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HomeStoriesPress releasesGilson Gray welcomes new business development director
Gilson Gray welcomes new business development director
by Catriona Quinn
Tuesday, July 23rd, 2019
on behalf of Gilson Gray
Gilson Gray grows again with high-profile appointment
DISRUPTOR law firm Gilson Gray is looking to further accelerate its ambitious growth strategy with the appointment of a new Business Development Director.
Suzanne Chaudhry joins the Edinburgh team with 22 years of experience in business development and marketing.
Her career history has seen Suzanne head up marketing responsibilities for leading professional services firms like Shepherd and Wedderburn and Ryden, most recently holding the position of Marketing and Business Development Director for Scott-Moncrieff since 2011.
She said: "Working in professional services I couldn't fail to be impressed by the launch of Gilson Gray and its totally different proposition as a legal firm.
"It was this dynamic and entrepreneurial approach that attracted me – being forward-thinking in this way is a vital element of business development.
"It's a privilege to be a part of the firm at this exciting time of growth and expansion, not just in scale but in expertise too."
Driven by an ethos to hire only the best talent in the country, Gilson Gray has rapidly grown to more than 150 staff members across offices in Edinburgh, Glasgow and East Lothian since its launch in 2014.
The firm recently announced its expansion to take over its second office in Edinburgh, number six Rutland Square, increasing its total office space in the capital to 21,000 sq. ft.
Teamed with a number of high-profile appointments and promotions, Gilson Gray is now one of Scotland's fastest-growing companies, according to Managing Partner, Glen Gilson.
He said: "Everything we have achieved to date at Gilson Gray has been driven by a desire to be the best place to work in Scottish law.
"We pride ourselves on doing things differently and cherry-pick only the very best talent to be part of our team, which has allowed us to expand at the rate that we have.
"This attitude towards culture and client focus has seen Gilson Gray become one of the leading businesses of its kind in Scotland.
"Suzanne is a very welcome addition to our talented team and brings with her a valuable insight and knowledge of this sector – and crucially – the wider business community.
"Her role will be central in continuing this development and we think she'll be a fantastic fit."
Gilson Gray was the largest full-service law firm launch in Scottish legal history when it opened simultaneously in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
The firm has enjoyed multi award winning status from the offset receiving accolades such as Law Firm of the Year, Corporate Firm of the Year, Insolvency Firm of the Year, Litigation Firm of the Year and New Scottish Business of the Year across a multitude of different business and legal awards including The Law Awards of Scotland, The Scottish Variety Awards and The ACQ5 legal awards.
Managing Partner Glen Gilson has also been recognised as Managing Partner of the Year twice in the last five years and is acknowledged as one of the leading figures in Scottish law.
For more information about Gilson Gray and its services, please visit: http://gilsongray.co.uk/
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Private: Catriona Quinn
Senior Account Executive Catriona Quinn is part of the multi-award-winning PR team at Holyrood PR, a leading Scottish PR agency
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Alexander left fuming
Tom Bestwick
Manager calls for even approach
Graham Alexander felt his team were hard done by, exclaiming "we didn't deserve that" after Fleetwood's 1-0 defeat away at Northampton Town yesterday.
Luke Norris curled in an injury-time free-kick as Sky Bet League 2's bottom club halted Fleetwood's run of four consecutive wins in all competitions.
Alexander, though, in the aftermath of the final whistle, expressed his concerns about some of the refereeing decisions that were made over the course of the contest at Sixfields – citing that he and his team have encountered similar issues earlier in the season.
"We didn't deserve that," Alexander said. "I've got nothing but praise for my team and my players because I thought we showed great discipline with some of the things that went on over that 90 minutes.
"You know what you are going to get here and you have to deal with it and I felt we did.
"You get set pieces and long throws, but we wanted to head it and get bodies in the way and that's the only way you can defend against that stuff, it's not tactical, it's just who wants to win it.
"I thought our boys were fantastic on that side and we wanted to stick to the way we played, which we did, and we created opportunities.
"On another day, we score and see out the game, but going into the ninetieth minute at 0-0 after a game like that, we will take that because it is a tough game."
"I am just glad that we got through with 11 men on the pitch. I couldn't be more pleased with my team and they have been done at the end.
"It's not a free-kick to me, and I feel it's not a free-kick on the touchline, it didn't look like a a booking for Jon Parkin, nor is it a not a free-kick on the edge of the box.
"They aren't claiming for it and I am getting sick and tired of coming away to games and us getting booked for nothing.
"It happened at York, when we won, and I put a report in and got nothing back. It was the same again, Conor McLaughlin got booked for pulling, but Sarcevic was brought down when he was clean in against the back four and nothing done. I have got to be careful, but it's not acceptable."
Striker David Ball sustained a shoulder injury midway through the first half after a heavy challenge from Mathias Kouo-Doumbe and was consequently immediately taken to hospital.
The 23-year-old is set to be reassessed on Monday, but Alexander insists he feels he can no longer keep quiet about incidents similar to those that happened to Ball and is going to stick up for his squad.
"I think he's (David Ball) done his shoulder, whether it is fractured or dislocated, but this goes back to the time at Tranmere where he gets clouted and gets four stitches in his eye.
"Does it get dealt with? No. It's let go and I am not prepared to be quiet about this. I want to stick up for my players and give them a voice because it is not right."
After two rigorous cup ties leading up to the game, Alexander insists he was pleased with the fitness of his squad throughout the contest against Northampton and said that his players are going 'to work like dogs' over the course of the upcoming week to get back to winning ways when Mansfield Town visit Highbury next weekend.
"Physically fitness wise, they were great. There were a few bumps, knocks and bruises, but it was a competitive game.
"We have got no qualms with competitive games because we are competitive ourselves. We are going to work hard every single day this week to make sure people don't get that chance to kill us like that again.
"We are going to train Monday and we are going to work like dogs to make sure that we're competitive in the game (against Mansfield), it will be a tough game and hopefully fortunes doesn't go against us like it did tonight."


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There are only 3 Dojo listed in Thurmaston. This page shows 20 Martial Arts Schools found within 4 Miles of Thurmaston. Based on the information available from these Dojos, Karate, Tetsudo, Kick Boxing, Kung Fu, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), Shorin Ryu Karate & Aiki Jitsu (Aikijutsu) are the most offered Martial Arts in Thurmaston area. Most of these schools offer self defense classes for men, women and children near Thurmaston.
Chart based on information available from Martial Arts Schools in Thurmaston area.
Distance is shown approximately from the downtown area of Thurmaston. For a list of Martial Arts Schools near you, Search with your complete address. Click on a Dojo name to view details. Clicking on 'Map' next to a Dojo will show the school on the Map.
See Martial Arts Schools in places nearby Thurmaston: Syston, Sileby, Queniborough, Leicester & Oadby.
Are you associated with a Martial Arts School, Club or Dojo in the Thurmaston area? Please make sure it is listed with dojos.co.uk.


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Category: Pop Culture
EUROVISION SONG CONTEST 2019 SONG PREVIEW: AUTOMATIC FINALISTS
It's now time to check on the automatic finalists. Will any of them have a chance of winning it all?
FRANCE: "Roi [King]" – Bilal Hassani. Despite keeping a masculine name and the song title is a "masculine" noun*1, everything about Bilal is non-gender binary, and this song is an empowerment anthem about embracing who you are. The bilingual song (sung in both French and English) is co-written by the previous French Eurovision representative, Madame Monsieur ("Mercy"). While "Mercy" was highly regarded and initially considered a front-runner that then faded during the final, the initial fan buzz on this entry was a tad muted, with many predicting it will finish mid-board or a tad lower. But when the staging was revealed, with the inclusion of a plus-sized ballerina and an Asian deaf dancer, this song's prospects rose, that many are believing it can make a play for the Top 10. I have to say, the presentation is highly laudable and enhances the song's message–this is arguably the best staging France has made in at least two decades. Let's see how high this will fare this Saturday.
*1 Romance languages like French, Italian, and Spanish require their nouns to have gender.
GERMANY: "Sister" – S!sters. After cracking the Top Five last year with Michael Schulte's "You Let Me Walk Alone", this country is hoping to sustain a strong showing with this entry. Despite having a pocket of supporters, for most people it looks like this entry will bring Germany back to the bottom of the pack. For starters, there are people who cast suspicion on how this act made the cut late into the national final's selection process–with an act composed of two erstwhile soloists who seemed to be paired together by the broadcaster, and how the system seems set up to ensure their win. Then, though the song has a laudable female empowerment message, most fans don't feel they are offering anything fresh or compelling with this entry. Finally, the staging is not that encouraging as it doesn't make a standout impression.
ISRAEL: "Home" – Kobi Marimi. Kobi can be considered the Israeli equivalent to Josh Groban, as his singing style veers towards classical/operatic. The song has a haunting intro that for me evokes those Jewish hymns and made me recall the Holocaust. I think that was the intention, as a defense for those detractors clamoring for a boycott to this contest for the Israeli government's treatment of Palestinians–it's like a reminder that Jews who now rule this country had a long history of being oppressed. For that, there are people who felt an emotional connection to this song. Me, well, I can't get past the treacly sentimental melody on the rest of the song. Plus, the chorus has a sticking point for me–it sounds so similar to SWEDEN's entry this year, albeit disguised as a downbeat ballad. Every time I hear it, I couldn't help but sing "Too Late for Love" on top of it. So, even if officially John Lundvik is credited as songwriter for two Eurovision entries this year, in my reckoning he's in a tie with Laurell Barker with three as I think John is owed songwriting credit for the chorus.
ITALY: "Soldi [Money]" – Mahmood. Mahmood is half-Egyptian, half-Sicilian, so one might worry how he might be received the by Israelis, as even if there is a peace pact between Israel and Egypt for over 40 years, the sentiment of the regular people from those two countries e reportedly adversarial. Well, if you learn about his background, he's not that connected to the Arab side of his heritage, and that is reflected on this song. His Egyptian father is a distant figure to him as he and his mother divorced when Mahmood was a kid and had moved on to at least three more marriages since then. So, there's nothing for Israelis to worry about and he's welcomed with open arms. And the song? A sophisticated hip-hop inflected groove-tastic number with the catchiest handclap hook around. And the lyrics narrating the story I just talked about made me recall another foreign-language "missing-father" classic, "Papaoutai" by Belgian artist Stromae. For me this song is at the same caliber as that classic.
SPAIN: "La venda (The blindfold)" – Miki Nuñez. This upbeat brassy number grows on me on further listens, just like my regard for the singer. At first listen, I would think this would finish close to the bottom of the pack, but as the weeks go on, I was won over by the bright jumpy energy Miki brings to this song that I think this could even make a play to the left side of the scoreboard. The bright colorful staging with the big robot gimmick will most likely bring Spain out of the sub-20 doldrums it has been finishing for the past five years.
UNITED KINGDOM: "Bigger Than Us" – Michael Rice. Originally, Swedish singer/songwriter John Lundvik was planning to enter this song for this year's Melodifestivalen, but it was rejected so he decided to share the song with the UK's BBC, which took it and made it one of their three songs that they made the public vote on, with two artists each offering their version of those songs. Ultimately this gospel-tinged number got the right to carry the Union Jack to this contest. Initially, I would place this in the bottom of the finals pack, but Michael's strong vocals win you over, the way Lucie Jones eventually wore down resistance two years ago with "Never Give Up On You" and finished at a respectable 15th place. I'm hopeful this will at least finish mid-table, but the staging might drag it down as it's not really remarkable. Sure, he has Eurovision alum Sahlene*4 as one of his backup singers, but she and the other backup singers are not like John Lundvik's "Mammas".
*4 She is a Swede who competed for Estonia in 2002 with "Runaway". It placed in a tie for third.
With all entries accounted for, here's who I think will make the Top Ten in the finals.
TOP TEN: CYPRUS, AUSTRALIA, ICELAND, GREECE, SWITZERLAND, SWEDEN, RUSSIA, NETHERLANDS, AZERBAIJAN, ITALY
BUBBLING UNDER: SLOVENIA, CZECH REPUBLIC, ARMENIA, MALTA, ALBANIA, NORWAY, FRANCE, SPAIN
Now, what I predict will do well does not always jibe with my personal choices, so here's my list of Top 10 favorites.
1) NETHERLANDS 2) PORTUGAL 3) ICELAND 4) ITALY 5) SWITZERLAND 6) NORWAY 7) AUSTRALIA 8) SWEDEN 9) AZERBAIJAN 10) ESTONIA
BUBBLING UNDER: MALTA, ARMENIA, ALBANIA, RUSSIA, CYPRUS, GREECE, ROMANIA, FINLAND, SERBIA, CZECH REPUBLIC
Let's see how everything unfolds. How high will risk-takers like AUSTRALIA and ICELAND would fare? And how high will RUSSIA fare? And can the likes of ITALY, SWITZERLAND, and AZERBAIJAN (along with the previously mentioned countries) have what it takes to stop NETHERLANDS' juggernaut to victory? Good luck to all the entries.
JUST ME!
josephvitug	Eurovision, Music, Pop Culture	Leave a comment May 16, 2019 5 Minutes
EUROVISION SONG CONTEST 2019 SONG PREVIEW: 2ND SEMIFINAL, 2ND HALF
The biggest favorites to win in this year's contest are found in this bracket. There are a bunch of heavy hitters and for most part they are not yielding any ground.
CROATIA: "The Dream" – Roko Blažević. The scenario with this entry is similar to MOLDOVA–the singer is unimpeachable as his vocal prowess is well renowned. The issue is the subpar material–yes, it was co-written by 2017 alumni Jacques Houdek, but to be blunt, Jacques is not really known for quality songs. Being all alone during the national final clad in angel wings make for a very cheesy sight, but instead of fully ditching the concept for the main Eurovision stage, they doubled down on it by adding shirtless backup dancers with those wings (this time gilded with flecks of gold). It did improve on the presentation, but I'm still not bullish on its prospects for advancing to the final.
MALTA: "Chameleon" – Michela Pace. It follows the same tropical pop style employed by "Fuego", but with more melodic deviation from that original than from the offerings from CYPRUS and SWITZERLAND. Michela was selected via Malta's version of X-Factor but at the time she was positioned as a balladeer. So followers of that competition are surprised when the entry was released and it turned out to be this uptempo number. Many fans are also waiting with bated breath with how this entry would be staged as Michela opted to sit out the month-long promotional circuit to rehearse this entry to perfection. And as it was unveiled in the rehearsals, many are now more secure about its final qualification prospects. The staging was a bright, multicolor feast for the eyes–the first rehearsal actually featured a projection wall but the Israeli producers vetoed that so they made do with the grander LED backdrop provided, and either way it worked.
Interestingly, for those who followed Melodifestivalen this year, they would have a bit of deja vu with te staging. Why? It is similar to the staging for Margaret's "Tempo". Many fans were outraged when this even failed to advance to the Andra Chansen round, as it's a similarly sunny radio-friendly contemporary pop-dance track. Check out Margaret's performance below.
LITHUANIA: "Run with the Lions" – Jurij Veklenko. During the national selection, this artist went by the name "Jurijus" (pronounced Yoo-ri-yoos") but opted to stick by his real name after winning the national final. He actually previously saw action in the Eurovision stage four years ago, as backup vocalist to that bright and sunny duo Vaidas Baumila and Monika Linkytė with "This Time"–so yes, he did the same-sex kiss. The message of this song is similar to that entry, embracing love in all forms. But I'm still stewing over the fact that he beat the formidable Monika Marija as this song is not as remarkable as Monika's two songs. When I first heard this song, the first thing that came to my head was the US band Train, most particularly their song "Shake Up Christmas". And then when I listened to the song more intently I noticed Jurij's vocal register has a striking similarity to Russian superstar Sergey Lazarev, albeit with more falsetto. So in essence, if you want to hear Sergey cover Train's "Shake Up Christmas", this is the song. Speaking of Sergey…
RUSSIA: "Scream" – Sergey Lazarev. Many fans are rooting for Sergey's vindication after being beaten by Jamala three years ago. But when this orchestral ballad was released for many fans it was deemed a letdown. Still, many waited with bated breath about the staging, and in this aspect, it was surprising but did not disappoint. Many were expecting elements from the music video like scenes of a childhood fairytale, but instead it was more 21st century with multiple screen projections of Sergey and Sergey confined in a glass booth. It does jazz up the presentation and provide dramatic flair. Though I still don't foresee this winning, a Top Three finish is conceivable.
ALBANIA: "Ktheju tokës [Return to your land]" – Jonida Maliqi. This was the first entry selected as it was selected in the venerable Festivali i Këngës in December last year. Its ethnic-classical vibe and Jonida's epic wailing vocals remained as thrilling back in December as it is now, and since this is the only full non-English entry in this semifinal, it is an undeniable standout. Besides those elements I described, what struck me about this ballad is that it reminded me fondly of Madonna's epic 1998 hit "Frozen", and at least this is one of the closest connections we have to the real deal, who is slated as an interval act this year.
NORWAY: "Spirit in the Sky" – KEiiNO. This trio is composed of a couple of Melodi Grand Prix alumni Tom Hugo and Alexandra Rotan, who competed separately last year, plus a Sami joik singer/rapper Fred-Rene Buljo. On the surface, this is a toe-tapping slice of catchy Euro-pop with a Sami twist, but if you plumb a bit deeper, there is an empowerment message to this song. Tom recalled his experiences trying to cover up his true sexuality from the public when he wrote this song, and was also inspired by the spirituality of the Sami folk and the healing power their spirituality provides. Alexandra connected to the song especially with her own experiences with negative remarks from record company executives about her looks, shape, even voice so she joined in this project, and well, in the case of Fred-Rene, well, the Sami people are a marginalized people throughout the Nordic region. There were concerns how they will stage this as many were critical with the national final staging. A stripped down yet sophisticated presentation featuring an appropriately mountainous backdrop is getting positive notices, so albeit not really considered a shoo-in, its prospects for advancing to the final is strong.
I just can't help but add a piquant note: doesn't Fred-René Buljo resemble René Dif from Aqua? Take a look at the side-to-side shots below.
NETHERLANDS: "Arcade" – Duncan Laurence. Yes, this artist is relatively unknown even in his home country (except for those who follow The Voice of Holland). But once this music video was released, a torrent of tears fell across the internet fandom. It's a high quality song that could keep up with classic Coldplay ballads like "The Scientist" or "Fix You", and now I have an almost Pavlovian reaction and get at least misty-eyed (if you read my Aretha Franklin piece, that's the memory this song triggers). Almost immediately this tops the oddsmakers' charts, and its status as favorite has not been relinquished since then. Sure, there are people disappointed so far with the staging, but then again, "Toy"'s winner prospects were downgraded during the rehearsal and semifinal phase and look what happened. I'm still very bullish on the prospects of a fifth victory for this country.
I would also be amiss to note that the person responsible for making this whole thing happen was The Common Linnets' Ilse de Lange, who had a very successful foray here five years ago with Waylon, placing second with "Calm After the Storm". After that stint, she became a celebrity coach for The Voice of Holland and had this guy under her wing. He fared respectably, placing Top Eight, and the winner for that season also eventually competed in Eurovision–sister act OG3NE who saw action in 2017 with the well-regarded "Light and Shadows", which placed 11th in the final that year. Duncan still kept in touch with Ilse after the competition, and shared some of the songs he was working on. "Arcade" perked up Ilse's ears and asked if she can submit his song to the Dutch broadcaster for consideration as this year's Eurovision entry. Needless to say, the rest is history. I wonder if Ilse and the TV executives were bawling their eyes out as they listened to this song and said "this is it!" Duncan has the right attitude and not count the chickens until they hatch, but I'm excited to see if this will have its date with destiny and indeed be the winner.
NORTH MACEDONIA: "Proud" – Tamara Todevska. It's a polished ballad that is so in-the-nose about its female empowerment message. I respect this ballad a lot but I don't like "message" songs that are too in-the-nose–I prefer those with added layers, or twists, like, say, Netta's "Toy", for example. Still, there is heavy support for this, and Tamara is undoubtedly a superb vocalist–she reminds me so much of superstar Pink in terms of vocal timbre. Anyway, this is not her first go-round in this arena. She competed 11 years ago with rapper Vrčak and singer Adrian Gaxha with the song "Let Me Love You"–they came close to making the final as it placed 10th in the popular vote but the system at that time has it that the Top Nine will automatically advance and the 10th slot is allotted to a jury darling*1. She is out for vindication to finally earn that finals slot, but there are formidable contenders in this group so I wonder at whose expense–ARMENIA? ALBANIA? NORWAY? ROMANIA? MALTA?
*1 That jury darling happened to be Sweden's Charlotte Perrelli with "Hero", which placed 12th in the popular vote. Under her maiden name Nilsson, she won Eurovision 1999 with "Take Me to Your Heaven".
AZERBAIJAN: "Truth" – Chingiz. Last year, this country's perfect finals track record was broken as it was bracketed in the notorious "semifinal of death". In fact it placed 11th in that semifinal, so it came close. Such concerns are not likely to happen this time, as this sleek electro-pop number generated better buzz and impact. My initial concern is that in the chorus, it seems Chingiz's vocals are drowned out. But then came the staging, and it's very impressive–two robots lasering in towards his heart as on the backdrop there is a simulated hologram of a beating heart, and Chingiz's vocals are better asserted onstage, and he's terrific. Many buzzing that not only is he a finals shoo-in, he can make a play for the Top Five. Looking forward on how it all unfolds…
Now that all 18 semifinalists in this group are accounted for, here's my take on who will qualify to the final:
TOP 10: ARMENIA, SWITZERLAND, ROMANIA, SWEDEN, MALTA, RUSSIA, ALBANIA, NORWAY, NETHERLANDS, AZERBAIJAN
BUBBLING UNDER: DENMARK, AUSTRIA, NORTH MACEDONIA
COMING UP: THE AUTOMATIC FINALISTS and the "FEARFUL" FORECAST
josephvitug	Eurovision, Music, Pop Culture	Leave a comment May 15, 2019 May 15, 2019 7 Minutes
EUROVISION SONG CONTEST 2019 SONG PREVIEW: 2ND SEMIFINAL, 1ST HALF
Many fans might perceive the second semifinal this year as the "semifinal of death" but you wouldn't know that by watching the first half–though there a couple of oddsmakers favorites in this bracket the others are less heralded.
ARMENIA: "Walking Out" – Srbuk. This sassy empowerment entry got many fans a-tizzy as it instantly garnered very positive buzz, with a possible play for the Top 10 in the final. The video featured Srbuk with a multitude of backup dancers whom she seems to be battling against and fans were expecting to see a few of them at least onstage. But when the staging is revealed, it turns out it will be Srbuk all alone and many felt it's a misfire that might jeopardize this entry's status as a shoo-in. I'm still optimistic about this entry's prospects of advancing to the final but indeed, the staging could potentially cost them.
IRELAND: "22" – Sarah McTernan. On its own this retro 1980s synth-pop ditty is a pleasant listen but is not in serious contention to advance to the final, and that sentiment is reinforced as the producers slated this to perform second. So far, the rehearsals seem to show that Sarah's vocals are not quite pitch perfect but we're hopeful that this would be remedied by the time they have to perform for the juries. Anyway, Ireland is not giving up without a fight as the pop-art staging is actually terrific.
MOLDOVA: "Stay" – Ana Odobescu. If this were 2007, it would not only qualify to the final but place in the Top Ten, as it's of the same caliber as Natalia Barbu's "Fight". But what worked in 2007 would sound dated a decade later and that is the case with this. One thing is certain–Ana'[s vocals are unimpeachable, as it's consistently ferocious. Her voice reminds me of another powerhouse vocalist: Taylor Dayne. It's such a shame Ana is saddled with a mediocre song. So what to do? They seemed to be inspired by a scenario back in 2011 as Ukraine's Mika Newton had the same dilemma with her song "Angel", and what they did was hire a sand artist who would provide a stage backdrop for her performance via screen projection. The gambit worked as this placed fourth in the final. So, the same artist was hired for this performance. But the fandom threw shade on this, and I have a feeling this time the gambit would not work.
SWITZERLAND: "She Got Me" – Luca Hänni. Sure Wiwibloggs' Deban Aderemi may dismiss this as "Despa–Fuego", but it's undeniable this entry has all the elements that will finally deliver this country out of a five-year drought, as it's a slick production and it's very modern, radio-friendly and catchy. On top of that, Luca is renowned for his dance skills, which makes him poised to become the male equivalent of Eleni Foureira. The staging indeed follows the "Fuego" template–he ditched the suit and fedora for a more casual stage get-up and he's accompanied by four backup singers and dancers clad in red. And like Eleni, his vocals may not be perfect but he stays on key most of the time, which is enough for a high energy, dance-oriented performance like this one.
I would be amiss to note that for many observers who were not aware of Luca, the first thing they notice is that he resembles Nick Jonas. Little did we realize he and Luca also share the same evolution from boyis cutie to chiseled, stubbled hunk. Observe their transformations below.
Then and now: Nick Jonas
Then and now: Luca Hanni
LATVIA: "That Night" – Carousel. There are some fans who appreciate this very subdued, quiet number, especially since the lead singer Sabīne Žuga is mostly pitch perfect. That worked with Laura Rizzotto last year, but the difference is that Laura spiced up her presentation (with a subtle change in wardrobe even if her presentation was essentially similar to her national final peformance) while this act did nothing to add more interest in their presentation and what was an initimate presentation on a smaller national final stage was drowned out by the vaster Tel Aviv stage.
ROMANIA: "On a Sunday" – Ester Peony. Though I'm still stewing over the fact that neither Bella Santiago nor Laura Bretan was chosen to represent this country, I have to give much respect to this entry as it actually grew on me that it became one of my favorite songs in this year's batch. Its mix of a laid-back jazzy groove (think Hungary's "Unsubstantial Blues" by Magdi Ruzsa back in 2007) with ominous minor key instrumentation help create an unsettling vibe befitting this tale of heartache. There is an appropriate gothic vibe in the stage presentation, especially with the male backup dancers acting like manservants subservient to Ester's bidding. I can see this bringing Romania back to the finals.
DENMARK: "Love is Forever" – Leonora. Leonora employed an old Eurovision trick that was prevalent back in the 1960s to 1990s–peppering verses sung in other languages than the main language. In this case, the main language is English and Leonora sang verses in French, German and Danish. Will that old-fashioned gambit work in this day and age? I'm not sure–the song is just a tad twee to my ears, but I have to hand it that Leonora is a good singer and stays on pitch throughout at least.
SWEDEN: "Too Late for Love" – John Lundvik. In many ways, this could be viewed as the successor to Cesar Sampson's mantle, and like Cesar he's likely going to be a huge jury darling. In my opinion, this is a big improvement to Cesar Sampson as 1) I always felt uncomfortable when I hear Cesar sing the title line, as I always get an image of him suddenly dressed up in a ballgown-I don't get that vibe with John and this song as this is such an upbeat bop; and 2) unlike Cesar being the only visible onstage performer, John shares the spotlight with his backing vocalists ("The Mamas" as he dubbed them) and their presence indeed enhance the presentation. Yes, this entry is a shoo-in for the finals and could sustain a Top Ten finish for this country.
I also have to note that the pleasure I derive from John's entry is similar to the pleasure I get watching the climactic "Holy Holy" number from Sister Act 2. Yes, this movie is not really well-regarded, but it remains one of my biggest guilty pleasures.
AUSTRIA: "Limits" – PÆNDA. The musical scout Eberard Forcher noted that this entry could be considered divisive, but to my ears, there is nothing divisive about this mellow, delicate ballad. Divisive is what you can describe Tulia, Conan Osiris, or Hatari but not this artist. It's a very pleasant listen–if there is anything to debate about this entry it would be its prospects of advancing to the final. It's not a sure thing that this would advance even if this country has a track record for being a big jury darling. Though there are positive notices about her stage presentation, the fact that the song tend to be deemed as low impact may hamper its chances to advance, especially with a group of heavy hitters like what could be found in the second half ot he semifinal.
COMING UP: 2ND HALF of 2ND SEMIFINAL


I work with companies all around the world to educate and train their management teams on the latest trends in corporate innovation, innovation in China, community building, and more. I provide tactical advice and if needed, my team can help on the execution side as well.
We live in the era where even a single entrepreneur can put an established company/brand out of business. The world of tech is moving faster than ever and your responsibility as a CEO or C-level executive is to know where it is going. You have to be able to predict the future and take action before somebody else will. This workshop will help you understand the process of corporate innovation, how to create your own corporate innovation strategy, and how you find, partner with, and invest in entrepreneurs trying to disrupt your industry.
China is no longer only a place of cheap labor and "Shanzhai" (low-cost fake products). China is the largest e-commerce market in the world with 800M internet users and more than 300M people in the middle class. China is also heavily investing into venture capital and technologies like artificial intelligence (it plans to become the world's leader in AI by the year 2030). New business models are created in China every single day. This workshop will help you understand the innovation landscape in China and how you can take advantage of this huge business opportunity.
Word of mouth is known as of the best marketing and sales channels out there. Devoted community (to your brand/product) combined with the power of social media can give a traditional word of mouth a significant boost. Building a community takes time and you should think about building a community before you need one. This workshop will help you understand what community is all about, how to build one for yourself, and what tools successful companies/individuals use to manage their communities.
Interested in learning more? Please fill out the form below.
Which type of workshop are you interested in?
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text:
Q: Introductory Brownian Motion I'm a beginner in studying Brownian motion with some background in probability theory and I ran into some problems going through the textbook Brownian Motion by Schilling:
Problem Setup
Let's denote the random position of a particle at time $t$ in $[0, T]$ and we will model its movement (left and right) by iid distributed Bernoulli random variables, $\epsilon_k$, $k >= 1$, where

$P(\epsilon_k = 1) = P(\epsilon_k = 0) = 1/2$

so that $S_n = \epsilon_1 +  ... + \epsilon_N$ and $N - S_N$ denote the number of right and left moves.
As a result, the position of the particle at $T = N\Delta t$ is

$X_T = S_N\Delta x - (N - S_N)\Delta x = \sum_{k=1}^N (2\epsilon_k-1)\Delta x$

Then, the book goes on to define $t = n\Delta t$ and say since the $\epsilon_k$ are iid random variables, the two increments $X_T - X_t$ and $X_t - X_0$ are independent. From there, we write $\sigma^2(t) := Var(X_t)$ and by Bienayme's identity we get

$Var(X_T) = Var(X_T - X_t) + Var(X_t - X_0) = \sigma^2(T - t) + \sigma^2(t)$

which means that the relationship is linear: $Var(X_T) = \sigma^2(T) = \sigma^2T$.
Questions
I don't understand why the book then says since $E(\epsilon_k) = 1/2$ and $Var(\epsilon_k) = 1/4
$ it can get by a direction calulation that

$Var(X_T) = N(\Delta x)^2$

and how it calculates $S_N^*$ and arrives at the conclusion that

$X_T = \sum_{k=1}^N (2\epsilon_k-1)\Delta x = (2S_N - N)\Delta x = S_N^*\sqrt T\sigma$, where $S_N^* = \frac{2S_N - N}{\sqrt N} = \frac{S_N - ES_N}{\sqrt {Var(S_N)}}$

and $S_N^*$ is the normalization (mean 0 and variance 1) of the random variable $S_N$.
Thank you for taking the time and helping me!


text:
package org.apache.beam.examples;

import com.google.common.io.Files;
import java.io.File;
import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
import org.apache.beam.examples.DebuggingWordCount.WordCountOptions;
import org.apache.beam.sdk.testing.TestPipeline;
import org.junit.Rule;
import org.junit.Test;
import org.junit.rules.TemporaryFolder;
import org.junit.runner.RunWith;
import org.junit.runners.JUnit4;

/** Tests for {@link DebuggingWordCount}. */
@RunWith(JUnit4.class)
public class DebuggingWordCountTest {
  @Rule public TemporaryFolder tmpFolder = new TemporaryFolder();

  private String getFilePath(String filePath) {
    if (filePath.contains(":")) {
      return filePath.replace("\\", "/").split(":", -1)[1];
    }
    return filePath;
  }

  @Test
  public void testDebuggingWordCount() throws Exception {
    File inputFile = tmpFolder.newFile();
    File outputFile = tmpFolder.newFile();
    Files.write(
        "stomach secret Flourish message Flourish here Flourish",
        inputFile,
        StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
    WordCountOptions options = TestPipeline.testingPipelineOptions().as(WordCountOptions.class);
    options.setInputFile(getFilePath(inputFile.getAbsolutePath()));
    options.setOutput(getFilePath(outputFile.getAbsolutePath()));
    DebuggingWordCount.runDebuggingWordCount(options);
  }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Kickass McAwesome: Lappy Mk. II.
So as I'm sure you're all aware, my old laptop died. I had it for three years. A Dell Inspiron. I thoroughy enjoyed that laptop. I graduated college with it, spent a good portion of my free time on it, and most importantly I made every part of my websites on it, and now it's dead.
In it's place, I now have an Asus G71, a laptop superior to its predecessor in every possible way. Faster processor, larger hardrive, more RAM and its screen is even .1 inch bigger than my last laptop. Only problem is, like all new PCs sold before last Friday, it came with Vista, thus today's comic.


Heart disease is the number one killer in America today. This article will help you learn about the common tests used today to detect heart disease. It also helps you learn the signs and risk factors that mean you might get or already have heart disease.
Before your health care providers order any of these tests, they will have found out about your medical and family history. They will have also done a physical exam. They might do a few of the heart tests in their office, send you to have them done in another location and/or refer you to a heart doctor (cardiologist). All of these tests help your health care providers learn how your heart is working.
An EKG is a recording of the electrical activity of your heart. Each heartbeat starts with this electrical activity. An EKG machine is a recording machine that can pick up these electrical signals and record them on paper. Several small wires that run to the recording machine are attached to your chest with a sticky gel. Each heartbeat makes wavy lines on the EKG. The EKG only takes a few seconds to do.
The pattern of the EKG helps your health care provider diagnose heart disease. They can determine the location and amount of damage done by a heart attack. An EKG can also give important information about the effects of high blood pressure on your heart, abnormal heart rhythms or heart defects you were born with. Either your health care provider or a cardiologist may perform an EKG. If your health care provider detects a problem, they may refer you to a cardiologist for further tests.
An echocardiogram is a quick, safe and painless test that uses sound waves to show how well your heart muscle and valves are working. A transducer (a tool that looks like a microphone) is used to bounce sound waves off your heart. A computer changes the sound waves into images. These images show how strongly your heart beats, whether or not anything is abnormal, and many other problems. An echocardiogram is usually done in a cardiologist's office.
A stress test helps your health care provider find out whether or not you have heart disease. You are hooked up to an EKG machine and then observed as you walk on a treadmill. The treadmill gradually gets faster and steeper, increasing the workload on your heart. The professionals doing the test will coach you and closely monitor your EKG during the exercise.
There are several special types of stress tests that can be done depending on your situation. There are even stress tests for people who cannot walk at all on a treadmill. The stress test is done in a cardiologist's office and takes about 45 minutes. An abnormal stress test may mean you have blockages in your heart.
If the cardiologist believes that these tests show signs of heart disease, you may be asked to have a cardiac catheterization.
A cardiac catheterization (also called a coronary angiogram) is a test where a cardiologist takes pictures of the inside of the arteries of your heart. A cardiac catheterization is done in a hospital or an outpatient center in a special room with equipment designed just for this test. You don't have to be admitted to the hospital for this test. With the special equipment, the cardiologist can see if you have any blockages and in which arteries they are located.
The results of a cardiac catheterization show exactly which treatment is best for you. Sometimes you may only need to take some new medicines after the test. Sometimes tiny balloons are used to remove blockages, and stents (small wire-mesh tubes) can be put in to help keep the arteries open.. Occasionally, a heart bypass surgery is necessary.
You can control many of these risk factors for heart disease by choosing to eat healthy, being physically active and quitting smoking (if you smoke). Other risk factors can't be changed, such as your family history. Take steps, one at a time, to change the risk factors you can control.
If you have any of the warning signs and/or risk factors for heart disease, talk to your pharmacist and your health care provider about these and your concerns about heart disease.


Established in 1998, Top Choice Holidays is located in Meanwood, Leeds, UK, and employs a team of four dedicated travel professionals.
With over 80 years in the travel business between us, we've gained a reputation for providing a thorough, personalised service that isn't always easy to find in an age of holiday shops and online deals. Yet you'll find our prices as competitive as anyone else. Being independent also means we're able to bring you an even wider range of holidays, with 100% unbiased advice.
With Top Choice Holidays, you deal with the same friendly travel consultant throughout. Telephone us and you'll get straight through to a real person – and we always call customers back when we say we will.
Many of our customers have been with us for years. Because we know their needs, they're happy to trust us with all their holiday requirements. We also have excellent relationships with all our tour operators and hotels and invite post-holiday feedback from customers to help us improve our service still further.


text:
Big Game Hunters
RP Logs » RP Log Archives » Big Game Hunters
A group of mercenaries led by an apex predator closes in on the X-Men's mission in Kenya.
The edge of Lake Victoria
A massive lake that's gradually getting less massive.
NPCs: Matthew the Insect Guy, some mercenaries
A Dark Hold
Apocalypse: Only the Strong
Blood versus Family
Bones Of The City
Breaking the Universe
Cyberdata War: First Strike
Dark Gods & Times
De Oppresso Liber
Demon Lord of New York
Diaz de Muertos
Don't Tell Thanos The Babysitter's Dead
Empire of Tears
Escape from Sakaar
Gateway to the Stars
Genosha: Rebirth
God Of The Dead
Hacker, Sass-Mastah, Engineer, Spy
Himmel und Hölle in Bewegung Setzen
page 1 of 3123next »
ONE MONTH AGO:
"These architectual plans are shit. I didn't pay you thirty thousand goddamned dollars for a fucking three-hundred dollar job."
"It's the best we could do in so little time. The cost of—"
"Fuck the costs, if we're trying to build a city, then we need PROPER PLANS."
"But Sir, once most of the Architects we've hired figured out what we were going to do, we had to-.."
"Yeah, yeah. We could probably work with this piece of shits you call drawings. Get the mechanical and the inspectors on the line and try to push this through."
"Even while they're there?"
"It won't be long. Those people are going to be done, so we need to get started right away."
"And Creed?"
"He's been on the sidelines for too long."
The man scribbles a few numbers down, the paper soon pushed towards his underling.
"Woah.. Sir, that's.."
"..what he'll receive upon completion. Soon as those fucks at Worthington Industries are going to know what's up, they're going to call in help. That's all there is to it."
"But.."
Curich and Pettigrew headed back towards the lab to continue to work upon their duties, while Matthew, Ororo and Jean's path would take them towards Lake Victoria. Warren had taken to the skies for now, the overview of the village was vast enough to provide the image of a large city, schools surrounded by dust and dirt due to the children who made the surrounding areas their playground.
Surely, humanitarians brought about swings and playsets for the children to play on, but they couldn't help but track paths, favoring the open fields for their endeavors.
There were bits of trees smattering across the hot plains and a few buildings here and there, as well as a rather large hospital that employs a number of professionally trained individuals; it was Lwak's only and official teaching hospital, Doctors Without Borders often come to visit with slides of rare diseases and some most common for them to learn from.
Side huts carried food that was specially grown from other villages, while the villagers themselves sold trinkets that was made from their bare hands. There was no signs of distress here; almost everything seemed to be a tight, running ship.
Perhaps they didn't know of the future problems they'll face?
JEAN & ORORO:
Jean gives Ororo a wary look as she follows close to the woman, allowing her shoulder to touch hers as they create the path that leads them from the village proper and through the trees. "I'm unsure of Mimic's reach when it comes to contacting him. But I suppose a phone call to Scott and the others wouldn't hurt."
"Given that we may be entering Cerebro-or-Henry territory," Ororo replies, "I'm inclined to agree."
Warren isn't the only one who's taken to the air, but he has the luxury of only needing to worry about keeping himself afloat. Ororo, on the other hand, volunteered herself to bring herself, Jean, and Matt to Lake Victoria instead of making the other two doctors give up their vehicle and walk. It could be worse, of course - one of them could be made of metal, or have metal bones, or incessantly shed blue fur into the group's travel-sized wind tunnel - but the harsh light of the sun isn't the only reason she's sweating.
Sand and dirt swirl around the group in loose ribbons, always held several feet back from actually coating hair, spraying into eyes, or slipping into clothes. A few leaves get mixed in too when they approach the tree-line, though she tries to compensate for this by bringing them up higher.
Which makes the heat worse, of course, but given the water situation here… a little extra sweat is worth preserving what foliage remains.
Warren likes to have an idea of the surroundings early on. Although it would have been nice to spot something alarming from the sky and so be able to solve the problem quickly. It rarely happens that way, though.
Lwak doesn't seem much different than the poor city-sized towns of many other underdeveloped countries. He has seen a few already. They need everything, but a good start is providing the cities with more cheap electric power. That is why Worthington Enterprises is here. If electric windmills are feasible, the city will have more than a couple hours of light every day. It means industry could develop, it means schools can open after dusk, the hospitals do not have to rely so much on expensive fuel-based generators.
A full circle around the city and Warren sees Jean and Ororo flying towards the lake. He beats his wings faster, calculating their flight path so he can join them when they touch the ground.
"Ground-breaking needs to happen soon. I have all of the contracts lined up so that we can get started making the new mecca."
"Is that what we're going to call it?"
"No, it's just a place holder for now, at least until those people can be va.."
"But they won't leave, not without a fight."
"Contingency. I have everything set in place."
"Oh? And how are you.."
"Mutant town."
"Are you fuc.."
"Yes, I'm fucking serious."
It was a good thing that Jean was the only empath upon their radius. While she was good at masking emotions that would cross features, there was still a touch of fear buried within her belly at using her gifts so carelessly. After giving glimpses into her own past and shared with another, the fear that they had mingled along with her own and brought them to light again. Nothing, however, but a little therapy with Professor X wouldn't fix. If only..
"Mm? Perhaps when we touch down and find out the problems of the Lake, yes. I'm doubtful that we may need more assistance on this.." But she was unsure, she knew what she felt, but that doesn't mean that she couldn't have hope.
There was a little something that Jean could do; push back the debris and leaves with a telekinetic field, not encasing but picking them apart so that none of them manages to hit nor stick to them, boistering Storm's efforts.
"We are almost there." Matt speaks up, his hand lifting to point in the general direction of the lake. "Just a few more paces and we'll be able to land."
Jean glances back to catch sight of Warren, her hand lifting up in a slight finger wave as she looks on. The sun was slowly beginning to set, and flying gave them time enough to save the daylight should they need it.
"Down here." Matt quietly suggests, looking blow his feet to see the open space that lines the lake itself…
..the lake that is slowly draining. It was obvious where the lake started to flow over before the issues started; scores of dead florae line the edges, small cliffs and jagged shores of rock seen, how some of the salt stained and marked it's presence leaving almost nothing behind.
There were a few dead and rotten fish that littled a part of the shore, along with a particular scent that carries evaporation along with it. And if they look hard enough? Small little mists rises from the surface of the lake itself to vanish into the thin air.
Jean and Matt are set down when Matt indicates; Storm waits a few moments longer so she can touch down right by the edge of the water. The unnatural movement of moisture from it, into the air, then to— well, nowhere, by all appearances is difficult for a woman with her connection to natural systems to miss, almost as much so as the smell of rotting fish and plant matter.
A shiver passes through her body when her feet first settle on the parched earth. Pain both remembered and resurgent due to their proximity to this ecological misfortune blooms in her chest, but she kneels, dips her fingers in the water, and lets Mother Nature's tears flow through her in an effort to get a better sense of their cause. Maybe being this close to one of the trauma spots will make it easier to pinpoint something— or, at least, identify it.
Maybe it'll backfire and leave her agonized or dessicated.
Either way, it's a risk that her lengthy tenure in the X-Men has prepared her for, even if the connection between battling evil mutants and splashing around a lake might seem tenuous.
Before making contact, she looks over her shoulder to say, "Let us pray that we - and Lwak - won't need more than just us," to the trio(hi, Warren!) nearby.
"I had missundertood," states Warren upon landing. "The lake being drained is Victoria? In that case the ecosystems of three countries and the Nile River are in danger. It is an international problem." Also, it seems impossible a single mutant could do this… well, no. Ororo could do this. Sometimes it is worrisome to even consider the destructive power of some of the X-Men.
"I didn't see anything unusual from the air," admits the winged mutant. "But if it is a single person altering the lake, then I don't think I would. Have the waters been analyzed for strange substances?"
The cause was as clear as day. Storm could feel it, just as Matt begins to speak upon the matter.
"From what Pettigrew has gathered here, she found that the water itself was being broken down to various states that would cause the water itself to boil and evaporate. To the start, it is not as hot to the touch, but somehow, small layer by layer is lifted from the.." He pauses as he watches Ororo, a little frown upon his features. "Indeed. Let us pray."
Jean glances back towards Warren now, taking a step aside as to allow him further chance to examine the waters himself, his knowledge of the location of the Nile and Lake Victoria itself valuable. As well as the assesement.
"I'm going to call Cyclops. While I have faith in our abilities, I think we need to access cerebro right away. If this is in fact a mutant, then we need to locate him or her as soon as possible."
And there she was, stating the obvious.
Matt nods slightly. "Yes, the waters have been analyzed and the results are back with Pettigrew and Curich. So far, we've found strains of adipocere, which is odd considering it's location. On top of that, there is a lacking of magnesium and calcium. High concentrations of sodium, chloride and amino acids found in.." He almost looks a little bit sick. "Stomach acid."
Jean wrinkles her nose as she reaches towards her hip to pull out her phone, swiping her fingers against the screen as she speaks up, while mid-dial. "That.. almost sounds like a parasite that's eating the water."
"Could be." Matt confesses. "We thought that there was a machine installed deep within the waters that pumped the water itself out to another preserve, but our local divers are unable to find a thing at the bottom."
TWO MILES AWAY:
"I'm in position. The freaks are at the water."
The unknown gunman zooms in his telescope, catching the four of the 'explorers' in his sights.
"Say the word, and I'll line 'em up and knock them the fuck down."
"'Adipocere'?"
The question is several seconds late; Storm's mind was elsewhere throughout and after the explanation, but key words were caught. As soon as she withdraws, stray droplets are shaken or blown free from her fingers and another shiver passes through her.
"A— parasite?" Storm's eyes turn between Jean and Matt as she idly rubs her arms, uncertain as to whether the subtle creeping sensation she's feeling just beneath her skin is a psychosomatic reaction to the suggestion her teammate's made, or— well.
Something worse.
"Call him. Call Henry, as well." Her eyes return to Matt. "Can you call them? Do they have access to a secure mail server? Do you think they'd mind sharing their findings with another set of eyes?"
"That sounds like the cause is organic, really," but Warren is not a scientist, he can't be sure. Maybe there are monsters under the water, as an X-Men ha has seen his share of bizarre, Twilight Zone-worthy events. "Hmm, yeah. Beast would know. But he is not around. How could we clean the lake?"
"Do I have the shot? Can I take the fucking shot?"
"We need confirmation.."
"There's four of them. In some weird looking suits."
"Who are they?"
"Maggot feed."
Matt glances towards Storm, nodding his head briefly. "Adipocere. Derived from dead bodies." He does take a step closer to the shore, bending to dip his fingers in, rubbing it against the pad of them as he draws his hand to his nose to sniff. "Of course!" He perks up, standing to his full height, hands immediately rubbing the water off upon the pants of his legs. "This is why we called you guys in! The more help the merrier. We need to find the source of this issue soon."
Jean draws her phone towards the air, taking a few steps away to search for a decent enough signal to place the call. "Perhaps we can get Calvin to send Henry out? I think that would be.." She was obviously murmuring to herself..
"Perhaps." Matt directs towards Warren. "Curich is attempting to derive a solution from the samples we've collected. So far, what we've tested on the water stores isn't enough to cure the whole lake, given it's size. But if there is a way to fashion a solution that we could apply to the waters that would keep it from evaporating as well as the unknown minerals at bay, /without/ poisoning Lwak's people as a whole.."
"I'm taking the fucking shot. I didn't come here to bitch watch."
"STAND DOWN. ASSET IS IN PLAY!"
*POP*
The phone within Jean's hands explodes, the sniper pulling up at the last second, missing the kill-shot but catching the phone in the process. Jean immediately drops, her hand stinging, little shards of metal and plastic lightly cutting her skin but causing no harsh damage to the flesh.
"AMBUSH!"
Creed, along with a flanking group of hard-nosed mercenaries, six in all, come down at the group in a rapid-assault formation, Creed and two of the mercs leading the way on a motorcycle while the rest pile into a jeep. A jeep, incidentally, with a mounted M-60 machine gun. The others are helmeted, clad in khaki and camo, jacked up with weapons.
Creed's armed, too, with an AK-47 diagonally strapped onto his back, a pistol on his hip, and a couple of long knives jutting out of his boot. But he has no intention of using them, not unless they make him. Takes all the fun out of it, if he can't rip a little flesh off the bone by hand. His grin widens as he spots the mutants, his obvious fangs showing brutally as he kicks off his bike to leap and land in front of them in a crouch, his nails elongating into razored claws, shoulders bunched on his massive frame as he tries to pick who to pounce.
"Eenie, meeney, miney, moat, rip a hero at the throat," he laughs, "If she hollers, pin her down and keep rippin'. Hollerin' makes it fun."
"Protect Matthew!" Storm exclaims with her next breath post-phone explosion. Dust stirs around them as she prepares to hunt for the shooters from above, but roaring engines and a cackling beast make splitting the party a less immediately attractive proposition. Instead, she lunges to close any distance between herself and Matthew, then seizes his arm and jerks him back so that she's closer to Creed than he is. Sparks dance in her snow-white eyes, but much like Creed, she'd rather hold off on going there until she absolutely has to.
Not because it's more fun to fight a crew of heavily armed psychopaths sans electricity, but because the climate isn't remotely favorable towards major lightning displays, and her best options for using what energy she can draw from herelf to efficiently dispatch them very well may kill them, what with the gas tanks and ammunition.
Hands rise, feet slide apart, and the goddess drops into a defensive posture, eyes narrowing on Creed. A few grains of sand swirl around her forearms and dance between her fingers. "That doesn't quite scan, I'm afraid," she notes while warily shifting back a step.
As her feet settle, a sudden gale sends dirt exploding from the riverbed and bank into the air around them. Most is hurled directly at Creed's face in the hopes of imparing his senses and slowing him down; the rest scatters all around to throw off the mercenaries' aim for a few moments and give Jean a opportunity to erect more solid protective measures.
Warren reacts quickly, pushing Matt down and stepping forward, to take off. But he changes his mind seeing the armed men coming. "Jean, please shield us," he requests, his wings changing from white feathers to grey metal razors, and spreading to block the line of sight of the machine gun.
The second the redhead raises her telekinetic shields, Archangel jumps to the sky. He can see the sniper easily enough and aims for him, quickly accelerating to several hundred miles per hour.
Storm's words drew Warren into action. Even though Matthew was stunned by word of ambush and a shove from the dark lady, he rightly curls himself, preparing himself to land upon his side as Warren pushed him out of the way. He wasn't hurt, but he was adamant at staying down. He -was- a student of those gathered, after all, he knows when there's a fight to be had and a fight to steer clear from.
The roar of the machine causes Jean to take a step back, dropping into stance as she keeps her place a little behind Ororo.
There was no need for her to be in front when the debris began to fly.
The call to shield draws her into action, however, both hands lifting to press fingers to temple as she focuses her essenses upon those gathered. It wasn't a personal bubble that she gave them, a shield that was close to the body to protect their whole selves from being damaged.
"Matthew!"
"On it!" He calls out, scrambling to his feet as he begins to work his hands..
..and in the distance?
..a faint sound of buzzing…
The blast of dust and dirt into his face makes Creed snarl, thrashing his head and spitting out muddy gunk, his eyes and nose irritated. That snarl turns truly bestial, something close to a lion's roar, the kind of things that raises the hackles on the back of your neck, a primitive response to the presence of an apex predator. Frustrated, though he is, he leaps blindly, going on the locations they had before, lashing out with his razored claws…only to find them deflected by the personal shields Jean has built around them, the gutting stroke that would've taken Jean's liver straight from her body skittering to the side as he finds himself moved past them.
The other mercs open fire, several taking shots up at Warren as he flies overhead, while the others unload futilely at Storm, Jean and Matthew. THey don't worry about hitting Creed. Creed doesn't mind a little friendly fire in the pursuit of a good murder.
The beast-man looks back over his shoulder, his healing factor finally clearing the grit from his eyes and throat, and he starts to laugh, "Forget 'em boys. Let 'em hide in their little bubbles and watch. Scorched earth, burn this place to the fuckin' ground and use the bodies fer tinder!"
Now that they're covered, Storm has a little more room to put the environment to work without having to worry about ruining everyone's eyes, throats, et cetera.
She just has to keep an eye on Warren, who might not entirely appreciate what she has in mind.
"Phoenix! How long?" the goddess presses while drawing her hands so close that they nearly knit together in front of her. Whatever hasn't already been ingested by Creed joins sediment already spinning through the air, or picked up fresh from the ground in flowing flowing along the edges of the barrier on the way to the jeep. Depending on how alert they are, the mercenaries have plenty of signs pointing to what happens next between the rush of wind being stirred into a vortex and the unnatural dance of dirt through the air.
How useful the warning is when Storm thrusts her arms skywards and whips wind and dirt into a localized dust devil around the jeep is a whole other story, though.
A moment after it begins, the goddess lets out a long, shuddering breath, squares her eyes on Creed, and wonders, "Surely, it isn't you who's depriving this village of water, is it? Who paid you to do this?" Without shifting her gaze, she restates the question in a louder, almost thundering voice: "Who is responsible for this atrocity you've dedicated yourselves to furthering?!"
Archangel spins in the air, offering his back to the shooters. Few can hit someone moving so fast, but a couple bullets bounce off his metal wings. And then he is on the sniper. He spreads the wings for a second, losing most of his speed, and sweeping cutting the man's weapon in two. The assassin is also hit, a bone-deep gash through his upper shoulder that will ensure he can't shoot anything heavy for the next few months.
"Don't even attempt to run," he warns him, turning back to see how his teammates are doing. The warning is mostly unnecessary, as the neurotoxin in his wings is going to keep the gunman paralyzed for a few minutes.
Storm is bringing down a whirlwind, but as Archangel Warren has more in common with a jet fighter than with a bird. The high speed winds hinder him some, but they are not going to ground him or make him crash.
"As long as…"
The swarm begins to fly overhead, making it's way towards Creed, Matthew cackling like a mad-man as the african hornets brush along his body in greeting.
"…needed?" Jean was really in shock, she didn't expect the swarm, but that was Matthew, she nearly had forgotten his powers and treated him as a normal human being. Good. Good people.
The following slash to her mid-section throws her off, but she was still able to keep her shields up, that hit knocking her back a few paces as she re-fortifies herself, but she was obviously distracted. Something was coming.. something that wasn't there..
The sniper screams out in pain as he falls to the ground, his weapon sheared in half which was reached for, and tossed aside. He was bleeding; and there was no where for him to run. But that didn't mean he couldn't crawl. And so he did! One arm-to-elbow pressed to the ground as he tries to drag himself away, stopping long enough to tear shreds out of his pants to try to bind his leg one handedly.. but it was futile.
"FUCK!"
"Assess the situation."
"They're fucking mutants!"
"Send their faces to command."
"My fucking arm is dead!"
"JUST DO IT!"
"I can't feel anything!"
The sniper was set to a full panic as the fray was continuing, Creed facing off with Storm, Warren within the sky and Jean upon the ground. Her eyes dart towads the sky as she herself sees a flash of red, the phoenix bird echoing through the skies with a scream that shakes her soul to the core…
..which drops the shields..
..and her in rapid succession.
Creed grins up at Storm as she screams down at him, "Sorry, hot chocolate, I'm afraid I'm gonna have t'invoke my Constitutional right to gut you like a fish," he says, leaping up in the air and slashing out at her with his claws. The turbulence is enough to keep his aim off as the shields drop, though, but his powerful muscles carry him higher in the air than you'd think and he lands with an acrobatic crouch, sniffing the air as he scents the fear coming off of Jean.
"Somethin' wicked this way comes," he mutters under his breath. What, he can read Shakespeare. Okay, Ray Bradbury. Still respectable.
He watches as the jeep gets sideswiped by the weather, dumping his extra muscle on their over-armed asses, his cat-slit eyes narrowing as he watches the operation fall apart. When the swarm hits him, he laughs, the stinging sinking into his skin and muscles, but his just grins, even as blood runs down his face in a slowly spready crimson mask, turning, 'You call this pain, boy? Come give Uncle Creed a hug an' we'll compare notes while I rip yer skin off the bone."
Staying aloft would have been the safest approach to dealing with someone like Creed. He's strapped, sure, but bullets can be misdirected; given enough height, Storm may have been able to keep herself entirely out of his reach while his back-up was handled.
But there was a shield around them for 'as long as they needed'.
And there was a student — no, ex-student — to consider.
And Jean is struggling; going airborne would mean leaving the two of them alone, maybe even with him.
Ororo's too occupied with trying to subdue the mercenaries to anticipate, much less react to Creed's sudden assault. Apparently, they don't need the shield anymore; that must be why she's stumbling to her knees as blood gushes from long, ragged furrows etched down her chest and pools on the parched earth.
"J— Phoenix— " the goddess gasps, drawing a trembling hand from her fresh wounds to see just how bloody it is after a few moments of contact. The dust devil howls, momentarily threatening to slip its leash and scour over everyone before Storm manages to scatter its energies. Wide, white eyes eyes dart from Creed to Jean to Creed to the air to Creed.
"Are— are you well?"
The hornets gave her - all of them, really - a reprieve that might not last long, judging from the sadist's taunts. If Jean is down, it's up to she and Warren to keep Creed under control; Matt might be an ex-student, but he is not an X-Man. Her blood-soaked hand stretches towards the feral mercenary and the sparks that were dancing in her eyes bloom into a crackling crown of electricity as ozone and sizzling blood fill the air.
As she struggles to retake her feet, lightning lances from her fingertips, powerful enough to sear, rather than stun. The loss of so many local hornets will surely be a blow to the local ecosystem, but Creed can probably take it, and she's bleeding the hell out.
Warren spots the firebird too, but he gauges distances and well, it is very high, in the upper layers of atmosphere. Not their problem. If he had a few spare second he would realize its trajectory will lead it to the American East Coast.
But there is no time for that. Somehow Jean is down, and Ororo got hit! Snarling in rage, the metal-winged mutant flies back at top speed, aiming to cut Creed in two using his wings like a giant axe.
Fire in the sky.
That feeling that something or someone was coming was realized, burned to the bone with the need of that cosmic power pulsing through her systems. But she wouldn't dare touch it, even if it was so close within her grasp, it kept her eyes upon the sky with a daring taunt, her hand reaching up towards the cloud with tremors until it just.. collapses.
It took the wind out of her sails..
Much like the wind was reaped from the mercenaries who tried to flee for the village. They take off in another direction, those who weren't hurt or injured abandoning Creed, leaving him to his fate.
Jean didn't speak, only laying upon the ground.. the situation sinking in as her come to jesus moment was realized.. a slow drawing up towards a sitting upright to spy the wound upon Ororo, sudden alarm marking her face.
"Storm!" Matthew cries out, rushing his way towards her aid to try to grasp her arm to hold her steady, if it was allowed. Jean herself? She tries to scramble to her feet, the wind blown from her sails..
The only one left? Is Warren..
Ororo's lightning blast hits Creed square on, sending him flying just out of the pathway of Warren's diving strike, the lightning charring flesh from bone, smoke coming off of him as he flies nearly twenty feet. He lands in a heap, a sick thud coming off him as he hits the hard dirt, probably several bones getting snapped in the process.
And yet…he slowly gets up…he reaches up and peels off layers of burned skin and scab, exposing the meat on the left side of his face, blood and muscle oozing momentarily even as fresh skin starts to spread, the eyeballs melted in its socket starting to reform.
He brings a hand to his mouth and licks some of Storm's blood off his claws, "Oooooooooooooh, some of that tastes arterial. We can dance if you want, pretty boy, but yer girl there prob'ly needs a bit more help than the skittish redhead and Bugboy c'n provide. Or you can fight me an' join her in the bleedin' to death club. Your call, junior."
Storm allows herself to be aided for exactly as long as it takes for her to finish discharging. Afterwards, her head flicks towards Matt, and then she pushes against him, both to try and move him behind herself and use him for one last boost in forcing herself upright.
"Hnggh— "
The goddess' eyes flutter, but down't quite shut as the scent of burning flesh wafts around her and joins the aroma already rolling off of Creed. Sparks fly through the narrow spaces between her hand and her chest.
She simply doesn't have time to bleed to death right now, though unless Jean manages to pull herself together or Warren is able to get another, better pass at the beast, she may not have a choice.
She hurls another bolt Creed's way, but physical trauma and the stress of leaning so heavily on her powers in these tortured environs mean that it doesn't have the punch of the first.
And that means that as soon as it's thrown, she turns and runs— hobbles— whichever, really, at this point— towards Jean, stumbling into a slide on her knees that brings her within arm's reach of the psychic instead of braking smoothly. If she had to, she'd face him alone until one of them killed the other, if that's what it took to keep him from taking anyone else, but—
"Phoenix!" the goddess screams, grabbing the redhead's shoulder and shaking her fiercely. "PHOENIX! I do not know what ails you, my friend, but I know that you DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!"
— she'd really rather it didn't come to that.
Archangel clenches his jaw as he misses Creed for a few inches. His wings spread wide, turning into six pairs of metal sheets which make him lose most of his speed in a few seconds. "Bleeding. And death," he agrees with un-Warren-like grimness. He lurches forward, but this time the wings are not only to provide him thrust, they also launch a hundred metal flechettes on Creed direction. Extreme overkill if Creed was not a hyperfast regenerator. But Archangel is a killer.
There were flashes.. a white room.. soon divulging into a black sky giving birth to a smattering of stars.. the light of the sun..
It all was hazy.. but the sound of Ororo's voice brings her back to her freak out moment, a shrill breath shuddering as she tries to breathe through her mental moment, a nod straight as she looks into the womans eyes. There was clear distress there, but pushed aside for the moment..
Locked down. Buried.
Warren's alarming actions strike true, Creed pincushioned to hell and back as Jean screams out, her hand lashing out towards Creed a moment too late, that force gripping him light a tight whip which flings him far.. far.. far into the middle of Lake Victoria.
Matthew rushes towards Ororo's side yet again, panic clear within his features. "We need to get to the hospital, NOW!" Sure, Ororo could have fixed herself, but Worthington industries has the best medical teachers/doctors in place.
"Al…alr..alright.." Jean stammers out, mustering enough nerves to draw her friend upright, one arm slung over her shoulders as she glances back towards Warren. "Lets get out of here!" She calls out towards him, keeping Matthew and Ororo near to her as she lifts up light a forceful rocket back towards the village.
SOMETIME LATER:
"Recover the Asset. I don't care what you do or how you do it. It needs to be done."
The man hangs up the phone as he spins around within his desk, his fingers tensing against the other as elbows press against the arms of the leathered chair. The door suddenly opens up to a woman, clad in black business suit with red pumps, dark brown hair tied into a bun, file folders gripped within her dainty hands which were soon lain upon the desk in front of him.
"Is this everything?"
"Yes. Our contact within NSA managed to give us these satellite images of the people within Lwak. Intel suggest that these.. people originate from somewhere within the states."
The man looks over the pictures, flipping them off one by one upon the desk. Photos show Matthew, Pettigrew and Curich, the arrival of the three.. and various parts within the village that shows children, women.. men hard at work. Until it stops on one.
"Kick the program into high gear. And send Rothschild out into the field. I want a documentation of what these people can do and how they can do it. They -could- possibly prove useful."
He leans back within his chair in thought, fingers idly reaching up to scratch beneath the chin.
"Fuck it. Kill them all. Make it look like an accident."
"The entire villiage Sir? Or just those four."
He grins, just a little, leaning forward within his chair..
"…I want…"
_2015angelin_africa_mayphoenixsabretoothstorm


Following the tremendous growth and success of Spirit over the last 10 years, the board and I have concluded that this is the right time to implement an orderly succession plan," Baldanza said in a printed statement released by the Miramar, Florida airline.
Robert L. Fornaro, who led discount carrier AirTran before its sale to Southwest Airlines, will take over as CEO immediately.
I can't say this was expected, especially given the fact that Spirit has thrived since Baldanza took over. That being said, as the article notes, the stock price has lagged as of late. Still, the airline is very profitable (and not as horrible as people think given my recent flight on Spirit).
CEOs getting a quick hook isn't really a trend in the airline industry (United's Jeff Smisek excluded). It makes me wonder if there's more to the story here.
There aren't enough entertaining personalities in the travel industry. Here's hoping Baldanza finds his way back in somewhere and Spirit doesn't decide to develop some reverence in their ad campaigns.
On the contrary, I'll appreciate a less obnoxious airline. Crass is not a formula for success.
Tom, what I'd really appreciate is better on-time performance. Then, I could consider taking them up on their cheap flights more frequently for work travel. I understand why you appreciate less crass. I guess I just enjoy someone having fun with the mundane business of moving bodies and boxes from one place to another.


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text:
Location: Ach
Cosmos 2344 4.1 02:59:55 49° SE 03:00:55 52° ESE 03:08:38 10° NE
Cosmos 2263 Rocket 3.8 03:18:49 27° NNE 03:20:19 30° NE 03:25:16 10° ESE
CZ-2C R/B 4.4 03:26:08 10° NNE 03:27:49 22° NNE 03:27:49 22° NNE
NOSS 3-2 (C) 4.2 03:31:22 48° NNW 03:33:31 66° NE 03:41:46 10° SE
Cosmos 2327 Rocket 4.5 03:34:31 74° SE 03:34:31 74° SE 03:40:12 10° SSE
Nadezhda 1 Rocket 4.1 03:33:15 34° SSE 03:35:57 67° E 03:41:59 10° NNE
ATLAS 3B R/B 3.5 03:36:59 33° N 03:39:15 44° NE 03:45:46 10° ESE
Cosmos 2278 3.9 03:42:07 67° SE 03:42:27 69° ESE 03:48:08 10° NNE
Cosmos 1538 Rocket 4.3 03:46:11 60° SE 03:46:43 64° ESE 03:51:58 10° NNE
CZ-3 R/B 4.3 03:41:00 26° SW 03:48:23 32° SSW 03:56:33 10° SE
Cosmos 1758 Rocket 4.4 03:49:50 48° E 03:49:50 48° E 03:53:47 10° SSE
Cosmos 2369 3.8 03:52:45 68° N 03:52:45 68° N 03:57:50 10° NNE
NOSS 3-2 (A) 3.9 03:52:25 55° NW 03:54:22 79° SW 04:02:44 10° SSE
USA 215 3.2 03:49:04 10° ESE 03:55:37 85° NNE 03:57:08 57° NW
Cosmos 1726 4.1 03:53:09 10° SSE 03:56:18 27° E 03:59:28 10° NNE
CENTAUR R/B 3.2 03:57:40 33° NNW 04:01:47 75° NE 04:10:29 10° SE
Okean O Rocket 3.8 04:01:46 10° NE 04:05:29 26° E 04:09:11 10° SSE
STARLINK-61 4.0 04:12:49 58° E 04:12:49 58° E 04:16:11 10° ENE
STARLINK 4.3 04:12:47 47° SSE 04:12:51 47° SE 04:16:44 10° ENE
STARLINK-75 4.1 04:13:58 51° ESE 04:13:58 51° ESE 04:17:22 10° ENE
Cosmos 1825 Rocket 3.6 04:13:29 63° NNE 04:14:06 77° E 04:18:26 10° SSE
Cosmos 1697 Rocket 2.7 04:15:14 55° NW 04:15:14 55° NW 04:20:32 10° NNE
SJ-12 4.3 04:12:14 10° NNE 04:16:17 62° E 04:20:19 10° S
Abrixas rocket 4.2 04:19:21 24° SE 04:19:21 24° SE 04:20:45 10° ESE
SL-4 R/B 3.5 04:22:06 22° SSE 04:22:06 22° SSE 04:23:41 10° SSE
ATLAS 2AS CENTAUR R/B 3.4 04:16:05 10° SSW 04:23:56 65° ESE 04:31:49 10° NE
STARLINK-29 4.1 04:25:44 42° NNE 04:25:44 42° NNE 04:28:47 10° E
ALOS 2.4 04:20:51 10° NNE 04:25:33 73° ESE 04:30:12 10° S
EXPRESS MD2 4.0 04:26:43 36° ENE 04:26:43 36° ENE 04:28:13 10° ENE
Genesis I 3.5 04:28:11 55° N 04:28:42 62° NE 04:32:30 10° SE
Lacrosse 5 4.2 04:26:54 10° S 04:30:50 23° SE 04:34:47 10° ENE
USA 238 DEB 4.1 04:29:55 38° W 04:31:57 47° WSW 04:38:57 10° S
USA 238 4.1 04:30:00 38° WNW 04:32:04 47° WSW 04:39:04 10° S
STARLINK-33 3.3 04:32:13 68° SSE 04:32:18 69° SSE 04:35:53 10° ENE
Cosmos 2227 4.1 04:31:36 32° NW 04:34:16 73° WSW 04:39:52 10° SSE
Cosmos 1606 Rocket 3.5 04:30:14 10° S 04:34:41 86° E 04:39:07 10° N
COSMO-SKYMED 1 2.6 04:31:33 10° S 04:35:40 54° WSW 04:35:40 54° WSW
Cosmos 2366 rocket 4.3 04:30:44 10° N 04:37:06 71° ENE 04:43:26 10° SSE
Starlink (trailer) 3.7 04:36:37 48° SSW 04:37:34 69° SSE 04:41:35 10° ENE
Cosmos 1703 3.4 04:35:28 17° N 04:38:26 73° E 04:42:22 10° SSE
Helios 1A Rocket 4.3 04:36:23 10° NNE 04:40:18 40° E 04:44:12 10° S
Meteor 1-21 Rocket 4.4 04:36:34 12° NNW 04:41:53 52° W 04:47:35 10° SSW
Cosmos 962 Rocket 4.5 04:37:26 10° NNW 04:43:36 59° W 04:49:47 10° S
STARLINK-80 3.9 04:43:57 43° NNW 04:44:11 44° N 04:47:51 10° ENE
Lacrosse 5 rocket 2.9 04:44:11 24° NNW 04:45:17 27° N 04:49:08 10° ENE
NOSS 2-2 (D) 3.8 04:48:16 39° NW 04:48:16 39° NW 04:52:19 10° NNE
CZ-4B DEB 4.1 04:46:15 10° NNE 04:51:50 83° WNW 04:57:22 10° SSW
Cosmos 2228 2.9 04:50:58 10° SSW 04:55:20 65° W 04:59:44 10° N
COSMOS 2455 2.8 04:51:25 17° SW 04:56:07 61° NW 05:02:06 10° NNE
Cosmos 2322 Rocket 3.0 04:52:33 10° S 04:58:03 55° ESE 05:03:37 10° NE
Cosmos 1953 3.5 05:02:55 25° NW 05:02:55 25° NW 05:05:15 10° N
METEOR-M 4.1 04:58:47 10° N 05:04:04 59° WNW 05:09:17 10° SSW
STARLINK-60 3.0 05:06:16 39° WNW 05:07:23 86° SSW 05:10:46 10° ESE
PSLV R/B 4.4 05:04:12 10° N 05:07:37 32° WNW 05:07:52 31° WNW
STARLINK 1014 4.4 05:06:06 11° SSW 05:08:41 32° SE 05:11:23 10° ENE
Orbus 7S? 4.0 05:07:24 30° W 05:08:49 47° SW 05:15:00 10° SSE
CZ-2C R/B 4.2 05:05:33 10° NNW 05:07:13 15° NW 05:07:13 15° NW
Cosmos 923 Rocket 4.0 05:07:12 10° SW 05:12:23 58° WNW 05:17:40 10° NNE
SL-8 Rocket 4.1 05:06:44 10° NNW 05:12:45 53° W 05:18:41 10° SSW
Cosmos 1844 Rocket 3.5 05:12:01 10° NNW 05:17:30 49° NE 05:22:57 10° SE
Meteor 2-10 4.3 05:14:22 10° SSW 05:19:41 48° WNW 05:24:52 10° N
Cosmos 1953 Rocket 4.3 05:18:42 11° NNW 05:22:29 32° W 05:26:23 10° SSW
SMAP 3.5 05:19:07 10° NNE 05:23:46 64° ESE 05:28:22 10° S
RESURS DK-1 3.2 05:25:35 10° S 05:29:37 53° ESE 05:33:40 10° NE
ATLAS 3B R/B 2.8 05:24:15 13° NW 05:30:10 57° WSW 05:36:54 10° SSE
Cosmos 1726 3.2 05:28:34 10° SW 05:31:31 23° WNW 05:34:29 10° NNW
SL-16 R/B 2.2 05:32:29 10° SW 05:38:08 69° WNW 05:43:49 10° NNE
USA 215 4.0 05:33:14 10° SSE 05:39:05 35° SW 05:44:31 12° WNW
NOSS 3-4 (A) 3.4 05:33:45 10° SW 05:39:44 67° NW 05:46:12 10° NE
NOSS 3-4 (C) 3.4 05:33:50 10° SW 05:39:50 67° NW 05:46:18 10° NE
FENGYUN 3A 4.4 05:36:53 10° N 05:41:35 31° WNW 05:46:16 10° WSW
Okean O Rocket 2.1 05:37:48 10° N 05:41:57 38° WNW 05:46:03 10° SW
FALCON 9 DEB 3.2 05:40:35 16° WNW 05:43:19 73° SSW 05:46:49 10° SE
Okean-O 3.7 05:39:43 10° NNE 05:44:03 49° E 05:48:20 10° S
H-2A R/B 2.7 05:40:25 10° N 05:44:19 63° WNW 05:48:09 10° SSW
CZ-4B R/B 3.4 05:41:04 10° N 05:46:24 47° WNW 05:51:35 10° SW
STARLINK-43 4.0 05:44:11 14° WNW 05:47:12 44° N 05:50:47 10° E
Nadezhda 3 Rocket 4.1 05:41:25 10° S 05:47:35 87° E 05:53:49 10° N
ADEOS Rocket 3.0 05:42:46 10° S 05:48:03 48° W 05:53:35 10° NNW
BREEZE M DEB (TANK) 3.2 05:45:12 10° WSW 05:48:05 89° SSE 05:55:45 10° ENE
BREEZE M DEB (TANK) 3.7 05:36:21 12° WNW 05:48:55 74° SSW 05:52:46 10° ESE
Envisat 3.4 05:46:27 10° NNE 05:51:33 72° ESE 05:56:37 10° S
Cosmos 1300 2.6 05:47:52 10° SSW 05:51:41 71° WNW 05:55:31 10° N
Cosmos 1844 4.0 05:46:11 10° NNW 05:51:46 69° ENE 05:57:18 10° SE
CENTAUR R/B 3.8 05:45:02 10° NW 05:52:16 36° WSW 05:59:57 10° S
Cosmos 1980 Rocket 3.3 05:48:06 10° W 05:52:36 23° NW 05:57:06 10° N
NOAA 12 4.4 05:47:38 10° NNE 05:52:58 75° ESE 05:58:15 10° S
Abrixas rocket 4.3 05:51:31 10° WSW 05:53:05 13° SW 05:54:37 10° S
IRS-1C Rocket 4.1 05:48:17 10° NNE 05:53:36 85° WNW 05:58:53 10° SSW
CZ-2C R/B 4.0 05:48:49 10° SE 05:53:41 39° ENE 05:58:40 10° N
Alouette 2 Rocket 3.3 05:53:17 10° SSW 05:57:49 82° WNW 06:01:27 10° NNE
Cosmos 2058 Rocket 3.9 05:54:25 10° SW 05:58:11 27° WNW 06:01:56 10° NNW
Cosmos 1908 4.5 05:56:54 10° WSW 05:59:57 21° WNW 06:03:00 10° NNW
Cosmos 1697 Rocket 4.3 05:57:12 10° WNW 06:00:16 15° NW 06:03:23 10° N
Cosmos 1680 Rocket 4.2 05:56:40 10° WSW 06:01:26 33° NW 06:06:14 10° N
Cosmos 371 Rocket 4.3 05:57:02 10° NNW 06:01:44 46° ENE 06:06:23 10° SE
ALOS 3.7 05:59:29 10° NNW 06:02:26 17° WNW 06:05:21 10° W
Meteor 2-1 Rocket 4.4 06:05:47 10° S 06:11:26 82° E 06:17:01 10° NNE
ATLAS 2AS CENTAUR R/B 3.4 06:07:43 10° WSW 06:15:23 46° NW 06:22:58 10° NE


So you've decided your bathroom needs a makeover? Tiling your bathroom is the first step. Maybe you have a vinyl or hardwood floor that's not appealing anymore, or you just want a change in appearance. By following the steps below, you should be able to tile your bathroom in no time.
Determine what you'll need in regards to how much tile, grout, and underlayment you'll need before starting to lay tile. Measuring the dimensions with a tape measure will allow you to get the correct amount of tile from the start and eliminate possible mismatched tiles later on.
It's best to use cement board when installing your underlayment to allow for an even surface when laying your tile. Be sure to cut holes that allow for the toilet and other accommodations to fit comfortably. Drill into the underlayment and space screws six inches apart for the best results. Go here for more help with installing your underlayment.
Lay contrasting tiles along the edges first before laying out the rest of the tile. Try to organize the tiles in a way that ensures the maximum amount of whole tiles are used and that you minimize the appearance of any tiles you may have to cut. Use dividers to keep the tiles distributed evenly.
Apply a thin layer of mortar on the underlayment with a notched trowel. Start laying the tile in their designated positions a few at a time with spacers to keep everything aligned. When all of the tile has been laid, allow for the mortar to dry for at least 24 hours before proceeding to the next step.
When the mortar has dried, mix your grout, remove the spacers, and fill the area in between the tile with grout. After all the grout has been spread, use a sponge to wipe off any access grout on the tile. Be extremely thorough when wiping down excess grout as grout left over can cause a hazy appearance on the tile that's difficult to remove later on. After 24 hours, spray on grout sealer to keep it protected. For more information, visit this site about applying grout to your tile.
After your tile has been laid, visit our site for more information regarding tile and grout cleaning.


The business and program meetings are generally held on the 2nd Tuesday of every month (except January) and they alternate between Calvary and Zion UMCs. The Brunch Bunch (social event) generally meets on the 4th Monday of each month at various restaurants in northern Door County. We also participate, as able, in District events.


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Oldest church in Arizona goes up in flames; 3 arrested for arson
By Ty Brennan, FOX 10
Video Posted Apr 02 2019 06:34PM MST
SACATON, Ariz. (FOX 10) -- The small town of Sacaton on the Gila River Indian Community has lost a historic building to arson.
The C.H. Cook Memorial Church is the oldest Presbyterian church in the state, and it went up in flames last Monday. Now, the community is trying to figure out what comes next.
The church was built in 1918, and it was located at Church Street and Pima. It was a historical pillar of the community, but now, three people are being charged with burning it down.
Reverand Brad Munroe, the Presbyterian Pastor for the State of Arizona, watched as the church went up in flames.
"Answering all the questions of why and how and what for, that's the hard work," said Rev. Munroe.
Officials with the Gila River Police Department say three people have been questioned and arrested for arson. Their motives are not known, but Rev. Munroe says the historic C. H. Cook Memorial Presbyterian Church was a pillar in the community, having been built over one hundred years ago. The loss of the church is not only sad for worshipers but everyone in the small town.
"It wasn't just Presbyterians gathered in the courtyard, watching the first responders put out the fire," said Rev. Munroe. "It was members of the community. Members of the community would come by and say, 'hey, I remember when I was 12 and I worshiped there. I remember doing Bible in the basement.'"
As of now, it's still not safe to enter the burnt-out remains of the church to see if anything is salvageable. Rev. Munroe said they did have long-term goals to bring the church back to its former glory. Now, however, they're not so sure what they're next steps will be, as the community comes together.
By Jennifer Martinez, FOX 10
PHOENIX (FOX 10) -- The Valley is now officially one month into monsoon season, but Valley residents haven't seen a single big storm just yet, with areas to the north and south getting all the action.
"We're past the normal start date of the monsoon," said National Weather Service Meteorologist Jaret Rogers. "At least thunderstorm activity starts about July 4th. We're starting to see some thunderstorms develop mainly over the higher terrain surrounding Phoenix, but we haven't quite seen that thunderstorm activity move down to Phoenix quite yet."
The past couple of weeks have been looking more like a "nonsoon" in the Valley. Meanwhile, Tucson had some monsoon action over the weekend.
By Brian Webb, FOX 10
PHOENIX (FOX 10) -- Some inmates at the Saguaro Correctional Center are teaching retired greyhounds how to be pets, so they can find their forever homes. At the same time, the program seems to be rescuing some inmates as well.
"I asked about the program, and they say it's a racing greyhound -- rehabilitating dogs," said inmate Marwan Jackson. "So, I got interested in there and I'm like, this is something I want to do. I got a big chunk of time to do so, I might as well do something positive with it."
At the correctional center, a handful of inmates care for retired greyhounds after their racing careers cross the finish line. The goal now is to get them ready for adoption. Until then, they eat, sleep, play and train together. All day, every day.
By Matt Rodewald, FOX 10
Updated Jul 15 2019 05:53PM MST
PHOENIX (FOX 10) -- Christmas came early for some young patients at several Valley hospitals, as Phoenix firefighters delivered some presents, thanks to some special donations.
"You've made our kids lives better, you've actually made our caregivers lives better," said Steve Purvis, CEO of Maricopa Integrated Health System.
There was happiness and appreciation Monday at the annual "Christmas in July" event for the Phoenix Fire Department.
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La Comisión Internacional sobre Personas Desaparecidas
Centro de encuestas
Reportar una desaparición
Los Desaparecidos
Regional Cooperation in Ex-Yugoslavia on the File of the Missing
Archivado bajo Press Releases
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) call on the governments in the former Yugoslavia to increase their efforts to release information on whereabouts of the missing persons. Of the 40,000 persons estimated by ICMP as originally missing from the conflicts of the 1990's, there are still about 17,500 persons missing. The highest number of the missing is in Bosnia and Herzegovina where the fate of up to 13,000 persons is still unknown. There are approximately 2,100 persons still unaccounted for in relation to the Croatia conflict and around 2,200 still missing from the conflict in Kosovo.
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