A.C. Flory's Blog, page 114

And the winner of Episode 5 is….

Honie Briggs.

Searching for Auntie Em in Dreadful Poetry

I love Auntie Em’s water saving techniques.

Lort Smith Animal Hospital – Melbourne

Christmas is a time for giving, but all too often the ones who get the least are the small, four-legged people who share our world. They depend on wonderful humans like the people at the Lort Smith Animal Hospital to care when no one else will.

This is the story of Metro Flinders, a small black cat a lot like my Golli.

Hi, it’s Metro Flinders here…it’s nice to meet you… Thank you for taking the time to read our stories and hear all about the great work Lort Smith does for us. I like to think my story is as interesting as Neo’s and that I too, will have a happy ending. It’s a long story which starts in April this year when I was found alone and scared at Flinders Street Station. A lovely lady rescued me and knew to bring me into Lort Smith.

The Vet’s found out I had what’s called femoral neck deformities which was why I was dragging my legs and not able to stand for long periods of time. This meant I needed to go into surgery so I could feel better. The Vets operated on my left hand side first which meant I had time to recover before they did the other side. I was feeling very sad and sorry for myself but knew I was going to feel better soon.

With the multiple surgeries, medication, food and overnight stays in the Hospital and Adoption Centre, I cost Lort Smith in excess of $3,600. Please donate this Christmas so Lort Smith can continue caring for helpless animals like me.

And this is what Metro looks like:

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The reason I’m telling you Metro’s story is because it illustrates the kind of care that animals receive at Lort Smith. Instead of being euthanised because his health problems were ‘too expensive’, the vets at Lort Smith gave this little guy a chance at life.

I’m tearing up as I write this because a) I love animals and b) after the mess we humans have made of this year, I desperately needed to know that we’re not all bad. Lort Smith restored my faith in humanity, at least in some humans, and that is the best gift I could have received for Christmas. In return, I gave a paltry $25. I know who got the better part of the deal.

I’m also feeling a bit teary because Rosie came into our lives from Lort Smith. Rosie died in my arms a number of years ago. It was a gentle death and I shouldn’t cry but I still miss her.

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I miss my Kushi too. Always loved, never forgotten.

If you live in Melbourne and were thinking of giving something to a stranger this Christmas, why not make it Lort Smith?

http://www.lortsmith.com/get-involved/how-to-support-us/you-can-make-an-impact-this-christmas/

If you’re not from Melbourne, why not find an animal shelter near home to support. Even the smallest donation can save a life. Isn’t that what Christmas is really about?

Love you all,

Andrea

 

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: adoption, animal-hospital, donate, gift-of-love, Kushi, Lort-Smith, Melbourne, my-Rosie, rescue, vets

3D PRINTED CARS

I’ve been a fan of 3D printing since I first heard about it, some years ago now. Yet even I’m flabbergasted by /what/ can be printed these days.

I think the guy interviewed near the end is wrong though. Car makers are already automating where possible. Instead of robots, why not multiple 3D printers? I can’t believe the cost differential would be so great. Fantastic stuff.

Grady P Brown - Author

I discovered something extraordinary on the news: a drivable 3D-printed car! The technology to create these cars was amazing beyond words and it gave me some ideas of what to include in my sequel series. Since my sequel series will take place in a futuristic world, I am thinking of including a more advanced version of this technology. I am getting excited thinking about it.

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Filed under: Uncategorized

‘Innerscape, Episode 5 is live’ rhymes, badly :/

Now everyone knows why I don’t do poetry. But my prose ain’t that bad, and it so happens that the very last episode of Innerscape is now available for free download from Amazon. This is where you can get it:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NAINA5W/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1481705627&sr=8-6&keywords=kindle+Innerscape

And in the spirit of giving…or is it bribery?…the very last competition is now also up and running. As always, at the end of the competition, all the correct entries will have a chance to win a $20 gift voucher from Amazon.

Entering the competition is dead easy. Start by reading the ‘Look Inside’ below [just the first few pages]. There you will find the answer to the multiple choice question for this episode:

Drum roll…and the multiple choice question is:

Where is David and Jane’s wedding to take place?

Innerscape?
New York?
Sydney?

Once you know the answer, write it [or just the number of the correct answer] in comments and that’s it. Just one entry per person though.

Top Artists In The World — I defy you not to find something amazing!

The talent is, of course, a subjective concept and it is up to you to better estimate the potential of this list. Unfortunately, we can not include all talented artists. Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any suggestions. Hand-Blown Glass Creatures By Scott Bisson Gorgeous Animal Inspired Gem Encrusted Jewelry Designs Hyperrealistic Oil Paintings […]

via Top Artists In The World —

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: 10/10, art, hyper-realistic, painting, scupture, Soul-Draft, street-art

New #music – Valkyrie by Jo Blankenburg

Valkyrie is big, epic music but with Blankenburg’s iconic melodies woven through each track. This Youtube link is to a 20 minute collection and well worth the listen:

Jo Blankenburg and Thomas Bergersen [Two Steps From Hell] both have the ability to write achingly beautiful melodies. I love these guys. Great music to edit by.

Pressure points – research for Episode 5

This is not my normal fare, but I had to find out if it was possible to knock someone out using only a pressure point. I found my answer, and it’s ‘yes’.

In the video clip below, the instructor is demonstrating a four-step move that leaves the boy totally out of it. If you rewind the video to 04 seconds, you will see that the move which actually knocks him out is the third one. It pushes the point of the instructor’s elbow into a pressure point on the boy’s chest. You can hear an ‘oof’ sound as it happens.

The blow to the jaw is probably not needed, at least not against an opponent who isn’t actively fighting back.

I have to say this is one of the scariest things I’ve ever seen. Many of the people commenting on the video try to pass the whole thing off as a fake, but if you watch only the boy’s face, you’ll see that he would have to be an Oscar winning actor to fake this reaction.

Youtube is an amazing resource.

And the winner for Episode 4 is….

Congratulations, George! Your prize will be winging its way to you very soon. As some of you may know, George is the creator of the game ‘Adventures of a RubberBall’

#VR now – reality catching up to Innerscape

For those who have read the induction scenes of Episode 1 of Innerscape, the possibilities of virtual reality in health care should come as no surprise. But did you know that VR is already set to help real people with real problems, both physical and mental? Exciting times.