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A Lucky Mistake
In the picturesque village of Waldburg, Germany, the Kiderlen family began importing wine from South Tyrol, Italy in the early 1960's. Twenty-five years later, the family acquired a wine business in Biberach, Germany. During this time, Johannes Kiderlen, had begun studying Beverage Technologies and subsequently took over the reins of the family's import business. In one of his first orders, the inexperienced Johannes mistakenly requested a huge bulk order of sherry - leaving Johannes with two options: throw away much of the sherry, or bottle it. His intuitive solution was to fill some old casks with the sherry and advertise locally for customers to bring in their own bottle and fill it 'from the cask.'
The startling success of the 'from the cask' concept prompted Johannes to reorganize the business - focusing on five key components: fruit vinegars, exquisite oils, selected wines, outstanding liqueurs and unique spirits – all chosen based on Johannes' uncompromising standards of quality.


text: Thrilled to share that my poem, "Silvering," is this week's Poem of the Week at Narrative Magazine. So thankful another of my series of silvering poems has found a home in the world. If you don't already have an account, making one is free & then you can read the poem in its entirety! See the poem here!

subset: commoncrawl


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Baker McKenzie advised the banking consortium on the financing of the Berlin Sony Center acquisition. The well-known property was sold to a joint venture of Oxford Properties Group and Madison International Realty. The sale of the Sony Center is one of the largest real estate transactions of the year in Germany.
The acquisition is financed by a consortium consisting of pbb Deutsche Pfandbriefbank AG, Landesbank Baden-Württemberg (LBBW) and ING Wholesale Banking. The loan volume amounts to 625 million euros.
We are delighted to have advised the banking consortium on this important transaction.
"With all parties involved pulling together, this financing was completed in a very short time frame", comments Filip Kurkowski, partner of Baker McKenzie in the lead.
Baker McKenzie's real estate finance practice regularly advises banks and investors on financings in Germany and Europe. Amongst others the firm advised ING and Berlin Hyp on the financing of the TaunusTurm in Frankfurt.
Legal advisor to the banking consortium:
Filip Kurkowski (partner Banking & Finance, Frankfurt) und Kathrin Marchant (partner Banking & Finance, Frankfurt);
Banking & Finance: Anouschka Zagorski (senior counsel, Frankfurt); Astrit Rexhaj (associate, Frankfurt), Jean-Francois Trapp (partner, Luxemburg), Manuela Dias Marques (senior associate, Luxemburg)
Real Estate: Dr. Florian Thamm (partner, Frankfurt), Dr. Daniel Bork (associate, Düsseldorf)
Tax: Dr. Stephan Behnes (partner, Frankfurt)


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Sally @Elemental Holistic
About me
Welcome to massage of distinction in Horley! I offer a range of treatments to provide relief from muscular tension and aches and pains, or for sheer relaxation and pampering. I use only the highest quality organic oils and products to nurture your skin.
Treatments include Therapeutic Massage, Aromatherapy Massage, Hot Stone Therapy and Japanese Facial Massage. Please don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions or need help selecting the most beneficial therapy for you.
I am currently offering a 25% discount for your first treatment so it's a great time to discover how massage therapy can improve your well-being.
Training, qualifications & experience
I am a fully qualified and insured Holistic Therapist offering a professional and effective service.
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
30 mins - £25
60 mins - £40
90 mins - £55
120 minute Ultimate Treatment - £80 (includes full body massage and extended facial massage treatment using luxurious aromatic oils).
Further information
Treatments are carried out from my tranquil home therapy room in Horley, or from your home in surrounding areas by arrangement.
Important information
If you have been diagnosed with or suspect you may have a pre-existing medical condition you should consult your GP for advice, diagnosis and treatment and always inform your health professional before starting any alternative or additional therapies, treatments or making any major changes in your diet or exercise programme.
Maps & Directions
Type of session
|Home visits:
Practical details
|Sign language:
|Other languages:
Flexible Appointments Available


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It was an interesting offseason for Philadelphia Flyers Center Claude Giroux. By now, most hockey fans have heard about the incident in Ottawa this summer where Claude Giroux was arrested for repeatedly grabbing the butt of a police officer. The charges were dropped, but what many people don't know is the circumstances that led to him being let go uncharged. With a spate of sexual assaults during Canada Day celebrations, Giroux was quietly approached behind the scenes by Health Canada to appear in a series of public service announcements in an attempt to combat the problem.
With the hockey season beginning earlier this month, the public service announcements have begun to appear in bus stops and subway stations across the country. Featuring the successful "No Means No!" slogan, the PSAs show a variety of ways a person's energy can be better directed instead of committing sexual assault. By having a superstar player appearing in the campaign in hockey-mad Canada, Health Canada is hoping that the message will carry some additional weight and more effectively combat the growing issue.
It should be a win-win situation for all involved. For his participation, Claude Giroux avoids any legal ramifications stemming from his non-violent crime. Health Canada gets a well-known face to raise awareness of the sexual assault issue. And the Canadian population will, hopefully, see a decrease in sexual assaults across the country.
This post has been a satirical look at Claude Giroux's recent legal troubles and is, to the best knowledge of the Pens Initiative staff, completely fictional. As far as we know, Claude Giroux just gets a bit handsy when he drinks and was let go for being famous.


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Inside each ripe avocado lies a single giant seed surrounded by succulent flesh. All that's required to grow your own avocadoes on the Adelaide Plains - after digging out such a seed - is a whole lot of patience and room in your garden for an enormous tree up to 20m tall.
The most commonly available avocado in local shops is a variety called Hass, but the cook has taken a liking to a less-common variety named Reed, obtainable only for limited periods from a local organic fruit store. So we decided to grow this favourite on from seed and wait the four to six years that it typically takes before our efforts will bear fruit. This is a pretty risky business because there's a real chance that the fruit produced will be different to that of its parent. Most seedlings available from nurseries are grafted onto rootstocks from cuttings of plants of known quality; the net result is a fairly expensive mature potted plant. As we've lost a number of these commercial avocadoes over the years there's a decided reluctance in this household to spend money on more of them – hence the propagation of multiple plants from 'pits' at far lower financial risk.
We've grown these avocado pits on a kitchen cupboard under a sunny window; this ensures that we notice when watering is needed. A pot was filled with potting mix and the avocado seeds half buried at the surface. These seeds are slow to germinate; it has taken about three months for the seed to split; the single stem then appears like a matchstick stuck in a ball of plasticine. This grows up to about 300 mm tall before popping out leaves. In the next few weeks, as winter sets in, I'll plant these three avocado seedlings side-by-side near the existing Hass avocado that is the lone survivor of all those commercial failures.
Perhaps the home-grown route will prove more successful? As they grow, these young trees will certainly have to be espaliered or pruned to keep them within the bounds of the property.


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Diversity creates a healthier atmosphere: UnitedHealth Group is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.
UnitedHealth Group is a drug-free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment.
Key words: customer service representative, customer service, CSR, UnitedHealth Group, call center, UnitedHealthcare, health care, healthcare, office, phone support, training class, advocate


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The Union/MSF 9-12 month (SORT IT) course
Course Description
The Union offers an intensive course in operational research that consists of three 6-day modules spaced out over 9-12 months. The aim is to help participants develop the practical skills for conducting and publishing operational research.
In Module 1, participants work with facilitators to develop their own research protocol with due attention to ethics. In Module 2, they learn about electronic quality-assured data capture and analysis using open and free access software (EpiData). They return to their countries and work stations and collect data. They then return to Module 3, with data collected and analysed, and learn how to write their own scientific paper, which is then submitted within four weeks to an international or national peer-reviewed journal.
The training format includes lectures, break-out mentor groups and plenary sessions where participants present their work (protocols and papers in progress) to the whole group and receive feedback from their peers and facilitators. Milestones must be achieved to remain in the course.
In July 2012, The Union and MSF joined forces with the WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, Geneva, and the capacity building courses have now come under a new global partnership call SORT IT [structured operational research training initiative].
Operational Research Courses 2015
Established SORT IT Courses
These courses are ongoing from 2014
Central Asia OR 1
Module 3: 23–28 March
Paris OR5
Module 3: 5-12 June
Panama OR1
Module 3: 13-18 July
New SORT IT Courses
These courses begin/end in 2015 with the exception of the Chennai course, which will end in 2016.
Asia OR 4
Modules 1 and 2: 2-14 March
Module 3: 11-18 December
Africa OR4
Modules 1 and 2: 9–21 March
Module 3: 20-27 November
Chennai OR 3
Modules 1 and 2: 7-18 September
Module 3: 2016 (dates TBA)
New India Short Courses
First India Short Course: 4-5 April
Second India Short Course: 10-11 October
Application process: About 3-4 months before the course starts, a call for applications and a course brief are circulated widely via e-mail and through contacts. Candidates have to complete an application form by a stated deadline, and participants (12 per course) are selected by a committee that assesses all applications.
Offical Language: English
Email: email@example.com


text: Home Fresh Scoops Are James Reid and Devon Seron ready for a serious relationship? Are James Reid and Devon Seron ready for a serious relationship? Former Pinoy Big Brother teen housemates James Reid and Devon Seron celebrate their birthday with a party organized by their fans. BY NAPOLEON QUINTOS FRESH SCOOPS 5/24/2011 8:28 AM Save Former Pinoy Big Brother teen housemates James Reid and Devon Seron received a very special gift from their fans as they both turned 18 years old this May. James turned 18 last May 11, but he celebrated his birthday along with Devon's last May 20 as their fans organized a big party for them which was also attended by their close friends. Present during the party were their PBB batchmates Ivan Dorschner, Joe Vargas, Eslove Briones, and Patrick Sugui, and also Good Vibes co-stars Arron Villaflor, Lynn Oeymo, Chikara Nawa, Coleen Garcia, and Enrique Gil.In an interview before the party program, Devon and James expressed their deep gratitude to their fans for throwing them a big celebration. "Thank you sa lahat ng Jaevon (James-Devon) fans. Sobra ang pasasalamat ko sa suporta ninyo. Ang ganda ng party na inihanda ninyo para sa amin ni James," said Devon. Fil-Australian James was overwhelmed with the unwavering support of their fans since their PBB days. "Thanks most especially to the global fans. It's been a year since PBB but they are still here supporting us."Devon's family and other relatives from Cebu came to celebrate with her, but most of James's loved ones were all in Australia, but he said he is planning to visit them soon. They also exchanged birthday wishes. Devon said, "Sana matuto na siyang mag-Tagalog, ha ha ha! Sana rin more blessings para sa kanya. Magpakabait lagi." From James, "I wish Devon will stay down to earth. I want her to stay the same. She has a lot of shows now so she's getting more famous. I hope she will remain humble."The two, however, were mum about the gifts they bought for each other. James shared, "I have a gift for her, but it's only for her. I don't want anyone to see it. It's boxing gloves because she likes punching people and she's very strong. Kidding!" On the other hand, Devon only gave a little clue about her gift for James. "Secret na lang, ha ha ha! Baka mahulaan kasi niya agad. Basta kapag bored siya pwede niyang gamitin."James and Devon became a very popular love team inside the PBB house as the "rich Aussie boy-meets-simple Cebuana girl." But James clarified that he and Devon are still good friends until now. "Nothing much has changed. We still see each other most of the time because of Good Vibes. There's so much good vibes between us."Though she's now 18 years-old, Devon quickly dismissed possible suitors. "Wala po munang ligaw ligaw, ha ha ha! Bawal pa sabi ng family. Work muna at siyempre studies." Tags: Celebrity 0 SHOW COMMENTS


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Empower Now
A 5 day interactive workshop experience for anyone who wants to sharpen their thinking, gain new skills, overcome obstacles and achieve higher goals.
Learn How To
Develop New Thinking Patterns
Increase Problem Solving Skills
Learn Effective Communication Skills
Improve Confrontation Skills
Gain More Freedom to Live Your Life
Accelerate Growth in Every Area of Life
An Interactive & Intensive workshop conducted by Drs. Henry Cloud & John Townsend
Drs. Henry Cloud & John Townsend, best-selling authors, Christian Psychologists, Life, Business and Leadership Coaches bring you this unique 5 day experience. This interactive workshop combines researched information, hands on involvement and skill building to deliver significant results. This workshop will create the safe environment you need to focus on improving the way you Live, Love, Work and Relate.
October 12-16, 2020
All workshops are held in Orange County, CA near the Orange County/Santa Ana Airport
Once your registration is received, a GrowthSkills staff member will contact you to conduct a phone interview. After your interview is completed and your payment has been received, your registration will be confirmed.
Registrations may also be done by calling 949-660-0866. If you live internationally, a Skype phone call can be scheduled by emailing email@example.com and putting "Skype Call Requested" in the subject line.
Reasons to Sign Up Early
Workshops are limited to 48 people.
Registration within 3 weeks of the workshop date does not guarantee lodging at the preferred hotel.
Refund Policy
The fee for any cancellation or change to another workshop (hereafter "Cancellation/Changes") will apply in the following non-cumulative manner:
– The entire registration fee* for a "no show" or Cancellation/Change within 5 days of the workshop;
– A $600 fee* for Cancellation/Change within 12 days of the workshop;
– A $450 fee* for Cancellation/Change within 3 weeks of the workshop; and
– A $50 fee for any Cancellation/Change.
* If we are able to fill your spot with someone on the waiting list, we will adjust this Cancellation/Change fee.


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Through our partner CUSO Financial Services (CFS)*, we provide a wide selection of investment products, including:
- Stocks
- Bonds - U.S. Government, Municipal, Corporate
- Mutual Funds
- Annuities
- Certificates of Deposit
- and much more
We also provide the following services:
- Retirement planning
- 401(K) & TSP rollovers
- Portfolio reviews
- Asset allocation
- Life and estate planning
- Educational savings
- Overall wealth management
Contact us today to set up your complimentary consultation with a CFS* Financial Advisor.
*Non-deposit investment products and services are offered through CUSO Financial Services, L.P. ("CFS"), a registered broker-dealer (Member FINRA/SIPC) and SEC Registered Investment Advisor. Products offered through CFS: are not NCUA/NCUSIF or otherwise federally insured, are not guarantees or obligations of the credit union, and may involve investment risk including possible loss of principal. Investment Representatives are registered through CFS. Verity Credit Union has contracted with CFS to make non-deposit investment products and services available to credit union members.


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They are many ways to exercise. Let's face it, working out regularly when you've got a full time job is about as easy as climbing Everest. With the average work days now extending up to 10 hours, hectic schedules to manage and, for many, a family at home that demands just as much time and attention as work, there's just not always enough time in the day to pack a bag, head to the gym, work out, shower, and so on. We get it, it's tough, but what does this really mean for you and how is it impacting your weight loss journey?
Sitting is the New Smoking
Research has shown that adults who spend 6 hours of their day watching television will reduce their lifespan by almost 5 years. Meanwhile, the average working adult spends about 9 hours a day sitting at a desk. Can you imagine how many more years of your life you're wasting away by simply sitting at your desk the whole day? For those who are working out in an effort to lose weight, the effect of being desk-bound for the day is so devastating to the body that it will render a 60-minute workout ineffective.
Every extra hour of inactivity per day increases a person's chances of getting Type II Diabetes by 22%. The physical toll aside, this kind of inactivity is also detrimental to mental health. If you're serious about losing weight and getting healthier, but need a way to tie your exercise into your current routine, there are some easy changes you can make to turn your life and your health around.
Switch to A Standing Desk
Obviously, standing requires more energy than sitting, but did you know that depending on your weight, standing burns an average of 50 more calories in an hour than sitting does? The extra caloric burn comes from additional muscle use, an engaged core and even the tendency of a person to fidget while standing.
Converting to a standing desk can help you burn up to 150 calories more in a day than you normally would and provides you with the opportunity to add more movement to your day. Simple movements like swaying from side to side or walking in place keep your muscles warm and can easily contribute to more calories burned. Apart from burning more calories, switching to a standing desk can also help you correct posture problems and spur positive metabolic changes.
Take Every Opportunity to Move
In every work day, there are substantial opportunities to get up and move around or incorporate more activity into your day. You may think it to be mundane, but when you consciously add movement into your day, you are adding small spurts of exercise to a day that would otherwise be absolutely sedentary.
It could be something as simple as choosing to go to your co-worker's office to speak to them instead of sending an email, pacing while on a phone call instead of remaining seated, parking father away from the entrance or taking the long route to the restroom. Better yet, kick it up a notch and take the stairs instead of the elevator. Research shows that a 180-pound adult will burn roughly 18 calories in just 2 minutes if climbing up stairs. All of these little efforts count towards helping you shed more weight in the long run.
Leave the Car at Home
Instead of wasting an hour sitting in the car or standing in the train, why not turn your commute into a decent workout instead? This can be done no matter how near or far you live from your office. People who live relatively close to their place of work can stash toiletries and spare sets of clothes at the office then jog, cycle or even speed walk their way to work every morning.
If you live quite some ways from the office, try getting off the bus or subway a bit earlier than you normally would and run or walk the rest of the distance to work. This is a fantastic way to squeeze in some cardio before the work day officially commences and to tick off the daily recommended 30 minutes of cardio from your check list. If you want to drop the pounds even faster, do turn your evening commute home into a work out as well.
Swap Your Chair with A Stability Ball
Just like switching to a standing desk, trading your run of the mill office chair for a stability ball is a fantastic way to incorporate exercise into your workday without even realizing it. Sitting on a stability ball requires your spine to be properly aligned to make balancing on it much easier and to compensate for this extra effort, the body's abdominal muscles stay engaged for a prolonged period of time.
Every hour adds up and it's comparable to getting a low-intensity ab workout in every time you're at your desk. A great bonus of using a stability ball instead of a chair is that over time, it helps to correct bad posture. This means you can burn calories and say goodbye to back pain in the near future.
Plan Out Some Active Breaks
If you really want to add exercise to your day to shed the pounds faster, making some form of movement a regular part occurrence is absolutely essential. Scheduling out short 5 to 10 minute breaks to be active, or even just walk, throughout the day can help you burn much more calories than you typically would.
One of the best ways to make the most of these active breaks is to head somewhere private and doing a few squats. Just 11 minutes' worth of squats a day can help the average person burn 150 extra calories.
Breaking the 11 minutes up into 4 or so sets also makes it more manageable. These breaks are especially crucial on busy days when you're stressed out or have too much on your plate at work. Our brains need a breather from work and taking a short rest from your desk is like hitting the reset button for your mental concentration.
Try A Subtle Workout
Did you know that even short spurts of activity, we're talking even as short as a minute here, can help you rev up your caloric burn for the day and drop pounds faster? If you simply can't squeeze in an active break, you can try subtler exercises that you can complete even while sitting or standing at a desk. Flexing or squeezing muscles, for example, is a low key exercise that get your muscles nice and warmed up for a longer and higher calorie burn throughout the day.
You can try tightening your abs and engaging your core or squeezing your glutes for about 30 seconds then releasing for 10 seconds. Repeat this 10 times and do it about 3 or 4 times during the day. Even something as simple as having a hand gripper in your drawer is a fantastic way to add exercise to your workday and will do wonders for strengthening your grip and forearm strength.


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Females moved to toss 8 manYesterday, the Changsha Zoo began as a whole shipment of primates, at present, including chimpanzees, baboons, Gibbons and monkeys and more than 30 pieces are taken to Changsha ecological Zoo. It is learnt that the removal order and time adjustment is based mainly on the readiness of the new Park site. Due to the large number of hundreds moving Primate is the main work of the past few days.
world war one monkey "hide and seek"
"primates are intelligent, low efficiency of food attracts, generally do not fall for it. "In the face of intelligence, even physically good Primate, Zoo staff will let them into the cage at all? A little after 9 o'clock in the morning, Zoo animal hospital expert Ma Zaiyu 7 large men enter Petite green monkey cages.
started, it was decided at the Green monkey's Chamber to contain, in a small two or three square meters of space, only to hear a blast, and ten minutes later, without any results. Suddenly, inside the room door opened, 3 green monkey went outside the room. 8 big man and some bamboo poles, nets, and chase out. See, however, that the Green monkey unusually flexible, under channeling on channeling, sometimes jumping on the wall and falls from the ceiling, sometimes stops, scratch his head, seemed to laugh at "so many people I can't" busy people dizzy.
Green monkey mother "trap"
"caught Cubs first, directly from the mother. "The Stockman's suggestion, many have turned to attack small monkeys, hope to catch monkeys after the Cubs, the mother will come to the rescue. NET has two, one is made of sacks and the other is a denser network, it is noted that this net, can avoid the monkeys paw scratching at the net, going to hurt people and hurt the monkey's paw. When journalists are seen at the neck edge, head spinning, after the jump shot of little monkeys finally slow down, it seems it is tired, they decided a stream of air, to win it. At this time, the mother monkey jianshibumiao, began to prevent net fishing, now equal to trap, but fell in the first network. In half an hour after the 3 green monkey finally entered the cage all in the box.
ape Baboon even anesthesia, however, this is good. It is learnt that chimpanzees and baboons are grumpy, having a robust, Titanic, is even more difficult to access, "a couple of us are not an orangutan, are staggering. "And they are very aggressive and will bite people. No way, had to take the anesthetic techniques, get them to quiet down. It is reported that the precise dosage control for each anesthesia, a tranquilizer gun in about 10 minutes after entry into force, the orangutans will go to sleep, and thirty or forty minutes later, they will start to jump.
it is understood that new home 1 Monkey Island Fort and two monkeys, one orangutan Island to their stay, there is not only home to the large lot, and outdoor playground set up a lot for them to play at the swings swings, climbing poles, ropes, and so on. BACK PAGE


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The Man Booker Prize 2008 shortlisted novels are:
Aravind Adiga The White Tiger (Atlantic)
Sebastian Barry The Secret Scripture (Faber and Faber)
Amitav Ghosh Sea of Poppies (John Murray)
Linda Grant The Clothes on Their Backs (Virago)
Philip Hensher The Northern Clemency (Fourth Estate)
Steve Toltz A Fraction of the Whole (Hamish Hamilton
Luckily for the integrity of the prize, Rushdie's deplorable novel, The Enchantress of Florence is not included in the shortlist. Unfortunately, though, neither is Netherland, a post-modernist masterpiece some were expecting to make a strong push for the win.
My vote is still on The White Tiger, but I just got Sebastian Barry's The Secret Scripture the other day and that looks like a very intriguing book.


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Integrated Security Solutions Company
Infinite Solutions, One Company
Unified Systems Inc. (USI) is one of the most competent integration & service companies in Canada. Our market focus is the design, installation & post installation support and servicing of large-scale networked based integrated security solutions. We take great pride in returning value to our customers by providing the highest quality system design, integration, installation, training, customer service and post-installation support.
It's more than security, it's solving business problems.
Advantages of our service
Hardware Agnostic
USI maintains certifications and relationships with all the major manufacturers. We don't force customers into a particular brand. We carefully select the products that solve YOUR business problems.
Certified Technical Team
All our technical staff are manufacturer certified. All our technical staff are licensed, bonded and finger printed. All our technical staff are members in good standing of ITABC. Professionalism, experience and education sets us apart.
World class service
USI Total Care is a world class service and maintenance program offering predictive, preventive and reactive service – all in one package. We offer COMPLETE service…that means hardware and software installed by others.
Greatest Value Return
The systems designed and installed by Unified Systems return a greater value over their life cycle than systems provided by any other integrator. It's our mantra – return on investment.


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Our mobile phones are incredibly useful tools, even though many of us aren't using them to their potential. These 25 medical apps and their companion websites help put you in the driver's seat of your health by putting all of the power and control in the palm of your hand. These Android, iPhone and iOS […]Continue reading
Most statistics put forth on the matter of sleep tend to say that humans sleep for roughly a third of our entire lives. If that's the case, that makes it that much more important to do so comfortably. In this list, you can read about the ten best mattresses you can get right now. We […]Continue reading
Board games are a staple when it comes to getting together with people you care about or breaking the ice with a group of new friends. They have fallen behind in popularity in favor of newer and more technology-based gaming but they haven't lost their fun by any means! Our top picks can be seen […]Continue reading
It's part of almost everyone's daily routine, kicking it off with a hot cup of coffee. But, not everyone wants to have to run through a drive through every time the mood strikes, which is why home coffee makers are a kitchen staple. In this list, we're going to present you with the ten best […]Continue reading
Listening to your favorite music with good quality headphones shouldn't have to break the bank. With expensive headsets, headphones, and earbuds available it can seem like you have to spend a ton of money. For this ranking, we've put together a list of the ten best headphones you can buy for under $20. The headphones […]Continue reading
Spring cleaning is one of those things that everyone sort of dreads starting but once you get started, it feels so refreshing and gives you a completely new outlook for the year ahead. Cleaning hacks sometimes are a little bit questionable when you read them, like pouring a bottle of Coca-Cola or a packet of […]Continue reading
Knockoffs are everywhere. Counterfeit products are explicitly made to trick consumers. They often look exactly like the legitimate product, and it can be challenging to find out what to look for and save yourself from spending thousands on something that is hardly worth $100. The salespeople will often insist that the products are real. In […]Continue reading
Starting fresh is something that you can do anytime that you feel the need to do so, but there is something very symbolic about the beginning of a new year. It is widely celebrated around the world as the marking of a milestone, and it sparks people to try and create positive changes in their […]Continue reading
Can psychics really help solve crimes? Here are 10 psychic sleuths who actually did. Over the years law-enforcement agencies have created and developed an array of investigative tools which are designed to aid criminal investigations. But when – despite these new technologies – detectives find themselves at a dead-end, they may actually turn to psychic […]Continue reading
Atheism is generating quite a lot of attention these days. Prominent atheists are getting the word out about their views in increasing numbers and generating lots of public debate on the proper place of religion in governments and share societies in the modern world. And now more than ever, atheists have been able to network […]Continue reading


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Catherine Sherwood https://xeesm.com/catherinesherwood posted this discussion in the Channel of the Future group on Linkedin. The balance between personal and professional branding is a very hot topic I like to share also here on the blog.
With 20+ years of marketing experience, I know that consistency – in messaging and with visual images – is important to brand building. I also know that – often – you are marketing to multiple audiences, so developing an overarching message that can speak to many is important. However, building a personal brand to support my consulting practice in an environment where I am also connecting with personal friends was a real challenge. How to strike that happy medium took some work.
IMAGE: In the social media, a photo needs to be your logo. I didn't want a family photo cropped to fit the small square space allotted, but I also did not want an overly-posed business picture. I found a young photographer ( https://www.ripwilliamsphotography.com/ ) who used social media a lot himself and who was used to doing multiple shots for aspiring models and actors. He set up the lighting and told me to keep in a contained area, but we just talked, then he'd say "hey, look over here" and take some shots. At the end of an hour – there were lots of proofs to choose from.
WEB / BLOG DESIGN: I used WordPress ( https://wordpress.org ) so that I could combine my blog and my website and easily keep my site fresh and updated. I also like WordPress because there are a host of free plug-ins that let you provide links to your other social sites, embed your Twitter feed, embed slide shows from SildeShare, and let others share your blog posts, etc. I worked with a designer ( https://www.baneydesign.com ) to create a warm, open, but professional look. I chose a vibrant color palette and bought a nice image to provide some interest. For me, the guiding principle was making sure that my site was not overdesigned, but that basic graphic design rules were followed and that it didn't look "home made". https://catherinesherwood.com/
SPREADING THE MESSAGE: Once my website was up, I went to every site that had my profile and an image of me and updated the photo and made my bio as consistent as possible.(There were more sites than I had realized!) For sites that were primarily personal, I added some of my interests in addition to my professional description. I also used https://www.twitbacks.com to build a background for my Twitter account. It was very quick and easy. I then Tweeted about my new site, posted to Facebook. created a Status Update on LinkedIn, and continue to publicly thank those that helped me
I'd like to hear from others about what they have done to create that balance between the personal and professional.


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Archive for February, 2012
HIPAA Q&A: Skilled nursing facility
Q: Can a skilled nursing facility (SNF) display residents' names and pictures on a plaque outside their doors?
A. Residents' names and pictures can be displayed outside their doors only if the SNF obtains authorization from residents. If a resident is not capable of authorizing the display of his or her name and picture, the SNF would need to seek authorization from a personal representative of the resident.
Editor's note: Chris Apgar, CISSP, president of Apgar & Associates, LLC, in Portland, OR, answered this question.
HIPAA Q&A: STD information and parents
Q. What is the responsibility of the pharmacist if he or she dispenses a prescription for a minor for treatment of a sexually transmitted disease (STD) and the minor's parent asks about the prescription?
A. This will often depend on state law. Many state laws protect certain classes of minor health information, and the treatment of STDs is often one of them. Remember that if state law does not specifically allow or require the release of the minor's PHI to the parent or guardian, HIPAA requires that PHI be treated as if the minor were an adult.
Also, if the minor has reached the age of informed consent pursuant to state law, the minor must be treated as an adult in regard to the treatment he or she has consented to—unless state law specifically allows or requires the covered entity to provide the parent or guardian access to the minor's PHI (45 CFR 164.502[g][3]).
Without a state law mandate that allows release of a minor's PHI and the minor has reached the age of informed consent, the covered entity may answer a parent's question about a minor's health condition.
This means the covered entity may also elect not to release the PHI to the parent or guardian. Carefully review state law as it applies to the release of a minor's health information to a parent or guardian.
State law can be complex, and the HIPAA Privacy Rule can be confusing. It is a good idea to seek legal advice before adopting practices relating to the release of a minor's PHI without the minor's authorization.
Editor's note: Chris Apgar, CISSP, president of Apgar & Associates, LLC, in Portland, OR, answered this question.
Briefings on HIPAA excerpt: Mobile-device boom
Privacy and security officers should watch one particular trend -- the growing number of hospital residency programs that are now equipping their physicians with mobile devices such as Apple iPads®.
For example, in July 2011, the anesthesiology residency program at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City decided to purchase Apple iPads® for its 100 residents and fellows.
Adam I. Levine, MD, program director, got the idea to purchase tablet computers after some residents began using their own personal iPads on the job. After discussions about their use of mobile devices, he decided all of the residents and fellows could benefit from having an iPad.
"Residents were reporting that the iPad was becoming more useful to them the longer they used it. They told me it was almost to the point where they felt, 'I can't do without it,'" he says.
Editor's note: This is an excerpt from the March 2012 edition of the HCPro, Inc. 12-page print newsletter, Briefings on HIPAA.
HIPAA Q&A: Flu shot requirement for hospital employees
HIPAA 5010 deadline extended, but threat remains, says AMA
CMS' Office of E-Health Standards and Services (OESS) has announced a 90-day period of "enforcement discretion" for compliance with the 5010 HIPAA transaction standards, but leading professional organizations say that is not enough, according to a February 6 HealthLeaders Media article.
Expressing serious concerns about the ability of physician practices and payers to make the conversion to the 5010 electronic transaction standards and ICD-10 (a new code set for medical diagnoses) in time, both MGMA and the AMA are calling for change. The two agencies say that the government needs to form a comprehensive contingency plan permitting health plans to adjudicate claims that may not have all the required data content; or the government needs to call an outright halt to the transition.
CMS has extended the 5010 compliance deadline to March 31, 2012. OESS announced that it is delaying compliance enforcement in order to allow more physician practices the opportunity to implement the new billing coding standard without incurring penalties. The 90-day delay did not affect the implementation date for the coding systems, which took effect January 1, 2012 (January 1, 2013, for small health plans).
Read more on the HealthLeaders Media website.


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With the Holidays fast approaching, I've realized that I need a centerpiece for my dining room table. I'm not sure what kind of holiday centerpiece I want, so I decided to roam around the web for some inspiration. You'll find below a great collection of centerpiece inspiration for the holidays.
via: Katie Brown Home Workshop
via: Midwest Living
via: Midwest Living
via: ellinée
via: Real Moms Real Views
via: OHMY Creative
via: It's Overflowing
via: Midwest Living
via: Somewhat Simple
via: Citrusandorange
Aren't they all FABULOUS holiday centerpieces?! I can't seem to pick one as my favorite, I just love them all.
I've been displaying the Wooden Noel sign I made a few years ago on my table. The sign is really beautiful, but I'm looking to place it somewhere else so that I can display a real centerpiece. I can't wait to put it together. I'll make sure to show you what I create as soon as it's done.
Do you usually have a centerpiece on your table during the holidays? Do you make or buy something new each year or do you re-use what you used the previous year? I would love to hear about it!!
Have a FABULOUS day!!


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RoyalAuto wins major journalism award
RACV RoyalAuto magazine
RoyalAuto's road safety awareness project Impact, which followed road trauma victims from the crash scene all the way through to recovery, has been recognised by Victoria's most prestigious awards for journalism.
Impact won the TAC Towards Zero Road Safety Quill, which is presented by the Melbourne Press Club, for Road Safety Reporting. The RoyalAuto team worked on the project for a year, and their reports were presented in the print magazine, online, in social media and on television.
RoyalAuto editor Seamus Bradley said: "Saving just one life is more important than any prize, however the Quill award recognises the highly professional standard of RACV's commitment to road safety in Victoria."
Working with the co-operation of Victoria's emergency services, hospitals and rehabilitation providers, the RoyalAuto team followed victims from the site of a crash, to hospital in the air ambulance, through the emergency department and surgery and on to physiotherapy and recovery. Photographer/videographer Meredith O'Shea spent months at Essendon with the air ambulance and flying to and from crash scenes.
"The whole team was scrambled into action on many occasions and after more than a year we finally had the material we needed to tell the story," Seamus said.
It is the first time RoyalAuto or any other auto club magazine, has won a major Australian journalism award. RACV CEO Neil Taylor said: "The purpose of Impact is to help save lives and prevent trauma on our roads. Winning the Melbourne Press Club award for excellence in journalism is a wonderful result for RoyalAuto, the RACV member magazine. The Impact team should be very proud of this exceptional achievement." RoyalAuto competed with The Age, The Sunday Herald Sun and Fairfax Media for the award.
The Impact project was also a finalist in the award for Coverage of an Issue or Event.
The Impact team is: Seamus Bradley, editor; Nick Place, writer; Meredith O'Shea, photography and video; Miguel Rios, videographer; Lisa Luscombe, art director; Djohan Kurniawan, web producer; Georgie Haberfield, social media; Clare Barry, sub-editor.
Click here to read the Impact series.


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So Johnny Depp Just Crashed The Pirates Of The Caribbean Ride At Disneyland
We have a series of questions about this new clip that's surfaced of Johnny Depp, in full Jack Sparrow regalia, surprising some lucky Disneyland visitors who happened to catch an impromptu performance in character from the Pirates of the Caribbean star.
Depp hung out on the grounds of the ride based on the popular franchise, and he asked a boatful of bewildered patrons if he could just casually hop into their vessel, you know, as Cap'n Jack likely would.
First of all: Does Johnny Depp have a change of Sparrow clothes available at all times? Does he dip into closed quarters, as Clark Kent did when he needed to rip his shirt open and brandish his Superman cape, and does he do this on the regular? Does Johnny Depp just casually hang out at Disneyland sometimes and say to the staff on duty, "Hey, I'm kinda bored, I feel like Jacking It Up if you know what I mean!" or something? Did Johnny Depp actually succeed at jumping into a boat on one of the rides' many revolutions? Does any of this matter, as this is likely just a publicity stunt for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales?
Probably not, as this is 100-per cent Disney-sanctioned buffoonery, but we'll enjoy the idea of Depp sauntering into the Magic Kingdom in a dull moment and throwing on that pirate hat for giggles. It's what Sparrow would want, anyway.


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Leveraging one single powerful sensor, the Endpoint Threat Platform delivers a comprehensive suite of robust endpoint security capabilities EDR, Dynamic Prevention and Incident Response
San Francisco, CA – February 14, 2017 – Today at the RSA Conference 2017, CounterTack, formally introduced its new flagship product, the Endpoint Threat Platform (ETP). Leveraging a single, powerful endpoint sensor, the new Endpoint Threat Platform delivers a robust suite of endpoint security capabilities, including EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) and dynamic prevention, and meets the needs of sophisticated security teams across multiple use cases including Insider Threat and Incident Response (IR).
The platform integrates multi-technique detection, analysis and auto-response functionality enterprise-wide, to help organizations intelligently counter and neutralize the most dangerous cyber threats in real-time.
In delivering its new platform set of capabilities into the market, CounterTack has integrated its patented Digital DNA® technology (DDNA) into its architecture to enhance detection, prevention and response for customers. CounterTack acquired ManTech Cyber Solutions International (MCSI) last year to bolster its portfolio of products and personnel, and to drive innovation around combining behavioral and binary analysis capabilities, by integrating DDNA.
Gartner predicts that in the next three to five years, various forces will change the competitive EDR landscape: "There will be considerable consolidation in the market across EPP, Endpoint detection and response and next-generation endpoint security vendors, not only where smaller EDR and next-generation endpoint security vendors merge, but also where larger EPP or EDR vendors acquire the functionality they are missing to complete their endpoint security picture" (Gartner Competitive Landscape: Endpoint Detection and Response Tools, January 5, 2017).
"The future of endpoint security solutions will be those that provide protection from beginning to end," said Neal Creighton, CEO, CounterTack. "Organizations are looking to consolidate cybersecurity technologies, so we are responding to the customer's evolving needs. CounterTack's Endpoint Threat Platform is one comprehensive platform that enables IR and SOC teams to integrate data flows and work with far fewer security products. Our platform, in addition to our recently announced ThreatScan PRO product and licensing program, are anchored by our DDNA technology."
CounterTack's endpoint solutions have been widely recognized in the industry. Most recently CounterTack was recognized as a Gartner EDR Vendor. For more information and product demos, the company is exhibiting at RSA at booth 1221, South Hall.
About CounterTack
CounterTack delivers the one true Endpoint Threat Platform to enterprise customers globally. CounterTack provides a unique combination of threat context, organizational resiliency and broad visibility, to mitigate endpoint risk and reduce the impact of advanced attacks. Combining a robust suite of endpoint detection and analysis capabilities by leveraging a single endpoint sensor and an open, scalable multi-tenant infrastructure, CounterTack helps IR and security teams neutralize and prevent advanced threats from damaging the business. CounterTack delivers its next-generation technology to over 250 customers globally.
CounterTack—Endpoint detection and response: AMPLIFIED.
To learn more, please visit: http://www.countertack.com/ or follow us on Twitter at @CounterTack.


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Teen tow truck driver described as 'a hero'
After a woman's tire blew out Monday afternoon on Interstate 35 near the Christopher S. Bond Bridge, she pulled onto the shoulder and called a tow truck.
With rush hour nearing, traffic was building and she needed help.
Tow truck driver Blake A. Gresham, 18, arrived quickly, parked in front of her along the fog line on the right shoulder of the northbound lanes and loaded her Jeep onto his flatbed truck. He walked back along the driver's side of his truck — which put him slightly in the lane of traffic — and stood near his rear wheels to tighten the chains to secure the Jeep. It was one of his final steps before he planned to drive the woman to a tire shop.
The woman climbed into the passenger side of his cab and then heard a loud noise. She saw debris and a mirror flying, then learned a box truck had struck Gresham.
The box truck driver apparently didn't see him in time, police said. Gresham died instantly.
"For me, yesterday, he was a hero and a rescuer, and that's what he died doing," said the woman whose car broke down. She declined to provide her name out of privacy concerns.
Gresham, of Smithville, worked with his father, who owned the towing company called Gresham and Son Transport. His family declined to comment Tuesday.
Blake's death shook the towing community, some of whom wrote condolences on an industry online forum.
"This is an absolute tragedy," one tow driver wrote. "I am beyond words to see the loss of this young man."
Another driver noted that Gresham had attended an industry trade show in Baltimore last year.
"I'm sure you saw his truck there," the driver wrote. "He was so proud of it that he drove it all the way from Kansas City out there and back I can't say enough what an awesome young man he was!"
Kansas City police said the area of the wreck was a straightaway, so they weren't sure why the box truck driver didn't see Gresham, who was wearing a brightly colored shirt but no safety vest. The driver was too distraught to give police an extended interview.
Investigators said he couldn't remember specifically what happened. Police said the driver was not impaired and that his truck appeared to be in good working order. He may have seen the tow truck on the shoulder, because he apparently slowed down and moved over as far as he could in his lane, but was unable to change lanes before the impact. Investigators plan to check his cellphone records.
Working on roads and interstates with traffic is dangerous, said Sgt. Jeff Cowdrey. He said fatalities involving tow truck drivers could be higher, considering the risks of the job.
Missouri has a law that mandates that drivers move over or at least slow down when emergency vehicles are working on roadways, but tow trucks aren't included in the law.
Police said they would support the inclusion of tow trucks. Tow drivers also called for changes in the law in light of Monday's fatality.
Meanwhile, tow drivers try their best to stay safe.
"Every situation is different," said John Baker, of Baker's Recovery and Tow Service, based in Basehor, Kan.
"You might be on the right side of the bridge, the left side or even in the middle," Baker said. "Out here in Leavenworth County sometimes there is not even a shoulder on some of the roads. When a customer breaks down or has a flat tire, about 90 percent of the truck can actually be out in the lane of traffic.
"About the only thing we can do is wear highly visible clothing and have high-visible lighting on our trucks."
Robert Penn, of Penn's Tow's Service of Kansas City, has learned the wisdom of both. But tow truck drivers also must maintain constant alertness, he said, which he learned while working for years on a Missouri Department of Transportation road construction crew.
"They taught us to have eyes in the back of our heads and also to be listening for any odd sounds, like tire squalls," he said.
"One of my biggest things now is to get in and get out as quickly as possible."
Tow truck drivers, Penn said, also know that many trucks offer all necessary controls and equipment on both the driver's and passenger sides.
That offers the tow truck driver the option of working on the right side of the truck, often away from traffic.
"Chains, safety straps, wheel straps on both sides — we make sure that all of our trucks are equipped to keep the driver safe," Penn said.Staff writer Mark Morris contributed to this report.


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Name changes are typically done in the family court. It is often time coupled with a divorce, in that in a divorce, it's your one opportunity to change your name back to your maiden name or a previous name without being charged for it. If you don't do it in your divorce decree, then it would be what's called an "adult name change." It may cost anywhere between several hundred dollars up to a thousand dollars. You have to go to court; you have to explain that you're not changing your name to try to fraud creditors; and you would ask that your adult name be changed through a separate court order.
A lot of things people don't know about: if your child is under the age of one year, you can change their name at any time without having to go to court. That's about the only time you can change a child's name (between birth and the age of one year) without going to court, you would just file the appropriate documents with the state of Texas.


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RSCM Mentoring Program
Have you ever dreamed of being able to talk with an inspiring director with experience in structuring an rscm program or using the voice for life curriculum?
The RSCM Mentoring Program offers you the opportunity to be matched with a mentor who can offer guidance through the countless facets of directing an RSCM-Affiliated choir, including: Voice for Life and other educational
materials, recruiting, residencies and tours, RSCM exams, summer training courses, choral and orchestral conducting, organ accompanying,
rehearsal strategies, vocal technique, singer commitment and retention,
choirs in small parishes, technology, and more.
We invite you to complete the form below!
We are grateful for the generosity of our RSCM mentors,
who are outstanding leaders in church music today.
Anna Teagarden
Director of Children's Music, St. Paul's UMC, Houston, TX
Susan Jane Matthews, DMA
Director of Music, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Burlingame, CA
Garmon Ashby, FRSCM
Chair of Performing Arts, Chapel Organist, The Episcopal High School
Director of Music, St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal Church, Houston, TX
Dr. Jeffrey Campbell
Associate Director of Music, St. Philip's in the Hills, Tuscon, AZ
Shannon Gallier
Organist-Choirmaster, St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church, Atlanta, GA
Dr. Ben Keseley
Minister of Music, St. George's Episcopal Church, Arlington, VA
Colin Lynch
Associate Director of Music and Organist, Trinity Church, Boston, MA
Susan Jane Matthews, DMA
Director of Music, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Burlingame, CA
Robert McCormick
Organist & Choirmaster, St. Mark's Church, Philadelphia, PA
Bruce Neswick, FRSCM
Canon for Cathedral Music, Trinity Cathedral, Portland, OR
Robert Nicholls
First Presbyterian Church, Evansville, IN
Anna Teagarden
Director of Children's Music, St. Paul's UMC, Houston, TX
Canon Dr. Maxine Thevenot
Director of Cathedral Music and Organist, The Cathedral of St. John Episcopal Church, Albuquerque, NM
Canon Dr. Michael Velting
Canon for Music, Christ Church Cathedral, Nashville, TN
Andrew Walker, ARSCM
Director of Music, St. Michael's Episcopal Church, Orlando, FL
Richard Webster
Director of Music and Organist, Trinity Church, Boston, MA


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Montgomery Real Estate For Sale: 610 Ponce De Leon Avenue Montgomery, AL 36106
Montgomery Real Estate For Sale: 610 Ponce De Leon Avenue Montgomery, AL 36106
Covered front porch and swing invite you into this quaint Cloverdale cottage! Once inside you will find all the charm that makes homes in this historic neighborhood so special...like window seats, French doors, transoms, and wonderful hardwood floors. Traditional layout actually offers options for room assignments, as the current family use the living room as a "catch all" area and the open dining room as a den/sitting room. Cozy breakfast room has space to seat a table of four comfortably, and has a classic built in china cabinet. Updated kitchen means all you have to do is start preparing meals! Back yard is an outdoorsy-type's dream, with deck overlooking large fenced yard. Storage galore with tons of space under the deck and in a detached metal storage unit. Just because the tax credit is over does not mean you have to stop buying, so come on...this one's waiting!
Learn more about 610 Ponce De Leon Avenue and other Montgomery Real Estate by visiting HatTeam.com.
Search all Montgomery Real Estate and homes for sale.


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Jukka Corander sent me the announcement that he is opening a 3 year postdoctoral position at the University of Oslo, to work with him and his team on ABC projects. This sounds quite an exciting offer, plus gives the nominee the opportunity to live in the most enjoyable city of Oslo for several years in fairly comfy conditions! The deadline is May 31. (If I was at a stage of my career where applying made sense, I would definitely candidate. Not even waiting for the outcome of the French elections on May 7!)
Archive for postdoc
ABC postdoc in OlsoPosted in Kids, Mountains, pictures, Travel, University life with tags ABC, French elections, Norway, Oslo, postdoc, postdoctoral position, Scandinavia, UiO, University of Oslo on April 26, 2017 by xi'an
gone banamaths!Posted in pictures, University life with tags banana, Ingmar Schuster, Kullback-Leibler divergence, Monte Carlo Statistical Methods, postdoc, Université Paris Dauphine on April 4, 2016 by xi'an
Another postdoc offer in ParisPosted in Travel, University life with tags biodiversity, IHES, IHP, Paris, postdoc on November 21, 2011 by xi'an
Here is an offer for a 6 to 12 month postdoc in Paris, with one theme potentially interesting for Og's readers:
The CARMIN Project, created as part of the call for "laboratories of excellence" of the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research, aims at creating places where mathematicians can exchange and pool their skills in order to solve big scientific issues. In the mathematics field, there are indeed a number of open scientific problems that cannot be solved by a single person. This "mathematical" infrastructure is essential for maintaining excellence in the French mathematical school at the highest international level. (More information)
PRESENTATION of the PROGRAMM
As part of the LabEx CARMIN, IHES and IHP offer young researchers in mathematics a joint post-doctoral programme for 2012-2013 that will enable candidates selected by the Scientific Committee to combine a research visit at IHES with participation to one of the quaterly IHP thematic programmes for a duration of 6 to 12 months.
CONDITION• To have obtained a PhD in 2009 or later.• To participate in one of the three thematic trimestrial programmes 2012-2013 at IHP:– 10 September 2012 – 14 December 2012: Conformal Geometry and Kählerian Geometry (M. GURSKY, E. HÉBEY, F. PACARD, J. VIACLOVSKY)– 7 January – 5 April 2013: Mathematics and Bio-Economics for the Sustainable Management of Biodiversity (M. DE LARA, L. DOYEN)– 15 April -12 July 2013: Variational and Spectral Methods in Quantum Mechanics (M. ESTEBAN, M. LEWIN)
HOW TO APPLY Each candidate is expected to apply online
• filling out the application form online • and submitting the following documents:– Curriculum-vitæ– Publication list– Research Project– 2 or 3 recommendation letters to be sent directly to candidature-carmin [ã] ihes.fr
APPLICATION DEADLINE : 10 December 10 2011
About doing a postdocPosted in Statistics, University life with tags ISBA Bulletin, postdoc on July 4, 2011 by xi'an
Speaking from personal experience, postdoctoral positions are an essential part of a researcher training that I recommend to all my PhD students, even though they do not always follow this recommendation, and rank high when hiring new faculty! Especially recommended in our French academic structure where
- PhD students may complete their PhD as early as 25 or 26,
- the local job market is rather favourable to statisticians,
- regular university positions are tenured from the start, but
- involve a heavy teaching load…
- and do pay less than a postdoc in many countries!
Unless family issues are preventing one from spending one or two years abroad, the experience brought by spending this time in a foreign department with a different academic culture is almost invariably highly positive. And this for many reasons: a high level of freedom and time for conducting research, most often no teaching, writing papers and fattening one's vita, no administrative burden, usually in a prestigious institution with a top quality research group, the opportunity to start collaborations with more senior researchers, limited or no teaching, sometimes the opportunity of learning a new (human/computer) language, the possibility of discovering a new country, did I mention not teaching?!, etc. Even though sabbatical years are available in most academic systems, this is clearly the freest of all times in one's life and taking the opportunity of a postdoc can shape one's academic and non-academic future! So, unless there are no postdoc positions available anywhere appealing (!), or those offered are in a topic that sounds too far from one's PhD research, there are few reasons to miss the benefits and the fun of doing a postdoc. I consider that doing a postdoc (in Purdue then in Cornell, terrific experiences both!) was one of the best and most influential decisions in my whole life. (This sounds a bit too much like a travel brochure, but this was my answer to Luke Bornn's question "In what circumstances would you recommend your students do a post-doc? In what circumstances is a post-doc not the best choice for graduates?" for the June ISBA Bulletin!)
Postdoc on adaptive MCMC in ParisPosted in R, University life with tags adaptive MCMC methods, ANR, MCMC, Paris, postdoc on May 2, 2011 by xi'an
Although the official deadline is long past, I just became aware of this call for a postdoctoral position in Paris starting next Fall. Please feel free to apply:
Summary Adaptive Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods are currently a very active field of research. MCMC methods are sampling methods, based on Markov Chains which are ergodic with respect to the target probability measure. The principle of adaptive methods is to optimize on the fly some design parameters of the algorithm with respect to a given criterion reflecting the sampler's performance (optimize the acceptance rate, optimize an importance sampling function, etc…). A postdoctoral position is opened to work on the numerical analysis of adaptive MCMC methods: convergence, numerical efficiency, development and analysis of new algorithms. A particular emphasis will be given to applications in statistics and molecular dynamics. (Detailed description) Position funded by the French National Research Agency (ANR) through the 2009-2012 project ANR-08-BLAN-0218. The position will benefit from an interdisciplinary environment involving numerical analysts, statisticians and probabilists, and of strong interactions between the partners of the project ANR-08-BLAN-021
Required diploma PhD thesis in statistics or probability, with a competitive track record.
Required skills experience in MCMC methods and their mathematical analysis.
Deadline for applications : September 2010. Applications must include : a detailed CV with a description of realized projects a motivation letter a summary of the thesis 2 or 3 recommendation letters preferred starting dates and duration and must be sent to Gersende FORT (email@example.com) in pdf format; or by standard mail to : Gersende FORT (LTCI, 46 rue Barrault, 75 634 Paris Cedex 13, Paris, France).
Duration : 11 months.
Location : Paris.
Postdoc in WhartonPosted in R, Statistics, University life with tags postdoc, UPenn, Wharton Business School on November 16, 2010 by xi'an
Just received this email from José Bernardo about an exciting postdoc position in Wharton:
The Department of Statistics at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is seeking candidates for a Post-Doctoral Fellowship. This research fellowship provides full funding without any teaching requirements at a competitive salary for two years beginning in Summer 2011.
Applicants are expected to show outstanding capacity for research as well as excellent communication skills. Although our department is located in the Wharton School, we provide services to the entire University of Pennsylvania and hold research interests across diverse scientific fields. We have strong research programs in many areas of statistics, including Continue reading
Postdoc position at Telecom ParisPosted in University life with tags postdoc, signal processing, Telecom Paris on February 5, 2010 by xi'an
Another announcement I got today, for an interesting postdoc with Olivier Cappé at Telecom, covering potentially Bayesian applications:
A one year post-doctoral position is offered at the Laboratoire Traitement et Communication de l'Information (LTCI), the joint laboratory of CNRS and Telecom ParisTech (aka ENST), physically located in Telecom ParisTech's buildings in downtown Paris.
The position is within the project MGA (Graphical Models and Applications), funded by the French National Research Agency (ANR). The MGA project is a joint research project with teams from INRIA (Francis Bach), Mines ParisTech (Jean-Philippe Vert) and Ecole des Ponts ParisTech (Jean-Yves Audibert). The MGA projects deals with graphical models (in a broad sense) and applications in bioinformatics, computer vision and natural language processing. The MGA team is, among other things, organizing a regular seminar on machine learning that gathers researchers and students from Paris area in mathematics, computer science, and various application domains. Within LTCI, the postdoc will be in the STA (Statistics and Applications) Group and supervised by Olivier Cappé.
Candidates should have a PhD in the areas of machine learning, computational statistics or signal processing. Familiarity with (at least one of) kernel methods, graphical models, Bayesian computation, inference in latent variable models will be appreciated.
The postdoctoral researcher will be employed by the CNRS with a net salary of about 2000 EUR per month. The position is for one year, starting January 2010. Candidates should send a detailed CV, including a list of publications to Olivier Cappé (cappe [à] telecom-paristech.fr)


text: Place Category: Pet Food Profile Profile Photos Map Reviews Where Wild Bird and Pet Lovers Shop. No Records FoundSorry, no records were found. Please adjust your search criteria and try again. Google Map Not LoadedSorry, unable to load Google Maps API. Driving Walking Bicycling Public Transport Miles Kilometers Leave a Review Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Review text * Name * Email * Website


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Cubot is one of many Chinese smartphone OEMs in China, although it's not one of the better known Chinese smartphone manufacturers, but they have released a number of really solid and yet affordable devices so far. We would be taking a look at Cubot new Android smartphone named, Cubot X12. Cubot X15 is the first 4G mobile phone from Cubot with a 1080p FHD screen, it is also a dual sim device allowing one micro sd and one nano sim. It runs on the latest Android 5.1 OS, with MT6735M quad-core CPU, owns 2GB RAM and 16GB ROM,
8.0mp and 16.0mp cameras has a 2750mAh battery.
Design, Display & Dimension
Cubot X15 features a stunning design, the device features a High Definition and bigger 5.5 inch display which is about 1920×1080 pixels, the 400 ppi display delivers superfine text and crisp photos. In-plane switching (IPS) technology is added to deliver stunning colour from almost any viewing angle. The dimension, 15.3 x 7.3 x 0.69 cm of the Cubot X15 shows that the device is a little bit slim and 0.150kg lighter in weight. This proves that the device can be handled easily and would be easier to move from one place to another.
Hardware & Software
Cubot X15 runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop along with a 1.3GHz MTK6735 64bit quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM. This should run smoothly for web browsing and watching movies even also good for multi tasking.
Although I expected a higher internal storage but the smartphone having an internal memory (ROM) of 16GB along with an external SD Card slot capacity of upto 32GB for storing our photos, videos, files, documents and others is also good enough.
Cubot X15 smartphone features a 16 megapixels camera on the back and a 8 megapixels front facing camera that will be great for taking selfies and video calls.
Battery & Price
Added to the Cubot X15 smartphone is a reasonable 2750mAh Lithium-ion Polymer Battery that will give you reasonable battery life to enjoy your browsing and other operations.
The device is available for pre-sell till August 15th in smartphone market for a cheap price of $165.99. You can buy for a more cheaper rate of $146.99 from Everbuying by using EBX15 as coupon code while checking out.
The Cubot company are also planning to organize after sale service in which they would focus in Europe soon. Besides there would also be a bonus sale of 100pcs of Cubot X15 smartphone for a lower price of $79.99 as from August 11th, 2015. Then a new price of $105.38 would set in.


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I haven't been on a road trip out of the state in quite some time.
We have been on trips for work and extended a work trip to go to Corpus Christi, and you know we have taken flights and been on cruises.
James and I have decided to drive out to Utah, to see my friend Mary.
We did the math and decided it would cost less to drive…and while we have Ronnie, who today is just over 2 months days, he will ensure we take our time and make plenty of stops to allow him to stretch and be fed and have his diaper changed. I don't know for sure how often he will have us stopping but I'm thinking about every two – three hours.
I'm hoping that this trip won't ruin him for car rides though. Right now, he is a great little traveler, he sleeps for most of the ride when we go to my moms or go out for the day. I say he's like his momma because I to am apt to sleeping in the car if I am not the one driving.
I'm taking my camera in the hopes of getting to stop to take pictures along the way.
Any tips for traveling with an infant?


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Are you a foodie who also loves to cook? Well, this could earn you some extra money. A large number of people are desirous of being cooks but very few of them actually have the skill. It isn't really necessary to be a professional, you only need to have the talent. Here's how your passion for food and cooking can help you earn some bucks –
My Home is a Pop-up Restaurant
Well, find an online platform that allows you to invite a bunch of people to your home. Ensure that you have a delicious menu that people will be willing to pay for. Once this is done, also ensure that you are not in for a disaster with managing the people as well as cooking the delicacies. If everything goes smoothly, you have earned yourself some moolah.
Offer Lessons – Sharing is Caring!
Make a good dish and everyone will ask you for the recipe. Now, you can run a YouTube channel, an Instagram or simply run a cooking school. You could also try running a food blog.
My Food, My Website
Start a food blog and monetize it and you are good to go. Have no idea on how to run a blog or build a website? Either you hire a developer or you utilise CMS services such as WordPress or Blogger.
Expert Advice is Valuable
People are health conscious these days and hence, you can tell them how they can still enjoy their delicacies without loading up on calories. If you are exceptionally good with ingredients, mixing and matching etc then, you can definitely nail this one.
You might want to consider doing all of it on or through a YouTube channel. Good luck with the cooking!


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As Ian was busy developing as a musician during our summer vacation, Eva was doing her thing as Author-Extraordinaire. Before we left on our trip, she spent several weeks redesigning her business logo and sales booth, working two local craft fairs, and selling tons of material. She's saving towards a Mac, and she's doing so… [Read More]
Hot Off the Presses! Eva's New Book: The Cousin Clan and the Quest for the Codon
"One year ago, a wandering group of cousins who fought for the overall good, came across a young woman. Her name was Aly, and she pleaded for their help. She spoke of a singular cell, out traveling in a desert that was in desperate danger. When they asked why she was concerned about a single… [Read More]
Update on Eva's Forthcoming Book
This morning I had the lovely opportunity to catch up with a friend in South Carolina via Facebook chat. It had been much too long. As we were catching up on home and kids and work, she asked me what we were going to do in school today. I mentioned several items, including photography, and… [Read More]
Kids Video-Conferencing and More: Two Days and 12 Public Speaking Engagements, Day 2.
Hey! Welcome back for the report on Day 2 of the two-day public speaking frenzy for Ian and Eva. Day one was all about sharing passions in 15 minute presentations. During day two, Eva explored more in depth sharing. Let's jump to it, shall we? Friday: Video-Conference with Sweetwater Elementary in Devils Lake, ND Thanks to the… [Read More]
Kids Teaching Kids
One of the greatest gifts I can give my kids is the assurance that adults don't know it all – we're not experts at everything, and we don't necessarily know more than kids do, except for those instances that simply require extended life experience. Whether I like it or not, I offer this lesson repeatedly… [Read More]
New Steps for the Young Author
Over the weekend, I was looking over my last few posts, and had to laugh at how many of them were about being distracted and things not going as planned. Mice, computer crashes, big trips – our lives have certainly not been orderly lately. But today's post is not about all that. Today I am… [Read More]


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Audeze EL-8 Open Headphones - Open Box
Save $170 on Open Box Unit!
Like New, Mint Condition
Includes Full, Original Warranty
The Audeze EL-8 open back headphones were developed with a new magnetic design including fluxor magnets (patent pending). This headphone is the most affordable headphone ever offered by Audeze and is sure to impress. At only 460 grams, it's the lightest of all the Audeze headphones and a great option for portable audio.
The first production run production includes a standard headphone cable with 1/8" (3.5mm) stereo plug and 1/8" to ¼" stereo plug adapter.
Impedance: 30 ohms, Freq response: 10Hz – 50kHz
We test and inspect each open box item to verify condition and ensure optimal sound quality. Items are covered by manufacturer warranty and are guaranteed to work or we'll refund your purchase.
Returns are not accepted on Open Box items.
These new fluxor magnets allow Audeze to use single sided magnets to save weight while almost achieving the magnetic flux density of the LCD series. It does include Fazors like the famous LCD series.
The Uniforce diaphragm (patent pending) virtually eliminates all the breakup modes common in other manufacturer's drivers. The Industrial design was completed by BMW DesignWorks.
Apple cable will be available at an additional cost in the future.
Sound quality is superior to anything in this price category.
The Absolute Sound Review by Steven Stone - Feb. 2016
CNET Review by Steve Guttenberg - May 2015
Digital Trends Review by Ryan Waniata - May 2015
Trusted Reviews by Michael Sawh - June 2015
Impedance: 30 ohms, Freq response: 10Hz – 50kHz
Warranty is 1 year for parts, 3 years for drivers from date of purchase. Warranty is ONLY valid if product is purchased from an authorized dealer.


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With the new super laws due to commence on 1 July 2017, now is the time to consider whether your SMSF trust deed or pension document needs to be updated.
Amendments may be required, or desirable, to:
- allow account based pensions or transition to retirement pensions (TRIPs) to be commuted in order to comply with the new transfer balance cap measures;
- nominate reversionary pensioners;
- allow the nomination of reversionary pensioners to prevail over binding death benefit nominations;
- allow TRIPs to automatically convert into account based pensions;
- enable the SMSF trustee to determine that amounts paid above the minimum pension payments be treated as a commutation;
- update the current trust deed or pension documents where they are overly proscriptive and lock in provisions relating to current laws that will be amended under the new laws; or
- update the deed where this has not been done in the last 10 years.
Although the current HA SMSF trust deed and pension documents do not require amendment to comply with the changes, we have made a number of improvements including:
- allowing a member to stipulate that their reversionary pensioner nomination is to prevail over a binding death benefit nomination;
- insert further provisions to help prevent members from exceeding their transfer balance cap;
- granting the trustee with the power to elect that amounts paid above the minimum pension payments be treated as a commutation; and
- updating the provisions relating to qualifying recognised overseas pension schemes (QROPSs).
To discuss this article, or for further information please contact:
Melanie Twomey
Senior Associate - Business Law
E firstname.lastname@example.com


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Tech Tools for learning, teaching, connecting, collaborating, playing and creating online
Not in logical order… If it has "App" after the name then it is primarily a mobile app.
Video creation
Trio – App – by Meograph – This a mashup creator for iPhone primarily. Trio lets you pull in video, pics, gifs and music to create your own unique mashup. You can view other people's mashups and swipe right to like and left to .. not like I suppose. There are some real gems and some chunks of coal.
PowToon – Create animated videos and presentation including kinetic text. Free and paid versions. A bit of a learning curve made infinitely less steep by the inclusion of editable templates. This is one app you have to at least try!
Vine – App – Create looping videos – 6 seconds max. Fun and really useful for marketing, contests and short how tos. Now owned by Twitter and coming to other platforms near you soon. Reserve your custom URL before some else does! Here are just 6 of the many ways you can use Vine in marketing your small business.
Periscope – App – By Twitter – Explore the world though other people's eyes. Very addictive. Live streaming from your smart phone. Could be great if used for social good!
Instagram – App – Take a picture or video with your smartphone, choose a filter to transform its look and feel, then post to Instagram – easy. Share to Facebook (now owners of Instagram), Twitter, Tumblr and more. It's a new way to see the world. Very social. Free. Want to know how n earth you can use it for business – check out the Instagram blog for business and this sweet post on Social Media Examiner – 26 Tips for using Instagram for Business
Morgue File – Great free high resolution stock photos.
Stock Exchange – Another awesome place to find free high quality photos. You have to join the site but that's free too. Some photo's have specific criteria for use, like you must notify the owner but in most cases the photos are free to use, modify and don't require attribution. Do share the luv though.
Pixlr – Now that you have all those great photos you may need a way to modify and edit them. Pixlr Editor is a free online (no downloading software) graphic editor. It does come with a bit of a learning curve but for simple edits it's amazingly easy.
Visual helpers
Visual.ly – Simply the best place for infographics. Lots of automated ones for messing around with and a marketplace where you can get custom ones done.
Thinglink – Take a photo or graphic and add hot spots – clickable areas that link to online content.. It's like an infographic on steroids. Static photo's become interactive, very cool! Fee and paid versions.
Prezi – Another alternative to PowerPoint. Free and paid versions and now includes collaboration capability. If you want a more dynamic and visual presentation this is the way to go. Be careful not to add to much movement though. I've had several folks say it makes them kind of queasy. Less is more when designing. They just launched Prezi resume and many. many more templates that look pretty cool – Prezumes? Free and paid versions.
Augmented reality
QRlicious – QRlicious takes your plain Jane QR Code and pretties it up really nice. If you want your logo or brand colours integrated into your QR code these folks will do it quick and right. I gave them my head-shot superimposed on a brick wall type texture just to see what they could do.. and they made it work. I was and still am impressed. Cost involved but not out of reach for most folks.
Layar – Layar makes print media clickable and I love them for that. "Layar specializes in mobile augmented reality (AR) – the most popular medium through which the average person interacts with AR content. The mobile AR world consists largely of two different types of experiences: geolocation- and vision-based augmented reality." Free and paid options, lots of fun to play with.
Scrivener by Literature & Latte – "Writing a novel, research paper, script, ebook or any long-form text involves more than hammering away at the keys until you're done. Collecting research, ordering fragmented ideas, shuffling index cards in search of that elusive structure—most writing software is fired up only after much of the hard work is done. Enter Scrivener…" Seriously, this is what a word processor should do. It's 45 bux, Apple app store or download, and worth every single dime!
Medium – "A better place to read and write things that matter. Medium is a new place on the Internet where people share ideas and stories that are longer than 140 characters and not just for friends. It's designed for little stories that make your day better and manifestos that change the world. It's used by everyone from professional journalists to amateur cooks. It's simple, beautiful, collaborative, and it helps you find the right audience for whatever you have to say." I use Google Plus for this but I have to admit Medium is pretty and reads well.
SoundBible and Soundcloud are great places to find the sounds you need for videos and podcasts.
Curating and sharing
Storify – I probably use Storify more than any other application on this page. It works seamlessly with Twitter and you can drag pretty much anything you can find online into your story. "Make the web tell a story". 1 Collect media from across the web; 2 Publish on Storify, embed anywhere; 3 Share and notify sources, go viral"
Scoop.it! – Create your topic-centric media by collecting gems among relevant streams. Publish it to your favorite social media or to your blog. I love the idea and have a few topics the go. Still not quite a seamless as it needs to be for me to get into the habit of keeping my topics fresh and worthwhile. Free.
Learnist – By Grockit – Kind of like Pinterest for thinkers. Or maybe a cross between Scoop.it, Paper.li and Pinterest.. I dunno.. I do know I like it. You create and add boards to keep and show off.. uhm, share what you have learned. I have a couple on the go and will add more. I really like that the applet/plugin works well so as I browse I can "Learn it" and it lets me choose which of my boards to add a found article or post to.
Paper.li – The first (I think) auto aggregating platform for Twitter and Facebook. Paper.li pulls your social media content, in some mysterious way, and creates an online newspaper for you. You can publish daily or weekly editions and they even auto post to your Twitter account. I have several. Free and paid versions.
Time savers
Rapportive – Free add on for Gmail, Firefox, Safari, Mailplane and Chrome. It offers real time information about anyone who emails you like their Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn profiles and more. One of my faves!!!!! Read more about it here.
WriteThat.name – Scans your email for changes in your contacts signatures and automatically updates your contact list. Very handy! Free to affordable.
IFTTT – Stands for If This Then That. Lets you create "recipes" with your online content. For example you can create (or follow) a recipe so that when you post a new blog post the laborious task of promoting it on your Facebook page, Twitter and LinkedIn channels is all done for you. Last time I check there were 77 apps aka channels that could be used as ingredients. Want to save your Instagram masterpieces to to Diigo and Evernote? This will help you do that.
Mind and concept mapping
Mindmeister – Mindmaps, great mindmapping tool that can be used by individuals or with groups of people. Free and paid versions.
The Brain – Really this is the ultimate concept/life/planning tool around. Upside it does more than any other concept or mind mapping software out there and even the free version is robust. Downside is that their is a bit of a learning curve.
Popplet – Desktop and app versions – "See what you think together". Collaborative and kinesthetic concept mapping tool. Works great! Kinda addictive really. No learning curve but doesn't do much as much as The Brain. Free.
Voicethread – Possibly my fave although I have yet to have a lot of success in enticing others to play with me in this beautiful space. This is a great tool for educators and those wanting multiple voices, literally, around a topic. And yes, there is a app. Free and paid versions.
Yammer – "The Enterprise Social Network". Like Twitter or Google Plus for closed communities. I haven't used Yammer in a while. Still may be a good option for companies or organizations that want an extra layer of privacy.
Timelines and maps
iJourney – Not sure if they are still up and running but still have them listed just in case. Offers and "interactive graphical timeline". Lets you create diaries or biographies with a page a day. You can curate, aggregate, embed social media like your Twitter stream, keep it private or share it. This is very smooth! Free.
Crowdmap – Map anything! By the folks from Ushahidi.. actually it's the hosted version of the Ushahidi platform. Its easy to use, free and paid versions available.
Information finding and sharing
Quora – "A continually improving collection of questions and answers created, edited, and organized by everyone who uses it." I fondly refer to it as the rabbit hole. Go ahead, sign up, ask and answer a question or two… Go ahead, I dare you.. Stick to just one or two 🙂 Free.
Twitter related
Twitter Chat List Schedule – This Google doc holds a growing list of current Twitter chats including times, moderator handles and links. At this writing there are 458 chats listed. Free.


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Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
The best band ever heard in life.
much respect Kevin
Thaks to give me this oportunity.
Posted by FEFE TALAVERA at 12:45 PM 3 comments:
Monday, October 22, 2007
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
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About Me
- Sao Paulo, Madrid, Brazil
- Fefe Talavera's monster paintings are metaphors for strong and subconscious human emotions like anger, fear, dreams or desire. The colourful fantastic beasts which she connects with the "dark side" of her inner self stand for the artist's cultural roots as well as the primary and powerful energy of her work in the streets all over the world. Born in 1979 Fefe was brought up as a native half Mexican, half Brazilian in São Paulo where she lives until today besides her second home in Madrid, Spain. Interested in all kind of "underground" movements, the typical and unique stylistic freedom of the internationally renowned Street Art and Graffiti scene of her hometown made an important impression on the artist. Her raw creative energy thus found much more correspondence in the angled, tribal-like style she developed while working in the streets, than in her studies in fine arts which she finished with a Bachelor at the FAAP in São Paulo. Showing at galleries and accepting certain rules, limits and intolerances of the art market system represent a contradiction for Fefe who is mainly interested in finding public ways to express herself and a common way of communication.


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PG&E wants to spend $130 million on employee bonuses. Could it be any more tone deaf?
Awful timing, PG&E.
In a move that seems calculated to further enrage customers, the giant utility is asking a bankruptcy judge for permission to spend more than $130 million on bonuses and other employee perks earned in 2018 — even as victims of the Camp Fire struggle to find basic shelter.
As justification, PG&E says its 24,000 employees are the "lifeblood" of its business; without them "operations would come to a halt."
That's true, but the same applies to just about every other company in existence — whether it installs rain gutters, builds cars or supplies energy.
The fact that employees are important doesn't justify paying out millions in bonuses — not when PG&E says it filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy because it can't afford to compensate victims of wildfires linked to its electrical equipment.
Not when ratepayers could wind up on the hook for paying for fire-related damages.
Not when unsuspecting investors, including members of the California Public Employees' Retirement System, are losing tens of millions of dollars due to plummeting stock prices.
Not when PG&E needs to prioritize inspecting power lines and trimming trees to avoid similar fire disasters in the future.
And certainly not when it has a history of big payouts to top executives, including $2.5 million for departing CEO Geisha Williams.
At least these bonuses, if approved, will not go to top management employees classified as "Insiders" in the bankruptcy filing.
However, if PG&E really wanted to show good faith, it would have canceled bonuses altogether, or at least reduced them substantially.
And it isn't just the annual bonuses PG&E wants to pay; it's also seeking to spend down $650,000 remaining in a Rewards and Recognition Program fund. Those rewards — in the form of cash and gift cards — cost the company $15 million per year.
Then there's the temporary assignment award program ($2.6 million per year); the service award program that honors longevity ($850,000 per year); and a limited retention program ($1.2 million per year) for "key, hard-to-replace employees." PG&E is asking to award any funds remaining in those accounts.
There also is a special retention program for employees of the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, but that's protected by state law and isn't under the purview of bankruptcy court.
PG&E says employees rely on the bonuses "on an annual basis." It also argues that it will lose valuable employees if it doesn't offer bonuses — the same justification taxpayers hear when government agencies offer inflated salaries and benefits to high-ranking employees.
Taxpayers are fed up, and ratepayers should be, too.
PG&E employees deserve to be justly compensated, but paying large bonuses on top of already generous salaries and benefits is unfair to ratepayers, especially at this moment in its history.
As the name implies, a "bonus" should be a reward offered for exceptional service — not something so commonplace that it's taken for granted.
PG&E should not be allowed to pay out $130 million in bonuses, and it should permanently scale back incentive programs in the future.


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Watch A.N.T. Farm on Disney Channel and you'll see 20-some minutes of a neatly packaged story. But what goes into the making of A.N.T. Farm?
We asked 18-year-old Allie DeBerry, who plays Paisley Houndstooth, to take us through a week on set:
Monday: After grabbing a quick breakfast, Allie and her castmates do a table read. That's when the full cast, plus the director, writers and Disney network executives, sit around a big table and literally read the lines.
"We read through the script," Allie says, "see what works, what doesn't work, what jokes are funny, what we should keep, what needs to be cut out and the writers and scribbling stuff out and adding stuff."
After the table read, the cast does a first rehearsal.
Tuesday: The cast does a run through for the writers, director, producers and the network people, who then decide what they like about the script, what they don't like and what they want to change.
The cast gets a revised script emailed to them every night. We find it amazing that they're able to remember so many lines in such a short amount of time. Allie tells us she highlights her lines in different colors, she says them aloud into a recorder, then plays it back.
"A lot of the actors have amazing memory," she says. "I don't have that great of one, but I have my techniques."
Wednesday: Another run through with revisions made.
"By the time Wednesday rolls around, we knows our lines, we know our blocking and we know where we're supposed to be on set," Allie says. "We've got these things down."
Thursday: Today, the cast films the more difficult scenes – ones that may have a stunt, or just a lot of monologue. But most of the filming happens the next day …
Friday: Friday is when the audience about 200 people comes to watch the filming. That's good news for the cast – they get to sleep in and come to work later in the day. (For most the week, call times – or the time actors are due on set – are very early.) After makeup and hair, they're on live.
"Going in front of an audience is so cool because sometimes when we're rehearsing, we don't think jokes are very funny, but whenever we actually perform them in front of a live audience, they laugh and it gives you more energy in a way" Allie says. "I think we perform better in front of the crowd – but there is more pressure to not mess up our lines!"
— Rebecca Brandel, LSY teen reporter, Mount St. Mary Academy


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The Resource Center for Nonviolence is a consensus-based organization and believes in open discussion, and ultimately, agreement from all parties when decisions are made. To help in this rewarding, if sometimes difficult, way of organizing, an RCNV Steering Committee helps guide the direction of our work. The Steering Committee has both an oversight and personnel function and fills an important role in the work of the center. The Steering Committee is currently made up of community members who serve on a voluntary basis and come from very unique and varied backgrounds. Our Steering Committee helps further the mission and work of the RCNV, neither of which would be possible without our amazing team.
Members as of September, 2017 include:
Steve Schnaar
Darrell Darling
Brenda Griffin
Sandino Gomez
Joe Williams
RCNV thanks all past, present and future Steering Committee members for their service to our organization. If you would like more information about our Steering Committee please call RCNV: 831-423-1626.


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Okay...i'm guilty! I've been sneaking on SL every night to shop for hair!!! All kinds of hair...especially hair in hats and have I found some yummy ones! Aside from that....I was kindly informed of a newer Japanese beauty salon called, Cri-Cri. The hairs are very cute...but what caught my attention was the many options each hair comes with! Right now, Cri-Cri offers group members an awesome 4 pack of 4 different hairs with countless options to style each doo to your liking - and yessss, there's two hat versions!! In store, I did the 20 minute camping chair and received an awesomeee bag that comes with poses and an AO! It's majorly cute and comes with animated poses to boot. This shop owner is mighty generous! Have a look around if you're in the mood for hair shopping - I definitely recommend it :) Pic below with the goodies!
TP to Cri-Cri
Not to forget! Apple May Designs is spring cleaning & several marked outfits are only 75L! Not sure when it ends - def. worth checking out though :)
-Skin is by Rockberry, group gift
Couture designer to come! Stay posted!
Lv, Tekila


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My family looks forward to this time ever year because it is the one time when they can enjoy a Shamrock Shake!
I on the other hand cringe at the financial and nutritional cost of enjoying such a treat. In fact last year we practically choked on our Shamrock Shakes when the bill was around $20!!
But this year we can enjoy the much anticipated taste of the minty shakes for just a few dollars and know exactly what is going into each of the shakes.
Shamrock Shake Recipe Ingredients:
- 2 cups vanilla ice cream or 2 cups soy ice cream
- 1 1/4 cups 2% low-fat milk or 1 1/4 cups soymilk
- 1/4 teaspoon mint extract or 1-2 drops Peppermint Vitality Essential Oil*
- 8 drops green food coloring
Blend it all together until it has a nice creamy texture and all of the food coloring has been evenly mixed in to give it that nice green tone.
*Saving Dollars and Sense Tip: I only use and recommend ingesting Young Living Essential Oils. Not all oils are made the same, but I trust Young Living and their Seed to Seal policy. You can find out how to save 24% on your essential oils here.


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From ESPN: In what seems like a "finally" type of decision, surfing is now an official high school sport in Hawaii, or at least it will be by the spring of 2013. This makes it the first state in the US to do so. The lack of cash had prevented the decision from being made sooner, but with private and community donations, they can now afford it without taking money away from any other sports or activities.
"I think this is really exciting that surfing is going to be a part of schools' sports programs," said Moore, who became the first woman from Hawaii to win a world championship in surfing since Margo Oberg in 1984. "Surfing has been a really big part of my life and has taught me a lot of valuable lessons: what hard work and perseverance can do, time management and how to stay organized."
Surfing plays an important role in Hawaii's culture and history. From "History of Surfing in Hawaii": "The history of surfing in Hawaii tells of chants to the Gods to make big waves for surfing and chants to give courage to the men who rode these waves." With the arrival of missionaries, the sport was nearly wiped out, but it was revived in the early 1900s.
In honor of the decision to make it an official high school sport, here's a clip from Pipeline.
Hawaii Surf PIPELINE from Mikael Norrman on Vimeo.