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Pacific Northwest Gigapop

News & Events

Cell Systems Initiative Develops I2 Application

Under the leadership of Bob Franza, Cell Systems Initiative has taken the first steps in enabling biology to make the conceptual leap from describing the cell to understanding how a living system works. Franza believes that to do this, scientists will need three things: a specialized language for biological systems, a new array of tools, and the means for extensive collaboration. Future biologists will need to enter the field with experience in these areas, and so CSI has embarked upon an educational initiative that will create a virtual space to bridge the gap between the activities of the research laboratory and the science classroom.

"Understanding cell systems will require the efforts of several generations of biologists. We need to use animations and other techniques to intrigue students and promote the study of biology," Franza explains.

The first step toward the creation of a virtual classroom is the Labscape digital laboratory assistant, a model-based structure that provides scientists (and students) a clear overview of the scientific/experimental process.

Computer Scientist Larry Arnstein, the PI on the project, first began thinking about computer uses in biology in 1999, although the Labscape design and development process did not begin until earlier this year. The development team includes Chia-Yang Hung, Jing Su, Jong-Hee Kang, Gary Look, Stefan Sigurdsson, and Gaetano Borriello.

"The major challenge was to cast the project in the right light," Arnstein says. "In looking for a way for biologists to communicate better we realized that we had to come up with a language and tools to make their lives easier. We needed to produce something immediately sharable and understandable by others without any extra effort on the part of the scientist. That something turned out to be the ubiquitous lab assistant that we call Labscape."

Larry designed the Labscape user interface (a flow graph) so that it can be used in a number of ways. Using live or recorded video feed from a working biology laboratory, the Labscape assistant will allow students to participate in experiments by following a protocol in progress in the lab and watching the scientists perform the steps. Students would link to the protocol interface used by the scientist to see the recording and analysis of the real data generated by the experiment. Mentoring relationships between students and scientists would allow for a dialog to develop around the steps of the protocol.

A long-term goal for Labscape is to provide an easy way to design experiments to test their hypotheses by selecting from preprogrammed steps and protocols. Students or teams of students could design and submit experiments to be carried out in the biology laboratory, and could watch video of their experiments being performed, and receive and analyze the results.

Students could also use Labscape to learn a protocol before actually performing it in the school laboratory. Or the user interface can provide an interactive experiment simulation tutorial, where the students assemble the reagents and samples and perform the experiment online.

CSI's Lisa Jenschke feels that one of the main strengths of the Labscape assistant is that it will provide both an overview of the procedure and accurate capture of details and results without the need to record details in the traditional lab notebook and then transfer them to the computer.

Labscape's transfer of large data sets, and use of live video feed and extensive simulations make high bandwidth essential.

Over the next few months, the CSI development team and Joe Duncan, Lisa Jenschke, Neil Fanger, and Paul Loriaux will be working with selected high-school students on the further development of Labscape.

Joe Duncan explains why it is so important to include high-school students in the development process. "Our hope and expectation is that the next generation of biologists, which is in high school now, will really embrace this type of tool. By the time these students enter university, using tools like Labscape will be second nature to them."

By Fall 2002, Labscape will be operational in an area high school, with plans to expand the program to at least one other high school the following year.

Bob Franza and Joe Duncan

Bob Franza and Joe Duncan

Larry Arnstein

Larry Arnstein

Amy PhilipsonInternet2


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AAP MLA Booked For Cheating With Fake Graduation Degree

Haryana police has booked AAP MLA from Delhi Cantonment Surinder Singh on the charge of cheating after Singh was accused of getting a government job on the basis of fake education degree. AAP Haryana leader Naveen Jaihind suggests that it is done by BJP and an atmosphere is created to “browbeat AAP MLA’s”.

AAP MLA Surinder Singh is employed as a physical education teacher in government school in Jhajjar which he allegedly got on the basis of forged degree. It isn’t the first time that AAP MLA is under heat for fake degree. AAP’s party leader Arvind Kejriwal always bosted on being a honest party and a party of MLA’s that doesn’t have any legal cases against them but with time it has been proven that AAP’s MLA’s aren’t as clean as they are shown. Recently 12 AAP MLA’s were arrested by the Delhi Police on different reasons from assault to sexual harassment.

A party that takes prides on being honest and corruption free it comes as a shock when they are accused and arrested for their wrong doings. AAP MLA’s suggests that it is being done by BJP government as a vendata against them but even BJP can’t accuse in thin air, there are facts to these accusations and they are coming to light right now. AAP’s clean image is not so clean anymore with these accusations and cases against them and their party leader Arvind Kejriwal has become the butt of every joke on social media.

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If it is sheer incompetence or unprofessionalism, someone or some people in PNG Power Limited must be made to answer for the current power inaccessibility by its 100,000 paying customers nationwide.
The lame excuse that the system is experiencing congestion in the Easipay vending sites, mobile top-up and mobile banking outlets is not good enough.
That is total technical incompetency on PPL’s part and lacks foresight of the growing digitalised market and trends of the modern IT and computerised based service providing industries in the world.
PPL cannot portray itself to be a lame duck in this instance considering that the wider world is going digital by the seconds on a 24-hour basis, and remain stagnant using out of date equipment.
What is the difficulty in realising that the growing and emerging energy market is now largely driven digitally?
Secondly what are the contingency plans for a situation where a system cannot accommodate the growing market and customer base demands, and who are now more fluent and competently adopting modern day IT technology to pay for services?
PNG customers cannot be taken for granted because they are now right in the middle of the super highway of IT technology and there is no turning back for them in sourcing their energy needs and services but by digital means.
Glaringly how is it that PPL’s New Zealand contractor is unable to provide enough capacity for its servers to accommodate all the requirements of an already identifiable customer base?
Why are they allowed to bring in equipment that does not have the capacity to absorb the requirements of PNG’s growing market?
The intensifying force of digitalisation in the current marketing and service providing areas require contractors to provide sufficient capacity to meet the people’s, businesses and institutions every day needs.
The losses in personal and family household items due to the undeserved power interruptions to homes cannot be fairly compensated.
Operations in vital and life-saving institutions like hospitals and clinics where critical drugs are stored remain threatened and will be a great loss given the situation is not adequately addressed.
Businesses affected will go through a lot to recover.
PPL must come out clear and tell the nation the truth about the real cause of the break down which was possibly due to the sacking of its ICT team of experts.
These people are hard to get considering operations of a huge energy provider like PPL.
The CEO and his management must be held accountable for this blunder.

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Friday, 28 October 2016

Innocence Forever Gone

The theme of innocence lost is perfect for time travel fiction and we have seen that it pervades Poul Anderson's Time Patrol series. See here. The same theme is also relevant to an sf series in which primitive societies are integrated into an interstellar civilization and in which some individuals, benefiting from an advanced education, leave their home planets to visit other planetary systems:

Adzel reflects:

" he was so changed that he would never feel at home among the hunters...a certain sense of belonging, an innocence, was forever gone." (David Falkayn: Star Trader, p. 132)

Chee Lan says:

"'We can't go home to what we left when we were young; it may still be, but we aren't, nor is the rest of the cosmos.'" (Rise Of The Terran Empire, p. 290)

The Technic History does to Space what the Time Patrol does to Time. Both series show us distance traveled.

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The U.S. system’s separation of powers works because it’s rooted in separation of institutions. The survival of the legislature, executive, or judiciary does not depend on one another. Both representative institutions – Congress and President – are elected directly by the people. In parliamentary systems, the separation of powers is less effective because the executive depends for its survival on the legislature. Each institution therefore exercises powers so as to cajole, preserve, or corrupt the other.

The concept of divided government doesn’t exist in parliamentary systems.  Government is a committee of the legislature, which is controlled by the majority party in parliament. So the question of each applying its powers in separate directions doesn’t even arise. Unless of course there is political intrigue in parliament and various parties are trying to bring a government down.

People in the U.S. however still become disillusioned with their system’s separation of powers. It typically happens when one party holds the presidency as well as both houses of Congress (unified government). Although research has shown that U.S. governments pass major legislation, or even launch serious investigations of executive mismanagement, at about the same pace whether government is divided or unified. [See Divided We Govern by David Mayhew.]

Still, partisans complain about the lack of strength in U.S. system’s separation of powers when their party is not getting its way. Here’s an example… an article recently published on Vox, a left-leaning news and opinion website:

There is no separation of powers without divided government

Partisan loyalty has triumphed over institutional loyalty.

By Lee Drutman

A year ago, as we approached the opening days of the Trump administration, it was still possible to make a hopeful, albeit long-shot, argument that 2017 could be the year Congress finally started to reassert itself as an institution. And that the cumbersome checks-and-balances system the framers set up would finally pay off and prove its worth as a tool to limit the power of a would-be demagogue.

The rationale went something like this: Congressional leaders of both parties understood the unique dangers that a President Trump posed to the country and the world. Therefore, they would finally invest in resources and capacity to assert the authority of the first branch of government, most visibly through vigorous oversight. Party be damned — the fate of the nation was more important, and it was time for Congress to stand up as an institution!

After all, “separation of powers” was our civic religion, right? In James Madison’s famous phrase from Federalist 51, on checks and balances: “Ambition must be made to counteract ambition. The interest of the man must be connected with the constitutional rights of the place.”

Obviously, this has not happened. Yes, here and there, congressional Republicans have made a few modest attempts to challenge the president. But mostly they’ve been willing bystanders or sycophantic cheerleaders. Yes, Congress imposed sanctions on Russia for election interference. But the Trump administration has so far delayed implementing them, and there’s been no visible pushback.

And those few Republicans who have spoken out against Trump, like Sens. Jeff Flake, Bob Corker, and John McCain, are on their way out, either voluntarily or involuntarily. Whatever power they have, they’ve not used it visibly to do more than give some speeches. Consider Corker’s meek response to the administration’s delay in implementing the Russia sanctions: “I’m going to get on the phone with someone.” (Way to use your power, Senator. You get on that phone! To someone. Anyone.)

With few exceptions, Republicans in Congress have made a simple political calculus. Their electoral future is tied to Trump’s success. Trump is now the face of the Republican Party. And among Republicans, he remains pretty popular. If congressional Republicans forcefully challenged Trump, they’d bring on a primary challenger, destroy the Republican brand, or both. Even if most preferred to see Mike Pence in charge, the costs of getting there are too high.

The founders’ mistake

In writing the Constitution of the United States, the framers were attempting to balance competing views. Some, most notably Alexander Hamilton, wanted a strong and energetic executive. Others, most notably Madison, wanted the legislature to be preeminent.

While the framers may have disagreed on the balance of legislative versus executive power, there was one topic they did agree on: political parties. Political parties, they all thought, were terrible, awful, divisive forces, to be avoided at all costs. If allowed to form, political parties would tear the young nation apart.

And the best way to prevent partisan majorities from forming was to divide up power across so many competing institutions that it would be impossible for partisan majorities to form. Political scientist E.E. Schattschneider puts it this way, in his classic Party Government:

The authors of the Constitution set up an elaborate division and balance of powers within an intricate governmental structure designed to make parties ineffective. It was hoped that the parties would lose and exhaust themselves in futile attempts to fight their way through the labyrinthine framework of the government.

The president and the legislature would be separate branches. An “electoral college” would nominate multiple candidates for the presidency, and then Congress would select among those candidates. There would also be a court system, a third branch, to provide additional checks.

With the exception of the election of 1824, however, the Electoral College never worked as planned. Instead, presidential elections evolved into a single winner-take-all national plebiscite election, with two major parties competing for what was frequently a very narrow majority.

Because the president is the only actor in the system who runs for office nationally, he has historically defined the party brand. And because the electoral fate of congressional partisans is linked to the brand of the party, they have a strong interest in going easy on fellow partisan presidents, while being tough on opposing partisan presidents. As a result, separation of powers has long been a dead letter without divided government.

There is no separation of powers without divided government

Think of all the important moments when Congress has meaningfully checked abuses by the executive branch: Watergate, the 1975 Church Committee on wide-ranging domestic spying abuses by the CIA and the FBI, the Iran-Contra hearings. These were all moments of divided government, with Democrats in Congress and Republicans in the White House. Also note: The only two impeachment votes taken in Congress (Andrew Johnson in 1868, Bill Clinton in 1998-’99) came when Republicans controlled Congress and Democrats controlled the White House. None of these notable separation of powers moments would have taken place under unified government.

One might partially object to the above statement, and note that the courts, the third branch, have checked some of the Trump administration’s plans, notably the travel ban. But primarily, it has been liberal justices challenging the Trump administration. The conservative Supreme Court gave the administration the thumbs-up on the ban. And if the Trump administration succeeds in its efforts to remake the courts by appointing conservative justices, does anybody expect them to challenge the administration? The courts are more polarized than ever too.

Of course, the framers never anticipated this problem. Again, they thought American government would work without parties. And yet: It took a single Congress and Madison’s Republican Party was doing battle with Hamilton’s Federalist Party, voting in predictable patterns, calling each other nasty names (like “monocrat” and “Jacobin”), and fighting over the provision of presidential furniture. Whatever barriers Madison the framer enacted to make it hard for parties to form, Madison the partisan Congress member quickly found a way around them.

Perhaps the framers should have anticipated this. But they were humans, like everyone else. They couldn’t anticipate everything. And they were optimistic that they had designed a system of government that would frustrate partisan majorities from forming, solving the complex problem of divisive factions in a new and original way.

What if the separation of powers system really is a myth?

Perhaps at some point, we’ll return to an era of overlapping parties and weak partisanship (like we had in the 1950s), in which it was at least conceivable that institutional loyalty would be more important than partisan branding. But in this current moment of hyperpartisanship, that seems highly unlikely. Parties have never been more divided. Looking back on 2017, one wonders: At this point, what could possibly unite congressional Democrats and congressional Republicans against a president of one of the two major parties?

Where does that leave us? For the immediate moment, anyone who believes in the importance of separation of powers should support Democrats taking back the House and the Senate in 2018.

But this is a limited answer. And perhaps conservatives might say: This is too high a price to pay for a balance of powers government, just as liberals would say the same thing if the roles were reversed. After all, divided government under high partisan polarization is really just gridlocked government, and whatever oversight comes out of it might wind up as an endless fishing expedition to find something, anything, that can bring down the opposing party’s president. But that is the system we have.

And yet … what if the framers had admitted that parties were indeed inevitable, and would stretch across the branches of government? Would they have come up with a different design to balance powers, and to avoid the great danger of majority tyranny they were so worried about?

More recent democratic constitution writers have dealt with this problem through various means. They’ve turned to proportional voting, which creates multi-party systems that require broader coalition building and balanced cabinets. Some countries have even mandated cabinets that are always balanced between competing parties and competing factions or regions. Most democracies also make it easier for the legislature to replace an incompetent executive through votes of no confidence and/or by calling new elections. Impeachment is a clumsy and difficult mechanism.

Certainly, we Americans tend to take great pride in our democratic institutions, and find it inconceivable that our Constitution is not perfect. But while the framers were wise and thoughtful men, they did make some mistakes. They did not anticipate political parties. They thought ambitions and loyalties would be to institutions, not to parties. But as the events of 2017 have made clear, once again, partisanship is more powerful than institutional loyalty. There is no separation of powers without divided government. It’s time to face up to this reality.

This article was first published on Vox on 3 January 2018.


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how each of our body systems maintain homeostasis

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Aria Velasquez

on 1 June 2015

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Transcript of how each of our body systems maintain homeostasis

The Circulatory System maintain homeostasis by the Circulatory system regulating and maintaining the right levels for our nutrients.Also the oxygen and the waste would need the products by cells.
The Digestive System
The Digestive System help maintain homeostasis by the Digestive System by breaking down the food into monocules and absorbing the monocules into cells.And regulating the water to the large intestine.
The Respiratory System
The Respiratory System helps maintain homeostasis by the Respiratory System bringing in the right levels of oxygen while removing the carbon dioxide.
The Excretory System
The Excretory System maintains homeostasis by the Excretory System removing the waste from the body,helps the body cool down when you are sweating,the kidneys put chemicals inside your blood,the liver puts toxins and acids in your blood,and the colon lets you have solid waste go through your body.
The Endocrine System
The Endocrine System helps maintain homeostasis by the Endocrine System releasing hormones,and the hormones are sent to different spots in your body to control your blood sugar and hear rate etc.And regulating the hormone messages such as temperture,hunger,sleep,etc.
The Skeletal System
The Skeletal System helps maintain homeostasis by the Skeletal System keeping them in place and proper function and helps interacts with the muscles.
In this presentation you will learn how each of our body systems maintain to homeostasis.O.K lets get started.
The Nervous System
The Nervous System helps maintain homeostasis by the Nervous System sending messages to the brain about hunger,pain,temperture,etc.And so the body can make adjustments using the other body systems.
The Muscular System
The Muscular System helps maintain homeostasis by the Muscular System allowing to have movement and allowing to go back in its position.The muscules regulates through the functions such as breathing and the heartbeat.
Thank you for looking at my presentation on how each of body systems maintain homeostasis.
By:Mansa Velasquez
Full transcript


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29 January 2008

DESIGNER -petra boase

over on design*sponge today im going to be promoting british design by highlighting four of my favourite designers. one of those selected is petra boase, and i found i had many more photos than i could fit in to the article. so i thought we could look at her work in more detail over here. although petra is known for her books such as 'funky junk' and childrens craft ideas, lately its more her design work that has been causing a stir. her latest product, a series of beautiful mugs, can be found in the most fashionable boutiques and magazines. her style is cute and whimsical with motifs created from sraps of vintage fabrics. click here for the full range, or scroll down to see some of her latest mug designs, and in the next two posts : gift wrap.

annie said...

love these!!! i'm going to check out the rest of her work!

Kate said...

I love Petra Boase, her work has such a nice handmade feel to it


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Airplane Birthday Party

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When I learned that you could rent out space for parties at the Flight museum I was so excited! Ryan loves anything to do with planes so I knew it was a perfect venue.  There are two party areas to chose from and I chose the hangar area because there was more natural light and the clouds on the walls worked perfectly with our decorations!

Design Inspiration

I found a lot of inspiration from the party blogs/sites that I frequent - HWTM, Kara's Party ideas, Project Nursery ect...and Pinterest was a huge source - I think I have viewed every airplane party that is documented online! So many cute ideas and inspiration out there! I loved the runway table cloth and place settings that were featured on the Amy Atlas blog so I recreated it for Ryan's party.

Decorating Style

Fun and modern. Love using bright colors!

Project Details

Printables: DimplePrints (Invitations, Hats, Labels, Placemats, Napkin wrappers, water wraps, and banners)

Cake & Airplane cookies: Society Bakery

Model Biplanes:

Wooden model airplanes (for kids to decorate):

Cake Topper - Created using Cricut

Candy bags: purchased at Swoozies (I created and added labels myself)

Candy Jars: Michaels

Pilot Aviators: The Children's Place

More info:

Favorite Items

I loved the runway tables and how the place settings turned out!

I also loved the cake and the topper that I made to go on it.

I attempted to make Cotton Candy "Clouds" but they basically disintegrated once I had them out on display! I have no idea what caused that - so be careful!

For the runway tablecloths I used craft paper that I found at Hobby Lobby (in the teaching supply area). The tables at the museum were 35" inches wide so I had to get the roll cut - finding a place that would cut it was difficult! My husband took one of the rolls to Home Depot and they cut it using their blind cutter. However, I went back two days later to get the second one cut and they said they couldn't do it! I even explained that they just cut one for us but they still wouldn't help me out. We ended up trying another Home Depot and they had no problem cutting it for us. So I guess it all depends on who you find working - good luck!

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Sunday, October 26, 2014

Special Moments

Finding joy in the little moments...

Friday, October 10, 2014

Buttercream Frosting in Ninja Blender

Buttercream Frosting in my Ninja Blender

400g butter
600g powdered sugar
1tbsp vanilla

I let the butter get to room temp then blended it first. The sugar went in about 200g at a time and then the vanilla. It mixed rather nicely!

The kids have been asking to grill out again. This time they wanted to try their hand at making kabobs. Here is what we mixed for the pork & chicken marinade.
The beef was marinaded in yakiniku sauce.
Making kabobs is so much easier with good helpers!

1 orange, zested, then juiced, remainder discarded
1 lemon, zested, then juiced, remainder discarded
1 lime, zested, then juiced, remainder discarded
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or pork, cut into 1-inch cubes

Marinade for 2 hours

 Grill until the meat is cooked

This is the first time I've made these since the kids were born. I've been waiting for them to be big enough to be around the grill safely. Now that they are able to help I'm sure we'l have this kind of supper for often. It is so easy to make a few days worth of food in a short time on the grill!

Frozen Banana "Ice Cream"

After school snacks can be simple, healthy and yummy. Here is one of the kid's favorites!

Frozen Banana "Ice Cream"
• 4 frozen bananas
• chop bananas in Ninja blender/processor
• transfer to dish
• top with chocolate, raspberries etc.


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, ,

That’s the title of a book I read last year.  It’s by Adharandand Finn.  He is a writer living in England who is also a runner.

The condensed version is that he moves with his family to Kenya for six months to learn the secret of why the Kenyans are just so very good at distance running.  I’m not going give you the easy answer.  You’ll have to read the book to find out.

One passage struck me as something I needed to remember and always keep in the back of my mind as I run.

While on a training run with his Kenyan friends he noticed that when they approached a hill the entire pack sped up and began to sprint.  They did this time after time.  He was puzzled and finally asked why the pack attacked up the hills.

 The answer was simple and beautiful and it went something like this:  They said – “We see hills as an opportunity to get stronger.”   There is a lot of wisdom in those nine words.

I have adopted that philosophy and while I don’t always sprint up a hill I make sure not to ease up or slow down.  I can tell you that this change in my view towards running hills has made a difference in my running, my endurance and what goes on in my head when I see a hill looming ahead.

Actually, the secret is…


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Vote now for a bombardier beetle genome

Vote daily from now until 5 April here

Bombardier beetles are among the world’s most impressive chemists. They repel predators with rapid-fire, precisely-aimed explosive discharges of a toxic chemical mix at over 100°C, earning them lead roles in media and culture. Yet the genomic basis of this extraordinary ability remains a mystery. We need YOUR help to sequence the Explosive Bombardier Beetle genome.

Our team’s bombardier beetle proposal has been selected as one of five finalists to undergo a popular vote for the world’s most interesting genome! The final winner receives Pacific Biosciences (PacBio) SMRT Sequencing and genome assembly.

Vote YES for the Explosive Bombardier Beetle! Vote here today:

You can vote once per day through April 5th. Help SDSU/UC Berkeley/University of Arizona/Stevens Institute of Technology win this exciting competition! Please announce to your students, friends, etc. Our team will be sending periodic reminders throughout the voting period.

Social Media:

Follow the Explosive Bombardier Beetle team on Twitter:
Dr. Tanya Renner (San Diego State University): @TanzRenner
Dr. Wendy Moore (University of Arizona): @paussus
Dr. Kipling Will (University of California, Berkeley): @Cerabilia
Dr. Aman Gill (University of California, Berkeley): @amanomenon
Dr. Athula Attygalle (Stevens Institute of Technology)

About Kip Will

I'm an insect systematist with expertise in carabid beetles, who is always happiest in the bush.
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The precision of electron-microprobe (EMP) measurements at a 4sigma level of confidence is about 1%. By using internally consistent standards with compositions compatible with stoichiometries of the structural formulae, minerals with a generally similar matrix may be analyzed with < or =2% accuracy. Systematic analytical error of a standard may be greatly reduced by examination of the results of analysis of closely related unknown minerals. If a standard is compositionally and structurally well characterized, the accuracy of analysis of samples of near-identical composition may then approach 1% absolute. The bulk of the results, which give the expected stoichiometry of the structure, may be classified as normal. Anomalous measurements, which do not conform to ideal stoichiometry of feldspar, were used to identify analytical overlap with hematite micro-inclusions, light-element substitution, and a compositional trend toward []Si 4 O 8 in adularia from granitic pegmatites.

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young-ji's story

Hi my name is Young-Ji and thank you for visiting this page to read my story!

I have never used the word "beautiful" to describe myself. Though, I felt that I was cute and pretty at best, I never looked myself in the mirror and said, "Hi Beautiful."

But as I was working on the launch of my own skincare brand, purpletale, I realized that I spent too much time in the mirror on a fault-finding mission. Trying to achieve someone else’s standard of beauty.

And how can I not? I’m constantly bombarded with gorgeous faces and amazing bodies, everywhere I turn. They are on TV, ads, magazine covers and all over my social media feeds. Day in and day out.

If wanted to change this -- I knew that I had to see beauty in myself and more importantly, help others to also see the beauty in themselves. Because there’s nothing better than being able to say, “Hi Beautiful” to the face looking back at us in the mirror. That’s why the mission and tagline of purpletale is “The Beauty of You.” I want to celebrate the skin that we are in.

With this mission in mind, I hustled to develop a product line that was affordable, simple and most importantly, effective. I also wanted to simplify and demystify the secrets of Korean beauty and share its core principles to always-on-the-go women, like myself. Because let’s face it, time is precious and limited.

And that’s how our flagship product, 5 Steps to Lovely Skin was born! Our kit has everything you need for a facial, in one convenient pack. All you have to do is follow the numbered steps to experience glowing and radiant skin in just twenty minutes. And did I mention that it’s the perfect companion for travel or for spa days at home?

I confess, that last paragraph sounded too much like a product pitch – but it’s because I cannot contain my excitement about our innovative facial kit. Since I’m being completely honest, I cannot believe that I made it!

It was a struggle to convince the Korean labs and factories to create this new delivery method. It was never done before and the factories were very skeptical of my vision. I wanted to throw in the towel many times, but I’m so grateful that I chugged along because getting positive feedback from my customers just makes my day.

 That was my story of how purpletale was born and what I’m striving to do. Everything I do stems from the basic belief that you don’t need help becoming beautiful, sometimes you just need a little help seeing that you already are.


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Image via Wikipedia

This is an old question with different answers. As any other people, following the reasoning of Spanish philosopher Ortega, a leader is a mix of himself and his experiences, then, the solution is easy: or we use genetic engineering or the leader must be born. Later, the leader must learn to be a leader.

Today many people try to make leaders with incorrect DNA. They use marketing to manufacture a leader, but marketing will never produce strength, intelligence or any other capabilities that a leader could need in a certain period of time.

This one is an incorrect vision of the marketing activity. Perhaps, we can sell someone who does not exist, but this does not imply that we have made the product.

For instance, intelligence is not contagious, although we put always a person near an intelligent one, he will never become cleverer.

A good marketing vision will focus on improving the experiences of a potential leader, as we can expand a product with associated services, but it should not focus on telling lies about his DNA, or his competence.


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Modern-day slavery is a lurking, pervasive problem in American restaurants

If a restaurant dishwasher working in the US illegally wanted to leave his or her job, could they? Turns out, not necessarily.

In too many cases, people working in the American food system—from the agricultural fields where laborers pick the nation’s produce to the restaurants and bars that serve consumers food and drink everyday—are trapped in those positions. That’s according to a new report by the Polaris Project, a non-profit organization formed to investigate and report cases of modern slavery, in which people are harbored and then coerced into working or engaging in commercial sex acts.

It’s unknown just how much of the industry is fueled by workers who feel coerced into working those jobs, or who live in fear of what might happen if they quit. So the Polaris Project set up a hotline in 2007, inviting people to call in and report their experience. The group wound up analyzing more than 32,000 cases of human trafficking reported to it in the US through 2016. It also sorted cases into 25 categories.

Most of the people who called into the hotline to report trafficking situations were in the US illegally. Still, some did claim to be American citizens.

“Part of what we’re digging into is we’ve uncovered some cases where there are a few restaurants connected together to run a scheme,” said Polaris Project chief programs officer Sarah Jakiel. “There doesn’t need to be transportation or movement for trafficking to occur.”

According to a 2015 US Department of Labor report (pdf) on human trafficking, the government admitted that concerns had been raised about laborers in agricultural situations. Still, it did not delve into the problem as rigorously as did when reporting on countries in other regions of the globe.

Just how people are trafficked into situations can vary. It doesn’t always involve what’s depicted on television and in film, in which people are loaded into trucks in the dead of night and transported against their will into another region and industry.

The report was lauded as “a game changer” by an assistant attorney general in Colorado, who told NPR that labor trafficking is at least as prevalent as sex trafficking in the US. Finding and breaking the trafficking networks remains a major challenge, though. That’s one of the reason the Polaris Project has already received grant money from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to investigate the food industry and how networks operate within it more closely.

“I believe there is a chronic and crucial underreporting from the restaurant sector,” says Jakiel. “And at what point does exploitative labor become labor trafficking?”

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Early Chirstmas Present to myself

Christmas came early and I am giving myself an early Christmas present , some bento related items.

What I got for myself  :

  • 4 pieces of Bento boxes , the classic Japanese style  with Kimono pattern,   my very first aluminium bento box in Totoro theme , a set of the  Oyaku Kuro Demekin (the gold fish which actually come in a set of 2 boxes, the standard as seen in the photo and another smaller one inside) ,   also  Little pink pig Onigiri box
  • 3 sets of bento picks
  • 1 box of wax paper.

I am so excited and started to wonder how my holidays or Christmas theme bento will look like in those lovely boxes.

My new batch of bento tools from Singapore

Hiyaaa … another post of Bento tools that I bought from my vacation at Singapore.  I got this loot from 2 sources ,

The $2 Daiso  in Singapore and  the kitchenware section at Takashimaya Dept Store.  Though IDR had been depreciating against SGD, still the Daiso price which is SGD $2 /item  is much cheaper compare to the one in Indonesia. In Jakarta each item cost IDR 22,000  , price is higher by 37.5% (approx SGD $2.75 with exc rate 1SGD = IDR 8,000). Shopping at Daiso resulted to 6 items  : 2 set of leaves shape stainless cookie cutter, 2 pieces/set  (which is just right in time for any autumn/fall bento theme), another  set of cookie cutter  in some basic shape,  also sakura silicone baran, music note pick ,and set of plastic food container in triangle, round and square shape

While those from Takashimaya Dept store resulted  tos : set of veggie  silicone cup, set of fruits silicone cup. Seems that the bento tools in the dept store are from CasaBento, I noted they place a small signage with Casabento logo  in the corner where I found these cups. I had been eying to buy silicone cup for a while and so happy to find it , now I don’t have to worry and keep replenishing my lettuce stock.  Did you notice the lettuce and apple cup used in #101 – Molang the fat rabbit bento?

Another bento tools loot from Spore trip

So happy…. I think I have enough of tools to last me till my next 100s bento.

Lets see if I can stay discipline not to buy more until my #200 bento…hmmm nope probably until #150 bento 😀

October bento tools shopping report :)

Went out for bento tools shopping over the weekend and here is the result 🙂

I had been eyeing on the Marie set with puncher since few months ago but I decided not to buy until  I managed to organize my  new kitchen and bento tools. But you know what? Today when I decided to buy, the price had been increasing by almost USD8, previous price that I remember was IDR 175,000/ approx USD 19 ( exc rate 1 USD = IDR 9,250)  and today price is IDR 259,000/approx USD 27.3  ( exc rate 1 uSD = IDR 9,500).

Yes bento tools can be rather expensive here because they are limited and only few store imported them in addition with the weakening of local currency.

Anyway I am happy with my shopping loots, I got new puncher set with the 2 molds (I love the puncher because it have few unique shapes that will come in handy), it is always easier to rely on puncher rather than cutting them using scissor.

I also got  three new sets of veggie/cheese cutter, new stock for Onigiri wrap, and a set of animal shape stencil sheet and 3  new sets of  bento picks

On top of that I also got 2 new bento boxes, the pink piggy and the 2 Tier what they said as Sponge bob bento box (but on top of color , nothing much of it resembling Sponge Bob, but since I like the color then its ok to buy). I also bought 2 sets of disposable bento boxes in the case if I make bento for friends, they both come in M size and the paper lunch box come in a set of 3 while the pink one with transparent cover come in a set of 2 pieces


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The Resurrectionist: The Lost Work of Dr. Spencer Black

the resurrectionistThe Short Version: Dr. Spencer Black was a youthful prodigy – gifted at science and medicine – in the late 1800s in Philadelphia.  But as his studies furthered, he began to develop unorthodox ideas about mutation and beasts of classical antiquity: namely, that they were in fact real and present-day mutations are an attempt to revert back to those now-extinct forms.  His work was discredited and Dr. Black disappeared with little trace in 1908.

The Review: Quirk Books, a small-ish publishing house in my old hometown(ish) of Philadelphia, has quietly been developing quite a reputation when it comes to proper literature.  They started off small, distributed by Chronicle Books, and as a result they had a limited slate of offerings – many leaning towards, well, quirky texts that were as much humor as they were ‘literature’.  These are the folks, after all, who brought the world Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and the rest of the Quirk Classics.  But a shift slowly started around the time of their transition to Random House as distributor and they’ve put forth some seriously excellent novels of late – led by Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children & The Last Policeman (neither of which, embarrassingly, have I read – but I solemnly swear that they’re on my list and now even more prevalently so, as I work to develop a relationship with my hometown team).

The Resurrectionist is a perfect example of an effective blend between those two worlds.  On the one hand, it is a beautiful object – closer to coffee-table-size than hardcover-size, it sits in your hands and demands to be admired.  The second half of the book itself, the Codex Extinct Animalia, is the real coffee-table attraction: exquisitely rendered anatomical drawings of mythical creatures, pulled from the supposed studies of Dr. Black.  I am not a biology person, let alone an anatomy person – I barely remember from my high school bio class how the human body is constructed, let alone the rest of the animal kingdom – but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t absolutely bowled over by these drawings.  To see (even fantastically) how these mythical creatures could have existed… it’s delightful.

The story itself is short – taking up less than half of the book’s printed pages – and provides only, in essence, the roughest sketch of Dr. Black’s life.  His father was a renowned doctor and used to take his boys out graverobbing – something that clearly set both his sons on their respective paths.  The simplistic, academic narration is interspersed with excerpts of journal entries, letters, and other ephemeral writings of/relating to the Blacks and the overall effect is one somewhat akin to the film The Prestige.  The novel used the same tricks to different effect but I am thinking most clearly of the way the film provided the narration of the two magicians reading each other’s journals.  That voiceover quality, specifically – that’s how these excerpts feel.  As though, while you’re reading them, the voice of Spencer Black play over a brief recording.  Another equally valid analogy would be a museum tour where, as you walk by an exhibit, an actor reading some piece of text plays softly.

Unfortunately, the impact of that early section doesn’t quite live up to the initial promise.  I’m hesitant to call this a flaw, because the book is clearly structured to be an introductory, almost-academic text – the story itself being secondary, no editorializing or sensationalizing.  Indeed, it ends on something of a cliffhanger and the way the whole story is created leads me to believe that Hudspeth may in fact have further intentions for the story of Dr. Black.  For there is so much to experiment with here – there’s a Geek Love-esque circus, the gorgeous setting of late 19th Century Philadelphia, the very real and very well documented push and pull between science and fantasy at that time… So I won’t take off any points for the fleeting pleasure of the story because I wonder if that wasn’t the point and if there won’t be more coming to sate us later.

Rating: 4 out of 5.  Even if it were just the Codex, this book is worth picking up for any fans of fantastic beasts (and where to find them!  DING!) and the sort of vaguely-eerie pseudoscience that was all the rage not even 150 years ago.  There’s something romantic about this, the sort of thing that you might expect to’ve seen as a real text in the Mutter Museum or the like – gross on the one hand and yet entirely fascinating at the same time.  Put it on your coffee table – and buy Quirk!

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Sunday, 29 November 2009

StringTextInput pruning

The manual is not clear what the parameters prune_below and prune_above mean.

They are a way to remove very common or very rare attributes from an example set. If you set prune_below to 40% and prune_below to 10% you will remove about 70% of the example set.

I have no idea how it calculates these - over to the code...

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Anime Theories: Nanbaka – “The Eternal Prisoner”

Hi guys!! I decided to do a new thing for the blog, where I will talk about different theories I have for shows. I might talk about how I think a series will end, or how a certain plot point that an anime presents might actually mean more than what we originally think. So today I want to talk about how in episode 1 of Nanbaka, the Warden and Hajime talk about Jungo’s father, who is also called the Eternal Prisoner. Obviously, because of this, there will be spoilers here and there, so if you haven’t seen the show, or read the manga, then be wary of continuing to read.

So when I first heard about Jungo’s father, I thought what pretty much every other person thought when they heard this. Jungo’s father is known as the Eternal Prisoner because he was actually able to escape from Nanba prison and was never found again, which is why his escape is considered an embarassment to the Nanba prison.

But here’s the thing: this prison actually takes care of their prisoners so well, that they actually enjoy being in prison. They get delicious food, their is medicine that can be made to fit their needs and tastes, and if they try to escape, even if they do get hurt a little, for the most part they are fine and are able to return to their cells right after. Even though most of the guards are extremely strong, and could probably beat the prisoners to submission, they don’t do it. Even our favorite inmates are actually playful with the guards, showing that they do trust the guards to a degree.

And while it is possible to escape Nanba prison, as shown in episode 1, it is really difficult to do, especially on your own. There is no way that Jungo, even being a master escapist, could have escaped the prison on his own. As well, the prison is on an island, that looks pretty far away from Japan. So someone would more than likely die in the ocean, before reaching the mainland.

So I feel that a rule of Nanba prison, that has yet to revealed to us, is that the prisoners have to be treated nicely, and that they can’t be hurt so bad that they risk getting fatal injuries. I feel that a certain scene, from the manga, also proves this so:

!!Spoiler Start!!

In the manga, due to circumstances, Hajime is forced to beat up Jungo, and it’s so bad that Jungo ends up in a coma. Later on, Hajime is suspended for 3 days, due to the injuries he inflicted on Jungo.

!!Spoiler End!!

So again, because of Hajime’s level of violence, he was suspended from his job, as punishment. This shows how the prison does not want to cause any true harm to the prisoners.

So my theory is that, Jungo’s father didn’t escape by the conventional means, but he ended up dying in prison, which is why he is known as the Eternal Prisoner. Now whether he died from a fight with a prisoner or guard, killed himself, or maybe was escaping the island prison and was killed in the ocean, is unknown. But I do believe that, because of his death, not his escape, he had become the greatest embarrassment to the Nanba prison, since they were not supposed to allow any of the prisoners, in their care, to die. It is also possible that he was killed during an escape attempt, as Jungo is also known for his many escapades.

I will be updating this particular theory as the series progresses, but I would like to know your own thoughts on what I’ve said. Do you think what I said could be right?  Do you have other thoughts on this, or ideas to add to this theory? Please comment below on anything you have to say about this theory and I hope to see you guys next time!!

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Blogito Ergo Sum

Our social lives have been changed irrevocably since 2004 when a
young student in the dingy dorm rooms of Harvard came up with a form of social
networking that has gripped the world, and with 750 million monthly users it
doesn’t look like it’s letting go anytime soon. But is this transformation wholly

During a recent conversation with a friend about the growing
reliance on social networking sites to maintain friendships and mankind’s addiction
to the internet, we came to the conclusion that, in today’s age of Facebook,
Twitter, and now the big G’s latest attempt at a piece of the pie, Google+, without
a web presence one cannot truly be said to exist. Now obviously this isn’t
meant to be taken literally. Deleting your Facebook account is not going to
cause you to spontaneously combust or slowly dissipate into an abyss of
non-existence (though severe withdrawal symptoms should be expected), but is,
as Descartes once concluded, consciousness still enough to determine subsistence?
Does thinking still guarantee being? Or is something further required, a
searchable online persona perhaps?

The forms of interaction that the millennium has ushered in have
obvious benefits; it is now easier to keep in touch with friends and relatives
who reside in far-away places, it’s possible to alert all your contacts to your
status without the hassle of sending a cumbersome group text, photo sharing and
event management have been altered beyond recognition, and, of course, having
your own online space allows you to express your personality and broadcast your
thoughts to a much wider audience than before the advent of such technology. But
in between status updating, tweeting, vlogging, blogging and now sparks, do we
have time for a real, face to face social life? Has going for a coffee and a
catch-up become somehow too ‘involved’ for this generations youth? And what of
our dependence (is addiction too strong?) on such sites?

Perhaps it’s too early to predict the long-term effects of such a
monumental change in the way we socialise; all that can be said with conviction
is that it has changed, and that,  in the
absence of some unforeseen catastrophe, it will continue to change at a rapidly
accelerating rate.

Maybe it’s just nostalgia, or the grass-is-greener syndrome, but
wasn’t life more quaint before it all began?

4 responses to “Blogito Ergo Sum

  1. I like your questions and your style of writing. And I agree, the change has already happened. Although the technology can be phenomenal, the way life was back then had its own changes to go through. Every era has its challenges; this is the “challenge” of our era.

    • Thanks for reading litwist, I could say the same about your style! Look forward to finding out what happens in your piece, and love the expression ‘writing like there’s no backspace’!

  2. Thank you! Good to know you enjoyed the piece. I am doing my best to follow this ‘back-space’ expression.
    How about you, no blogito? 🙂

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Nov 16, 2015

Prayer of Thanksgiving for Abundance

Here’s a thanksgiving prayer from the United Church of Christ website.

Prayer of Thanks for Abundance

God of Grace,
you have gifted us with a world of abundance;
a land of plenty;
a country where all can have enough.
We come before you this day
to thank you for this prosperity
and to repent from our apparent inability to share this wealth.

God, we declare our own complicity
in systems that sustain some of us,
while forsaking many others.
And we come before you to seek your forgiveness,
even as we pray for your justice.

Righteous God, you hear the cry of the poor.
You listen to those who do without,
while so many spend recklessly
and our leaders invest the wealth of the nation
in instruments of destruction.

Be with us this day Lord.
Hear our prayers.
Touch our hearts that we may be faithful witnesses
and effective voices for justice.
God of mercy, hear our prayer.  Amen.

~ written by Mari Castellanos, and posted on the United Church of Christ website.


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Who Qualifies?

ReadiBus helps create mobility for everyone.

But that doesn’t mean anyone can use ReadiBus.

ReadiBus is specifically for people who cannot make use of mainstream public transport services.

A lot has been done over the years to make public transport services in the UK more accessible to people with disabilities. The introduction of low floor buses, the building of ‘border platforms’ – raised pavements at bus stops that meet the bus floor – has enabled wheelchair users and those who use some walking aids to use public transport. ReadiBus welcomes this trend and encourages anyone who can use public transport to do so.

However there are always people who can’t cope with mainstream bus services and it is those people we seek to serve. It doesn’t matter what the mobility restriction is – if it prevents you from using public transport or if you simply need too much help doing so then ReadiBus is for you.

When you apply for Registration with ReadiBus you will find a question on mobility needs – answer as fully as you can and it will help us serve you better.

(Photo courtesy of Barrett and Coe Berkshire)


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“Time to help ev’ryone else”

African states partner to assist jobless youth

By Jemal Omar in Nouakchott for Magharebia – 07/06/2013

Morocco, Tunisia, Niger, Senegal and Mauritania are working together to help unemployed young people in French-speaking countries gain the skills to create their own enterprises.

To get the Youth Integration Fund initiative off the ground, the Conference of Sport and Youth Ministers of Francophone Countries (CONFEJES) organised a week-long training workshop in Nouakchott for the national envoys.

“We seek to help member states create job opportunities for young people and integrate them in active life,” the fund’s Mauritania co-ordinator, Ahmed Ould Beibeni, said on Friday (June 7th).

The people targeted by the training project are between 16 and 30 years old, the most vulnerable period in life in terms of susceptibility to influences, he said.

“Member states are trying as much as they can to protect youths against extremism, deviation and involvement in criminal acts, and therefore, financing focuses on youths in densely-populated cities and poor rural areas,” Ould Beibani said.

“We have about 10 projects from each country going on in various fields, from agriculture to traditional industry,” he added.

The representative of the Moroccan Ministry of Youth and Sports said the workshops would help young people in Morocco understand “entrepreneur culture and know the mechanisms for setting up projects to get out of their current economic situation”.

“This is in addition to sharing the experiences of youths from other countries in northern and western Africa,” Rachid Bin Tibi added.

He talked about the causes of Moroccan youth deviation, which he identified as “unemployment, illiteracy, lack of training, and systematic exclusion”.

“We want to avoid such things so youths can obtain the personal and professional life skills, feel their importance as human beings, and realise that they are part of the solution to problems, rather than a source,” he said.

In Tunisia, “the unemployment rate is now 15% while the growth rate is 4%, a rate that can’t absorb unemployed people”, said Faouzi Boudhla of Tunisia’s Ministry of Youths and Sports.

“Another concern for Tunisian young people is that most victims of unemployment are illiterate; something that makes them prone to extremism,” he added. The Tunisian official said this week’s Nouakchott meeting helped national co-ordinators develop their knowledge.

“Its results will be circulated around Tunisia to stimulate youths to present labour-intensive projects so we can relatively reduce unemployment,” he added.

According to Hajji Abdallah Lam, national co-ordinator for youth integration in Senegal, the training will be especially effective because it targets unemployed people “whose circumstances didn’t allow them to receive university degrees”.

“This will help alleviate the burden for governments, because they usually absorb university degree holders,” Lam said. “Opportunities must be created for shepherds, farmers and others.”

Creating and encouraging small enterprises will actually help distance youths from extremism and terrorist groups, he added.

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The Best Houses on the Market under $800,000 in Los Angeles ***PART II***

Due to the overwhelming success of ‘The Best Single Family Homes on the Market under $1,000,000 in Los Angeles’ & ‘The Best Condos Currently on the Market between $250,000 and $500,000’, we at Real Realty LA are bringing you ‘The Best Houses on the Market under $800,000 in LA’.

From a character filled Craftsman in Hancock Park to an open plan home in hip Silver Lake and further,we at Real Realty LA have studied the market to find a cross section of the best houses under $800,000 sure to suit the most discerning of home buyers.

To view Part I first, click here.

8570 Crescent Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90046

Asking Price: $799,000

Three bedrooms, two bathrooms in 1,474sq.ft

Private & Modern Sunset Strip Hollywood Hills Gem Is Perfect For Your Rock Star Buyers, Perched High Above The Strip The Chic Style And A Full Floor Top Level Master Suite Awaits You w Spa Bathroom/Steam Shower, Huge Sun Deck & Breathtaking Expansive Canyon Views, Enter This Hip Home On The Main Level w Vaulted Ceilings, Open Layout, Cocktail Bar And A Wall of Glass Doors Opening to Long Balcony Overlooking More Canyon Views, Gourmet Zen Type Kitchen Services The Dining Area w Slate Counters and Stainless Appliances, Venture Downstairs To The Guest Level w Two Bedrooms That Each Open Out To A Joint Covered Balcony In The Lower Level Bamboo Garden, Downstairs You Will Also Find A Full Guest Bathroom, Laundry Room, Additional Closet And Mega Huge Storage/Utility Room. Below This Lower Level Is A Cute Strip of Land For A Vegetable Garden, Dog Run, Outdoor Storage, etc. This Amazing Laurel Canyon Location Is On A Quiet Street & In Award Winning Wonderland Elementary School District.

826 Flower Ave., Venice, CA 90291

Asking Price: $785,000

Three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms in 1,466sq.ft

Wonderfully remodeled contemporary 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath Venice home. Jack & Jill bedrooms. Spacious Master Suite with separate sitting room, fireplace, and beautiful master bath. Gourmet Kitchen, large family room, designer built-ins, and hardwood floors. Redwood Deck w/spa tub! Walled & Private Yard. Dual-Paned Windows. Detached two-car garage. Close to Whole Foods, Restaurants, The Beach! Home has a walkers score of 71 (out of 100) making this location a true walkers paradise.

1129 Marco Pl., Venice, CA 90291

Asking Price: $730,000

Two bedrooms, one bathroom in 932sq.ft

This terrific beach bungalow property has lots of charm & includes a detached cottage w/bath & kitchenette that rents for $1,500 + 2 side by side work studios. The main home is very private, enjoys a large kitchen w/island & terrific front & back yards. Wonderful property that’s a quick bike ride or walk to Abbot Kinney & the beach.

1358 S. Rideley Dr., Los Angeles CA 90019

Asking Price: $525,000

Two bedrooms, one bathroom

Wilshire Vista Heights. Affordable and sweet two beds plus one bath. Additional bonus studio/ guest house. meticulously updated, electrical, copper plumbing, bolted, central AC/ Heat, security system, landscaped grounds.Gated private lush yard. Room to expand.

Please email for further information on any of the above listings

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  1. […] The Best Houses on the Market under $800,000 (February 2012) Part I and Part II […]

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Delhi Real Estate News

Indiabulls Real Estate gets court notice on cheating plea

Indiabulls Real Estate gets court notice on cheating plea

Additional Sessions Judge Raj Kapoor sought reply from 22 respondents including the builder, its directors and Delhi Police on the plea and listed it for arguments on December 23, the next date of hearing

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court has issued notice to Indiabulls Real Estate Ltd and its subsidiary firm Athena Infrastructural Ltd on a criminal complaint seeking lodging of an FIR against them for allegedly cheating buyers and embezzling funds.

Additional Sessions Judge Raj Kapoor sought reply from 22 respondents including the builder, its directors and Delhi Police on the plea and listed it for arguments on December 23, the next date of hearing.

“Issue notice to the respondents for the next date… Copy of the revision petition be also given to the prosecutor for the state,” the court said.

The revision petition was filed by a woman challenging the order of a magisterial court, dismissing her plea for lodging of an FIR against the builder and its officials, claiming that the trial court had ignored the issue of alleged conspiracy to commit the offences of criminal breach of trust, cheating, embezzlement of funds, dishonest inducement and misappropriation with fraudulent intention under IPC.

The petition, filed through advocate Arpit Bhargava, alleged Indiabulls Real Estate Ltd used Athena Infrastructural Ltd as a conduit to collect funds from gullible customers like his client saying that it was developing a project by the name of Indiabulls Enigma in Sector 110, Gurgaon.

The flat was booked in November 2011 by paying Rs five lakh as booking amount and till 2014, the woman had made a total of payment over Rs 1.8 crore to the builder, it said.

The project was scheduled to be completed within three years from the date of signing of agreement — January 30, 2012, but neither the possession of the flat was handed over nor any information was given about its status, it said.

The plea claimed the builder took 90 per cent of the total value of the property from the woman but it appeared that the project site was abandoned and neither the site nor connectivity from Dwarka Expressway seemed to be heading anywhere.

The petitioner has also approached the National Consumer Commission against the builder for deficiency in service and the matter is pending.

“Respondents have not only cheated the petitioner of her hard-earned money but many others who bought units/apartments etc in the project Enigma. It is apprehended that more than Rs 500 crore have been collected by respondents in connivance with each other and there is a possibility that they may run away to a foreign country in case immediate action is not taken,” the petition said.

It said a complaint was given at Connaught Place police station but no action was taken and also added that during pendency of the criminal complaint, the woman received a cheque of over Rs 1.8 crore from the builder towards principal amount only in April 2016 and no interest.

Source :Economictimes

Top Investment Destinations In Asia-Pacific Include Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi

investment in asia-pacific

Since the Indian investment policy for the real estate sector has got a thumbs up from the foreign investors the country has regained favour as a preferred investment destination in the Asia Pacific region.

According to the Emerging Trends in Real Estate Asia Pacific 2018 report Mumbai, Bengaluru, and New Delhi ranked 12, 15 and 20 by survey respondents as top investment cities. The report was jointly published by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and the Urban Land Institute (ULI).

Globally Sydney, Melbourne, Singapore, Shanghai and Ho Chi Minh City were the top investment cities.

The report also said that due to the implementation of GST and last year’s demonetisation liquidity issued have been created for real estate and it has also impacted investment and development prospects of the cities, thereby pulling down their rankings.

Mumbai has been ranked 12th after being on the second spot last year, while it ranked 8th in terms of development prospects. Bengaluru and New Delhi stand at 15th and 20th position respectively in the investment destination ranking against 1 and 13 respectively in the last year. They ranked 16th and 18th positions respectively on the development destination ranking.

According to the report Mumbai has benefitted from the recent strength of India’s capital markets. Absorption has therefore been strong, driven by demand in co-working, manufacturing, and services companies. Retail is another sector that is drawing increasing foreign investment interest.

Although steadily declining, Mumbai’s office vacancy rate (at around 17 percent) continues to be very high, and with a pipeline of incoming supply totalling about 40 percent of existing stock, fundamentals would appear to be negative. In reality, however, Mumbai continues to lag behind in term of Grade-A stock, meaning that any new supply is quickly taken up and that rental growth for those properties remains strong, says the report.

The city is emerging as the business process outsourcing (BPO) in India. The early foreign investors in this sector bought income-producing assets in business parks along with local partners and benefitted greatly. Some of these assets have now been earmarked for sale, in particular via India’s newly emerging REIT sector, which is expected to launch its first IPO in the first quarter of 2018.

8 to 9 percent annually, together with healthy new tenant demand rental growth has been reported by operators of BPO facilities. However, with the emergence of automation and artificial intelligence technologies the BPO industry is tapering off.

New Delhi

As compared to other Indian cities, New Delhi remains unpopular with investors. According to the report this is mainly due to a downtrend in development of residential sector.

Even though this has created a chance to supply bridging finance, there are not many foreigners who have shown interest in it. The report suggests that north Indian developers tend to be overleveraged and often hold portfolios of high-end housing which is in oversupply. Thus many projects have faced delays and some developers have acquired a poor reputation.

Nonetheless there is a big potential the moment the markets turn. Report points, Delhi will be one of the first cities to start seeing a pickup.

According to JLL Delhi missed its opportunity to grab a share of the surging growth seen in business parks located in the south. Even though there was recent demand from IT companies, uptake overall has been slow, leaving office vacancies at an elevated 30 percent. Thus it lacks when it comes to absorption however rentals have still been holding firm unlike the lower vacancies and higher rentals in Mumbai.

Other Highlights:

India is the only country to provide long-term sustainable 3 to 5 percent rental growth profile over a long period. Investors identified India among others as a destination where data centres are projected to provide 13 to 15 percent IRR.

Investors are interested about affordable housing as an asset class even though supply of affordable homes increased in last 3 quarters. The report says the important reason being availability of land at affordable price and not so far away from the cities, no single window approvals, and time overruns etc.

India continues to attract strong flows of institutional and sovereign wealth type capital suggests the report. It adds, investment in India offer massive scale opportunity and continues to be strategic in nature. Also, most international investors in India prefer commercial property, with cap rates currently averaging in the range of 8.5 percent to 8.75 percent.

Mostly due to tax reforms, India logistics sector has recently been the target of an investment boom. The average appreciation in rentals has been anything between 8 to 10 percent per annum, higher as compared to office space, growing 5 to 7 percent.

The residential properties, due to demonetisation campaign, GST and increased regulation of real estate development practices, continue to suffer. High-end residential oversupply is another ongoing problem. India remains the real bright spot for new REIT markets.

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Delhi Real Estate News

Almost 52 Percent Of Residential Units Registered Under MahaRERA Remain Unsold: Report

Almost 52 Percent Of Residential Units Registered Under MahaRERA Remain Unsold: Report

According to a report, 350,000 units remain unsold out of the total number of units that were registered under MahaRERA leading to an inventory overhang of 52 percent as of August end.

The joint report from Cushman & Wakefield and Propstack said with over 50 percent of the current residential inventory remaining unsold and slow momentum of the new launches, the prices have been largely stable.

An estimated 670,339 units across 5,620 projects have been registered under MahaRERA including residential and residential cum commercial under-construction projects. These projects cover 506 million sq ft of development.

Looking at MMR in areas beyond Thane, maximum numbers of projects were launched and registrations done under MahaRERA at 1,835 projects constituting 33 percent of total projects registered.

Gautam Saraf, MD, Mumbai, Cushman & Wakefield said, “Availability of land at the lower prices is a crucial parameter that allows developers to keep the per unit prices under check. Maximum end-users are value sensitive and would like to get maximum benefits out of their purchases. Locations beyond Thane allow developers to create homes that deliver value beyond just habitat. These areas are well connected through public transport including suburban rail and roads, and give developers the confidence to launch large-scale projects in these areas”.

The stretch from Bandra to Borivali on the Western Suburb saw 1,400 projects making up 25 percent of the total registrations. The rest of the table was completed by Eastern Suburbs (18%), Navi Mumbai (12%) Thane (7%), and South Mumbai (5%).

1 and 2BHK configuration units estimated at 319,000 had the highest share of sales constituting together of 87percent. 3BHK configurations sales made up 11percent, while even higher configurations were a mere 1percent of the total inventory sold.

Due to the high real estate prices in MMR region, the end-users’ affinity has been towards smaller configurations. The report added, even while the capital values of affordable houses across most micro markets have not seen any drastic changes when compared to other cities like Bengaluru, Delhi NCR and Pune, these are higher by at least 10–15percent for comparable projects and locations.

Sandeep Reddy, Director, PropStack, India stated, “As more and more projects register for MahaRERA, the market, including end-users, will have better access to information on developers and projects. For end-users, having all information upfront will help them to assess the final product upon receipt….The data will help us create better, sharper analysis of demand as well as design future supply to help avoid demand-supply mismatches”.

While registering under MahaRERA, most builders have revised their delivery timelines. As per the report while 42percent of the projects are expected to be delivered on time, over 43percent of the projects showing delays of up to 3 years and the rest beyond 3 years.

Approximately 57 percent of the under-construction projects are delayed. 1454 projects will see completion in the year 2018, the largest volume of completion.

Also Read: RERA To Ensure Completion Of Realty Projects

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Ahmedabad Real Estate News

CREDAI New India Summit

credai new india summit

CREDAI is the apex body that represents over 12,000 private Real Estate developers spread across 23 state-level chapters and 177 cities in India. Established in 1999, CREDAI has worked hard to make the industry more organized and progressive by networking closely with Government representatives, policymakers, investors, finance companies, consumers and real estate professionals.

The New India Summit is another such effort from CREDAI to direct focus on Tier II, III and IV cities and develop them to be the forerunners of success. CREDAI New India Summit is all set to unleash the potential of an emerging India. This one small step has the power to give way to a new India.

For the longest time, our leaders and foresighted influencers have put all their time and energy in developing the Tier I cities namely Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata. No doubt, these cities have really changed the way people look at India today. These cities are the epitome of advanced technology and modern culture. But they also face challenges due to the grave pressure of urbanization. Decreasing quality of life, increasing the cost of living, overpopulation and unemployment, increase in transit time and traffic congestion, expensive housing, hospitality, education and healthcare facilities are some of the issues that all the Tier I cities face today.

According to a report, smaller cities are developing 79% faster as compared to metros with just 21%. Our of the 12,000 CREDAI members, 76.77% of them are from Tier II, III and IV cities. Looking at the scenario, it is only innate to divert the energies in developing the areas which still have potential. Thus, offering a good quality life to people in those cities itself and taking the pressure off of the Tier I cities.

The Forbes Magazine has said small cities are India’s emerging business locations. The government has also been putting dedicated efforts into schemes that directly benefit the growth of Tier II, III and IV cities. Sustainable economic development, improving infrastructure and transportation, increasing employment opportunities, and introducing technologies for rapid urbanization are some of the prime agendas that the government has been taking actions on.

The CREDAI New India Summit will take place on the 9th and 10th November 2017 in Nagpur, Maharashtra.

Also Read: FS Realty Bags The 9th Realty Plus Excellence Awards (North) 2017

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Reborn Fanart Quilts!

/r/ Ideas and Wishes!

Reborn Fanart Quilts!

/r/ Ideas and Wishes!

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Comment and ask for any REBORN! fan work (not just fanart!) for individual squares here. Just a few guidelines:

- must be REBORN!-related (duh)
- fits the specs and themes of at least one of the quilts (see comm profile)
- be polite when asking!

Contributors, please take a look, you just might find more inspirations! If you'd like to fulfill requests, don't tell anyone, make it a surprise for all!
  • I really want to see some of these happen so I'm gonna be selfish and start off with the requests!

    So ronery
    Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us
    This is a meme where you take pictures as if you and the characters on the screen are interacting, usually sharing a meal. It's pretty easy to do and it's full of lulz. These are some of the pics I've collected.

    Monochrome & Colors
    Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us
    Each box (all the same size) will be drawn using three colors:
    - one for lines/positive space (black inside the 4 panels in the case of the example); everyone uses the same one
    - one for negative space (blue, green, yellow, and red in the example). A few different hues will be used across the entire quilt so there's bound to be repeats. But for pictures with the same hue, they will each have a different shade.
    - one accent color for a small portion of the box for the focal point(s) e.g. the white knife
    We all have different styles so this will help bring them all together. This does not impose a limit to the actual content so you can draw whomever and whichver pairing you'd like, doing whatever you want them to do (yes I heard you on nsfw material). Since it's basically line art and shading, we'll be able to draw more squares. I hope it's not too restrictive!

    Humanized mecha
    Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us
    Characters pose as mecha. Doesn't have to be gundams. May be a bit far-fetched but I think it's rather funny.
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Cakewalk's Guitar Pro Tracks 3

Discussion in 'Mixing & Song Critique' started by firefly, Dec 21, 2004.

  1. firefly

    firefly Guest

    Does anyone have any experience with Cakewalk's Guitar Pro Tracks 3? I have been looking at this for the recording software in a PC based system.

    My home recording based experience has been limited to a Tascam Portastudio 488 (cassette based) for many years, but now I would like to venture up so to speak.

    My recording needs are fairly simple: recording one to two tracks at one time. I will be using an old Alesis digital drum machine and playing all the instruments myself. The idea of being able to record on more than 8 tracks is exciting. I have no plans on ever trying to record someone else. The Cakewalk program's visuals sort of resemble the hardware on my 488 which is comforting since I've never done any PC based recording.

    Perhaps I should explore more studio-in-a-box systems. Any thoughts?

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New Sound Library: Drums And Percussion of Ancient Mexico from Sounds And Effects

Discussion in 'Mixing & Song Critique' started by SAE, May 31, 2010.

  1. SAE

    SAE Guest

    Sounds And Effects announces that Drums and Percussion of Ancient Mexico sound library has been released for N-I Kontakt. Recorded in Mexico, the library includes the fierce and, in early times, very feared Aztec Huehuetl war drums, the ceremonial Tepanozatli hollow log drums, Aztec husk rattles and husk shakers, gourd shakers, natural pod shakers, the deep Shamanic frame drum of the Copper Canyon Indians- Tarahumara or Raramuri (the ‘running Indians’) which is still used in ceremonies and Peyote rituals, a Cantaro- a clay-pot drum from Chiapas, which here is filled with various levels of water to produce different pitches, a Tamboril Requinto (hand drum) from Jalisco where it used to accompany flute, a bright Pandeiro shaken, rubbed, and struck, large and small Maracas, scraped Guiro, sharply struck Claves, Tamborin --spinning-drum, and bright copper hand bells, struck dull iron bells, and the clinking of clay bells.

    Also the wild, wild sounds of the ancient Mayan friction drum, which makes clicks and pops and groans, and is known to have once been used in for imitating the sound of the female jaguar.

    For contents and more see:
  • AT5047

    The New AT5047 Premier Studio Microphone Purity Transformed

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Theologica Germanica 7

January 26, 2008

Of the Eyes of the Spirit wherewith Man looketh into Eternity and into Time, and how the one is hindered of the other in its Working.

Let us remember how it is written and said that the soul of Christ had two eyes, a right and a left eye. In the beginning, when the soul of Christ was created, she fixed her right eye upon eternity and the Godhead, and remained in the full intuition and enjoyment of the divine Essence and Eternal Perfection; and continued thus unmoved and undisturbed by all the accidents and travail, suffering, torment and pain that ever befell the outward man. But with the left eye she beheld the creature and perceived all things therein, and took note of the difference between the creatures, which were better or worse, nobler or meaner; and thereafter was the outward man of Christ ordered.

Thus the inner man of Christ, according to the right eye of His soul, stood in the full exercise of His divine nature, in perfect blessedness, joy and eternal peace. But the outward man and the left eye of Christ’s soul, stood with Him in perfect suffering, in all tribulation, affliction and travail; and this in such sort that the inward and right eye remained unmoved, unhindered and untouched by all the travail, suffering, grief and anguish that ever befell the outward man. It hath been said that when Christ was bound to the pillar and scourged, and when He hung upon the cross, according to the outward man, yet His inner man, or soul according to the right eye, stood in as full possession of divine joy and blessedness as it did after His ascension, or as it doth now. In like manner His outward man, or soul with the left eye, was never hindered, disturbed or troubled by the inward eye in its contemplation of the outward things that belonged to it.

Now the created soul of man hath also two eyes. The one is the power of seeing into eternity, the other of seeing into time and the creatures, of perceiving how they differ from each other as afore-said, of giving life and needful things to the body, and ordering and governing it for the best. But these two eyes of the soul of man cannot both perform their work at once; but if the__soul shall see with the right eye into eternity, then the left eye must close itself and refrain from working, and be as though it were dead.

For if the left eye be fulfilling its office toward outward things; that is, holding converse with time and the creatures; then must the right eye be hindered in its working; that is, in its contemplation. Therefore whosoever will have the one must let the other go; for “no man can serve two masters.”


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Refined Vices

Refined Vices
Refined Vices EST 2007

Utility Separator

Pyrat Rum Factory

Short & Sweet: A Tour Of The Pyrat Rum Factory

During my most recent trip to the Caribbean, I had the opportunity to do something I’ve wanted to do for quite a while: get an inside look at rum making in the islands.

The island of Anguilla lies just to the north of the French-Dutch island of St. Martin/St. Maarten, accessible by ferry from the French town of Marigot. The island is British territory, roughly 16 miles (25 km) long and 3 miles (just under 5 km) wide at its widest point. It boasts 33 white, sandy beaches and a peaceful island atmosphere for its 12,000 residents and many visitors. The island is also home to the Anguilla Rums Ltd.

Located just to the east of Sandy Ground (on the northwestern side of the island) is a small, yellow building with brown shudders and a blue sign containing the image of a single bottle of Pyrat XO Reserve rum. This is the home of Anguilla Rums Ltd., makers of Pyrat Rum.

Like many rum manufacturers, Anguilla Rums allows for tours of their facility – provided you have an appointment. Visitors are allowed in to the tasting room any time, but if you have the desire to see a few details of how their operation works, you need to call ahead. I setup our appointment about a week prior to our arrival with no trouble whatsoever.

Getting There

Coming from St. Maarten, my party and I took a taxi from Philipsburg, on the Dutch side of the island, to Marigot, on the French side. The cab ride was about 30 minutes or so.

Once we arrived in Marigot, we purchased tickets for the ferry to Anguilla. The ferry ticket costs $12US, in addition to a $5US departure tax. With tickets in-hand, we boarded the small ferry and were whisked off to Anguilla. The trip took about 25 minutes, and ferries run all day at a rate of roughly one ferry per hour.

We landed at Blowing Point, on the south side of Anguilla and made our way through Customs. We rented a car for $30US, plus $5US for insurance and another $25US for a temporary driver’s license and then proceeded northward to the factory.

Anguilla Rums

The Anguilla Rums facility is a factory, not a distillery. Many people don’t realize this, but Anguilla Rums doesn’t distill any rum at all. There is no sugar cane on Anguilla, and as a result, the rum is made by blending other companies’ rums. Pyrat rum is actually a blend of 9 different rums, all brought to this facility to be blended and then barreled for additional aging and marrying of the flavors.

Since the facility does not do any distilling, it is a great deal smaller than one might expect for a “rum factory.” The small building looks something akin to a small warehouse, with a gravel parking lot.

One enters the building through the front, walking in to a small, very plain reception area. Turn to your right and you’re in the very nicely decorated tasting room, walk forward and you pass through the double-doors of the factory floor.

We were greeted by a woman who tried to immediately shoo us into the tasting room. When I explained that we had an appointment for a tour of the facility, she seemed a bit incredulous, asking me more than once if I was sure. After convincing her that, yes, I did have an appointment to see the facility, I was asked to have my party wait in the tasting room while she fetched the person that does the tours.

The Tasting Room

The Tasting RoomThe tasting room is a nicely decorated room with a small bar and Pyrat and Patron paraphernalia everywhere. For those not in the know, Pyrat rum and Anguilla Rums Ltd. are owned by the Patron Spirits Company, best known for their Patron Tequila.

In the tasting room one can taste the various rums and rum liqueurs offered by Anguilla Rums, as well as the entire line of Patron tequilas and tequila liqueurs.

Samples are served chilled (bottles are kept in a small refrigerator) out of small plastic cups, and there does not appear to be a limit on how many samples one can get…or if there is a limit, we didn’t manage to discover it.

We didn’t actually partake in any tasting until after the tour, rather spending our time reading through pamphlets and newspaper clippings on the wall, inspecting the product for sale in the room (at fairly nice discounts), and chatting about our day thus far (no one seemed to believe that we had any chance of making it from the cruise ship to the rum factory in time for our tour, when in fact we had made it to the factory so early that we had gone and spent a good portion of the morning on the beach).

Finally, our tour guide walked in and said we could begin our tour.

The Factory

We were led through the double-doors at the back of the reception area and in to a large, open warehouse. There were barrels stacked to the left on the ground floor, and to the right on an elevated platform, next to some large metal cylinders probably used for blending.

The barrels all had various markings on them, probably indicating which blend they were and when their contents had been casked. I can only theorize here, when I asked I was only told that the markings on the barrel were for them to tell the barrels apart, and that they couldn’t tell me more than that. I also have no pictures of the actual tour, as photographs are also prohibited.

To be honest, there wasn’t much to photograph anyway. The “factory tour” is essentially a walk around of the bottling operation. In the middle of this open space is a small assembly line, occupied by 13 people. That’s right; the Pyrat Rum assembly line is only 13 people long.

At the head of the line is a stack of boxes. These boxes contain the heavy glass bottles which are imported from Mexico and France, which are removed from the boxes as needed and placed into a large cleaning and sterilization apparatus. Once clean, the bottles are dried and then placed on to the edge of the assembly line table.

The bottles next move onto rollers to be rolled under a multi-spigot machine to fill the bottles.

They can fill six bottles at a time from this foot-pedal operated machine before rolling the bottles on to the corking area.

It is amazing to consider that the bottles are filled only six at a time, and by a human-operated machine when one also considers that this small factory can fill an entire shipping container with rum in A SINGLE WEEK when ramped up for full production. Consider the fact that a single box of the rum holds 30 bottles, and then scale that up to an entire shipping container – that’s a lot of rum.

After the bottles are corked, the corks are sealed on with plastic, and then the bottles are pushed to the labeling table. All of the labels on Pyrat rums are placed there by hand, with a worker carefully lining up the label to make sure it is even. Now corked, sealed, and labeled, a worker places the Hoti medallions on the bottles and then ties orange ribbons around the necks before the last members of the assembly line place the finished bottles into boxes, which are sealed and promptly stacked on to pallets.

That’s it. Honestly...that’s the tour. You travel a total distance of about ten meters from start to finish. This is a very small, humble little rum factory. I honestly believe that had I not been burying our friendly guide with questions about the facility and the rum in general, our tour would have lasted 5 minutes.

My questions did seem to net me a small treat, when right before taking us back to the tasting room, our guide suddenly reversed direction and beckoned me over to a small door at the side of the assembly line area.

She opened it, and on the other side was a dark, musty room that was utterly filled with oak casks. This, she explained, was the aging room. Once blended, the rums are placed in their casks and the casks were placed in this small, dark, dingy room to engage in the Three M’s of rum blending: Mellowing, Marrying, and Maturing.

All in all, I was glad that we took the time to enjoy the tour – and not just because you can purchase Pyrat Cask 1623 for $180US instead of the normal $220US - $250US you see in the States. While the tour was not really all I had hoped for, it was still a fun and interesting experience, and one can hardly complain about spending the day in Anguilla.

If you ever find yourself on Anguilla, be sure to take an hour or so to stop by and check out the facility and the tasting room, you’ll be glad that you did.

Matthew Robold

Other articles by Matthew Robold:
Old New Orleans Rum Distillery Tour
Brugal is the World

Discuss the Pyrat tour in the forums! your social media marketing partner

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The rejistanian temples are very diverse in shape and size. However, asahele’het does not only refer to the temples of the inikresaists but to all houses of worship. Thus, Cologne Cathedral would be Asahele’het kelin xentira (central temple of Cologne). They refer only to constructed buildings though. The idea of a place in nature which is inhabited by spirits exists as well in rejistanian religion however they have a distinct term (which I will refer to in my next posting).

BTW: since I am not fearing to be unemployed by the 13th, I have booked the flight to the Netherlands for the LCC4. Anything I need to keep in mind when in .nl?


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Audifier SEQui2R Bundle for Kontakt 68% off at VST Buzz

Audifier SEQui2R box

VST Buzz has launched a sale on the SEQui2R Bundle, offering 68% off the dual engine phrase repeater library and Processed Analog expansion pack for Kontakt by Audiofier.

“SEQui2R” is more than a step sequencer, a gater, an arpeggiator or a pulse engine… you choose the notes that suit your composition and SEQui2R will do the rest.

Its perfect for creating a wide range of sounds including but not limited to:

  • Pulsing rhythms
  • Modulating synths lines
  • Moving soundscapes
  • Everything in between

Use it for cinematic music, EDM, underscore, ambient and anything else you can think of that needs some beautiful, lush, dark, gritty or thundering pulsing sounds!

Audifier SEQui2R

SEQui2R features

  • Two separate sound engines with 360 sound sources from 9 different categories.
  • 8 programmable phrases per patch, with step-able Filters, Distortion, Lo-Fi, Pitch Bend, Volume and and Pan.
  • Key/Scale Control keeps your phrases in the desired scales and keys. Major, Minor, Diminished and Whole-tone scales are provided.
  • 10 User programmable scales available per patch.
  • Portamento, Stutter and Ornamento per step.
  • Reverse-able and Random notes per step.
  • Randomisation of Sounds, StepFX and phrases.
  • Import and Export of Phrases plus StepFx and User Key/Scales.
  • Midi Notes Midifile Drag & Drop export. Includes Chorus, Phaser, Delay, Convolution Reverb per engine and a Master Digital Reverb.
  • Selectable LP or HP master Filters per engine.
  • Automate-able Step effects, even at a phrase level.
  • Perfect for Ambient, Electronic, Industrial, Post Rock music and much much more!

The SEQui2R Bundle is available for purchase for 38.99 EUR until September 6th, 2016 (regular 125 EUR).

Expansion Pack 1 – Processed Analog is included with every purchase by default. This expansion includes 40 completely new, multi sampled sounds from vintage analog synthesisers.

Raw Vintage Synths and Bells and Metals expansion packs are available at an additional 9.99 EUR each (regular 28.99 EUR each).

More information: VST Buzz / SEQui2R Bundle

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