text:
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;

namespace Daisy.SaveAsDAISY.Conversion {

    /// <summary>
    /// pipeline script interface
    ///
    /// </summary>
    public abstract class Script {

        public delegate void PipelineOutputListener(string message);
        protected event PipelineOutputListener onPipelineOutput;
        public void setPipelineOutputListener(PipelineOutputListener onPipelineOutput) {
            this.onPipelineOutput = onPipelineOutput;
        }

        protected PipelineOutputListener OnPipelineOutput {
            get => this.onPipelineOutput;
        }

        public delegate void PipelineErrorListener(string message);
        protected event PipelineErrorListener onPipelineError;
        public void setPipelineErrorListener(PipelineErrorListener onPipelineError) {
            this.onPipelineError = onPipelineError;
        }
        protected PipelineErrorListener OnPipelineError {
            get => this.onPipelineError;
        }

        public delegate void PipelineProgressListener(string message);
        protected event PipelineProgressListener onPipelineProgress;
        public void setPipelineProgressListener(PipelineProgressListener onPipelineProgress) {
            this.onPipelineProgress = onPipelineProgress;
        }
        protected PipelineProgressListener OnPipelineProgress {
            get => this.onPipelineProgress;
        }

        protected Dictionary<string, ScriptParameter> _parameters;
        /// <summary>
        /// List of parameters available in script
        /// </summary>
        public Dictionary<string, ScriptParameter> Parameters {
            get { return _parameters; }
        }

        protected string niceName = "";

        /// <summary>
        /// Name to be displayed in UI
        /// </summary>
        public string NiceName {
            get { return niceName; }
        }

        protected string name = "";

        /// <summary>
        /// Name used in pipeline calls (_postprocess, or dtbook-to-daisy303)
        /// </summary>
        public string Name {
            get { return name; }
        }

        protected string description = "";

        /// <summary>
        /// Description of the script
        /// </summary>
        public string Description
        {
            get { return name; }
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Script output path, to be extracted from parameters in runners
        /// </summary>
        public string output = string.Empty;

        /// <summary>
        /// Executes script normal.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="inputPath"></param>
        public void ExecuteScript(string inputPath) {
            ExecuteScript(inputPath, false);
        }

        /// <summary>
        ///  executes script
        /// </summary>
        public abstract void ExecuteScript(string inputPath, bool isQuite);

        /// <summary>
        /// Number of steps for progression
        /// </summary>
        public int StepsCount { get; protected set; } = 1;

    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Fri 1 Feb Community Book Swap – Village Hall – 10.30-11.00am.
Fri 15 Feb Community Book Swap – Village Hall – 10.30-11.00am.
Wed 20 Feb Preston Village Society – Rosebank – 8.00pm.
Preston Parish Council would like to inform residents that the consultation on the Main Modifications to the NHDC Local Plan will be held between Thursday 3 January and Monday 4 March. The Main Modifications are amendments to the plan suggested by the Inspector following the hearings which took place last year.
All North Hertfordshire residents are welcome to respond to the consultation, regardless of whether they have responded to previous consultations on the Local Plan.
Preston Parish Council would like to inform residents that all the salt bins in the Parish have been topped up in case we have any bad weather.
Anyone who would like a bag of salt for their own use should contact Jane Clark by email: keeperbird@btinternet.com.
This month's meeting will be held on Wednesday 20 February at Caroline Walford, Rosebank, Back Lane when Margaret Trinder will give a talk entitled 'On and Off the Rails Down Under'.
NB From November 2018 until March 2019 inclusive the service on the first Sunday in the month will be held at St Martin's Preston at 10.00am. There will be NO SERVICE AT ALL SAINTS'.
During February we will be selling tickets for next year's Club. We welcome any new participants – tickets cost £20 for the year, with 25 prizes of £30. This is an important source of income for St Martin's church to help maintain the building and churchyard. If you would like to join please call Richard Blockley ☎ 457631.
A couple of weeks ago, like many of you, I stayed up to watch the new year in with my family, like I have done many times down the years. Unlike previous years the following day when I took the dogs for their early morning walk, I mused that actually not much had changed since the previous night, other than a digit, a single numerical digit, (for Mathematicians that may make a huge difference, I don't know) There was no dramatic change that was visual to the human eye, the news on the radio still told of hostilities, poverty, and desperate people seeking a better life. Sadly, I don't even recall an announcement of the first baby born in the New Year, so if yours was a New Year baby, congratulations.
The weeks of preparations that terminate with Christmas brings with it so many mixed emotions, that sometimes it's a struggle to hold close to the innocence of a child's birth and the overwhelming emotions that come with it, which we have celebrated for thousands of years. Just as at Midnight when the clock strikes twelve on New Year eve, we hold on to a hope of better things to come, changes we are going to make in our lives, new relationships, new journeys, resolutions that challenge each one of us in different ways. It's not just our faith in ourselves that can take a knock as time goes by, its faith in God's promise as well It gets increasingly difficult to reconcile the harsh realities of life with the idea of a God of love. The fact that society as a whole generally dismisses any talk of God makes it all the harder to keep on believing. Our Parish is probably no different, but what I want to tell you is that at our Carol Service at All Saints, over 250 people came together to sing Carols and hear Bible Readings. At our Crib service on Christmas Eve over 150 adults and children helped with the telling of the story of the Nativity. At St Martin's there were 75 parents and children celebrating Christingle and there was a congregation of 67 people at the Christmas Eve service. That's our community for you, despite outward appearances we continue to grasp to the hope that God is at work, it's important to us and it's important that our children know this.
Darkness at this time of year can pull us down, but Jesus is the Light that no darkness can overcome, it urges us not to lose heart. Let us start looking for the small signs of light coming into the world, the delicate snowdrops that for twelve months have been hidden are starting to burst into life, the days are starting to get longer, the dawn chorus is getting louder. Let's remember that as a community working together we can all help that light shine a little brighter in the lives of those we meet.
The Police have reported a spate of thefts recently from vehicles in several rural locations. In Preston, at least 10 cars were targeted. Some were left unlocked overnight. It is also possible that vehicles with a keyless entry system had been accessed with a device that sends an unlocking signal to the car.
Electronic key fobs should be kept away from windows and front door and placed in a metal box for maximum security.
Never leave valuables in your vehicle overnight, not even in the glove box.
Ensure vehicles are locked when left unattended.
Visit the Hertfordshire Police Crime Prevention website for up to date information about how to secure your vehicle, home and property at: www.herts.police.uk/crimeprevention.
If you see suspicious behaviour, please report it to Police on 101.
Many thanks for your ongoing support and contributions to the Hitchin Foodbank, especially over the Christmas period.
Due to increased recent demand the following items are most urgently needed: dried milk, dried potato, sponge puddings, sugar, tea, jam/marmalade, longlife juice, longlife UHT milk.
Please ensure items are undamaged and in date. Donations can be deposited at Waitrose and Sainsbury's, or in the blue box in the garage at Lychgate House, Church Lane.
Open Gardens Day – Sunday 26 May – The 28th Year!
The second Bank Holiday Sunday in May as usual. Many of our lovely Preston Gardens will be open to admiring visitors again. If you have never opened your garden before but would quite like to this year, we will be delighted to hear from you. Do remember that visitors are looking for variety rather than perfection and 'wild' areas can be just as interesting as designer borders!
On 14 December 2018, Preston Village Voices held a hugely enjoyable and very successful Christmas concert to raise money for St Martin's Church and the Anne Robson Trust. We would like to thank everyone involved in organising this and to all who supported us either by coming to the concert and/or buying raffle tickets. With your generosity we were able to raise a staggering £1350, which has been divided between the two charities.
A huge thank you from the Choir and we look forward to seeing you at our next concert.
Join Caroline Clark from independent and local florist Phlox, for a relaxed and friendly evening workshop in Preston Village Hall on 29 March (7-9.00pm) to create a beautiful seasonal floral arrangement busting with colour for yourself or to give as a gift for a loved one.
All materials are provided along with refreshments and cake! Cost £50pp.


text:
Tropic Now editor
Email Gavin King
26/08/2016 - 13:24 (AEST)
Grin and bear it for an amazing cause
Few people knew the generosity and support Mick 'Bear' Foreman gave to dozens of young sportspeople, but his legacy is living on with an annual event called Grin N Bear It Challenge.
Mick 'Bear' Foreman was an unassuming man with a heart so big it was hidden in plain sight.
Few outside his family knew of the generosity and support he gave to young local athlete Montanna McAvoy at a time when her farming family were struggling financially.
Bear was a national breastroke champion in his younger days so he knew exceptional sporting talent when he saw it.
During his time on the Cairns Crocs Triathlon Committee, Bear heard about the then 11-year-old runner from a farm near Innsifail and, without ever meeting her, decided to sponsor Montanna.
He quietly helped out by purchasing equipment and providing some financial support to help the young running star travel away for competitions.
Like so many in our community who give of themselves without thought for recompense, Bear didn't do it for his own recognition or reflected glory.
One day, he planned to surprise Montanna by attending one of her races so they could finally meet in person.
"He was a humble bloke, he didn't make a song and dance about it," family friend Lesley Sutton told TropicNow.
"He was an amazing sportsmen as a young kid, and he wanted to help out because it was a tough period for Montanna's family."
Apart from his high-achieving sports background, part of Bear's internal reasoning for supporting the young athlete was surely his love and devotion to being a father following the birth of daughter Grace in July 2011 and son Wes less than two years later.
Bear Foreman loved the outdoors and was a regular feature in the region's triathlons.
In early 2013, there was a lot going on in the life of Bear and his wife Deb.
Their business struggled in the GFC, and administrators were called in just months after the birth of Wes. They were forced to sell their home and filed for bankruptcy.
The family moved in with Deb's mother near El Arish, Bear found new work and maintained his positive, determined attitude to life.
Despite everything, Deb says her husband remained optimistic about the future.
The outdoors had always played a significant role in Bear's life, and camping, fishing, triathlons and other adventures sustained him during the collapse of his business.
So it was nothing unusual when, on the weekend of 18 July 2013, Bear joined a mate on a 4WD camping trip north.
They were headed to Maytown, a heritage-listed ghost town about 270km north-east of Cairns.
Grin N Bear It features a range of events to raise money for the support of young local athletes.
His wife Deb explains what happened on the way back home.
"Never one to miss an opportunity to explore new country and meet new friends, Bear accepted the offer of camping trip and from all accounts, thoroughly enjoyed the weekend," she said.
"As the convoy headed back towards Mount Carbine mid Sunday afternoon on the 19th May, Bear sat in the passenger seat discussing and planning another trip to the area. But next time they planned to do it on a mountain bike.
"Tragically the vehicle he was travelling in lost control and rolled. Bear's life ended instantly."
This loveable larrikin left behind a legacy that his family and friends are continuing to this day.
Though he never did to get to meet Montanna in person, tomorrow the Grin N Bear It Challenge takes place at Camp Barrabadeen at Tinaroo to continue the spirit of his support for young athletes.
Spectators are invited to attend, and the event is the major fundraiser for the Bear Foreman Foundation.
His family and friends are just as humble about their community service as the man himself when they say: "It is hoped that the creation of this Foundation will in some small way, continue the legacy of this inspiring man."
Read more on TropicNow
Crazy/awesome video of MTB winner Rachel Atherton
Husband shares heart-breaking story of new cancer fight for Sharon Cohrs
Wave of support at Tobruk Pool opening
Ross Kemp was all smiles on visit to Cairns region

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Overshadowed by nearby Covent Garden and the theatre district, London's Seven Dials never became a tourist destination. Yet the seven cobblestoned streets that radiate from a central square with a sundial has been a colorful neighborhood since the 17th century, when speculator Thomas Neale designed the area to lure London gentry.
As industrial-age immigrants flooded the area, it deteriorated into a slum known for its gin shops. At one point, each of the seven apexes facing the central square housed a pub. Today, only Crown remains.
Today, the quirky neighborhood of artsy boutiques and cool restaurants feels like a discovery. Evolving from its recent hippy past, it is charmingly restored but not hyper gentrified. One of the sweetest corners is the historic Neal's Yard, a kind of backyard that is home to vegetarian cafes, bars and Neal's Yard itself, the homeopathic remedy store.
Across the yard, Neal's Yard Dairy, encourages you to discover all manner of farm cheddars and stiltons from the British isles. Take advantage of the outdoor seating, or grab a massage at the Walk-In Back Rub. The presence of this local chain makes sense here, since this London nook has been the home of alternative medicine since its origins. Also long-drawn to the area: occultists and astrologers, attracted by both the sundial and the symbolic star layout of the streets.
In Earlham Street an outdoor market thrives and the flower stalls have the vibrant colors and giddy aromas of perpetual spring. Elsewhere on the street, Firetrap offers two floors of London-style fashion with an edge, while Fred Perry purveys more classic and veddy proper clothing.
For a break, Kitchen Italia serves great cappuccino and tasty, inexpensive pasta. And if you want to check your email, there are three computers.
On Monmouth Street, Coco de Mer sells upscale erotica and one-of-a-kind vintage clothing. Down the block, the artisanal parfumerie, Miller Harris, creates its own scents. A heady blend of amber, oak, vanilla, and musk, made for the legendary 60-plus songstress, Jane Birkin — most famous for the Hermes bag named after her — can be yours for about $100.
Where to stay? The trendy Covent Garden Hotel, visited by the likes of Kate Hudson and Kiefer Sutherland, is a low-rise hotel in traditional English style, with a flower-bedecked lobby and an inviting wood paneled library. Of course, afternoon tea is served.


text:
FzMovies - Searching for John Malkovich movies
Searching for movies with: John Malkovich
Con Air (1997) (BluRay)
A newly released ex-con and former US Ranger finds himself trapped in a prisoner transport plane when the passengers seize control.
The Man in the Iron Mask (1998) (BRRip)
Paris is starving, but the King of France is more interested in money and bedding women. When a young soldier dies for the sake of a shag, Aramis, At
hos and Porthos band together with a plan to replace the king. Unknown to many, there is a 2nd king, a twin, hidden at birth, then imprisoned for 6 years behind an iron mask. All that remains now is D'Artagnan, will he stand against his long time friends, or do what is best for his country?
Empire of the Sun (1987) (BluRay)
Based on J. G. Ballard's autobiographical novel, tells the story of a boy, James Graham, whose privileged life is upturned by the Japanese invasion o
f Shanghai, December 8, 1941. Separated from his parents, he is eventually captured, and taken to Soo Chow confinement camp, next to a captured Chinese airfield. Amidst the sickness and food shortages in the camp, Jim attempts to reconstruct his former life, all the while bringing spirit and dignity to those around him.
The Portrait of a Lady (1995) (BluRay)
Isabel Archer, an American heiress and free thinker travels to Europe to find herself. She tactfully rebuffs the advances of Caspar Goodwood, another
American who has followed her to England. Her cousin, Ralph Touchett, wise but sickly becomes a soulmate of sorts for her. She makes an unfortunate alliance with the creepy Madame Merle who leads her to make an even more unfortunate alliance with Gilbert Osmond, a smooth but cold collector of Objets' de art who seduces her with an intense but unattainable sexuality. Isabel marries Osmond only to realize she's just another piece of art for his collection and that Madame Merle and Osmond are lovers who had hatched a diabolical scheme to take Isabel's fortune. Isabel's only comfort is the innocent daughter of Osmond, Pansy, but even that friendship is spoiled when Countess Gemini, Osmond's sister, reveals the child's true parentage. Isabel finally breaks free of Osmond and returns to Ralph's bedside, where, while breathing his last, they both realize how truly connected they are, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Jonah Hex (2010) (BluRay)
During Grant's presidency, Jonah Hex is a remorseless bounty hunter. In the Civil War, he was a rebel whose honor put him afoul of a Confederate gene
ral, Quentin Turnbull, who murdered Jonah's family while Jonah watched. As a result of the ordeal, Jonah's face is disfigured and he can talk with the dead. After staging his own death, Turnbull, with a group of rebel stalwarts, hatches a plan to bring the Union to its knees. Grant wants Hex to stop it. While the nation readies to celebrate Independence Day, Hex and an unlikely ally have little time to stop Turnbull and his weapon of mass destruction.
Knockaround Guys (2001) (BluRay)
The four sons (Diesel, Green, Pepper, Davoli) of major Brooklyn mobsters have to team up to retrieve a bag of cash in a small Montana town ruled by a
corrupt sheriff. Specifically, the story gets started when Matt Demaret (Pepper) goes on a job to deliver the money for his mob father (Hopper) on the advice of his uncle (Malkovich). Things don't go as planned though...
Warm Bodies (2013) (BluRay)
With much of the future world's population rendered into an undead horde, R is a young, and oddly introspective, zombie. On a feeding encounter with
a human gathering party, R meets Julie and feels an urge to protect her. What happens with that is the beginnings of a strangely warm relationship that causes R to start to regain his humanity. As this change spreads throughout the undead population, Julie and R eventually find they are facing a larger issue even as their friendship is challenged. Caught between the paranoid human forces and the ferocious Bonie zombies who are a mutual threat, R and Julie must find a way to bridge the sides for fight for a better world no one thought possible.
Red 2 (2013) (BluRay)
Retired C.I.A. agent Frank Moses reunites his unlikely team of elite operatives for a global quest to track down a missing portable nuclear device.
Of Mice and Men (1992) (BluRay)
Two drifters, one a gentle but slow giant, try to make money working the fields during the Depression so they can fulfill their dreams.
Drunkboat (2010) (BluRay)
Drunkboat tells the story of a young teenager, Abe, who manipulates his unsuspecting alcoholic uncle (Malkovich) into buying a boat from a conman (Goo
dman).
Afterwards (2009) (BluRay)
Nathan, a brilliant New York lawyer who leads a life of professional success, but his private life is pretty dismal since he divorced Claire, his only
love. Until he meets Doctor Kay, a ...
In the Line of Fire (1993) (BluRay)
Secret Service agent Frank Horrigan couldn't save Kennedy, but he's determined not to let a clever assassin take out this president.
Secretariat 2010 (2010) (BluRay)
Penny Chenery Tweedy and colleagues guide her long-shot but precocious stallion to set, in 1973, the unbeaten record for winning the Triple Crown.
Ripleys Game (2003) (WEB-DL)
Tom Ripley persuades a man to commit a murder for a large sum of money. The situation goes out of control, and that man must escape trouble.
Johnny English 2003 (2003) (BRRip)
After a sudden attack on the MI5, Johnny English, Britain's most confident yet unintelligent spy, becomes Britain's only spy.
Cut Bank 2015 (2015) (BluRay)
A young man's life is unraveled after witnessing a murder that he filmed in his rural town of Cut Bank.
The Sheltering Sky 1990 (1990) (BluRay)
The American artist couple Port and Kit Moresby travel aimlessly through Africa, searching for new experiences that could give sense to their relation
ship. But the flight to distant regions only leads both deeper into despair.
Shadow of the Vampire 2001 (2001) (BluRay)
The filming of Nosferatu (1922) is hampered by the fact that its star Max Schreck is taking the role of a vampire far more seriously than seems humanl
y possible.
The Wilde Wedding (2017) (BluRay)
A retired film star's wedding to her fourth husband brings chaos when their families (and her ex-husband) show up for the festivities.
The Killing Fields (1984) (BRRip)
Sydney Schanberg is a New York Times journalist covering the civil war in Cambodia. Together with the local journalist Dith Pran, they cover some of t
he tragedy and madness of the war. When the American forces leave, Dith Pran sends his family with them, but stays behind himself to help Schanberg…
Mile 22 (2018) (BluRay)
In a visceral modern thriller from the director of Lone Survivor, Mark Wahlberg stars as James Silva, an operative of the CIA's most highly-prized and
least-understood unit. Aided by a top-secret tactical command team, Silva must retrieve and transport an asset who holds life-threatening…
Bird Box (2018) (WEB-DL)
In the wake of an unknown global terror, a mother must find the strength to flee with her children down a treacherous river in search of safety. Due t
o unseen deadly forces, the perilous journey must be made blindly. Directed by Academy Award winner Susanne Bier, Bird Box is a thriller starring…
Tags : survival | violence | blood
RED 2 [Hindi] (2013) (BluRay)
Retired C.I.A. Agent Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) is in love with Sarah Ross (Mary-Louise Parker) and enjoying their normal life. Out of the blue, Marvi
n Boggs (John Malkovich) meets Frank in the supermarket and tells that Wikileaks has released the information that they had participated and know the…
In the Line of Fire [Hindi] (1993) (BluRay)
Frank Horrigan (Clint Eastwood) is a Secret Service Agent who keeps thinking back to November 22, 1963, when, as a hand-picked Agent by President John
F. Kennedy, he became one of the few Agents to have lost a President to an assassin when Kennedy died. Now, former C.I.A. assassin Mitch Leary (John…


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Ira Levin knows how to scare the bejesus out of readers.
Still considered Broadway's longest-running comedy/thriller some four decades after its debut, DEATHTRAP appears to still have some sizzle in a tantalizing production by Milwaukee Chamber Theatre.
DEATHTRAP has the distinction of being the longest-running play of its type in Broadway's history - 1,7983 performances between February 1978 and June 1982.


text:
Libraries to search - select search limit - Libraries Worldwide Oklahoma Department of Libraries | Advanced Search
I thought you might be interested in this item at http://statelibraryok.worldcat.org/oclc/1101517473 Title: The Current Author: Tim Johnston; Sarah nrt Mollo-Christensen Publisher: Minneapolis, MN. HighBridge Audio 2019. ISBN/ISSN: 9781684416387 1684416388 OCLC:1101517473
College students -- Fiction.
Life change events -- Fiction.
Minnesota -- Fiction.
Tim Johnston; Sarah nrt Mollo-Christensen
Minneapolis, MN. HighBridge Audio 2019.
Print book : EnglishView all editions and formats
In the dead of winter, state troopers pull two young women and their car from the icy river. One girl has drowned, while the other is found half-frozen and unconscious. What happened was no accident, and news of the crime awakens the community's memories of another young woman who lost her life ten years earlier. Determined to find answers, the surviving girl soon realizes that she's connected to the earlier unsolved case by more than just a river, and the deeper she digs, the closer she comes to danger. Read more...
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Find more information about: Tim Johnston Sarah nrt Mollo-Christensen
Performer(s):
Read by Sarah Mollo-Christensen.
12 audio discs (ca.14 hr., 30 min.) : CD audio, digital ; 4 3/4 in.
a novel by Tim Johnston.
In the dead of winter, state troopers pull two young women and their car from the icy river. One girl has drowned, while the other is found half-frozen and unconscious. What happened was no accident, and news of the crime awakens the community's memories of another young woman who lost her life ten years earlier. Determined to find answers, the surviving girl soon realizes that she's connected to the earlier unsolved case by more than just a river, and the deeper she digs, the closer she comes to danger.
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Add tags for "The Current". Be the first.
Murder -- Fiction.
Small cities -- Fiction.
Traffic accidents -- Fiction.


text:
Q: Xamarin Open UWP Open file from "Documents" library I have a Xamarin UWP app and am trying to load a file from my current users "Documents" library.
I understand that I need to add a File Type Association declaration first.  I've done this and the file icon has changed to my application icon.
In the app I'm then using the FilePicker plugin from here...
https://github.com/ArtjomP/FilePicker-Plugin-for-Xamarin-and-Windows
        FileData file = await CrossFilePicker.Current.PickFile();
        Byte[] data = file.DataArray;

All I do is browse to the file and select it, but the application crashes with an access violation on the second line.
I've added the following capabilities to my UWP manifest, not sure if they are event relevant anymore.
<uap:Capability Name="documentsLibrary" />
<uap:Capability Name="removableStorage" />

How do I open my files?  I ideally need to use a convenient location like the documents library.
Nick.
Edit:
I've followed this article, and still no joy.
https://www.pmichaels.net/2016/11/11/uwp-accessing-documents-library/

A: EDIT: I reworded the answer for clarity, and to avoid some implications that @MickyD rightly pointed in comments and I don't agree with those implications either:
This seems like a bug in the package as it doesn't work according to its documentation and one possible thing to do is to submit the issue to GitHub so that the bug is resolved by the developer of the package.
The other possible thing to do is to look for the alternatives. You may try to find other similar packages and see if they work, and the alternative for which I am sure that works is to use the native functions in System.Windows.Storage (as it is officially supported).

A: You are using a old package which most likely is no longer supported.
Try this one, https://github.com/jfversluis/FilePicker-Plugin-for-Xamarin-and-Windows
It is quite simple, and also supports UWP.
Sample usage
try
        {
            FileData fileData = await CrossFilePicker.Current.PickFile();
            if (fileData == null)
                return; // user canceled file picking

            string fileName = fileData.FileName;
            string contents = System.Text.Encoding.UTF8.GetString(fileData.DataArray);

            System.Console.WriteLine("File name chosen: " + fileName);
            System.Console.WriteLine("File data: " + contents);
        }
        catch (Exception ex)
        {
            System.Console.WriteLine("Exception choosing file: " + ex.ToString());
        }

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Realizing that he is getting older, Grampa decides to give his family their inheritance before they die. He takes them to the mall, where Lisa buys the new talking Malibu Stacey. However, she soon finds out that the speaks sexist phrases that demean women. When her complaints go unnoticed, she tracks down Stacey Lovell, the original creator of the doll. However, on learning that she does not work for the company anymore, Lisa persuades Stacey to help he make their own talking doll, without stereotypes. Meanwhile, Grampa takes a job a Krusty burger to go where the action is, but soon realizes that he belongs on the other side of the counter with the complaining pensioners. Lisa and Stacey create their doll, called "Lisa Lionheart," however they discover they cannot beat the big business of Malibu Stacey. When a little girl buys Lisa's doll, Lisa concludes that getting through to that one girl will all be worth it.
Stores at the Springfield Mall include: ''House of no Refunds,'' ''One Size Fits All Lingerie,'' ''Yoghurt Nook,'' and ''Origami Designs.'' Flanders' Leftorium can also be seen.
Smithers wears his ID card in the Malibu Stacey film.
Bart is in the photo accompanying the gay rights story in the newspaper.
The ''We Love You, Matlock'' song parodies the ''We Love You, Conrad'' song from Bye Bye Birdie.
Homer plays on the giant keyboard at the toy store a la Big.
The Buzz cola commercial is reminiscent of an ad for Pepsi.


text:
Världsmästerskapen i bordtennis 2009 spelades i Guangzhou Gymnasium i Guangzhou under perioden 24 februari-2 mars 2008. Spelort utsågs i maj 2005. Upplagan var den 49:e någonsin.

Medaljsummering

Medaljligan

Discipliner

Resultat

Herrarnas lagtävling

Final

Slutspel

Damernas lagtävling

Final

Slutspel

Källor

ITTF website
ITTF Database

Fotnoter

2008 i Kina
Bordtennis i Kina
Sport i Guangzhou
Sportevenemang i Kina
2008
WP:Projekt Kina

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Instead of wasting time scrolling through items that aren't your size, when shopping filter the results to only show your size. You can put in your info under settings so when you filter it will automatically know your sizing. Perhaps the easiest part of the shopping experience!
From the 'shop' tab, you can enter posh parties, in which sellers share their listings in a "room" with a specific theme, like 'best in bags' or petite clothes. You are able to scroll through different parties until you find one you think you'll like, & from there you can shop away. If you're looking for specific things, this is a great way to treasure hunt.
Three words, eleven letters. Say it & I'm yours. Most sellers are perfectly okay with having an offer made, as long as it's not unreasonable. If I feel counteroffering will make it reasonable, I'll normally do that & it ends up being sold. Just communicate with the seller & be honest about how much you're willing to spend. Most of the time it works in your favor!


text:
Stardew Valley Is Getting A Multiplayer Update
By Will Usher published 23 July 18
(Image credit: ConcernedApe)
ConcernedApe's Stardew Valley turned out to be a huge seller, the likes of which most people didn't expect. A lot of people actually have been craving a game that hearkened back to the days of Harvest Moon on the SNES. The game's strong sales didn't stop the developer from updating it and adding in new content, though. The farming simulator is getting a much requested update featuring the ability to play through the game with several friends via a multiplayer mode, which is set to go live this summer.
Gamespot is reporting that starting August 1st you'll be able to start a farm or continue your farm with three other players. The mode has been in development for a while on PC, but the only way to participate was to join in on the beta. There are some obvious pros and cons, given that while you can get in on the multiplayer mode early, you are at the mercy of bugs and glitches that are very common with beta testing. There's also the risk of having your saved game corrupted if anything goes wrong.
But it's thanks to those brave beta testers that the multiplayer mode for Stardew Valley has been able to develop in such as a timely manner.
The core of the experience will allow you to invite up to three other people to join in on your farm. You'll have to design rooms for the other players. More specifically you'll have to design cabins for each of the other players to live in, and this will enable you to invite them into your session.
Once you build the cabins you can save the game, head back to the main menu and start a co-op game. You'll be able to host or join a game either by inviting friends or by setting up a private room for specific players.
In a way the multiplayer makes the game a lot easier given that you can have three of your friends help you out with mining, fighting monsters in the caves, and planting and collecting the harvest.
But it's not just the standard Stardew Valley experience that has been expanded. You'll also be able to utilize new chatbox features and emojis. Certain interactive features such as marriage and divorce have been added, along with the ability to craft rings for the big engagement.
The multiplayer mode obviously poses a new problem for most Stardew Valley fans: it's going to get a bit too easy.
No worries, though. Much like Terraria and Starbound before it, you'll be able to adjust the difficulty so that the game will be able to appeal to both casual and hardcore gaming audiences when the multiplayer goes live in August.
Unfortunately, the multiplayer update will only be available for the PC version of Stardew Valley. The console versions of the game have so far not received any word yet on if the multiplayer update will arrive for them as well. Hopefully, if things go over well on the PC side, we'll see the PS4 and Xbox One versions, along with the Nintendo Switch, receiving the update, too.
Will Usher
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The landscape along the Lake Ontario shoreline-hugging roadway that stretches eastward to Orleans County – Route 18 – pretty much becomes desolate once you pass Olcott. And it only seems more desolate at four in the morning on the coldest day of the winter. Lyndonville's distance from the center of the Niagara Wine Trail keeps me from making this journey as often as I'd like to, but on this morning there was no hesitation – it was Leonard Oakes Estate Winery's annual ice wine harvest.
As I made my way through an apple orchard to the first few rows of grapevines in the dark of night, there wasn't much that would indicate that this was one of the most important days of the year for winemaker Jonathan Oakes, who had been waiting for this day since bud break.
"I don't feel relaxed until these grapes are off and we're in with a long enough window to press it out and work with it," said Oakes.
It was only after hearing the low rumbling tractor noise and following the faint glimmer of headlights at the opposite end of the pitch-black vineyard that I found the winemaker surrounded by a few winery staff and an army of volunteers.
"Can you see the look of relief in my face?" asked Oakes.
While many wineries have already celebrated the end of harvest with toasts and parties, a few Niagara region wineries don't consider the season to be over until their vats are full of ultra-sweet vidal blanc juice.
With this winter's unusually mild temperatures, the thought of a normal ice wine harvest seemed like wishful thinking. Yet Oakes reassured me that the weather window we were in was perfect, even going as far as to state that this was the easiest winter harvest for the winery since they started. The lack of snow accumulation in the vineyard made getting the tractors, equipment and people in easier and the huge amount of support they received from volunteers enabled them to get the grapes off the vine in record time.
"During the last couple of harvests, the idea of ice wine was new to our area and it was difficult to recruit people that would be willing to get out there and help," said Oakes. This year things were different. "All the recent accolades and buzz about our ice wine has really helped to secure people that want to come out and participate," he said.
It's this excitement and interest, combined with the fact that the Niagara region has already proven it can consistently produce some of the world's best ice wine, that leads Oakes to believe that the industry has a strong future in his backyard.
"I look at the amount of plantable acres we have left, with a grape variety like vidal that can grow in a little more severe conditions, and I think there's just unlimited potential in our area," said Oakes.
Even in mild winters like this one. Mother Nature ends up delivering what local winemakers need. And while Niagara is certainly not the only region to produce this style of wine, it does benefit from the success of Ontario's ice wine industry. Niagara USA needs only to look at their example across the river on how to distinguish itself from the rest.
"It's going to rely heavily on who jumps out and makes a distinct claim as to what is what our region can be known for," said Oakes.
Regional branding aside, it's in the post-harvest moment where I'm standing around with the rest of the crew warming up appropriately enough with a glass of Canadian whisky celebrating an end to a frigid end of the season harvest where I get a feeling of how special ice wine is to have gotten so many people to brave the elements just to take part in its production.
As daylight broke leaving Lyndonville, my journey back home was not as isolated as the trip there. I noticed a few carloads of vineyard workers following me back to Burt, NY where Schulze Vineyards & Winery had just begun their own harvest.
I'm happy to see that the NYCR selections for Finger Lakes red wines of the year have generated a fair amount of feedback and debate. There have been many questions: Why no cabernet franc? How come every wine is made from a different grape?
Keep in mind that for a wine to be eligible, it has to have been released in 2011. Many of the red wines released in 2011 came from the uneven 2009 vintage. The glorious 2009 September produced strong conditions for Finger Lakes pinot noir, but otherwise, it was a down vintage for reds. Some of the wines released in 2011 were from 2008, a solid-if-not-spectacular vintage. Very few of the 2010s have been released yet. If the vintage conditions and barrel tastings are any indication, they will be very good.
Continued exploration and experimentation with red grape varieties in the Finger Lakes should be welcomed and celebrated.
Unlike riesling, the clear viticultural star of the region, there is no clear dominant red variety. That does not mean that red varieties can't thrive. In fact, it means that with some hard work and inquiry, a range of red varieties can make impressive wines. Each wine on the list comes with further confirmation of this idea.
I confess that, having tasted the bottled 2009 and the still-in-barrel 2010, I am even more excited about the newer vintage. But that should not prevent anyone from checking out this wine.
Winemaker Nancy Irelan has a long background in research, and without divulging the secrets she's trying to keep under wraps in her lab, it's fair to say that she has even more ideas for cool-climate red grapes. Teroldgeo was one of her first experiments. It is paying off.
The first vintage of teroldego came in 2008, and Irelan took the grapes from those young vines and turned them into an unusual red sparkler. That rapidly gained a following, but I'm glad that Irelan has not diverted from her plan of making a still teroldego. The grape provides nice acidity but also a backbone of chewy tannins. The flavors are unusual, and it's already showing signs of complexity.
Teroldego is grown primarily in northeastern Italy. Want to get really geeky? It's also grown in parts of California, where it's occasionally compared to zinfandel. That's probably because there is an inherent spice to the grape, which is related to the dureza grape, the father of syrah.
See, don't you want to see what else Irelan will try?
This grape variety continues its slow but steady accumulation of fans in the Finger Lakes. You say lemberger, I say blaufrankisch, but whatever: Rooster Hill has turned out a very nice version.
Some winemakers are choosing to blend lemberger with cabernet franc, aiming for a complex blend of flavors and aromatics. I understand that, but I also enjoy seeing what blaufrankisch can do as a varietal.
The first time I tasted this wine with Rooster HIll owner Amy Hoffman, she was obviously excited about it. And yet she patiently waited to bring it to market, confident that the wine's makeup will allow a long life. I think she made the right call. Is there too much oak? For me, no. But watch for the oak influence in other lembergers or blaufrankisches, which can be sensitive to wood.
Saperavi and Sereksiya Charni. Those two grapes alone make this wine interesting.
Here's a wine with a celebrated history, an intensely devoted following, and yet owner John McGregor decided to do something he'd never done before: He held half the vintage back, keeping it in barrel for a full year longer than most vintages.
What's the result? Thanks to a powerhouse vintage, the wine stands up very well. I go back and forth on the need to decant wines - and for how long - but certainly I would not hesitate to give this wine some air before drinking it.
It's unique, and it has the structure to age with grace. The McGregor family proves it with annual verticals and library tastings. This is one of the most expensive wines in the Finger Lakes, and yet it has no trouble selling.
Syrah is occasionally misunderstood as a warm-climate variety. Its history shows a grape highly adaptable to its climate; it can produce some big, powerful wines in California, and its sweet spot in Cote-Rotie is much cooler. Neither of those regions is as cool as the Finger Lakes, but a group of winemakers is giving this variety an extended shot to succeed.
No one knew the success would come so soon. Damiani is understandably proud of their version, as are a handful of others, including Lucas and Red Newt Cellars. But the Billsboro version is the most intriguing yet.
We should have seen it coming. Syrah needs time to ripen, and 2009 simply didn't provide the growing season that a winemaker wants. And yet Vinny Aliperti's '09 Syrah was relatively prodigious. He couldn't explain it, other than to credit the Seneca Lake growers: Sawmill Creek Vineyards, where Billsboro sources its fruit.
So if he could produce that kind of syrah in 2009, it's not a surprise that 2010 finds a truly broad-shouldered, layered version that could attract the admiration of syrah lovers. Our own Mark Grimaldi was floored by this wine. And if you know Mark, you know that he has very tough standards.
By now, we know that the Finger Lakes is capable of outstanding pinot noir. We also know that this is not easily achieved, and is being produced by only a small group of wineries.
Winemaker Morten Hallgren drinks a lot of Burgundy and has a deep appreciation for the cool-climate style for this grape. That does not mean he's trying to recreate France in the Finger Lakes. That does mean, however, that he's aiming for elegance.
The 2005 Ravines Pinot Noir is one of the great examples of what the region is capable of. Hallgren expects the 2009 to stand alongside it. I think that's possible.
My Finger Lakes-focused colleague Evan Dawson and I sometimes lament what sometimes happens to Finger Lakes riesling when it's fermented dry. Depending on the fruit and the winemaker, the wines can become shrill, hollow and overly austere. Casually, we refer to them as "lemon water riesling."
It seems though that dry rieslings from longer and/or warmer growing seasons -- like the long 2010 one -- tend to avoid this problem more often.
Billsboro Winery 2010 Dry Riesling ($16) is an fine example of that. Made from fruit grown at Sawmill Creek Vineyards, it has expressive, pretty aromas of river rock, lime and citrus blossom.
Driven by minerally, rocky flavors, the lithe body also delivers lime, kumquat and grapefruit citrus character with a bit of green apple. Staying just this side of austere, its dry (.3% rs) with a focusing beam of acidity and a medium-long, mouth-watering finish that shows hints of flint.
C'est Cheese in Port Jefferson, NY taking a unique approach that may prove to establish itself as a destination point for cheese lovers out on Long Island.
Walking in, the cheese counter is at the front of the store off to the right. The cheese looks well cared for, offering a variety of milks and styles from across the globe. On my recent visit, the American section was pretty limited in comparison to the rest of the case. I hope that they expand their selection to incorporate some of the great American-made cheeses that are made not only in the Northeast, but the rest of the country.
In looking at the rest of the place in comparison to the cheese case, I can see that the focus goes well beyond a simple retail cut-and-wrap shop.
Want to come in to taste and buy some cheese to take home? Perfect. They have cheesemongers there ready to serve, offer suggestions, and answer your cheese-related questions.
Curious about cheese and beverage pairings? C'est Cheese has several taps with local beer, as well as wine available. Have them pull a pint for you, or pour a glass, and enjoy it with your custom created cheese plate.
I really like the focus of C'est Cheese. There are a variety of ways to highlight the diverse qualities of cheese, and lovers of cheese have a chance to explore this from a variety of angles. Whether through beverage pairings, incorporated into a dish, or straight from the case, this shop in Port Jefferson is on the right track. I look forward to visiting again in a few months to see how this shop is fully realized.
Over a relatively short period of time, Heart & Hands Wine Company has almost become synonymous with New York pinot noir. There are other wineries making good versions of course, but on a consistent basis, there isn't a producer I can recommend more for pinot.
Co-owner and winemaker Tom Higgins carefully sources fruit from dependable growers and his passion for the grape manifests itself in meticulous cellar work.
Heart & Hands Wine Company 2009 Pinot Noir ($20) -- which is closed under Vino-Seal by the way -- offers aromas of red cherries and cranberries sprinkled with brown spice, star anise and a bit of black pepper.
Light bodied -- there isn't any syrah in this pinot -- the palate is juicy with red fruit flavors and layers of toasty oak, spice and tea leaf. Fresh acidity and well-incorporate, soft tannins bring structure and lengthen the finish.
When you visit a winery's website, you're probably there for one simple reason. Either you want tasting room hours or the wine list or the winemaker's story. But whatever it is, you want it quickly and easily.
And too often, it's not easy enough to find what you're seeking. On top of that, the websites look clunky and amateurish. This is a generalization, of course. Some websites are excellent. Too many are not.
But don't take it from me. Here's an email I received this week from a reader of my book, Summer in a Glass. This reader lives several states away.
I've re-printed the email in full, and I welcome your thoughts on what makes for a high-quality and low-quality website.
First of all, thank you for writing this book. Though we currently live in Wisconsin, my wife and I are physicians originally from upstate NY. We've recently decided to move back to CNY (Canandaigua) to start our own adventure, and this book has made us proud and excited to move back!
Like many, my wife and I made the rounds on various wineries websites after reading your book, and I wanted to comment on something I bet you've noticed, and could help with!
Many of the websites are, well, a bit difficult to navigate. Like the vintners you describe, the websites are not flamboyant or ostentatious. That's fine as a character trait, but perhaps not so good for marketing. Specifically, we noticed that many photos are casual (amateur?), and don't do justice to the scenery or the establishment. I left some websites with an overall impression that I can't get engaged with the wine or the winery.
That's frustrating, and I'm sure a ton of folks are visiting those sites after or as they read your book, and I bet many others left the sites feeling a bit disappointed. For instance, if I decided to plan a trip to the Finger Lakes, I'd hit these websites hard to get organized. So in that scenario, I think the website design could become sort of crucial for the wineries, right?
We thought Weimer's website was really good. The designer looks like he's a computer science grad from Cornell (my alma mater). I was thinking that between your wife working as a professional photographer and perhaps with your mutual contacts in the web design/photography business, you could help link some of the wineries with eager folks to help improve the websites. I don't know, I'm sure these wineries will do very well thanks to your book, but I felt compelled to contact you anyway!
Sparkling riesling isn't new in the Finger Lakes. A handful of wineries have been making it for years and a couple years ago, one even won the Governor's Cup.
Last fall, Atwater Estate Vineyards became the latest winery to make sparkling riesling, adding Riesling Bubble to its portfolio. Off-dry and force-carbonated, it also features modern packaging that definitely stands out on a store shelf (my picture doesn't do it justice) and is closed with a crown cap rather than a cork.
A fruity nose shows ripe peach, candied green apple and hints of mint syrup. Soft carbonation and crisp acidity make this fun, fruity sparkler seem almost dry. Short on the finish.
In a town steeped in tradition, there's something decidedly new – and young – happening on the culinary front. Husband and wife team Chris Grilli and Katie Brennan, ages 28 and 26 respectively, purchased the decades-old establishment on Jordan Street in July of 2011, and have since been putting a modern spin on a classic repertoire.
Skaneateles Bakery has been in operation since 1959 and despite having changed owners a few times, still feels as authentic as it had when it first opened. The original recipes are still in use, from donuts and cinnamon rolls to generously-sized cookies and scones, and a few of the staff members stuck with the establishment through the change in ownership.
From the looks of it, many hands are needed to produce the amount of food they do. Not only do they pile their counter high with baked goods – Those scones! More on that later. – they also offer sandwiches on house-baked bread and soups, "made from scratch," she said proudly. The biggest seller on the savory menu is a turkey sandwich with chipotle, avocado and applewood-smoked bacon. In terms of plain numbers, though, nothing comes close to the donuts.
If donuts can be grouped into genres, these would be vehemently old-school. No bigger than a tight fist and freshly made every morning, they taste of real sugar and cinnamon, a far cry from their mass-produced counterparts. They get snatched up by the bagful by hungry customers at Christmas time, when actors bring characters from A Christmas Carol to life at the annual Dickens of a Christmas festival. "But lots of people also buy food and walk it across the street to the water," Brennan acknowledges. "Summer is really busy." She took what sounded like a deep breath of relief. "Summer was really busy." The bakery's location in the heart of the village, directly across from Doug's Fish Fry, makes for high traffic on weekday mornings and lazy weekend afternoons alike.
The newlyweds purchased the establishment from Sam Mason, original recipes and all, if not on a whim, then definitely with a prayer. Neither Brennan or Grilli had worked in the restaurant industry, Brennan said in a phone interview. And even more frightening, neither had owned a business. She was working with an interior designer (she now works full-time at the bakery) and her husband was a schoolteacher.
"But it was always something I toyed with," she said. "One of the things I love about baking is that it allows me to be creative. I always thought 'wouldn't it be neat to own a bakery?'" Brennan's father, settled in Moravia, thought so too. He felt a strong connection to Skaneateles Bakery, and passed that onto his daughter before he passed away. "Chris and I moved back to the area [from Boston] in 2010, and I kept a pulse on everything around me." When the listing went public, they didn't hesitate.
I visited with my boyfriend this past Sunday for lunch and a look around. An egg, cheese and bacon sandwich had character – no freakishly uniform eggs here – and a goat cheese salad came with healthy-looking red leaf lettuce lightly dressed in homemade vinaigrette. Café Kubal, a Syracuse-based roaster, provides the beans for coffee, and a variety of freshly-packed teas are available (The Earl Grey is excellent; a heady hit of bergamot.) The real kicker was the scone we ordered, studded with chunks of chewy dried apricot and with a distinct buttermilk biscuit-like texture. It was topped with a cautious drizzle of sugar glaze and was so good that we ordered another on our way out.
They already work with a handful of local farmers, growers and vendors, including Wake Robin Farm of Jordan, who provides the yogurt for their parfaits. When the weather warms up, Brennan has big plans to source local animal protein more fresh produce to round out their menu. "We support the community as much as we can because they really support us," she said.
So they get the local and organic thing, which is undeniably important. But what I like best is the sense of whimsy and charm about the place. The menu is written on a chalkboard, with a gray, smudgy spot in the left-hand corner where a "Word of the Day" and its definition get written and erased again and again. The baked goods and sandwiches, if eaten in, are handed to customers in small wicker baskets and the employees' feathers never seem too ruffled to chat. The menu is clever too – I spied a homemade Pop Tart, its belly swollen with homemade raspberry jam – and swooned. This is joyful food.
She loves what she's doing, too, and so does Skaneateles. In a town that can be tough to please, Brennan is having no problem becoming part of the fabric. The cupcakes, cookies and muffins that made the bakery famous will continue to shine while taking on a personality of their own. And that is what's really sweet.
The organizers of TasteCamp are proud to announce that after exploring the regions of Long Island, the Finger Lakes and Niagara (U.S. and Canada), the event will hold its fourth edition in Northern Virginia wine country on May 4-6, 2012. Several important partners and sponsors have confirmed their participation and are working together to create an exceptional opportunity to discover the very best that Virginia wine has to offer.
Tarara Winery is located in the foothills of the Catoctin Mountains on 475 acres along the Potomac River in Leesburg. One of Loudoun County's oldest wineries, Tarara focuses on single-vineyard wines.
This weekend we opened a pair of viogniers from a California winemaker uniquely devoted to the grape. I had a chance to talk to Morgan Clendenen at length about her work, and I can tell you that her wines match her rhetoric. She knows what she likes, and she knows how to deliver it.
Clendenen feels that viognier can be spellbinding, but it can also easily become fat and hot. She loves a carefully made wine from Condrieu, the grape's ancestral home in the Northern Rhone, but she doesn't give a region-wide pass. She wants acidity in her viognier, and she watches closely during harvest to make sure the grapes' acidity levels don't crash.
The results are beautiful. I've had a decent range of viognier from California and now Virginia, and I almost always prefer the stainless steel versions over the oaked versions. That's probably because the winemakers employing new oak also tend to seek super-ripeness and -- there it is again -- low acidity. The Cold Heaven line of wines from Santa Barbara County demonstrates that wood can be gentle and integrated, and a wine with richness and depth can also be crisp and cutting.
These are good, unique wines, and while they're not made in large quantities, they're findable. And they're worth finding.
In my mind a best-case scenario for any liquor store visit includes finding a dusty forgotten bottle from an obscure producer labeled with a vintage that most assume is well past its peak.
This bottle of 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon from Le Riche fits this description perfectly.
A quick check of its cellar tracker page sealed the deal that the sale price of $22 the store was asking was well worth the investment. Without an extensive cellar that needs organizing I get the most use out of this site by searching markdown and clearance wines.
After some dried cork wrangling the wine opened up with elegant aromas of currant and dried cherries with some more mature notes of leather and tobacco. I couldn't imagine this wine being any better on the palate thanks to its soft tannins and delicate balance of still vibrant acidity.
I don't think I'll ever stop getting excited about wines like this.
I'm lucky to have several friends who are not only beer/wine/cider/spirits geeks, but also brew or make their own at home.
My colleague Mark Grimaldi and his wife Olivia have been making cider from apples -- by crushing them, not via purchased juice -- for a few years now for their own consumption under the "Sheamaldi Farms" label (Olivia's maiden name is Shea). Mark shared a couple bottles with me a while back and I stumbled upon them in my wine cellar recently.
I'm not a big cider guy, but I can recognize well-made cider when I taste it -- particularly after a failed attempt at making it myself a couple years ago.
Drier than I expected, this blend of 70% Ida Red and 30% Golden Delicious apples, all grown in the Finger Lakes, isn't complex or funky like some ciders I've had, but it also doesn't have the bitter tannins I've experienced as well. It didn't last long in my glass. It was easy drinking and refreshing -- which is just what I'm looking for when I turn to cider.
I've been hunting you down for a while. At times, I've beat the brush with muscle-tearing ferocity to ferret you out. I've exhausted myself to the point of frustration and ceased to believe you actually existed. Snipe hunting, you ask? No. Bourbon hunting.
Black Maple Hill is a legend in the whiskey world. Stories of its production by an eccentric distiller in the backwoods of Kentucky are ubiquitous. Small batch, handmade, heavenly, the usual stuff. But as the spirits buyer for our restaurant group, I couldn't get my hands on the stuff for years. Out of stock, switched distributors, slipped into the ether, ya da ya da ya da. It went on and on. At one point, I would have traded a T206 Honus Wagner baseball card just to get me a bottle. The more I couldn't find it, the more I wanted it.
On a fluke last week, a fleeting whim, a strange email was sent to me (but actually labelled, "Dear Frank"), I got some. Four bottles arrived at our establishment, and I quickly bought one and ferreted it home in my bag. I felt like I was carrying the Holy Grail with drooling, sword-carrying maniacs hot on my tail. I nearly pinched myself when I was peeling back its wax-dipped layer. The anticipation was great.
Notes of vanilla, baking spice, butterscotch and oak rose from my glass. For a 95 proof spirit, it drinks ridiculously smooth but NEEDS that ice cube to provide just the proper dilution. My favorite things about is the mouthfeel. Rolling it over the tongue is akin to sitting down to a plate of syrup-drenched waffles where the syrup and the butter have mixed together. Its a viscous, oily, hypnotic elixir.
Was it worth the hype? Man, I'd love to say it was...but things rarely live up to our expectations after years of hyperbole. In fact, my favorite Bourbon of 2011 was from Breuckelen Distilling. But if you're a whiskey fan and see you see the BMH on the shelf, snag it! Trust me, it won't be there long.


How to approach issues of sleeping arrangements at the grandmas house with her new boyfriend?
I have a 2 yo ds and my sis has a 6 yo dd, we have recently come to an awkward position w/ our Mom. She has a new bf (together less then 1 yr) and he lives w/ her. DS has only slept away from us a few times and only once w/ my mom. We were planning a night out and wanted to leave our kids w/ her. My sis said she doesn't want my neice to sleep there b/c she doesn't want her sleeping in the same bed as my mom & her bf. She won't sleep alone and before the bf moved in my niece would freq sleepover and sleep w/ my mom. My sis has told my mom this. I 100% agree with my sis that its inappropriate for them all to sleep together. I wouldn't be ok w/ ds doing so. DS usu sleeps on his own but often wakes up in the middle of night & comes in our bed. I've stressed the importance of him sleeping on his own there but don't know how to deal w/ this w/o hurting/offending my mom. Also brings up who IS it ok for him to sleep with? We started questioning every situation and seriously stressing about it!


When choosing your baby's first bed, you can trust (UK based) Clair De Lune to give you the ultimate in style and comfort. Special care and attention has been given to each of these individually hand-crafted moses baskets, which are made using strong natural palm, creating a safe and secure sleeping environment for your baby. Complete with safety mattress, padded liner, handles and an adjustable/removable hood, the "Over The Moon" design provides you with soft cotton waffle fabrics, adorned with a beautiful crotched cloud appliqué with star and sleepy moon prints.
Handmade with love and ideal for any child's nursery!


History has been suppressed in the biggest, long-term cover-up ever and the Vatican knows all the secrets.
The Vatican is constantly monitoring things with the Lucifer device and they are secretly preparing for the arrival of alien savior.
They seem to be intentionally creating something that is going to position the Roman Catholic Church to be at the forefront of an official disclosure multi-value get easy above the ufology ways that they can't even imagine.
History has been literally rewritten and the archaeological establishment as well as the as well as the educational establishment would like us to believe that thousands of years ago mankind was in the anthology and that we were in the infancy of our species and we were banging stones together and barely able to build a mud hut let alone the amazing megalithic structures that are present all over the earth standing in testimony testifying in themselves of a superior race society.
Those who control the past control the future and no organization on earth has a tighter grip on the official history than the Roman Catholic Church.
Connect the dots and present evidence of a long plot to cover up the history of the pre-flood world and to prepare humanity for the arrival of our space brothers bringing a different gospel.
Timothy Alberino, director and host of the new documentary 'True Legends: The UnHoly See', discusses evidence that the Vatican is behind a vast cover-up of pre-Flood history.


text:
Abuse alleged in Mormon lawsuit
Man says the church shielded his attacker
Seattle Post-Intelligencer/October 28, 2004
By Claudia Rowe
A Kent man who says he was the victim of sexual abuse more than 20 years ago has filed a lawsuit against the Mormon church, alleging that church officials shielded the abuser for more than a decade, effectively allowing him to molest at least five other local children.
Ken Fleming, 42, said he brought the case against The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints because he wanted to hold officials accountable for turning a blind eye as family after family reported that Jack Loholt, the leader of a church-sponsored Boy Scout troop, had molested their children.
In an interview, Fleming, an office administrator at a local sand and gravel company, said Loholt abused him hundreds of times between 1976 and 1980, making plaster casts of his genitals, posing him provocatively and sodomizing him.
"I remember begging him, please not to do that," Fleming said, his voice choked with sobs. "I remember praying my little heart out that something would happen to make it stop, but nothing ever did."
Lawyers representing the church said yesterday that they had not yet investigated the claims but would vigorously contest the allegations. Loholt said in an interview that he'd been "set up" by Fleming, whose suit was filed Monday in King County Superior Court.
Unlike the Roman Catholic Church, in which priests are rigorously trained and live under numerous social restrictions, clerics in the Mormon tradition are culled from the church's general membership. Nearly every man or boy older than 12 who becomes part of the priesthood and bishops are selected by their congregations to serve as volunteer leaders. They hold regular day jobs and conduct most of their church duties at night or on weekends.
Tim Kosnoff, the attorney representing Fleming, said this wide-cast net allows more potential child abusers to gain the authority and respect accorded to clerics. The attorney, who has brought numerous sexual abuse cases against the Catholic Church, is involved with at least seven involving Mormons here and in Utah. Washington state has the fourth-highest Mormon population in the country.
"It's more or less the same thing you see in the Catholic Church," Kosnoff said. "Except that I think it's much worse because there's a far greater number and all of these men are held out as clergylike, worthy of the highest respect and trust, with an imprimatur of moral worthiness."
Kim Farah, a spokeswoman for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, disputed that argument, saying that having a lay leadership achieves the opposite effect.
"Most bishops have children of their own, often young ones, who attend church and participate in its activities," she said. "They are therefore already heavily invested in the safety and well-being of their church community. When a child abuser threatens the safety of their congregation, they have no incentive -- financial or otherwise -- to do other than protect the church family as they would their own."
In his lawsuit, Fleming contends that the drive to maintain an image of scandal-free propriety silenced church leaders who knew what was happening. Fear of being shunned by them -- and of Loholt himself -- discouraged him from reporting the abuse while it was happening, Fleming said. But at 19, before embarking on his own work as a missionary, he said he finally told Mormon Bishop Richard Petit.
"He apologized," Fleming recalled. "He said they'd known about Jack and then he specifically asked, 'Do you know if he abused my children?' I couldn't believe it."
Efforts to reach Petit, whose last known address was in Nauvoo, Ill., were unsuccessful.
Though Fleming had long kept silent, others were speaking out. The lawsuit says that in the early 1970s, Loholt masturbated in front of a neighbor's 7-year-old son and when the boy's parents complained, Bishop Herman Allenbach, now deceased, assured them that he would "take care of it."
Yet the bishop never reported Loholt to law enforcement authorities or warned church members, the suit alleges, and Loholt, a sometime-contractor and handyman, continued to serve as an assistant scoutmaster until 1980, even as more accusations emerged.
In 1973, the suit says, parents in the same church ward as Fleming complained that Loholt had molested their 13-year-old sons, and when church elders asked the Boy Scout leader about this, he denied the charges, though he admitted to abusing other children.
Contacted at his current residence in Lake La Hache, B.C., Loholt, now in his 50s, denied the bulk of Fleming's accusations, saying, "I don't know where Ken gets these ideas."
He added, "There's no problem whatsoever. I don't let that happen any more. I don't even get near anybody like that -- people who set me up. I don't have anything to do with kids."
Loholt, who has since changed his surname to Onofrey, is married to a woman with two children, but they do not live at home, he said.
Church officials, who like teachers are required to report suspected child abuse, handled the allegations by sending Loholt to church-sanctioned therapy, the suit says, where he allegedly admitted to having "constant, uncontrollable urges to have sex with children."
Loholt, the suit continues, was told to repent, read Scripture and pray. Afterward, it adds, he was allowed to resume his work with children for another seven years, during which he met and abused Fleming, then 12.
Tom Frey, a Seattle attorney representing the Mormon church, said he had yet to investigate the specifics of Fleming's account.
"I don't know if Loholt had counseling -- or anything else about the allegation -- whether or not it's even true," he said.
Marcus Nash, a Mormon elder also legally representing the church, said his experience was completely at odds with that described by Fleming.
"The church takes issues of abuse very seriously," Nash said. "These allegations are very hard to believe," especially those concerning the leaders' lack of action, he added.
In 1980, after Loholt was accused of molesting two 12-year-olds on a campout, Mormon bishops removed him from Kent's scouting program. Loholt, still unknown to police, moved to Kenora, Ontario.
There, according to the suit, he joined another scouting program, abused five more boys, and served six months in prison on a conviction of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Upon his release in the mid-1980s, Loholt moved back to Kent and, according to police records, he repeatedly abused an 8-year-old girl, often driving her in his pickup truck to the Southcenter mall and molesting her in the front seat.
A Washington jury convicted the onetime scout leader in 1991 of indecent liberties with the girl -- even as numerous Mormon church members wrote letters to the court pleading for leniency. Loholt, said one, had been "very diligent and gave outstanding service" during his years of work with children.
Church officials said the former Boy Scout leader had been excommunicated, though Loholt maintains that he has been reaccepted as a member in good standing.
For Fleming, the most galling aspect of the case is the number of people who reported Loholt, and the knowledge that much of his pain could have been avoided.
"Finding out that they knew about him, that it never had to happen, was heartbreaking to me," he said.


Home / Guide to ETFs / Bond ETFs Vs. Bonds: Which Are Better?
Bonds are great. They offer safe, steady and predictable returns that have low correlations to stocks, making them an excellent way to balance higher-risk equities in a portfolio. But for the average investor, investing in individual bonds is next to impossible.
Poor market transparency. Bonds trade over-the-counter (OTC), meaning there's no single exchange on which they trade and no official agreed-upon price. The market is difficult to navigate, and investors may find they receive widely different prices from different brokers for the same bond.
High markups. Broker markups on bond prices can be substantial, especially for smaller investors; one U.S. government study found that markups on municipal bonds can soar as high as 2.5%. Between these markups, bid/ask spreads and the price of the bonds themselves, the cost to invest in individual bonds can add up—fast.
Poor liquidity. Bonds vary widely in their liquidity. Some bonds trade daily, while others only trade weekly, or even monthly—and that's when markets work perfectly. In times of market distress, some bonds may stop trading altogether.
A bond ETF is a bond investment in a stocklike wrapper. A bond ETF tracks an index of bonds and tries to replicate its returns. Though these instruments hold bonds and only bonds, they trade on an exchange like stocks, giving them some attractive equitylike properties.
Bond ETFs do not mature. Individual bonds have a fixed, unchanging date at which they mature and investors get their money back; each day invested is one day closer to that result. Bond ETFs, however, maintain a constant maturity, which is the weighted average of the maturities of all the bonds in its portfolio. At any given time, some of these bonds may be expiring or exiting the age range that a bond ETF is targeting (e.g., a one- to three-year Treasury bond ETF kicks out all bonds with less than 12 months to maturity). As a result, additional bonds are continually being bought and sold to keep the portfolio's maturity constant.
Bond ETFs are liquid even in illiquid markets. The tradability of single bonds varies widely. Some issues trade daily, while others can trade as little as once a month. In times of stress, they may not trade at all. In contrast, bond ETFs trade on an exchange, meaning they can be bought and sold at any time during market hours, even if the underlying bonds themselves are not trading at the time.
This has very real effects. For example, one source found that, on average, high-yield corporate bonds trade fewer than half the days each month; meanwhile, the iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (HYG | B-64) trades millions of shares each day.
Bond ETFs pay out monthly income. One of bonds' biggest benefits is that they pay out interest to investors on a regular schedule. Usually, these coupon payments happen every six months. But bond ETFs hold many different issues at once, and at any given time, some bonds in the portfolio may be paying their coupon. As a result, bond ETFs usually pay interest monthly, rather than semiannually; the value of this payment can vary from month to month.


There are obvious differences in the opportunities and challenges member-based organisations and associations face when compared to more traditional commercial businesses. However, there are equally a lot of similarities. A membership organisation's core goals should be to better engage with its members, improve retention, generate new enquiries and drive revenue growth in order to improve its offer. None of these objectives are diametrically opposed to a non-member focused company but how you achieve these goals does differ and understanding those differences is essential.
Our experience working with member organisations means we fully appreciate the challenges you face. From shifts in member requirements and expectations, to budget constraints and internal resistance to change, the key to long-term success is a flexible strategy that priorities investment in areas that deliver genuine benefits to both your organisation and its members.
The good news is the latest digital technology and marketing strategies are ideally suited to helping you achieve these goals.
Numerous studies, such as MemberWise's 2016 'Harnessing the Web' survey, have all come to the same conclusion – increasing engagement is the most important objective for member-based organisations. Engagement is vital because it has a direct correlation to relevance; highly engaged members will view your organisations as more relevant (to them) than an unengaged member. Equally, unengaged members are significantly more likely to cancel their membership.
So where do you start? Chances are you have already invested in some sort of CRM. Whether it's Microsoft Dynamics, SAP or Salesforce, that investment is crying out for integration with your CMS. Tying the two together enables you to use what you know about a member in a way in which they benefit through personalised content recommendations and a bespoke user experience. Thankfully, the latest developments in CMSs means integrating your CRM with your website has never been easier.
One of the additional benefits of increasing engagement is gaining a more detailed and accurate understanding of what your audience is thinking. Whether it's through their choices of what content to consume, a website survey, email or Facebook, listening to your member's comments, complements and complaints will provide you with a wealth of valuable data relating to members' perceptions of your organisation. It is easy to cling onto the positive comments and give each other a collective pat on the back for a job well done but the more important job is to listen to the negative comments and actually doing something about them. Best thing is, once you've fixed the problem, you can highlight to specific member groups what you've done and how it will make things better for them – directly through your website, email and social channels!
Talking of complaints brings us nicely to member's growing expectations. This trend isn't limited to member organisations but is, in fact, is being witnessed across society. Whether you are Vodafone or your local library, everyone is expecting more for less. Retailers like Amazon have revolutionised how we shop online by delivering a step change in process and service. Amazon has a website and buying process which is as simple as anything online and they offer millions of items on next day delivery. This type of shift has far greater an effect than you might realise and is now impacting virtually every area of commerce.
You may not think your organisation has competitors in a traditional sense but your member's income is limited so there will always those vying for their cash. According to MemberWise, only 4 in 10 organisations say their members are seeing an increase in member benefits in the past 12 months. This highlights the importance of understanding how you are currently providing your members with value and if more can or should be done to improve your offer. That could come in the form of 'things', such as securing discounts with retailers, offering free services or 'money can't buy' experiences. However, you should first consider all the areas where you interact with your members and understand if these touch points are meeting and exceeding the expectations of your audience.
Membership organisations generally agree that members expect their online experience to be interactive and engaging but there is an increasing challenge of meeting the digital expectation of members, especially millennials. This generation, and those that come after them, have come to expect easy access information and collaboration using the latest and best funded websites and mobile apps. The user experience they get from these channels is driving up their expectation for digital engagement and your organisation is not immune from these rising demands.
The latest MemberWise industry surveys reveal that three quarters of membership organisations are finding it difficult to achieve the desired levels of personalisation via their website or other channels. Around three in ten organisations use member name and / or member grade to personalise their content on the website whilst only two in ten use special interests and intelligent learning based on user choices and defined preferences. Personalisation is here to stay and it is essential you embrace it at the earliest opportunity if you are to maximise the benefits.
Currently less than one in ten membership organisations offer the "amazon experience", but thankfully, there are plenty of analytics tools and third party providers on hand to help achieve real personalisation based on members' behaviour or engagement history.
We no longer have to debate the merits of social media and this is reflected in the stats, with 95% of member organisations using Twitter, 81% using LinkedIn and 28% of organisations employing a dedicated person to look after their social media channels. However, using Twitter doesn't necessarily mean you are getting a good ROI so it's vital that you benchmark your activity, with defined goals and KPIs and an agreed process to review the impact it is having.
The same can be said for Analytics. Almost nine out of ten organisations now have access to Analytics but as MemberWise reports, 'less than half are reviewing the analytics in operational meetings'. For both Analytics and social, ticking a box to say 'we do it' is not enough, you need to invest the time and resources to understand the results and implement actions based on what you discover.
Now more than ever, member organisations and associations need to adopt a 'Member First' approach. There should be a focus on engagement and meeting the current and future expectations of your audience – through the channels and devices your members want to use. Mobile is the future of how your members will interact with you so you also need to embrace a mobile first approach to your digital strategy.
Developing a closer bond with your audience through personalisation and expanded member benefits will be key to long term growth. This will require investment in content creation to engage your members on a regular basis, resources to interpret the data you get from your Analytics and a defined strategy to act on what you learn.
This may sound like a huge challenge and there's no denying that it will take considerable effort to make it all happen but with the right partners to guide you through your journey and realistic expectations of what can be done with the budget you have available, long term success is achievable.


Mensa is the world's most prolific High IQ society. Members of Mensa (Mensans) are said to be in the top 2% as far as intelligence quotient goes. There is little surprise therefore that games seen as Mensa games would fall into the puzzle and brainteaser category. Games such as Zertz Abalone, Octiles, Blokus, Dvonn, Yinsh, Quoridor, Quarto, Traverse, Keesdrow, Zendo, Pentago, Deflexion, Hive, Dao and Quixo are all considered Mensa games and some have found more popularity in the general public than others.
It would seem looking at the list, that any game with an unusual or Latin sounding name falls into the category of Mensa games, though this is just coincidence as there are actually 85 games in total thus far that have been awarded the Mensa Select label.
Every year Mensa members get together and play games, but they also award games they feel are in keeping with what the Mensa society are all about. These games are awarded the 'Mensa Select' label, sort of like a seal of approval to state that particular game is worth playing. Needless to say, to play Mensa games it doesn't hurt to be a bit of a forward thinker, a bit of a strategist for the most part, though some kid's games also make the cut.
As with most board games, playing Mensa games is all about fun, despite the intelligence factor, many of the games awarded the Mensa Select label over the years are playable by everyone and you don't have to be in the top 2% of the worlds IQ to enjoy them. Some of the more accessible Mensa games are Time's Up! and Apples to Apples.
Time's Up! is a game where teams must collect as many celebrities as possible. They do this by working your way through cards that have famous people listed on them and you have to guess them correctly. When you do, you grab another card and keep playing. Some of the cards ask you to describe someone in just one word, or to act out what the celebrity is like. You have only 30 seconds per round and the team who has the most amount of correct guesses after three rounds is declared the winner.
Apples to Apples is another fun, fast paced Mensa game for four to ten players. Everyone is dealt 7 apple cards and someone is appointed the 'judge'. The judge then picks a card from the deck and shows it to everyone. Everyone must play a card from their hand that they feel matches closest to the card played by the judge. The judge then chooses who is the closest match and that person wins the round. Everyone has the chance to be the judge and the categories range from events, people, places and more.
As Mensa Games are all different, scoring in them takes many different forms, from a strategic assault, through to quick thinking, reflexes or even a fair bit of luck. Mensans love to win (and to a degree are probably used to doing just that), but as with most things, it's the fun on the journey.
The trick to scoring in many of the Mensa label titles is logic. The game Zendo has the players study the arrangement of pyramids in order to win. The game Hive sees players using tiles to try and surround the opponent's queen bee. Pentago is all about creating a row of 5 marbles on a board that can be twisted. The secret to scoring in Yinsh is to plan well ahead and remain calm. The Mensa label game Dvonn sees players trying to control as many pieces as they can by making stacks and jumping over opponent's pieces. Dao sees players engaging in yet more strategy, this time combined with precision of movement. As you can see Mensa games vary in game play approach, but many are about strategy and planning.


General Information : A shorter plant for the front of borders.
Idea & Tips : Thrives in rock gardens, sunny walls, or banks. Grow in sun to part shade and moist, well-drained soils.
Grower Information : A shorter plant for the front of borders. Blue and white bicolor, cup-shaped flowers.


Real, free emotion on your wedding day--a first look steeped in joyful tears; the body language of a bride and groom with their backs to the camera, anticipating the lifetime that lies ahead; a whispered word during a first dance and the smile it incites--is fleeting. That's why wedding photography is so precious and enduring.
Brad Burckel, the owner of Du Castel Photography, was a hobbyist photographer until friends asked him to shoot their wedding four years ago. Since then, he's captured nuptials throughout his home state of Alabama, as well as other weddings on a national scale. Married for seven years and motivated by the beauty of their own wedding day, Brad and his wife Mary Margaret run Du Castel together. Equipped with a still-fresh sense of how and why to cherish your wedding photographs, he works behind the camera and her on social media. They've entrusted the business to the patronage of St. Joseph.
Brad combines photojournalism with simply posed portraits and close-ups, film with digital, and color photos with black and white to produce fine art-style images that exude a gorgeously authentic timelessness. Down to the name of the business, inspired by Brad's grandmother's French maiden name (it's derived from "of the castle") there's a tangible sense of something classic about his work. Flip through Brad's portfolio and that elegant, old-world sensibility is evident in every frame, yet what truly strikes us is the purity of emotion and candor in each shot.
The poet William Blake marveled at the reality that a human person can "Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand / And Eternity in an hour." That reality is so evident in the Eucharist, and before the altar at a nuptial Mass. To have that kind of transcendence, and all its accompanying emotion, captured on film is a gift of a miracle.
From Brad: I work very hard to produce the best possible photography collection for my clients, one that truly captures their love story. With that being said, I also believe that marriage is a holy Sacrament and I try to balance the photography with the importance of the day. My own wedding day was one of the most joyful days of my life and I want this to be the case with each couple. I also focus on providing a very natural experience, and producing photographs that those closest to you will treasure.
I've been inspired by our family trips to Europe, with all its history and beauty--especially in its cathedrals. My work is inspired by photographers such as W. Eugene Smith, Rodney Smith, and Steve McCurry. My goal is classic, elegant, natural, and authentic.