 105 (Cross River Drive).
NY 24 soon turns eastward into the hamlet of Flanders, becoming a two-lane residential street through the community. At Wood Road Trail, NY 24 bends southeast through Flanders, paralleling the eastern end of Reeves Bay. Making a large bend along Reeves Bay, the route passes several bayside marinas and the Big Duck, a building on the westbound side of NY 24 designed in the shape of a duck. After Pleasure Drive, NY 24 winds eastward through Southampton, working out of the Reeves Bay area for a large dense area of trees to the east. A short distance later, the route enters Sears Bellows County Park, soon changing monikers to Riverhead - Hampton Bays Road. At Bellows Pond Road, NY 24 leaves the county park, passing south of Red Creek Park before bending southeast into an interchange with Sunrise Highway (NY 27) at exit 65. Just after the cloverleaf, NY 24 ends at an intersection with CR 80 (West Montauk Highway) in the community of Hampton Bays.
NY 24 was originally a continuous route between the New York City limits and Hampton Bays when it was assigned as part of the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York.  The route was extended into New York City in mid-December 1934. It entered the city on Hempstead Avenue and followed 212th Street, Hillside Avenue, and Queens Boulevard to Skillman Avenue (NY 25). NY 24 joined NY 25 here, overlapping NY 25 (and NY 25A west of Northern Boulevard) along Queens Boulevard and across the Queensboro Bridge into Manhattan. The three routes continued west for several more blocks along 2nd Avenue and 57th Street to Park Avenue (then NY 22 and NY 100), where NY 24, NY 25, and NY 25A all ended. The section of NY 24 between Farmingdale and Riverhead was removed, splitting NY 24 into two pieces.
The overlap with NY 25 was extended twice over the next decade. In the late 1930s, NY 25 was realigned to follow Queens Boulevard (NY 24) from Skillman Avenue to Horace Harding Boulevard.  It was altered again in the early 1940s to use the section of Queens Boulevard between Horace Harding Boulevard and Union Turnpike. The concurrency was reduced slightly in the mid-1940s, however, as NY 24 was rerouted to follow the Crosstown Connecting Highway (now the right-of-way of I-278) and Midtown Highway (I-495) to the Queens–Midtown Tunnel. It then continued through the tunnel to end at NY 1A in Manhattan.  The Crosstown Connection Highway and the Midtown Highway were upgraded into the first portions of the Brooklyn–Queens Expressway (BQE) and the Queens Midtown Expressway, respectively, in the early 1950s. At the time, the Queens Midtown Expressway ended at 61st Street.
By 1956, the highway had been renamed the Long Island Expressway (LIE) and extended east to Queens Boulevard. Although NY 24 intersected the highway twice—where it left the LIE at the BQE and at Queens Boulevard—NY 24 still followed the BQE and Queens Boulevard. The portion of the LIE from Queens Boulevard to the Northern State Parkway (now exit 38) was completed in the late 1950s, at which time NY 24 was rerouted to follow the LIE between Manhattan and East Hills. The original routing of NY 24 from the BQE to Farmingdale was then redesignated as NY 24A. However, unlike NY 24 before it, NY 24A left NY 25 at the junction of Queens Boulevard and Hillside Avenue and followed Queens Boulevard and Jamaica Avenue through Queens.  The portion of NY 24 from Manhattan to the Clearview Expressway was co-signed as I-495 by 1960.
NY 24 was removed from the LIE and shifted southward to replace NY 24A . However, NY 24 was truncated to begin at the LIE instead. On January 1, 1970, NY 24 was truncated again to the junction of Queens Boulevard and Hillside Avenue. This eliminated its overlap with NY 25, which was altered to follow NY 24's former routing through Queens.  NY 24 was rerouted once more between 1977 and 1981 to follow 212th Street once again to end at NY 25 and I-295.
In Riverhead, NY 24 initially had a brief overlap with the northernmost portion of NY 113 between Riverleigh Avenue (NY 113) and Main Street (NY 25), where both terminated. This concurrency was eliminated by 1970 as NY 113 was truncated to end at NY 24. On July 1, 1972, NY 24 was extended westward along a new divided highway following the course of the Peconic River. The roadway began at the Long Island Expressway and ended just south of Riverhead. This segment of NY 24 is maintained by Suffolk County and is co-signed as CR 94. It is one of three locally maintained sections of NY 24; the others are in Queens, where the route is maintained by the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT), and in the village of Hempstead, where the route is maintained by Nassau County as CR 107 from North Franklin Street to Truro Lane.
In the 1960s, there was a proposal to build a bypass around the current eastern terminus of the western segment of NY 24. The highway, named the "Republic Bypass", would begin at NY 24 midway between the Nassau–Suffolk County line and NY 110 and would parallel Conklin Street along its north side to Wellwood Avenue, where the bypass would merge with Long Island Avenue. The bypass was part of a plan to re-link the western and eastern segments. Other proposed extensions built by Suffolk County were Suffolk Avenue (CR 100), Furrows Road, Peconic Avenue, and the formerly proposed Central Suffolk Highway (CR 90). The right-of-way for the Central Suffolk Highway can be found beneath the bridge carrying CR 101 bridge over the main line of the Long Island Rail Road.


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Lifetime’s new drama.
A Bachelor-esque show, Everlasting, has started filming a new season and producer Rachel Goldberg (Shiri Appleby) has returned after having a mental breakdown on set the previous season. She uses her skill as the executive producer, Quinn King (Constance Zimmer), manipulates the contestants to ensure higher ratings.
I loved this show. I love looks behind the scenes of movies and such and seeing how complicated the world of reality television is makes for a really compelling show. I originally only wanted to check it out because of Appleby and Zimmer (especially Zimmer who should be more famous seriously) but was completely taken in by the world. And it’s so devious! I can’t wait to see how this all plays out.

domain: artistic


Mahmoud Reza Golshanpazhooh
Majlis (parliament) in an open session on Wednesday endorsed President Hassan Rouhani's fifth nominee to head Ministry of Science, Research and Technology.
President Hassan Rouhani called his nominee for science minister as symbol of moderation and called on members of Parliament (Majlis) to give him a vote of confidence.
A senior advisor to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says all Muslim nations will stand by the Palestinian people against the Israeli regime
The EU has released a statement extending suspension of sanctions on Iran by June 2015.
Iran’s inflation rate dropped by 1.3 percent and reached 17.8 percent in the month ending November 21, compared to the previous month, the government spokesman said on Tuesday.
President Hassan Rouhani attended a Majlis (Parliament) session on Wednesday to defend the qualifications of his nominee for the post of minister of science, research and technology.
Iran on Tuesday strongly condemned an attack by the Bahraini regime on the house of the leading Shiite cleric, Ayatollah Sheikh Issa Ahmed Qassem.
Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Ali Jannati in a meeting with members of Kuwait-Iran Friendship Association in Tehran underlined the age-old and cultural relations between Tehran and Kuwait city, and called for the further consolidation of bilateral ties.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani underlined that the Group 5+1 (the US, Russia, China, Britain and France and Germany) have come to the conclusion that sanctions and pressures cannot halt Iran's progress in various fields, including the nuclear technology.
ian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif underlined that reaching a political framework for a final nuclear deal with the Group 5+1 (the US, Russia, China, Britain and France plus Germany) will be possible within the next few weeks.
Iranian Economy Minister Ali Tayyebnia reiterated that the country has a safe and secure economic atmosphere for both domestic and foreign investors.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister and senior negotiator Seyed Abbas Araqchi announced that major differences have still remained between Tehran and the world powers, including the details of Iran's enrichment program and mechanisms for removal of the sanctions.
A senior Iranian parliamentarian said Iran and most of countries in the Group 5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany) had narrowed down differences to cut a permanent nuclear agreement but they failed due to the pressures and meddling of other actors, including Israel.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian in a meeting with his Turkish counterpart Umit Yalcin underscored that Tehran and Ankara would find a political solution to the current crisis in Syria through joint efforts.
Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei reiterated Iran's continued support for the Palestinian nation, and said arming the West Bank is necessary for confronting the Zionist regime.
Iranian and the G5+1 foreign ministers will continue talks in coming weeks to reach a comprehensive agreement.
Chairman of Iran's Expediency Council Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani in a meeting with Qatari Attorney General Ali bin Fetais Al-Marri warned the Muslim states that differences have weakened the Islamic countries.
Kaveh L. Afrasiabi
Iranian Justice Minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi voiced satisfaction in his meeting with Chairman of the Supreme Judiciary Council (SJC) of Qatar Masoud bin Mohammed Al-Amri on Monday, and said that the two sides have concluded several judicial agreements.


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Time seems to be passing by too quickly these days. I had been meaning to write this post (and a couple others) for almost a week now….
OMFGTGIF right? My last exam today. This exam week was a total joke to me. I maybe studied a total of one hour per exam. So far, out of 4 exams, I have passed two and failed one (my first failed exam in two years, damn). Honestly, I couldn’t have cared less about all these exams. The subjects don’t interest me and quite frankly, I’m just DONE with this year, ha. I am ready to go more into a direction that interests ME, not the majority of the students. I already know exactly what I want and how I want to get there. A nice feeling really, but it kinda makes going to class and making exams for things that I know I won’t need very hard.
I have been eating a lot of great raw meals these days! I am experimenting with new stuff and I am falling in love with a lot of new things. To name a few: I cracked my first young coconut (and made my own coconut yogurt!), chocolate chia pudding and zucchini pasta. I don’t know who I am anymore? I could never stand the consistency of chia pudding and I’d never liked zucchini. Now I chomp down an entire zucchini in one sitting. Yay for raw! I will be sharing all of this food porn including lots of yummy new recipes this weekend. First I’d really like to finally tell you all about my grande summer plans!
Obligatory music: Summer in the City
In the beginning of this year I wrote about wanting to run my first half marathon in the fall of 2011. For some time now, I’ve known that is not going to happen. In months time I’ve only run twice (short runs). With the risk of stating the obvious: I have fallen head over heels in love with Bikram yoga.
To me, Bikram is not exercise, yet it is being physically active. It’s physically but above all mentally very challenging. At the same time, however, it doesn’t put a strain on the body. It’s not about burning calories or ‘toning up’. Nothing wrong with these things per se, but I think a physical activity without these things as the end goal is wonderful, especially for those who maybe struggle with food/weight/exercise/body-image, or have a history of this.
I still haven’t found a good way to describe what Yoga, Bikram in particular, is to me, does to me. And that says something, as I know my way around the words. Like I said, I definitely don’t see it as exercise. I see it as practice. And hell, I don’t even know what it is I am practicing for. All I know is that I can feel it is important that I keep doing this, on an emotional and spiritual level. Somehow I sense this Yoga is leading me somewhere. Maybe it is leading me in a certain direction, maybe it is leading me to some answers. But that is why I keep coming back.
It is also why I am afraid of going all-in. My crazysexywonderful friends Genesis and Saar did a 30 day challenge not too long ago. Genesis even did 5 classes in one day (!^&$^#%&!) this week (where she got the fluids from to even be able to sweat anymore, beats me). But like I told my mom last weekend: I am afraid of even going multiple days in a row. Because I can feel it is doing something to me. I can feel it is cleansing me physically and emotionally. And even though those are wonderful and positive things, with cleansing we usually have to go through some shit, literally, before it gets good.
For weeks I had been wanting to go to more classes. No rather, I’d been wanting to want to go to more classes. Yet instead of forcing this on myself, I just let it all run it’s natural course. I ended up going 2-3 times a week (as a sidenote: without any additional exercise. this is huge for me ). I now feel the time is finaly ripe for me kick it up a notch and go some more. I feel more confident I am ready for change, and am able to handle what it takes to get me through the process. So I’m gonna do this. I’m gonna dedicate a huge chunk of my summer to Yoga, and see where it takes me!
(FYI: I still love running and I don’t think I’d ever stop doing that. For now, at least, it has a lower priority to me)
Yoga to the People!
At the end of July I will be flying to Maroc with a friend to do volunteer work for two weeks! Isn’t it ‘funny’ how certain things seem to make their way into your life stometimes? I had been wanting to get into doing volunteer work (I was going to help out at the animal shelter, maybe I still will), and I wanted to start traveling more. When I met up with a friend whom I hadn’t seen in ages, she promptly asked me if I wanted to join her in going to Maroc for volunteering. I promptly said yes, let’s do that! I have been super stoked ever since.
We are going to a so called SOS kids village in the North of Maroc (near Rabat). These villages house underprivalaged kids that have lost their parents. They live in these villages with some caretakers and they go to school there. During the summer they don’t have school, and the volunteers are there to make sure they have a good time. Take trips, play around, that kind of stuff. It’s gonna be a double challenge for me. Not only do I not speak Arabic nor French, my ‘being good with kids’ skill is also slightly underdeveloped, or at least I think. But that’s whats makes this a great chance for me to expand my horizon.
And, of course, I am already looking forward to all that epic Maroccan food!
3. My first e-book!
I have been really excited about this for weeks but I was looking for the right moment to ‘reveal’! Writing a book is one of my big long-term goals but I figured in the meantime I can already do some practice. So, this summer I will work on a small book of easy, accesible & wholesome recipes!
Eventually, I want to write a comprehensive book on nutrition and lifestyle rather than just a cookbook, but my love for food and creating meals and snacks is still growing. Then I figured, I could always publish a few (e)books with just recipes in addition to my book! And why wait? I can do this! I am really looking forward to get my creative juices flowing. I have always been a bit intimidated by creating my own recipes other than dinner time meals, but lately this fear has been crumbling piece by piece (again: yay for raw!). I plan on starting with a small collection of recipes, created in the course of 2ish months, so you won’t have to worry about me not posting anymore recipes! Also, the recipes will be theme-specific so all recipes that don’t fall into that category will still be posted as regular. And, I will undoubtedly come up with some recipes that didn’t make the cut which I will also post on the bloggy.
The book will contain 15-20 recipes. All recipes will be easy (no fancy shmanzy equipment required), accesible (no €20 a bag special ingredients needed) & wholesome (well doh). And the book will be rediculously cheap for this is a trial, a stepping-stone. Eventually I plan on making my daily bread chocolate by yapping on about food & nutrition, but that takes time & practice!
Mostly I am just very excited to challenge myself in this way, and to make the first steps towards creating my own health empire, muhahahah (= evil laugh). Oh, and to have an excuse to be covered in raw chocolate from dusk til dawn (insert more evil laughs here).
So there you have it, my summer summarized down to three things. What’s your summer going to look like?! & Are you excited for the recipe e-book?


Motivated through Part 1 of this series, filtration of brewing water can vastly improve your brewing, often through the use of reserve osmosis (RO) water. While RO water can be easily purchased at corner stores and/or home delivered, apartment home dwellers, especially those living in dense urban centers, may find access to RO water limited/cumbersome and home delivery on the pricey side. For me, the standard 5 gallon haul of RO water up three flights of stairs to my apartment was a constant de-motivational factor in my homebrewing. Thus, in July of last year (2015), I discovered to my personal delight a small, apartment-compatible RO filtration system through APEC Water with the hope it might alleviate this constant water/brewing problem. Now, after almost a year of constant use, I’ve been able to thoroughly test the performance and learn the ins-and-outs of this small RO system with respect to my homebrew. Thus, in part 2 of the Apartment Brewing Tech RO water series, I’ll provide a detailed overview, instruction, and review of the APEC Water RO Countertop (model ID: RO-CTOP) system for its potential use in your apartment (and general) homebrewing. Cheers and happy brewing!
TL;DR summary: It works very well! Pros: small footprint, less than 10 ppm TDS filtration over year of use. Cons: very slow, a bit pricey.
Quick reader note: This post was NOT sponsored by APEC Water. This review is solely my personal views/thoughts/opinions/experiences. Cheers!
The APEC Water RO-CTOP Design
Without going into too much info on RO filtration science/tech (that’s for another post), RO systems in the most basic form typically consist of a 4 to 5 stages to achieve the low total dissolved solids (TDS for short, essentially the amount of mineral ions in the source water, usually reported in ppm) in RO filtered water while also prolonging the life of your RO membranes. For the APEC Water RO-CTOP system, it employs a four stage filtration cycle: two pre-filters (a 5-micron and activated carbon filter), a third stage RO membrane (Dow Filmtec-brand high rejection membrane), and, last but not least, a fourth activated carbon post-filter. As a result of this staging as we’ll see later in the performance section below, the APEC Water RO-CTOP system is able to produce RO water with less than 10 ppm TDS starting from local Austin water (off the tap has ~170 ppm).
Beyond the filtration system, the main feature of the RO-CTOP system which differentiates itself from similar under-the-sink RO models is its integrated faucet adapter. Specifically, the faucet adapter perform three key duties in the filtration process: (1) interface with your native faucet threading (2) valve bypass between tap water and RO filtration and (3) exhaust brine water. Starting from (1), the faucet adapter is designed to directly connect to 13/16″ male threads, common in kitchen sink faucets. If this is not standard in your kitchen (or brew area), the APEC system comes with typical faucet thread adapters, which is a plus. On point (2), APEC designed the faucet adapter as a valve. By actuating the black levels on the side, it diverts the flow of tap water either through an aerator for typical faucet use or into the filtration system. The integrate aerator is a plus since it helps to conserve water use much like standard faucet fittings while keep the RO filtration semi-permanently attached to your faucet . Lastly on point (3), the faucet adapter exhausts the brine water (water consisting of a majority of the TDS filtered by the RO membrane) through a small hole at the faucet adapter head. This feature is non-standard compared to under-the-sink RO models since these systems typically exhaust brine water waste directly into the drain piping. However, since this system exhausted out the faucet adapter head, the brine water can be reclaimed if desired and utilized for other purposes (like cleaning) for those looking to reduce water waste and generally be environmentally savvy.
Last but not least, the newly filtered RO water exits the filtration system via long narrow tube much as expected. The tube that come with APEC system isn’t very long, so (obviously) if it needs to increase is size, this can be easily modified to suit your particular needs. In my case, I set the carboy as close to my kitchen counter as possible, often with a funnel in the carboy for safe measure, all of which works for my brewing needs.
Using the APEC Water RO-CTOP System
Installation and use of the APEC countertop RO system is intuitive and easy to use. In fact, this section is mostly not necessary since the unit comes with instructions (obviously). However, since I’ve been using this system consistently over a year, I have acquired some useful tips/tricks/general advice for future APEC Water RO-CTOP users that I thought was worth mentioning here. Thus, the following is a short how-to guide.
- Remove native faucet attachment. Basic faucets usually have an aerator that needs removing. When looking from above, it should unthread with clockwise rotations. If any aerator/attachments have never been removed in the history of the faucet, it may be a bit tight/stuck on. Consider de-mineralize it using vinegar/CLR solution if this is the problem. If all else fails, vice grips!
- Attach the RO system faucet adapter. Depending on your faucet type, you may require a faucet thread converter. Fortunately, the APEC system comes with some common faucet type adapters. If none work, likely consult your local homebrew supply store.
- Align the faucet adapter and make sure it’s threading correctly when tightened. The bulk of the faucet adapter makes it difficult to tell if the threads are aligned properly, so double check before really tightening down and avoiding f’ing your faucet and its threads.
- Lastly, one last installation tip (although slightly silly). Use a nutcracker (no, not the decorative type) to help tighten/loosen the faucet adapter. Since I hardly use these contraptions to open tree nuts, it makes as a great multitasker for tightening/loosening the faucet adapter attachment.
- With faucet adapter installed, turn on tap water and rotate the black level on the side of the faucet adapter to the horizontal orientation to activate RO filtration. Make sure you only use cold tap water as warm/hot tap water will foul the filters.
- Next, check the water lines/faucet adapter to make sure there are no leaks. Also, arrange/inspect them to ensure none of the water lines are crimped/bent as empirically (sad voice of experience) this will slow filtration. Similarly, check to make sure the brine water exit is flowing and unobstructed and the RO water is flowing. This may take a minute.
- Once running, let the system run a few minutes before collecting since initial runoff typically has a higher concentration of dissolve solids. This is only really important is you need ultra-low TDS for your homebrewing. Since I don’t like to waste water, I just start collecting it after a few second of runoff.
- Set a timer for approximate fill time as a reminder to avoid overfilling your container and spilling RO water all over the floor. Better yet, buy yourself some insurance and place any containers/carboy in a tub/plastic tote to capture any overflow if forgetful. Since I’m the latter, plastic tote technology has avoided this scenario a few times (and kept my kitchen floors and downstairs neighbors from a wet mess).
- With RO water collected, turn the black level vertically (parallel to the faucet adapter) and turn off the tap water. Also, upon finishing, I usually cap off the RO hose.
- Lastly, if faucet adapter removal is desired, just follow the installation directions above in reserve order.
Performance and Cost
There are many metrics to evaluate the performance of RO filtration systems, but for our purposes (as apartment homebrewers), we’ll consider just 4 variables: filtration efficiency (how much TDS is removed from the source water), fill rate (how fast in time is a gallon of RO water produced), size/weight (since we need a small footprint), and cost (since we wouldn’t want to spend too much).
Filtration efficiency: <10 ppm TDS (starting from 170 ppm TDS) almost 100%
Notes: Fresh from the source, my local Austin tap water averages around 170 ppm TDS. Running it through the RO system, we can see the filtered water measures at 0 ppm TDS. Since the resolution of my TDS meter is 10 ppm TDS, I’m not really comfortable saying it’s actually 0 ppm TDS, rather somewhere less than 10 ppm. Still, the result is positive. Also, in checking the brine, we see it has 250 ppm. Quickly, one may think ‘shouldn’t it be 340 ppm?’, i.e. double the source. At the surface this seems reasonable; however, the brine water usage is at a higher flow rate than the RO water, resulting in a dilution of the brine TDS.
Measurement note: Measurement of TDS is easy, all you need is an TDS meter. In fact you may already have one. Often they come attached with pH meter, like mine here. If not, standalone TDS meters are fairly inexpensive, usually around ~10-20 US dollars.
Fill rate: time to fill 5 gallon carboy ~95 minutes (~19 minutes/gallon)
Notes: The manual specs the maximum fill rate at 16 minutes per gallon for line pressure of 90 psi. While I have not calibrated my faucet for water pressure, I would expect a slightly reduced fill rate level simply because the water in my kitchen faucet must travel up three stories to my third floor apartment, losing some water pressure along the way. So overall this fill rate meets expectations.
Size & Weight: 5 (width) x 6 (height) x 14 (length) inches, 7 lbs dry
Notes: not much to say here, other than its small size is a perfect fit for cramped countertops.
Upfront & Life-cycle Costs: ~210-250 US dollars new with filters, ~20/pre-,post-filter, 75/RO membranes US dollars with replacement time varied between 1-5 years
Notes: The APEC Water RO-CTOP system is generally affordably priced. The APEC Water website states it retails for 355 US dollars,; however, empirically, it can usually be found in the 210-250 US dollar range. The starter kit usually consists of 1 complete set of filter (already installed), faucet adapters, tubing, etc.. Also, no installation of the first filter set is required (a plus). On replacement filters, the cost depends on the filter type. The pre- and post-filters run around 20 US dollars with the first two stages lasting about a year and the last stage about 3-5 years. The RO membrane lasts long about 3-5 years depending on usage and run about 75 US dollars in replacement.
APEC Water RO-CTOP System Summary
Overall, from its demonstrated performance, small footprint, and ease of use, I’m incredibly happy with this RO system. Homebrew-wise, since I’ve been a frequently user of RO before this system, I haven’t notice any difference between store-bought and home-filtered RO water (mash pH, flavor/character etc.) which is a positive (if not an as-expected null result). More so, this purchase was tailored for convenience of not having to haul a full 5 gallon carboy from my local grocery store up 3 flights of stairs while gaining access to RO water whenever necessary. Also, this RO system is relatively/moderately affordable ~200 US dollars especially compared to some of the new-to-market homebrew-oriented mobile RO systems which can command 300+ US dollars price tag. While it does take some time to filter (~18-20 min/gallon from my top floor apartment), I can afford the patience given that the system beautifully met the above mentioned requirements. Because of the lengthy wait time, I usually pre-game the day before brew day and fill my RO carboy(s) as needed.
- portable/small footprint size (a major point of this series)
- generates very pure RO water (for my source water less than 10 ppm of TDS)
- low cost replacement filters (~20 US dollars for per pre/post filters which last for ~1 year/ ~75 US dollars for RO membrane which lasts up to 5 years)
- reclaimable brine water (for the environmental savvy)
- a bit pricey (~230 US dollars initial investment)
- very slow (~95 minutes to fill a 5 gallon carboy from my third floor apartment)
Do you use RO water in your homebrewing and/or do you have an RO system? Leave your experiences in the comment section below. As always, cheers and happy brewing!
If you liked this post, check out my other apartment brewing tech posts (linked here)!
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Is the robot you know exactly the one you knew?
Does a robot have its own ideology?
Does a robot have friends?
What is the robot?
Red Tank: Components will generate from something eating too many components. Asking question is questionable.
I can't even explain how many things went wrong with my game play with this. Firstly, it doesn't give me any blue things when I need them, every time I battle I never get past the first stage even with the unintelligent robo and the intelligent flying robo. Also move the devolution thing to the top so then I don't accidentally press and lose my evolution progress because that did happen! Also all I got from the scrolls are the yellow and red food things NEVER the blues.
I loved the robots how do you get stars because when I started I didnt stop for 2 hours (tip)touch the scrolls it help but some the adds are long but I just think its worth it also I havent stoped playing for 2 hours but then I rated cya
There use to be a show called robot wars here in the US, I would check it out for ideas and also that giant robot fight the us was going to have against Japan I think it was.
I don't really understand if there really is a strategy in battling it gets kinda boring after a while.
Nice easy to have in the background but there should be a way of selecting the reward so you don't over fill the ones you don't or haven't used to evolve said robot
How do people like this. It is the most boring game I've ever played.
It is amazing much better than the one with dinoz and all :-) yep so better than that it is so realistic:))
Money sucker unless you add more non paying ways to earn
Really delineates a perfect game. Hilarious and awesome characters provide for an evolution plus pokemon style game.
I suppose they serve a purpose giving you extra materials, but the extra ones around those are like every 45 seconds.
It's been a while since I played a game that fun
Only way to progress is through adds. So of you don't mind that its a pretty good game
This is a very good game. But when evolving you should add a button so that you can choose when to evolve when you want, so that we can evolve when ready. When you do this I will rate 5 star.
At first I didn't understand how to play but later on I learned that you can control what robot you make and it's a games that's not difficult #robots rule#hashtag#lol
When you get to a certain point you have to use the stars to evolve and the to get that you have to use diamonds
but how the fighting part i cant pass because it does not have a specufic pattern
10 out of 5 would stupid tank again
THE REBIRTH SUCKS I DELETED THE GAME CAUSE OF THE REBIRTH I WISH IT WAS ONLY WHEN YOUR PRESS THE REBIRTH BUTTON BUT THIS GAME SUCKS
This game is sit you bitches
I like it but I think u could do better
Robo wants to have friends and he will evolve until he fully understands humans.
The game sounds cool but it's not, all you do is sit around and feed a robot
The game is fantastic but the music hurts my ears
Theese robos are the cutest,they can also beat you up.
Very addictive but it takes a long time to let them eat the food
Unless you really love advertisements
You ruin robots
If you are having a slow day this makes it go faster
It is a fun game but it might need 1 awsome update!
This is the coolest game ever has robot animals
There was three great things
I DONT CARE WHAT YOU HATERS THINK
bye copyright is chasing me
I love this game it was so fun
I think it's good but a little bit bad
I love these games plz make a dog one
My brother loves it aswell
Because of different types of people

domain: entertainment


A man charged over a shooting outside a Sydney sex club has applied for bail, complaining he is in constant pain in prison and needs a colonoscopy.
Milad bin Ahmad-Shah al-Ahmadzai told the Supreme Court on Thursday he is believed to be suffering from either Crohn's disease or colitis and wasn't getting the correct medical attention in jail.
Severe blood loss, cramping, pains and loss of appetite were just some of the symptoms he was experiencing, he said.
"You feel like someone is stabbing you in the gut," he told the court.
Al-Ahmadzai said he had been told in June 2013 that he would get a colonoscopy within a year but that has not happened.
He also has not been given any information about his dietary requirements.
Having been moved to Goulburn's SuperMax last week, al-Ahmadzai said he isn't holding his breath.
"Have you any idea as to when you are going to go (to see a doctor)," his barrister Grant Brady asked.
"Here at SuperMax? Good luck," al-Ahmadzai replied via video-link.
But Justice Peter Hidden refused him bail saying he had no up-to-date medical information to rely on and he couldn't judge the matter without expert evidence.
He said al-Ahmadzai had failed to explain why he should be released under the new bail regime.
Al-Ahmadzai was sentenced last year over threatening to slit the throat of an ASIO officer in a series of threatening phone calls.
He is due to face trial in September over an alleged ram raid and then in November for the attempted shooting murder charge.
© AAP 2019


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Book Review: ‘Naked’ by David Sedaris June 29, 2011Posted by pacejmiller in Book Reviews, Reviews.
Tags: Arts, comedic writing, comedy, comic writing, David Sedaris, Dix Hill, humor, Naked, Naked (book), Naked 1997, Naked book review, Naked review, Planet of the Apes
For me, David Sedaris is the master. When it comes to the type of comedic writing I want to be able to emulate, there’s nobody better than him. Having attempted (well, attempting) comedic writing myself over the last few months, I am discovering first hand just how difficult it is to make writing amusing. And Sedaris’s writing is not just amusing — it’s consistently laugh-out-loud funny, but at the same time it is incredibly clever and somehow manages to maintain an air of sophistication.
In my efforts to be more Sedaris-like in my own writings, I sought out one of his earlier books, Naked, published in 1997. Like the other Sedaris book I read, When You Are Engulfed in Flames (review here), Naked can be classified as a collection of ‘personal essays’ of varying lengths. Each essay covers an aspect or person of Sedaris’s life, from early childhood to adulthood, and are filled with outrageous characters (many of which are in Sedaris’s family) and anecdotes.
Titles of some of the my favourite essays include ‘A Plague of Tics’ (about Sedaris’s obsessive compulsive tendencies as a child), ‘Dix Hill’ (when Sedaris worked in a mental hospital as a teenager), ‘I Like Guys’ (where Sedaris discovers his homosexuality), ‘The Drama Bug’ (when Sedaris became a theatre fanatic and spoke in Shakespearean for months), ‘Planet of the Apes’ (about Sedaris’s hitchhiking stories), ‘The Incomplete Quad’ (where Sedaris shared dorms with quadriplegic students for free housing), and ‘Naked’ (about Sedaris’s experiences in a nudist colony).
Yes, as the above suggests, Sedaris is a weird, neurotic, somewhat disturbed guy, but he embraces it with a bizarre sense of self-righteousness and humility. His stories are hilarious because they are so brutally honest, and each joke almost always provides some kind of insight into human nature. And every now and then he would surprise you with a dash of poignancy, like the piece on his mother’s passing from cancer (‘Ashes’).
Sedaris weaves his internal thoughts, the anecdotes, the stories and the characters together effortlessly with elegant, clean prose, marvellous dialogue (some of which are really mini-soliloquies), astute observations and crafty storytelling. The thing that amazes me most about Sedaris’s writing is that he knows exactly what words to use to convey the image he wants you to form in your mind. His descriptions are brief but on the money just about every time, and he can give you a pretty good idea of what a person is like in a just a couple of slabs of dialogue. He brings his characters to life in a way that few writers can.
I didn’t necessarily like every piece in the book, though that being said, each piece had its moments and I absolutely loved around half a dozen of the 17 essays. I am certain that I will read his work again (and hopefully sooner rather than later).
4.5 out of 5
Book Review: ‘The Boat’ by Nam Le June 21, 2011Posted by pacejmiller in Book Reviews, Reviews.
Tags: Arts, Australia, Boat, ethnic stories, Iowa Writers' Workshop, Nam Le, refugees, short story, short story collection, The Boat, the boat book, The Boat Nam Le, The boat review, Vietnam
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Award-winning writer Nam Le is kind of a hero to me. Refugee parents from Vietnam, grew up in Australia, became a lawyer, hated it, quit, then pursued a life of writing. Studied at the prestigious Iowa Writers’ Workshop and published his first book, The Boat, a collection of short stories. Won a zillion awards for it including the 2008 Dylan Thomas Prize and the 2009 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards Book of the Year.
Single-author short story collections are almost extinct these days (and with good reason — it seems most readers prefer their books to tell a big story, or even part of a massive story, and reading different stories in the same voice from the same writer can potentially become tedious). That’s why The Boat is such a phenomenal achievement. The stories are so varied in scope and depth, characters and location, and yet are capable of being so honest, painful, beautiful and haunting — it’s a powerful collection from a confident, crafty writer who knows exactly what he’s doing.
The Boat contains seven short stories, each ranging from around 25-50 pages in length. They take us all around the world, to places like Iowa, Colombia Vietnam, Tehran, Hiroshima, New York, Australia. They are all literary pieces that exhibit fine craftsmanship and stunning imagery (not surprising considering Le started out in poetry), so they won’t be everybody’s cup of tea. Even though they are short, some of them can be considered as slow-paced, the type of story you need to take in slowly and savour, bit by bit, and maybe re-read once you’re done.
I enjoyed reading The Boat as a book, but as is the case with most short story collections, I preferred some stories more than others. For me, the best stories were at the beginning and end. The first one, entitled Love and Honor and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice, is a powerful story about a strained relationship between father and son. The last one, The Boat, is about a young girl’s journey on a refugee boat and the bond she forms with a small boy. These two were my favourites. Was it a coincidence that both of them were heavily linked to Le’s Vietnamese background? I don’t know, but I found them the most honest, the most engaging. Does that mean the other stories about cultures Le might not be as familiar with weren’t as good? Maybe. I’ll leave that to the individual reader to decide, but to me it is amazing that he even attempted to write about things that ought to be completely foreign to him. I only wish I could develop that kind of self-assuredness someday.
You don’t see many short story collections getting published these days, but The Boat is the kind of book that made me wish there were more of them.
4 out of 5
The end is just the beginning June 15, 2011Posted by pacejmiller in Blogging, Fantasy, Misc, Novel, On Writing, Study.
Tags: Arts, Education, Master's degree, publisher, publishing, self publishing, writer, Writing
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My masters course has finally finished.
With (soon to be) two masters degrees hanging on my walls I have also become a master of avoiding full-time work as well. Over the next few weeks I’ll be working on no less than three projects — the secret mini-book I’ll be shopping around for publishers or self-publish, continuing my masters novel, and getting my good old fantasy novel back on track. And yes, looking for that much needed job will be high on the priority list as well.
Strangely, there is no relief after completing this masters degree like my previous degrees. Perhaps it’s because I actually wanted to study this time instead of doing it out of obligation. Or perhaps it’s because I now have to put what I have learned over the last 18 months into practice.
It feels a lot more like a beginning than an end.
Dictating a novel? May 20, 2011Posted by pacejmiller in Misc, Novel, On Writing, Study, Technology.
Tags: Apple, Arts, books, dictation, fiction, iPad, novel writing, recording, transcribing, writer, Writing
I’ve really been struggling trying to get my novel project into shape the last few days. When I’m away from the computer I have a million thoughts running through my head, and I feel like I am ready to write the best shit ever. But as soon as I sit down and start typing, I’ve got nothin’.
The other day, just before heading out, I was taking a shower when I pretty much planned out an entire chapter of my novel in my head, or so I thought. I was really excited, but I didn’t have time to write anything down because I had to head out immediately.
I was driving when I had an idea. Using the recording app on my iPad, I started dictating the chapter to my novel that was in my head during the shower. It was surprisingly effective. In about 25 minutes, I had more or less dictated the entire chapter.
That night I went home and transcribed it. It wasn’t great, but at least I got it out of my system and it allowed me to fix it as I went along, almost like editing a rough first draft.
All of this amazed me, considering as a lawyer I never used the dictation systems they had in place because I found it all too hard and awkward. I also wasn’tMaybe it was just because I didn’t know what to say.
Could this be a new way for me to write? Has anyone else tried it?
Unfortunately for me, writing first drafts of chapters is no longer my concern anymore. I now have to actually shape the drafts into good shit, which I have discovered is even harder. D’oh.


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The music crafted by this duo of Sierra Leonean kondi master Sorie Kondi and DJ/producer Boima Tucker- aka Chief Boima- has a crucial backstory. Sorie Konoma, who later took the surname of his instrument, known elsewhere in Africa as a likembe or mbira, was born blind and missed an opportunity to release his music commercially in the late 90s, just as Sierra Leone was plunged into a brutal civil war. Abandoned for several days in his home, as the city around him was destroyed, he emerged and started busking, changing his last name in the process. A chance encounter with an American recording engineer in Lungi led to Kondi’s first album, Without Money, No Family, released in 2007.
Boima, now living in Rio de Janeiro, was born in the American Midwest to Sierra Leonean immigrants and eventually moved to San Francisco, where he took up DJ residency in a Senegalese-owned bar before moving to New York City a few years later. It’s around this time that he began to make the connection between the music his parents played for him as a child and his own identity as someone who was more than simply African American. He began using technology as a way to re-connect with his roots and push the music forward at the same time. At some point he saw the video to the title track from Sorie Kondi’s first album. His remix of the track caught Sorie’s ears and soon after, the two connected and US touring plans were made.
We Famous, the duo’s second effort continues the process of taking Sorie’s songs, vocals, and kondi rhythms and pushing them into the realm of the club. Boima drops in dive-bombing bass runs, dub effects such as echo and suddenly disappearing percussion, splashes of synth, and electronic drum thwacks. The end result is deep, infectious, and heavy. What they achieve shows how music often chases its own tail as it clears a path for forward-thinking innovation. “It’s God’s World (So Don’t Do Bad)” is a case in point. Here, Sorie’s blunt, simple lyrics and kondi melody belong to a long tradition of songs as advice-giving platforms. With Boima’s additions, the kondi melody is underpinned by straight-up dancefloor pulse and a sampled guitar line. Toward the end, all of that falls away to leave Sorie alone. In fact, much of this record builds in layers. “Fatou” begins as “It’s God World” ends, before sneaking in maracas, a thickly distorted likembe sample, and a minimal, repeated bass line. Suddenly, it takes off with kick drum thump and a penetrating 3-note keyboard line.
Connecting Sorie and Boima is gumbe, a Sierra Leonean rhythm that gave the country’s music, often made up of influences from the US, the Caribbean, and other parts of West Africa, its own identity. No matter how much international club scenes or electronics enhance the Kondi Band’s sound, gumbe remains at its core. In this way, the duo are always connected to Sorie’s homeland and Boima’s family’s ancestry. But whether or not anyone can detect gumbe in this music may not matter. By releasing this music Strut has connected itself spiritually with Uganda’s Nyege Nyege tapes label, the radical DIY electronics of bands such as Congo’s Kasai Allstars or Haitian/Belgian collaborations such as Chouk Bwa & The Angstromers. - Bruce Miller
Find the duo online
Top photo: Taliesin Gilkes-Bower
Photos courtesy Strut, 2021


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There Are 3 Spectacular Waterfalls Along This One Wyoming River And They'll Take Your Breath Away
Waterfalls in any setting are mesmerizing. The sheer power of the flowing water can leave you awestruck and entranced. It’s no suprise that you often find yourself searching the internet for the search term “waterfalls near me.”
It’s also no wonder that the various waterfalls scattered throughout Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming are such popular attractions. Marking them on a map of the park, you could easily fill several days on a waterfall scavenger hunt. When you hit the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, you’re in for a treat and a bonus: there are three waterfalls cascading along the Yellowstone River there, and they’re absolutely breathtaking. The hikes above the river to view these falls are, without a doubt, some of the very best waterfall hikes in Wyoming. Read on to learn more.
What Wyoming waterfalls take your breath away? What are some of the best hiking trails with waterfalls in Wyoming in your opinion? Share in comments! We want to hear from you!
More to Explore
Waterfalls Near Me
Where can I see more waterfalls in Yellowstone besides these?
Although these are the most famous and most popular waterfalls in Yellowstone National Park, they certainly aren't the only ones within the park boundaries. There are dozens of waterfalls in the park and you can hike to so many of them. Here's a post that offers a great route for a day trip to see a whole bunch of them in a single day! Check it out: You Can See 11 Waterfalls In Just One Day Of Hiking In Wyoming.
Where else can I find cool waterfalls in Wyoming?
Wyoming is full of waterfalls and waterfall hikes! Thanks to the vast number of mountains in this great state, plus the fact there's almost always snow melting, resulting in water flowing downhill, there are waterfalls all over the place. Here's a list of waterfall hikes for waterfall enthusiasts: The Ultimate Bucket List For Anyone In Wyoming Who Loves Waterfall Hikes. Here's another post about Wyoming waterfalls that are easy to find: 6 Easy-Access Wyoming Waterfalls That Are Perfect For A Summer Adventure.
What are some other things that I should see and do while visiting Yellowstone?
There are so many amazing things to do in Yellowstone National Park that it's impossible to do all of it in just one trip - you'll have to come back again and again. However, if you're a first-time visitor, here are some things that you absolutely should not miss: 12 Amazing Things To Do In Yellowstone After You’ve Seen Old Faithful.


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Take a walk around any Bulgarian village and you might feel that you have happened upon a secret horticultural competition – tidy squares and patches full of blooming flowers, neatly clipped fruit-bearing trees shading the shrubs, and decorative paths winding around the flower-beds. It is enough to get your green thumbs itching, as it seems so effortless and beautiful – surely creating your own garden can't be that difficult?
It is actually as simple as it looks. Gardening is a popular pastime in Bulgaria, where the level of care that people lavish on their well-kept plots can easily grow into a small obsession. You will hardly ever see lawns and green gardens, though – Bulgarians prefer flowers, which they tend carefully. If you decide to go with the flow of the place, you can tap into an unexpected source of help: your neighbours. Go ahead and ask for seeds or cuttings of those flowers you especially like, and your request will hardly ever be spurned. They will take great delight in explaining to you how to take care of the plants, so you won't be short of advice either.
Most gardeners go for simplicity. You will find lots of carnations, chrysanthemums, gerberas and pelargoniums – the last one is ubiquitous in gardens and on balconies alike, since it is very unpretentious, easy to grow and may even survive a mild winter outdoors. If you want to achieve a dramatic effect, mix these up with some snapdragon, petunia and moss-rose – effortless annual and perennial plants that provide strong vibrant colours. Bulgaria is especially hospitable to roses, as proven by the Rose Valley where Rosa damascena is grown for commercial purposes. You can grow this variety, or more decorative fragrant roses which will thrive in the sunny patches in your garden just as well.
The climate in the various parts of the country is diverse, and if you are lucky enough to live in southern Bulgaria, you might consider growing tropical flowers too. Magnolia, jasmine and mirabilis will flourish in the right place, although you may experience trouble with the self-seeding mirabilis as it can quickly turn into a pest. Although Bulgaria is not Greece, some gardeners go for the more exotic option of growing lemons, tangerines or even kiwi vines, which may bear fruit. If you would like to flaunt your homemade fruit salad, though, better select cultivars instead of attempting to do it yourself, because your efforts may very well be futile.
Greenery in Bulgarian gardens is usually used just as an accent, but if you have different ideas, the plant nurseries offer a great number of decorative shrubs. If you prefer the "live and let live" variety, go for boxwood, which is a favourite in many Bulgarian gardens. However, its slow growth and the difficulties in cultivating the small plants may dampen your enthusiasm. Look for sturdy varieties such as spiraea and silverleaf dogwood if you don't have that much time to take care of your plants, but want a decorative effect.
Consider adding a fruit tree or two, which you can under-plant with shade-loving plants and which will give you great personal satisfaction. Bulgarians, always practical, use the fruit to make compotes and jams, and you can try your hand at that as well. It will probably take a couple of years for the tree to start bearing fruit, so you need to plan long-term. Cherries, apricots, and peaches are all popular choices because of the sweet and flavoursome fruit you will get – immeasurably better than shop-bought. Pears are a bit more capricious, and apples will give you a hard time keeping insects away. Again, if you live in the southern regions, you can experiment freely with pomegranate and quince.
It is not difficult to find your basic gardening tools, seeds and saplings wherever you are in Bulgaria. Visit the farmers' market, or go to one of the gardening chains that have sprung up in the bigger cities. Specialised gardening requirements may require a different approach. If, despite your preparations, it turns out that you need more tools or would like to plant a few more fruit trees than you already have, there is no need to embark on a long quest. Trust Econt's couriers to complete your order for whatever you need, regardless of your current location. You are free to order from shops in Bulgaria, Romania, Athens, Thessaloniki, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Hungary and Belgium. Online shops are at your disposal, including eBay and British retailers, so you can get your favourite plants rooted in Bulgarian soil. Econt takes care of delivery to every location – you will receive your goods directly to your garden.

domain: agronomy