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From their craziest moments to lowest points, we look at how Great British Bake Off stars Andrew, Candice, Selasi and Jane made it to the semi-final
This series will be the last on BBC1 after the show's controversial move to Channel 4 - the pressure is on to win
MORE than 11million Bake Off fans will tune in tomorrow night to see who makes it through to the coveted grand final.
This series will be the last on BBC1 after the show's controversial big-money move to Channel 4, meaning the pressure is on to bag the last ever Beeb Bake Off crown.
Here, we give the lowdown on the four hopefuls battling to be named winner of the Great British Bake Off 2016.
Andrew, 25
LIVES: Derby.
FAMILY: Single, lives with three friends.
JOB: Aerospace engineer for Rolls- Royce.
BAKING BACKGROUND: Learned to make chocolate cake aged seven in his gran's kitchen.
STAR BAKER: Once.
SHOW HIGH: Winning star baker in Dessert Week after serving his 24 mini mousse-cake showstoppers aboard a home-made Ferris wheel.
SHOW LOW: Being reduced to tears in Botanical Week, when he underbaked his fougasse and then got killer criticism from Mary Berry over the "missing" elderflower flavour in his three-tiered showstopper cake. He said the flavour should be "quite subtle" – and she snapped: "It's so subtle I can't find it."
MOST BONKERS RECIPE: Gingerbread scene of himself punting in Cambridge, where he studied.
SMILEY engineer Andrew Smyth was going to apply for last year's show but bottled it at the last minute.
Andrew, who is originally from Co Down, Northern Ireland, said: "I'm still getting used to being recognised in the street and I've never been more conscious of what's in my shopping basket.
"I absolutely want to do more baking, be that on TV, maybe a book or just having fun mixing the creativity of engineering with the alchemy of baking."
He is now the second member of his team at Rolls-Royce to end up starring in a BBC series. His supervisor, Sam Smith, was a roboteer on this year's revival of BBC2's Robot Wars and his team made it all the way to the grand final.
Andrew added: "I continued my work throughout filming – I was very fortunate to have supportive colleagues and managers who helped me arrange time off for auditions and filming.
"I've been back at work following the show and colleagues now call me and my supervisor 'Team BBC'."
Candice, 31
LIVES: Bedford.
FAMILY: Boyfriend Liam Macauley and pug Dennis.
JOB: PE teacher at a secondary school.
BAKING BACKGROUND: Taught to bake by her nan as a kid.
STAR BAKER: Three times.
SHOW HIGH: A trio of star baker titles after success in the Biscuit, Pastry and Tudor weeks.
SHOW LOW: Crying her eyes out after Paul Hollywood slammed her chocolate loaf in dreaded Bread Week.
He told red-faced Candice: "You can see it's still raw inside. With all the love in the world I'm not going to eat it."
She headed back to her counter, sure she was going home, saying to other contestants: "Ta-ta everybody."
MOST BONKERS RECIPE: In Pastry Week, her risky Danish Pastry Croque Monsieur Kites with creamy cheese sauce, pancetta and mushrooms, and Cinnamon Apple, Vanilla Créme Rose Danish. It got her second place.
GLAMOROUS Candice Brown is by far the favourite to win this year's show after racking up a trio of star baker titles.
The pouting kitchen ace, who is famous for sporting bright lipstick, says she now gets noticed from her time in the show and credits her nan with showing her the baking ropes. Candice, who lives with her boyfriend, has become a social media sensation and divides opinion.
Some viewers have criticised her "irritating smugness", while others descibe her as "amazing" and "hot".
Candice said: "Life hasn't really changed. It was straight back to work – although I am now Miss Brown or the 'lady from Bake Off'.
"I would love to be able to bake all the time but who knows what will happen?
"My nan was the best. Her baking was amazing. I spent a lot of time growing up with her and my grandad and she was always baking and cooking.
"I stood next to her on the brown dining chair that I dragged through to the kitchen watching in complete adoration."
Candice says she had to juggle the show, which was pre-recorded in the spring, with her busy school life.
Asked how she coped, she added: "Head down and ploughed on. I think I was running on adrenaline and disbelief, definitely not sleep.
"I work in a secondary school in the special needs department and I teach PE. Teenagers have no sympathy for tired teachers or secret bakers."
Related stories
THE FINAL CUTWhen is the Great British Bake Off final, how can I host a Bake Off party and where can I watch it?
Easy BakesEmily Blunt brings The Great British Bake Off to the U.S. with a hilarious Saturday Night Live parody
'We'll Always Be Mates'Paul Hollywood praises his friendship with Mary Berry and says it will last beyond Bake Off
Jane, 61
LIVES: Beckenham, South East London.
FAMILY: Husband Ray and kids Henry and Amy.
JOB: Garden designer.
BAKING BACKGROUND: Taught to bake by her mum.
STAR BAKER: Once.
SHOW HIGH: Winning star baker in week one after wowing with her drizzle cake and chocolate-orange glazed mirror showstopper. She had said her biggest fear was getting the boot straight away.
SHOW LOW: The showstopper round in Botanical Week was her worst flop. She had to throw out her first gloopy batch of mix for her three-tier floral cake and then ran out of time to finish her second attempt properly. Paul said the result was like "mashed potatoes".
She also failed to use any floral flavours in what was meant to be a floral cake – and her paintball-style decoration was declared a "mess".
MOST BONKERS RECIPE: Making huge pastry cones filled with cherry and chocolate for the showstopper round in Pastry Week, in which the bakers were meant to present mini amuse-bouches.
EARLY-riser Jane Beedle has managed to keep her garden design business going throughout her time in the tent by getting up before the crack of dawn.
The mum of two said: "I am self-employed, so for me it was relatively easy. I'm an early riser and frequently at my desk at 5am."
She added: "Getting spotted in the street is an absolute pleasure – it's a show that makes people very happy."
Meanwhile, Jane is still haunted by the showstopper round in Botanical Week, which she had thought would be her finest hour because of its gardening background.
She said: "My deepest low was definitely week six's showstopper.
"I had been looking forward to creating the three-tier floral cake but on the day everything that could go wrong did."
Selasi, 30
LIVES: West London.
FAMILY: Girlfriend Joelle Rainford.
JOB: Banker.
BAKING BACKGROUND: Started out at university after being taught how to make fairy cakes and pizza by his friend Sally.
STAR BAKER: Never.
SHOW HIGH: Being the most relaxed contestant in GBBO history by literally lying down at one point during the first week in the tent.
SHOW LOW: Struggled with churros in Batter Week when he managed to make them both raw and burned. Also had a disastrous Dessert Week and nearly went home, with a soggy marjolaine in the technical challenge and mousse that did not set in the showstopper.
MOST BONKERS RECIPE: A full gingerbread church, complete with edible stained glass windows, based on the church he went to as a boy in Ghana. He announced: "My mum would be proud."
MOTORBIKE-mad Selasi Gbormittah says the main reason he applied for the show was because he wanted to meet hosts Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins.
And he rocked up to each week's filming in the famous tent on his black Kawasaki Ninja bike.
The Londoner, who works at Deutsche Bank, now says: "I do love banking but I'm hoping to open a bakery somewhere in West London in the foreseeable future. My immediate adventure, however, is a motorbike/baking tour across Europe, which I'm currently planning. I hope to share all the recipes I learn in a book.
Talking about making it into the tent, he added: "My friends, family and colleagues kept pushing me to, and I felt it was time. And I wanted to meet Mel and Sue. My colleagues and manager were very supportive. I used to go back to work the day after filming and then home after work to practise for the next challenges."
Selasi and his father moved to Britain 15 years ago, following his mother who had moved from Zomayi in Ghana to work as a nurse in London years earlier when he was just six.
His dad, in the meantime, had been a great role model in the kitchen. Selasi has recalled: "My inspiration was Dad. He is a great cook.
"In a Ghanaian community, food was always an important part of our lives. It means you are doing something useful – feeding people, nurturing them and providing sustenance."
- Read the full interviews in this week's Radio Times, out now


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Think a Paralegal Degree is a Waste of Time? Think Again
A January 2013 study by the Associated Press (AP) concluded that paralegal careers are among those that experts predict will "disappear" as technology advances and job markets continue to tighten.
In fact, the AP pointed to paralegals, meter readers and travel agents as "vulnerable" occupations because: "Year after year, software that runs computers and an array of other machines and devices become more sophisticated and powerful and capable of doing more efficiently tasks that humans have always done."
The AP actually described the day-to-day tasks paralegals perform as "routine and repetitive."
If you are considering earning a paralegal degree or certificate, the AP study probably comes as quite a shock. Well, don't worry. We're not buying what their experts are selling and neither should you. Here's why ...
1. The paralegal field is not shrinking, it's growing
A year-over-year analysis of paralegal jobs in America* reveals that the 280,940 paralegals employed in 2007 grew to almost 297,000 in 2011. That's a six percent increase in just five years … all for a field that is said to be "disappearing." The data isn't complete for 2012 but it's hard to ignore a trend that the Bureau of Labor Statistics says should result in more than 302,000 paralegals by 2020.
If you're still searching for programs or you're already studying hard to earn your degree or certificate, you might be thinking: "Great, those people have jobs. It looks like they'll continue to have jobs in the future. But, what about me?"
Well, you're in luck. An analysis of 63,733 online job postings** for paralegal and legal assistant positions over the past 12 months shows that the number of available jobs in the field is increasing. Last year, between Apr. 30, 2011 and Apr. 29, 2012, there were 56,523 paralegal jobs available across the United States. That number has increased by more than 7,000 jobs over the last 365 days.
2. Paralegal jobs are available across the nation
Not only is the number of paralegal job openings trending upward, vacancies are showing up in almost every major metropolitan area in the country. Our analysis shows that every state in America – including Puerto Rico and Guam! – has had job openings for paralegals over the past year. Regarding specific job markets, here are the hottest of the hot-spots:
Midwest region:
- Illinois: (3,150 jobs)
- Ohio: (1,435 jobs)
- Minnesota: (1,328 jobs)
- Michigan: (1,028 jobs)
South region:
- Texas: (4,585 jobs)
- Florida: (4,334 jobs)
- Georgia: (2,806 jobs)
- Washington D.C.: (2,014 jobs)
Northeast region:
- New York: (6,322 jobs)
- Massachusetts: (2,884 jobs)
- New Jersey: (2,179 jobs)
- Pennsylvania: (2,087 jobs)
West region:
- California: (8,749 jobs)
- Colorado: (1,716 jobs)
- Washington: (1,699 jobs)
- Arizona: (1,224 jobs)
Even if you're only at the decision-making stage in your paralegal education, the way the profession is trending – in addition to these current numbers – makes this particular field a promising bet.
3. You don't need as much experience as you might think
Think you need years of experience and a plethora of professional references to land a promising paralegal career? Think again. Our analysis shows that a significant portion of the job openings from the past year are available for those just starting their careers.
We found that almost 58 percent of all jobs listed in the last 365 days require 1-4 years of experience. Combine that with the additional five percent of job vacancies that require less than a year of experience and it comes out to 63 percent.
I'll say it again: Sixty-three percent of paralegal job openings from the past year required between 0-4 years of experience – and even more jobs will be added in the years to come. Add a paralegal internship to your resume and you're golden!
4. A final word
So, whether you're following a new path in life or just starting to embark on one, earning a paralegal degree or certificate is a good way to find a satisfying – and potentially lucrative – career. Side note: Our analysis revealed real-time mean salaries for paralegals, legal assistants and legal support workers ranging between $49-51,000!
If you are serious about becoming a paralegal, the primary piece of advice we received from those in the field was to specialize in a robust area of law. Our data supports this idea as well.
The types of paralegals in greatest demand appear to be those who have specialized in the following areas: litigation, corporate, real estate, intellectual property, immigration and trust and estates.
So, that's it. We've told you how much the field is growing; where the jobs are; what kind of experience you'll need to get started; and we even plugged the mean salary for paralegals. What more do you need?
Check out an Associate's degree or certificate program. If you like what you see, enroll. You could be ready for a paralegal career in as little as 15 months.
*Source: Burning Glass (A year-over-year analysis of employment trends for paralegals, legal assistants and legal support workers, 2007-2011)
**Source: Burning Glass (An analysis of 63,733 online job postings between Apr. 30, 2012 and Apr. 29, 2013)

subset: commoncrawl


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New Jersey's state government has several ways to help scientific advancement, grow the innovation economy and bring products to market to improve quality of life. These state agencies can help coordinate resources, offer tax incentives and cut through regulations. Whether you are a start up or a expanding technology company, New Jersey agencies can help you innovate.
NJ Business Portal
The NJ Business Portal is your "one-stop shop" for doing business in New Jersey-whether you're poised to start, grow or relocate your business. Economic growth is a top priority in the Garden State, and we are reducing the red tape to make it easier for you to get the information, guidance and resources you need to move forward and achieve success. If you need further help, the New Jersey Business Action Center offers professional assistance and has Business Advocates ready to take your call. The NJ Business Portal is open for your business!
Business Action Call Center
Businesses can place a single call to 1-866-534-7789 to reach the Center's knowledgeable staff. This Call Center offers unparalleled customer service by providing the business community with appropriate information concerning the State's vast array of resources and services for businesses.
New Jersey Smart Smart Buildings
New Jersey Smart Start Buildings can provide a range of support — at no cost to you — to yield substantial energy savings, both now and for the future.
Choose NJ
Choose New Jersey's mission is to encourage and nurture economic growth throughout New Jersey, including making the state's most distressed cities engines for growth and opportunity. New Jersey is one of only a handful of states that has charged a non-governmental agency with state-wide marketing efforts for economic development purposes.
Economic Development Authority
With our large portfolio of varied programs and services, the EDA can assist you with access to capital, including tax-exempt and taxable bond financing, loans, loan guarantees, and business and tax incentives. In addition, we offer real estate development assistance and state-of-the-art technology facilities like the Technology Centre of New Jersey in North Brunswick and the Waterfront Technology Center at Camden.
New Jersey Bio-Science Database
Explore what makes New Jersey so well situated to the bioscience industry by taking a look at New Jersey's Resume or start discovering what assets are available by searching our new NJ Research/Asset Search, where we host information about what specific research, researchers, and companies reside in New Jersey. This free service allows people to make the connections to the multitude of resources available in New Jersey. Find someone who is doing research in your field of interest or connect with a company that matches your needs.
New Jersey Talent Networks
Talent Networks are strategic partnerships of employers, educators and workforce development professionals working together to strengthen the workforce for New Jersey' top industries. These include:


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Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund Tissue Bank
The Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund Tissue Bank is a national - and ultimately international - resource that will help develop new treatments and bring these to patients much faster. It brings together surgeons, pathologists, oncologists, researchers and database experts to co-ordinate a national effort to improve survival for pancreatic cancer patients. It is the first of its kind in the world.
"This may well be the most important development in resourcing UK pancreatic cancer research in a generation"
Professor Nick Lemoine, Director of Barts Cancer Institute, QMUL
The Tissue Bank is a collaboration between six UK hospitals that are renowned for their excellence in treating pancreatic cancer patients - and we're already in discussion with more hospitals about joining us.
You can read the full press release on our news pages and watch the Tissue Bank video here
Meet three patients who have donated their pancreas tumour tissue to the national Tissue Bank
Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund Tissue Bank: FAQ
What is a tissue bank?
Why do we need a national Tissue Bank for pancreatic cancer research?
Who is involved?
How will the PCRF Tissue Bank help research?
Who can donate to the Tissue Bank?
How many samples will the Tissue Bank hold?
How much has the Tissue Bank cost?
Which researchers can use the Tissue Bank?
What is a tissue bank?
A tissue bank (also known as a biobank) is a specialised facility where samples of human tissue, blood, saliva and urine are catalogued, preserved and stored for use by researchers. Researchers can apply for samples on which to conduct relevant research which will help to answer many questions about pancreatic cancer more quickly and enable new treatments to reach patients faster.
Why do we need a national Tissue Bank for pancreatic cancer research?
We're committed to doing everything we can to help find cures for pancreatic cancer.
Researchers told us that the lack of access to high quality tissue samples from pancreatic cancer patients was holding back research. When we were told that a national Tissue Bank would help researchers make progress more quickly, we decided that this would be a good use of supporter donations.
Access to pancreatic tumour tissue is mainly when a patient is having surgery to remove the tumour. But only around 15% of the patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer each year are diagnosed early enough for surgery to remove the tumour. So every sample is a very precious resource for research.
Who is involved?
Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund has funded the national Tissue Bank. The Tissue Bank facility itself is based at Barts Cancer Institute (BCI), Queen Mary University of London, which will also act as the co-ordinating centre. We chose BCI because it has a great deal of expertise in operating and managing tissue banking facilities for breast cancer, testicular cancer and blood cancers.
There are currently six key NHS partners, which are renowned for their expertise in treating pancreatic diseases, and which will act as tissue collection centres. These are:
Barts Health NHS Trust (London)
The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
ABM University Health Board, Swansea
We anticipate that more organisations will join the Tissue Bank collaboration in due course.
All the Key NHS centres are licensed by the Human Tissue Authority and the Tissue Bank has ethical approval from National Research Ethics Service.
How will the PCRF Tissue Bank help research?
A nationally-co-ordinated Tissue Bank will help research in several very important ways.
Firstly, high quality tissue samples enable high quality research. Each key partner will handle tissue in exactly the same way, to strict protocols and quality controls. This means that research results from Tissue Bank samples will be highly reliable and more meaningful.
Secondly, pancreatic cancer is a highly complex disease and research has shown that there are many different genes, proteins and cellular processes that are associated with its growth and spread. Researchers around the world are working hard to understand, map and find ways to prevent the cancer from taking hold and spreading, and to develop new ways to kill the cancer cells without harming healthy tissue.
As each Tissue Bank sample will be catalogued with information about the tumour type, grade and the anonymous donor's clinical history, it means that researchers can access samples of tissue which best match their research needs.
Thirdly, PCRF's Tissue Bank has a built-in Research and Development arm which will continually progress innovative research methods and techniques to ensure that samples yield the maximum amount of relevant information possible.
Fourthly, the results of every research project which uses samples from the Tissue Bank will be fed back into a bespoke database and shared with pancreatic cancer researchers around the world to inform and underpin their own research.
Who can donate to the Tissue Bank?
If you are a patient undergoing pancreatic cancer surgery at one of the key NHS partner hospitals, you may be asked if you will consent to donating a small amount of the removed tissue for research, after any diagnostic procedures have been completed. In addition, if you are a non-surgical patient, you may also be asked to if you will consider donating a blood, saliva and urine sample. Donation is entirely voluntary.
Patients' close relatives/spouse/partner may also be approached, with permission, to donate urine, blood and saliva. This is because information from samples they provide may also give researchers clues to understanding genetic and environmental factors in pancreatic disease, when comparing these to samples from healthy people.
We hope that anyone who donates to the Tissue Bank will be proud to know that they are directly helping researchers to develop new tests, understand the disease process and develop new, effective treatments for pancreatic cancer, which are desperately needed.
How many samples will the Tissue Bank hold?
Our key NHS partners hope to add samples of pancreas tissue, blood, urine and saliva from around 1,000 new patients each year.
How much has the Tissue Bank cost?
We have committed £2.4 million to the setting up and running of the Tissue Bank. This should cover its first 5 years of operation.
The funding covers the costs of equipment, such as specialist tissue banking freezers, a dedicated Tissue Bank co-ordinator, and staff to deal with the bespoke database that will contain the research results that arise from Tissue Bank samples.


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I have a number of hobbies that I deeply enjoy. I really enjoy playing board games and am the member of two different board game groups. I love to read. I love doing things with my children. I love tinkering with electronics, walking around my neighborhood, and countless other things. I also love just trying new things, like making a stained glass wall hanging at a workshop or building a robotic spider or making a table in a wood shop.
Those things all mean something to me, particularly reading and playing board games and spending time with my family. Those three really rise to the top – and those three are going to be the focus of what I'm talking about in the rest of this article.
All three of those things that I mention require an investment of time.
It takes time to sit down and enjoy a board game – and if you enjoy playing them a lot, you're going to have to devote time not only to playing, but also learning games and teaching games, too. You also have to have access to other people (most of the time – there are a few good solitaire board games out there).
It takes time to enjoy reading books. You have to put aside time to sit down with a book and dig in. Even if you split a book into lots of little pieces spread over weeks or months, you still have to devote some real time to reading, but if you're like me and plow through a book a week or so, you have to spend some real chunks of time reading.
Your family takes time, too. You don't build a deep trusting bond with your wife and with your children if you don't spend a lot of time with them and give them serious and undivided attention. Without that genuine quality time, you simply can't build the kind of relationship you'll want.
I'm sure that, as you're reading this, you're thinking of your own core interests that you fill up your spare time with. Perhaps you're passionate about woodworking or highbrow television shows. Maybe you're an avid golfer or perhaps you enjoy creating art of some kind. Maybe you care deeply about your inner circle of friends, or maybe your time is absorbed by solitary pursuits. Whatever it is, there's probably a thing or two that makes you tick. As I write about my own passions, think about yours in the same way.
Passion and Limited Time
Anyway, I have all of these things that I care deeply about that yearn to fill my spare hours, but the problem is that I don't have all that many spare hours to begin with. I have professional responsibilities and community responsibilities and family responsibilities. Many days, I have very little time left over for my personal interests.
Take today, for example. I'm writing this article at about 11 PM after a very long day. I woke up at about 6 AM, helped the kids get ready for school, did some exercise, took a shower, took care of a few other things (one of which I'll mention later), and sat down for work at about 9 AM. I wrote for about four hours, then spent two more hours taking care of some community responsibilities – mostly, making phone calls and taking some notes. After that, my children arrived home from school, so I made them an after school snack, spent some time with them talking about their day and helping my son with his math homework, and then spent the next hour or so making supper and doing household chores. This takes us to about 6 PM, after which I did a bit more housework, spent a bit more family time with all five of us, and then put the kids to bed, which was done by about 8:30. After that, I spent an hour or so recording a segment for a podcast, answered some emails, and now I'm working on this article.
Where's the room for hobbies? The truth is that it's pretty limited.
So, where am I going with this and what does it have to do with money?
The Danger of 'Artificial Replacement'
Whenever I consistently cut quality time for my main interests out of my life, I start to long for them. As you saw in that "typical" day, I do make room for spending time with my family, but my other two main interests are absent. If that happens too many days in a row, I start to really miss reading. I start to really miss playing thoughtful board games with friends.
What happens after that? I start to substitute. When I don't have the opportunity to sit down for an hour or even for half an hour and really get lost in a book, I start looking for an alternative way to fill in the tiny slices of time that I do have. I'll spend money.
Let's say I haven't had the joy of getting lost in a book for the last several days. When that happens, if I'm sitting somewhere with my phone and have a few minutes to spare, I'll spend those minutes browsing new book releases on Amazon and I'll buy one.
That little pleasure of buying a new book – and of receiving it in the mail when it's delivered or seeing it pop up on my Kindle – is kind of an "artificial replacement" for the thing I really want to do, which is to simply kick back and enjoy a book for half an hour or so once every day or two.
A similar thing happens with board games. If I hadn't had the chance to sink my teeth into a really thoughtful board game lately, I'll start missing the experience. Eventually, I'll start browsing online game stores like Coolstuffinc and I'll become very tempted to buy – and sometimes I do.
That little pleasure of buying a new board game – and of receiving it and punching out the pieces and reading the rules – is kind of an "artificial replacement" for the thing I really want to do, which is to simply hang out with some friends for a few hours and play a board game or two that causes me to think and have a great experience with those people at the same time.
In other words, there's a tendency to spend money to create an "artificial replacement" for something we want in our lives, but don't have adequate time for.
I see this often with family situations. A husband who hasn't been around lately due to career choices or other things will buy gifts for his wife and children to "make up" for that lost time. Parents will buy a video game console or a laptop for a child because they're not spending enough time together and the parents only are aware of the most superficial of desires, yet feel guilty for that lack of a connection.
How I Broke Free from 'Artificial Replacements'
For a long time, I bought into these "artificial replacements," big time. I had a huge book collection. I had a huge DVD collection. I had a huge unplayed video game collection. I had a huge vintage baseball card and trading card collection. I collected golf clubs and countless other things, too.
The first real change I made to that philosophy was realizing that experiences trump things. The experience of doing something is much more valuable than simply having an item in your possession. Experiences usually cost very little, while items cost a lot. Experiences require no maintenance, while stuff requires storage and often some degree of maintenance. Experiences require no space, while stuff requires square footage.
The experience of actually reading a book trumps having a book sitting on your bookshelf. The experience of playing a game trumps having a game sitting in your closet. The experience of playing golf trumps having an expensive golf club in your garage. The experience of watching a movie trumps having a DVD or a Bluray in your living room.
Of course, as I described earlier, the act of buying something is often just an "artificial replacement" for the actual experience of something. The experience is much better, but it doesn't help if you don't have the time for it.
For a long time, this push-and-pull between understanding that experiences were better than things and time compressing my opportunity for experiences and causing me to substitute "artificial replacements" by opening my wallet was a real challenge.
I solved it by coming to a simple realization. There are a few core things in my life that I really value that bring me joy – spending time with my family, reading, playing board games, and exercising among them.
What is my life if I don't have those core things in it?
The truth is that it's a pretty empty experience. When I squeeze the experiences that really bring me joy out of my life, then I'm unhappy. That unhappiness manifests itself in the form of "artificial replacements," which hurts my financial situation as well. (Sure, I might get a short-term burst of pleasure from the purchase of that artificial replacement, but that's not enough.)
The Simple Solution
The solution that I've discovered is really simple. Schedule some blocks of time every week for undivided focus on the things you care about the most. If you don't have room in your life for this, then start discarding the other things that are less important.
Let me show you what I mean from my own life.
Each day, I have penciled off at least one hour and usually three hours of undivided family time. The cell phones and electronics are off (unless they're a key part of a family activity) and we're doing something together. Maybe we're playing in the yard. Maybe we're working on a family project. Maybe we're putting together a puzzle in the basement. Maybe we're watching a movie as a family. Whatever it is, it's part of a block of time that isn't interrupted for anything else.
Each week, I spend time with each of two different board gaming groups – one on Sunday afternoons and another on Monday evenings. I go there and play games to my heart's content. During those times, Sarah watches the kids, but I make up for that by watching them when she does things like go to her choral group, go to her martial arts practices, and goes to her women's book club.
Each day, I block off one uninterrupted hour to read a book. (Sometimes, I'll read a bit more before bed, too, if I'm not exhausted.) For example, in that description of my day earlier, this is how I filled my 8 AM to 9 AM hour.
I like to call this philosophy "time frugality." Much like money-based frugality, the key here is to use my time as wisely as possible. I give time to the things that really matter to me and cut back on time given to things that are less important to me.
That points to the answer to the question that most people ask when they hear this idea: where do you find the time? The truth is that I have basically eliminated time spent on the other non-required activities in my life.
For starters, I basically don't watch television any more. The last time I looked at our television was during our family movie night last Friday as part of time I'd blocked off for family time. Before that, I watched a movie with Sarah one evening a little more than a week ago as part of time I'd blocked off for family time. I actually rarely go into the room where the television is at all. Many days will go by where I either don't go into that room or I only go through it as I'm walking to another room. Several years ago, I watched two or three hours of television a day and that's just dwindled to virtually nothing.
I de-committed from a couple community groups I was in, instead choosing to focus on the two groups that I'm really active in. This saved me time while also enabling me to really make an impact with the two remaining groups.
I stopped visiting a handful of time-eating websites that weren't bringing me fulfillment. I still visit a healthy number of sites, but the ones that are left actually provide me with useful information or support me in some positive way.
This left me with substantial time each and every day, time that I can pencil off and devote to the things I care about the most.
The end result is that I actually get to experience the things I enjoy the most and not just buy "artificial replacements."
In the past, for example, I had to strictly budget my "fun" spending each month because I could easily go off the rails spending it on things associated with my passions – those pesky "artificial replacements."
Recently, that hasn't been a problem at all. I've mostly been saving my "fun" spending each month for the future simply because I'm feeling fulfilled in the present. Because I'm actually devoting real time and energy to my passions, I no longer feel the need to channel money into "artificial replacements." It's a change that's had a significant and measurable positive impact, not only on our finances, but also on my personal sense of happiness.
Solving the 'Artificial Replacement' Problem in Your Life
Here are three key suggestions I have for you if the idea of spending too much money on "artificial replacements" hits home for you.
Solution #1: Identify Your Three or Four Key Passions
I think all of us split our time amongst a lot of different things that we care about. Our family. Our favorite television programs. Personal hobbies. Our family. Our social network.
The problem is that when we spread ourselves too thin across too many things, we find ourselves not devoting enough time to the core things we really care about and instead giving that time to things we care about less. We give up real family time for PTA meetings. We give up reading a powerful and life-changing book in exchange for a sitcom rerun.
And before we know it, we no longer have much time for the things we care about the most. That motorcycle sits in the garage, unridden. Those games sit on the shelf, unplayed. That woodworking equipment sits on the bench, unused.
Look around your life. What are the three or four things that you most enjoy spending your spare time on? For me, it's family time, reading, and board games, with exercise and walking making up the fourth (if there are four). Everything else is really secondary to those things in terms of how I spend my spare time.
Sure, if I had extra time, there are lots of hobbies I might dig into, but they would honestly have to replace one of those other ones when my interest in that hobby waned. Those three (and a half) interests are clearly the things I enjoy spending my time on the most. They're the things I enjoy doing all the time.
Solution #2: Scale Back and Discard the Rest
The next step is to just start cutting back on everything else that isn't essential in your time use. If you're spending non-essential time on things that aren't one of those three or four key interests, cut back. Cut way back.
This is much like frugality. When you're being frugal with your money, you give adequate money to the things you really care about and cut everything else back to the bone.
If television isn't one of those key interests, cut the cord. If web browsing isn't one of those key interests, close the web browser. If going to meetings for a community group you don't care about much any more isn't one of those key interests, find a way to tastefully drop back from that group. If a hobby you used to love isn't one of those key interests, sell off your stuff and use it as a "reservoir" for your handful of current passions.
Remember, just because you used to be passionate about something doesn't mean you need to hang onto it forever. It's okay to back away from old passions that have died out.
Solution #3: Block Off Time for Those Key Passions Using the Time Saved From Discarding the Lesser Ones
If you start cutting away at the other non-essential and non-passionate parts of your life, you'll find that you suddenly have more free time than you thought. Use that free time smartly.
I strongly encourage you to start blocking off time during your week for those key interests that you have, whatever they may be. If you decide to cut the cord on television, for instance, you likely suddenly have quite a few more hours per week. If you cut back on your non-essential commitments, you probably have more hours. If you cut back on aimless web surfing, you may have even more hours. If you stop trying to keep up with a hobby that doesn't have that spark any more, you have even more hours.
So put those hours to good use. Devote an evening or two a week – or an hour each day – to each of your true passions. Join a group in your area that is all about that thing you care most about. Start a game night or a movie night at your own house. Start checking out books from the library and .
For me, time for my key interests is actually scheduled in my days. I usually have an hour to read a book and I have two game nights a week, plus I have one to three hours a day for uninterrupted family time. That time is important and it's rarely interrupted.
Outside of that time? I take care of business. I work. I take care of household chores. I go grocery shopping. I handle all of the nuts and bolts of life. If there happens to be a little bit of time left over, I can spend it on secondary hobbies, but I don't really make any real commitment to them.
What if my interests change? I ask myself that fairly often and, for quite a while, they really haven't. If they do, then I'll walk away from that passion for a while and block off time for a new interest. If it seems like that shift is permanent, I'll start selling off my stuff from my old hobby.
Final Thoughts
In the end, spending my time on stuff of lesser importance to me has nothing but bad consequences. It means I'm not spending time on my true passions. It also means that I'm often spending money on "artificial replacements" that don't really leave me feeling fulfilled.
By simply devoting time to the things I care most about, I don't need to spend money on "artificial replacements." My spending has dropped drastically and I feel more fulfilled with how I spend my time.
If the idea of "artificial replacements" sounds familiar to you, start making changes. Spend some time thinking about what you care most about in your life, commit to scheduling time for those things, and drop out of the less important things. Life is too short to spend it on things of lesser importance, and money is too valuable to waste it because you're feeling unfulfilled.
Good luck!


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Tide PODS Plus Febreze Botanical Rain Scent Laundry Detergent Pacs
61 ctUPC: 0003700091734
Purchase Options
Located in Aisle 12 in Your Store
Located in Aisle 12
Tide PODS Plus Febreze Botanical Rain Scent Laundry Detergent Pacs are designed to fight stains and tough, set-in odors in one wash while providing freshness that lasts 3x longer*.
Featuring 4-in-1 technology, each pac cleans, brightens fabrics, fights stains and eliminates sunk-in stink with innovative, odor-eliminating formula.This convenient laundry detergent is Tide's #1 odor remover so it helps eliminate even week-old sweat odors at their source and infuse your favorite clothes with a fresh Botanical Rain scent. Also, thanks to the special film and HE Turbo technology with quick-collapsing suds, the capsules dissolve completely in all temperatures and do not produce excess suds.
* Vs. Tide Original.


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Canon Digital IXUS 120 IS Review
Those looking for a portable, well-built, eye-catching snapshot model with a smattering of cappuccino bar style for weekend breaks or social events could do worse than check out Canon's Digital IXUS 120 IS.
While its asking price would buy a competing compact with more actual creative features, a much bigger lens and broader focal range - if wanted - that's not really what this camera is about. It's not so much a photographic tool as a lifestyle accessory.
That said, it does feature most of the latest photographic essentials - intelligent auto, or rather 'smart' capture, plus face detection, blink detection and all the rest, and unusual but pleasantly surprising to find a 'grown up' HDMI out port on what's otherwise an entry-level compact.
Though intuitive to use anyway, there's an added degree of user friendliness provided by the hints and tips text bubbles, helping along any first timers confused about how selecting various shooting and menu options might benefit their photography.
And, though we noticed our review sample sadly picking up a couple of surface scratches from being transported through the two-week test period, if looked after the otherwise sturdily built camera should provide several years of service.
Another welcome addition to the Canon family then, if not much of a radical departure from the existing IXUS 100 IS model, thus reflected in our test score.
|Ratings (out of 5)
|Image quality
|Value for money


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About this book
This richly illustrated book describes the use of interactive and dynamic graphics as part of multidimensional data analysis. Chapters include clustering, supervised classification, and working with missing values. A variety of plots and interaction methods are used in each analysis, often starting with brushing linked low-dimensional views and working up to manual manipulation of tours of several variables. The role of graphical methods is shown at each step of the analysis, not only in the early exploratory phase, but in the later stages, too, when comparing and evaluating models.
All examples are based on freely available software: GGobi for interactive graphics and R for static graphics, modeling, and programming. The printed book is augmented by a wealth of material on the web, encouraging readers follow the examples themselves. The web site has all the data and code necessary to reproduce the analyses in the book, along with movies demonstrating the examples.
The book may be used as a text in a class on statistical graphics or exploratory data analysis, for example, or as a guide for the independent learner. Each chapter ends with a set of exercises.
The authors are both Fellows of the American Statistical Association, past chairs of the Section on Statistical Graphics, and co-authors of the GGobi software. Dianne Cook is Professor of Statistics at Iowa State University. Deborah Swayne is a member of the Statistics Research Department at AT&T Labs.
Bibliographic information
- DOI http://doi-org-443.webvpn.fjmu.edu.cn/10.1007/978-0-387-71762-3
- Copyright Information Springer New York 2007
- Publisher Name Springer, New York, NY
- eBook Packages Mathematics and Statistics Mathematics and Statistics (R0)
- Print ISBN 978-0-387-71761-6
- Online ISBN 978-0-387-71762-3
- Buy this book on publisher's site


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Quote from MadMageQc »My comment was #5, and peteroupc's edit was before I posted it. #3 is the one with your thanks to him.
I am not directly contradicting what he said: it is valid from a strict Comprehensive Rules point of view. As I said, if your event isn't sanctioned and thus isn't covered by the Magic Tournament Rules, you can bring his explanation to the organizers to convince them that by the rules, you should be allowed to do what you want, and you'd probably have a convincing argument. It's just that if they refuse to allow it, with the event not being sanctioned, you have no recourse.
Quote from peteroupc »EDIT: Expanded on last sentence after comment 3 was posted.


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AUBURN, Ala. (WBRC) - We want to extend a happy birthday to a voice we all miss hearing this football season.
The former Voice of the Auburn Tigers, Rod Bramblett, would have turned 54 Tuesday, Nov. 5.
Bramblett and his wife Paula died in a car accident in May.
One of Bramblett's most memorable calls is the "Kick Six" in the 2013 Iron Bowl.
The football team is wearing special decals on their helmets this season in memory of Bramblett.
Andy Burcham is the new Voice of the Auburn Tigers.
Copyright 2019 WBRC. All rights reserved.


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What Is the Climax in the Short Story 'All Summer in a Day'?
Imagine living in a world where it rains all the time, from showers to violent storms. That's the environment in Ray Bradbury's short story "All Summer in a Day." The climax of the story revolves around the one bit of sunshine that comes along every seven years on the planet Venus.
The High Point
In a story, conflict creates tension among characters, within a character or between characters and an outside force. The climax of a tale emerges from the conflict and leads to the most powerful part of the plot, where emotions peak for both characters and readers.
A Bad Day
The main characters in "All Summer in a Day" are school children. Most of them do not remember ever having seen the sun. One girl, Margot, has not been on Venus as long as the others and recalls sunlight from her time on Earth. She does not fit in; her classmates find her odd. The tension among them builds until the climax, when, on the day of the sun's appearance, the children purposely lock Margot in a closet, ensuring that she will miss the hour of sunshine.
Photo Credits
- Charley Gallay/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images


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David Frings
David M. Frings is a former mayor of Alabaster and director of the Oak Mountain Interpretive Center.
Frings is a 1973 graduate of Shades Valley High School and earned his bachelor of science in geology from UAB. In 1976 he began working as a geologist in the Alabama Power Company's construction department. He transferred to Southern Company in 1998, becoming its general construction superintendent in 2000. He is a licensed geologist in Alabama and is also certified to practice in Mississippi. He retired from Southern Company in 2006.
Frings and his wife, Jennifer, have operated the Fossil Site, a nature store for children, since 1999. They have three daughters, Haley, Holley and Heidi.
Frings ran against incumbent Alabaster mayor Steve Rauch in 2000 along with five other candidates. Frings and fellow opponent James Kramer managed to squeeze Rauch out of the run-off, which Frings then won by 98 votes. Frings was re-elected in 2004. He was elected for a third term in 2008, defeating three challengers with 56% of the vote in the general election. In the 2012 Shelby County municipal elections, he lost a runoff to challenger Marty Handlon.
In 2009 the Internal Revenue Service placed a lien on property owned by Frings due to unpaid personal income taxes from 2005 and 2006.
|Preceded by:
Steve Rauch
|Mayor of Alabaster
|Succeeded by:
Marty Handlon
- "It'll be Kramer vs. Frings in runoff." (August 23, 2000). The Birmingham News.
- "Frings cites team effort in win." (September 13, 2000). The Birmingham News.
- Nance, Rahkia (April 3, 2009) "IRS files lien on property owned by Alabaster, Alabama, Mayor David Frings for unpaid taxes." The Birmingham News.
- Reed, Martin J. (October 9, 2012) "Alabaster picks new mayor in Handlon over Frings." The Birmingham News.
External links
- David Frings at cityofalabaster.com
- David Frings at the Oak Mountain Interpretive Center


text: maintenance bus assistant 13 October 2020 Brisbane, Queensland Temporary AU$ 33.00 - AU$ 38.00 per hour Do you have experience as a truck or bus driver? Experienced as a trades assistant? Mechanically minded? This is your opportunity to get your foot in the door with Brisbane City ... read more


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August 22, 2008
My First Award....Thanks Bela!!!
5 comments:
Hi Tara, I am totally honoured to receive this award from you, thank you sooo much! I love to visit your blog and look at your wonderful cards....they are always beautiful creations.
Have a great weekend.
Carole ;o)
- Fri Aug 22, 10:38:00 am GMT-4
- Rach said...
Hi Tara,
Congratulations on your first award (the first of many I am sure)
and thank you so much for thinking of me when passing it on, so very very kind of you...
.big hugs rachxx
- Fri Aug 22, 11:00:00 am GMT-4
- Bev said...
Thank you so much Tara, that is so sweet of you hunny
hugs Bev x
- Fri Aug 22, 01:47:00 pm GMT-4
- Ila said...
Hi Tara, Thank you for this Award and for your kind words. I'm so pleased to recieve this from you. I love your blog and your creations are always Beautiful!!
I've recieved this Award before so will direct you to this post...
Thanks again ....Have a Great Weekend..Hugs, Ila
- Fri Aug 22, 03:27:00 pm GMT-4
- flatis stempelwelt said...
Hi Tara,
thank you for this award,I love to visit your blog too.
I will link it next week.
My family was here, my son has his first school day....
sorry for my bad English *readhead*
- Fri Aug 22, 04:46:00 pm GMT-4


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Cambodia's Sovan Kiri lived up to his name in the Shorinji Kempo arena yesterday by winning the men's 65kg randori (free sparring) gold at the 26th SEA Games in Jakarta to boost the bullion haul to four, the best the Kingdom has seen in the last 16 years and surpassing the three recorded at the 2009 Laos edition. The highest gold-medal tally of 17 goes a long way back to 1973, but after nearly three decades of political turmoil, civil war and genocide in the intervening years, Cambodia came out of SEA Games isolation in 1995.
It was a gold-letter day for Sovan Kiri, whose name roughly translates to Golden Mountain, as he scripted a new high in a sport that is gaining popularity in the Kingdom.
He ended his blazing trail with a merited victory over Khonesavanh Sounda, of Laos, in the final.
On the way up, Sovan Kiri easily dealt with Indonesia's Nyoman Sudarmawan in the semifinals.
In another of the less glamorous martial-arts forms yesterday, Veng Vireak grabbed a bronze medal in the Wushu men's 60kg sanshou category after losing his semifinal clash with Hoxay Aphaylath of Laos.
Cambodia had scooped seven Shorinji Kempo medals – one silver and six bronze – at the Ciracas Sport Hall earlier during the weekend.
A grand display of power and precision saw 25-year-old Sovan Rachana scythe through the early opposition, but in a tight and well contested 57kg randori female final, she came up against a solid performance from Indonesia's Ligar Nur Lailah.
The host nation's kenshi picked up the coveted gold and pushed the Cambodian girl to the silver medal position.
Sovan Rachana came close to another big success in the mixed kumi embu (artistic) pair kyu kensri, but she and her partner Kong Savorn could only manage a bronze medal in the end after raising hopes of a better finish.
For his part, Kong Savorn also came out of the men's 55kg randori event with a bronze. Other Cambodian randori bronze medal winners included Sovan Ratanak (women's 45kg), Branom Channary (women's 48kg), Phat Saren (men's 50kg) and Un Sovannara (men's 70kg).
Meanwhile, in the co-hosting city of Palembang, the Kingdom's last standing wrestler, Chea Chong, went out in the quarterfinals to Vietnam's Nguyen The Anh.
Cambodian tennis had to rest content with just a men's team bronze medal as the mixed doubles pair of Bun Kenny and Andrea Ka Daravy were shown the door by the Indonesian pair of Grace Sari Ysidora and Aditya Harry Sason 6-3, 6-3 in Friday's quarterfinals. Earlier, both Bun Kenny and Andrea Ka had gone out of their singles quarterfinal matches.
Disappointment also lay in store for the Kingdom's oarsmen when they lined up in the men's 20+1+1 Traditional Boat race over 1,000 metres.
After being completely outpaced, the Cambodian boat finished last of five teams with a timing of 4:06.30. Myanmar won the gold, with Indonesia grabbing silver and the Philippines bronze.
Myanmar went on to grab an incredible sweep of six golds from events at the Cipule Regatta Course on Lake Sunter, in West Java, with the Philippines forcing their only silver in the men's 20+1+1 500m class.
The remaining two races – men's and women's 20+1+1 2,000m – will round off the boating competition today.
On the basketball court of Jakarta's Britama Arena, Cambodia claimed seventh place by winning their only game of the tournament against Myanmar on Friday.


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Around the web for 16th January through 20th January
These are my links from around the web for 16th January through 20th January:
- 20 Really Cool Alfred Extensions to Download | Mac.AppStorm – I love Alfred on OSX. These extensions make it even better!
- Coca-Cola part of the solution to obesity? Yeah right! –
- Attribution of Flickr images | Creative Commons Australia – Following other links regarding illegal / unethical usage of images, this blog entry from Creative Commons Australia provides a good overview of attributing Flickr images
- Stowe Boyd, My New Default Meeting: 15 Minutes – Why is the default meeting time 60 minutes? I wonder if its simply because calendar apps have that set as the default time, and thus everyone just assumes, and automatically fills that hole!
- Sharp production of iPad retina displays may be halting to a stop – I'm starting to think that certain parties are playing a FUD game against Apple. Create Fear, uncertainty and doubt about product lines, directions, etc. Last week we had rumours of cutting orders for iPhone parts, now its about iPad.
- John Gruber on The Trend Against Skeuomorphic Textures and Effects in User Interface Design – Excellent piece about the trend against the skeuomorphic designs many complain about on iOS and OSX devices. I suspect he's on to something – the rise of retina displays has been the trigger for the outdating of these designs.
- O2, HTC Initiative To Kill Off Bundled Phone Chargers Goes Well, 82% Don't Miss Them – A good initiative to cut waster – and cost
- The NRA's Successful Campaign to Prevent Firearms Research – preventing research – regardless of the issue – is a clear signal of there being fundamental insecurity
- Google Trends reveals Australia's New Year's Resolutions – I love the way "quit smoking" takes off in the first week of the year, then declines rapidly
- Project AWARE: The Countdown to CITES March 2013 is On: Join the Battle to Protect Sharks and Rays – The opportunity to make significant and powerful changes to save hundreds of thousands of sharks each year has never been so great.
- How Apple Sets Its Prices –
- Making a Difference: Interview with Marty Snyderman | Marine Science Today – Article courtesy of Grant Graves (T@grantwgraves).
Marty Snyderman is definitely one of my role models when it comes to underwater photography. Met him at DEMA once, and he struck me as a very down to earth, nice guy.
- Haiku by Dann Glover – i wrote a haiku;
it wasn't really that good;
but what do i care.
- Review: 27-inch iMac mixes advancements, compromises | Macworld – What I've noticed about the new 27" iMac is that it has a gorgeous display, and runs more quietly and cooler. In a week of usage I've not once need an optical drive, though I do have a SuperDrive for when I might need it. I do have Firewire devices (Drobo and CF reader), but haven't had a concern using the Thunderbolt-Firewire adapter.
- Do Not Disturb and 911 — KatieFloyd.me – "I would propose Apple build in an exception that automatically deactivates Do Not Disturb anytime a call is placed to 911"
Great idea. Calls from 911, 000 in Australia or other emergency numbers should always make a phone ring, even when on silent
- Why Windows RT is hurtling toward disaster | PCWorld – "Microsoft and ARM rolled snake eyes at CES 2013. Windows RT was not out in full force at the show, and for all intents and purposes, Windows RT died in the desert last week."
- Judge rules on Twitter images copyright – again, freely available doesnt mean free to use, especially commercially
- Thank you for your time. We'll be in touch. – Brett Terpstra – Great advice from Brett Terpstra regarding applying for jobs, resumes, etc.
- TextExpander Tools – Brett Terpstra – Brett Terpstra is quite an amazing guy – he puts a load of tools out there for people to improve their workflows!
- Boeing Dreamliner 787 emergency landing for ANA flight – This plane had so much promise – cheaper, more environmentally friendly, fuel efficient, quieter, etc.
Unfortunately these incidents may turn it into a product like Windows Vista. Probably a good product, but zero confidence among travellers. I trust Boeing will act quickly
- Qantas-Emirates tie-up tipped for green light – I remember when Qantas was a great international airline, and absorbed Australian Airlines (its domestic counterpart). Australian Airlines was previously TAA – officially Trans Australian Airlines, but colloquially "Try Another Airline". Qantas management has successfully turned the flying kangaroo into a primarily domestic airline, and "try another airline" is becoming their policy for the international legs. Its a shame.
- Judge Rules News Agencies Cannot Use Twitter Photos Without Permission – Just because an image (or other creative work) is freely available doesn't mean that it can be used for free without the express permission of the author.


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Russia Close-Up: Republic of Tyva on September 4-6 on RT
24 Aug, 2007 03:32
Shamans summon spirits. Old Believers shielded from the outside world. Buddhists meditate. Singers with an ethereal vocal range. Horsemen ride their trusty steeds. In the heart of Asia – seemingly out of reach – is the Republic of T
All this you can see in The Republic of Tyva feature in the Russia Close-Up series on September 4-6 on Russia Today. It's an opportunity you should not miss!
Russia Today wants to know – which regions would you like to see featured in the Russia Close-Up series? Please follow thelinkand use the feedback form to share your ideas with us.


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Aspera announces new SmartTrack 4 for Software License Management
Redesigned interface and efficient workflow make strategic SAM faster and easier
Boston, MA — July 14, 2015 - Aspera Technologies, Inc. announces the availability of SmartTrack 4, the industry-leading platform for server-based license management and License Management as a Service (LaaS). Aspera SmartTrack is already established as the SAM technology of choice for large enterprises. The new SmartTrack 4 delivers a totally redesigned, user-friendly interface for faster, simpler license management.
Christof Beaupoil, Co-Founder of Aspera Technologies, says, "SmartTrack has always been the most powerful license management tool on the market. And now it's also pretty to look at! As of version 4 our user interface is more intuitive, attractive, and streamlined than ever."
SmartTrack 4 provides the data quality and license optimization of previous versions, while adding user-friendly features such as intelligent menus, a customizable dashboard, Search field, and time-saving Favorites. With a completely new interface based on customer feedback and designed by UI experts, SmartTrack 4 creates increased efficiency, reduced complexity and strategic savings for large enterprises.
Mathias Knops, Director of Product Management, explains, "Much of SmartTrack 4 is a thoughtful redesign of its usability. We have evolved our platform from a rather technical database front-end into a full web application that behaves and feels as you expect. I'm also very pleased about a new feature—a customizable dashboard on the Start page that lets you pull SmartTrack details to the surface and work faster in your daily tasks."
New and Improved Features of SmartTrack 4
SmartTrack 4 streamlines a company's license management while giving total control over the SAM process. Whether the user is experienced or new to the technology, it's easy to understand and tackle daily SAM tasks with professional features that include:
- Clean, user-friendly interface. The new design is intuitive to use, with frequently used features in easy-to-access menus, and a Favorites option to bookmark for a faster workflow.
- Quick access to tables. The main menu shows the most frequently used tables, like Contracts and Licenses, while other tables can get marked as Favorites for fast, customized access.
- Forms are easy to create. It's simple to manage and complete each form, with required and important fields shown first, and advanced fields available in expandable sections.
- NEW custom dashboard. Immediately see the info and KPIs you want by choosing from widgets like easy-access reports and auto-filters, or create your own widgets to customize your KPIs.
- 100% web based. SmartTrack is an entirely online platform that operates through your local browser, with no installation on the user side, while still providing complete security and access control.
- Easy system integration. SmartTrack integrates into your IT environment with out-of-the-box connectors that plug into the most commonly used systems, making your SAM manager's life easier.
Pricing & Availability
Aspera SmartTrack 4 will available for new and current customers on July 27, 2015. Current users can contact their Aspera representative for a SmartTrack 4 overview and demonstration.
A webinar on July 27 will demonstrate how SmartTrack 4 manages an enterprise's existing licenses for immediate cost savings and compliance. Click here to register for Get to Know SmartTrack 4 and Simplify SAM, with Aspera's VP of Consulting, Robbie Plourde.


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2020 Season Subscriptions are now on sale.
The 2020 subscription is $80 and includes four tickets, redeemable at any of our shows in the 2020 Season. You can use all four tickets to see one show and bring along a few friends, or you can use one ticket for each show.
Purchasing a subscription also comes with invitations to special events throughout the season and a 20% discount to purchasing tickets individually!


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Follow us
You just purchased your shining new camera. You made sure you have made the right choice of on lens and you are almost ready for the outdoors. But, what about tripod? After all, it is an essential part of landscape photography. The question is, which tripod? Here is Mike Bell with some excellent advice
Landscape photography is an expensive business and beginners are often tempted to reserve the bulk of their budget for cameras and lenses. The ancillary equipment gets left to the bottom of the shopping list. After all, a tripod is just a three-legged support. Why spend more than you have to? Once again the high street chain or online camera store makes another sale of a budget tripod to an unsuspecting novice. This is a big mistake. Choose a good tripod and it will serve you well for years, enhance the enjoyment of your craft and certainly give you better images.
So what makes a good tripod? Most important of all it must be…
Read this and many more articles in High Definition inside Issue 42 of Landscape Photography Magazine.


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Armed Forces Journal publishes another reality-check for the war (or whatever we are doing) in Afghanistan. LTC Daniel L. Davis writes the latest feature, "Truth, lies and Afghanistan: How military leaders have let us down."
There are plenty of good news stories in Afghanistan but even the PAO's best efforts can't keep up with the bad-news stories. LTC Davis sobers up the most optimistic American by reviewing conditions on the ground 10 years after our war in Afghanistan started. First hand accounts demonstrate that the Afghans are far from taking over security in any meaningful way but one wouldn't know any better from the open-source reporting.
Anthony Cordesman from the Center for Strategic and International Studies is quoted by Davis with the following:
Since June 2010, the unclassified reporting the U.S. does provide has steadily shrunk in content, effectively 'spinning' the road to victory by eliminating content that illustrates the full-scale of the challenges ahead. They also, however, were driven by political decisions to ignore or understate Taliban and insurgent gains from 2002 to 2009, to ignore the problems caused by weak and corrupt Afghan governance, to understate the risks posed by sanctuaries in Pakistan, and to 'spin' the value of tactical ISAF victories while ignoring the steady growth of Taliban influence and control.
Politics theoretically stop at the water's edge. Clearly politics is driving how and why we continue in Afghanistan. Certainly there are other factors at play such as our ability to keep Special Operations Forces in Afghanistan long after we "leave." But, as asked by Davis, at what price? Is the full price even recognized? Put yourself in the shoes of this officer's shoes: "How do I look [my soldier's] wife in the eye when I get back and tell her that her husband died for something meaningful? How do I do that?"
The Afghans recognize the price that will be paid and are taking action. From one advisor, "Already all across this region [many elements of] the security forces have made deals with the Taliban. [The ANSF] won't shoot at the Taliban, and the Taliban won't shoot them." For those that can't flee the country, survival takes on many different forms. Is anyone surprised by the self-preservation?
Davis completes his essay with the following:
When it comes to deciding what matters are worth plunging our nation into war and which are not, our senior leaders owe it to the nation and to the uniformed members to be candid — graphically, if necessary — in telling them what's at stake and how expensive potential success is likely to be. U.S. citizens and their elected representatives can decide if the risk to blood and treasure is worth it.
Likewise when having to decide whether to continue a war, alter its aims or to close off a campaign that cannot be won at an acceptable price, our senior leaders have an obligation to tell Congress and American people the unvarnished truth and let the people decide what course of action to choose. That is the very essence of civilian control of the military. The American people deserve better than what they've gotten from their senior uniformed leaders over the last number of years. Simply telling the truth would be a good start.
Generals will be quick to point out, "Hope is not a plan." If so, why is it the only logical thing that explains the current conditions?


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Events at the Branch: Stories, Spanish, Valentine's Day and more
Here are events at the Huntington Branch Library, 41 Church Street. For more information, call 203-926-0111. For even more library news, click here.
Stories with Danielle — Thursdays, Jan. 29 and Feb. 5, 11 a.m. Story time for ages 3-4. Drop in.
Show-and-Tell Storytime — Fridays, Jan 30 and Feb. 13, 10:30 a.m. Kids listen to stories, sing songs and participate in a game or fun experiment. Children are encouraged to bring along an object for show-and-tell. All ages welcome. Drop in.
Spanish with Sandra — Fridays, Jan. 30 and Feb. 6, 2:45 p.m. Immersion Spanish for three-to five year-olds and their parents in this program using songs, games, story time and other activities. Taught by Sandra Alvarado, a Spanish teacher from Shelton; registration required and space limited.
Baby Rhyme Time — Tuesdays, Feb. 3 and 10, 11 a.m. Infants and non-walkers hear traditional and new nursery rhymes and songs, many with hand play or action; followed by free play and socialization.
Toddler Movement Program — Wednesdays, Feb. 4 and 11, 11 a.m. Preschool kids march, dance and play musical instruments with songs and action poems included. For caregivers and kids 2-and-a-half to 4 years ready to participate in group activities, register in advance; waitlist available.
First Friday Book Discussion — Friday, Feb. 6, 1 p.m. Chris Bohjalian's Light in the Ruins is the selected title for this self-led book group; copies available, new members welcome.
Sweet/Love/Sick Snacks — Saturday, Feb. 7, 1 p.m. Teens and tweens invent a snack that demonstrates how they feel about Valentine's Day. Registration required.


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Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is fast approaching the $1 billion mark worldwide with another number one weekend at the box office, even after falling nearly 60 percent domestically. The sequel earned $60 million in North American theaters with overseas earnings bringing in an additional $56.1 million for the dinosaur adventure. This weekend brings the grand total to an estimated $932,387,335 worldwide. China has been going crazy for Jurassic World 2, making up for over $237 million of that grand total, which should help the production reach the $1 billion club during the upcoming holiday week.
Easily popping into the number two spot at this weekend's box office is Disney and Pixar's Incredibles 2, which is in its third week of its theatrical run. The long-awaited sequel earned $45.5 million in North America with $44.3 million overseas to bring the total worldwide earnings to $648.8 million. This weekend saw The Incredibles 2 pass Toy Story 3 to become the second-highest grossing Pixar film domestically with $415 million, just behind Finding Dory's $486.3 million.
Elsewhere, Sicario: Day of the Soldado debuted at number three this week with $19 million in North America, which is slightly higher than estimated. The Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro-starring sequel brought in an additional $8.4 million overseas, bringing its full opening weekend total to $27.4 million. These numbers are impressive because critics and fans have been pretty outspoken about how much they dislike the sequel when compared to the first film. The basketball comedy Uncle Drew took in the fourth spot with an impressive $15.5 million with no overseas premiere. Real-life basketball players including Kyrie Irving, Shaquille O'Neal, Chris Webber, Lisa Leslie, and Reggie Miller star alongside Tiffany Haddish and Nick Kroll.
The Number five spot went to Oceans 8, which brought in just over $8 million this weekend with $18.3 million internationally, bringing the production to a worldwide total of $209 million. Number six went to Tag with $5.6 million domestically. The comedy, which stars Ed Helms, Jake Johnson, Hannibal Buress, Jon Hamm, and Jeremy Renner has been underperforming at the box office, but has still managed to bring in over $48 million worldwide against an initial $28 million budget.
Deadpool 2 is still hanging around after 7 weeks, bringing in over $3.4 million domestically. The successful sequel has now earned over $719 million worldwide, just shy of the $783.1 million that the first installment brought in. Sanju takes the number eight spot with over $2.5 million for its opening weekend while Solo: A Star Wars Story holds on to the number nine position with nearly $2.3 million, bringing its grand total to almost $369.9 million worldwide. Finally, the number ten spot goes to the Mister Rogers documentary Won't You Be My Neighbor. With limited releases, the documentary has still managed to earn $7.4 million at the box office, with $2.2 million of that occurring this weekend alone. You can see the rest of this week's numbers at Box Office Mojo.
|Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
|Incredibles 2
|Sicario: Day of the Soldado
|Uncle Drew
|Ocean's 8
|Deadpool 2
|Solo: A Star Wars Story
|Won't You Be My Neighbor


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Technology Innovation Commercialization Offices
TICO project aims at pushing forward technological development in the society to activate the role of scientific research and link it with industry, fostering trust between them, through the establishment of a network of specialized offices in research and industrial compounds working in technology transfer and commercialization, overseeing research projects, giving information on opportunities for funding and international cooperation and disseminating the culture of intellectual property and patents.
Activating the role of scientific research, linking it with industry and fostering trust between them for the purpose of finding solutions to problems upon industry request (Demand & Delivery).
Supporting innovation and technology in the areas that, according to the national vision, have priority, reaching entrepreneurship by developing the business of existing industrial companies (spin off), and establishing small-scale and medium-scale industries.
Thereupon, the AASTMT undertook the initiative to create a specialized office supported by the the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT) aiming to support innovation, technology transfer and commercialization (TICO) in research and industrial compounds, which include:
Activating and supporting the role of universities and research and development centers in industrial areas and compounds, production companies, development sectors of the government and the private sector as well as distinction centers that provide solutions to industrial problems and technological development.
The scientific management of these offices that work on transferring and adapting the results of researches, studies, innovations and inventions for the application entities within the geographic zone as a first step and then within the country as a whole through the network linking the different offices through the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT).
Supporting industrial encouragement to gain the trust of scientific research and build effective collaboration with it through affecting and being affected by each other. This is achieved through adopting successful experiences and publicizing them.
Sites of Innovation Support Offices and Technology Transfer and Commercialization Offices:
The AASTMT office is one of the other 26 offices which have been established as a first stage through a financial aid that extends for two years, after which it is to be financed autonomously. These offices aim at activating the role of universities, research centers, and industrial unions and compounds and increasing their efficiencies by linking this role to the needs of the society and encouraging entrepreneurship. This is achieved through an institutional system that aims at increasing and supporting the powers and abilities that result from applicable scientific research, innovations and inventions in the beneficiary entities that are closely linked to the results of scientific research.
The support of the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology to the AASTMT TICO office


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Schrack Environmental Consulting, Inc. (SECI) is a professional environmental engineering and consulting firm that specializes in environmental assessments and remediation of industrial, commercial and residential properties in the Chicago and greater Illinois areas, Ohio, and the surrounding Midwestern United States. We provide our clients with the highest quality environmental work in the industry. Our team works together on each aspect of the project to provide a complete resolution with a focus on saving our clients time and money and delivering peace of mind.
SECI has evaluated, remediated and obtained No Further Remediation letters on properties ranging from the Elgin-O'Hare Expressway extension (currently in progress), a former Nike missle base, steel mills, low-level radioactive sites, a former Schwinn bicycle plant, the former Journal of the American Medical Association printing facility, automobile salvage yards, paint manufacturing facilities, dry cleaners, numerous gasoline service stations and many, many, more.
Schrack Environmental has completed over five hundred Environmental Site Assessments (Phase I and Phase II) over the past twenty years. We work closely with banks and other lending institutions, real estate development companies, realtors, manufacturing facilities and many more private businesses on industrial, commercial and residential properties. SECI's environmental engineers have successfully remediated over 150 Brownfield sites obtaining closure (No Further Remediation) letters from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency's Voluntary Site Remediation Program.
Our professional environmental engineers will use their 30+ years of experience to design, scope, supervise and manage our environmental remediation project from start to finish.
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From XBMC4Xbox
- Types of Media Sources
- Sharing Media from Your PC
- NAS (Network Attached Storage)
- TuxBox
- User Profiles
- The UserData Folder
- Special protocol
- MythTV
- RSS Feeds
- RSS feed Control
- Playlists
- Advanced Configuration
- Log file
- Add-ons
- USB Mass Storage in Xbox
- Error Recovery Mode
- Import - Export Library
- XBMC's Inner Workings
- Development Notes
- Python Development
- Skinning XBMC
- List of Built In Functions
- Web Server HTTP API
- The XBMC Database
- Audio Players
- Video Players
- Scrapers
- HOW-TO write Media Scrapers
- Regular Expression Tutorial
- PAPlayer
- MPlayer
- DVDPlayer
- Appendixes
- References
- Point Releases
- HOW-TO's / Tips & Tricks
- Mods to XBMC and Xbox
- Disclaimer
- Thanks
Note! The location of the UserData folder depends on what platform you are running XBMC on. Please refer to the documentation of your specific platform.
Note: Manually editing the UserData Folder is an advanced topic in XBMC. New users normally don't need to Manually Edit files in the UserData Folder. XBMC does this for you, when you change the options in the XBMC GUI.
This is where all of your settings and customizations are stored.
Below are the elements contained in the UserData folder and their role:
- Database - This is where all of the databases required for your Music and Video Libraries are located, containing any downloaded (scraped) music or video information.
- MyMusic7.db - Database file containing Music information.
- MyPrograms6.db - Database file containing Program information.
- MyVideos34.db - Database file containing Movie, TV Show and Music Videos information.
- ViewModes.db - Database file containing information on all XBMC views (viewmode, sorting etc.).
- Playlists - This is where your playlists are stored. There are separate subfolders for mixed, music and video playlists.
- mixed - playlists containing both audio and music videos, will show in both the Music and Video Libraries.
- music - playlists containing audio only, will show in the Music Library.
- video - playlists containing videos only, will show in the Video Library.
- Thumbnails - Cached Thumbnails (icons) are stored in this folder.
- Visualizations - All of your visualization settings are stored in this folder.
- keymaps - This folder is where your customized keymapping files reside (e.g. MyRemote.xml)
- advancedsettings.xml - This file, which may be created by a user in their UserData folder can contain additional settings, and can contain pre-defined values for the settings available in the GUI (thus removing them from the GUI settings screens.) Useful for advanced users and for installers.
- favourites.xml - This file, which may be created by XBMC or the user in their UserData folder contains items added via the Add to Favourites context menu option.
- guisettings.xml - This is where your settings configured in the GUI are stored (through the User Interface Settings).
- kai-vectors.xml (Decprecated)
- LCD.xml - The LCD.xml file is used for customizing the output of the LCD Display.
- PartyMode.xsp - Defines the Smart Playlist to be used when using Party Mode for music playback.
- RssFeeds.xml - RssFeeds.xml is used to configure the RSS feeds displayed in XBMC.
- Sources.xml - Defines your Media Sources and locations.


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Oreo Coffee Cream Layered Cake for One (with the Perfect vegan Whipped Cream)
Posted by Vey on March 15, 2012 · Leave a Comment
I've been up to so many crazy stuff these days. Like making my idiotic right arm more horrible than it already is (I think its badly sprained), convincing my brother that a B in Math (for 'A' levels) means I'm incapable of helping him with his math homework, sulking over the gold dye (for highlights) that left my hair with barely visible red streaks (not complaining about the red), studying for a very important test, wondering whether I'll get my driving instructor killed (worst case scenario), thinking about blue highlights, filling up university applications and more. Somewhere in between, I finally (!!!) found some time to bake and experiment to get a perfect tofu whipped cream. With one hand because I'm afraid of furthering injuring the hand which is disgustingly swollen. Its one of those times I wish I don't have Erb's Palsy. I'm sort of scared that one day I won't be able to use it anymore. Sort of.
You probably think its weird that I dumped Oreos and coffee into the same cake. Rest assured I don't promote the activity of poisoning. I'm all for the caffeine and sugar boost.
Unfortunately, I have the frosting skills of a 4 year old. You can tell, I'm sure.
Nonethless, don't let my horrible frosting skills deter you from trying this whipped cream! I swear you won't be disappointed and I don't do promises like this often (because results vary sometimes but this is so easy! The secret to this whipped cream is the fresh extra firm tofu (NOT silken) and lemon juice. Its stable, creamy, tastes so unhealthy, VEGAN, gluten free, raw, costs much less than regular whipped cream (in Singapore anyway), is so easy to make, you don't even have to whip it and basically everything normal people love about whipped cream. I'll never ever buy regular whipped cream again. Why purchase some when you can have this?
NOTE: for recipe, you will have lots of tofu whipped cream left over. Quarter the recipe if you know you won't need any whipped cream in the next 3 days.
Yeah, I consume cakes layer-by-layer. That's the point of them being layered cakes. I'm not weird; I just have an exotic way of swallowing layered pieces of cake.
Take a look at my DIY mini cake stand (for cakes serving 1-3). For someone who usually handles flour instead of glue, cardboards and tape, it felt odd. My clumsy hands made it crooked. Not on purpose of course.
The ribbons are scraps I found around the house. The round top is made of round cake boards and the 'pyramid' stand is actually 2 stacked Styrofoam cups.
Sadly, its now time to part. Sarcasm comes in handy at this time because words sound genuine.
Filed under Cake, frosting, Miscellaneous, vegan · Tagged with baked goods, cake, cookie, dessert, diet, guilt free, healthy, low fat, snack, sweet, vegan


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Kris Humphries Feels Bad for Lamar Odom, Still Hates the Kardashiansby Hilton Hater at .
As he battles an alleged cocaine addiction, Lamar Odom has a surprising fan in his corner:
Kris Humphries.
The estranged ex-husband of Kim Kardashian is reportedly away of Odom's plight and "feels bad for the guy," an anonymous insider tells Radar Online, adding that Kris somehow thinks "the Kardashian public relations spin machine will have a negative effect [on] Lamar's NBA career."
Wait... what? Won't the drugs have a negative effect on Lamar's NBA career?
Humphries allegedly says he was the "victim of countless attacks" by a certain tabloid while married to Kardashian… and this same tabloid is the one that reported Odom as missing when the player's agent says Khloe was always aware of Lamar's whereabouts.
The implication, we guess, is that the Kardashians are planting rumors about Odom to make him look bad. Although it's unclear why this would possibly be the case.
"There should be a support group for the former husbands and boyfriends of the Kardashians," the Radar insider concludes.
We agree! Once Kris counts his millions and films the cameo on The Mindy Project that never would have come about if not for his marriage to Kim, we'll totally break out our violins for the guy.