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- A Frugal Chick - http://www.afrugalchick.com -
Amazon-Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck, Book 8 Only $8.23
Posted By Jana On November 17, 2013 @ 4:22 pm In Amazon | Comments Disabled
If you are looking for a good book to put in your kiddos stockings this holiday season I highly recommend Hard Luck, Book 8 in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series . In my library I can not keep the book on the shelf because all of the students are wanting to read it!!
Greg Heffley’s on a losing streak. His best friend, Rowley Jefferson, has ditched him, and finding new friends in middle school is proving to be a tough task. To change his fortunes, Greg decides to take a leap of faith and turn his decisions over to chance. Will a roll of the dice turn things around, or is Greg’s life destined to be just another hard-luck story?
Article printed from A Frugal Chick: http://www.afrugalchick.com
URL to article: http://www.afrugalchick.com/amazon-diary-wimpy-kid-hard-luck-book-8-8-23/
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 Hard Luck, Book 8 in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series: http://www.amazon.com/Diary-Wimpy-Kid-Hard-Luck/dp/1419711326/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1384722816&sr=1-1&keywords=Diary+of+a+Wimpy+Kid&tag=janawwwafrugal-20
Copyright © 2013 A Frugal Chick. All rights reserved.

domain: library


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First Quarter Financial Highlights •Adobe achieved record quarterly revenue of $1.38 billion, representing year-over-year growth of 25 percent. •Diluted earnings per share were $0.50 on a GAAP-basis, and $0.66 on a non-GAAP basis. •Digital Media segment revenue grew by 33 percent year-over-year to a record $932 million, with Creative revenue growing 44 percent year-over-year to a record $733 million. •Strong Creative Cloud adoption drove Digital Media Annualized Recurring Revenue (“ARR”) to $3.13 billion exiting the quarter, an increase of $246 million. •Adobe Marketing Cloud achieved strong bookings growth, and record revenue of $377 million that represents year-over-year growth of 21 percent.
Dear Industry Member:
On March 3rd, the U.S. House of Representatives Small Business Committee will hold a hearing on the problems plaguing small businesses following the South Dakota v. Wayfair ruling. ACMA will be submitting written testimony for the Congressional Record.
As part of this testimony, we will reference (by attachment) real life stories and anecdotes that illustrate the direct impact, struggles, and harm this ruling has caused businesses like yours. This is a chance to have your story heard and make an impact.
Help Yourself By Helping Us
To have your story and your voice heard, please send us a document on your letterhead telling how this ruling has negatively impacted your business. Your story will help fuel our position. (Suppliers are also welcome to summarize your clients’ travails.)
Thank you to those who previously provided information detailng your stories. We intend to include them too, but the more the merrier. So to be included, please send your story to firstname.lastname@example.org by no later than Monday, February 24th.
Please note, these will be made public.

domain: finance


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THE HYANNIS SPRINT I TRIATHLON
JUNE 8TH, 2013
The 30th Sprint 1 will start your season in FAST style! Ideal for all athletes, First-Timer to Elite-Pro. The longest-established sprint triathlon around, you'll want to clear your calendar for this one! It's time to dust off the bike, pull the wetsuit out of the closet, and kick off the New England Season in Style. Only a 90-minute drive from Boston.
The Tours and New England's longest-established triathlon racing venue. Nestled along the Atlantic shores on Cape Cod's most famous beach, Craigville. Swim start field limit: 950 entrants and has sold out the last several seasons.
1/4-mile swim: refreshing Atlantic Ocean setting with a close-to-shore, rectangular design.
10-mile bike: scenic and lightly-rolling loop through Historic Osterville and Centerville. Incredible ocean vistas!
3.5-mile run: a flat and scenic lollipop out-and-back within Craigville Village.

domain: geography


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The summer season is stunning here in Monroe County in southwest Wisconsin. Timely and plentiful rains along with sunny and hot days have insured a corn, soybean, oats, and hay crop that is more than promising.
A bicycle ride on Saturday from Tomah to Camp Douglas along the back country roads of Highway 131, County A, Grosbeak Ave, and ET yields sights of the wild country, a term coined by Tomah writer Tom Muench.
The corn is starting to tassel and develop ears. The soybeans are a lush dark green. The oats is ready to combine, golden fields against a background of verdant green trees and pastures. The Amish have much of their oats standing in shocks. Threshing can’t be far behind. Second crop hay is being cut and baled or chopped for silage.
The soybean and corn fields are practically free of any weeds, a far cry from crops planted 30 years ago, when weeds could choke out the desired crop. The use of GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) seeds and plants may be controversial in some quarters, but Round Up Ready corn and soybeans had insure weed free fields.
The blue chicory and white Queens Anne’s Lace is seen along most every roadway. It’s a shame they mow those beautiful flower. Kill ‘em right on the spot. There has never been a more beautiful crop of black-eyed-susans along Wisconsin I-90 from Tomah to La Crosse.
Sandhill cranes, wild turkeys, and deer, can easily be spotted, especially with the slow going of bicycling. There’s a big crop of red-wing blackbirds this year, warbling a distinctive song and sporting a red feather patch bounded on the bottom with a tuff of yellow.
A doe with three fawns frequently cross the lawn behind the Scheckel house. Don’t know if all three we born to her or whether she picked up an orphan or two.

domain: news


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ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) – Odessa Mayor Javier Joven issued an executive order over the weekend, denouncing Hamas and their acts of terror against Israel. This comes a week after the attacks began.
A city spokesperson also says the Odessa City Council stands firmly against any form of terrorism and antisemitism. Mayor Joven is encouraging the public to pray for peace, emphasizing the importance of consoling others and seeking understanding.
Astound Broadband announced on Monday that they will be waiving landline phone charges for any customers calling Israel. Astound says any customers of the company will be able to make international calls from the United States to Israel through November 15th without any international charges.


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By John West
A large group of concerned citizens turned out at the LaFayette City Council meeting on Monday night to voice their concerns over the current school consolidation plan. Local resident Tammy Seroyer spoke on behalf of the group. Seroyer read from a resolution asking Mayor Vines and the LaFayette city council to donate land currently designated for the new LaFayette city park to the Chambers County Board of Education (CCBE.) The citizens are requesting that land be used by the CCBE to build the new consolidated high school, career technical center, and sports complex.
The LaFayette city council voted unanimously to support the resolution as presented by the citizens.
The citizens’ resolution was also accompanied by a petition with the signatures of 447 residents who want to save the LaFayette city schools.
“Our concerns are that we want our kids to stay here and go to school at their home school until we can get a consolidated high school here,” Seroyer said. “It’s for many reasons. We’re thinking about the time zones, were thinking about the burden that it will put on parents. We’re just here to make sure that everyone is treated fairly.”
Seroyer also said, “We’re just here because we’re concerned about our schools closing. We want to keep our kids at their home school if possible. We do want what’s best for our kids, we do want that to be known. We are for consolidation, that’s no secret, but we want the school to be in a centralized location.”
LaFayette Mayor Kenneth Vines and the LaFayette City Council were all in unison with the concerned parents and citizens. All agreed the consolidated high school should be placed in LaFayette since the city is the Chambers County seat and located in the center of the county.
“I am 1000% on board with having the school here in the City of LaFayette,” Vines said. “Not only looking out for the citizens of LaFayette, but overall looking out for the citizens of LaFayette as a whole. It is just devastating to me to think people that live up in the north end of the county, the west end of the county, and the south end of the county as well, really, truly getting their child up at 3:00, 3:30 in the morning to go to school. That right there really bothers me.”
“Not only that, the City of LaFayette, from my time of being here, and everyone in this room knows that when it comes to the City of LaFayette we are always overlooked,” Vines said. “We’re going to stand up and fight for our kids’ education. Now’s the time for everyone to be on this train, to be on board full steam ahead. We need everybody’s support, not just myself and this council. Everybody that’s in LaFayette and concerned about your child’s education, whether you have a child in the system or not, if your concerned about the city of LaFayette and the welfare of nieces and nephews, cousins, whatever, we all need to be onboard. Support the schools in the city of LaFayette.”
The current school consolidation plan will go into effect for the 2022/23 school year. The current plan consists of closing LaFayette High School for renovation and repurposing into a Pre-K—8 STEAM school. LaFayette High School will merge with Valley High School until a new consolidated High School can be built. LaFayette High students will have to commute or bus to Valley High School. The consolidated school will take on a new name, mascot, and color scheme. Ground will be broken on the new campus during the 2024/25 school year. Construction is expected to last 24-30 months. The future school’s location has not been confirmed.
Additionally, J.P. Powell Middle School, Eastside Elementary School, and Five Points Elementary School will merge to form the LaFayette Pre-K—8 District Wide STEAM Academy. Likewise, Shawmut and Lafayette Lanier will merge to form Huguley and Fairfax Pre-K—5. Construction will begin on these new schools after the new consolidated high school is completed.
Chambers County School Superintendent, Casey Chambley, has cited federal desegregation orders, unused space in the current schools, and more course offerings at Valley High as reasons for the current consolidation plan.


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Festivals are the time to celebrate life and to count ones blessings and it probably doesn't get bigger than Diwali when it comes to pan-Indian festivities. One of the things that I feel most grateful about in life is the number of great friends that I have thanks to my food blogging and this article is my tribute to them. While writing it, I spoke to food bloggers and writers, chefs and restaurant owners, people who just love to talk about food and people who love to cook, and have come back to you with some delicious Diwali stories from across the country.
Let's start with the West and in particular, Mumbai, the city I now call home. Kunal Vijayakar, a popular foodie, belongs to the Pathare Prabhe community. The community is small in number and consists of some of the earliest settlers of what is the city of Mumbai today. Their love for food, especially non-vegetarian food, is legendary. Kunal is fond of a dish called shingdya which they have during Diwali. It is similar to karanji, a dish which is a favourite across Maharashtra, especially in the Konkan belt where these half-moon dumplings are usually stuffed with grated coconut and fried. "We make them with coconut. With dudhi halwa too," said Kunal and then his eyes lit up as he continued to say, "or better still, with spicy muttonkeema."'Alka Keswani, who writes about Sindhi food, says that it is mandatory to offer the murmura chikki known as phulan ji lai to the Goddess Laxmi by Sindhis during Diwali and that most Sindhis would send Mazun/ Majhun mithai to their married daughters and sisters on the occasion. The mazun is a mithai made by roasting poppy seeds in ghee to which loads of dry fruits and nuts are added and this is slow cooked with milk or khoya.'
Mumbai has a strong heritage of Gujarati restaurants and I spoke to Pinky Dixit Chandran, who owns 'Soam' which is my favourite Gujarati restaurant in town. Pinky likes to have jalebi and fafda on Diwali for breakfast with some spicy grated raw chutney on the side. It is the Gujarati New Year too and this makes for a great start to the year says the ever smiling Pinky who is a Kutchi Gujarati.
I was first introduced to Soam by Rushina Munshaw Ghildayal, one of the earliest food bloggers of India, who loves showcasing regional Indian food herself. Rushina is a Gujarati too with mixed Vaaniya and Kutchi Bhatia roots. She has fond memories of spending Diwalis at her grandmother's kitchen as a kid when the women of the family got together to fry ghugra (the Gujarati version of karanji), roll out cholaphalli and cut the diamond shaped dough for shaker-paras (a sweet version of the Bengali nimki). Baby Rushina used to help her dadi (granny) by crimping out the ghugra, and now teaches people how to do it themselves in her studio called A Perfect Bite Studio.
From Gujarat, I moved to Rajasthan and spoke to Chef Ashish Bhasin of the Trident BKC. He is a Punjabi who works in Mumbai but has grown up in Ajmer in Rajasthan and is a big fan of Rajasthani food. He has gone to Jaipur this year, with his Bengali wife, to spend Diwali with his sister. Diwali in Jaipur, Ashish tells me, is all about celebrating Lord Ram's return to Ayodhya. The city is lit up with diyas to celebrate the occasion. Mithais star in the festivities. You could try the ghevars for which people queue up at Laxmi Mishtan Bhandar in Jaipur and the mawa kachoris, which you can get at places such as Rawat Mishthan Bhandar, to start with. Other Diwali favourites in Rajasthan include kesari peda, badam katli, boondi payesh, mohan thal and besan chakki and the list continues quite a bit. Ashish talks fondly of the malpua at Pushkar, the holy city which is located close to Ajmer where he grew up. I've had the malpua on the streets of Pushkar too and it is indeed superb.
Rida Khan, who is based in Bhopal in central India and is currently researching the food served in airlines, has been going for lunch on Diwali to her mom's best friend's house for the last decade or so. The Khans take boxes of gajjak, the local Diwlai favourite, and desserts made by Rida at home. The common snacks and desserts made at home in Bhopal for Diwali include the Diwali mathri, chivda, chakli, balushahi, gulab jamun, gujiaand shaker-para. On Diwali day, these treats are taken over to the houses of friends and neighbours to spread the good cheer.
North India celebrates Diwali with pomp. Saransh Goila, who has recently started the Goila Butter Chicken outlet in Mumbai, is originally a Delhi boy and comes from a mixed Sindhi and Baniya lineage. Diwali, while growing up, for him was all about having churma with yellow urad dal and ripe bananas. Freshly fried puris are then ground with boora (powdered unrefined sugar) and dried fruits to make this churma which is also served for the Hanumanji Puja, says Saransh.
Jaideep Riar, an evangelist of Amritsar's food, tells me that the festival of Lohri is bigger than Diwali for many in Amritsar. This was news to me, as Diwali in Mumbai is celebrated with great fanfare by my Punjabi friends. The highlight of Diwali in Amritsar, says Jaideep, is the massive firework display at the Golden Temple. Sweets are exchanged between homes. The motichoor laddoos are the most popular gift to give and, for those who can afford them, kaju katlis too. Being a festive occasion, non-vegetarians like to cook mutton or chicken at home. At the heart of the curry cooked in Punjabi homes, says Jaideep, is a base of onion, ginger garlic, dahi, red chilli powder and dhania but what makes the curry special is apparently a liberal smack of kasoori methi and fresh coriander.
Diwali is really big in Uttar Pradesh too. I spoke about the Diwali food had there with Sangeeta Khanna who writes about the goodness of traditional India food. Sangeeta tells me that suran ki sabzi is the most popular Diwali dish in eastern UP. This is had with pooris and malpuas. Suran (yam in English and oal in Bengali) is considered as auspicious as the Goddess Lakshmi in Eastern UP, says Sangeeta. There is a shop called Ram Bhandar in Varanasi which would make the very exclusive suran ke laddoos on order for aristocratic families.
If we go further North to Himachal Pradesh, we could expect to get wada and bedami puris made on festive occasions for Diwali says Sherry Mehta Malhotra who cooks Pahari food for pop up events. This is served with lentils and a bread called siddhu. Siddhus are made with wheat flour and yeast and take a while to make and are always served with ghee. Depending on the stuffing, these ball shaped breads, could be savoury or sweet. The thing about Pahari cuisine, Sherry says, is that it uses a lot pulses and flours as a base as fresh vegetables are hard to get. Dishes such as siddhu and the badami pedas are had through the year as well, but taste extra special during festivals.
Acclaimed food writer, Marryam H Reshii, is at her most passionate and eloquent while writing on Kashmiri food, if you ask me. Her friend, Sanjay Raina of Mealability, told her that Kashmiri Pundits love to celebrate Diwali with dum aloo. Large potatoes are peeled and pierced in several places with a toothpick and then deep fried. Later, they are sauteed in mustard oil and spices among which hing, haldi, saung, dried ginger powder and red chilli are some.
The trick is to make the potato so porous with the needle/toothpick that the cross-section shows up as red as the outside. And the scent of hing should assail your nostrils.
What about my native east? Well in Bengal, it is Kali Pujo that is celebrated more than Diwali. Kali Pujo for me is all about the mangshor jhol or mutton curry that my granny would cook when we would meet at her house for Kali Pujo. For the puja, my mother tells me, a niramish (vegetarian!) mangshor jhol is made where no onions or garlic are added to the curry.
Diwali is big in Bihar as Stuti Sinha, who is a hotel marketing consultant and content writer, tells me. She is based in Dubai now and misses the Diwali treats from back home in Bihar. Mithais are at the core of Diwali celebrations in Bihar reminisces Stuti. Halwas are made, and the aate ka halwa, made with whole wheat and ghee and which is similar to the Punjabi kada prashad, is very popular back home according to her. Lots of ghee, milk and sugar lies at the heart of this dish and dry fruits are added to it these days. Another star of the Diwali in Bihar are hot malpuas, "crisp on the edges and soft inside," says Stuti nostalgically.
In neighbouring Odisha, it is the classic Odiya dessert chhena poda (a sort of sugary chhena based baked cheesecake), which is the star of Diwali celebrations too says Amit Patnaik, a young food writer now based in Chennai. He has lived all over the country but during Diwali misses the Odiya treats his mother used to feed him back home including the sweet pancake arisa pitha and the fried gaaja made famous by the Puri Jagganath Temple. I have fond memories of devouring gajas by the dozen and the sweet pulao from the Puri Temple as an eight year old myself. Dahi bada with alu dom is a savoury favourite among Oriyas which features on their Diwali menu too.
While Diwali is not too big in tribal Assam, Gitika Saikia who through her pop up meals has helped promote the awareness of North East Indian food, talks fondly of the narikal larus made during Diwali. I realised that this is similar to the narkoler naru made by my granny during Laxmi Puja in Kolkata. The other exciting thing about Diwali in Assam, Gitika tells me, is that this signals the advent of duck and pigeon meat on the dinner table with the temperatures beginning to dip!
When I asked Ajit Bangera, senior executive chef of the ITC Grand Chola, about Diwali celebrations is his native Mangalore, he excitedly told me about the festive dish of chicken korri (Tuku for chicken) roti. The rotis are steamed ground rice dough flat breads which are then dried in the sun till crisp. The rotis are paired with chicken gassi, a Mangalorean curry redolent with the aromas and flavours of fresh coconut and ground spices. The trick is to pour the curry on the roti, as a Goan friend showed me at the Mangalorean Modern Lunch Home in Mumbai's Fort area, so that the roti absorbs the curry and takes in the flavours. The dish changes texture through the meal as the rotis turn from crisp to soft and delightfully soggy. I have also had a good version of the chicken kori roti at the restaurant Social in Mumbai's Khar suburb.In Andhra Pradesh, Diwali festivities involve sharing of traditional sweets such as bandaru halva, which is made with a refined flour, water, cashew nuts, sugar and lots of ghee, with friends and neighbours.
Chef Zaheer Khan, who is in charge of concept development with Nestle India now and a former chef with the ITC Hotels, talks fondly of Hindu neighbours coming over to give halva when he was growing up in Guntur. He used to receive traditional sweets when he was living in Hyderabad too. He has moved to Gurgaon now and says that fusion based desserts, made with chocolate for example, are now in vogue for Diwali in Hyderabad, though the traditional sweets hold their ground in smaller towns of Andhra and Telengana.
Going further down to Tamil Nadu, where Diwali is pretty big too, you can expect to get a dish called Diwali Okkarai says food writer and blogger, Nandita Iyer. Nandita uses her grandmother's recipe to prepare this family heirloom feast. Being someone who gives a lot of importance to health food herself, Nandita loves the use of jaggery instead of refined sugar and the low amount of ghee needed in making this flavor-packed and heart-warming chana dal based dish.
I felt humbled after I finished writing this article. There is so much diversity in India that the thought is mind-boggling. The list of dishes here is not exhaustive of course, and there are many other festive Diwali dishes that are enjoyed across the country. Yet, what I learnt through my chats with my friends made me more hungry to get to know more about the richness of Indian food.
So why don't we start with your telling me about your favourite Diwali dishes? Write to me in the comment box below.
Happy Diwali folks.Disclaimer:The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. NDTV is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information on this article. All information is provided on an as-is basis. The information, facts or opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of NDTV and NDTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.

domain: food


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Sara G (Gothenburg, Sweden), Camilla (Eskilstuna), Fran M (Curicó, Chile)
So this is my first tattoo. It’s one of my favourite artist Marion Bolognesi that made it. I’m obsessed about tattoos. I want them everywhere and in a year i have gotten seven and still counting.

domain: artistic


The Removable St. Andrews Cross is a popular add-on to the bed frame, allowing you to hang your cross from any top bed rail with ease. Hinged brackets hang over the side bed rails, allowing the cross to hang at an angle with full weight support provided by the bed.
Wheels, positioned on the back of the cross, allow for easy tilting and gliding of the cross on the ground to slide your cross under your bed for easy storage. Available in multiple finishes.
- Usable with any bed style and any bed size
- Easily rests on the Top Bed Rails on the side of the bed with locking pin to secure it
- The addition of the Optional Closed-Off Footboard Top Rail makes cross usable at the foot of bed
- Casters are added to bottom of cross for easy storage/gliding of cross under the bed from the front of the bed
NOTE: It also is available with a leather wrap for an additional charge, which fastens easily to the cross for those who are concerned with the sensation of cold steel on their skin.
Primary Material" 2"x6" Steel Tubing
Dimensions: 36" W x 77"H with additional 6.25" from hinged bracket


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ORDINANCE 6-6. A. STANDING COMMITTEES. The following standing committees shall be appointed by the Village President, subject to the approval of a majority of the members of the Village Board, at the first regular meeting in May of each year: (1) Committee on Bylaws and Ordinances, (2) Public Works Committee, (3) Committee on Finance and Accounts, and (4) Police and Fire Committee.
Like in a real casino, but from home! It’s one of the great advantages of the online casino. top online gambling sites canada offer the most outstanding range of casino games on the market.

domain: politics


Former President Trump and his son Donald Trump Jr. on Wednesday hired attorney Jesse Binnall to represent each of them in a lawsuit filed by Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), according to The Daily Beast. The congressman has filed two complaints aimed at holding the former president and his allies accountable for the deadly Capitol insurrection this year.
Swalwell, who served as a House impeachment manager during the former president’s second impeachment trial, alleges that Trump, his son and Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) broke Washington D.C. laws by inciting the riot. The then-President and his allies pushed false claims of widespread voter fraud that led up to the Capitol attack on the day of the joint session of Congress that certified Joe Biden’s electoral victory.
Binnall, a Virginia-based Republican attorney, is set to represent the former president and his son after having previously represented former Trump national security adviser Mike Flynn, alongside attorney Sidney Powell. Prosecutors charged Flynn with lying to the FBI about his communications with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S.
Binnall also recently filed a lawsuit in Nevada on behalf of the Trump campaign, which attempted to challenge Joe Biden’s electoral victory in the state. Additionally, Binnall represented the Powell-founded legal group Defending the Republic in a defamation lawsuit waged by Dominion Voting Systems.
Swalwell’s lawsuit follows a similar lawsuit filed by Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), which alleges that Trump, Rudy Giuliani and extremist groups like the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys violated a civil rights law intended to counter the Ku Klux Klan’s intimidation of elected officials.
Binnall previously signed on to represent the former president in the Thompson lawsuit, making Trump Jr. the second family member to be represented by Binnall.


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The United States Air Force’s HAWC (Hypersonic Airbreathing Weapon Concept) successfully soared through the sky in its latest flight test, which took place earlier this month.
The missile, which is produced by aerospace and defense giant Lockheed Martin in coordination with Aerojet Rocketdyne, the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL), and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, was launched from a B-52 Stratofortress long-range strategic bomber.
The flight test accomplished the primary objective and doubled the amount of scramjet-powered vehicle data. The HAWC system’s first stage boosted it to the targeted engine ignition envelope, where the Aerojet Rocketdyne scramjet engine fired and accelerated the system to speeds in excess of Mach 5.
The system performed as predicted traveling more than 300 nautical miles and reaching altitudes above 60,000 feet.
“Affordability and reliability are essential as we work to develop operational hypersonic solutions,” said John Clark, vice president and general manager Lockheed Martin Skunk Works. “Both of our HAWC flight tests launched from an operational aircraft and matched performance models and predictions to aid affordable, rapid development of future hypersonic weapons.”
The United States military now has two hypersonic airbreathing missile designs – one from Lockheed Martin and another from Raytheon – to improve and mature in the future.
“This month’s flight added an exclamation point to the most successful hypersonic airbreathing flight test program in US history,” said Walter Price, an Air Force deputy for the HAWC program. “The things we’ve learned from HAWC will certainly enhance future U.S. Air Force capabilities.”
The Lockheed Solution
The Lockheed Martin Skunk Works and Aerojet Rocketdyne team successfully worked to develop low-cost advanced manufacturing technologies, while further prioritizing extreme durability to vastly reduce piece and part costs.
According to the aerospace firm’s advanced weapons program office, through the purposeful integration of digital technologies throughout the design, test, and manufacturing process, the team validated that hypersonic systems can be produced affordably at the rates required to meet the urgent national need.
“The HAWC program created a generation of new hypersonic engineers and scientists,” said Andrew “Tippy” Knoedler, the HAWC program manager. “HAWC also brought a wealth of data and progress to the airbreathing hypersonic community. The industry teams attacked the challenge of scramjet-powered vehicles in earnest, and we had the grit and luck to make it work.”
The HAWC program has now executed the final phase of the program, yet there is still data to analyze while there will be additional opportunities to mature the technology.
To that end, DARPA will continue the maturation via its More Opportunities with HAWC (MOHAWC) program, which will include producing and flying more vehicles that will build upon HAWC’s advances. Those missiles will further expand the operating envelope of the scramjet while also providing technology on-ramps for future programs of record.
High Speed, High Stakes Hypersonic Development
This latest breakthrough comes following concentrated efforts from the Pentagon to accelerate the research and development (R&D) of hypersonic weapons and to close the gap with China and Russia, which have also been developing hypersonic platforms.
To aid the efforts, the Pentagon had requested $4.7 billion for hypersonic development and testing in its fiscal year 2023 (FY23) budget, an increase of nearly $3.8 billion over the previous year’s request, Defense One reported.
The United States Air Force faced a number of setbacks with its prototype AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon’s (ARRW’s) rocket motor in 2022. However, in December, the U.S. efforts appeared to be back on track after the Air Force carried out a successful ARRW test.
A B-52H Stratofortress successfully released the All-Up-Round AGM-183A ARRW off the Southern California coast – the first launch of a full prototype operational missile. According to the Air Force, previous test events focused on proving the booster performance.
The 412th Test Wing at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB), California, executed the ARRW test flight.
Hypersonic weapons have been seen as a potential game-changer for any military, as the missiles can fly in excess of Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound, and are generally designed to be highly maneuverable in flight – making them difficult to counter.
Author Experience and Expertise: A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.


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A few weeks ago here on the Modest Needs Blog, we talked about how twenty or so of the most prescribed medicines in the country are poised to go off patent, which means that there will be much cheaper generics available for pricey drugs like Lipitor, Plavix and Lexapro. This will be a enormous relief to a good number of Americans who rely on these drugs.
But there are other ways besides waiting for generics to save big on prescription medicine, and the terrific blog Get Rich Slowly has a fantastic post explaining easy ways to pay less for Rx:
You might not have to pay for meds at all. Once that strep throat is diagnosed, ask if the doc has any drug samples. Pharmaceutical reps drop off boxes of free meds along with those fabulous calendars, pens and tote bags. Your doctor might reserve these drugs for desperately broke patients — but maybe that’s you. It can’t hurt to ask.
If you’re living on a very low income, you might qualify for free medications through “patient assistance programs” offered by most pharmaceutical companies. Groups such as NeedyMeds, the Partnership for Prescription Assistance, theChronic Disease Fund and the Bureau of Prescription Help can tell you more.
Several drug companies also joined forces to create the Together Rx Access Program, designed for people under the age of 65 who have no prescription drug coverage. This free, income-based program makes it possible to save 25% to 40% on more than 300 medicines and medical products, and is accepted in most major pharmacies in the United States and Puerto Rico.

domain: medical


The City Council took another pivotal step towards replacing Turlock's current at-large voting system with district-based elections on Tuesday, choosing to move forward with one of the three proposed maps outlining district boundaries throughout the city.
The Turlock City Council will consider two big issues at Tuesday's post holiday meeting - the City's road tax initiative and electoral district boundaries.
As President Barack Obama has recently called for a recommitment to improving the nation's transportation infrastructure, so has the Stanislaus Council of Governments, who informally agreed on Wednesday to commit to bringing forth a countywide transportation tax to Stanislaus County in November 2016.
Despite recently passing a major milestone required for receiving state and federal funding, the Highway 165 realignment project currently faces an uncertain future due to the threatened impending bankruptcy of the federal Highway Trust Fund – a possibility that some are calling the "transportation cliff" that has already stalled critical road repairs throughout the nation.
Seeking public input on the proposed projects that will receive federal funding for major transportation and roadway improvements, the Stanislaus Council of Governments – the regional transportation planning agency – will hold a public hearing on Wednesday at a meeting in Ceres.
California's multi-billion dollar deficit will be completely eliminated by 2018, according to the May Revise of Gov. Jerry Brown's state budget released on Tuesday.
Although not considered a "full-time" job, the weekly duties fulfilled by Turlock's elected officials often require many hours not only for public meetings and events, but also representing the City on other various local commissions and governmental agencies.
An improving economy is projected within the City of Turlock's proposed 2014-15 General Fund budget, which – despite reflecting $1 million in deficit spending – is a step towards a balanced budget in the near future.
Following years of neglect, the poor conditions marking Turlock's roadways – such as cracked pavement, dangerous potholes and deteriorated sidewalks – could soon be a problem of the past should the City Council decide to place a long-awaited citywide transportation tax on the November ballot.
Reflecting the bipartisan compromises agreed upon by state legislators last week, the revised 2014-15 budget proposal includes plans to save money for the future while paying off state debt.
Poetry may kick-off Tuesday's City Council meeting, but numbers will have the last word.
Opening government meetings with prayer was upheld by the Supreme Court on Monday, even if those prayers are overwhelmingly Christian - a practice previously argued by many to be in violation of the Establishment Clause.
After releasing three possible plans mapping Turlock's potential voting districts as the City prepares to vote on switching to a district-based system to elect future City Councilmembers, the City of Turlock is seeking input from its residents on how the districts should be formed.
A culmination of several months of hard work from the Mayor's Economic Development Taskforce, the Draft 2014 Economic Development Strategic Plan recently released by the City of Turlock was at the center of the 25-member group's meeting on Tuesday as they continue to build upon previous goals and develop new strategies that will keep Turlock's economy strong for years to come.
Even the smallest incorporated city in Stanislaus County is beginning to see some big changes, including holding its first-ever State of the City Address since being incorporated in 1972.
Local smokers may soon find themselves at a loss for a place to light up in public as, after five months of discussion, the decision to ban smoking and electronic or vapor smoking devices will appear before the Turlock City Council on Tuesday.
Unlike most weekends, City Hall was an active site on Saturday with the inaugural Turlock City Council workshop taking place where the new mayor and council set out to discuss their strategic plan for the city.
Congressman Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) is addressing business owners' concerns with a recent increase in Americans with Disabilities Act compliance lawsuits at the national level.
Driving on a country road in foggy weather is dangerous and all the more reason to establish a road to connect Highway 99 and Interstate 5, at least according to Kendall Flint whose company Flint Strategies is in charge of public outreach for the project that will likely take between six and 12 years to complete.
A new mayor and council means new appointments to local and regional committees and Mayor Gary Soiseth will be at the helm of a majority of them, especially those pertaining to water.
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Movie Review: 'Hereditary'
It’s interesting what a movie can do to you. Last weekend, I saw the new horror film Hereditary. And when the lights came up, I felt just slightly underwhelmed. Like maybe I was missing something.
But over the days that followed, I found images from the movie flashing in front of my eyes, blipping in and out of my brain. Each night as I lay in bed trying to sleep, the last few scenes played over and over again in my mind. Without a doubt, Hereditary really dug its hooks into me.
This is a real horror movie. Not a by-the-numbers slasher movie, or a jump-scare parade, but a movie that is genuinely horrifying. It lives in the same universe as Rosemary’s Baby, Don’t Look Now, and The Exorcist. Or, if you want something a little more recent, 2015’s The Witch. These are all movies that people who want to seem tough say “aren’t scary,” but that’s really a completely wrong way to evaluate a horror movie. These movies dig down deep into your bones, they’re psychologically crushing, expertly crafted, and if you give them just the tiniest bit of thought, terribly frightening.
One thing Hereditary does very well is to depict the searing pain of extreme grief. Our ostensible hero, Toni Collette, and her family bear deep psychic scars from the loss they’ve experienced. And to the movie’s credit, much of it is spent exploring how they react to that grief rather than trying to fill time with supernatural scares. Now: The supernatural does come, and with a serious vengeance, but spending that time with the family and their pain shows us horror in many forms. It’s not just something that happens to us, but also something deep inside of us.
When we piece the movie’s events together—and we must, because Hereditary doesn’t do a lot of explaining— we find that what we’re seeing is the endgame of a story that’s developed over generations. It’s something the family has inherited. And their lack of control over the horrible places they’re headed may be the scariest thing of all.

domain: psychology


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Through December 31, 2023, Experian, TransUnion and Equifax will offer all U.S. consumers free weekly credit reports through AnnualCreditReport.com to help you protect your financial health during the sudden and unprecedented hardship caused by COVID-19.
In this article:
A foreclosure occurs when you fail to make your mortgage payments and a lender takes ownership of your home. A foreclosure can cause your credit scores to drop dramatically, but it's possible to bounce back from one.
After your home is foreclosed upon, you can immediately start taking steps to restore your credit. To improve your credit after a foreclosure, you may need to overhaul your credit and debt habits so your credit report will reflect only positive information going forward.
How Does a Foreclosure Affect Your Credit?
Because a foreclosure record tells creditors you weren't able to make your mortgage payments, it has an extremely negative effect on your credit. So, just how much can a foreclosure impact your credit score? It depends on where your credit stood before the event.
The higher your credit score was beforehand, the more significant the impact will be. The foreclosure will remain on your credit history for seven years after the date of your first missed mortgage payment before it drops off naturally.
Rebuilding Credit After a Foreclosure
While rebuilding credit after a foreclosure takes time and commitment, it's not impossible. By taking the following steps, you can recover from the situation and position yourself as a responsible borrower.
- Identify the cause of your foreclosure. Before you attempt to rebuild your credit, figure out what led to your foreclosure in the first place. Dive deep into your finances and spending history so you can find out what caused you to miss your mortgage payments.
Did a major event such as job loss or divorce play a role? Or, did you make purchases you really couldn't afford? Be honest with yourself and try to recognize where you may have overspent, spent unwisely or failed to plan for emergency expenses. Once you know the problem, work to correct it and you can prevent another loan default.
- Pay your bills on time. Make it a top priority to pay all your bills on time. Timely payments on your credit cards, car loans, utilities and other bills can play the biggest factor in your credit score and can help prevent foreclosure from completely ruining your credit. If you often forget to pay your bills, set up calendar reminders or sign up for automatic payments.
- Make a budget and stick to it. It's easy to forget about the long-term impacts of going through the coffee drive-thru line every morning, buying the newest smartphone and frequently traveling abroad. Without proper budgeting, these actions can put you in a cycle of debt and worsen your credit score, rather than help it. Take the time to create a budget (and stick to it). This can help you live within your means and avoid debt.
- Get a secured credit card. Foreclosure may prevent you from getting approved for a traditional credit card. If this is the case, apply for a secured credit card. Secured credit cards will require a deposit and generally have a spending limit that matches your deposit, but are attainable by consumers whose credit has been dinged by foreclosure. Making timely payments on a secured credit card can have a noticeable positive impact on your credit. Pay it off in full each month to avoid interest and to prevent debt from ballooning.
- Keep an eye on your credit utilization ratio. This ratio measures your total credit card debt against your total credit limit. A ratio above 30% can hurt your credit scores, so aim to keep it below that—but the lower, the better. Your credit utilization ratio is the second-most important factor in your credit scores, so keeping it low tends to have a positive impact.
- Seek a professional's help. You don't have to create a budget or figure out how to reduce your debt on your own. A professional such as a credit counselor can help you design the ideal solution for your unique situation. They may also negotiate with creditors to lower your interest rates and monthly payments. To find a reputable credit counselor, look for a nonprofit organization certified by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling or the Financial Counseling Association of America.
- Check your credit scores and reports regularly. To monitor your progress, it's a good idea to check your credit scores and reports on a regular basis. You can request a free credit report from each of the credit bureaus (Experian, TransUnion and Equifax) once a year by going to AnnualCreditReport.com or check your Experian credit report for free every 30 days. Doing so can give you an idea of the specific factors impacting your credit score and how to address them. It can also motivate you to stay on track with your rebuilding efforts.
- Be patient. There's no denying that repairing your credit score after foreclosure takes some time. Be patient and don't expect instant results. Just remember that with time and diligence, you can turn your dream of an improved credit score into a reality.
You Can Improve Your Credit Score After a Foreclosure
All hope isn't lost after a foreclosure. These tips can help you rebuild your credit score and improve your financial situation. With hard work and dedication, you can recover from a foreclosure and achieve your short-term and long-term goals.

domain: economics


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Category : Essay. Topic : Essays on 1984 themes. Author : . Posted : Fri, Mar 22nd 2019 02:48 AM. Format : jpg/jpeg.
Creating the first draft: Initiate it! Initializing the first draft of the essay is as important as completing the whole task. It has observed numerous times that the first step towards essay becomes a huge task for the beginners
Goal in life essay
Risk taking essay
More Essays On 1984 Best Samples
53 george orwell 1984 essay how to write an analytical thesis and critical essays on fresh newspeak quotes l fbb92a463fa

domain: literature


text: I don’t know about you, but when I am looking for a desktop wallpaper, I look for something that will make my desktop look nice and clean. Simple, not a lot going on, the image usually askew to one side to leave room on the other for icons, etc. This was especially important when I decided to geek-out my desktop using Geek Tool. I wanted to round up some of the nicer minimalist wallpapers out there (with a webapps twist, of-course!). Take a look after the jump!

domain: hobby


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Bauernwagen mit Pferd. 1922/23. Oil on canvas. Gordon 724. Lower left signed. Verso with the estate stamp (Lugt 1570b) and the hand-written number "Da/Bl 8". 50.2 x 60.1 cm (19.7 x 23.6 in). In original Kirchner frame. • In original Kirchne frame. • In 1950/51 part of a large traveling exhibition with pictures from the Kirchner estate. • Unusual image section that is almost entirely occupied by the motif. • Effectful interplay of strong and rich colors and pastel shades of blue. • The year the work was made E. L. Kirchner and his partner eventually settled in Switzerland über.
The work is documented at the Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Archive, Wichtrach/Bern.
PROVENANCE: From the artist's estate (Davos 1938, Kunstmuseum Basel 1946). Kirchner Erbengemeinschaft, Biberach (1954). Collection Walter Köhler, Munich (since 1954, heirs after Walter Kirchner, the artist's brother (died in 1954). Ever since part of a Southern German private collection.
EXHIBITION: Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. Werke aus dem Nachlass zum ersten Male in Deutschland aus Anlass seines 70. Geburtstags, Kunstverein Hamburg/Kestner-Gesellschaft, Hanover/Kunsthalle Bremen/Museum Wuppertal-Elberfeld, September 1950 to January 1951, cat. no. 20.


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Background Scleral cross-linking is a potential method to inhibit axial elongation of the eye, preventing the progression of pathological myopia. Formaldehyde releasers, which are common preservatives found in cosmetics and ophthalmic solutions, have been shown to be not only effective in cross-linking corneal collagen in vitro and in vivo, but also have minimal toxicity effects on the eye. The present study aims to evaluate the efficacy of scleral cross-linking using sodium hydroxymethylglycinate (SMG) to inhibit eye growth using an in vivo rabbit model.
Methods A cross-linking solution containing 40 mM SMG was delivered to the sub-Tenon’s space behind the equator. The application regimen included a two-quadrant injection performed five times over 2 weeks on New Zealand White rabbits (n=5, group 1), and one-time injection followed for up to 5 days on Dutch-Belted rabbits (n=6, group 2). Group 1 was monitored serially for axial length changes using B-scan ultrasound for 5–6 weeks. Group 2 was injected with a higher viscosity solution formulation. Both groups were evaluated for thermal denaturation temperature changes of the sclera postmortem.
Results Axial growth was limited by 10%–20% following SMG treatment as compared with the untreated eye. Thermal denaturation analysis showed increased heat resistance of the treated eyes in the areas of injection. Overall, the SMG treatment inhibited eye growth with few side effects from the injections.
Conclusions Cross-linking solutions delivered via sub-Tenon injection provide a potential method for limiting axial length growth in progressive myopia and could be used as a potential treatment for myopia.
- sclera and episclera
- eye (globe)
Data availability statement
Data are available upon reasonable request. Data are available upon reasonable request from corresponding authors.
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domain: chemistry


Declan Burrowes asks if Twitter’s new ‘moderation by masses’ tool can be fair and transparent, or if it will place too much power in the hands of an elite few.
After years of uncomfortable government scrutiny, outrageous clashes with a sitting US president, and difficult philosophical soul-searching on the nature (and potential boundaries) of free speech, Twitter is trialling a new community moderation feature, Birdwatch, that gives users the power to flag and contextualise potentially misleading content.
With Birdwatch, which is currently in closed beta on a standalone site, pilot users can flag contentious tweets by submitting clarifying notes and rating the helpfulness of notes left by others. Twitter claims that once there is “consensus from a broad and diverse set of contributors”, community-written notes will eventually be visible to the public directly on tweets.
All this data will be downloadable. Furthermore, as the Birdwatch algorithm is developed, Twitter aims to publish the code, so theoretically anyone will be able to investigate allegations of bias or tampering.
At surface level, Twitter’s attempt at creating a less monolithic and more transparent way of moderating content appears useful and progressive. While the real-world repercussions of ‘fake news’ may be overstated, it is self-evident that in a time where mass communications can be carried out virtually instantaneously – without a sense-checking authority or, at the very least, an ‘Are you really sure you want to post this?’ button – there is always potential for misunderstanding, obfuscation and even worse.
But making Birdwatch work won’t be easy, and there is still much that we don’t know about how it will ultimately function. For example, how much content moderating power will Twitter be ceding to its community? How much will it retain, and will it be able to intervene in Birdwatch disputes at its own discretion? Once the closed beta test is over, will anyone be able to become a Birdwatcher?
How these questions are answered will determine whether the tool will work as intended – fairly and transparently – or as a pragmatic power transfer from an embattled Silicon Valley to a zealous neighbourhood watch.
Will Twitter succeed where others have failed?
Following the Birdwatch announcement last month, one Forbes writer described it as a “Wikipedia-style approach” to the fight against misinformation, alluding to that site’s (frequently criticised) reliance on community volunteers to write, edit and fact-check articles.
But what the writer failed to mention is that Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales actually did attempt his very own ‘Wikipedia for journalism’ in 2017. Wikitribune retained a small team of professional journalists who wrote articles that were then fact-checked, edited and updated in real time by community volunteers. The site was, in Wales’ own words, a fix for “broken” journalism that would, through a combination of journalistic expertise and constant community dialogue, get to the essential, immutable truth of a story.
Wikitribune never really took off and petered out completely a year later. Part of the problem was that only an extremely small number of time-rich Wikitribune evangelists, who had their own narrow interests, were willing to put the effort into fact-checking and editing. This influential minority allegedly caused editorial issues and the Times reported that “many also detected a liberal bias” on the site.
This may be a problem for Twitter, too. VP of product Keith Coleman acknowledged that ensuring Birdwatch “isn’t dominated by a simple majority or biased by its distribution of contributors” will be difficult, even “messy”.
The way in which social networks are structured and grow means that isolated bubbles, which are typically impervious to different opinions and viewpoints, are common and perhaps inevitable.
In Twitter’s case, 60pc of adult users in the US identify as a Democrat or lean Democrat, compared to 52pc of the US general population. Just 35pc identify as Republican or lean Republican, compared to 43pc of the general population. Furthermore, 92pc of all tweets posted by US users between November 2019 and October 2020 were posted by just 10pc of users, according to the Pew Research Center. If Twitter wants to avoid Wikitribune’s fate, it will have to carefully consider how to avoid content moderation power permanently, and unfairly, coalescing in the hands of the top 10pc.
The perils of publishing
Social networks, whether they like it or not, have become content publishers. They give billions the means to project opinions and influence other people, frequently at uncontrollable speeds. One only has to look at the recent GameStop saga to see how discussion in a Reddit forum led to Wall Street panic and White House consternation in less than two weeks.
It is hardly surprising, then, that many politicians, including Irish TDs, have called for all manner of state interventions into internet affairs, including public oversight of social networks, fines for platforms that are slow to take down illegal or offensive content, and even the dismantling of larger conglomerates like Facebook.
Twitter’s stance has hardened considerably over time, particularly since 2016, and not without confusing many of its users in the process. What qualifies as acceptable content has changed, reversed, changed back, and been generally poorly communicated. This has led to mystifying, even mysterious, deletions, suspensions and reinstatements, which in turn have led to repeated accusations of bias and even active censorship.
While Birdwatch might not put an end to Twitter’s often confusing and cack-handed attempts at moderation, transparent discussion between users may at the very least help to explain the rationale that determines which content is flagged or deleted. (Whether that rationale will be acceptable to offending tweeters is another matter entirely.)
Indeed, the creation of Birdwatch may be more shrewd move than benevolent crusade against fake news. By ceding degrees of content moderation to the userbase in a transparent or otherwise ‘fair’ way, Twitter might be able to avoid continuous accusations of incompetence, uncomfortable parliamentary inquisitions and hefty fines. It is, after all, far harder to fault a million earnest users than a single billionaire tech CEO.
For now, though, Jack Dorsey et al have their work cut out communicating, clarifying and implementing their new technology. Their users will determine the practicality and success of Birdwatch, and with it, Twitter’s freedom to conduct business as usual.
Declan Burrowes is content and editorial manager at communications agency 360. A version of this article originally appeared on the 360 blog.


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NOGALES, Mexico (AP) — Bundled against the cold, dozens of asylum seekers pushed back into Mexico by the United States tried Friday to get their bearings, still unsure of how they would travel some 350 miles to their court dates, subsist for months in this unfamiliar border city or return to their distant homelands.
On Thursday, the U.S. government expanded its so-called “Remain in Mexico” program to the border between this city and its sister Nogales, Arizona. A group of about 30 mostly Central American migrants were returned that day and another approximately 45 were sent Friday.
The migrants said no one had figured out how to round up money to leave Nogales yet.
The U.S. had sent some 56,000 asylum seekers back to await their cases in Mexico through November, according to Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse. Making asylum seekers wait in Mexican border cities, many of which suffer from rampant crime, aims to discourage migrants. Previously many of them were released with monitoring bracelets to await their cases inside the U.S.
Nogales is the seventh border crossing to participate in the program and perhaps the most onerous yet for asylum seekers. Central Americans who returned Thursday had court dates scheduled for late March in El Paso, Texas, hundreds of miles east . Other border points have courts just across the frontier or at least a significantly shorter distance away.
Lorenzo González, a Guatemalan farmworker travelling with his wife and three children between the ages of 1 and 12, said he didn’t see how they could wait three months. He was ready to throw in the towel, but also didn’t know how they’d be able to return to Guatemala.
“We don’t understand why they didn’t send us to Guatemala to fight our case from there and not wait here,” he said at a soup kitchen where his family had eaten Friday. “We’re worried here because we don’t know anyone, we don’t have any place to go. They gave us a shelter, but not more than three nights.”
The family spent Thursday night at a shelter nearly 2 miles (3 kilometers) from the border. In the morning, migrants there paid a nominal fee for a lift to the soup kitchen, which sits a short walk from the border crossing. In the afternoon, Mexico’s immigration agency shuttles them back to the shelter from the border. But workers at the independently run shelter said they can stay for only three nights.
“I want to go back (to Guatemala), but we don’t have money,” he said. He also didn’t have the 1,200 pesos ($63) for a bus ticket to Ciudad Juarez across the border from El Paso, where his court date was scheduled for March 25. “I don’t know what to do.”
Even with money, the journey to Ciudad Juarez is far from secure. It entails crossing from territory controlled by the Sinaloa cartel to that of the rival Juarez cartel. Three women and six children, all dual nationals, were killed by Juarez cartel gunmen in November where those territories meet.
“We’re very worried by this situation,” said the Rev. Sean Carroll, executive director of the Kino Border Initiative in Nogales, which provides the free meals to migrants. He said the returnees are at risk of assault, abuse, kidnapping and rape. “They’re vulnerable here. They’re going to be vulnerable en route. They’re going to be vulnerable in Ciudad Juarez.”
A report by the independent Human Rights First group, released in December, documented at least 636 public reports of violence against asylum-seekers returned to Mexico including rape, kidnapping and torture. The group said that was a steep increase over October, when it had identified 343 attacks, and noted the latest figure is surely an under-count because most crime victims don’t report.
Heberto Ramírez, another Guatemalan farmworker traveling with his 16-year-old son, said he had been in touch with his family since being sent back to Mexico and they asked him how he’d get home because there was no more money. Still, he didn’t see how they could wait more than three months at the border either. He had just a towel draped over a shirt to buffer against the cold that hovered just below freezing early Friday morning.
“We wanted to do something, maybe earn something that we don’t have, but it turns out we couldn’t,” Ramírez said. “Better we go back, continue living poorly.”
The Mazatlan Post


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Filmmaker Shonali Bose’s last film ‘Margarita With A Straw’ (2014) had a very good and largely innovative soundtrack by Mikey McCleary (music) and Prasoon Joshi (lyrics). For her new film ‘The Sky Is Pink’, which boasts of quite a stellar cast comprising of Priyanka Chopra, Farhan Akhtar, Zaira Wasim and Rohit Saraf, she has brought together the team of music director Pritam and lyricist Gulzar after a hiatus. The two of them had earlier worked on films like ‘Just Married’ (2007) and ‘Billu’ (2009). As the film explores the emotions of the members of a family who are undergoing a personal crisis, one expects an emotionally charged score consisting of songs of different moods.
The album opens with the very melodious and hummable “Dil Hi Toh Hai”, sung by Arijit Singh and Antara Mitra. This is the kind of song Pritam belted out quite frequently in his early days. Actually, those who are familiar with the kind of sound Pritam likes to create and the type of imagery Gulzar likes to play around with, they will instantly recognize that this song is created by the two of them. This is signature Pritam melody, vintage Gulzar poetry. This also means it brings in a sense of familiarity and does not offer much novelty. But, sometimes, comfort lies in a familiar feeling. The song has a reprised version in which Sreerama Chandra replaces Arijit Singh as the male vocalist. Sreerama does a very good behind the mic and makes one wonder why one does not get to hear him more often in Hindi films.
“Nadaaniyaan”, too, has the kind of sound one associated with Pritam in his early days. Gulzar uses oft-repeated words to form phrases that one might not have heard before. Guess, that is what seperates legends from commoners. Arjun Kanungo, whose voice has mostly been heard in pop numbers, gives a very good account of herself. Lisa Mishra, too, sings well. Pritam’s tune, though nice, does not stay with you for long. This is a song that should make a better impression with visuals.
“Zindagi tune kaisa toss khela hai, raat bhaari hai kabhi toh din akela hai” – as soon as you hear these lines, you know it is Gulzar at work here. Pritam’s composition is simple and nice; it acts as a good foil to Gulzar’s words and Arijit’s subliminal rendition. “Zindagi” is wrapped in a thick layer of melancholy and one expects it to be heard at a crucial juncture in the film. Though it is not as memorable as a “Ghar” (‘Jab Harry Met Sejal’ (2017)), this is effective enough to heighten the emotions when it is played on the screen.
Gulzar’s lyrics are the highlight in “Pink Gulaabi Sky”, a jazz-based number in which the family, whom the story revolves around, is shown to be having a good time. While the jazz influence is prevalent throughout the song, if you listen carefully to the choral section, it will bring back memories of some of Pritam’s earlier compositions. To compare the song in a Hindi film context, it is in the zone of a “Girls Like To Swing” (‘Dil Dhadakne Do’ (2015)) or a “Calcutta Kiss” (‘Detective Byomkesh Bakshy’ (2015)). Shashwat Singh and Jonita Gandhi do a good job as vocalists and bring a sense of verve to the song with their rendition.
‘The Sky Is Pink’ is reminiscent of the sensibilities of Pritam when he had just started out. This is a good album but with Gulzar and him collaborating on a film after a decade, one had definitely expected more.


Dawson Leedahl wasn’t exactly banking on an NHL career a year ago.
He was already thinking about going to play university hockey — likely at home with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies — and continuing his education.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Yet, somewhere along the way, his hockey stick heated up in a big way. Leedahl went on to rack up Western Hockey League career-highs for all major offensive categories during the 2016-17 season, including goals (35), assists (54), points (89), power-play goals (10), shorthanded goals (2), game-winning goals (4) and plus-minus (+45 rating), to go along with 121 penalty minutes, as a member of the high-flying Regina Pats.
Talk about being involved in every facet of the game.
He went on to sign an NHL entry-level contract with the New York Rangers as a non-drafted free agent, much to his delight.
“I wasn’t too confident about it (pro contract),” admits Leedahl, a physical 6-foot-2, 195-pound forward who signed with the Rangers this spring.


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Other conditions relating to the use of Gadolinium are Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF) and retention. Both conditions are potential longer-term side effects resulting from gadolinium breakdown and interactions within the body. NSF is a rare condition associated with the use of gadolinium is a small proportion of patients with severely reduced kidney function. As part of the checks prior to injection, an assessment of your kidney function is made and where there is a need to formally check function beforehand this will be arranged. Considerations that may require formal testing of renal function include:
• Age – patients aged 75yrs or older
• History of kidney disease
• Taking medication for high blood pressure
• History of diabetes mellitus
• Having had, or planning to have, a liver transplant
Retention has more recently been recognised as a result of repeated exposure to gadolinium where small quantities have been found in tissues (mainly bones and the brain) but with no known adverse effects. In both cases, the need for contrast is assessed to ensure that is it essential to support diagnosis of your clinical symptoms and that any benefit outweighs any potential risk of harm. The contrast media used within InHealth are considered low risk, even to those with severe kidney problems, and so further reduces any concerns for harm.


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Crude Tankers To Benefit from Latin American Oil Export Market
According to Gibson, “the lack of refining capacity expansion in the region is a double positive for tankers. Crude production in Brazil and Guyana is expanding, but with no increases in domestic crude processing capacity, any increase in production will have to be exported. Perhaps the only negative for tankers in the region comes from Mexico. With Pemex planning to launch the 340kbd Dos Bocas refinery in 2023, products imports from the US Gulf will see a significant drop from the 470kbd traded into Mexico’s Caribbean coast in 2019.This will cut off much of the trade going into Mexico’s East coast, however given the short haul nature, this is the least worst outcome for regional tanker trade, with longer haul exports down to South America and the West Coast remaining relatively unscathed”.
The shipbroker added that “in the region’s largest economy, little progress is likely to be made on the refining side. Although Petrobras has allocated $1bn to finish the second train at RNEST, the planned 145kbd expansion project will not come online until at least 2027, if it is completed at all. Other facilities which have recently been divested, such as the 333kbd RLAM refinery sold to Mubadala could be upgraded but are unlikely to see any major increases in total product output. Venezuela remains a key uncertainty in the long term. The country is home to 1.3 mbd of nameplate refining capacity and also has significant crude export potential. If sanctions are lifted, then crude and product exports across the region will see upside. However, even once eased, the lasting impact of crippling sanctions on export and refining facilities may prevent Venezuela from ever fully reaching its potential, with any increase in clean product production likely to remain within the country, ensuring the US remains Latin America’s main source of refined product supply for the foreseeable future”.
“However, the benefit for product tankers overall will be modest. Whilst refining capacity in Latin America is unlikely to expand in the medium term (aside from Mexico), sluggish demand growth projections limit the upside. Despite the region consisting mostly of developing nations, demand is forecast to expand by a tiny 300 kbd between 2019 and 2026, which is essentially offset by the new Dos Bocas refinery. That being said, from a tonne mile perspective demand will grow at a faster pace as exports to Mexico are redirected further south. Crude tankers on the other hand benefit to a greater extent, with Brazilian and Guyanese crude output expanding by 1.8mbd over the next 5 years, almost of all of which will be exported”, Gibson concluded.
Nikos Roussanoglou, Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide


Police killer Dale Cregan begs his criminal friends on an illegal mobile phone from prison to send him money 'because he can't afford trainers or tracksuits'
- One-eyed police killer Dale Cregan allegedly been using illegal phone in prison
- Source claims he has been begging former gangland friends to send him money
- Cregan murdered PCs Fiona Bone and Nicola Hughes in September 2012
- He's serving whole life sentence for four murders and three attempted murders
One-eyed police killer Dale Cregan has allegedly been using an illegal phone to beg his former gang friends for money to buy tracksuits and trainers in prison
One-eyed police killer Dale Cregan has allegedly been using an illegal phone to beg his former gang friends for money to buy tracksuits and trainers in prison.
Cregan, 34, is serving a whole life sentence for the murders of police officers Fiona Bone, 32, and Nicola Hughes, 23, in 2012 after luring them to his home in Droylsden, Manchester.
But now none of his former friends can be bothered helping him, with a source saying: 'No one is scared of him now.'
The revelation comes on the sixth anniversary of the murders.
The source told the Mirror: 'He is really pathetic. None of his old crew want to know him and he has been ringing anyone he can on the outside to beg for help.
'He is yesterday's man and no-one is scared of him now.'
'Cregan is going to die behind bars for what he did so why would anyone put their hands in their pocket for him?'
The cocaine kingpin was told he would die in prison when he was jailed for life without parole for shooting the police officers in 2012.
He was already on the run for the murders of David, 46, and Mark Short, 23, when he killed the two policewomen after luring them to a house with a fake 999 call before shooting them 32 times on the doorstep and then throwing a grenade at them.
Cregan, 34, is serving a whole life sentence for the murders of police officers Fiona Bone, 32, (left) and Nicola Hughes, 23, (right) in 2012 after luring them to his home in Manchester
The murderer, who is also a convicted drug-dealer, lost his eye in unknown circumstances years ago.
After being handed a life sentence in 2013 following a £5 million trial, Cregan went to the HM Prison Full Sutton.
But only a two months later he went on hunger strike and was transferred to Ashworth Hospital, where he bragged about using the gym, cooking pizzas and playing snooker.
He spent four years in the Merseyside mental health unit, where infamous Moors Murderer Ian Brady saw out his life, before returning to HMP Manchester, commonly known as Strangeways.
The jail is investigating how the former drug dealer got the phone.
A Prison Service spokesman said: 'Anyone caught trying to bring or use a mobile phone in prison can expect to spend significantly longer behind bars.
'We are taking unprecedented action to find and block mobiles, including a £2 million investment in detection equipment.'
Cregan is only the 49th prisoner in England and Wales to be give a 'whole life' sentence.


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". . .Shobi . . . brought . . honey and curds, sheep and cheese of the herd, for David and the people who were with him to eat. For they said, “The people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness.” 2 Samuel 17:27-29
My mom came over to make cheese with me. The cow who normally gives us our milk is not producing at the moment. We've been craving good raw milk. I thought it was just me until Larkin said one morning over a glass of store-bought milk, "If I drink it really fast, it's kind of like fresh milk!" So when my mom brought six gallons of raw milk, we were really happy. Three of those gallons were for our first attempt at making cheese. Armed with Ricki Carroll's book on Home Cheese Making, we tried ricotta, mozzarella, and quark.
We started our quark first. Neither of us had heard of it before, but it looked easy enough and sounded good from the description. Just dump a packet of buttermilk starter into a gallon of 88* milk and let it sit for 24 hrs.
Then we started the ricotta. Dissolve 1 tsp. citric acid in 1/4 cup cool water. Pour it and 1 tsp. cheese salt into 1 gallon milk. Heat to 185*-195*, stirring often.
Then we had a problem. The curds and whey were supposed to separate until the whey was no longer milky. It was supposed to get clear and bluish. It never happened. We tried holding the temperature at 193* for several minutes, but the whey wasn't really changing. Maybe we stirred too much? I have no idea. Anyway, we finally gave up on the whey getting clear, since we did have a lot of curds. So we took it off the heat and let it sit 15 min., then drained it in cheesecloth.
Then we hung it up to drain for about 30 min.
And ta da! Ricotta! It had a good wholesomeness to it but wasn't really flavorful. We decided it would be good on salads with dressing or baked in dishes to soak up the flavor, which I guess is what it is used for. Next time, I think I'll add a couple Tbs. cream, which was optional and we didn't use this time, because it ended up being kind of dry the next day.
The next day, at the appointed time, we checked on our quark. When we lifted the pan lid, it looked like a solid gallon of plain yogurt and tasted similar too. We dumped it into a cheesecloth-lined colander to drain.
At this point we were really excited, because the quark was so smooth and had a very pleasant flavor. It would have been good in smoothies or just eaten with berries. But we wanted to see what the final outcome was going to be, so we went ahead and finished the recipe. Since there was so much of it, we took off about a third and put it in its own cheesecloth and hung it up to drain. The other two-thirds was so big we just left it in the colander to drain.
We let it drain for a few hours and then put it in the fridge in colanders. On top of the small batch, we placed a little plate and stacked some thick bowls on top for weights. We tried to put some weights on top of the bigger batch, but they kept slipping off so we just let it sit in a colander in the fridge.
And then we turned to "30-minute mozzarella." It actually took us much longer than 30 minutes, novices that we are. This recipe was slightly more involved and even used rennet.
Here are the curds coming out of the pot.
Kneading the mozzarella.
Miah forming it into balls.
It was OK. The flavor was alright, but I didn't like the texture. It was pretty tough. Next time, I'd like to try using lipase, which was optional. It's supposed to give the cheese more flavor and make it softer. I think I would like that better. It was fun to make though, and I'm sure that it would go faster with practice.
This morning, we unveiled the quark.
It was good. It was really good.
Actually what we unveiled was the smaller portion of the quark. It was rich, smooth, and creamy. It could be sliced into lovely little triangles and served with honey and blueberries. It was sublime. It was hard to stop eating - even all the kids thought so! Later we tried out the bigger portion. It had the same flavor but the texture was not nearly as nice. Next time, I'll divide it into three portions, save one portion as it is, and hang, then press the other two well. This quark was especially exciting for me. I can't usually eat soft cheeses like cream cheese, because I'm lactose intolerant. Since this was made from fresh, raw milk and used a starter culture, my tummy was just as pleased as my mouth. (And my mouth was very pleased!)
"A cheese may disappoint. It may be dull, it may be naive, it may be oversophisticated. Yet it remains, cheese, milk's leap toward immortality."
Clifton Fadiman -American writer


[Elliptic Porch Fixed M Size Popular]
This is an elliptical fastener porch series that was born at the request of the "Leather Porch," who is a female staff member of the Dealer's staff.
Its distinctive silhouette is its own independent silhouette.It can be large and open in a fastener up to the bottom.
There are no pockets, it's simple to make.
The Swedish embroidery and the white yarn in the middle are also helpful in creating the atmosphere of the natural porch.
[Real Size Size]
Width: 15 cm
Height: 10 cm
Okrows: 7 cm
* There is a difference in the nature of the materials.
Please think about the size of the body.
(color) Itoiro color: white yarn regardless of the color of the body
Embroidery in Japan: Sweden
Gold fittings: iron


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Wonder Woman vs Baywatch box office: Gal Gadot-starrer opens with Rs 2.5 crore; Priyanka fails to work magic
Baywatch failed to fare well at the Indian box-office after it tanked at the U.S. box-office. Wonder Woman, however, had an impressive Day 1 in India.
Two highly anticipated films released in India this weekend. Priyanka Chopra's Hollywood debut Baywatch and American superhero film Wonder Woman. Chopra's Hollywood stint Baywatch which also stars Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron in leading roles failed to fare well at the Indian box-office after it tanked at the U.S. box-office. Wonder Woman, however, had an impressive Day 1 in India, just like it did overseas.
Gal Gadot ruled the box-office in India on Day by grossing 2.50 crore net as per the www.boxofficeindia.com. Wonder Woman released in English and faired well in evening shows. Overall, the superhero action adventure has made over $100 million worldwide up until now and is largely dominant on the box office both in India and outside.
Baywatch, however, was hugely disappointing. The cliched plot and crass comedy probably couldn't pull the audiences to the theaters. According to www.boxofficeindia.com, Baywatch managed to rake in just 1.50 crore even after being released in four languages - Hindi, English, Tamil and Telugu. Although the film had a stellar cast with Dwayne Johnson having the ability to enliven any frame, the promotions and publicity could not do its job in India. Baywatch made a total of $28.5 million worldwide.
The hype around Baywatch, sadly, did not prove to be of much help at the box office, whereas, the audiences seem to have loved Gal Gadot's fierce super-heroine action adventure. Wonder Woman's success is a definite turning point for films with strong female protagonists.
Ramin Bahrani faces racist comments during online event; Priyanka Chopra, Ava Duvernay come out in support of director
Ramin Bahrani was speaking to producer Ava Duvernay when a man passed racist comments at The White Tiger director.
She was 19 and known as Joye Hummel in March 1944, when she went to work for William Moulton Marston, a psychologist who had created Wonder Woman three years earlier and found himself with a product that was in such demand that he couldn’t keep up.
The Beach Bum does not really have a substantive story, it just follows a doped up middle-aged guy who displays no self-awareness and never faces any consequences for his actions.

domain: entertainment


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I love you die Amiki,carry go, we are solidly behimd you
Amiki all the way. I love you girl
Aduke is bae
Dablamar is the true definition of afropop
Fun Boi song reminds me of how real songs should sound ????????
Vanessa is a vibe, Ehiz kiss for the award
Aduke is the best hit here... Great Guy
I love the song Aduke
We proud of you bro. You're lyrics are ????????
Leo Knight keep crushing all the way to the top we gat you covered
Boss we all are on your side
Love all your music
Put more effort
Opinions! We all have them. Find out what people really think with polls and surveys from Crowdsignal.


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Legendary electronic music group The Prodigy changed the genre forever in 1997 with perhaps their most widely celebrated album, The Fat Of The Land. Now, 24 years later, The Prodigy have updated the the record's leadoff single "Breathe" with a brand new edit.
Enlisting the help of legendary Wu-Tang Clan member RZA—whose track "Da Mystery Of Chessboxin" was already sampled in the original version of "Breathe"—and Canadian drum & bass maestro René LaVice, The Prodigy have unveiled the "Breathe" Re-Amp.
The Prodigy's Liam Howlett took over production duties with the help of LaVice, increasing the tempo and introducing some intensely distorted drums while RZA's verses serve to bump up the energy even higher.
Only the short clip shared in the tweet is available thus far, but The Prodigy's new "Breathe" edit is slated for release tomorrow, June 18th. The "F9" hashtag in the tweet indicates that the Re-Amp will be featured in the forthcoming film Famil—err, F9: The Fast Saga, the latest installment of the Fast & Furious film series.
KDrew Revives Halsey's "Graveyard" With Haunting Future Bass Remix: Listen
KDrew has brought "Graveyard" back from the dead to produce a soaring rework.
Hannah Wants Performed With a Broken Leg After a Scooter Accident in Ibiza
Not even a broken leg could keep Hannah Wants from taking the stage at her first festival performance since the onset of the pandemic.
RL Grime and Baauer Announce Collaborative Alias and New Music: Details
A new website developed for the project features a scannable QR code with a custom Instagram AI filter.
Keep an eye out for tomorrow's release of The Prodigy's "Breathe" Re-Amp with RZA and René LaVice at The Prodigy's social channels.


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You don’t end up in Snowshoe, West Virginia, by accident. It is, decidedly, in the middle of nowhere. The nearest town of any size – Marlinton – is 30 miles away, and its population barely cracks a thousand people. From Atlanta, where I live, it was a nine and a half hour drive, the last hour of which I had no cell reception. Even at the top of the 4,700′ high mountain where the resort itself sits, I had no signal. Any direction you look, you are completely surrounded by a lush, green, and dense forest.
As someone who has spent his entire life on the East Coast, I have never felt so remote or so isolated this side of the Rockies. Adding to the feeling of isolation was the distinct lack of other people when I arrived late one Tuesday evening. Summer is the slow season for Snowshoe, and since the bike park is only open from Thursday to Sunday, there were very few folks around.
Since the park was not open on Wednesday, I needed somewhere to ride. After talking to the Bike Park Manager, Philip Yates, he suggested a ride in nearby Slatyfork and put together a 25-mile loop for me. Philip asked me what bike I had brought with me and I told him it was a hardtail. Apparently, for the trails in Slatyfork, that would not do.
“Friends don’t let friends ride hardtails in Slatyfork,” was his reply.
And with that, he leant me his week-old 2017 Specialized Stumpjumper. Now, I am no stranger to hard trails on hardtails, but since he was offering…
The trail system in Slatyfork is an easy 15-mile drive from the resort. Just head south on Highway 219 through Slatyfork – essentially just a post office – and turn right onto Mine Road. Then, drive a few miles up the wide, tree-covered gravel road and park at the Tea Creek trailhead.
From the trailhead I rode the Gauley Mountain, Red Run, and Right Fork trails up to the Scenic Highway. After taking in the view at an overlook, there was a rowdy descent down the Tea Creek Mountain trail. In mountain biking, what goes down must get back up, and in this case, I took Bannock Shoals. This four-mile climb featured a steady, but not too steep, grade. Even so, I was losing some enthusiasm by the midway point. Since it was getting late in the day, I opted to shortcut the last couple miles of the loop Philip had laid out. That turned out to be a good decision, as the sky opened up just as I got back to my truck.
I ended up covering 23 miles and 3,100 feet of climbing, but it felt like much, much more. In many places, the trail was a soft, mossy bog. My tires would sink down a couple inches into the green velvet carpet, sapping speed and energy. The climbs were not as steep as some of our trails in the Southeast, but they were even more technical. To add further difficulty, the roots and rocks that punctuated the climbs were also covered in moss. Not only that, sections of the trail were overgrown with all manner of stinging and scratching plants. My forearms and shins were shredded when I finished.
I only saw one other human during my ride, and that was a motorcyclist at the overlook – I had the woods all to myself. When I stopped to take some photos, I noticed how quiet it was. No people. No distant traffic noise. Just the sounds of the forest slightly muffled by the abundant moss.
While I could have done the ride on my hardtail, I was extremely grateful that Philip was kind enough to lend me his bike. I actually think a 29er full suspension would have done even better on the trails in Slatyfork. In between all those roots and rocks were awkward holes where the 27.5″ wheels on the Stumpjumper often got hung up.
These are true backcountry trails: remote, raw, and relatively unmaintained. If you go to Slatyfork looking for an easy cruise on some flow trails, you will be disappointed. However, if you are out to challenge yourself, they are worth the trip. I would certainly set aside a day to check them out.
Snowshoe Bike Park
After the taxing ride in Slatyfork, I was looking forward to some laps in the bike park. I headed over to the Mountain Adventure Center first thing on Thursday morning to get setup with a Specialized Demo 8.
Snowshoe is unique in that the resort sits at the very top of the mountain instead of at the base. Being atop a ridge means you have your choice of which side of the mountain to descend. The Basin Area of the mountain features about 800 feet of vertical ending at the picturesque Shavers Lake. On the opposite side of the ridge is the Western Territory, which nearly doubles the amount of descending to 1,500 vertical feet. Since it had been over a year since I had ridden a DH bike, I decided to ease into things and started on the Basin side.
I did a few laps on the main blue run – Upper Dreamweaver to Lucid to Lower Dreamweaver – to get acquainted with the bike. Apart from a handful of chunky sections mostly at the top, the trail was fast, flowy, and smooth. The trail was well-built with berms everywhere. Even though it was fairly late in the season, the trails were in great shape – no big holes or braking bumps.
Once I felt sufficiently warmed up, I thought I would try my hand on one of the black diamond trails. Just choosing one at random, I ended up on “E.” From the get-go the trail is one steep tangle of roots and rocks after another. The overnight rain had soaked everything, which made for an even wilder ride. It took every bit of concentration I could muster to make it down the hill in one piece. There was no grade inflation here–it was most definitely a black diamond trail.
After that white-knuckle experience I took a break to grab some lunch and let the some of the moisture burn off. Once back on the bike, I headed over to the Western Territory to explore the trails on that side of the mountain. Sadly, many of the trails on that side were closed because of the Pro GRT race taking place over the weekend. The trails that were open turned out to be a blast, though.
It was a little slow going at the top of the hill since I had to cross over the race course a couple times, but once I made it to Ninja Bob it was smooth sailing. Well, at least smooth in the sense that I didn’t need to stop. Ninja Bob to Ball-N-Jack to Powerline is an all-blue run from top to bottom. Compared to Dreamweaver in the Basin Area, these trails were faster and packed in many more features – jumps, drops, and one particularly long rock garden. When I think of “bike park trails” this is exactly what comes to mind – expertly-built trails that maximize the fun. An advanced rider will appreciate the endless berms which negate the need for braking on much of the trail. I would hesitate sending a beginner down these trails, but any intermediate rider could handle them. None of the jumps are true doubles, and the drops all have ride arounds.
Once I could confidently ride the blue run without stopping I checked out the two black diamond runs that were open: Missing Link and lower down, Sweet Dream. Missing Link was incredible – it turned out to be my favorite trail on the mountain. Just like the blue runs, Missing Link was chock full of berms, but these were steeper and tighter. Some sections even had a little exposure–overcooking a berm here would have you launching down the mountain. There were some jumps as well, but again, no true doubles, so the penalty for coming up short was low. Sweet Dream was worth checking out once, but calling it a black diamond was a stretch. It had a drop or two and some rocks, but nothing larger than what I found on the blues. I preferred the flowy goodness of Powerline over Sweet Dream to finish the run.
For the rest of Thursday and half of Friday I ticked off most of the remaining open trails on the mountain. Back in the Basin Area, I rode everything except for “A,” one of the double black diamond trails. The entrance into the trail was so steep and sketchy looking that I just could not muster the guts to drop in. I did, however, ride all the other black diamond trails along with B and I, both of which were double black diamonds. The differences between the blacks and double blacks mostly boiled down to the grade. There were some skinnies on the double black trails, but even some of those had ride arounds. As for jumps, there were none to be found – at least none that were manmade.
Just for the sake of trying it, I took my trail bike out in the park. On some of the Basin blues, I actually preferred it to the Specialized Demo 8 as I could get up to speed faster. Once on the black diamonds, however, I was quickly wishing for more bike. I managed to make it down E without dabbing, but it was damn-near terrifying on the shorter-travel bike. As for the Western Territory, a legit DH bike was better-suited to the higher speeds. So while you can ride your trail bike in the park, a DH bike is really the right tool for the job.
Snowshoe Backcountry Trails
For a change of pace from the bike park, Snowshoe also has some backcountry singletrack on their property. I ventured out for a couple rides on these trails to see what they were all about.
I started my first backcountry ride late one afternoon following a full day of riding in the park. Following Snowshoe Drive to South Mountain takes you to the Cheat Mountain Ridge Trail. It is more of a chunky gravel road than a trail, but there are stretches of singletrack that parallel it, which the crew in the bike shop called Bear Scat. Since it was late in the day, I decided to stick to the main trail. After a couple miles on Cheat Mountain you will see a well-marked trailhead for 6000 Steps on your left.
From here you can head down the mountain, but if you have the legs, continue past the 6000 Steps trailhead for about a mile to check out the Snowshoe Fire Tower. Climb up the 100′ tower – carefully, because the railing is missing in places – and you have stunning 360-degree views of the surrounding area. Trust me, it is well-worth the extra bit of effort to get there.
Once you have had your fill of the scenery, head back down to 6000 Steps for a grin-inducing descent down to Shavers Lake. If the Ball Hooter lift is still running, you get an easy ride back to the resort. In all, this loop was about 10 miles long with minimal climbing – assuming you take the chair lift.
The following day, I decided to tackle a longer loop in an effort to hit as many of the backcountry trails as possible. I pieced together my own route based on the map I got from the shop, but as it turned out, I really should have asked for a route suggestion. While I thoroughly enjoyed my ride, some of the trails I rode were seldom-used.
I began my ride as I had the night before, but instead of riding Cheat Mountain, I followed the meandering Bear Scat singletrack. Much of this trail was slow speed, pedally, and technical. As an East Coast rider, I felt right at home. The trail was similar to what I had ridden in Slatyfork, just drier since I was at the top of the mountain. Again, I stopped to check out the fire tower because it is so damn cool. Instead of heading back to 6000 Steps I continued on Cheat Mountain, which becomes Fire Tower Trail.
Fire Tower trail is a 4×4 road that heads more or less straight down the mountain. At the bottom, I paralleled some train tracks on McDonald Way, which opened into a beautiful clearing full of wildflowers. From here, I went up Pole Axe, which was an overgrown doubletrack. The weeds here were above my head in some places, and the only way I stayed on track was by the little bits of orange ribbon that showed up every 100 yards or so. It was an eerie experience pushing my bike through the weeds, made even scarier when I came across a black bear cub and its mother.
After pushing/riding for the better part of an hour, I finally came upon a trail intersection. Here I saw that the “trail” I was on was marked as closed coming from the other direction. Oops. I guess that explains why it was so overgrown.
Once I was back on trails that were actually open, the riding improved greatly. I rode Headset Adjustment to Lower Beaver Dam, and pushed my bike up Upper Beaver Dam, which put me in a clearing on top of the mountain. From here you can see the resort just to the south. I drank the beer I had brought along, laid in the grass, and soaked up the sunshine. When I got back on the bike, I headed down Upper Beaver Dam, since it was the gnarliest piece of singletrack I had seen. Eventually I made it back down to Shavers Lake, where I stopped for some much-deserved food and beer at the Boathouse. In all, the ride was about 20 miles long with 2,000 feet of climbing.
End of the Trip
When Sunday rolled around, I was sufficiently smoked. In four days I had ridden over 130 miles between Slatyfork and Snowshoe. Rain had rolled in on Saturday night and it continued to pour throughout the morning, leaving me with zero motivation to ride. I did head down the hill to catch some of the Pro GRT race/slip-n-slide contest. Racers were sliding out all over the track in the challenging conditions.
I went into the trip without any idea of what to expect, and I left completely enamored with the place. The riding – both the singletrack and bike park – is top-notch. Riders of all abilities can find trails suited to their skill level. If you are looking for great riding, beautiful scenery, and a relaxed atmosphere, Snowshoe should be on your short list of places to visit. I certainly will be back again next summer, but this time with a few friends to share in the isolation.
Thanks to Snowshoe Mountain for making this trip possible!

domain: travel


Solutions that enable breakthrough automotive designs in and around the car—enhancing safety and the driver experience.
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Technical content and expertise to help jump start your design and get you to production faster.
The InfoSurge™ family of products, supporting broadband cable modem applications,
presents the industry with yet another example of NXP®'s ability to exceed the needs of a
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Russian Toyota Supra Makes Burnout Show [Video]
The last month event hosted a series of customized cars, but this Supra got all the attention, both for its looks and capabilities.
As you will notice in the video bellow, the customized Toyota Supra has a completely different front end with no headlamps, a different interior with custom rollcage and instruments as well as one of the craziest liveries see on a Supra. The only things telling it’s still a Supra are the 2JZ-GTE engine and the rear end.
Check the video bellow for a taste of the Russian motor event.