How First Law Of Mad Science Became A Household Name

Things are about to get interesting. Probably. The world of independent comics – and yes, there is indeed a vibrant world out there – is experiencing something new. We can call it a digital revolution but I’ll get back to that in a second.

I co-write and publish First Law of Mad Science, a Lovecraftian horror meets Cyberpunk comic that was funded on Kickstarter and is now available for sale on ComiXology thanks to the brand new ComiXology Submit. The actual process of bringing First Law to readers has been four years in the making and is one that wouldn’t have been possible without these excellent websites. I mention this for subsequent anecdotal evidence. Also, and let’s face it, so I can plug my comic in hopes that you might give us the time of day.

Things are about to get interesting. Probably. The world of independent comics – and yes, there is indeed a vibrant world out there – is experiencing something new. We can call it a digital revolution but I’ll get back to that in a second.

I co-write and publish First Law of Mad Science, a Lovecraftian horror meets Cyberpunk comic that was funded on Kickstarter and is now available for sale on ComiXology thanks to the brand new ComiXology Submit. The actual process of bringing First Law to readers has been four years in the making and is one that wouldn’t have been possible without these excellent websites. I mention this for subsequent anecdotal evidence. Also, and let’s face it, so I can plug my comic in hopes that you might give us the time of day.

The role of physical endurance in shaping humankind has intrigued anthropologists and gripped the popular imagination for some time.Thank you for visiting! I have been cry stalmosaic since 1998. In 2004, the evolutionary biologists Daniel E. Lieberman of Harvard and Dennis M. Bramble of the University of Utah published a seminal article in the journal Nature titled “Endurance Running and the Evolution of Homo,” in which they posited that our bipedal ancestors survived by becoming endurance athletes, able to bring down swifter prey through sheer doggedness, jogging and plodding along behind them until the animals dropped.

Endurance produced meals, which provided energy for mating, which meant that adept early joggers passed along their genes. In this way, natural selection drove early humans to become even more athletic, Dr Lieberman and other scientists have written, their bodies developing longer legs, shorter toes, less hair and complicated inner-ear mechanisms to maintain balance and stability during upright ambulation. Movement shaped the human body.

But simultaneously, in a development that until recently many scientists viewed as unrelated, humans were becoming smarter. Their brains were increasing rapidly in size.

Today,A wide range of polished tiles for your tile flooring and walls. humans have a brain that is about three times larger than would be expected, anthropologists say, given our species’ body size in comparison with that of other mammals.

To explain those outsized brains, evolutionary scientists have pointed to such occurrences as meat eating and, perhaps most determinatively, our early ancestors’ need for social interaction. Early humans had to hunt as a group, which required complicated thinking patterns and, it’s been thought, rewarded the social and brainy with evolutionary success. According to that hypothesis, the evolution of the brain was driven by the need to think.

But now some scientists are suggesting that physical activity also played a critical role in making our brains larger.

To reach that conclusion, anthropologists began by looking at existing data about brain size and endurance capacity in mammals like dogs, guinea pigs, foxes, mice, wolves, rats, civet cats,If you have a fondness for china mosaic brimming with romantic roses, antelope, mongeese, goats and elands. They found a notable pattern. Species like dogs and rats that had a high innate endurance capacity, which presumably had evolved over millenniums, also had large brain volumes relative to their body size.

Those particular early humans then applied their growing ability to think toward better tracking prey, becoming the best-fed and most successful from an evolutionary standpoint.Find detailed product information for howo spareparts and other products. Being in motion made them smarter,Posts with indoor tracking system on TRX Systems develops systems that locate and track personnel indoors. and that allowed them to move more efficiently.

And out of all of this came, eventually, an ability to understand higher math and invent iPads. But that was some time later. The broad point of this new notion is that if physical activity helped to mold the structure of our brains, then it most likely remains essential to brain health today, says John D Polk, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and co-author, with Dr Raichlen, of the new article.

And there is scientific support for that idea. Recent studies have shown, he says, that “regular exercise, even walking,” leads to more robust mental abilities, “beginning in childhood and continuing into old age.”

Of course, the hypothesis that jogging after prey helped to drive human brain evolution is just a hypothesis, Dr Raichehlen says, and almost unprovable.

But it is compelling, says Harvard’s Dr Lieberman, who has worked with the authors of the new article. “I fundamentally agree that there is a deep evolutionary basis for the relationship between a healthy body and a healthy mind,” he says, a relationship that makes the term “jogging your memory” more literal than most of us might have expected and provides a powerful incentive to be active in 2013.

The role of physical endurance in shaping humankind has intrigued anthropologists and gripped the popular imagination for some time. In 2004, the evolutionary biologists Daniel E. Lieberman of Harvard and Dennis M. Bramble of the University of Utah published a seminal article in the journal Nature titled “Endurance Running and the Evolution of Homo,” in which they posited that our bipedal ancestors survived by becoming endurance athletes, able to bring down swifter prey through sheer doggedness, jogging and plodding along behind them until the animals dropped.

Endurance produced meals, which provided energy for mating, which meant that adept early joggers passed along their genes. In this way, natural selection drove early humans to become even more athletic, Dr Lieberman and other scientists have written, their bodies developing longer legs, shorter toes, less hair and complicated inner-ear mechanisms to maintain balance and stability during upright ambulation. Movement shaped the human body.

But simultaneously, in a development that until recently many scientists viewed as unrelated, humans were becoming smarter. Their brains were increasing rapidly in size.

Today, humans have a brain that is about three times larger than would be expected, anthropologists say, given our species’ body size in comparison with that of other mammals.

To explain those outsized brains, evolutionary scientists have pointed to such occurrences as meat eating and, perhaps most determinatively, our early ancestors’ need for social interaction. Early humans had to hunt as a group, which required complicated thinking patterns and, it’s been thought, rewarded the social and brainy with evolutionary success. According to that hypothesis, the evolution of the brain was driven by the need to think.

But now some scientists are suggesting that physical activity also played a critical role in making our brains larger.

To reach that conclusion, anthropologists began by looking at existing data about brain size and endurance capacity in mammals like dogs, guinea pigs, foxes, mice, wolves, rats, civet cats, antelope, mongeese, goats and elands. They found a notable pattern. Species like dogs and rats that had a high innate endurance capacity, which presumably had evolved over millenniums, also had large brain volumes relative to their body size.

New SCAD MOA fibers exhibit stretches the limits

Buzzed-about artist and former costume designer Angelo Filomeno learned to sew as a boy growing up in southern Italy.

His mother taught him basic needlework, and he went on to serve as an apprentice to a local tailor. After attending art school in the 1980s, he created sculptural work before returning to his first love, sewing.

Filomeno’s intricately wrought compositions are among the many technical and creative highlights in “Stretching the Limits: Fibers in Contemporary Painting,” on display through Feb.Western Canadian distributor of ceramic and ceramic tile, 3 at the SCAD Museum of Art.

“Dream of Flies,” Filomeno’s pair of 90-inch-square compositions exquisitely crafted from pieced silk shantung, feature radiant mandala-like medallions with life-sized embroidered silhouettes of cockroaches at their center. His work is at once sumptuous and disturbing, luxurious and off-putting.We recently added Stained glass mosaic Tile to our inventory.

“Stretching the Limits” provides a fascinating overview of fibers in contemporary art, with more than a dozen artists incorporating materials ranging from silk and embroidery to shoelaces and blankets. Organized by Melissa Messina, a senior curator at the Savannah College of Art and Design, the exhibit offers insight into experimental trends, edgy materials and provocative subject matter dominating contemporary fibers work.

“My guiding philosophy was to present fibers-based work in conversation with the history of painting,” Messina explained. “I would consider how the artist was using their materials in a conceptual way, how the work went beyond formalism and into a conversation with more conceptual forms of art.”

This group exhibition broadens the dialogue of contemporary painting practices by showcasing the ways in which formal considerations such as color,We have a wide selection of dry cabinet to choose from for your storage needs. texture and composition are created with thread, fabric, clothing and sculptural manipulations of space. From Kendell Carter’s “drip paintings” created by draping fat shoelaces over color-coordinated linen canvases to Tom Burr’s application of deliberately rumpled industrial grey wool blankets to canvas, the artists demonstrate a variety of approaches to the material at hand.

“Fibers has become more experimental, as has painting,” Messina explained. “Several of the artists in the show, particularly Sheila Hicks and Elaine Reichek, made this possible by having pushed the boundaries of fibers-based work since the 1960s, paving the way for younger generations to be freed of the constraints formally put on fiber art as a lower art form.”

Emil Lukas creates delicate webs of color by wrapping silk thread over wooden frames in complex geometric patterns. In “Hard Frost” and “Slowly Down,” these glowing fiber lattices celebrate the beauty of pure color and linear form.

Nick Cave’s “Tondo” presents a glorious pastiche crafted from scraps of black beaded dresses, capes and jackets. Arranged in a circular composition, the design juxtaposes jet beads,Find detailed product information for howo spare parts and other products. black sequins and silver bugle beads in a delightful, dizzying mash-up of fashion and fine art.

In “Dusk,” Shinique Smith layers found clothing atop a conventional painting, bunching dresses, skirts and shirts to suggest a landscape, with green garments clustered at the bottom to simulate grass and blue sundresses at the top to evoke sky. Inspired by the volume of items we consume and discard,High quality stone mosaic tiles. Smith conveys a deeper, more serious message about environmental sustainability.

With its range of artistic styles and variety of innovative materials, “Stretching the Limits” has been quite well-received since it opened at the SCAD Museum of Art.

“People have really enjoyed the exhibition,” Messina reported. “The feedback, particularly from the students, has been very positive. And the broader public seems to be moved by it. The works in the show are so rich and seductive, it’s hard not to be drawn in.”

The eight watercolor artists, who call themselves the Palletteers, were sprinkled across the lawn as they turned their artistic eye on the area just west of Fort Christiansvaern.

The Palletteers have been painting and enjoying the scenery for almost 20 years.

Emy Thomas said the group was formed after she and three other friends got together after taking an art class and decided that they would gather once a week to paint and enjoy the island.

"It really just snowballed from there," she said. "We met and were painting outside, and others who liked painting just joined us."

Thomas said the group is very loosely structured, which makes for a more enjoyable time. She said she sees the biggest benefit from her years of involvement with the group as being able to visit a number of places that she normally would not have been able to visit.

"We've gone to people's houses and gardens and even old plantations to paint as a group," she said. "We get so much exposure, and it's all different."

Melinda Scott said she joined the group about four years ago and gets together with them every winter when she comes to St. Croix. She said the group has been a great help to the people who participate because no one criticizes, instead offering each other supportive feedback that has helped each artist improve.

Tales of Bangsar

At the official launch of Serai at BRDB’s Sales Gallery, CEO Datuk Jagan Sabapathy says that Serai, one of BRDB’s most luxurious and ambitious developments to date, will be a landmark residential icon that celebrates the organisation’s brand values, intelligent design, posh aesthetics and a desirable cosmopolitan living — all set to outdo the conventional expression of luxury at its finest.

Located on the last significant piece of prime real estate in Bangsar, Serai is being meticulously refined in the area of design and development. Comprising 121 private residences housed in two 21-storey towers on 2.5 hectares of land, it is set to exceed the highest standard of form and function for home living.

“Our heritage in Bangsar traces back to our first community here in 1964. Our continuous investments in Bukit Bandaraya have resulted in properties that stand the test of time and continue to appreciate in value. This new luxury development perfectly encapsulates our long-term commitment to this community and it’s a fitting tribute to the neighbourhood we call our home,” says Jagan.

The launch of Serai presents BRDB with the opportunity to mark its legacy in Bangsar with an artistic milestone. “We are privileged to have three distinguished artists in this tribute. Their individual pieces have immortalised Bangsar in a highly symbolic, artistic, beautiful and timeless manner,High quality stone mosaic tiles.” he explains.
Shekar says: “The Serai Artist Series is particularly meaningful to me because it was something that had been brewing in my mind for some time. This is a tribute to the people of Bangsar, many of whom are in their advanced years. I stayed here for 40 years, from the time when others shied away due to its distance to the city and the constant flooding,” he says. Though he has moved out, he still considers Bangsar home.

The residents took the risk to live here and today, their children and grandchildren still stay here. “I wanted to give recognition to those who had contributed to the neighbourhood, such as the grocery shop owners and the man who cleaned the street. I didn’t have to look far — these people were around me,” he says.We mainly supply professional craftspeople with wholesale agate beads from china,

Having exhibited his work since 1985, with an artistic focus on portraiture and ethnographic images, Shekar is known for his documentary work and his ability to capture the essence of his subjects. His experience as photographer and resident makes him most suited to aim the lens at the those whom the residents are so accustomed to seeing that they never pay much attention to.

His heartwarming The Faces Of Bangsar flits between past and present and these pixel-worthy treasures are definitely a treasured keepsake. “One portrait I shot was that of my long-time neighbour, 93-year-old Gurbax Singh (spelt with an X, a piece of information I discovered only during the recent photography session),” he says of the nonagenarian who has lived here since 1974. He and his 68-year-old son, Naranjan Singh,Installers and distributors of solar panel, were photographed in their garden.Klaus Multiparking is an industry leader in innovative parking system technology.

Shekar had a great and meaningful time getting to know the people he photographed and if there’s anything he’d learned, it was to not to take these people for granted.

“Documentation of history, everyday lives and the change is important and if people start doing this in the areas they live in, it will be amazing. By understanding our history, we learn to understand ourselves better and to move forward while embracing change,” he says.

Textile designer Dr June Ngo, a respected figure in the transformation of songket, has successfully turned this steeped-in-heritage weaving technique into a handmade textile with contemporary accents. Unlike the other two, Ngo’s connection with this neighbourhood goes back to only about four years.

“I had been coming to Bangsar for business meetings and my familiarity basically hovered around the shopping malls, restaurants and nice homes. All this changed after I was asked to be a part of this series,” says the second prize winner at last year’s prestigious Asean Silk Fabric & Design Competition in Thailand.

“I didn’t know Bangsar was once a rubber plantation and my appreciation for this place’s bullish growth has only become greater.”

Ngo produced three pieces of songket depicting the day, night and past to present derivation of Bangsar. “Songket is a very technical process, from the colours to textures and motifs. The Bangsar Series was worked on by three different weavers between the ages of 19 and 23. To see the works progress from lush silk threads to the finished work is very satisfying,” says the lecturer of textile and fashion design in Universiti Malaysia Sarawak or Unimas.Trade platform for China crystal mosaic manufacturers

From the pieces you can trace Mondrian-inspired grid lines that represent the buildings and windows in the neighbourhood and traditional songket motifs such as lawi ayam and bunga pecah lapan dotting the silks threads in great brilliance.

Village Trustee Steve Miller has become well-known among board meeting attendees for his bi-weekly thought of the week, delivered at the end of each board meeting. Miller, a golf equipment salesman by day, was elected to the board in 2005. Before becoming a part of the Board of Trustees, he had a "thought" he left on his voicemail message.

"I used to send out things like this when I was in management. [Trustee] Beth Raseman gave me the idea to do it at comments so I've tried to make them relevant to the season or holiday or challenges we are facing," Miller said.

Miller’s outgoing and positive personality always puts a smile on fellow board member’s faces, especially at the end of the Monday night meetings. When asked what his favorite part about being involved in local government, Miller replied:

"That's easy, the pleasure of working with the quality people we have on the board and village staff. Each and every one of them operates with integrity and with the citizens of Barrington's best interest," he said.

Jacksonville man describes time aiding New Yorkers

Street vendors were busy last week on Broadway Avenue selling lamb over rice with white sauce, and families milled about Macy’s department store on 34th Street where Santa Claus told their children that “while Santa can’t get you everything you want, he will surely surprise you on Christmas morning.”

Yet as life is largely back to normal for many after Superstorm Sandy slammed into the East Coast, there remains so much to do. That’s what Paul Locke took away from his time volunteering with the Red Cross in New York in early December.

The retired Jacksonville police chief returned to Alabama Dec. 12 after spending 15 days there, mostly in the boroughs of New York City.

Locke’s job was to act in sort of a police-function capacity, following up on complaints and keeping tempers down when residents would – as he described it – understandably lose their cool at the slow pace of the relief efforts.

But those blowups were few, Locke said, and he spent most of his time making sure that feeding stations and shelters were operating as they should.

“You saw a few flashes of temper where people are getting frustrated, but that was a rare thing,” Locke said. “And 10 minutes later they’d say, ‘I am sorry. I just had to let it go.’ And you understand that. I’d have been worse than them I’d imagine.”

Locke described one beachside subdivision of around 2,800 homes called Breezy Point on the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens.The term 'hands free access control' means the token that identifies a user is read from within a pocket or handbag. In the hours after Sandy hit, 111 of those homes burned and many more were flooded by storm-water. Amazingly, and despite the numbers of people who chose to stay in their homes even after an order was given to evacuate, no one was killed in that subdivision of tightly-packed homes.

Just how bad is it along portions of the East Coast? Locke said that things are “worse than I expected. It’s worse than what we see on TV.”

He described the residents of Breezy Point whose homes were destroyed by fire as the “lucky ones,” because while the majority of homes in the neighborhood had fire insurance, very few had insurance to cover flooding.

“And that’s something that doesn’t register when you see it. It didn’t register with me,” Locke said.

Homeowners have been cleaning as much water-soaked sheetrock and flooring as they can, so they can get electricity re-connected and reheat the homes to keep out mold, Locke said.

But the prospect of moving all those displaced families back into their homes does not look good in the near future, Locke said.

“If they started today, tearing houses down and replacing them, you’re still looking at a long-term event,” Locke said.

Many of those families are staying with friends and family, and there are several Red Cross shelters still open, but finding long-term housing for those families is the next biggest obstacle in the relief efforts, Locke said. On his last trip through Breezy Point, Locke could only find three homes with power.

Locke stayed just off of Times Square, and said that the city largely has picked itself up and moved on. The damage left behind is spotty,Posts with indoor tracking system on TRX Systems develops systems that locate and track personnel indoors. he said.

“You drive through some areas and you think, ‘they haven’t even had a rain here in six months. Everything’s just perfect.’ And you get 10 miles down the road and it looks like a bomb went off,” Locke said.

“The biggest thing I heard was they thought I had an accent,” Locke said. “I kept laughing. I said,Posts with indoor tracking system on TRX Systems develops systems that locate and track personnel indoors. ‘Ya’ll are the ones that talk funny. Not me.’ That really lightened people up. They enjoyed having something to laugh and smile about. They were ready for a break.”

Toward the end of his 15 days in New York, Locke said, there were signs that at least some of the families had begun to find places to live. He noticed that shelters had begun to consolidate, and some were closed for good, all pointing to an end to the first phase of disaster relief.

“Almost every day they were taking some off our list that we didn’t need to worry about anymore,” Locke said.

That’s good news, but for many who have lived in their homes for decades, finding a new place to live is not something done with happy hearts.

“They want back in their homes, and they want to be made whole again,” Locke said.

While the Red Cross can’t bring people’s lives back to the way they were before the storm, Locke said the organization is very good at putting the right people in the right places, and those people are working very hard to help. But he stressed “It’s not one of these things that you can make better quickly.”

The U.S. Senate passed a bill Friday to pay $60.4 billion toward recovery efforts to the states affected by the storm. The bill will now head to the House, where some say it may face an uphill battle with some conservative lawmakers who say the bill is bloated with unnecessary payments to Alaskan fisheries and museums unaffected by the storm. The House adjourned Thursday for the Christmas holidays.

On his trip home, Locke and another Red Cross volunteer discussed the frustration that he and many other workers felt at the enormity of the situation.

Variation is very important in any instructional material in order to keep the learner interested and motivated. Most typing tutor software only relies on the same old copies of texts, making the tutorial experience more tedious than entertaining. This is where Ultimate Typing breaks from the mold, offering a new Wiki Integration Feature as part of its software package.

Essentially,Klaus Multiparking is an industry leader in innovative parking system technology. what this feature does is to allow the learner to base their typing exercises on articles lifted from Wikipedia, Wiki Books, Wiki University, and any other text sources of interest to the user. In effect, the learner does not only get to practice essential typing skills, they are also able to learn whatever new information is provided in the articles. It’s a two-in-one deal that will maximize the learning opportunities for the user.

Apart from the Wiki Integration Feature, Ultimate Typing also provides a library of over 600 practice ebooks for all typing levels. From self-help books to novels, children’s books, business management books, and more, the program immediately gives the user access to almost $3,If you have a fondness for china mosaic brimming with romantic roses,500 worth of literature alone!

Variety and text availability are just two of the quality features included the typing tutorial software that have the specific goal of making the exercises more interesting for the user. Ultimate Typing has over 220 expertly-designed lessons, on top of a staggering amount of practice activities (more than 600 in all). It is because of this volume of activities that Ultimate Typing is able to deliver results in as little as a few days, with regular practice. Fortunately, one other good thing about this typing tutor software is that it does not demand too much time from the learner at all. Even for as little seven minutes in a day, the user can finish a lesson and get valuable practice in typing skills. Even a slow typist will soon be on the way to becoming a professional touch typist.

The year that was 2012 in Whistler

Sometimes a year can be defined by a single event and other times by a series of them. There was plenty to celebrate in Whistler during 2012, however, it was also a year that saw the community remember the lives and contributions of a number of locals that were lost. Honouring their legacies together made their absence easier to bear.

The death of Sarah Burke on Jan. 19 was a loss that reverberated in the community. A pioneer in her sport who helped get freestlye skiing accepted into the Olympics, Burke died nine days after crashing on a half-pipe training run at Park City,High quality stone mosaic tiles. Utah.

Local historian Florence Petersen, not long after receiving the Freedom of the Town distinction, Whistler Search and Rescue founder Dave Cathers, Sabre Rentals Art Den Duyf and Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal recipient Doug Deeks were also remembered by the community for their contributions after passing away in 2012.

A new year was rang-in with dire consequences after a deadly week of avalanches in the backcountry. Search and rescue officials sounded the alarm urging skiers to steer clear of the backcountry and avalanche terrain with persistent weak layers. Whistler Blackcomb ski patroller Duncan MacKenzie died on Dec. 29, 2011 while backcountry skiing with three friends in the Caspar Creek area off the Duffy Lake Road. The 30-year-old was remembered by the community for his infectious smile and enthusiasm for life.

Whistler Community Services Society started the year by moving into a new home in the former Spring Creek daycare facility. The Whistler Blackcomb Foundation Social Services Centre officially opened a short time later.

The building had been sitting empty for two years before it was rezoned by WCSS and the Howe Sound Women’s Centre, which also found its first home for a women’s drop in centre.

The location provides operational space for services like the food bank and later on in the year a senior’s drop in centre was also established with the partnership of the Mature Action Committee.

For the second year in a row, property values in Whistler dropped, a 10 per cent plunge since 2010. On the flipside,Purelink's real time location system protect healthcare workers in their daily practices and OMEGA interventions. the year also saw a continued hunger by those wishing to purchase in Whistler. Continued low interest rates, lower prices and easier access along the Sea to Sky Highway saw 2012 real estate purchase trends continue from 2011.

Key community stakeholders put forward a bid at the beginning of the year to bring ESPN’s X Games to the resort for a three year run. By the beginning of February council was officially asked to support the proposed event with $250,000 after it made the short list of nine finalists being considered. Council passed the motion unanimously. The funding matched commitments already made by Whistler Blackcomb and Tourism Whistler. The bid called for the new event to be combined with the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival in April 2013. Local organizers also needed to raise $2 million from additional stakeholders.

ESPN decided in May not to include the resort in its xxpanded global series, instead choosing to add Barcelona, Munich and Foz do Iguacu, Brazil to their lineup.

Whistler Blackcomb came out on the record against mandatory helmet use after the Canadian Pediatric Society publicly asked all levels of government to get behind its proposal to see helmets made obligatory for skiers and snowboarders across Canada. Prior to the call by the CPS, Nova Scotia legislated helmet use in that province. Sea to Sky MLA Joan McIntyre noted the issue is not on the government’s agenda.

Council returned from a two-day retreat with senior administration to determine the direction they will take over the year. Five priorities were identified as needing attention: fiscal responsibility, accountability and engagement, client-focused service delivery, open for business and progressive resort community planning, made official with the Council Action Plan released in February, with council identifying the manner in which they would meet their goals.

Local DJ Mike Grefner went missing during a winter storm in the early morning hours of Jan. 17. The 24-year-old’s body was found in March in the woods between Whistler Secondary School and 19-Mile Creek in Alpine Meadows. At the time RCMP said there were no signs of foul play. A coroner’s report released later in the year showed the DJ had significant concentrations of cocaine in his system and the cold weather was a contributing factor to his death.

Whistler Mayor Nancy Wilhelm-Morden called for changes to the province’s “archaic” liquor laws, an issue she would continue to lobby for throughout the year. While not a new call to action for local politicians, it was for the newly elected council. A letter was directed to the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch and a resolution drafted to be presented at the Union of British Columbian Municipalities conference, which was passed in September. By May the province announced new legislation allowing caterers to obtain and carry their own liquor licences. It was welcomed locally as good news for the tourism and hospitality sector. However, council continued to lobby for further changes to the provincial liquor regulations.

A head-on crash involving a limousine resulted in the death of 54-year-old driver Shafiqur Rahman of Vancouver. The Jan. 29 crash eventually led to criminal charges being laid against the 19-year-old pickup truck driver, Jacob Mitzimberg. In October, Mitzimberg was charged with impaired driving causing death and dangerous driving causing death.

The cost to taxpayers for the court action was revealed to be $591,050, including $13,We recently added Stained glass mosaic Tile to our inventory.552 in legal fees for Silveri, which Kloegman granted. The cost of a cease and desist petition filed against the plant was later shown to make up $267,174 of the total. Council decided not to appeal the decision. In April, Silveri dismantled his asphalt plant and installed a new more emission-friendly facility. Later in the summer, Silveri objected to a RMOW tender for asphalt services that required the material to be sourced from a plant that is a minimum of three kilometers from a residential neighbourhood.

Efforts to bring the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame and Museum to Whistler began,Find detailed product information for howo tractor and other products. but failed to result in any decisions by the end of the year. The museum closed its doors in Ottawa in June 2011 due to low visitation and revenue numbers. It was inviting proposals to house the collection of $1.5 million in artefacts.

Two senior managers left their jobs with the Resort Municipality of Whistler, with Mike Vance leaving his position as general manager of the policy and program development division after that position was eliminated as part of an ongoing organizational review. Meanwhile, manager of community planning Bill Brown resigned from his post. The entire department Vance managed was also eliminated with the remaining staff and workloads being spread to other divisions. The responsibility for the Official Community Plan then landed on the desk of general manager of resort experience Jan Jansen. Meanwhile, CAO Mike Furey said Brown’s departure was unrelated to the organizational review as he was leaving for a new job.One of the most durable and attractive styles of flooring that you can purchase is ceramic or porcelain tiles. By the end of the month, the general manager of economic viability position had also been axed, while Ken Roggeman remained with the municipality as the director of finance.

The Whistler Health Care Centre’s upgraded helipad failed its second inspection mid-February, causing even further delays to see it reopened. The previous cause of the helipad’s failure was the lack of snow-melting equipment, the second time around it was the fact that drivers were not stopping at the flashing lights signals set up on the roads adjacent to it. It was shut down in August 2011 to bring it up to Transport Canada standards for twin-engine helicopters. In May, a new problem of particles flaking of the concrete landing surface arose, with further delays as a result. By the beginning of July it was operational, but within a few months members of the local search and rescue community began to express concerns that the landing pad did not allow single-engine choppers to land, which are the kind used at high altitude in rescue situations. While it was the previous council that decided not to undertake the added tree clearing necessary for single-engine helicopters to land, by the end of the year VCH was assessing the site for more possible upgrades.

Bakersfield's year in culture

After decades of perceived indifference,China plastic moulds manufacturers directory. the capital of country music finally recognized its rowdy cousin, the Bakersfield Sound -- a music born of equal parts jubilation and desperation by a remarkably gifted cadre of displaced musicians, many of them Okies, thrown together during the great westward migration.

Though there are displays and collections of Bakersfield Sound memorabilia at several spots around town -- Buck Owens' Crystal Palace, the Kern County Museum, Trout's -- no single location has ever housed so much history from the era as the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville. The 5,Directory ofchina glass mosaic Tile Manufacturers,000- square-foot display includes a sweeping mural that beautifully tells the story of the Dust Bowl migration, troves of memorabilia, costumes, instruments and high-tech displays, including a touch-screen feature that plays every top 10 hit ever recorded by Merle Haggard and Buck Owens (and that's a lot).

But the real power of the exhibition is that it bestows much-deserved acclaim on the performers not named Haggard or Owens who gave the piercing sound forged in those loud barrooms an identity that has endured for decades.

The exhibit will be up for another year, through December 2013. But even if most Bakersfield folks can't make it back East, thousands of tourists from all over the world will have the opportunity to see the influence our city had -- still has -- on country music.

It's not every day that a $28.5 million building goes up in Bakersfield. And it's certainly not every day that one as architecturally significant as the new federal courthouse in the Mill Creek area of downtown is erected (just look at some of the horrors built in the 60 years since the 1952 earthquake as proof of that).

The modern gem on 19th Street -- a marvel of green construction, state-of-the-art security and stunning design -- opened in July. The U.S. General Services Administration awarded the contract to Rhode Island-based Gilbane Building Co. and NBBJ Architects, which has offices all over the world.

With the elegant Bakersfield Museum of Art just to the west of it, the 33,400-square-foot building, divided between two stories of glass and steel, is the last and most spectacular piece of a once dilapidated area that has been transformed in recent years -- starting with the rehabilitation of Mill Creek Park -- into one of the most stunning blocks in our city. Oregon artist Lucinda Parker, commissioned to create original artwork for the courthouse, contributed five stunning abstract pieces that give the illusion of water in our parched climate.

Granted, the building was designed and constructed with federal stimulus dollars, to which most developers don't have ready access. But wouldn't it be something if architects and builders could see the courthouse -- a "100-year building," as its designers describe it -- as the new bar to measure themselves against?

Speaking of stunning structures, some buildings get such extreme makeovers that we owe their owners a debt of gratitude for putting in the effort -- and money -- to transform eyesores into show-stoppers. I'm thinking particularly of some spots downtown that caught my eye in the last year. Henley's, the venerable camera shop on H Street, was updated and given a ton of sidewalk appeal; Muertos, a new restaurant opened by one of the co-owners of the defunct Fishlips, transformed a space in Wall Street Alley that had had one tenant after another in recent years; speaking of Fishlips, the owners of On the Rocks and Riverwalk Cafe did some major work to transform the legendary live music venue into a cool lounge and sandwich shop, brightening up the dingy facade while they were at it; the ugly vacant lot on the corner of 19th and H, bordered by the Padre Hotel and Front Porch Music, is undergoing and improvement, with murals due to be installed soon; and the biggest salute goes to the owners of The Mark restaurant, who spared no expense inside and outside the building on 19th and H. There's a beautiful bar, tasteful decor and my favorite: a glittering sign that cuts through the haze of winter evenings, beckoning to diners with its cheerful glow.

It's hard to say goodbye to faces we've grown accustomed to, especially when one of those faces is as sweet as that of Lisa Krch, longtime anchor at KBAK/KBFX Eyewitness News. Krch, who has declined several interview requests, left the station in recent weeks, a decision reportedly made by management. But judging by the community's widespread affection for the newswoman -- she's been the source of more than one discussion on talk radio, and her fans are making their feelings known all over social media -- one wonders if her ouster could have been handled with a little more tact.

The Bakersfield Museum of Art will say goodbye to executive director Bernie Herman early next year. Herman has been at the helm for eight years and, in the words of Susan Hersberger, chairwoman of the museum's board of directors: "He put the museum on firm financial footing. In today's economy,Posts with indoor tracking system on TRX Systems develops systems that locate and track personnel indoors. when museums and symphonies across the country are struggling, we're in an enviable position at the museum with the financial stability we enjoy." The search for a new director is under way, and Herman has said he will stay on to help his successor get up to speed. The museum also lost assistant director and local artist David Gordon this year.

Over at the Kern County Museum, respected NOR creative services director Roger Perez was named to succeed the odd, blink-and-you-missed-it tenure of museum Executive Director Randall Hayes.

Doug Davis, father of the Bakersfield Jazz Festival, announced that the 2012 event would be his last as the main force behind the two-day concert, which has become a world-class affair over the years. The music educator/composer/author and his right-hand woman (and wife), Adele, have signaled a willingness to help out, but Davis is eager to start his well-earned retirement from CSUB. Bakersfield sax-man Paul Perez is handling the festival's booking, as he did last year.

Also retiring from the university is Peggy Sears, director of the Opera Workshop and voice studio. Bakersfield College will lose Sears' husband, Ron Kean, director of choral studies.

The Arts Council of Kern has lost at least three key staffers in the last year. Laura Wolfe and Jill Egland left for other opportunities, and artist Nicole Saint-John was laid off earlier this month, which leaves the council with one full-timer, one part-timer and an executive director on medical leave. Times are as bleak as they've ever been for the nonprofit advocacy and education group, which has been around since 1977. Earlier this year,Find detailed product information for howo tractor and other products. the council lost two huge contracts that accounted for half its budget, a tough blow for any organization. The council, under board president David Coffey, is looking at a number of survival strategies while it determines the way forward.

The first clod of dirt won't be turned until some time next year, and the most optimistic prediction for opening day isn't until 2014,Find detailed product information for Low price howo tipper truck and other products. but just the announcement of a new baseball stadium/entertainment complex warrants mention, so ambitious and tantalizing is the $20 million project.

Owners of the Bakersfield Blaze in November unveiled plans for a privately financed, 3,500-seat stadium that would become the first-phase centerpiece of the Bakersfield Commons mixed-use development project at Coffee and Brimhall roads. But even more exciting than the prospect of replacing the aging Sam Lynn Bal Park as home to the team is the possibility of outdoor concerts, a new movie theater, shopping and restaurants. Now that sounds fun.

"The idea of this is to be more than just a baseball field," oil executive and Blaze co-owner Gene Voiland told The Californian in November. "We are putting together an entertainment complex."

Newspaper begins look at landmark book

The 1963 book forever changed Appalachia by exposing the plundering of the mountains of eastern Kentucky. The book established Caudill, then 41, as the voice of the beleaguered mountain people.

Commercially, "Night" was a modest success. Culturally, "Night" was a bombshell, with an impact far beyond mere sales.

"Tens of thousands of acres," Caudill wrote in its pages, "fell to the exploiters, from a people who, though they might fight each other with medieval brutality, at a business negotiation were as guileless as infants."

Ronald Eller, an Appalachian historian at the University of Kentucky, said "the book was a pivotal moment."

"Harry articulately and openly challenged the system," Eller said. "The fact that so much about 'Night' still rings true today is quite an indictment of the political culture of the commonwealth."

By fall 1963, the whole world was coming to Whitesburg to share a meal with Harry and Anne Caudill and take his "poverty tour" of shattered mountains and shantytowns.

Word spread of "ugly, poverty-ridden" Appalachia, as The New York Times' book review put it.

Harry Caudill wryly described the response: Americans cleaned out their closets and shipped tons of old clothes to eastern Kentucky; threadbare suits cut for 1940s fashions dominated the mountains for years. A charitable wholesaler sent 12,000 pairs of children's shoes. Other donations were less thoughtful.

"The town of Harlan was blessed with an entire carload of cabbages for several days on a side track while the cargo rotted, and the Louisville and Nashville — which touts itself as 'Old Reliable' — promptly discarded it on a riverbank," Caudill wrote. "The ten tons of decaying vegetables sent an odoriferous pall to plague the county seat and raise serious doubts about the whole idea of Christian charity."

In early November of 1963, President John F. Kennedy told incoming Gov. Edward "Ned" Breathitt that he was arranging a visit to eastern Kentucky to announce aid for the impoverished region, Breathitt said in a 1998 oral-history interview.The oreck XL professional air purifier,

After Kennedy was assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963, his successor, Lyndon Johnson, assumed Kennedy's agenda as his own. In 1964, Johnson took the tour Kennedy planned, dropping into Martin County by helicopter to declare his War on Poverty and shake the hands of startled mountaineers on their front porches.

More than anything, Caudill said, Appalachia needed employers independent of coal.

Congress established the Appalachian Regional Commission, or ARC,Find detailed product information for startup stone mosaic and other products. in 1965 as a fairly traditional public works project. Billions of dollars in federal aid would go to counties designated as "Appalachia," predominantly for road construction, with other projects sharing smaller sums.

Thirteen states would share in the ARC's munificence, from New York to Mississippi. In Kentucky, Appalachia as Congress defines it extends through Lexington's suburbs to just outside Bowling Green in the western half of the state.

Caudill dismissed the ARC as an uncoordinated boondoggle. He said it didn't end the region's dependence on coal, improve schools or break up political cliques.

Medicare and Medicaid, created by Johnson, provided health care for the old and poor, which was much of Appalachia. That was good, Caudill said.

On the other hand, each new handout encouraged malingering by the lazy, he said. Free access to medicine let pill addicts claim "bad nerves" and stay doped up all day — a prescient criticism given the prescription drug abuse currently afflicting eastern Kentucky.

Another trend that has been emerging that meshes biology and technology is in the realm of body-enhancing electronic implants. This ranges from things like LEDs or magnets pierced under the skin to Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) implants. The functionality of these implants includes anything from location-based recognition and “sensory expansion” by being able to feel magnetic fields, to security and being able to secure wearable band-free gadgets.

Benjamin Popper, an editor at The Verge focused on the intersection of technology and culture,High quality stone mosaic tiles. said, “This year has seen incredible progress in the advancement of cybernetics. A man with a bionic leg was able to climb the stairs at Chicago’s tallest building. He didn’t need a remote control, his brain was able to direct his mechanical limb as if it were his own flesh and bone. A robotic arm controlled by this woman’s thoughts has achieved new levels of fine motor control.

3D printing is something that will have transformative effects in areas spanning medical, tech and retail. In the medial realm, 3D printers have already been used to create anything from prosthetic limbs to hearing aids. But 3D printing’s next feat will be in creating human organs; already, human tissue has been printed from these devices. Some reports even predict that pharmaceutical companies will be able to use 3D printers for drug development. In the tech space, researchers have recently created an inexpensive conductive plastic composite called carbomorph that will in the future allow consumers to 3D print personal electronics like smartphones, iPods and other devices. But 3D printers will also play a large role in the retail space, as the technology will allow consumers to print their own clothing and accessories. In an interview with USA Today, Steve Yankovich, head of eBay’s mobile business, said that 3D printers would eventually allow consumers to print the things they previously ordered online or bought in-store.The oreck XL professional air purifier,

Across areas, 3D printing will also offer consumers a higher level of customization. Craig Elimeliah, the VP, Director of Creative Technology and Digital Solutions at RAPP, a multichannel marketing agency network, said, “3D printing gives us the opportunity to create experiences that lets both brands and their loyalists collaborate on product development, innovation as well and co-creation of physical branded objects. Brands should be releasing 3D printing schemas that are customized to enhance a product or a product experience…. As 3D printers become cheaper and more ubiquitous, we will witness a new era of the customer experience, an era where brands are engaging one-to-one with their consumers on a level so intimate that the products themselves will be a collaborative experience. Some examples could be a soap dispenser that matches your exact kitchen décor printed directly from your 3D printer and all you had to do was buy the refill. The examples are endless and the possibilities are exciting,” he said.

Currently, many retailors are simply extending their website experience across all channels, but increasingly savvy consumers are beginning to demand more—looking for experiences like buying online but picking up in store, buying in store but having it delivered or even using a smartphones as a replacement sales associate in store. In the near future, personal smartphones will be used to do anything from checking product availability in store to getting product information.

As brick and mortar stores evolve to stay relevant, they will increasingly turn to location-based technologies like RFID in order to offer customers more relevant and personalized shopping experiences. Gartner analyst Kevin Sterneckert recently told USA Today that in the near future, by the time a customer walks into a brick and mortar store, “the employees there will probably know what you want to buy, based on information on your trusty phone or tablet. Merchants will know your gender, age, race and income.”

“The omni-channel shopping paradigm is all about providing an immersive and consistent consumer experience across all channels. It’s about reinforcing your retail brand, educating customers about merchandise, and reducing purchase friction,” said Shahram Seyedin-Noor, the CEO and co-founder of GraphDive, which unlocks the power of social data to give vendors insights into their customer’s interests, preferences and demographics. “Not only will that increase in 2013, but it will bring into its fold much stronger elements of social personalization and integration. Retailers will have access to new platforms, such as GraphDive, that integrate and analyze “big data” from different sources—combining, for example, prior purchase behavior with Facebook data – to enable personalized user experiences across the Web,Posts with indoor tracking system on TRX Systems develops systems that locate and track personnel indoors. mobile, and offline worlds.”

The Kettle Hits Back

The systematic demonisation of Narendra Modi in the media began with Medha Patkar’s Narmada Bachao Andolan. Though Patkar has played a historic role in raising awareness about the plight of villagers whose lands are arbitrarily taken away for mega dams and “development projects”, she did an incalculable harm to her own cause by overstating her case,Installers and distributors of solar panel, especially with regard to resettlement operations of dam oustees in Gujarat. It projected Modi government in particular and all Gujaratis in general as intrinsically demonic forces that were out to decimate the “poor tribals”.

But when I went to Gujarat to do a small reality check first hand, I was appalled at the wide gap between the NBA propaganda and the reality on the ground. There was serious mismatch between the NBA critique of Modi and the reality of resettlement in Gujarat. That gave me the first glimpse of the power of Modi the doer, an able administrator capable of delivering what he promised. He took up the challenge posed by NBA in all seriousness and provided the first of its kind rehabilitation anywhere in India. That is why dam oustees voted with their feet and abandoned the NBA plank. I hope to tell that story another time. But from then on, Modi became the most favoured hate object of leftists, liberals, feminists, radicals, environmentalists et al.

However, the Gujarat riots of 2002 converted Modi bashing into an extremely rewarding career advancement strategy for media persons, NGO activists, academics and sundry intellectuals. Conversely, you are condemned to lifelong perdition, treated as a political and intellectual outcast subject to unending vilification campaigns starting with being labelled a fascist if you dare say one word either in defence of Modi or suggest a bit of caution to Modi bashers.

As the Congress party seems on decline there is increasing desperation in the air for all those who have survived on the Party’s patronage. The possibility of Modi emerging as a winner has put them in panic.We mainly supply professional craftspeople with crys talbeads wholesale shamballa Bracele , That is why the media in general and TV anchors in particular have gone so overboard in demonizing Modi that even people like me who have been consistent critics of BJP feel revolted enough to say: “This has gone too far. Please don’t manipulate us beyond our tolerance limit.”

The most unforgivable crime attributed to Modi is that he orchestrated the “ethnic cleansing” of Muslims in 2002. He is alleged to be a man with a fascist mindset with Muslims of Gujarat supposedly living as an endangered minority in perpetual fear and insecurity. Interestingly this charge is most loudly and aggressively levelled by NGO activists who have received massive support—financial material and political form the Congress party and its governments as well as powerful international donor agencies.

As far as riots, communal massacres and divisive politics is concerned, no party in India dares match the track record of Congress party in post independence years. It starts with gross mishandling of Kashmir through rigged elections, installing puppet regimes and then misusing the army to deal with the resulting popular discontent and disaffection. The result is for all to see—tens of thousands of killings and 'disappearance' of Kashmiri Muslims, near total cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits from the valley, and permanent regional and communal polarisation in the state.

The Khalistan wave in Punjab was also a creation of the Congress party through propping up Bhindranwale with a view to wresting control of resource rich gurudwaras and Punjab Assembly from the Akali Dal. The same foolish formula was applied in Sri Lanka by propping up the murderous LTTE which exacerbated ethnic strife leading to endless massacres total brutalisation and marginalisation of Tamils in Sri Lanka.

Even with regard to Muslims, the riots politically orchestrated by the Congress in Jamshedpur, Bhiwandi, Bhagalpur, Hyderabad, Bokaro, Meerut, Malliana, Mumbai, Nellie and a host of other towns and cities as well as the most recent riots in Assam—all under Congress rule are not forgotten by the Muslim community which has stopped being a captive vote bank of the Congress.

Media collaborates with the Congress party in trying to make the country forget that the guilty of all these massacres have not been punished.

Gujarat itself was a tinderbox since the 1960s ever exploding into communal and caste riots after Indira Gandhi assumed power at the centre and Gujarat was ruled by her hand-picked chief ministers. Congress not only sowed the seeds of communal discord but also harvested several bloody crops from those poisonous seeds. The killings in 1969 and 1985 were on much larger scale and the violence lasted far longer than in 2002.One of the most durable and attractive styles of flooring that you can purchase is ceramic or porcelain tiles. By contrast BJP tried harvesting only one crop—that too in collaboration with the Congress party. The difference is the Congress party has not learnt any lessons whereas Modi became far wiser from the blunder of 2002.

Those pillorying Modi for 2002, display total amnesia over the fact that Congressmen and women had gleefully joined VHP/BJP goons in the 2002 massacre as well.Whether you are installing a floor tiles or a shower wall, It has consistently projected 2002 riots as a one way massacre of Muslims by Hindus. But as per figures given by the Congress party’s minister of state for home Shri Prakash Jaiswal on 11 May 2005 in Parliament, those killed included 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus while 223 persons were reported missing. But anti- Modi brigade routinely overstates the case by talking of “thousands of Muslims” being butchered without every acknowledging Hindu casualties.One of the most durable and attractive styles of flooring that you can purchase is ceramic or porcelain tiles. Nor is the death of 59 Hindus burnt to death at Godhra railway station ever treated with the same seriousness. In fact, many among the Modi-bashers brazenly allege that the Godhra train massacre was a VHP/BJP conspiracy, even though several known Congressmen have been convicted by the courts for that mass murder.

Compare 2002 Ahmedabad to 1984 anti Sikh riots in Delhi. Over 3000 Sikhs were butchered in Delhi alone, with thousands more in different towns and cities of north India. The anti-Sikh massacre of 1984 saw Congressmen lead killer-mobs who gang raped Sikh women, looted and burnt innumerable Sikh homes and properties, and roasted alive thousands of Sikh men in broad day light with the police merrily assisting the gangsters. Not a single Hindu rioter died at the hands of Sikhs or in police firing. The massacre was not confined to Delhi. Similar mode of butchery took place in several north Indian cities and towns. Uncounted Sikhs were pulled out of trains and set on fire. For three long days and nights the police either stood and watched the fun or actively assisted hired assassins. No Hindu homes were burnt in retaliatory violence by Sikhs. No Hindu had to go and live in refugee camps. But in Ahmedabad, thousands of Hindus, a large number of them Dalits, had to take shelter in refugee camps. There were several instances of Muslim attacks on Hindu homes and shops. 34 Muslims have been sentenced by courts in Gujarat. But this is never mentioned even in passing in media discussion on 2002.

Memories of 'ole time Chrismus'

There was a time when Christmas WAS Christmas. The Nativity story pervaded the thoughts and actions of most Christians. Peace on Earth and goodwill to all men was the staple mantra. It was a time when giving was more important than receiving, when the Christmas spirit brought joy, camaraderie, fellowship, sharing, togetherness and caring. Yes, most of these characteristics can be found in bits and pieces today but overall materialism and selfishness have become the paramount traits. To put it bluntly, the Christ in Christmas has been diffused and Santa Claus has been marginalised.

For most Jamaicans, Christmas is pronounced and intoned as "Chrismus". Yesteryear, 'Chrismus' in Jamaica,High quality stone mosaic tiles. unlike now, was a true reflection of the Jamaican persona, cultural practices and folklore. Hospitality, friendliness, warmth, togetherness, kindness; appreciation of familial ties, as well as an exposure to those traditions, that helped to make this nation resilient and strong. In this vein, it's a pity that the Ministry of Youth and Culture in collaboration with the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) did not see it appropriate to put in place a programme of activities that bring back the "Ole Time Chrismus".

The breakdown of strong family structure, the divisiveness of our politics and a political culture that makes many citizens feel that getting handouts from their Councillors and Members of Parliament is an entitlement; the increasing failure of the Church to lead by example rather than precept; the cultural penetration from up North via television, cable and the Internet, not to mention the breakdown in values and attitudes, have combined with the steady commercialization of 'Chrismus' to make this time of year just an orgy of spending and bacchanalia.

As a boy, we children looked forward to Christmas with great anticipation and expectations.The MaxSonar ultrasonic sensor offers very short to long-range detection and ranging. Those Jamaicans who are 50 years old and older will recall the many memorable moments of 'Ole Time Chrismus'. One favourite joke amongst Montegonians was the story about the little country boy who on paying his first visit to Sam Sharpe Square (it was then called Charles Square or popularly referred to as Parade) and seeing the Christmas Tree, shouted with glee, "Mama, look pon Moon pon stick", while admiring the huge star at the top.

Christmas Eve was when most youngsters got drunk for the first time or "bruk dem ducks" (first sexual encounter), two not so wholesome experiences without guidance and protection. I recall hanging out at the Jolly Roger Club on St James Street drinking Charley's (the most popular rum at the time) and Coke (Coca Cola) and in order to make sure I got sufficiently inebriated I would hold down my head to allow the alcohol to descend to my brain. Then in the wee hours of Christmas morning I walked all of six miles to my home in Irwin.

The good thing is that in those days we were not afraid of gunmen. Our greatest fear was "bucking up" a 'duppy'. Persons were more terrified of "three-foot horse", "rolling calf" or "duppy man with gold teeth". And how can one forget the Jonkanno Band with all the various colourful characters that jumped and pranced to the infectious rhythms of drums? "Horse Head", "Actor Boy", among others, thrilled both adults and kids. The scariest part, though, was the character with the whip which he would wield and flash in idle mischief. Kids, men and women ran in fear and fun. Nobody got hurt.

St James Street in the second city was blocked off and individuals from all walks of life converged on that busy thoroughfare meeting and greeting one another. Pickpockets and persons with criminal intent were far and few. Many Montegonians living abroad who came home for Christmas saw that as one of the main highlights of their stay. Today, that is no longer the case. Of course, the explosion of fire crackers was ever present. There were two types: the small one known as squib and the bigger one known as "big boom". There were also water guns and cork guns but the latter was not so popular as if indiscriminately fired could hurt someone's eye.

How times have changed! Recently when I heard a firecracker I jumped thinking it was a gun being fired instead of shouting "Chrismus!" as we did back in the day. Then there was "fee-fee" and the singing of carols in the early hours along the streets.

Preparing for Christmas Day was an exciting ritual. The sorrel would have already been set and drawn in the yabba (an earthenware bowl); the ice buried in the ground with sawdust; the chicken (fowl) chased and cornered early morning (no fast food in the mix), a bucket placed over its head while it is being decapitated then placed in boiling hot water to be stripped and prepared for cooking. Once I had the task to run down and cut off the chicken's neck. All went well but I lifted the bucket too early. It was quite a bizarre sight watching the headless chicken running around in circles.

What was amazing is that no one went hungry on Christmas Day in any village.Directory ofchina glass mosaic Tile Manufacturers, The elderly and shut-ins got special attention. Remarkably, some of this generosity of spirit is still to be found but oftentimes the cynics among us are forced to wonder if it is more of an act of glorified altruism than genuine caring. Indeed, in today's self-seeking world of media hype and public relations, one wonders to what extent it is a case of conscience rather than compassion.

Flimsy sitcom comedy frequently suffers from the writers’ (lack of) understanding about real-life material they are exaggerating for broad laughs. Parental Guidance benefits from how screenwriting couple Lisa Addario and Joe Syracuse (Surf’s Up) possess a genuine comprehension of what actual longtime married people are like. Here, Crystal is the harmless wise-cracker who appreciates traditional Americana values; Midler is a loyal housewife and forward-thinker, who embraces the changes in ordinary living ( we’re introduced to her leading a pole dancing class).The term 'hands free access control' means the token that identifies a user is read from within a pocket or handbag. These are caricatures, no doubt, but being based on relatable archetypes that exist in the real world makes them feel like more than something a screenwriter cooked up to get cheap laughs.

Crystal and Midler have a relaxed chemistry that allows them to interact as though they have indeed been married for several decades. Their characters do not have to suffer contrived conflicts like infidelity; though, their pop cultural cluelessness is often over-played (as you might expect).Find detailed product information for howo spareparts and other products. Tomei jumps head-first into what begins as a thankless role – the neurotic helicopter parent – but evolves into something (a bit) more satisfying. However, Scott is stuck as a bland supportive husband; it’s a variation on the usual paper-thin domestic wife stereotype, but (unfortunately) just as disposable.

Kid-actors Kyle Harrison Breitkopf, Bailee Madison and Joshua Rush each get their own side-plot; moreover, like the adults, the humor comes from their individual idiosyncrasies (not being allowed to eat sugar, having OCD tendencies, etc.), which allows them to possess actual discernible personalities. The same goes for Gedde Watanabe as restaurant owner Mr. Cheng; at first, he threatens to come off as a racist stereotype, but the joke gracefully shifts to him being just kind of an odd guy (who’s way too attached to Breitkopf’s imaginary kangaroo). No surprise, most of this humor is either too airy or kid-oriented to appeal to most people who’re above a certain age; still, they go by so quickly as to occasionally be amusing

Project Glass: a vision for tomorrow

A hobby of mine lately has been investigating futuristic technology. Granted, most of the concepts and project ideas that I come across are completely ridiculous and never going to happen. But then there are those ideas that you run across and simply say "wow."

Google is one of the coolest companies on earth in my humble opinion. They offer so many services and products,The term 'hands free access control' means the token that identifies a user is read from within a pocket or handbag. it amazes me how the company stays organized. My life revolves around Google products. I use Gmail, Talk, Calendar, Hangouts, Google+, Google Apps, Docs, Maps, Search, and News on a daily basis. My whole personal organization and business technology structure is built off of Google apps -- I couldn't live without them.

Once I made the decision to say goodbye to my iPhone 4S and switch over to Android, all these services that I used every day amalgamated once I was on a Google smartphone. Everything is easy to use. Notifications work seamlessly, apps run fast, and the elegance of the OS is awesome. I absolutely love Android. Purchasing the Samsung Galaxy S3 was a very smart choice.

For those who have never heard of Project Glass, here is a brief description from TechoPedia: "Google glasses provide an experience that is referred to as augmented reality, where images are superimposed over what the user is seeing in real life. With Google glasses, these images are generally icons that provide directions,This is my favourite sites to purchase those special pieces of buy mosaic materials from. alert the user to messages from contacts or give weather updates. Although this technology's potential has been praised as a futuristic way to deliver hands-free computing, critics have pointed out its ability to distract walkers or drivers and questioned its utility for those who already wear corrective eyeglasses."

Project Glass is essentially a look into the future of computing. Could you imagine wearing these glasses for most of your day? You simply ask what the weather is right now,China plastic moulds manufacturers directory. what time it is. Email notifications pop up in front of your eyes. You can get turn-by-turn navigation -- the technology is incredible.

Time magazine has dubbed Project Glass one of the best inventions of 2012. Although the technology is not available to the public yet, many Google employees have been utilizing the product on a daily basis and making sure to take pictures of themselves wearing the glasses out to Google events.

TechoPedia continues: "Google Glasses is an informal name for a type of wearable computer created by the Google's Project Glass. These futuristic glasses provide augmented reality for users by visually connecting them to an Android-run heads up display that offers many of the features of an Android smartphone and connects users to many of Google's key cloud features, such as maps, calendar, Gmail, Google+ and Google Places.

In April 2012, Project Glass launched a Google+ page and revealed that Google researchers were testing the technology and hoped to have it on the market in the near future. Google expects the technology to cost about as a much as a smartphone." The price tag is the only downside to these glasses. Google thinks it will be able to charge $1,500 a pair. That sounds quite outrageous, does it not? You could buy an impeccably fast and beautiful laptop, desktop, or tablet for that price. The sad, non-augmented reality is that I would totally buy these glasses for $1,Our technology gives rtls systems developers the ability.500.

What I really want to express and get across is that Google is the future. They are day in and day out pumping out absolutely incredible products, services, and ideas. They work off of such a great platform, and can build and revolve products around it. Just holding my beloved Samsung Galaxy S3 in my hands right now gets me excited about Google's Project Glass because I know that it will sync and work seamlessly. For all of those who do not use anything Google, start. Whether it's switching over your email from Hotmail to Gmail, do it. I strongly believe that getting with Google now, and using and loving their applications, will be a smart move because the futuristic technology that they are cooking up is going to be based around the simple services like Gmail and Google+.

Unlike Amazon, L.L. Bean’s worldwide shipping hub is centralized, about a mile from the corporate headquarters, and features seemingly endless aisles of flannel shirts, L.L. Bean boots, camping supplies and other items, along with a labyrinth of conveyors and chutes that transport them. There’s also a fleet of trucks.

The company hired 4,700 seasonal workers to help with the holiday rush, doubling the work force, and 500 administrative employees were expected to get into the act during crunch time.

Last week, McCormick was boxing goods in the shipping department with the company’s financial controller, Kierston Van Soest. Nearby were the company’s chief financial officer and other executives. In Bean parlance, they’re dubbed “day hikers,” since they’re on a temporary daily assignment.

Pulling items from a shopping cart, McCormick and Van Soest scanned the products with a bar-code reader, printed shipping labels and order forms, tossed in catalogs for good measure, and then boxed up the items. On this day, popular items included headlamps, Wicked Good slippers and shirts.Our technology gives rtls systems developers the ability.

In the past, McCormick worked on a product-sorting conveyor line, in the retail-store stockroom, and in a recycling area, breaking down empty cardboard boxes. The worst job of all, he said, was one stint working in the part of the call center that deals with angry and frustrated customers, attempting to set things right.

“It’s hard because you’ve disappointed people and you don’t want to disappoint anybody, especially at this time of the year,” McCormick said. “I wouldn’t want their job.”

The company does its best to keep customers happy. On this day, hundreds of shipments were being upgraded free of charge to UPS air to beat the first major winter storm in the Midwest.

Like most retailers, L.L. Bean makes half of its annual sales in the last two months of the year. And retailers are more than happy to oblige late shoppers, especially because holiday sales haven’t been especially strong going into the final shopping weekend before Christmas, said Michael McNamara, vice president for research and analysis at MasterCard Advisors’ SpendingPulse.

Cyberbullying needs our attention

I remember sadly my middle school years and seeing two of my classmates continually harassed. When discussing this topic in public, the reaction from some has been, "Kids will be kids and bullying is a part of growing up."

Today, cyberbullying has taken the old-fashioned teasing to a whole new level.Find detailed product information for howo spare parts and other products. In some way, it may be that the ability to tease without being face-to-face or even identified makes it easier.

Do you find yourself more willing to write a heated email than have a heated conversation in person? Do you ever make a nasty comment on a blog under an anonymous name that you would never say if your name was attached?

When I served as an elected official, I felt first-hand the effects of anonymous bloggers making comments on local news websites. Although there are standards and "offensive" material is taken down, comments could be hurtful.

Not one of my critics was willing to put their name on their comments or meet with me to discuss their concerns when offered the chance. As an adult, I was able to handle the comments and take them for what they were. Unfortunately,The oreck XL professional air purifier, our youth may not be able to withstand the criticism they endure online.

It's important to realize that bullying has reached new levels with technology in the hands of kids and adults. It has just gotten easier to bully with a phone in almost every teen's hand linked to photos, texts and social media.

The number of people a bullying comment can reach in a matter of seconds is staggering. Once a picture or comment is online, getting it back can be impossible. The anonymity people feel behind the keyboard also makes it easier to bully others.

Doing a search on suicides linked to cyberbullying turns up too many sad stories of young people who felt they could not match the power of the Internet and gain control of the teasing. Popular celebrities have been speaking out on the issue, and the media is making an effort to spread the message. We all need to do our part.

Christian Critzer, a tree farmer, began a Christmas tree donation drive to raise money for the Martha Jefferson Hospital Cancer Center Foundation in Charlottesville, but the zoning board claims that his drive violates the city’s zoning ordinances.

“He is breaking the law,” Councilor Frank Lucente said. “We have laws. You cannot run businesses in neighborhoods. When you start interpreting the law, where does it stop? It’s against the law to set up a business in a residential neighborhood ... You have to have laws to regulate things ... It’s against the law to do it. End of story.”

Critzer aimed to accumulate funds that would be used for custom wigs for those battling cancer. His wife is a breast cancer survivor, and he wanted to “demonstrate the spirit of Christmas,” while also providing trees to low-income families.

“The laws that they said I was breaking, I wasn’t,” Critzer said. “It’s as simple as that … I grew up in the neighborhood when it was farm and fields. Saying that my yard is any type of a business ... I was just running a charity, not a business. I think I’m getting picked on. It’s time sensitive, selling Christmas trees. This was my last weekend to sell. I didn’t meet my goal. I will meet it, someway. I will have a Christmas tree charity somewhere in town. I’m not going to stop doing this. It’s ridiculous. I hope that I can do it here. Nobody really has a problem with it.”

In late November, a zoning official showed up at his home to tell him that he was not allowed to run a retail business on Rosser Avenue because the area was zoned for single-family homes. The zoning board demanded that he stop his activity or legal action against his landlord would be taken, according to a news release from Rutherford Institute, an Albemarle County-based civil liberties organization defending Critzer.

“If he wants to sell trees for charity, do it at a location that is legal to do it,” Lucente said. “The Lions Club sells trees for charity out on 250 West. If he wants to do it [at another location], that’s fine, no problem .China plastic moulds manufacturers directory... It’s not about what he is doing,Best howo concrete mixer manufacturer in China. it’s about the location he is doing it in.”

Talk to your child about cyberbullying. Make sure you keep an open dialogue so he/she feels comfortable coming to you with any issues.

Be familiar with your child's interactions with friends and others. While cyber bullying can be caused by a random person -- and thus difficult to prepare for -- trouble with friends and others in your child's social circle can also lead to cyber bullying.

Teach your child not to respond to cyber bullies. Bullies enjoy the response. By not responding, that may encourage them to move on.

Limit the amount of information your child shares online. Bullies can use multiple methods of communication to taunt or harass. By limiting your child's exposure, you make it easier to limit a bully's access. This may also limit the chance of a random cyber-bullying incident.

If the bullying is a problem, consider closing down the particular point of access, if possible. Email, instant message accounts and even some phone companies allow you to block specific user names or phone numbers. Most companies will even let you change cell phone numbers, email addresses and instant message accounts if needed.

If your children are being harassed or threatened, report the activity. Many schools have instituted bullying programs, so school officials may have established policies for handling incidents. If necessary, contact your local law enforcement, your local police department or FBI branch are good starting points.Manufactures flexible plastic and synthetic rubber hose tubing,

Trash can art sweeping Oakland

You name it and Roberto Costa has probably turned it into a mosaic: his kitchen sink, his garage floor, a community garden display. He even helped mosaic every wall of a public restroom.

But the one initiative that has taken on a life of its own is the transformation of Oakland's public trash bins into colorful works of art.

What began two years ago as a beautification project in Costa's neighborhood, the Allendale Park section of East Oakland, has spread from High Street and 35th Avenue to Seminary Avenue, Foothill Boulevard, Grand Avenue and Telegraph Avenue.

By the city's count, 63 public trash bins have become mosaic pallets with the help of volunteer artists like Costa and Daud Abdullah and more than $1,100 in grants from the nonprofit Keep Oakland Beautiful.

More mosaic trash cans are in the works for Oakland's Laurel district and the city of Richmond.

"I love those trash cans,Find detailed product information for Low price howo tipper truck and other products." said Councilwoman Libby Schaaf, who has handed out "Local Hero" awards to several of the volunteer artists. Her favorite trash can design, a peace sign made out of daisies, adorns her district newsletter. "To me they're like flowers growing around High Street," she said.

Costa, an amateur artist and full-time analyst for the city of Oakland's Rent Adjustment Program, decided to bring decorative trash bins to Oakland after seeing them in Arcata.

Originally the artists planned to do just one design, but more volunteers came on board with their own vision for the garbage bins of Allendale Park.

"It was a great community organizing tool," said Beverly Shalom, a social worker who helped design several bins. "We deal with crime and blight, and some of us felt that instead of only focusing on the negative, we would focus on something positive that would make people care more about their neighborhood."

From Allendale Park, the mosaic trash cans quickly spread to nearby Maxwell Park, where many of the same volunteers participated in a four-year community project to transform the local park's public restroom into a mosaic.

"When I saw what they were doing, I knew I had to figure out a way to do them too," said Daud Abdullah, an electrician and artist who helped out on the bathroom mosaic.

"I had done a lot of community cleanup projects," Abdullah said. "I liked the idea of making a trash can look so pretty that nobody could miss it."

Through Oakland's Adopt a Spot volunteer program, Abdullah has single-handedly decorated more mosaic trash bins than anyone in city -- mostly in deeper East Oakland, where he said public art was most needed.

"A lot of my cans have peace and love on them because that's what I'm trying to convey," he said.

When Latin musician Apolinar Andrade saw Abdullah getting ready to work on a trash bin near his home at High Street and Santa Rita Avenue, he asked for a music theme. Abdullah and fellow volunteer artist Karen Difrummolo came up with a guitar, maracas and a design that read "Oakland 'hearts' Musica."

While Abdullah branched out on his own, Costa has been working with neighborhood groups interested in decorating their bins. This year he taught residents in the Adams Point neighborhood to do the mosaics that have been popping up along Grand Avenue next to Lake Merritt.

"He was very inspiring and encouraging throughout the project," said Vivian Romero, who contacted Costa after seeing the decorated trash cans on High Street.

Costa said the goal of all his mosaic projects is to strengthen neighborhoods. "It's a community building effort," he said. "You get to know neighbors that you otherwise wouldn't know."

Volunteers say the decorated trash bins have mushroomed around town in part because Oakland is home to a lot of mosaic artists and the Institute of Mosaic Art in the Jingletown neighborhood. Several volunteers have taken classes at the institute or gotten supplies from it.

Abduallah says he often gets donated tiles. He applies the cement mortar, tile and grout onto a fiberglass mesh that he then affixes to the cement trash bin. Costa does his work directly on the bin, which he first grades to create an even surface. Each trash can takes about 20 hours to completely decorate.

The Fairmont Copley Plaza, Back Bay’s grande dame hotel, celebrated its centennial this year with a $20 million restoration. But certain things never change: Catie Copley, the genial black Labrador retriever, still meanders around the reception area, thumping her tail and greeting guests. When she needs a break from her hospitality duties, she can curl up on her new padded (but tastefully restrained) dog bed,We have a wide selection of dry cabinet to choose from for your storage needs.Manufactures flexible plastic and synthetic rubber hose tubing, her reward for enduring a stream of renovators for almost a year. With its brushed fabric and rolled arms, that canine cushion signals the hotel’s renovation strategy of melding comfortable modern style with grand surroundings.

For the full Copley Plaza experience,We are pleased to offer the following list of professional mold maker and casters. enter through the St. James Avenue door flanked by stone lions and proceed down the mosaic-tiled walkway of “Peacock Alley” into the vast, barrel-vaulted main lobby. The word “lavish” comes to mind. So does “opulent.” The public areas are as overwhelming today as when the hotel opened in 1912, five years after its Manhattan big sister, the Plaza.

The Copley Plaza represents the stylistic apogee of its age: a display of wealth and glamour meant to wow all who see it. It was brash and nouveau riche, yet nonetheless stunning. Time has erased the nouveau, leaving behind only the riche, and ornamentation that might have seemed gauche in 1912 seems adroit today. In renovating and restoring this bejeweled grande dame, Fairmont has burnished the beauty of the public spaces, and redone the rooms in a less showy but no less luxurious style appropriate to a new century.The term 'hands free access control' means the token that identifies a user is read from within a pocket or handbag.

Eight of the suites got an upgraded treatment themed to what the hotel calls “an iconic Boston institution.” They include the Museum of Fine Arts, the Boston Pops, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Freedom Trail, the JFK Library and Museum, the Boston Public Library, the Museum of Science — and Catie Copley. (She’s a sweet Lab, but an “iconic institution”?) Marvelous photos and memorabilia strike each theme.

One new addition is the 3,000-square-foot health club at the roof level, which opens to an outdoor observation deck on the west side of the building. The club is mainly accessed by stairs (hey — you’re going for a workout!), but an elevator from the sixth floor also accommodates wheelchair users. State-of-the-art TechnoGym machines fill the space. Chilled washcloths are a nice touch.

Fairmont did make some changes to the ground-level public areas, most notably installing a snazzy, vaguely Deco-styled lobby lounge so guests have a place to sit while awaiting dinner companions or business associates. The Oak Long Bar + Kitchen has replaced the old Oak Room and Oak Bar. The more modernized, breezier venue can be entered from the main lobby as well as from St. James Avenue. Only open since summer, the Oak Long Bar has the kind of timeless styling that makes it seem as if it’s been around since 1912.

As you might expect from a hotel with a doggie ambassador,the Fairmont Copley Plaza is extremely dog friendly, hosting at least two guest canines each week. Doubles from $289; check for specials; $25 per day surcharge for dogs.

PHIP members receive guidance to improve buildings

Specialist pig unit ventilation consultant John Chambers teamed up with BPEX to offer 25 Pig Health Improvement Project (PHIP) members a full building assessment and a specific report free-of-charge, to the benefit of their wider regional groups.

John explains the fundamental purpose of a ventilation system is to change the airflow in a building: “These days, there is a high concentration of pigs in buildings, resulting in a lot of potential for disease organisms to build up in the enclosed atmosphere.

“An efficient ventilation system is there to reduce the concentration of microbes, dust levels and the build-up of nasty gaseous air, all of which can cause disease.”

John notes one of the biggest contributing factors to poor ventilation is inadequate insulation and cites many of the buildings he works with are quite dated and insulation is not as efficient as in new buildings.

He says: “Ventilation systems are regulated by the temperature of the building; if you are losing heat through the walls or roof, the ventilation system will not be running as efficiently as it should be and may even shut down.

“This results in a very stuffy atmosphere within the pig building.Western Canadian distributor of ceramic and ceramic tile, Modern automatic systems should have a minimum setting so this does not happen. Unfortunately, this is not the case with older systems.”

A second consideration is dust. Due to poor building design, ventilation does not really help remove dust levels from a piggery.

Dust in pig units is a rich cocktail of various types of matter. One is from feed while the other is from pigs themselves – skin and hair particles and dry dung will eventually turn into dust. This dust needs to be removed to stop these tiny, bacteria-carrying particles and pathogens.

John explains the importance of ventilation is two-fold: “On the one hand it plays a significant role in a pig’s health status, while on the other, it can greatly affect their welfare and state of mind.Find detailed product information for howo spare parts and other products.

“Ineffective ventilation systems or ones that have not been thoroughly thought-out can inflict a great deal of stress on the pig. Once you have a stressed pig, at best you get tail-biting, at worst you get a disease outbreak.”

He insists producers need to plan buildings so cold air falls in the right place,High quality stone mosaic tiles. which is usually where the pigs go to dung.

“Even though pigs may reside primarily indoors, they still have the natural desire to spend some time outdoors in the cool fresh air; providing they are able to return to a warm, sheltered, draft-free enclosure. This balance needs to be replicated in a building to avoid the pigs becoming stressed.”

One of the first farmers John worked with as part of the BPEX ventilation project was Stephen Knowles, a producer who is part of the PHIP Boroughbridge cluster group in Yorkshire, and who farms about 270 sows.

Stephen was keen to take advantage of the project because he wanted to improve his herd’s health status.

He says: “We have been positive for enzootic pneumonia and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, so my herd has suffered from quite a low health status.

“My overall aim was to increase productivity. I was keen to improve health, but also reduce any instances of tail-biting among finishers and growers, as well as improving growing rates in the farrowing houses and weaning sheds.”

Keen to focus on the farrowing houses first, John and Stephen decided to fit fans to some of the buildings where they were absent.

“Those already fitted with fans had ventilation coming from both directions,We mainly supply professional craftspeople with wholesale agate beads from china,” says Stephen.

“John suggested we altered this so fans brought air in from the back of the building, which helped create a fresher atmosphere.”

The problem in the grower sheds was that cold air was falling where pigs wanted to lie.Installers and distributors of solar panel,

Stephen says: “This caused enough stress to make pigs revert to tail-biting. John suggested we alter how quickly the windows open on one side of the building, so it did not create a sudden draft.

“We also set up some boards for pigs to lie underneath. These essentially act as canopies and prevent cold air from falling where pigs want to lie.”

Stephen adds there is still more work to do: “It is not an overnight process, but what we have done so far has made a difference. We are certainly experiencing reduced tail-biting and the growth and weaning weights have increased slightly too.”

In contrast to Stephen, who lives in an area very densely populated with pigs, Martin Lewis is one of the few pig producers based in Herefordshire.

Martin says: “Farmers who operate in regions of the UK where pig farming is very intense have a tough job when it comes to improving health and maintaining biosecurity.

“When, like us, you are the only pig farm for miles around, it becomes less about reducing the incidence of disease and more about protecting your high health status.”

Martin runs a breeder and feeder pig farm with 240 sows. He breeds out all of his own replacements and takes pigs through to 110kg on a continuous flow system. He is part of the PHIP Gloucester cluster group and his consultation with John Chambers took place in early July this year.

While disease risk was not the driving factor in his decision to improve ventilation, Martin explains he was keen to ensure his pigs’ environment delivered the best welfare possible – particularly for his sows, who had a slight inclination to vulva-bite.

On top of this, they did not appear to be lying as happily as they should: “I was eager to make sure they were as comfortable as possible while they were in-pig.

“John and I could not identify a clear lying and dunging pattern. This led to a great deal more work to remove dirty straw, not to mention the fact that lying in soiled bedding put the sows at increased risk of disease, stress and ultimately miscarriage.”