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18 Feb Debt Relief for Those with Nothing
Bankruptcy is a remedy that may allow the individual to keep property that he otherwise might lose to a creditor with a judgment. That "property" might be a home, a bank account, personal property or wages. But what about the person who has nothing that isn't exempt from claims of creditors? When is bankruptcy appropriate for the person who is judgment proof?
The asset that never appears on a list of possessions is peace of mind: freedom from the haranging of the debt collector and the unspoken fear of the unknown power of the creditor. That asset can be protected with a bankruptcy discharge.
If you have no assets that a creditor could take from you and you are not overwhelmed by collectors, there is little reason to file bankruptcy if you believe your financial situation is unlikely to change. Tell the collectors to pound sand.
However, if the stress and uncertainty of owing money you can never repay eats into your ability to relax, to function, to interact, to sleep, then you might consider bankruptcy for its mental health benefits.
Cathy Moran, Esq.
Latest posts by Cathy Moran, Esq. (see all)
- Can You Afford The Cost Of Waiting? - November 10, 2013
- Lost IQ: The True Cost Of Just Paying The Credit Card Minimum - October 10, 2013
- Getting Rid Of Tax Liens After Bankruptcy - September 10, 2013
- Why The Information You Give Your Bankruptcy Lawyer Has A Sell-By Date - August 27, 2013
- Super Heroes Fight Debt - August 10, 2013


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The initial Michigan SILC Podcast is available.
There were some issues with the audio as the CIL where this was required was open for business. Audio quality will improve with subsequent episodes.
- Jim Whalen - Blue Water Center for Independnet Living/Michigan SILC Council Member.
- Scott Burlingame - Executive Director, Independence Inc, Minot North Dakota

subset: commoncrawl


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Ned is an award-winning, internationally published photographer and writer. Raised in New Hampshire, Ned explored the mountains of the northeast developing a passion for the outdoors that has carried him to the far reaches of the Himalayas, the Andes and Rocky mountains.
As a former international travel guide leading adventures through Europe and South America, Ned's international experience has curated a unique eye for place and culture. A past educator and teacher, he's interested in the critical humanitarian, social and environmental issues we all share as human beings amid our collective story. As a former two-sport collegiate athlete, he holds a strong sensitivity towards capturing action sport. Ned's stories and photographs have appeared across international and national magazines,branding campaigns, journalistic websites as well as being featured among the top core endemic ski and snowboard magazines.
+1 413 717 1181


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We only list UK sizes. If you're not sure what your UK size is, please click on 'Size advisor' or review our size guides.
Get them ready for a day of active learning with this twin pack of school shirts, cut for a slim fit with a traditional collar. We've added clever features to make your mornings run a little more smoothly, including Non Iron technology and Easy Close top buttons with a concealed riptape fastening. Our kids' short sleeve shirts are made using more cotton than ever in a crisp cotton blend using responsibly sourced BCI materials, and given a stain resistant finish for added durability.
35 days to return - You may return unused products within 35 days of purchase with a valid parcel summary document. Your items don't need to be in the original box or bag as long as they're securely packaged.
How to return
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2. Easy returns from home. Simply print the returns label, attach it to the top of your parcel and insert the returns note in the parcel. We will automatically deduct the cost of return from your refund. To print the returns label and return, simply click here.
Standard Delivery: FREE over €60 (usually €4), 7-9 working days
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Five million women marched in unprecedented numbers
all around the world during the Women's March.
It was the largest Women's March ever,
but some Christian women criticized those who marched.
These women copied a status floating through social media claiming they were in charge of their lives and they could do whatever they want. There was so much wrong with that post I can only hope the person who originally wrote is getting therapy and I feel sad for the hundreds who mindlessly copied it without thinking it through.
The reposted status basically called those who marched victims for standing up for themselves and women everywhere. The only way former victims can become survivors is to speak the truth and marching with a sign is a healthy way to process and reclaim power.
One of the more stupid things this post said was, "Quit blaming. Take responsibility." There is a vast difference between complaining and addressing an issue. By joining the march, women were taking responsibility. They were networking and forming alliances to better carry out their mission for the future.
This post also listed atrocities around the world where women are mutilated and attacked and used for sex and ended by saying:
"So when women get together in AMERICA and whine they don't have equal rights and march in their clean clothes, after eating a hearty breakfast, and it's like a vacation away that they have paid for to get there…This WOMAN does not support it!"
I'm sorry for the simple minded women who re-posted this lame status without thinking. It was an egocentric rant and it shows a lack of empathy for women around the world. I can tell you something about the woman who wrote that status and why she missed the reasons women were marching in the first place–she is blind to the pain around her. She is so self-absorbed she doesn't care about the new intern at the office who's been puking in the bathroom because her boss is making the moves on her. She is an unsafe person and will join in victim-blaming when she is given the chance.
This march was to raise awareness for many women's issues—both in America and around the world. The women who marched are empathetic enough to realize not everyone has it as good as they do and they are looking for ways to make a difference.
The only person who criticizes someone else for marching for human rights is someone not in touch with the pain of society all around her. So if you didn't march and you didn't support the march, just sit down, shut up and go back to your miserable, self-consumed life. Meanwhile, the rest of us will be looking for ways to make a difference in this world for your daughter–who will be needing a therapist–because you are so narcissistic, you inflict pain instead of relieving it.
Sorry for the harsh words friends, but it needs to be said. Many have confused the democratic agenda with the march for human rights. Yes, there were many Hillary and Bernie supporters marching, but no matter who won the presidency, women's marches will continue. What made this march so popular and why people turned out in record millions is because we have a narcissist in the White House.
There I said it. You don't have to like me. You can even unfriend me, but I don't think that will change our situation. People came out to march for human rights because they perceive the most powerful position on earth has been filled by a man who is a threat to human rights. And this not only affects Americans but people all around the world.
There has been talk of removing the United States from the United Nations. This will be a huge loss to human rights everywhere. And if you think this is a conspiracy theory, consider how the National Parks twitter was threatened because the new president doesn't approve of their tweets. This president has no respect for freedom of the press and doesn't care about the parks or the people. You don't have to agree right now, just mark my words, we have only seen the beginning of the end of democracy as we know it. I hope I am wrong, but I doubt it.
A pastor shred this post during the march:
The Lord announces the word, and the women who proclaim it are a mighty throng: kings and armies flee in haste; the women at home divide the plunder. -Psalm 66:11
So what is it the Lord announces that the women proclaim as a mighty throng? I believe it's freedom. God's entire government is based on freedom. If we didn't have freedom, we'd all be robots. Every conflict and war on this earth is someone trying to take away someone else's freedom. We can either join with God's enemy and try to control people by taking away their freedom, or we can join God in extending it to every human on earth.
These women–whether witches or pagans or rocks stars with filthy mouths or victims learning to find their voices or humanitarians like Mother Teresa and Maya Angelou, were marching for freedom. Some were Christians joining them in spirit or on foot. Regardless of their personal beliefs, they understand empathy and the need for freedom.
Some of the people most against the Women's March would be the first to quote from the American Declaration of Independence, so let's go there:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
Apparently, they see these words as pertaining to men, but not women. Women might be allowed some of these things, but as long as it doesn't interfere with the men in their lives. Those words were penned for all of us.
The Lord God announced the word of freedom, first by creating all people to be free moral agents, then Jesus himself came to show is the only way to find freedom is by living out the golden rule of treating others in a way we would like to be treated.
Freedom, much like the American Declaration of Independence states, is our God-given right. Not just for the millionaires and celebrities and politicians, freedom is granted to everyone in God's kingdom—even to those who don't believe in God and those who break his laws. Without freedom, we've got nothing. No human rights, no relationships and no love.
If we look at all the reasons women marched, we see freedom is the answer in every case. The details may vary and what one woman marched for in Paris, might seem different from what a woman in Africa or Tokyo marched for, but the bottom line is the same–they were all marching for human rights and human rights equals freedom.
The Lord announces the word freedom, the women have proclaimed it in a mighty throng. And I don't believe this is an isolated incident. Ezer Kenegdo is rising. Women are rising up to proclaim the basic God-given right of freedom.
This woman seems to speak for many women's hearts:
"I marched for my son, because I want a world for him to grow in that has not normalized hate and disrespect.
I marched for my sisters, nieces, cousins and all the young girls on the verge of womanhood to show them sexism, narcissism, and misogyny won't stand.
I marched for the young daughter of a friend who has faced herculean health issues to show her health care is a right and that people deserve to get help no matter their economic background, sex, or predisposition.
I marched for my gay friends, because no loving couple should ever live in fear their loved ones will be torn from their marriage because of fits of homophobia and prejudice.
I marched for my husband, a journalist, in a time where freedom of speech is endangered, fake news helped foment a fallacy of belief, and post-truth has become a reality.
I marched for the young adopted son of a friend, because no child should ever be terrified that he will be sent away because of the hateful rhetoric of a wall to divide this country.
I marched for my Muslim friends, because a difference in religion does not mean a difference in humanity.
I marched for my African-American friends, because no one should die at the hands of unchecked authority.
I marched because I am a child of immigrants, proud of my heritage, and understand we are a country founded on immigration and blessed with a melting pot of divergent history.
I marched for my police and fire family and friends because the drive to protect and serve believed by the majority of them should not be poisoned by the racism and fear mongering spewed by a few.
I marched because women's rights, to our bodies, to our sexuality, to our intellect, to our future, are equal rights.
I marched because while we have come so far, we have so very far to go.
I marched because silence is acceptance.
And as I marched, I carried you with me."
As an American, I absolutely hope God blesses America, but I also pray God blesses everyone on earth.
March on Women!
Rise up Ezer Kenegdos!
Let freedom ring!
*Sue's comments came from a blog by John Pavlovitz


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How stupid it can be, being sick on a summer day, which it was my birth-day???
Really bad timing!
But I enjoyed in little steps "my day".
My son made a paint for me.
My husband decorate the table, took us to the doctor, comfort me while I was crying for being sick & could not celebrate with my friends, made a delicious pizza & make me feel special anyway.
My friends & family were on the phone sending me love & kind wishes.
And, I got beautiful presents:
Here is a little video our son made. Mami, that's a little window into the day, so you can feel part of it!
Thank you soooooo much!


text: Since JB I have noticed a few oddities when opening and drawing. 1. Whenever I open a new note the brightness goes quite bright and I have to reset it. 2. While drawing I brushed my hand against the screen and the note crumpled and then was thrown away! Is there a more comprehensive guide to S Note anywhere?


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Recently I've received many emails about a "celebration" of historic preservation in Delaware. From my perspective the hypocrisy of this is breathtaking.
It can be said that there are three broad categories of "resources" needing preservation. Natural resources such as air, water, forests, plants and animals. Cultural resources, meaning objects or materials or works created by humans. These are buildings, roads and other "infrastructure," farms, villages, stations on the underground railroad, books, scrolls, music, and so on. And human resources, meaning ourselves, people.
All are interdependent. Delaware abuses them all. Continue reading


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V-Limited area
The information in this part of the site has taken years of work & many thousands of pounds to compile.
Please don't share this information on social media or other sites.
Impreza user guides
Impreza user guides & manuals
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Flow cytometry provides a rapid method to quantify cell characteristics. However, most flow cytometers cannot directly provide the cell concentration or absolute count of cells in a sample. Absolute cell counts have been widely used in quantifying cell populations and disease progression, including in studies of stem cells. Absolute cell counts are generally obtained either by combining a separate cell concentration determination from a hematology analyzer with flow cytometric population data (multiple platform testing) or by adding an internal microsphere counting standard to the flow cytometric sample (single platform testing). The single platform method is preferred as it is technically less complicated and it avoids interlaboratory variation and underestimations, making it more accurate than multiple platform testing.
We offer two products for cell counting—Invitrogen CountBright Absolute Counting Beads and Invitrogen AccuCheck Counting Beads and also one product, Invitrogen LIVE/DEAD BacLight Bacterial Viability and Counting Kit, for reliably distinguishing and quantitating live and dead bacteria with the aid of a flow cytometer, even in a mixed population containing a range of bacterial types.
Which counting product is right for your experiment?
|CountBright Absolute Cell Counting Beads
|AccuCheck Counting Beads
|LIVE/DEAD BacLight Bacterial Viability and Counting Kit
|Sample type
|Any type, including whole blood
|Any type
|Bacterial sample
|Bead Size
|7 µM
|Bead A: 6.40 µM
Bead B: 6.36 µM
|6 µM
|Excitation (nm)
|UV to 635
|Bead A: 488
Bead B: 635
|Emission max (nm)
|385 to 800
|Bead A: 575–585
Bead B: 660–680
|Parameter measured
|Number of cells
|Number of cells and accuracy of pipetting
|Number of events in the live bacteria region (or dead bacteria region) and number of events in the bead region
|Cat. No.
CountBright Absolute Counting Beads
- Compatible with every commercially available instrument because they are loaded with a wide breadth of fluorochromes
- Easy-to-use protocol that works with multiple cell types including lysed/no-wash whole blood
- More reliable than multiple platform testing
CountBright Absolute Counting Beads are a calibrated suspension of microspheres that are brightly fluorescent across a wide range of excitation and emission wavelengths (UV to 635 nm excitation and 385 to 800 nm emission) and contain a known concentration of microspheres. For absolute counts, a specific volume of the microsphere suspension is added to a specific volume of sample, so that the ratio of sample volume to microsphere volume is known. The volume of sample analyzed can be calculated from the number of microsphere events, and can be used with cell events to determine cell concentration (Figure 1). In general, at least 1,000 bead events should be acquired to assure a statistically significant determination of sample volume.
CountBright Absolute Counting Beads can be used with any sample type, including lysed/no-wash whole blood. The microspheres in the reagents are approximately 7 μm in diameter and have settling properties similar to lymphocytes. Sample preparation steps that can lead to cell or microsphere loss, such as washes, should be avoided. CountBright beads can be used with either a scatter or fluorescence threshold. When using a scatter threshold, the microsphere signal should be above the threshold. The microspheres can be gated by a single parameter, but a combination of parameters can be used to resolve microspheres from cells and other events.
Figure 1. Invitrogen CountBright Absolute Counting Beads. A mixture of live and heat-killed Jurkat cells were treated with reagents in the Invitrogen LIVE/DEAD Viability/Cytotoxicity Kit. Invitrogen CountBright Absolute Counting Beads were added to the sample, which was then analyzed by flow cytometry using 488 nm excitation. Calcein fluorescence was collected with a 530/30 nm bandpass filter and ethidium homodimer-1 (EthD-1) fluorescence was collected with a 610 nm longpass filter. The data show clear separation of live and dead cells, as well as separation of the counting beads.
AccuCheck Counting Beads
- Internal control using ratio of two different color beads indicates pipetting accuracy
- Single platform is preferred over multiple platform testing, leading to consistency in results
- Easy to validate with most immunophenotyping experiments
AccuCheck Counting Beads are an efficient single platform method for absolute cell counting that combines the advantages of direct flow cytometric immunophenotyping with the use of two different fluorescent beads (A and B beads). These two fluorospheres are used as a double internal standard for blood volume calculation. A known volume of AccuCheck Counting Beads is added to the same known volume of stained blood in a lysed/no-wash technique. The beads are counted along with cells. Because the concentration of beads is known, the number of cells per microliter (the absolute count) is obtained by relating the number of cells counted to the total number of fluorescent bead events. The cell number is then multiplied by the number of total fluorospheres per unit of volume. As the AccuCheck Counting Beads system contains two different fluorospheres in a known proportion, the accuracy of the assay pipetting can be verified using the proportion of both types of beads.
LIVE/DEAD BacLight Bacterial Viability and Counting Kit
The LIVE/DEAD BacLight Bacterial Viability and Counting Kit allows researchers to reliably distinguish and quantitate live and dead bacteria with the aid of a flow cytometer, even in a mixed population containing a range of bacterial types (Figure 2). This kit utilizes a mixture of two nucleic acid stains—green fluorescent Invitrogen SYTO 9 dye and red-fluorescent propidium iodide—for viability determinations, and a calibrated suspension of microspheres for accurate sample volume measurements. With the appropriate mixture of the SYTO 9 and propidium iodide stains, bacteria with intact cell membranes fluorescence bright green, whereas bacteria with damaged membranes exhibit significantly less green fluorescence and often also fluoresce red. The cell type and the gram character influence the amount of red-fluorescent staining exhibited by dead bacteria. Both the SYTO 9 and propidium iodide stains are efficiently excited by the 488 nm–spectral line of the argon-ion laser found in many flow cytometers, and their nucleic acid complexes can be detected in the green and red channels, respectively; the background remains virtually nonfluorescent.
The calibrated suspension of microspheres serves as a reference standard for sample volume. The size and fluorescence of the microspheres have been carefully chosen to ensure that they will be clearly distinguishable from any stained bacteria population in a fluorescence-versus-side scatter cytogram. A bacterial culture is simply stained with the optimal mixture of SYTO 9 dye and propidium iodide, and then a fixed number of microspheres are added before analyzing the sample on a flow cytometer. Live and dead bacteria and the microspheres are all easily distinguished in a plot of fluorescence versus side scatter. The concentration of both the live bacteria and the dead bacteria can then be determined from the ratio of bacterial events to microsphere events.
Figure 2. Analysis of bacterial cultures using the Invitrogen LIVE/DEAD BacLight Bacterial Viability and Bacteria Counting Kit. Suspensions of live (untreated) and dead (alcohol-treated) Staphylococcus aureus (panels A and C) and Escherichia coli (panels B and D) were stained with Invitrogen SYTO 9 nucleic acid stain and propidium iodide and then analyzed by flow cytometry according to the kit protocol. The green or red fluorescence versus side scatter cytogram (panel A or B) was used to gate the bacterial population and the bead population (left and right boxes, respectively). Events in the bacteria region of each cytogram are also displayed in red fluorescence versus green fluorescence cytograms (panels C and D). Live and dead bacteria/mL can be calculated from either the fluorescence versus side scatter cytogram or the green fluorescence versus red fluorescence cytogram, depending on which one shows the best separation of the live and dead populations. The position of the live and dead populations in these cytograms may be dependent on cell type and gram character. Some samples may exhibit events that fall outside the defined regions and should be evaluated appropriately (e.g., see panel D).
Flow Cytometry Learning Center—Access flow cytometry educational resources for better experiment planning and execution.
Flow Cytometry Panel Builder—Design your flow cytometry panel with this online tool for a simplified, customizable experience to fit your needs.
5 Steps Resources
Flow Cytometry Support Center—Find technical support recommendations for your flow cytometry workflows, including tips for experimental setup and in-depth troubleshooting help.
Not for resale. Super Bright Polymer Dyes are sold under license from Becton, Dickinson and Company.
For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.


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River of Light: Full Moon Paddle on the Winooski River
Get your friends and family together to start planning your lighting scheme for the 3rd River of Light: Paddling by the Light of the Moon on July 16th, 2019.
We will meet at the Heineberg Bridge Access (on the Colchester side of the Rt 127 bridge over the Winooski River) at 7:00 PM. Participants will leave their boats and drive their cars to the Colchester Point Fishing Access. There participants will organize self-shuttles to come back to the put in. The goal is to launch at sunset and paddle the 2.5 miles to Lake Champlain.
All paddlers must wear a properly fitted PFD. All paddlers must be facing forward or in the case of a row boat, there must be a passenger in the bow, facing forward.
Admission is free, however, a $10 (or more!) donation to help the Friends of the Winooski River protect and restore the watershed is greatly appreciated.
Link to Google map showing driving route from put-in to take-out.
Picture of map showing driving route from put-in to take-out.
Check out these links from the Burlington Free Press and 7Days from 2016's event.
Burlington Free Press captured the magic!
Seven Days' Eva Sollberger and her crew were there, too. The paddle became an installment on her series, Stuck in Vermont.


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|Registration Deadline:
|January 17, 2020 about 2 months from now
|To apply for Funding you must register by:
|October 16, 2019 about 1 month ago
|Parent Program:
|MSRI: Simons Auditorium, Atrium
Show List of Speakers
- Fiona Burnell (University of Minnesota)
- Pavel Etingof (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
- Efstratia Kalfagianni
- Ellen Kirkman (Wake Forest University)
- David Penneys (Ohio State University)
- Julia Plavnik (Indiana University)
This workshop will feature several talks by experts, along with numerous 5-minute presentations by junior mathematicians, on topics related to Quantum Symmetry. Such topics will include tensor categories, subfactors, Hopf algebras, topological quantum field theory and more. There will also be a panel discussion on professional development. The majority of the speakers and panelists for this event will be women and gender minorities, and members of these groups and of other underrepresented groups are especially encouraged to attend. This workshop is open to all mathematicians.
Additional funding provided by:
conformal nets
Hopf algebras
planar algebras
quantum invariants of knots and 3-manifolds
tensor categories
topological field theories
topological quantum computation
vertex algebras
16T05 - Hopf algebras and their applications [See also 16S40, 57T05]
16T20 - Ring-theoretic aspects of quantum groups [See also 17B37, 20G42, 81R50]
17B37 - Quantum groups (quantized enveloping algebras) and related deformations [See also 16T20, 20G42, 81R50, 82B23]
17B69 - Vertex operators; vertex operator algebras and related structures
18D20 - Enriched categories (over closed or monoidal categories)
81T40 - Two-dimensional field theories, conformal field theories, etc.
Show Funding
To apply for funding, you must register by the funding application deadline displayed above.
Students, recent Ph.D.'s, women, and members of underrepresented minorities are particularly encouraged to apply. Funding awards are typically made 6 weeks before the workshop begins. Requests received after the funding deadline are considered only if additional funds become available.
Show Lodging
MSRI does not hire an outside company to make hotel reservations for our workshop participants, or share the names and email addresses of our participants with an outside party. If you are contacted by a business that claims to represent MSRI and offers to book a hotel room for you, it is likely a scam. Please do not accept their services.
MSRI has preferred rates at the Hotel Shattuck Plaza, depending on room availability. Guests can call the hotel's main line at 510-845-7300 and ask for the MSRI- Mathematical Science Research Institute discount. To book online visit this page (the MSRI rate will automatically be applied).
MSRI has preferred rates at the Graduate Berkeley, depending on room availability. Reservations may be made by calling 510-845-8981. When making reservations, guests must request the MSRI preferred rate. Enter in the Promo Code MSRI123 (this code is not case sensitive).
MSRI has preferred rates at the Berkeley Lab Guest House, depending on room availability. Reservations may be made by calling 510-495-8000 or directly on their website. Select "Affiliated with the Space Sciences Lab, Lawrence Hall of Science or MSRI." When prompted for your UC Contact/Host, please list Chris Marshall (firstname.lastname@example.com).
MSRI has a preferred rates at Easton Hall and Gibbs Hall, depending on room availability. Guests can call the Reservations line at 510-204-0732 and ask for the MSRI- Mathematical Science Research Inst. rate. To book online visit this page, select "Request a Reservation" choose the dates you would like to stay and enter the code MSRI (this code is not case sensitive).
Additional lodging options may be found on our short term housing page.


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First impressions are necessary when it comes to new artists promoting music that proves their difference within a world filled with people looking for short-term satisfaction. In this case, Siobhan Heard does not need a second chance to make a first impression.
Story | Nico Blitz
"Delayed Gratification" off of Siobhan Heard's debut album Love in All Aspects is the perfect inception song that explains contemporary music and its effects on society. The phrase is defined as the ability to resist temptation for an immediate reward and wait for a later reward.
Think of it this way. The images that you saw: ice cream, wine, and other foods are all tangibles that give us a sense of gratification when consumed. For example, wine doesn't go into full effect until you've had a couple sips, or your hunger isn't satisfied until after the meal is finished.
Taking this idea, Siobhan identifies problems of complicated lyricism, traffic within instrumentals, and ultimately a yearning for immediate satisfaction in contemporary music. We've gotten to a point where similes and metaphors have ruled lyricism, and the idea of getting straight to the point becomes nearly nonexistent.
Siobhan counters contemporary music by simplifying "Delayed Gratification" with easy-to-follow words paired with a metaphorical visual, a consistent sounding instrumental, and a repetitious flow so the message gets engraved in our heads.
The irony is that the message is so easy to follow, but you won't be able to grasp it right away. And if/when the message is comprehended you still won't give her the satisfaction of commending her on an outstanding piece of music.
Siobhan Heard is a new artist, and new artists have difficulty gaining mainstream attention because of the lack of support the public gives them. She's saying you won't be fully interested in her music until she makes it big, which is delayed gratification within itself.
Overall this is what you get: a messenger who says you won't comprehend the simplicity of the message immediately, and when that message is clear there will still be a part of you that won't give her the recognition it deserves.
My message: give artists the credit they deserve and support your local artists. At the end of the day, learn to appreciate good music for what it is, not how it compares to the rest of the world.
For more on Siobhan Heard visit www.siobhanheard.com


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This striking Breton figure gives a glimpse of a young woman from another time. Brown hair tied in a bun is capped by a white hat and shoulder pads. She wears a religious cross which matches her blue attire. She wears a pink apron with a quadruple red dot pattern. The milk maid leans against her jug which sits on an orange, yellow, and green rock and stands upon a green base. The base reads, "Marik", presumably the woman's name. The bottom of the piece is marked. This would make a great piece for any Quimper collection.
The tin-glazed hand painted French faience known as Quimper Pottery (pronounced "cam-pair" has been manufactured in Quimper, a town in Brittany, France, for over 300 years. Although the area has been associated with pottery as far back as the Gallo-Roman era, Jean Baptiste Bousquet is credited with being the founder of Quimper Pottery. Bousquet built his kilns in the vicinity in 1685 and was given a royal manufacturing license by King Louis XIV. Since that time, Quimper has been highly collectible and is known around the world for its French countryside style of pottery.
H: 12 1/4 in (31.1 cm)
French Faience Quimper Pottery Young Breton Milk Maid Figure
3 other shoppers are interested in this item
since 2010


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Chris Ramseyer
Senior Storage Editor
Location: Indiana, USA
chrisram at tweaktown dot com
Chris Ramseyer started his career as a LAN Party organizer in Midwest USA. After working with several computer companies he was asked to join the team at The Adrenaline Vault by fellow Midwest LAN Party legend Sean Aikins. After a series of shake ups at AVault, Chris eventually took over as Editor-in-Chief before leaving to start Real World Entertainment.
Look for Chris to bring his unique methods of testing Hard Disk Drives, Solid State Drives as well as RAID controller and NAS boxes to TweakTown as he looks to provide an accurate test bed to make your purchasing decisions easier.
You can find Chris Ramseyer on Google+ and Twitter


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I started a CLEAN KETO diet this week. You know me, I love my research. So, in the spirit of my new eating plan, I decided to delve into the world of keto and find some videos on healthy and CLEAN keto eating! I hope you enjoy!
Follow Us
A bit about me:
"Positive emotional energy is the key
to health, happiness and wellbeing." ~ Brian Tracy
Welcome to Purple Almond Wellness!
I 'm Tamara Hoerner, MHNE, RNCP, founder of Purple Almond Wellness. I work with middle-age individuals to help support insomnia, brain health and develop whole body wellness, in order to improve the quality of their mid-life years. Heart and Alzheimer's diseases run in my family and I struggle with insomnia and weight loss, so I strive to help others with similar conditions. Using only nutrition, I rid my body of seasonal allergies, Psoriatic Arthritis and migraines, as well as cured my insomnia. I know what it takes to use food and whole body wellness, especially in middle age. As a wellness educator and Summa Cum Laude graduate of Hawthorn University, I develop personalized nutrition plans and wellness education sessions, to help clients.
For me, health isn't just about food it's about living a positive, happy, healthy life..
Where food is concerned, I'm all about getting back to the basics, good old fashioned traditional organic, whole food, the kind your great-grandmother used to eat. You'll find no processed foods here. Just good food to heal your whole body.
Stress plays a large part in the physical health of our body. I, therefore, believe in using anything that relieves stress and heals the body, including: mediation, yoga, music, laughter, inspiration and helping others. You'll find all these included in my blog as well.
Professional member
Professional member
Latest Posts: The Purple Almond Wellness Kitchen
Brain Talks ~ Recipes: 10 Unique Recipes to Boost Memory and Heal the Brain
The Wellness Mindset ~ Recipes: 10 Anti-Inflammatory Recipes Even Picky Eaters will Love
A Middle-Age Pathway Recipe: Anti-inflammatory Tart Cherry Gummies
10 Last Minute Party Recipes
Middle-Age Wisdom Recipes: 10 Protein Packed Recipes to Build Muscle and Burn Fat
My Past Posts
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Tamara Hoerner & Purple Almond Wellness – All Rights Reserved


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Inland Real Estate Brokerage, Inc. specializes in the brokerage, sale and leasing of commercial, investment and residential real estate including single-family homes, retail, multi-family, condominium developments, industrial, office, land and special-use properties. We are part of one of the nation's largest commercial real estate and finance organizations, The Inland Real Estate Group of Companies, Inc., allowing us to capitalize on a more than 45-year history of success in the real estate industry — both nationwide and right here at home in the Fox Valley.
Inland Real Estate Brokerage, Inc. offers tailored, aggressive marketing strategies with a proven track record of success that enables you to buy or sell real estate with the confidence you would expect from a team of real estate professionals. With nearly 50 years of experience in buying and selling real estate, we continue to strive to understand our clients' needs while working to exceed their expectations. The real estate professionals on our team have the skills and the knowledge to utilize the most direct and proven marketing campaigns to deliver consistent results.
Inland Real Estate Brokerage, Inc. skillfully target markets listed properties for sale and lease using a variety of methods including the below listed, just to name a few:
Our brokerage business covers Chicagoland and the surrounding collar counties. The professionals at Inland Real Estate Brokerage, Inc. offer a breadth of market knowledge and established business contacts and relationships with investors and real estate professionals nationwide. We specialize in:
Inland Real Estate Brokerage is located in Yorkville, Illinois, the county seat of Kendall County. We serve the local community as well as the surrounding counties of North-East Illinois.
We want to thank you for all you did in helping us get our new home. We were very impressed with the great job you did. Feel free to stop by and see us sometime.
Have a great Christmas!
Our experience with Inland Real Estate's Yorkville office has been great. From the first meeting when we listed our property, our Inland agent and other members of Inland's staff have been very attentive, developing numerous advertising pieces that put our property out in front of prospective buyers. Our Inland agent has kept us informed of showings and continues to come up with good ideas to help us show our property in its best light. We couldn't ask for a better realtor!
I would like to express what a great experience we had working with Inland Group. The agent we were working with was fantastic. We told our agent what we were looking for in a house/townhouse. Inland would give us a listing of places that fit our criteria and would then set up appointments to go see them. Our Agent was very knowledgeable with all of the properties we saw and he was able to answer all of our questions. We will be renting one of the properties that Inland showed us...we are very excited. We would definitely recommend Inland Real Estate Brokerage.
I would highly recommend Inland Real Estate Brokerage to my friends and family for their service and dedication to me as a client. In fact, I have. I have used Inland several times throughout the years for both residential and commercial properties and have been very happy with their tireless efforts.


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Joe Raiola
Joe Raiola is the senior editor of Mad Magazine. "I work at the only place in America where if you mature, you get fired."
For close to 25 years, Joe has toured "The Joy of Censorship" in 44 states at universities, theaters, festivals and libraries, including Yale and Penn State Universities, the Bumbershoot Festival in Washington state and the American Library Association's National Conference in New York.
Joe's newer theatrical shows include, "Still Ignorant After All These Years," "A MAD Life in Comedy," reflections of 33 years at MAD Magazine and "An Evening of Music, Humor and Wisdom," (see below).
Raiola is an equal-opportunity offender and insists that both sides of the political spectrum will be skewered during his lectures and shows.
Joe's research on censorship has revealed some horrible and nonsensical abuses of the First Amendment that are as scary as they are funny. Naturally he has incorporated them into the show, which he calls "a satirist's dream. It's funny, biting, relevant and disturbing. "Raiola's show will not have a problem offending people or drawing laughs. Indeed, he says the show is different every time, because he changes it to include the day's events.
During the last part of "The Joy of Censorship," Joe discusses the history of MAD Magazine and points out that in its early days was converted from a comic book in the 1950s to a magazine in order to avoid censorship. "Can you imagine, the United States Senate was holding hearing trying to link comic books and what they called juvenile delinquency? How would they have handled 'South Park'?" Raiola is intensely proud of MAD and says that people associate its policies with Alfred E. Newman's philosophy of "What me worry?" He differs. "I've always thought the message of MAD Magazine is "'Question authority.'
Joe Raiola has a flourishing career as a solo performer, comedy writer, producer, director and speaker.
A graduate of Adelphi University, where he developed a love for radio at WBAU, Joe can currently be heard as a frequent co-host on the Woodstock Round Table, broadcast Sunday mornings from 8 AM to 10 AM on WDST , 100.1 FM, in Woodstock, New York.
Joe is also the Executive Producer/Artistic Director producer of the popular Annual John Lennon Tribute in New York City.
An Evening of Music, Humor & Wisdom (Lecture/Theater)
MAD Magazine Senior Editor and comedian Joe Raiola hosts this entertaining and enlightening series of performance and talk.
Each program features three guests: a singer-songwriter or musician, comedian or humorist, and "wisdom guest" (author,spiritual teacher or expert in their field). Each guest is spotlighted in their own20-25 minute segment, which is a mix of performance/presentation and interview.
Over the course of the program the"Music, Humor & Wisdom" panel is formed.
The program concludes with a lively panel discussion and audience participation.


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Take an aerial tour of Ben Rhydding Golf Course
Explore the course
From the rear of the clubhouse, follow the path up to the right and cross the 9/18th fairway to the 1st tee. Enjoy your round!
The lake is out of bounds. The narrow plantation between the 1st and 2nd fairways contains areas for which a free compulsory drop must be taken
The bunker at the back of the green has been removed and replaced by grass banking.
Although protected by netting, please be aware of players on the 3rd tee when driving from the 2nd tee.
This is the signature hole of BRGC.
a) The right hand post on the hill is the safe line to the pin. A shot to the right of this post is safer and should end up in the valley beyond (beware of being left).
b) If you are not a long hitter then you should play short of the hill, pitch onto the plateau on top of the hill then play to the green.
c) When almost on the green, ring the bell located in the left hand banking four times as you move out of the dip to let any following players know that you have cleared this point.
Top Tee; be aware of players on the 5th and 6th fairways and the 6th tee - all can be seen from this (White) tee.
The lake is out of bounds.
The line is the mast on the skyline.
When reaching the end of the tree line check left for players driving from the 7th/16th tees.
As you are moving to the 7th/16th tee ring the bell located near the path to the side of the 6th green twice to let the big hitters know that the green is clear.
Be aware of players on the 9th green.
Please note that on the right are many trees, where many a ball has been lost!
This is the signature hole of BRGC (Second time). Beyond the wall to the left is out of bounds.
The left hand post on the hill is the safe line to the valley.
This is an elevated tee and in favourable weather conditions a drive can reach the green. To check if the green is clear there is a post by the fence beyond and at the same level as the 3rd green where you should be able to see if it is clear to tee off.
Bottom Tee - check before driving that the 14th/15th (5th/6th) fairways are clear.
From this bottom tee it is a blind tee shot.
The line is the mast on the skyline.


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|Project by VenskeArtz
|posted 02-20-2012 08:46 PM
|1647 views
|1 time favorited
|7 comments
I made these two cherry boxes over the weekend, The smaller one is made with cherry for the sides, birch ply for the bottom and walnut for the top and miter keys. The bigger one is made of cherry and purpleheart. One of these days I'll get to making a top for the larger box. Finished with Danish oil.
-- New to ww, build frames for my paintings, http://venskearts.blogspot.com
7 comments so far
#1 posted 02-20-2012 08:50 PM
Great job on matching the grain around the corner, that is a nice attention to detail.
-- "aim small miss small" m g breedlove
#2 posted 02-20-2012 09:15 PM
Thanks, glad you noticed. My only regret with these is that I think I have the grain in the miter keys running the opposite direction.
-- New to ww, build frames for my paintings, http://venskearts.blogspot.com
#3 posted 02-20-2012 09:38 PM
Wow, wrapping the grain is a great idea! It looks awesome. If you don't mind me asking, what is the thickness of the wood you used?
#4 posted 02-20-2012 10:08 PM
cool looking boxes nice work.
#5 posted 02-20-2012 10:27 PM
The grain in the keys? should be in line with the bottom of the slot you cut. The key grain should run across the joint, not with it.
Having said that- I've screwed up on that before, far as I know I have never had a joint failure. Of course, the beauty of giving away your boxes, is that you are not likely to hear if they crap out.
nice job with the prominent grain.
Want criticism? Set your splines a little further in- i.e., divide the height of the box into thirds or 1/4 when deciding where to place the splines.
-- Dan V. in Indy
#6 posted 02-20-2012 10:51 PM
Thanks all, the thickness of the wood is about 3/8 in. And thanks Dan, I'll do that with the splines next time, I have a tendency to just eyeball things like that:)
-- New to ww, build frames for my paintings, http://venskearts.blogspot.com
#7 posted 02-21-2012 04:05 PM
Very nice, great job!!
-- Jack, Albuquerque
Have your say...
You must be signed in to post the comments.


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Documentary Heritage
Cariplo (with Mediocredito Lombardo), BCI and Banco Ambrosiano played an extremely important historical role: the first two have been preeminent in their respective segments within the Italian banking system which for decades has been rigidly structured by the banking law of 1936 that mandated three types of charter: savings banks, special institutions offering long-term loans, ordinary banks.
In addition to these two, it may be of interest the exploration of the inner workings of a private, middle-size bank such as Banco Ambrosiano Veneto, that has been the catalyst of a process of aggregation that has been unmatched in the Italian market
Longevity, and a solid corporate culture as well as a most prideful bond uniting generation after generation of faithful staff will be apparent throughout the historical experience of both Cariplo and of BCI; their organizational systems may be seen as socio-political miniature universes, with their differently tuned capacities to anticipate the behaviour of the credit markets, to actuate economic and labour policies and – last but not least – to act as leaders in the cultural life of Italy.
The corporate culture of Banco Ambrosiano Veneto operated within a leaner shape, to show a keen attention to the bottom line and a markedly better focus on innovation of products and of services, all geared to the strengthening of the vital bonds between the bank and its local markets.
Having considered these points, the Historical Archives constitute a rich cultural lode for history scholars and researchers, that without any doubt will remain crucial for years to come for any analysis of economic, political, social and cultural events of the 19th and 20th centuries.


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metrosafari says, "inhale :: exhale ::: awaiting orders
These vans are mainly used as a transportation container. they are packed with all kinds of stuff for their african receipients. dealers are using this way of transportation because it´s cheaper than a regular container and if they´re lucky it´s possible to sell the car too."


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Prof Jim Austin
Department of Computer Science
University of York
Jim Austin has worked at the University of York Computer Science Department for over thirty years, and has published over 300 papers and reports during that time. As Professor of Neural Computing, and leader of the Advanced Computer Architectures group he undertakes research in theory, algorithms and computer architectures inspired from neuroscience, a research area in which he is considered a world-leading figure.
Jim also leads the spin-off companies Cybula Ltd (Analytics company) and Cool Computers Ltd. (computer systems company).
Jim's passion for computers and tracking the evolution of technology is captured in his extensive computer collection in the Computer Sheds museum, where he houses not only a nostalgic collection of computer games as well as some of the worlds first supercomputers.
Jim provides his expertise on data analytics and computer architectures to a number of DC Labs projects and is working closely with the Digital Heritage team to develop ways to tell the stories of the amazing technology in his museum.


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This stunning heritage conversion in the heart of beautiful South Granville neighbourhood is the perfect marriage of location, space and style. Boasting large principle rooms and a gourmet kitchen on the main floor, the second floor has 2 large bedrooms, both with ensuite bathrooms, and a grand master suite occupies the top floor. Downstairs features a media room, laundry room and access to the attached 2 car garage. The first 3 floors were completely redone in 2006 and the master suite was added in 2014; this townhouse shows like new and lives like a detached house.
ClthWsh/Dryr/Frdg/Stve/DW, Central Location,Shopping Nearby


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Excerpt from my latest Sasstrology article (please leave comments on the Sasstrology site):
"We've explored what a man's Venus sign and woman's Mars sign mean. But the definitions of a man's Venus as the type of woman that he is attracted to, and a woman's Mars as the type of man she thinks is hot, do not encompass same-sex attraction. How do natal Venus and Mars work when sexuality does not fit the boy-meets-girl mold? And while we're at it, how about the natal Sun and Moon?"


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Hasbro's recent line of Titans Return figures cover the gamut from tiny Headmaster-style bots, all the way up to Leader-class figures that have base/city alt modes.
The Basics
Astrotrain & Darkmoon are one half of the second wave of Voyager-class figures, the other being Alpha Trion & Sovereign. Astrotrain is a retool of the wave 1 release Sentinel Prime, and is easy to see that this mold was meant for Astrotrain first and foremost.
Bot Mode
I feel out of the three modes, bot is where it's most true to the source. He's not perfect, mind you, but the sculpt, colors and general look of this figure are excellent. Whether you're a G1 cartoon or G1 toy fan I think you'll find something to like here.
The only issues I have with bot mode are the long shins and short thighs that limit poseability. Everything else is about what you might expect from a current-day Voyager figure. The head, being a Titan Master, is on a small ball joint but this figure has an extra neck swivel that helps with posing. The port that the Titan Master plugs into is on its own large swivel, which when the side collars are deployed help him be able to see around them. Dues to the universal nature of Titan Masters, Astrotrain's head is a bit small for his body but it's not terrible. The face sculpt is very well done and the colors look very good on him.
Shoulders can swivel front and back a full 360 degrees, and can move on an outward hinge a full 90. There is an upper bicep swivel and over 90 degrees in the elbow, but sadly no wrist swivel due to the flip out nature of the hands and he does have hollow forearms as seen above. There is no waist swivel but his hips do swivel outward on a soft ratchet, and forwards and backwards on a heavy ratchet. There is a mid-thigh swivel and a surprising full 90 degree bend on the knees, even though his shins are a bit chunky right below the joint. The feet, due to the triple changer gimmick, can only swivel forward and backwards… no ankle tilts here.
There are some very nicely painted and sculpted details on Astrotrain. His forearms have small cannons that have a nice coat of glossy black paint. The chest has some red and purple detailing similar to how the toy and cartoon looked. The black painted details on his lower legs help break up the monotony of the gray plastic the majority of the figure is molded in, and the purple panels along the sides of his shins give the lower half a little extra pop as well.
The wings on Astrotrain's back are a very nice shade of purple and have crisp Decepticon tampos on them. They're also on a double hinge that allows you to put them most any way you feel looks good. The only backpack to speak of is the translucent purple cockpit that the Titan Master (which from here on out will be referred to as Darkmoon) can occupy in both shuttle and train modes, but it really is so compact and well designed that it's not a hindrance at all.
Alt Mode
Space Shuttle
As you can see, the shuttle is probably the better of the two alt modes, though it has its issues. The colors remind me very much of the G1 Astrotrain that I still own from my childhood, but the purple on top is a bit garish. I can't help but wonder if he'd look nicer with gray wings to closer match his G1 look. The overall shape of the shuttle is overly wide and squat compared to what you would thing a space shuttle would look like. I guess you could think of as more of a space carrier / battle cruiser to explain the shape a bit better. Imagine multiple Seeker jets in the hangar and dozens, if not hundreds, of Decepticon troops inside. In that case, I think the shape works very well!
The only articulation to speak of in shuttle mode are the small landing skids you can deploy underneath (though he's so broad and flat there's no real need to), and the upright tail fins that can adjusted either straight up or on a slight angle depending on your preference. There are a few ports under the wings and near the tail fins that you can mount his two included guns on if you so desire.
Astrotrain's second alt mode is where this figure departs heavily from the G1 aesthetics. While it is still recognizable as a train, it sports a very heavily modified bullet train look. Aside from the wings and cockpit being uni-directional in design, the train itself has a symmetric design. There are a couple mounting points on the side for the weapons to plug in to, but other than that this mode is static in it's poseablity. While its not bad, I would have preferred a more classic steam engine design for this mode.
Just like the shuttle mode, the colors are very reminiscent of the G1 toy though a bit heavy on purple again due to the wings folding around the outside of the train. The painted turrets that were on the bot's arms are proudly displayed here along the top of the train, as well as the clear purple cockpit cover for Darkmoon to sit in. There is tons of scuplted detail along the front (back?) and sides of the train, from the cow catchers on each end the the small flip-down wheels along the sides. The detail that went into this mode is definitely very well done
In short, the transformation between modes hits that sweet spot between simple and satisfying. After you've done it once, future transformations will be easy-peasy. There are panels to flip, tabs to peg in, and everything holds together very nicely in every mode. There really is nothing bad I can say about the steps involved or the results that come of them. Good job Hasbro!
Astrotrain comes with just a few accessories in the box. Of course he comes with the standard fold out instruction sheet and collector bio card. There are also two purple molded guns, one similar to his G1 rifle and the other which has a Titan Master seating area in it. I feel the second gun could have been left out of this package, but the theme of Titan Masters having a gun/seat thing must be in every release of the line so I understand why it's there.
Darkmoon is the other "accessory" included with Astrotrain, though he's not really an accessory due to his very nature of being the robot mode's head. If you have had any experience with other Titan Masters (or any Head Masters in the past) you'll know what to expect here. His transformation consists of him folding in half to form the larger robot's head. Darkmoon's articulation is extremely limited with only a pinned hip and knee joints and small ball joints for the shoulders which allow for a very finite amount of outward movement along with the forward and backward motion you'd expect. Not counting the paint on the larger robot's face on his back, Darkmoon has zero paint apps. He is molded in the purple and gray plastic the rest of the figure comes in. The tiny head does have some very nice detail on it however, and he has some small guns molded into the outside of his forearms. I wish there was a way to hide that giant screw hole on the Titan Master's chests, but alas there is not.
Quality / Final Thoughts
Overall I'm very happy with Astrotrain, but I feel much of that comes from my nostalgia of owning the G1 toy. He has some limitation in poseability due to his triple-changer status, and the bullet train design is a huge departure from his standard look. I'd say unless you have a thing for Astrotrain figures, don't pay extra to grab yourself one of these. Perhaps you'd like his mold-mate Sentinel Prime better, since he doesn't have a history like Astrotrain does to make you notice the faults all that much more.


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Dogs feces is able to predict a series of health indicators, including constipation, dietary issues, lack of protein, diarrhea and bacterial infection, according to PetMD. Pet owners should regularly review pet poop to look for signs of these issues.
There are a series of factors regarding dog poop which owners should occasionally analyze. These include color, size, form and smell, according to PetMD.
The color of dog poop ranges depending on breed and diet, but it should always be brown. A key indicator of problems is when the color changes without any corresponding changes in the pet's diet. If bright colors are discovered, the dog may be eating foreign objects, per PetMD
Dog poop size, like color, also varies greatly depending on diet. However, if a dog begins to have much larger bowel movements, this the dog is not properly absorbing some nutrients, according to PetMD.
There is a standard health form of dog feces, states PetMD. It should be firm, cylindrical and round. A small soft portion is normal, but if the entire poop is soft, seek medical help. If the poop is incredibly round or compact, constipation becomes a concern. Finally, when a dog's poop begins to smell more than normal, this is a strong indicator of bacterial infection.


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If safety is vital for a newborn, it is equally important for older children, especially in view of the present social environment. The concerns are different and definitely safety for this age group should not mean over-protection. Nor should it be enforced against the resentment of a child.
Safety at this age is more a matter of providing important guidelines followed by a great deal of parental awareness and support.
School Bus Safety
Teach the Child :-
- To be at the bus stop early.
- Never to run after the bus if she is late, because of risk of inquiry from an incoming vehicle
- Wait for the bus in a safe place.
- Not to talk to strangers or accept rides with anyone.
- To never cross behind the bus as there are blind spots around the bus where the driver cannot see. Teach him to cross in front of a stationary bus and to always walk 10 steps in front of the bus.
- While in the school bus not to distract the driver because he needs to pay attention to the road and traffic.
- To remain seated.
- Not to take out her heads, arms or hands outside the bus windows.
- To beware of hazards presented by long scarves, loose bag straps etc while exiting or entering a bus. Care has to be taken to ensure that clothes and bags don't get caught in the door.
- Not to go under a bus or run towards a moving bus to retrieve something they have dropped.
- To stay away from the doors.
Your checklist-
- Make sure that the school you choose has a good school bus (or other travel arrangement) which conforms to minimum safety standards.
- Ensure that the child is up early enough so that he doesn't miss the bus and look for alternate arrangements on his own.
- Teach road rules – look to both sides before crossing, cross at Zebra Crossings etc.
- If you are working, work out a system with the child for calling you when he reaches home.
On-line safety
It has become absolutely essential for parents to keep themselves well informed about their children's surfing habits – whom they're contacting, how much time they're spending on-line, etc.
What you should be afraid of on the Net: –
ü Adult and child pornography – this is illegal but extremely graphic, violent and desensitising. An innocent keyword typed into a search engine or the misspelling of a web site's name can lead children into sites that are shocking and often difficult to leave.
ü E-mail addresses can be gathered and other deceitful marketing practices can be employed. People and their personal information are vulnerable from unscrupulous individuals and companies.
ü Hate sites, cult sites, weapon related sites can also include bomb making formulas, violent ideas & images and provide a venue for certain groups to convince children to join them and further their cause.
ü Paedophiles exploit the anonymity of the interactive areas frequented by children where they look for unassuming kids with whom they can cultivate a relationship.
- Place the computer where you can see the screen as you go about your business.
- Become computer savvy and ensure that other caregivers are too.
- Spend time with them while browsing on the internet. Participate in fun, family oriented activities.
- Encourage children to share their on-line discoveries with you.
- Communicate the dangers clearly and also explain how to avoid them.
- Explain to the children that they should never give out any personal information on-line. This includes last name, home address and telephone number, parent's work address or telephone number, name or location of school and financial information.
- Children should never agree to meeting face-to-face with a person they have met on-line, without parental permission.
- Explain that people they meet online are not always who they say there are.
- Children should not send their photograph or other identifying information without parental permission.
- Children should not download anything from the internet without informing the parents.
- Children should agree to tell their parents immediately if they encounter a person or site that makes them feel uncomfortable.
- Teach the child the 'back' button in your browser. He should know that any time he finds a site uncomfortable he can get out of it by clicking this button.
- Think about investing in a filter or censorship programme. These can be downloaded from a website like www.moochers.com. These programmes can block out sites with key words which you can add on a list. They can also block access to a list of sites deemed unsuitable for minors. The only problem is that children can learn to disable the password.
- Check the 'history's section of your browser to keep tabs on sites visited.
- If you allow your children to use chat, sit next to them when they are chatting online.Safety Rules –
- Never talk to strangers.
- Never take lifts.
- Tell your parents immediately if somebody makes them feel uncomfortable.
- Never make friends that they can't bring them home to meet you.
- Avoid dangerously isolated spots even when they know the person they are with very well.
Related Links


text: Welcome to the RRPictureArchives.NET contributor site of Bradley Bates. Hello everyone my name is Bradley Bates, I do Railroad photography, I do take photographs of other things such as Fireworks, Lightning, Landscape, etc. I take all my shots using a Canon T2i, I only take shots of Trains if the light is good, if it isn't I try to find a spot where the light is good no matter how far I have to go, if the train has something I really want I will chase it for multiple scenic shots, I submit photos to Magazines such as TRAINS Magazine, doing photography like I do I am gone a lot & never know when I might get a heads up on a good Train & go chase it to get my shots. I have some wonderful friends as well. Some other things I like, Nascar Racing (Tony Stewart) Football, I pull for the Florida Gaters in college & the Green Bay Packers in the NFL, I enjoy bowling & also things to do with weather. My birthday is August 13th & I'm single. Hopefully soon I will be working for a Railroad somewhere. I hope you all enjoy the shots I upload. GOD Bless!You may browse my collection of pictures via the menu located on the left hand side of the page. I hope you enjoy the collection and thanks for stopping by!


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Press release
Mipro increases its sales capabilities and targets international markets
Mipro Oy, the Finnish rail traffic safety specialist, is increasing its presence in international markets in this field. The company's new sales director Jari Pylvänen considers that urbanization and advancing rail traffic technology will provide substantial growth opportunities for the company. A key reason is that solutions that have been implemented in telecommunications are now being introduced into rail traffic systems.Finnish company Mipro Oy is targeting significant growth in the international market. New sales director Jari Pylvänen says that urbanization and new technologies are opening up huge possibilities in the rail traffic system and safety markets. "Various cloud services, intelligent networks and telecommunication-based solutions are providing interesting possibilities for future rail traffic systems. At the same time, urbanization and the pursuit of low-emission transport modes look set to increase the popularity of rail traffic," says Pylvänen.
According to Pylvänen, the development leap currently being witnessed in rail traffic parallels that seen in telecommunications in previous decades. Moreover, the modernisation of traditional rail traffic and the implementation of bullet trains and automatic metros in various places of the world are providing an agile company like Mipro with excellent opportunities to expand globally.
"In addition to hardware, software is increasingly needed in global railway systems. Mipro's strong product development and total solutions are extremely attractive to international players. The West Metro (Länsimetro) signalling system solution is an excellent reference for Mipro's competences. The signalling system project we are providing for the Estonian railways has already kicked-off our internationalisation."
In addition, cooperation both internally and with various stakeholders is becoming increasingly significant in international projects. "The sales of top-level expert services requires the deployment of the special knowledge and expertise that is available throughout our entire organisation," adds Pylvänen.
Jari Pylvänen has gained over 20 years of experience in the international sales and marketing of telecommunication solutions at Nokia and Creanord. His experience in this field extends from Europe to North and South America.
Further information:
Jari Pylvänen, Sales Director, Mipro Oy
Phone +358 40 533 2535, firstname.lastname@example.com
Mipro is specialised in railway and industrial systems. Our systems are used for safety management in railway and metro services and industry processes as well as for controlling processes in water and energy management. Mipro is a growing business based in Mikkeli, Finland and operating in the global market. Our customers include the Finnish Transport Agency, Helsinki City Transport, Estonian Railways Ltd. and numerous companies in the utilities sector.


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Fernandinho: 'Manchester derby could change everything'
Manchester City midfielder Fernandinho believes next week's derby at Old Trafford is a game which "can change everything" but insists they must remain focused on this weekend's visit of Fulham.
Fourth-placed City play one of their three matches in hand on leaders Chelsea when they take on United next Tuesday.
If Manuel Pellegrini's side win all those games they will go three points clear at the top but the short trip to United has huge significance, especially considering the Red Devils' struggles this season, on a local scale.
"That game can change everything," said the Brazil international.
"I hope our team will be ready and we can walk the streets without any problems and that our fans can give us some hugs afterwards.
"When you win these games, you can walk down the street, but not when you lose.
"The derby is important for the players, the fans and the city, and of course it will be special for everyone.
"I played in derbies in Brazil and Ukraine (for Atletico Paranaense and Shakhtar Donetsk respectively) but this one is special - I don't know why, but it feels different.
"Both teams will be motivated. They (United) have a lot of things to be motivated about and we are motivated about the title race.
"I think the game will be beautiful - I just hope we play very well."
However, before the encounter at Old Trafford, City have to deal with the Cottagers, who may be bottom of the table but last weekend won their first league game in 10 matches.
"Right now we need to think just about Fulham, to beat them at home and play well, so we can take some confidence into next Tuesday against United," added the 28-year-old.
"Maybe we will start to talk about them on Monday but now it's all about Fulham.
"People might think Fulham will be an easy game but there are no easy games - every game is a final for us.
"Now every player is 100 per cent thinking about their performance in the league, not just to win the title but our performance game by game.
PA Media


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July 9, 2014
Site Migration? 32 Problems & Solutions To Keep You Out Of Trouble
There are several reasons you may be considering migrating a website including the following;
- Re-branding requiring new domain
- Expansion into foreign markets requiring new TLDs
- Upgrade/redesign leading to a new navigation or URL structure
- Re-purposing of content on new website
Restructuring or moving a website is one of the most dangerous things you can do from an SEO point of view if not handled correctly and we strongly recommend that you use specialists if you are not completely sure how to do it.
Why? What Could Go Wrong?
If you don't implement redirects when you move a page or whole domain to a new URL the search engines may not index the new page/site quickly and you could lose traffic in the meantime. Additionally if the old page no longer exists, search engines will direct visitors to a 404 error page which could do harm to the user experience and your online reputation. Lastly, any authority (or "link juice") going to the original page will also be lost if not properly rerouted to the new page..
To set the tone of the article we shall look at what redirects are (1) and how to implement them (2), followed by the necessary steps for carrying out a migration (3).
The real value however comes in part (4) where we discover all the things that could possibly go wrong and what to be aware of – all derived from real experiences! (Feel free to skip to section 4 if you wish – I won't take it personally!)
- 1. What is a Redirect?
- 2. Types of Redirects
- 3. Site Migration Steps
- 4. 32 Things You May Not Have Considered
1. What is a Redirect?
If you have ever moved house or your business to a new address you will have needed to redirect your mail so it doesn't pile up at your old address. A URL redirect is similar in that it will automatically reroute traffic coming to your site to your new address and is at the heart of a migration project.
Depending on what type of server your site is on (Apache or Windows Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS)), redirects take different forms which we will look at in section 2.
It is worth mentioning at this point that there are several types of redirect for different situations.
A 301 redirect is a permanent redirect which tells the search engines "this page/site has moved permanently to a new location – please de-index this page and reroute all traffic/link authority to the new page immediately".
A 302 redirect is a temporary redirect (where the original page remains indexed) which should only be used if you are likely to resort back to the original page in the future. The drawbacks of using 302 redirects mistakenly is that the search engines might misunderstand the new page as duplicate content (and therefore not index it) or dilute link-juice across the two versions. Having said this, the top search engines are often smart enough to judge if a mistake has been made.
2. Types of Redirects
Moving Single URLs
You may need to move an existing page to a different area of your site (for example, moving a product to a new product category) which means it now sits in a new location. In the example below we are selling off the last remaining red tshirts and have moved them all to a sale category permanently until sold out.
www.your-website.com/tshirts/red-tshirt to www.your-website.com/sale/red-tshirt
In this case you need only create a page-level redirect which looks like this:
Apache Format (the most common, added to the .htaccess file):
Microsoft IIS Format (a little trickier, added to the URL Rewrite module):
There are no limits to the amount of URLs you can include. Remember to validate each redirect by trying to access each old page.
In the interest of keeping this this document streamlined we will explain other redirects from an Apache point of view as this is the most common type. The principals for Microsoft IIS redirects are similar and many tutorials can be found on the internet.
Renaming URLs
Rewritten URLs should be treated like moved pages. If you want to create a new URL for an existing page you must redirect the old URL to the new one as above. In the example below we have streamlined the URL of this product by removing the word "cotton".
e.g. www.your-website.com/tshirts/red-cotton-tshirt to www.your-website.com/tshirts/red-tshirt
Deleting pages.
Deleted pages should be treated like moved pages as above. Always redirect the deleted page to the nearest equivalent page or a suitable alternative location. Sometimes there won't be an equivalent page so you may need to redirect to the category or even the homepage.
In the example below, the red tshirt has sold out and we will no longer be stocking red tshirts. We could redirect this to a green or blue tshirt equivalent but in this case I chose to redirect to the tshirt category instead.
e.g. www.your-website.com/tshirts/red-tshirt to www.your-website.com/tshirts
Moving Whole Directories/Sub-Folders
If you are staying on the same domain and simply moving pages to new directories/sub-folders or restructuring you will need to redirect all of the URLs in one folder to the other.
e.g. www.your-website.com/clothes/tshirts to www.your-website.com/tshirts
Apache Format:
Moving Domains
There may be times where you need to move an entire domain, for example if you are rebranding or if you have bought a better domain name. In this case you are specifying that everything including and beyond the root directory (indicated by a forward slash) should be redirected
NOTE: Do not use a site-wide redirect if you are setting up a new site to escape a search engine penalty. This will simply transfer the penalty to the new domain.
Apache Format:
My colleague Piyush wrote an extensive article on redirects which can be found here.
3. Site Migration Steps
Now that we understand how the various redirection commands work lets have a look at the full migration process; This involves grabbing all existing URLs and mapping them to the new equivalents which tells the search engines about the move and how to find the new pages.
1. Take a full scan of the existing site and gather all existing URLs.
We recommend using a tool like Screaming Frog (Note: the free version limits you to 500 URLs so if you have a large site, consider purchasing an upgraded subscription).
2. Find additional URLs.
Sometimes Screaming Frog will miss out orphaned pages or pages from an old version of the site that may be indexed in Google. For this reason you should also scrape all the URLs in Google by using a [site:www.YOURWEBSITE.com] command (see screenshot below). Also take URLs from the XML sitemap and take this chance to clean up 404s in WMT. Combining these lists in Excel and removing duplicates will give you a full list to work with.
3. Map all existing URLs with the new equivalents.
This can be time-consuming if you have long list of URLs – unfortunately there is no way round this. However, if the migration simply concerns a change of domain with the URL structure staying the same, you can perform a one-off domain redirect which can save tonnes of time!
4. Upload the redirects and new sitemap.
Once the migration takes place you want to upload the redirects as quickly as possible so the file should be ready to upload prior to launch of the new site. At this point you will also want to upload the updated XML sitemap ready for when the search engine bots crawl the new site for the first time. If the URL of the sitemap has changed, make sure you notify Google and Bing in Webmaster Tools. You may also wish to force a crawl of the new site and structure if you want the site to be picked up quickly.
5. Monitor and react to any issues that arise.
Manually checking the redirects work upon upload and monitoring Webmaster Tools on an on-going basis for the next few weeks should quickly alert you to any issues with your redirect file. Issues with the migration could severely impact the success of your new website launch so this is an incredibly important stage. Thankfully, Webmaster Tools makes things easy for you.
6. Change directory and other links where possible.
Starting with your most important referral sources (see Google Analytics) and highest PA links, look to contact the webmasters to get links changed to the new locations. Although permanent (301) redirects pass much of the link equity to the new source, it is always a good idea to get as many updated as possible.
Further Reading: How to Completely Ruin (or Save) Your Website with Redirects – Moz
32 Things You May Not Have Considered…
- When planning or going through a migration beware that new added pages could be lost or unaccounted for in the final list of URLs. For instance, if you have an active blog, new posts should be kept unpublished until the new site goes live.
- Keep original web files on server if possible. If for whatever reason a page is not included in the new site you may need to recover it!
- Make sure you have a useful 404 page in place just in case. This 404 page should include an apology, useful links to help the user get back on track (as well as the standard navigation menu template), an internal search bar and a request for the user to report the problem.
- Both Google and Bing index images and therefore if these are a big source of incoming traffic, these should be factored in to your redirect file.
- If a big migration is planned, you may want your blogging/communication/PR team to pre-emptively notify users of the imminent change – particularly if the navigation, branding or aesthetics are changing drastically and ESPECIALLY if the domain is changing.
- If you are going through a re-brand you may want to arouse curiosity and anticipation through a clever social media or email marketing drive. If done well this can attract lots of attention and even links!
- Don't forget to sync your Google Analytics/Webmaster Tools accounts with the new site as soon as it goes live! Monitoring the success of your migration is highly dependant on data (drop in visitors, increase in missing pages etc.) for early warning signs – you don't want to be missing data for those first few critical days.
- Make sure the meta data for new pages and optimised content is all pre-written ready for launch. You don't want your rankings to drop because of an oversight in basic SEO elements.
- Your website may already be benefiting from caching (and if it isn't, it really should be) – make sure any caching of resources is carried over to the new site. Any upgrade should be towards a faster website and forgetting to carry over speed enhancing elements can hinder the success of your site launch
- If your new site is bigger or more image-heavy you need to make sure your current hosting package can handle the increase in data. Otherwise, consider upgrading to a better platform or dedicated server.
- If your site is dramatically changing you may wish to consider using your first blog post to describe any new features and how to navigate through the new site
- Implement your migration one step at a time and do the necessary checks each time. This way you can isolate issues more easily. (e.g. start with the main website redirects, then consolidate any dupe URLs, then implement the blog, then any sub-domains etc)
- Research tools to help you with your migration such as scraping tools like Screaming Frog and XML sitemap generators if necessary
- While gathering your URLs to be redirected, this is the ideal time to find redundant, outdated or "thin" (offer no real value) pages. Shedding this excess weight or updating with useful content will make your new site far more streamlined and ensure every page has a purpose.
- If migrating to a new domain, spend some time carefully choosing a domain name and TLD extension as it is much harder to rectify once established. Domain names should focus around your brand name or if taken, a suitable substitute. Google is cracking down on keyword-stuffed URLs so don't opt for something like www.used-cars-northampton.com for instance (unless of course this is your legitimate business name!). Additionally, carefully choose a domain extention (e.g. .com, .co.uk, .net or one of the newly released ones like .london, .shop or even .football!). You may also want to claim your brand social media profiles at this point too.
- No matter how clean your migration is, there will always be some loss of traffic initially as the search engines rediscover and re-index your site. This is unavoidable but the impact can be lessened with a fully-thought out migration strategy and swift implementation. Make sure that you superiors are aware of this during any talks of migration.
- Most people realise that redirecting web pages is critical. However, have you given a thought to your images and PDFs? These are indexed too, so if they make up a chunk of your incoming search traffic make sure these are accounted for in your redirect file.
- Aside from Analytics tracking you will want to ensure any additional tracking (such as on-click button tracking, UTM sourcing etc.) is carried over to the new site to avoid any loss of data. These are easily overlooked.
- If your content such as blog articles contain internal links to other pages, make sure these are updated to reflect the new URLs – don't just rely on your redirects to do the hard work as this looks unprofessional.
- Testing is critical in the early days of a site migration. Ensure you have Webmaster Tools set up as well as using a scanning tool such as Xenu to check for broken links. Of course, most of the issues should have been caught through manual checks performed prior to the site going live!
- Both Bing and Google Webmaster Tools have a feature to "call" their bots to come and crawl your site rather than waiting for them to naturally crawl it. This should be done as soon as the site goes live so that the search engines are indexing your new content and site structure immediately.
- In the early days of discussing migrating to a new domain make sure you buy up (as well as relevant variations) as soon as a decision is made. Nothing is worse than kicking off branding and marketing developments and finding out the brand domain has been snapped up!
- Set up a useful (by "useful" I mean useful to potential customers that happen to stumble upon it) holding page so that it can start accruing age. Always buy a domain for the maximum time possible (usually 10 years) as long-term investments are a credibility signal for the search engines
- If your new site runs on a new CMS system or server this could have positive or negative implications on SEO. For instance if the server is strained/unreliable or the CMS is bulky/bloated this may affect the load speed of your new site which could affect rankings.
- Chances are, the new site will be developed on a staging site. It seems redundant to even say it but make sure this staging site is completely "noindexed" – I have known instances where this has been forgotten and the search engines began to index both live and staging versions of website pages!
- New site, new robots.txt file – make sure this is not blocking any critical areas of your new site and that relevant chunks
- If you are migrating your site because of a search engine penalty DO NOT 301 REDIRECT the site – you risk carrying the penalty over and you will have to start all over!
- If you are opting for a new domain, keep ownership of old domain for as long as you can afford. This stops competitors buying up the domain and building off the back of the authority you have built up. They could also remove/modify the redirect commands within the .htaccess file hosted on the original domain. Lastly, any existing customers will associate you with the old domain/brand until the update sinks in – don't confuse them.
- Pointing Google Ads to URLs that automatically redirect is against Google's guidelines. Make sure your ads are updated to reflect the changes as soon as they go live or risk having your Ads suspended. If you are moving to a completely new domain you may need to have your ads re-approved altogether which can take time. When deciding on a migration, make sure your PPC team is aware!
- Beware, when moving domains you will have to set up a brand new Analytics profile for the new site. Historic data cannot be transferred so make sure you hang on to this old profile for reference.
- Unlike link juice, social proof such as Likes, +1s, Tweets etc associated with URLs that get redirected will be lost. If social signals do indeed affect rankings (not confirmed) you may suffer a rankings dip as a result. Make sure re-promoting content to recoup some of the lost signals is part of your post-migration strategy.
- When gathering your URLs (particularly those of files) remember, some servers can be picky. URLs with capital letters are different from those that are all lower-case – make sure you redirect both versions if necessary. Likewise, underscores could be mistaken for spaces (in underlined links).
Further Reading:
- Find Orphaned Pages From Your Sitemap.xml File with Excel and IIS Toolkit
- How To Reduce SEO Risk In Migrations, Domain Changes, etc.
- SEO for PDFs
- How to Optimize a PDF for Search – Hubspot
- Has Google made domain migration tougher? – Branded3
Tags: 301 redirects, implementing redirects, migrating a website, rebranding a website, redirects, site migration, website migration


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Examples of 50/50 Child Custody Schedules: 5 Common Examples
Do you want a custody schedule that gives each parent equal time with the children? Here are some 50/50 child custody schedule examples to consider.
Custody X Change is software that creates professional parenting plan documents and parenting schedules.
In this schedule, the parents simply alternate weeks of custody with the child. Of course, the parents can choose what day to exchange–this picture shows an exchange on Friday evening. This type of schedule works best if parents live close to each other and close to the child's school or other activities. The advantage is that the child has a very stable schedule with few exchanges during the week. However, the child has to adjust weekly to a new living situation, and not all children are able to do this.
Variations: parents can add mid-week evening or overnight visits to the other parent if a week feels like too long of a stretch to not see the child. Parents can also choose to alternate custody every two weeks if that works better for them.
Splitting the Week in Half
In this schedule, the parents split the week in half and each parent has the child for half of the week. The parents can adjust the days and times to get the schedule they want. Again, with this schedule the parents both need to live close to the child's school or other activities (if the child is old enough to go to school).
Variations: Parents can add an evening or afternoon visit to the other parent during any of the days.
2/2/5/5 Split Custody Schedule
This schedule gives one parent 2 days with the children and then the other parent 2 days with the children. Then, each parent has 5 days with the children. This is a lot of switching back and forth for the child–so it is helpful if the parents live close to each other and the child adapts well to each home.
Parents can adjust the days and times of exchanges so that they alternate weekends. They can also add afternoon or evening visits as they feel they are necessary.
3/3/4/4 Split Custody Schedule
This schedule is like the one above, except that the parents each have 3 days and then they each have 4. Some parents find great success with switching so often, and other parents find that it is too complicated for their children. You should base your custody schedule on what works best for your child.
Again, parents can switch the exchange days so that they have different days with the children–this schedule can be arranged so the parents alternate weekends.
Other Variations
The great thing about using Custody X Change (where all of the previous pictures are from) is that it is really easy to set up 50/50 child custody schedules. With the program, you can set up different custody and visitation schedules and see the exact timeshare percentage that each parent has with the children. This means you can add visitation and change the custody times so each parent really has fifty percent of the time with the children. You can also adjust holiday time and add vacation schedules to equal out the time. If you want to make a 50/50 schedule, you should download the software.
Custody X Change is software that creates professional parenting plan documents and parenting schedules.


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Change Page Layout via SharePoint 2010's Publishing Site
For good practice, choose your page layout type on your SharePoint 2010 publishing site before entering any page content; although you can change page layout types later, that sometimes leads to unexpected consequences.
To create a new page, choose Site Actions→New Page, give your new page a title, and click the Create button. Your new page appears, with the site's default page layout applied. In publishing sites this should be a Body Only Article page.
Follow these steps to choose and apply a new page layout to your new page:
Make sure you're in Edit mode, for example by looking for the Editing Tools tab.
If you aren't in Edit mode, click the Edit icon above the Ribbon (it looks like a piece of paper and pencil).
You can also click the Page tab and then click the Edit icon. The Editing Tools tab appears with the Format Text and Insert tabs in it.
Locate the Page Actions section on the Ribbon.
The Page Actions section is on the Page tab. This section includes the Preview, Page Layout, Make Home Page, Incoming Links, and Draft Check options.
Click the Page Layout drop-down list and choose a page layout.
The page layouts available for this site are shown, grouped by type, with a thumbnail representation of each layout.
Think about the contents of your page to make sure the layout is what you need.
Edit the content as you normally would, and be sure to select Save and Close or Check In on the Page tab when you're done.
Your changes are saved and the page is no longer in Edit mode.
The steps to change the page layout after you enter page content are no different than those to choose the initial page layout. But you should choose the new page layout carefully; does it have the same containers as your current page? Will you need to rearrange a lot of the content?
If your current page uses Web Parts and the new page layout doesn't have a corresponding Web Part zone, the Web Parts will either move to another zone or close. Content in controls (such as byline and date) will disappear if you apply a layout that doesn't contain those fields.
However, simple changes, such as going from an Article Left page to an Article Right page (where the only difference is the location of the image), go very smoothly.


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I am one of the Exiles of Newark, New Jersey.
My father was raised on Goldsmith Avenue, became a Bar Mitzvah at Young Israel, and went to Weequahic High School, class of '59. His mother was born in Newark; both she and my grandfather spent their careers teaching in the Newark public school system. My great-grandparents' graves are in Newark, in the McClellan Street cemeteries.
No doubt I would have been there too. Except that, to bastardize the words of Agnon, through a historical accident—the upward mobility of postwar Jews, the riots of 1967—I was born in one of the villages of the Diaspora.
It always struck me that Newark must have been one of the most extraordinary communities of the American Exile. All the currents of Jewish life in early 20th century America—socialism, Zionism, Reform, Orthodoxy, Yiddish culture, labor—flourished in its environs. In 1948, nearly 60,000 Jews lived in Newark[1], served by scores of synagogues. The caliber of rabbis, cultural figures, political leaders, labor and social justice advocates, business leaders, and philanthropists that emerged from that place is astounding. And it disappeared so incredibly quickly.
But Newark endured in the stories of Philip Roth, and for that reason I always took Roth's writings personally. As he dissected the psyche of the city and its expatriates, I told myself I was discovering my origins. (That's ridiculously romantic, of course. Like many Jews of Eastern European descent, my family lived in Newark for barely two and a half generations. But we've got very little to go on about the Old Country—the shtetlach and hamlets that were annihilated by the Russians, Poles, Ukrainians, et al—so Newark is all I've got.)
Roth left Newark, but wouldn't leave it behind. Newark—with its concentration of Jews anxious to become optometrists and entertainment lawyers and accountants; its polio terror and stickball in the streets; its racial tensions and Nazi paranoia—was a prism through which he wrote about America.
Now that Roth is dead, the American Jewish community, by virtue of that adjective "American," can start doing what it always does: remaking him in our image. Which is rather a shame.
Because Roth at his core was the wicked child of the Seder. He dared to fling our pieties in our faces and say, "Yes—but what does all this mean to you?" Starting with Goodbye, Columbus and running like a crimson thread throughout his work, he satirized and criticized the Jewish community as only an insider could.
Consider his devastating short story, "The Conversion of the Jews" (1959). Ozzie Freedman is a bored Hebrew school kid of the sort that the Coen Brothers captured so perfectly in the movie A Serious Man. He is punished by the rabbi and other authorities for asking "dangerous" questions, the kind that the wicked child asks. Ultimately Ozzie ends up on the roof, threatening to jump unless the Rabbi and the adults answer the question that got him rebuked in the first place: "Do you think that an almighty God could make a child without intercourse?"
It's so perfect, because Ozzie found the exact question to prick everyone's sensibilities: the rabbi's platitudes, the newly-emancipated liberal Jews' boundaries with their Christian neighbors, and of course the sexual obsessions which Roth would explode in Portnoy's Complaint.
Or consider his 1993 novel Operation Shylock. The narrative itself is outrageous. A famous Jewish writer named Philip Roth discovers that some nutjob has taken the alter ego "Philip Roth" and is spreading the gospel of "Diasporism," leading Jews out of Israel and back to Europe—an antisemitic fantasy!
But here's the rub: like any great critic, Roth knew intimately the subject he criticized, which ultimately rebounded back on himself. If he mocked Israel as a modern Jewish shibboleth, Operation Shylock also shows a deep intimacy with its people, its cultural, and its totems. For instance, his true (not fictional) dialogues with Israeli author Aharon Appelfeld in the book (Appelfeld died just this past January) reveal sensitive insights about what, exactly, Jewish identity means at the turn of the twenty-first century.
Ultimately Roth's subject wasn't Judaism, it was America. He asked: Why shouldn't the Jewish lens be as valid as any other lens through which we can understand America? After all, Faulkner wrote about America, but through the perspective of the American South. So did Steinbeck, via the western frontier. So did Ellison, and Kerouac, and so on. America is big and complex and refracted into a thousand hues. Who's to say that America's freedoms and dysfunctions aren't perfectly represented through the eyes of Bucky Cantor, a Newark playground director terrorized by polio (Nemesis, 2010)? Or Coleman Silk, the classics professor who gets caught in the wheels of the political correctness machine (The Human Stain, 2000)?
Or, for that matter, Roth's masterful creation Swede Levov, the protagonist of American Pastoral (1997)? His name is the perfect encapsulation of Roth's work: a Newark Jew who marries a (shiksa) beauty queen, flees to the Jersey suburbs, and expects that his Nordic looks and nickname will help him shed his history. But the shtetl, and the past, is as present as his surname.
America does fascinating things to the identities of its immigrants and their descendants. Those complexities are more than enough to stake a career on. We were blessed to be of a generation that had such an articulate master to challenge our assumptions and satirize our self-righteousness. If we grapple with Roth seriously, we will understand ourselves better—because it will be much harder to hide.
[1] William B. Helmreich, The Enduring Community: The Jews of Newark and Metrowest, New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers, 1999, p.30.