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I have been involved with OMGTech! since day one. I first heard of it through twitter and offered to help out at the launch event, and was hooked from the very first moment.
OMGTech! started as an equaliser. We wanted to make sure that every kiwi kid has access to future technology. This is the fastest growing industry in the history of our planet, and in today's society, there is a large chunk of people who will just miss it completely.
This isn't just a case of missing out on new toys.
We are already seeing a shift in the way we do things. I have to swipe in at the gym, I self-service at the supermarket, and perhaps, one day soon, I'm going to vote by logging in instead of using an orange marker. Even more important, maybe my doctor will be a robot, and my car will drive itself. All of these things are happening, whether we want it or not. We can debate the ethics all we want, but there is no stopping this train. The only question is, who was allowed on at the station.
This year, the NZ Government announced additional funding and a new compulsory digital technologies curriculum. While it is an amazing start, we feel that the work that we do is more vitally important than ever before. At every single event, we see how much quicker kids that have pick up the new ideas vs the kids that have not.
Please, help us provide these resources to more kids. Let us work together to make Aotearoa a country where there are no kids that have not and only a bunch of future tech giants that will take this country to greater heights than have ever been known before.
Please donate today, a lot of our funding is tied up in specific projects, and often run short of what we need. We have some amazing partners, but we also need YOU. If you set up a regular gift to us, we will be able to plan our activities and programmes with much more certainty. It means we can sponsor more kids to come on our programmes, or pay for more resources and materials.
While one-time gifts go a long way, supporting us with a regular gift is the best way you can help us keep going


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SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- UBS AG's UBS, -0.74% Puerto Rico unit has agreed to pay $26.6 million to settle charges it misled investors on price and liquidity information for its closed-end funds, the Securities and Exchange Commission said Tuesday. The SEC said UBS Financial Services Inc. of Puerto Rico internally talked about supply and demand imbalances and a weak secondary market for closed-end funds while propping up market prices to sell off 75% of its closed-end fund inventory to unsuspecting investors. UBS settled the charges without admitting or denying the findings.
UBS unit settles charges it misled investors
Quote References
-0.09 -0.74%

subset: commoncrawl


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If you want your kids to have hours of entertainment, you need to buy them the Color Explosion Glow Board for Christmas.
Not only do they enjoy the Crayola Color Explosion Glow Board, your kids to exercsie their creative mind.
And it's cool! Your drawings come alive with this great Crayola product.
Read more below or just Buy your Crayola Color Explosion Glow Board from Amazon right now. You'll be glad you did!
Read More


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We've all seen them; we've all heard their piercing sound, those annoying little devices known as security tags. Security tags on clothes can be especially inconvenient in the fitting room. But if we remove the inconvenient annoyance factor and actually look at the bottom line, make money and prevent loss; these tags will soon become the norm. Security tags or Checkpoint tags were created to prevent loss and help protect a company's assets.
High dollar items are always the first to be protected. This makes sense considering the dollar amount for this particular inventory. Checkpoint tags are good for items of high dollar. What about items of lesser value? Why not protect all assets of high or low value with checkpoint tags?
What about clothing security tags? Clothing security is not always priority but once considered over a period of time how much loss in clothing adds up; one might see the need for security tags on clothes. Clothing security is important considering consumers will always need clothes. Next to food, clothes are a necessity which means companies will always make money and always lose money from this particular kind of merchandise. The bonus to clothing security tags or security tags on clothes is tagging can be very discreet and less annoying if thought through and placed properly on or within the item.
Keeping clothing security tags and other security tags on and within items keeps an honest man honest and sends a shoplifter somewhere else. If you take away the opportunity and use all preventive measures to protect all assets, profit made will most certainly outweigh loss.
Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase a clothing alarm or clothing security tags.
For more information on Checkpoint tags, clothing alarm, clothing security, clothing security tags or security tags on clothes contact us or call 1.866.914.4567


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Some of you may already be following along on instagram and seeing how I've been experimenting in the kitchen and having #culinaryfirsts over and over...and OVER! Every week I cook with exotic ingredients and spices like watermelon radish, forbidden rice and korean gochugaru...but how am I pulling this off without a lot of time in the market and looking up recipes? At the beginning of the year, I had a case of analysis paralysis from all the pinterest boards of carefully categorized recipes, but I got over it and I'm going to tell you all about my little secret to how.
I really take pride in knowing that I'm selecting good ingredients, but I also want to know that I'm growing as a cook. I want to continue adding to my repertoire and tackling new culinary feats in the kitchen. But of course, who has the time? I first stumbled upon Blue Apron (a weekly meal subscription service) via a friend of mine who gave me one of her free trials (3 meals for 2 people, worth $60). It could seriously be one of the best free trials out there. So I signed up, selected my dietary preferences and my meals were to be sent to us by the end of the week. You can change delivery settings within a week's notice.
How it Works
• • •
Get Food Packaged Exactly by the Amount Necessary
All the veggies and select cuts of meats come prepackaged, as well as all the seasonings,
cheeses, and other ingredients to make sauces and dressings from scratch.
• • •
Prepare Food Using Step-by-Step Visual Recipe Cards
You're given a dose of the cultural influence to the dish, with all of the ingredients needed plus a visual display on the front of the card. On the back, a visual step-by-step that acts like a mini cooking course at home. What's great about it is that hubby (who's less cooking inclined) and I can both jump right in and divvy up our efforts, where as traditional recipes tend to require an extra step of organizing and strategizing. Even if you don't subscribe to the service, you can access all of their visual step-by-step recipes via their online cookbook.
Some of My Favorites
Mexican Chicken Mole with Cilantro Rice
• • •
Wasn't much of a fan of mole until this dish. The rich decadent chocolate and peppers mixed against the lime cilantro accents, collaborated well together. I think we ate in silence, (which is the marker of a truly delicious meal for us).
Chicken Shawarma with Tzatziki, Hummus & Beet Salad
• • •
All I need to say is "Tzatziki spilleth over." A zesty sauce made from scratch
and beet salad. A surprise rush of flavors in such a simple dish with vibrant colors.
Beef Ramen Noodle Soup with Choy Sum & Enoki Mushrooms
• • •
I was a Hoisin virgin until this meal. Quality steak and enoki mushrooms.
Handmade noodles? The noodle lover in me was swooning.
{ ...awww shucks, thanks for including this photo in your Autumn Cookbook }
Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Forbidden Rice
• • •
I was excited to use watermelon radish for the first time, (so delicious to the eyes) and we discovered forbidden rice (which is a rich source of anti-oxidants)! What a great replacement for white rice. It's hearty and has an earthy flavor on its own.
Korean Beef Chapchae with Sweet Potato Vermicelli
• • •
FYI I love spicy food! I loved making yet another culinary first, with the Korean chili spice, gochugaru. The sweet potato vermicelli noodles were a unique element that soaked in all the flavors. Added bonus: being that I am more conscious about the amount and type of carbs I eat, I liked that it was a great substitute for rice noodles.
Dukkah-Dusted Tilapia with Eggplant Sofrito and Peppers over Quinoa
• • •
Having never tried dukkah-anything, I was excited to experience new flavors and fish with extra texture. The blistered peppers were a surprisingly delightful way to prepare them whole and we're always down for Quinoa.
Salmon Burgers with Corn-on-the-cob & Basil Butter
• • •
Hello juicy-ness! My goodness this was the best burger of the year. The lemon aioli drizzle on the made-from-scratch salmon made for a summery refreshing pairing.
Savor the World & Learn
1 - Try the world. Hop cultures from meal to meal. Sample before you decide to invest in a full size carton of miso, or bottle of hoisin sauce. Cook with exotic ingredients like sweet potato vermicelli, kumquats or pattypan squash for the first time.
2 - Less anxiety in trying to figure out what to make. We set our preferences, for the dish types (vegetarian, pescatarian, chicken, beef etc.) and the majority of the time it's something we want to eat. I would love it if eventually they could include more specific dietary requirements like dairy free, gluten free etc.
3 - Cooking class at home Learn a new cooking technique in every meal. The visual recipe cards give it a "demo" feel.
4 - Feel accomplished. There's something about the combination of trying new techniques and unique ingredients and doing it on your own from scratch that add up to a sense of accomplishment. I love feeling like I'm learning and exploring right in my kitchen.
Have you tried Blue Apron, or a service like it?...what has your experience been like?
Let someone else take the driver's seat
so you can enjoy the ride.
Get everyday adventure ideas @LiveLikeYoureTraveling


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How did humans figure out how to record and play back sound? How does a record groove contain an infinity of sound, and how does the speaker play it? Find out in this episode! Also: a long discussion about the hideously awful "Star Wars Holiday Special", Mark's backyard "Game of Thrones" viewings, why can't we send nuclear waste into space?, Tickle deodorant, broke and forgotten inventors, tin can phones and loneliness, and how to become a "Specialist in the Sonic Acoustics of Ancient Spaces." Thanks for listening!
The worst thing you will ever see (it gets unthinkably awful around the 2 minute mark), courtesy of the 1970s.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download


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The largest quantity of squid species are found throughout the North Atlantic Ocean. The North Pacific is also home to a variety of squid types. The exact habitat of a squid depends on to which of the estimated 375 species the cephalopod belongs.
Squid are known to inhabit almost every major body of saltwater on the planet and even some bodies of freshwater. Many squid are adept at surviving in cold, oxygen-deprived waters deep below the surface.
The largest known squid species, the giant and colossal squid, are only found in the deep frigid waters in the Antarctic. Other species prefer the warmer or more shallow waters of tropic climates or coral reefs, such as those in Hawaii and the Gulf of Mexico.


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posted on:January 15, 2009
Formy CSS Framework out of Beta
Formy is build to help you mange web forms in more natural way. No lists no tables just CSS and br for the structure of HTML .
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Intel's Barrett Announces 'Small Things' Charity Challenge
"What we're doing is in fact coming up with a challenge for you something called the Small Things Challenge one step at a time," Intel chairman Craig Barrett said during his Consumers Electronics Show (CES) keynote.
Intel set up a Web site for the group at SmallThingsChallenge.com.
"What we're going to do is focus on the Save the Children group and Kiva.org, education and economic development," Barrett said. "My company Intel will donate a nickel for ever click that happens, within limits."
People can contribute to the Small Things Challenge in three ways: donate to Save the Children's Rewrite the Future program, which helps children in war-torn countries receive an education; provide a micro-loan through Kiva.org, which helps entrepreneurs in developing countries get their businesses off the ground; or encourage friends and family to donate.
Send an e-mail encouraging someone to donate and for every person who clicks on the "we'll donate 5 cents for you" button on the Web site, Intel will donate another 5 cents, up to $300,000 in 2009. The funds will be split between Save the Children and Kiva.org.
There is no minimum donation necessary for Save the Children, but Kiva.org requires a minimum of $25.
The challenge is currently scheduled to run until December 31, 2009.
Musicians Adam Levine of Maroon 5 and Adam Duritz of Counting Crows joined Barrett onstage at his keynote to issue their support for the challenge.
"I think we feel it's our responsibility to [contribute]," said Levine. "We've been blessed with a lot of success and the least we can do is give back in any way we possibly can."
Kiva.org is "able to connect lenders to entrepreneurs in developing countries so a food vendor can open a shop, or a water carrier can purchase a new cart, which means more jobs in the village, which means more economic growth for their community," Levine said. "And they're not looking for a handout. They're looking for a way to better their lives, and you can help."
Levine helped Intel create a video explaining the Small Things Challenge, which will be featured on the site and YouTube, Barrett said.
"Each of these organizations finds ways to empower and encourage people to step forward and take their place in a world that has always told them it has no room and no place for them," Duritz said. "We disagree. Through education the boundaries of our lives are shattered."
The bulk of Barrett's keynote was spent highlighting technology education and healthcare initiatives in which he and Intel have been involved.
Save the Children will soon be distributing Intel's Classmate PCs to 10 schools in Bangladesh, a program that will eventually expand to include 300 schools in the area, said Caroline Miles, chief operating office of Save the Children.
Barrett also highlighted a second-generation, portable device from OQO that Barrett said can help doctors remotely connect to patients' medical records from the field.
The $999 touchscreen OQO model 2+ runs the 1.86GHz Intel Atom processor, has 2GB of RAM, and 3G connectivity capabilities.
Barrett also showcased an upcoming game from Warner Bros. Interactive Games intended to teach young people about HIV/AIDS. It has been deployed in three test sites in Nairobi, Kenya and lets five kids play at once.
|Complete CES 2009 Coverage


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Can't find what you need on eBay, or looking for elsewhere to promote your merchandise? Fraud prevention in particular has all the time been at the prime of the record for CQout, and it's definitely one of the prime public sale websites in this regard. Since then, eBay has expanded rapidly and repeatedly added new features to maintain it at the forefront of on-line auctions. I also discover it useful to put on light-weight layers of clothes so I can remove something if I have a dreaded hot flash! Identical to ebay this also brings varied sellers at one place for handy and cheap buying.
I don't discover as many great labels as Shopbop and Revolve, talked about above, however it is still one of the vital well-liked sites for online procuring. The biggest online retailer of the world got here all guns blazing to India with its enormous expertise enabled on-line buying and supply system. I used to be in advertising and sales and so was 'on present' each day and needed to discover clothes that did not thoughts being crushed sitting in a car or behind a desk all day, and at all times managed to by some means look recent and confident. They seek out trend-forward garments that enable them to portray a confident, youthful, and vibrant image. I like your hub as a result of it has crucial information on find out how to wear lovely garments when you find yourself in your fifties.
Companies equivalent to Flipkart, Amazon, and Snapdeal have got enormous investment and generated sales more faster in comparison with different purchasing malls These corporations have turn out to be billion dollar entities with their capability to deliver something and every part that a client desires. Whilst Victoria's Secret is greatest identified for its beautiful lingerie and sleepwear, this web site can also be chock-full of implausible clothes in addition to swimwear, exercise gear and sneakers. Finding quality mature girls's footwear isn't difficult at all now due to online purchasing. Might is a passionate on-line shopper, consistently in search of new sites offering bargains to offset the declining Australian greenback. And now that you are over 50, discover the choice of lovely casual and elegant garments available for this age group.
The perfect web sites for buying designer clothing at a cost that low has a alternative is upgraded on a regular basis, so there's continually some fantastic new clothes factor to find. The struggle for the highest destination for buying it's giving Flipkart and Amazon a tricky struggle. Infibeam carves itself from being totally different from other websites as a result of it has a dedicated section for used cars and bikes that connect you the seller of the automobile. Ebay was the first main companies to enter the e-commerce market in India and must say it is nonetheless going nice with mind-boggling sales figures. Remember to examine even at places like Target, or online at Amazon or Zappos.
He now sells across a number of websites which has helped him branch out and take away his dependence on eBay as a selling platform (and he could not be happier). Taylored garments are my favourite however I achieve this love the sundresses you have featured right here. Purchase quick & designer collection of kaftan & beach wear at inexpensive costs in India. Wow, you hear that there are lots of sites like eBay however you never really research it. This sorts of articles are a real eye-opener. Many retailers which concentrate on promoting sneakers and fashionable ladies's clothes don't care about their costs are, but there are. Also, as Flipkart themselves acquires products in bulk instantly from suppliers and ships gadgets by its personal self delivery personnel, because of this there is a marked distinction in the product worth at Whereas sites corresponding to has completely different small-time sellers that sell their items.


text: Back to results Scroll Items 2574 of 13989 Family Members 11"x14" - $250.00 8"x10" - $235.00 4"x6" - $110.00 5"x7" - $156.00 5"x5" - $125.00 5"x7" - $340.00 5"x7" - $395.00 Main view Frame Back (4x6 version) Beautiful Packaging Product Details Pressed from a single sheet of silver, Cunill's PLAIN is an elegant style at a very atrractive price. Its called PLAIN by Cunill, but nothing plain about it. The Cunill quality is unsurpassed even to the backing which is a fitted wood piece to easily lock-in your photo. Cunill sterling never needs polishing - it is finely lacquered to keep it tarnish free. Beautifully engraves; we offer professional personalizing on this piece for a nominal fee. Gift packaged in the luxe signature Cunill Barcelona 2-piece Red Box and polishing cloth. Crafted in, and imported from, Cunill® Italy. PLAIN Fine Sterling Silver Double 2x3 frame by Cunill® Model #15000047 $99.00 1 available to ship today, more on the way. In stock Ships next business day Your Price Match is Active Your request for a price of $0.00 for a minimum quantity of has been accepted. You have [time] left to purchase this item for $0.00 Find a Lower Price? We BEAT All Authorized Retailers [?] Brand: Cunill Silver® Displays: 2"x3" Material: Sterling Silver (fine) Display Type: Desktop Only Color: Silver This item ships in its own box SHARE THIS ITEM Share on Facebook View more items Family Members Different Size, Similar Look Tags - Similar Searches Family Members Different Size, Similar Look Tags - Similar Searches 11"x14" - PLAIN 1/2-inch - $250.00 8"x10" - /7x9½ PLAIN 1-inch - $235.00 4"x6" - PLAIN 1-inch - $110.00 5"x7" - PLAIN 1-inch - $156.00 5"x5" - PLAIN 1-inch - $125.00 2"x3" - (dbl) PLAIN 1-inch - $99.00 5"x7" - (double) PLAIN Cunill - $340.00 5"x7" - (triple) PLAIN - $395.00 4"x6" - PLAIN BEVELED - $128.00 5"x7" - PLAIN BEVELED - $144.00 4"x6" - PLAIN 1/2-inch - $90.00 5"x7" - PLAIN 1/2-inch - $120.00 4"x6" - PLAIN 1-inch - $110.00 5"x7" - PLAIN 1-inch - $156.00 8"x10" - /7x9½ PLAIN 1-inch - $235.00 5"x5" - PLAIN 1-inch - $125.00 Sterling Silver cunill silver Italy double twins engraveables square corner Wallet size


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The southeast corner of North Fifth Street and Craig Road in North Las Vegas is quiet nowadays. The 40-acre parcel has been dormant for more than 30 years. ...On October 15, 2015 / By Mike Henle
Las Vegas has a rich history and for more than 65 years, the Las Vegas News Bureau has been there documenting the places and faces that helped shape ...On September 9, 2015 / By Chair Oscar B. Goodman
In the early-1940s, the nation was embroiled in World War II; Henderson was established in 1941, and Pearl Harbor was bombed on Dec. 7, 1941. Las Vegas was ...On September 9, 2015 / By Mike Henle
When Jim Marsh arrived in Las Vegas in 1971 from Longview, Wash., he was in search of a new life. After selling his Pontiac International Harvester Fiat dealership ...On August 11, 2015 / By Mike Henle
Long before corporate America moved into the gaming world of Southern Nevada, Las Vegas had a personality. Business was conducted differently and hotel executives had faces that were ...On July 6, 2015 / By Mike Henle
Gaetano Benza is among the remaining war heroes now living in Southern Nevada. Now a spry 90 years of age, Benza lives comfortably in his North Las Vegas ...On June 12, 2015 / By Mike Henle
Escape from the hustle-bustle of Las Vegas doesn't necessarily have to be done by hopping a plane at McCarran or heading for the border in your car. In ...On May 5, 2015 / By Mike Henle
Las Vegas has had its share of new arrivals over the years many of whom fail to deliver on their promises. In the eyes of some, the so-called ...On April 6, 2015 / By Mike Henle
By Mike Henle Long before Fremont Street became a barrel vault canopy called Fremont Street Experience with its multi-media production, the sounds of high-powered engines dominated the scene ...On March 4, 2015 / By Mike Henle
By Mike Henle Legendary Las Vegas PR guy KJ Howe turns 76 in February. He still plays ice hockey and he flies annually to Europe to go snow ...On February 4, 2015 / By Mike Henle


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Truvelle is a bridal line for the confident, unconventional and modern. With their refreshing approach to the wedding gown, they strive for effortlessly designed dresses of the highest craftsmanship.
From scratch, they create made-to-order wedding dresses with a heavy emphasis on design, fit and quality. All of their patterns are handcrafted and perfected and carefully chosen fabrics are individually hand cut. Each gown has a story.


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, trading name of
Combining timeless styles with modern updates, our men's clothing collection introduces effortless panache. Discover a range of smart casual polos, along with chinos and essential jeans, as well as occasion-ready suits, jackets and blazers, infused with on-trend elements. To finish off your look, browse footwear and staple accessories for the season.
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Are you trying to uninstall HACtronic? Have you tried removing this by simply deleting the icon on your desktop only to have these efforts fail? The only way to properly remove a program from your system is to uninstall the routine of the program you no longer want. When attempting to remove HACtronic 18.104.22.1681 from your Control Panel, however, you might get a few error messages such as those stating that HACtronic cannot be uninstalled or that an error occurred during the process of uninstalling it, etc. If problems like these ever occur and you need to find an effective way to get this and other Ciclo Sport K.W.Hochschorner GmbH programs uninstalled completely, then you have found the right place. Following is a list of reasons why you want to remove the software.
- HACtronic is no longer working correctly or is corrupt.
- Add/Remove programs in windows will not allow you to complete this process.
- You receive a constant stream of HACtronic errors.
- The software continues to run in the background, even after you've removed the program.
- Ciclo Sport K.W.Hochschorner GmbH HACtronic virus, malware or adware has been detected.
- There are a ton of leftovers from the program still remaining in your system and you are not sure of how to get rid of them.
These are all problems that are the result of improper installation. Damage or corruption of the program can additionally result in problems when you try uninstalling it. These issues can be very frustrating. Fortunately, you can relax at last because you have find the right place, by using the solutions offered below (both manual and automatic), it will be possible to completely erase HACtronic from your computer.
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Double door storage cupboard - 2000mm high
Torasen's Door storage range comes in 3 different heights with multiple finishes to match any work environment, each door storage unit comes with the possibility of additional shelves which ideal for limited spaces in office environments. The door units are available with lockable aluminium handles.
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Happy Sunday! Yep, It's me again :) I have been playing in my craft room today trying to get caught up on the challenges going on at CPS-Card Sketches. They are having a celebration in honor of their 5th anniversary and are showcasing a different sketch everyday for the next 15 days. I am loving this challenge! Here is the sketch for Day 7:
(CPS Anniversary Celebration Day 7 Sketch #242):
and here is the card I did based on the above sketch:
I used some beads in a bottle puff paint for my whipped cream to give some dimension to my ice cream cones. Thanks so much for stopping by and taking a look at my latest creation! I really appreciate it! I hope you have a great crafty day!
Card Stock: Melon Mambo (SU!), White (Georgia Pacific), Kraft (Recollections)
Stamps: Sentiment-Yummy Puns (Joy's Life) & Ice Cream Cones (Dollar Spot at Michaels)
Ink: Chocolate Chip & Melon Mambo (SU!)
Misc.: Beads In A Bottle, Colored Pencils, Offray Ribbon, Martha Stewart Border Punch, Foam Adhesive


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Contact Us | Coops and Cages
If there are any questions that you have about our products, services, postage times or putting the enclosures together, please feel free to fill out the form to the left and let us know. We have a strict 24 hour email response policy (excluding weekends, sorry, we're not that good), this fast rate of response should assist you with making a decision on our products and continuing on with other important items.
If you are looking for an update on your order, newsletter subscription lists, to change your postage address or other personal items, you can update these within your personal Coops And Cages™ Account.
Thank you in advance for sending us an email, as your communication is what allows us to continue to make Coops And Cages™ Australia's best pet enclosure website, as well as providing you with high quality products at an affordable price.
Suite 477, 121 Lygon Street Carlton Victoria 3053
1300 792 644
We post out of our warehouse. This address is our office location only.


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This night light is in the hallway to my bedroom.
It's had a long and useful life.
It was in my brother's room when we were little. I had one just like it in pink.
It wasn't bright. It just glowed.
I don't know exactly why I have the blue one, but I do. It was plugged into the wall of my first baby son's wall when he was born and until we moved east.
And then it was in the wall of the room he shared with his younger brother, while the baby slept in another bedroom.
There was a time when the boys wanted brighter lights. You know the kind with real bulbs and a plastic shield. Then, the little blue bear moved to the hallway in our old house.
Until we moved here 2-1/2 years ago. Then, the boys at 15, 13, and 12 did not want night lights. They were big, after all. So I plugged in the little blue bear in the hallway near my bedroom because I didn't have the heart to put it away.
And now, it no longer glows. And no one needs it. But I don't have the heart to throw it away. So I'll tuck it into one of the boys' memory boxes.


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Letters to the Editor
Choose reason over passion, anger
"Passionate" has become the media metaphor for the angry mobs now playing in theaters near you.
Emanating from the far-right masters of the "Party of Lincoln," the top candidates include one self-aggrandizing narcissist, who invents facts and fakes film footage, together with one grimacing-faced mime, who dances with would-be biblically inspired killers, ginning up hatred in the guise of theology. The final "hopeful" is a wide-eyed, scripted automaton, complete with remote control.
On the flip side, a seemingly decent man who was a self-identified socialist before finding it more expedient to run as a Democrat, which he isn't, promises little that he can possibly deliver to a sea of righteously angry young constituents (demographically non-voters, though this may change).
Secretary Clinton has taken a measured middle ground throughout her impressive political career. (Cue Wall Street critique here.) The secretary is not "progressive" enough for the left, and she is too liberal for the right. And, she plotted the attack on Benghazi in her secret emails. (Attention conspiracy theorists.)
Americans stand at an inflection point. Our choices are critical — willful ignorance, anger and blame — or, knowledge and reason. All progress rests upon calm, consistent leadership, compassion, and surely intellectual and experiential competence in our next president, as it has in our current president. (Cue hate blog.)
And Zeus help us, because the right-wing haters have laid claim to God.
Marylouise Markle, State College


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Earlier today Mike Chambers released his cool MXNA feed scroller desktop application that uses the MXNA ActionScript 2 Library and MXNA WebService to retrieve data from the aggregator.
Just noticed that Eric Dolecki has a customized version running on his site and I've just prepared a screensaver using that same application. Now you've got no excuse not the be up to date with the wheelings and dealings of the Flash community! ;)
Click here to download the screensaver!


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Leaders & Laggers of the S&P 500 Index
Some time ago I began coding a program that would iterate through a list of stocks (that list being the Standard & Poors 500 (S&P500)). I use intra-day 5 minute bars going 20 days back. The information tells me how … Continue reading
Posted in Market Psychology Tagged AAPL, minute bars, negative correlation, periods, Statistics, Stocks Leave a comment


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Ah Geez...The day before Christmas I am at the Dr. Joes office..Nothing wrong with me but M.O.M. wanted to stop and get my weight for the month.
Do I really have to sit here on this scale in front of everyone and hear how much I weigh? Everybody will hear! Can't a girl get any privicy? Gosh, just please don't say it out loud!
M.O.M. didn't say my weight out loud but as we were getting ready to leave the office the nice lady behind the counter asked M.O.M. what the scales said....oh, no!!!!
But M.O.M. did tell the lady in a nice soft voice so everyone in the room did not hear that I have actually gained a few pounds since the last time I was here. Thank you M.O.M.
December 23, 2009
4 comments:
Well, I still think you look beautiful!ReplyDelete
I hope you're ready for Christmas!!
you are not fat, you are just fluffy! *chuckle*ReplyDelete
Merry Christmas Mistaya
Mistaya, your assignment for 2010ReplyDelete
is to destroy any and all scales.
Oh me I do so dread the 'walk of truth' at the Vet's office. You see I to seem to find extra kbs. in the most unlikely places.
Madi and Mom
I'm with you on this on Nistaya. Why do they put the scales in the waiting room in front of all the other kitties and doggies? Oh well, what can we do?ReplyDelete
I think you look very sleek and trim. Just wait until the weather gets better and you can run like the wind again.
Miss Cindi
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Best Gluten-Free New Year's Eve Appetizers: From bites to savory hand held starters, we've got you covered with some of the most flavorful, yet simple gluten-free appetizers to help you ring in the New Year!
You can make these gluten-free appetizer recipes any time of year!
For more ideas, check out my Gluten-Free Appetizer section.
You are going to love these gluten-free appetizers. I try to add to this list every year, so check back often for more gluten-free appetizer recipes.
You don't need an excuse for making these gluten-free appetizers. They can be made any time of year, not just for New Year's Eve.
Best Gluten-Free Appetizers
An Easy Spinach Dip using only 7 ingredients found in most kitchens. This cold spinach dip recipe is naturally gluten-free, low carb and keto making it a favorite easy dip recipe among many. Dip this spinach dip in Gluten-Free Bread for a yummy gluten-free appetizer.
Gluten-Free Teriyaki Salmon Cakes make a great dinner option or an elegant gluten-free appetizer. Made with fresh Salmon, ginger, and garlic, and topped with a Wasabi Cream, you'll love every bite.
Gluten-Free Bacon Tomato Cups are perfect for any party or special occasion. They make a wonderful gluten-free appetizer and are sure to please anyone in the room!
Gluten-Free Appetizers and a board game are a great way to have a cozy night in with your loved ones this winter. We enjoyed our cozy night in with wine, crackers topped with goat cheese and blackberry compote, and our favorite game.
Wow your guests at your next party with these Gluten-Free Spinach and Artichoke Dip Bites! The crunchy crust topped with a smooth and creamy spinach artichoke dip will have you reaching for seconds. It's the perfect gluten-free appetizer.
Who knew that gluten-free appetizers could be this simple, yet so sophisticated. These Spicy Sausage and Bacon Appetizers are loaded with an amazing combination of flavors that will please anyone in the room.
This Easy and quick Gluten-Free Sausage and Shrimp Appetizer is a huge hit at parties and will leave your guests asking for your recipe!
Whether you are planning a party to watch a big game, having family over, or simply looking for something quick and savory, these Gluten-Free Carolina Chicken Sliders will not disappoint. Tangy, mouth-watering, and quick to make, they will be a new favorite gluten-free appetizer in your house.
Satisfy your salty cracker cravings this New Year's Eve with these super simple Gluten-Free Cheese Crackers. Crackers should always be included in your table of gluten-free appetizers.
Gluten-Free White Champagne Cupcakes are perfect for celebrating weddings, birthdays, and New Year! They are tender, have the perfect texture, and are topped with a rich buttercream frosting.
I hope you have a wonderful New Year's Eve! May the next year bring you all the happiness that you desire. Best wishes!


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(plural nailers)
- One whose occupation is to make nails; a nail maker.
- One who fastens with, or drives, nails.
- A nailgun.
- A piece of dimensional lumber and/or plywood secured to the deck or wall which provides a receiving medium for the fasteners. (Sometimes referred to as blocking.)


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1. Introduction
1.1 Barth In Overview
"Theology is thinking what to say to be saying the gospel."[1] That Robert Jenson could write these words at the end of the 20th century is a testament to the contribution Karl Barth made to theology from the beginning of that same century to his death in 1968. Though uninterested in mere repetition,[2] Barth was not seeking to say anything new. In fact the vanity of such newness was precisely what Barth fought against, understanding as he did that new theology would inevitably find ways to co-operate with 'Third Reichs'. Rather, Barth's contribution to Christian theology was to "begin again at the beginning"[3] – that is, to begin again with the revelation of God in Christ; to begin again with the only given we have: the gospel of Jesus.
Barth saw his role -- indeed the role of all theology -- as that of John the Baptist: simply pointing once again to Jesus.[4] His contribution was to direct theology back to the "theological subject": the theos that gives theology its origin, content, and telos. In light of the context in which he found himself, this "is one of Karl Barth's greatest achievements."[5]
1.2 Barth In Context
Identifying and appreciating Barth's contribution to theology entails an understanding of his context. Barth describes the dominant Protestant theology of his time as follows:
To think of God meant for them, with scarcely any attempt to hide the fact, to think of human experience, particularly of the Christian religious experience. To speak about God meant to speak about humanity, no doubt in elevated tone, but once more and now more than ever about human revelations and miracles, about human faith and human works.[6]
That being said, it was not so much the theology of the time that led to Barth's break with his liberal heritage, but rather the disobedience of the church to which this theology led. In Barth's own words, it was "the failure of the ethics of modern theology at the outbreak of the First World War" which played a "decisive role" in his turn from Protestant liberalism to "dialectical theology".[7] A contextual reading of Barth must appreciate that Barth, first of all, saw the need to change the church's obedience. He then saw that the only way to do this was to change the church's imagination by pointing her once again towards "the image of the invisible God,"[8] to whom our talk and our lives must conform.
Stanley Hauerwas says that, "Barth rightly refused to separate our knowledge of God from how we are to live if God is properly acknowledged."[9] This was the motivation behind Church Dogmatics: to properly identify and acknowledge God as God, and thus bring about the obedience of faith. For Barth, this meant talking about God extra nos and God pro nobis – God outside us and God for us. Contrary to his theological contemporaries, Barth understood in a fresh way that the latter cannot be understood without the former, and vice-versa.
2. Theological Contribution
2.1 God Extra Nos
"The Gospel is not a religious message to inform mankind of their divinity or to tell them how they may become divine. The Gospel proclaims a God utterly distinct from men."[10] Barth took God's otherness with utmost seriousness. At a time when Feuerbach's thought found empirical proof within Protestantism, Barth sought first to listen to and then speak of a God who is "the pure and absolute boundary and beginning of all that we are and have and do; God, who is distinguished qualitatively from men and from everything human, and must never be identified with anything which we name, or experience, or conceive, or worship, as God."[11]
God extra nos means not only that God is not derived from something in human nature, but that He is not bound to any reality we might call "the nature of God". Barth stressed relentlessly the utter freedom of God. God is free to choose the kind of God He wants to be, and in so choosing He is that God and none other.[12]
Theology, for Barth, was discourse about this theos, who could never be our own creation or a projection of our perverted desires. But how can we know such a God? Barth would describe such knowledge as an impossibility. But it is an impossibility made possible by this God's self-revelation, which is at once a veiling and an unveiling; a gift that cannot be grasped or possessed, for as mystery – as Trinity -- it remains outside of us as the frontier of a new world.[13] Our knowledge of God is "our inclusion in God's self-knowledge,"[14] yet even in this inclusion there is exclusion until the eschaton when God will be all in all. Revelation has been given extra nos, and revelation awaits extra nos. As William Stacy Johnson writes, "[F]or Barth the event of revelation in Jesus Christ is not simply a 'given' to be possessed or described but an event that is still unfolding, a dramatic 'giving' of God the Creator, Reconciler, Redeemer, which invites a dynamic, constructive response."[15]
2.2 God Pro Nobis
The remarkable contribution that Barth made to theology was his emphasis on the otherness and unknowability of God extra nos in the face of human arrogance and potential. But the majestic contribution of Barth to theology was to describe how this God extra nos is also God pro nobis in a way that does not diminish his God-ness but rather reveals its true shape. Green says that, "the centre of Barth's theology is the freedom of God acting in love toward humanity in Jesus Christ, which sets us free in all spheres of life – politics, art, economics, science, and especially theology and church – for a life of co-humanity and the praise of God."[16]
John 1:14 plays a decisive role in Barth's theology. "The Word made flesh" is not just the means that the God extra nos decided to employ in order to reveal Himself to humanity. That God really became man in Jesus of Nazareth gives character, shape and content to this word "God". In a passage from his lecture 'The Humanity of God', Barth says,
How should God's divinity exclude his humanity? For it is God's freedom for love, and therefore his freedom to be not only in the heights but also in the depths, not only great but also small, not only in and for himself but also to be with another who is different form himself, to give himself for this other, since there is room enough for it for community with humanity.[17]
God extra nos is utterly free and utterly decisive. His free decision is to be God pro nobis. Yet God is for us not as the One who safeguards or guarantees the future that we decide. Rather, He is for us as the One who poses our future;[18] indeed, as the One who is our future. Barth's theology was headed towards the time when God would be all in all. The God outside of us will have no future outside of Himself. He will have no history without us because He is for us – for us in a way that only He decides, because He is for us not only as our reconciler but as our Lord.
God pro nobis means that God wills not to be God without His creatures. We know this because He has become a creature like us – "at a definite point in space and time there lives and dies a human being like us all. In this human being God's Word is revealed to us."[19] The unity of God extra nos and God pro nobis is found in Jesus Christ. Revelation is the event of God's history breaking into human history in the particular form of this God-man. Everything must now be seen in light of Him.
In an address delivered in 1949 on the subject of "A New Humanism", Barth says, unapologetically, "the Christian proclamation is the proclamation of Jesus Christ."[20] Indeed, Jenson remarks that, "The Kirchliche Dogmatik is an enormous attempt to interpret all reality by the fact of Christ."[21] Such an attempt was revolutionary in a time when the theologians of the Church were looking to ground reality in things other than the Christ given to us in Scripture and in the proclamation of the Word – the Christ who reveals the God extra nos and pro nobis. Barth sought only to follow the command of God to the disciples in the face of Jesus' transfiguration: "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!"[22]
3. Barth's Legacy: Past, Present and Future
3.1 The Ethical Telos
As mentioned above, Barth aimed to contribute not only to the orthodoxy of the Church, but to her obedience which flowed out of her thinking about God. Barth's desire was for the Church to be the Church. This could only happen as the Church listened to the Word spoken by the God outside of her and corresponded to the actions of the God who is for her – indeed, for the whole world:
Confronted with the mystery of God, the creature must be silent: not merely for the sake of being silent, but for the sake of hearing. Only to the extent that it attains to silence, can it attain to hearing. But again, it must be silent not merely for the sake of hearing but for that of obeying. For obedience is the purpose and goal of hearing. Our return to obedience is indeed the aim of free grace. It is for this that it makes us free.[23]
Barth was not a contributor to dead orthodoxy. His concern was for the glory of God and the salvation unto obedience of humanity, which he saw not as two things but one.[24] Our end is not only to think after God but to obey Him. Indeed, such thinking and obedience are inseparable, which was a reality embodied by Barth himself.[25]
It was the disobedience of the German church that caused Barth to begin again at the beginning; to be silent in the presence of God's Word. His silence led to hearing afresh the Word of God spoken through His Son, and it was his goal that not only he would hear, but that the Church would hear and obey this Word which has given itself to the Church in love and freedom, and which in this giving has summoned the church "in the same instant to faith, obedience, gratitude, humility and joy."[26]
3.2 Present and Future
The extent to which the above seems obvious is to extent to which Karl Barth's legacy is still felt today. Daniel Hardy writes that, "The influence of Karl Barth has been so extensive as to be virtually coterminous with the history of theology during and since his lifetime."[27] Hardy may be overstating the case, however. John Webster makes note of how Barth has been largely ignored by evangelicals in North America and Britain, who have been absorbed with issues not at the forefront of Barth's theology: "It has thus proved easier for English-language systematic theology to work in relative independence from Barth's corpus."[28]
As regards Barth and Catholicism, a deeper understanding of the interactions with Catholic theologians that shaped Barth's theological trajectory can potentially generate fruitful ecumenical discussions today. Keith Johnson divides Barth's theological history into four stages, showing that while stages 1 and 3 find Barth in sharp conflict with Roman Catholic doctrines, stages 2 and 4 contain "interesting points of contact between Barth's mature theology and Catholic theology."[29] This bodes well for the future of ecumenical dialogue.
There is ongoing conversation to be had about reading Barth's work as congenial towards postmodernism. Gary Dorrien writes that, "Barth thought about Christianity in a way that often remarkably prefigured the insights of Thomas Kuhn, Alisdair MacIntyre, and various postmodern critics of the Enlightenment quest for universal reason."[30] In our postmodern context, Barth's theology demonstrates a way of speaking about God – and therefore ourselves and the world -- that does not rely on our individual pure reason abstracted from any story or tradition, but relies only upon the mysterious gift of the Word of God, given to us in the story of Jesus. Webster writes that, "One of Barth's chief legacies is that he offers an example of one who told the history of thought and culture, and, therefore, the history…of theology, from the perspective of gospel, church, and faith."[31]
Yet while Barth's theology is at home in postmodernism, it remains also a stranger carrying a message from the "strange, new world of the Bible". Barth was postmodern enough to know that "isms" are often blatant or latent ideologies, including postmodernism. In line with Barth, therefore, the gospel cannot be heard today as an optional truth in the world of postmodernism, but only as the truth that calls all other truths – including the truths of postmodernism – into question.[32]
In the end, Barth was not too concerned about whether his work was adhered to by later generations. He had no desire to create a thing called "Barthianism".[33] And he was certainly unconcerned about whether his theology would fit in with the philosophical traditions of the future. The legacy which Karl Barth sought to give the church today – indeed, the church of every day – was to cause her to turn again and again to the "theological subject", i.e. the triune God revealed in Christ.[34] His theology was never intended to be an end, but only another finger pointing to the Alpha and Omega who must have the first Word, and who will most assuredly have the last.
[1] R.W. Jenson, Systematic Theology, Volume 1: The Triune God, 32
[2] Cf. K. Barth, Church Dogmatics 1.1: The Doctrine of the Word of God, 16: "[D]ogmatics does not ask what the apostles and prophets said but what we must say on the basis of the apostles and prophets."
[3] Cf. K. Barth, Church Dogmatics 1.2: The Doctrine of the Word of God, 868: "[I]n dogmatics strictly speaking there are no comprehensive views, no final conclusions and results. There is only the investigation and teaching which take place in the act of dogmatic work and which, strictly speaking, must continually begin again at the beginning in every point."
[4] Clifford Green tells of the painting 'Crucifixion' by Grunewald, which hung over Barth's desk: "In it John the Baptist points with elongated index finger to the figure of Jesus on the Cross." C. Green (ed.), Karl Barth: Theologian of Freedom, 11
[5] Jenson, Systematic Theology, 60n100
[6] Karl Barth, from a lecture entitled 'The Humanity of God', quoted in Green, Karl Barth: Theologian of Freedom, 48
[7] Ibid., 49
[8] Col. 1:15
[9] S. Hauerwas, With the Grain of the Universe, 142
[10] K. Barth, The Epistle to the Romans, 28
[11] Ibid., 330-1
[12] Cf. Jenson, Systematic Theology, 140: "According to Barth, God's being is most decisively construed by the notion of decision. God is so unmitigatedly personal that his free decision is not limited even by his "divine nature": what he is, he himself chooses. But that must be to say, God is the act of his decision. Thus the doctrine of election, of God's choice "before all time," is for Barth the center of the doctrine of God's being."
[13] Cf. Barth, CD 1.1, 371: "God gives Himself entirely to man in His revelation, but not in such a way as to make Himself man's prisoner. He remains free in His working, in giving Himself."
[14] K.A. Richardson, Reading Karl Barth: New Directions for North American Theology, 131
[15] W.S. Johnson, 'Barth and Beyond', http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=2146
[16] Green (ed.), Karl Barth: Theologian of Freedom, 11
[17] K. Barth, 'The Humanity of God', quoted in Green, Karl Barth: Theologian of Freedom, 48
[18] Cf. Jenson, Systematic Theology, 16: "[Israel's] God is not salvific because he defends against the future but because he poses it. 16
[19] Barth, Church Dogmatics 1.2, 36
[20] K. Barth, God Here and Now, 4
[21] Jenson, Systematic Theology, 21
[22] Matt. 17:5 (NIV)
[23] K. Barth, CD II/2, 30, quoted in Richardson, Reading Karl Barth, 169
[24] Cf. K. Barth, Church Dogmatics IV.3.1: The Doctrine of Reconciliation, 228
[25] Cf. Johnson, 'Barth and Beyond', http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=2146: "In a number of little-known addresses and letters, Barth had proclaimed as early as 1933 that one was not preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ in Germany if one was not also preaching specifically against the persecution and disappearance of the Jews."
[26] K. Barth, CD II/I, 550, quoted in Richardson, Reading Karl Barth, 155
[27] D.W. Hardy, 'Karl Barth', 39
[28] J.Webster, 'Theology After Barth', 250
[29] K.L. Johnson, 'A Reappraisal of Karl Barth's Theological Development and his Dialogue with Catholicism', 23
[30] G. Dorrien, The Barthian Revolt in Modern Theology, 12
[31] J. Webster, 'Barth, Modernity and Postmodernity', 13
[32] Cf. Barth, Romans, 35: "The Gospel is not a truth among other truths. Rather, it sets a question-mark against all truths….Anxiety concerning the victory of the Gospel – that is, Christian Apologetics – is meaningless, because the Gospel is the victory by which the world is overcome."
[33] Cf. Barth, God Here and Now, 124: "…all words ending in "ism" are inappropriate in serious theological language."
[34] John Webster writes that, "What Barth expected of his readers…was that they should take with ultimate seriousness, with a kind of joyful earnestness, not what he himself had to say, but rather the object of his testimony, which was none other than the name of Jesus Christ, the sum and substance of the gospel, and beginning and end of the works and ways of God." J. Webster, 'Barth, Modernity and Postmodernity' in Karl Barth: A Future for Postmodern Theology?, 1-2


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Single Source Staffing
If you want to use one staffing service to fulfill all staffing needs, Single-Source Staffing is your choice. All openings are filled through Ace Personnel's own database or, in some cases, a combination of the Ace Personnel database and a local partnering service. You need only call Ace Personnel to have any type of order filled. We maintain all communications with any other service(s) involved. You complete one timesheet and receive one invoice for all services.
One-Call Staffing
If you use more than one service to fulfill your staffing needs either because of the volume of people needed or as a check and balance to ensure you are receiving the best possible service, you will prefer the One-Call Staffing arrangement. In the One-call Staffing relationship, Ace Personnel acts as your main contact and distributes orders among the services as dictated. As in Single Source Staffing, you need only call Ace Personnel. We maintain all communications with any other service(s) involved. You complete one timesheet and receive one invoice for all services.
On-Site Management
This service involves placing an On-site Manager at your facility. The On-site Manager serves as a liaison between the associates and your management staff. Each On-site Management program can be tailored to your specific needs, but typically the On-site Manager provides recruiting, interviewing, training of associates, translation when needed (our On-site Managers are bi-lingual Spanish/English), and counseling of associates. On-site Managers could be at your facility either full-time or part-time dependent upon the number of associates working.
Temporary / Contract Positions
Whether you need an associate for several weeks or several months, Ace Personnel is able to help. When your seasonal peak, special project, or maternity leave is over the associate is reactivated in the Ace Personnel database and a new job search begins. You don't have to worry about the large number of unemployment claims that come in after a seasonal peak, because we employed the seasonal associates.
Temporary-To-Hire Positions
If you want to add to your core staff but would like to review the associate's work performance, attendance and attitude, you will love the temporary-to-hire program. After 480 hours on Ace Personnel's payroll, you may hire the associate without a conversion fee. It is like a 12-week interview.
Direct Hire Programs
The Direct Hire Program allows you add to your core staff immediately. After you and Ace Personnel have thoroughly screened and interviewed the applicant, you may offer to hire him or her directly. The fee for this service is a percentage of the associate's first year's salary.


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|Microcomputer controlled game
|Morrison et al.
|Greenberg et al.
|Becker et al.
a. at least eight different tune select designators that may be manually selected by a player;
b. a mode selector for selecting at least a first mode and a second mode;
c. synthesis means for generating musical notes and making them audible to the player;
d. memory means for storing a plurality of pre-programmed sequences of musical notes;
e. control means operable in said first mode for associating at the start of a game particular ones of said stored sequences each with two of said designators and for causing, during each turn of play within a game, said synthesis means to play a first musical note sequence associated with the designator first selected by the player within said turn of play and then determining whether a second designator also selected within said turn of play is also associated with said first sequence, said control means being operable in said second mode for respectively causing at least eight different single musical notes to be played by said synthesis means upon the respective manual selection of eight different turn select designators, thereby permitting all eight notes in a musical octave to be manually selected and played in any order, said control means randomly operating to assign a "wild" status to one or more of said designators at the start of a game and thereafter treating each such "wild" designator as associated with all of said sequences.
a. at least eight different tune select designators that may be manually selected by a player;
b. a mode selector for selecting at least a first mode and a second mode;
c. synthesis means for generating musical notes and making them audible to the player;
d. memory means for storing a plurality of pre-programmed sequences of musical notes;
e. control means operable in said first mode for associating at the start of a game particular ones of said stored sequences each with two of said designators and for causing, during each turn of play within a game, said synthesis means to play a first musical note sequence associated with the designator first selected by the player within said turn of play and then determining whether a second designator also selected within said turn of play is also associated with said first sequence, said control means being operable in said second mode for respectively causing at least eight different single musical notes to be played by said synthesis means upon the respective manual selection of eight different tune select designators, thereby permitting all eight notes in a musical octave to be manually selected and played in any order, said mode selector being operable to select a third mode having a level of difficulty greater than that of said first mode.
a plurality of designators that may be selected by a player;
first means for storing a plurality of pre-programmed tunes;
second means for making the notes of said pre-programmed tunes audible to the player;
third means for re-associating in a new and different fashion at the start of each game at least one of said stored pre-programmed tunes with at least two of said designators;
fourth means for causing said second means to play the notes of the particular tune associated with a particular designator upon the selection of said designator by the player; and
fifth means for indicating whether the player has been successful on a particular turn of play within a game by being the first to successively select a particular two of said designators that are associated with the same tune, which successful selection is termed a successful match of associated designators and a "win.".
The present invention pertains generally to game and amusement apparatus and more particularly to electronic apparatus for the playing of a musical concentration game.
A. The Prior Art
Electronic apparatus are well known which have a keyboard comprising a plurality of electrical contacts, electronic circuitry for generating electrical signals of a musical nature whose frequency content is determined by which key or keys of the keyboard have been depressed and the associated contacts closed, and a loudspeaker or other transducer for converting such musical electrical signals into audible musical sounds.
Additionally, game and amusement electronic apparatus are well known in which different tunes are pre-programmed and stored within a read-only memory associated with a micro-processor or other computational element controlling the operation of the apparatus, so that in response to certain operational sequences, selected ones of said tunes may be generated electronically and made audible to the player.
However, it is not believed that any prior art electronic musical apparatus was adapted for the playing of a game of musical concentration, such as attempting to match pairs of designators that have been both assigned to the same tune in a manner unknown to the players at the game's commencement.
B. Summary of the Invention
Accordingly, it is an overall object of the present invention to provide electronic apparatus adapted for playing a game of musical concentration.
It is a more specific object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus wherein the game entails matching to each other a pair of buttons on a keyboard (or other designating means) which have been associated with the same musical tune at the game's commencement in a predetermined but more or less random fashion unknown to the players.
It is another object of the present invention to provide electronic musical apparatus which will enhance the musical skill of a player by encouraging him to learn how to distinguish different musical sequences from one another and optionally by giving the player the opportunity to imitate the pre-programmed tunes (or any other sequences of musical notes) by playing them "by ear" one note at a time.
Briefly, the invention which satisfies these and such other objects as will become more apparent from the study of the detailed description of a preferred embodiment which follows, is an electronic amusement apparatus having a keyboard with a plurality of buttons which may be selected by the player one at a time (or other designator means), an electronic music synthesizer/transducer for generating the musical notes associated with various pre-programmed tunes and making them audible to the player, and an electronic game controller which associates at the commencement of a game some or all of the tunes with pairs of said buttons selected more or less at random, and which for each turn of play causes said musical synethesizer/transducer to play at least a portion of the tune associated with a first selected button and then, depending upon whether the second selected button is from another button pair or is paired with the first button, either causes at least a portion of the tune associated with the second button to be heard or else a signal output signifying the successful matching of a pair of buttons associated with the same tune.
As an option, the apparatus may be provided with mode selector buttons affecting the level of difficulty of the game play; furthermore, one or more of the keyboard buttons may be randomly assigned a "wild" status, and will be treated as matching any not yet matched button.
The preferred embodiment incorporates the optional capability of allowing the player to play tunes "by ear" one note at a time.
For a better understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the following detailed description and to the appended drawings in which:
FIG. 1 depicts a preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention as seen from its front (keyboard side).
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 taken along the center line designated 2--2, and shows in particular where the various components are located within the interior of the apparatus.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the section line designated 3--3 in FIG. 1, and shows a detail of the mechanical score accumulators provided as part of the apparatus.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the various electrical and electronic components of the apparatus of FIG. 1 and how they are electrically connected one to another.
FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing how the controller of FIG. 4 operates from a functional point of view.
Referring now to FIG. 1, it may be seen that the apparatus of the present invention may advantageously be contained within a relatively small and portable housing (designated generally by the reference numeral 10) containing an on-off switch 12 at the upper left portion of a keyboard contact array arranged generally in a 6 by 5 matrix (designated generally by the reference numeral 14) which in the embodiment illustrated has a first row 16 comprising four mode keys designated A, B, C, and D; a second row 18 containing five key buttons designated with the numerical indicia 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5; a third row 20 containing five key buttons bearing the numerical designations 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 respectively; a fourth row 22 containing four key buttons bearing the designations 11, 12, 14, and 15 (in the illustrated embodiment, the number 13 is not associated with any active key); a fifth row 24 and containing five key buttons bearing respectively the numerical designations 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20; and a sixth row 26 containing five key buttons bearing the designations 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25 respectively.
It should be understood that, although in the case of the present embodiment the various mode key buttons contained in the first row 16 bear alphabetic indicia and the various tune select key buttons contained in second through sixth rows 18, 20, 22, 24 and 26 bear numerical indicia, other similar means of designating the various keys may be employed or the physical keys themselves may lack particular designations, their location within the keyboard array serving to designate their function to the player. Furthermore, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that instead of a matrix type keyboard such as is illustrated with each key in the matrix performing a separate and distinct function, it would be possible to employ an input scheme wherein a single function could be designated by the pressing of several keys in sequence, as for example, by the use of a conventional 10 key keyboard in which, instead of pressing a button located at a first position, the player would input the digit "0" and then "1", and in which, instead of pressing a button located at a 25th position, the player would press the "2" key followed by the "5" key.
Also visible in FIG. 1 are four manually slideable scoring accumulator knobs designated by the reference numerals 28, 30, 32 and 34, which slide in their respective grooves designated by the reference numerals 28g, 30g, 32g, and 34g, each provided with scoring indicial 1-24 as shown.
The manner of construction of these scoring accumulator buttons and associated grooves is better visible in FIG. 3 and will be discussed in more detail hereinafter in connection with that Figure.
At this point it may be remarked that the housing 10 as shown in FIG. 1 is designed in the form of an antique jukebox. This is a particularly apt theme, not only because the apparatus can also function as a musical instrument, but also on account of the fact that pressing of the various buttons located on second through sixth rows 18, 20, 22 etc. causes pre-programmed tunes to be automatically synthesized and made audible to the player, much as tunes are selected for play in a real jukebox.
In connection with this jukebox theme, it may be seen that the upper portion of housing 10 assumes a semi-circular shape featuring two illumiatable quadrants designated generally by the reference numerals 36 and 38 respectively, each of which comprises a lamp cover having a generally textured, translucent surface but not transparent except within the two arcs indicated by the reference numerals 40 and 42 (for the right hand quadrant 38) and by the referenced numerals 44 and 46 (for the left hand quadrant 36). The remaining portions of the housing 10 visible in FIG. 1 are opaque to light, at least in the embodiment illustrated.
Referring now to FIG. 2, it may be seen that contained within said housing 10 beneath upper left and right quadrants 36 and 38 is a first lamp 50 (and a second lamp 50a not visible) which when illuminated successively on and off produces a visual flickering effect through the transparent and translucent portions of said quadrant lamp covers, again capturing the spirit of an old time jukebox. Lamp 50 is mounted at one end of a printed circuit board 52 whose other end is more or less covered by the keyboard matrix array 14, which preferably comprises a first contact layer 54 spaced below a second contact layer 56 by means of a spacing layer 58 which is open in the region beneath the various active keybuttons of keyboard 14. Located below circuit board 52 is a loudspeaker 60 which, for ease of assembly, may be both physically and electrically connected to the printed circuit board 52, but which also obviously could be located remote from the circuit board and connected electrically thereto by means of a suitable wiring harness. Finally, from FIG. 2, it may be seen that four dry cell batteries 62 and 64 (and 63 and 65, not visible) are located in a battery compartment 66 provided with an access cover 68 underneath the housing. By employing conventional flashlight batteries, the apparatus contemplated herein may be made completely portable and independent of any requirement of connection to an external power source, and at the same time can be made quite safe--even if the apparatus is subjected to use by small children in a manner not contemplated by its proper operation--since only low voltages are present.
Referring now to FIG. 3 showing in detail the scoring accumulator knobs 28, etc. in the grooves 28g, etc., it may be seen that each such accumulator button comprises a protruding upper portion adapted to be held between the thumb and forefinger of a player, a planar bearing portion 72 protruding from one side and sliding against a planar bearing surface provided on the inside of keybord 14, and a locating lug 74 that slides within a corresponding groove 76 integrally molded in the main body of housing 10.
Although other more complex forms of construction of such a sliding score accumulator would doubtless be possible, the configuration illustrated has the advantage of being easily fabricated during the injection molding of the housing body 10 and the knobs 28, etc. with no subsequent machining steps being required, and of being conveniently snapped together and permanently retained without the use of any separate springs or fasteners.
Referring now to FIG. 4, showing in block diagram schematic form the various electrical components of the apparatus shown in cross-section in FIG. 2 and in plan view in FIG. 1, it may be seen that batteries 62, 63, 64 and 65 are connected via switch 12 to an electronic circuit designated generally by the reference numeral 80 and comprising a controller portion 82, a tune status matrix 84 (which could take the form of a separate read alterable memory "RAM") and a tune library 86 (which could take the form of a separate read only memory "ROM"). Serving as the control inputs to the circuit arrangement 80 is the keyboard matrix 14 herein shown in a schematic rather than a clearly realistic manner. Suffice it to say that when, for instance, the mode "A" button (see also FIG. 1) is pressed, the input line to circuit 80 labeled "mode" is connected to the input line designated "COL 2"; when designator button "1" is pressed, the input line labeled "1-5" is connected to the input line designated "COL 1". Also shown in FIG. 4 is a driver/synthesizer block 90 connected to the "light" and "sound" outputs of circuit 80 and in turn driving a loudspeaker (shown diagramatically at reference numeral 60) and a pair of light bulbs 50 and 50a.
It should be understood, however, that although shown as a separate discrete component, the driver synthesizer function of block 90 of FIG. 4 could, using conventional micro-processor programming techniques, be implemented as just another function performed by controller portion 82 of electronic circuit 80.
Prior to describing in detail the operation of controller 82, with particular reference to the functional flowchart of FIG. 5, an overall description of the apparatus in use will now be given from the perspective of the player.
When the game is turned on by means of switch 12, a scrambling sequence of noises is output by speaker 60 and lights 50 and 50a flash on and off, thereby giving the impression of a computerized data processing machine coming to life. This is a signal to the players that the machine is about to scramble (i.e., re-assign) the pre-Programmed tunes amongst the various numbered buttons of the keyboard 14 and is ready for the play to begin. One of the players should then push one of the four mode selector buttons labeled A, B, C, and D and the game (if a game mode is selected) actually commences.
D is the musical instrument mode, that is to say, each of the twenty-four buttons is a separate note in a two octave chromatic scale, and will not be described in detail hereinafter. A, B, and C are all tune matching game modes of varying levels of difficulty, A being the easiest and C being the most difficult.
In mode A, all matched pairs are either "even" or "odd," that is to say, if the first selected button of a possible pair is an odd number (for instance, 1), then the second button of that pair must also be an odd number (in this particular instance, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, or 25); thus, instead of having up to 23 possible second keys to choose from, the player is confronted with at most 11, thereby slightly approximately doubling his chances of success. To assist players in this mode the "even" and "odd" keys may be of different colors.
In mode B, tunes are scrambled and distributed amongst the buttons in pairs which are not restricted as to being even or odd, thus approximately doubling the difficulty of play, as compared with mode A.
In mode C, the player is permitted to hear only the first few notes of the tune (typically three notes).
If one of the mode selector buttons has not been depressed within 10 seconds after the game is turned on, the constant scrambling noise and flashing lights will stop in order to conserve battery life. However the game continues to await the selection of a mode and even though the lights are extinguished and the speaker is silent, pressing a mode select button will immediately place the game in the selected mode.
The mode (with its attendant level of difficulty) having thus being selected, the game is now ready for actual play and the first turn begins. The player depresses one of the numbered buttons. This causes the electronics to generate and perform the notes of the tune associated with that particular button (and also associated with another button whose designation may not yet be known to the player). Depending upon the level of difficulty selected by the mode switches, either the full time or a portion thereof (approximately 3 or 4 notes) is heard. The player then has a limited period of time (typically seven seconds signalled by the sound of a ticking clock) to find and select the button paired with the selected button; that is to say, the one other button on the keyboard 14 which would have caused the same note sequence to be performed. If from a previous turn of the same game, the player remembers hearing the same sequence of notes when a different button had been pressed, he merely presses that other button and is rewarded with the same tune being played but this time in a full embellished arrangement which is followed by a distinctive "win" sound and the flashing of lights 50 and 50a. However, if the player does not known from a previous turn of the same game which other button of the keyboard corresponds to the same tune, he selects a possible candidate button and depresses it. If he is lucky and the second key button selected is the correct one, he hears the matching tune in the embellished arrangement followed by a "win" sound and sees the lights flashing. Otherwise, he merely hears either the whole or a portion of the tune associated with that second button (depending upon the level of difficulty selected). If the player selects during a given turn a button that has already been matched during a previous turn, he is given a short raspberry sound but allowed to continue his turn. However, he cannot exceed the time allotted for selecting a "legal" (not yet matched) second button.
The players continue to play turns as described above, each player keeping track of the number of successful matches he made during a game by means of the manual scoring accumulator buttons 28, 30, etc.
When all the tunes have been matched, the game is over and the original scrambling noise and flashing lights occur as a signal that the game is completed and a new game is ready to commence.
In the embodiment described in detail herein, scoring is done not by the electronic circuitry automatically, but rather is done manually by the players. Accordingly, the players may agree amongst themselves how to keep score and may give each other handicaps or one player may be awarded two points if he successfully matches two buttons to the same tune, while another more experienced player might be given only one point on a successful match.
Furthermore, to enable players of different levels of skill to play competitively with one another, it is possible for a player to change a level of difficulty associated with his particular turn of the game by pressing one of the mode selector buttons A, B, or C immediately prior to pressing any of the numerical keyboard keys and thus starting the clock ticking for a particular turn. Since the tunes have already been scrambled and distributed amongst the various buttons at the beginning of a game, it is not possible to use the mode keys after the game is underway to determine whether the matches will always be even with even and odd with odd, or may be all possible combinations. However, it is possible to cause the game to play only the first few notes of a tume (mode C) after a button has been selected rather than the full tune or vice versa (modes A or B). It is also possible to provide the apparatus of the present invention with a wild key capability, a detailed discussion of which will be deferred until after the description of the flow-chart of FIG. 5.
Referring now to said FIG. 5 flow-chart, it may be seen that the first function performed by controller 82 during the course of the game is that of "Initialization" as indicated by the block 100. This function is in response to the switching on of power switch 12 and causes the controller and the synthesizer/driver to generate the scrambling sounds and flashing lights signalling the beginning of a game as was described previously. As soon as one of the game mode buttons A, B, or C has been depressed, the controller then sets mode and difficulty flags as indicated in block 102, and then proceeds to distribute or scramble the tunes contained in the library 86 amongst the 24 keys of the keyboard 14 in pairs by means of suitable entries in tune status matrix 84, as indicated by the block 104. As a practical matter, this distribution function is better accomplished after the "mode" has been selected, since the nature of the required distribution is partially affected by whether the odd with odd and even with even restriction associated with mode "A" has been selected.
The various tunes having been distributed amongst pairs of keyboard buttons as symbolized by block 104, the controller now enters the actual start of game play and the first turn is ready to commence as signified by block 106. Although the mode of the game has already been established immediately following initialization, it nevertheless is possible to reset the "Level Difficulty" flag at the commencement of each turn. This function is performed in block 108. As soon as the player has depressed a first tune designator button, the controller, as shown by block 110 causes the tune previously associated by the controller with that first button to be played as shown by block 110, assuming that the "Level of Difficulty" flag has been set to the 1 (or "easy") state. However, if the Level of Difficulty has been set to the 2 (or "difficult") state, the controller causes only the first three notes of the first tune to be played as shown diagramatically by block 112.
For the sake of simplicity, the flow-chart of FIG. 5 does not illustrate the possibility that the player on his first button selector has pressed a button that was part of an already matched pair. However, all that the controller would do in that case is cause a raspberry sound to be output and await the selection of a first tune button by the player that is not already part of an already matched pair.
Having caused either the whole tune or the first three notes of the tune to be played, the controller now awaits to see if the player will select as his second button the other designator of the pair corresponding to the tune that has just been played. This function is shown diagramatically by block 114. The controller at the same time continuously monitors to make sure that the seven seconds (or other pre-determined period of time) within which the player must make his selection of the second tune designator button has not elapsed (a function shown diagramatically by block 116). If the player does not make a correct match, that is to say, the player selects and presses a second button associated with a different tune, that different tune is played either in whole or in part (a function performed by the block 118) and the controller then goes to the Next Turn (block 106). If, on the other hand, the player succeeds in guessing the correct second button of the pair and scores a "match", the controller causes the whole tune to be played in an embellished fashion followed by a "win" sound and flashing lights (shown by block 120) and then (block 122) the controller checks tune status matrix 84 to see if all tunes have been matched, in which case the game is over and control is returned to the initialization function of block 100 the scrambling noises are heard and the lights flash. If, on the other hand, the game is not over and there are still tunes remaining unmatched, the tune just matched and its two associated buttons have been so indicated in the tune status matrix 84 and control is returned to the next turn function of block 106.
The above assumes that the player makes a good or a bad match attempt (second designator selection) within the allocated time. If, however, he does not depress a legal (that is to say, not yet matched) second designator button within the time allocated; the controller 82 causes a raspberry sound to be emitted by loudspeaker 92 (a function shown diagramatically by block 124) and control passes to the "Next Turn" block 106. Again, in the interest of simplicity, it is assumed that the player does not in his match attempt press a button that is already part of a matched pair (not "legal"). However, as is apparent from the operational description above, this does not affect the normal operation of controller 82 and the flow from one functional block to another, but rather, a raspberry sound similar to that generated by block 124 is emitted from loudspeaker 92 and the timing function of block 116 continues until either the time is used up, or else a legal second button has finally been depressed and the match is either good or bad, causing respectively control to pass to function blocks 120 or 118, respectively.
It will be recalled that an optional "wild" key mode of operation has been alluded to previously, but not as yet described in detail. If such an option is provided, then at the time that the various pre-programmed tunes contained in the tune library 86 are assigned to pairs of individual keys of keyboard matrix 14, certain of the keys are designated as "wild." If, on the start of his turn, a player selects not a key associated with a particular unmatched tune, but rather a key that has been designated as "wild" but not yet selected, then the controller 82 causes a "wild key sound" to be heard from loudspeaker 60 and accompanied by the rapid flashing of lights 50 and 50a, whereupon control then passes to the matching and timing functions of blocks 114 and 116, with the caveat that in the case of a "wild" selection, the selection of any legal second key button results in a good match. Furthermore, block 120 must update tune status matrix 84 to show not only the tune button selected in operation 114 as matched, but also its corresponding pair mate as well as the wild key selected in the operation of box 110.
If the "wild" key is pressed during the second key select operation of block 114, then again the "wild key sound" is heard and control passed to block 120, with the same caveat as to updating matrix 84.
Although the present invention has been described above with reference to a particular embodiment having four mode keys and twenty-four active tune designator keys, other variations and embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.
By way of example and not of limitation, the musical instrument mode may be dispensed not altogether. On the other hand, the musical instrument mode may be retained but only eight designator keys provided. In that latter case, the apparatus will still be able to function as a musical instrument capable of playing the full major musical scale of do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do. With only eight designator keys, the tune matching musical concentration game of the present invention can still be played, albeit at a much easier level of difficulty.
The scope of protection to be afforded this invention should accordingly be measured only by the claims appended to the patent upon its issuance.


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Grid, boxes, and cantilevers built in sky and air. OMA, Office for Metropolitan Architecture's new project, MahaNakhon, a building consists of a 77-story glass tower located in Bangkok, Thailand to be complete in 2010. The skyscraper will hold both public and private homes including public plaza, retail space, a hotel, bar, restaurant, and 200 apartment homes.
Utilizing the band and box like element OMA breaks the surface of traditional sky scraper building by creating terraces and balconies shifted inward and outward to project cantilevers and urban pockets within the sky. Urban 'skyscapes' are introduced with new outside dining and public atriums away from the city. These new urban get aways in the sky, creates dynamic private spaces as a serene city watching zone above the grounds.
These type of architecture is not a new phenomenon, other architects have carved out boxes and grids to introduce opportunities of space and bands. An alternative proposed design is MOMA, Musuem of Modern Art New York by Axis Mundi uses a similar grid and extraction system to create a new urban scape in the sky. However compared to OMA's design, Mundi idea and delivery utilizes pockets created and treated with grid like facade, composed unlike MahaNakon, more of an collage of art in sky; integrating famous iconic art pieces such as Andy Warhol's Marilyne Monroe's painting.
Both structures holds grid, box, and sky yet transposes a very different feeling. Either as a collage or skyscape, it introduces new creative spaces in the air.


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Do you have contact information for one of our "missing" alumni? Fill in the form below with any contact information you may have and we will make sure they receive the latest Reunion updates.
Arunas Chesonis '91S (MBA), '04 (HNR)
A devoted supporter of the University's budding entrepreneurs, Chesonis has worked to promote student self-starters through his work as a Charter Member of the George Eastman Circle, member of the Board of Trustees, Simon Venture Capital Fund, and URVentures
Read About Other Alumni


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Stafford patients urged to join the war on antibiotic resistance
Patients in the Stafford area are being urged to use antibiotics responsibly to keep them in good health and prevent disease-resistant infection from spreading.
Antibiotics are a vital tool for treating infections such as pneumonia, meningitis and tuberculosis and for preventing infections during surgical procedures and cancer treatment. However, the more antibiotics are used the less effective they become because overuse gives resistant bacteria a greater chance to survive and spread.
Dr Paddy Hannigan, Chair of Stafford and Surrounds CCG, said: "It is a common misconception that antibiotics are a cure-all - but the reality is they just won't work in the case of a cold or the flu.
"Patients should be assured that when antibiotics are necessary they will be prescribed - but for other conditions alternative advice on symptom management will be provided rather than prescribing an antibiotic if it will not be effective. Doctors and patients should also consider that antibiotics can have side effects."
Antibiotic resistance is one of the most significant threats to patients' safety worldwide. Infections with antibiotic-resistant bacteria increase levels of disease and death, as well as the length of time people stay in hospitals. Doctors warn that as bacterial resistance grows it will become more difficult to treat infection.
The antibiotic resistance problem has become more serious because the discovery of new antibiotics is at an all-time low. It has now been over 30 years since a new class of antibiotics was discovered and health bosses need to protect the treatments currently available.
Dr Hannigan said that health services locally were working hard to reduce unnecessary prescribing. Since April 2016, a new NHS programme has been supporting hospitals and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to address issues in current antibiotic prescribing.
CCGs are being supported to reduce the number of antibiotics prescribed in primary care by four per cent or to the average performance levels of 2013/14.
For many conditions, including coughs, colds and sore throats, antibiotics will make little difference to symptoms and may have side effects such as diarrhoea, vomiting and rash. Patients should self-manage these conditions and seek advice from community pharmacists when appropriate.
Patients who do require antibiotics are being advised to follow the doctor's instructions carefully, to not share antibiotics with other people and to complete the full course of treatment as prescribed in a bid to reduce the risk of increasing resistance.
Public Health England has developed the Antibiotic Guardian resource for both healthcare professionals and members of the public. Further information on antibiotics is available at http://antibioticguardian.com/


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Dierks Bentley kicks off summer tour in Charlotte
With the release of his new album "Riser," Dierks Bentley is itching to get back on the road.
"It's been two months," he says during rehearsals at an old Nashville steel mill. "That's forever for us."
He kicks off his summer tour Friday at Charlotte's PNC Music Pavilion (formerly Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre). He says the key is rehearsing until he and the band are sick of it, so there's nothing left to tweak.
"From Day One I want the first show to be as good as the last show of the tour," Bentley says. "I've never had a show where I didn't reach that transcendent moment where as a band and a crowd we really come together. The combination of being with my band on stage and a little bit of alcohol and Red Bull turns me into a crazy person. No one has more fun on stage than me."
For all the fun he's having on stage, he's stacked "Riser" with thematically heavy numbers inspired by the 2012 death of his 88-year-old father and crowd rousers like the current single "Drunk on a Plane."
He unveiled the single "I Hold On" on tour with Miranda Lambert last summer.
" 'I Hold On' is a style of songwriting I've been working on for 10 years – the personalized verses with the universal choruses," he explains. "With 'Here on Earth' (also from "Riser"), I'm just writing from my gut after losing my dad."
On the latter, he does something atypical of country artists – he questions his own religious beliefs.
"That's just one of those questions that I asked," Bentley says. "You can be a believer and still ask questions. You think about people that go through real tragedy. People say 'It's meant to be.' That's a hell of a thing to say to someone that's been through something tragic.
"It started out about my dad. Then the Sandy Hook shooting happened. It's hard to even fathom to lose a child in that way and a person going through that," says the father of three.
"The only answer you have for sure is there isn't an answer down here. You're not going to find anything here on Earth," he says, comparing the sentiment to U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" ("That's one of my favorite songs").
"Riser" isn't all contemplation and reflection. "Pretty Girls" verges on stoner country (although Bentley cringes at the description) with its methodical, laid-back pace.
" 'Pretty girls drink tall boys' – that's what I see every night looking out in the crowd," he says, laughing. But he gets his point across. "It's a rock show. I want the girls going crazy and blowing off steam. Some songs help the crowd party and cut loose. You have to have those in order to have moments where you can hit the fans with an 'I Hold On' or 'Home,' and yank a little sentiment out of them. It's those songs that create these other moments."


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For 30 years General Fire & Safety has been providing fire safety services, and safety equipment in the Des Moines Metro area. Our knowledge of the fire and safety industry coupled with our years of experience allows us to assist you with your employee safety and facility safety programs.
- State of Iowa licensed Fire Alarm Contractor
- State of Iowa licensed Suppression System Contractor
- City of Des Moines Fire Licensed
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Our staff is trained and certified from our various manufacturers
- Ansul
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Member of National Association of Fire Equipment Distributors


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McDaniels: "Jay's our quarterback." Now with PHOTO PROOF?
DANA POINT, Calif. — That silly NFL, always knowing how to stir up the drama.
AFC coaches met with the media here this morning, and after the hour-long breakfast session, the coaches of the original AFL teams posed for pictures with their team's throw-back jerseys.
Guess which player's jersey was here for McDaniels to hold up? Yes, folks, that is a No. 6. And for the record, this wasn't McDaniels' idea. Each of the coaches was given a jersey from their respective team (Norv Turner had a Tomlinson jersey, and Todd Haley had a Dwayne Bowe jersey, for example).
McDaniels was able to laugh about it moments later when he stepped off the podium.
"I wouldn't have wanted it to be any other player," he said, laughing.
McDaniels had just finished an hour-long interview with a handful of Denver reporters and a gaggle of national media. At one point I counted 30 reporters crowded around his table. McDaniels was the only coach who attracted a "standing room only" crowd. Veteran coaches in the room found this quite amusing, of course.
But McDaniels, for his part, handled the scrutiny well. While it wasn't as interesting for us media types, McDaniels stuck to his message, didn't offer up any tasty soundbites and was generally well composed. Try having a group of 30 people, most of them strangers who likely believe you are lying, ask you question after question for an hour. I'd imagine that I'd snap after 15 minutes.
So now that the quotes and video clips from his media session have been widely circulated, what do you think, Bronco Fan? Do you believe McDaniels' take that he's committed to Cutler? If so, for how long? What does he need to do to make Cutler feel the same way?


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Advance warning – this year's Club AGM will be on Thursday 24 November. A full written invitation to all members will follow in due course.
Other important dates:
2 Dec (Friday) 7-10 pm Club Quiz, including the Club Fell Race Champs prize giving. All members welcome, but there will be a 'mountain' theme to the quiz.
15 Dec (Thursday) 8.45pm, annual Christmas meal in Shangri La restaurant, Chepstow, £15. Limited places so book with Niki Morgan now.
28 Jan (Saturday) Annual Club Dinner, Ceilidh and Prize Giving. Further details to follow.