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#anatomy #infographics #painting
Mechanical Drawings and the Human Form Merge in Oil Paintings by Atsushi Koyama
Although the meaning behind these oil paintings by Atsushi Koyama is somewhat ambiguous, it's easy to appreciate the exactness of his paintbrush that colorfully and elegantly depicts mechanical diagrams mixed with anatomical illustrations. Born in Tokyo, Koyama holds both a BFA in art from Tama Art University and a Bachelor's degree in mathematics from Tokyo University of Science, so it's no surprise to see a confluence of both backgrounds in his artwork. You can see more paintings from the last few years over at Frantic Gallery. (via Dark Silence in Suburbia, Hayden's Magazine)


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Hey…What's Your Password? RSA 2013 Edition
Will security professionals divulge their password if you just walk up to them with a camera and a microphone and ask them? Last year at the RSA Conference I tried this technique and got varied results (Watch "Hey…What's Your Password").
It appeared that last year's video got around. Most people were ready for me and had their guard up, but not everybody. Watch this year's video to see how I desperately try to persuade security gurus to give me their password.
Stock photo of password courtesy of Shutterstock.

subset: commoncrawl


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If you own a business, the sign in front is one of the most important marketing tools you will use. Without a fully lighted, easy to see sign, you may very well miss out on an array of benefits as well as customers and profits! But, before you choose a sign for your frontage needs, have you considered the use of led digital signage? Today's modern businesses are switching to LED signs and enjoying an array of benefits in the process. Take a look at a few reasons to use LED signs at your place of business.
Maximize Brand Exposure
LED Lights ensure that your business stands out from the rest in an easy to see fashion. This is vital to your success and these signs go the extra mile to attract plenty of customers in your direction.
Some signs are going to become easily damaged, especially when weather is at its worst. LED signs, however, provide the durability that you need for long-lasting productivity. Why waste money replacing a cheap, worthless sign when LED is available?
Modern Technology
LED signs are used by modern businesses. To attract the most eyes to your place of business it is important that you are seen as an up-to-date, friendly business. The use of the LED sign is the best place to start.
See Farther
LED signs are visible for greater lengths than traditional signs. This means that you'll get more customers who will notice your existence!
The benefits listed above are just some of the many that you will gain with the use of LED signs at your place of business. Request a quote and learn for yourself how affordable and beneficial they can be for your needs!


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(This article was first published on The Dancing Economist, and kindly contributed to R-bloggers)
Another day and yet another failed agreement. The u.s. Is in trouble folks. Even if a debt deal is reached there is still widespread consensus that the u.s. will lose its AAA credit rating. More to come later.
Keep dancin'
Steven J.
To leave a comment for the author, please follow the link and comment on their blog: The Dancing Economist.
R-bloggers.com offers daily e-mail updates about R news and tutorials on topics such as: Data science, Big Data, R jobs, visualization (ggplot2, Boxplots, maps, animation), programming (RStudio, Sweave, LaTeX, SQL, Eclipse, git, hadoop, Web Scraping) statistics (regression, PCA, time series, trading) and more...


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Former Model Home in Clay NY, 5 Bedroom, Custom Built
Click Here to Watch More Videos on You Tube!
Former Model Home in Clay NY, 5 Bedroom, Custom Built - 5149 Lyle Drive - Contact Bob McTague for more information about this homes located in Clay, New York.
Clay, NY Neighborhood - This majestic Colonial in Clay was once featured in the Parade of Homes. As a custom Harrington Home, it has all the amenities you'll ever need, located in the Country Meadow neighborhood just minutes away from shopping and restaurants.
First Floor Features - Inside this spacious home you'll see hardwood flooring, impressive cathedral ceilings with detailed molding, and energy efficient windows with custom curtains included. The kitchen is a cook's paradise with mosaics and high end stainless steel appliances. The 2 story family room is bathed in natural light from wall of windows. Separated by the 2 story foyer is a formal living room and dining room for entertaining guests. There is also a first floor bedroom and full bath which makes for great in law living.
See the "BIG" photos of this property NOW...Click Here!
Second Floor Features - Upstairs you will find a spacious master bedroom with its own luxury master bath complete with tile floors and shower, a granite top vanity, and a soaking tub. There is a walk-in closet that features a custom closet organizer for all your clothes and shoes. Three other good sized bedrooms and another full bath complete the second floor living space.
Basement - The partially finished full sized basement provides additional square footage, and has plumbing for a full bath and space for another possible bedroom.
Exterior - Outside is a backyard entertainment Mecca with an outdoor fireplace, fish pond, stone patio, and a modern saltwater self-cleaning and regulating pool. There is also a large shed for storage, a 3 car garage, and professional landscaping surrounding this home.


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Self Description: I am one of the women who enjoys her life and who values every minute of it. As they say everything that doesn't kill you makes you stronger. I am a cosmetologist and frankly speaking, I am a lucky person, because I do what I love and I love what I do. My heart is full of tenderness, warmth and I want nothing more than to find a person with whom I will be able to create something special and serious. Yes, I am not one of the people who is ready to waste months on endless letters. I consider that only a meeting can show if there is a spark and chemistry in a relationship.
Comments: I need a strong, reliable and kind man who is not afraid of showing his feelings and emotions. I cannot imagine my life without romance, bright emotions and events, so I want to be with a person who like me likes to travel and develop his world outlook. For me such things like sincerity, honesty and mutual understanding are very important. Maybe I am old-fashioned but I believe that love knows no rules and limits.
AFA News and Updates


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Next Generation Sequencing
Next Generation Sequencing is now being offered at our facility using Illumina's MiSeq platform.
BioRad qPCR instrument available for use @ $10/use...please inquire
The MiSeq uses a "Sequencing by Synthesis" concept whereby prepared libraries are loaded onto the MiSeq flow cell, cluster generation is performed and sequencing by synthesis (SBS) occurs.
Reagent kits available are as follows:
2 x 75 (150 Cycles) v3
2 x 300 (600 Cycles) v3
2 x 25 (50 Cycles) v2
2 x 150 (300 Cycles) v2
2 x 250 (500 Cycles) v2
Plus some nano kits
v3 Chemistry gives approximately 25 million total reads
v2 Chemistry gives approximately 15 million total reads
Dual index sequencing is available with the capacity to multiplex up to 96 samples in one run. The coverage you require will determine how many samples can be multiplexed and run at one time.
The Lander/Waterman equation is a method for computing coverage
The general equation is: C = LN/G
C stands for coverage
G is the haploid genome length
L is the read length
N is the number of reads
For example using a 2 x 300 v3 kit that gets 25 million reads and run a 5.4 Mb bacterial genome
C = (600)(25,000,000)/5,400,000 = 2777 coverage
If you wanted 80X coverage per sample, you could multiplex 34 samples.
Sequencing Libraries you generated:
Do you want to save money by making your own libraries? Great! We can still help you if you have questions and we can run your samples usually within a few days.
Instrument run cost: $500
Plus the cost of the sequencing kit including shipping.
Cost: Costs vary depending on the number of cycles you need and the type of library prep needed. Please inquire about pricing for individual projects with Jodie.
We partner with the Genomic Analysis and Sequencing Core Facility located in the SOPH. They have extensive experience with extractions.
Please visit their website to see a list of their services.
Targeted Resequencing
Amplicon Sequencing
Hybrid Capture
Clone Checking
Small Genome Sequencing
De novo
Resequencing - includes alignment to your reference genome
RNA Sequencing
16S Metagenomics
Small RNA Sequencing
Quality Control
Library QC
ChIP-Seq usually for QC before scaling up to a HiSeq run
The steps to generating sequence include the following:


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NHL Game Night: 1-19-14 Lightning at Hurricanes
Vinik may not have known this, but when he bought the Lightning he got ownership of the Carolina Hurricanes, too.
Ben Bishop stopped 48 of 51 shots for the victory. Whereas yesterday Ben wasn't a difference maker, tonight he was the first, second, and third stars for the Lightning. He made the big saves and a little luck and opportunism did the rest.
First Period
6:09 TB Barberio (1), (Killorn, Palat)(PP)
7:32 TB Palat (10), (St Louis, Johnson)
15:07 TB Kucherov (8), (Pyatt, Malone)
Second Period
0:24 TB Purcell (10), (Gudas, Carle)
1:46 CAR Semin (9), (E. Staal)(PP)
05:40 CAR E. Staal (11), (unassisted)
8:12 TB Barberio (2), (Brewer, Palat)
Third Period
6:14 CAR Hainsey (4), (Liles, Tlusty)
Mark Barberio and Bishop were the game's first and second stars.
It was pretty clear in this one that the Lightning had zero left in the tank after the emotional game yesterday. They were already running on fumes having recently completed a string of games that had them traveling to the far corners of North America and back. Fortunately for the Lightning they got an excellent goaltending performance, Carolina didn't, and they got quite a lot of luck sprinkled in, too. A broken stick aided in the Lightning's first goal, the third and fifth goals had elements of fortuitous bounces in them, and the Lightning's fourth goal came off a misplay by Carolina's backup, Khudobin, after the Lightning chased the starter Peters (sorry, Tripp Tracy, you'll have to keep the Peters for Vezina balloon drop under wraps this time).
It's funny how some teams just have other team's numbers. For years the Lightning owned the Atlanta Thrashers just as for years the Ottawa Senators had the Lightning's. Recently, the Lightning have owned the Carolina Hurricanes, including a regular season concluding victory that knocked the Hurricanes out of playoff contention in one of those years. It's just one of those things. The Lightning have to really try to lose to Carolina, and as much as they did so tonight, they couldn't help but get 2 points. I'll take it, and the end result is that at the 50 game mark of the season the Lightning managed to collect 11 of the minimum 12 points they wanted out of segment 5 of the season. That means they retain 3 insurance points going into segment 6, which should see the return of Steven Stamkos around game 6 or 7 of the segment. So, they're very close to have surviving an injury that many thought would cripple the young club, which is a tribute to the players and coaching staff. Even more impressive, the victory today moves the Lightning into a tie again with Boston for the Atlantic Division lead, though the B's retain 2 games in hand. If they can stay even with Boston until A.) Stammer gets back in the lineup, and B.) Stammer gets the rust off, they've got a chance to go banner hunting. That's something to think about in March though. For now? They need to focus on getting at least 12 points out of the next 10 games.
Barberio had 2 goals and was +2 with 2 penalty minutes and 4 shots in 17:11. Stepping up into the PP spot vacated by the injured Victor Hedman, Barberio showed good awareness to spot that a Carolina defender had left to go to the bench after breaking their stick, leading him to jump up for a tap-in for his first NHL goal. He later benefited from some luck as a centering feed ricocheted to him in the high slot where he unleashed a low slapper that ramped up a Carolina defender's stick into the top corner for his second NHL goal. Congratulations to the young man. Yesterday, I think he had his best defensive game in the NHL and tonight he had his best offensive showing in the NHL. You hope it portends a big stretch run of the season.
J.P. Cote was -1 in 7:45. He got his pocket picked trying to move the puck at center ice, which led to Eric Staal's goal off a 2-on-1 that developed from it. Not good.
J.T. Brown had 3 shots and 1 hit in 13:05. With the Lightning trying to weather the storm in the second half of the game, Brown's line with Kucherov and Thompson was the only line that seemed to really have their legs and they strung together some key forechecking shifts, including one after Carolina's third goal where they did everything but light the lamp.
Nikita Kucherov had a goal and was +1 with 2 shots, 1 hit, and 2 blocked shots in 13:08. His goal came on another bit of luck with a deflected centering feed that bounded to him in the slot all alone for the quick release finish. If you're wondering, 8 goals in 27 games projects to 24 goals over 82. Not a bad rookie campaign, I should think.
Box score and extended statistics from NHL.com.
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Effective Tactics rules, mission, etc
This is long but PLEASE read… There is probably something here you should know!
We have welcomed a lot of new fans in the last few weeks. I guess it's time to send this out again. This is my introduction, how the Effective Tactics page works, our rules, our basic weekly schedule, and our general giveaway formats. We've never posted it all in one place before. So, here is goes.
•EffectiveTactics Mission
At this point, in the life cycle of this page, some of you know me personally. A few of you have even been welcomed to my personal FB page. You know I can get pretty passionate about some topics. I promise that this will not be "That" place. I am a Conservative Christian patriot. I believe in our Constitution, I am a staunch supporter of the Bill of Rights (the whole thing!). I love my God, my wife, my kids, my family, and my friends. I'd lay my life down for any of them but I'm not going down without a FEROCIOUS fight!
I will try to keep political/religious posts to a minimum on this page. The purpose of this page is for ALL people interested in becoming better prepared for disaster, epidemic, financial collapse, alien invasion (for my father in law. LOL), or whatever life may bring to your doorstep. We will cover topics of preparedness, personal security, home defense, food storage, first aid, camping, hunting, gardening, canning, and the occasional laugh (Sunday Silly).
The hope is to keep the information simple, relevant, and practical. I want to help take the fear out of getting started and open a dialog with those who have knowledge to share. I don't want politics and religion to be a divisive intrusion on our ability to communicate. I have my beliefs and you have yours but we can come together on the topic of preparedness.
successful in producing a desired or intended result.
"effective solutions to environmental problems"
synonyms: successful, effectual, potent, powerful; helpful, beneficial, advantageous, valuable, useful; formalefficacious
"an effective treatment"
convincing, compelling, strong, forceful, potent, weighty, impactful, sound, valid;
impressive, persuasive, plausible, credible, authoritative;
logical, reasonable,
plural noun: tactics
an action or strategy carefully planned to achieve a specific end.
synonyms: strategy, scheme, stratagem, plan, maneuver;
•The RULES!
AMERICA has FREEDOM OF SPEECH! As long as you're courteous and respectful, so does MY PAGE. I ask that you keep the language "PGish"… I understand that emotions get the best of people from time to time. I'm pretty lenient on this but don't push it.
If you speak ill about our troops, you'll get banned… I won't tolerate it.
If you speak ill of law enforcement in general… Banned for that too. If we share a video or article about a particular dirty cop, that's cool, but don't lump all cops into that category.
If you complain about a giveaway, you'll be banned. No warning. No comment. No reply. Just banned.
If a company donates a product and you talk crap about their product… Banned.
If you attack a fan for an honest question… Yep, banned too. We are all here to learn and you aren't that cool. Get over yourself.
Now go have an amazing day and go buy one thing "just in case". That's exactly how you start prepping.


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Ing. Jana Richterova
Arrangement of web service
Websites for your market
Pod Kasarny 349
Lazne Bohdaneč
tel. + 420 466 301 636
mobile phone: + 420 608543831
Websites are here for you and your customers. Websitets present your work.
Fill the contact form and I can help you.
I optimize your web. SEO can help you to be visible for all time.
The acceptable price is a natural thing for me. Write and call, I am here for you.
Websites as a marketing strategy is not only a good begin but a faithful guide too.
Does your market stagnate? Try Internet.


text: Share: Comments Print December 9, 2013 at 2:40 PM The red carpet or how I learned to love the Jingle Ball | Extras Posted by Owen R. Smith Fifth Harmony. No interview but their bubbly personalities were on display as they posed for pics. Photo by Owen R. Smith. If you read my review of 106.1 KISS FM's Jingle Ball 2013 show in Everett Sunday night, you might get the impression that the whole thing was kind of a bust. Musically, you'd be right. No one sounded particularly good and there were plenty of acts that fell short (Paramore, Fall Out Boy and Austin Mahone in particular were dismal). So what made the event interesting? For one, there was a "red carpet" portion of the night. Why the Jingle Ball felt the need to have a red carpet crammed in the bowels of the Comcast Arena is beyond comprehension but it provided a chance to snap a few pics and talk with some of top-40 radio's biggest stars. Despite the fact that I spent a total of five minutes with the three acts I interviewed, it was a humanizing experience. Celebrities, they're just like us! Hit the jump for the best snippets. Icona Pop. Photo by Owen R. Smith. While their ubiquitous, insidious single "I Love It" is starting to overstay its welcome, there's no doubt that the future is bright for Swedish girl power pop duo Icona Pop. Obviously it's the holiday season now. Are you two noticing any weird differences between Christmastime in America and over in Sweden? Caroline Hjelt: "Well, it's going to be our first Christmas that we're going to spend here, so I think we're going to find a lot of differences but right now we've just been traveling around and we're enjoying the Christmas feeling." Aino Jawo: "I think the biggest difference is that in Sweden you celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve. By Christmas Day, it's kind of over and you eat the leftovers, so I think we're going to celebrate the day before." Your hit single "I Love It" is huge. Did you ever predict that song's success? AJ: "I think I'm starting to get now how big that song has been. We've been working so much and traveling everywhere. We just got home from Asia and people know it over there. But we're dreamers. We have a lot of expectations but when it happens we're of course like, 'Wow.'" Next up was Danish band New Politics. These affable guys were genuine and seemed happy to be part of the tour. They were also old hands at the red carpet and spent much of their time joking around with the gaggle of photographers snapping pics. New Politics. Photo by Owen R. Smith. Hi guys! Talk a little bit about the challenge of playing this kind of show. You're on stage for what, maybe 15 minutes? How do you engage with the crowd and make that connection immediately? Soren Hansen: "Ten minutes! I think we just go and do what we do." David Boyd: "It's definitely challenging. We just unplug. It's fast." Louis Vecchio: "We just try to have as much fun as we can in a short period of time, which is fun because it's like watching little mice scramble around on stage." Talk a little bit about being on this tour. It's kind of a unique set-up, especially as one of the few "rock" bands on the bill. DB: "It's so inspiring. It's nuts. I never would have thought about this in a million years. We started in Denmark, in Copenhagen four years ago and now we're here. It's just wild. What an acknowledgement. It's really inspiring to also see how much more we have to do and work. To see all the other bands and how hard they work and where they've gotten to because they work and sacrifice." Last up, for me at least, was Flo Rida. He might have a silly name but the guy is huge. His song "Whistle" has been listened to almost 100 million times on Spotify and his hit single "Low" is still one of the most instantly recognizable rap songs around. Dressed in Jimi Hendrix camouflage, Flo Rida turned out to be a soft-spoken, genuinely nice guy — even if he couldn't name a single Seattle rapper. Flo Rida. Photo by Owen R. Smith You're the only mainstream rapper on the bill. Talk about what you bring to the show. Flo Rida: "Aww man, my love for music. I'm definitely well-rounded. A lot of love when I perform. A couple of acts on tonight's bill I've done a record with. Austin Mahone, definitely a pleasure working with him. I'm just an international artist, bringing all the different inspirations to conjure up enough music to create an album. I'm sure you keep track of the hip hop scene. Anyone out of Seattle catching your eye right now? FR: "To be honest, I don't know who's from Seattle. But today I got a chance to go visit one of the rock star legends, Jimi Hendrix's grave site." What was that like? FR: "It was amazing. That was my first tattoo, Jimi Hendrix. He's a rock star legend. When he performs (it was) very electrifying. When I perform I'm always trying to be captivating. It was just very touching to go visit his grave site." And there you have it. Maybe it wasn't groundbreaking stuff, but the red carpet worked in that it gave Sunday's affair a touch of glamour it certainly wouldn't have had otherwise. -Owen R. Smith, on Twitter @inanedetails Comments | More in R & B/Hip-hop, Rock/Pop | Topics: Fifth Harmony, Flo Rida, Icona Pop


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Indy Air Bears Visit Van Buren
Laura Shinn
Friday, October 21, 2016
Van Buren gave a warm welcome to the Indy Air Bears! The Indy Air Bears team was established in 1986 by Niki Glover and has been performing, competing and teaching jump rope skills around the country ever since. The Air Bears have been ambassadors for the American Heart association since 1987, promoting the "Jump Rope for Heart" program. The students at VB cheered on the jumpers and thoroughly enjoyed the high energy performance!


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Actress Greta Scacchi's love affair with Italian cinema
From lead roles in Hollywood to the stages of Paris, Greta Scacchi's acting career has taken her around the world.
But the 57-year-old is particularly fond of the cinema of Italy, where she was born.
"I think that, as in many countries in the world, Italy is in a period of change," Scacchi told RN Drive.
"There's been a struggle with economic pressures and with the pressures of informal immigration.
"Because of the shifting identity of Italy, and the difficulties that people are suffering there, the cinema is beginning to produce a kind of new neo-realism that's as gritty and real and good as some of their post-war cinema."
Reverence for art and culture
Scacchi, who is an ambassador for the Italian Film Festival, which is touring capital cities, believes that there is an open reverence for art, academia and culture in Italy, which leads to a very different sort of film than those produced by major Western studios.
"When you watch Italian films it's very engaging, because you must engage with them," she said.
"You are requested, as an audience, not to just lie back and have the thing wash over you — you have to think and apply yourself and then you'll find it's very rewarding.
"It [Italian cinema] doesn't necessarily answer all the questions; the stories can have some inconclusive quality, but that is their truth — not all questions can be answered and things aren't black and white."
Though she is best known for her work in Hollywood films like Presumed Innocent and The Player, for Scacchi those projects were a means to an end — a chance to return to the roles she truly loved in Europe.
"I didn't go to Hollywood until I really had to," Scacchi said.
"European film directors wanted me for a project, but the producers and the money people decided they had to go for a bigger American name.
"When that happened to me the third time, I went to the [United] States."
After two weeks in Los Angeles, Scacchi said she was offered a role in Presumed Innocent.
"So that was the ticket that I needed to get into their kind of American market," she said.
"I soon ran away … I didn't like it very much."
Different on-set cultures
Scacchi's long and varied career has seen her take roles in everything from Australian favourites like Looking for Alibrandi, to period dramas like Emma, alongside the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow.
Having worked on films around the world, she believes that each country has its own distinct culture on set, and America's is the most hierarchical.
"The star system is their form of monarchy," she said.
"I remember when I first walked onto a film set in America and nobody was allowed to look Harrison Ford in the eye."
Yet, when starting out in England, Scacchi was told of the importance of knowing everyone on set.
"In America there was no chance to do that because if you ever met eyes with the focus puller, he would look down at the ground," she said.
When she began working in Italy, Scacchi found that it was necessary to become more distant for her own protection.
"In Italy, when I applied this technique of getting to know the names of the focus puller or the clapper loader, by day three they were saying 'come here and give me a kiss' or 'why don't you sit on my lap', and I realised that in Italy if you are a lead actor, you don't say hello to everybody," she said.
"They don't want you to be familiar — they want you to be just a little more on a pedestal."
And again Scacchi explained her experience of working in Australia was different yet again.
"In Australia, of course that wouldn't go down at all well," she said.
"Everybody here is the same, it's democracy, it's egalitarian, and I actually like that environment most of all."


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Download the Solo K Qualified Plans Forms
Click the starter kit button above for a single pdf that contains all of the forms below.
You will need Acrobat reader to view and fill in the forms.
ApplicationQualified Plan
|Account Type
|Required Forms
|Solo K
Qualified Plans
|Application Checklist
|Individual(k) Adoption Agreement
|Qualified Plan Agreement
|Qualified Plan Transfer Form
|Fee Schedule
|Client Release Form
|Funding Form
| Optional Forms
Credit Card Authorization Form
Interested Party/Limited Power of Attorney Form
New Account Reminders
Sign & Submit
Most forms can be signed and submitted electronically. For the security of your account, electronic form submission requests must be initiated by our office. If you wish to submit a form electronically, please contact your account administrator.
For your security, some forms require an ORIGINAL, SIGNED COPY be mailed to our office. For these forms, please mail to:
Important Notice and Disclaimer
Please send all documentation to Next Generation Services. Sending documentation to Next Generation Trust Company may result in delays of review and processing times. Please note: We attempt to answer all emailed inquiries within one business day. Before a client transaction goes into the queue to be processed, administrative review will be between two and five business days depending on the complexity of the transaction and our volume of transactions. Investment documents are processed in the order in which they are received. Most transactions are completed in two business days provided that we have original, correct documents and cleared funding.
Next Generation Services ("NGS") does not review the merits or legitimacy of any investment. NGS does not endorse or recommend any companies, products, services or investments. NGS does not provide any financial, legal or investment advice. If the services of NGS were recommended by any third party, such persons or entities are not in any way affiliated with NGS. NGS is not a "fiduciary" as defined in the IRC, ERISA, and/or any applicable federal, state or local laws. All information provided is for educational purposes only. All parties are encouraged to consult with their professional advisors prior to making any investments.


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80 Light Leaks & Transitions Pack
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Template Description: 80 Light Leaks & Transitions Pack is a beautiful After Effects template with 80 awe-inspiring and dynamically animated light leak transitions. It's so easy to use and ideal for AE beginners. A cool way to enhance your fantasy films, action movies, trailers, teasers, TV shows, commercials, intros, openers, presentations, slideshows, promotions, upcoming events, Facebook and YouTube videos. Surprise your audience by adding light, clean and creatively animated transitioning effects on to your videos. Video Copilot's Optical Flares required.
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text:
Recently-released data show that Kuwait's non-oil economy grew by a subdued 0.9 per cent in 2011 as key sectors continued to feel the fallout from the financial crisis.
Growth in 2011 was affected by falls in output in the trade, manufacturing and finance sectors. The latter was likely affected by continued deleveraging at investment firms, according to a commentary from the National Bank of Kuwait.
Although growth has probably picked up a little since, a faster pace of government project spending and aggressive economic reforms are needed to provide a more permanent boost to growth.
Recently-released data show that Kuwait's non-oil economy grew by a subdued 0.9 per cent in real terms in 2011 as key sectors continued to feel the fallout from the financial crisis. In addition, growth in earlier years was revised down from previous estimates, which now show that the non-oil economy contracted for three straight years between 2008 and 2010.
"We expect growth to have picked-up somewhat in 2012, thanks partly to strong growth in the consumer sector, and our forecast for non-oil growth of 5 per cent in 2013 remains unchanged," said NBK, "But faster implementation of government capital spending projects and a more aggressive approach to economic reforms are needed to put Kuwait's economy on a permanently higher growth path."
Real oil sector output jumped by 14.1 per cent in 2011, as Kuwait (and other Gulf OPEC producers) responded to rising oil prices by increasing supplies and sought to offset steep falls in Libyan output. This increase was more or less in line with expectations. However, because of lower-than-expected non-oil output, overall real GDP growth in 2011 came in weaker than the 7.6 per cent we had estimated, at 6.3 per cent.
The sluggish performance of the non-oil economy in 2011 was driven by falls in output in three sectors: trade, manufacturing (including refining) and finance and business services. The fall in the latter, at 7.2 per cent, was especially large and by itself subtracted some 1.9 per cent points from non-oil growth as a whole.
Within this category, the fall in output came almost entirely from 'financial institutions', which includes investment companies that continued to deleverage in the wake of the financial crisis. Output in this segment was 53 per cent lower in real terms than its peak in 2007. The bulk of this deleveraging is now likely behind us. As a result, the sector's negative contribution to non-oil growth should ease going forward.
Elsewhere, there were strong performances from the utilities (+10.9 per cent) and community & personal services (+6.4 per cent) sectors – both of which have close government links. In the latter, for example, public administration & defence, education, health and social security account for 84 per cent of total output. These will have benefitted from the huge 20 per cent rise in public spending on wages & salaries seen in FY 2010/11.
Looked at by expenditure types, the figures broadly confirm the view of an economy driven by oil exports and government spending, while investment spending remains weak. Exports were the fastest growing segment in 2011 – unsurprising, given the policy-driven increase in oil production described above. Similarly, government consumption grew by a very solid 9.7 per cent, again likely reflecting the solid rise in public employment costs seen during the fiscal year.
Gross investment declined by 4.0 per cent. These numbers can be very volatile, and the fall does come after a 19.8 per cent increase seen a year earlier (though this in itself followed a sharp fall the year before). We estimate that the public sector (including oil) typically accounts for around half of all investment in the economy, so the government's poor record in delivering on major infrastructure projects has hit investment levels hard. Gross investment in 2011 was still seven per cent lower in real terms than at its peak in 2008.
More puzzling is the apparent weakness in private sector consumption, which rose by just 2.3 per cent in 2011 following a fall of 11 per cent in 2010. The consumer sector has generally been strong in Kuwait over the past few years. Moreover, February 2011 saw the KWD 1,000 Amiri grant awarded to each Kuwaiti, which judged by other metrics seemed to have a significant impact on consumer spending levels. As such, we tend to interpret weak consumption figures more as a reflection of the statistical challenges in measuring consumption, than as a sign that it has provided less support to the economy than previously thought.
In addition to the new 2011 data, there were some major revisions to the GDP data between 2006 and 2010, generally resulting in weaker economic growth than previously thought. Real non-oil growth averaged 1.3 per cent between 2006 and 2010, rather than the 3.8 per cent reported earlier. Of the revisions, by far the largest was to 2010, where rather than growing strongly, GDP is now said to have fallen by 2.4 per cent. The sources of the revision were mostly the utilities, communication, and finance sectors, where output was revised down by a combined KWD 2.3 billion. Parallel revisions on the expenditure side came from weaker private consumption and net exports.
Via SyndiGate.info
© 2019 CPI Financial. All rights reserved.


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I was recently reading a story in TRADITIONAL HOME magazine and, came across an article and spaces designed by TOBI FAIRLEY. She is AMAZING and, I plan to follow her work from now on. Her designs are fresh, bright and happy.
|Photo Credit: TOBY FAIRLEY
These photos are all featured on her design website: TOBY FAIRLEY.
She is from Little Rock, AR., only 2 short hours from Memphis, TN. Who knows? Maybe I could take a "field trip" one of these days and meet her!
CAN YOU SAY "FABULOUS"? These spaces are GORGEOUS! Keep your eyes open for more of her work in interior magazines….there are sure to be many more displays of her work in the future.


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This pack of healthy Almonds gives the best taste for any recipe. The unique BBQ flavor is loaded with several tasty ingredients like red pepper, garlic and onion making it the ideal choice for your favorite dishes. It comes packed with many nutrients and you can get many health benefits by using them. You can rest assured that the finest quality Almonds are used in this pack and you can even enjoy them as a healthy snack. It is very rich in many vitamins and minerals and ideally suited for everyday dishes that are essential for your overall health.
Ingredients: Almonds, Salt, Water, Chili pepper, Garlic, Maltodextrin, Sunflower Oil, Natural Smoke Flavor, Bell Pepper, Onion, Silicon Dioxide (Anti Caking Agent), Red Pepper, Paprika, Brown Sugar, Corn Starch.


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Hi, I'm Sazky (legally Camilo Jiménez), I'm 27 years old. Colombian by birth, designer by vocation, art director by profession, and dad by lack of planning ;). At Work? I just follow my gut feeling, I'm passionate about aesthetic harmony, simplicity and ideas de puta madre (fucking great ideas in english, but, sounds better in spanish). At Life? Once again, gut feeling never fails. I'm passionate about travelling, food, football or anything that Juan José wants (Juanjo is my son).
I've always preferred to let my work speak for itself, so that's it.


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Another year of quantifying tastes, this time with more links and less prolix. Begin!
Pulled back the abstraction that made the last few releases schizophrenic to the point of becoming unlistenable.
Designer Codes
Cat Toy Factory
Glitched-out indie rock that's more interesting for its production than songwriting.
The Verve
A logical orchestral space rock continuation after an extended hiatus.
Meat Beat Manifesto
Planet Mu
Dub step and jazz samples.
This Will Destroy You
This Will Destroy You
Magic Bullet
Telefon Tel Aviv meets Mogwai.
Minus the Bear
Tigre Blanco
Previously-released heavy post-produced indie prog dance rock songs are pulled off with acoustic guitars and percussion.
Los Campesinos!
Hold On Now, Youngster… / We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed
Is this what they call blog rock?
More focused than the quickly forgotten Army of Anyone project.
Death Cab For Cutie
Narrow Stairs
You emos write decent songs (yeah, that's all I have.)
Portion Control
Grimy post-industrial techno/ambient.
Thursday & Envy / Jesu & Envy / Jesu & Battle of Mice
Temporary Residence / Daymare / Robotic Empire
A is to B is to C and D can come too.
Century Media
Post-metal with jazzy fretless bass lines and insane drumming.
Nine Inch Nails
Ghosts I-IV / The Slip
The Null Corporation
Sobriety may have made Trent a bit too productive for his own good.
Barry Adamson
Back to the Cat
Central Control
Genre-jumping noir jazz is likely the most playful dark albums in years.
Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan
Sunday at Devil Dirt
Sweet innocent vs. broken down trials and tribulations? Is that what they're going for here? My broner for Lanegan continues to grow.
Step even further away from conventional rock radio with a focus on acoustic guitar for "Earth".
The Walkmen
You & Me
Gigantic Music
Deliberate pacing showcases they're not all about writing indie rock singles.
The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull
Southern Lord
Think Low and Sunn O))) with a sprinkle of jazz piano, transforming it into slow-moving instrumentals fit for a western desert run.
Russian Circles
Pelican with a more expressive drummer.
Suicide Squeeze
The Mars Volta
The Bedlam in Goliath
Gold Standard Laboratories
Fuck it, just throw a drum fill in there.
Object 47
Pink Flag
Dirty post-punk brings in more melody.
The Constantines
Kensington Heights
Arts & Crafts
A downtempo album more in line with "Soon Enough" rather than "Working Full-Time" from predecessor Tournament of Hearts.
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!
Double entendres and completely direct innuendos are back via a rock sound invigorated by Grinderman.
Young Team [remastered] / The Hawk is Howling
Rock Action
Cathartic instrumental rock with electronic touches that doesn't depart too much from their revisited beginnings.
Travelling around the world inspired a quality world music-tinged album.
Plants and Animals
Parc Avenue
Secret City
Classic rock, prog, psychedelic, and folk thrown into each song are exercises in self-indulgent, but catchy, jamming.
The Fall of Troy
Phantom on the Horizon
Equal Vision
A five track EP that's meant to play out as a continual drop-of-a-dime time signature changing journey? Are you The Mars Volta, but better?
The Gutter Twins
Sub Pop
Afghan Twins and Mark Lanegan. And brooding.
These Arms Are Snakes
Tail Swallower and Dove
Suicide Squeeze
Post-hardcore chops provided me a Botch fix.
Mercury Rev
Snowflake Midnight / Strange Attractor
Another reinvention although the Flaming Lips and Radiohead comparisons won't end.
Primal Scream
Beautiful Future
Soulful, upbeat electro-rock where lead singer Bobby Gillespie still sounds drunk.
Kiss the Lie
Rising Pulse
A lost album resurfaces by way of a record label digital release stuff up. Wait for the band's direct vinyl + CD-R release next year where you can fully appreciate their transformed math rock cum modern metal stylings. Let's just hope the end of their tenure doesn't lead into the sort of fear that forms a Christian rock band. Oh, shite.
The Solar Sea EP
Codeseven space rock reincarnated.
John Murphy & Underworld
Sunshine: Music from the Motion Picture
Fox Music Group
Beautiful tension-filled mix of string and subtle beats finally gets a 2008 release, even if it's DRM-inflicted iTunes-only.
Cult of Luna
Eternal Kingdom
Post-hardcore dirge and massive riffage.
Sigur Rós
Með Suð í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust
XL Recordings
A few short pop songs thrown into their usual ethereal and sublime compositions that let me get in touch with my inner yuppie, Stuff White People Like-style.
Black Mountain
In the Future
Classic rock revival channels Sabbath, Zeppelin, and Santana that's even better live.
A change in membership didn't diminish the collective's prog-metal power and diversity.
Ten year hiatus was just a blip in the creative RADAR, still darkly vibrant.
Cut Copy
In Ghost Colours
Modular Recordings
An Aussie New Order with discordant indie guitars.
TV On the Radio
Dear Science
Overwhelmingly dense art rock that's both political and sexy.
Sharing Space
Difrnt Music
To get people's attention you can't just tap on the shoulder, you have to hit them with an Aussie prog rock sledgehammer.
Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes / Sun Giant EP
Sub Pop
Those reverb-heavy vocal harmonies will make you want to dust off stowed away Beach Boys and Neil Young vinyl.
Hey Rosetta!
Into Your Lungs (And Around in Your Heart and on Through Your Blood)
An eclectic Canadian east coast band not afraid to show their folk roots. Think Arcade Fire but without the pretension.


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West Nile Virus
West Nile Virus
Our Challenge for 2004 and Beyond
General Information - West Nile virus (WNV) belongs to a family of viruses, the flaviviridae, many of which can cause encephalitis, a potentially fatal inflammation of the brain and spinal cord. WNV is known to affect birds, horses, and humans - and occasionally other mammals - and, in an odd case, alligators in Florida that had been fed WNV-infected horsemeat.
History - The virus was discovered in Africa in 1937, and was first detected in North America in 1999 during an outbreak in New York. The "genotype" of the WNV detected in North America is most similar to the virus found in an outbreak in Israel in 1998, and distinct from other strains of WNV found around the world, which do not kill birds. Since the summer of 1999, West Nile infections have been confirmed across all of the United States. The 2002 season was particularly virulent, racing across many states which had no previous presence of the virus, and sickening and killing many thousands of birds, including a much higher proportion of raptors than in earlier years - as well as many more people and horses than before. It is not yet known if this huge expansion in impact was caused by a variant strain, or simply by environmental conditions.
For example, the drought in much of the mid-west earlier in that year was followed by rain, which may have caused a huge bloom in mosquitoes with fewer birds (who had, perhaps, gone elsewhere because of the drought) to keep them in check. The assault on raptors may have been caused by the lack of other bird hosts or by raptors eating other infected prey. However, this is all theory. In 2003, Colorado was particularly hard hit and it struck unusually early in the season - late spring, rather than the more normal late summer/early fall - possibly due to heavy spring rains and then very hot weather, perfect for hatching mosquitoes. So far in 2004, WNV continues its march west, with Arizona and California sharing the dubious distinction of the highest number of cases. It has also been identified in horses in Mexico and some birds in the Caribbean and further south.
Oddly enough, in early October 2002, it was announced that a raven in northeastern Washington was confirmed to have WNV; in late October, a case of a crow in Washington was also confirmed. But Washington then had no cases at all during 2003. Now, in late summer 2004, the virus has reached Oregon (previously the only state in the lower 48 with no cases) and is rapidly approaching Lane County, both from the east and from the south.
Transmission - Birds serve as the host for the virus, which is spread by mosquitoes to other birds and animals. So far, it has been shown that only in birds can the virus reach the level of viremia to reinfect mosquitoes. As of September 2003, West Nile Virus has been identified in 11 species of native owls, 4 species of falcons, and 15 native species of diurnal raptors, including osprey, vultures, and bald and golden eagles. Altogether, between captive and wild birds, WNV has been identified in 218 species of birds in North America, with the crow family (jays, crows, ravens, and magpies) and, in the last two years, some raptors, seeming to be especially susceptible. It has also been found in 28 species of mammals, besides horses and humans, and two species of reptiles. This is clearly only the tip of the iceberg, however, as in most areas, once the virus is confirmed present, testing at public expense ceases - and few rehabilitators or individuals can afford to take on that cost themselves. Even the list of affected species has not been updated by the US Geological Service since September of 2003. Though still considered 'newly emerging,' this disease is clearly now a permanent fixture in the Western Hemisphere.
There are no verified cases of transmission from birds or mammals to humans, or person to person (except through blood transfusions and organ donations, though an infant drinking breast milk from an infected mother whose milk showed viral particles, so far is positive for antibodies but has shown no sign of the disease). There is, however, strong concern and some indication that contact of WNV-contaminated blood or tissue with an open cut could lead to transmission to people, and thus extra precautions handling dead or sick birds are warranted.
In a laboratory environment with infected and uninfected crows housed together, the virus has been shown to travel bird to bird through, it is believed, direct contact. The virus was not transmitted from infected birds to uninfected birds when they were caged separately but in the same room. These results would suggest that, though the virus is shed in large numbers in both saliva and feces, aerosol transmission is less likely to occur and has not apparently been demonstrated to occur between birds so far. However, if an aerosol were created during washing (spraying with water) of cages that contained a bird who shed large amounts of the virus in its feces, then the risk of aerosol transmission to adjacent birds would be increased.
Some blood-sucking ectoparasites (specifically hippoboscid flies) taken from infected birds have tested positive for the virus but it is not yet known if (a) it is because they were still blood engorged (with virus in the blood meal taken from the infected bird), (b) if they would test positive after having processed the blood meal, or (c) if they can, in fact, transmit the disease through biting. Tests continue on those aspects. However, bird mites have been documented in experiments to transmit Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus (another flavivirus) to birds.
More critically for raptors in general, studies by the CDC during 2002 have shown that (1) WNV can also be transmitted through eating infected prey; (2) the virus thrives at B70C, so is not killed by freezing; and (3) there are some birds, e.g., house sparrows, that can act as asymptomatic carriers of the disease. The disease has been found in several mammal species this past year (e.g., squirrels in the mid-west), more so than in previous years, and two species of reptiles.
Human Impact - Regarding human risk, the mosquito is necessary for transmission of West Nile Virus between birds and people.
Although thousands of humans have been infected, the vast majority tested who showed antibodies to the disease never knew they were infected. For a few, flu-like symptoms arise. However, for less than 1% of those infected, WNV can cause a dangerous and even fatal encephalitis - mostly in older (over 50) or immune suppressed people. Different species of mosquitoes have different predilections to bite birds or mammals or people. Only female mosquitoes bite, only about 1% of those carry the disease in any given area, and very few people bitten will even know they were infected B and mosquito bites can be prevented. The risk of serious disease or death from WNV is nowhere near as high as it is from flu.
To avoid mosquito bites, wear long pants, long sleeves, use a DEET-containing repellant on skin and clothes when working outside, and avoid being outdoors at high mosquito-activity times of the day like dawn, dusk and early evening. Remove breeding opportunities for mosquitoes where water collects. A bigger danger than the virus itself is over-reaction on the part of the authorities or the public and the resulting decision to do widespread spraying of insecticides - as happened in NY in 1999 and Louisiana and Illinois in 2002. This has the potential to cause far more harm than the virus itself, especially to birds but also to humans. The risk to wetlands organisms and other insects (and the birds, plants, and economies that depend upon them) is very high, depending on the type of pesticide used.
Although there are no proven cases where it has been passed from bird to person via blood-to-blood contact or aerosol transmissions, the Oregon Health Service and CDC web sites have suggested hunters wear gloves when handling the meat from dead game. Furthermore, Dr Ward Stone, NY DEQ veterinary pathologist, whose laboratory has been handling thousands of suspected cases in the last four years, requires his staff to wear two layers of latex gloves, a chain-mail glove (to prevent puncture by bone fragments), and two more layers of latex gloves over that when dealing with potentially WNV-infected blood and tissue. He feels that at least one case of infection among his staff was caused by direct contact.
Although there is evidence to show it can be transmitted between birds (via direct contact, fecal/oral, possible aerosol transmission, or ingesting infected prey), the risk of bird to human transmission is probably minor. There are more and more people working with sick birds each year, in a variety of circumstances, with few reported cases - any of which could have easily been from a mosquito bite. Precautions for hygiene and sanitation are always in order when handling sick animals and should be satisfactory with WNV.
West Nile Virus in Raptors - Although the crow family by far remains the most susceptible, West Nile Virus has caused sickness and death in huge numbers of raptors in many parts of the United States -- the vast majority, for some as yet unknown reason, since mid-July 2002. Great horned owls and red-tailed hawks have been infected by the thousands, especially in the mid-west. There is now laboratory proof that birds can get the virus by eating infected prey - and house sparrows are a species of often asymptomatic carriers. Kay McKeever, who runs the Owl Foundation in Ontario, Canada, has lost over 100 of her breeding owls. Other raptors deemed most susceptible are goshawks, as falconers have found; and several zoos have lost eagles. So far falcons have seemed to be the least susceptible of the raptors, but there have been cases in the four main species of North American falcons. Some species may be as yet unlisted or under-represented, as there are also some gaps in reporting cases from rehabilitation centers to the national data banks, especially if the confirmation did not go through state public health testing labs but was done independently or were not tested at all. Smaller birds, or birds with the largest or more remote territories, are also less likely to be found - all of which means that we do not yet truly know the full impact this disease in having on raptor or other bird populations.
Clinical Signs of WNV in raptors seem to occur in three phases, specifically -
Phase 1: Depression, anorexia, weight loss (in proportion to duration of starvation), sleeping, pinched off blood feathers, elevated white blood cell count.
Phase 2: In addition to the above, head tremors, green urates (indicating liver necrosis), mental dullness/central blindness and general lack of awareness of surroundings, ataxia (clumsiness or poor equilibrium), weakness in legs, exaggerated aggression, very high fever, polio-like flaccid paralysis, excessive sleeping, detached retinas.
Phase 3: More severe tremors, seizures, and death
Obviously not all birds show all symptoms - they vary enormously but these are some of the clinical signs that have been listed by rehabilitators seeing large numbers of cases the last couple of summers. Equally obviously, there are other conditions such as head trauma that can produce similar neurological signs or many diseases that can produce elevated white counts, fever, or loss of appetite.
As with people, some birds can get the disease and show no outward signs - blood tests alone reveal exposure (through the presence of antibodies) or current infection (levels of the virus in the blood). Birds are likely to be infective for only a few days and CDC tests have shown it takes 3-4 days from exposure to develop viremic levels of the virus in the blood even in asymptomatic cases. Infected birds that do not yet display clinical signs may be more prone to other accidents, such as flying into windows, cars or fences - so quarantine protocols of all birds must be enhanced.
Because this is a virus, there is no one prescribed treatment. But supportive care can be provided and it is possible for some birds to recover. In general, the likelihood of recovery depends on what phase the bird is in. Phase 1 birds respond reasonably well to supportive care. Once they reach Phase 2, some birds respond to supportive care, but others do not and proceed to phase 3. Complete recovery is uncertain. Birds suffering from the severe tremors and seizures characteristic of Phase 3 are close to death. Intervention is probably not going to alter the course. As with other facilities which have been dealing with the disease, once CRC starts receiving WNV-infected birds coming into the clinic, room and volunteer time may force triage decisions in determining the cases with the most potential for survival and the euthanasia of others.
Recovery - Recovered birds may have cleared the virus or they may have become asymptomatic carriers - there is no way of knowing. We can never say "never," but it is assumed that once a bird recovers from WNV infection there should be little chance of its being a source of virus to vectors or directly to other birds. However, we do not know much at this time about the possibility of persistent WNV infections in birds: i.e., birds that become acutely infected followed by a chronic infection until there is a relapse at some time in the future to make virus available again for mosquito transmission. As a guideline, it is recommended that "recovered" birds be held inside for two weeks after they have recovered, not so much to prevent them being a source of virus to mosquitoes, but mostly to make sure they won't relapse - we don't know the course of the disease that well yet. In general, however, it is thought by researchers that recovered birds should have very low virus counts in their blood - probably not enough to be an immediate infection source. Oddly, some recovered birds (high antibody titers) have been found to harbor live virus in their feather follicles - and researcher do not understand why or what it means. It may be that since WNV is a summer disease, when birds are molting, and blood circulates into new feathers (i.e., blood feathers), perhaps as the feathers finish growing and the blood supply pinches off, there is a detectable residue in the follicle and surrounding tissue. It is not known if that could become a source of re-infection, either to the bird itself or to a mosquito.
No one knows if there are likely to be birds that will have permanent neurological damage, even if they have survived the virus infection. Each case is, of course, different - but if, during recovery, a bird plateaus for an extended time, showing no sign of improvement, it's likely that's as much as they are going to recover. When to euthanize must be a case by case decision. In a small CDC study during 2002 that experimentally infected some non-releasable birds with the 1999 virus, none of the birds showed any clinical signs of illness, though their blood showed viremic levels within 3-4 days; on necropsy, the only internal sign was an enlarged spleen. We do not know if that might have a long-term effect or if it returns to normal.
During 2003, Dr Patrick Redig from the Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota conducted a study with non-releasable red-tailed hawks using a new DNA vaccine made from the 2002 virus isolated from a raptor. The birds were then sent to the University of Louisiana, where they were experimentally infected with the virus. This research is only beginning, as no one knows how much vaccine is needed, or how much virus is necessary to reach an LD50. Unfortunately, it has become impossible to find enough non-releasable wild raptors that have not been exposed to WNV, so the study is now continuing using domestic quail. Their susceptibility may be completely different. Even if the vaccine proves effective, getting it manufactured for the small captive bird market - or even rehabilitated birds - will be difficult. Obviously, the horse market is much larger and the equine vaccine is the one that has also been used in birds - though no one has done a challenge test in any species except crows (where it was not effective).
Treatment Protocols - Because WNV is a virus, the primary treatment is supportive care (fluids, nutrition, warmth). In addition, treatment of the associated spinal/brain inflammation with non-steroidal anti-inflammatories such as Meloxicam, Banamine or Celebrex can be indicated. In histological examination of brain tissue, what is seen most often is necrosis and vacuolization, with varying degrees of inflammation. Steroids such as Dexamethasone are not recommended because of immuno-suppressive concerns. Vitamin B1 (thiamine) may be helpful and is often routine with neurological conditions. Vitamin E is possibly helpful, but care should be taken with dosing, as the fat-soluble vitamins can be overdosed. During 2004, an experimental treatment using a human blood pressure medicine has been tried with varying results.
Prevention of the Disease in Captive Birds - The dose of the equine vaccine (made by Fort Dodge) that has been used in birds has induced no apparent negative side effects. Many zoos and education programs have vaccinated their birds and, at least in some birds tested so far (some raptors and cockatiels), antibodies have been produced. We have no idea if this confers protection on vaccinated birds - e.g., although there is some indication that it has in sandhill cranes, it definitely does not in crows. However, it does not appear to do any harm and it is thought that it may prepare the immune system to react more vigorously if the bird becomes infected. During 2003, vaccinated goshawks at a breeding facility did get sick but few died, whereas earlier goshawks had been shown to be quite susceptible.
CRC has vaccinated all of its resident raptors with the equine vaccine, starting in early 2003, with boosters in 2004. We have not been inoculating birds we release, due to the cost of the vaccine (between $15 and $30 per bird, depending on size and whether two or three shots are given), the extra time in captivity that would be necessitated by the vaccine protocol (2 or 3 shots given 3-4 weeks apart) after a bird has been determined to be releasable, and the unknown efficacy of the vaccine in birds.
Protective Measures -For collections of birds, the first defense is to protect them from mosquitoes by moving them indoors, covering enclosures with mosquito netting, and/or using a USDA-approved carbon dioxide mosquito trap. We have screened all the enclosures housing our permanent resident birds and now that WNV is in Oregon, we have also moved our crow and raven inside, into screened cages in our clinic building. It is also critical to isolate infected birds in mosquito-proof areas away from other birds that may be at risk, as well as removing any ectoparasites that might possibly transmit the disease, and to incinerate carcasses of dead birds. Long-term, we must be prepared to deal with an ongoing threat of West Nile virus for the foreseeable future.
Within the clinic, housing rehabilitation birds in individual cages, without direct contact, sanitizing (careful cleaning with diluted bleach or commercial antiviral solution) of cages between use by different birds, and careful handling and sanitary disposal of fecal material should greatly reduce the risk of direct bird-to-bird transmission. CRC will use its screened outside ward as a quarantine area, and will help regulate temperature in there by putting plastic around it, if needed, though the mosquito season should coincide with warm weather. Quarantine protocols will be very important.
Control of ectoparasites on intake is part of quarantine procedures with any new patients, and particularly important with suspected WNV cases. Starting in 2002, Cascades Raptor Center has stopped accepting killed or live wild prey for food, and will not accept free range chickens/ roosters. Even donations of mice from the Forest Service or other sources must be from completely enclosed or screened buildings. We have checked with all our current chick, quail, rat and mice breeders to ensure their facilities are completely screened, and we've screened our breeding facilities as well.
Although no transmission to people directly from birds has been documented, a bird with the disease can shed the virus in both saliva and feces. So once we have cases in the CRC clinic, staff should wash hands even more frequently, wear latex gloves when cleaning hospital cages and wash their gloved hands between cages, dispose of cage newspapers to an outside receptacle immediately, and wash laundry frequently, so feces do not dry and aerosolize.
For the public - In finding or handling dead birds, minimize any direct contact. Wear gloves if possible, place the bird in a sealable plastic bag such as a Ziplock, and freeze. Wash hands thoroughly after handling.
Testing of dead birds in Oregon is funded for corvids only (crows, jays, and magpies - probably ravens) that have been dead less than 24 hours and that are part of a general die-out in a particular area - i.e., that has been going on for 2-3 days. Collection information is available at www.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/acd/diseases/wnile/birdform.pdf.
Pre-approval must be given before the birds can be shipped for testing. When finding dead birds that meet the above criteria, contact your county health department or vector control agency. Locally, call Lane County Public Health (682-4041) or call Environmental Health (682-4480). They will take your information and contact Dr Emilio DeBess, State Public Health Veterinarian, at the Oregon Department of Health Services: 503/731-4024. If the specimen is accepted for testing, you will be given instructions on how to send it to OSU Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, 30th and Washington Way, Magruder Hall - Rm 134, PO Box 429 - Corvallis OR 97339-0429. They only accept birds Monday through Thursday. For more information, see www.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/acd/diseases/wnile/wnile.shtml.
No one in Oregon seems able or willing to do testing on live birds. IDEXX offers a WNV antibody blood test for $50, but actually sends it to Cornell for running and their backlog is undoubtedly large. Such diagnostics, though expensive, would help us in differential diagnoses where typical treatment for CNS problems from, say, head trauma, would be contra-indicated if the signs are from WNV. For the most part, rehabilitators have simply had to get familiar with the disease and how it manifests, and treat cases primarily with supportive care.
For more information about West Nile virus, visit the following web sites:
and www.westnilemaps.usgs.gov/ for WNV maps
(Much of the foregoing has been taken from the FAQ sheets of The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota, the CDC, Wildlife Health Center, and Oregon Health Department web sites cited above, as well as personal communications with people working at the CDC, Wildlife Health Center, and vets and rehabilitators who have been working with raptor cases the last three summers, or who have been in contact with experts working in the field.)
Prepared by Louise Shimmel
Cascades Raptor Center, Eugene OR
(541) 485-1320


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Two Quickies: How Green Was Maleficent's Valley?
How Green Was My Valley's Best Shot?
I did not forget and I'm grateful to the Best Shot participants who are so faithful and who turned theirs in on time. I fell too behind but here is my choice...
Since I can't choose "every shot of the main street" which John Ford and his cinematographer Arthur C Miller shoot in so many narratively compelling and beautiful ways with any and all the characters, I selected this one, which contains none of the main characters. Unless you stop to consider that the main character is actually the town and its people. This shot is so elegiac, like the coal miners are attending yet another funeral when it fact it's meant to be a celebratory moment. And they're actually outside the local bar... which is right next to the church...which is just down the hill from the coal mine. For all the film's sentiment -- something that threw me off the first time -- the emotional content isn't simplistic. It's generally both beautiful and barbed. The push and pull between nostalgic sentiment and brutal truth always works best in the film's silent-movie moments where no one is narrating and the dialogue is completely secondary to the images. The men look so defeated here, in prayer as they gather for a choral performance which also doubles as an impromptu depressing farewell for more fired miners, who are leaving the village behind.
Please join us next Tuesday night for Zorba the Greek (1964) - Watch it and pick / post your best shot.
3. While You Wait For an Official Maleficent Review...
I haven't yet fully figured out my take on Maleficent. Maybe I won't? It keeps shapeshifting in my head. Bird. Man. Dragon. Wolf. I know that many web critics can churn out 1000 words on something they saw 2 minutes ago and do it seemingly all the time. I envy them but a truth: I need more time than that to let movies percolate. But I did manage to sift through a few of my feelings in this conversation with two movie people I adore: Mister Patches and Katey Rich on their podcast "Fighting in the War Room."
Have a listen and try out their wonderfully frequent podcast if you haven't already.


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What do our students have to say?
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I cannot believe that people are not more upset about the wire tapping issue. It was exactly the issue that got Nixon impeached. There were laws put in place after that to avoid just this kind of problem in the future. There are secret courts that will give warrants, even after the fact if necessary. There is no reason to eavesdrop without a warrant.
I can't understand why the democrats are unable to capitalize on this better. The administration is crashing and burning, but the dems are unable to step up. Are they that afraid of the Karl Rove mud slinging machine? The press is finally starting to actually report on negative things about this administration and put pressure on them to answer questions. Well, at least they're asking the questions.
But, it seems like too little too late. The New York Times had sat on the wire tapping story for over a year. It could have prevented this terrible second term, if they had published it right away. I think the bad guys already had to suspect that they might be being listened to.
Of course, we have joked with friends for years that they run snoopers on every phone line listening for key words, and that if you said the wrong thing in a phone conversation you'd have the feds at your door before you knew it. But, I don't think we really believed that big brother was listening.
September 11th was a terrible thing. But, I think that very little has actually been accomplished to make us safer. The Department of Homeland Security is a joke. Katrina showed us how effective they would be in the aftermath of another attack.
It has been proven over and over that the administration has lied to us at every opportunity. But, they are masters of the spin. And, people keep believing the spin. You would think after everything that's happened during this president's two terms, and how much of it has turned out to be blatantly untrue (Weapons of Mass Destruction come to mind). People still don't question the spin. People are lazy. They turn on their Fox news and never bother to check other sources to try to weed out the spin.
While I'm ranting, I don't understand why the Democrats are completely willing to roll over about the Alito nomination. I guess it's fear that if they drag it out it will hurt their chances for re-election. But, I think just voting against the guy isn't enough. It's unfortunate that they chose to focus so much on the Vangard case as a way to try to discredit the guy. He didn't really do anything wrong in that case. I think the more important problem is that Alito wouldn't distance himself from his extreme pro-life rhetoric from the 1980's. But, Alito said all the right things, I just don't think we can believe any of it. I think his membership in the organization that was anti-woman and anti-minority was of much more interest than his actions in the Vangard case.
It is so frustrating to read these polls that indicate people aren't that upset. Again this year, as in 2004, the Republicans have been instructed by Rove to run on fear, that plays well. And, I don't understand why. I personally am more afraid of what will happen if this republican majority continues through 2008.


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This year for our Christmas Eve service we are going to join our sister church in Everett! We will worship together at 10am and then have a fellowship coffee hour after church. Please mark your calendars now to come to church in the morning! We will not have 1:30pm service that day to allow for Christmas festivities to begin for everyone!
For those that might have transportation issues to Everett, we are looking into a van/transport bus that could take people up as a group. More info on that to come.
If you have any questions, email email@example.com


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Chris "Mango" Milic, alongside Jesse Alba and Pat Gallaher, started Frog Skateboards — an MS Paint-driven brand that doesn't take itself too seriously — a little over a year ago now.
The crew recently put out a new video of Luis Ouida messing around, with some guest appearances from Jalba and Ringo. Peep it below.


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Read Time: 3 Minutes
NEMA ratings can often be confusing. All too often, enclosures are specified with the wrong NEMA rating, which can mean wasted revenue if the chosen rating is too high, or premature failure and the potential for safety risks if the rating is too low. Choosing the correct enclosure for your needs helps reduce costs and ensures that your components are adequately defended.


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Last week, I wrote about Monty Python, which is celebrating its fortieth anniversary this year. The New Yorker writer and senior editor Hendrik Hertzberg wrote several pieces on the troupe as its popularity grew in the mid-seventies. I spoke with Hertzberg the other day, and he said that he first became acquainted with Terry Gilliam while Gilliam was working at Harvey Kurtzman's Help! magazine in New York. He met the rest of Monty Python at a party in England in 1969. It seems that Hertzberg made quite an impression on the group back then. In "Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years," Michael Palin recalls a promotional visit that Monty Python made to New York in the spring of 1975:
Down to the bar for lunch and a drink with Rick Hertzberg and friend from the New Yorker. We ate looking out over Central Park South and the very well-heeled class of persons passing by. Definitely one of the world's superior sidewalks. At one point a man came in and shook us all by the hand. I didn't know who he was, but later he rang, saying he was a film producer and would like to "talk over some ideas." While we were thus on display, and chatting very pleasantly (Rick seems the nearest to one of us we've met), they pointed out a man who was apparently well-known in NY for star-spotting. He spends all his time outside hotels approaching people indiscriminately and asking them if they're celebrities. He then takes an autograph off them. Rick guaranteed that if any of us popped out of the elegant revolving door of the Navarro, we would be accosted instantly. We tried it with Terry Jones with a total lack of success. Terry even hung around waiting to be recognized. Finally, in some disappointment, Rick buttonholed the star-spotter and said, "Aren't you going to ask your usual question?" He viewed Terry rather skeptically and then said… "OK, can you lend me ten bucks?"


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Many of you will already be aware of the fact that back on 21st November 2011 my little Monkey decided that he just couldn't wait any longer to meet his mummy and daddy and put in an appearance 10 weeks early. I think it's safe to say that the experience was traumatic for the both of us and i will go into more detail with this when my 'birth story' is published, but as with most premature babies he had numerous health complications and was whisked straight off to NICU without me barely catching a glimpse of him.
It wasn't until a couple of hours later that one of the midwives gave me the most precious gift ever, unfortunately not my bundle of joy, but the next best thing, his first ever photograph and my first proper look at him.
Two beautiful blue eyes, a cute button nose, ten tiny little fingers and ten tiny little toes. I didn't know whether to smile or cry, I knew he was in safe hands but they weren't mine and all i wanted was to hold him in my arms, take all of the bad stuff away and tell him that everything was going to be okay. That's what mummies are supposed to do.
It was at that moment that i fully understood what it meant to truly love somebody so much that you would give your life for them.
There really is no greater love than a mother's love.


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|we all got shivers...
i've been watching debates for a long time and i can honestly say that i have never seen a debate were the participants were more respectful of each other. indeed, the contrast with the republican debates could hardly have been more stark: there were no people making fun of each other's appearance, yelling over each other at almost every opportunity and opting for one-liners and discredited theories [no, donald, vaccines do not cause autism] rather than specific plans they had to ameliorate the position of americans. it was actually a bit weird.
there's been a fierce argument about whether the "winner" was bernie sanders or hillary clinton, but i think the real winner was the party, because what was communicated by the entire evening was a not-so-subtle reminder that when everyone gets tired of the side show and starts to think more seriously about who they think can tackle real problems and who embodies the sort of image they want to project to the world, the democratic party will have an option for them.
i also thought that cnn acquitted themselves better this time around than they did with the previous republican debate. that isn't saying much, but there were some tough questions for each candidate and there was never the sense that things were getting out of control as they had on the last occasion. [however, i think that that is at least as much to do with the candidates as with cnn.] there were some silly questions at the beginning about electability, a concept that no media professionals seem to understand. the idea that a certain type of person is electable holds only until something happens to change that. prior to 2008, blacks weren't electable. prior to 1960, neither were catholics. to talk about the potential for a different sort of candidate- a woman, a socialist, someone who is still pretty unknown- being unelectable is trying to see the road ahead through a rearview mirror: if the road isn't perfectly straight, there will be problems.
along with the comportment of the candidates, the other major difference in this debate was that the questions were generally far tougher than those from the republican debate. anderson cooper had research on hand to back up claims that he made on the record of the candidates [although he did tell at least one lie, claiming that bernie sanders had honeymooned in the soviet union]. he pressed where necessary, which was a nice change of pace. however all this just goes to show, as cenk uygur from the young turks put it, that cnn and all the major news networks are terrified of the republican party. they pander to them by throwing out soft questions, letting non-answers slide and declining to correct even the most blatant untruths. [cnn now claims that republican candidate carly fiorina's declining numbers are due to her lying about the content of deceptive anti-choice videos about planned parenthood and therefore alienating moderate republicans, however, on the night of the debate, their pundits said the statement was a reasonable inference from the video.]
the most replayed moment from the debate is undoubtedly senator sanders flabbergasted response to host anderson cooper's question about hillary clinton's emails. it's being replayed mostly for the humour value and because pundits have referred to it as a "gift" to mrs. clinton, but again, the analysis misses the point: sanders is right and the content and handling of those emails is not important in the lives of americans. he might have added that anyone who does consider her emails to be an important factor was never going to vote for a democrat anyway. [incidentally, there are perfectly valid concerns about a high level member of the administration communicating government business through a medium that cannot be accessed and archived. it removes the ability of the people to learn what the government does in their name, which is scary should anything go wrong in the future, and says some nasty stuff about how unconcerned powerful people can be with keeping state business even marginally transparent. but the issue has been so mishandled that it's become ridiculous to discuss. ideally, this is a time when the media should step in and ask questions on behalf of the public rather than facilitating the partisan blandishments, but neither cnn nor their compatriots are up to that task and so, as long as no salient questions are being asked, sanders is perfectly right to dismiss the line of inquiry.]
what's gotten lost in the post-debate coverage are the more interesting discussions- about gun control, climate change, even the nature and limitations of capitalism- which is a shame, because it's one of the few debates where i've seen the candidates willing to have discussions and not just regurgitate sound bites. i can't guarantee that feeling of goodwill is going to last indefinitely, so if you have the chance to watch this momentous event, it's worth doing so just to see what a decent debate looks like.
in parting, i give you a few words about the individual performances:
lincoln chafee :: ok, there was one clear loser and you were it. don't get me wrong, you seem like kind of a sweet person, sort of the way my superintendent's six year old seems like a sweet person. i'm sure he still believes in the goodness of the world and thinks "it's my first day" is an all-purpose excuse too. you were so out of your depth it was painful, but honestly, i'm more apt to support the six year old for president. i haven't heard that you've dropped out yet, but we both know that's a matter of time.
martin o'malley :: possibly the person who did himself the most good on the night, although your opening statement was like what quaaludes would sound like if they could speak. owned the gun control discussion, but seemed way too evasive in a republican way about the deleterious effects of your policies on the [disproportionately black] urban poor in maryland, and how they've lead to deep mistrust between the people and the authorities. won't give you much of a boost in the polls, but may well give you a position in the administration and set you up for a run later on. which i suspect is the point of your running.
jim webb :: you deserved a better pundit reaction than you got, but no one likes a guy who keeps crying "unfair". you didn't get a lot of time [chafee got less, but that was probably doing him a favour] and you made your point. the first time you made that point, you seemed like you were being treated unfairly. the subsequent six times, it came off as a little whiny. there's been a lot of talk that you'd make a great republican candidate, which should be offensive to you given the quality of their candidates. you'd blow those people off the stage. you seemed a bit stiff and severe throughout, but you weren't bad. i suspect you'll be leaving us soon.
bernie sanders :: you held your ground. i was perhaps expecting a little more from you, because i'd heard that you were a great debater. it seemed like you were trying to use the same barn-burner speech-making that's served you well in front of crowds in the thousands thus far, but in a smaller room, with a more staid atmosphere, it seemed overwhelming. as important as your message is, you came off as a little one-note, turning everything back to the politics of economic disenfranchisement. even though virtually everything does relate in some way to that, you needed to show that you have the capacity to address different components of that problem at the same time. nonetheless, your influence on the campaign this year is felt in every area and if it weren't for you taking the high road and refusing to criticize your fellow candidates, we all know that the whole proceeding would have lacked the class that made it so distinctive. stick around, please, for as long as you can.
hillary clinton :: polished, presidential and practically perfect in every way. seriously, if you had a problem, it was that you might have been too perfect and left people wondering how much of what they were seeing was really you. your weakest point was your answer on how your opinions seem to change in line with public opinion, which is too bad, because it was a glorious opportunity to say "maybe i'm just evolving in the way that the american public is evolving". seriously, you can use that. the criticism that you said you were proud of having made enemies of republicans is asinine: you were asked to name the enemy you were proudest to have made and you're who's who of who hates hillary rightly got a laugh; anyone watching the debate with even a slightly open mind realised that you were referring specifically to that right wing fringe of congressional republicans who have worked so determinedly against you. a word to the wise, though: stop assuming that being a woman is enough to make you new and different. in many ways, it does, but you're also a powerful political insider: focus on explaining how that doesn't define you and how you won't be a prisoner of the vested interests backing your candidacy. bernie sanders isn't saying he'd be different because he's jewish. illustrating how your gender can make you a different sort of candidate on certain issues is great- the loudest applause of the night came when you said republicans were fine with big government as long as it was being used to control a woman's body- but it's not enough just to "play the gender card".


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Out Loud Academy: Zine Making Part 1 with instructor Sam Horton
Participants will be given a brief but detailed explanation and history of zines. I will bring copies of zines that I have collected to provide examples of different sizes, styles, types of binding and content. For our first group exercise, we will each create one mini zine (aka "pocket zine") out of a single sheet of 8.5x11" paper. Participants will hand write/draw all content for zine, keeping it very simple. By the end of the first class, the participants will have already created a zine. Next, I will provide them with a sample of my own zine in the standard folded sheet size with a total of 12 pages, including front and back cover. I will invite the participants to begin conceptualizing their first full-sized zine, including the theme, content and title. Participants will be allowed to create a zine on any topic or theme that they wish. The goal of Class 1 is to conceive a concept for their first full-size zine. Homework will be fleshing out their concepts and gathering a portion of their content to bring back for class 2. (Please note, it is not required to attend all three zine classes)
Out Loud Academy offers in depth educational programming for writers of all skill levels and styles to enjoy. Sign up for the full semester or take individual classes as they suit your needs and schedule! This comprehensive programming lets your learn from a variety of different instructors to hone your craft and explore new areas of literary arts. Classes will be held in the Out Loud HSV Studio # 260, 2211 Seminole Drive Huntsville AL.
Out Loud Academy: Zine Making Part 1 with instructor Sam Horton


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There are many great Women of the Bible. Sometimes in our anxiousness to receive the Word of God, we do not look at all those who have contributed to the Kingdom of God. Through this ring you will not only be introduced to those of old, but also to the new and upcoming ministries offered by powerful Women of God in this day and time. I would suggest that you visit every site and see what these Women of God have to offer you in the way of encouragement, love, inspiration, prayer and much more. I encourage you to take full advantage of all the things that are offered on Women of the Bible. Original description by Rev. Dr. Addie S. Robb
Welcome to Christian Webmistress!
This webring is for sisters in Christ who run websites. Whether the site is a ministry, your family site, or your personal site. All Christian Women with a website are welcome to join!
Welcome to Christian Women!
The goal of this ring is to bring togeather Christian women that have a Christian website. And that offer help, support and assists Christian Women as they cope with the demands of their lives. This is also a good way to be a witness to the Lord. If you are a Christian women and have a christian based website your are welcome to join this ring!


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Copeland coastal partnership
- Coastal Activities Leaflet Whatever your taste for adventure, here you will find details of a range of opportunities for all ages and abilities from kayaking to cycling, fishing to sailing.
Copeland Coastal Partnership
On 30 June 2011 Copeland Borough Council launched a new Coastal Partnership. The Copeland Coastal Partnership brings together a range of organisations that have an interest in promoting and enhancing the coast to encourage more people to enjoy the benefits of what is on offer.
Current coastal projects
A summary of current or recent projects undertaken by the Copeland Coastal Partnership.
Google - Copelands coast
Did you know that the villagers of Bootle once fought with 'sprigs of oak' to look after their coastline? Or, that the fishermen of Parton once caught herring with the aid of porpoises? These and many other surprising facts are displayed on the new interpretation boards along Copeland's coast. This map highlights all of Copeland's beaches and presents all the information you will need to make the most of Copeland's coasts.


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WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Among the stocks that could see active trade in Monday's session are Avon Products Inc., Cheapeake Energy Corp. and Penn Virginia Resource Partners LP.
High-profile companies on Monday's earnings calendar include Groupon Inc. GRPN, +2.04% and Agilent Technologies Inc. A, +1.95%, with Lone Pine Resources Inc. LPR, Electromed Inc. ELMD, +0.61%, Conmed Healthcare Management Inc. CONM, Photonics Inc. PLAB, +1.98%, American Science & Engineering Inc. ASEI, +0.39% and Silver Wheaton Corp. SLW, +0.46% also on deck to report results.
Read more on the fallout from J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.'s trading loss of roughly $2 billion.
Read more on the latest reshuffle at Yahoo Inc. including the departure of Scott Thompson as CEO.
Avon AVP, +0.45% said its board will consider Coty Inc.'s revised acquisition bid. The board, working in conjunction with management and financial and legal advisers, expects to render a decision "within a week," the New York-based company said Sunday. As detailed in a May 9 letter to Avon, the French developer and distributor of beauty products raised its buyout offer to $24.75 a share, after Avon's directors rejected a prior $23.25-a-share bid. Coty's reportedly lined up Berkshire Hathaway Inc. BRK.B, +0.17% BRK.A, +0.03% as a financing partner for its latest offer, which values Avon at more than $10 billion.
Also Sunday, New York-based Towers Watson & Co. TW, +0.91% announced a deal to acquire Extend Health, Inc., operator of a major private Medicare exchange, and said it's expanding its business breadth as a result of the deal, which carries a purchase price of $435 million. San Mateo, Calif.-based Extend Health last August entered a strategic alliance with the professional services company. Towers Watson estimated the acquisition will dilute its earnings per share on an adjusted basis "by 2% or less" in the first year, then contribute "slightly" to profits in the second year. Upon closing, Extend Health will operate as a new segment within Towers Watson, joining its benefits, talent and rewards, and risk and financial services businesses. Extend Health's exchange works with public- and private-sector clients, including more than 30 Fortune 500 companies and more than 200,000 retirees, according to Towers Watson.
Late Friday, Chesapeake Energy CHK, +1.51% said it lined up a short-term, unsecured loan in the amount of $3 billion, net proceeds of which will be used to repay borrowings under the Oklahoma City-based company's revolving credit facility. The loan "provides us with significant additional financial flexibility as we execute our asset sales," said Chief Executive Aubrey McClendon in a statement. Chesapeake said it plans to complete non-core asset sales in a range $9 billion to $11.5 billion over the rest of 2012, with a portion of the proceeds to go toward repaying the loan, arranged with Goldman Sachs Bank USA GS, +0.37% as well as Jefferies Group Inc. JEF, +0.24% affiliates. Chesapeake also said it's received "strong interest" from prospective buyers of Permian Basin and Mississippi Lime assets, with transactions likely to be completed in the 2012 third quarter. McClendon is to give up the title of Chesapeake's chairman, in the wake of revelations about personal transactions.
Penn Virginia Resource Partners PVR, -0.60% increased the size of a private debt placement to $600 million, the company said late Friday. It's 33% more than the Radnor, Pa.-based company had previously contemplated. The eight-year senior notes, which will bear interest at an annual rate of 8.375%, priced at par, with the sale expected to be completed May 17. Up to $220 million of the net proceeds will be used by Penn Virginia to fund a portion of the purchase price for its previously announced acquisition of Chief Gathering LLC; the rest will go toward repay outstanding borrowings under its credit revolver.
The board of Cabot Corp. CBT, -2.00% approved an 11% increase in the company's quarterly dividend on common stock, to 20 cents a share. The new dividend's payable June 15 to stockholders of record as of June 1, the Boston-based producer of organic chemicals said.


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Aboriginal art entails all work made by Indigenous Australians, ranging from pre-date European colonization to contemporary artists, who continue to elaborate on their traditional culture. In particular during the past decades, Aboriginal art has gained increased international recognition. It covers various media, such as painting on leaves, wood carving, rock carving, sculpture, sand-painting, ceremonial clothing, as well as decorations found on weaponry and tools.
Art is one of the key rituals of Aboriginal culture and employed to mark territory and record history. It also tells the stories of the so-called Dreamtime when according to Aboriginal belief the world was created. Malcolm Maloney Jagamarra, an Aboriginal Artist, who was born at Aningie Station in circa 1955, described it as follows: The Australian Aborigines see themselves as the custodians of this country. Their dreaming is not just of the land, but of the song, dance and mythology of the land. The paintings we see on canvas today were originally painted in the sand and only lasted until the wind blew. Canvas is durable and has given the world a chance to learn about the Aboriginals' 'dreaming', their way of life and values."
The works in the collection of Gallery Sakiko New York were all made in the 1960s. The artists, as is often the case, are unknown.
Untitled [Snake]
Artist Unknown.
Bark, Framed
Left Height: 22 in. (56cm); Right Height: 25 in. (63.5 cm);
Top Width: 19 ½ (50 cm); Bottom Width: 21 ¼ (54 cm)
Note: The bark has been treated with (1) a solution of Technical Sodium Pentachlorphenate and (2) a solution of Toluol and Bedacryl, to fix the ochres permanently, prevent fungus in a tropically humid climate and to discourage wood pests. This work was collected in the Reserves of far Northern Australia by Dorothy Bennet of the Australian Aboriginal Art Trust.
Untitled [Kangaroo]
Artist Unknown. Tribe, Ganingu
Height: 28 ¾ (73 cm); Top Width: 11 ½ in. (29 cm); Bottom Width: 13 ½ (34cm)
Untitled [035]
Artist Unknown
Height: 31 in. (79cm); Width: 11 in. (28cm)
Untitled [Turtle]
Artist Unknown.
Height: 21 ½ (55 cm); Top Width: 10 ¼ (26 cm); Bottom Width: 10 in. (25.5 cm)
Untitled [039]
Artist Unknown.
Left Height: 29 in. (72.5 cm); Right height: 28 in. (71 cm);
Top Width: 12 ½ in. (32 cm); Bottom Width: 12 in. (30 cm)