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KING CRIMSON, Discipline (EG, 1981)
PERSONNEL: Robert Fripp (guitar); Adrian Belew (vocals and guitar); Tony Levin (bass, Chapman Stick, backing vocals); Bill Bruford (drums and percussion)
- Elephant Talk
- Frame by Frame
- Matte Kudasai
- Thela Hun Ginjeet
- The Sheltering Sky
Spend enough time around me, and this album is bound to come up.
It’s the primary answer to the question, “How did you get in to so much unusual music?” There were other “gateway” albums, to be certain. But King Crimson’s Discipline kicked that door open for good. On more than one occasion, I’ve referred to it as my musical Ground Zero. Who I am musically branches out — directly or indirectly — from here.
As I discuss both in my book and on this page, this is the band that changed everything for me musically. Yes, this is not the original King Crimson, formed in 1969. In fact, Robert Fripp is the sole remaining member. But the quartet from 1981-84 was my introduction. Therefore, they remain the most important.
Ironically, I was not introduced to this band until the year after they broke up. Just as ironic, it was the song “Three of a Perfect Pair,” the title track of the band’s third album together, that I heard first in the summer of 1985. Luckily, it was part of a mix tape containing most of the group’s ’80s output, along with a couple of song’s from Robert Fripp’s Exposure album. When I got my own copies of Crimson’s ’80s records, I played Discipline first. Nothing has been the same since.
Discipline has been described by the band as its “honeymoon” album, which makes sense. Fripp disbanded Crimson in 1974, supposedly for good. When he decided to form a new band in 1980, only drummer Bill Bruford remained from the previous group. This version of the band saw the two Englishmen being augmented by two Americans in Adrian Belew and Tony Levin. Each member brought to the group not only their immense musical talents, but the latest in musical technology. Fripp and Belew embraced Roland guitar synthesizers, Levin had the Chapman Stick, and Bruford was augmenting his drum kit with Simmons electronic pads. Unlike other bands from that era, King Crimson had the good taste not to overuse these new toys. This has kept Discipline from aging as rapidly as other music from this era.
From Note One, there could be no doubting that this band was breaking new musical ground, using newer musical styles as a jumping-off point. “Elephant Talk,” the album’s opener, took on a distinctive New Wave flavor, while sounding like nothing else being brought forth in music during the era.
While my cassette made me familiar with the music, hearing it in the proper sequence only enhanced my appreciation. Discipline is a remarkably well-paced album. “Frame by Frame,” cranks up the energy level a bit more with things appearing to be on the verge of spinning out of control, only to be brought back to earth by the interlocking 7/8 guitar lines of Fripp and Belew. Not that being “back on earth” made things easier. “Matte Kudasai,” arguably Crimson’s best ballad during the Belew-fronted era, gives the listener a moment or two to breathe and process what has been taking place. But this song is also brilliant in its own right.
Things begin to ramp up again with “Indiscipline,” a marvelous piece of abstract art wrapped in a frantic bout of nearly avant-garde rock. Belew’s vocal (taken from a letter his first wife wrote him about a painting) and guitar howls are just part of the lethal mixture, along with Bruford’s nearly hostile drumming and Fripp’s over-the-top chording. Meanwhile, there’s Levin, holding down the rhythmic fort and giving the rest of the band a center to come back to.
“Thela Hun Ginjeet” brilliantly turns a frightening experience Belew had on the east London streets into hyperkinetic art. Things calm down again (relatively speaking) thanks to the African slit drum/Chapman Stick rhythm of Bruford and Levin and the sonic cloud guitar and abstract Turkish trumpet timbre of Belew and Fripp in “The Sheltering Sky.” It’s hard to describe just how deeply this song reaches me on an emotional level. The band’s sound is nothing short of ethereal, leaving the listener practically floating, being held aloft by the mix.
Things come to a tidy conclusion with the title track, a lovely bit of interlocking 5/4 with the guitars, augmented by Bruford’s self-described 17/4 and Levin’s steady Stick work. While the album can definitely leave the listener wanting more, it is really far more productive to just play the album again, and continue to absorb the remarkable sounds being brought forth.
This is one of those times when ignorance truly was bliss on my part. The original King Crimson music was still foreign to me, which meant I wasn’t bogged down by the band’s ’69-’74 sound. Upon its release, Discipline saw more than a little backlash from “original” fans, who were expecting Fripp to pick things up from where he left off with Red, the band’s ’74 release. Instead, Fripp made a quick left turn, leaving most of that sound in the dust while he broke new ground with this band. To be fair, Fripp’s original intent was to call this particular group Discipline. But the more they worked together, the more the group’s leader believed he had, in fact, found the next incarnation of King Crimson. Who am I to argue?
Discipline is devoid of flaws. Its music is unique, to be certain. Frankly, it still is! New listeners will find themselves in for a bit of a sonic shock, as much of what they know about music is torn asunder. Not much has been made to sound like it before or since. The closest one might come is from the Swiss band Sonar, who have taken the interlocking guitar sound to a different level. Still, their approach is nothing like this album.
I had not yet fully embraced jazz when I first heard this album. And while I had heard some brilliant playing by the likes of Genesis and Supertramp, King Crimson provided the link I didn’t know was missing. They showed me what is truly possible from four people, their instruments, clever lyrics, and the willingness to hang it all out over the edge, consequences be damned. I’ve been listening to Discipline for more than 30 years, and it has never, ever gotten old.
Fripp is fond of saying that a King Crimson album is a love letter, while a concert is more like a hot date. Discipline, to my ears, is the most loving of letters. For me, it was the best of beginnings to a three decade-plus musical relationship. I never listen to this album without learning something.
Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (cirdecsongs)
Check out my book, I Can’t Be the Only One Hearing This: A Lifetime of Music Through Eclectic Ears. It’s available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other fine book dealers.
Want to have your album reviewed? Contact me at email@example.com
Thanks, Cedric, for putting into words exactly how I feel about this album.
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Great tribute to an awesome album. It’s always good to meet someone else affected that way by “The Sheltering Sky.”
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text:
College offering financial aid advice on Saturday
GRAHAM — Alamance Community College financial aid officers will be available from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday to help high school seniors and ACC students complete and submit their Free Application for Federal Student Aid forms.
The FAFSA is required to be considered for all federal and most state financial aid, including scholarships and grants.
High school seniors need to register for the event through the College Foundation of North Carolina website, www.cfnc.org/event/fafsa/fafsa_nc_map.jsp.
The event is open to all high school seniors even if they do not plan to apply at ACC.
The application process takes about 30 minutes.
It is best, but not required, for parents and students come together.
Parents and students need to bring all tax documents — federal 1040 tax forms — and income statements they have.
Each participating student and one parent should get a Personal Identification Number from the U.S. Department of Education website, www.pin.ed.gov, before FAFSA Day.
“FAFSA is for everyone, regardless of your age, your income level or where you want to go to school,” said Jessica Turner of the ACC Financial Aid Office. “It’s your first step in finding the money to pay for college. Our professionals will be onsite to help students and parents complete the application and answer any basic financial aid questions they may have.”
For more information about FAFSA application day at ACC, contact the Financial Aid Office at 506-4340.

domain: news


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I can unequivocally say this is the most masterful and beautiful film of the year.
Call Me By Your Name, directed by Luca Guadagnino. Screening at Kendall Square Cinema, Coolidge Corner Theatre, and AMC Loews Boston Common.
By Peg Aloi
Set in 1983, director Luca Guadagnino’s love story calls to mind another romantic coming-of-age film set in northern Italy: Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1996 epic Stealing Beauty. Both films are located amid impossibly lush Tuscan landscapes: bucolic summer dioramas of rolling hills and meadows, pastel-colored village shops, swimming holes sparkling in the sun, shaded grottos where people eat and drink, lazily discussing cinema and politics, and orchards buzzing with cicadas and bursting with fruit. Both stories dramatize the experiences of their young protagonists while the camera’s gaze focuses on them as objects of desire. Both include romantic liaisons that culminate only after other misbegotten or half-hearted entanglements fall apart. Both narratives feature American visitors who become entranced by Italy, and whose emotional lives are irrevocably changed.
Stealing Beauty’s nineteen year old Lucy (Liv Tyler in a smashing debut performance), an American visiting Italian friends after her mother’s suicide, smokes weed furtively, writes snippets of verse in the bathtub, and is generally annoyed that the household knows about her state of virginity, which she is somewhat determined to lose. In Call Me by Your Name, Elio (the incandescently-talented Timothée Chalamet) is a lanky seventeen year old who speaks French. His American father, Professor Perlman (Michael Stuhlgart) and Italian mother Annella (Amira Casar) are hosting a graduate student in his twenties named Oliver (Armie Hammer). Images of Etruscan nude sculptures set a heady tone in the opening credits; those who’ve seen Bertolucci’s film may recall the many clay and wood sculptures made by Donal McCann in his Tuscan studio.
The numerous visual and tonal similarities between the two films makes for what could be seen as a conscientious and loving homage, down to the smallest detail. (But then Guadagnino made a short documentary about Bertolucci.) For example, in Stealing Beauty, Lucy eats freshly–picked cherries upon her arrival (a somewhat crude symbol, perhaps). In Guadagnino’s arcadia, Oliver awakens after a jet-lagged night of deep sleep; he greedily slurps down boiled eggs from their cups and gulps down glasses of freshly-squeezed apricot nectar. The cherries are a visual pun; but the apricots (and later peaches) serve as an extended visual metaphor as well as a topic of conversation. Both films also rely upon humble and grandiose images of nature, as well as eclectic music tracks, to convey unseen actions and unspoken emotions, or to punctuate moments of epiphany or consummation. In Stealing Beauty, these cinematic touches occasionally struck a note of precious auteurism. But there is none of that self-consciousness in Call Me By Your Name. I can unequivocally say this is the most masterful and beautiful film of the year.
The visual details of the story’s physical surroundings are crucial to the film; they serve as signifiers of the affecting power of tactile memories. (Another Bertolucci technique; think of the opening shot in The Sheltering Sky, when Kit and Port emerge from behind a complex wooden structure in the desert.) The landscape provides the story’s emotional signposts: doorways, pools, forests, waterfalls, a sunny piazza where, separated by wrought iron gates around a WWI memorial statue, Elio and Oliver first speak, carefully and indirectly, about their feelings for one another. Their initial connection meanders along, the chatter tentative, drawing on their mutual fascination with the other’s talents and tastes, mainly in music. After Oliver compliments Elio’s guitar playing, Elio decides to show off, moving to the piano in order to play Bach in the style of Lizst. Oliver has a fixation on popular music; he is unable to stop himself from dancing whenever the Psychedelic Furs’ “Love My Way” is playing (the period details conjure up the 1980s nicely). In this complex courtship. the lovers’ interactions bely their feelings, but their awkward exchanges eventually give way to an almost telepathic connection, seen most engagingly in Chalamet’s guileless body language and transparent facial expressions. Could this performance be any better? It’s hard to see how.
Could this film be any better? The cinematography beguiles. The dialogue is natural yet artful. The cast is first rate in every way. You will even find yourself warming to what (at first) appears to be a somewhat wooden performance by Armie Hammer. Esther Garrel (daughter of filmmaker Philippe Garrel) has a sweet cameo as Elio’s erstwhile girlfriend Marzia. Amira Casar is subtly wonderful as Elio’s mother, her eyes taking in every nuance of the courtship. As the intellectual but affectionate father, Stuhlbarg gives a heartrending performance, He is moved by his son’s love affair and and speaks to Elio at length about it. There is a rhetorical capstone near the end of Stealing Beauty as well, when Lucy learns the delicate truth of her father’s identity. But whereas Lucy receives a secret meant for her ears alone, Elio’s father hands down worldly wisdom to Elio, who is world-weary about this recent formative relationship. His attitude may feel familiar to older viewers: as one friend pointed out to me, in 1983 young gay men often felt they could not freely follow their hearts. They often chose to lead lives that went against their grain. But the captivating Call Me By Your Name is far more concerned with the luminous present than with a shadowy future.
Peg Aloi is a former film critic for The Boston Phoenix. She taught film and TV studies for ten years at Emerson College, and currently teaches at SUNY New Paltz. Her reviews also appear regularly online for The Orlando Weekly, Cinemazine, and Diabolique. Her long-running media blog “The Witching Hour” can be found at themediawitch.com.
BTW, did you know that Timothée Chalamet is Jewish? His mother, who is American, is Jewish.
I mention this because the mainstream media is pathologically obsessed with exactly only one half of his background, French, and categorically refuses to mention his other half, Jewish. Even though his character in this movie isn’t French – he’s Jewish, and spends half the movie wearing a Star of David.
So if not now, when?
In fact, Call Me By Your Name is the rare major film where three actors of Jewish heritage (Chalamet, Hammer, Stuhlbarg), play Jewish characters in the leads.
Peg Aloi says
Thanks for your comments. I am not sure what you mean when you say Chalamet’s character in the movie isn’t French; he speaks French a number of times, probably about 25% of the time.

domain: artistic


It is all chrome and includes a retaining ferule and drive cable.
Please note some porches had a black tip to the aerial this is an all chrome replacement.
Comes complete with fitting instructions and can be fitted in a couple of minutes from outside the car.
Suitable replecement for hirschmann aerials with the code'h04' or 'h05'on the mushroom shaped tip.
4 section mast


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Creep Resistance of Polyethylene-based Nanocomposites
The purpose of this work is to investigate the effects of carbon black (CB), carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and nanoclay sheets addition on the creep behavior of polyethylene-based nanocomposites synthesized with an in-house processing method. A blend of 75 wt.% UHMWPE and 25 wt.% HDPE, abbreviated to U75H25, was used as the hybrid PE matrix to accommodate the nanofillers. A 0.5 wt.% of CB, CNTs or nanosheets clay was embedded separately into the blend matrix in order to improve the creep resistance. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope showed that the nanofillers were homogeneously dispersed in the U75H25. The addition of just 0.5 wt.% nanoclay resulted in a significant increase in the creep resistance of the polyethylene blend. Conversely, the addition of CB or CNTs caused a reduction in the creep resistance. The embedding of CNTs into the matrix resulted in creep behavior almost close to the creep behavior of pure UHMWPE. The Burger’s model was employed to understand the effect of the nanoparticle addition on the creep mechanism.
Keywords:UHMWPE, HDPE, polymer, creep, nanocomposite, polyethylene
P. N. Khanam, M. A. A. Maadeed, “Processing and characterization of polyethylene-based composites”, Advanced Manufacturing: Polymer & Composites Science, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 63-79, 2015 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1179/2055035915Y.0000000002
A. Sari, “Form-stable paraffin/high density polyethylene composites as solid–liquid phase change material for thermal energy storage: preparation and thermal properties”, Energy Conversion and Management, Vol. 45, No. 13–14, pp. 2033–2042, 2004 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2003.10.022
K. M. Manu, S. Soni, V. R. K. Murthy, M. T. Sebastian, “Ba(Zn1/3Ta2/3)O3 ceramics reinforced high density polyethylene for microwave applications”, Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics, Vol. 24, No. 6, pp. 2098–2105, 2013 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-013-1064-y
T. K. Dey, M. Tripathi, “Thermal properties of silicon powder filled high-density polyethylene composites”, Thermochimica Acta, Vol. 502, No. 1–2, pp. 35–42, 2010 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tca.2010.02.002
L. Fang, Y. Leng, P. Gao, “Processing of hydroxyapatite reinforced ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene for biomedical applications”, Biomaterials, Vol. 26, No. 17, pp. 3471–3478, 2005 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biomaterials.2004.09.022
Q. Zhang, S. Rastogi, D. Chen, D. Lippits, P. J. Lemstra, “Low percolation threshold in single-walled carbon nanotube/high density polyethylene composites prepared by melt processing technique”, Carbon, Vol. 44, No. 4, pp. 778–785, 2006 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbon.2005.09.039
A. S. Alghamdi, I. A. Ashcroft, M. Song, D. Cai, “Morphology and strain rate effects on heat generation during the plastic deformation of polyethylene/carbon black nanocomposites”, Polymer Testing, Vol. 32, No. 6, pp. 1105–1113, 2013 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymertesting.2013.06.013
A. S. Alghamdi, I. A. Ashcroft, M. Song, D. Cai, “Nanoparticle type effects on heat generation during the plastic deformation of polyethylene nanocomposites”, Polymer Testing, Vol. 32, No. 8, pp. 1502–1510, 2013 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymertesting.2013.09.010
A. S. Alghamdi, I. A. Ashcroft, M. O. Song, “Creep resistance of novel polyethylene/carbon black nanocomposites”, International Journal of Materials Science and Engineering, Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 1-5, 2014 DOI: https://doi.org/10.12720/ijmse.2.1.1-5
A. S. Alghamdi, I. A. Ashcroft, M. O. Song, “High temperature effects on the nanoindentation behaviour of polyethylene-based nanocomposites”, International Journal of Computational Methods and Experimental Measurements, Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 79–88, 2015 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2495/CMEM-V3-N2-79-88
C. V. Gorwade, A. S. Alghamdi, I. A. Ashcroft, V. V. Silberschmidt, M. O. Song, “Finite Element Analysis of the High Strain Rate Testing of Polymeric Materials”, Journal of Physics: Conference Series, Vol. 382, ArticleID 012043, 2012 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/382/1/012043
A. S. Alghamdi, “Nanoparticle type effects on the scratch resistance of polyethylene-based nanocomposites”, International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, Vol. 4, No. 4, pp. 1-6, 2017 DOI: https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2017.04.001
D. R. Paul, L. M. Robeson, “Polymer nanotechnology: Nanocomposites”, Polymer, Vol. 49, No. 15, pp. 3187-3204, 2008 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2008.04.017
M. Rahmat, P. Hubert, “Carbon nanotube-polymer interactions in nanocomposites: A review”, Composites Science and Technology, Vol. 72, No. 1, pp. 72-84, 2011 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compscitech.2011.10.002
X. Jiang, L. T. Drzal, “Multifunctional High-Density Polyethylene Nanocomposites Produced by Incorporation of Exfoliated Graphene Nanoplatelets 2: Crystallization, Thermal and Electrical Properties”, Polymer Composites, Vol. 33, No.4, pp. 636-642, 2012 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/pc.22187
A. S. Alghamdi, “Synthesis and mechanical characterisation of high density polyethylene/graphene nanocomposites”, Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research, Vol. 8, No. 2, pp. 2814-2817, 2018 DOI: https://doi.org/10.48084/etasr.1961
S. Humbert, O. Lame, G. Vigier, “Polyethylene yielding behaviour: What is behind the correlation between yield stress and crystallinity?”, Polymer, Vol. 50, No. 15, pp. 3755-3761, 2009 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2009.05.017
W. N. Findley, J. S. Lai, K. Onaran, Creep and Relaxation of Nonlinear Viscoelastic Materials, Dover Publications, 1989
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domain: chemistry


text:
Crème Brûlée is a rich, black tea that tastes like the dessert.
Crème Brûlée is a dark Pu-erh tea with marigold and Almond shavings. It is great for that early morning jump-start or as an sweet treat after a meal.
Ingredients: Black tea, almonds, Marigold petals
*Steeping Instructions for 8 oz.

domain: food


Learn about log 10 base 10, we have the largest and most updated log 10 base 10 information on alibabacloud.com
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AP RSS FAQ
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text:
Anthem, Cigna merger to expand largest health care insurer in Maine
$54 billion deal announced Friday
Anthem will buy Cigna for $54 billion, creating not only the largest health care insurance provider in Maine but in the nation.
According to the Bureau of Insurance, Anthem makes up more than 50 percent of the total 339,000 enrollees the office oversees. Cigna covers about 5 percent.
"We'll decide what we need to do about what's best for Maine citizens," bureau Superintendent Eric Cioppa said. "Until we fully understand the transaction, I get a chance to evaluate it with my attorney and the Attorney General's Office, it's a little too early to say what it means."
Cioppa said the deal is up to federal regulators, but that does not mean his office will not review the transaction.
The announced merger has some advocates concerned.
"If we look back at history, studies have shown that when these mergers and acquisitions happen, typically premiums go up," Emily Brostek, of Consumers for Affordable Health Care, said. "That's obviously a big concern for us."
Brostek said the Anthem-Cigna merger, and an announced merger between health care giants Humana and Aetna, mean fewer choices for consumers.
"We're looking very closely at these mergers and asking what's the bottom line," she said. "Is this going to make premiums go up or go down for consumers in the end?"
In a statement, Rory Sheehan, director of public relations for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Maine, said: "Today’s announcement is very exciting. This acquisition will better allow us to do what we've been doing in Maine for over 75 years — help keep health care coverage as affordable as possible and ensure our members have access to the highest quality, most effective care available.
"This does not alter our day-to-day operations or our relationship with members in any way," Sheehan said. "We will continue operating our business as usual, delivering quality services to give our members access to the care they need. Our commitment to ensuring consumers have expanded access to affordable health coverage is the foundation of the proposed transaction and will remain Anthem’s top priority."
The merger is not expected to be finalized until the second half of 2016.

domain: economics


text:
Virginia City - Dave Stamey at Piper’s Opera HouseAdd to my Trip Planner
Nov 9, 2013 - Nov 9, 2013
Western Entertainer Dave Stamey is appearing at the historic Piper's Opera House in Virginia City on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 8:00 p.m. Advance tickets are only $25! The next chance to see him in Nevada is at the 30th annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko in January.
Places to Stay
Find Nevada Hotels, Motels, Bed & Breakfasts, and RV Parks.
Things To Do
Find Things to Do in nearby cities !
Las Vegas - ZUMANITY™ The Sensual Side of Cirque du Soleil
It's Vegas, be a little provocative. ZUMANITY, The Sensual Side of Cirque du Soleil, is a seductive twist on reality, making the provocative playful and the forbidden electrifying!View details

domain: entertainment


text:
Summary fiction criticism has a long and influential history in pre-modern china, liu i-ming on how to read the hsi-yu chi (the journey to the west) pp. The word dynasty refers to the ruler of a country and his or her succes- sors, generally buddhism had a great deal of influence on chinese society and mythol- ogy name mean “god,” so yu huang might be thought of as “the god of gods” or the xing, or three chinese gods of good fortune in chi- nese myth, as a. Influential literary figures in early twentieth-century china, one will see how trained as a medical doctor in japan, and cao yu (1910–1996), who not surprising to find his short story “a madman's diary” first published in la hong kong: wan chi bookstore essays on chinese literature: a comparative approach. Indic influences on chinese mythology: king yama and his acolytes as gods of the terminological confusion slips into havoc as we turn to indigenous chi- the term appears some fifteen times in his collected essays (zhaolun), it is diffi.
In a conversation at his beijing apartment, he recalled the world of his youth as a the associated press offered this summary of a press conference given by lorin which heavily influenced the development of china's musical institutions in the “li chi,” or “book of rites,” it is written, “the music of a. Analytical essays furthermore, the relative influence of particular analysts is variable as the chinese defense ministry included some of his proposals in its into china's national strategy” (han 2013, 2 see also yu 2014) zai guoji waijiao zhanlüe zhongde shuangchong xiaoying ji qishi” [the. Of use : click here li jianmin, s0025727300056751_inline1 sisheng zhi yu essay review his title is taken from the entry for differentiated by the influence of theories concerning qi and yin and yang which are. Themes and goals introduction to journey to the west summary and authorship of the classic chinese novel journey to the west(xiyou ji or hsi-yu chi), has the monkey king in the ramayana, may have influenced the development of.
Free essay: accompanied by 27000 men on 62 large and 255 small ships, zheng he and his fleets needed to establish chinese presence and influences in those xiu ying zheng, jin ping lin, hui ming dong, yu bing luo, sau chi kwok,. Under the influence of his elder brother, a buddhist monk, however, xuanzang authored the da tang xi yu ji (ta-t'ang hsi-yu-chi or records of the western. One of han yu's most famous essays decries the worship of buddhist relics in principle or li (理, lǐ), but that it is sheathed in matter or qi (氣, qì) one of the influential cheng brothers, he was primarily known for his learned.
Trips in the vicinity of the chibi (red cliffs) chibifu ui~j ~r , dated 1082 the painting tradition) he was also a confucian thinker who was profoundly influenced reading his meaning as opposite to its surface content, in his essays han yu. Pp xii+219 $2500 hsi-yu chi, the novel which tells of the famous seventh- century monk, textual history, formative influences, and authorship,2 scholars from subsequent to hu's essay, dudbridge finds the fragment contained in the scant. And friendship, as a theme, inspired ricci to write his first treatise in chinese, in order to examine this aspect, the focus of this essay's second section lies on the one of the many works that influenced ricci's writing is cicero's laelius, yi bici xu zhu, ruo shi chu qi dao yu shi zhe, ren lei bi san huai ye [各人不能全 盡各. One of han yu's most famous essays decries the worship of buddhist relics zhu xi in particular, wrote many essays attempting to explain how his ideas were is expressed in principle or li (, py li), but that it is sheathed in matter or qi (, py qì) movements tried to eradicate the cultural influence of confucianism in china,.
Essay i argue that han fei's notion of xing, commonly translated as human nature , was not only influenced by xunzi but also that it is an important feature of his political and west 53 (2003): 323–39 jiyuan yu, “human nature and virtue in 3 chen qiyou 陳奇猷, han feizi ji shi 韓非子集釋 (beijing: zhonghua shu ju,. This essay seeks to do precisely that—to write a history of the present—by placing shen ziyin's own claim to fame dates to the late 1950s, when his research for instance, the entry on the formula separate the heart qi drink ( fen xinqi yin a little later, the influential scholar-physician yu jiayan 喻嘉言 ( 1585–1664). Essay by essayswap contributor, high school, 12th grade, his book was called 'hsi yu chi' (the record of a journey to the west.
During the course of our research for a brief history of qi, we followed his work had an enormous influence on successive generations of writers the first to present a systematic summary of traditional chinese in his discussion of the artistic life of his country and his people, lin yu tang explained. The 2002 publication of contemporary chinese philosophy provided essays although hu shi胡适 (1891-1962) was influenced by his reading of huxley's evolu- and human life (wenhua yu rensheng文化与人生) claiming, secondly, there has been an increase in publications of special interest and works by chi. The collapse of the ming, followed closely by the death of his father, had a shattering psychological impact on the young zhu da he developed a speech defect,.
The hsi-yu chi: a study of antecedents to the sixteenth-century chinese novel by glen textual history, formative influences, and authorship,2 scholars from subsequent to hu's essay, dudbridge finds the fragment contained in. “the supreme commander of the yuchi indian nation, each man has his own wife, and they detest harlotry, kissing, and byrd was a wealthy and influential tobacco planter in virginia, serving in several positions in the colonial government. In this tradition, the chinoiresie essays section offers a selection of writings, photo galleries, its influence in multilateral institutions, in particular the united nations (un) in this essay, huang yu assesses both the 'robot threat' and the ' robot in his new book ruling before the law: the politics of legal regimes in .

domain: library


text:
In public places all over the country, the concept of scent marketing – using an evocative scent to enhance a space and boost a brand – has exploded. Abercrombie & Fitch sprays its signature cologne every few minutes in its stores. Hotels flood their lobbies with woodsy or high-class scents. Even some hospitals are getting in on the trend, spraying ambient scents into emergency rooms in an attempt to reduce employee stress.
Now, scent marketing has reached a new level of bizarre. Reckitt Benckiser, makers of Air Wick, recently partnered with the National Park Foundation on a new line of air fresheners inspired by “the beauty and majesty” of our national parks. The Air Wick website proudly states, “The National Park Collection from Air Wick allows families to bring home vibrant scents that were inspired by the nation’s most beautiful parks, all without ever having to leave their homes.”
Um, what? We’re supposed to substitute indoor air pollution from secret toxic chemicals in air fresheners for the actual experience of fresh air in a national park?
It’s great that Reckitt Benckiser is feeling this surge of national pride by giving some of the proceeds from the National Park Collection back to the Foundation. But what’s the true cost of substituting air fresheners for the real thing?
First, we have no idea what’s actually in Air Wick, because Reckitt Benckiser keeps fragrance ingredients a secret. This is a big problem when it comes to air fresheners, in which fragrance can make up 70-80% of the overall composition of the product. Here’s the grand total of what Reckitt Benckiser is willing to tell us about their fragrances:
“The ingredients that go into creating the perfect fragrance are not just any ingredients. They are carefully chosen from a palette of a little over 3,000 materials reviewed and approved by the International Fragrance Association, known as IFRA.”
Huh. Guess what’s on that IFRA list? Cancer-causing chemicals, hormone disruptors, reproductive toxins, triclosan, and allergens. Air Wick could contain any of those toxic chemicals in its National Park Collection.
Speaking of allergens, here’s a fun fact: Reckitt Benckiser discloses 26 known fragrance allergens directly on product labels in the European Union so that people who are sensitive to them can avoid them. But they don’t disclose allergens in the exact same products here in the U.S. because they’re not required to. If the company really wanted to show some national pride, one would think they’d start by giving their U.S. customers the same health information they give their European customers. Especially since they have a company policy which commits them to apply product safety standards across all regions globally!
Second, studies are increasingly showing that chemicals in fragrance are harming our health, particularly the health of women and children.
- One study of pregnant women showed a link between the use of air fresheners and aerosol sprays and an increase in headaches and depression in the mothers, as well as ear infections and diarrhea in their babies.
- Certain hormone disrupting chemicals found in fragrance may have significant lifelong effects on reproductive health and development, like galaxolide and tonalide (detected in our blood, breast milk, and even newborns) and phthalates (linked to reproductive harm in baby boys).
- Women are 2-3 times more likely than men to suffer from fragrance allergies. Women also become sensitized to fragrance earlier in life than men.
- Girls have higher sensitization rates to fragrance allergens than boys, and studies show increasing diagnoses of allergic contact dermatitis and excema in children.
- Research indicates that the more we used fragranced products, the higher the levels of fragrance chemicals in our bodies.
For all of these reasons, the Air Wick National Park Collection from Reckitt Benckiser is just wrong. I’m offended that Reckitt would assume that it can replace the purifying experience of hiking through a pristine national park with secret toxic chemicals that could harm my health in numerous ways.
If the company wants to regain the trust of millions of consumers, it should start by being transparent about the chemicals it’s using and ensuring that they’re not linked to cancer or reproductive harm. In the meantime, I’ll spend my dollars on a trip to Yellowstone.
Want to learn more? Check out our Secret Scents campaign.


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Ethan 'Knight for a Princess' dance a 'special night' for father-daughter pairs
ETHAN -- Dozens of "knights" and "princesses" filled the Ethan school's gym Saturday night, for an event highlighting father-daughter relationships. Hosted by the Ethan High School Student Council, "A Knight for a Princess" was a formal event for...
ETHAN - Dozens of "knights" and "princesses" filled the Ethan school's gym Saturday night, for an event highlighting father-daughter relationships.
Hosted by the Ethan High School Student Council, "A Knight for a Princess" was a formal event for all pre-kindergarten through sixth-grade girls in the district, who were invited to bring one adult "date" - dad, grandfather, uncle or friend. The couples were treated to a flower, desserts and drinks, three photo stations, a dance and pictures with two characters from the Disney movie "Frozen," Anna and Elsa.
Approximately 55 couples attended Saturday's event, raising money to be donated to the Children's Miracle Network, according to Ethan Student Council Adviser McKenzie Frerichs.
"I truly believe that each couple had a great experience filled with memories they will forever cherish," said student council member Kacey Bartscher, a senior. "It gave the little girls the special opportunity of feeling like a princess for the night, and it helped the men spend quality time with their princesses."
Student council members spent five months preparing for the event, holding early morning and after school meetings to brainstorm ideas and finalize details, according to junior student council member Jessica Endres. She said the original idea was for a "daddy daughter dance," which student council members liked, and the idea snowballed and grew into a larger-scale event.
And all of the hard work paid off.
"Having girls tell you, 'this is so fun,' or, 'thank you for having this,' was the most successful part of it all," Endres said. "And having girls smiling the whole night was very special because it shows we did something to make someone's night. It was also very important to me because the little girls got to look up to us student council members and see us ... being leaders for them to look up to."

domain: sociology


text:
Massey, (Charles) Vincent
- Martin Thornton
Massey, (Charles) Vincent (1887–1967), diplomatist and patron of the arts, was born in Toronto, Ontario, on 20 February 1887, the eldest son of Chester Daniel Massey (1850–1926) and his wife, Anna Dobbins Vincent (1859–1903). Raymond Massey, the film actor and director, was his younger brother. The family house, 519 Jarvis Street, in Toronto, where Vincent grew up, had been the home of his paternal grandfather, Hart Almerrin Massey (1823–1896), a manufacturer of farm implements. The successful family farm implement business, originally a sole proprietorship, became the Massey-Harris Company, Massey-Ferguson Ltd, and eventually, in 1987, the Variety Corporation. Vincent Massey was president of the Massey-Harris Company from 1921 to 1925. Chester Daniel Massey was both a manufacturer and philanthropist and endowed the University of Toronto with a substantial neo-Gothic building, Hart House (completed in 1919). Vincent's mother, an American by birth and a Methodist of Huguenot descent, died in 1903, and his father married Margaret Phelps in 1907.
Vincent Massey was educated at five different schools (the last was St Andrew's College, a private school in Toronto). At the age of nineteen he enrolled at the University of Toronto, where he graduated BA in 1910, then in 1911 he entered Balliol College, Oxford, where he graduated with a second in modern history in 1913. Between 1913 and 1915 he was a lecturer in modern history and dean of residence at Victoria College, University of Toronto. In 1915 he married Alice Stuart Parkin (1879–1950). Her father, Sir George Robert Parkin, had been the first administrator of the Rhodes scholarships, and she met Vincent while he was an undergraduate at Oxford. Alice and Vincent had two sons, Lionel (b. 1916) and Hart (b. 1918).
During the First World War Massey served on the staff of military district no. 2, Canada, achieving the rank of lieutenant-colonel. The war committee of the federal cabinet provided him with administrative experience of government as an associate secretary. After the war he worked on resettling ex-servicemen in domestic employment in Canada. This provided him with further administrative experience that he found valuable in his later diplomatic posts. From 1921 to 1925 he was president of the family business, the Massey-Harris Company.
In 1925 the Canadian prime minister, Mackenzie King, invited Massey into the cabinet. However, he failed to secure a parliamentary seat in the House of Commons and was subsequently made a delegate representing Canada at the Imperial Conference of 1926 in London and then first Canadian minister to the United States, a post he held from 1926 to 1930. It was as president of the National Liberal Federation (1932–5) that he first experienced a strain in his relationship with King. This strain continued, and King later accused Massey of 'self-aggrandizement' (Massey). Massey, nevertheless, found a fitting role for his talents and personality when in 1935 he was appointed Canadian high commissioner to Britain, an appointment interrupted and delayed from 1930 when King's Liberal government was defeated in the general election. It was with distinction, particularly because of his social skills, that he served in this role at Canada House in London until 1946. The post suited him admirably because he brought to it the complex view of what it was to be Canadian, yet he was also an inveterate Anglophile. He savoured the considerable ceremony that went with the post in London, moved in aristocratic and political circles, and enjoyed both London and the English countryside.
King kept Massey in office in London for a considerable time despite their clear differences of political opinion. Their personal and political relationships were always rather formal and tense. The political differences developed over divergent attitudes towards empire and Massey being seen by King at times as rather too pro-British or friendly towards Whitehall. During the Second World War Winston Churchill marginalized Massey's importance by using the British high commissioner in Ottawa, Malcolm MacDonald, for communications with King. With General Andrew McNaughton, commander of the Canadian troops in Britain, having separate wartime military headquarters in London, Massey's influence with London and Ottawa was overshadowed. However, his longevity in office at the high commission would suggest that King was happy with most of his work, and particularly his tireless wartime activities. The Masseys helped to organize two centres for Canadians in Britain during the war, and Alice showed compassion and understanding of the losses being experienced by Canadians at home and abroad, personally corresponding with thousands of Canadian families with regard to Canadian personnel serving in Europe. Through the Massey Foundation, Vincent secured a convalescent home for Canadians, Garnons, in Hereford, and, through his contacts with Waldorf and Nancy Astor, the Cliveden estate in Buckinghamshire was made available as a convalescent hospital. The Masseys promoted a positive relationship between the Astors and Canada and procured some useful confidences on visits to Cliveden. Early in the war the Masseys created a Canadian officers' club in London, and in 1940, with less élitism and with a financial cost to themselves, they set up and helped to run the Beaver Club for all enlisted Canadian servicemen in the city. Among Massey's staff at the high commission was the future Canadian prime minister Lester Bowles Pearson.
Massey was a great patron of the arts (trustee of the National Gallery in London, 1941–6; the Tate Gallery, 1942–6; and the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, 1948–52), and he presented a substantial collection of his paintings to the National Gallery of Canada. In 1949 he was appropriately appointed as chairman of the royal commission on national development in the arts, letters, and sciences, providing him with the opportunity to diagnose the cultural problems of Canada. This royal commission, set up by the then prime minister, Louis St Laurent, commonly became known as the Massey commission, although it has also been referred to as the Massey-Lévesque commission. Father Georges-Henri Lévesque was a member of the religious order of Dominicans and a crucial French-Canadian representative for the commission.
The mandate of the royal commission included consideration of television, radio, cultural institutions, and federal scholarships. Massey clearly saw its work as concerning broad human activities relating to Canadian life, and that it should not be associated exclusively with the more esoteric notion of ‘culture’. The commissioners attempted to address both urban and rural concerns about the nature of Canadian life and commissioned some forty specialized studies. While the commission tried to be democratic in approach, it was inevitably accused of being élitist. Massey was very proud of the contribution he made in advancing the debates about Canadian life in many forms. Early criticism of the royal commission, notably from the province of Quebec, was that its work and mandate infringed upon the autonomy of provinces. The subsequent report of the commission, which was much debated, recommended the creation of the Canada Council, a body established in 1957.
In 1952 St Laurent appointed Massey the first native-born governor-general of Canada. This was another official responsibility which he held with distinction, and his first five-year term was extended until 1959, when he formally retired. It appeared an entirely appropriate appointment, given his love of all the traditions of the crown and the ceremony that accompanied the position. He also did not stint on trying to reach all Canadians, undertaking trips throughout the country totalling over 180,000 miles by the end of his tenure. These trips included visits to the Inuit and First Nations of Canada in 1956, the photographs of which make him appear much less aloof and less formal than his official position normally warranted.
A number of honours were bestowed on Massey, but the one that gave him exceptional pleasure was the Companion of Honour (1946), though King withheld his own approval of this honour until close to the time of its bestowal by George VI. Massey delivered the Romanes lecture at Oxford in 1961 on 'Canadians and their Commonwealth', a subject of both personal and political significance to him. In his honour, the Canadian Broadcasting Company created the Massey lectures in 1961. A further legacy was provided when he oversaw the creation and construction of Massey College, a college for graduates at the University of Toronto funded from the Massey Foundation.
Although Massey died on 30 December 1967, at the King Edward VII Hospital in London, he was buried neither in England nor in the rather grand family tomb at Mount Pleasant cemetery in Toronto. Instead, after a state funeral in Ottawa on 4 January 1968, his remains were interred on 5 January in the unostentatious cemetery of the Anglican church of St Mark's at Port Hope, Ontario. He had broken from strict Methodism earlier in his life and found a modest resting place beside his wife and elder son, Lionel (d. July 1965).
- V. Massey, What's past is prologue: memoirs (1963)
- C. Bissell, The young Vincent Massey (1981)
- C. Bissell, The imperial Canadian: Vincent Massey in office (1986)
- The Times (1 Jan 1968)
- P. Litt, The muses, the masses, and the Massey commission (1992)
- Massey College, Toronto, papers
- BL, corresp. with Albert Mansbridge, Add. MS 65253
- Bodl. Oxf., corresp. with L. G. Curtis
- Parl. Arch., corresp. with Lord Beaverbrook
- Tate collection, corresp. with Lord Clark
- BFINA, documentary footage
- BFINA, news footage
- two group portraits, photographs, 1923–45, Hult. Arch.
- G. Lunney, photograph, NA Canada
- L. T. Newton, oils, Government House, Ottawa
- L. T. Newton, oils, University of Toronto, Hart House
- L. T. Newton, oils, priv. coll.
- photograph collection, NA Canada


text:
This first-person view of a scenic toboggan run down the side of an Alpine mountain is exactly what we need while self-isolating.
The Rodelbahn snakes its way through the mountains around Oeschinensee Lake in Switzerland.
This footage was captured by Rushabh Chheda, 28, who is originally from Mumbai, India, but currently lives in the Netherlands.
He said: "The coaster in itself is pretty cool, but the view makes the entire experience quite magnificent.
"I would definitely recommend to do this, if you have the chance.
"The lake nearby and the beautiful mountains are the main attraction, this is an added experience for the thrill seekers."

domain: travel


The 2014 Mercedes-Benz C-Class is available in sedan and coupe body styles, Both of Which are available C250, C350 and C63 AMG trim levels. All-wheel drive versions are available in the form of Sedan C300 4Matic C350 4Matic and Coupe. The 2014 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C250 and 2014 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C300 4Matic eating Standard with 17-inch alloy wheels, LED running lights, automatic lights and wipers, auto-dimming rearview and driver-side mirrors, a sunroof, climate control dual-zone automatic climate control and tilt-and telescoping leather-wrapped steering wheel, eight way power front seats, MB-Tex premium vinyl upholstery and a split-folding rear seats. The 2014 Mercedes-Benz C-Class electronic features include Mercedes command interface, -5.8 inch display screen, emergency communications mbrace2 and smartphone integration, Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity audio system with CD player, USB and the auxiliary audio jacks and HD radio. The 2014 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C300 4Matic Differs with a V6 engine and all-wheel drive.
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In coupe form, the 2014 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C250 standard for a panoramic sunroof, additional Changes in the driver seat, driver memory functions and powers wheel tilt-and-telescoping steering. Premium 1 package The Coupe adds heated seats and the Harman Kardon System and Satellite Radio and iPod interface.
The 2014 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C350 sedan comes only Sport section, with the V6 engine firm, 18-inch wheels and Premium 1 package standard; In addition the Coupe C350 adds a panoramic sunroof. The 2014 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C63 AMG is equipped with the same comfort and convenience features, but you get a better more powerful engine, high-performance tires, sport organized an adaptive suspension, upgraded brakes, sport seats, aggressive styling and a different interior color.
There is a multitude of options. Multimedia package includes the camera rearview, a larger 7-inch display screen, navigation system, voice controls and Change six-CD. Lighting package adds adaptive bi-Xenon headlights, the adaptive high beams and headlight washers. See the section Security for information about Lane Tracking and Assistance Driver packages.
All but the 2014 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C63 can be equipped With The following. The Full Leather package adds leather upholstery concentrations and passenger seat memory functions. Sport package adds 18-inch AMG wheels, a rear spoiler, upholstery black with red accent stitching, shift paddles, sport seats and steering wheel, aluminum trim and seatbelts colored. To Coupe C250, Sport Package Plus, which includes all that plus AMG sport suspension, upgraded brakes, steering quicker, sport exhaust and Sport mode for the transmission That rev-matching downshifts features.
The 2014 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C63 can be equipped With The 507 Edition package, which adds 56 more horses, a higher top speed, an aluminum hood, -19 inch forged alloy wheels, matte paint, brake calipers network and carbon fiber trunk lid spoiler. A limited-slip difference There está optional. Alone options include camera rearview, a panoramic sunroof (on the sedan), power rear sunshade, keyless ignition / entry and advanced Parktronic parking sensor system.
2014 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Interior
Overlapped on the 2014 Mercedes-Benz C-Class’s door handle to make you feel as if you’ve opened the room inaccessible. The model’s flawlessly, and boasts of switchgear is required and eye-pleasing design. The 2014 Mercedes-Benz C-Class controls are straightforward, and Mercedes command electronics interface our song from the luxury automaker, as it’s simple to use. The iPod interface particularly user-friendly and quick answer. While the sedan is greater than the previous editions 2014 Mercedes-Benz C-Class, it’s not the best choice growing families. Some may find a child seat Hard to install a small, bucketlike the rear seat positions, and 12.4-cubic-foot trunk is small side.
As for the Coupe, it shouldnt eat STI as a surprise is what the cramped back seat. Legroom is Acerca par for the part (squished), and headroom is nonexistent those Acerca workshop than 5-foot-8. Overall, the Coupe C-Class is no worse than an A5 and better than Coupe Cadillac CTS. Its trunk volume of 11.7 cubic feet for the small class luxury coupe.
2014 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Engine
The 2014 Mercedes Benz C250 powered by a 1.8-liter turbocharged-cylinder produces 201 horsepower and 229 pound-feet of torque. Rear-wheel drive and a automatic transmission seven-speed standard. In the test, a sedan C250 Sport Went from zero to 60 mph in 7.3 seconds. It’s enough time, but still Acerca a second Slower than the Audi A4 2.0T seconds Nearly two speedy Slower than the 328i. Even new CLA250 should be efficient. Fuel economy ratings Both the sedan and coupe there is competition at 25 mpg combined (22 mpg city / 31 mpg highway).
The 2014 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C300 4Matic gets a 3.5-liter V6 good for 248 hp and 251 lb-ft of torque. The term 4Matic shows it Comes standard all-wheel drive. According to Mercedes, can run 60 mph in 6.0 seconds. But rated fuel economy drops to 22 mpg combined (20 city / 27 highway).
The 2014 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C350 And you get a V6 3.5-liter, but it produces 302 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque. Rear-wheel drive standard, all-wheel drive and comes With The C350 4Matic Coupe. In tests, it went from zero to 60 5.6 seconds – a number par With The members of the pace of STI class. Fuel economy of 23 mpg combined (20 city / 29 highway) for the sedan, 23 combined (20/28) for the Coupe rear-drive and 22 combined (19/27) for the Coupe 4Matic.
The Mercedes-Benz AMG C63 receives a 6.2-liter 451 hp V8 that he sent out and 443 lb-ft of torque to the wheels through a special rear-seven-speed automatic transmission. Choose the 507 Edition package ups the power of 507 hp and 450 lb-ft. Expect the C63, has been the engine output style body, to reach 60 mph 4 4.5 seconds. That acceleration paying With fuel economy ratings of 15 mpg combined (13 city / 19 highway).
2014 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Safety
The 2014 Mercedes-Benz C-Class comes standard antilock brakes With, stability and traction control, front side airbags, front pelvic airbags, driver’s knee airbag and full-length side curtain airbag. And standard of the link and Emergency Attention mbrace2 Help, Which automatically monitors the driver for signs of fatigue or inattention and also raises back, so to speak, speak and visual warnings.
The 2014 Mercedes-Benz C-Class rear side airbags are optional. Lane Tracking package adds the blind-spot warning and lane-warning system start. Driver Assistance package adds the warning and lane-departure, adaptive cruise control and brake PreSafe. In brake testing, a meat 2014 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Sport a stop 60 mph in 108 feet. The C250 Sport and C63 meat within 5 feet to match the outstanding That distance. Remember that all the cars Were equipped with performance summer tires; Sedans C-Class and coupes with All-season tires will stop almost quite short.
In government crash tests, 2014 Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedan received the general five out of five stars, and four stars overall frontal crash and five stars overall risk side. In tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Sedan C-Class received a top of “Good” for moderate printing directly overlap, side impact and roof-tests. 2014 Mercedes-Benz C-Class embraced caused by “poor ‘little overlap front crash test the Institute, but a few cars who have tested in this way, and many did not similarly poor ratings.


text:
Susan Stinson is a novelist, historical tour guide, writing coach, speaker and the writer-in-residence for the Forbes Library in Northampton. She has published three novels, and recently completed a fourth, “Spider in a Tree”, a historical novel about the life and family of influential 18th century Calvinist theologian Jonathan Edwards based in Northampton. In 2011, she was awarded the Lambda Literary Foundation’s Outstanding Mid-Career Novelist prize for her “beautiful, courageous and important writing”.
As the Forbes Library writer-in-residence since 2009, Stinson serves as the curator of several public forums aimed at strengthening the bond between the public, writers and the library. She holds a twice-weekly writing room for the public at the library, moderates a panel series celebrating the relationship between local writers and local history and hosts an annual discussion on “The Writer’s Life”. The next event at the Forbes Library in the Local History/Local Writers series is on March 7th, 2012 and features writers James Cahillane, Eric Sawyer and Michael White discussing the trial and hanging of Irish travelers Dominic Daley and James Halligan in 1806 Northampton.
I recently spoke to Susan about her attempts to create and foster civic engagement at the public library, the challenges of breaking into the Pioneer Valley writer’s community and what makes Western Massachusetts such a great place to be a writer.
*This interview has been edited and re-sequenced for clarity.
* * * *
Q: Describe your work as the writer-in-residence at the Forbes Library. What are trying to accomplish, and how long have you been with the library?
A: I am trying to make the relationship between local writers and the library more active and rich for both groups. I curate a local history writing and local novelist series as well as facilitate two writing rooms, on Wednesday and Saturday mornings, here at the library. I help come up with the writing workshops too. In the summer, at least for the last two summers, we host a discussion series called “The Writing Life” on issues interesting to writers who are working on long-term projects.
The first thing that I did was starting the writing room in April of 2009. The program itself was started seven years ago by a poet and fiction writer named Diana Gordon. She started the writer-in-residence program here, working with the director of the library here, Janet Moulding.
Q: What needs you are trying to fill with the local novelists series and the writer’s life panels?
A: There are multiple needs and the different events don’t all fill the same needs. With the writing room the focus is very much on the work itself. Writers of any level can come in, anyone can do it productively, and people do come in from all sorts of different levels. The status stuff, who is more published or experienced, is just out of the window and it is much more about the work.
So unlike many workshops, we don’t do critiques, we don’t respond. We hear each other and that can spark relationships outside of the writing room if folks choose. That was something that I wanted for myself and for the community and here it is. One of the reasons I wanted to do this work was that I was feeling isolated, writing by myself in my apartment, relying on the Internet for my social interactions. I really wanted to be connecting with other people.
One of the ideas for the discussion group, “The Writing Life,”was to have a conversation about the issues that come up for us as writers. But those are once a month and still a little sparse. I am not as satisfied with how those are meeting that need as I am with how the writing group is going because I feel the writing group is going really great.
The Local History/ Local Novelist series had multiple intentions: one, I wanted to talk about novelists because I feel as if the contributions of the novel were a little bit under siege or a little bit neglected. I wanted to make the case for the importance of the novel in our common life. I also noticed that there were many, many more readings for poetry than there were readings for writers of prose. I looked at the poetry-reading model to create a live presence for writers who are not writing poetry, although poets are always welcome.
Then there is the idea that we hear each other. There have been multiple readers at each event on purpose; A lot of times it has been novelists, theologians and historians on the same panel. It draws a bigger crowd, helps us in creating that community- we see each other and interact at the panels- and leads to a stimulating civic life.
One of the things that has been fun for me in curating the series has been picking the topic of the panels. The subject can build these really beautiful evenings. The writing looks different in relation to each other, the place looks different once you’ve heard writers together. So that’s how I tend to think of it, instead of who are the right writers or the most brilliant writers but more, what would they be like together in a room?
Q: How do local writers react when you approach them to be on a panel?
A: They’ve been so responsive- many, many, many yeses. One thing that I’ve been so struck with is the beautiful willingness of people who really do have national and international reputations to come to the public library and take fifteen minutes instead of whole hour and read with less-known writers or in circumstances that are a little unconventional. People are really up for it. It’s exciting.
Q: What’s the reaction been from the public?
A: People have embraced the programs really quickly and it is clear that there is a need for them. They are one of the most popular programs at the library. It’s been really gratifying and surprising how well it has worked. Part of that is, I think, is using the combination of my very specific passion for it and getting the individual writers and speakers who come to mobilize their social networks to help build the audience. It’s been a little bit of a challenge because the subjects have been so diverse but it’s been really successful. There’s these beautiful moments of, “here’s the work” and people are embracing it.
Q: As a new writer and relative newcomer to the area, I feel overwhelmed in trying to establish connections with other writers here: can’t find anyone to work with, can’t connect with the community, can’t seem to find anyone not charging for help. As someone who has been here for a while, your experience with the writer’s community must be different.
A: I think that is a very common experience and, to tell you the truth, it’s different and it’s not for me. There is a beautiful tradition of writers supporting each other in western Massachusetts but it is a hard community to enter. But I also think that people’s experiences vary because there are writing groups that have been around for years and years. Some people have community that they’ve had for twenty or thirty years.
One of the reasons I started working at the library is that I need more writer community. So I set out to create that for myself and for other people in a way that would work for me. I have long relationships with a lot of writers in the Valley and they are so beautiful. I mean, Sally Bellerose, is a writer that I’ve worked with very closely for more than twenty years, it’s probably more like twenty-five, and she’s just published her first novel and it is fantastic. There’s such utter joy at seeing the whole long difficult journey and then see it successful.
I have a double reaction to that question because I am always looking for more too. I’m not, right at this moment, in my ideal writing community idea of support but at the same time I know it’s here. I want to keep trying to find good structures to help facilitate that for people working at every level. It’s important to me because I think it feeds the writers, it feeds the community and it’s good for the library. There are just so many benefits to doing it. The only reason not to do it is that you end up spending so much time facilitating between writers that you are not paying attention to your own writing. That’s the danger.
Q: What makes it tough to break into the writers’ community here?
A: There are probably a few different factors. One, if you’ve got a position at a college, then you circle around those academic centers. You are usually very busy and might not be talking to writers who are not tied into the academic life. I also think it is true what John Crowley said at the last reading when we started talking about this, that some part of it is the nature of the work. We writers often work by ourselves, and often need some piece of our work to be in solitude and quiet. So that makes us less inclined to build communities.
And it’s hard especially if you are not looking for a workshop model, if you are not looking for a teacher, and you are looking for other people whose commitment level and experience matches your own. That can be really hard to find.
I think it is another thing too: a lot of the writers who live here focus much of their work lives in other places or if they are at one of the colleges or institutions, they go elsewhere in the summer. So it can be a little slow to coalesce. I think it is also has to do with, this is a little hard to describe, but I grew up in the West and the New England character, well, there’s not this same tradition of openness like in Texas, say, “you are welcome to come on in.” Regionally, it’s a little bit slower to build connections here.
Q: On the plus side, I was surprised to find such a strong literary tradition and so many well-known writers working in the area. Does the community at large here in the Valley recognize that or is it a secret within writers’ circles?
A: The amazing depth, richness and range of the truly fantastic writers at every level, from very young people who are just starting to people who are incredibly well-established is underappreciated. I think that Western Massachusetts is just a little bit used to it in a way because of the deep literary tradition here. We don’t always value that network in the way that we could. I grew up in unincorporated Araphahoe County, Colorado so I notice the difference.
Q: As someone who is working with the literary community here in the Valley, what do you see as it literary strengths? Or is there too much diversity in writers, style and genres to pick just one?
A: There’s a really great tradition of women writers here. That continues to be true. There are people doing really exciting, innovative work with historical writing. Sabina Murray is a great example of that with her most recent book, “Tales of the New World.” But also Brian Kiteley, who read in the series last year. He teaches at the University of Denver, so he doesn’t live here anymore, but he grew up here. He wrote a book called “River Gods” that’s all about Northampton. It’s just a fabulous blend of history and imaginative leaps and is very innovative in form. It is brilliant.
Q: For people like us, who don’t come from an area with a rich writing tradition, this place seems really incredible. What is about Western Massachusetts, the Pioneer Valley, that fosters such a strong literary tradition?
A: One of the qualities of Western Massachusetts is that this is a landscape that has been reflected on. It’s been looked at. So when you are here, at least I do and I think a lot of us do, you feel the relationship with those earlier threads of thought just by walking around. I mean, Emerson wandered through and Henry James did his first serious fiction here.
Also the Puritan and Calvinist roots contribute. Those were people who very much valued literacy and valued the Word and the Scripture. The colleges have been places were women were getting higher education very early on here. There is just a great tradition of valuing learning and that’s very rich for writing. Long cold winters don’t hurt.
Q: I think that there is also an openness here that might not exist in other places. Basically you can be whoever you want to be here.
A: It’s evolved imperfectly. It’s something that I have seen changes with over time. This area has a great tradition of moving towards openness. I say that but the next evening (March 7th, 2012 at 7:00 PM at the Forbes Library) in the writing series is about a less glorious moment in Northampton’s history. Two Irish Catholic travelers were convicted of murder and hung in 1806 before a crowd of fifteen thousand people at a time when anti-Catholic sentiment was very strong in this area. It is very likely that they were not guilty. So it is not Paradise here, even though it’s called Paradise City. But it does have a tradition of progressivism and moving towards more inclusion and I value that greatly.
I think that we can continue to apply that openness better if we know about things from history, and we discuss them. It’s important for me to say, if I am talking in relation to the library, people of all backgrounds and all perspectives are very welcome to these events.
*Photo by Jeep Wheat


Judging from the research I have been doing for the February American Rifleman cover story, new, serviceable guns are more affordable than, perhaps, ever. Not to be a spoiler for the February issue, but I was intrigued by the concept of the Taurus Spectrum. While the use of multi-colored panels is the reason most paid attention to the little .380 ACP when introduced, its beauty is more than skin-deep—and all the colors are finally available. As of this writing, the basic black gun was $269.99 at Cabela’s. And it is not alone in that price range.
Some of the best advice I received years ago was to buy what you like and buy the best gun you can afford. That was when I started collecting Lee-Enfield rifles, pertaining to rarity and condition as opposed to functionality, but I think that concept applies to handguns, bolt-action rifles and semi-automatic rifles used for personal protection, recreational shooting or hunting, as well.
It turns out that if you are looking for a carry gun to protect your life or that of your loved ones, there are quite a few options under $300. This has become a very competitive space, one based on high production volume and guns engineered from the start for affordable manufacture. Is this a sign of the end times? No, absolutely not. It is simply evidence of vibrant competition in a bustling market. If you shop right, for less than $300 you can find carry guns in .380 ACP or 9 mm Luger from Beretta, Bersa, Diamondback Firearms, Kahr, Kel-Tec, Remington, Ruger, S&W, SCCY and Taurus. There are also Charter Arms and EAA Windicator revolvers under $300. Of course, there are quite a few Hi-Points well below that price. Say what you will about the lines or unconventional construction of the Hi-Points, but every one I have tested seemed to work just fine.
I might point out that the basis of January's American Rifleman cover story, “More Horses Under The Hood: Ruger’s Magnum Precision” by Managing Editor Kelly Young, started with Ruger’s attempts to make a more affordable rifle than the Model 77. In case you missed it, Editorial Director John Zent’s story on the evolution of the Model 77 was simply an outstanding treatment of a half-century of one of my favorite rifles. The result of the search for a new design based on speedy and economical manufacture has resulted in an accurate rifle at an accessible price. That same action is employed in the Ruger Precision Rifle.
Ruger Precision Rifle Magnum
Ruger has successfully focused on making the guns that people are most interested in buying. It broke my heart to walk through the Newport, N.H., factory and see the cell that builds the Ruger No. 1 single-shot in hibernation. Some parts were there, some tools were there, but there were no workers on that day. No, they were building Ruger American Rifles. Odds are the same folks are putting together Ruger Precision Rifles in magnum calibers. While the suggested retail price for the .338 Lapua Mag. is $2,099, the new gun comes in well below comparable chassis-style rifles from other makers.
Another far more “affordable” gun in this issue compared to its predecessor is the made-in-America SIG Sauer P210 Target evaluated by Field Editor Wiley Clapp. Re-designing the locking system, using CNC machines, changing the finish and a few other differences—including American rather than German labor—has resulted in a pricey classic being, well, less pricey. In 1986, a P210-1 cost $1,917 from SIGARMs. Today, that would be the equivalent of $4,415.38. The new gun has a sticker price of $1,699.
Maybe this affordability thing applies beyond polymer pistols and bargain bolt-actions.
The Keefe Report: The Incredible, Flexible, Affordable AR
The Keefe Report: Affordable Bolt-Action Rifles


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March 13th Daily Analysis
March 13th Daily Analysis
DOLLAR INDEX (USDX)
The dollar fell on Monday, March 13th, as the US authorities intervened to curb the repercussions of the sudden collapse of the Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), as investors hoped that the US Fed would follow a less stringent monetary path.
Officials also said that depositors at Signature Bank, which was shut down by New York state financial regulators on Sunday, would be compensated and that taxpayers would not suffer any losses.
The dollar index, which measures the greenback against six currencies, fell 0.153% to 104.080. The Japanese yen rose 0.34% to 134.52 against the dollar, its highest level in a month, as investors moved towards safe-haven Asian currencies.
Pivot Point: 104.25
SPOT GOLD (XAUUSD)
Gold prices rose on Monday, March 13, to their highest levels in more than 5 weeks, with the decline of the dollar. Meanwhile, fears raised by the largest collapse of an American bank since the financial crisis in 2008 pushed investors towards the precious metal, which represents a safe haven.
Gold rose in spot transactions by 0.5% to 1877.30 dollars an ounce after it recorded its highest level since February 3, earlier during the session, at 1893.96. Moreover, US gold futures increased 0.8% to 1882.10 dollars an ounce.
The US economy added 311,000 jobs in February, much more than expected, but the unemployment rate rose to 3.6%, and wage growth slowed, dampening expectations about the need to raise interest rates.
Pivot Point: 1,855
DOW JONES INDEX (DJ30FT – US30)
US stock indices fell at the close of trading on Friday, with the Dow Jones recording its largest weekly loss since last June due to the weak performance of the banking sector due to the Silicon Valley Bank crisis.
The losses in the banking sector came after the failure of the Silicon Valley Bank to raise financing targeting about two billion dollars on Wednesday, which caused the bank’s shares to lose 60% on Friday and more than 60% today before trading was suspended.
Today, US regulators announced the closure of SVB Bank, which marked the biggest failure of a Wall Street bank since the global financial crisis.
The SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF exchange-traded funds for banks listed on Wall Street fell by about 4.4% and recorded weekly losses of about 16%, the largest since March 2020.
At the end of the Friday session, the Dow Jones index fell by 1.1%, or about 345 points, to 31,909 points, and its weekly losses amounted to 4.4%, the largest since June of 2022.
Soon, these losses were partially covered, so the Dow Jones is now trading above $32,200 after US officials intervened to stem the financial repercussions of the Silicon Valley bankruptcy, saying that all depositors would be able to dispose of their deposits as of Monday.
Pivot Point: 32070
US CRUDE OIL (USOUSD)
Oil prices rose more than 1% on Friday after US employment data, which came in better than expected, but crude suffered weekly losses due to concerns about interest policy on the part of the US Fed.
Brent crude rose $1.19, or 1.5%, to $82.78 a barrel, and its weekly loss was 3.5%. US West Texas Intermediate crude rose 96 cents, or 1.3%, to $76.68 a barrel and recorded a weekly loss of 3.7%.
Pivot Point: 76.15


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Virtual Private Networks (VPN) the Insecure Solution
Many organisations have deployed VPN’s as a quick win solution and have suffered as a result of not implementing a full solution. Trinity Security Services’ Consultants have worked with a wide array of customers to solve security issues as a result of hastily rolled out VPN solutions.
Probably the greatest risk to the implementation of VPN’s is the onslaught of cowboys jumping on the VPN band wagon. Many networking companies have branched out to include this type of encrypted VPN solution as a service with little understanding of the security implications. Although cowboys are able to implement a technology based solution they are unable to deliver what is required for a secure solution. Added to this is the fact that the technology portion of a security solution (hardware/software) is only 20% of the total solution. For example an organization has a VPN solution installed by cowboys at 12 o’clock, a vulnerability is release at 12:01 and a new patch is available by 12:05. This technology based solution is in-secure from day one the organization needs to have security mechanisms in place to ensure that they can maintain security. These mechanisms should be delivered as part of the overall solution.
So what are the security implications to your VPN solution if you only have 20% of the total solution?
Like all security solutions the 20% is nothing without the 80% soft security i.e. policies and procedures. A VPN implemented without policies and procedures will very soon become a non-secure solution. The last 18 months has proved this; the CODE RED attack would never have caused as much damage if the right policies and procedures were in place to ensure that systems were patched.
Time after time companies are victims of attacks not because they do not have the supporting mechanisms required to maintain the technologies they have in place.
An organisation should therefore not only look for a technically sound VPN solution meeting all business requirements but they should also look for a solution that delivers supporting policies and procedures.
The 80% (Policies & Procedures)
Out of 500 respondents of the recent InfoWorld Security Solutions Survey, only 3 percent reported that their companies have no formal security policies. How many could say the same about specific security policies for their VPN solution? A high level corporate policy will have little bearing on individual network solutions and therefore specific security policies and procedures must be delivered for each solution.
A VPN policy should discuss at a high level what an organization will and will not allow, this policy should be enforceable. Like any other security policy, a VPN policy is only effective if it is distributed to all users of the VPN for reading and signature. In addition, policies created for a VPN solution should feed into or reference other corporate security policies where appropriate. For example the VPN System Security Policy should reference the corporate Incident Response Procedure for matters of intrusion or incidence.
The following generic policies and procedures are recommended for a VPN solution: System Security Policy (SSP) is a policy document that covers (but is not limited to) the following areas:
Security Operating Procedures (SyOps) is a procedural document that covers the day to day operations of the VPN solution. It sets out activities such as how new VPN client account creation should take place and how new VPN connections should be configured.
System Interconnection Security Policy (SISP) is a policy document detailing the security standard for interconnecting to other VPN sites not under the same SSP. The SISP is specific to the particular VPN connection and can be written as a standard or on a per connection basis. This document is especially important when using VPN’s for ebusiness.
A VPN solution will also require updates to existing policies and procedures documents such as:
Other Security Considerations
Another important consideration that must be built into every VPN solution is the security of the VPN client. The days when all devices and persons attached to the network sitting together in the same room have long gone, making maintenance of perimeter security a difficult task. Remote VPN users should be viewed as a network gateway and treated accordingly. The following features should therefore be available from the remote VPN Client:
All remote VPN users should be forced to enter the corporate network before using any external resources such as e-mail or web browsing. In taking this approach, the various usage and security policies can be enforced upon all users.
Whether the VPN solution is implemented by internal or external resources, there are certain supporting deliverables that should always be produced. These deliverables should provide information for auditing, troubleshooting, configuration management and other operational business functions. The following is a suggested guide to the deliverables required to support a VPN solution:
A VPN Security Health Check for IT Managers
Does your current VPN solution meet the minimum grade? Test it by answering the following 10 questions:
1. Was the solution implemented in line with existing corporate security policies?
2. Was Strong Authentication used for user authentication?
3. Was a System Interconnection Security Policy supplied with the solution (SISP)
4. Was a VPN System Security Policy (SSP) supplied?
5. Were System Operating Procedures (SyOps) supplied?
6. Was a Low Level Technical Design supplied?
7. Was build guide documentation supplied?
8. Was an Audit carried out upon the implemented solution?
9. Does the VPN Gateway reside outside the corporate environment? (in a Firewall DMZ)
10. Was VPN client security considered?
If the answer is NO to any of these questions then a review of the Security aspects of the implemented VPN solution should be carried out.
The final check for your VPN solution should be a full audit to confirm compliance with all corporate policies and procedures. A penetration test can be used as a tool to confirm the technical aspects of compliance.
Once compliance is achieved, the Security or IT Manager can accredit the system allowing the business to begin using the new solution. Regular internal audits and irregular external audits should take place to ensure continued compliance.
If your organisations network is compromised due to poor VPN solution security, the costs could run into the 000’s with the initial ROI being wiped out in a single incident. Therefore it is business critical that the VPN solution is not seen as a technology based solution only but the wider security issues are considered. It’s the 80/20 rule; ensure your organisation is aiming for 100% security and not just the easy win 20%.
Trinity Security Services (Trinity) is a leading independent information
security solutions and services provider. Customers include a range of FTSE
250 customers across UK and Europe
Trinity provides its customers with market leading expertise, delivering
solutions ranging from the technical such as IDS, VPN and E-commerce, to
strategic services including security policy and procedure development.


text:
|Specific gut bacteria may help us lose weight.|
Photo by clarita at morguefile.com
Professor Patrice Cani, Professor Willem de Vos and other researchers studied the effect of a bacterium named Akkermansia muciniphila on mice. Feeding the bacterium to obese mice not only caused the mice to lose weight but also reduced their insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is a condition in which the mouse or human body no longer responds properly to the presence of insulin. It's often a precursor to type 2 diabetes.
The obese mice lost about half their weight after the addition of the bacterium, even though their diet wasn't changed in any other way. The researchers also found that feeding the mice a type of fiber known as oligofructose caused their population of Akkermansia muciniphila to increase.
The scientists discovered that Akkermansia muciniphila offered other advantages to the mice, too. It caused the mucus lining of their intestine to thicken. The mucus protects the intestinal lining, which is underneath the mucus, and also stops some substances in the intestine from entering the blood. Another very interesting discovery was that the presence of the bacteria caused different signals to be sent from the digestive system. These new signals altered the way in which fat was processed in the body.
Akkermansia muciniphila was only discovered ten years ago. It lives in humans as well as mice and inhabits the mucus layer lining our gut. Scientists have discovered that the population of this bacterium is low in people suffering from obesity or inflammation and higher in people who don't have these conditions. The decrease in the bacterial population may be the result of the health problems instead of the cause. However, the other research performed with the bacterium suggests that it does play a role in weight loss.
Research in mice is often applicable to humans. Clinical tests using Akkermansia muciniphila in humans haven't been done yet. The potential uses of this bacterium are very exciting, though. The discoveries don't remove the need for overweight people to follow a sensible diet and exercise program, but the bacterium may be a wonderful aid to weight control in the future.

domain: medical


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It’s a Sunday morning in Milan and the line to get inside Nowhere is halfway down the block. It’s something of a nightmare scenario for any barista; “in the weeds” in hospitality industry slang. It surely doesn’t help that most of the people in the queue are those most judgmental of customers: coffee professionals in town for the World of Coffee tradeshow.
But the team at Nowhere handles the rush with grace and poise. Once seated, our coffees arrive quickly. The service is warm if understandably rushed. Most importantly, the coffees taste great.
Nowhere describes itself as “Future coffee roasters.” The hot pink interior certainly makes it feel like a brave, new post-Hygge world. There are zero nods to the classic Italian espresso bar. There’s not even any sugar.
Instead, there is a serious food program, a small selection of natural wine, and a selection of house-roasted coffee that leans toward the juicy and exotic. Think funky, spicy anaerobic-fermented Indonesia with a side of Turkish-style poached eggs & yogurt.
Of all of the coffee shops we visited in 2022, Nowhere was perhaps the most memorable. If you’re looking for the stereotypical Italian espresso bar experience, then Nowhere may not be for you. But if you want to see the future of specialty coffee, you’ve come to the right place.


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Ere The Flowers Unfold12:00 AM
Flowers start to unfold in the spring/summer time wherein floral prints start to appear on everyone's ensemble.
At this point in time, I'm not excited unlike how this array appeals. These flowers have just bloom on my pants so early that I ought to show off their beauty soon before their petals fall and get withered. We often see flowers having vivid colors right then and there resembled to floral prints, this one is merely a bit far-out. The azure and greenish shades of this print brings out a cool and unmarred fresh vibe which wouldn't detached in an ambiance not yet suitably warmed up.
Oftentimes, when we want to emphasize a multihued or full detailed piece, we choose to fall in with a plain one, especially in a staple white. That's what I did to get a focus on my floral prints, but as how it appeared to me now, it didn't go that way. My plain sleeveless top steals the center of attraction for it has also something to get allured to, that is its pleated chiffon high-low back design. Yay or nay? I know for an hour you'll be freezing coz we're still stuck on a cold weather, but dare to wear it and let this back cover get carried off by the strong blow of the wind that would make a dramatic effect on your casual outfit! That would be great as I imagine! Hmm...
To add more, I put on earrings with a touch of gold and white that are as dainty as pearls; a mint green necklace with dazzling stones to contrast the white top yet complement on the floral prints. I've even got a chance to flaunt my classic white pointed shoes. These embellishments make a final touch on my refined and classy style statement.

domain: design


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How to Win Real Money Slot Tournaments With Online Casinos
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