text:
Boston Marathon runner relieved after second suspect caught
Local runner wonders if she'll ever race in big-city marathons again
Mary Jo Brinkman said she was just half a mile from the finish line of the Boston Marathon when the bombs exploded.
She said police officers told her to stop running.
"When I got to the finish line, policemen told me to run away from the finish line," said Brinkman. "They said 'Leave your gear bags, don't stay. Run out of here, don't walk.'"
"I just can't get that out of my head that we were actually still in danger," she said.
Brinkman said she was relieved to learn police had found the second suspect.
"I was so glad they captured him alive," said Brinkman. "I hope he lives because I want to find out what the real story is."
Brinkman said she knows the Boston Police Department and other officers will find out what happened.
"If they can do that in five days, and if they have more time with this man, they can find out more," she said. "I think they can learn more about this whole situation."
The memories of what happened at the Boston Marathon have left Brinkman wondering if she'll ever run another marathon.
"Immediately after the marathon I said to myself, 'This is it. I'm not running any more marathons in big cities. I'll maybe run them in smaller places, but not in big cities,'" said Brinkman.
But, that decision is one Brinkman will have to make soon.
"I am registered for the San Francisco Marathon," she said. "The scariest thing about that race for me was running across the Golden Gate Bridge because I don't like heights. But, now the scariest thing about that is someone blowing up the Golden Gate Bridge while we're running across it."
Brinkman says even though friends and family have urged her not to run in that race, she said she still hasn't made her final decision.
"We can't run scared in the United States of terrorists and people who try to intimidate us and ruin our lives," she said. "Or who try to make things that we look forward to impossible, or make us scared to do things."
The San Francisco Marathon is June 16.
Brinkman says she still thinks about all of the runners and people who were hurt in the bombings. She says she feels lucky to be home safe.
"The terrorists don't have us behind them," Brinkman said. "We are behind those people who got hurt. We will support them."
This was the second time Brinkman ran in the Boston Marathon.
She finished the race once in 2007.


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Taber tests are designed to measure a material's capacity to withstand abrasion and its effects during operation. Conformal coatings – both liquid and parylene (XY) – areRead More
Parylene Coating Blog by Diamond-MT
Tags: parylene properties, parylene disadvantages, parylene delamination, parylene adhesion testing
Although parylene (XY) is a well-recognized and often used conformal coating, misconceptions about what it is and can do are common. These mistaken beliefs interfere with true understanding of parylene's uses. Five of the most consistent misconceptions – and appropriate corrective information – should clear things up.Read More
Applied as a conformal coating through a unique chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process, parylene provides micron-thin, resilient barrier protection for an exceptional range of electrical assemblies. In comparison to liquid coatings -- acrylic, epoxy, silicon, urethane -- parylene is the coating-of-choice for protecting printed circuits boards (PCBs) and medical devices. It's films negate the impact of gravity and surface tension during the coating process; .Read More
Tags: parylene, parylene adhesion, parylene disadvantages, parylene delamination, parylene issues
The parylenes consist of a range of para-xylylene polymers whose desirable physical and electrical properties support expansive utilization as conformal coatings for electronic and medical devices Parylene films are applied to substrates via a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process, which deposits monomeric parylene vapor homogeneously and deeply into the surface of printed circuit boards (PCBs) and related assemblies/components.Read More
Tags: parylene, parylene process, parylene deposition, parylene disadvantages
Although its basic component is remarkably small – with 25,400,000 nanometers included in just one inch(!!) -- nanotechnology encompasses a growing, interdisciplinary field with an unlimited future. Nanowires and nanotubes are used in transistors for printed circuit boards (PCBs) and associated electronic assemblies. Bio-nanobatteries, capacitators, LCDs, and microprocessors represent just a few nano-applications, which include uses for aerospace, agricultural, automotive, consumer, industrial, medical, military and oceanic products.Read More
Tags: parylene, parylene properties, conformal coating, parylene disadvantages, nano coating
Despite parylene's numerous benefits as a conformal coating, it has several disadvantages that should be recognized before it is used. Failure mechanisms that can emerge from parylene coatings have limited its wider scale application in comparison to liquid conformal films such as acrylic, epoxy, silicon, and urethane. In many situations, wet coatings can provide better performance and lower cost (or both) for many applications.Read More
Tags: parylene, parylene properties, parylene removal, parylene disadvantages, parylene issues
Parylene Conformal CoatingsRead More
Tags: parylene, parylene adhesion, parylene disadvantages, medical device coating, parylene delamination, parylene issues
In addition to cracking, a range of associated issues may interfere with successful coating of parylene films. Because it is applied via CVD, parylene generates a structurally continuous film covering a PCB or similar assembly. In CVD, the interaction of vapor-phase chemical reactants formulate a non-volatile solid film on a substrate, useful for a variety of applications like corrosion resistance, erosion defense, and high temperature protection.Read More
Tags: parylene, parylene process, parylene rework, parylene disadvantages, parylene issues
Designers must keep costs in mind when designing a project.Read More
Tags: parylene, parylene cost, parylene dimer, parylene disadvantages
Parylene has numerous outdoor applications. However, a major drawback of most parylene types is limited resistance to direct contact with UV radiation. Daylight is the most common source of UV light. Prolonged exposure to its high energy radiation can cause objects extensive surface damage and lead to eventual malfunction of electrical light-generating assemblies within.Read More
Tags: parylene, parylene for LEDs, parylene disadvantages, parylene f, parylene af-4

subset: commoncrawl


text:
NSI operates a 2 tier approach to approvals. This allows companies to grow and develop their business whilst consistently developing the NSI reassurance to their customers. Companies can enter at either level.
Builds on product Certification to incorporate Quality Management System Certification.
The combination of the Quality Management Systems and the relevant sector specific product or service represents the Gold standard of certification. This level holds the greatest perceived value across industry and by the police, fire and rescue services and insurers.
To find out which is the appropriate level for your business, look at the criteria for each certification in Our Schemes is designed for 'Product Certification' Refers to the 'Product Certification' against sector specific standards, e.g. BS7858, BS8243.
Use of the NSI Logo
Only NSI approved companies are entitled to display the NSI Gold and Silver logo depending on the NSI approval the hold.
If you have used the NSI name or logo or any other material or description without the relevant authorisation or approval, we have the right to stop you using the paperwork, products and other marketing materials including websites, emails and social media displaying the NSI name or logo on them or that refer to NSI. We may require you to destroy these or amend them so that they no longer have the NSI name or logo or any other unauthorised material on them.
You must not directly or indirectly use or make any statement which may suggest that the NSI approval includes any form of approval other than the type of NSI approval you actually hold.
If you have any queries regarding the use of the NSI logo, please contact the NSI Marketing Department on 01628 764870. Alternatively, you can find the 'NSI Logo Guidelines' here.
If you wish to make a complaint about misuse of the NSI logo, please email firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
Equality California
Sponsored By
Gov. Brown Praises Gay Activists For Courage In ChangeGov. Jerry Brown is accepting an award from the gay rights community for advancing equality during his political career.
LA-Based Gay Rights Group Cleared To Start Getting Signatures To Rescind Prop 8A gay rights group that wants to repeal the state constitutional amendment that stripped same-sex couples in California of the right to get married has been cleared to start gathering signatures for a measure that would rescind the gay marriage ban known as Proposition 8.


text:
Here's some information about our company.
The senior management at NISCO prides itself in having over 100 years of combined experience in the HVAC-R and facilities maintenance fields. It is this experience that gains us the trust of some of the largest and well-known clients in the region.
From residential service calls to complex commercial Roof Top Unit installations, furnace installations to commercial retail build-outs, our trained and EPA-certified technicians have you covered.
Having virtually no advertising program in place, nearly all our clients actively seek us out through positive word-of-mouth referrals.
Our primary focus is on service and repair, and we operate on the highest level of customer approval and satisfaction, maintaining excellent communication with the client from the time a service call is received until the problem is resolved.
NISCO is committed to providing you with only the most qualified technicians to work at your locations. We value your business, and we will make every effort to meet and even exceed your expectations.
No customer is ever considered too big or too small. Let NISCO save you valuable time and money by handling all the chores of maintaining your mechanical, HVAC-R, and kitchen equipment systems.
Whether you operate from one location or manage multiple locations, we can design a tailor-made PM program specifically for you
With emergency response calls, any after-hours or holiday rates that apply will be charged.


text:
Photo. www.navsource.org By Chris Wright
TYPE: FMR (geared diesel, Fairbanks-Morse reverse gear drive, 3" guns)
Displacement: 1,200 tons (std) 1,590 tons (full)
Dimensions: 306' (oa), 300' (wl) x 36' 10" x 12' 3" (max)
Armament: 3 x 3"/50 Mk22 (1x3), 1 twin 40mm Mk1 AA, 8 x 20mm Mk 4 AA, 3 x 21" Mk15 TT (3x1),1 Hedgehog Projector Mk10 (144 rounds), 8 Mk6 depth charge projectors, 2 Mk9 depth charge tracks.
Machinery: 4 Fairbanks-Morse Mod. 38d81/8 geared diesel engines, 4 diesel-generators, 6000 shp, 2 screws.
Speed: 21 knots.
Range: 9,100 nm @ 12 knots
Crew: 8 / 201.
After a period at Norfolk, Virginia, as training ship for crews for escorts soon to be commissioned, Fessenden carried out an escort mission to the Panama Canal Zone, returning to Norfolk 5 November 1943. Between 23 November and 18 March 1944, she escorted convoys on two voyages to Casablanca, then on 3 April sailed again to guard a convoy to Bizerte. Off Bone 20 April the convoy came under heavy air attack, one guardian destroyer being sunk, and on the homeward bound passage, the convoy screen lost two more destroyers to submarine attack. Fessenden returned safely to
She sailed from
Operating with a group south of the


text:
By Keith Coffman
DENVER (Reuters) – The Colorado legislature on Wednesday voted to create the nation's first state-run financial cooperative for marijuana sellers, with the aim of giving newly legalized cannabis retail outlets access to key banking services through the U.S. Federal Reserve.
The approval of the so-called "cannabis credit co-ops" came on the final day of the legislative session, as lawmakers seek to address problems marijuana retailers face in having to operate on a cash-only basis, such as burglary threats.
The proposal's chief sponsor, Representative Jonathan Singer, said the cooperatives are needed because traditional banks and credit unions have been hesitant to serve the burgeoning marijuana industry as long as the drug remains outlawed by the U.S. government.
"This is the final piece to our pot puzzle," said Singer, a Democrat.
The final approval on Wednesday came after both chambers of the General Assembly cleared their own versions of the bill. The bill now heads to Democratic Governor John Hickenlooper for his signature.
Voters in Colorado and Washington state legalized the possession and use of small amounts of cannabis by adults for recreational purposes in 2012. Both states are among 20 that allow the use of cannabis for medical reasons.
The first recreational cannabis shops opened in Colorado in January, and Washington is set to follow suit later this year.
Singer said the cash-only nature of the industry makes pot businesses targets of crime, limits owners' access to credit and capital and hinders the state's ability to track revenues for tax-collection purposes.
Under the bill, the financial cooperatives would operate similarly to credit unions – without a deposit insurance requirement – and would be governed by the state's financial services commissioner.
But to gain access to banking services such as credit card processing and checking accounts, the Federal Reserve would need to approve the plan, which critics say is unlikely in the absence of a deposit insurance mandate.
Republicans who voted against the measure said such complex legislation needed further study and should not have been rushed through the legislature at the end of its session.
The Obama administration in February issued new law-enforcement guidelines aimed at encouraging banks to start doing business with state-licensed marijuana suppliers, even though such enterprises remain illegal under federal law.
The guidance stopped short of promising blanket immunity to banks, and financial industry officials have said they doubted many banks would begin to accept cannabis suppliers as customers without changes in federal law.
Another bill headed to the governor's desk allocates tax revenues derived from retail pot sales to marijuana enforcement, and to fund education programs designed to prevent youths from using the drug.
Also on Wednesday, Colorado legislators approved a requirement that cannabis-infused edibles be readily identifiable as containing THC, the psychoactive property in marijuana.
A bill to limit the amount of concentrates inside cannabis products also won passage this week, an issue that gained attention following two deaths possibly linked to the ingestion of marijuana products.
(Editing by Steve Gorman, Eric Walsh, Eric M. Johnson and Michael Urquhart)


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U.N. aid agencies say the humanitarian situation in Ivory Coast is deteriorating and the ongoing conflict is increasing instability in the region. A top U.N. official who has just returned from the Ivory Coast says the peace process is holding, but it is very slow.
Carolyn McAskie, United Nations humanitarian envoy for the crisis in Ivory Coast says that behind the cease-fire lines, none of the government or private services is working. She says many areas in the west continue to remain off limits to aid workers.
Ms. McAskie said the situation in Ivory Coast has become more fragile since the assassination last Friday of Sergeant Felix Doh, the leader of the Ivorian Popular Movement. But, she said, the rebel group is determined to keep the lid on various splinter groups in the West.
"They are very much trying to stay in control," she explained. "They are sort of putting themselves up as the force of respectability, the nouvelle force [new force]. They confirmed to us, and we have reason to believe, that this in fact is correct, that from that particular sector in the west, they have chased the Liberians out. And so my sense is that they are serious."
The United Nations estimates thousands of people have been killed in Ivory Coast's civil war, and more than one million have been made homeless.
The director of emergency operations for the U.N. Children's Fund, Niels Karlsberg, says health problems and malnutrition rates are rising among children because of the lack of basic services. He notes more than one-half million children have not been able to go to school since September, when the war broke out.
He also said UNICEF is engaged in vitally important protection work.
"You are well aware of the UNHCR [UN High Commissioner for Refugees] work of protection as it relates to the refugees," said Mr. Karlsberg. "We are also looking at the protection against the recruitment of children into various forms of irregular forces and rebel movement. As you know, we even have, in some places, gangs of children that have become like mercenaries from years of having grown up in this type of circle of violence. And, there is a lot of widespread sexual exploitation of women and children."
In November, the United Nations appealed for nearly $86 million to provide humanitarian assistance to Ivory Coast as well as neighboring Liberia, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Mali and Ghana.
Forty percent of the appeal has been received; enough to begin some programs. But, as Carolyn McAskie says, not enough to meet the critical needs of these countries.


text: Chris Murray (born September 26, 1966) is a Canadian-born singer-songwriter and guitarist working primarily in the genre of ska. In Canada, he was a member of the now-defunct ska band King Apparatus during the late 1980s and early 1990s. He now lives in the Los Angeles, California area, where he performs regularly, both solo as well as with t… Read More


text:
If people knew what we are doing with FileMaker, it would blow their minds.
Claris FileMaker
Build apps
like a boss.
Take on digital transformation with Claris FileMaker. Quickly build custom apps that solve your business problems today — and tomorrow. Accelerate your business, unlock your team's creative potential, and drive to better outcomes.Get started with a 45-day FileMaker trial
Start today.
And by today, we mean today. With built-in templates, drag-and-drop design, and an intuitive graphical UI, you'll be app-building in no time. And your work goes live the second you're ready, across every device — that's the power of FileMaker.
Get inspired by a world of FileMaker apps.
Need an app now but crunched for time? Odds are you're not alone. Explore Marketplace to find the perfect jumping off point for your own custom app — from templates and components to fully-completed vertical market apps.
- Project Management
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All devices,
all the time.
Secure, real-time sharing on any device. That means your app works on mobile or desktop, on the web, on premise and in the cloud. Because apps this important should be accessible anytime, anywhere.
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Learn more about exciting, new features to extend the platform using AI, JavaScript, plug-and-play add-ons, and more.
Help when you need it.
Take advantage of an extensive ecosystem that includes a global professional partner network, in-depth learning resources and an active online community.
Professional partners
Find a trained Claris-certified developer to help you succeed.
Find a partner (opens in a new window)
Connect with a global network of users sharing insights about the platform.
Join the community (opens in a new window)
Claris Academy
Watch free video-based tutorials to plan, create and extend your solution.


text:
Shaving Blog Directory
We've been on a mission to discover websites writing about wet shaving. The end game was to compile a register of every shaving blog on the web. Our results thus far are cataloged below in our Shaving Blog Directory. This listing includes the website title with a link to each shaving blog we have identified. To best represent what each shaving blog creator's vision is for their work, we included a brief description taken from each website's tagline and/or about page. We've made no attempts to judge content quality or any other characteristic of the websites listed herein. The only criterion for directory inclusion is that the website must have a blog section or category entirely dedicated to a wet shaving topic. If you run (or know of) a website that is writing about wet shaving and want be included in our Shaving Blog Directory, please get in touch through our Contact Page.
All shaving blog websites included in our directory are also featured in our Shaving Headlines service where readers can access the most recent stories from every shaving blog on the web all in one place. Enjoy exploring our wet shaving world!
If you find the Anthronicle Shaving Blog Directory useful, please consider visiting our Support Us Page to help us to continue to make great content.
- 365 Shaves
356 Shaves is about shaving. Shaving in the way our fathers and grandfathers before us shaved. We do this to improve a small part of our day, to learn a new skill and to share in a hobby with friends.
Anthronicle.com features regularly published traditional wet shaving experiences. Readers can find insights on a variety of wet shaving hardware and software to include pre-shave products, safety razors, razor blades, shaving soaps and creams, shaving brushes, and post-shave products. Site content includes personal experiences and opinions based on direct use of each shaving product. At Anthronicle, we think it is paramount in wet shaving, and life in general, to experience things for yourself. We hope that, through sharing our experiences, others are encouraged to explore the joy of traditional wet shaving for themselves.
- Ape to Gentleman
Ape to Gentleman, a men's lifestyle blog dedicated to continuing the evolution of man, one step at a time.
- Artisan Shaving
Jeffrey Smith's Wet Shaving Experiences Blog
- Baby Butt Smooth Blog
Baby Butt Smooth Shave Co. was founded in 2014 with the primary goal of spreading the experience of wet shaving to all who suffer from disposable and cartridge razors.
- Bald Nation
Bringing the bald community closer together.
- Bartonio
The content of this blog is provided by Marco and Tony. We started to share our wet shaving experiences using Instagram. We make independent reviews about everything wetshaving related: Soaps, Aftershaves, Brushes and Razors.
- Bay Rum Diaries
Captain Rob writes about his wet shaving experiences with reviews of bay rums and other shaving products.
- Beau Brummel For Men
The Beau Brummel For Men Blog featuring gentlemen's facial care and shaving products.
- BeShaved
A journey to a better shave experience.
- Bruce on Shaving
A blog featuring real shaving using double edge safety razors and brushed-on lather.
- BrushnSoapnBlade
A blog and podcast about the wet shaving journey. We look forward to shaving every day!
- Business Insider
Business Insider is a fast-growing business site with deep financial, media, tech, and other industry verticals. They also write about shaving from time-to-time. Our link takes you right to their shaving and grooming section.
- Canuck Shaver
You can call me Froogle_Jimmy, you can call me The Canuck Shaver…what I am is an avid wetshaver that just wants to pass on some reviews and opinions on the products I have used.
- Classic Shaving
ClassicShaving.com was established in response to the current worldwide rediscovery of and increased interest in traditional wet shaving methods and products.
- Classic Shaving Academy
Long form shaving lectures with unique perspectives on a variety of common topics overly discussed in shave forums, yet poorly understood by the masses.
- Close Shave
The Close Shave website was setup to educate others in classic shaving with reviews and article.
- Close Shaving
A Blog about Wet Shaving and the tools and equipment to make it happen.
- Cut Throat Club
Cut Throat Club is a new organization committed to promoting the straight edge razor lifestyle. A high quality straight edge razor will give you the closest shave possible for years to come. Forget about rough stubble after using an electric shaver or going through dozens of disposable razors.
- Fendrihan
Fendrihan.com started as a way of bringing the wet-shaving experience to more Canadians and shaving enthusiasts around the world who are looking for upscale wet shaving toiletries and classic grooming supplies at reasonable prices. We wanted to transform a dreaded routine into a ritual you will look forward to every day.
- Fido's Shaving Blog
This is the tale of one enthusiasts journey back to the world of traditional wet shaving.
- Five O'Clock Shadow Shaving
Shaving & grooming product reviews with Kyler Williams
- Goedkoop Natscheren
Cheap Wetshaving, a Dutch shaving blog.
- Greg's Shaving Soap Reviews
Shaving Soap and Cream Reviews. For all your wet shaving needs.
- How to Grow a Moustache
A Gent's Guide to Facial Awareness. One of the most innovative "Man" blogs to date, How to Grow a Moustache offers grooming tips for men looking to keep their status as such.
- It's Called Wet Shaving
So you wanna learn more about wet shaving? The sole intent of this site is to give only the most basic information required to get a feel for what wet shaving is all about.
- Jayaruh Shaving
Finally, shaving is fun again…
- Kafenaio
A kafeneio is a traditional Greek coffee shop where old-timers get together to sip coffee, shoot the *hit, and reminisce about past glories, real or imagined. At this one, they talk a lot about shaving.
- Kaliandee
Old World precision, Modern efficiency. Your source of information about classic shaving, grooming matters, and gentlemen stuff.
- Later On
A blog written for those whose interests more or less match mine. LeisureGuy's Shaving category.
- Manliness Kit
The Manliness Kit started with a sole target in mind. To become a source of information that will make a man look and feel better about his appearance and well being.
- Mannscents
Barrister and Mann's blog with fragrance reviews, ingredient explanations, and recommendations for the modern guy.
- Pacific Shaving
Shaving products that are good for the skin, good for the wallet and good for the earth. The company blog.
- Rase de pres
A Close Shave. I propose in this blog to discover the shaving safety razor with double-edged blade. I first address myself to the curious beginner, but I also hope to interest the "veterans".
- Razor Emporium
The Razor Emporium company blog covering vintage razors and restoration.
- Razorpedia
Personal grooming intelligence for consumers by consumers.
- Refined Shave
Refined Shave is entirely dedicated to wet shaving, with a primary focus on razor blade sharpness testing.
- Ritual Shave
What is your Ritual? The Razor Queen's blog.
- Sharpologist
Mantic59's What Your Father Didn't Teach You About Shaving (And Grooming) Blog
- Shave & Review
Reviews of shaving software, hardware and blades by Lee Penney, based on his opinion and experience.
- Shave Blog
Wake up. Time to Shave.
- Shave Like Grandad
Topics related to double-edge, safety-razor shaving, which is ecologically friendly (very little waste to discard), less expensive than using canned goo and multi-bladed throw-away cartridges and razors, and a fun and interesting way to turn shaving from a chore into a pleasurable daily ritual.
- Shave Meet Up
Bringing Shavers Together. A blog announcing shave meet up events.
- Shave Straight and Safe
Dedicated to classic shaving, straight razors, and safety razors. Shave like your Grandfather. I'm just another wet shaver trying to help educate those who are currently using, considering or just want to learn more about the ever so famous, "Straight Razor Shave".
- Shave the Man
A blog on wet shaving and men's grooming.
- Shaveology
Traditional wet shaving and more. I want to help circulate information about wet shaving, so those new to the concept will have earlier success.
- Shaving 101
Wet shaving education and reviews. Shaving 101 is designed to be a friendly and informative stop on the Web for those interested in traditional wet shaving.
- Shaving Detective
Helping you get the perfect shave. Inspired by some other blogs on the internet on how to make the perfect cup of coffee, the perfect shine on your car and so on – I decided to create this website to allow me to research a bit more on the shaving issue – and to share my experiences with you.
- Shaving Shack
The Shaving Shack company blog, your number one online traditional shaving shop.
- sjshaving
Shaving the traditional ways since 2010. I am based in the UK and thought it may be helpful for me to share my thoughts with you via this blog.
- Sorrell Shaves
Wet shaving product reviews by Nick Sorrell.
- Steve Davidson
Welcome to my blog where I review a lot of shaving products based upon actual use.
- Tailor & Barber
Our goal is to become the Internet's premier resource for men's style and grooming. We want to be a resource that is helpful, educational and resourceful serving all men who want to improve their style and have questions or difficulties with their grooming regimen.
- That Shave Life
A wet shaver sharing his experiences with you.
- Tiki Bar Soap
The Tiki Bar Soap company blog.
- Tom's Wet Shaving Journal
This is a record of my journey into old school shaving: Double Edged Safety Razors, Shaving Brushes and Soaps, and eventually, maybe even a straight razor. My morning shave has become my zen time, where nothing matters but the lather and the blade.
- Uncommon Scentsability
The Barrister and Mann fragrance blog.
- Wegian Warrior's Wetshaving Weblog
That perfect moment caught between lather and blade;the little breathing space where it's you, your razor and perfection.
- West Coast Shaving
The West Coast Shaving company wet shaving and grooming blog where we talk about traditional shaving, mens grooming and other industry news.
- Wet Shaving Journal
A Blog about daily wet shaving using vintage and modern razors; double edge, single edge and straight.
- Wet Shaving Times
A grooming/personal care blog. A curated website filled with news for Wet Shavers about the various news within the Wet Shaving/Grooming World.
- Wet the Face
A place to share news and reviews and encourage others in the art of Wet Shaving.
- Why I Wet Shave
… and why you should too. I hope to provide a resource for people completely new to wet shaving. This site will provide information that is easy to find, easy to understand, and has an intuitive format.
If you enjoy what you read here at Anthronicle.com, please consider supporting us at Patreon with $1/month. Thanks!


text:
Photo Frame Pinning Machine
Product Description
We manufacture and supply assorted range of Photo Frame pinning Machine. The offered machine is designed for punching holes over the photo frames to make frames suitable for binding. It is designed and manufactured with the aid of advanced techniques by utilizing pristine quality components and avant-garde techniques. Our quality inspectors also test this machine on defined quality parameters to assure its hassle-free working. Clients can avail this Photo Frame pinning Machine from us in several technical specifications as per their needs at industry leading prices.
Optimum performance
Easy to use
Sturdy construction
Free from jerks and noise
Contact Us
1493/12, Shiv Market, Near Sbi Building, Chandni Chowk, Delhi, Delhi, 110006, India


text:
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text: On the Rice TrackIn the August 2012 issue of School Nutrition, Shaily Jariwala of the USA Rice Federation provided a comprehensive rice primer packed with details for school nutrition professionals interested in learning more about how to purchase, cook and store this versatile grain in "Get Rice to It!" She also shed light on innovations demonstrated by some K-12 trailblazers who have allowed rice to become a key part of their students' eating habits.Melissa Grant, communications coordinator for School Nutrition, followed up with some of these operators, who also are previous winners of the USA Rice Federation's Healthy Rice Bowls contest for school nutrition professionals, to find out more about some of their favorite rice-related menuing suggestions.What Do Students Say? Doug Wordell, RD, nutrition services director for Spokane (Wash.) School District, still menus his operation's winning rice bowl creations in all of his district's middle and high schools at least once a week. Wordell says the Orange Chicken, Hot and Spicy and Teriyaki rice bowls are very popular among student customers. So popular, in fact, that even with Spokane now serving brown rice in the bowls (in light of the new whole grains requirement that is part of the new meal pattern regulations), students still have enjoyed the rice bowls.Cynthia Ruffin, child nutrition director for St. Charles Parish (La.) Public Schools, continued to serve her winning Oriental Rice Bowl through the 2011-12 school year. The dish was served on a self-serve food bar at one of the district's high schools, and students were able to select chicken strips or popcorn chicken, General Tso's sauce or orange sauce and stir-fry vegetables to top brown rice. Students also could try adding toppings such as mandarin oranges, pineapple, green onions and other choices to their bowl.The Oriental Rice Bowl became so popular that Ruffin and the high school nutrition staff decided for the upcoming school year to move it from the food bar to the main serving line as a regular menu item. A new Asian menu will be offered once every two weeks in the middle and high schools and monthly in the elementary schools. Ruffin is considering testing a grab 'n' go rice bowl as the upcoming school year progresses.Requests for a Return While Erin Thacker, RD, SNS, nutrition and wellness educator for Chesapeake (Va.) Public Schools, and Renee Swank, school nutrition manager at Chesapeake's Crestwood Intermediate School, were not able to menu their contest entry of Country Breakfast Rice Cereal Bowls during the last school year, the bowl was featured on the menu in March during National School Breakfast Week at Crestwood Intermediate School. The students enjoyed the dish so much that they have been asking for its return. As Thacker and Swank plan the 2012-13 breakfast menu, they are considering adding the Country Breakfast Cereal Rice Bowl as a regular menu item in light of the whole grain requirement stipulated by the new meal pattern regulations.Looking to get creative with your school lunch or breakfast menu while keeping up with the new meal pattern requirements? Creative possibilities are plentiful with rice. Try using brown rice with menu items that your team already serves, such as quesadillas, salad or baked chicken.If the bowl concept is new to your school, borrow some inspiration from fellow school nutrition professionals who shared their ideas in this article or in "Get Rice to It!" in the August print edition—or come up with your own ideas. Offering rice in a bowl and allowing students to choose from different toppings allows them to explore their own creativity. Get on the rice track for the upcoming school year and keep your student customers satisfied with something delicious and nutritious…and fun!


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Australian wireless network provider, Kore Wireless, is pursuing the Japanese machine-to-machine (M2M) market by expanding into the region through a new partnership with Tokyo-based Micro Technology.
Micro Technology is a provider of research, design and manufacturing services for embedded systems which has only recently expanded its portfolio to include M2M solutions.
Kore's decision to tackle the Japanese market comes on the back of recent success across Asia-Pacific (APAC).
According to a statement from Kore, the agreement will provide Japanese companies the opportunity to capitalise from M2M technologies by offering full support to local customers looking to expand operations internationally, while also allowing existing customers to enter the Japanese market.
"This new partnership will allow us to drive in-country sales and provide localised support to customers in Japanese," Kore APAC vice-president and general manager, Shane Murphy, said. "Micro Technology has a history of success in the embedded solution field, and an intimate knowledge of the Japanese market."
As part of the contract, Micro Technology will complement the Kore service by developing end-to-end M2M solutions in vehicle telematics, remote healthcare and factory automation, all connected by the Kore global M2M network.
This means the Japanese services provider will have access to the full range of cellular and satellite-based Kore M2M services.
Commenting on the partnership, Micro Technology chief executive officer (CEO), Shinichi Ishimatsu, said, "We've seen demand for M2M wireless solutions growing in Japan for some time; our partnership with Kore now allows us to capitalise on this."
"Not only can we design and build these solutions for our customers, but we can now offer them a full services including a platform and connectivity."
Kore will join Micro Technology at Japan IT week on May 14 to 16 to exhibit M2M services.


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I post articles because I think they are of interest. Doing so doesn't mean that I necessarily agree (or disagree) with every—or any—opinion in the posted article.
I expect there will be few posts over the long weekend, as I have family and friendship commitments.
Joe Miller: Obama moving America 'toward socialism'
Excerpt: Traditionally, when a candidate wins a party primary by appealing to the base, he or she frequently "runs to the center" in the general election campaign in attempt to draw support from moderates. Alaska GOP Senate candidate Joe Miller, fresh off a stunning upset of Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), is apparently not a traditional candidate. In an interview Wednesday with CNN's John King, Miller didn't mince words when asked to describe President Obama in one sentence. "Bad for America," Miller responded without missing a beat. He added that Obama is "one of the major forces moving this country toward socialism." (Things that will play well in Massachusetts for, say, a Scott Brown, won't play well in Alaska—and vice versa. What we need from Millar sand Brown are to be Republican members of the Senate in January of 2013, and vote to put Republicans in control of the flow of business and the committees. No other vote comes close in importance. ~Bob)
Economist Christina Romer serves up dismal news at her farewell luncheon
Clueless in DC. ~Bob. Excerpt: She had no idea how bad the economic collapse would be. She still doesn't understand exactly why it was so bad. The response to the collapse was inadequate. And she doesn't have much of an idea about how to fix things. What she did have was a binder full of scary descriptions and warnings, offered with a perma-smile and singsong delivery: "Terrible recession. . . . Incredibly searing. . . . Dramatically below trend. . . . Suffering terribly. . . . Risk of making high unemployment permanent. . . . Economic nightmare." Anybody want dessert? At week's end, Romer will leave the council chairmanship after what surely has been the most dismal tenure anybody in that post has had: a loss of nearly 4 million jobs in a year and a half. That's not Romer's fault; the financial collapse occurred before she, and Obama, took office. But she was the president's top economist during a time when the administration consistently underestimated the depth of the economy's troubles - miscalculations that have caused Americans to lose faith in the president and the Democrats. Romer had predicted that Obama's stimulus package would keep the unemployment rate at 8 percent or less; it is now 9.5 percent. One of her bosses, Vice President Biden, told Democrats in January that "you're going to see, come the spring, net increase in jobs every month." The economy lost 350,000 jobs in June and July. This is why nearly two-thirds of Americans think the country is on the wrong track - and why Obama's efforts to highlight the end of U.S. combat in Iraq and the resumption of Middle East peace talks have little chance of piercing the gloom as voters consider handing control of Congress back to the Republicans.
A Rocky Mountain showdown
Excerpt: Put away the pitchfork metaphors that are prevalent in this season of populist ferment: Colorado's Senate contest is a duel of distinguished diplomas. Tea Partyers toiled mightily to nominate Ken Buck as the Republican candidate to run against Sen. Michael Bennet, who is a direct descendant of a Mayflower passenger, grandson of an economic adviser to Franklin Roosevelt and son of an official in the Carter and Clinton administrations. He attended tony St. Alban's school in Washington and Yale Law School. Buck is a Princetonian. But to erase the stain of privilege, Buck stresses that his family, although hardly poor, was frugal -- "No, you won't get a Happy Meal, you'll get a burger." And he worked in a Princeton cafeteria and later as a truck driver, ranch hand and janitor, so there…. Colorado is a red state that has recently turned purple and that Democrats still hope to make blue. Doing so would have national implications because until recently the Republican strategy in presidential elections was to hold the South and the Mountain West and spend half the gross domestic product to carry Ohio. In the past decade, however, parts of the Mountain West, and especially Colorado, have become competitive. Colorado's governor, both senators and five of seven U.S. representatives are Democrats, and Obama carried the state with 53.66 percent.
White House considering major tax breaks for businesses
Trial balloon to see if the leftist base will let him do something for business that might work. But the devil will be in the details. What's probably needed is a capital gains tax cut like JFK pushed through, to encourage investment, and an extension of the Bush tax cuts. ~Bob. Excerpt: With the recovery faltering less than two months before the November congressional elections, President Obama's economic team is considering another big dose of stimulus in the form of tax breaks for businesses - potentially worth hundreds of billions of dollars, according to two people familiar with the talks. Among the options are a temporary payroll tax holiday and a permanent extension of the research and development tax credit, say people familiar with the talks who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to describe private deliberations. Permanently extending the research credit would cost roughly $100 billion over the next decade, tax experts said. And depending on its form and duration, a payroll tax holiday could let businesses keep more than $300 billion they would otherwise owe the Treasury.
Indoctrination Nation
Excerpt: Yet Texas is not the only state that influences the content of American schooling: a few other states also determine textbook standards that end up being used in other parts of the country. California, in particular, is also an important textbook market for publishers. Yet mysteriously, one never hears of any controversy erupting when the California State Board of Education meets to decide the content of textbooks used throughout the state and in many other school districts around the country which shun the Texas-approved textbooks. Why is that? Could it simply be that California-approved textbooks aren't as politicized as those in Texas? Quite the contrary. If anything, the textbooks approved by the California State Board of Education are even more politicized than Texas textbooks, and more ideologically biased. So: Why does the media ignore what happens in California textbooks? Because the state's bias goes the other way. California-approved social studies textbooks are politically correct in the extreme, with multiculturalism and "social justice" as the defining characteristics. The pressure groups and board members setting policy for California's (and hence a substantial portion of America's) textbooks exceed their Texan counterparts in their extremism, but since California pushes the "correct" kind of extremism, you never hear about it. (This is part 3 of 5. There are links to parts 1 & 2 in the column. I must confess I haven't yet read the first two, but if they are as good as this one, I'll probably save the links for them, too. Ron P.)
Gas Prices Explained
Excerpt: Good news for American drivers! Just in time for the Labor Day weekend, gasoline prices are falling. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA) gas prices peaked in the spring. Gas prices usually rise in the spring because of the supply constraints created by the switchover to specially formulated summer gasoline mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency. The EIA reports that in May the average price for a gallon of regular got up to $2.87. Since then prices have been wiggling downward to around $2.65 per gallon today. So what determines the price of gasoline? Speculators? Evil conspiring oil companies? Well, actually no. It's demand and supply, of course. On the demand side the American automobile fleet gets better gas mileage than it did a few years ago and Americans, whacked by the recession and high unemployment rates, are driving a bit less than they used to. In addition, thanks to government subsidies, about 9 percent of what goes into our gas tanks is ethanol produced from corn, which also reduces the demand for refined crude. On the supply side, global oil supplies are ample and refiners in the U.S. evidently believed the Obama administration's rosy "recovery summer" scenarios and stockpiled a lot of gasoline.
Dentist starts 2012 ad race by touting Hillary Clinton for president
Hillary somehow doesn't seem as scary as she once did. ~Bob. Excerpt: This could make for awkward chatter at the White House: Even before the 2010 midterms are over, a Chicago dentist has started the 2012 ad race with a spot that supports Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for president. The $5,000 ad began running on television in New Orleans on Wednesday, CNN reports, and it will soon run in Washington, New York and Los Angeles, and possibly Houston, said William DeJean. Asked why he paid to create and run the ad, DeJean told CNN, "I don't think this country is headed in the right direction. ... I think she is the most qualified." The ad, a 30-second spot, features a soaring, almost sci-fi-movie quality theme. On-screen text tells viewers that Clinton "has more experience working in and with The White House than most living presidents. ... She is one of the most admired women in our nation's history. ... Let's make sure the president we should have elected in 2008 will be on the ballot in 2012." The graphic fades to reveal a photo of Clinton and the words, "Hillary 2012: Hillary Clinton for president," and "Start Now. Where there's a Hill there's a way."
Tea Party sees repeat of Alaska GOP primary in Delaware race
If they are successful, they will likely hand the seat to Harry Reid and the Democrats. I was happy about Alaska, because a conservative can win there. But we need to have moderate Republicans in states like Delaware, Massachusetts (Scott Brown) and Maine (Snowe/Collins) or liberal Democrats will control the senate in 2012. So I would have voted for Miller in Alaska, but not for Angle in Nevada, who may lose our chance to take Reid out. Get a clue. ~Bob. Excerpt: Tea Party supporters hope that what happened in Alaska will repeat itself in Delaware — that a no-name, disregarded Senate candidate wins a stunning upset against the presumptive nominee. After Joe Miller's surprise win over Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) in the Republican Senate primary, observers started taking a second look at another Tea Party candidate: Christine O'Donnell.
Pulling the Plug in Delaware: The Liberty.com and Christine O'Donnell Matter
From the VERY conservative Red States blog. Interesting. If O'Donnell wins, the Dems keep Delaware.
End birthright citizenship (Rep. Phil Gingrey)
Excerpt: Controversy surrounding illegal immigration has been topping recent news headlines, as thousands of people continue to pour across our borders unlawfully each year. This is of particular concern to me, as Georgia is home to more illegals – nearly 450,000 – than the state of Arizona. One aspect of the immigration debate on which lawmakers can all agree is that our current system is broken and in dire need of reform. But surprisingly, the latest disconnect centers around what should be a very simple question – does being born in the United States automatically constitute citizenship? For decades, the statue defining citizenship has been a point of contention. It is long past time to clear up the ambiguity.
Marine vet running for Congress in AZ
Tied in the polls. I assume he could use your help.
The enthusiasm gap (and seven races where it matters)
Excerpt: An imbalance in voter enthusiasm between the parties is aiding Republican chances in at least seven key statewide races this fall, a Fix analysis of Reuters/Ipsos polling data reveals. Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Colorado and Kentucky are among the states where polls show the so-called "enthusiasm gap" playing a pivotal role, according to the Reuters/Ipsos data. (A full rundown of the poll data is available after the jump.)
Want Middle East Peace? Deny Iran Nukes
Excerpt: Those of us who hope for peace in the Middle East applaud the meeting of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The fact that Palestinians finally agreed to direct negotiations, without preconditions, is a positive step. But let's not delude ourselves: There can never be peace in the Middle East with a nuclear-armed Iran. I don't pretend to have all the answers on how to end the conflict between Arabs and Israelis, but I do know that it is doomed so long as Iran remains a menacing actor on the world stage. Now is the time to ratchet up the pressure, to further isolate Iranian President Ahmadinejad, and to impose even more punishing sanctions on the Iranian economy. For this effort to succeed, we must enlist the full support of neighboring Arab states. I took my first trip to the region last month. I went primarily to listen and learn. I met with both Mr. Netanyahu and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. Upon my return, all the talk of diplomacy was put into grim perspective when Ahmadinejad posed in front of cameras with his country's first unmanned long-range bomber. He wasn't very subtle about the purpose, calling it an "ambassador of death" to Iran's enemies.
From a Lefty: Five Things the Right Is Doing Right
Excerpt: For nearly two years, the Democrats have controlled the House, the Senate, the presidency and two new judicial appointments to the Supreme Court. So why does it feel like the Democrats lost in 2008? I think it's because the Democrats have turned losing into an art form. You know how they say a good dancer makes it look easy? That's the Dems. They make winning look like losing, and losing look like the eternal hell-fires of damnation. The left could learn a few things from the right. To wit: 1) The right talks to average people. Even unabashed progressive Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) thought that it was smart to talk to the people. A while back he went to a Tea Party to see what all the fuss was about. His takeaway was that the Tea Partiers felt pushed aside and forgotten by their government. (Interesting look from the other side of the fence. Especially see #5. Ron P.)
Former 'car czar' Rattner rats on Obama in new book
Excerpt: "If his team had linked arms with the outgoing administration, as President Bush's advisers had proposed, billions of dollars could well have been saved." Rattner says Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel dictated Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner's schedule, public appearances and staff selections. He also writes about infighting between Obama economic advisers Larry Summers and Austan Goolsbee and says Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Chair Sheila Bair was an obstacle to decision making.
S. Korea, U.S. to Hold New War Games
Excerpt: South Korea and the U.S. will hold joint antisubmarine exercises in another show of force against North Korea, officials said Friday, as Pyongyang renewed threats against the war drills. The exercises will be the second in a series of joint maneuvers the allies planned in response to the deadly sinking of a South Korean warship in March that they blame on the North. The two sides staged large-scale joint naval drills in July followed by South Korea's own naval drills last month. The drills, set to run from Sunday through Thursday off the Korean peninsula's west coast, will involve about 17,000 U.S. and South Korean troops, seven ships and two submarines as well as aircraft, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff and the U.S. military. The exercises are "designed to send a clear message of deterrence to North Korea, while improving overall alliance antisubmarine warfare capabilities,'' the U.S. military in Seoul said in a statement. The announcement of the war games comes as China reportedly holds live-ammunition exercises in the Yellow Sea. (Just did this two months ago (in the face of NK threats of nuclear war) with no visible ill effects. Ron P.)
Fewer Young Voters See Themselves as Democrats
Excerpt: The college vote is up for grabs this year — to an extent that would have seemed unlikely two years ago, when a generation of young people seemed to swoon over Barack Obama. Though many students are liberals on social issues, the economic reality of a weak job market has taken a toll on their loyalties: far fewer 18- to 29-year-olds now identify themselves as Democrats compared with 2008. "Is the recession, which is hitting young people very hard, doing lasting or permanent damage to what looked like a good Democratic advantage with this age group?" asked Scott Keeter, the director of survey research at the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan group. "The jury is still out." How and whether millions of college students vote will help determine if Republicans win enough seats to retake the House or Senate, overturning the balance of power on Capitol Hill, and with it, Mr. Obama's agenda. If students tune out and stay home it will also carry a profound message for American society about a generation that seemed so ready, so recently, to grab national politics by the lapels and shake. (Young doesn't imply stupid, merely inexperienced; most people, even young ones, learn by making mistakes. Pew may be non-partisan, but only in the sense that they don't care which leftist group enacts the policies they support; Pew couldn't get much more collectivist if they worked at it. Ron P.)
(Lt Col)West Still Fighting For the Ten
Excerpt: When President Obama said it was time to turn the page on Iraq, he should have also declared his intention to close the book on the lingering, festering injustices the U.S. government has perpetrated on 10 American veterans of the Iraq war still incarcerated in the military prison at Fort Leavenworth. As noted in this column, these Americans are the war's forgotten men, soldiers trapped by restrictive, legalistic rules of engagement on an ultra-fluid battlefield where the enemy knew no rules. For killing this enemy and, it must also be admitted, surviving to live another day, these soldiers were sentenced to terms ranging from 10 to 40 years. In other words, for the rest of their young lives. Allen West, himself a retired Army lieutenant colonel and veteran of both Desert Storm and the war in Iraq, has not forgotten these men. West, the Republican candidate for Congress in Florida's 22nd District, is speaking this Labor Day Weekend at the first, and, it is hoped, last Leavenworth Ten Freedom Ride, a parade past the Leavenworth military prison to draw attention to the plight of the Ten, resulting in their freedom. (no chance for clemency from an administration with a base that despises America, the military most of all, their honeyed words aside. ~Bob)
Revenge of the Jack Bauer Republicans
Another Marine vet running for Congress. ~Bob. Excerpt: The central facts of the incident that made Ilario Pantano famous are not in dispute. On April 15, 2004, Pantano, a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps, led a small group of Marines to search a suspected insurgent hideout in Mahmudiyah, Iraq, outside of Fallujah. As the patrol neared the house, two men tried to leave in a car. The Marines stopped, searched, and handcuffed the men. A Marine scoured the vehicle, but didn't find anything incriminating. After other Marines found weapons in the house, Pantano had the men uncuffed and ordered them to search the car themselves. At some point during that search, Pantano felt threatened by the two men. He shot them both—pausing to load a second magazine into his M-16 before emptying that clip too. Then he placed a cardboard sign reading "No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy"—the motto of his Marine battalion—on top of the car. He wanted "to send a message to these Iraqis and others," he said later. For a time in 2005, it looked like Pantano might be court-martialed for killing the two Iraqis. One of his subordinates claimed the shooting was unjustified. But the prosecution's case collapsed in an early hearing, and Pantano was never even tried. The judge in charge of the hearing recommended non-judicial punishment—but Pantano's commander didn't agree, and he was never disciplined. After all, what Republican congressional candidate in his right mind wouldn't want to be compared to an ass-kicking, name-taking, terrorist-slaying all-American hero? Cut to today. Pantano, a Republican, is running for Congress in North Carolina's 7th district, hoping to pick off seven-term incumbent Mike McIntyre, a "blue dog" Democrat. The district votes Republican in presidential elections, and the Cook Political Report recently moved the race from "Solid Democrat" to "Likely Democrat"—meaning Pantano has a chance, especially in what's shaping up to be a GOP year. Liberal blogs have taken notice of Pantano's past, seizing on a term coined by the Daily Beast's Benjy Sarlin, "Jack Bauer Republican," to describe the former Marine. Sarlin says he didn't intend the term as an epithet. Still, it carries a certain negative connotation among liberals who have blasted the TV series 24 (and its hero, Bauer) for glamorizing the use of torture to fight terrorism. So it was only natural that liberal blogs and bloggers, including Daily Kos, Steve Benen, Matt Yglesias, and Crooks and Liars would use the term as an attack. ("Love of violence and brutality is deeply ingrained in the conservative worldview, which I think is what you can see here," Yglesias wrote.) But if Pantano hasn't totally embraced the "Jack Bauer Republican" label, he's certainly used it to his advantage. Instead of arguing against the charge, Pantano has employed it—and the incident that earned him the nickname—to raise money and energize his base. (Pantano's campaign didn't respond to multiple requests for comment.) After all, what Republican congressional candidate in his right mind wouldn't want to be compared to an ass-kicking, name-taking, terrorist-slaying all-American hero?
Mistresses and Wives Clash Over Chilean Miners
They may not want to be rescued.
The Peace Delusion
Excerpt: It's been nearly two years since Palestinian representatives and Israelis sat across a table from each other to talk about peace. As the latest round of talks got under way yesterday, it's hard to imagine that the results this time will be much different than any other time. Has anything changed that might lead to a different outcome? Gaza is still being run by Hamas. The "moderates" sitting across the table from Israel – Fatah, Egypt and Jordan – refuse to do to take any action that would delegitimize the group of terrorists who rule Gaza. The much vaunted "two state solution" can hardly work when half of the proposed Palestinian state refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist, sneers at peace talks involving their enemy and, just to emphasize their contempt, carries out terror attacks two days before those talks commence.
Big Labor's Legacy of Violence
Excerpt: To mark Labor Day 2010, President Obama will join hands with AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka in Milwaukee and pose as champions of the working class. Bad move. Trumka's organizing record is a shameful reminder of the union movement's violent and corrupt foundations. The new Obama/AFL-CIO power alliance -- underwritten with $40 million in hard-earned worker dues -- is a midterm shotgun marriage of Beltway brass knuckles and Big Labor brawn. Trumka warmed up his rhetorical muscles this past week with full-frontal attacks on former GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. He indignantly accused her of "getting close to calling for violence" and suggested that her criticism of Tea Party-bashing labor bosses amounted to "terrorizing" workers. Trumka and Obama will cast Big Labor as an unassailable force for good in American history. But when it comes to terrorizing workers, Trumka knows whereof he speaks. Meet Eddie York. He was a workingman whose story will never scroll across Obama's teleprompter. A nonunion contractor who operated heavy equipment, York was shot to death during a strike called by the United Mine Workers 17 years ago. Workmates who tried to come to his rescue were beaten in an ensuing melee. The head of the UMW spearheading the wave of strikes at that time? Richard Trumka. Responding to concerns about violence, he shrugged to the Virginian-Pilot in September 1993: "I'm saying if you strike a match and you put your finger in it, you're likely to get burned." Incendiary rhetoric, anyone? A federal jury convicted one of Trumka's UMW captains on conspiracy and weapons charges in York's death. According to the Washington, D.C.-based National Legal and Policy Center, which tracks Big Labor abuse, Trumka's legal team quickly settled a $27 million wrongful death suit filed by York's widow just days after a judge admitted evidence in the criminal trial. An investigative report by Reader's Digest disclosed that Trumka "did not publicly discipline or reprimand a single striker present when York was killed. In fact, all eight were helped out financially by the local."
Muslims Resume Building on Christian Graveyard in Pakistan
Where do they think they are, New York? ~Bob. Excerpt: Muslims led by a hard-line cleric on Friday (Aug. 27) resumed building on a Christian cemetery in Mandi Bhawaldin, desecrating more graves in spite of a local government order to halt construction, according to the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA). Radical Muslim cleric Mirza Abdul Ghani had built a mosque on the Christian graveyard off New Rasool Road in Mandi Bhawaldin after allegedly occupying the land 16 years ago, when area Christians were too intimidated to object, said Salamat Zia of APMA.
U.S. Allowed Terrorists on No-Fly List to Buy Guns
Excerpt: The only thing stupider than allowing a known foreign terrorist into the United States may be allowing that terrorist to buy guns. Current U.S. law allows this to happen. It also allows known terrorists on the no-fly list to buy guns. Perhaps worse still, the U.S. government has approved background checks for watch-listed terrorists to possess explosives in the United States. From March 2009 through February 2010, according to prepared congressional testimony from Eileen Larence, the Government Accountability Office's director of homeland security and justice issues, 272 National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) checks turned up individuals on the terrorist watch list. All but one was for a firearms purchase. The other was for explosives. (well, I certainly hope they gave them a firearms safety class. Otherwise they might get hurt and sue us. And with our judges, they'd win. ~Bob.)
In Pursuit of Cultural Hegemony
Excerpt: While educators may be unconsciously relying on dubious theories of psychological modeling (as mentioned in yesterday's essay) to justify the unrelenting ethnic tokenism in our nation's schoolbooks, their official explanation revolves around the supposed need to boost students' "self-esteem." Those kids who do poorly in school, the theory goes, fail only because they have low self-esteem, leading to low expectations. Therefore, the best way to boost performance for struggling students is not to make their curriculum more challenging or to tailor it to their needs, but rather to use the curriculum as a mechanism to improve students' self-image. If kids love themselves, the educational theorists claim, they'll want to succeed, and if they want to succeed, they will succeed. Problem solved! And so the entire educational system has systematically been re-tooled to focus on self-esteem building. In early grades this involves unsubtle classroom activities — assignments, songs, everybody-wins "contests" — directly informing each student how wonderful they are. In later grades, however, kids begin to grow more sophisticated and skeptical of such heavy-handed methods, so the curriculum designers "cleverly" embed self-esteem building hidden messages into the reading material where it can work on each student's subconscious. (...) True self-esteem is not a precursor to achievement and success, it comes as the natural consequence of achievement and success. It's something you earn, not something you're given. And to the extent that one can artificially induce baseless self-esteem in someone who has not done anything noteworthy to earn it, one has only succeeded in creating a child with a personality disorder whose swollen ego and sense of entitlement will only later serve as a hindrance in adult real-world interactions.
'Honour killing' parents dramatically re-arrested seven years after death of Shafilea Ahmed
Excerpt: The parents of a suspected honour killing victim were yesterday dramatically arrested on suspicion of her murder after new allegations by the dead girl's younger sister. Shafilea Ahmed, 17, disappeared more than seven years ago after claiming her parents were trying to make her take part in an arranged marriage against her will. Her remains were later found hidden by a riverside and a coroner ruled that the Muslim teenager had been the victim of a 'vile murder'. Despite a number of arrests, no one has been charged over her death.
New evidence undermines feds' case against Arizona
Excerpt: You've heard a lot about the Justice Department's lawsuit to stop the new Arizona immigration law. But that's just one part of the Obama administration's multi-front war on immigration enforcement in Arizona. In addition to the drive to kill the new law, Attorney General Eric Holder is also suing the Maricopa Community College system in Phoenix, alleging it broke the law by requiring a job seeker to provide a green card before being hired. And on Thursday the Justice Department filed suit against the Maricopa County Sheriff's office, run by the flamboyant Joe Arpaio, as part of an extended investigation into alleged civil rights violations there. Despite the splash of attention from the newest lawsuit, the Justice Department's investigation of Arpaio could end badly for Holder. When the Department first informed Arpaio that a probe was under way, back in March 2009, it sent a letter saying the investigation would focus on "alleged patterns or practices of discriminatory police practices and unconstitutional searches and seizures." But now we learn that just six months before that, in September 2008, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, known as ICE, did its own investigation of Arpaio's office -- and gave it a clean bill of health. Arpaio's lawyers recently got a copy of the ICE report through the Freedom of Information Act. ICE officials evaluated how the sheriff's office performed under a law that allows specially trained local law enforcement officers to enforce parts of federal immigration law. The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, which is the largest sheriff's office in the Arizona, has 189 officers who have been trained by ICE to enforce federal immigration statutes. The report, crammed with acronyms and bureaucratese, is not light reading. But struggle through it, and the key sentence is this: "The OI and DRO supervisors consider the conduct and performance of the MCSO ... officers to be professional and meeting the requirement of the MOA."
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Crowdin CLI is a command line tool that allows you to manage and synchronize your localization resources with your Crowdin project:
This is a cross-platform and it runs in a terminal on Linux based and macOS operating systems or in Command Prompt on Windows. It's also open-source and it's source code available at GitHub.
lint command
generate command
--dryrun option to preview the list of managed files
Check that you have Java 7 or newer installed. Type
java -version command in the terminal (Command Prompt on Windows) to check Java version. For example, java version "1.7.0_55" means that you have Java 7 Update 55 installed.
If you don't have Java installed, download it from Oracle's website.
To install the Crowdin CLI with homebrew (the package manager for MacOS):
Download and run installer for Windows
We sign all our packages with the Crowdin Signing Key.
Download and install the public signing key:
Using the following command, create the crowdin.list file in the /etc/apt/sources.list.d directory:
And your repository is ready for use. You can install the Crowdin CLI Debian package with:
To install the Crowdin CLI manually:
We sign all our packages with the Crowdin Signing Key.
Download and install the public signing key:
Installing from the RPM repository
Create a file called crowdin.repo in the /etc/yum.repos.d directory containing:
And your repository is ready for use. You can now install Crowdin CLI with one of the following commands:
To install the Crowdin CLI manually:
Crowdin CLI can be installed as a stand-alone Java application.
./crowdin.sh in the terminal with sudo rights in order to add
crowdin command to your terminal
setup-crowdin.bat script in order to add
crowdin command to the Command Prompt
Use the following method to run the app:
Alternative method:
To use Crowdin CLI you need to have a configuration file. We recommend to name it crowdin.yaml. You can create it running the command:
When calling Crowdin CLI in terminal you should be in your project root directory. Otherwise, you will have to specify a configuration file path using the
--config option:
crowdin help to get more details regarding other commands.
Sample configuration file:
To get your project API key, use the Account Projects API endpoint.
For more information how to configure Crowdin CLI, check the Configuration File article.
Once the configuration file is created, you are ready to start using Crowdin CLI to manage your localization resources and automate file synchronization.
To display help information:
To generate a skeleton configuration file:
To check configuration file for general mistakes:
To display a list of uploaded files to Crowdin:
To upload source files to Crowdin:
To upload a single file without configuration:
Use placeholders to put appropriate variables.
To display a list of files that will be uploaded to Crowdin:
To upload existing translations to Crowdin (translations will be synchronized):
To show a detailed information about the
upload command:
To download latest translations from Crowdin:
To download latest translations for the specific language (language codes):
To display a list of latest translations from Crowdin:
To show a detailed information about the
download command:
There is no need to run a specific command to create version branches if synchronization tool is used. The version branch will be created automatically during the files upload.
To upload source files to the specified version branch:
To upload translations to the specified version branch:
To download translations from the specified version branch:


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Roy Blampied, a forgotten local hero.
This week I received a delightful package in the mail. A book about Mr Blampied and his buildings written by his son Peter Blampied, with a hand written note from the same. A hand written note is a rare thing in this age of technology, we forget what charm they hold. Today's blog is a tribute to the kind package and his father, the forgotten local hero.
Born in 1894, Roy Blampied practiced as an Architect in Jersey for about 20 years. His career was interrupted by World War II, although his last building was completed before the island was occupied. Most locals may not have heard of Mr Blampied, but they certainly would recognise his buildings.
Roy Blampied went to school at the Architectural Association, London in 1912. World War 1 interrupted his studies and he joined the army from 1914 until 1919 to serve the country. With his studies completed in 1920, he returned to Jersey to practice. There he completed many well-known projects until his retirement when Nigel Biggar took over his practice. Blampied's son Michael also qualified as an architect around this time and joined Nigel Biggar in practice to form Blampied and Biggar. Later known as Nigel Biggar and Partners when Michael left to work in London.
Blampied's Work:
De Gruchy's New Street Entrance- 1925
Blampied was 30 when this building was completed and so was likely around 28 years old when he started the design. It may well have been the success of this project that lead to other businesses approaching him to be their architect. The Jersey Evening Post praised the project on the day of opening.
"To join a new building with old, to conform to modern architectural conditions, yet retain the continuity which the whole should possess provides an interesting architectural problem and we believe our readers will agree when looking at the finished building that Mr R. C. Blampied ARIBA, the young local architect entrusted with this important task has fulfilled all these conditions."
Merton Hotel – 1929
Roy Blampied was hired to design two of the Seymour Family's hotels in Jersey. The first was the Merton, which was completed in a Deco style.
West Park Pavilion – 1931
Perhaps Blampied's most iconic building was the West Park Pavilion. The building is commonly attributed to Grayson, however this is believed to be a biographical error.
Designed in the African Dutch style in the late 1920s, this style influenced his designs for houses on the island. The building has since been knocked down and replaced with an apartment building designed by Naish Waddington Architects.
JEC Power Station – 1934
This building is perhaps my favourite. Originally designed as the local power station, the building was refurbished by the JEC in 2001 to contain the company's offices and a shop. The renovation of the Deco design is quite beautiful.
Trinity Parish Hall – 1936
You can see Roy's Art Deco design taste in the ornamental features of the parish hall.
Pomme d'Or Hotel – 1938
The hotel was the second designed for the Seymour Family, and contains Blampied's trademark glazed coloured tiles. Many of his residential projects also contain this feature.
Of course the balcony of the hotel has become iconic to the Liberation of the island, due to the photo of the commanding officer of the liberating troops being photographed standing there waving to a cheering crowd.
JEC Showroom – 1939
Mr Blampied also designed the new showroom for the JEC which was located in Library place. The ground floor of the original building has been lost but the window on the first floor and the tubular light are still in place.
F Le Gallais & Sons
This building was originally designed by Roy Blampied, but unfortunately burnt down in a fire after the war and after he had died. Luckily the repair took place under the supervision of Nigel Biggar and Partners who still retained the original drawings and were able to ensure it was build to conform to the original design.
Information sourced from:
Peter Blampied's Book Roy Blampied An Architect's Practice


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Anaphylaxis can kill you. And do so very quickly and unexpectedly.
Our immune system protects us every minute of every day by attacking microscopic creatures that could do us harm. Things such as viruses, bacteria, and other invaders. When a foreign organism enters our body, the immune system recognizes it and immediately goes to work building antibodies against it. These antibodies attach to the foreign organism and attract various blood cells to it. Mostly the various types of White Blood Cells (WBCs) we all have. The cells then damage and devour the invader. That's a good thing.
But sometimes this protective system goes haywire. It over-reacts. It creates substances that lead to an acute asthmatic attack, a diffuse rash, a swelling of the face and hands and feet and other body parts, and a dramatic, and often deadly, drop in blood pressure. We call such an overwhelming reaction anaphylactic shock.
The treatment for anaphylaxis is the immediate injection of epinephrine, antihistamines, and steroids. These either block the allergic reaction itself or mitigate the body's reaction to it. But time is critical. These measures must be taken very quickly. This is why many people who have serious allergies carry small epinephrine injectors such as EpiPen.
Someone who is allergic to things such as bee stings, peanuts, certain foods or plants, or some medications can suffer such a reaction even if exposed to very small quantities of the allergen. A little dab can set off a major reaction.
Case in point: Myriam Ducre-Lemay.
Myriam was allergic to peanuts. She avoided them like the plague. But one evening, her boyfriend kissed her after he had eaten peanut butter and this set off an anaphylactic reaction that took her life.
Mayo Clinic Article: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/anaphylaxis/basics/definition/con-20014324
Wikipedia Article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaphylaxis


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Have noticed for a while employees placing disclaimers on their social media interaction like Twitter and Facebook. Some statements read along the lines of, "I am employed at A Place That Puts Food On The Table, but these are my opinions and my opinions alone. They do not reflect my employer."
Two things: 1) Uh… yes they do.
2) And the Worst Kept Secret Award goes to…. Who cares about your employer?! Employers are temporary. Everything you do (and tweet and opinion) reflect YOU the person! You may need employment in the future! Learn to protect YOU!
You pretty much just declared you are not responsible for your own actions. You declared that on the World Wide Web.
Hello! I am reality! Have we met?
Well, like it or not, try all you can, you can't control something just by declaring you have established a sort of imaginary dibs of protection. That's just like saying, "I live in this imaginary bubble. Respect it." Try all you want to declare your rules, but we're not buying it… and give us your milk money because you are acting like a complete dork and moron.
Just because you close your eyes during a game of hide-and-seek doesn't mean people cannot see you. (Use of double negative means yes, one can find you even though you shut your eyes.)
I find it actually quite naive to think one can compartmental their lives. This really does bum me out. I wish I could separate my superhero capes throughout the day. Would love to be a marathoner in the morning, small business owner by day and comedian by night, but I truly can't clock out from one assignment to another. Humans are communal by nature. Everything we do affects somebody else. Every action we do affects all other actions.
I cannot smoke during the day and live on an ice cream diet (I WISH!) and expect for all to be OK come 5 a.m. the next morning "NO FAIR! I was ice creaming and smoking it up between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m! It should not affect me as a runner! I was in business mode! Learn to keep track, metabolism! Those calories and decisions were mine (as a stressed business professional) alone, not the runner's!"
Oh, and…
Dear allergies, I've got a big day tomorrow, so only affect me after 8 p.m. That would be great. Thanks!
Let's call sodas diet… Surely the word "diet" will give them nutritional value.
That doesn't happen. We want it to, but it doesn't. We can't make the rules up in this kingdom. The laws of cause and affect have already been established without our consent. Everything we do affects everything and everybody else.
A few guidelines to consider when engaging in social media (and life):
- Live like your life will appear on TMZ. If you want attention, go out and get it. There is a built-in audience for you. If you don't, keep your knees together when exiting a car and put on some Underoos.
- You are a reflection of your investors (family, friends, teachers, employers) and they expect a big return.
- Like it or not, you are somebody's role model. Deal with it, Señor Charles Barkley.
So sorry to pop your imaginary protective bubble, but sometimes it's best to tell the emperor they are wearing no clothes. Yes. We see your opinions, and it is a reflection of you (employee, gender, sports lover, coupon clipper) in every way.
P.S. These words are mine as a blogger and a blogger's alone. They do not reflect the brain that thought and the hands that wrote this out. In your face, responsibility!


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This programme can be delivered as a 12-week course or as individual units. It is designed to equip participants with an understanding of mentoring, and the issues around mentoring. It examines a broad range of key skills, knowledge and practice required for effective mentoring and to maintain a healthy mentor/mentee relationship.
Programme Content:
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H&R Training Professionals is the trading name for Hope and Restoration formed in August 2008 as a company limited by guarantee with the main aim of empowering disadvantaged
Our support Hotline is: 074 6918 1634


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In 2015 the Commission began working with the Faculty of Psychiatry of Old Age within the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, and with other stakeholder groups, to explore issues particular to the mental health of older people, and any implications they have for the provision of mental health and related social services in NSW. The Commission has produced an issues paper that identifies areas that require attention and change, and a statement that aims to influence Government agencies to endorse high level directions for reform.
Living Well Action 5.1.1


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As you may have noticed there have been no posts this week, I have been unable to write due to being in so much pain with a huge monster growing inside my mouth caused by dental work.
Well things have gotten better but still not great but I should be able to return on Monday. I'd like to thank everyone for their well wishes and I can't wait to get back to writing for you all.


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This sleek, contemporary floor lamp is paired with a Vernaculis II custom art shade for a stylish look.
Additional Info:
The base of this floor lamp has a modern look that pairs well with the unique personality of a giclee art shade. The custom shade features an exclusive Vernaculis II pattern designed by retro modern pop artist and illustrator Ragnar, and is printed by the same technique used in reproducing museum-quality artwork. The base features a cool, brushed nickel finish and has an on/off pull chain. Shade printing process U.S. Patent # 7,347,593.


text: I recently upgraded my Precision M6800 to Windows 10 Pro x64 then upgraded SolidWorks to 2016 Pro. I am having the same display problem on my second monitor that others have described. When I click the SW window another smaller window opens to the left and if I click again a third one opens. I am using a Nvida Quattro k3100m graphics card driver 353.62. I just checked with SW and the 354.56 driver is recommended so I'm downloading that as I type. Hopefully that will help. Will check back in after the reboot


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Agency Loses Fight to Reveal Whistle-Blowers
(CN) – The Department of Labor need not identify hundreds of social workers who complained about an allegedly illegal overtime policy in Washington state, the 9th Circuit ruled Friday.
It has been eight years since the agency sued the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) after about 50 social workers complained that they were not paid overtime compensation for working 45 to 65 hours per week.
The workers reported that DSHS had a policy not to pay for overtime but rather to offer "flex time" that heavy caseloads made impossible to use.
During discovery in the case, the agency sent out a questionnaire about work conditions to 1,500 DSHS employees and promised to keep the answers confidential. About 350 employees responded.
While about 150 of the 400 total informants in the case waived confidentiality, DSHS requested the identities of the remaining 250. The government objected, but U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle in Tacoma found that the employees were not protected by the informants' privilege, and that DSHS's defense depended on knowing the names.
After its request to reconsider failed, the Department of Labor petitioned the 9th Circuit for a writ of mandamus. A three-judge panel of that court ruled Friday that the names should remain secret.
It was arbitrary for Settle to limit the informants' privilege to those who complained prior to the initial complaint, and DSHS had failed to show a compelling need to know the identities, according to the ruling.
Extending confidentiality to all the informants is the best way to combat retaliation, as most of them still work for the department, the panel found.
"DSHS's promise not to retaliate is … insufficient to dispel such fears," Judge Stephen Trott wrote for the panel. "A common theme in the employees' statements is that they were told by their immediate supervisors not to request overtime because the funding was not available. Several employees further reported being reprimanded or threatened with discipline when they persisted in requesting or recording overtime. As a practical matter, we are not convinced that DSHS can effectively monitor all 42 supervisors' daily conduct to enforce its promise. Here too an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."
The appeals panel granted the agency's petition and told the District Court to enter an order of protection prohibiting disclosure of the informants' identities.
This is the not the first time that the 9th Circuit has ruled in this long-running case.
In 2011, the appellate court rescued the complaint from summary judgment by reversing Settle's finding that DSHS social workers were exempt from overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act as "learned professionals."
Positions subject to the exemption require "advanced knowledge customarily acquired by a prolonged course of specialized intellectual instruction," while social workers must have an undergraduate degree in one of many fields, that ruling had said.


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Are you interested in our solutions? Please don't hesitate to contact us! We will be glad to help you.Start enquiry
Around one third of the particulate emissions in road traffic is attributable to brakes and tires – and nearly half of this amount to brake dust. But a solution is on its way: with the innovative iDisc brake disc, Bruderus Guss is helping to improve air quality in cities. The secret behind this success lies in the iDisc's hard tungsten carbide coating. This coating not only reduces brake dust, it also increases safety – especially when several braking maneuvers are performed in succession. The iDisc is extremely robust and has almost the same braking power as a comparable ceramic product that comes at a much higher cost. In terms of price, the iDisc is roughly three times more expensive than a normal cast iron brake disc, and three times less expensive than a ceramic brake disc. The price is likely to continue falling as production volume increases.
It is also much more resistant to wear. Depending on the coating thickness, the iDisc lasts twice as long as a normal brake disc. In addition, it is less prone to scoring and corrosion. The latter is a major advantage, especially for electric vehicles. Because they have the ability to recuperate braking energy, they put less strain on the brake. For this reason, when conventional brake discs are used a film of rust forms repeatedly on the friction rings. This temporarily leads to a slightly poorer response when braking, which does not occur with the iDisc.
of particulate emissions in road traffic is attributable to brakes and tires, and nearly half of this amount to brake dust
(Source: State Office for the Environment, Measurements and Nature Conservation in Baden-Württemberg, Germany)
less brake dust is produced by the iDisc compared with a conventional brake disc
Chairman of the Board of Management at Robert Bosch GmbH
The iDisc will also delight wheel rim fans. Not only because its polished hard alloy coating makes it a real eye-catcher. Being extremely low-wear and corrosion-free, it retains its lustrous looks even after several years – reflecting the trend for open-design wheel rims.
But best of all: thanks to the 90-percent reduction in brake dust produced by the iDisc, regular cleaning of the wheel rims – which often required highly aggressive cleaning agents – is a now thing of the past. Protecting the environment can also have very practical benefits.
Are you interested in our solutions? Please don't hesitate to contact us! We will be glad to help you.Start enquiry


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Gravesend artist shortlisted for David Shepard Wildlife Foundation award
PUBLISHED: 14:25 13 April 2018 | UPDATED: 19:13 14 April 2018
An artist has earned himself a spot in a prestigious London wildlife exhibition after enterting his first competition.
Paul Hinks' painting of a buffalo has been shortlisted for the David Shepard Wildlife Foundation's (DSWF) wildlife artist of the year award, held at the famous Mall Galleries in central London.
Lifelong Gravesend resident Paul, 47, a father of four, came back two years ago to the hobby he enjoyed as a teenager, after a 20-year hiatus working in IT.
He said: "It's the first competition I've entered. When I got the email from the foundation I couldn't sit down all day, I had to keep checking - unbelievable.
"I've spent two years hard at work practising away, and done a few commissions."
Established in 1984, the DSWF raises money to save endangered wildlife and aims for harmony between all creatures in their natural habitats.
Half the profits from the works sold go to conservation projects in Africa, Asia and all around the world.
Paul said: "There is incredible work in this exhibition, not only painting, as it incorporates sculpture too."
The DSWF said: "This collection of works that celebrate and champion endangered species is a reminder of how much we could lose if we do not protect the natural world and its wildlife."
Paul's artistic process is based on drawing from high quality still photographs, which he sources online. Paul prides himself on his incredible attention to detail, and the foundation's judges seem to agree.
The shortlisted portrait of a buffalo, which has already been sold, was based on a reference photograph by Andrew Macaskill.
Paul said: "A lot of my work is well known for fine detail - I use pencils to get the most realistic effect."
Paul and his wife Sarah, a teaching assistant, 43, will go up to central London for the May 1 private view, where they will meet the new owner of Paul's award-winning work.
The DSWF wildlife artist of the year exhibition will be held at the Mall Galleries from Wednesday, May 2 to Sunday, May 6 and admission is through donation.
If you value what this story gives you, please consider supporting the Gravesend Reporter. Click the link in the orange box above for details.


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Merger and acquisition (M&A) activity has developed an unfortunate reputation in the world of business. With all the moving parts involved in this complex process, it can feel more like a cycle of chaos and confusion than a time of growth and opportunity. Change can be a terrifyingly tricky phenomenon, especially in business.
Proper maintenance of company culture and employee morale often gets lost in the shuffle as M&A stakeholders are busy checking off items on their to-do lists, leaving employees to question their roles within the company. Fortunately, there are clear actions company leaders and HR professionals can take to ensure consistency during this time of what-ifs.
Meaningful Communication Regarding Personal Impact Is Key
In periods of large-scale change, there is no such thing as overcommunicating. Nature abhors a vacuum, and employees will likewise fill any perceived gaps in communication with their own explanations in the absence of repeated, clear answers from leadership.
The first question that needs to be addressed is how the changes will impact employees individually. Until you answer this, your employees frankly will not care why the M&A is good for the company. Once the personal impact is made clear, communications can include the positive impact on the whole of the company. Providing employees with this type of detailed messaging will help them understand where they fit in amid all the change and realize the benefits and rationale behind the M&A.
Even if you feel your message is obvious enough to go without saying, this may not be true for employees, especially those who have been blindsided by the news. Reiterate what isn't changing as much as what is, and regularly update your employees to maintain a level of comfort and continuity. An uncomfortable employee is an unengaged employee, and an unengaged employee will not be able to do their best work, which can negatively affect the bottom line and increase turnover rates.
Provide Total Transparency
Increased communication goes hand in hand with transparency. When you give employees the full story, they will feel safe, respected, and included in this pivotal moment in the company's life.
When the employees are first informed of the M&A, the initial announcement will typically provoke a pattern of fear-driven questions: "Do I still have a job? Will my team members still have a job? Will my benefits change? Will the culture we've built transform?"
Until these questions are fully addressed, employees will not be able to focus on day-to-day tasks, resulting in loss of productivity. It's imperative that HR professionals acknowledge these fears at the outset. If employees feel they are being taken care of, they will become more actively involved in future communication efforts.
Find Points of Commonality
Dividing employees into groups to discuss their fears and concerns is a fantastic way to encourage conversation and pinpoint areas of commonality. When employees are placed in a small group setting, they have an opportunity to share their voices with others and even discover that others feel similarly.
When employees find their concerns are shared by others, they can begin to have constructive discussions aimed at solving problems. These discussions help employees identify the barriers separating them from success and the necessary methods to overcome these obstacles.
Understand What Is Important to Employees
During an M&A, the immediate assumption for many employees is that everything is changing for the worse. Settling this initial fear begins with developing a solid understanding of the issues that are most important to employees.
HR professionals must accurately and quickly recognize those who will be most affected by the change and what those employees feel are the most important factors in the change. If you make assumptions about what employees value or expect, your assumptions may very well be incorrect. As a result, employees will feel unsettled and unheard.
Get straight to the point and ask employees what they find important. This encourages involvement and control during a time in which many employees may be feeling shut out and helpless. Additionally, understanding the factors that are important to employees gives you a chance to ensure those factors stay consistent — or at least as consistent as possible.
Control the Conversation
While feelings of uncertainty are inevitable with an M&A announcement, it is possible to showcase the positives by leading the conversation with transparent, informative, and proactive communication that addresses personal and collective impact. It is important to remember the effects an M&A might have on employees and prepare for a variety of questions and emotions that could come to light.
An easy way to do this is to put yourself in the shoes of the employees. How would you feel? What would you want to know? These questions can help the HR and executive teams begin developing their communications to address the basic concerns of who, when, where, why, and how.
Addressing the personal impact, being honest and transparent, and keeping a regular cadence of communication will not only help your employees feel comfortable and potentially excited about the news, but it will also ensure company culture and morale remain supported through the process.
Sharon Strauss is chief people officer of CM Group.


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Photo by Hugo Domingues
This is
22 year old Portuguese solo artist Surma presents a body of breathtaking sound designs and heartwarming tracks on her debut record, 'Antwerpen' - out now on Omnichord Records.
Following a promising glimpse with what to expect on 'Hemma', Surma AKA Débora Umbelino takes us deeper into a 10-track journey though her cosmic psyche.
By taking in angelic lullabies and ambient orchestrations of beatific, mind-opening sonic environments, the record leaves the listener pining for a primal, yet peaceful existence.
With every track labeled in a different language, translating to elemental words like 'place', 'travel', and 'origin', the music somehow embodies the stillness of 'home' in an ever-shifting world.