Student Area

Air Charter

Below please find our customer’s Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q.)

1) How soon can an aircraft take off after the booking of a flight?

When you book a flight, an aircraft can be ready to fly in about 30 minutes. But due to high demand of flights mainly during the summer months of the year, it is best for you to arrange your required flight some time before.

2) How many passengers can fly with an aircraft?

It depends on the type of aircraft.
Superior Air can offer you a variety of aircraft types, starting from the Robinson 44 with the capability of carrying up to 2 passengers, to the Agusta 109C with the capability of carrying up to 7 passengers.

3) How fast can an aircraft fly?

The cruising speed of a Robinson 44 is 203 km (110 nautical miles) an hour. Indicative one route Athens – Santorini is about one hour and ten minutes. The Bell 407 cruising speed is 240 km (130 nautical miles) per hour. As an indication, the flight from Athens to Santorini with a Robinson 44 will take around 1 hour and 10 minutes, while a Bell 407 will do it in approximately 55 minutes.

4) Is it safe to fly with helicopters?

Helicopters are very safe. They can even fly without the engine running. All pilots are trained to fly and land a helicopter safely with the engine off. Superior Air has an excellent safety record and actions are taken constantly in order to enhance our safety level.

5) How can I book a flight?

You can easily book a flight using our online booking system. It will only take 3 minutes to register and then you will be able to login to our database, search and book any of the available routes and with any of the aircraft types available for that route at the specific date you are looking for. If you do not wish to register you can simply fill out the ‘’request a quote’’ form and one of our sales representatives will get back to you as soon as possible with a detailed quotation. If you want direct contact you can call us at +30 2296772018 and one of our representatives will assist you and propose the best options for your trip.

6) When I book a flight, will I receive confirmation?

You will receive confirmation from us with all the details of the itinerary. Type and specifications of the aircraft, time of departure and arrival at the destination, the exact point of departure and arrival as well as payment details.

7) Can i cancel an already booked flight?

Yes you can and based on our cancellation policy which you can find here

8) Can we land anywhere?

Almost anywhere with a land owner permission, not in populated areas and respecting the privacy of the nearby residents.

9) What are the payment methods for the flight?

The acceptable payment methods are via credit card or through PayPal. We will accept a wire transfer as an exception, however the amount has to be credited at our bank account before the flight.

10) Are there any restrictions in aircraft flights in Greece?

11) What is the maximum weight an aircraft can carry?

It depends on the number of passengers, baggage and fuel required for the flight.
Our sales dept. will have proposed the most suitable aircraft for the route requested depending on the number of passengers as soon as you request a flight.
Once you confirm a flight, Superior Air will request the actual passenger and baggage weights in order to ensure that the flight can be performed according to the aircraft’s specifications.

12) Are the passengers insured during the flight?

13) Can I take an aircraft instantly after arriving with an international flight?

Of course you can. If you arrive in a Greek Airport you will be picked up and escorted to the aircraft.

Air Charter Services - Flight Academy
Address :
12, Minoas St.,
Tel : +302296772018
Email :


Saturday, March 26, 2011

Cyber Crime Policy Of India

EU Convention On Cyber Crime

European Union’s Convention on Cyber Crime is the first international treaty on cyber law. The treaty endeavours to regulate cyber crimes at international level by harmonising national laws, improving cyber crimes investigative techniques and increasing cooperation among nations. The treaty came into force on 1 July 2004.

On 1 March 2006 the Additional Protocol to the Convention on Cybercrime came into force. The additional protocol requires the States to punish as a criminal offence the dissemination of racist and xenophobic material through computer systems, as well as of racist and xenophobic-motivated threats and insults.

Among other things, the convention deals with infringements of copyright, computer-related fraud, child pornography and violations of network security. It also contains a series of powers and procedures such as the search of computer networks and lawful interception.

Although the objectives of the convention are praiseworthy, they have been by and large remained unfulfilled, says Praveen Dalal, managing partner of New Delhi based law firm Perry4Law and leading techno legal expert of India. For instance, lawful interception laws are missing in most countries including India. Similarly, protecting children in cyberspace from various cyber crimes like cyber stalking, sexual abuses, etc is still an unfulfilled dream, informs Dalal. The truth is that cyberspace is still an unfriendly place for juveniles, says Dalal.

Similarly, on the front of civil liberties in cyberspace as well the convention failed to make much difference. For instance, there should be a balance between law enforcement requirements and civil liberties. However, in the name of national security, human rights are very frequently and openly violated by various nations, including India, informs Dalal.

International cyber law harmonisation is still an unfulfilled dream as various nations are not willing to cooperate in this regard. All nations have their own agendas and priorities that are preventing adoption of an internationally acceptable cyber law treaty.

Online Cyber Law Courses In India

International Cyber Crime Treaty And India

Cyber law is no more confined to the limits of a nation alone. Being extra territorial in nature, the cyber law of a nation often travels far beyond the territorial jurisdictions of a nation. Realising the practical difficulties of this extra territorial nature of various cyber law, an International cyber law treaty was formulated at the international level.

However, there is no relationship between this international cyber crime treaty and India as India is not a signatory to the same. India is still governed by its distinct cyber law incorporated in the information technology act, 2000 (IT Act 2000).

Even the Indian cyber law is far from perfect and it has decayed. It has been amended by the information technology amendment act 2008 (IT Act 2008) that made the sole cyber law of India a big mess. There are no stringent provisions to punish cyber criminals as almost all the cyber crimes have been made bailable by this amendment.

Presently, India is neither following a good model cyber law based upon international standards nor is legislating an effective law that can meet the challenges of contemporary digital economy.

The present cyber law of India is worst than no cyber law at all and it must be repealed as soon as possible. This is more so when India has decided not to sign any international cyber crime treaty and stick to its own domestic legislation.


Silicon Valley's Innovative Ecosystem: The Cultural & Environmental Success Factors

Recently, I was asked to give a presentation about Silicon Valley to professors at Senshu University. After discussing with my professor what would be the most valuable information to share about Silicon Valley, I decided to talk about the innovative ecosystem in Silicon Valley that fosters groundbreaking technology. Enjoy this presentation-turned-article, replete with intriguing details.

climbing wall.jpeg

With access to top universities such as Stanford, favorable governmental policies to launch new businesses, technological infrastructure, availability of capital, and an abundant amount of amenities, Silicon Valley has the fundamental building blocks to succeed. Coupled with its unique culture of promoting failure, motivating employees both extrinsically and intrinsically, building end-to-end user platforms, enabling collaboration, thinking big, encouraging diversity, inclusion, and social-conscientiousness, and finally, creating with a customer-first mentality, it's no wonder that Silicon Valley has become the preeminent location for developing groundbreaking technologies.

The goal of this article is to shed light on the cultural and environmental factors that have fostered Silicon Valley's development as an incubator for groundbreaking technology. Readers should walk away with a deeper understanding of Silicon Valley's success factors, and how it can potentially be applied in Japan.

Personal Background

I was born and raised in San Francisco, and graduated from UC Berkeley in 2011 with a focus on Political Economy. While studying abroad in my sophomore year in Cordoba, Spain, I conducted 3 Skype interviews and successfully landed my 1st of 2 summer paid internships at Google. This led to a wonderful, full-time job working on the Patent Legal team.

Knowing that I did not want to become a lawyer, I decided to work at a smaller technology company, doing everything from writing press releases to sending customized, marketing emails to over 15,000 people. Working at a smaller technology company, allowed me to wear many hats — trying everything from writing sales pitch-decks to lengthy research reports.

Moving into a brand new role was definitely a risk, but well worthwhile, as I was able to advance my career at an accelerated pace compared to my peers.

Masters Degree in Japan

Starting in April 2016, I took on a brand new challenge — moving to my mother's home country of Japan to not only learn more about half of my heritage, but also research women's empowerment and entrepreneurship at Kyoto University, as a grateful recipient of the Monbukagakusho Scholarship.

Shortly after arriving, I began interviewing and writing articles about the life stories of 19 female founders in Japan — all of which have been published on this website.

Through these one-on-one interviews & reading books and papers, I have gained a wonderful wealth of knowledge about what its like to start a business in Japan from a woman's perspective.

And now, I am pursuing my Masters Degree in Economics with plans to graduate in September 2019.

Silicon Valley's Environment

Geography and History

    While most people think Silicon Valley is in a contained area, and therefore, not that big, it actually consists of more than 20 cities, including San Francisco, San Jose, and Redwood City. Without traffic, it takes approximately ~45 minutes by car to drive from San Francisco to Palo Alto, but with traffic, it could take upwards of 2 hours.

    Historically, Silicon Valley has been the center of major technology breakthroughs such as Xerox PARC for early computing technology, and ARPANET — a government research institution at Stanford that helped develop the Internet.

    In addition, the CA government offers favorable legislation for launching new businesses.

    Due to Silicon Valley's historical infrastructure of government and research institutions collaborating with each other to develop new technologies, and its favorable government policies, Silicon Valley is well-equipped to become the global hub of innovation.

    Access to Networks

    Not only does Silicon Valley house both Stanford and UC Berkeley — two top research intuitions, but it also boasts incubators, accelerators, and many co-working spaces.

    Incubators are basically launchpads for new companies, with communal workspaces, access to mentors, investors, and countless networking opportunities. Y Combinator is one of the largest & most prestigious incubators in Silicon Valley. Twice a year, it hosts “Demo Day,” where all the new companies pitch their ideas to investors.

    Due to the sheer concentration of top technology companies such as Google, countless incubators and accelerators, and more, there's also quite a large number of role models and potential mentors such as Jack Dorsey, Larry Page, Tim Cook, Elon Musk, etc.

    Access to Wealth

    The best attract the best. And with an abundance of networks, there's also an incredible amount of investment wealth and top talent.

    Interesting Fact

    After China and the United States, California houses the 3rd highest number of billionaires in the world.

    Silicon Valley also boasts an astounding 18,000+ angel investors, who invest in high-risk, high-reward startups.

    With regards to Venture Capital funding, Silicon Valley has an estimated $8.5 million in San Francisco, with another $4.8 million in San Jose, totaling over $13.3 million in Silicon Valley. Consequently, Silicon Valley has ~20% of all Venture Capital funding in America. That's preposterous!

    People from all over the United States and the world, are attracted to Silicon Valley's dynamic environment, high salaries, and a chance to create groundbreaking technology.

    I've attended parties where there were only Indian male and female engineers — all of whom worked at one of the top technology companies such as Google, Microsoft, or Apple. And not only does Silicon Valley have a diverse array of people from all over the world, but it also has a higher concentration of males.

    Most men you meet at networking events, are engineers and / or CEOs. And almost everyone — regardless of their gender — is working on a side project, separate from their full-time job. For instance, I attend classes and research about women's empowerment and entrepreneurship in Japan at Kyoto University, but I also publish articles related to my research on 3 different websites.

    Access to Amenities

    Along with having one of the highest concentrations of wealth in the United States, Silicon Valley also boasts world-class amenities.

    Not only does it have top restaurants that are difficult to reserve, and sometimes also cost a minimum of $400 per person like Saison or French Laundry, but we also have a diverse array of unique entertainment options like San Francisco Gay Pride Parade, Burning Man, Bay to Breakers run, and weekend block parties in various neighborhoods around town.

    Beyond parties, restaurants, and events, Silicon Valley also offers large conference centers and a wide array of hotels or Airbnbs. Plus, with Lyft and Uber — both of which were started in San Francisco, and still headquartered there — visitors can get around the valley, easily and efficiently.

    And of course, Silicon Valley also has many popular sports teams such as the 49'ers, Giants, or Warriors.

    Silicon Valley's Culture

    Now that we've talked about how Silicon Valley attracts top talent from all over the world, offers world-class amenities, and provides access to an unfathomable amount of investment money, let's transition to what characterizes this unique culture.

    Because of course, it's not just enough to have a good environment for technological breakthroughs — you also need the right mindset to foster innovation.

    Embrace Failure

    Fail Fast & Act Quickly

    One of Facebook's company values is to “Move Fast,” meaning they encourage all employees to build things quickly, learn fast, and be okay with making mistakes. In fact, Facebook doesn't want it employees to lose out on opportunities by moving too slowly, so they'd rather try and fail, than never try at all.

    Be Okay with Making Mistakes

    This is one of the most important cultural aspects of Silicon Valley — its ability to embrace failure by learning from mistakes. And its preference for taking a risk, rather than doing nothing at all. After all, Silicon Valley folks are all about taking action to increase the chances of successful endeavors.

    Jeff Bezos of Amazon actively promotes making mistakes and failing within his company. In fact, he even made the bold statement that “Amazon is the best place to fail at!” Why? Because the company actively promotes taking risks and failing fast to create innovative products.

    Strong Determination to Succeed

    Even with 1, 2, or 10 failures under their belt, engineers and other employees are still determined to succeed no matter what. In essence, failures don't matter. It's all about what you learned from making those mistakes.

    They keep going no matter what, through all the ups-and-downs of working in a highly volatile environment. After all, the technology industry changes almost instantaneously, and its impossible to keep on top of all the latest innovations. That's why it's so fascinating!

    Enjoy the Thrill of a Challenge

    But most importantly, people in Silicon Valley truly enjoy the thrill of taking on a new challenge. The most innovative and creative people in Silicon Valley would rather be busy taking on something new that has never been done before, than doing routine, busywork.

    Build a Platform

    Yet another interesting aspect of Silicon Valley, is its love for building platforms such as Amazon Prime, Apple iCloud, and Google Apps. Instead of building just one product, Silicon Valley companies are creating an entire suite of products that are hosted on one, uniform platform.

    The best example in the entire world though, is China's WeChat platform, which allows users to book a taxi, pay for meals at most restaurants, invest in personal finances, order items from Alibaba, send money and gifts to friends, get their laundry dry-cleaned, read books, discover local discounts, pay bills, and much more.

    It's all available in one application, which would be unfathomable in the United States, because of privacy and security concerns. But it's quite impressive that China has built such an inclusive platform that benefits both the end user and the strong Chinese government.

    Silicon Valley promotes collaboration across companies, and most importantly, within companies.

    Google Perks

    For example, Google created large, open lunch tables to foster spontaneous collaboration. And every year, Google hosts a “Bring Your Parents to Work Day,” as well as a separate one for children. Plus, Google also offers free breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as free gyms and many fun, group-exercise classes like Cross-Fit, Pilates, TRX, and more. All of these perks are a way for employees to create spontaneous, new relationships for both work and for pleasure.

    Strong Leadership

    At technology companies, strong leaders promotes an environment where everyone pitches in, and gets their hands dirty to help the entire company.

    For example, the CEO at one of my companies also took out the trash, along with everyone else. Because there were only 15 employees, everyone had to help out wherever they were most needed at the time.

    Startups also tout collective unity, or working together on something challenging that will positively benefit the world.

    Remote Work

    The ability to work remotely — anywhere between 10% and 100% of your time — is offered at most technology companies. Due to the extensive availability and use of online collaboration tools, remote working became an attractive selling point for companies, and a well-accepted business practice, particularly within global technology companies.

    For example, my engineering colleague at one of my previous companies, spent countless hours on the phone with our outsourced engineering team in India. Without the ease and accessibility of online collaboration tools, our company would not have been able to create this opportunity.

    Regarding remote work, I personally took at least 2 days per month to work from home. Plus, at every single company I worked for, I had the ultimate flexibility to leave work early or arrive late, if I had a doctor's appointment (without having to bring any proof that I was there, unlike typical Japanese companies).

    If you were hired at the technology company, there was generally a sense of trust that you would not take advantage of remote working and flexibility. But of course, you had to first earn the trust of your boss and colleagues in order to take advantage of these types of company perks.

    Remote and flexible working schedules are one of the key factors to retain more women in the Japanese labor market, which I will explain more in a future article.

    Companies and independent organizations sponsor hackathons for a random group of people to come together and solve a major problem, or create something new, for 24- to 48-hours. While hackathons were originally created with the intention of creating new engineering feats, now people in all industries use it such as fashion, film, etc.

    Open Source

    A very important concept in Silicon Valley, open source and open innovation are actively endorsed by engineers, who want more access to proprietary technology to develop the next big thing.

    Foster Intrinsic Motivation

    Top talent is motivated to work in Silicon Valley for both intrinsic and extrinsic reasons.

    But companies prefer to advertise the intrinsic benefits of working at top technology companies.

    Extrinsic motivators are external factors that drive behavior, such as extraordinarily high salaries, stock options, a company's brand, company perks, and personal awards or praise within the company.

    For example, Google offered “peer bonuses.” Employees could nominate a colleague to receive a monetary reward of $500 for going above-and-beyond their designated role to help another employee or the team. Once the managers of both parties approved, the lucky employee received a monetary award.

    Intrinsic motivators are driven by internal rewards and are another important reason why top engineers and talent are attracted to Silicon Valley.

    For example, many top engineers work in Silicon Valley because they want to shape the path of innovation, work on something they have never done before that is challenging, play a meaningful and significant role in the business, and explore unchartered territories.

    Customer-First Mentality

    Customer Obsession

    Amazon is one of the most fascinating companies in this arena, as it focuses on fulfilling the customer's needs. Besides the fact that Amazon's entire leadership promotes “customer obsession,” Amazon also does something unique for product development — the product lead writes a PR FAQ.

    Amazon's PR FAQ

    Amazon's PR FAQ is written as if the new product or service was already released into the market, even though it hasn't even been developed yet. Written from the perspective of how it benefits the end user, the product lead has to start thinking about how to help users from the very beginning. Basically, product leads start with the customer and work backwards.

    Amazon doesn't just talk about being a customer-first company, it puts it into practice.

    User-Centered Design

    This type of design is all about thinking from the perspective of the end user to make the product as seamless, user-friendly, and intuitive as possible. In my opinion, I think Apple has done a phenomenal job with this for all of its hardware products.

    Another great example is, the extreme simplification of the search bar by Google.

    Think Big

    Silicon Valley is all about developing groundbreaking technology, so it makes complete sense that all companies actively promote thinking outside of the box. For example, Airbnb — a platform for renting and sharing your home with vetted strangers — promotes “being a cereal entrepreneur.”

    When the company was struggling financially, the founders (who were also designers) decided to create election-related, cereal boxes for PR and much-needed income. Although it was completely different from their main business, it not only generated much-needed PR, but it also helped the founders create one of the best rags-to-riches, founding stories ever.

    And the story helps instill the idea of being a “cereal entrepreneur” with every employee. Plus, if anyone were to forget, there are large-scale replicas of the original cereal boxes at the Airbnb Headquarters.

    Amazon & Google

    The company actively promotes thinking bigger than what's currently possible, inventing and simplifying for users, and having a bias towards action, rather than over-thinking and over-worrying. As a result, they often fail and famously didn't make money for years, but they also created a wide array of profitable products and services, similar to Google.

    Who remembers Google+ or Google Glass? Both were considered to be “failures,” but Google's other risky endeavor — self-driving cars — seems to be the path for the future.

    Needless to say, Silicon Valley's emphasis on thinking big and attempting to put the craziest ideas into practice, means they do a fantastic job of launching groundbreaking innovations and new technology.

    Diversity & Inclusion

    Another major aspect of Silicon Valley's culture, is its openness to extremely diverse people and ideas.

    Airbnb's Culture of Belonging

    On our recent Kyoto University research trip to Silicon Valley, Airbnb had gender-neutral bathrooms on its campus. In an effort to help each employee feel like they truly belong, Airbnb works hard to create an atmosphere where every single person is very comfortable being exactly who they are.

    Transparent, Diversity Statistics

    Apple, Amazon, Airbnb, and Google all provide transparent, diversity statistics on their websites, so that they can show where they are now in terms of racial and gender diversity, and what positive steps they are taking to improve workforce diversity.

    No Dress Code Policy

    Almost all technology companies are actively working on creating a more inclusive and diverse workforce to embrace people from all backgrounds, and therefore, foster new ideas.

    For example, Google had one engineer, who dressed 100% in purple, had purple hair, and only roller-skated around campus. Of course, he stood out, but he was 100% accepted within the community!

    Because people who work in tech, generally favor an atmosphere, where they can dress however they please, and truly be themselves, all of the major technology companies also promote a “no dress code” policy.

    Employee Resource Groups

    Facebook Expectant Mothers Sign.jpeg

    All technology companies also offer a wide array of employee resource groups to help people from similar backgrounds find a safe place to discus important issues, organize community volunteer events like the San Francisco Aids Walk, or make new friends. A few examples are Glamazon for LGBT people at Amazon, Gayglers for LGBT folks at Google, Able@ at Airbnb for people who have disabilities, or Greyglers for 40+ aged employees.

    Women's Empowerment

    Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg wrote a book called Lean In, which became an instantaneous, worldwide success, and brought the topic of gender equality and inclusion into the forefront. Propelled by the success of Lean In, an entire nonprofit was created to promote women's empowerment initiatives such as a public awareness campaign called #SheMeansBusiness with Facebook, and a 222-company survey about women in the workplace in partnership with McKinsey.

    Beyond these initiatives, Facebook also offers the best parking spots to pregnant woman on its headquarters campus — something I wish that all companies implemented. Plus, Facebook offers all parents 4 months of paid leave to take care of their newborn child.

    Caring for Others

    One final element that makes up Silicon Valley's unique culture, is its promotion of a socially-conscious work environment. For instance, Google offers employees a few a days per year to get paid to volunteer in the local or global community!

    And Airbnb even includes “Caring for Others,” as part of its company values.

    Flat, Informal Hierarchies

    Almost all Silicon Valley companies promote a flat, informal hierarchy with fewer leaders on top. To foster collaboration and a sense of community, many CEOs promote an “Open Door” policy. This means that any employee can walk into the CEO's office — when they are not busy — to ask whatever their heart desires.

    On our recent research trip to Silicon Valley, one of my mentors, who is now a top lawyer at Twitter, described the company as “soulful.”

    Google 2.JPG

    For him, this meant that employees are “sincere, passionate, and heartfelt” about protecting the user's voice and always acting in the best interest of the user.

    Global Community

    Finally, global technology companies such as Google are running creative programs like Women's Will to help women in Southeast Asian countries learn how to work more efficiently, start companies, or get back into the workforce, which is a major need in Japan.

    Since many Japanese women leave the labor industry when they get married, have children, or have to take care of elderly family members, they have extreme difficulty re-entering the workforce and often end up in low-paying, part-time jobs with no benefits.

    As such, Google has created both online and offline tools to help women get back on their feet quickly!

    In conclusion, let's review the main takeaways about Silicon Valley's innovative ecosystem.

    Key Takeaways

    Silicon Valley's Environmental Success Factors

    1. Historical Infrastructure
    2. Access to top talent, investment capital, and powerful networks.

    Silicon Valley's Cultural Success Factors

    1. Collaborate Constantly
    2. Think Bigger
    3. Have a Customer-First Mentality
    4. Build a Platform, Not a Product
    5. Be Inclusive & Embrace Diversity
    6. Be Community-Oriented, A Global Citizen
    7. Foster Intrinsic Motivation
    8. Embrace Failure

    Thank you very much for reading this entire article.

    Enjoy other articles, featuring women entrepreneurs in Japan.

    • Atsuko Mori — Founder of a Traditional Matcha Tearoom in Kyoto


Well, If I had the room and proper set up, I might raise chickens.  The only reason I bring it up, is word has it, a group is trying to change an ordinance in Odessa. This city "law" prohibits you from raising chickens within the city limits.  I can see if it is a nuisance (roosters crowing at 5 AM, etc...).  I do disagree with the groups rationale that everyone should have the "country living experience".  I don't believe someone else should decide what experiences I should have.  What do you think?


Renato Mariotti

How would contenders for the state's top legal office have handled the budget stalemate?

One of the limitations of modern political debates is that candidates are usually only asked what they'll do. But in this era of political dysfunction and governmental obstruction, it can be just as important to know what a candidate might choose not to do.

Scott Drury Facebook

"Access to the ballot is a substantial right," argued Scott Drury's attorney, Casey Westover. It was the argument that won out in the hearing over whether Drury should be allowed on the ballot as a Democratic candidate for attorney general due to a technicality with his statement of economic interest.

Jaclyn Driscoll/NPR Illinois

Democratic gubernatorial hopeful J.B. Pritzker  was selected to be first on the March primary ballot among the seven candidates running.

The State Board of Elections held a lottery on Wednesday to determine ballot position.  Those in line with nominating petitions on the first day of filing were entered into the lottery. Some studies suggest a candidate’s position on the ballot could earn them extra votes. In  tight primaries, that could mean winning the nomination.


Britain & Wool

Humankind can never match it. No other material, natural or man-made, has all its qualities. Science and technology have kept wool in the forefront of fabrics, adapting to modern needs without losing its virtues. It is rightly named a "Noble cloth".

Dunelfen - Britain and wool | Dunelfen Queen and wool
Dunelfen - Britain and wool | Dunelfen in Yorkshire

The story of wool began long ago, well before 10,000 BC when humans first clothed themselves in the woolly skins of the wild sheep they killed for food. They had discovered a durable fabric which gave them what nothing else could - protection alike from heat and cold, from wind and rain. A versatile fabric which kept them cool in the heat of the day and warm in the cold of the night, which could absorb moisture without feeling wet.

The fleece from sheep was teased out - spun - by hand, then by spindle, to produce a continuous yarn. The yarn was fed to a simple loom of wooden beams where lengths of yarn (warps) were hung and weighted at the lower end by stones. The opposing `weft' yarn was attached to another beam and threaded to and fro across the suspended `warp' yarns in an over-and-under action. As with spinning, this system was used for thousands of years.

Looms were improved, streamlined. By Roman times, wool fleeces were established as a major British asset, “So fine, it was comparable with a spider’s web…” and by the 12th Century, it was a major economic player, so highly was it valued.

And in the 14th Century wool cloth from English looms became the international standard for excellence. Things haven’t changed, it still is. The soft, pure water under the Pennine Hills, in which the wool is washed, gives our Dunelfen weave its most particular softness and strength. Our mill, J H Clissold, has been weaving noble cloth since 1910. Working with Clissold designers, Dunelfen developed a bespoke design weave which is unique to our cape-coats. It is a truly new garment forging the best of British design with the best of British wool manufacture.

Why Choose Wool?

Wool is a 100 per cent natural fibre. Sheep have evolved over time to produce a fibre that has become one of the most effective natural forms of all-weather protection known to man.

When a natural wool fibre is disposed of in soil, it takes only a few years to decompose. Most synthetics on the other hand, are extremely slow to degrade.

Natural Insulator

Wool is a natural insulator providing and retaining heat and warmth.

Wool has a natural structure which allows it to absorb and release humidity, either in the atmosphere or perspiration from the wearer. It is able to acclimatise to individual environments – ensuring that the wearer is never too hot or too cold.

A wool fibre can be bent 20,000 times without breaking, and has the power to elongate, stretch and recover – this is why wool products last for years. Wool maintains appearance in the longer term, adding value to the product and its lifespan.

Dunelfen Why Chooose Wool | Yorkshire sheep

Merino wool is active, reacting to changes in one’s body temperature to keep you warm when you’re cold but releasing heat and moisture when you’re hot.

The natural elasticity of the Merino fibre means it stretches with the wearer, but then returns to its natural shape, so there is less chance of garments sagging or losing their shape.

A Safe Solution

Wool has a naturally high level of UV protection, much higher than most synthetics and cotton. It is naturally flame retardant, is not known to cause allergies and does not promote the growth of bacteria.


Find the word definition

Ranna was one of the earliest and arguably one of the greatest poets of the Kannada language. His style of writing is often compared to that of Adikavi Pampa who wrote in the early 10th century. Together, Ranna, Adikavi Pampa and Sri Ponna are called "three gems of ancient Kannada literature".

Ranna (film)

Ranna is a 2015 Indian Kannada family drama film directed by Nanda Kishore. The principal cast includes Sudeep, Rachita Ram, Haripriya and Madhoo. The film was declared successful at the box office. It is a remake of the Telugu movie Attarintiki Daredi.


Archive for brunch

Pumpkin French Toast Casserole (or banana, apple, other fruit)

This is basically my lazy, casual rendition of French toast, with less work. This recipe is about using what you have on hand or things that you may have no other use for or are about to get up and leave you.

The original Recipe is from Vegan Brunch by Isa, amazing book and worth your hard earned money.

This recipe is great for when you have some stale or dry bread that is past it’s prime. Because this recipe is the my lazy vegan version, you can use any old bread or an assortment of breads. No matter how old, dry, stale, hard, broken or decrepit it is, because instead of perfect slices our bread is going to be cubed, torn and shredded. I also made sure to save and add all the bread crumbs I had laying around, so dump out those bags and scrap your cutting boards! Waste not, want not.

This recipe is all about using what you already have, so experiment and substitute to suit your needs. If you don’t have pumpkin try squash, banana, fruit compote, sweet potato, apple sauce. Anything!

What you will need:

Baking Dish
Cutting Board

1 cup canned pumpkin (alternative, depending on what you have could be apple sauce, compote, mashed bananas)
1 cup almond milk (or any other vegan milk)
2 T corn starch (again, it you like potato or other starches use them)
2 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
two shakes of all spice

optional: Earth balance for buttering the baking dish and dotting the top
Optional add ins: Anything you have laying around, nuts (whole, broken, ground), coconut, dried fruit, chocolate chips, oats, flax seeds, this is your dish and it is about using what you have.
More Options: If you don’t want to serve the casserol with syrup or sugar, I would add brown sugar or maple syrup directly to the pumpkin mix to bake in the sweetness so no toppings will be needed.

Also, if you bread mixture looks a little dry once all the juices are absorb splash some more almond milk on top.

Add ins can either be mixed with pumpkin mixture, or tossed with the bread, or even sprinkled over top of the dish! Whatever you want.

a little liquid from jarred ginger or a little bit of grated fresh ginger (again, this is to taste so for stronger bite add more)
expired bread, I had a good 3/4 loaf but you could round this out with fresh bread, all bread crumbs or any bread like items you have around.

Dice your bread into bite sized cubes or tear into chunks if using soft bread save all end pieces, crumbs, fluffy bits and odds and ends. Set aside.

Mix everything else together in a bowl and preheat your oven to 350.

Place all your bread into a shallow rimmed baking dish (you can use a casserole dish or deep dish, this will result in a softer casserole. As the pumpkin mixture is pretty wet, and depending on how hard/dry your bread is you may want more layers to keep in moisture.) Since I like mine less-moist and a little crispy, I’m using a shallow baking dish so my bread is effectively in a single layer.

Pour pumpkin mixture over bread and let sit until oven is ready, the longer it sits the more it absorbs and the softer it gets. So depending on the tough/dryness of your bread and your preference for soft/pudding style eats you may want to let it sit longer.

I added broken walnut pieces to mine and mixed them in last. Mine also looked a little dry so I added a splash of soymilk on top and dotted it with Earth Balance.

Alternatively you can prepare this and place it in your fridge to dish out smaller amounts to cook on an as needed bases. Or even fish out your bread cubes to fry, traditional French toast style throughout the week. MMM

But since I’m being lazy, I’m just gonna plop the whole mess in the oven and not let it sit very long. About 12 minutes, stir let it sit another 12, then bake.

Baking time was around 15-20 mins, again if you’d like a more pudding style dish you could stir/mix it as it cooks and reduce the cooking time.

Now because I didn’t add any sugar to the casserole the end result isn’t overtly sweet. I prefer to sweeten it to taste on the plate with icing sugar and maple syrup (I also lived with my dad, who hated sweets so I tend to let people add their own sugar). However, if your looking for a sweetened dish ready scoop and eat, I would mix in some maple syrup or brown sugar right into the pumpkin puree.

Serve alone, dusted with sugar, spices, citrus zest, berry sauce, syrup, ice cream or w/e.

alternatively if you like pumpkin, you could make this a savory dish by adding sauted garlic, Rosemary, thyme and onions to the pumkin mixture and extra earth balance.

Veganmofo: Vegan Brunch!

What better way to start the weekend? Pancakes, Sausage and homefries! All vegan of course.

Brunch is just one of those things you look forward to like fall and cozy sweaters.

Today brunch features, Banana pancakes from Vegan Brunch! By Isa Chandra M. , followed my rosemary roasted garlic potatoes also taken from Vegan Brunch (sort of) and to round it out we ate some yves sausage rounds.
Vegan pancakes

Adam’s plate
Adam's plate.
What are you eating for brunch?

The ugliest scones the world has ever seen

Ah, coffee my one true love.

Not fully yet in the swing of things

First weekend, simple comfort brunch home fries and crumble Vegan sausage patties.
Boiled potatoes while taking notes, then fried in cast iron. Simple easy, filling.

Other breakfasts this week have been strawberry soy yogurt, bran cereals, oatmeal, nuts and grapefruit. I am not so much a morning person and school drains any energy I might have had.

In other news I went back to the school basement and this time I took photos, you can find them here: Dalhousie Animal Testing

Anyways I am beat and have loads to get done, sorry I cannot be bothered to fix the layout on this thing. Formating is messed and I have no clue why, apologies.


Thursday, May 9, 2013

The Host Book/Movie

Originally, I was going to do a review on the movie The Host, but I realized that not many people have read the book, The Host, so I decided to review the book as well even though I have not read it in a long time.

*Spoiler Alert

The Host is a book by Stefanie Meyer, one very different from her Twilight series.  It's a romance/science-fiction story set in a post-apocalyptic world in which an alien species known for invading and then living in the host species.  They're described as kind and benevolent, having no need for deception or violence.  They are implanted into the species and control them as if the bodies were their own.  It is necessary to note that even during their invasion, violence was not used as all was needed was to capture, implant and then let go.

The story is about Melanie who is the host human, whose presence/consciousness never left (or suppressed for that matter) when Wanda entered.  Wanda or Wanderer is the alien who is known for having lived on many planets prior to Earth, (it is necessary to note that these aliens are immortal unless subject to physical harm).

The book follows the journey of Melanie/Wanda as they try to escape the confines of the altered society to Melanie's old family who have become rebels in the midst of the occupation.  Her family has hidden themselves in a network of tunnels and caves which has allowed them to survive without any problems of being discovered.  There, she is initially regarded as person non grata, as she is a member of the alien race, however due to the kindness of Uncle Jeb (her actual Uncle), she is spared and slowly assimilates to the society.  However, the situation does get worse, as they begin to assimilate, Wanda begins to develop relationships with the other rebels, namely Ian (who becomes Wanda's love interest), Melanie/Wanda's brother, Jamie and Jared (Melanie's love interest).  As she assimilates in the caves, she begins to educate the rebels about her past, about her various lives before in the different planets.

When I first read this book, I had no idea how much I would enjoy it seeing as it came from Stefanie Meyer.  While I did read the Twilight novels, this book pales in comparison in terms of the plot, character development as well as the different diction used.  Now, diction may not seem that important, but The Host was written for adults as opposed to her Twilight series who were written for teenagers. This book is a very complicated story with many nuances and small details that are very important as the story progresses. However, unlike this marvelous book that I truly enjoyed, the movie that was made was terrible.

Now before I proceed and destroy the movie, I would like to say that in the director's and producers' defense, the book was immensely long (656 pages), and that it would be impossible for them to incorporate all the information and story that was presented in the book. Nonetheless, it was terrible. Not surprised.

I would like to break this critique into a few parts, in that I will discuss different aspects of the film in which I will conclude (not surprisingly) with my deep dissatisfaction with the movie.

Firstly, while I don't really care about the actors portraying the characters (actually I do, but if I say I didn't like them, then I am expected to come up with different suggestions, which at the moment, I could care less about, however, the actor who played Uncle Jeb, spot on.), I found it very annoying at times when the producers decided to kill of some characters or not even other to explain the characters fully. For example, the hatred Jared was supposed to have with Wanda/Melanie, in the beginning of the movie was not really that dramatic, in fact it almost felt like it was a slight annoyance. Also, the fact that Melanie gave up so easily in the beginning was very disconcerting. The whole point of the story was to portray two dominant identities, this was clearly not shown.

Secondly, there were many aspects of the book, that was expected but completely ignored in the movie, an example would be the lack of mention of Walter, who played a integral role in the story as determining the ending in the book. However, the lack of him made the movie felt empty or rushed even. Another example would be the lack of elaboration of the life in the caves such as the soccer matches mentioned in the story, or the tribunals. In fact, one thing I was looking forward to in the movie was perhaps, a visual interpretation of the worlds that Wanda described in the book; sadly, that wasn't the case.

Finally, I was very very annoyed when the movie decided to spoil a crucial plot point right in the middle of the movie: the Seeker's motivations in her fervent search for Wanda/Melanie. When I watched the scene when that occurred, I was so upset and angry that I had to voice my opinions (softly of course) to the person who was watching the movie with me.

So, just as I stated above, this movie was atrocious. The only other adaptation movie that sucked as well would be M. Night Shamalyan's utterly disgusting adaptation of this hit tv series Avatar: The Last Airbender. But, and a big resounding but at that, please read the book, it is definitely one of my favorites.


Football is a team sport, but in certain instance the fate of a whole squad can rest solely on the shoulders of one player, and his shoulders alone.

Here's a look at seven times the fate of a team rested on one player's shoulders:

Mo Salah - Egypt

The last time Egypt made it to a World Cup, Bobby Robson was the England manager and Sinead O'Connor was at the top of the charts. So as you can imagine, Egypt's qualifying decider against Congo last October had the entire country praying for a result, with only a win taking them to Russia.

Egypt's dream looked to be in tatters when Congo's Arnold Bouka Moutou equalised in the 88th minute. However five minutes into stoppage time, Egypt had a lifeline when it was awarded a penalty. Up stepped Salah, who held his nerve to make himself a national hero.

Andy Cole - Manchester United

Signed for a British record fee of £7m, Andrew Cole showed his goalscoring prowess early in his Manchester United career when he became the first Premier League player to score five goals in a single game during a 9-0 thrashing of Ipswich Town.

But later in that same 1994/95 season, Cole's goalscoring touch deserted him when it mattered most during a must-win final game against West Ham.

With challengers Blackburn only able to draw, a victory for United would have sealed a third straight Premier League title in as many years. Cole had the opportunity to win the game and the league with two late chances, only to squander both. Due to this, Blackburn Rovers would go on to be crowned Premier League champions for the first and only time in their history.

Lionel Messi - Argentina

Ecuador v Argentina - FIFA 2018 World Cup Qualifiers

After a disappointing campaign, Lionel Messi went into Argentina's final 2018 World Cup qualifier knowing that he would have to step up and give the performance that his reputation as a five time Ballon d'Or winner warranted, or risk the Albiceleste missing out completely.

Only a win in Ecuador - whom Argentina had beaten away from home just once since 1960 - would guarantee at least a playoff place, and things got even tougher when the hosts took a first minute lead.

But Messi immediately then took centre stage, scoring a quick fire brace to turn things around and eventually completing a hat-trick on the hour mark to seal a 3-1 win.

Jerzy Dudek - Liverpool

UEFA Champions League Final - AC Milan v Liverpool

In a single moment, goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek denied AC Milan Champions League glory in 2005, pulling off a now iconic point blank save to stop Andriy Shevchenko - the then Ballon d'Or holder - scoring what would surely have been an extra time winner in the 3-3 final.

Acting on pure instinct, the Polish stopper put his hands up to deflect the ball to safety, and had he not been there in the right place at the right time, Liverpool's efforts in clawing back a 3-0 deficit would ultimately have been in vain.

Dudek then thwarted Shevchenko again from the spot in the penalty shootout that soon followed, to hand Liverpool their fifth European crown.

Asamoah Gyan - Ghana

Ghana's striker Asamoah Gyan reacts to t

As Asamoah Gyan stood over the ball on the penalty spot on the Soccer City pitch in 2010, the Ghanaian striker had the chance to make history by putting his country into the semi finals of the World Cup, and become the first African country to reach that stage.

It was the last seconds of extra time and Uruguay's Luis Suarez had been sent off for deliberate handball on the goal line. With the score tied at 1-1, all Gyan needed to do was convert the penalty to send Ghana though.

He missed, crashing the ball against the crossbar. He scored in the subsequent penalty shootout, but Ghana lost and a continent's dreams died on the spot.

David Beckham - England

All England needed to secure automatic qualification for the 2002 World Cup was a point in their final qualifier, a home fixture against an unexceptional Greece team.

England were generally poor on the day, though, and a one man effort from David Beckham kept them in the game and ensured the path to the finals was still there in the closing stages. And when the Three Lions, trailing 2-1, won a free kick in stoppage time, the fate of the team rested entirely on Beckham's shoulders as he lined up the shot.

The ball flew into the top left hand corner of the net, and England got their point to top the group, sending second place Germany into the playoffs.

Sergio Aguero - Manchester City

Manchester City v Queens Park Rangers - Premier League

Time almost seemed to stand still when Manchester City forward Sergio Aguero had the ball at his feet in the QPR penalty area on the final day of the 2011/12 Premier League season.

City, who had clawed their way back into the driving seat, had been losing 2-1 going into the final stages. First, Edin Dzeko grabbed an equaliser, but still the Sky Blues needed another goal to wrestle a first English crown since 1968 away from Manchester United, who had already won their game at the Stadium of Light.

In that moment, if had Aguero been tackled, missed the target, or seen his shot blocked or saved, City would not have won the league and there would have been no more chances. He did score, though, sending the blue half of Manchester into ecstasy.

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Police find car probably linked to Manchester bombing

By Aditi Khanna

London, Jun 2 (PTI) British counter-terrorism police probing the arena suicide bombing in Manchester that killed 22 people today discovered a car in the city which they believe could be "significant" to the investigation.

Greater Manchester Police said that officers have set up a cordon in the Devell Court area of Manchester while they assess the vehicle.

"This is potentially a significant development in the investigation. The car has been located at Devell Court," said Detective Chief Superintendent Russ Jackson.

"We are very interested in anything people can tell us about the movements of this car, and who was in it, over the past months. We are also interested in any information about who may have had access to the car or who may have gone to and from it," he said.

He also reiterated a police appeal for information to piece together the movements of 22-year-old suicide bomber Salman Abedi before he blew himself up at Manchester Arena on May 22, killing 22 people.

The discovery of the car came as two of Abedis cousins, Isaac and Abz Forjani, said they believe he was acting alone and not as part of any wide terror network.

The duo, who were among those arrested by police in the aftermath of the bombing and since been released without charge, say they did not know about their cousins extremist views and that he may have been radicalised abroad.

"I believe it was all done by one man, (who) developed some sort of thoughts in the past few years which he kept to himself, secretly to himself. He never shared it with any members of the family - if he would of, we could have done something to stop that happening. He never admitted extremist views?Theres never been a hint of extremism," said 21-year- old Abz Forjani.

The brothers stressed they were "Mancunians", or local Manchester natives, who held similar British values as others in the city.

"Its not easy being connected to 22 lost, innocent lives. The fact that the person that did this is related to us by blood is something thats going to stay with me for the rest of my life. My thoughts are with the families of the victims," said 24-year-old Isaac.

"I really do feel for them. We went in, we could come out, we can try and move on with our lives. Theyve lost their loved ones," he said.

The two brothers, of Libyan descent, said they last saw Abedi three months before the attack, when he got his hair trimmed at Abz Forjanis barber shop in Manchester.

Their younger brother, 19-year-old Alharth, remains in custody in connection with the investigation. PTI AK UZM

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OlgaV Design
Bongowines_9_preview square.jpg

BONGOWINES. Landing page design.

Landing page design.

Chef Victor Bongo gained his respectable reputation by creating culinary works of art with flavours from different ethnic backgrounds. He has always struggled with finding the right wines that would match his demand in cooking and his signature global fusion style, so he decided to create his own private label. A landing page has been designed to support the product launch and promote the label. It features clean design to make users flow through the website effortlessly with easily accessible CTA buttons to make a preorder.
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Why I Stopped Binging

The only problem that seems to plague those of us who call ourselves “cord cutters” is the abundance of shows and movies being released every week, whether we know it or not. This has led to the cultural phenomenon of “binge-watching”.

Death Note: Adaptation | GT068

Surprise! Another bonus episode! This time, Dave digs into anime via the new Netflix film, Death Note, which is an adaption of a well-received anime and manga of the same name. He also shares how his opinion changed after watching the first couple episodes of the anime.


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TheYeon Lotus Flower Whitening Sleeping Cream

Product Detail Information
TheYeon Lotus Flower Whitening Sleeping Cream

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[Use/Dosage] Take proper amount and evenly apply over the skin..
[Main Components] Niacinamide

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Former Guns ‘N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan will launch a wealth management company for musicians in October. The company is called Meidian Rock Capital, and intends to educate musicians about their finances while offering them a more approachable alternative to accountants.

When McKagan’s pancreas burst in 1994 due to substance abuse he was forced to make a lifestyle change. During the recovery period he was determined to understand more about money management and how the music industry works in regards to how they pay their artists.

First he took some basic math classes and later followed that up by attending Seattle University Albers School for business and economics. McKagan has admitted that he hadn’t a clue as to what happened to the millions he had earned as an international rock star. Although he hadn’t lost all his fortune, he recognized that many of his peers had.

Once the word spread that Duff knew his numbers, his phone started ringing. Other musicians were regularly looking for financial advice, which inspired the idea of the company.

Teaming up with British investor and former banker Andy Bottomsley, the two businessmen are now the men with suits – only, without the suits. McKagan’s musical background gives him an insider’s knowledge that other accountants don’t have, so fellow rockers are less likely to view them as the enemy. The company's three tenets are righteousness (i.e., not screwing people over), transparency, and education.

Though he is currently the bassist in the dormant Velvet Revolver and rhythm guitarist / lead vocalist for Duff McKagan’s Loaded, this business venture is something he’s been working towards for several years. This is more than just investing expertise – this is Duffonomics.


‘Enormous parasites’ found in N. Korean defector’s body

Views: 246

Seoul, Nov 17 (IANS) A North Korean soldier who was shot fleeing across the border had an extremely high level of parasites in his intestines, his doctors said.

The defector crossed the demilitarised zone earlier this week, but was shot several times by North Korean border guards as he ran across the Joint Security Area in Panmunjom to the South Korean side.

He was rushed to a hospital in South Korea and had undergone emergency surgery. Doctors said the patient was stable, but “an enormous number” of worms in his body were contaminating his wounds and making his situation worse, the BBC reported.

“I’ve never seen anything like this in my 20 years as a physician”, South Korean doctor Lee Cook-Jong said, explaining the longest worm removed from the patient’s intestines was 27 cm long.

ALSO READ:   New tool may identify risk for post-surgical dislocations

“We are paying close attention to prevent possible complications,” Lee said, explaining that “an enormous number of parasites” including roundworms had been found in the small intestine.

Parasites are reportedly widespread in North Korea and can often be the result of consuming vegetables fertilised with human faeces.

“While some parasites don’t cause any severe symptoms, others can be life threatening,” said Professor Peter Preiser at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

“The defector is likely to have had the parasites for a long time. This means that patient will generally be in a weaker state so any wounds and surgery will become more dangerous,” said Professor Preiser.

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Four Traits Common In Failed Relationships

Four Traits Common In Failed Relationships

Failed relationships are a product of incompatible couples. But it can also happen to otherwise compatible partners who believe that they have a perfect relationship. Any relationship can fail if the couple stops working on keeping it alive. There are certain traits that couples can bring into the relationship that might cause it to fail. Here are some of them.

Destructive Criticism

Criticism can bring pain and hurt to a couple who do not watch their words. Criticism may involve creating hurt towards a partner by attacking there character and personality. If criticism within the relationship is not put under control, it may cause both partners to feel hate towards each other. It will eventually lead to a failed relationship.

Mindless Contempt

Contempt is all about trying to put down your partner. Over time, couples may find out more about each other that they would not expect. Sometimes, they discover something about one another that they will not like. Sometimes it can affect one partner so much that it creates contempt. One may use that to try and put down his or her partner in almost every situation. Whenever something bad happens, the partner is blamed. Contempt is hard to get over once it takes root. It also creates an attitude of hate towards one another that may cause a relationship to fail over time.

Defensive Mindset

Being defensive can also cause a relationship to fail. Whenever a partner brings up an issue regarding the relationship, the other tries to take a defensive stance. He or she will avoid taking responsibility and instead rebuff a partner’s complaint with other reasons just to avoid admitting to any mistake. This will prevent the resolution of certain relationship problems. It may even cause the issues to worsen over time. The end result always leads to a failed relationship.

Unnecessary Stonewalling

Some partners want to live in peace and avoid any confrontation. Their usual reaction is to remain silent or try to avoid the issue if they can. They try to escape from the problem instead of trying to face and resolve it. When a couple resorts to avoidance and escape rather than working to resolve the issues, they are just trying to prolong the agony. Eventually, these problems will catch up with them until it becomes too late to address anymore. Such habits can cause any relationship to fail.


by Chris McGinnis

William Harvey is quite possibly the most important human physician in history.  In the year 1615, he discovered how blood circulated through the body.  It was thought previously that the liver and the heart each produced blood and that there were two separate unconnected loops through which it moved and was used up by the organs before being remade by the liver and heart again.  Harvey proved this to be an impossibility. Harvey eventually discovered that there was one closed system through which blood not only moved through the body and was “used” but that it was taken back to the heart and reused.  This knowledge was instrumental in the understanding of how disease passes through the human body and how or where it can be stopped.

In this same fashion, as a Christian, how can we truly understand how to keep temptation/sin from affecting our lives if we don’t understand how it enters our body and how it ends up in sinful action that affects us and others?  The Bible reveals this pathway, allowing us to understand where we can and must stop it.

We must focus on four areas:   1.  The entry points, 2.  The first resting place, 3.  The point of no return, 4.  The points of action.

I. THE ENTRY POINTS – The Eyes and Ears

While they are often referred to as the eye-gate or ear-gate, they are not actually “gates” at all.  They are always open.  Our eyes and ears are not, of themselves, selective.  They simply transmit.  They take outside information and pass it on to our brain.  This is why it’s so important to be careful what places we go, the things we turn on the television, the music we listen to, where we surf to on the internet, and what people we talk to.

As Barney Fife used to say, “You’ve gotta nip it…  Nip it in the bud.”  We cannot unsee or unhear something.  But we can do our

best to put ourselves in a position where we don’t see or hear it in the first place.  Throw away anything in your house that is detrimental to your Christian walk.  Unsubscribe to magazines that yield temptation.  Put filtering software on your computer for the Internet.  Break those CD’s with music you know you shouldn’t be listening to.  Even go so far as to get rid of your Ipod/Ipad if you can’t stop yourself from watching/listening to the wrong things.  You know what tempts you, so don’t let it.

You cannot stop something that is before your eyes or ears from entering your mind.  It is however possible to stop yourself from seeing or hearing the wrong things very long.  The less exposure to them, the less influence those things will have in your mind.  You might not be able to avoid seeing an inappropriately dressed member of the opposite sex, or a commercial for something wicked/sinful, but you can stop yourself ASAP and diminish it’s influence.

Just because something enters your mind does not make it your sin.  Christians often beat themselves up over something they cannot control.  Don’t live a life of constant guilt because a sinful thought enters your mind.  When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, the temptations entered his mind.  The only way they wouldn’t have is if he had blinded his eyes and plugged his ears, but then he wouldn’t have actually been overcoming temptation.  He simply would have never experienced it.

Temptation is not our fault.  We aren’t responsible for wickedness outside of ourselves that enters through the eyes or ears without our choice.  It is when we allow that temptation to move beyond our mind that it becomes our sin.  The mind can have great influence over our heart.  The key is recognizing that this is where our sin nature lies, and that it will fool us if we value it’s opinion over God’s word.  After all, the mind is the source of our feelings, and recognizes that  that there is pleasure in sin for a season, and wants only to achieve pleasure.  We are called to fight against it.

The heart is the center of your being.  A wicked thought in the mind is a temptation.  If that temptation is entertained long enough, it will be allowed to enter the heart, at which point it becomes sin.

Lust occurs within the mind.  It “conceives” in the mind and therefore enters the heart, which is where it can become adultery.

Christ was sinless, despite temptation entering his mind, because He stopped it there, and refused to allow it into His heart.

The heart is where it not only becomes sin, but where it is molded/conceived into sinful action.

Temptation can’t become sinful action if the “frowardness” is not allowed to enter our heart.

IV. THE POINTS OF ACTION – Our Physical Body

Proverbs 6:13  “He winketh with HIS EYES, he speaketh with HIS FEET, he teacheth with HIS FINGERS;”

James 3:5   “Even so THE TONGUE is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!” (emphasis added)

Sin injures us at the point it enters our heart.  It injures others when it becomes action.  Barring some significant outside occurrence, sin in the heart will without a doubt become sin in action.  Once we’ve allowed it to enter our heart, it is only a matter of time before it makes it’s way to the outside world.  Once it does so, it becomes temptation for another, and the process begins again.  It is a terrible epidemic.

The seed of sin is temptation.  The seed is planted through the senses (through our ears, eyes, etc.)  It must be watered in the mind.  With enough watering it will take root in our heart.  Once taking root, it will bloom in our actions.

Don’t beat yourself up every time a sinful thought enters your mind.  Just don’t be so naive as to allow it to remain there for long.  Repent of it and move on.  As with any disease, early detection is the key!

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Question: When is one hit enough to win a tough game on the road in your conference opener?

Answer: When your opponent commits six errors and walks nine batters.

That’s exactly the formula the McDowell Titans (1-0 NWC, 2-2 overall) used to escape Gamewell with a 6-4 victory over the West Caldwell Warriors in the Northwestern 3A/4A Conference opener.

Dylan Walker’s leadoff single in the top of the third was the only hit the Titans got. But a combination of errors and miscues by the Warriors led to three-run innings for McDowell in the second and fifth.

A solid performance on the mound from senior Matt Smith helped avert a late comeback attempt by West Caldwell, which scored three times in the bottom of the sixth to throw a scare into the Titans.

Smith went the distance, allowing four runs on eight hits. He struck out eight and walked two, throwing 105 pitches, 72 of them for strikes.

West Caldwell put up a lone run in the first on an RBI single by Thomas Melton, who went 3-for-3 and drove in three runs for the Warriors.

But McDowell took the lead for good in the second. Two runs scored on an error off the bat of Josh Maddux, and Smith, who had also reached on an error, scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-1.

In the fifth, three consecutive two-out walks produced another McDowell run, and an error in the outfield on a fly ball by Smith plated two more to make it 6-1.

West Caldwell closed the gap with three runs in the bottom of the sixth. The big blow was a two-run double by Melton. But Smith battled back and eventually struck out Bailey O’Brien to end the threat.

The Warriors made a little noise with a pair of hits off Smith in the seventh, but the senior worked his way around them and sealed the deal.

Kell Smith walked three times for the Titans and scored twice. Brycen Seymore walked twice, while Nathan Watkins, Dylan Poplin, Ryan Murdock and Walker each drew a free pass. Walker (1-for-3) had the Titans’ only RBI.

Cy Smith took the loss for West Caldwell, allowing five runs, only one of them earned, on one hit in 4 2/3 innings. Smith fanned nine but also walked half a dozen. O’Brien pitched the final 2 1/3, allowing an unearned run, striking out five and walking three.

The Titans hosted the WNC Trailblazers Thursday, but results were not available at press time. McDowell is back in NWC action Friday on the road at Freedom.

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Paint Splatter Morph/Transition

I am creating a 30 second movie for an Art gallery. I need an attention grabbing opening shot that is limited to 2 seconds. The product must be compatible with Adobe Premiere.

Perhaps the following would be good.

Multi-colored paint splotches hitting a white wall. When the paint hits the wall it morphs into 3 paintings (I will supply the images). I want the finished product in a rendered movie format and I also want the working file (storyboard).

Or a multi-colored pear-shaped droplet hits the floor (bottom of the screen) and the background morphs into a wall with 3 paintings.

## Deliverables

## Platform

Windows 98/Me/2000/XP

Habilidades: PHP

Veja mais: storyboard site, storyboard product, storyboard form, site storyboard, product storyboard, form storyboard, 30 second storyboard, 2000 seconds, adobe premiere software, Wall paintings , wall art, premiere, pear, paint, paint on, morph, form-grabbing, art paintings, adobe premiere, php pear source code, php pear form, movie storyboard, paint format, movie images php, form grabbing

Acerca do Empregador:
( 6 comentários ) Waterville, United States

ID do Projeto: #3050808

Concedido a:

See private message.

$42.5 USD em 2 dias
(24 Comentários)


Life on Europa? Scientists ponder the possibilities

An ocean may lie below icy surface of Jupiter moon

February 23, 2015

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — When Galileo viewed Jupiter through his telescope in 1610, he saw four dim objects near it that he assumed were stars. Repeated observations revealed that these “stars” orbited Jupiter like our own moon circles Earth. Thus began over 400 years of observations of Jupiter’s moons, which now number 67. But if experts who gathered Wednesday at NASA’s Ames Research Center are successful, by midcentury we may see one of these moons in a whole new light.

More than 200 astronomers, physicists and astrobiologists from around the world debated how future missions to this moon, Europa, could search for signs of life. Their discussions were jovial and academic but also imbued with a sense of urgency as the space agency plans an upcoming mission to the white and rust-colored world. This icy moon had long been a candidate for extraterrestrial life.

But in December 2012, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope detected a probable plume of water and ice erupting over 120 miles above the surface near Europa’s south pole, raising speculation that the moon may harbor a subterranean ocean that occasionally erupts to the surface. NASA officials are actively discussing additions to their spacecraft, the Europa Clipper, to investigate Europa’s life-bearing abilities.

“We are going to do a Europa mission,” said NASA Associate Administrator John Grunsfeld. “It’s too good of a chance to miss.”

Europa is only a little bit smaller than Earth’s moon, but the similarities end there. It has a surface of ice and minerals, crisscrossed by dark streaks of material that scientists still do not fully understand. Beneath, many scientists believe frigid Europa harbors an ocean of water of unknown acidity or salinity. Deep in these seas, protected from harsh radiation on the surface, astronomers and biologists wonder if life could have evolved in its depths.

NASA intends to launch the Europa Clipper spacecraft around 2022, which could take over seven years to reach Jupiter. The mission, currently budgeted at $2.1 billion, would include repeated flybys of Europa to map the surface, learn more about its composition and study its interior, according to Dave Senske of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. Wednesday’s discussions covered how the spacecraft’s design could be modified to try to detect plume activity, sample a plume or search for signs of life on the distant world.

“Let’s think outside of the box. Let’s think in the box. Let’s get some of the best ideas on the table,” said Grunsfeld.

These ideas ranged from sending the Europa Clipper through a plume to collect samples to sending a small probe to the surface. One participant even proposed blowing a small hole in the crust and analyzing the material released. Since scientists do not definitively know how thick Europa’s crust is, or its precise composition, their proposals had to take into account multiple uncertainties.

If the Europan ocean is a breadbasket for life, detecting it remotely on a spacecraft or surface probe will be no easy task. As repeated missions to Mars have shown, unmanned spacecraft or landers must harbor several expensive instruments to collect and analyze material for the presence of organic compounds. This task is made all the more difficult when participants pondered the possibility that extraterrestrial life might have a chemical composition very different from our own. The need for tests that are both broad and specific, on a spacecraft with limited room, poses a challenge to mission planners.

“I think if we had a camera and we saw a little guy walking across the lens, that would convince me,” joked Patricia Beauchamp of JPL.

Taking samples from a plume could be a simple starting point, and pave the way for future missions. But, the Hubble Space Telescope only detected a possible plume once on Europa. Some experts at the meeting were adamant that this discovery must be confirmed before NASA devotes an entire mission to Europan plumes.

Today’s deliberations will inform a growing body of astronomical work around sampling plumes and searching for life. In 2005, the Cassini spacecraft observed water-rich plumes erupting on Enceladus, one of Saturn’s moons. This, coupled with continued interest in Europa and several other moons orbiting gas giants, kept spirits high and hopes pinned on new missions in the coming decades to search for signs of life in the outer solar system.


Intelligent Systems Engineering

E531 Physical Optimization

Credits: 3

This course describes applications of optimization based on physical analogies: genetic algorithms, swarm intelligence, simulated and deterministic annealing, neural networks. They are related to statistical physics, variational methods, evolution, information theory, agent-based systems, cellular automata, complex systems and placed in a broad context of physical computation and other optimization approaches.


Between The Lines

Fair Coin/Quantum Coin ~ the audiobooks

 Author: E C Myers

 Performed by MacLeod Andrews

 Released: November 2013 by Audible Inc.

 Category: Young Adult Science Fiction

After Ephraim’s mother believes she has identified his body after an accident, she’s grief stricken and attempts suicide. Ephraim finds her unconscious and slumped over the kitchen table when he gets home from school.

While in the hospital with his mother the boy’s belongings are inadvertently given to Ephraim and among them he finds a strange coin that can grant wishes….except it doesn’t grant them in quite the way Ephraim expects and before long Ephraim realises the coin is much more than a ‘genie’ type object, it’s something a lot more sinister and convoluted. And he’s unable to control what happens after he’s made a wish. He’s the only one who knows he’s wished for something to change and the only one who remembers what it was like before.

Things go horribly wrong each time he makes a wish, creating strange and frightening experiences and shifts, affecting and changing his life as well as the lives of the people around him. His best friend, Nathan changes completely when Ephraim tries to get the girl he’s crushing on, Jena to like him back.

An intriguing sci-fi plot with the visions of parallel universes and dual personalities. An interesting take showing how the same person can develop different personalities given altered circumstances. It’s a good point that Ephraim takes responsibility for the actions he takes and does his best to rectify things.

A very good, well written story with realistic teenage characterisation and all the teenage behaviour that comes with it.  Among other things the story deals with the moral issues facing Ephraim, such as making someone like you and so taking away their choices and changing other people’s lives to suit your own purposes. I like the plot twists and the ending and I’m interested to see where the next book goes.

So, Quantum Coin picks up the story a year later.  Ephraim, Jena, Nathan, Mary and Shelley are attending their prom when something peculiar happens. As Jena returns from the powder room Ephraim has a huge shock when he realises it’s not Jena but Zoe. Jena appears behind her with Mary and Shelley. As the friends wonder what is happening Nathan is being Nathan and recording the events on his camera…and he captures something truly bizarre.

 Ephraim thought he had finished with shifting through parallel universes when he and Zoe agreed to destroy the controller. It seems a normal life  wasn’t to be, the controller wasn't destroyed after all and Ephraim’s problems were beginning all over again. Nathaniel needs Ephraim’s help and Zoe has come to take him back. So Ephraim and Zoe, along with Jena this time, are thrust into another multi universal adventure.

Ephraim, Jena, Nathan and Zoe have grown and developed into more likeable, rounded characters. Ephraim’s romantic dilemma between Jena and Zoe is quite understated but never the less intriguing because the girls are different aspects of the personality.

 The friends find themselves in a pretty desperate situation with the universes merging and disappearing along with the people who inhabit them. Ephraim, Jena, Zoe and Nathaniel and their analogues are doing their utmost to sort out the unimaginable problems and it seems like it’s on their shoulders to decide which universe(s) survive. How can they condemn multiple universes and all the people who inhabit them to oblivion.

One of MacLeod Andrews’ strengths is narrating young adult fiction, which he does with sincerity and credibility, always invested in the story and portraying the characters with feeling.

This book is much faster paced with lots more going on than Fair Coin and the scientific aspect much deeper and a lot more complex.

The Quantum psychics and the ins and outs of multiverses left me far behind, racing to catch up and knowing I can never run fast enough. Not that this detracts from the story at all, the characters are engrossing and the story compelling.


Wednesday, March 29

Memetic Lexicon

This is a lexicon of terminology used in memetic theories,
the Meme-Rider Media Team uses many of these strategies to
create their projects, sometimes they are works of art, sometimes
they are works of culture, or kulturwerks.

Thursday, March 2

Mission Statement for Pata-Memetic Scouting

The following is the mission statement for 'pata-memetic scouting' according to its originators at the Meme-Rider Media Team World Headquarters:

Pata-Memetic Scouting is a contraction of several notions, one is a 'pataphysical meta-meme. A meta-meme is a meme about memes. A pata-meme, then using the definition of 'pataphysics, which is the science of imaginary solutions extending as far beyond metaphysics as metaphysics extends beyond physics; extends as far beyond meta-memes as meta-memes extend beyond memes. And scouting is a memetic strategy using merit based or otherwise award driven social/ political/ semiotic/ cultural/ artistic indoctrination. Scouting is a way of making others use memes according to the well-established norms and mores a 'scoutmaster' would hold true.

Alternating and non-hierarchical positions for pata-memetic scouts:

*Patrol Leader
*Defensive End
*Other, etc

and optionally for those under the age of 8

*Water Bear
*Sea Monkey
*Other, etc.

Pata-memetic scouts form autonomous scouting outfits that can be:

*Sleeper Cells
*Think Tanks
*Media Societies
*Adventure Squads
*Defense Leagues
*Other, etc.