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Like to try different hairstyles but don't like to put your hair through torture? We understand! Watch the video below to see 4 easy, heatless hairstyles you can pull off.
Resident Indian Makeup Guru, Shruti Arjun Anand demonstrates four easy to do bun hairstyles. The best bit? No extra products needed. Watch the video to learn more!
Komal from my myhappinesz created this super fun and easy to do peach and glitter makeup look. We loved it and can't wait to recreate it ourselves. Take a look!
We LOVE how easily Debashree teaches a subtle smoky glitter eye! Paired with soft curls and a dark lip, it's a look you can easily pull off for any night out! Watch the video to learn.
Mr. JovitaGeorge is great at what she does and we for one LOVE her makeup tutorials. Super chatty and fun, she makes even a glitter cut crease come across as easy and doable! Also, purple lips are always a yes for us! Watch the video to know more.
In this video, MUA Shagun Gupta tells us how to do a blue smoky eye look. It is something you can wear for the ongoing wedding season, it is a full on glamorous look.....
In this video, MUA Anusha Randhawa tells us how to create a party glam look. With a cut crease and deep lips. It is something you can easily wear for Christmas or the innumerable parties that happen this season!
The products used in the tutorial are :
Kryolan Derma Colors Camouflage crème palette
Urban Decay Spectrum Palette
ColorBar Primer
Freedom Pro Highlight Glow
Maybelline Gel Liner
Maybelline The False Volume express
Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder
Maybelline Colorshow
MAC Viva Glam Matte
The wedding season is here! In this video, MUA Shagun shows us how to do an easy soft glam makeup routine. We hope you enjoy watching the video.
Do let us know what else you would like to see on our Channel!
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
The products used in the video are mentioned below.You can also check out her reviews on these products by clicking on the products or by searching for Shagun's profile on the website!
Morphe Jaclyn Hill Limited Edition Palette
Two Faced Chocolate Bar Palette
Maybelline Gel Liner
Tarte Bling it on Palette
Colorbar Lip Pencil- Mad Pink
MUA Astha Agarwal tells us how to do the two hottest makeup trends - strobing and ombre lips. Watch the video for a step by step guide on how to recreate these looks for yourself....
A good base is imperative for flawless makeup.Here, MUA Jasmeet Kapany tells us how to do a basic foundation routine. Watch on as she gives you tips and tricks on how to perfect your base! Products used in this video are;
Not sure what you can reasonably do while running around in the morning rush? Here, celebrity MUA Astha Aggarwal tells us her go to everyday makeup routine.
Did you know that brown eyeshadow can be used in multiple ways? Or that concealer can be used to help make your lipstick pop brighter? In this video, Priyanka from Bakeup & Makeup talks about her go to hacks as beauty blogger. Watch on as she explains how she saves both time money with these ......


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7 Interesting Facts About Love
7 Interesting Facts About Love That Just Might Surprise You...
#1 sweat is used as an ingredient in perfume
Historically, sweat has been an active ingredient in perfume.
Source: 2004. Why We Love: The Nature and Chemistry of Romantic Love. New York, NY: Henry Hold and Company, LLC.
Romantic love lasts just over a year, perhaps because the brain cannot eternally maintain a revved-up state of romantic bliss. As romantic love wanes, attachment love, a more stable love, sets in. To keep the passion alive, experts suggest doing satisfying and exciting activities as a couple.
Source: 2004. Why We Love: The Nature and Chemistry of Romantic Love. New York, NY: Henry Hold and Company, LLC.
Roses are a traditional symbol of love and, depending on their color, can suggest different nuances of love. For example, red roses indicate passion and true love. Light pink suggests desire, passion, and energy; dark pink suggests gratitude.
Coral roses suggest desire. Yellow roses can mean friendship or jealousy. A lavender or thorn-less rose can mean love at first sight. White roses mean virtue or devotion. Orange roses mean desire and enthusiasm. Peach suggest appreciation.
Source: 2012. "The Meaning of Roses. " Real Knowledge Data Network . Accessed November 13, 2013
The longer and more deliberate a courtship, the better the prospects for a long marriage. People who have intense, Hollywood-type romances at the beginning are more likely to divorce.
Source: Lewis, Thomas, M.D.; Fari Amini, M.D.; and Richard Lannon, M.D. 2000. A General Theory of Love. New York, NY: Random House.
Engagement rings are often worn on the fourth finger of the left hand because the ancient Greeks maintained that that finger contains the vena amoris or the "vein of love," that runs straight to the heart.
Source: "Engagement Ring." Accessed November 13, 2013
Many cultures use knots as symbols of an eternal love that has neither a beginning nor an end. Young Muslim women would send love messages to their lovers using intricate knots.
Source: Tresidder, Jack. 2005. The Complete Book of Symbols. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books.
Source: "Sex By The Numbers." Woman's Day . Accessed November 13, 2013

subset: commoncrawl


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Hulu is known for its TV shows, movies and other related video. Now, they're venturing into the video game space.
While you can't quite yet purchase or play video games through Hulu, the company today introduced Hulu Video Games as a hub for users to watch trailers, gameplay videos and reviews for the latest games.
Oscar Rohena, Hulu Content Partner Manager, writes in this blog post that the new feature is available on PC's and will be rolled out to Hulu Plus devices over the next few months.
There are already lots of trailers to watch from games like Halo 4 to Grand Theft Auto V. Each game has its own page with a short description and other related videos. Hulu is also featuring documentaries about video games and the latest news from the industry.


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Why am I doing this? Because I want to help you. Seriously, that has been my personal mission for most of my adult life. Unfortunately, I have failed at doing that as much as, or maybe even more, than I have succeeded. But I have finally found the secret – aging!
In other words it takes experience. And, surprisingly, some of the best wisdom comes from bad experiences. For example, here are some of my top learning experiences;
• The time I fired an employee on Christmas Eve.
• When I ridiculed an executive who tried to hire me for his startup that 25 years later is one of the largest media companies in the world.
• How I naively turned downed a large cash offer for a piece of property out of a false sense of obligation to the neighbors, who instantly took that as a sign of weakness rather than consideration and pounced on me.
And this is just a sampling from my list. I have a lot of experience about what doesn't work and, thankfully, I have used those situations to make better decisions over the past 15 years. I think I can help you think more clearly about your role as a leader whether at work, at home or in your community.
Any leader today faces challenges that weren't there a decade ago;
• Employees have communication access to each other that doesn't require face-to-face work.
• Social media can expose your decision making to colleagues, constituents or customers before you have ended a meeting.
• You can't shape your market with any certainty
So, here's what you can expect from me in this blog.
• I will share solutions I have seen to tough management problems
• I will try to make you think about difficult subjects you would rather ignore.
• I will tell you about how I have failed and what finally worked for me.
• I will join you in a discussion about what it takes to lead with integrity and how my family and my faith have impacted me on this journey
• I will start a conversation between you and me about life around us from the pew to the public square.
Leadership isn't something you do, it's someone you become. I hope to connect with you on this journey of becoming a lasting leader.
Be encouraged,


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Well summer is in full swing, it's wedding and horse racing season which means two things, classy ladies are going on Champagne benders and sticking silly things on their heads while running willy nilly to the finish line. With these parameters, I of course refuse to be left out, and had to put my own twist on the chapeau phenomenon by making a series of themed facinators to wear at events I've got coming up.
Some of my men friends have never heard of facinators, so I'll take a moment to explain- They are fancy bits of lace, ribbon and do-dads that you wear on your head, similar to a hat, but smaller. Their geographical placement, above the belt line, might make them a bit more disappointing than they sound at first, but bear with me, with the right theme in mind, we can spice them right back up to being interesting.
I've made a few of these literary inspired accessories now so putting together the "50 Shades of Grey Facinator" was so easy, I could have done it with one hand tied behind my my back. (While rolling my eyes and chewing on my bottom lip). Seriously, handcuffs on your head is hot, and not hard to do. I opted to use the toy version of the shackles both for safety's sake and they are a hell of a lot lighter and easier to attach with a glue gun. I actually got all the supplies to make the facinators from the Dollar Store, with the exception of the paint chips which I stealthily pocketed while at the paint shop. I think they actually give them away, but I like to feel sneaky even when I'm not doing anything wrong (except for not wearing underwear).
Plastic headband
Plastic netting or fancy tuile
50 paint chips
Plastic handcuffs
So to make: Cut a produce bag into a 8x 12" strip, scrunch one end of your "veil" together and attach to a plastic headband with hot glue. Do this over a newspaper because it's going to make a drippy mess and since your veil is made of plastic, it's going to melt a little bit. One trick is to put a bead of glue onto the headband and let it cool for about 20 seconds before pressing the netting down into it, and of course be careful, as it's going to be hot.
Fan your chips and glue one on top of the other, glue pain chip rosette onto headband and cuffs on top of that
Open a bottle of expensive Chablis and pick up the phone, maybe Christian is free for a booty call
If he's not around you can always treat yourself to more crafting, it's almost as much fun as kinky sex with a neurotic billionaire. I had a hoot making a whole horde of facinators for my upcoming trip to Las Vegas. For some I went for the straight up gambeling theme, but I wanted to do something for my book signing at The Mob Museum of Las Vegas on the 30th. I am super stoked to check the museum out, the exhibits sound spectacular, looking at both sides of the crime history, the criminal element and the law enforcement officers who fought to bring them to justice. This duality inspired me to make two special facinators, one for the gangsters with a bottle of bootleg gin and one for Johnny Law with iconic shades and a fancy pants badge, that is probably fooling no-one.
Now you might be looking at these hats and think to yourself that Ms. Demeanor has finally taken crafting too far, no one would wear something so ridiculous on their heads, but friend, you'd be wrong and I'd like to point you to the most excellent blog post on Go Fug Yourself highlighting the haberdashery hijinks at the Royal Ascot this weekend, where society dames wore two teared bird houses and gargantuan flowers on their noggins. The outfits for Lady's Day have gotten so out of hand that the Ascot officials have laid down the law this year, all together banning facinators in the royal box (no innuendo there!) but they still allow big ass hats. I remain amused and inspired.


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Meet the farmer
Arran was taught to compost by his grandmother at a very early age, and has always felt a strong connection with nature. If he wasn't repotting his mother's ornamentals he could probably be found just wandering around his parents' property watching things grow.
Working for years on building sites he noticed the immense amount of waste that was generated and began to question his own contribution to the waste pile. Arran's love of growing plants and all things natural led him to one day watch a Geoff Lawton video and it was like an bomb going off in his brain. Within weeks he had signed up to a permaculture design certificate with Geoff and on completion stayed at Zaytuna for an intensive farm course.
After getting back from Zaytuna he instantly started his own market garden and started volunteering at Sandy Creek Organic Farm while still trying to hold down a job before he made the big leap into full time permaculture market gardening. Wanting to absorb as much as he could he also visited many farms and gardens to not only get inspired but to ask questions about what they did and wouldn't do again.
Arran feels extremely honoured to be the first Millen Farm farmer and although it has been a very steep learning curve, he hasn't given up and pushes forward positively to give the community something to be very proud of.


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Father, Would You Carry This, Too?
by David Lorencin
In her biography "The Hiding Place," Corrie ten Boom speaks of an incident when she was about 10 or 11 years old. A term came up that she didn't understand, and the adults in her life seemed too skittish to address it. She decided to wait until she was alone with her father on his weekly train trip to Amsterdam to purchase watches and watch parts, since she knew he would give an honest and thoughtful answer. When she asked him what the term meant, his answer was to take his travel case from the rack and ask her to carry it off the train. Loaded with watches and watch parts purchased that morning, the case was far too heavy for her to lift. "It's the same way, Corrie, with knowledge. Some knowledge is too heavy for children. When you are older and stronger, you can bear it. For now, you must trust me to carry it for you."
Decades later, as a prisoner in a concentration camp during WWII, this lesson would come back to her. The horrors and degradation that she was subjected to and witness to often left her unable to see how she could carry on. She turned to her Heavenly Father. "Father, this is a burden too heavy for me to carry. Would you carry this one for me, too?" Immediately, she would feel inner peace in a place of unimaginable horror.
As we enter this New Year, there are many fears before us. There is much uncertainty, much that seems to be spinning out of control, much that drives the doomsday predictions. We have plans, we have dreams that we would like to see come to reality, but the way things are, we are not sure of whether we will even be able to keep up with the basic things in life, let alone pursue any loftier goals.
This year, may we look to our Heavenly Father like never before. Those things that are too heavy for us to carry on our shoulders, may we have the courage to say, "Father, would you carry this one for me, too?" Our Heavenly Father sees the end from the beginning. The apparent detours that we take may lead us to be exactly where we need to be.
As a young man, Joseph received a couple of dreams that implied that his brothers, and then also his parents, would bow down to him. Those dreams caused resentment among his brothers and, rather than serving to elevate him, they led to him being sold as a slave and sent off to Egypt. The story, which begins in Genesis 37, is well-known. Having been placed rather well (for a slave), Joseph is then falsely accused and sent to prison where he is pretty much forgotten... until one day, he is brought before Pharaoh and placed as the second in command of the greatest civilization on earth in his time. Had Joseph labored to manufacture for himself the fulfillment of the dreams he had, who knows where that would have ended. It is unlikely that it would have ended where it did. I can only imagine what must have gone through his mind as he was sent as a scared, young man to be a slave in a foreign land. What must have gone through his mind as he languished in prison under false charges. I'm sure that, many times, he had occasion to say: "Father, would you carry this, too?" But now can you imagine what must have gone through Joseph's mind as he saw his brothers bowing before him, asking him to provide food necessary for their very survival? When, all those years later, he saw the fulfillment of the dreams of his youth, and realized: God knew all along! God knew exactly what he was going to go through and where it was going to end! He says as much to his brothers when he revealed himself: "And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you... So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God." (Genesis 45:5,8) Later, he would once again reiterate, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." (Genesis 50:20)
As we face this new year with all its uncertainties, let us remember the kind of God we serve. Give your worries to Him. "Father, would you carry this, too?" There are no guarantees that life will be all peachy if you do this. You may end up in prison under false charges; you may even end up in a concentration camp. If you let your Heavenly Father carry those burdens for you, you may lose your possessions, your freedom, even your life, but you will possess something that no one can take away—peace in your heart. Because your God is Life itself, He knows the end from the beginning, and He holds your life safely in His hands. When the Apostle Paul was in prison and facing a potential death penalty, God was the One who gave him the kind of circumspection and peace to be able to declare in Philippians 1 that whichever way it turned out—it was okay. Either he will live on this earth and do more work for the Lord, or he will go to his rest and see his Lord.
Whatever challenges you face in 2018, you don't have to bear them alone. You don't have to worry about how you will make the dreams for your life a reality. God knows how. For us, sometimes that knowledge is too hard to bear. So step boldly into 2018 as you ask: "Father, would you carry this, too?" Because your Heavenly Father can.


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Short bioI am a modeler with expertise in economics, politics, security, statistics, operations research and data mining. I specialize in building analytical tools, decision support systems and multi-agent simulations. I have a Ph.D. in Computational Social Science from George Mason University and a M.Sc. in Quantitative Methods from the Warsaw School of Economics.
I co-founded Scensei, a decision support and analytics enterprise. I was a Research Assistant Professor at the Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study. Currently, I am CTO for positif.ly and trovero.io.
Mission statement
Multi-agent simulation is the core of the analytical and decision support tools I build to help decision makers to gain insight into the problems they face; to design policies, plans, procedures and programs and to evaluate their effectiveness.
A model can be expressed as a narrative, for example some text that details why a national leader decides to go to war with a neighboring country; or as equation, for example, a regression or system dynamics model that shows the link between incidents of suicide terrorism in a country and levels of poverty in it. It can also be expressed as computer code. One way of coding a model is to create artificial humans, their purposeful behavior and the environment they live in. These virtual humans are called agents. Since a model often has many interacting agents, it is called multi-agent. Agents interact with each other as their human counterparts do, but in a somewhat simplified manner. To have agents interact, we need to simulate the virtual world we create. That is why multi-agent models are also called multiagent simulations.
High-fidelity multi-agent simulations use valid and detailed information on the environment and the behavior of the humans they represent. Resolution of the model in terms of it's data fidelity, scale, behavioral and cognitive plausibility needs to be matched to the question on hand. This is my craft.


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Geron rose sharply again today, closing at $8.15, up 15 percent for the day.
Barrons reported that Needham Research upgraded its recommendation on Geron from hold to buy with a $9 price target. Needham said "significant unmet needs" exist "in the management of spinal-cord injuries."
Needham also said that Geron previously reported it had $165 million available at the end of 2008 with a projected burn rate of $50 million -- "financial resources...sufficient for operations for several years."
Meanwhile Motley Fool reported that a large group of its readers gave Geron a "distressing two-star ranking," meaning that it might lag the market.
Sphere: Related Content
Monday, January 26, 2009
Geron Price Still Moving Smartly Upward
Posted by David Jensen at 1:33 PM
Labels: geron, stem cell industry
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On March 20th, 2003 George W Bush gave the order to invade the Iraq of Saddam Hussein. Eight years later Saddam is gone and so has the US Army. The last troops left Iraq in the past week. Does this mean the war is over? For the US servicemen and women it might be, but if that is the case for the Iraqi people remains to be seen.
Pixtale is updated with new interesting photo stories nearly every day, checkout the our Archives.
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Founded in 1999, Mobile Streams distributes mobile content directly to consumers through its mobilegaming.com cross-platform app and games store. Mobile Streams (LSE: MOS) started out as a research and consulting company famous for its "Yes 2 SMS" report that accurately predicted the success of SMS text messaging. Soon after, the company launched its first consumer mobile internet services with Ringtones.com. In 2006, the company completed an IPO in London (L: MOS). Mobile Streams operates globally through subsidiaries in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific.
Mobile Streams PLC (AIM: MOS), the emerging markets focused mobile media company, is pleased to announce that it has signed a new direct carrier billing agreement with a mobile network operator that has over 100 million potential customers.
Mobile Streams (AIM:MOS), the emerging markets focused mobile media company, is pleased to announce the appointment of Jonathan Bill to its board as a Non-Executive Director with effect from 1 January 2018
We are pleased that the team has grown the mobilegaming.com customer renewal base above 1 million subscribers. Our primary focus during the period was to reduce losses with our key accounts in India through a process of marketing and customer churn optimisation...


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Mercury Comet Parts & Mercury Comet Accessories
Oh, Comets. They've fascinated, frightened and befuddled humans ever since we learned how to crane our heads skyward to peer up at the stars. Some comets have even inspired madness (just ask the Nike-wearing members of the Heaven's Gate cult, if you can catch up to them on their intergalactic ride on Hale-Bopp). So, it was fitting when Mercury named their 1960 compact cruiser the Comet because this ride has the looks to turn heads and the style to drive other motorists mad with envy. Of course, you can make your ride even more memorable and more powerful with the right Mercury Comet accessories from AutoAnything. You can score everything from custom floor mats to high-flow K&N air filters right here.
Now, it's a mark of distinction to have a Mercury Comet parked in your driveway. When your neighbors drive by, they're definitely looking and longing to own their own piece of automotive history. However, there's nothing distinct about having a Mercury Comet parked in your driveway for 4 straight months because it refuses to stat up or because the brakes are so bad they wouldn't be able to stop you at all. If your car is running like a clunker, AutoAnything can help. We have a massive selection of replacement Mercury Comet parts to repair whatever ails your ride.
Is it time to tune up your Mercury Comet? You could spend a mint down at your dealership, or you could take a risk and turn your keys over to Gus at the garage on the other side of town. Either way, you're going to end up overpaying or getting shoddy work.
Mercury Comet Partscollapse all
Mercury Comet Air Filters (1) Mercury Comet Brakes, Rotors & Pads (2) Mercury Comet Car Covers (2) Mercury Comet Cargo Mats & Trunk Liners (2) Mercury Comet Exhaust, Mufflers & Tips (3) Mercury Comet Floor Mats & Liners (3)


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Dynamic Business Law: The Essentials 3rd Edition
Dynamic Business Law: The Essentials is appropriate for the one-semester Business Law course. It contains the basics of business law but does not get bogged down in the kind of details that are more appropriate in an upper-level law class. The text provides an examination of the basic questions, concepts, and legal rules of business law.


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When working on commercial power plants, you may think you are making your small contribution for the change of the energy paradigm towards a more sustainable energy mix. But once you have had the chance to participe in International Development projects, you realize that the real change we should expect from our generation is about putting the energy to the service of human development...
International and regional institutions and organizations all around the world have been working (and still do it) in this direction. Information about lessons learned and current status reports, feasibility surveys and new economic models issued by these institutions are available and relatively easy to find in internet. Also private companies often launch new product lines focused on developing countries (the Renewable Energy off-grid market is especially dynamic in this regard) However this is a quite dynamic sector and therefore not always it is easy to be up-to-date of the latest.
And with this idea this website was born. This web will be my small contribution to let all stakeholders know what are the main trending topics and most innovative approaches in the field of powering developing countries, with main focus on SUSTAINABILITY. And I do not mean only from an environmental point of view but also from a long-term perspective. In this regard, Renewables will play an essential role and so, special attention will be paid.
In brief, the main goal of this new site is to bring on the table main topics related to energy International Development projects and hopefully become a meeting point for exchanging of innovative ideas and lessons learned. These topics could be classified as follows:
· Techology state of the art
· Financial schemes
· Business operation models
· Regulatory frameworks
· Policy development
You might think this seems to be a very ambitious target... And probably you are not wrong... But nothing compared yet to the huge challenge of powering 1.3 billion people by the end of 2030!
I really hope you enjoy this new blog and find it useful for your interests, either through the information posted and/or the Consulting Services also offered in this web. Finally, in References you will find an updated list of projects I have been involved in over the last years.
Looking forward to meeting you here soon.
Looking forward to meeting you here soon.
Sunny regards,
Emilio Simonet
Una (Gujarat, India), October 2011
Una (Gujarat, India), October 2011


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It's apparently all over for Chris Brown and Rihanna... again.
In an interview with Los Angeles hip hop radio station Power 106 Friday morning, Brown reportedly said that he and RiRi are no longer dating. When Power 106 asked Brown "Are you still with Rihanna?" the R&B singer-rapper answered, "Uh, no—that's the short answer."
Power 106 reported the news with the below tweet.
A radio station rep told Fuse that audio of the interview—which was conducted "this week" in L.A. and rolled out piecemeal—will post online shortly. To fans questioning the quote's legitimacy, Power 106 is standing by the statement, telling Fuse, "We wouldn't have tweeted it if it wasn't true."
Rihanna possibly addressed the split in a tweet at 5:00 AM Friday morning, writing simply, "This is terrible." Breakups are indeed.
Update: Rihanna has deleted the tweet, but a screen shot exists below.
RiRi later retweeted a message from a Pisces horoscope account: "It's the heart of a #Pisces that makes us soft mannered BUT is that same heart of a #Pisces that will make us get in your ass if needed."
The news comes two days after Brown told Billboard that he and Rihanna recorded a track for his upcoming album, X. "We did 'Nobody's Business' for her album. In return, she did a song for my album," Brown said. "It's a great song, but it's in the pot with all the other 40 songs."
Neither have yet to release official statements. Stay tuned to Fuse for updates.


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Trabbic Consulting
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Microsoft Does NOT Listen!
It continues to amaze me that Microsoft does not listen do its customer base. If they did, you would not find little add-on programs that offer things like an envelope printer straight from Outlook ($40) or a way to revert back to the previous menu structure within Office 2007 ($30).
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Michael E Trabbic
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Challenging the Contraception Provision: A plea for good medicine and pleader credibility
March 15, 2013
This Monday we will present a webinar through the West Legal Ed Center focusing on The Affordable Care Act's Contraceptive Provision. As a prelude to this topic, we would like to explain our hope that litigants will focus on the actual legal disputes presented in these cases.
There are over 30 pending lawsuits challenging the minimum essential required benefits for women under a Regulation issued under the Affordable Care Act. They are each and all challenges to the "contraceptive" drugs and counseling requirements of the Regulation, and they are each and all based on claims of protected exercise of religion under the U.S. Constitution. See University of Notre Dame v. Sebelius.
This is a plea for requesting a ruling on the contraception provision actually at issue in these cases, and, as future cases are filed and existing complaints are amended, for leaving out allegations raising headlines but not necessarily raising justiciable legal or factual issues.
As would be reasonable to expect, the cases present similar allegations and common issues in presenting the same or similar challenges to an HHS Regulation. "HHS announced guidelines requiring health plans to cover contraception and abortion-inducing drugs."
This Regulation in the view of many people including Judges does not require "abortion-inducing drugs" as rational people can understand that term. On the other hand, another view of the situation has it that reasonable people can include blocking the implantation of a fully fertilized egg into a womb, which one of the drugs at issue apparently does, in the definition of abortion. Knowledge of biology is of great help in understanding these particular legal and medical issues.
To return to the pending litigation, the Plaintiffs in these cases all or mostly all allege that they base their claims on their sincerely held religious beliefs, among them that contraception is against the exercise of their religion. They pretty uniformly allege in these lawsuits that they are being forced to pay for other people to choose contraception when they themselves are opposed to it.
The Regulation which these people, corporations and associations challenge does indeed require the provision of Health Insurance Coverage for certain drugs and services. One religious challenge is to the undisputed fact that the drugs at issue are contraceptives. Another challenge is to the disputed fact that the drugs at issue cause abortions.
Many of the complaints previously filed in these pending cases challenge the Regulation on the ground that the Regulation would effectively require the Plaintiffs to indirectly fund abortions by their employees by providing them minimum essential health benefits which, according to the Plaintiffs' allegations, include abortion. (It is worth remembering that the Affordable Care Act actually prohibits funding abortion, some say even more strictly than all other Federal laws taken together. That is not a fact subject to proof by introducing competing beliefs.)
Two of the main drugs which Plaintiffs in these cases find unacceptable are "Plan B," also called "the morning after pill," and "Ella". They and the Courts that have believed them so far, also allege that the FDA is their authority.
Here is what the FDA says about how both "Plan B" and "Ella" actually work. This is not a recommendation for using either of these drugs, but you do not have to recommend their use in order to understand what they are used for. Understanding how the FDA, the source of this information cited by many parties and by many Judges, describe the biology of how these drugs work is a pretty uncomplicated matter, actually.
The FDA writes that both drugs work mainly by stopping the release of an egg from the ovary — which by anyone's definition cannot be abortion since there is no fetus or embryo. Stopping a fetus or embryo from happening is called contraception, not abortion.
These drugs also work by preventing fertilization or implantation of the egg in the first place — and here as they say is the rub. One group of thoroughly rational people is of the view based on this biological evidence that where there is no fertilization there is no conception, and thus no abortion. However, if instead the egg is fertilized but still requires attachment of the egg to the womb in order to complete the pregnancy leading to the birth of a baby, then again one group of rational people is of the view that in such a case there is no conception but instead contraception and not abortion. On the other hand, another group of people strongly take the view based on the same biology that preventing a fully fertilized egg from attaching to the womb can be viewed as abortion, to them the moral equivalent, if you will, of surgically removing a fertilized egg from the womb after it has attached to the womb or after a fertilized egg has been "implanted".
So, to the extent that the parties and their lawyers present their claims in these cases as a request to Courts to resolve the moral issue of whether contraception is really abortion by another name, they are probably requesting Judges to decide issues which Judges here on earth are not equipped to decide. By making these assertions, however, it may be that such parties can broaden their popular appeal to include many who reject abortion but are otherwise unwilling to equate contraception with abortion.
If instead the parties and their lawyers in cases challenging the Federal Regulation concentrate on the legal issues at hand, they probably have a much better chance of prevailing on the merits than many of their claims and allegations currently seem to imply.
These are good reasons to allege good medicine and the rights that are actually at issue, and then let the Courts decide on the basis of how things really are, not how some parties and their lawyers might or might not wish them to be.
West Legal Education Center will present a Webinar on Monday, March 18, 2013 from Noon – 1:00 P.M. ET, "Religious Issues in the Supreme Court: The Affordable Care Act's Contraceptive Provision".


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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama pushed for sweeping changes in U.S. immigration policy on Wednesday, as Mexican President Felipe Calderon complained that a harsh new Arizona law discriminates against foreign-born workers.
Immigration, a traditional sticking point in the neighboring countries' relationship, became the focus of Calderon's Washington visit when the border state passed the law requiring police to check the immigration status of anyone they suspect is in the United States illegally.
The Arizona law has been criticized as discriminatory and Calderon, who had promised to bring it up in Washington, jumped into the controversy in his first formal remarks of the two-day state visit.
Despite their "significant contribution to the economy and society of the United States," Calderon said, many immigrant workers "live in the shadows, and at times, as in Arizona, confront patterns of discrimination."
Obama said the Arizona law underscored the need for comprehensive immigration reform and reflects U.S. frustrations, which he shares, with current law.
"In the United States of America, no law-abiding person — be they an American citizen, a legal immigrant, or a visitor or tourist from Mexico — should ever be subject to suspicion simply because of what they look like," Obama said.
There are millions of Mexican-Americans and Mexicans living in the United States and many Americans travel to and live in Mexico.
The United States needs a new law that secures the border, targets businesses that hire illegal workers and punishes illegals, but gives them a path to citizenship, Obama said. He asked for support from opposition Republicans to pass one.
Obama and first lady Michelle Obama greeted Calderon and his wife, Margarita Zavala, at the White House at the start of the visit. The Obamas were hosting a state dinner later on Wednesday, and Calderon was to address a joint session of the U.S. Congress on Thursday.
The two countries broadly agree on issues like the global economy and climate change, despite tensions over immigration, border security, drug violence and trade. Their trade surpasses $1 billion a day, and Mexico sends 80 percent of its exports to the United States.
The presidents issued a joint statement affirming their commitment to mutual economic growth, securing the border, protecting the environment, and fighting crime, but offered no major new initiatives.
Analysts said the major outcome of the visit for Calderon would be strong expressions of support for his policies, particularly in fighting the international drug trade, from Obama, who is hugely popular in Mexico.
Calderon is "a leader who is guiding his country through very difficult times with vision and with courage, and he has been an outstanding partner to me and an outstanding partner to the United States," Obama said.
The two presidents said they would cooperate to crush drug gangs. The joint statement said the United States would speed delivery of helicopters and other aircraft for the drug fight. The traffickers' turf wars and battles with federal forces in Mexico have killed 23,000 people since Calderon took office in December 2006 and launched an army-backed offensive.
The spiraling violence worries foreign investors and makes some tourists nervous about visiting Mexico. Drug-related abductions have spilled across the U.S. border.
The countries are more closely aligned on the issue than they have been in years, and Mexico is pleased Washington acknowledges that U.S.-made weapons and U.S. demand for drugs are big parts of the problem.
Additional reporting by Mica Rosenberg in Mexico City; editing by Mohammad Zargham


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Tahitian Salt Polish
$ 25.00
Indulge your body in Pacific Sea Salt Bliss!
Cleanse and exfoliate with natural sea salt from the Pacific Ocean and Tahitian Volcanic Black Sand with a touch of Monoi Oil in a lightly foaming base. Sea Salt benefits the skin by exfoliating dead skin cells, giving way for new cells to regenerate and leaving your skin with a smooth glow. Salt scrubs also encourage the natural flow of circulation within the body which can provide an enhanced feeling of rejuvenation. Tahitian Salt Polish refines skin with maximum, but gentle exfoliation. The cleanser base refreshes, as Monoi Oil leaves skin soft and smooth.
What is NOT in Tahitian Salt Polish:
- Sulfates
- Parabens
- GMOs
- Triclosan
Size: 227 g / 8 oz


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Seconda edizione per la borsa di studio negli studi umanistici dedicata ai giovani italiani, con una open call per i dottori di ricerca. Per l'anno accademico 2017-18 saranno prese in considerazione solo le candidature di studiosi nelle discipline relative ad Archeologia e studi classici (età del bronzo - tarda antichità) e agli Studi sulla prima età moderna e sul Rinascimento. L'invito a presentare proposte è aperto, entro il 1 febbraio 2017, a tutti coloro che hanno conseguito un dottorato dal 2012 in poi, con un'ottima conoscenza dell'inglese (per maggiori informazioni sui materiali da presentare e sull'identikit del candidato consultare http://aarome.org/apply/italian-fellowships.
The American Academy in Rome (AAR) offers up to six fellowships for Italian artists and scholars in 2017-18. The Italian Fellows are an integral part of the AAR community. Italian artists and scholars live and work in the Academy community, pursuing their own projects participating in its collaborative, interdisciplinary environment and helping make connections between Rome Prize Fellows and their Italian peers. For a list of former Italian fellows, click here.
Italian fellows are required to live in Rome, at the Academy. All fellowships include room, board and a stipend. Length of stay varies by the fellowship (see below).
Italian Fellowship winners will be announced both in Italy and in New York as part of the American Academy Rome Prize ceremony.
Humanities: Application instructions appear below. Online application at this link.
Arts: All candidates must be nominated; unsolicited applications will NOT be accepted.
Arts and Humanities Deadline: February 1, 2017.
The Academy invites proposals in archaeology, classics, history, the history of art and architecture, literature, religious studies, anthropology and musicology. Note that these categories are not intended to be exclusive. Any approach to these disciplines or combination of approaches to these areas will be given consideration, as well as historical approaches that overlap with the social sciences. Projects that consider multiple chronological periods listed below are welcome.
Up to two postdoctoral fellowships in the Humanities will be awarded for the period of September 2017 – July 2018. Each fellowship will run for c. 5 months. For the 2017-2018 Fellowships, only scholars from the following disciplines will be considered:
Ancient Studies (Bronze Age through Late Antiquity)
Early Modern and Renaissance Studies
Projects do NOT need to address topics specific to Rome or to Italy. Candidates should, however, address how they plan to make use of resources in Rome and at the Academy.
Candidates must have Italian citizenship (dual citizenship is acceptable).
Candidates must possess a PhD from an Italian university from 2012 or later.
Candidates must have excellent spoken and written English which will be verified by interview.
Application: A completed application will consist of the following, submitted via the online system below:
A project proposal of NO MORE THAN 1000 words, in English. The proposal should describe the scope of the project, its relevance and importance for the field, work completed to-date and the final expected outcome - monograph, article, etc. Please include bibliographical notes for any sources cited (not counted toward the word limit).
A Writing Sample. The writing sample may be up to twenty pages and should be in the proposed field of study. Please include bibliography and footnotes (not counted toward the page limit). Writing samples may be in English or Italian.
A current CV (English or Italian).
Applications will be acknowledged and reviewed by a selection committee. ONLY short-listed candidates will be invited to participate in an interview, ideally to take place in Rome or via Skype.
Deadline: February 1, 2017


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Project Info
Tags accessories, cages, feeding, laying hens
Project Description
Aviary system VALLI "BABY AREA" is the equipment for the intensive rearing for pullets with all main characteristics of aviary already inside:
- Weaning the chicks on one level: easy and complete inspection by operators.
- The stocking operations and de-populating ones are very easy to make.
- Easy mobility for the pullets among the different tiers and appropriate perches adjustable in height
- Partial and total opening easy and immediate thanks to the vertically sliding doors
- Available in double decker configuration
- 5 square meters of usable area per linear meter of equipment
"BABY BELT CENVERTIBLE" is the equipment for the rearing of pullets that can be used according to need, such as traditional or convertible cage aviary.


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|Out of stock
The NikeCourt Zoom Vapor 9.5 Tour Men's Tennis Shoe molds to your foot for a locked-down fit, and features super-responsive cushioning to meet the demands of your quickest turns and sprints.
Helping to keep you stable yet moving freely during quick turns, the Dynamic Fit system wraps your midfoot from the top to the arch.
An XDR outsole with herringbone pattern is thicker in high-wear areas for targeted traction on the court.
A Zoom Air unit in the heel offers resilient cushioning throughout your game.


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Jon & Kate plus hate? Alleged mistress denies Us Weekly story of affair
Or maybe not.
Five people have confirmed to Us Weekly magazine that Gosselin, the dad on TLC's popular "Jon Kate Plus 8," has been having an affair with a third-grade teacher named
The magazine details all the sordid details from Hummel's older brother - and roommate -Jason
, who tells Us Weekly that he is speaking out to set the record straight and to protect his naive sister. (And, we think, to get his name in the magazine.)
"She's a nice girl, not a homewrecker," Jason tells Us Weekly. "He is a bad liar. This isn't healthy for her. But she is refusing to help herself, so here I am trying to help her myself. I hope this clears the air."
After Gosselin and Hummel met in mid-January at a lounge in Reading, Penn., Jason says Gosselin - the father of 8-year-old twins and 5-year-old sextuplets - began relentlessly pursuing his sister.
By mid-February, Gosselin was coming over to their house, where Jason says his sister and Gosselin would "pretty much stay locked away like two teenagers. It was weird. He's a grown man."
This whole thing is weird.
On Wednesday, Deanna Hummel denied the Us Weekly story to People magazine. "My brother is making this all up," she told People. "He has no credibility ... I can't even stomach the lies he's saying about me."
She continues to deny any romantic relationship with Gosselin and says that there's been bad blood between her and her brother for a while now.
"My brother is very shady," she told People. "He has no job. He has a criminal background. He was charged for drug distribution. He's on probation right now."
Gosselin has spent the last few months himself denying any dalliances. One of the last came in an interview in the May issue of Ladies Home Journal.
"This struggle has definitely put some tension in our marriage. But I never cheated on Kate. Kate and I are together," he told the mag after photos of him partying with college girls prompted talk that his marriage was in trouble.
Guess we'll have to wait and watch them sort this all out next season.
| Lisa Gutierrez, The Star


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L'auberge de Sedona
About the Hotel
Why We Love This Hotel
- Romantic French country-side inspired cottages and rooms with several restaurants and a spa
- Many cottages have wood-burning fireplaces, outdoor showers and private decks
- Rotating curated art collection throughout the property and weekly artist in residence events
- The popular shopping district of Tlaquepaque is a 15-minute walk from the resort
Located in the heart of bustling uptown Sedona, the luxurious L'Auberge de Sedona is a French-country inspired romantic retreat that's just right for travelers seeking a peaceful respite. The resort is set alongside the burbling Oak Creek and surrounded by woodsy landscape. Rising above the area are the famous red rock formations.
Designed to look like a series of mini log cabins, each of the different cottages and suites all have airy vaulted ceilings and European farmhouse style -- carved wooden beds, armoires and framed countryside prints. Many cottages have indoor fireplaces, outdoor cedar showers and private outdoor space for relaxing.
The spa offers traditional treatments as well as some specialty ones in keeping with the healing energy theme of Sedona such as a guided feet in the creek experience that ends with a reflexology massage.
Or take your feet for a 15-minute walk into town and browse the galleries and boutiques of the Tlaquepaque shopping district.
Those wish to remain in the cozy enclave without setting foot in town can dine in style at the five course prix-fixe French restaurant Cress or enjoy lighter fare at the locavore-centric Etch. To have a feast the eyes, tour the hotel's rotating curated art collection and watch the Artist-in-Residence n the process of their creation.
- Bar
- Newspaper / magazines
- Gym / fitness center
- Hot Tub / Jacuzzi
- Outdoor pool
- Restaurant
- Spa
- 100% smoke-free
- 24-hour front desk
- Concierge service
- Express check-in / checkout
- Laundry / dry cleaning
- Room service (limited hours)
- Safe in reception (fees apply)
- Business center
Room amenities
- Air-conditioning
- Coffee / tea-making facilities
- Iron and ironing board
- Mini bar
- Outdoor space for some rooms
- Pay-per-view / movies on demand
- Safe
- Flatscreen TV
- Complimentary Wi-Fi in guest rooms
- Complimentary Wi-Fi in public areas
- Bathrobes
- Bathtub
- Hair-dryer
- Luxury toiletries
- Complimentary parking
- Valet service (fees apply)
Check-in: Standard Time is 4pm.
Checkout: Standard Time is 11am.
Cancellation: Cancellation policy & booking conditions vary by 'rate plan'. These will be displayed on the payment page after you have searched for your dates and selected a rate.
Additional details:
Pets allowed Check-in time starts at 4pm Check-out time is 11am Know Before You Go Fees The following fees and deposits are charged by the property at time of service, check-in, or check-out. The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change. Mandatory Fees and Taxes You'll be asked to pay the following charges at the property: We have included all charges provided to us by the property. However, charges can vary, for example, based on length of stay or the room you book. Renovations and Closures
The resort fee includes:
Know Before You Go
The following fees and deposits are charged by the property at time of service, check-in, or check-out.
The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.
Mandatory Fees and Taxes
You'll be asked to pay the following charges at the property:
We have included all charges provided to us by the property. However, charges can vary, for example, based on length of stay or the room you book.
Renovations and Closures
Have a Question? Contact Travelzoo.
- 1-877-966-0000 U.S. and Canada (toll-free)
- +44 (0) 20 3564 9000 UK & Europe
- +61 (2) 8880-0246 Australia
- Email Us
Customer Service available Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm AET
Rates may vary by date, are subject to availability and are not guaranteed until your purchase is complete.
The room rates listed are for double occupancy per room unless otherwise stated and exclude tax recovery charges and service fees.
It is the responsibility of the hotel chain and/or the individual property to ensure the accuracy of the photos displayed. Travelzoo is not responsible for any inaccuracies in the photos.
*Unless otherwise stated, Travelzoo-exclusive extras are valid once per stay (based on two adults sharing). Value is an estimate based on double occupancy. Extras are only included with Member Rates and may not be available on all dates. Extras are non-transferable and have no cash value. Total value may vary depending on time of booking and availability. When included, breakfast may be limited to 2 guests per stay subject to hotel's discretion. Other restrictions may apply; see our T&Cs for details.
Please note: Some amenities and services may not be available in all rooms or may incur an additional charge. All prices stated have been verified at the time of publication and may vary at the discretion of the hotel.


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You are here
Lisa Estepp
Professional title
Lisa has spent thirty-three years as a project manager, proposal manager, technical supervisor and environmental scientist evaluating environmental resources, assessing environmental impacts, and verifying and optimizing remedial system performance associated with solid, hazardous and nuclear wastes. She now applies a variety of field techniques and associated laboratory procedures for the analyses of water quality and paleolimnological indicators for the assessment of current and historical environmental trends. Characterizes and evaluates phytoplankton throughout the Great Lakes to track shifts in the biological community related to natural and anthropogenic influences. Uses autecology of diatoms from the analyses of lake sediment cores in the reconstruction and tracking of local and global stressor effects and lake sensitivity to these stressors. Assists in determining and providing feedback whether ballast water treatment technologies are effective in eliminating potentially invasive protists in ships' ballast water in accordance with state, federal and worldwide protocols. She is also currently developing NRRI's Quality Management Program.
- M.S. Natural Resources, Ohio State University, 1982
- B.S. Technical Agriculture, Eastern Kentucky University, 1980


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NEW addition: Question of the Week!
Dear S. I. Cohen,
Recently I had a discussion with my friend about capitalism, where one of his arguments against it was that capitalism is toxic environment for job creations. And he passionately claimed how capitalism makes rich people richer, and those who are born without wealth and opportunities enjoyed by the rich people, will stay poor. Also, that capitalism is out of control and is leading to the destruction of the environment.Do you think it´s true and if it is what can we do about to stop it?
Best wishes,
– Jeff
As you noticed, there are many people that use the word Capitalist, Capitalism and its variations to describe the worse kind of human conduct, malevolence and hustle. Many think of Capitalism and create their own so called "facts" about how that system degraded what could have been a better society.
Well, one could actually ask the person if he or she actually knows what Capitalism really is (from an economical perspective). Followed by a short silence (of an unexpected turn in the conversation for a broken consensus), the answer is usually a hesitated 'yes'. One would continue and ask about how, when and where did it begin, for what purpose, what was the economical system before, was it better…? Needless to say that the more you'd ask, the greater the confusion and discrepancy will be.
The first thing to regard is how little people actually know about what just a minute ago they were so convinced.
Moreover, there is quite a lot of double standard (myself included), in that the persons in question were holding an Iphone or a Tablet or their car keys in their hands while beheading the same capitalist that created that for them.
One can ask that person if she exchanged her technological wonder with a neighbor (that constructed the device) for some food or something of her creation. I sincerely doubt it. Today, you can find many places that began a local currency or an exchange based economy (Greece, Island, south of Spain with the PUMA, Comunes and Mercado Trueque and even the idea behind Bit coin).
The fact rests the same: no market, no matter how free or on the contrary, how regulated, is immune to self-interests and the greed of people.
The thing is that so far I truly believe that no one thought of a better system. The problem is with the people using the system. As many things in life, capitalism is a technique, an economic technique, with no emotions or preferences, the user, on the other hand, is the one that can easily manipulate it for his benefit. Thus, as said before by many.
In no other system a poor person can become rich if he knows how to work it for his benefit and that is something very noble. On the other hand, because of its power, you can imagine many will take advantage of it, stripping themselves from any valor or moral behavior.
Certainly, I´ll be the last to come to the rescue of any system, whether economical, political or social… their all have some positive and many negative. Yet, when it comes to blind and confused criticism, I do find more harmful than contributive for the better of our society. So, if I was you, I´ll do some reading and next time you face this friend ask him what does he think about global warming (right before he gets into his 4X4).
How Attention Works: The Brain's Anti-Distraction System Discovered
Attention is only partly about what we focus on, but also about what we manage to ignore.
"Neuroscientists have pinpointed the neural activity involved in avoiding distraction, a new study reports. This is the first study showing that our brains rely on an active suppression system to help us focus on the task at hand (Gaspar & McDonald, 2014).
The study's lead author, John Gaspar, explained the traditional view of attentional control:
"This is an important discovery for neuroscientists and psychologists because most contemporary ideas of attention highlight brain processes that are involved in picking out relevant objects from the visual field." While this process is important, it doesn't tell the whole story of how attention works.
Gaspar continued: "Our results show clearly that this is only one part of the equation and that active suppression of the irrelevant objects is another important part."
The study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, involved 47 students carrying out a visual search task while their brain signals were monitored. The finding may have important implications for psychological disorders which involve problems with attention.
The study's senior author, John McDonald, said:
"…disorders associated with attention deficits, such as ADHD and schizophrenia, may turn out to be due to difficulties in suppressing irrelevant objects rather than difficulty selecting relevant ones."
TED's Best Of Week!
Tristram Wyatt: The smelly mystery of the human pheromone
"Do humans have pheromones? Tristram Wyatt is on the case. A researcher at Oxford, Wyatt is interested in the evolution of pheromones throughout the animal kingdom.
Do our smells make us sexy? Popular science suggests yes — pheromones send chemical signals about sex and attraction from our armpits to potential mates. But, despite what you might have heard, there is no conclusive research confirming that humans have these smells molecules. In this eye-opening talk, zoologist Tristram Wyatt explains the fundamental flaws in current pheromone research, and shares his hope for a future that unlocks the fascinating, potentially life-saving knowledge tied up in our scent."
"Don't wash I'm coming home!"
Movie Of The Week! Breaking The Waves!
"Breaking the Waves" is emotionally and spiritually challenging movie directed by Lars von Trier and starring Emily Watson. It is the first film in Trier's 'Golden Heart Trilogy' which also includes The Idiots (1998) and Dancer in the Dark (2000). It tells the story of Bess, a simple young woman of childlike naive, who sacrifices herself to sexual brutality to save the life of the man she loves. Jan, paralyzed from an industrial accident profoundly depressed, asks Bess to have sex with other men and tell him about it, thinking this will allow her to return to a normal life, and she, on the other hand, sees it as an expression of her devotion to Jan. What in the world motivates Jan to demand such repugnant actions from the wife he adores? Bess, with her fierce faith, believes that somehow her sacrifice can redeem her husband and even cure him. As his condition grows worse, her behavior gets more desperate; she went to a big ship where even the port prostitutes refuse to go, because of the way they have been treated there. The epilogue of Breaking the Waves is impossible to describe—it must literally be seen to be believed—but it grows organically and coherently from everything that's come before it, bringing the film to a bold and brilliant conclusion. In Breaking the Waves, von Trier makes the case that as long as a "truly revolutionary alteration to the social conditions" is still in the future, women will continue to pay with their lives for the sins of the fathers. Whether Bess is a victim of patriarchy or whether she is heroic in her choice to live and die on her own terms is a question that viewers will invariably need to answer for themselves.
Watch the movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR_mMxHJ0t4


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Walpole Old Chapel is available for the following:
Contact secretary for more information on:
Walpole Old Chapel has seating for 200, toilets including disabled, and limited free off-road parking.
Volunteers to assist with the day to day organisation and guiding at the Chapel
are always most welcome.
Traditionally, a person is baptised in church by a priest or
minister of the church. Technically, a person can be baptised anywhere by
anyone; what counts is what those who are involved believe is happening.


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In this interview in April 2015 with Nader Hashemi of the University of Denver, Ussama Makdisi explains the trend of sectarianism throughout the Middle East is not all that it ever was. It is too simplistic to call people of the Middle East violent, warring people. It takes many factors of social and global factors, not just their present circumstances, to be judged as such, he said.
Makdisi is chair of Arab Studies at Rice University.


text: Blog Looking for New Windows in Your St. Paul, MN Home? Pella has Tips to Help Make the Right Choice October 24, 2014 When buying windows for your restoration or new construction project, you obviously want to choose the best windows for your project and budget. As you evaluate your options, ponder these facts: Windows can dramatically change the interior and exterior look and feel of your St. Paul area home. Your window choice can make a drastic difference in your overall level of comfort and energy consumption. The quality of your windows can have a positive cost impact on the resale value of your St. Paul area house if or when you decide to sell. If you take the time to research the style and function selections available, you will be happy with your purchase and appreciate the pleasure of gazing through your new windows for many years. What factors should you think about when purchasing replacement windows for your St. Paul home? What do they look like? Remember that your family and guests are going to view your replacement windows most often from the interior of your house, not standing outside of it. Picture things in your mind from inside and study the view carefully; does the style, color and type of opening (crank shaft or sliding) work with your home's interior? Will you be able to easily open the window for cleaning? Can light flow into the home? And don't forget to stand outside from many viewing positions to determine if the style of replacement window you are considering complements with the fascia of your St. Paul home. How much expected energy savings can I expect with these windows? Get the data relating to your windows that impact their energy efficiency. Among the issues to consider are U-values and Low-E insulating glass with argon windows, and weatherstripping. For instance, U-values identify the insulating value of windows. The best windows have low U-values to help keep out extreme temperatures. Compare efficiency ratings beforehand to help reduce heating and cooling expenses and maximize your investment. Is it convenient to operate the windows? Just like purchasing your vehicle, it is important to try out the functionally of a window before you decide to purchase it. Can you open or shut the window easily? How much effort does it take to clean the window? Does the window hardware (or the crank handle) fold away in order to leave window blinds or shades undisturbed? If the window will be an exit from the home during emergency situations in case of fire, confirm that it opens easily and supplies an adequately-sized opening. How will you install the windows? Installing your windows is either blended with the overall purchase price or involves an outside contractor. If you are using the services of contractor, it may be smart to inquire about installation price and included services prior to ordering your windows. How easy is it to clean your new windows? The weather in the St. Paul area changes often. Wind, rain, sun and snow can have a negative impact on the appearance of the glass, especially on low quality windows. Consider low-maintenance options like aluminum cladding or in-between-the-glass grilles . What choices do you have for color or hardware? Color selection reflects your style and increases the overall appeal of your St. Paul home. Some manufacturers offer few exterior color options. Determine what color schemes are in place for the windows you want. Also, that latches and handles complement the style of your home and coordinate with other hardware options in your home, such as cabinets, faucets and even appliances. How much does a quality window cost? The old saying "you get what you pay for" is especially true when it comes to purchasing quality windows. The least expensive windows may not be your best buy. A quality window will be energy efficient and offer years of beauty and performance. We invite you to visit Pella at the St. Paul area Showroom to learn more about your choices, or give us a call at 651-213-9049. Back to Blog


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The GOAL
Simply put, our goal is to do things differently. We want to challenge the "typical" conference format. We are not oblivious to the fact that there are many education and networking choices for event professionals to invest their resources. Cultivation, Collaboration, and Elevation will guide us to our goal to make the EVENT stand apart from the others.
the Partnership
For the first time in recent Canadian history, three Meeting Professionals International (MPI) chapters have partnered together to offer their memberships something bigger and better. Bringing together three unique meeting communities will give event participants the chance to expand network circles while strengthening existing ones.


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Twitter Image Templates
Images need to be a part of your twitter posting strategy. As Twitter itself reported, posts with shared images are retweeted 35% more than other tweets. Not a graphic designer? No problem, we have some templates that are optimized for twitter and allow you quickly create professional looking shared images.
Browse newest products from this category
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Date Added
Job Type
Growing 41 bed inpatient facility just minutes south of Seattle is seeking 2 Psychiatrists to accommodate growth of both their Adult and Geriatric units. This is an immediate opening. They also have a Dual Diagnosis opening in September 2015 as well! Board Eligible and Board Certified Psychiatrists are encouraged to apply. Top pay for the area and great benefits!
How to Apply
If you are interested and would like more information, please contact Renea Lindsey at 270-535-8909 x246 or email us at email@example.com regarding job number WA900


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Blog Archives
Solange Drops New Music via Twitter
This afternoon, Solange gifted us with a new song via Twitter. She mentioned on Twitter that she wrote "Favors" four years ago and the track has nothing to do with her album. "I just felt like sharing today," she tweeted to her 600,000+ followers. I love it so now I'm sharing. Listen below!
New Music: "Favor" by Lonny Bereal
Maybach Music Group's Audra The Rapper
VA native, Audra The Rapper, has been rapping since 14. Now 21 and officially signed to Rick Ross' Maybach Music Group she is ready to break through.
At the age of 16, Audra won Hip Hop and R&B songwriter of the year in an international VH1 Save the Music Foundation competition. Ever since, the female rapper has generated heavy buzz and quite the East Coast fan base.
After attending college while becoming a high-flying music artist in the Richmond and Hampton Roads area she is more than prepared to assume the role as the first lady of Maybach Music.
Her Pre-Maybach Music mixtape, The Miseducation of Audra, from 2010 is still being downloaded as the world is getting acquainted with her. But, Audra is preparing to release her newest mixtape, No Such Thing Does Exist. For now, Audra has released the first single, "Coo Coo" presented by The Source.
Download "Coo Coo" here.
Listen to The Miseducation of Audra NOW
Indie Music Month: Sonyae Elise
I Stumbled upon self proclaimed "Lady Rebel", Sonyae Elise. I appreciate a developing artist and Sonyae Elise's growth is evident. Check out one of her 2010 videos and her latest.
"We Heard/Retweet"
"Heard it All"
Press Play: Mara Hruby
Fast-rising and star are two words that are being used heavily to describe 22-year-old artist, Mara Hruby. Oakland, CA native has been working hard to make a name for herself in the music industry since early 2010. Her hard work paid off and she is now releasing her debut EP, "From Her Eyes". Mara has been working on this album for 9 months which was obviously time well spent because she has a major buzz currently surrounding her.
"From Her Eyes" is an EP of cover songs originally recorded by male artists with each song representing a moment in her life. She covers male artist Mos Def, Andre 3000, D'Angelo, Bob Marley and others.
Mara's video for her first single off the EP, "Is This Love?", recently surfaced the net. "Is This Love?" is a cover of the original Bob Marley song. The video was shot by Slick Jackson in NYC. All too often in videos we see the money, cars, diamonds and girls but this video feels real and there is nothing more real than the streets of NY and a beautiful voice. Check out "Is This Love?" below and right below that, press play to hear more from Mara Hruby.
More from Mara Hruby…
"The Panties"
"Lose Myself"
Press Play Thursday
Press Play Thursday
New Music!
Nivea Covers Sade's "Stronger Than Pride"
The songstress gracefully put her spin on Sade's 1989 ballad "Stronger Than Pride," which will serve as the first single from her upcoming mixtape, Nivea Uncovered. Songs beautiful!


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Dangerous drivers put you and others at risk of death on the roads. Why do these people take the risks they do? Some believe they aren't being risky at all.
According to a National Safety Council (NSC) survey, around 83 percent of drivers surveyed stated that safety was a concern of theirs. Despite that, 64 percent of the drivers admitted that they were comfortable driving over the speed limit. Some stated they were comfortable driving while impaired by marijuana (13 percent). Still others stated that they were okay with driving after they had too much to drink.
This is a shocking realization that many people believe they're safe to drive when statistics have shown otherwise. Being complacent on the roads sets people up for failure, accidents, injuries and deaths.
The NSC would like to see no traffic deaths in our country. Though that isn't likely, there are ways the council believes the risk of deaths could be reduced. The NSC suggests mandating ignition interlock devices for those who have been convicted of drunk driving. It believes all cellphone use should be banned, even when used hands-free. The NSC also wants to mandate that all people in vehicles wear their seat belts in all types of vehicles.
Staying safe can be as easy as paying attention to the road and following traffic laws. If you lose a loved one or have severe injuries from a collision, your attorney can discuss your options for compensation with you. Our website has more information on what you can do after a crash.
Attorney Matt Boulton is an award-winning personal injury attorney with more than 20 years of experience helping seriously injured people throughout Indiana reclaim what was taken from them. His firm was created for for the client who expects exceptional service and passionate, successful legal representation.


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Posting ID : A1068497253
Date Posted : 2015-08-19
Category : Farm Garden By Owner
Toro zero turn mower it's a 42 inch cut and 19 horse power has new gator blades new drive belt new deck belt, runs and cuts. I bought a bigger zero turn and don't need both feel free to call or text number under contact info above. $975


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No more pictures please
ISO 100, ss 1/2000, f 2.5, 50mm lens
Yet another one from last Sunday. The light was beautiful that day and I took a ton of pictures.
I did take my camera with me tonight when we went to an ice cream shop but when I pulled it out to take pics of my messy-faced kids I realized the battery was still on the charger. Doh! Guess I'll just have to recreate those pics another night.


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And you thought your May was busy: We caught Kath Davies, the director at Camp Hazen YMCA, for a quick interview before she hopped on a plane this Friday to represent the YMCA of the USA at the Eastern European Y Camp Conference in Belarus! Here's some golden nuggets that Kath has picked up over her 18 summers at Camp Hazen.
How do you go about preparing to start the summer at camp?
May is thinking about what did I miss and what do I need more time for--May is not the time to start a new project. It's making sure everything you've done is ready to go and it's as good as it can be.
I definitely rely on what I call my what's next list--I don't like to-do lists--I think what's next is more exciting. We have a 13' notice board in our office--our what's next board. On the center of it, we have it split into quadrants--things that are due soon and are wicked important, bottom right, due later and not as important. In the due soon and wicked important section is orientation, finish up staffing, make sure program booklets are written, stuff that needs to get done really soon. Down in the opposite quadrant are things likes like our new yurt--we need to think of a name! We want to re-do our seasonal staff cabins and buy new furniture--if we've got time we can do these things it but if we don't camp will still run!
Also, I've got a group of program directors working with me--it's the first time they're hitting May 1--even though inside I'm wigging out, I have to keep a calm tone. You know what, summer's going to happen--let's just prioritize, take a breath and make sure those around you are as calm as they be...and make sure those around you aren't wigging out.
How do you go about preparing personally before you start the summer at camp?
Good question. What do I do personally? I just work. I'm not very good with the work life balance thing! I do try to make sure that up until I hit the May time I am taking time for myself--last week, I went out and got my round of golf in. Just taking time to make sure I can be ready to go and give 100% when the time comes. I usually take a vacation in April, too.
The only other things is once the summer starts, I need to remember to enjoy it. Yes, I just worked 9 months to make this happen. But I need to take some time to hang out with a cabin group or make a sandcastle at the beach with kids because you can get so wrapped up in what you're doing and you need to remember the reason you're here. Burnout can happen pretty quick. I'm going into summer 18 right now you need to make sure you're getting out of it what you need to get out of it and putting in what you need to put in. I always tell Denise, our CEO, when she asks how I'm doing with that--so long as I know I'm still growing and giving what Camp Hazen needs, I'm not going anywhere.
Any final words of advice for someone making this transition for the first time?
Enjoy it! You gotta enjoy it. You have to remember why you're doing it.
Organization is key. When I walk around during the summer, people don't think I do anything--that's what I'm supposed to look like during the summer! I say JIC: I'm here Just In Case. If nothing bad is happening, I shouldn't have to do anything. If I'm busy and I'm running around looking like I'm crazy, that means something's wrong. If I don't look like I'm doing anything, that's a good day.
The Summer Camp Society is a semester-long learning cooperative for emerging camp professionals designed and facilitated by Sarah Kurtz McKinnon and Jack Schott. We empower emerging leaders to give all kids the best possible camp experience.
The first cohort group will start the program in September 2017. Join us--we are accepting applications now through June 1. Click here to learn more.


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Patagonia Women's Tropic Comfort Hoody
This comfortable, fast-drying fishing and travel hoody wicks away moisture and provides 50+ UPF sun protection and HeiQ® Fresh durable odor control for extended wear in hot and humid weather. Fair Trade Certified™ sewn.
- Made of 3.7-oz 100% recycled polyester jersey (solid hood and sleeves: 50% recycled) with HeiQ® Fresh durable odor control and 50+ UPF sun protection; same fabric as the Capilene® Cool Daily styles
- Adjustable, full-coverage hood has a generous cut to fit over a baseball cap for additional sun protection
- Thumb holes for added sun protection for the backs of the hands
- Rear zippered security pocket for small essentials
- Artist by color code: Brian Zager (LTWI)
- Fair Trade Certified™ sewn
- 179 g (6.3 oz)
Body: 3.7-oz 100% recycled polyester jersey.
Solid hood and sleeves: 3.7-oz 100% polyester (50% recycled) jersey.
All with HeiQ® Fresh durable odor control and 50+ UPF sun protection.
Fabric is certified as bluesign™ approved.
Fair Trade Certified™ sewn
Odor Resistant
HeiQ® Fresh uses the natural antimicrobial properties of silver ions to keep clothes odor free. It's made from recycled silver salt*— the ions of which are naturally present in our environment and can be found in our drinking water, salt water and soil—that effectively inhibits the metabolism of the bacteria from processing odorless sweat into body odor.
Fair Trade Certified™
We pay a premium for every Fair Trade Certified item that carries our label. That extra money goes directly to the workers at the factory, and they decide how to spend it. The program also promotes worker health and safety and social and environmental compliance, and encourages dialog between workers and management.
Do you own this product? Let us know what you think. Read Privacy Notice


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Valentines Hair // The "I love you" Do!/
Valentines Day is tomorrow! Here is the perfect "I love you" hearted hair-do that will woo all the other braids. Follow these simple instructions (You might need an extra helping hand or two) <3
Happy Valentines Day all you beautiful babes!
- Part the top section of your hair into two equal parts (leaving a chunk of hair in front for extra braid steps later)
- Braid one side of your hair and loosen the braid with your fingers, piecing it apart to thicken the braid (You can use a comb to create a more messy braid)
- Lift the braid up toward the top of your head and spin it around creating a loop, press it against your head and pin it in place.
- Repeat the braid on the other side of your head and pin it in place at the bottom, creating a heart with the two braids.
- With the extra hair on the sides, create two more braids, take the first one across the bottom of the heart to cover up the pins, and secure tightly. Repeat with the other braid and tuck the end underneath the opposite braid.
-To cover up any extra bobby pins, Take any remaining hair from the front of your head and loop it around each side, placing it slightly under the braids.
Here is a romantic braided hairstyle, perfect to spark up your hair-do for Valentines Day.
We absolutely LOVE to see YOUR take on our tutorials!! Upload your photos on Instagram and tag #tandtonme, can't wait to see !! xo


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Find Original Art At Holiday Sale Dec. 3-5
COMMERCE, Texas — Find original art by Texas A&M University-Commerce students and faculty at the Holiday Sale the first week of December.
The sale will open Wednesday, Dec. 3, in the University Gallery, first floor of the Main Art Building. Shoppers can look for a variety of holiday gifts from 5 to 7 p.m.
Items for sale will include ceramics, drawings, paintings, prints, photographs, sculpture, jewelry, ornaments, and more.
The sale will also be held on Thursday, Dec. 4, and Friday, Dec. 5, from noon to 5:30 p.m. both days.
Proceeds will benefit the Art Enrichment Fund, providing scholarships to A&M-Commerce art and photo majors.
For more information, call 903-886-5208.


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Archive for May 2013
Back to blogging + post hearing thoughts
I'm back to blogging after my leave of absence
from for work.
As some of you know, on Wednesday we had the oral hearing in case T-79/12, Cisco v Commission (Microsoft/Skype) . I will of course not write anything about the merits of the case, notably because (i) I shouldn't –which is quite a good reason to start with-; and (ii) I'm deeply involved in the case, and therefore you should take anything I say with a huge grain of salt [however objective and accurate it would've been 😉 ]
But since this blog is about personal thoughts, I nevertheless figured that I could share some not substance related thoughts on the experience.
Regardless of what might happen, the hearing was intense, interesting and even fun. If you like competition law, litigation, technology and opponents who are challenging, it can't get much better.
There's always an intra-story behind every case, and here there are a few interesting coincidences I can safely tell you about:
1) We had to go to Luxembourg to discuss about one of its "national champions" (they had home court advantage!). In case you didn't know, Skype's headquarters are located in Luxembourg, at 23-29 Rive de
foreclausen (bad joke, but couldn´t resist it..)
2) I've been a student of both my partners (Luis Ortiz Blanco and José Luis Buendía), of one of our client's counsels (Alvaro Ramos) and of our opponent (Jean Yves Art was a truly good merger control professor in Bruges).
3) The very issues dealt with were actually the subject of my LLM thesis and of my interrupted PhD research, which was convenient. I've to thank Pablo Ibañez for initially suggesting the topic;
4) Another coincidence is that literally a few minutes after the hearing, while we were having lunch at the canteen (decent grill, actually), Microsoft announced and explained the activation of the Lync-Skype bridge of which we had been talking about all morning (no kiddin'; that's what I call interesting timing…). I'm trying to set it up in my computer at work right now (even after 4 months of fights with our IT department we were never allowed to download Skype at work…)
After the hearing I made the joke that I should now find a new purpose in life. This earned me a couple of gentle reminders: one from my partners, who gently pointed out to the pile of pending stuff that I've waiting, and another from my girlfriend, who subtly reminded me that I've some wedding planning pending too…
Forthcoming Events
A bunch of interesting events:
– 7 June, Athens: 7th International IMEDIPA Conference on Competition Law and Policy (I. Liannos has also sent us information on three other interesting events: one on evidence in competition proceedings (in London); a course on innovation and competition by Herb Hovenkamp (in London too); and a conference on regulatory impact assessments (in Paris))
– 10 June, Brussels: Half Day Conference on the new Belgian Competition Law+Agency jointly organised by the Brussels School of Competition;
– 14 June, Brussels: GCR IP and Antitrust conference. This event focuses on SEPs and injunctions essentially. Amongst other things, speakers have been asked to discuss the ongoing Samsung, Motorola and ZTE cases. The programme looks great, as does as the list of speakers. The downside: the conference fee. We, at chillingcompetition, do not like that. Upon request, the organisers have offered free tickets to my students. Not too bad.
PS: talking bout students, congrats' to my former stud D. Auer who was just admitted to the LLM programme at the university of Chicago. We are very proud.
New Belgian Competition Agency – Open Positions
The much awaited reform of the Belgian competition authority is now out in the open.
New positions are being created (see here for more):
– President;
– Chief Economist;
– General Counsel;
– General Prosecutor;
– 20 part time Assessors, i.e. 10 French speaking + 10 Dutch speaking => the assessors will hear cases within decisional chambers; those chambers will be composed of 2 assessors + the President).
All the info can be found in the Belgian Official Journal of 27 May 2013.
Now, the talk of the town about this recruitment process:
1. A puzzling feature of this call for application is that French will be tested for Dutch speaking applicants to the position of assessor (although they won't hear cases in French), and vice versa; but no such test will take place for the Chief of Legal Affairs and the Chief Economist, who can be unilingual. Query why.
2. Some people have discretely lamented that (i) as usual in Belgium, the process will be heavily politicized; (ii) that the future organigram of the agency would be already decided; and (iii) that several of strong candidates would in turn be dissuaded to participate to the beauty context.
I have sought information on this. I have been repeatedly told that NOTHING has yet been decided. There is apparently no obvious candidate for any of those jobs => put simply, incumbents will not be favoured over new entrants and anyone interested shall apply.
3. Nothing seems to disqualify lawyers from private practice to apply for a job as part time assessor. Some rules on conflicts of interests, which to date do not exist, will need to be adopted, if the new authority wants to avoid endless procedural problems.
4. Nothing is said of the confidentiality of applications and of the members of the selection committee.
5. The deadline for applications is tight: 10 June. RUN!!!
Lost Parrot
Our friend and former boss Trevor Soames has lost his parrot Bombolini a dozen days ago.
Trevor and Camilla offer a €1,000 prize to anyone who will found him.
I attach below the notice that Trevor and Camilla put together.
You may contact Trevor at +32.491.378.946 or Sergio à Mondocane at +32.2.660.96.56
You can also email Trevor and Camilla at: firstname.lastname@example.com
See here for the notice: Lost Parrot
What went wrong with Article 102 TFEU? A procedural-institutional hypothesis
My writing in the blog is not the only side effect of Alfonso's long working hours. We should have run the Brussels 20k together (I bet he even forgot about that). Maybe next year!
As I have devoted part of my Sunday to update an article, I thought It could be a good idea to ask your views about one of my forthcoming pieces. The view that there is something wrong with Article 102 TFEU is far from unanimous, but it is certainly widespread. There is not even a consensus as to what exactly is wrong with the said provision. In my view, the problem with existing case law is not in any way economic, as many authors believe, but legal. Cases addressing the same questions (say, price cuts) follow different rationales (just compare AKZO and Compagnie Maritime Belge). The substantive standards of intervention also vary across practices. Sometimes, the mere potential of foreclosure is sufficient to trigger the application of Article 102 TFEU (rebates and exclusive dealing are a classic example). Other practices require concrete evidence of foreclosure (just think of the case law on refusals to deal and that on margin squeezes).
AG Cruz Villalon on the scope of the Regulatory Framework for electronic communications
Publicly exposed as I have been, I have no choice but to be back in my capacity as interim blogger (which I confess is something I pretty much enjoy). It is not even a bad time for Alfonso to be extremely busy. Some readers will remember a post I uploaded a few months ago on a 'not-so-mainstream' pending case, which addressed some questions that I follow closely. Right on time, Advocate General Cruz Villalon delivered his opinion on 30 April, which is for the time being only available in French.
The fundamental question raised was that of whether a multichannel bundle offered by a cable operator is an 'electronic communications service' within the meaning of the Regulatory Framework for electronic communications. The material scope of the Framework was defined in an awkward way, as 'services providing, or exercising editorial control over, content transmitted using electronic communications networks and services' were not covered by it. This would mean that audiovisual media services (TV channels, on demand services and others) are subject to a different set of rules (typically media laws, which follow a different logic).
A careful reading of the Regulatory Framework suggests that multichannel services provided by cable operators do not qualify as 'electronic communications services' . In that sense, the question raised by the Dutch Court looked like a non-issue. This seems to stem clearly from Recital 45 of the Universal Service Directive, pursuant to which '[s]ervices providing content such as the offer for sale of a package of sound or television broadcasting content are not covered by the common regulatory framework for electronic communications networks and services'. It is also something that derives from Article 31 of the same Directive, which is carefully worded so as to make it clear that 'must-carry' obligations do not apply to the said packages but only to the exploitation of the infrastructure. What is more, the Commission and the National Regulatory Authorities seemed to assume that the said services are not caught by the Framework.
In his analysis of the question, Advocate General Cruz Villalon does not refer to the Universal Service Directive. This is surprising, if only because it seems to provide the most straightforward and directly relevant answer to the question. The Opinion does not go beyond the generalities and the definitions found in the Framework Directive. As a result (and this time unsurprisingly), the answer suggested by the Advocate General fails to bring a satisfactory solution to the real problem created by the truncated scope of the Regulatory Framework. He takes the view that multichannel bundles qualify as 'electronic communications services' insofar as (my free translation of 'des lors que') they comprise the transmission of electronic communications signals. But then does this mean that only the transmission element of the activity is caught by the Framework? Or does it mean that the bundles as a whole are caught by it? I hope the ECJ will be more explicit in this regard.
A la prochaine!
A post on food and competition law dedicated to our friend Alfonso, who is busy prepping for the big hearing in Cisco v.
the two best antitrust friends Commission+Microsoft.
One of our readers has informed us that the Bundeskartellamt has conducted dawn raids at firms active in the potato sector (growing and distribution). Although lengthy, the press release does not say much of the substance of the case. Apparently, the BKartA suspects price fixing.
Neither does it mention whether there was a leniency application. Yet, we are told that the BKartA never gives such info at this stage of a case.
Thanks to Andrea for the pointer.