When Pioneer Professional Audio emerged as a loudspeaker brand during PLASA's final years at Earl's Court, it was both a revival and a debut. It was enough of a departure to regard the new passive speaker series launched then as effectively products of a new company: GS-WAVE and XY, a 3m-high groundstacked assembly for the dance floor and a compact version for elsewhere.
From the beginning, even though the dance system was coproduced with club sound guru Gary Stewart, ambitions lay beyond the nightclub. But it was also something of a revival because the founder of the original Pioneer Corporation, Nozomu Matsumoto, began in the late '30s by building loudspeakers: specifically, the highly successful A-8. It was this product that laid the foundations for the consumer audio behemoth we know today, which first tasted modern professional success with speakers in the fondly recalled and briefly state-of-the-art guise of Technical Audio Devices (TAD): studio monitors from the late '70s and early '80s that won many admirers and flirted with the Proper Big Time by getting installed at George Lucas' Skywalker Sound facility in California.
In recent years, Pioneer has found fresh pro audio feet as the DJ industry has matured. As a distinct entity, Pioneer DJ Corporation drew venture capital to embark upon a different path to the Pioneer Electronics mother lode, and eventually established Pioneer Professional Audio separately as a vehicle for loudspeaker products that divided the cake even more finely: as we'll see, interpretations of 'professional' are now becoming tricky and subtle, requiring different strategies according to context.
Since the setting out of that stall, Alex Barrand has been Pioneer Professional Audio's technical manager, having cut his sound engineering teeth at London's Ministry Of Sound. He it was who installed the custom Martin Audio system at the club in 2008, working closely with Martin Audio's Jason Baird, and it's his deep working knowledge of that market that now informs his challenge to build Pioneer Pro's reputation beyond it.
The budget-conscious XPRS Series contains Powersoft amplifier modules, Barrand's relationship with the Italian manufacturer stretching back to Ministry of Sound days during which, at one point, he specified from them an ambitious 10,000W module for one of the subs. It was a shared vision of scale, and led directly to an OEM deal rubber-stamped by Japan at Barrand's insistence. At the same time, his passive loudspeakers are designed with the ability to accommodate other brands too, from Crown to XTA, making them attractive to as wide a base of installers as possible. This is key.
Barrand's challenging brief has been to establish routes to market all over the world that can make the most of the Pioneer name, while at the same time avoiding any risk of being typecast. It's the same business model in the US, Asia and Europe: one that targets reputable installers and resellers for GS-WAVE and XY, while exploiting the well established MI and DJ channels to handle the XPRS Series. It means Barrand himself has had to make a lot of direct connections in the early phases, with the Holy Grail of effective delegation always in mind, and the hope is that his Olympic accrual of air miles will soon reach a plateau supported by reliable partners.
To ensure a level of quality control that will convince picky installers, Pioneer Pro's loudspeakers are all built in the UK. Attention to persuasive detail includes BNC drivers, modified constant directivity horns and handpicked Mundorf components in the crossover board assembly, which is regularly shown off in cross section at trade shows. It's all part of a concerted campaign to establish build quality as a hallmark of the brand. "To win over the pro audio specifiers," Barrand reveals, "our product has to be beyond their expectations of quality – both sonically and in terms of construction quality. That's why we build everything in the UK, so we can really assure them that it's a serious product that's acoustically at the top level. It's been quite a journey to get to that point, but we now have some key references around the world to build upon.
Barrand has spent much time steering the conversation with his colleagues in Japan towards these new markets, making suggestions not only for product design but also for the handling of sales channels and the navigation of more sophisticated routes to market for such high-end products. One good example occurred in Italy. "We worked directly with the Jazz Café in Milan, a project that has led to other applications too," he says. "They had a noise issue, so we made an EASE model of the bar area and the restaurant downstairs and had to work closely with the local authorities to satisfy their regulations. We got it right, and so the local installer on the project began to look at Pioneer as a serious alternative to the other brands he'd bought and arranged for his supplier to come and see the venue.
This means ticking the box called 'discreet' in retail and other spaces, while electro-acoustically pumping into that space the kind of volume you might expect from the brand endorsed by Cameron Leslie, co-founder of reborn London super-club Fabric. For many styleconscious stores and restaurants, this is precisely the kind of association that adds value and kudos to the AV offer, backed up by genuine technical chops. "You can see," adds Barrand, "as you look around the stores in all the major cities, they're looking really raw and funky and yet it's still a retail space. It's not about high SPLs, though: we've been working with the Nike store in London's Oxford Street, trying out some of the smaller XPRS Series boxes – even so, it's a bit of a party every weekend! – and because the weekend DJ sessions have gone well they are now planning to fit all four floors of the store with a background system. "This system has to evoke the DJ sound recognised and enjoyed at the weekends, while staying within reasonable boundaries, so it's about 'exporting' the Pioneer reputation to other areas without losing its identity." There can be few other sectors than this so likely to keep up with the high street Joneses, making the domino effect of store competition such a crucial element of Pioneer Pro's ultimate strategy.


At Tio Rico Te Ayuda's 2721 W Van Buren office in Phoenix, you'll get the best service from our team of expert loan consultants for the cash loans and auto title loans you need as soon as possible. Located just off of I-17 in west Phoenix, this Tio Rico Te Ayuda location is perfect if you are a customer looking for a fast cash loan coming from Skyview North, Wedgewood Park, Del Monte Village, Landis Center or Estrella, or neighborhoods from the north, such as Encanto, Northwest Village, and Alhambra. The loan experts of Tio Rico Te Ayuda are standing by to answer all your questions, put you at ease and get you approved for the cash you need in as little as 30 minutes! Call Tio Rico Te Ayuda today and get cash fast at 602-322-1010.


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How EMA Uses SAP BusinessObjects to Track Swine Flu
by Davin Wilfrid, Former Contributing Editor, SAP Experts
Business intelligence (BI) is no longer the domain of weekly financial reports and simple pie charts. The ability to dissect data from various sources quickly and present it in user-friendly ways has opened the door to a new generation of BI solutions. See how Emergency Medical Associates is using out-of-the-box functionality from SAP BusinessObjects to track the spread of the H1N1 (swine flu) virus in order to stay one step ahead of a potential epidemic.
In a field where broken bones, ruptured appendixes, and concussions are the hallmarks of a relatively calm night, preparation makes all the difference. Having the right staffing, supplies, and knowledge on hand is important when dealing with relatively minor medical emergencies. In the face of a potential epidemic, preparation is critical.
As the H1N1 (swine flu) virus spreads, Emergency Medical Associates (EMA) is using SAP BusinessObjects software to stay one step ahead. By tracking key metrics and presenting data in terms that emergency room doctors and administrators can understand, EMA is able to alert federal health officials of possible outbreaks and help emergency rooms plan appropriately.
"By drilling down into specific syndromes in our patient reports, we can pinpoint spikes in fever and flu-like symptoms that are swine flu indicators," says Jonathan Rothman, director of data management at EMA. "Then we compare it with our large archive of historical information to figure out where we stand. When statistics for a particular symptom exceed standard deviation, we know we've got a problem on our hands."
Davin Wilfrid was a writer and editor for SAPinsider and SAP Experts. He contributed case studies and research projects aimed at helping the SAP ecosystem get the most out of their existing technology investments.
An Insider's Keys to a Successful BI Project
Give Managers Detailed, Visual Dashboards for Improved Decision Making

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Backups are an evil necessity and as with most geek admins we tend to forget to do it. We think of grand schemes and how we can do it better. Well I am still thinking of those grad schemes but in the meantime I use a simple command file to backup file off one drive to another that will only copy newer files. What is so nice with this is I don't have to have a backup program to retrieve the data, but the drawback is that it uses alot of space. Running it the first time will back them all up but future runs are fast.
The batch file uses xcopy as the start with several switches, displays it in colored backgrounds and writes a logfile when it is done. Here is the simple backup.
@ECHO Press Enter Key to run the program.
@ECHO Key Ctrl+C to abort, now or anytime later.
ECHO !! BACKUP PROCEDURE HAS COMPLETED. !!
That's all there is to it. To add more directories just copy one of the lines and change the directory names. For further automation use Windows Scheduled Tasks to add the command to run behind the scenes. You can do this the GUI way or command line. My preference is at the command line.
Now we are set. For the initial backup you can double click on the command file and watch it run. Then the scheduled task will run much faster.


See the sights of Lisbon aboard an open-top bus on a 105-minute sightseeing tour. Experience the city from days gone by with more than 40 videos and 3D reconstructions from the Roman era and Great Earthquake of 1755.
Climb aboard an open-top sightseeing bus and get amazing views of Lisbon as you watch historical videos. Experience 3D reconstructions of the Roman era and the 1755 earthquake, and venture into neighborhoods such as Alfama, Mouraria and Belem.
Relax as the GPS guide triggers over 40 videos and use the chart that highlights 30 extra points of interest to create a bespoke experience. Get tips on where to visit by yourself and take a peek at districts such as the Bairro Alto and Belém area without having to get off the bus.
Get an introduction to highlights such as Lisbon Cathedral, Belém Tower, the Jerónimos Monastery and more.
Meet at Rua do Comércio, 148, Lisbon.


The longer I took Stonehenge Health Dynamic Biotics and the more I researched it, the more I didn't like it.
I ended up giving it 1.5 out of 5 stars and have quite a few issues with this product.
First off, it's super expensive! It's about $44 for a month's supply of probiotics.
I wouldn't be upset paying a higher price for something that works but unfortunately this probiotic didn't.
The company also tries to upsell you into buying bundles of 3 or 6, which end up being close to $200!
And the kicker is that they make it seem like the price is much cheaper than it really is and you don't get the final number until it's in your cart.
Also, within seconds of landing on their website, I had 3 different ads, offers, and pop-ups show up.
It's excessive and annoying and super sales-y.
I'm not a fan of these types of sites that are really aggressive with upsells and pop-ups.
Second, the strains and CFU count are just too high.
It seems like the more the better, but not in this case.
You get high hopes thinking the high counts and high price tag make it something phenomenal.
With the vast majority of supplements that have 15+ strains and 30 billion+ CFU, I almost never see any results and usually get side effects.
And like I mentioned earlier, this probiotic just didn't work at all for me.
This product is also only safe for adults and isn't safe for children or women who are pregnant.
You also have to take the probiotic on an empty stomach or in between meals.
I do like the fact that this supplement is allergy friendly, vegan, and free of preservatives and fillers.
That's probably the best thing about it. And the fact you don't have to refrigerate it is a plus.
Thank goodness this product has a 90-day money back guarantee!
Because if it didn't I would've taken it all the way down to 1 star.
So overall, I'm not impressed with this probiotic.
The ingredients in Stonehenge Health Dynamic Biotics are a little confusing to decipher.
On the box and website description, it says 50 billion CFU.
But on the actual bottle and online picture says 51 billion CFU.
That's obviously not a massive discrepancy but it's just weird that they don't have the same information all around.
As for the strains, there are 16 of them.
Both the strains and CFU count are incredibly high. This is definitely going overboard and too many of each isn't always a good thing.
But I do like one of the strains in particular, which is B. longum.
This strain has been shown to be useful in combating seasonal allergies and upset stomachs.
It also has anti-inflammatory properties which helps soothe GI issues and it helps prevent diarrhea from antibiotic use.
I also like that they include NutraFlora® Prebiotic Fiber (FOS).
This acts as a type of fertilizer for friendly bacteria and aids the growth of the bacteria colonies.
I don't like the use of L. casei in the lineup.
This particular strain is relatively overpowering and can take the place where other good bacteria in the body would've been.
Stonehenge Health Dynamic Biotics seems to be very allergy friendly.
It's non-dairy, gluten free, and soy free.
The capsules are vegan and don't use any GMOs or preservatives.
They also don't use any synthetic binders or fillers or magnesium stearate.
It does contain rice flour, which is an issue for some people.
Here's a list of the other ingredients used: Vegetable Cellulose (veggie caps), Rice Flour, Vegetable Grade Kosher Calcium Palmitate E, and Silica.
You can buy this probiotic directly from the Stonehenge Health website.
It sells for $43.95 for a 1-month supply of 30 capsules.
That works out to a daily cost of a whopping $1.47 per day.
That's SO much more expensive than your average probiotic.
I don't think the price is worth the value at all and I wouldn't recommend this product or buy it again.
They even try to upsell you with pricier bundles.
For instance, 6 bottles for $199.95 or 3 bottles for $118.95.
I'm not a fan of companies that do the crazy upsell.
Especially because they don't tell you the final price until it's in your cart.
The only thing they say at first is the price per bottle and the amount saved if you buy the bundle.
After taking this probiotic supplement, I didn't experience any bad side effects.
No bloating or stomach pain, so that's good!
I saw no improvement with GI function, IBS symptoms, immune function, etc.
I also randomly got what I think may be a yeast infection, which is incredibly unfortunate!
Probiotics are supposed to help prevent and treat yeast infections.
So I'm super bummed out that this probiotic wasn't even effective in that area.
Thank goodness Stonehenge Health offers a guarantee for this probiotic because it is incredibly expensive!
They give you a 90-day, 100% money back guarantee.
I'm so happy to see a guarantee in place because I would've rated it even lower if it didn't.
If you're going to spend a high price for a supplement, I expect the company to protect the customer in case you aren't happy with it.
To buy Stonehenge Health Dynamic Biotics, click here.


Use the chat page or click the chat bar at the bottom of each page.
Type /rooms in the chat or click the + symbol and join the Live Discussion room.
This PPV is gonna be so EXTREME!
yeah you never seem to get smart money odds anymore but the last odds I saw favored Bray and Matt.


Eye catching eco resin panels are inlaid with reclaimed and natural elements. Durable, slim TPU frame absorbs shock. Attached cover keeps screen safe from surface scratches. Access to camera, ports, and buttons.


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USER SCORE:94%The percentage of users who liked this based on high quality reviews from sources such as Google Play, iTunes, and Amazon Music. Above 75% is green. ?
SELECTED LINE: Georgeous String Arrangements Gorgeous recording, soothing strings, this is going to be a great album. Downloaded How Am I Suppose to Live Without You, so nice !!!! -Waren B.
A Symphony Of Hits is the 13th compilation album by Michael Boltion, released by Montaigne Records & Entertainment One on February 8, 2019.
Georgeous String Arrangements Gorgeous recording, soothing strings, this is going to be a great album. Downloaded How Am I Suppose to Live Without You, so nice !!!!
Full Piece Orchestra! Amazing arrangements. It is great to hear the classics with the symphony orchestra. Great work!!!
Love Michael 's music Been a fan for years . One of the best voices of all time !!!!


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TokyoTreat Japanese Snacks Blog›Get To Know More About White Day in Japan!
Get To Know More About White Day in Japan!
Selly Juniarti
Valentine's Day is celebrated across the world on February 14th of every year, and typically, it's a day for couples to get together, exchange chocolates and other gifts, and celebrate their love for one another. Japan does things a bit differently, though.
In Japan, Valentine's Day is the day where women give chocolate gifts to men. There is no exchange of presents unlike what most people do in other countries. Then, the following month which is March 14, men will return the favor by giving back sweets to the person who gave chocolates to him.
The History of "White Day"
Valentine's Day first came to Japan during the 1960s. At the time, it wasn't mandatory for men who received chocolate to return the favor at all.
Then, a confectionery shop called Ishimura Mansei-do and the National Confectionery Industry Association started referring to March 14 as White Day. The idea of White Day caught on and quickly spread to South Korea, Taiwan, and some parts of China as well.
The name "White Day" itself is used because white gives a sense of purity, and youngsters tend to use it as an expression of love.
What to Give on White Day
Most people give marshmallows, cookies, and candy on White Day, and each gift has its own unique meaning. If you're going to be giving gifts this white day – you might want to pay attention!
1. Marshmallows
Originally, chocolates covered in marshmallow were thought to stand for a girl's feelings represented as chocolate returned back to them covered in pure love (marshmallow). But now, since marshmallows tend to melt and dissolve quickly, they are now commonly associated with feelings of unrequited or fleeting love.
This might seem a little silly – but because cookies are crunchy, they're thought to represent a "casual" or "dry" relationship. They are also typically given as a gift to people that are considered to be "just friends." Ouch.
3. Candy
Candy truly means "I like you"! This is because candy is something that you hold in your mouth while enjoying the sweet taste for a longer period, representing your feelings for each other! Sweet and meant to last!
Having said all this, these deeper meanings are actually quite relative – and it's actually pretty common for Japanese people to be totally unaware of them themselves – so don't get too bummed out if your crush gives you cookies! They probably mean well.
Now, why don't you try to give something back to someone you like on March 14? If you happen to be in Japan, you can see numerous special corners in department stores, candy shops, etc holding an event for White Day!
Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for more news straight from Japan!
Interesting Facts About the Lucky Sakura!
As the years have changed and Japan has progressed, the sakura tree remains a significant symbol in Japn! Beyond the beauty and its iconic stature, what is behind the interesting lucky sakura?
The Best Japanese Sakura Flower Inspired Convenience Store Snacks!
We love the sakura season as much as the next person. But one thing that makes our excitement peak is the anticipation for limited edition cherry blossom and sakura flower-themed food found in Japan's convenience stores.
Lucky Bags for the New Year: Fukubukuro Madness!
Many Japanese people find good fortunes by visiting shops to buy themselves exclusively lucky bags – fukubukuro!
Does Japan Celebrate Lunar New Year?
On January 1st, Japanese people gather to start the new year on a good note, to bring new fortune! But what about the Lunar New Year? Do they celebrate it? Where do they celebrate it? Let's find out!
Japanese Etiquette You Need to Follow During Pink Sakura Season
As we enter sakura season, it is important to be aware of Japan's cherry blossom etiquette. Here is your ultimate list of don'ts during the pink sakura season!
Valentine's Day Candy: The Best, Straight from Tokyo!
Valentine's Day candy is one of the best seasonal treats out there, and if you're looking for a lovely gift to give to the person you care about, you only need to travel around Tokyo to find it!


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Home/ios/Apple Continues Seeing Steady Mac Sales Growth Even as U.S. PC Shipments Decline
Apple Continues Seeing Steady Mac Sales Growth Even as U.S. PC Shipments Decline
Even amid a decline in U.S. PC shipments, Apple continues to see steady shipment growth, according to new PC shipping estimates from Gartner. Apple shipped nearly 1.7 million PCs in 1Q15, up from 1.5 million in 1Q14, marking an 8.9 percent increase. Overall PC growth in the United States in 1Q15 was down 1.3 percent compared to 1Q14, with Dell and other smaller manufacturers seeing a decline in shipments. Gartner estimated total PC shipments in the U.S. during 1Q15 at 13.9 million, down from 14 million last year.
During the quarter, Apple captured 12 percent of the market, up from 10.9 percent in the year ago quarter. Apple is positioned as the third largest PC vendor in the United States, and continues to trail both HP and Dell when it comes to market share.
Gartner's Preliminary U.S. PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 1Q15 (Thousands of Units)
HP shipped 3.6 million PCs during 1Q15, garnering it 26.1 percent of the market. Dell shipped 3.2 million for 23.2 percent of the market, and Lenovo came in after Apple with 1.7 million shipments for 11.8 percent of the market. ASUS, the fifth largest vendor in the U.S., sold just under a million PCs for 7.2 percent of the market.
Apple's U.S. Market Share Trend: 1Q06-1Q15 (Gartner)
IDC also released its shipment estimates today, and as is typical, its numbers are different than Gartner's numbers, in part because Gartner counts Windows-based tablets as personal computers, while IDC does not. According to IDC, overall PC shipments in the United States for 1Q15 were at 14 million, with Apple responsible for shipping 1.6 million PCs during the quarter, up from 1.5 million in 1Q14. IDC estimates Apple saw 1.7 percent growth with 10.9 percent market share.
IDC also ranks HP and Dell as the top two vendors in the United States, but its estimates place Lenovo as the third largest vendor with Apple coming in fourth and Toshiba coming in fifth.
As for worldwide shipments, Apple does not rank as one of the top five vendors so its worldwide shipments are not broken down in IDC and Gartner PC shipping estimates. Total worldwide PC shipments for 1Q15 were at 71.7 million according to Gartner, a decline of 5.2 percent compared to the year ago quarter, while IDC estimates put total worldwide shipments at 68.5 million, a decline of 6.7 percent.
It is important to note that data from Gartner and IDC is preliminary and that the numbers can shift somewhat, sometimes dramatically. Last year, for example, Gartner predicted Apple shipments at 1.521 million, later revising the number to 1.534 million. IDC predicted Apple shipments of 1.471 PCs, while the final number was 1.559 million.
Source: MacRumors
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Newport Beach, California, has a rich and storied maritime heritage. Home to six miles of Pacific shoreline and one of the most scenic pleasure harbors in the world, this special place has always served as a gateway to the ocean. ExplorOcean represents an exciting new chapter at the Balboa Fun Zone. By combining state-of-the-art experiences with informative interactive exhibits, this unique facility will plunge visitors into humankind's epic adventure of ocean exploration, so they too become inspired to uncover the secrets of Earth's wild blue frontier. THG completed the concept design phase of this new visitor experience along with the design and opening of a preview center to showcase the concept for this new facility.


The Czech soprano Hana Blažíková studied philosophy and musicology before graduating as a singer at the conservatory Prague in 2002.
Soon she specialized in the interpretation of the medieval, Renaissance and Baroque repertoire, going on into Classical music from time to time, and within the last years became one of the most sought-after sopranos for this sort of repertoire worldwide.
Hana regularly collaborates with ensembles as Collegium Vocale Gent, Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Bach Collegium Japan, Tafelmusik Toronto, Capella Regia, Collegium Marianum or Collegium 1704, under direction of musical personalities as Philippe Herreweghe, Masaaki Suzuki, Vaclav Luks, Ton Koopman and others.
Also in the field of modern Symphony Orchestras she's often invited for projects featuring Baroque or Classical repertoire.
Her first experiences on opera stages were widely praised, for instance when she sang the role of Susanna in Mozart's opera Le Nozze di Figaro at Karlovy Vary Theatre, and when she appeared as Zerlina in Mozart's Don Giovanni in the summer scene "Mozart Opera" at the Estates Theatre.
The young soprano is performing on the most important festivals and stages all over the world, in Europe, the US and Japan, such as the Prague Spring, Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht, Resonanzen Vienna, Concertgebouw Amsterdam and many others.
Furthermore Hana plays the gothic harp and offers programmes with medieval chant, in which she accompanies herself on the harp.
Please also visit Hana on our YouTube channel!


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It Was Absolutely Wonderful Sitting Down with Jim Cummings who Voices Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too! #ChristopherRobinBluray
I was invited by Disney on an all expenses paid trip to cover #DisneysNutcrackerEvent and #ChristopherRobinBluray. All opinions are my own.
As you know, Christopher Robin is NOW AVAILABLE on Blu-ray and Digital. (Stay tuned for my post all about Christopher Robin on Blu-ray that is posting tomorrow). And in honor of this sweet movie I got to visit The Hundred Acre Wood!
Well, sort of…I had such a lovely day at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden where I got to attend a Christopher Robin inspired flower arrangement class (more below), a very yummy Friendsgiving lunch (more below), as well as the highlight of the day, getting to sit down with the Legend himself Jim Cummings who voices Winnie the Pooh (since 1987) and Tigger (since 1989). It was an incredible experience. Hearing him do the voice of these iconic characters in person had my heart melting. Hearing him speak as Pooh bear, it is almost too sweet to handle, and I loved every second!
Photo: Coralie Hughes Seright / LovebugsAndPostcards.com
Straight off, we all wanted to know what Jim thought of the Christopher Robin movie. He told us: "Ah, it was magic for me. You know, the new movie, I was so taken with it. It's so charming. I loved it. I thought it was a great idea. What if Christopher Robin grew up and turned into a person and got stuck working like the rest of us? Oh, my God. What was that? World War II? Oh, wow. Now what? You know, Christopher Robin? Really? It was just so magical. And, you know, Pooh and the gang went out there and kinda saved him. Kind of returned the favor after all those waterfalls that he saved us from. So, it's great."
Christopher Robin (Ewan McGregor) and his longtime friend Winnie the Pooh in Disney's CHRISTOPHER ROBIN.
I loved seeing that he is a jokester at heart when asked if the recording process was different for a feature film he replied: "Yeah, it was hard fitting into the costume. I had to lose a little weight"
We were wondering what his favorite character of all time to voice was, he couldn't really choose just one and equated it to choosing your favorite child, you just can't. But he did share some of his favorites, "Probably Tigger. Darkwing Duck maybe, because I am the terror that flaps in the night. I like Hondo Ohnaka from Star Wars Clone Wars. Honestly, Ray from Princess and the Frog is one of my favorites of all-time. I always joke I'm Winnie the Pooh and the anti-Pooh, 'cause I'm Tasmanian Devil, too. No relation to Pooh, not in the 100-acre wood. He would just eat it. " Jim told us while laughing.
photo credit: Toyark.com
He shared with us a couple personal stories of times children with Autism started speaking or laughing again when he talks to them in his character voices. "For some reason, kids with autism really respond not only to me but to voice actors. I don't know. It's just a thing, you know. And it's a very, very, very beautiful thing. And it's a little gift that I get to give." It was so sweet and inspirational to hear these stories from Jim.
Besides the wonderful heartwarming stories, my favorite parts of this interview were the voices he would do as he told each story. It was so much fun. He is amazingly talented and an absolute delight to listen to. I could have listened to him tell stories and do his impressions all day. I am so grateful for the chance I had to sit down with him. He was nice enough to take individual photos with us all. Such a nice guy and truly an honor for me.
As I said, we also got to learn how to create a beautiful flower arrangement, and to make even more special we got to make it in an adorable Hunny Pot!
It was quite fun making this, and I learned so many new things.
And I couldn't forget our Friendsgiving lunch, it was absolutely delicious!
As a special surprise, we got to take a photo with the characters from the movie, and these are the actual props from the film.
It was such a great day and so many incredible memories made that I will never forget.
Christopher Robin is Now Available on Blu-ray and Digital.
Like CHRISTOPHER ROBIN on Facebook
Follow Walt Disney Studios on Twitter
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Free Christopher Robin Printables
Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore and Tigger relax at the beach in Disney's CHRISTOPHER ROBIN.
About Heidi
I am the owner and founder of The Bragging Mommy. I am a mom to 3 wonderful children. I love being a mom! Some of the things my kids and I love: All things Disney, laughing, cuddling, watching movies together, Disneyland, going to the park, walking our 2 dogs, swimming, traveling, playing, dancing around the house, cookies, and singing with reckless abandon.
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HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! I want a new college mascot somewhere - the Fighting Arabs.


text:
Co-Society
Co-innovating with providers: taking the relationship further by creating a new company together
BY Fernando L. Mompó on 26 / 06 / 2015
Providers are being asked more and more to become technology drivers and bring innovation and new product ideas to their clients. Increasingly, providers are now expected to add value beyond the buyer/seller relationship. Co-innovation with providers, a rare and limited activity years ago, is becoming an important element of a trend going from outsourcing focused exclusively on price to value-oriented agreements.
Iberdrola, Spain's biggest electricity group operating worldwide, has recently launched an innovative innovation program with providers which aims to promote and accelerate the development of new products and services to meet future needs of the company and help to deal with the challenges of the sector.
Iberdrola works with close to 18.000 providers worldwide. During the presentation of the new program, company representatives insisted this initiative will reinforce the effect exerted by Iberdrola as an innovation tractor for the businesses in areas where it operates. But the new program is not an altruistic or a Corporative Social Responsibility initiative. Iberdrola wants this program to provide the advantage of having cutting-edge solutions that will differentiate them from their competitors while making its business more efficient.
Iberdrola's program will focus on three main areas: facilitate providers access to funding, promote joint creation of companies (spin-offs), and increase the purchase of innovative products or services developed by SMEs.
The initiative includes counselling providers to access public funding programs for financial support that will allow them to expand their business, initiating new projects and growing internationally. But more importantly, the new program bets on Iberdrola collaborating with providers in R+D projects, sharing risks and potential benefits.
Taking the relationship further, the innovation program includes also the possibility for co-investing in new companies or start-ups or even creating a joint spin off to develop new products or services in a collaborative way.
GDES Technology for Services is a first example. Created by Iberdrola and Grupo Dominguis, the new company will develop and sell technology for the operation and maintenance of electricity generation and distribution facilities. The first technological development of GDES Technology for Services will consist in a system for continuous monitoring of gases used in nuclear power plants.
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Тhe thing I often stumble upon, as a coach and consultant, is that many teams don't track any metrics. Nothing. Ah, well sometimes the tool (like JIRA for example) tracks stuff for them. But then they don't look at it, don't understand it (because they didn't create it) or it's broken due to lots of old tickets flowing around.
This fascinates me because it means that they don't know how their process is performing. Also, it's so easy to do. In fact, I argue that by counting the number of items on their Kanban board each day, they could gather a lot of interesting process data. If you are in a similar situation, it will help you improve, or at least see if you're improving or not.
In this post, I wanted to share one of those metrics: queue length.
We are not going to track data about our process. That is not what our customers are looking for. It's a bit like tracking the RPM (Revolutions Per Minute) in a car. Sure it's interesting to see how the motor is doing, but as long as I haven't put a gear in, and is steering in the right direction… I'm not reaching my goal.
What I'm saying is that we are going to talk about is a proxy variable. It's showing us how our process is doing, which indirectly means that we are doing great (delivering value faster). But since we are not tracking the real value, we don't know.
We might be delivering crappy things fast.
We need both process metrics and indicators of the true value we are delivering.
Earlier this year, I read the excellent book "Principles of Product Development Flow", by Donald Reinertsen. It is packed with advice and suggestions, and one that caught my attention was to track queue length. The book talks about physical products, mostly, but there are many learnings to be made in the IT business too.
Queue length is so obvious really, but I have never tracked that as a separate metric before I read this book. By tracking queue length, we can understand how much work is locked in our process, in waiting stages etc. Note that, from the view of the customer, this work is actually in our process already. It's part of the lead time of the work.
Making our queues shorter is a very cheap and simple way to ensure that our work is flowing faster. For example, if we only allowed for 4 items in the "To do" column of our Kanban board, work will not wait for long before we start it. If the column instead has 40 items, our customer will wait for quite some time.
We can, of course, track queues anywhere in our process. Is there a queue for deployment for example? Or UAT? All of those places in our process could be worth considering.
When I think about it: how about tracking the total number of items on our Kanban board, as the total queue of our development process?
This is almost embarrassing to write: just count the number of items in the queue, we are interested in. Let's for the sake of making this post easier to follow, just track the number of items in our "To do" column (or whatever you might call it).
The process metrics that we track is meant to help us improve – we are measuring to learn. Individual numbers are not particularly good for that, so we want to track this over time. This is very easy of course as you just need to count the number of items in the column each day. After the morning meeting maybe?
You can, of course, go old-school and just plot it in on a graph right on your Kanban board. I've often found that, at least, it is easy and useful. Also that it has the added benefit of being ever present close to your board.
A metric without a target will soon be forgotten. Add one by just drawing a line across the graph. Do this in your spreadsheet by adding a column with the target. Having just a column with repeated numbers is a bit crude but has the added benefit of being able to change target and have the history displayed. I've shown that trait in the example below.
One final trick that I used on one team to make the metric a bit more relevant and interesting is to track how long it would take to clean out the queue.
Now you can start to see how long it would take to clean out the column if you didn't add anything. Counting like this is not perfectly accurate since we're not taking into account that you are only doing more than one thing at the same time.
Shortening queues is a very simple and cheap way to reduce lead time and increase agility in your process. Tracking queue length is a very easy thing to do: just count the number of items in your queue each day. Use the data to make better, informed, data-driven decisions when you improve your process. In your retrospectives for example.
Till next time – happy kanban-ing!
Marcus Hammarberg (@marcusoftnet) is a Lean & Agile coach. Get agile to work in practice – is his motto. This had led him to take interest in all kind of things: Kanban, Lean, TDD, Specification by example, Node, Continuous Delivery, Nancy, RiotJs, and Koa.
He spent 2 years working for the Salvation Army in Indonesia to help the health services there to become more effective.
He has written the book Kanban in Action and is writing another one, about the lean/agile inspired work we used to save a hospital in Indonesia. You can read more articles by Marcus on his blog.
This entry was posted in Experts Speak, Kanban, Lean Management on December 6, 2017 by Alex Novkov.


text:
package ${package}.config.security;

import static com.google.common.base.Preconditions.checkNotNull;
import static ${package}.config.security.csrf.CsrfHelper.generateToken;
import static ${package}.config.security.csrf.CsrfHelper.getCsrfCookieFromRequest;

import java.io.IOException;
import java.util.Optional;

import javax.servlet.FilterChain;
import javax.servlet.ServletException;
import javax.servlet.http.Cookie;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse;

import org.apache.commons.lang3.StringUtils;
import org.slf4j.Logger;
import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired;
import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Value;
import org.springframework.security.web.csrf.CsrfToken;
import org.springframework.stereotype.Component;
import org.springframework.web.filter.OncePerRequestFilter;

import ${package}.config.security.csrf.CsrfHelper;
import ${package}.service.AuthenticationService;

@Component
public class AccessTokenFilter extends OncePerRequestFilter {

  private static final Logger LOGGER = LoggerFactory.getLogger(AccessTokenFilter.class);

  public static final Integer CODE_OK = 200;
  public static final Integer CODE_UNAUTHORIZED = 401;
  public static final Integer CODE_REDIRECT = 302;
  private static final String LOGIN_PATTERN = "^${symbol_escape}${symbol_escape}/login";

  private static final String DEFAULT_CHARSET = "UTF-8";

  @Autowired
  private AuthenticationService authenticationService;

  @Autowired
  private AccessTokenCache accessTokenCache;

  @Value("${symbol_dollar}{secure.cookie.enabled}")
  private boolean isSecureCookieEnabled;

  @Override
  protected void doFilterInternal(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response,
      FilterChain filterChain) throws ServletException, IOException {

    initCsrfParams(request, response);

    if (authenticationService.isRequestInWhiteList(request)) {
      serveWhiteList(request, response, filterChain);
      return;
    }

    String accessToken = authenticationService.getAccessTokenFromCookies(request);
    if (StringUtils.isNotEmpty(accessToken)) {
      if (authenticationService.getUserFromAccessToken(accessToken) != null) {
        accessTokenCache.setAccessToken(accessToken);
        doRedirectSuccess(request, response, filterChain, accessToken);
        return;
      }
    }

    doRedirectError(request, response);
  }

  private void initCsrfParams(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response) {
    Optional<Cookie> csrfCookie = getCsrfCookieFromRequest(request);
    if (!csrfCookie.isPresent()) {
      CsrfToken token = generateToken(request);
      CsrfHelper.writeCsrfCookieAndRequest(token, request, response, isSecureCookieEnabled);
      accessTokenCache.setCsrf(token);
    }
  }

  private void doRedirectError(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response)
      throws ServletException, IOException {
    authenticationService.invalidate(request, response);
    response.setCharacterEncoding(DEFAULT_CHARSET);
    response.setStatus(CODE_UNAUTHORIZED);
  }

  private void serveWhiteList(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response,
      FilterChain filterChain) throws ServletException, IOException {
    checkNotNull(request, "request must not be null");
    filterChain.doFilter(request, response);
  }

  private void doRedirectSuccess(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response,
      FilterChain filterChain, String accessToken) throws ServletException, IOException {
    if (!request.getServletPath().matches(LOGIN_PATTERN)) {
      authenticationService.createCookie(request, response, accessToken);
    }
    filterChain.doFilter(request, response);
  }
}


text: Q: Laravel authentication works fine in localhost but shows different behavior in web host The laravel authentication works fine in localhost in my computer but when I upload to the server , sometimes I can go in the area where authentication is required with out going through login. And sometimes it asks for login but logout doesn't work. I have looked over multiple sites for the solution but I couldn't solve it. And haven't found any applicable answer. I have re uploaded the code but again I am having same problem. In local it work just fine. I have been using the laravel 5.2 default auth and as of local machine I am using wamp in windows machine.The storage folder have 777 permission.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


As you send your children off to school remember that their most important and influential teacher is you, and home is their first learning environment. Expecting children to be involved in the care of their home and belongings teaches them valuable life lessons: responsibility, a sense of pride, feeling accomplished, and practicing problem-solving skills. These lessons will serve them well in school and beyond.
How do you help your children develop good decluttering habits? I'm glad you asked!
Never assume. Your children won't always instinctively know what you expect of them. You have to tell them. Sometimes, you have to tell them over and over. That's parenting. Don't give up. Creating good habits takes time. Hearing the expectations is helpful, but hearing and seeing the expectations is better. Use visual reinforcement. A chore chart, check list, and modeling are examples of visual reinforcement.
Avoid frustration. It's crucial to keep expectations developmentally appropriate. Don't set the bar too high or too low. Assigning tasks that are too difficult will create frustration for both of you. Frustration creates more chaos. We want to reduce chaos not create it. On the flip side, setting expectations too low doesn't allow for growth. Being slightly challenged from time to time is good!
Be consistent. This is so important. Children thrive on routine and consistency. For instance, maybe you spend 10 minutes each night picking up the playroom. The key is to do it every night – not every so often, not when you aren't too tired to supervise, and not when they feel like doing it. Do it every single night. Stick to it. It will eventually become a habit.
Teach by example. Children are very observant. They are taking it all in even when you don't realize it. If you expect your children to pick up after themselves, make sure you are doing the same. Trust me, they notice!
Practice and patience. This is a learning process for everyone involved. At first, show your kids how to pick up after themselves by working alongside them. Do this with them many times. Gradually, give them more and more of the workload. Eventually, they will be able to do it all on their own. You might not even have to remind them.
Praise. Make sure your children are aware that you notice their effort. Look for progress, not perfection. When they put in the effort say, "Thank you for doing a good job." or "I can tell you put a lot of effort into that." Hugs and high-fives work too. Praise creates positive action and gives them the confidence and motivation to do it again.
Helping children develop good decluttering habits doesn't happen in one day, one week, or even one month. Be patient as you go through this process and never expect perfection. Remember to be consistent, set good examples, and practice with them. Eventually, you'll start to see a shift in habits.


Hello - Thanks for Visiting our specialist Jaguar XK8 / XKR Parts and Accessories website.
Ever since I was a young teenager way back !, my family circumstances required that if I was to ever own a motorbike, car or boat then I would have to look after this completely myself as opposed to taking this to the local garage and paying to get the job done. For my part, this necessitated the purchase of workshop manuals, tools, overalls and the required parts to do the jobs myself.
There were quite a few mistakes on the way to say the least ! but I became more proficient over the years and when it came to my eventual passion for Jaguars I was able to generally maintain my cars myself at reasonable cost. If I was'nt able to do the job myself, I could talk credibly to Jaguar specialists who seemed to appreciate my understanding of problems and how to resolve them. This promoted a keen interest in the Jaguar Parts market as often after a search I would buy the required parts and these could then be either fitted myself or by a Jaguar specialist. This has saved me a lot of money over the years.
As far as Jaguars go, I've had quite a few over the years notably; Jaguar 240, Daimler XJ6 4.2. Jaguar 3.6 XJS, Jaguar MK2 3.8 and my current car's are a 2001 facelift Jaguar XK8 / X100 and a 2006 New XK / X150. Both of these equally are the best of all the Jaguars I have owned combining great performance, reasonable economy, reliability and fantastic looks.
The purpose of this website is to provide best advice and guidance on Jaguar XK8 and XKR Parts and Accessories availability together with providing technical information on maintaining your XK8 and XKR car.
We can supply Genuine Jaguar, OEM and aftermarket parts and accessories at fair prices. Where new parts are not available we can check our growing stock of used parts. On a regular basis we will feature the very latest XK8 / XKR parts and accessories to further enhance the look and performance of your Jaguar. Distance is no object, we have shipped parts and accessories to the far corners of the world !
In the future, we will provide the facility to purchase parts online via a shop. In the meantime please contact me preferably by email and I will respond as soon as possible.


text:
Arts & Life Arts & Entertainment The Arts
Winnipeggers honoured by arts council
Five Winnipeggers who have made significant contributions to the local arts scene were feted with Winnipeg Arts Council Awards at the Mayor's Luncheon for the Arts on Friday.
Leonard Sumner, an Anishinabe MC/songwriter and videographer from Little Saskatchewan First Nation in Manitoba's Interlake, took home the $2,500 RBC On the Rise Award, which recognizes an emerging professional artist in any discipline. His latest album, Rez Poetry, came out in 2013.
Aganetha Dyck, a renowned local artist who is interested in environmental issues, received the $2,500 Making a Mark Award, which applauds an established professional artist — in any discipline — who is receiving critical recognition in Winnipeg and beyond. Dyck has previously won the Manitoba Arts Council Award of Distinction and the Governor General's award in Visual Art.
Laurie Lam, a longtime producer with the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, was honoured with the $2,500 Investors Group Making a Difference Award, which recognizes the contribution of an artist or arts administrator to the growth and development of the arts in Winnipeg.
Candice Masters, a 30-plus-year volunteer with the Winnipeg Folk Festival, received the The Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries Outstanding Volunteer Award, which honours an individual who has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to volunteerism within the Winnipeg arts community. The award is a $1,000 cash donation on behalf of the winner to the Winnipeg arts organization of his or her choice, and a unique work of art, this year by Leo Simoens.
Richard Irish, a community leader in Winnipeg's cultural sector, was recognized for his commitment to arts and culture with the Arts Champion Award, which honours an individual or business patron that has demonstrated sustained support to the arts in Winnipeg. The award is a unique work by a Winnipeg artist, this year by E. J. Howorth.
The luncheon was attended by over 500 patrons and hosted by poet and novelist Chandra Mayor, who delivered a keynote about Winnipeg is a river city, shaped and bridged by artists. The event also included performances by Rainbow Stage and Pizzicelli, a cello quartet.


text:
← 3D Futurama is Glorious
UN-Forgotten Characters: Excavator →
Posted by Sean Ian Mills
I have a feeling that the closer we get to the Guardians of the Galaxy movie, the more prevalent the GotG cameos will be in Marvel comics. We've got at least two this week – that I read – and both are painfully obvious. It's like Marvel is working overtime to erase all of the goodwill built up by all those amazing movie trailers.
I am going to be seeing Guardians of the Galaxy on opening night. But you better believe I'm not about to pay for one of their comics.
Fortunately, we've got a pretty good pile of books this week. New issues of Uncanny X-Men and She-Hulk were pretty darn great. If you're a supporter of Cyclops, like me, things are going to get pretty awesome pretty fast. We also kick off the return of Robin at DC Comics, but for some reason, I'm pretty much subdued as far as that goes. And we've still got comics like Original Sin and Batwoman to stink up the joint. But we rebound with another (inter)stellar issue of Silver Surfer, which wins Comic Book of the Week for an adorable trip to Cape Cod.
But if I'm being completely honest, and more than a little shocked, Batman Eternal wins moment of the week for this hilarious bit. Batwing and the Spectre have just entered the haunted, overrun Arkham Asylum.
That is the smartest thing Batman Eternal has written so far.
Comic Reviews: Batman Eternal #15, Batwoman #33, Original Sin #6, Robin Rises: Omega #1, She-Hulk #6, Silver Surfer #4, and Uncanny X-Men #23.
You can also eventually check out my larger review of Ms. Marvel #6 over at Word of the Nerd.
Batman Eternal #15
Writers: Ray Fawkes, Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV
Artist: Dustin Nguyen
Life is not fair. I so want Harper Row to become the new Robin. She's fantastic in this series, and her interaction with Tim Drake just points towards how perfect she would be as the new Robin! But nope. As you'll see later in this list, DC has other plans for the Boy Wonder. It's a damn shame.
Batwing and Spectre head into Arkham Asylum, where some mystical force has turned the place into a messed up haunted house full of nightmare fuel. They just keep going deeper until they're attacked by a legion of the undead. They grab Batwing and pull him through the floor to the catacombs below, where he encounters Joker's Daughter. Jim Corrigan, meanwhile, is captured by some guy calling himself Mister Bygone.
Elsewhere, Red Robin and Harper Row arrive in Japan, and despite him telling her to stay in the Batplane, she pulls on a blue mask and joins him anyway. And Batgirl and Red Hood find Batwoman on their case in Brazil.
Comic Rating: 6/10 – Pretty Good.
I think that horrible GCPD storyline was like a thorn in my paw, and I couldn't enjoy Batman Eternal while that was in place. I find myself not hating this series as much now that Commissioner McCrookedCop has been taken care of. This issue focuses on the Spectre and Batwing, my second least favorite storyline, but it's not half bad.I much prefer the awesome Red Robin/Harper Row scene, but Arkham Asylum is sufficiently spooky in this issue, and that's pretty cool. Batwing is still a weird character to wrap my head around, but he and Spectre make an OK team, and I'm not completely disinterested in their storyline anymore.
Batwoman #33
Writer: Marc Andreyko
Artists: Jeremy Haun and Scott Kolins
I am, however, completely disinterested in Batwoman's storyline these days. Yawn. Andreyko hasn't been too bad since he took over, but Batwoman has lost a lot of its charm.
Kate has a bad dream where she becomes a vampire and attacks Maggie and her daughter. She talks to her shrink about it, realizing that she has some issues with Maggie's custody battle. So Kate phones up Maggie's ex-husband with a proposition for him. Meanwhile, Nocturna meets and seduces a new man, only for him to take the bullet when Killshot tries to assassinate her. Batwoman is nearby and she gets into a fight with both Killshot and Night-Thief, Nocturna's step-son/partner. Nocturna also joins the fight in the end.
Comic Rating: 5/10 – Alright.
There are way too many costumed nobodies in this comic. Killshot and Night-Thief might as well be the same exact person for all they matter or standout. On top of them, there's a vampire queen, who would actually be a pretty cool villain all on her own. But Batwoman doesn't really have anything to do with any of them. She's just there, in their way, while these other costumed characters go about their own business of new husbands and assassinations. It's a weird disconnect, and it robs the superhero bits of this story of any importance.
The personal life stuff for Kate Kane is far more interesting, but it lacks the spark of earlier outings. I don't know why. I used to love this stuff. But Kate is also disconnected from Maggie Sawyer's custody battle, which is mostly happening off screen. So instead, we've got Kate telling half-truths to a therapist, or talking on the phone with Maggie's ex, who we've never seen before. And is there any reason why Kate had to make that phone call wearing only a robe, dripping in water?
The perfect outfit for calling ex-husbands
Kate looks pretty misshapen. The art was just terrible in this issue. I don't usually complain about art, but it was horrific, especially when it came to characters. Check out these images of Kate by Kolins.
Kate want pizza! Kate love puppy!
Wowzers. I know Kolins can do much better, so clearly this is just a rush job he slapped together so that Batwoman would get out on time. This comic used to feature the absolute best art in the entire business. Is this DC's way of punishing Batwoman? I sure hope not. The character and comic can be good again, but Batwoman has definitely fallen from its once high perch.
Original Sin #6
Artist: Mike Deodato
Welp, here we go again. There are still two issues of Original Sin after this one, and I have no idea what the heck Marvel and Jason Aaron could possibly have planned. Though I assume the final issue is just going to be rapid-fire advertisements for upcoming comics. I think I'd be more interested in reading that than I am in reading Original Sin itself.
Old Nick Fury explains that he has gathered this particular group of heroes because one of them will have to take his place as Protector of the Earth when he dies. None of them are particularly keen on the idea, especially since, as Dr. Strange points out, superheroes do that kind of work every day. But Fury insists that he was particularly awesome at it, so there. Rather than anyone stepping up to the plate, Black Panther points out that Nick Fury hasn't answered their question about who killed the Watcher, leading to a big fight between the heroes and the LMDs. Then the Avengers show up on the space station, leading to even more fighting, only this time, Old Nick Fury has put on a power suit so he can join in.
Also, Dr. Midas still hasn't been dealt with, so there's that.
Comic Rating: 3/10 – Bad.
This is a dumb comic. First of all, Nick Fury acts like it's a big secret who will take his place, but Marvel already spoiled that reveal, as Bleeding Cool has pointed out. So I guess that's blown, Nick. But does this mean that the entire point of Original Sin has been to justify that upcoming comic's premise? Because I'm sure there would be easier ways than a full-on, 8-issue mini-series that kills Nick Fury.
And again, I feel I must point out that Dr. Strange is absolutely right! I don't care how important Nick Fury thinks he is, there's nothing about this Protector of the Earth gig that's all that special. It's exactly what every superhero has ever done. And Aaron doesn't sell the idea by having Fury insist he does it harder and better than anyone has ever imagined. What happens when Bucky's new series gets cancelled after a few issues? Will the Protector of Earth role just fade away? Never to be heard from again? Probably.
The best days of the Big Event comic are behind us. If you thought Original Sin was its own story, possibly about the assassination of the Watcher, or everybody's darkest secrets coming to light, boy were you wrong. This entire 8-issue mini-series is set dressing for a lot of minor changes across the Marvel Universe, like the reveal that Angela is the sister of Thor and Loki, or that Tony Stark had something to do with the Hulk's origin. Original Sin itself, with its dark, murky art, isn't much of a story, it isn't much of a murder mystery, and it isn't much of anything, really.
But at least Marvel got in that Rocket Raccoon guest appearance, eh? EH?!!!
Robin Rises: Omega #1
Writer: Peter J. Tomasi
Artist: Andy Kubert
As many readers know, I am a huge Robin fan. So I am going to be paying particularly close attention to this ongoing Robin Rises storyline, because I'm very excited about Batman having a Robin once again. But I don't want Damian to come back from the dead. I've never particularly seen Damian as Robin. He's Damian, first and foremost. And while that's fine for the character, I prefer it when Robin is Robin first and foremost. So this is kind of a touchy subject for me. It'll be great having a Robin again, but based on this issue, it doesn't look like it's going to be a Robin I want to read about.
It also doesn't help that this storyline is going to feature Apokolips for some reason.
After a few pages recapping Damian's life story, we catch up to a scene currently in progress: R'as al Ghul has stolen both Damian's and Talia's coffins, and Batman has tracked him to the Himilayas to get them back (with the help of Frankenstein, of all people). But before everybody can fight over the coffins, Glorious Godfrey, the New God, teleports onto the scene from Apokolips with a whole army of Parademons. He wants something called a Chaos Shard, which R'as says is hidden in Damian's coffin. Rather than just opening the coffin and giving him the shard, everybody gets into a big fight, with Batman teaming up with R'as and his assassins to fight Godfrey and his army.
It's a pretty cool fight, during which R'as and Talia's coffin are lost. And at one point, Batman has his hands on the Chaos Shard, and he realizes that it can be used to bring Damian back to life. But Godfrey grabs the Shard and escapes back to Apokolips when the Justice League show up to save Batman. The JL are a little hesitant about the idea of racing off to Apokolips, but Batman tells them he doesn't care what they think. He's going to Apokolips and he's bringing Robin back alive!
Comic Rating: 8/10 – Very Good.
I may not care to bring Damian back to life, but if that's what DC is going to do, I'll just suck it up and deal. That being said, I'm also a little hesitant to embrace the way Tomasi plans to make it happen. I realize that bringing a character back from the dead is always tricky, but for a family that is specifically built around a magical Pit to bring people back from the dead, why does Tomasi feel the need to involve Godfrey, Apokolips and something called a Chaos Shard? That's a little too out there for my tastes.
Like Spider-Man, I prefer my Batman and Robin in a grounded setting. They are street-level characters, and they work best at the street level. I realize that Batman is never going to stay at the street level, but when it comes to something as fundamental as uniting Batman and Robin, I don't think some wild, interdimensional adventure is the way to go. That's a personal opinion and shouldn't count against Tomasi. It's his story, he'll tell it how he wants – though I think it's a bad idea to tie Robin's rebirth on this Chaos Shard macguffin. It comes from the first story arc in the Batman/Superman team-up comic, which I didn't read. Sometimes continuity can be stifling.
As for the comic itself, I very much enjoyed it. The whole thing is just one big fight scene, but Kubert is a pro beyond pros, and he handles the fight with exciting skill. The action is never dull, and the characters are never lost in the mess of monsters and ninjas. Kubert's Justice League is especially colorful, and their arrival is pretty darn exciting. This was a really cool fight scene, which I don't say very often. And all of the characters are spot on, especially Batman's burning motivation to save Robin.
I may not like the manner in which Tomasi plans to bring Robin back, but I can't argue with the skill he uses to tell the story.
She-Hulk #6
Writer: Charles Soule
Artist: Ron Wimberly
She-Hulk by Charles Soule is still in my list of Marvel comics that are leading the current comics revolution. It's fun, it's unique, and it's kind of quirky. I love all those things about the comic. The first four issues were a neat exploration of Jen's new law office, while this issue and the last one finally got a little serious, dipping into Soule's bigger story ideas.
Jen is investigating the Blue File, which is an old lawsuit from North Dakota involving her, Wyatt Wingfoot, Tigra, Monica Rambeau, Nightwatch, the Shocker and Vibro. Jen stumbled upon the file in her records some time ago, but she doesn't have any memory of the case, and neither does anybody else. Also, it turns out there might be something mystical at work here. When Hellcat asked Tigra about it last issue, Tigra went into some kind of trace that led to her nearly killing Hellcat! And when Jen's paralegal, Angie, went to North Dakota to look into the actual paperwork, she got shot! In this issue, Jen is visited by Dr. Kevin Trench, who used to operate as the superhero Nightwatch in the 90s. They have a pleasant conversation, during which he tells her that he received a warning to stay away from her, so naturally he's sought her out to find out what's going on. During his visit, Jen's building is attacked by demons shouting her name, and the two heroes team up to defeat them.
Meanwhile, Angie's monkey somehow brings her back to life, and she discovers that the records building is burning to the ground. She races back to New York to tell Jennifer what she's learned: a guy named George Saywitz is suing everybody in the Blue File for wrongful death after some kind of reality-warping incident caused a whole town to disappear, leaving him as the only survivor. But Jen tells Angie that after all the trouble the Blue File has caused, she's decided to just drop the matter and let sleeping dogs lie. Being a responsible paralegal, Angie accepts this and goes back to work – though something might be wrong with Jen.
Anyway, in the end, Dr. Trench phones up and says he's told a few friends about She-Hulk's law firm, and a bunch of new clients arrive in the lobby.
First of all, the art is monstrously terrible. I know a lot of people didn't like Javier Pulido on the first four issues, but I was a fan, and I thought his style fit the title nicely. Well he's on break, apparently, and in Ron Wimberly, Marvel found an even more insane artist. Characters look like squiggly monsters. Action is all over the place. The art is just plain off-putting.
At least Nightwatch looks awesome
Fortunately, the story is too damn good to let the art drag it down too far. Soule does a fantastic job mixing the seriousness of the Blue File with the usual light-hearted, jokey nature of the She-Hulk comic. The demon invasion is a little weird, and the art really makes the fight especially weird, but Jen has some great interactions with Nightwatch, Angie, her landlord and everyone else who crosses her path. Jen is a really enjoyable character, and Soule has created a wonderful supporting cast.
Plus, c'mon, it's Nightwatch! Who doesn't love a random cameo from a seemingly forgotten 90s superhero?
Silver Surfer #4
Artists: Mike and Laura Allred
Deep breaths, folks. The Guardians of the Galaxy make a random, pointless guest appearance at the start of this issue. It's abominable. I felt dirty reading the scene. Fortunately, Marvel isn't relying on just their forced comic appearances to sell the movie. And also fortunately, the rest of the comic is pretty awesome.
The Silver Surfer takes Dawn Greenwood back to Earth – though first they're stopped by the Guardians of the Galaxy out near Jupiter. The Guardians pretend they're just safeguarding the Earth, while secretly they're checking to see if the Surfer is leading Galactus to Earth. It's a horrible, horrible cameo. Anyway, the Surfer takes Dawn back to her home in Anchor Bay, and she invites him in to have dinner with her family. There's something weird and monstrous going on in the background, but Surfer can't seem to put his finger on it. After dinner, the Surfer takes a nap, then wakes up in the middle of the night and decides he's overstayed his welcome, so he hops on his board to leave – but when he reaches the atmosphere, he discovers that the barrier that Galactus put in place all those years ago to keep him on Earth is back!
Also, Dr. Strange and the Hulk are headed for Anchor Bay as well.
Comic Rating: 9/10 – Great.
Seriously, what the hell was up with that Guardians of the Galaxy cameo?! It accomplished nothing and doesn't make any damn sense! The Solar System is a huge damn place. How were they able to spot the freaking Silver Surfer flying in? They couldn't have been waiting for him, since how would they know he was coming? And based on every GotG comic I've read in the past month, I don't think they've parked themselves out near Jupiter watching every visitor come or go. Their dialogue was more annoying than funny. And why didn't they ask the Surfer what he was doing on Aug. 1? Why didn't they just COME RIGHT OUT AND TELL HIM TO GO SEE THEIR MOVIE, PREMIERING ON AUG. 1 IN THEATERS NATIONWIDE?
Fuck the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Pardon my language. At least the rest of the comic was awesome. The Surfer and Dawn Greenwood continue to have adorable chemistry, and watching the Silver Surfer interact with her very human family was a blast. They're all curious about Dawn's adventure in space, and not the least bit awed by the Silver Surfer himself. Superheroes and cosmic beings are just a part of everyday life, and maybe a few people out in Cape Cod can't be bothered to care about every fancy somebody.
The Surfer has a nice dinner, Dawn's family is a nice group of people, and the Allreds have a lot of fun drawing all sorts of weird, mysterious goings-on in the background. The couches seem to have teeth. There's a tentacle monster in the water. And Surfer's bisque has a phantom hand growing out of it. Evil is definitely afoot in Silver Surfer, and it's a hoot.
Uncanny X-Men #23
Artist: Kris Anka
My bias is going to shine through pretty strongly whenever I write about Uncanny X-Men. I'm one of Cyclops' biggest fans these days, and any time Bendis sinks his teeth into Scott Summers' current troubles, I am hooked. I love the soap opera drama going on in the X-verse, and this issue is thick with it.
She-Hulk is the lawyer in charge of the Last Will and Testament of Charles Xavier, so she heads to the Jean Grey School for a reading of the will – but she tells the X-Men that everyone named in the will needs to be present, and that includes Scott Summers. Scott, meanwhile, is taking care of his team. There's Dazzler, who is freaking out over everything that has been done to her, especially since Mystique has gone into hiding and she can't get her revenge. There's Tempus, who still won't come clean about what happened to her in Tabula Rasa, and who gets fed up with Cyclops when he tries to talk to her about it. And there's Hijack, who Cyclops welcomes back to the team after a heart-to-heart.
Also, there's a guy named Matthew, who lost his wife in a Skrull attack in South Carolina last year. Nowadays, he's pretty despondent. When his sister-in-law bumps into him, he tries to get away, but she's so persistent that it somehow triggers his mutant power to cause some kind of localized explosion – at least I think that's what happens.
This issue was juicy with internal X-drama, and I loved it! I loved the X-Men trying to support Dazzler in her pain and her anger. I loved Cyclops trying and failing to bond with Tempus, and then succeeding in bonding with Hijack. Both conversations were gold. I loved the X-Men's response to She-Hulk showing up at their school with the will, as well as the discussion they have over whether or not Charles Xavier is 'dead' enough to actually read the will. That was a fun bit of comic bookery. And I love the drama that's going to unfold when Cyclops has to return to the Jean Grey School for the reading – not that he hasn't already been there plenty of times.
The art by Anka felt a little barren and lifeless, but Bendis' drama is exactly what I want from this series. I don't care that my review is very subjective. People like comics for a lot of different reasons. I love reading Uncanny X-Men because Cyclops' story is possibly my favorite in the Marvel Universe right now, and this issue is rich with the excellent drama. I can't wait for the next issue!
The comics I review in my Hench-Sized reviews are just the usual comics I pick up from my local shop any given week, along with a few impulse buys I might try on a whim. So if there are any comics or series you'd like me to review each week, let me know in the comments!
About Sean Ian Mills
Hello, this is Sean, the Henchman-4-Hire! By day I am a mild-mannered newspaper reporter in Central New York, and by the rest of the day I'm a pretty big geek when it comes to video games, comic books, movies, cartoons and more.
View all posts by Sean Ian Mills »
Posted on July 19, 2014, in Batman, Comics, DC, Marvel, Reviews, Robin, X-Men and tagged Batman Eternal, Batwing, Batwoman, Cyclops, Dawn Greenwood, Nick Fury, Nightwatch, Original Sin, Robin Rises, Robin Rises: Omega, She-Hulk, Silver Surfer, Spectre, The Last Will and Testament of Charles Xavier, Uncanny X-Men. Bookmark the permalink.	6 Comments.
xmenxpert | July 20, 2014 at 12:45 am
Original Sin is awful. It's just a bad story. Never mind spoilers and set-up and all that, it's simply a poorly-told story. The most telling moment, to me, was Black Panther repeatedly demanding Nick Fury answer the damned question of who killed the Watcher, because I think the audience feels the same way: "Just answer the damned question already!" Get on with it! But, of course, nope! Gotta drag that out even longer! In favour of shit no one actually gives a damn about. And of course, we don't even get any real explanation for why that specific group of characters was picked by Fury. Emma Frost? Really, Nick? You think Emma frigging Frost is going to be the protector of the world? Come on. It's ridiculous. Jason Aaron felt like using Emma, so he used Emma, and never even bothered to make even the slightest bit of effort to justify her presence. Or Ant-Man's, or Strange's, or Gamora's, or anyone's. Even Bendis' events were a whole lot better than this utter garbage. They were simply underwhelming, rather than flat-out awful.
She-Hulk was a lot of fun. The art wasn't quite as unpleasant as last issue, though I'm still glad to have Wimberly leave. But there was lots of fun stuff.
Silver Surfer was hilarious. Slott and Allred are killing it.
UXM was great. Tons of great drama, and a couple fun moments. Anka nailed the scene of Dazzler in the bathroom.
And Ms. Marvel was amazing. Kamala's so adorable. So damned adorable it hurts.
Sean Ian Mills | July 21, 2014 at 6:30 am
Yeah, heh, Emma Frost, jeez. She makes no sense in this comic, and hasn't done anything to even really require her presence. Horrible, horrible choice there. And we all know why Ant-Man and Dr. Strange made the cut.
Kamala is amazing. I'm loving that series. Now that Hawkeye's coming to an end, and is infinitely delayed, Ms. Marvel is quickly rising to the top as the best comic out there.
Adam | July 22, 2014 at 1:03 am
Huh. I guess now we know how far down we diverge on the road of weird ass art, because I actually loved Wimberly's art. I guess I just get a bit uncomfortable with people saying art is terrible when it's actually technically competent, just highly stylized. It's not bad in the sense that Rob Liefeld doesn't understand anatomy AT ALL, it's just fucking weird because the artist wants it to look like that. Same as Ian Bertram, who everyone was shitting on the same way.
Of course, I was reading Sandman when I was 12, so I have a pretty much unlimited tolerance for bizarre artwork. I think I'd still be on board right up until everything was drawn as stick figures in human blood, and even then I might need to give it some thought.
Hmmm, perhaps I should come up with a better word than 'terrible' then to describe art I don't like. As you said, it was perfectly competent artwork, just not my cup of tea.
Al | July 24, 2014 at 1:36 am
Comics are a visual medium. I don't care how good the story is, the new art in She Hulk is the worst I have ever encountered in 45 years of buying comics outside of amateur zines. I'm not buying another issue until he's gone. If the art is so bad it makes it physically impossible to stomach reading the story then the comic is a fail. Full stop no debate. If the story is good then let the writer pen SheHulk Diaries 2. I normally don't like trashing creative artists but in this case it's destroyed a title I was enjoying until the artist change.
Same thing happened to X-Factor a few years ago when they brought Larry Stroman back. His art was OK in the 90s, but man, it had deteriorated something terrible. The issues were almost unreadable!


What makes your monster special?
How do you know if they are a nice monster or a spooky monster?
*We suggest using pale colors such as pastel pinks, yellows, greens and blues.
Pour all base ingredients into a large pot. Stir constantly over medium heat until a ball forms by pulling away from the sides. You can now use the additives, knead them into the play dough until blended (1-2 minutes). If using essential oils start with 2-3 drops. Remember that essential oils are concentrated and are meant to be added to a base.
The calming scent and the kneading motion will help your child unwind before bed, or on a stressful day.
STEP #3: Mix the ingredients together with warm water while the stove is on, THEN KEEP MIXING until the ingredients turn into "mashed potatoes" and is no longer a sticky-looking substance.
STEP #4: Once the ingredients are mixed together, turn off the stove and let the dough cool down.
Homemade play dough is a wonderful experiment for children who are just starting to learn about science. The play dough is safe to eat, and isn't poisonous like store bought play dough. Kids will be able to reuse the play dough as long as they put the it into some kind of container 42 hours after making the play dough.
Add desired amount of uncooked pasta to a ziplock bag along with about ¼ cup of vinegar and 10 drops of food coloring. Seal the bag and mix the vinegar mixture around with the pasta until thoroughly coated. Allow pasta to stay in the bag for approximately 5 minutes, turning halfway through. Empty contents of bag onto several layers of paper towels and allow to dry overnight.
Place a mound of playdough in the middle of a partitioned tray and add noodles to the other partitions by color.
Invite children to play with materials and use the noodles to create a sculpture.
Mix the dry ingredients well. Slowly add the oil and boiling water and mix. Allow the mixture to cool down and knead until it achieves the desired consistency.
Take small groups on a nature walk and give each child a lump of playdough. Invite children to use their playdough to take imprints of leaves, rocks, bark on trees and other natural materials. Keep in mind that the playdough will probably be ruined after this activity.
Upon returning to the classroom begin a discussion about the different things that children did and the sequence of events during the nature walk.
Encourage children to use inventive spelling and drawings to dictate the sequence of events surrounding the nature walk.
Print and laminate math mats or put the math mats inside of a page protector.
Invite toddlers to use playdough to trace shapes on the Shape Playdough Mat. Encourage preschool children to count out small balls of playdough for the listed numbers on the Counting Mat. You can also very easily create your own playdough mats in various ways and for various subjects.
Divide students into small groups and provide a lump of playdough, some popsicle sticks and pencil and paper. Instruct groups to build a structure out of playdough and popsicle sticks that will be able to hold the book. Encourage children to use collaboration and to make drawings and depictions with their plan for the structure.
Test out each group's structure by placing the book on the structures one at a time. Discuss the differences in structures while explaining that there is no "right" way to build one.
Did your group make an initial plan? How did that work for your end result?
How would you describe your group's communication skills?
If you were to do this activity again, what would you change? Why?
Mix 3 cups baking soda with 3 teaspoons conditioner. Add in a Kool-Aid package of your choice. Place the dough in a large bin along with ice cream cones, sprinkles, spoons and cups. Place bin in an appropriate area for children to explore and invite them to play. This is a great time to practice the names of colors with the child using the items in the bin.
Read The Gingerbread Man with the child, stopping periodically to talk about the text and practice retelling together.
As the child is creating, ask them to retell as much of the story that they can.
Create the gingerbread man slime and have it ready.
Read The Gingerbread Man to the class in a developmentally appropriate manner. Use exciting descriptions and a narrative voice when reading the book. Also, be sure to show pictures of the gingerbread man as much as possible.
Give each child a lump of playdough and markers and encourage them to color and mold the dough. Point out the changes in the dough as children create and explore.
Mix equal parts clear school glue, water and liquid starch along with several drops of food coloring and a few shakes of glitter. Combine well until it turns into slime.
Use the Sparkly Slime recipe to create slime, but this time omit the food coloring and glitter.
Hydrate the water beads the night before.
Combine the slime and water beads in the ziplock bag, press the air out of the bag and zip it shut.
Next, use the duct tape to seal all four sides of the bag.
Invite the child to experience the squish and the feel of the slime with the water beads. Encourage the comparison of feeling the slime by itself and some slime with water beads.
Caution: This sensory bag should be provided with supervision. Do not place the bag in a crib, or playpen.
Check the back for tears, or leaks each time before allowing the child to touch the bag. Don't allow the child to bite the bag.
Provide the materials and encourage children to use the dramatic play materials to recreate the 3 Bears story by mixing and playing with the playdough.
Mix in the dry ingredients, add the oil and stir through. Carefully add the boiling water and stir well. Let the dough cool and knead it until it is no longer sticky. Add the oats and knead until it is the desired consistency.
Encourage children to add glitter to the black playdough and knead until combined. After glitter and playdough is combined add the additional materials for children to create their own starry sky. Give children ample time to explore and experience the materials.
This simple project helps children learn the shapes of the letters. It will help them develop writing and reading skills. Working the play dough develops fine motor skills that will be used for writing as well as hand eye coordination. While they put the play dough onto the letter tell them the letter name and the sounds it makes. This will help them associate the sound of the letter with the shape giving them the skills they will need to sight read.
It is important to introduce literacy at an early age. You can do this by exposing them to print in multiple areas of their life, such as letter magnets, books, posters with words, and songs about letters.
In the large pot add all ingredients and mix together. Cook over medium heat, stir until the mixture no longer has any lumps. Remove the dough from the pot and place on a well-floured surface. Knead the dough out until smooth. The dough can now be played with. When done playing with the dough, store it in an air tight container or sealable freezer bag.
Gather students in the usual reading area and read The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. Pause at important parts of the story and show pictures often. When the story is done being read the teacher should recap the events and show the pictures to the students one more time.
During small group instruction time, give students an assortment of playdough and encourage them to retell The Very Hungry Caterpillar story. Have the book readily available for students to reference if needed.
Create the Oobleck by combining 1 cup of cornstarch with ½ a cup of water. Add in a few drops of green food coloring.
Read Bartholomew and the Oobleck with your students. This is a great time to practice rhyming skills with them.
Invite students to play with the Oobleck. Have them try summarizing the story.
This is a good way to incorporate sensory play and literacy. Print out some clip art photos and have the children mold the play dough around the turtle shells and letters.
First bend one end of the pipe cleaner over about 2 inches. (Older children will have fun doing this.) Wind the rest of the pipe cleaner around the length of the bent section. Tah Dah, a caterpillar!
Cut 2 to 3 inch pieces of pipe cleaner. Let the children figure out how to wind the pipe cleaner around the stick themselves (and they will).
Use fresh leaves, paper leaves, or store bought leaves (If you use store bought leaves you might have to cut a tiny hole to go over the stick).
Display pictures of caterpillars on branches and leaves around the art table. Do not tell the children what they are making. Let them discover and design freely. Maybe put a jar of live caterpillars with twigs and leaves in the middle of the table. If you have seen caterpillars in the trees, go for a caterpillar hunt.
Have the children place the play-dough on the plate in a clump where ever they want.
Show the children how they can push the leaf over the stick at different heights, if they need instruction. Most children can figure this out themselves. Let the children use as many leaves and caterpillars as they feel are needed for their creation. If there is a limited supply, only set out the number allowed for each child, but give them several of each item.
Use smaller pieces of pipe cleaner to attach caterpillars to the stick or glue on to leaves.
When dry, if glue is used, let the children arrange the sticks in the play-do.
Some children may want to put them in the play-dough, or glue them to the plate, that's awesome. Let them create their own sculpture.


text:
Q: How to update one attribute in mongoid How to update only :share_count, maybe this should be done with upsert ?
I use ruby on rails and mongoid
  class FeedEntry
  include Mongoid::Document
  require 'social_shares'

  field :name, type: String
  field :url, type: String
  field :share_count, type: Integer

  before_save :load_shares

  def load_shares
    self.share_count = SocialShares.total url, %w(sharedcount)
  end

  def self.update_shares_today
    @feed_entries = FeedEntry.today.all
    @feed_entries.each do |feed_entry|
      feed_entry.update
    end
  end
end

A: count = SocialShares.total url, %w(sharedcount)
update_attributes share_count: count


The New Zealand Secondary Schools Inline Hockey National Tournament 2018 took place in New Plymouth over the weekend. The event was hosted by the Ravens Inline Hockey Club, overlooking the wild waves of Fitzroy Beach.
This year there was a particularly strong representation from the middle and lower North Island. As well as schools, skilled inline hockey players combined to create provincial representative teams. All the teams contained club and New Zealand age-group representatives.
On Saturday, the team played five pool games, totalling over 3 hours of hockey, winning all five. A determined New Plymouth Boys' High School team gave the boys a scare in the final pool match on Sunday morning, but the team hung on to win by 1 goal, thereby entering the semi-finals as top qualifier.
HBHS won the semi-final 4-2, putting it into the final against a very strong and confident Hillcrest High School team. The HBHS team was behind, then level, then behind again - at one point by 2 goals - for almost the whole game. Then, with five minutes on the clock, HBHS moved in front for the first time at 6-5, then scored once more to take the score to 7-5. The boys then had to play out the game, with Hillcrest throwing everything, literally, at them. The boys were magnificent. They kept their heads, played mistake-free, smart hockey and wound down the clock to retain the National Champions title.
A special thank you to coach Hayden Goudswaard and all the fabulous parents, many of whom were able to travel down and support the boys. Congratulations to the boys, New Zealand Secondary Schools National Champions.


SUMMARY: ASBPA is the nation's first organization to promote science-based policies for the preservation of coastal areas. The 2016 conference, whose theme is "Lighting the Way for the Coastal Future," will provide an opportunity for all coastal stakeholders to learn together and develop collaborative networks and resources to promote best management practices to maintain and improve the health of our coasts. A significant number of conference sessions (more than 180 total sessions are planned) will look at New Jersey coastal issues as well as national coastal concerns. This event also celebrates the 90th anniversary of ASBPA, which was formed in New Jersey in 1926.
Friday morning: Six concurrent breakout sessions 7:30-11 a.m. (~55 total), full program online at www.asbpa.org.
Speaker availability may vary depending on individual schedules. Media representatives must check in at conference registration desk to show credentials before entering sessions. To arrange recording/taping and in-session photography, please contact conference coordinator beforehand to facilitate any technical issues. ASBPA Executive Director and Managing Director will also be available for media interviews and background.
ABOUT ASBPA: Founded in 1926, the American Shore & Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that advocates for healthy coastlines by promoting the integration of science, policies and actions that maintain, protect and enhance the coasts of America. For more information on ASBPA, go to www.asbpa.org, Facebook or www.twitter.com/asbpa. For information, to change your email address or to unsubscribe from this list, contact us at managing@asbpa.org. A complete collection of Beach News Service articles is available for media access online at http://asbpa.org/news-archive/.


Plastic Extrusion for Agriculture Applications - Polyform, Inc.
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Over the past 35 years, Polyform has worked directly with agricultural product distributors to develop customized product lines to meet the needs of their customer base.