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Category: Chamber of Commerce
State of the Community Breakfast Will Address North Augusta Growth
December 13, 2017 | Witt Wells
The North Augusta Chamber of Commerce is hosting the State of the Community Breakfast on Friday as the chamber closes … Read More
Chamber Names Sign Shop Owner the Entrepreneur of the Year
December 13, 2017 | Witt Wells
The number of entrepreneurs in Augusta continues to grow, but one stood out at the Augusta Metro Chamber's quarterly member … Read More
Five Local Shops and Restaurants to Visit on Small Business Saturday
November 22, 2017 | Witt Wells
Countless Americans spend the days after Thanksgiving flooding huge chain stores in search of the best Black Friday and Cyber … Read More
Chamber Event Will Lay Groundwork for Augusta's Tourism Identity
November 1, 2017 | Witt Wells
Last year, Augusta hosted 1.5 million visitors who spent more than $509 million. The statistic begs the question: what does … Read More
Troy University Recruiter Named North Augusta Chamber Ambassador
November 1, 2017 | Witt Wells
The North Augusta Chamber of Commerce has announced that Phillip Hare, a recruiter for Troy University Augusta, has been chosen … Read More
Columbia County Chamber Event Unites Business and Legislation
October 24, 2017 | Witt Wells
Businesses and legislation intersect more than some people think. That's one reason why the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce is … Read More
North Augusta Chamber President Named State Chamber Executive of the Year
October 17, 2017 | Witt Wells
Terra Carroll, president and CEO of the Greater North Augusta Chamber of Commerce, has been named 2017 South Carolina Chamber … Read More
Bridging the Education Gap: Businesses and Schools Working Together
May 23, 2017 | Amanda King
Local businesses have an opportunity to learn how to help with local schools during the school year and summer on … Read More
Former NFL coach to speak at NA Chamber Power Lunch
May 23, 2017 | Amanda King
Former NFL coach Sam Wyche will share his stories and success tips at the North Augusta Chamber Power Lunch this … Read More
Columbia County Chamber hosts post legislative breakfast
May 9, 2017 | Staff Report
State Revenue Commissioner Lynne Riley spoke to more than 250 local business and community leaders at the Columbia County Chamber … Read More
Women in Business Lunch to focus on financial planning
April 27, 2017 | Neil Gordon
If you are in your 30's, 40's or 50's, do you have a financial plan to carry you through your … Read More
Columbia County sign ordinance placed on hold
March 21, 2017 | Amanda King
No news is good news for many Columbia County businesses. The planning and zoning committee voted on March 16 to table … Read More
17th Annual Augusta Metro Chamber Golf Classic
March 21, 2017 | Submitted
The 17th Annual Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce Golf Classic, presented by State Bank & Trust Company, is scheduled for Monday, … Read More


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Featuring a sleek contemporary shape, the Montegrappa Mule pen collection is inspired by both the drink and the equipment that distils it.
A bird's song away from Montegrappa works – home of the oldest pen manufacture in Italy – is the heart of another industry. Grappa is the local tipple, and it has never been more popular, finding new friends in bars and pubs from Mumbai to Manhattan to Macau. Following the success of the spectacular limited edition Grappa pen in hammered copper, Montegrappa once again honours the locals' favourite beverage with the Montegrappa Mule collection.
Featuring a sleek contemporary shape, the Montegrappa Mule pen collection is crafted in mirror polished natural copper, further defined by a brushed silver-plated trim. The effect recalls the well-used, vintage piping and tubing employed in the process of producing grappa. Available in three versions, the Montegrappa Mule will suit the user of fountain, roller or ballpoint pens. Initially inspired by the classic Moscow Mule cocktail, Montegrappa has registered an exciting new grappa-based cocktail.
Created by famous Bassano-based mixologists, brothers Edoardo and Leone Miotti, the recipe is specially developed and already featured on the cocktail menu of Bar Danieli. The Montegrappa Mule will be sipped with relish during the promotion of the pen at various sipping 'n' sampling bar and in-store events. The drink itself is made of 40° premium-quality grappa, bergamot scents and a habanero-chilli pepper twist.
Securing the link between pen and drink, a copper mug, personalised with a special Montegrappa Mule logo, will be given to each purchaser of a Montegrappa Mule pen. What's more, each pen purchase will also include the special recipe. Grappa, regrettably, will not be included!
The Montegrappa Mule is available at Montegrappa Flagship boutiques at Palladium Mumbai, DLF Emporio New Delhi and other leading multi brand retail outlets nationally.

subset: commoncrawl


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Mike Travis
Principal, Travis & Company
Mike Travis is the Principal of Travis & Company, an executive search firm based in Newton, MA. He was named one of "The World's Most Influential Headhunters" by BusinessWeek. For almost 2 decades, Mike has served clients by recruiting general management and function heads for medical device, diagnostic, instrumentation, and biopharmaceutical companies. He also recruits board members in all indusctries. Mike is the author of the forthcoming book, Choosing Leaders: Mastering the Art of Recruiting. He frequently contributes to major media publications, including the Boston Business Journal, The New York Times, and Executive Recruiter News. Mike's compassion and drive make him an invaluable addition to the National Advisory Board. Mike lives in Newton, MA with his wife, Renee, and their 2 children.


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Circles within govt behind Kabul attack: Noor
Circles within govt behind Kabul attack: Noor
KABUL (Pajhwok): Balkh governor Atta Mohammad Noor on Thursday strongly condemned a suicide attack apparently targeting his supporters in Kabul.
The attack took place in Aspa Square in the Labe Jar area, where a large gathering of the Jamiat-i-Islami party had just ended and attendees were leaving the conference hall.
The political gathering was aimed to show support for Noor, a powerful figure in the north, who has criticized the unity government.
In his message about the attack, Noor alleged some elements within the government, which he called the fifth pillar, were behind such attacks.
He said the same circle in Kabul was behind the attacks on Junbish-i-Rastakhez, Junbish-i-Roshnai and on Salam Ezedyar's funeral.
Noor said today's gathering in Kabul had no political or military motive and neither it was aimed at plotting against the opponents.
He said elements within the government, known as the fifth pillar, were behind such attacks, but he did not name anyone.
Because these elements feared upcoming elections and were involved in such incidents, but they would never succeed, the governor said.
Related Article
Download "Pajhwok" mobile App, on your smartphone to read and access latest news, features, interviews, videos and photos about Afghanistan.


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Personal land parking tickets soar to hit document excessive
Private land parking tickets soar to hit record high The variety of parking tickets issued by automotive park administration companies hit a document 5.65m final yr, knowledge suggests. The RAC Basis says the quantity was rose by nearly a fifth in a yr and have been far above ranges of a decade in the past. However RAC director Steve Gooding stated the entire could possibly be even increased as "some


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My Reading Life: August Wrap-Up
The books I've read for August pretty much represent the broad range of my reading life.
Tomato Rhapsody by Adam Schell is a wild romp through medieval Tuscany as the Jewish grandson of the accountant for Christopher Columbus introduces the sensual joys of the tomato to his village neighbors, including the love of his life, the queen of the olive groves. This was a perfect summer read -- intelligent, outrageously fun, and a little naughty.
Octopus Oyster Hermit Crab Snail: A Poem of the Sea by Sara Anderson allowed me to indulge in my love of picture books and poetry, while reminiscing about snorkeling off the shores of Oahu. The poem introduces readers to the inhabitants of the ocean, its illustrations as luscious as the lovely, lyrical rhymes of the poem and a gentle tugging rhythm to remind us of the movement of the sea itself.
I dipped into Leading the New Literacies, by Heidi Hayes Jacobs, to refresh and reinvigorate my thinking about education and the changes it must embrace to meet the needs of today's students. It's a good read, if you are a teacher or administrator, to keep your head in the game.
Palace of Desire (reading-in-progress) by Naguib Mahfouz is the second book of his Cairo Trilogy, which introduces us to mid-20th century Egypt through the eyes of members of a merchant family. I was first introduced to Mahfouz when he won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1988, and I have been teaching the first book in his trilogy, Palace Walk, ever since. His themes are universal, though his setting may be strangely exotic to Western readers. For at least two decades, I've explored the Middle Eastern perspective in literature, and I feel enriched as a reader and a human being as a result. Reading globally has never been needed more! I'm halfway through the second book, and now I can't wait for the last, Sugar Street.
It has been strange to shift my reading from the Young Adult focus that has captured my attention for the past four years. It is equally strange to, once again, begin reading for myself in the summer rather than reading to prepare for the new school year. I am pleased to learn that there is some overlap of the two approaches. It tells me something about what I truly love: well-written, beautiful books of all kinds.
This blog post is an extended version of my contribution to the "August Wrap-Up" challenge as part of the #challengebookamajig on Instagram. I've enjoyed joining the #bookstagram gang -- it has inspired me to read, introduced me to a gaggle of interesting books, reawakened a dormant interest in photography (even if it's just with my iPhone), and invited me to glimpse the reading habits of real readers around the world. It has also been a boatload of fun.
By the way, you can friend me on Goodreads at Susan Lucille Davis. That's where I've linked these books and acquired the photos of them. I'm on Instagram at Susan Lucille Davis too. See you there, when you are not engrossed in a book!


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"Few hours in life are more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as Afternoon Tea." – Henry James
Yes, that is very true. Especially at the Ritz Carlton New York. Find out why…
The Location
Ritz Carlton New York Central Park is located on 59th Street, between 5th and 6th Avenue in Manhattan. This is the area where many luxury hotels are located (like The Pierre and The Plaza) and facing Central Park.
The View/Ambience
When you enter the Ritz Carlton New York, you'll walk straight into the Star Lounge, where afternoon tea is served. To your left is the reception desk and to the right, elevators. It's a small entrance so you won't be lost.
Since the Star Lounge is on the first floor, there are no windows or view of Central Park. It's dimly lit and a bit dark but the lighting is actually perfect. You won't get any lights shining directly on your face and instead, on the table where you can see your food.
The atmosphere is especially nice when it's hot outside (like it was when I visited) and it's calm with classical music coming from speakers and just a few tables.
The Tea
The tea served at Ritz Carlton New York is by tea company, Tealeaves which is a tea supplier for luxury hotels around the world (like Four Seasons St. Petersburg!). They are also known to make special blends that you can only find at that particular hotel (like at Four Seasons Hong Kong!).
Ritz Carlton New York has their own blend by Tealeaves, The Ritz Carlton Blend which is a blend of white and green tea.
I'm not a huge fan of green so I had the T Blend, a blend of black teas.
The pots (made by Wedgewood!) are huge. However, the Ritz Carlton New York has pot warmers that servers put the tea pots on after pouring your tea.
The Food
This review showcases the Traditional Afternoon Tea package. For the month that I went, the usual assortment of petit fours were replaced with something different…
The Savory – (five per person)
Egg Salad with Black Truffle on Pain de Mie, Chicken Salad with Tarragon on Seven-Grain, Cucumber and Dill with Greek Yogurt Crème Fraîche on Pumpernickel, Lobster and Caviar Roll with Yuzu Aioli on Mini Brioche Bun, Rosemary Ham with Dijon and Sour Pickle on Brioche Bun.
Savory items were normal- you can find similar things when having afternoon tea all over the world. Yet, they were satisfying.
The Scone – (one scone per person)
One gigantic raisin and sugar topped scone with Devonshire cream, lemon curd and strawberry jam from a jar.
This was unique in that I've never had a scone that big before at an afternoon tea. It was very heavy and too sweet unlike an English scone. Though it was served warm.
The Sweet – (five items per person)
Instead of the usual petit fours, cupcakes were served during the month of my visit.
Chocolate (my favorite!), strawberry shortcake, lemon curd, orange and red velvet (the cream cheese frosting was really good!)
The Presentation
I love the Wedgewood plates, tea pot and cups. As for the food, the savories arrived on a two tiered tray and the sweets on a similar tray with an additional third tier.
The server came with the scones and served it on the plates.
The Service
The Ritz Carlton New York has the best service I've had for afternoon tea in New York. Everyone is friendly and what makes it stand out is that they actually pour tea for you!
I didn't even pour my own tea as the server always made sure to refill.
Yes. Connect easily to the lobby's free and fast WiFi.
Social Media Aspect
Though the Ritz Carlton New York does not have it's own individual social media accounts, the main Ritz Carlton accounts on both Twitter and Instagram replied to all my posts mentioning them.
Final Thoughts
I loved it! It could be that this was my first afternoon tea in a while, but I really was pleased with the service, presentation and ambience. The food was just ok- the scone was not a favorite as it was too sweet and gigantic. But everything else made up for it.
The Plaza is practically neighbors with the Ritz Carlton. I know, it's The Plaza. But I'm going to go as far as recommending the Ritz Carlton over The Plaza for afternoon tea in New York City.
Cost: $55 for Traditional Afternoon Tea (in this review)
Tea Time: Daily 2 – 4 pm at Star Lounge (Please note you must make a reservation!)
The Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park
50 Central Park South
New York, New York 10019 USA


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Quote:Should America Subarm its Citizens?http://townhall.com/columnists/alankorwi.../page/full
Alan Korwin | Jul 27, 2015
Alan Korwin
There's a point between fully armed and disarmed that is subarmed. Being subarmed is dangerous. Officials would never stand for it themselves. It's the point where you don't have a very good gun, or certainly not the type you'd prefer, or not the type your police prefer for their own safety, and not the right ammo, or certainly not enough of it. It isn't the caliber you want, and the magazine is too small. You're subarmed.
It seems there are people at work in the government and the euphemistic gun-control movement who have figured out if they can't disarm the public -- because the public will not stand for it and put up intense opposition -- they can subarm the public (that's you) a little at a time. If you're subarmed, and they're fully armed, that's pretty much victory for them and a shift in control.
Because it happens by bits, the big picture is obscured. Little by little the power shifts from the public to the authorities. We used to have parity with government, and this kept government in check, made America the liberty capital on Earth. We the people were equal with our hired hands. Both sides were in a tasis, equilibrium. They had matchlocks, we had matchlocks.
das, proud to be a member of pa2a.org since Sep 2012.


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Apple and blackcurrant sorbet
From Cookipedia(Redirected from Apple sorbet)
Another great recipe to use up lots of apples. When you have that once a year glut, make loads of this and freeze it for later consumption.
Create a printable shopping list for this recipe's recipeIngredient
- 8 large Granny Smith apples, washed, cored and unpeeled
- Juice and zest of 4 limes
- 110 g (4 oz) caster sugar
- 110 g (4 oz) blackcurrant jam
- 120 ml (4 fl oz) calvados or brandy
- Chop the apples into 1 cm (1/2") cubes
- Place the cubed apples and the remaining ingredients in a food processor and blitz them into a purée.
- Using a fine sieve over a bowl, press the blended mush through the gauze. The only stuff we don't want is pips and skin, everything else is good. Throw the pips-n-stuff.
- Quickly get the sieved mush into your ice-cream maker or it's likely to go brown - which is no real worry, it will still taste fine
- Follow the instructions to churn to a sorbet.
- It may take a little longer than usual because of the anti-freeze properties of alcohol
You can omit the calvados or brandy at ice-cream making stage and add it when the sorbet is served instead.
How to prevent home made ice cream from freezing solid in the freezer
Home made ice cream is usually reasonably soft and 'scoopable' straight out of the ice cream maker, but once it is placed in the freezer for more than a few hours it becomes a solid block of ice, effectively.
Unfortunately without using artificial additives it is not generally possible to keep it soft once you freeze it. I have tried many suggestions and they all fail miserably, apart from this one!
Place the hard-frozen ice cream in your refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours before you want to use it and re-freeze it immediately you have scooped out what you need.
Admittedly this does require some planning ahead, but it does mean you'll have usable ice-cream.
Graph your Body Mass Index
See your personal Body Mass Index (BMI) plotted on a graph against national averages.


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By Howard Feldman
This time I fear that they have gone too far. Haribos? Litchis from Israel? Its like the infrastructure of everything that we believe in is crumbling around us. And I can no longer remain silent. First they came for Israeli tomatoes, and I did not speak out, for I hate tomatoes, then they removed the Dead Sea products from the shelves, and I did not speak out, as I have never really tried their moisturizer (but I hear is excellent, especially in our harsh dry
winter), and then they came for Oaklands Garage and unlike Martin Niemoller, I need to speak out.
The problem is that I am so confused. Are there not two Oaklands garages? I swear I don't even know which one I am boycotting! Hold on, are we boycotting them or are they boycotting us? And it seems that I can't even listen to John Robbie on the way, because he had an opinion, dammit, so now he is the Taliban so I think we are now boycotting him. And I am way too old to listen to Radio Five (which I am told that they are now calling Five FM). Who knew?
By the time we are done with this dastardly war I am going to be left with listening to Chai FM on the way to Kosher World where I can quickly Face Book Darren Sevits to find out if the kosher "Hechsher" is one that we accept. Our world is shrinking with us in it!
Of course they are smart – those anti-us people. They know that we won't give a hoot if they boycott complicated medical things or tiny little computer stuff. But start with our litchis and Haribos and all hell breaks loose. It might even constitute a war crime. Remain silent on that Navi Pillay and you show your true colours. Fail to condemn the attack on innocent litchis and we know where you stand. You know full well what food means to us – shame on you for your bias. You are not fooling anyone.
I fear for Sally Williams. I really do. I have long held the belief that only one box of nougats was ever manufactured and sold in South Africa, and this gets passed from Jewish home to Jewish home every Friday as a Shabbat gift. It is the proverbial conch that symbolizes the beckoning of Shabbat and I fear that without this product Shabbat might not happen at all. The "Shabbes Project" will be in danger if this madness is allowed to continue and there is no knowing where it will end.
So I am trying to make sense of this, because it turns out that everyone is boycotting various items and it is important to know what is what – because the consequences could destroy shabbat. If I understand it correctly, they are boycotting fruit and sweets but not the little "thingies" in computers and cell-phones and stuff, and we are boycotting John Robbie (cause he has a view) and Oaklands (cause they don't) and definitely not Woolworths, at least for now. Sally is still kosher and Chai FM is mehadrin. Kosher World is still in Glenhazel, and we can buy water from anywhere – I think. Or is that Pessach?
I think that the most important thing is not to be silent but maybe sometimes, it's not such a bad idea.
Type the code from the image


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- What is Immersion Education?
- Why Immersion? Benefits of Immersion Education:
- Where is La ola del lago located?
- Do you provide transportation for Spanish Immersion?
- What does a Kindergarten day look like at La ola del lago?
- Will standardized tests (MAP and MCAs) be in Spanish or English?
- How do I know if a Kindergarten Spanish Immersion program is right for my child?
- If my child is just learning to read and write in English, how can I help them?
- What if my child struggles with Spanish Immersion?
- How will learning everything in a second language affect my child's English literacy?
- Will children become proficient in the Spanish language?
- What role do parents play in an immersion program?
What is Immersion Education?
- uses a language other than English to teach grade level content
- integrates language and content
- promotes additive bi- or multilingualism, (maintenance of the English language both in and out of school)
- requires teachers who are highly proficient in the target language
Why Immersion? Benefits of Immersion Education:
- outperform students in traditional foreign language classes
- achieve at high levels, in all academic content areas, as well as students in English-only programs
- demonstrate cultural sensitivity - they are more cognizant and show positive attitudes towards other cultures
- demonstrate more flexibility in thinking and enhanced sensitivity to verbal and non-verbal cues
- are able to communicate with people he or she would otherwise not have the chance to know
- become bilingual and increase understanding of his/her native language
- display native-like levels of comprehension and fluency confidence when using target language
- have an increase in jobs opportunities in many careers where they can contribute to the global economy
- are able to travel and experience other societies and cultures more meaningfully
- exhibit many cognitive benefits like increased problem solving skills and the ability to think creatively
Where is La ola del lago located?
La ola del lago Spanish Immersion is currently a K-3 elementary located at Edgewood School. We will be adding a new grade each subsequent year until we are a K-5 elementary school in 2019/20. The location is subject to change for future years as we monitor district enrollment growth and development. The Director of Edgewood is Richie Kucinski. School hours are 9:20 a.m. - 3:50 p.m.
Do you provide transportation for Spanish Immersion?
Resident students receive transportation for La ola del lago. Non-resident families who open enroll into the district must provide their own transportation to school or to the nearest bus stop location. Before and after school care is available at La ola del lago through Kids' Company – 6:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
What does a Kindergarten day look like at La ola del lago?
The immersion classroom is similar to a traditional Kindergarten curriculum, except all classroom instruction is in the Spanish language. In the classroom, the teacher speaks the Spanish language the entire time using expressive tones, exaggerated gestures, facial expressions, and many visual aids. To draw students into using the language, teachers often use songs, useful phrases, chants, and rhymes and carefully structure the day with familiar routines. It is helpful if the parents reassure their child that their teacher does understand them when they speak in English. As the year progresses, the students will begin to use the Spanish they know to speak to their teacher and classmates.
Will standardized tests (MAP and MCAs) be in Spanish or English?
How do I know if a Kindergarten Spanish Immersion program is right for my child?
Spanish Immersion is for all students. Parents should be willing to strongly support the program and transmit their enthusiasm to their children, yet families do not need to speak or be fluent in Spanish at home. Parents should embrace the philosophy of immersion education, encourage children to persevere during challenging times and learn to take risks in speaking, reading, and writing a second language.
If my child is just learning to read and write in English, how can I help them?
What if my child struggles with Spanish Immersion?
How will learning everything in a second language affect my child's English literacy?
Research consistently finds that the immersion experience actually enhances English language development and learning additional languages actually enhances an individual's understanding of his or her native language. The concepts, strategies, and skills in reading are transferable across languages. Vocabulary and grammar are only two components of learning to read.
During the primary years, students' English development may lag temporarily in reading, word knowledge and spelling while instruction is occurring Spanish. However, research consistently finds that by fifth grade this discrepancy disappears and immersion students perform as well - and in many instances better - than their peers.
Will children become proficient in the Spanish language?
After only two or three years in an immersion program, students demonstrate proficiency and confidence when using the immersion language. Their listening and reading skills are comparable to those of native speakers of the same language. Achieving high levels of oral and written proficiency in a second language is a long-term process.
What role do parents play in an immersion program?
Like all parents of children in kindergarten they need to maintain an active role in their child's education by providing experiences that enrich the English language skills and enhance their cognitive and affective developmental growth. Parents are encouraged to read to their children daily in English and engage them in activities to extend what they are learning in class. Families are also asked to make a long-term commitment to the program.
More Resources
Questions? Please contact Richie Kucinski, Edgewood Learning & Spanish Immersion Coordinator at (952) 226-0903 or email@example.com
Where can I find more information?Overview of immersion research all should be familiar with: http://www.carla.umn.edu/immersion/acie/vol10/may2...
FAQs parents ask on immersion education: http://www.carla.umn.edu/immersion/acie/vol10/may2...
Two great 10 minute videos on immersion education in MN: http://www.carla.umn.edu/immersion/immersionmnvide...
American Council for Immersion Education (ACIE) archives: http://www.carla.umn.edu/immersion/acie/index.html
Minnesota Advocates for Immersion Network: www.mnimmersion.org


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Got a vintage sewing project too scared to start on your own or just need some tips and encouragement? Then a 'hold your hand' sewing workshop might be just what you need. the workroom/shop will be open Thursday evenings 7.30-9.30pm. I will be on hand to help/ guide you through your projects and share some tricks of the trade. Domestic and industrial machines, base hat blocks etc are all available to use, plus extra fabrics and trims for sale if needed and the kettle will always be on! $40 per person per session. max 4 per session. BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL. no confirmations will mean no class will be held.
Back to All Events
Earlier Event: April 23Hold Your Hand workshops
Later Event: April 30Hold Your hand Workshops


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Equilibrium News
Benefits of Sports Massage
Sports massage is a form of therapy which can help alleviate
the bodies' soft tissue structures – including muscles, tendons, ligaments and
fascia. Therapists use a range of manual, compressive and stretching techniques
to help reduce tightness, relieve tension and promote healthy soft tissue, and
below are some of the other benefits:
Helps relieve stress and reduces anxiety
Just a single massage treatment can reduce one's stress
levels, and regular massages can have long-term beneficial effects. As well as
helping to reduce cortisol within the body (the stress hormone), this type of
massage can also boost the bodies' endorphins, serotonin and dopamine, helping
you to relax and elevate positive moods. Sports massages have also been shown
to alleviate symptoms in people suffering with long-term depression and anxiety
Boosts immunity
Our immune system is the biological part of our body that
prevents illness and disease, but this can suffer due to a number of reasons
such as stress and poor diet. Massage has been shown to boost immunity by
increasing the cytotoxic cells that kill viruses and toxins within the body.
Massage promotes the important drainage of toxins through the lymphatic system
in the body, helping to increase good blood supply to the body.
Regulates Blood Pressure
High or low blood pressure can be fatal and symptomless, leading on to a number
of problems such as heart disease and stroke. Getting blood pressure to a
healthy level is vital and regular massage is a cost effective treatment to
regulate blood pressure – helping to increase good blood flow and supply to the
body – decrease heart rate and decrease cortisol within the body which has been
shown to increase blood pressure.
Helps to tone (scar tissue)
A sedentary lifestyle and poor muscle health can lead to muscles becoming
untoned. This can be due to poor blood supply, high levels of adhesions and
poor contractibility. Sports massage can help by stimulating unused muscle
fibres, breaking down knots within the tissues and regulating good blood supply
and beneficial drainage of toxins. Scar tissue that is laid down after injury
is treatable with massage techniques – massages can break down and elongate
scar tissue, helping to increase skins elasticity.
Relieves Pain
Pain in any form will cause your body and mind undue stress.
Sports massage, though uncomfortable itself when using deeper techniques, can
be helpful in preventing and stopping pain. Headaches can be relieved via
massage to the neck and shoulder regions, helping to relax the muscles that are
often tight and therefore inhibiting blood flow to the brain. Joint and soft
tissue pain – even arthritis – has been shown to decrease with sports massage.
Various techniques help to improve blood flow, which helps healing and also
develops a better range of motion at joints. The positive endorphins released
during massage also help manage pain and promote relaxation.
Helps Breathing
Many debilitating conditions affect breathing and the respiratory system, such
as asthma, bronchitis and allergies. Massage alone cannot solve these problems
but can go a long way to help. Treatments can help relax the respiratory
muscles in the back and front of the body, helping sufferers breathe deeper.
Massages can also improve posture, which can help open up the chest to improve
breathing efficiency.
If you think sports massage might be the right treatment for you or you would like to find out more please contact us on 01672 851212.


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On Air Now
The Capital Weekender With Ministry of Sound 10pm - 5am
1 August 2015, 06:00 | Updated: 4 December 2017, 11:10
From Zayn and Perrie's SEXY win... to Biebs giving the fans exactly what they want!
It's been a BIG week in the world of music news over the past seven days - especially if you're a fan of One Direction!
We've barely been able to keep up with the antics of 1D - and ex-band member Zayn - as new songs arrive, record deals get signed... and people get named the SEXIEST man alive!
Check out the eight BIGGEST stories of the week below:
Harry, Niall, Liam and Louis dropped their very FIRST single since Zayn Malik's departure this week, after confirming that their fifth album is almost ready as well! Fans went absolutely crazy for 'Drag Me Down', sending it to number one on iTunes… but will it hit number one this Sunday on the Vodafone Big Top 40?
Plus we LOVED Perrie's tweet about her win, joking that she is "doing a Kanye" and wanted Beyonce ot win the title this year.
Sorry Pez… the Mixers have spoken and you're the HOTTEST female out there, and your man Zayn has won for the second year in a row!
The 'Boyfriend' star confirmed his new single will arrive in less than 30 days, the Beliebers went crazy AND Biebs has promised he'll have a more EDM-inspired sound when he returns with a whole new record. EEEK!
It's hard to believe we've now had THREE years of the Fifth Harmony ladies and, with them celebrating their anniversary this week, their friends and family got together to congratulate the girls with an AMAZING video in their honour.
The 'Wake Me Up' DJ drops three new songs during a festival set this past week and listen to them right below, as hype builds for the 'Waiting For Love' star's next record, the follow-up to 'True'.
She may have dabbled with a singing career, but model and movie star Cara says she doesn't plan to focus on music at the moment. Looks like she's full focused on her Hollywood career for the time being - with Paper Towns premiered this past week and Suicide Squad being a HUGE favourite for 2016's film season.
Zayn Malik has officially signed to RCA Records to release his solo material - and we've got a first look at what we can expect from his debut album.
From whether Naughty Boy's contributions will still feature to a tribute to Perrie Edwards - just what WILl Zayn's first record sound like.
Will the feud between Katy Perry and Taylor Swift ever end? It seems not, if the latest twist in the saga is anything to go by…. Tay's got Left Shark involved in their beef!
When a shark popped up behind Taylor when she was performing 'Bad Blood' on a recent date of her '1989' World Tour – the song famously written about her fall out with Katy Perry – fans came to one conclusion, it was serious shade towards KPez.


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Elf on the Shelf Jokes – need a funny Elf on the Shelf idea, print these lunch box jokes and have your elf deliver them. 24 funny Elf on the Shelf jokes.
I love this set of Elf on the Shelf Jokes, and they are here for you as a free printable. My kids LOVE the Elf on the Shelf tradition and so do I. Since I'm kinda enthralled with everything to do with lunch jokes, I thought I could share these and people could leave a joke out with the elf each day. If you are like me and often forget until the last minute, you can print these out and have them on hand to save you on those nights you don't have an Elf on the Shelf idea!
I know sometimes we are scrambling with finding Eld of the Shelf ideas. It is hard to find a new creative place to put the dang elf every night. A lot of these Elf on the Shelf jokes will guide you through that.
Don't have an Elf on the Shelf tradition in your family? You can still use these fun elf on the shelf jokes. Slip these jokes into your kids lunches or backpacks for them to find leading up to the school holiday. Or, hide them around the house as a fun holiday surprise. You can even pass them around the kids table on Christmas as a fun Christmas activity for kids.
I could just reach out and squeeze these adorable elves right now! If you don't have an elf or didn't realize they had accessories or different elves now, here are a few links I found on Amazon:
If you want to write your own personal messages, check out the elf on the shelf blank cards.
>>>>>>>>>>To download all 3 sheets of these jokes, all 24 of them, grab them HERE!
Check out other fun ways to celebrate the holiday with your kids!
Check out my other set of Christmas lunch box jokes, The Gift of Dishes a fun neighbor gift idea, and my fun Christmas Photo Booth Printables!
To see more Christmas family ideas, click on this link or on the image below!


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Transferring the approach
The quick start guide identifies three possible structures for model-based inquiry lessons. Each of these is exemplified by one or more of the Practical Work for Learning lessons.
Structure 1
Key features
Exemplar lessons
Small group discussion
In the colour vision lesson, students work in small groups to make a prediction in the form of a map of colour vision for their field of view. They test their prediction and refine their model in light of the evidence. Finally they consider the relationship between their map of colour vision and the consensus model for the arrangement of cones in the retina.
In the iron wool lesson, students work in small groups to predict what will happen to the mass of iron wool when it burns. They watch a teacher demonstration which shows that the mass increases. This outcome is often very surprising for students whose experiences of burning usually result in a loss of mass. Students are supported in using the particle model and the equation for the reaction to explain the increase in mass.
Scaffolding learning
There is evidence that struggling with a problem before being told the solution may 'prime' students' thinking, making them more receptive to the explanation of the problem, even if their own interpretations are not accurate (Schwartz and Bransford, 1998). As tools for reasoning, mental models are a product of science education which should be explicitly acknowledged. Constructing mental models and the new connections that they elicit (Kahneman and Tversky, 1982) is a role of scaffolding in inquiry learning.
How do I transfer this approach to new contexts?
This approach is not suitable for all kinds of science practical. To decide whether or not to use this approach, you should consider whether students can be expected to hold or develop their own mental model.
Some models require a developed capacity in abstract thinking in order to visualise, understand and explain them (Gilbert, 2004) and this raises issues about matching the age and ability of the target audience to model complexity. For example, from their own experience, students might have a useful (if incomplete) mental model about how an object will fall compared with a lighter object. They may not have a useful model for bonding that will support explanations of energy changes in chemical reactions.
Structure 2
Key features
Examplar lesson
- Using a 'pot model' to represent osmosis
Small group discussion
This lesson involves students collaborating to construct a pot model to represent osmosis between a plant cell and surrounding solution. The pot model is related to a 2-dimensional model, and these are used to predict outcomes of an experiment.
Simple models can help students to imagine what might be going on 'beneath the observable surface' as they manipulate variables and make observations in their experiments. This gives purpose to the manipulations and provides a perspective for thinking and talking about the observations (Solomon, 1999).
Scaffolding learning
When a simple model is provided that is within students' current understanding, it can be refined through cognitive conflict. If the simple model does not provide a sufficient explanation for the data, a better model is needed. Cognitive conflict has been used in science education as a method to bring about cognitive shifts since the 1980s (Driver et al., 1985). Teachers can help to support the process where students refine their models, by highlighting the added explanatory or predictive power of the new model.
How do I transfer this approach to new contexts?
This approach is not suitable for all kinds of science practical. To decide whether to use this approach, you should consider whether students have previously been introduced to incomplete or naïve scientific models. For example, students have been taught about energy and electricity in primary and early secondary education. Their models will need to be refined further if students are to use them to explain the phenomena they will engage with in more advanced science lessons. Processes which appear in the curriculum at various stages and at varying levels of complexity provide other possible examples, such as photosynthesis.
Structure 3
Key features
Exemplar lesson
Small group discussion
In this lesson sequence, students discuss and evaluate collision theory as a model for rate of reaction and move towards a mathematical model, the rate equation, which enables quantitative predictions to be made. They determine the rate equation for the reaction of marble chips with hydrochloric acid, and analyse data to deduce the rate equation for other reactions.
Scaffolding learning
Teachers can scaffold the transition to use of refined models to predict and explain phenomena.
How do I transfer this approach to new contexts?
This approach is not suitable for all kinds of science practical. To decide whether to use this approach, you should consider whether the concept is one in which the consensus model presented to students is different at different stages of their learning. A model is good one if it helps to explain what you want to explain, but as students progress more complex models are often needed. By exploring the limitations of previous models, students will be able to see why the previous model is now insufficient and why a new model is needed.
For example, osmosis is normally taught by considering solutions separated by a partially permeable membrane. When osmosis between plant cells is introduced, a more sophisticated model must be introduced to take account of the osmotic pressure applied by the plant cell walls. Other examples include how understanding food chains precedes food webs, and how an overview of transfer of respiratory gases precedes the model of reactions inside a red blood cell leading to uptake and release of oxygen at the appropriate locations in the body.
Page last updated on 02 May 2013


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Houston Falls 1-0 in Costa Rica
Shock of all shocks, an MLS team comes up on the wrong end of some questionable officiating and Houston loses 1-0 on a 92nd minute goal. Although 3 full minutes of stoppage time were given out, the final whistle blew on the subsequent kickoff. Dynamo defender Eddie Robinson was strangely sent off for a second bookable offence in the 70th minute, though it's hard to tell exactly what he had done wrong. Robinson had been on the ground for about a minute after he was punched in the head by Dynamo keeper Zach Wells after a corner kick clearance. After Putarenas played the ball out, Robinson got up and was stunned to see the Mexican referee sprinting over to him and brandishing a second yellow card. Additionally, a Dynamo trainer was sent off as well after reacting to a rough non-foul call on Alejandro Moreno near the Dynamo bench a few minutes later.
It seemed Houston would hold on to the scoreless draw until a Puntarenas forward juked Moreno out of his socks at the top of the box and his shot was redirected past a helpless Wells for the final score.
Houston though remains in decent shape as the return leg comes to College Station, Texas next Thursday night. The Dynamo will be without Eddie Robinson due to his red card and forward Brian Ching, who didn't play on the admittedly high school quality pitch, is still questionable with an off-season injury. Pat Onstad started in goal but was injured and subbed out early in the first half. Wells came on and was instantly called into action as he saved a Putarenas penalty kick on yet another dubious penalty call.


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Nuffield Health, City Club
Central London, UK
Ongoing Works
Nuffield Health, City Club, Central London
Over the last ten years, HCD have been involved with the vast majority of Nuffield's Fitness & Wellbeing developments and refurbishments. The City Club, in the City of London, is of particular note as it has become a landmark club.
The City Club, located under Cannon Street Station in London, has particularly difficult constraints given the fact that it is built under the arches of a busy operational mainline station, which is also a grade II listed building.
The project involved exceedingly complicated access and working conditions in tight spaces with an ongoing requirement to ensure safe operation and maintenance of fire escapes to both the club and its surrounding neighbours.
Landlord's requirements restricting allowable works within the railway arches, which means integration of all mechanical and electrical services has to be carefully controlled and the design options are therefore limited.
The nature of the internal environment, and the associated hard surfaces, means that the acoustics of the spaces are very difficult to control. Landlord restrictions with regard to hanging ceilings from the arches mean that we have had to develop creative acoustic solutions such as freestanding acoustic baffles, carefully selected materials and splayed surfaces to avoid flutter echo.
As the club is positioned under a main line rail terminus, vibrations are unavoidable and as such the details of the internal fit-out are designed to take this into account. Items affected generally include partitions, glazed screens, tiled surfaces and fixed furniture items.
Due to the landmark status of the club, the Nuffield brand standard finishes were enhanced to reflect the clubs stature. This included the creation of a state of the art Cycle Studio, Sports Science Lab, Watt Bike Performance Zone and installation of the latest gym equipment on the market.


text: Hi Ray, > Ray Djajadinata Wrote: > > fileBeforeSort = file("READ_ME_AND_SORT_ME.txt", "r") > afterSort = sorted(int(line.rstrip('\n')) for line in fileBeforeSort) > fileBeforeSort.close() > > IronPython tripped on the 2nd line, it said: > > SyntaxError: unexpected token for at > ReadAndSortAndWriteInPython.py:2 > This code uses generator expressions which IronPython doesn't support yet. It is Python 2.4 feature and we are just starting to add 2.4 features Into IronPython. I am hoping to add the support for generator expressions soon. > Also, when I tried to use Python to write what is basically a > C# program: > > <snippet> > from System import Array, Convert > from System.IO import File > > reader = File.OpenText("READ_ME_AND_SORT_ME.txt") > beforeSort = reader.ReadToEnd().Split('\n') > reader.Close() > > beforeSortInt = [Convert.ToInt32(number) for number in beforeSort] > > Array.Sort(beforeSortInt) > </snippet> I don't see reason for this to not work, what error are you getting? > Also, if I use parentheses during conversion like this: > > beforeSortInt = (Convert.ToInt32(number) for number in beforeSort) Again, this doesn't work because of the missing enerator expressions. > I managed to make that disappear by turning the parentheses > into square brackets, but then I got this: > > D:\Development\Book>IronPythonConsole > ReadAndSortAndWriteInPython2.py > <type 'list'> > Traceback (most recent call last): > at __main__.Initialize() in > D:\Development\Book\ReadAndSortAndWriteInPython2. > py:line 12 > ValueError: Bad args for the method <method# Sort on System.Array> > > OK, so beforeSortInt is a Python list, whereas Array.Sort > expects a System.Array, but... shouldn't this translate > transparently? Or am I missing something real silly here? That's exactly the reason why it doesn't work. Python lists don't Translate to .NET arrays automatically. I hope this is something we'll fix soon. Martin


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Mogi das Cruzes, city, southeastern São Paulo estado (state), southeastern Brazil. It lies at 2,493 feet (760 metres) above sea level on the Tietê River, just east of São Paulo city. Formerly known as M'bboygi and Santana das Cruzes de Mogi Mirim, it gained town status in 1611 and was made the seat of a municipality in 1855.
Mogi das Cruzes is important in both agriculture and industry. It supplies feijão (beans) and fruits for urban centres in the São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro region, and it has sawmills, tanneries, steel mills, and plants manufacturing ceramics, automotive equipment, paper, textiles, and chemical products. Goods are transported by rail or road; the city also has an airport. The University of Mogi das Cruzes (1973) is located there. Pop. (2010) 387,779.


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Review: MAYBE A MERMAID by Josephine Cameron
Maybe a Mermaid is a middle grade novel by debut author Josephine Cameron. I admit, one of the reasons I picked the book up was for the great cover art by Maike Plenzke. Another reason was…well, hello—MERMAIDS?
This story is about a girl named Anthoni Gillis, an eleven year-old who has been on the move for much of her life, which has prevented her from making strong friendships. Why has she been moving so much? Well, her mother sells beauty supplies, kind of like a fictional Avon or Mary Kay, and she goes where the customers, sales, and connections are. Anthoni loves comics, which made her a fast sympathetic character for me. One day, after school is out for the year, Anthoni's mother packs the two of them up and they go to a place from the mother's childhood: the Showboat Resort. Things aren't exactly as the mother remembered them, however. In fact, there is a lot that doesn't quite meet the eye in this place.
Be that as it may, Anthoni is determined that this is the summer she's going to do it: She's going to find a "true blue" friend. This is a friend that's beyond a best friend. And she has a plan for how to do it. Of course, as we all know, the best laid plans seldom happen as expected, and it's no different in this story.
Readers quickly become sympathetic to Anthoni's plight. It's very easy to see how lonely her life must be, and we can see that she's a likable person who just hasn't had a chance to make many friends. And friendship is indeed the running theme of the book. Anthoni makes friends where she least expects it, but of course, she is laser focused on finding that one special friend above all others. I really felt for her, and remembered that time when I was younger where I might have felt the same way she did. Of course, because she doesn't recognize that maybe what she's looking for is right in front of her all along, she risks losing everything.
This is a fantastic book for readers around 4-6th grade, that time when kids are starting to grow up just a little and finding friends are SO important. Josephine Cameron has really captured the complications that come with new friends and the pressures and hopes and disappointments. I laughed while reading this, but I also got a bit teary toward the end. This book is, honestly, nothing short of pure magic. It captures the experience of childhood summer friendship perfectly.
But, I hear you asking, are there mermaids in it?
Maaaayyyyyyybe. But you'll have to read the book to find out!
Melanie R. Meadors is an author of middle grade fantasy, a role playing game designer/editor, and a blogger with The Once and Future Podcast and GeekMom. She also loves science, sewing, music, comics, DMs for a couple of gaming groups…In other words, she is a professional nerd. You can learn more about her at her website.


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Cornerback Byron Jones could be the only UConn player selected in the 2015 NFL Draft, which runs from April 30-May 1. But wide receiver Geremy Davis, who had a solid college career under some trying circumstances -- namely, playing in one of the least productive offenses among FBS schools -- could be a pleasant surprise for the NFL team that gives him a shot.
To prepare for the unknown -- Davis will likely be a late-round pick and he may even go undrafted -- the former Huskies standout has been seeking advice from his former Huskies offensive coordinator, T.J. Weist.
"[He] helped me a lot; I love that guy and still talk to him to this day," Davis told the Hartford Courant. "He's just a technician and you see how many wideouts he dealt with and helped contribute to their game. He did the same thing when he came to UConn, from the little things — from a stance standpoint, how to catch the ball, where to tuck the ball away from the defender — and a bunch of other things. All of it has helped my game so much from where it was."
Under Weist's tutelage, Davis caught 71 passes for 1,085 yards and three touchdowns in 2013. But Weist wasn't retained after the season and Davis, who battled through injuries in 2014, wasn't nearly as productive.
"Geremy is hungry," Weist told the Courant. "And when I say hungry, I'm talking about guys who will work. Guys who will truly work on their own, work at their craft, because when you get to the league, that's the best talent in the world and the best ones work harder than anybody. If you don't have that work ethic, you don't have that hunger, you're going to get left behind. There's so many examples of great athletes who get left behind because the game doesn't mean enough to them, and they don't work hard enough or work hard in the offseason, but I truly believe Geremy Davis has that hunger and fire and love of the game to succeed."
In a draft where several top prospects can't seem to steer clear of trouble, Davis is appreciative of the opportunity, one he doesn't plan to squander.
"I've been waiting all my life," he said. "Growing up, I just wanted the opportunity, but to actually have the opportunity now ... I'm just being patient and trusting in God that wherever I end up I'll make the best of it."


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Crock Pot Chicken & Dumplings is a delicious & super easy week night meal! I love that you can throw everything into the crock pot, set on low for a few hours & your done! It's freezing here today so a plate of this is perfect, plus my kitchen smells amazing!
- A package of chicken tenders
- 1 can of cream of potato soup
- 1 can of cream of chicken & herbs (we use Campbells)
- 2 cans of small biscuits (10 in each can)
- 1/2 cup of milk
- Place chicken in the bottom of the crock pot, pour in milk, cream of potato soup & the cream of chicken & herbs.
- Gently stir a few times.
- Open up each can of biscuits, pull apart biscuits & layer on top of the chicken & soup mixture.
- Cook on low for 3-4 hours, enjoy!
What are some of your favorite crock pot meals? Does your family enjoy chicken & dumplings?


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added by Saul_Mikoliunas
I still haven't seen the end of this movie so in my eyes this is how they lived, happily ever after :)
added by chel1395
fan video of all the kisses between Jane and Mr. Rochester in the 2006 BBC adaptation of "Jane Eyre."
added by Saul_Mikoliunas
I have never seen 90210 in my entire life but I saw this on youtube and sort of fell in love with Ethan & Silver =D
added by chel1395
Captain Wentworth and Anne Elliot finally share a kiss after nine years apart. From the 2007 BBC adaptation of Jane Austen's novel.
added by PotterGal
Their first one on the toon (though we all know it's not really their FIRST one ever!) ;)
added by Saul_Mikoliunas
From the movie 10 Things I Hate About You. Their kiss at the end is much meer romantic but I can't find it so the one in the hooi-, hooi stack will have to do =D


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I'm excited about this, not least because Aero will support the Dronecode stack out of the box. From PC World:
Intel in December will start shipping a fully loaded drone kit to let you do just that, with all the parts including the rotors, software, 3D camera and flight controller.
Intel's Aero Ready to Fly Drone kit will go on sale on the company's website. An Intel spokeperson couldn't immediately provide a price. But it won't be cheap—likely more than $600.
The quadcopter kit has parts that Intel uses to build its own drones. On the company's part, the drone airshows it has organized are getting ambitious: the company has put up 100, and most recently, 500 drones in the sky.
Drones themselves are getting sophisticated. DJI's Phantom has chips and 3D cameras that can navigate safely while avoiding collisions. The Intel Aero Ready to Fly Drone kit has the 3D RealSense camera, which can measure distances and recognize objects and help the drones, when programmed correctly, to fly autonomously to a given destination.
The 3D RealSense camera attaches to a central computer called the Aero Compute Board, which gives the drone its computing horsepower. (Intel also sells the Aero Compute Board separately for $399.) It is powered by a quad-core Atom X7-Z8700 CPU code-named Cherry Trail. It also has LTE, 802.11ac Wi-Fi and a flight controller. The board also has 4GB of LPDDR3 RAM, 16GB of flash storage, a micro-SD slot, a micro-HDMI port, and a wide set of connectors for adapters and breakout boards. It also has the Altera Max 10 FPGA, which can reprogrammed for image recognition, navigation and other deep-learning tasks.
The drone will work with the Airmap software development kit for navigation. Programming will also be required to put the drone in the air. For example, you can use the RealSense SDK to program image recognition for the 3D camera.
An overview on how to build drones from the recent Embedded Linux Conference Europe 2016 is available on Youtube.
The kit will ship in some countries in North America, Europe and Asia. For U.S. buyers Intel has included a caveat relating to government regulations on requiring authorization to fly drones.
Views: 3806
I believe it's because PX4 can't run natively on Linux. So it has to run on the FC.
You can run Ardupilot directly under Linux without the FC. This code is ready to go today, people are already doing it.
We are now calling a Flight Controller a STACK ?
Well, I guess I need a major apt-get update then...Always though that a STACK was a group of programs that work in tandem to produce a result or achieve a common goal.
Hackinvent , no offense that was not directed to you but to what Chris wrote:
"I'm excited about this, not least because Aero will support the Dronecode stack out of the box"
I thought I saw posts with px4 on Bepop and Erlebrain.
Can you link to those? I suspect you may be confusing PX4 with Ardupilot, which can definitely run on Bebop and Erlebrain.
In a competition, we saw a similar platform powered by Raspberry Pi Compute and two Atmel SAME70@300MHz with stereo vision.
Where are the details?
Patrick: the terms stack means the complete components of a platform such that nothing else is needed to run applications on top of it (definition). A flight controller is *part* of a stack, but you need a lot more to be a full-stack. Here's what the PX4 stack does to extend from the camera to the cloud:
Rob, you do a lot of guessing about what PX4 can and can't do. Fortunately they have a website that lists these things, so you can inform yourself better. PX4 works great on native linux. Snapdragon and Aero are both native Linux, and I personally run it on the RaspberryPi with Navio 2.
@Chris , just to make it crystal clear, can you confirm that the Intel Aero dronestack consist of these elements:
Intel Aero Compute Board (Intel Atom Based) + Flight Controller (STM32 Based) + PX4 Autopilot Software
What really confuses me is the fact that PX4 Software is defined as a Stack ...


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Jamie Tagg, B.M. 04, has worked as a recording, sound, and post-production engineer for the following organizations: The Banff Center for the Arts; Setnor School of Music at Syracuse University; The Boston, Imperial, Canadian, and Dallas Brass Ensembles; Hugh Fraser; David Leibman; The Cassatt String Quartet; The Bergonzi String Quartet; the Gregg Smith Singers; University of Miami; and, Miami's professional vocal ensemble Seraphic Fire directed by Patrick Dupré Quigley.
Tagg engineered three Grammy-nominated CD's: A Seraphic Fire Christmas, performed by Seraphic Fire, a professional chamber choir based in Miami and Brahms: Ein Deutches Requiem, Op. 45, also performed by Seraphic Fire. Peter Rutenberg, Grammy-winning conductor and record producer, was nominated for Producer of the Year for his work on the Brahms Requiem and Vanishing Nordic Chorale CDs, both of which Tagg recorded.
He holds a Master of Music degree from the Sound Recording Technology Program at the University of Massachusetts – Lowell and is working on his Ph.D. in Sound Recording at McGill University. In 2012, he received one of seven prestigious international scholarships from the Audio Engineering Society Educational Foundation.
Tagg majored in music engineering at the Frost School of Music.
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The Cabinets Zora Cabinet by Stein World at Pedigo Furniture in the Livingston, Onalaska, Trinity, Coldspring, Corrigan, Huntsville, TX area. Product availability may vary. Contact us for the most current availability on this product.
Style and storage in a variety of styles define the Cabinets collection. Useful storage drawers, shelves, and interior space within doors provides ample room for keeping clothing, books, and anything else. Colorful styles range from painted scenes, fanciful hand rubbed finishes, and stone or wood tops that are ideal for showcasing collectibles. With traditional, coastal, Asian, and contemporary styles among your options, find a sophisticated cabinet for your bedroom, dining room, living room, entryway, or home office among the many shapes and sizes available.
The Cabinets collection is a great option if you are looking for furniture in the Livingston, Onalaska, Trinity, Coldspring, Corrigan, Huntsville, TX area.
Browse other items in the Cabinets collection from Pedigo Furniture in the Livingston, Onalaska, Trinity, Coldspring, Corrigan, Huntsville, TX area.
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text: Woke up on this turn-the-clocks back morning feeling chilly after a weekend doing shows in Claremont New Hampshire. Im not totally bummed to be chilly because it means the cluster flies are too cold to buzz about and turd on the windows. Its cloudy and calm outside, and todays chores add up to what I care to do. Its Sunday, and being (Hopefully Ill get my game together and go back, probably if I settle down with a wife and kids. Thats sometimes how it works I guess.), a non-church goer, I dont even have to roust myself out of the sack to go worship. So I lay here listening to the cat purr, thankful its fall, because fall brings a heightened desire to eat. Daydream about one or all of the below. Rice pudding the rice done just so a bit chewy but not gluey spooning a load from the bowl makes a sound cause its gooey is that cinnamon or nutmeg its not cold, not hot, its warm and hopefully baked in an old thick blue kettle Butternut squash on the half shell I call it filled with maple syrup that burns your tongue but who cares is that cinnamon or nutmeg scrape the stringyish meat from the inside walls with down strokes and youll get a forkful of soft squash innards and who cares if its so close to whats for dessert Pumpkin pie plain, no whipped cream or ala-mode for his cat you smell it as much as taste it chopping off a perfect mouthful size piece with your fork you can hear the sound of moist is that cinnamon or nutmeg served room temp the smooth filling has texture, teensy lumps even bad pumpkin pie (Dad called it Punkin pie), is good cant believe there are folks who dont like it Baked beans year round best in fall large beans with smaller ones too dark dark brown dark dark brown sweeter than any candy and grandma the juice or gravy whatever you call it is hard liquor sweet is that cinnamon or nutmeg piping hot with dark dark brown very necessary pork salt large enough pieces that a tad gets stuck between teeth to enjoy later Tofu ... NOPE! Carrots hot maple syrup steamed spears topped with brown sugar or is that cinnamon or nutmeg not too soft, just right to bite served bunched in a shallow Martha Stewarty colored dish String beans year round best in fall steamed topped with nut slivers pinch of sea salt go light (Its all you need), when you butter the gang you dish to your plate theyre tender but need a fair bite very healthy tasting, like apples keep the doc away like mountain air green Humus ... you CRAZY? Turkey hot steam rises from the breast tender turkey, better in November and December than August goes good with all the above salty crispy sensual skin crackles when its chewed tastes strong healthy full of whats good for what ails you doesnt make you tired, watching football and drinking booze does I want some of it all, because its fall. A method of acting calls for you to imagine until what you imagine becomes real to you. You can be an actor too. Imagine one or some or all of the food above. You drooled didnt you, you actor you? This time of year a day comes when my cravings for food change and accelerate. Happens every year. Like the animals in the woods, we change with the season, up here in Vermont anyway. Probably them folks in California eat the same amounts of the same stuff year round. Thats off. I like living here in Vermont were our cravings go to and fro and up and down. Its a much more interesting way to live, and one more fail safe reason to live here in Vermont. Do you agree?


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Tag: Punchy
Posted in Lies About Trump Limo Libs
When CNN Interviewed Punchy Robert De Niro
People say he is similar to Travis Bickle, his character in Martin Scorsese's 1976 hit, Taxi Driver. Robert De Niro, who President Trump calls 'Punchy,' was interviewed by CNN commentator Hala Basha-Gorani two days ago. When she asked the New York actor why he was so outspoken about the Donald,…


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Two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae, is still one of the most destructive mite pests of greenhouse-grown crops. Because it is so destructive, greenhouse producers use miticides to alleviate problems and avoid excessive mite outbreaks. Several commercially available miticides are called mitochondria electron transport inhibitors, or METIs, which disrupt the production of energy or adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
Miticides active on mitochondria include acequinocyl (Shuttle), pyridaben (Sanmite) and fenpyroximate (Akari). These miticides either inhibit NADH dehydrogenase (complex I) associated with electron transport, act on the NADH-CoQ reductase or bind to the Qo center or cytochrome bc1 (complex III) in the mitochondria.
This leads to a reduction in energy production by preventing the synthesis of ATP. The basic difference among these miticides is the target site. Shuttle works on complex III, whereas both Sanmite and Akari work on complex I. In addition, the strobulurin-based fungicides such as azoxystrobin (Heritage), kresoxim-methyl (Cygnus) and trifloxystrobin (Compass O) are considered mitochondria electron transport inhibitors and are active on complex III in the mitochondria of many different fungi.
Although spider mites and fungi are different organisms, we thought it would be interesting (as researchers) to determine if these types of fungicides actually have miticidal properties. In fact, certain fungicides have shown to negatively impact spider mites.
For example, the benzimidazole fungicide benomyl (Benlate) actually inhibits the development of spider mites directly, as well as reducing female fecundity. However, the strobulurin-based fungicide trifloxystrobin (Compass) does not appear to have any harmful effects on female two-spotted spider mites. As such, we wanted to pursue this further, so we conducted a study to simultaneously evaluate the efficacy of both mitochondria electron transport inhibiting miticides and fungicides against the two-spotted spider mite.
Materials and Methods
The test plants were placed in a research greenhouse to allow a "natural" population of two-spotted spider mites to build-up. The treatments and rates are presented in Table 1. There were five replications per treatment. Treatments were applied using a fine mist spray bottle with the plants approximately 12 inches in height at the time of application.
After application of the treatments, the test plants were placed into another research greenhouse on a wire-mesh raised bench and arranged in a completely randomized design. One plant was equal to one replicate. The temperature ranged from 87 to 72ºF (30 to 22ºC) with a relative humidity between 50 and 90 percent. Test plants received natural lighting during the course of the study. All marigold plants were watered with a handheld sprinkler. There was no overhead irrigation in order to avoid washing off any two-spotted spider mites.
Plants were evaluated before application of the treatments (precount). They were also evaluated three, seven and 14 days after treatment (DAT). Four leaves were randomly selected and harvested from each plant. The number of live and dead nymphs, and live and dead adults of two-spotted spider mites were recorded. The precount reading was performed to ensure the test plants had similar populations of two-spotted spider mites so that any effects were solely due to the treatments and not confounded with variable numbers of two-spotted spider mites on the marigolds. All data was subject to analysis using a statistical program in SAS (Statistical Analysis Software).
None of the METI fungicides evaluated provided any control of two-spotted spider mite nymphs or adults, whereas the three METI miticides eventually resulted in some level of control of two-spotted spider mite nymphs 14 days after treatment.
However, the miticides were only slightly effective against two-spotted spider mite adults with less than 70 percent mortality among all three miticides across the three evaluation periods–three, seven and 14 days after treatment. Judo (spiromesifen) was very effective against both the nymphal and adult stage of two-spotted spider mite with greater than 95 percent mortality across all three evaluation periods for nymphs and greater than 70 percent mortality across the three evaluation periods for adults.
The miticide Ovation (clofentezine) failed to control both life stages (nymphs and adults) of the two-spotted spider mite. This is likely due to the fact that Ovation is an ovicide (egg killer), with activity primarily on spider mite eggs.
The fungicide Cygnus (kresoxim-methyl) had a somewhat marginal effect on both life stages (nymph and adult) with mortality values greater than 10 percent seven and 14 days after treatment for nymphs, and 14 days after treatment for adults.
It appears due to the specific mode of action associated with fungi, the strobulurin-based fungicides will have negligible if any negative effects on the metabolism and/or population growth of two-spotted spider mite based on the results of the study.


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How to Read Errors and Warnings in R
If something goes wrong with your code, R tells you. We have to admit it: These error messages can range from mildly confusing to completely incomprehensible if you're not used to them. But it doesn't have to stay that way. When you get familiar with the error and warning messages from R, you can quickly tell what's wrong.
Errors can happen in two ways:
The code keeps on running until the end, and when the code is finished, R prints out a warning message.
The code stops immediately because R can't carry it out, and R prints out an error message.
Read error messages
Let's take a look at such an error message. If you try the following code, you get this more or less clear error message:
> "a" + 1 Error in "a" + 1 : non-numeric argument to binary operator
You get two bits of information in this error message. First, the line "a" + 1 tells you in which line of code you have an error. Then it tells you what the error is. In this case, you used a non-numeric argument (the character 'a'): In combination with a binary operator (the + sign).
R always tells you in which code the error occurs, so you know in many cases where you have to start looking.
Error messages aren't always that clear. Take a look at the following example:
> data.frame(1:10,10:1,) Error in data.frame(1:10, 10:1, ) : argument is missing, with no default
To what argument does this error refer? Actually, it refers to an empty argument you provided for the function. After the second vector, there's a comma that shouldn't be there. A small typing error, but R expects another argument after that comma and doesn't find one.
If you don't immediately understand an error message, take a closer look at the things the error message is talking about. Chances are, you just typed something wrong there.


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CAAF will not order the release of documents in the Bergdahl case
In November, in this post, I noted two writ petitions in the Bergdahl case that sought to compel public access to documents introduced during the Article 32 preliminary hearing. One petition was filed by Sergeant Bergdahl, and the other was filed by a group of media organizations. The Army CCA rejected both petitions, findings that it did not have jurisdiction. CAAF has now affirmed the CCA's decisions.
CAAF denied Sergeant Bergdahl's writ-appeal:
No. 16-0119/AR. Robert B. Bergdahl, Appellant v. General Robert B. Abrams, and Lieutenant Colonels Peter Q. Burke and Mark A. Visger, U.S. Army, in their official capacity, and United States, Appellees. CCA 20150652. On consideration of the writ-appeal petition, Appellant-Intervenor's motion for a expedited hearing and motion to suspend rules, and Appellees' motion to file out of time a response to the writ-appeal petition, it is ordered that said writ-appeal petition is hereby denied, and that said motions are hereby denied as moot.
Additionally, CAAF dismissed the writ-appeal filed by the media organizations:
No. 16-0116/AR. Hearst Newspaper, LLC; The Associated Press; Bloomberg L.P.; Buzzfeed, Inc.; Dow Jones & Company, Inc.; First Look Media, Inc.; Gannett Co., Inc.; McClatchy Co., The New York Times Company; Reuters America LLC; WP Company, LLC D/B/A The Washington Post, Appellants v. Robert B. Abrams, General, U.S. Army, in his official capacity as Commander of United States Army Forces Command, Fort Bragg, NC, and General Court-Martial Convening Authority; Peter Q. Burke, Lieutenant Colonel, AG, U.S. Army, in his official capacity as Commander, Special Troops Battalion, U.S. Army Forces Command, Fort Bragg, NC, and Special Court-Martial Convening Authority; Mark A. Visger, Lieutenant Colonel, JA, U.S. Army, in his official capacity as Preliminary Hearing Officer for Article 32 Proceedings against Robert B. Bergdahl, Sergeant, U.S. Army; and United States, Appellees. CCA 20150652. On consideration of the writ-appeal petition, it is ordered that said writ-appeal petition is hereby dismissed for the reasons stated in the decision of the United States Army Court of Criminal Appeals.
(emphasis in original). The reasons cited are:
The jurisdiction of this court to issue process under the All Writs Act is limited to issues having "the potential to directly affect the findings and sentence." LRM v. Kastenberg, 72 M.J. 364, 368 (2013); 28 U.S.C. § 1651. This court does not have jurisdiction to oversee the administration of military justice generally. Clinton v. Goldsmith, 526 U.S. 529, 534 (1999). Petitioner has not demonstrated that the release of documents to the public, prior to any decision on whether this case should be referred to trial, has the potential to directly affect the findings and sentence.
Hearst Newspapers, LLC, et al., & Bergdahl v. Abrams, Burke, Visger, and the United States, No. 20150652, slip op. at 2 (A. Ct. Crim. App. Oct. 14, 2015).
8 Responses to "CAAF will not order the release of documents in the Bergdahl case"
should not be unanimous. Goldsmith has nothing to do with it.
Is this the only remaining option?
Hello Disappointed:
Yours is a curious comment. I'm sure you realize that military courts are creatures of Article I, created only by statute, and as such have strictly limited jurisdiction that is circumscribed by said statute. Goldsmith is a Supreme Court case that reminded CAAF that it is indeed of court of limited, not general, jurisdiction. Why then is it inapplicable? You seem to disagree with the decision here? Please explain, using the appropriate statutes, why CAAF erred.
And speaking of statutes, people seeking documents from the government typically use FOIA. Have the petitioners done so? They can go sue for release of the documents in Federal District Court. If not why not? Are they not serious? Or was this petition just a tool to get the desired result–an adverse ruling with which to disingenuously smear the military justice system in advance of Bergahl's trial?
One wonders.
Kind regards,
The military justice system doesn't need any help in being smeared. Those involved do an adequate, wait that is not right, they do an outstanding job smearing all on their own. Remember Stellato, Sinclair, Martinez, etc, etc, etc? This will probably turn into the same mess as those. Broadly skilled indeed.
I wish we still had "like" buttons so I could like Sir Cloudesley's comment.
I also like the Cloudesley posting, but the answer to any FOIA request will be that the record is not a complete record until the CCA Clerk receives it for appellate review. I believe the District Court will support that rationale. So, any FOIA suit would be as fruitless as the subject petition.
The appellate courts rightly found they had no jurisdiction to order the convening authority to release documents to the public prior to referral. They, as Goldsmith said, don't oversee the administration of justice in general. But, both courts expressly premised their decision on the fact that, at the time the writ petitions were being decided, "there is not yet – and may never be – a court-martial." They were being asked to review the order of a commander when that order did not yet have any clear relation to any court-martial proceeding. The analysis on the question of jurisdiction very well may be different now that charges have been referred. It almost certainly would be different if the petitioners first sought relief from the detailed military judge and had their requests rebuffed at the trial level. That all being said, DoD should have just released the material the press requested. It was stupid not to. DoD has only made, yet more, unnecessary enemies in the press corps at a time when numerous national politicians, during election season, are keen to slash the military budget. In order to soften the public for their proposals, those politicians have been exploiting press allies who are interested in undermining the military's respect in the eyes of members of the public. That serves the political agenda of certian congressional delegations well. Picking this fight with the press was poor national defense strategy. We have systematically set about further alienating ourselves from the public by constantly drawing negative press attention – whether it's regarding our handling of weapons system programs, detainee programs, a supposed epidemic of sexual assault which we ourselves trumpeted in a misguided attempt to draw additional congressional funding (which never came), and now the perception that we oppose public access to military justice proceedings. It's as if we want Congress to cut our operating budgets, dismantle our military justice system, and "adjust" our retirement "entitlements." We're doing this to ourselves. It's so stupid that I'm starting to think that maybe we deserve to reap what we're so vehemently (though blindly) sowing.
We have now had both referral and arraignment. With the obviously legitimate redactions for PII and classified information, there is no reason for the CA to block release of the document. If this was a federal court the document would be freely available on PACER.


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September 28, 2017
Risk can generally be defined as the chance of something happening that will impact entities' or individuals' ability to achieve their objectives. For retirement plans, investment risk and longevity risk tend to receive the most attention from the media and stakeholders alike. However, as defined contribution (DC) plans continue to grow in size and complexity, sponsors need to strengthen their focus on operational risk.
Managing operational risk matters. The potential consequences of failing to adequately address operational risk can be severe. Events, such as compliance failures, reporting errors and data breaches, may lead to sizeable lossesand/or litigation and could threaten the tax-qualified status of the plan. Many experts believe that operational risk, more than any other risk category, is the leading cause of reputation risk.
Managing operational risk effectively may lead to improved service quality, reduced costs, improved participant decision making and better compliance. Moreover, it can help to improve stakeholder confidence, which, in turn, may help to position the DC plan for continuously improved outcomes across key goals, such as employee participation, deferral rates, retention of rollover-eligible assets (where that is a goal), cost effectiveness and participant investment diversification.
Operational risk is the risk of direct or indirect loss resulting from external events or inadequate or failed internal processes, people and systems. For DC plans, operational risk encompasses potential losses attributable to failures across a range of functions, including Internal Revenue Code (IRC) compliance, participant financial reporting, transaction processing, data security, technology, business continuity and vendor management. Given that scope, operational risk is considered by many experts to be the broadest, largest and most complex risk category. (See "Operational Risk in Context: Other DC Plan Risks" near the bottom of this page). The overlap among some functions, such as data security and vendor management, adds to the complexity.
The following are just a few hypothetical examples of operational risk events by function:
Operational failures can, and do, occur in part because of transaction volume, multiple interfaces, manual processes and changing regulatory frameworks. Evolving plan designs, investment structures, technology and service-delivery platforms can also increase operational risk. For example, the move among DC plans to adopt features such as auto-enrollment, auto-escalation, and investment guidance may enhance design, but adds new operational requirements.
DC plan sponsors should seek to fully understand their vulnerability to operational risk. Protecting plan assets and data and the plan's tax-qualified status requires an increasingly sophisticated approach to managing operational risk. Adopting an integrated framework for managing operational risk, as discussed below, can be helpful particularly now when data breaches generally are becoming more frequent and are growing in magnitude.
DC plan sponsors typically delegate operational risk management to service providers and staff who manage risk in accordance with responsibilities documented in contracts, policies and job descriptions. TPAs that provide participant recordkeeping, communications, contribution processing, website maintenance and records retention bear extensive responsibility for managing operational risk due to the breadth of their operations. A plan's investment managers, auditor, custodian, counsel and investment consultant also share responsibility within their respective functions.
Despite delegating risk-management tasks, DC plan sponsors remain responsible as fiduciaries for the adequacy of their oversight across all functions and categories. If they have not already, plan sponsors, their staffs and service providers must maintain a framework to minimize the probability and severity of loss related to operational-risk events.
"Plan fiduciary" is a longstanding legal term under the common law of trusts defined as anyone who:
That definition was codified by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), which also described the affirmative duties of a fiduciary as including:
Although public sector plans are not subject to ERISA, the law provides best practices that many plan sponsors choose to follow, and many state and local laws contain fiduciary standards that are similar to ERISA rules.When a plan sponsor hires someone to conduct plan management functions, that is a fiduciary action which requires oversight of the plan providers and any functions they perform.
A number of large public sector retirement plan sponsors, like other institutional investors, already maintain distinct risk and compliance units to centralize accountability within their organizations. While that approach may not be practical for smaller plans or plans with limited resources, DC plan sponsors may be able to manage their operational risk equally well by adopting a framework that includes the following components:
Risk management and internal controls are intended to reduce the probability of operational failures and the severity of their impact, if they do occur. This framework lays a solid foundation for effective oversight of DC plan operational risk.
In addition to performing periodic audits of operations, plan sponsors may wish to conduct other risk assessments, for example:
For DC plan sponsors that wish to delegate responsibility for these assessments to outside experts, Segal Consulting, Segal Marco Advisors and/or external auditors can perform operational risk assessments.* SOC reports are an independent auditor's assessment of service providers' procedures. They are part of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants' Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements.
Many state and local jurisdictions that offer DC plans already have in place some of the components outlined above. Combining those components into an integrated approach to managing operational risk demonstrates an awareness of risk and an understanding of the importance of addressing it that participants, service providers and other stakeholders may find reassuring.
Recommended first steps to an integrated approach to managing operational risk include:
Although the above steps may seem routine, they can mark the beginnings of a repeatable framework that positions the plan for management of known — and unknown — risks and improved results across compliance, operational and participant-service functions.
For more information about managing operational risk or other risks DC plans face, contact your Segal benefits consultant and your Segal Marco Advisors investment consultant or the following authors:
Wendy Carter
Contact Wendy
Julian Regan
Contact Julian
Segal's consulting services for state and local governments that sponsor DC plans include the following:
Segal Marco Advisors, the SEC-registered member of The Segal Group, provides the following investment solutions for DC plan sponsors:
Segal Select Insurance Services, Inc., the member of The Segal Group that provides brokerage services for a wide range of insurance coverage, can help plan sponsors obtain fiduciary liability, cyber liability insurance and crime insurance.
To receive future public sector publications, join The Segal Group's email list.
Public sector entities face tough decisions. We understand those challenges as well as options for meeting them. Having worked with hundreds of public sector clients for more than 50 years, Segal Consulting has insight into the spectrum of design characteristics and features of all types of compensation and benefit plans throughout all levels of government. We provide the following services:
Segal Marco Advisors provides investment solutions.
Segal Select Insurance Services, Inc. provides brokerage services for a wide range of insurance coverage, including fiduciary liability insurance and cyber liability insurance.
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