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I MISS THE JOYS OF COMPOUND INTEREST. During my grade school days, the concept seemed magical — seed a bank account with a few dollars, nourish it with birthday and holiday loot, and watch a modest stash grow into a virtual money tree. Every deposit marked a financial milestone. When the teller fed my passbook into a chattering machine to update the balance and interest earned — at least 5 percent — I felt richer.
Today, my bank money is hardly working. I'm stuck with a "high yield" account that, over the course of a year, generates less than a penny on the dollar. Certificates of deposit don't pay much better, and "interest-bearing" checking yields a microscopic profit (about 0.05 percent), minus the monthly fees. Factor in inflation erosion, and saving the old-fashioned way is a losing proposition.
I'm still employed, however, and fortunate to have an employer-matched 401(k), so the sad state of my savings account is more of a frustration than hardship. It's my mother I worry about. Mom and millions of seniors without pensions depend on savings income to supplement Social Security and individual retirement accounts. They're hurting because the Federal Reserve, in a series of increasingly frantic moves, hacked interest rates to near zero following the financial crisis that enveloped the world in 2008. By making borrowing cheap, regulators pumped more dough into the ailing US economy, helping it to gain strength.
But enough with the minor league economic analysis. What about poor Mom? She paid off her mortgage, doesn't owe a dime to MasterCard, and nails the household budget every month. The money from her sweat-earned savings goes to discretionary spending or to offset expenses, such as the new roof she had to put on last month. One way or another, her money is funneled back into the economy, just like the policy makers in Washington want. But now she's got a lot less to funnel. For example, a 12-month CD that made 3.8 percent five years ago is paying about 0.33 percent this year, according to Bankrate.com.
Some will argue that conservative senior savers shouldn't expect to collect easy income — less risk, less reward and all that. In hindsight, perhaps more of them should have bought Apple stock, diversified by investing in bonds, or sold a photo-sharing app for $1 billion. But people like my mom also didn't buy homes beyond their means and use them as ATMs during the housing boom. An increasing number of those folks are receiving bailouts in the form of mortgage loan write-downs, because stemming foreclosures is considered crucial to the country's rebound. In effect, seniors are being required to sacrifice partly to right the wrongs of reckless borrowers, greedy lenders, and unscrupulous Wall Street firms.
How is that fair, I ask Greg McBride, senior financial analyst for Bank-rate.com, as if anyone should expect fairness from the financial industry. "Seniors have really taken it on the chin the past several years," he acknowledges. "It's like Aunt Edna stuffing an envelope full of cash, walking down the street, and giving it to the guy in the big house with the leased automobile who's up to his eyeballs in debt."
Feeling badly for Edna, I seek encouragement from Tony Webb, an economist at the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. "The needs of investors for income are unlikely to be uppermost in the Fed's minds," he says, quickly dousing my hopes. "I'm not privy to [Fed chairman] Ben Bernanke's innermost thoughts, but one can hazard a guess — it's going to be a few years before rates are raised."
Until then, I'm afraid, the recovery will remain on hold for many retirees. Due to a lack of interest.
Mark Pothier is the Boston Globe's deputy business editor. E-mail him at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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The NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers head back to Boston tied up thanks to the performance of Ray Allen in Game 2. The 34-year-old vet has had to overcome an injury-plagued career and multiple surgeries to win his first championship in 2008. However, thanks to an improved workout and diet, Ray Allen and the Boston Celtics are looking for their second title in three years.
"In an effort to get him more explosive, we've had to try and teach him how to land all over again," said Norton.
Ray Allen's workout allows him to build core strength by training functionally. For instance, he performs each move in an athletic position to simulate how his body would move on the court. "He'll train in shoes one day and bare feet the next to change the stimulus," Norton added. To work on balance, Ray Allen will stand on one foot, as his trainer throws him a medicine ball at varying heights. In addition, Ray Allen has been known to include P90X as a workout routine.
Ray Allen Game Day Diet
Breakfast (8:00 am): Ray likes to start the day with blueberry pancakes, which are loaded with antioxidants.
Morning Shoot-Around (10:00 am): Ray Allen goes to the Waltham training facility to shoot some hoops to get his blood flowing.
Lunch (noon): Ray usually goes with a lean turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread for his lunchtime meal.
Nap (1:30 pm): After lunch, Ray Allen usually takes a two-hour nap to get ready for the game.
Pre-Game Lunch (3:30 pm): Unlike his younger days, Ray Allen prefers a healthy diet. His favorite? Baked chicken, rice, and broccoli. "I ate too many heavy starches when I was younger and it seemed like my legs were always heavy starting games," says Allen.
Afternoon Shoot-Around (4:00 pm): After arriving at the TD Banknorth Garden, home of the Boston Celtics, Allen goes through some more shooting drills.
Stretching & Last Pre-Game Snack (5:00 pm): Allen will then stretch for up to an hour – paying particular attention to his hamstrings. He follows up with a couple of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and 32 oz. of water.
GAME TIME! (7:00 pm)
Post-Game Cooldown (10:00 pm): Allen caps his evening by soaking his feet in a tub of ice for 15 minutes.
If Ray Allen's diet and workout help him continue to play as he did in Game 2, the Boston Celtics may just win their NBA-record, 18th championship.

subset: commoncrawl


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Wes Bentley, Angus Macfadyen, Julian Sands ("24"), Jessica Szohr ("Gossip Girl) and Laura Ramsey ("Mad Men") are toplining indie post-apocalyptic drama "Hirokin." Alejo Mo-Sun is producing and directing from his own script, which centers on a reluctant hero — portrayed by Bentley — who is marked by a dark past and who must fulfill his destiny when forced to choose between avenging the murder of his family or fighting for the freedom of a people long abused.
Szohr has been cast as a cunning temptress, while Ramsey plays the heroine. Macfadyen is a tribal leader and Sands will play the nemesis.
Principal photography is underway, shooting in the Los Angeles area.


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We select individual securities which fulfill the regional and sector allocations that our target portfolio indicates will be the best investment choices.
To support the intermediate forecasts for individual securities, we produce a set of global political/economic scenarios for the next 5 years and update them approximately once every year. These scenarios are very similar in structure and intent to the one year scenario forecasts. They provide a useful check on our short-term estimates of the relative values of different asset classes and sectors. They serve as guidelines for company scenarios in some cases while issues relating to a particular company or industry may suggest unique scenarios in other cases. However, in all cases the global five year scenarios provide a context for thinking about the levels of stock valuation, interest rates, inflation and price levels five years hence, ensuring that different stocks are being valued in the future against a common valuation standard.


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Challenge #4: Damaris Wrote a Book! Let's Cook!
Damaris and I have talked about her writing a book for years. She is a secret genius and when it came to writing a book, she had almost one-too-many incredible ideas.
But as this particular idea gradually came to fruition, it became immediately clear to everyone that this was the perfect first book for Damaris.
And now the book is finally here!
Southern Girl Meets Vegetarian Boy is the most beautiful, smart, thoughtful, sentimental book I've ever seen. When you open this book and read all it has to offer, it's so obvious you're learning from an expert—and yet all the while it feels like you're just hanging out with your best friend.
The book follows Damaris' relationship with her vegetarian husband, and how his lifestyle has changed the way she cooks; she has learned to adapt her favorite Southern dishes for him (true love!).
The book has inspired me time after time as Damaris shares her unique plant-based versions of classic Southern dishes—while also providing her original heirloom recipes.
So what better way to celebrate Damaris' accomplishments than to get cooking! I challenge all of us (including the author!) to cook up their favorite recipe from the book and give us all the delicious details.


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Princess Urduja was an ancient warrior-princess who was also widely known as a heroine of Pangasinan. She was the daughter of Tawalisi, the king of a land of the same name. She is also found in Ibn Battuta's travel account from 1304 to 1377 AD.
Princess Urduja's army was composed of women and men, and she personally took part in duels and battles with other warriors. Ibn Battuta mentioned in his travel account that Princess Urduja wanted to marry a man who was capable of fighting and defeating her in a duel. She also wanted to travel to India, which she knew as the "Pepper Country."


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Posts Tagged Army List
Escalation League: Coteaz 500 Points
Anyway, for those of you who might have missed it, here is my initial 500 points:
Inquisitor Coteaz
9 Warrior Acolytes with 2 Meltaguns and 7 Bolters
– Chimera with Multilaser and Heavy Flamer
6 Deathcult Assassins and 1 Crusader
– Rhino
Heavy Support:
Dreadnaught with 2 Twin Linked Autocannons and Psybolts
For the deathcults I used Dark Elf Corsairs from fantasy. I have seen people use Dark Eldar Wyches as well, but I didn't want to use any existing 40k models to prevent confusion. The Crusader is a Bretonian Man-at-Arms with some purity seals thrown on him. Weird how a piece of paper and a wax seal makes him seem from the future… Finally for the Acolytes I used Cadian guardsmen, replacing their flashlights with bolters or meltagun bits I ordered from eBay. The autocannons for the Dread are of course from the Aegis Defense lines that Bill and I happen to have bought a bunch of back when planetstrike came out. Otherwise, everything else is pretty standard stuff.
So far I am pretty happy with my army, though I am still adjusting to the poor BS of the Henchmen squads. While the Deathcult have failed to do much so far, I have mostly fought shooting heavy armies so they are usually get shot down before reaching their target. However, Coteaz will often make back those points once he gets in close combat, assuming the enemy doesn't have a powerfist. I wont get into the specifics, but the next 500 points will add quite a few more henchmen squads and Chimeras. It will be by far the largest phase of the army in terms of how many models i will need to paint. Hopefully I can complete them in time.
I am really looking forward to continuing the league and the completion of my 1500 Inquisition army!
Countering Evil
Putting aside my extreme hatred for Opy and the Eldar. I wanted to help him do well at the Berks Spring tournament, so I created a 1000 point Space Marine list to help play test his army. The Space Marines were my first army from my early days of playing Warhammer 40k and I always liked the Ultra Marines from their look, their fluff, their everything. There has to be a reason they are on all the boxes right?
I used this army before to win a local tournament so I thought I'd bring it back as I'm probably 90% sure I'd be bringing this list if I was headed to the tournament.
My list includes:
- Forgefather Vulkan He'stan
- A Drop Pod with a Dreadnought inside with Multi-Melta and a Heavy Flamer.
- A Drop Pod with a Dreadnought inside with Multi-Melta and a Heavy Flamer.
- A Drop Pod with a 10 man Tactical Squad. Sgt with Powerfist and 2 marines with a Melta and Multi-Melta
- A Squad of 9 Scouts. 8 with sniper rifles and 1 with a Heavy Bolter with Hellfire Shells.
- A Thunderfire Cannon
My Idea with this army is to take out any troop transports as fast as possible and use the Dreads as an "in your face" distraction from the get go. With Vulkan making all Meltas, Flamers and Heavy Flamers twin linked that should go pretty well. If the enemy has any big creatures, I want to use the snipers and the hellfire shells to cut it down. Then use the Thunderfire cannon to punch a hole in any troops he may have sitting on an objective and use the Tech Marine's Bolster Defences rule to keep my troops safe.
Hopefully I can get together with him this week before the tournament so we can try it. If we do we'll be sure to bring you all the aftermath report (as long as I win).
First Amongst the Stars …
Greetings everyone, Opy here. As Rich stated earlier, I will be playing in the Berks Spring Assault II as my main army, the Eldar. While they are not my first 40K army, the Eldar quickly became my favorite back when their last codex came out in 2006.
I have been thinking long and hard about my army composition for the upcoming tournament. I didn't think the Eldar's usual tournament build of Dire Avengers, Fire Dragons, Wave Serpents, and Fire Prisms would work as the rules for this event are a bit different. For starters the Elite, Fast, and Heavy slots are all limited to 0-2. In addition, the tables are only 4′ by 4′ and all of the missions use Victory Points (in conjunction with objectives and modified kill points rules). These factors really forced me to think outside the box and after many, many lists I finally decided on one to try.
My list includes:
- Farseer with Guide and Runes of Warding
- The Avatar of Khaine
- Dire Avengers in a Wave Serpent with Scatter Lasers and a Shuriken Cannon
- Jetbikers with 2 Shuriken Cannons
- Vyper with Scatter Laser and Shuriken Cannon
- War Walkers with Dual Scatter Lasers
- Wraithlord with Brightlance and Missile Launcher
I have a feeling this army will win big or loose big, depending on the first few turns. My theme was to build up as many strength 6 shots as possible and to try and fit in some fun units I haven't used in a while, namely the Avatar, Bikes, Vyper, and Wraithlord. In all I have 44 strength 6 shots, 1 missile, 1 lance, and 1 melta (Avatar). The Avatar can also provide some close combat relief as the small board will almost guarantee some hand to hand combat and the Farseer to be able to shut down any psykers I encounter.
I look forward to playing this Saturday and getting in some good matches for our battle report on our first episode. See ya then!


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On the other hand, this has brought some inconveniences from the beginning. One of them is the problem of crooked photos that you have to turn to view correctly. Another is the 'upside-down' photo, which is more of the same.
But simple problems need simple solutions. A 'simple solution' is indeed how you might define Image Scaler, a simple and free app for Windows that lets you edit all your images by making small adjustments of the rotation, size, and crop, or even go all out with the brightness and color settings.
All this is done from a simple and nice-looking interface, making Image Scaler a simple but quite useful application.


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Key Points:
I am a qualified teacher of English. And one of the teachers who taught me to teach summed it up succinctly one morning in class. He drew a dog and a hoop on the blackboard. We the students were dogs and - metaphorically speaking - if we wanted to qualify, we had to learn how to jump through the hoop.
This is to say, we had to perform. If we wanted to be teachers, we had to reach a standard in our skills and abilities to teach. This standard was quantifiable, irrevocable, and most importantly non-negotiable. You either learned how to "perform the trick", and jumped through the hoop, or you didn't. And if you didn't, you failed. The end.
I wonder how many students in New Zealand high schools know what a metaphor is - or more interestingly, if they could spell it.
Additionally, I wonder if the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) understands the concept of standards, and of the achieving of them.
I ask this because management at the NZQA has stated that text abbreviations will be permissible in this year's NCEA exams - specifically the idiosyncratic text-abbreviated language predominantly used by young people in cellphone texting and email messaging.
"U mean i can rite liKe this IN a x-zam? KeWL. Way 2 go dude."
What is the NZQA thinking? Have their brains been abbreviated?
Is their argument for this that old chestnut, that language is a "living thing", and as such we should welcome any new variation - indeed, abbreviation - into the fold of proper communication?
I hope not. Language may be a "living thing", but at any one time there is an accepted and recognised standard - a fixed and wholly describable (and therefore teachable) version of what is correct, and what is incorrect.
Anyway, doesn't the NZQA understand the difference between formal and informal? And have they never heard of the expression, "There is a time and place for everything"?
Linguistics has a name for this: "code switching" - the changing of language "style" from one situation to the next, depending on appropriateness.
For example, a letter written to a potential employer will differ greatly in tone and style to that of a chatty email or text message tapped out to a friend. The average high-school student will be aware of this.
We learn to code switch from infancy, and by the time we're in our teens, it's instinctive. Rule of thumb: if it's important, it's almost always formal. Ergo, an exam is formal, because it's extremely important.
The NZQA apparently doesn't understand this.
The NZQA also appears not to understand why young people use text-speak to begin with. They do it because it's quick and a shortcut, but much of it stems from the fact they are lexically challenged.
So then it becomes a psychotically cruel circle. If they can't spell well, reducing the standards of achievement will give them a better chance at attaining a higher mark, but in consequence, the reduction in standards means their chances at improving their ability to spell plummets even further.
And then one day they will leave school, and they will write that letter to their potential employers.
"Deer sir ... "
Education, by its very definition, is meant to be the improvement of a student's skills and abilities, not the reduction of them.
And where will these reductions end?
Is education in New Zealand schools heading in the same direction as school sporting activities? Will it one day be not the passing of the exam that counts, but the taking part? Will one day, merely "giving it a go" be the benchmark of our education system?
That would be a sad future, and one in which our children will simply be dogs. No tricks. Just dogs.


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Tour de France podcast: Stage 11
Our intrepid journalists discuss all the important goings on at the Tour, and most importantly, how to pronounce 'Oyonnax'
On a long Tour de France transfer, our journalists discuss stage 11 to Oyonnax won by Tony Gallopin. Why can't Peter Sagan win a stage, what day is it, and who booked these hotels?! They answer all the important questions that you want answered.
Previous Tour de France podasts


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A Triple-Part Tale of Mushroom Hunting
February 3, 2012 § 4 Comments
I discovered the beauty of mushrooms as a busy and mildly lazy college student. They served as magical culinary currency. It's ugly to bribe your friends with cash. Produce a handful of mushrooms, and you can get anyone to ditch their homework and hang out at your place. A whole bag, or some actual shitakes, and they'll use them to cook dinner for you. I investigated cheaper ways to obtain these wonders. This currency can grow on trees, I rejoiced.
Still, mushroom hunting remained for the adventurous and experienced. I had heard the whispered warnings – mushrooms were dangerous if you hadn't been picking them your whole life, and only idiots and experts went after them. I kept my ears pricked for years, waiting for someone to tell me they had fungal degrees and awards and would take me with them. Take me with you! In November, when a visiting friend said he was headed out to the park to look for mushrooms with a few friends, I couldn't ask fast enough. I think I flipped a few words around in haste.
My friend told me his friend was an experienced mushroom hunter, and that this fellow and his girlfriend were taking the kid they babysit out before math time. We arrived at Forest Park, the largest park in the country within city limits, at a leisurely 10:30 am. I had imagined European truffle hunts at 5am with a pack of dogs. Instead, I was met by a friendly young couple and a baby that may have been able to walk, but certainly not far. He'd been "a few times, I guess, but I have this book" and she's been "hah, never." The baby had a pretty good grasp of the word "mushroom" and our cutoff time was for (I had misheard) his nap time.
We pointed to a spot on the map with a promising woody name, and strolled idly along among the trees and across the open grasses. We lingered under pines and poked at their bases. Here and there mushrooms revealed their wet brown caps. It was a refresher course in childhood. As a little thing I had lived with eyes locked to the ground, spying out treasures. I chose the obligatory ski coat based on the number of pockets, which I diligently counted in alpine store waiting rooms. I stuffed everything I discovered into those pockets – discarded chess pieces, broken bits of metal, colored plastic and bent wires – until I was a chubby round tomato-colored child. The ski coats seemed, like my lifejackets, invariably red. And here I was again, bribing the ground to give up something precious. The old skills were sharp and there was fungi here, and there, and there. I snatched them each up in my fingers. "Ah," my companions said appreciatively, "LBMs." Is that good? "Little Brown Mushrooms. Practically unidentifiable, to us." The mushroom book stayed closed.
We admired each little find's texture and color and held them out to the child where he was perched in the girlfriend's arms. "Mushroom. You want to touch?" She would say, and he would shake his head vigorously, or very occasionally, reach out a trembling finger and contact the strange object. I had prematurely admired them as babysitters, that they would take a child on such an educational adventure. I admired them all the more now that I knew they were bringing a child too young to even appreciate what was happening, although he was happy the entire time. Finally, a spread of small red mushrooms got the treatment, and the book came out. Pages and pages of mushrooms in every color and shape, waxy and slimy, tasty and treacherous, pictures of mushroom toast and mushroom hats and cookies and incredible discoveries. They were't edible, it said, but they were suitable as a dye. My friend bundled them up in a plastic bag, and told his stained white canvas shoes that they were in for a new hue.
More mushrooms were examined and discarded – mid-sized white ones, difficult to pinpoint for sure, and inedible ones. Mostly there was walking and chatting and idle glancing, not the frenzied expedition I had always imagined. It was relaxing. Then, under a patch of low brush reminiscent of ivy, a gleam of orange. We bent, broke, and rubbed it until we were sure. A false chanterelle often has a more brittle stem, hollow in the middle. A true chanterelle has a solid, rubbery stem and doesn't bruise. It was real. Nearby, concealed under the same viney plants, were more hidden orange gems. We cut off the soggy bits and stacked them in a paper grocery bag. I could barely stand the excitement. We drove to someone's house, slit them into thin strips, and cooked them in butter the way my grandmother used to. The rest we put away for the evening, and made a buffalo and chanterelle pie. Well, someone brought a package of "buffalo", and the paper wrapping read "yak", but no-one there could distinguish the finer points of large beastly flavor.
I had only gone because I thought there was an expert, but I couldn't help but think about how it had only been a couple inexperienced folks with a small guidebook, a random park, and a relaxing walk. I had been told so many times that the first mushroom hunt is a disappointment and not to give up; but this was a victory! A luxuriously flavored yellow-orange win. I couldn't wait to go again. Four days later I flew home to the snows of Vermont and then to Africa. All I had time to do was poke my head in at the shop where I worked and request a few mushroom guides as my christmas bonus. Armed with these, I plucked LBMs at the Trimet bus-stop and spent the ride learning the frustrations of defeat.
When I returned to Portland it was January. Winter rains had set in and out-of-season had no meaning to me so long as it was wet. Water makes the Pacific Northwest a mushroomer's paradise, the books told me. They also told me to ignore our fungaphobic culture, and that there was no danger in eating a mushroom so long as you 100% positively ID'ed it. Any doubt, and just leave it behind. If you were sure it matched every descriptor, you could cook up a little, eat it, and then eat the rest later. No questionables, no uncooked mushrooms, and you were perfectly safe. A few friends and I headed out to Forest Park with the GPS and the books. I was the only one who had ever been.
Where we ended up wasn't the visitor's center I was expecting, but a back road up the side of a hill that trailed off into a towering mossy forest. There were other cars there, too, so we parked and set off on foot. To one side the mud and vines twisted upwards; to the other, the road cut away and down below were the fuzzy green trunks of the trees whose fingers reached toward us, dripping, rows of ferns growing along their backs like spines.
Even off-season, winter life was everywhere. We found the flat brown plates of turkey's tails, chewed by the aborigines; a brain-like bright orange mass of goop known as witch's butter; and dark mushrooms so woody we couldn't break them off the trees they grew on. Our reward was clean air and the sunlight through the mist and the vast, mysterious trees. From the dark underside of a rotting log we plucked several clear white mushrooms. They were soft and appeared to have been made by jelly poured into a mold – one solid, shaped mass of a uniform gelatinous substance. They were wonderful to touch, and when we got them home, they turned out to be false hedgehog fungus (after the spike shapes under the cap), edible soaked in milk and honey or candied. One giant artist's conk we pried off a tree provided a hard white canvas for the scratchings of a friend.
Last week, I undertook my third little mushroomy enterprise. Several enthusiastic freshman girls, one of whom had helped found a local mushroom club, hadn't been out much either. When I begged them to go with me after a short mycology talk some students had given, I was laughed at a little. "It's not mushroom season," I was told, "What do you expect to find?" Emboldened by my last adventure, I said it was good practice identifying non-edible ones…and who knows? "Chanterelles go out of season after the fall, and morels won't be in till the spring, so you certainly won't find anything edible." I held out secret hopes. I have never listened well to others on the topic of nature. I teamed their car up with my books and we headed to Forest Park.
The girl's car was hot red with flames painted on the front and physics formulas for the energy and trajectory of it leaving the earth's atmosphere on the back. I brushed aside the piled CDs and fended off curious questions about my life. Little bits of ribbon and hanging objects were stitched to the seat backs and roof. My best friend is an artsy physics major, I sighed to myself, where do they all come from?
We sprung out of the car and into sunshine. The sat few weeks have been as un-Portland-like as possible: warm, bright winter afternoons in the place of customary gray rains. Wandering along among the trees, as I had done that first day, we paused now and again to admire the beauty of small, soft brown mushrooms, and for me to shake my head and refuse to draw out my book for LBMs. Some small false chanterelles lurked about; we criticized their poor disguise. We did identify some red-yellow mushrooms with a curiously waxy texture, and with that victory, couldn't have asked for more.
Then, peeking out under the low viney brush, a large, flat plate of orange. I peeled back the loose leaves and pulled up a magnificence the size of my open hand. "That look like…a chanterelle," one of the girls couldn't help but observe. "Nonsense." My heart pounded as I replied. "They're out of season." The gills were perfect, long and slim. The stem was thick and bent, unwilling to break. I cut it with a knife. It was solid. The color was ideal, and the flesh refused to bruise. It smelled of chanterelle. Was it my memory, invading with delicious reminiscences?
We bagged it. And then we bagged another, nearby, and dogged the area, searching for companions. There were in the end maybe five of nearly equal size, and a few small ones, all preparing to go soggy but not yet ruined. At home, I sliced off the slimy bits and washed off the dirt. They were perfect. Perfect chanterelles. There was no question, no doubt for any of us. We slit them into strips and piled them high. We sauteed them in butter and onions and garlic and rosemary. We cooked bacon, and cooked more mushrooms in the bacon fat. One bread run later, we had chanterelles sandwiched between fresh white slices and bacon and cooked onions. The sandwiches of a lifetime.
Stuffed, I sat and watched them try on my green eyeliner and blue lipstick and upturn my boxes of wigs. They picked 3 each to borrow and tromped off, happy, full, with little saran-wrapped sandwiches we couldn't finish and strangely colored hair.
Our victory was complete. We had won chanterelles in winter.
A Final Note:
The book we used most was All the Rain Promises, And More… by David Arora, a marvelous volume of fungal wit and wisdom. The author has squeezed as many hilarious and helpful hints as fit into a proper pocket print. I have a few others, but this is the #1 book I would recommend picking up if you are headed out into the wet woods of the Pacific Northwest. If elsewhere, I recommend it anyway. The author is also a master of alliteration, and I am properly awed and jealous.
§ 4 Responses to A Triple-Part Tale of Mushroom Hunting
Greetings and Salutations!
I would be more than honored to take you into the woods and share with you what I know. I am far from an expert–or at least as I imagine them, with their microscopes and co-authored articles–but I have been traipsing around in the woods on mushroom hunts with more and more information every year for the last 10 years. In the last 4 years, I have been particularly paying attention the succession of species, as one group passes on and the next appears.
See my best of the 2009-10 season here:
I have yet to upload the mushrooms from this season. My name is Zack, and I am a mushroom addict. Feel free to contact me on facebook!


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By: Mathew Hilton, MS, SPT
University of Delaware Physical Therapy
For some students, application season has ended and they may be celebrating an acceptance to pursue a health profession. For others, the application season may just be getting started. While this process may seem inevitably stressful, I want to let you know a few things to help you keep this process in perspective:
1. It's Normal to Feel Nervous
The admissions process is undoubtedly competitive for all healthcare professionals. As you assemble your admissions materials, it's very typical to question each part of your application
Is my GPA high enough?
Is my grade in that class going to be a deal-breaker?
Do I have enough experience?
If you're applying in this cycle, it's important to recognize what you can and cannot change. Focus on the parts of the application that you can still change: pending classes, pending standardized tests and the personal statement. By focusing on these items, you can avoid stressing yourself out and commit your best effort to these crucial parts of your application.
2. Avoid Comparing Yourself to Others
Along with focusing on the things you can change, this also means not trying to consider how you stack up against other individuals. It's tempting--I know. When you meet that student who made it into the program, you want to ask, "so what was your GPA?" Or, "how many clinical hours did you have?"
Even if their numbers are very high or very low, their numbers represent one data point that contribute to the class's average statistics. Yes, pay attention to the averages, but don't let your perception of your candidacy be shaped by the statistics of one or two accepted students.
3. Success is Not a Reflection of Talent
As you step back and think about your path as a whole, just remember that success is not a reflection of talent, intelligence or socioeconomic status. In a widely-viewed TED Talk, researcher Angela Duckworth discusses that the one variable that is able to predict future success is grit, or one's "perseverance and passion for long-term goals."
While your path to becoming a healthcare professional may take longer than others, don't quit. Everyone will face challenges at some point along their academic and professional journey. The key is to persevere through adversity by remembering why you're on this path.
4. Reflect on Your Passion
Why do you want to become a healthcare professional? Was there a certain patient whose life was changed by receiving care? Was there a certain healthcare professional who modeled for you the qualities of an excellent clinician?
Regardless of what drives you, keep these thoughts fresh in your mind, not only to help you with your personal statement, but to remind yourself that the path is undoubtedly worth the challenge.


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At the annual conference of the Society on Scoliosis Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Treatment (SOSORT) in 2012 a consensus paper was presented that outlined the need for reducing X-ray exposure in the management of scoliosis, especially in the pediatric population.
Systematic full spine X-rays have traditionally been the "gold standard" for monitoring scoliosis for progression or improvement with treatment. It is still considered the most reliable method of analyzing the curvature and therefore cannot be completely eliminated in the care of scoliosis. Even though the exposure with modern x-ray equipment has significantly reduced radiation exposure, because a patient with scoliosis can be monitored over the course of a couple of years their position was that because of the potential health risks any unnecessary exposure should be eliminated, if possible.
Alternative Methods of Monitoring Scoliosis
Recommendations were made for both modifying how X-rays are taken as well as using other non-radiation methods for monitoring scoliosis over the course of care.
- Scoliometer – A simple handheld device that a doctor can use to measures the rotational component of a scoliosis. This instrument is good for screening for scoliosis and monitoring the progress of treatment. It can be used by both doctors and parents to monitor scoliosis.
There is now an iPhone app that can be used at home by parents to monitor a child's scoliosis*
- Taking x-rays from the back instead of the front of the body – This significantly reduces the exposure of tissues that are more sensitive to radiation exposure such as breast and thyroid tissues without sacrificing the accuracy of the x-ray. The body blocks the majority of the radiation before it reaches these tissues significantly reducing the potential for adverse effects.
- Surface Topography – We use the Formetric System in our Offices to monitor our patients improvement on follow up. This advanced technology projects light beams across the back and has a camera at a 45 degree angle to capture a digital image of the lines on the back allowing for triangulation of the points to create a topographical image of the back that can be used to monitor the spine.
- MRI – When a scoliosis presents outside what is usual for an idiopathic scoliosis and it appears that a pathology may be contributing to a scoliosis a full spine weight bearing MRI of the spine may be recommended to rule out such things as a Chiari malformation, tonsillar ectopia, syringomyelia, a feathered spinal cord or other abnormalities that may be driving the scoliosis.
Click Here to view the Full Consensus Report
In all of our clinics we utilizing these alternative methods of monitoring your scoliosis on most of your follow up visits. As long as we see either stabilization or improvement in your scoliosis we won't have to take an x-ray of your spine. By using these alternatives we can reduce your total x-ray exposure over the course of your care by 50% on average.
* The iPhone App is called Scoligauge and it used to be found in the iTunes app library, but now it says that it's not available in the US. My guess is that it has been swept up in the FDA crack down on medical apps. In turn, Apple appears to be limiting sales of many medical apps in the US. In my opinion, that's rather silly as this simple is devices is essentially just a level for the spine.
However, another Scoliometer device for the iPhone does seem to be available on the App Store in iTunes. It's called Scoliometer by Dr. Kevin Lau from Health In Your Hands based in Singapore.
Click Here to learn how to accurately use a scoliometer to monitor your child's scoliosis in our Free Book called Parent's Guide to Scoliosis.


text: Our IWB (inside-the-waistband) holsters are designed for maximum concealment, and all day comfort. This holster includes suede backing for all day comfort. This is our double retention (RT-2) IWB featuring our Patent Pending SafeCarry Ranger thumb retention/release design. This holster comes standard with the Tac Ware universal polymer belt clip; optional DCH "Snap Clip" (self-latching), or the ULTICLIP 3 belt clip are also available.


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Company Formation & Bank Account Opening
Our VIC head office in Port Vila provides advice and services for the establishment of onshore and off-shore companies, and the opening of both personal and company bank accounts.
The opening of on-shore/off-shore companies in Vanuatu is relatively straight forward, however certain licensing requirements for on-shore companies require additional processes to be completed – which our head office can manage on your behalf.
We have excellent relationships with the relevant government departments and international banks resident in Vanuatu, and can advise on how best to structure your corporation.
There are no requirements to visit Vanuatu in person for any of the services offered.


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The CTA Indexes measure consumer sentiment toward technology spending and how they perceive the overall health of the economy – the only forward-looking sentiment index of its kind. Designed to improve on weaknesses of the University of Michigan's Index of Consumer Sentiment and the Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index, the CTA Indexes ask consumers about their expectations in the form of subjective probabilities.
Contact us to be added to the CTA Indexes mailing list or with any questions.
1919 S. Eads Street
Arlington, VA 22202
© 2017, read our privacy policy or terms of use


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Is FAM a good method for everybody?
No, not as a method of birth control. It is only appropriate for those women who have the discipline to learn the method well, and then to follow the rules once they have internalized them. In addition, it is only recommended for monogamous couples, given the danger of HIV and other STDs.
However, as a method of pregnancy achievement, it is highly advised as the first step that every couple should take to maximize their chances of conception, and to determine if there may be anything impeding their ability to get pregnant. In addition, Fertility Awareness can be very effective in helping couples plan the timing of their baby's birth.
FAM is also highly beneficial for all cycling women who simply want to educate themselves about their own bodies. So even if you have no interest in using the method for avoiding or achieving pregnancy, it is an empowering means of taking control of your gynecological health.
Is FAM better for someone avoiding pregnancy or for someone trying to get pregnant?
I personally think a more appropriate question should be: what women would not benefit from charting her cycle? The Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) is an incredibly liberating and effective method of understanding your fertility on a day-to-day basis, whether or not you need contraception or an aid to pregnancy achievement. It also happens to be a wonderful tool for maintaining your gynecological health.
As an empowering method of natural birth control, women from all over the world have been drawn to FAM simply because it is free of the chemicals associated with hormonal methods such as the Pill. Just as importantly, it allows them to minimize the time that they need to use the chemicals and hardware that makes other methods unpleasant, impractical, or unspontaneous.
And as an aid to pregnancy achievement, the Fertility Awareness Method should always be the first step in the pursuit of pregnancy. When trying to get pregnant, dispense with all the misinformation well-meaning friends and clinicians seem to perpetuate. Charting your cycle will allow you to finally take control and understand not only when you are most fertile in any given cycle, but what impediments you may have to achieving pregnancy.
This Educational information was posted with permission from and is the property of Toni Weschler, the author of Taking Charge of Your Fertility. The original source can be found here.


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Not to shit on everybody's Olympic hype at the minute but there's a rather bizarre reason they've decided to scrap giving out celebratory flowers with Olympian's medals.
In the past, successful Olympians were always given their medal and a beautiful bouquet of flowers but now the Rio Olympic Committee have decided not to hand out flowers due to its 'sustainability program', reports Mashable.
Now in brief the sustainability program sounds brilliant as it is merely trying to do what's best for the environment by pledging to limit the amount of water, energy, food and raw materials which are used and discarded throughout the course of the Olympics.
However the organisers at the Olympics have estimated that around 23.5 million litres of fuel will be used by Olympic vehicles, almost 30,000 megawatts of electricity (twice as much electricity as the colossal Itaipu dam needs), and an estimated 19,000 tonnes of food scraps, garbage, and general waste (five times as much waste as the 6 million Rio residents produce in a year).
But the committee has insisted that they're 'fully embracing' the sustainability program for Rio – because handing out flowers after winning gold is the fucking big issue here…
A spokesperson for the committee said:
In the interest of sustainability and innovation, it was decided that flowers would not be awarded to medal winners at this Olympic Games.
The flowers awarded are usually thrown away or, even if kept, would struggle to survive in the tropical Brazilian climate.
So far two Olympic pools have turned green due to algae, the venue for sailing is full of incredibly dangerous raw sewage, and the Olympic golf course has destroyed the habitats of many rare animals and insects – but thank god there's no Olympic flowers this time. Thank god.


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Graphene and glass battery electrode may go orbital
A new battery electrode composed of graphene and glass could be used in aerospace applications. The new material is paper-thin and has a virtually perfect cycling efficiency. The materials used in the electrode are common, and therefore cost effective. The material also functions in cold temperatures, which means that it's ideal for high-altitude and aerospace applications.
Researchers from Kansas State University have been working on batteries made from silicon and graphene, but early attempts were met with poor results. To correct problems including mechanical instability and low efficiency, the researchers developed a glass-like ceramic silicon oxycarbide electrode that's surrounded by chemically modified graphene. The resulting glass based electrode is a high-capacity device that doesn't require substantial mechanical support.
That's good news because support elements don't typically contribute to the efficiency of the system, but they can cause mechanical failure, and they increase the weight and size of the finished battery package. The glass based electrode weighs about 10% less than conventional battery components, and it can store enough electrons for practical use. As an added benefit, the glass-based electrode performs well at low temperatures, a feat that most batteries can't achieve.
The new material was made by heating a liquid resin. Once heated, the resin breaks down into glass-like particles. The heated mixture, which contains oxygen, silicon and carbon, also self-arranges into a new 3-dimensional structure. This creates large storage spaces and smooth transportation pathways for lithium ions. The researchers intend to keep working on the process to make larger electrodes and perhaps develop mass production techniques. They also believe it may be possible to create electrodes from this material using a 3-D printing approach.
Most people don't use glass to make space-age batteries, but there are still plenty of novel ways to use glass. Glassprimer™ glass paint can help you transform ordinary glass into a surface that's both practical and decorative. Glassprimer™ glass paint comes in a virtual rainbow of colors and can be applied easily to glass, Plexiglas and other non-porous surfaces. The nanoscale surface bond ensures that the paint will not delaminate, even in the toughest conditions.
For more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you'd like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .
Photo Credit: Kansas State University


text: 60% of the ingredients in our harvest-inspired meals are sourced locally. We support the local economy by contracting with Hoosier growers and meat producers who provide us with seasonal produce and high-quality meat. Our own garden lies just feet from the kitchen door where we love to watch our food grow from seed in the spring into bountiful harvests for our events.


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"We're human...and we're killing ourselves...and no-one seems to see that...and it bothers me..." - PFC Bradley Manning
In this short but informative article at globalsecurity.org, we learn some unsettling facts about the nature and consequences of war in the new millennium.
From the article:
The United Nations defines "major wars" as military conflicts inflicting 1,000 battlefield deaths per year. In 1965, there were 10 major wars under way. The new millennium began with much of the world consumed in armed conflict or cultivating an uncertain peace. As of mid-2005, there were eight Major Wars under way [down from 15 at the end of 2003], with as many as two dozen "lesser" conflicts ongoing with varrying (sic) degrees of intensity.
We also learn that civilian deaths now greatly outweigh military ones:
Most of these are civil or "intrastate" wars, fueled as much by racial, ethnic, or religious animosities as by ideological fervor. Most victims are civilians, a feature that distinguishes modern conflicts. During World War I, civilians made up fewer than 5 percent of all casualties. Today, 75 percent or more of those killed or wounded in wars are non-combatants.
In addition the US alone has covert operations in at least seventy nations and the number of countries blighted by Obama's drone bombing campaign is now seven and counting.
In an era where medical science can perform miracles, where we can conceivably put humans on Mars, where we have the scientific and technical expertise to map the human genome or build supercomputers that can execute trillions of operations in the blink of an eye, how can one explain this regression into violence and human misery?
War is not the only area in which humanity has de-evolved. Much of the world, including the so-called rich Western nations, now suffers huge inequality, with a small rich elite controlling vast resources while the large majority endure an ever diminishing quality of life, with more and more struggling simply to survive from day to day.
The UN said in 2010 that more people die due to a lack of access to clean water than violence. One in seven, almost a billion people, suffer from hunger; 80% of the world live on less than $10 a day, with 50% on $2.50 a day; 22,000 children die every day due to poverty. Read that again. Twenty-two thousand kids die every day. The fact that this preventable disgrace is permitted to continue speaks volumes about the priorities of leaders, democratically elected or not.
Again, war is a major culprit. Food production in war zones becomes impossible and famines are therefore common. Refugees put massive strain on the infrastructures of neighboring and often resentful states, leading to multiple other serious issues.
The progression of the ratio of those in poverty to the wealthy also demonstrates humanity's failure to care for its own:
1820: 3 to 1
1913: 11 to 1
1950: 35 to 1
1973: 44 to 1
1992: 72 to 1
Any fool can see that we are going in the wrong direction at an increasing pace.
These basic issues can be addressed, but unfortunately there is a problem; one so enormous that serious measures aimed at eradicating these evils are unlikely ever to be enacted. It is a problem so pervasive that many do not even consider it an issue, and will likely even spout it uncritically as a virtue.
And here it is: the yardstick by which societies are measured and judged is what the establishment media labels 'economic growth', namely the increase of GDP per capita. While it is true that economic growth is essential for poor countries in order to improve quality of life to a decent level, after that level is attained, overall welfare will no longer necessarily improve. Further, as it is a broad measure of society as a whole, it tells us nothing of internal wealth distribution or inequality. Even worse, GDP makes no distinction between production that is positive or negative; in other words, a disaster like an oil spill can actually drive up GDP, although this will obviously have a detrimental effect on welfare, not to mention the environment.
This obsessive focus on economic growth provides governments who preside over gross inequality and poverty for significant portions of their populations with a ready-made excuse and mask for their failure. It is vital that instead of adopting such a limited measure of welfare of a society, we instead utilize a more accurate measure, one that is based on quality of life, universal access to decent health care and education, a minimum wage that allows people to live with a measure of dignity, and other factors that are directly linked to happiness. Using GDP as a measure of an entity as complex as society is as preposterous as using a single number (IQ) to measure human intelligence.
Human rights and welfare must become the default measure of human happiness and societal success throughout the media. Until it does, the public at large will only be vaguely aware that people are suffering from preventable calamities all over the world, and their only exposure might come from the occasional TV documentary about a dying kid in Africa that will bring tears to their eyes for a brief time.
However, under current democratic systems, particularly in Western Europe and the US, endless war is likely to be just that: endless, thanks to a massive arms industry which has ultra-cozy ties to the governments of these nations, giving arms manufacturers enormous lobbying power via contributions to political campaigns and a pervasive revolving door policy that is the very epitome of you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours.
Allow the excellent Andrew Feinstein to talk you through the tragedies of the (legal and illegal) global arms industry. I defy anyone to watch his short speech at the Oslo Freedom Forum and not feel outrage.
A major problem with modern governance is that people who want power can easily gain power in society and in the business world, and it should be obvious that the last person we need in any executive position is someone who wants or craves power. Indeed, via various studies, it is becoming increasingly clear that a significant percentage of humans display traits associated with the psychiatric condition known as psychopathy.
Psychopaths are all around us - they appear perfectly normal and are possibly even popular in their circle, as they are particularly adept at manipulating their environment in order to get what they want. Recent estimates from psychiatric professionals are that 1% of the population (3 million people in the US) display such qualities, one of which is an inability to feel guilt or remorse at causing suffering to others. The popular idea that psychopaths are mindless and violent killers is a concept that needs prompt revision.
Reliable data on this issue is scarce as most studies on psychopathy concern prison populations but we can draw our own conclusions. Human history is replete with examples of government and business leaders being party to unspeakable acts causing death and misery for thousands, even millions of people. As a modern example, consider the behavior of the Wall Street criminals who sold cleverly repackaged financial products that they knew were toxic in full awareness that their gains would potentially lead to misery on an industrial scale for people whose homes were foreclosed upon or who otherwise suffered in the 2008 financial collapse. So adept are these psychopaths that they have successfully made governments not only bail them out so they can continue their obscene practices, but have also escaped any meaningful punishment or regulation.
Our democratic systems actively encourage and permit these people to attain positions of power from which they exert great influence over the welfare of populations, something which is obviously undesirable. One way to neuter these people is to utilize a system of direct democracy, a system that is eminently workable and is actively used in Switzerland, a clean, safe society with a strong economy. Under such a system, psychopaths are unable to thrive because instead of an elite elected in demonstrably flawed electoral systems, the people at large vote on policy, aided by a neutral and informative media and a strong education system, two societal elements without which true democracy cannot function.
Various methods of implementing direct democracy exist, and I have written about one in my free book. Pay no heed to the ignorant people who dismiss direct democracy as 'mob rule', something it absolutely is not. Such a system, combined with strict adherence to the rule of law based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and backed up by a United Nations with real power to bring rogue nations into line, not the current impotent mess, is the real key to tackling the root societal issues that allow war, poverty and injustice; the root issues being education and a media without a profit motive.
We live in a world in which up to 27 million people are slaves, where endless war is engendered by corporate psychopaths in the boardrooms of the arms industry; where climate change, now a serious global emergency, is nigh on ignored and even dismissed or ridiculed by public figures and the establishment media; where thousands of kids die daily in unnecessary ways; where inequality and financial misery for millions is gleefully brought about by the willfully callous and self-interested actions of the leaders of Goldman Sachs and financial corporations like it. This will continue if we allow the systems that have permitted this to happen to persist. It is up to us, ordinary people, the non-psychopathic among us who feel great sorrow for every single child who dies or suffers needlessly...it is up to us to bring about the change that the world
desperately needs.
Author's note: For nine months I have been writing detailed articles on human rights and direct democracy, and have written a book on the topic which is freely available. However, despite some small successes, I am yet to make a scratch in any meaningful way that will bring about real change. For this to happen, I need to create an NPO or similar organization devoted to creating and promoting direct democracy. I therefore appeal to any reader who has significant resources, or who has connections to someone who has, to contact me with regard to making a philanthropic donation to bring about a transparent organization with paid, professional staff which can actually make a difference.
'The 99.99998271% - Why the Time is Right for Direct Democracy' by Simon Wood is available for free download. In this 70-page book, the current state of human rights and democracy is discussed, and a simple method of implementing direct democracy is suggested.
Simon Wood on twitter (@simonwood11) and Facebook or at his blog. The Direct Democracy Alliance, a voluntary group dedicated to creating national/global direct democracy, is now also on twitter: (@DDA4586)


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This area of the East Croydon Medical Centre Website features a large amount of content
provided by the NHS.


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When is your next Workshop in Centurion?? Please advise.
Share Communicate & Grow your Love for your Partner
Our Relationship Workshop offers Practical Implications, Therapeutic Interventions & Creative Techniques. We host these workshops in small groups to keep it intimate and practical. Our workshops are fun, informative, enriching and are conducted by professionals in this field. Couples can expect to walk away renewed, motivated and have very helpful tools and practical methods to grow their relationship. As the presenter of the workshop I know what it takes to make a marriage partnership work and being married myself I believe every marriage has its challenges, just as long we better understand ourselves and our partners. This Relationship workshop is designed for couples from all walks of life and does not matter if you've been married for ages or still going to say "I Do". All are welcome.
Come join our Relationship Workshop
|Until Further Notice
|09:00h – 15:30h
|Pretoria East – To BE Confirmed
|Book NOW
|079 731 6367 or email@example.com
|Gerrie Pretorius:
In private Practice for 7 Years and an expert in Marriage/Relationship Therapy. In these workshops I will educate couples in how to have a more fulfilling relationship in a practical and fun way.
|R3400 per Couple
|R 1000 (Pre Booking is essential)
|6 Couples Maximum (Food and Refreshments provided)
Come and Discover more… about
- Yourself and your Partners preferences
- Helpful communication structures
- Hurtful v.s Helpful Communication
- Value Differences
- Practical conflict resolution
- How to fight fair
- How to better fulfill your partners Emotional needs
- Relationship Vision
- Imago Principals and much more…
Bring Along
- Your partner, writing pad, pens of all colours, and a file to keep your notes.
Healthy Relationships don't just happen, it takes time, patience and two People willing to work together.
4 thoughts on "Relationship Workshop"
Good day Gerrie, I saw pn your web site you presented a relationship workshop 2014. Please could you advise the dates for 2015?
Thank you Nerine
when are you offering relationship workshop again?


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|Home > Tawnie
♀ Tawnie
What does Tawnie mean?
Tawnie as a name for girls means "a green field; golden brown". Tawnie is a version of Tawny (Irish, Old English): also an English surname.
STARTS WITH Ta-
VARIANTS Tawnya, Tawnia, Tawni, Tawney, Tawnee, Tawna, Taney, TahneeCREATIVE FORMS
Tawnie Regina (T.R.), ..
How popular is Tawnie?
Tawnie is an unusual given name for females. Tawnie is an equivalently unusual surname too for all people. (2000 U.S. CENSUS)
Which version is better?
Prominent varying forms of Tawnie (NOT RANKED) are Tawni, Tawny and Tawnya. Other forms, like Tawna, are uncommon. Adoption of these forms of Tawnie was more pronounced 5 decades ago (USAGE OF 0.01%). (TOP BABY NAMES, 2016)
Similar Names
Tawnie is pronounced similarly to Tahna, Tahni, Tahnia, Tahnya, Taina, Tana, Tanaia, Tanea, Tanee, Taneea, Tani, Tania▼, Tanja, Tanya▼, Tawana▼, Teenie, Teoni, Tiani, Tinie, Toini, Tonee, Toni▼, Tonia▼, Tonie and Tonye. Other recommended sound-alike names are Dabnie, Dafnie, Danie, Dawne, Fannie▼, Fawne, Fawnia, Hannie, Janie▼, Jannie▼, Jaynie, Lanie, Lannie, Marnie, Nannie▼, Rawnie, Sannie, Shawnie, Tabbie, Tacie, Taddie, Taisie, Talie, Tallie, Tami▼, Tamie, Tammee, Tammi▼, Tammie▼, Tandie, Tanis, Tarnia, Tashie, Tassie, Tatie, Taubie, Tavie, Tayzie, Teone, Tiane, Tianne, Timmie, Tine, Tommie▼, Vannie and Zannie. These names tend to be more commonly used than Tawnie.See names in meaning and etymology.


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Last night we had to take little man in to the emergency room. He had a high fever so we rushed him over. We got there at about 11:30 PM. We left at 4:30 AM. We spent 5 hours there and didn't come home with many answers. He doesn't have strep throat, he doesn't have a UTI, he doesn't have the flu, he doesn't have pneumonia. We got his fever down and he seemed to be happier. That is when he wasn't being poked and prodded. Little man managed to sleep for 15 minutes at a time. My husband and I weren't as lucky. I would sit with little man, feed him and rock him to sleep. Dad worked on making sure that we were getting the best care we could. We needed answers! Our little man needed help! After awhile, enough was enough. Once they told us what to watch out for and gave us some medication to use if his fever returns to that level again, we ran out of there.
We got home and I fed little man again. Then we went to sleep (5:30 AM). I got up with him around 9 and then we all got up around 11 this morning. It was a hell of a night and we were agitated and upset. The only benefit was coming home with some medications to give little man in case he gets a fever that high again, and the fact that his fever did break and was out of the danger zone.
Today we've had a better day for little man. He has been in a little better spirits and no sign of a fever. My husband and I are still very short on sleep and I'm sure I've snapped at him because of that. Hopefully tonight we will all sleep well and enjoy what is left of the weekend.


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Hi all
I'm really worried as I have developed new twitches on the backs of my hand, usually just a single little twitch - anyone else get these?!!!
Can't stop looking for them now, and worried it's a bad sign!
Moderators: JohnV, Arron, garym
RGB wrote:We can move our hands because hands have muscles and muscles twitch. So twitching hands are just like all the other harmless twitches. It is easy to fall into the trap that "new" twitches are some kind of progression but they are just the same thing going on in a different place.
Yes, I've had twitches on the back of my hand and 18 months later I am typing this at incredible speed without a single mistake (although some of that is due to the spell-checker )
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The one thing I know about most of the other individuals in my profession...they're passionate about what they do. It's a good thing. Working in marketing, especially digital, is fast paced and rapidly changing. You have to really love your field of work to be willing to keep up with all of the changes always taking place. However, is there such thing as too much of a good thing? I believe so. It may seem fruitful to always be reading the next big business book, the newest inspirational Seth Godin book and not leave time for anything that has nothing to do with your industry. Malcolm Gladwell suggests that it takes 10,000 hours to hit mastery skills, it only makes sense to achieve that level as fast as possible right?
Not all the time. Sometimes a more well-rounded approach works as well.
I read an interesting article by Jonathan Baskin in AdAge not long ago about two different conversations he had with two CMOs. One CMO was always checking his Blackberry, always chased the latest fad and copying his competitors trying to chase their successes. He notes that this individual has won marketing awards but sales at his company were average at best.
Then he describes another CMO who was also busy (it took three weeks just to schedule an hour long chat) but how both parties took copious notes and they talked on several subjects, some that touched marketing....but some that didn't. Baskin notes how this CMO was actually the more successful of the two and was one he wanted to seek out for another meeting.
What's the differentiator?
CMO #2 had a more well rounded approach to learning. Sure, he took the time to learn from marketing greats and smart people in the industry. However, he also took the time to learn things that not only made him a good marketer but a more interesting person. He invested time in learning things outside of his day-to-day body of work. He took time to invest himself in a world that didn't involve branding and selling.
Learning More About the World, Not Just Your Craft
As weird as this may sound, I think it's easy to forget that we're not selling to other marketers...but to people. People with all different tastes, interests and perspectives on the world around them. Knowing marketing best practices are good to have in your arsenal. However, taking time to learn more, outside of selling products and driving Likes, will help you better understand that world around you. The world that you're trying to sell to, not necessarily win awards from (though awards are a good thing too!).
The executive VP at my old company and I didn't always see eye to eye. However, one thing he drove in me from day one that will pay off was learning a little about everything. He talked about reading everything, from fiction books to books about science, art and history. I will say, he had some base of knowledge on almost any subject presented to him. His marketing acumen, in terms of reading people, was pretty good.
There's even research done that people who read fiction are smarter and more well-rounded, socially savvy individuals. Think about that before you read your 10th straight business book.
Preaching to the Choir
This is advice I need to take myself. Getting my head out of social marketing and coming up for air once in a while will be good for me. I know after a marketing-free vacation I come back to work sharper. Making a point to see what's going on around me will help me be better at my job in the long term.
"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
What do you think? Is there a line between passion and unnecessary obsession?


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By: Wes Messamore
"So you want to write about liberty? Use the power of the pen to expose the oft-misused power of the sword? Change hearts and sober up minds to get this country back on the right track again? But you aren't sure the best way to get started? Well pay attention, because I've got the info you need right here..."
Check it out!


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Imagine on your next camping adventure being able to whip up a kitchen-worthy meal in this super clever Coleman Outdoor Portable Stove/Oven. The spacious oven can hold a 12″ pizza and a standard 9″ x 13″ baking pan. The two 6,000-BTU burners fired by a matchless igniter couldn't be easier to prepare your next meal. The stove is powered by a 1 lb. propane cylinder which is disposable. And it folds up for easy storage. This stove would be snappy while traveling around in your Airstream especially for those who choose not to have an oven in their unit. Cheerful cooking!!
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That looks so much fancier than my coleman stove. I'll be putting this on my wish list!
I was looking at this earlier — but I noticed that it's 40 lbs!!!! I don't want to lug around 40 lbs of coleman stove! I saw this one which is a little smaller and much lighter: http://www.campchef.com/portable-outdoor-oven.html


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Other Films
ANNE WACHIRA – PORTRAIT OF A HOMELESS MOTHER SYNOPSIS Anne is a refugee from the countryside in Kenia. She was deported by the state to Nairobi, because of clashes in her village. The 41 one year old mother and her 3 daughters are homeless, living now on the streets of the kenyan capital. Despite her desperate situation the family tries to escape the circle of poverty and harm with incredible motivation. A close portrait of an admirable family. COUNTRY OF ORIGIN Germany, 1998 LENGTH 8 Min. MASTER 4:3 TV-FORMAT analog beta SOUND stereo LANGUAGE EN, overvoice DE BROADCASTER Auslandsjournal, ZDF


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Plots were sold and the wealthy built cottages and cabins along the scenic Little River and Jakes Creek aka Millionaire's Row,Society Hill and Daisy Town.
The Little River Railroad offered non-stop train service from Knoxville to Elkmont on a daily basis.
In 1934 when the Great Smoky Mountain National Park was formed, the owners of these cottages were given a cash settlement or a life lease after which the cottages would be removed and the area restored to it's natural habitat. All but two leases expired in 1992 and many of the structures have deteriorated over the years, many beyond repair and the hotel collapsed in 2005.
In 1994 Elkmont was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, saving the cottages from destruction.
In recent years a debate has ensued over the fate of these structures. Some wanted them all removed, others wanted them restored. In 2009 the National Park Service decided to restore 19 of the 74 buildings.
We had hiked in this area previously and noticed a few of the cottages, especially those along the Little River Trail and wondered about them. I did some research and found out many of them are slated for removal so last year we decided to go back and get some pictures before they are torn down. We found many cabins along Jakes Creek we had not seen previously. I don't know which ones are being kept and which ones are being removed. It's sad to see so many being torn down. I feel this is part of the history of the Park just like Cades Cove is, just a later time frame.
I only got a few pictures in this area and I'm saving the best one for last. It will get it's own post.
Weeds have taken over around some of the cottages and I wasn't going to risk getting poison ivy so I only took pictures where we could easily get to.
I love these moss covered rock walls. Must have been built well to still be standing after all these years.
The Little River....Wouldn't it be nice to have this behind your house? I can imagine kids spending their summers playing and fishing in these streams.
A few roses still bloom among the overgrown weeds. Someone probably had a beautiful garden here at one time.
The Jeffords Cabin
The Cain Cabin
This was a children's playhouse built in 1921 known as "Adamless Eden." I'm sure there's a story behind that name. Perhaps "no boys allowed?"
The Sneed Cabin. This one looked like some work was being done on it so I assume it's staying.
The Higdon Cabin
I wish I had a photo of the Appalachian Club House. I'm not sure why I didn't get one. I vaguely remember seeing a lot of equipment around that area and restoration had begun on it. I think there might have been chain link fence around it and we just couldn't get close enough, but to date that building has been completed.Appalachian Clubhouse photo from the Mountain Press.
To be continued.


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Professional dental care is maintenance of healthy teeth and oral care. Major players in dental care market are focused on providing efficient dental care solutions through innovative electric and battery powered toothbrushes, advanced cleansers and mouth fresheners, and other products such as tooth whiteners, dental flosses, and dental water jets. Moreover, researchers from Cochrane Foundation found that electric and battery powered toothbrushes were can reduce the gingivitis and plaques on teeth.
The major factors driving growth of the professional dental care market are increasing number of small and private dental clinics, rising incidences of dental caries, and rising disposable income in emerging economies. For instance, according to the study published by National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999 to 2004, prevalence of dental caries of adults aged 12 to 64 in the U.S was 92%, with 26% of adults with untreated decay. The adults from high income group are majorly observed to be suffering from of tooth decay. Moreover about 8.52% adults in the U.S also suffer from periodontal disease.
However, high cost of technologically advanced products in the professional dental care market and lack of skilled dentists in the some regions is restraining growth of the market. For instance, electric brush in India cost around INR 4,000, whereas the conventional brushes cost around INR 30.
Global Professional Dental Care Market Taxonomy
On the basis of product type, the global professional dental care market is segmented into:
Product innovation and new product launches is expected to support growth of the professional dental care market
Regional segmentation of the professional dental care market by Coherent Market Insights comprises North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa, and Middle East. The market witnessed few product launches, for instance in February 2017, the Procter and Gamble under its Oral B brand introduced two new rechargeable electric brushes PRO 600 and Dubbed PRO 2000. The brushes comes with rotating, oscillating and pulsating technology for better removal of dental plaques and pressure sensors to maintain pressure on teeth. In January 2016, Kolibtree, a specialized dental care technology company showcased smart electric toothbrush at the consumer electronics show. The brush collects the user's brushing habits through its integrated artificial intelligence connected to the device through an app. In June, 2017, Royal Philips introduced Philips Sonicare Diamond Clean Smart. The electric brush comes with smart sensor technology and efficiently removes plaques from the teeth.
Moreover, in March 2017, AssureCare healthcare management solutions provider introduced dental module in healthcare platform, Medcompass. Medcompass is a configurable software for dental care and includes features to manage multiple planning tasks, appointments, and CTD codes. Introduction of these products in market is expected to increase the dental authorization processes, especially for low income group in the U.S.
Furthermore, recent acquisitions and distribution agreements are also expected to boost the growth of professional dental care market. For instance, in January 2017, the U.S based High Ridge Brands Company acquired Dr. Fresh LLC. The acquisition will extend the former product portfolio of its oral care category. In September, 2017 Smile Brands Inc. in association with A+ dental care acquired Folsom Dental Group. With this acquisition Smile brands will provide affordable dental care in the Sacramento area in the U.S.
Some of the major players operating in the global professional dental care market include Colgate-Palmolive Company (U.S.), Procter and Gamble Company, Young Innovation, Inc., Ultradent Products, Inc., Unilever plc, GC Corporation, Koninklijke Philips N.V., GlaxoSmithKline plc, Dr. Fresh, LLC, 3M Company, and Sunstar.
Research Methodology
Coherent Market Insights followsa comprehensive research methodology focused on providing the most precise market analysis. The company leverages a data triangulation model which helps company to gauge the market dynamics and provide accurate estimates. Key components of the research methodologies followed for all our market reports include:
In addition to this, Coherent Market Insights has access to a wide range of the regional and global reputed paid data bases, which helps the company to figure out the regional and global market trends and dynamics. The company analyses the industry from the 360 Degree Perspective i.e. from the Supply Side and Demand Side which enables us to provide granular details of the entire ecosystem for each study. Finally, a Top-Down approach and Bottom-Up approach is followed to arrive at ultimate research findings.
Coherent Market Insights desk research is based on a principle set of research techniques:
Coherent Market Insights has a large amount of in-house repository of industry database. This is leveraged as a burner for initiating a new research study. Key secondary sources include:
Preliminary Data Mining
The raw data is obtained through the secondary findings, in house repositories, and trade surveys. It is then filtered to ensure that the relevant information including industry dynamics, trends, and outlook is retained for further research process.
Data Standardization:
Holistic approach is used to ensure that the granular and uncommon parameters are taken into consideration to ensure accurate results. The information from the paid databases are further combined to the raw data in order to standardize it.
Coherent Statistical model
We arrive at our final research findings through simulation models. Coherent Data Analytics Model is a statistical tool that helps company to forecast market estimates. Few of the parameters considered as a part of the statistical model include:
Data Processing
Once the findings are derived from the statistical model, large volume of data is process to confirm accurate research results. Data analytics and processing tools are adopted to process large chunk of collected informative data. In case, a client customizes the study during the process, the research finding till then are benchmarked, and the process for new research requirement is initiated again.
Data Validation
This is the most crucial stage of the research process. Primary Interviews are conducted to validate the data and analysis. This helps in achieving the following purposes:
The primary research is conducted with the ecosystem players including, but not limited to:
Finding it difficult to find the research that would cater to your business demands? Give us a chance to help you. One of our Research Consultants will connect to provide a customized solution.
Talk to our research consultant to design an exclusive report as per your research needs.
We aim to fulfil client's research demands with tailored research solutions.
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We cover each industry from supply and demand side with an aim to provide a most holistic research study.
We strive to provide most accurate and reliable research findings in our research reports.


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Contact Us / Sales
Platform Sales
Our offices are based in Taren Point 15-20 minutes from Sydney International Airport, making fly in fly out visits for demonstrations and meetings quick and easy with our personal transfers for our clients.
Our facility caters for incoming imports and distribution of our specialised imported equipment for both Australia and New Zealand, along with retail sales throughout Australia for the major brands, such as Genie, JLG, Haulotte, Skyjack, Nifty, Snorkel, and Terex.
Be sure to contact us with any of your EWP equipment needs
We are located at Unit 13 / 21 Bay Road, Taren Point, NSW 2229.
Phone: (02) 9526 1877
Business Hours: 8.00 am to 5.00 pm Monday to Friday


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Getting to Work
Andrea Sanchez
I mentioned a while ago that I'm a year around knitter. One of the ways I've managed this was to find yarns that are more summer appropriate. This means working on projects that either call for lighter weight yarns or yarns made fibers that will retain their cool feeling and not increase the amount your hands want to sweater already in the summer. Some of these would be linen, silk, bamboo, cotton, as well as tencel.
I've been brainstorming a new pattern for you guys and got my hands on some lovely Anzula Vera. This yarn is a linen and silk blend. I love how soft and muted the colors are when dyed on this base. This will definitely make a lovely summer garment. I've already knit a swatch and blocked it and the drape on this will be amazing! I'm excited to get started since I just finished knitting an cabled sweater on bulky weight yarn!
What projects are you starting for summer? Do you have a favorite summer yarn to work with?
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Flight of the Owl by Robert Pyne Photography
Personally, I think that 'Flight of the Owl' is one of the best photos I've ever taken since taking up photography. Technically it's not the greatest one, but it's certainly the most surprising scene I have ever captured.
The images were taken on a drive to Wangaratta near Peechelba. Everyone who drives this route knows it can be a boring experience but this day was to be very different. I noticed some distinct lines in the clouds. As I always carry my camera with me, I jumped out and started clicking. To my astonishment, the lines spanned right across the sky. I decided to capture the cloud formation in a series of five shots, with the view of creating a panoramic image on my return home.
It was only once I'd stitched the photos together that I realised what I had captured.
To this day, I still remember being blown away when the full panorama appeared before me. What emerged was a giant owl in full flight, made up of clouds spanning a huge portion of the sky.
I captured the owl using a Canon 7D with a Tamron 18-270mm lens. The photos were shot at 100-ISO, F11, 1/50sec and 18mm focal length. I then 'stitched' the photos together using a free open source application called 'Hugin.'
When I look at this image I am amazed away that it was actually taken by me. I've long admired photographers like Ken Duncan & Simon Beedle who get to travel around the countryside, capturing images or moments in time for a living. Simon is a particular inspiration to me because like me, he is self-taught. He started out in macro photography but soon realised that capturing a landscape was much more satisfying.
It's no accident that landscape photography is my passion, considering that I first discovered photography during a four-wheel drive tour of the Red Centre. I visited sites like Uluru, Kings Canyon, The Olgas, Stanley Chasm and Palm Valley; the colours and vastness were like nothing I'd ever encountered before.
Photography has got me through some tough times as well. A few years after my outback adventure, I found myself in a pretty lonely place. I was living in Elsternwick in Melbourne, in a tiny unit that felt like a prison cell. To cope, I spent a lot of time exploring the beaches and streets of Brighton and St Kilda. I soon realized that there was so much to photograph, so many things that stirred emotions. Taking photos helped me to feel more connected to the world around me, to see beauty and details more keenly.


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Biting the bullet
This is why, despite the damage caused by the efforts so far, Japanese officials have little choice but to continue down the feed-and-bleed path. "The worst-case scenario is that a meltdown makes the plant's site a permanent grave," said Tetsuo Iguchi, a professor in the department of quantum engineering at Nagoya University. "In a small island nation like Japan, that's just not an option. That is why the government is trying to prevent a meltdown at any cost."Unfortunately, in cases like this you cannot always control your 'options'. Avoiding a 'permanent grave' may be a laudable intent, making things worse, and killing people, before accepting the inevitable can be just kidding yourself and the public.
Small island nation or not, if the cores have been breached, they won't be able to get the genie back in the bottle. Then what, if not a permanent grave?


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Greetings, Readers! Time for our weekly roundup of news from our environmental grantees. This week focuses on forests; or more specifically - seeing the trees to save the forests.
Last week, ForestEthics was slapped with a 'cease and desist' from a firm representing the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) - an industry 'eco-label' ForestEthics has worked to discredit. Despite being funded almost exclusively by industry and never having withdrawn certification from any participant, it claims it is an independent verification system. This hasn't stopped companies like Hewlett Packard, Office Depot, and AT&T from withdrawing their membership, and pledging to use only Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper. No wonder SFI is resorting to aggressive tactics. You can read more about ForestEthics response on their blog.
Speaking of certification, check out this piece in the Huffington Post featuring the Rainforest Alliance! It looks at the myriad benefits of shade-grown coffee - from environmental benefits to improved taste - and how the Rainforest Alliance (RA) is working with farmers to increase the practice. It also details how the Alliance actively works with farmers to improve not only their farming techniques, but their quality of life, from wages to education. Since 2011, the Rainforest Alliance has seen a 45% increase in RA-certified coffee - and now represents 4.7% of the world's coffee production.
Still, all is not well in the world of coffee. Willy Foote, founder and CEO of Root Capital, recently blogged about the devastating impacts that coffee rust is having on both farmers and production, highlighting again the vulnerability on mono-crop economies.


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The education reform motion must be defined when it comes to its ideology, its strategies and its leading members. Thank you, above all, to the Education Foundation for all their hard work to create this event at the moment. Overall, for the training idea, Mr. Jeb would receive a grade of seventy five. The grade was given as a result of we want systematic programs reasonably than ideas. A statewide organization could be created to coordinate the efforts of native leaders throughout the state. Classical schooling in this period also didn't train local ( vernacular ) languages and cultures.
Those of us who're serious about schooling need to get TFA out of the image and have a look at sustainable methods to prepare future lecturers and, particularly within the Twin Cities, diversify our teacher ranks. America has very poor infrastructure – constant energy failures, collapsing bridges, no national public transport community. Education Reform in New York City supplies clear and complete analyses of a particularly complex set of very high-profile reforms. Vi It's additionally why offering extra choices for households is a outstanding theme in training reform.
Many spiritual leaders and columnists have taken in hand the opinions of tradition which they defend as the faith however aren't laying any basis for faith of their understanding and sow confusion instead of wisdom. We're beginning to attract principals, superintendents, chancellors, and state chiefs from nontraditional backgrounds, but we've not turned the corner on training management. There's really not much connection between instructor education programs and the classroom, in my opinion as a instructor.
Optimal advantages and sustainable affect will likely be achieved by way of this method, which ensures that students are on the centre of the system, lecturers are supported, faculties are empowered and the entire UNRWA training system is strengthened. Meanwhile, for those 16-24 years outdated, the necessity to work to assist their households and excessive tuition rates are the primary causes.
She also has labored for an training expertise company to create revolutionary on-line and blended learning applications in the U.S. and abroad, together with a stint to ascertain the group's office in Singapore. But in case you judge a fish by its capability to climb a tree, it's going to stay its complete life believing that it's silly.' Our system does not work – education cannot be a one size fits all.


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