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• KBC Pensioenfonds
• Location: Brussels
• Assets: €1.2bn
• Active members: 15,500
• Deferred members: 2,000
KBC has introduced a DC pension fund for new members starting from the beginning of 2014 and closed its DB fund. The fund is one of Belgium's largest pension schemes, founded in 1941 with €1.2bn in assets and 15,500 active members.
The problem for sponsors like KBC is that the requirement under IAS 19 for assets and liabilities to be marked to market makes meeting Belgian regulatory funding requirements potentially expensive and unpredictable.
"We decided to make this change because accounting standard IAS 19, applied to our DB scheme, has the consequence of increasing balance sheet volatility, while the DC plan does not carry the same volatility,' notes Edwin Meysmans, director of Pensioenfonds KBC.
The previous corridor valuation method offset this volatility, so KBC felt the change to DC was prudent now that that approach is no longer permissible, Meysmans adds.
The new DC fund will not be less generous than the old DB one. "On the contrary, we have preserved member benefits and the key difference lies in the accounting treatment of our liabilities in the DC scheme," says Meysmans. "We as sponsor are still obliged to return a minimum of 3.25% per annum on sponsor contributions but this liability comes at the member's retirement age, allowing us to invest for longer term growth."
KBC's DC scheme is not an insured arrangement. The reason for this is that DC contracts via insurers must return 3.25% annually, not on a cumulative basis and any shortfall must be met by the sponsor within 12 months. "This means that insured schemes tend to hold a high percentage of bonds,' Meysmans adds. "They are more expensive to fund than the type of plan we are running, where we can run a higher equity weighting."
Aggregate returns for 2013 were only around 1% but there are good reasons for this. The portfolio is 35.7% exposed to a swap portfolio designed to eliminate interest rate and inflation risk in the scheme. Returns on this part of the portfolio were negative, -10.4%, for the year. The other portion of the scheme portfolio is invested in equities, bonds, real estate and some alternatives. The return on this side was 11.2%.
Equities accounted for just under 39.8% of portfolio value; the scheme's strategic asset allocation is 35% to 40% for equities, so this is close to the upper tolerance level. "Our exposure to equities reflected our view on where returns would come from," adds Meysmans. "The significant change here is that we have only a small allocation to euro-denominated government bonds and have shifted to corporate, high yield, and emerging debt in search of positive returns," Fixed income and cash account for 12.6% of assets.
Overall, Meysmans believes the fund's performance successful. "What you see is a negative return on the hedging portfolio, but it takes risk out of the portfolio,' points out Meysmans. "The main factor is the discount rate we use, based on AA corporate bond rates." This is a low and, therefore, relatively expensive discount rate compared to the higher rates used by many other Belgian DB schemes.
"Aggregated returns may sound low, but liabilities have been matched," Meysmans adds. "Hedging risk has improved our coverage ratio by 10% during 2013, which is a success."
Under Belgian regulations, assets must meet two funding tests applied to the same asset pool – minimum reserves and long-term reserves. The minimum reserve test is essentially a wind-up test, the immediate cost of winding up the scheme. KBC has 168% coverage on this test, equal to €723m of scheme assets. Under the long-term reserve test coverage is 128%, or €935m. The difference is that underfunding by the minimum reserve test must be made up by a cash injection from the relevant sponsor within a year.


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MIQUEL PÉREZ PERELLÓ. Professional musician.
He starts his studies in Denia with Vicent Ballester, continuing in Alicante where he finishes his degree with the celebrated professor Jose Tomás. In Barcelona perfect his musical knowledge, doing a postgraduate in "L'Escola d'Arts Musicals Luthier".
He has made courses of perfection with principal guitarist masters like: José Tomás, Carles Trepat, Hopkinson Smith, Ignacio Rodes, Manuel Barrueco, David Russel, between others. Also has studied the chant repertory with guitar, with the celebrated Miguel Zanetti, and he has collaborated with the singers Ana Maria Sánchez, Maria Velasco and Maria José Martos. He has made classes of composition with the composer Javier Santacreu.
He has been selected for Injuve circuits, and play concerts in several cities of the Spanish geography, (Lugo, Badajoz, Reus, ..). Ha has played in:"Fundació Juan March" (Madrid), "Auditorio Wintertour" (Barcelona), ) Palau de la Música Valenciana "Teatro Arniches" (Alicante), "Museo de Bellas Artes San Pio V" (Valencia),"Las Noches del Oceanoràfic" (Valencia), "Sala de Cultura Sa Nostra" (Mahón), "Ruta de las Hermitas" (Altea), "Festival de Música Clásica" (Teulada-Moraira), "Semana Internacional de Música" (Denia), "Palau-Auditori" (Canet d'n Berenguer),etc.
He also plays abroad in France (concert tour for the Provenze: Aix en Provence, Chateau de Saumane,…), Europe Baronissi Festival (Itali), and in Germany and Suisse. With the band "Unión Artistico Musical of Dénia, travels to Korea to plays in the festival "Wonju Tatto" (Jeju).
He release for the first time in Spain, with the band "Unión Artístico Musical· of Dénia the piece "Conciertango Buenos Aires" of the argentine guitarist Cacho Tirao. He plays frequently with the orchestras O.M.A and Enrique Soriano. He also collaborate with the violinist Sandra Alfonso and with the pianist Francisco Pérez.
Ha has imparted classes of music history in the University Miguel Hernández, in the project the University of Experience, and also has taught in several conservatory like (Vich, Altea, Castellón, Moncada,…) and in the perfection courses of "Vila de Teulada" and "Callosa d'Ensarrià". Nowadays he lives in Valencia, and he is professor in the conservatory Ana Maria Sánchez of Elda, he combines teaching with artistic activity.
His interest for the various music styles leads him to study jazz harmony with the guitarist Joan Soler and flamenco technique with the guitarist Jose Manuel Díaz and Kike Navalón. He was also trained in vocal technique by the jazz singer Arantxa Domínguez.
He collaborate with the guitarist Vicent Ballester recording the cd "Música Española para dos guitarras", and they also play together some pieces in the cd "Música para guitarra de Valentín Bielsa".
He set to music the book of poems "Llibre de Dénia" by Vicent andrés Estellés, with the collaboration of the poet Tomàs Llopis. This work has been edited, and eulogized by the critic.
He has recorded the piece "Sinfonía Andalucía" by Derek Borgeois, with the mythic band "La Armónica" of Buñol guided by Frank de Vuyst.
He has edited a cd with all his original works for guitar entitled "Preludis per a guitarra", collaborating with the ONG "Arts cultura y desarrollo". This ONG developed a program of music teaching in Mali-Africa guided to street children with risk of social exclusion.
His last work was an audiovisual performance based on Homero's Odyssey, it's been played in the principal theatres in Valencia, with more than twenty performances including the "Palau de la Música de Valencia".
He has also been a guitar tutor in the school music "Conservatorio Superior de música Joaquín Rodrigo de Valencia".
It currently focuses on interpretation and composition.
- 2002 Música española para dos guitarras. With guitarist Vicent Ballester
- 2007 Collaborates with Valentín Bielsa. Guitar music of Vicent Ballester.
- 2007 Sinfonía Andalucía of Derek Bourgeois. With "La Armónica de Buñol", directed by Rank de Vuyst.
- 2009 El Llibre de Dénia of Vicent Andrés Estellés. Original music Miquel Pérez.
- 2011 Preludis per a guitarra. Miquel Pérez original guitar work.
- 2013 Està la vida en tot. Original songs by Miquel Pérez.
- 2014 Homer l'Odissea. Original music Miquel Pérez.
- 2015 Marc Granell recitable. Original music Miquel Pérez.
- 2015 Pep Botifarra & Pau Chafer. "A un home que ve del poble, ningú fa abaixar la cara"
- 2015 Lluvia ácida. "Gota a gota". Voice: Pepu Sulé. Guitar: Miquel Pérez
- 2016 Miguel Hernández. Recites Vicent Camps. Guitar: Miquel Pérez
- 2016 Homage to Joaquín Rodrigo. Concert of Aranjuez. With the Orchestra of the Marina Alta. O.M.A

subset: commoncrawl


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A Bigger Dose of Excellence
By: Rick Boxx
February 6, 2015
The root word for integrity means "wholeness" or "completeness." As I see it, excellence is a subset of integrity.
If you lack integrity, it undermines trust and ultimately sales. If, on the other hand, you lack excellence, your reputation will also be sullied leaving others to perceive your integrity as lacking as well.
To have a great reputation you need to strive for excellence. We will not be perfect, but we can strive to perform at the highest of levels.
Ecclesiastes 10:10 teaches, "If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed but skill will bring success."
Pause today and ask yourself what areas of your organization need a bigger dose of excellence. Then develop an improvement plan for those areas, and then take action.
Learn more about Rick Boxx and Integrity Resource Center


text: At the Margins It's what you don't know about supply spend that's costing you 12:00 AM on August 22, 2013 Email Save LinkedIn Twitter Facebook A recent Credit Suisse study confirmed what we're hearing in conversations nationwide: hospital leadership is turning to the clinical supply chain to deliver near-term savings. But when we examined typical approaches to clinical supply cost savings, we found that each stakeholder—physicians, finance leaders, and suppliers—lacked a piece of knowledge that obscured potential sources of value within the supply market for an organization. Physicians have low supply-cost literacy More hospitals are regularly sharing high-level cost data with physicians, but few are sharing actionable and detailed supply cost information such as unit and case costs, as well as costs of alternative supplies. Beyond making actionable supply cost data available, progressive systems are having ongoing conversations about costs with their medical staff and not only breaching the subject at re-contracting time. For example, one 650-bed academic medical center in the Midwest shared detailed supply cost information with physicians practicing in the cath lab, and found that physicians' preferences were less significant than expected. Once physicians saw there was a lower-cost option for guidewire already on contract that was clinically preferred, no concession was required—just accurate information and a platform to effectively discuss preferences in a non-punitive manner. Download a case study on how an 800-bed AMC in the Midwest used a robust bidding process to renew competition in a mature market, and view a list of five things physicians may not know about clinical supply costs. Financial leaders have limited visibility into physicians' clinical requirements Physicians can express immutable preferences as a defense mechanism when confronted with potential change. But we've found that physician preference does not always uniformly match a vendor's footprint in supply spend. When we create a forum to understand preference on its own merits, accuracy can only be achieved at a very granular level: product by product and attribute by attribute. When hospitals use brand names as a proxy for product attributes that drive clinical outcomes, they risk missing potential value in the supply market. Hospital leaders don't need to match clinician's product expertise—they need to use it effectively in supplier negotiations. By using a pre-populated equivalency matrix during a sourcing effort for orthopedic supplies, Meriter Health Services created an array of all potential products with prices to determine product equivalency, agnostic of supplier brand. Physicians at Meriter determined that a supplier assignment to a premium price based on a special coating was unwarranted. The physicians did not believe the coating changed outcomes, and told the hospital they shouldn't pay extra for an attribute that was not proven to drive better clinical quality. Physician-led guidance helped Meriter achieve 17% savings on their $4 million selection of orthopedic implants. Download a case study on how Munroe Regional Medical Center reshaped the orthopedic supplies market around clinical preferences. Suppliers need specific information (and a believable business case) to provide compelling value Hospital leaders are in a unique position to help suppliers bring their best offers forward. Suppliers working through a third-party sourcing partner are forced to guess at what drives local physician satisfaction, leading them to offer a "lowest common denominator" solution. With improved insight into local physician requirements, suppliers are free to eliminate shared costs that don't drive value and meet specific local requests in their offers more efficiently. North Kansas City Hospital (NKCH) used direct supplier communication to expose value in the cardiovascular supply market. NKCH sought savings on a broader market basket of CRM, EP, and cath lab supplies, totaling $7.8 million in spend. When they disaggregated physician preferences from brand names, they exposed very specific physician requirements around product attributes, service coverage, and participation in clinical trials. Their suppliers, responding directly to those physician requirements, proposed an alliance-based, cross-category solution that drove 17% savings, for a total $1.3 million in impact. Download a case study on how a three-hospital system in the Midwest saved 32% on orthopedic supplies—despite deep supplier loyalty. 12 Ways to Transform Your Supply Chain Strategy Breakthrough clinical supply savings are possible, but it takes all three supply chain partners working collaboratively with data to find mutual wins. Our study, Next-Generation Supply Cost Savings, explores a new sourcing strategy that offers the greatest opportunity to compress costs while unlocking value for the hospital and other stakeholders. READ THE STUDY Member exclusive: A value-based sourcing success story Through a tool that puts prices to preferences, physicians were able to make educated decisions on which products to purchase and help their system achieve 18% savings on cardiac rhythm management supplies. Financial Leadership Council members can read the case study. Posted In Cost Management, Margin Performance, Finance, Physician Preference Items, Supply Chain, Sourcing, Medical and Surgical Supplies PREVIOUS POST Don't count on your 24 million new customers just yet NEXT POST Forget laissez-faire: The supply chain needs executive support


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Title: Vietnam, US still in conflict over Agent Orange burden
Post by: Koen on 13 June 2010, 09:41:40
http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2010/06/13/vietnam_us_still_in_conflict_over_agent_orange_burden/ (http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2010/06/13/vietnam_us_still_in_conflict_over_agent_orange_burden/)
Vietnam, US still in conflict over Agent Orange burden
CAM TUYEN, Vietnam — Her children are 21 and 16 years old, but they still cry through the night, tossing and turning in pain, sucking their thumbs for comfort.
Tran Thi Gai, who rarely gets any sleep herself, sings them a mournful lullaby. "Can you feel my love for you? Can you feel my sorrow for you? Please don't cry.''
Gai's children — both with twisted limbs and in wheelchairs — were born in a village that was drenched with Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. She believes their health problems were caused by dioxin, a highly toxic chemical in the herbicide, which US troops used to strip communist forces of ground cover and food.
Thirty-five years after the end of the Vietnam War, its most contentious legacy is Agent Orange. Eighty-two percent of Vietnamese surveyed in a recent Associated Press-GfK Poll said the United States should be doing more to help people suffering from illnesses associated with the herbicide, including children with birth defects.
After President George W. Bush pledged to work on the issue on a Hanoi visit in 2006, Congress approved $9 million mostly to address environmental cleanup of Agent Orange. But while the United States has provided assistance to Vietnamese with disabilities regardless of their cause, it maintains that there is no clear link between Agent Orange and health problems.
Vietnamese officials say the United States must make a much bigger financial commitment — $6 million has been allocated — to adequately address the problems unleashed by Agent Orange.
"Six million dollars is nothing compared to the consequences left behind by Agent Orange,'' said Le Ke Son, deputy general administrator of Vietnam's Environmental Administration. "How much does one Tomahawk missile cost?''
Between 1962 and 1971, the US military sprayed roughly 11 million gallons of Agent Orange across large swaths of southern Vietnam. Dioxin stays in soil and the sediment at the bottom of lakes and rivers for generations. It can enter the food supply through the fat of fish and other animals.
Vietnam says as many as 4 million of its citizens were exposed to the herbicide and as many as 3 million have suffered illnesses caused by it.
But the US government says Vietnamese are too quick to blame Agent Orange for birth defects that can be caused by malnutrition or other environmental factors.
"Scientists around the world have done a lot of research on dioxin and its possible health effects,'' said Michael Michalak, the US ambassador in Hanoi. "There is disagreement as to what's real and what isn't, about what the possible connections are.''
© Copyright 2010 Globe Newspaper Company.


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Espresso 3.5g/sec—Manual Brewing 5.5g/sec
40 mm Steel by Etzinger
10 oz (300-400 g)
5.5 oz (160g)
7lbs (3.2 kg)
WxHxD (cm) 13 / 40 / 24
The Sette has a macro/micro adjust for grind size, as well as 3 programmable settings for dosing. These combined features offer the user incredible repeatability. A unique, built-in, convertible device holder allows the user to grind directly into a portafilter, the supplied grounds bin, or most of the popular brewing devices.
This 270Wi grinder was designed using the weighing technology of Acaia, giving precise and accurate weight based dosing, with the revolutionary ability to grind by weight directly into a portafilter. This is a breakthrough in grinding technology!
Power Rating (North America) 120 V AC 290 Watts 50/60 Hz. 2.4 Amp
Power Rating (Other) 230 V AC 280 Watts 50/60 Hz. 1.2 Amps
Safety Listing UL/CSA/CE/EK
Designed & Engineered Seattle, WA, USA
We aim to ship all orders on the same day. For roasted coffees the cut off is 10 am for same day roasting and shipping. All customers in the UK benefit from flat rate postage at £2.95 (up to 2kg) via the Royal Mail 48 Tracked parcel service*, with the option of expedited postage via the Royal Mail 24 Tracked parcel service for a flat rate cost of £3.95.
Pricing for coffee purchases outside of the UK is as follows;
Coffee is 0% VAT. Equipment pricing shown on our website is inclusive of VAT.
Roastery is open Monday – Friday excluding Bank holidays.
Orders received before 10 am will be roasted and shipped the same day.
Orders after 10 am will be roasted and shipped the following day.
Royal mail 24 takes 1-2 days.
Royal mail 48 takes 2-3 days.


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The Handmaiden is a woman who is hired to a Japanese heiress, but secretly she is involved in a plot to defraud her. Sook-Hee (as Tae Ri Kim) is hired as a handmaiden to a Japanese heiress Lady Hideko (Min-hee Kim) who lives a secluded life on a large countryside estate with her domineering Uncle Kouzuki (Jin-woong Jo). It's two hours and twenty four minute long movie that will win you over it did for me. What I liked about it only took five months to produce the whole movie where American movies take a longer time in producing.
The Handmaiden is divided into three parts, and revolves around a quartet of schemers
Kouzouki, a sadistic nobleman; the Count, a courtly con man; Hideko, the ice-cold Lady; and Sookee, an ambitious maid. Kouzouki (Cho Jin-woong) fetishizes Japanese society and maintains a library of pornography; of his many odious habits, the worst, perhaps, is that of licking his paintbrushes till his tongue is black as a chow's. He has raised his niece Hideko (Kim Min-hee) to be his future wife and present assistant, requiring her to put on elaborate costumes and read erotica aloud to gentlemanly perverts.
Who is Director Park Chann-wook
Park Chann-wook is a writer and director, known for Oldboy (2003), Lady Vengeance (2005) and Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002). Director Park Chan-wook uses The Handmaiden as a Victorian crime novel as the loose inspiration. What matters is that each society boasts a wealth of codes, both social and criminal, and that there is fun to be had, as well as a rustle of danger, in crossing from one stratum to the next. Park is still best known for Oldboy the way his brutal 2003 fantasia about incest and revenge. His films are full of externalized violence that relies on a powerful internal order. This is one of the great pleasures of seeing Fingersmith translated to The Handmaiden is the way Park simplifies and organizes the central mechanism of the plot.


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GRACEFIELD, Que.
For 30 seconds on Wednesday, the Gatineau River valley was the epicentre of an earthquake that shook Ontario, Quebec and beyond.
The quake damaged bridges, schools, roads and at least one local church, and caused the collapse of 30 metres of Highway 307 near Val-des-Bois, about an hour north of Gatineau.
Quebec Ministry of Transport crews directed traffic around boulder half the size of a small car that fell on the highway during the quake.
Another ministry crew limited traffic to one lane on another bridge south of Poltimore because of concerns about the safety of the bridge.
Outside the Dépanneur Renaud late Wednesday afternoon the only topic of conversation was the quake.
Ariel Adams said both ends of the nearby bridge were heavily damaged when the road disappeared. Police directed traffic onto Highway 309.
"There was man fishing there who broke his arm when he was pulled into the water as the road collapsed," Ariel Adams said. "His car disappeared into the water.
"Me and my boyfriend were sitting at a picnic table in the park and he asked his friend whether he was kicking the table. He said he wasn't, and when we looked at his car, it was shaking.
"The trees were falling down and everything fell inside my mom's house."
Pierre Patry, 68, who runs Camping Vue du Lac near the bridge, said the earthquake was rough.
"I was painting the office and everything started shaking and I knew immediately it was an earthquake," he said. "I never felt anything like it before and I've been living here for 30 years."
Further up the Gatineau valley, Eric Ethier, a councillor in the town of Gracefield, said Mayor Réal Rochon declared a state of emergency because of damage to area buildings, including the Catholic church, a school and the town hall, along with a bridge.
"We're going to close the bridge because it moved one or two feet in every direction while people were working on it during the earthquake," Ethier said. "The school has cracks in it and the ceiling has collapsed in the town hall."
Ethier said the town hall and the bridge would remain closed until provincial officials decide they were safe.
Ronald Carrier, another Gracefield resident, was at the Caisse Populaire when the building started to shake. "Everybody on main street came running out right a way," he said. "I thought an 18-wheeler had come down Highway 105 and was causing everything to shake. But, after 20 seconds, I knew it was an earthquake."
Val-des-Bois, about 68 kilometres north of Ottawa, was designated as the epicentre of the earthquake that rattled the region Wednesday afternoon by the U.S. Geological Survey.
Municipal employees there said they were experiencing aftershocks every five minutes for more than 50 minutes after the earthquake.
Marlene Nontell, a secretary at the municipality, said Highway 307 was closed north of the town of 900 people because of a partial bridge collapse near Bowman. Nontell said rocks fell onto the highway from a nearby cliff.
"The two first quakes were like an explosion. I flew out the door," Nontell said. "We still have power and there is no damage, but the telephones are down. Almost all our employees are volunteer firefighters who are on the radio, responding to questions."
In Gracefield, the chimney and vestibule at the back of La Visitation Catholic Church were badly damaged. The chimney at the back of the 1912 building was shaken apart, sending bricks crashing through the roof of the vestibule. The steeple and belfry were also damaged.
"The chimney just disintegrated and went through the roof," resident Vince Charron said. "The steeple is actually bent backward. You can see the bends in the metal."
Local authorities ordered the building closed and electricity turned off while the stability of the structure, including the steeple, was investigated.
The nearby Vimy Hotel, which was also built in the early 1900s, was also closed and cordoned off after its chimney was damaged.
Charron said there were a few patrons at the hotel bar when pieces of the chimney crashed through the roof. Luckily, no one was hurt. "They were pretty shaken up," he said, describing how people were standing outside on the street with beers in their hands after the earthquake.
Authorities quickly closed the town's main street and cordoned off the hotel and the church while officials investigation the integrity of the two buildings.
Elsewhere, there were reports of minor damage, but nothing serious. The Metro grocery store, for example, saw a few goods fly of the shelves.
In nearby Kazabuzua, a hardware store reported shelves emptied onto the floor.
"It takes a good jolt to do something like this," Charron said, noting the area experienced three or four minor earthquakes a year. "This was something unique for the town."
For many, though, perhaps the most disturbing aspect of the quake was the sound.
"The noise and rumbling that accompanied the earthquake lasted for maybe 30 seconds," Charron said.
"It was a unique and intense sound and it seemed to roll through the area like a wave from east to west. It was eerie."


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Digital Guru May Need More Power To Remake Government IT
They say clothes make the man (or woman), but do they make for better government policy?
Mikey Dickerson is the administrator of the newly created U.S. Digital Service, which the White House describes as a "small team of America's best digital experts" that will work on making federal websites more consumer friendly.
Dickerson, a former Google engineer who helped rescue HealthCare.gov from technical disaster, says he won't be wearing suits most of the time at his new job.
In a White House video documenting his first day at work, Dickerson says people "want to know if I'm wearing a suit to work every day, because that's just the quickest shorthand way of asking, 'Is this the same old business as usual, or are they actually going to listen?' "
"The government shouldn't be a thing that you automatically dread," Dickerson says. "Things like filing your taxes, this is on the list of things that people … usually mention in the same sentence as like going to the dentist … . It's probably never going to be exactly fun … . [But] things like that should be a process that you go through and immediately forget about because it wasn't any big deal."
But it's still to be seen whether Dickerson's team will have enough authority to make wholesale changes in the way the government procures IT projects and runs its technology systems.
Last October, Clay Johnson, a programmer who worked inside government as a White House Innovation Fellow, noted the problems with HealthCare.gov and said the real "cancer" is how government selects its IT contractors.
"It's called an integration catastrophe, really, where you've got lots of different software talking to lots of different things, and an unprecedented amount of scale," Johnson said then.
This week, Johnson told NPR in an e-mail: "Having high level technologists inside of government at the highest levels certainly helps. I won't be totally sold though until the CIO [chief information officer] and the CTO [chief technology officer] of the United States excel at technology as much as they do management."
In an op-ed piece last fall in The New York Times, Johnson and Harper Reed, the former chief technology officer of Obama for America, urged the U.S. to create a Government Digital Service similar to the U.K.'s agency, which they said "gives the government a technical brain."
Johnson says that while the White House took that advice, "what Harper and I envisioned was more authority. Without strong authority over the agencies, the department can be safely ignored by them, and their work will be relegated to the fringes of government, as the 2012 open government initiative was, and as the 2009 open government initiative was."
Dickerson's new office will be operating with a U.S. Digital Services Playbook that includes 13 key "plays," or best practices, drawn from the private sector and government. They include:
- Understand what people need
- Make it simple and intuitive
- Assign one leader and hold that person accountable
- Bring in experienced teams
- Use data to drive decisions
- Default to open [Building services more openly to simplify the public's access to government services and information]
"I think the plays themselves are great!" Johnson says. "But with all things, it depends on whether or not there's another shoe to drop here: an executive order with some teeth, or an act of Congress giving this department some teeth and budget. I have a lot of faith in Mikey — but unless the president starts taking this problem seriously soon, then it's going to be a problem for the next president to solve."
As for his work fashion, Dickerson says he is upgrading his attire from extremely casual.
"I'm not wearing a T-shirt," he says in the video. "I made some slight concessions. I'm wearing actual shirts with buttons and collars … ."


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Rockets Take Down Giants 5-2 at Prospera Place
The Kelowna Rockets defeated the Vancouver Giants 5-2 on Saturday night at Prospera Place in Kelowna as the Rockets won its third straight game and second of the weekend.
Tyson Baillie and Nick Merkley each had two goals and an assist to lead the Rockets attack as Kelowna improved to 17-5-1-0 on the season.
The Rockets scored three times in the first period and made the score 4-0 early in the third before Vancouver came back in the third with a pair of goals. However the Giants could get no closer and an empty netter from Merkley sealed the win.
Calvin Thurkauf also scored for the Rockets while Justin Kirkland had three assists for the second straight night.
Jackson Whistle earned the win in net as Kelowna outshot Vancouver 32-24 in the game.
The Rockets are back in action on Wednesday when they play host to Seattle in another Hat Trick Wednesday game where fans can purchase a ticket, a pop and a hot dog for 19.99.
Tickets are available for the game through www.selectyourtickets.com, at the Prospera Place box office or by phone at 250-762-5050.


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This condition is becoming increasingly prevalent and is now understood to be an underlying factor in autoimmune conditions and many allergies and food sensitivities. People with eczema, psoriasis, headaches/migraines, brain fog and achy joints, may all have a degree of leaky gut, or a hyper-permeable gut lining – to give it its technical term.
'Eating & Living Gluten-Free' magazine recently commissioned an article, because of the association between gluten, leaky gut syndrome and Coeliac disease. Read on . . .


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Web Project – Professional Business Web Site
This web site includes photo galleries,list, pictures, and description of services offered, business information, contact information, and built in Google Map to location. The primary focus of this site is to provide potential customers with an overview of the repair and maintenance services offered. This site is also designed with keywords so that the site will be included in web searches according to services and location as well as to allow a business description to be seen on the search page. Please feel free to contact Craigs Automotive Repair for a DevByJ reference.


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7 years ago Sprint fought a 'brazenly anti-competitive' telecom deal
The news this weekend that T-Mobile (TMUS) and Sprint (S) will merge in a $26 billion all-stock deal was met with skepticism about whether regulators will sign off on a transaction that combines America's third- and fourth-largest wireless providers.
For one thing, the Trump administration is already fighting a merger involving a major telecom, AT&T (T), which is buying entertainment giant Time Warner (TWX). Unlike the AT&T/Time Warner deal, the T-Mobile/Sprint deal would marry two direct competitors — and it may remind regulators of another proposed telecom deal that got crushed.
"Whatever arguments these parties make will be received with AT&T/T-Mobile in memory," said Christopher Sagers, an antitrust expert and professor at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, referring to AT&T's decision in 2011 to abandon its deal to buy T-Mobile amid opposition from the Obama administration.
At the time, Sprint also filed a suit to block the proposed merger of its rivals, dubbing it "brazenly anti-competitive." As Eleanor Fox, an antitrust expert at New York University Law School, noted in an email to Yahoo Finance, "Sprint has to be careful that it is not contradicting anything it said in its lawsuit to stop AT&T/T-Mobile."
'T-Mobile actually thrived quite nicely'
When announcing the merger, T-Mobile CEO John Legere, who would remain CEO under a combined company called T-Mobile, said the deal would benefit consumers by allowing for the creation of a nationwide 5G network. Neither company would be able to do this on its own, he contends.
This argument could very well appeal to antitrust regulators, according to George Hay, an antitrust expert and professor at Cornell Law School. "In a network industry … it's pretty easy to see why the density of the network really does make a big difference," said Hay, noting that T-Mobile and Sprint could argue that the deal would allow them to provide better coverage for consumers and better compete against AT&T and Verizon (Verizon is the parent company of Yahoo Finance).
Memories of the scuttled AT&T/T-Mobile deal could still loom large while regulators scrutinize this deal, according to Sagers. In August 2011, Obama's Justice Department sued to block that deal and contended that it would harm consumers by eliminating a low-cost competitor. In fighting the DOJ lawsuit, AT&T pointed out that T-Mobile had lost subscribers despite an increased demand for wireless services — a suggestion that T-Mobile might continue to flounder on its own.
But that reality wasn't borne out, Sagers noted. "It was widely perceived following that experience that T-Mobile actually thrived quite nicely after that merger was rejected, and provided serious competition to the other major firms," Sagers said.
He added: "That is, in the memories of most enforcers, it will seem like blocking that 2011 deal was a good idea, the wisdom of it being proven by the industry's subsequent experience, and I expect it will be hard to convince those folks that this situation is different."
Will this time be different?
Of course, T-Mobile and Sprint will likely argue that this time is, in fact, different from 2011 — notably because this deal would combine the third- and fourth-largest carriers rather than the top two, and because it would give them the capacity to provide 5G wireless to a greater number of consumers.
Regulators might not buy those arguments, though. "To me it sure still sounds like a 4:3 horizontal merger in wireless," said Sagers, referring to a merger of direct competitors. "The fact that it's the smallest of the four carriers merging doesn't make it legal, nor does it really matter that the resulting firm would still only be the third largest."
If T-Mobile and Sprint try to convince regulators the deal will reduce costs and accelerate investment in 5G, they will be making what's known as an "efficiencies argument." In other words, they'll argue that the combined entity would save money and ultimately benefit consumers.
But, as antitrust expert and Seattle University School of Law professor John Kirkwood noted, "The problem is that efficiencies have never justified an otherwise anticompetitive merger. Whenever a court has found that a merger of for-profit companies is likely to reduce competition, it has never found that efficiencies saved the transaction."
Ultimately, Kirkwood said, T-Mobile and Sprint will have to show that not only will the deal result in a more efficient combined company but also that it won't reduce competition. That could be a tough argument to make when the deal will pare America's big four wireless carriers down to three.
Striking a particularly skeptical note, Randy Stutz, associate general counsel of the American Antitrust Institute, said, "This may well prove to be one of those deals that never should have left the boardroom."
Sprint and T-Mobile did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday morning.
Erin Fuchs is deputy managing editor at Yahoo Finance.
Read more:
AT&T-Time Warner suit could be the start of a more aggressive antitrust era
Antitrust expert calls Broadcom's bid for Qualcomm 'pretty audacious'


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Since they are mostly marketing students I asked Leigh Ann Duferrena, Boise State's Digital Communications Specialist, to stop by and talk about her work. I am pleasantly surprised with her capture of our class!
Students in UNIV106 are proactive in planning their final projects and expectations. @BSULibrary #boisestate pic.twitter.com/ZEdHf8lNw1
— Boise State (@boisestatelive) February 27, 2014


text: Want to interact with our general shenanigans and Tom Foolery? Follow our Instagram to catch behind the scenes stories, stay informed on guest performers, and be the first to see new photo shoots. FollowFollow The gentlemen from Henry V Studios (Portland) stumbled upon our show by happenstance! They whipped out their cameras and gifted us this reel. Thanks guys!


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I know for a fact that my entire house on 37th street wrote in Omar Wattad for senator of 36th and 37th street. This election has been STOLEN!!
i demand an investigation. i'm not kidding.
Surprise! You're a GUSA Senator!
Sunday's GUSA meeting wasn't all serious budget battles, far from it! For those of you whose heads are swimming from all that bickering over real stuff, never fear. The fun side of GUSA is back.
Remember those pesky absences the Senate was trying to fill before the end of the year? Well, they held a totally drama-free election just before Easter break, and the results are in: 11 students can now proudly call themselves GUSA Senators—including two who didn't even know they were running.
Two write-in candidates won a GUSA seat: Matt Sam Wiles, representing the townhouses of 36th and 37th Streets, and Simone Popperl, representing off-campus students [full disclosure: Simone used to write for the Voice].
Simone quickly informed Speaker Reggie Greer (COL '09) that she could not serve when she was notified she had won the election, as Reggie told the Senate at the beginning of Sunday's meeting, but Sam Wiles showed up. (A little late, but then again, you can't blame him? He didn't know he was going to be a Senator). Although he didn't speak much, he voted with the best of them on a bill that expanded the Senate to include a treasurer position and four at-large Senate seats that cannot be held by freshmen.
All of this begs the question, exactly how many votes did the two write-ins need to have to get a Senate seat? According to Election Commissioner Mirco Haag (SFS '09), the number wasn't very high.
"For the vacant district of townhouses, no one was running, so anyone who got a vote won. The other one was Off-Campus, and since there were four open seats, you didn't need that many votes [to win]," Mirco said. "Sam Wiles needed one vote. Simone needed more. I think there were about 40-50 votes in her district, so she would have needed about 10."
If Sam sticks it out until the last meeting tomorrow, he, along with the 9 other new Senators, could be critical in whether or not next year's budget gets passed. The one person who wrote him in may have tipped the scales on a decision that controls thousands of dollars of funding for campus organizations. The joke's on you, student body!


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The international humanitarian work of the Sovereign Order of Malta, the oldest Christian charity in the world, will be recognized at the inaugural Legacy of Hope Sunset Cocktail Reception in Southampton this month.
Hosted by Malteser International, the relief agency of the order, the reception will be at the Southampton Historical Museum's Rogers Mansion on Friday, July 18 from 6–8 p.m.
Displays of the Malteser International's good works will serve as a highlight of the event. A photo exhibition will focus on relief efforts in the Philippines after the recent typhoon and throughout Long Island after Superstorm Sandy. In 2013 alone, the organization's aid totaled more than $60 million, reaching approximately 10 million people in need across 26 countries.
Historical Knights of Malta memorabilia will also be on display, including a replica of the 900-year-old authorization of the order.
While taking in the displays, guests will enjoy hors d'oeuvres from Southampton's 230 Elm and ales, lagers and wines from Southampton Publick House.
Another feature of the evening includes an expansive silent auction to benefit the organization. Donations up for auction include a Berry Brown tote bag, VIP passes to Art Southampton and jewelry by Tamara Commolli. In addition, gift baskets featuring fashions from Space 16, Erika's Place and Christopher Fischer will be available for bids, as well as gift certificates from numerous area restaurants.
Southampton resident Steven Krawciw, member of the Order of Malta's American Association, is chair of the reception, along with a Host Committee, including fellow Hamptons residents as well as those from Long Island, New York City and Palm Beach. The Host Committee (in formation) list features illustrious names, such as Sherri and Joseph Abruzzes, Cass Almendral, Maura Almy, Sandra Alvarado, Katherine and Gary Andreassen, Angela Anton, Christopher Arnold, Eileen Duff Babcock, Kenneth Craig, KM, Ertel and Erin Dere, Sara Herbert Galloway and Barry Klarberg, Michael Gibbons, KM and Maureen Gibbons, DM, Lucia Hwong Gordon, Constance Hunter, Ann and Vincent Madonia, Ms. Susan Madonia, Joanna Mincarelli, William Morosse, KM and Mar Morosse, DM, Joyce Mullins-Jackson, Ann Rapp, Martin and Jean Shafiroff, Mark and Kim Standish, Nancy Stone, Father Michael Vetrano (Pastor, Basilica of Sacred Hearts of Jesus & Mary), Dr. Frank and Myra Weiser, and Daniela Zahradnikova.
Tickets are $125 per guest and can be purchased at the door or in advance at malteser-legacy.eventbrite.com. A range of sponsorship packages are available, from $300 Supporter tickets, all the way up to Presenter tickets at $50,000.


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While there is no set timeframe for the release of the next version for any of our software applications, we're always reviewing how we can improve our products. If a new, improved version has been developed, we'll inform you.
Powered by a free Atlassian Confluence Open Source Project License granted to {2}. Evaluate Confluence today.


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Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act ("CDA") provides a safe harbor for certain online companies that host content generated by third parties, but this protection only applies to some types of liability, such as libel claims. Backpage.com's CEO, Carl Ferrer, learned this lesson the hard way when he was arrested and charged with pimping on October 7, 2016.
The alleged facts in short are that Backpage, a classified ad website, charged fees to post "escort" ads and allegedly knew these ads were used for illegal sex trade operations, including prostitution and sex trafficking of children. Backpage's self-reported revenue from January 2013 to May 2015 was almost $52 million, and from January 2013 to March 2015, 99% of that revenue was directly attributable to adult ads. In addition, Ferrer created two other websites using content from Backpage, including one that describes itself as an "escort phone number directory." The government alleges that all of the information posted on the directory site was derived from "escort" ads hosted on Backpage. The government charged that by receiving fees for hosting these ads, Backpage derived support from prostitution and engaged in pimping and conspiracy to commit pimping under California Penal Code § 266h.
The relevant portion of the CDA's shield from liability is speech-based. Specifically, under § 230, "No provider … of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider." If a CDA defense is raised, the prosecutors will likely argue that California Penal Code § 266h creates liability for acts independent of whether Mr. Ferrer or Backpage was a publisher or speaker, such as "knowing another person is a prostitute" and "deriv[ing] support or maintenance in whole or in part from the earnings or proceeds of the person's prostitution."
Lessons from this situation include:
- If you know your site may be used for illegal activity, employ measures to mitigate it;
- Exercise caution before accepting fees for potentially illegal content;
- Flag and escalate high-risk content (including content for which CDA provides no immunity) for legal review.
Backpage and the Model Mayhem case suggest that a website operator may be found to have knowledge of illegal conduct when it is informed by law enforcement, and failure to act on such knowledge may create or compound liability. The question of when a website's activities cross the line from neutral host to supporter of illegal conduct, will depend on the facts of the situation.


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About Me
Welcome to Hilltown House – located in the heart of picturesque Bucks County Pennsylvania. If you want a little peak into what life looks like here check out the show "Stone House Revival" on DIY Network where the awesome host Jeff Devlin works on the historic homes that pepper our little towns.
I've spent the last 4 years transforming our brand new, builder grade house into a unique and happy place to spend time with my 4 boys (my two little ones, my husband, and yes even the dog is a boy…I am incredibly out-numbered here people!) I started this blog not just as a way to share the joy that I get out of being creative, but to get over the fear and self-doubt I've always had of putting myself out there. I love to add my own custom furniture and art into my rooms and keep things bright, calm, and comfortable.
I truly believe in the power of positive thinking and have carved out this little corner of the web to put my brand of positivity out into the world. I am thankful every day to be fortunate enough to spend my time, energy, and yes also money, on making mine and other's homes a little bit prettier. By bringing a smile, a bit of happiness, or some inspiration into my reader's lives I'm hoping to increase my Positive Footprint in this life and inspire others to pass it along.


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Mysore is known as the cultural capital of Karnataka and is one of the most-visited places in the country. It is generally popular for its historic monuments, such as Mysore Palace, which is said to be the most frequented ancient monument in India after the Taj Mahal. On an average, it witnesses tourists and locals in millions. But how about taking a break from the ancient world of Mysore this season and getting lost in the world of beaches and forests? If you would love to do so, then you must plan a tour of the following coastal getaways.
The list includes some of the least-explored and not-so-popular beach destinations in Karnataka and Kerala. Let's move ahead and learn more about these coastal beauties and their respective distance from Mysore.
1) Kappad
Distance From Mysore - 190 Km
If you would want to avoid the tourist crowd of Kozhikode, then you can plan a trip to the serene and peaceful Kappad. It is a small coastal settlement at a distance of 18 km from Kozhikode town and is a perfect place for those looking forward to savouring unpolluted and untouched beaches.
Blessed with the beauty of rocks and lush green vegetation, its sandy beaches are way too beautiful. It is certainly set to pacify every visitor's heart. Did you know that it is also the place where Vasco da Gama landed in the year 1498? You can find his memorial at Kappad.
2) Payyanur
Distance From Mysore - 196 Km
Located on the banks of the Perumba river in the close proximity of the Arabian Sea, the beautiful town of Payyanur is a must-visit destination for every offbeat traveller. From unexplored backwaters to beautiful beaches and ancient temples to historic sites, it has everything within its boundaries to allure every traveller.
If you are bored of the same crowded and polluted beach destinations, then Payyanur would interest you to the core. As it is only known amongst locals and is only visited by offbeat travellers, it can assuredly help you soothe your mind, body and soul. As Payyanur has a history dating back to thousands of years, it boasts of its age-old culture.
3) Kannur
Distance From Mysore - 180 Km
The city of looms and lores, Kannur is a perfect destination for family holidays. Over a period of time, it has emerged as a significant tourist spot in Kerala. Today, such is its fame that it could be found on the bucket list of many international tourists. People from all over the country come to Kannur to witness its majesty and grandeur present in the form of pristine beaches and lush vegetation.
Even though it has also become one of the major urban centres in the state, it has been successful in retaining its natural beauty. Kannur is home to numerous beautiful temples and age-old sites. Therefore, it attracts each and every type of traveller.
4) Vatakara
Distance From Mysore - 175 Km
Also written as Vadakara, Vatakara is a coastal town of historical and religious significance. It is immensely popular for the beautiful Lokanarkavu Temple, which is said to have been established 1500 years ago. Therefore, it is visited by tourists from across the country.
Unknown to many, Vatakara also hosts several beautiful natural spots. It is located on the banks of the Moorad river, and hence you can also relish the charm of backwaters here. The major places to visit here include Vatakara Sand Banks, Kunjali Marakkar Memorial, Sragaalaya, the village of artisans, and Maliyakal Beach.
5) Kasargod
Distance From Mysore - 227 Km
Kasargod is an emerging tourist destination in Karnataka. Since the last 3 years, its popularity has increased drastically amongst offbeat travellers. Therefore, it has become a weekend destination for thousands of tourists today. From forts to beaches and temples to forests, there is a lot to savour within its boundaries.
However, it is mostly popular for the beautiful Bekal Fort, which is a beach fort and is built on the shore of the Arabian Sea. You must plan a trip to Kasargod before it becomes a mainstream stoppage.
6) Ullal
Distance From Mysore - 250 Km
Ullal is a small city at a distance of about 10 km from Mangalore and is home to several beautiful beaches. The most prominent amongst them include Ullal Beach and Someshwar Beach. If you desire to avoid the crowded environment of Mangalore and would love to take a breath of fresh air amid serene beaches, then Ullal is your calling.


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Fully Managed Cloud Email
Wouldn't it be amazing to have enterprise-grade email and collaboration tools without the cost associated with hosting this yourself! Well, that's exactly what Microsoft Office 365 brings to your business for a small monthly ongoing charge per user.
Office 365 brings together all the familiar Microsoft Office applications in an easy-to-use, accessible-from-anywhere Cloud service. Everyone in your organisation can work together with anywhere access to email, web conferencing, documents, and calendars. Add in business-class security and it's the perfect all in one business communication and productivity tool.
Microsoft Office 365 is licensed on a flexible, per-user per-month subscription plan enabling your business to scale its services when it needs to. Best of all, as part of our managed service plan PureIT Manage, we fully manage your Office 365 subscription so you get the best of what it has to offer without the hassle of monitoring and maintaining it.
What's Included in Office 365
There are many different options with Office 365 but two of our most popular plans include:
Office 365 Business Essentials
- Business-class email hosting with 50 GB mailbox
- Custom email domain addresses (email@example.com)
- Web version of Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint (desktop version of apps not included)
- One license covers 5 phones, 5 tablets, & 5 PCs or Macs per user
- 1 TB file storage & sharing
- User maximum 300
- Microsoft Teams, a chat-based workspace that integrates all the people, content, and tools your team needs to be more engaged and effective
- HD video conferencing with Skype for Business*
Office 365 Business Premium
- Business-class email hosting with 50 GB mailbox
- Custom email domain addresses (firstname.lastname@example.com)
- Desktop version of Office 2016: Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access
- Web version of Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
- One license covers 5 phones, 5 tablets, & 5 PCs or Macs per user
- 1 TB file storage & sharing
- User maximum 300
- Microsoft Teams, a chat-based workspace that integrates all the people, content, and tools your team needs to be more engaged and effective
Benefits to your business
Accessible from anywhere
With Office 365 you can create, share and edit documents on the move, as well as manage meetings and other tasks, on any iOS, Android and Windows device.
Business-class email and collaboration tools
A new generation of productivity-based services such as Skype for Business Online makes collaboration among your team as simple as a click of a button.
Always up to date
You're always using the latest version of Office 365 thanks to regular feature updates, no matter if you use a PC or a Mac.
Add capacity whenever you need it
Fully managed by us
We monitor and manage your Office 365 subscription so you can run your business
Cost Effective
There's no upfront cost with Office 365's monthly subscription model, which can help you budget more effectively and help keep your costs down
Is my business ready for the cloud?
Pure IT will work with you to review your current systems and the way your business works to tailor a cloud solution to your specific needs. This could be an entirely cloud based approach or a combination of on site and cloud infrastructure. Whatever the right solution is for your business you can rest assured that you are in good hands with Pure IT. Using our expert knowledge, we will ensure a smooth transition and then fully support. monitor and manage your new infrastructure.
Fully Managed IT in the Cloud
Businesses of all sizes are taking advantage of the benefits of moving some or all of their IT infrastructure into the cloud. Cloud solutions can deliver measurable benefits from rapid deployments and scalability, to the ability to manage cash flow with reduced capital expenditure on IT hardware. With always on, always up to date computing infrastructure, Pure IT can help you focus on delivering the IT systems and services you need.
At Pure IT we fully manage your cloud infrastructure using the same principals and best practices as traditional IT infrastructure. Pro-active monitoring, security and maintenance of our cloud solutions keep your systems and business running smoothly. As with our on-site solutions we aim to identify and correct issues before your business is impacted.
What cloud solutions can Pure IT provide?
We offer many different cloud services, all of which are tailored to meet your requirements. The most popular services we offer are:
- Managed Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) – Providing cloud based servers to power your IT infrastructure.
- Managed Desktop as a Service (DaaS) – Providing a cloud based desktop to your staff
- Managed backup solutions – Utilizing our PureIT Backup managed service to ensure your data is safe and secure.
- Managed Microsoft Office 365 solutions. – Email and collaboration tools in the cloud
Benefits to your business
Fully Managed
We monitor and manage your cloud IT infrastructure which gives you the time to do what you do best, running your business.
Cost Effective
Building your IT infrastructure in the cloud means you only pay for the resources you need. And by lowering operational costs, you make your IT spending more predictable and controllable
Migration to PureIT Cloud gives your business the room it needs to grow and change with our highly scalable solutions.
Work from Anywhere
The Cloud delivers business flexibility, allowing you to work from anywhere, accessing files as if they were placed on your own network. It's ideal for companies with remote workers, dispersed teams and field employees


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Skip to 0 minutes and 14 seconds MEGAN KILL: We're now going to look at when and why women die. And it's important to know when and why they die in order to understand the strategies that are used to reduce maternal mortality. So the first thing to know about maternal mortality is that the risk of maternal death is highest during delivery and the first 24 hours after childbirth. As you can see in this graph on the right, the rate of death goes down quite rapidly postnatally. And most obstetric complications require immediate attention. In particular, a woman who experiences postpartum haemorrhage can die within a matter of hours if she doesn't receive treatments such as a blood transfusion.
Skip to 0 minutes and 56 seconds This is why it's important to have women deliver in facilities or close by with a skilled birth attendant so they can receive emergency care in a timely manner. Now looking at causes of maternal deaths. The most important ones worldwide are haemorrhage, which is shown in the graph on the left, which accounts for about 27% of maternal deaths, and preexisting conditions which accounts for another 27%. Hypertension follows with 14%. So overall, 3/4 of maternal deaths were attributable to direct obstetric causes globally, but these causes vary greatly by low to middle and high income countries.
Skip to 1 minute and 35 seconds So in a high income country, for example the UK, which is shown in the graph on the right, only a third died from direct obstetric causes while 2/3 died from indirect causes. And those indirect causes includes diabetes, influenza, and health diseases, suicide, cancer, et cetera. So who has the highest risk? Maternal mortality is a public health indicator with the greatest gap between rich and poor countries, with 99% of maternal deaths occurring in poor countries. For example, in Sierra Leone, the maternal mortality ratio is 1,100 per 100,000 live births while in the UK, it's only eight.
Skip to 2 minutes and 20 seconds And within countries as well, there can be a big difference between richest and poorest women, and you can see this in the graph on the right.
Skip to 2 minutes and 30 seconds And looking at age groups, the maternal mortality ratio is highest in women over 30 years of age. Also, if you specifically look at countries with the high MMR, or low MMR, the pattern of maternal mortality over age groups is roughly the same. And this is shown by this graph by Blanc, Winfrey & Ross. Now switching from thinking about maternal mortality ratios, which again is the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, this slide looks at absolute numbers of maternal deaths by age group. And by absolute numbers, I'm talking about the total number of maternal deaths. So as you can see, the largest absolute number of deaths occurs in the age groups from 20 to 34.
Skip to 3 minutes and 17 seconds And this is largely because these are the age groups that women are more likely to give birth. And this is a very important concept to understand because even though women aged over 30 are at a higher risk of dying, or in other words, there's a higher maternal mortality ratio, more women actually die in other age groups. And this graph is an example from Bangladesh.
Skip to 3 minutes and 40 seconds When talking about preventing maternal mortality, if efforts were directed at women aged 20 to 34, it would most effectively reduce the absolute number of maternal deaths. So what role does HIV play in maternal mortality? High levels of HIV and maternal mortality go hand in hand in many regions of Sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, understanding the interaction between pregnancy and HIV is important for the clinical management of pregnant women and the measurement of maternal mortality because the standard definition of maternal mortality excludes infectious causes of death not aggravated by pregnancy. So Zaba and colleagues looked at maternal mortality rates by pregnancy and HIV status using data from six demographic surveillance sites in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Skip to 4 minutes and 30 seconds This graph shows the maternal mortality rates per 1,000 women years for the pooled data, all sites and all time periods, by pregnancy and HIV status. We can see from this graph, the mortality rates are higher in HIV infected women compared to their uninfected counterparts. But we can also see that the mortality rates are much smaller amongst pregnant women than non-pregnant women, and among pregnant and post-partum women, the risk of death is just over eight times higher in HIV positive compared to HIV negative women, and the corresponding rate ratio is 20.5 in non-pregnant nor non-postpartum women.
Skip to 5 minutes and 16 seconds So this lower rate ratio in pregnant and post-partum women is likely to be attributable to the healthy pregnant woman effect, whereby HIV infected women who are able to become pregnant, are likely to be at an earlier stage of HIV infection.
Skip to 5 minutes and 34 seconds Similar results were found in the systematic review conducted by Calvert and Ronsmans, with a meta-analysis that analysed results from 23 studies indicating that HIV infected women had eight times the risk of pregnancy related mortality compared to uninfected women and based on two other systematic reviews, the authors concluded that most pregnancy related mortality attributable to HIV is unrelated to the pregnancy. In a review investigating the interaction between HIV status and direct obstetric complications, they showed that women who are HIV positive are 3.4 times more likely to develop sepsis, and the evidence for positive links for hypertensive diseases of pregnancy, obstructed labour, and haemorrhage were inconsistent.
Skip to 6 minutes and 23 seconds The third systematic review they conducted found no evidence pregnancy accelerates HIV disease progression with ART availability.
When and why do they die?
Knowing when and why maternal deaths occur is key to development of strategies to reduce maternal mortality.
The timing of maternal death is therefore critical, and the video considers potential complications and their timescales in more detail. At the same time, strategies must be context-specific, since the leading causes of maternal deaths vary greatly between high- and low- and middle-income countries. There are also differences within countries and by age group. Strategies that are effective in one location may be less so in another.
© London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine


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This is a products page for chuckies
Click here to go back to the Big Pictures Category selection page
Click here to go back to the Small Pictures Category selection page
Computer Wiz (female)
Alot of us knows how she feels!! This 10″x 8″ mounted picture makes a great and fun gift, ideal for secret santa for a work colleague. Dont forget you can have the picture as a mousemat as well.
Personalisation Options for this Picture:
- Name on board
Please fill the textbox below in with the above personalisation options and then select which mount colour and frame options you would like below.


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You asked for it! – Austin Birth Photographer Favorites
I had some fun on Facebook business page yesterday! I posted the question "What would you like to see a picture of today?" The response was incredible. I was able to fill over a day's worth of posts on the hour, every hour, by the requests I received. I am (appropriately) calling this series "You asked for it!" as I will definitely be doing again. I enjoyed combing through some of my past work that I'm not sure ever even made it onto my blog!


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Monthly Archives: March 2011
Baby Shower Books
I recently went to a shower for a mother who was soon to have her child. There were about forty people there, many I didn't know. In Hawaii, everyone is invited to big showers and they are fun. There is … Continue reading
Posted in Audrey's Musings, For Kids!, New Books, Parents & Teachers Tagged All Ages, Audrey Wood, Baby Shower Books, Book Inspiration, childhood, Hawaii, parents Leave a comment
Audrey's Message
I am often asked, do you write with a message in mind? Do you try to teach children about any particular subject or issue? The answer to that question is absolutely not. As an author of children's literature, I have … Continue reading
Tsunami Safe
Aloha Friends, Thank you for your many inquires concerning our safety during the tsunami which devastated Japan. We are safe and sound and all is well. We live above a 32′ cliff and our home is built quite a distance … Continue reading
Posted in Audrey's Musings Tagged adventure, Audrey Wood, Pacific Ocean, story, Tsunami 1 Comment


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Readers of GetReligion are familiar with that mainstream media holiday tradition of releasing news stories that are supposed to shake the foundations of Christianity. Easters over the last few years have explained to all those gullible believers that Jesus walked on an ice floe (not water), that he wasn't crucified in the manner in which people think, that Jesus' father was — of course — a Roman soldier named Pantera and that Jesus didn't die on the cross so much as pass out after being doped up.
Easter 2006 featured an unrelenting public relations offensive (emphasis on offensive) by the National Geographic Society and its National Geographic magazine that argued that Judas was unfairly maligned by Christians. The story was covered far and wide by all the major media outlets. (A later story showing that the "lost 3rd-century religious text" had been improperly translated? Not covered so much, shockingly.)
Usually we have to wait until Christmas or Easter for this annual rite. But this year those stories are coming early.
So we were treated to front-page headlines yesterday in the New York Times about Jesus' wife ("A Faded Piece of Papyrus Refers to Jesus' Wife"), based on a very tiny fragment of what one scholar says is a 4th-century writing about Jesus Christ. If there's one thing we all know, it's that mysterious stories about 4th-century Coptic fragments of questionable provenance are probably more authoritative (in the media's eyes) about Jesus' life than the extensive writings of his contemporaries. Now, considering how these annual "shake the foundations of Christianity" stories always tend to be about the sensationalizing of scholarship or archeological claims, yesterday's could have been worse.
After the juicy headlines ("Suggestion of a married Jesus," "The Inside Story of a Controversial New Text About Jesus," "Harvard scholar's discovery suggests Jesus had a wife," "Did Jesus have a wife? New historical discovery raises old question," "Was Jesus Married? Ancient Papyrus Mentions His 'Wife'," and "Newly revealed Coptic fragment has Jesus making reference to 'my wife'") and prominent placement and sexy ledes, we usually get stories conceding that, well, this doesn't really mean much that we can nail down.
But the point of the stories was put well — and up high in the story — by the New York Times:
Even with many questions unsettled, the discovery could reignite the debate over whether Jesus was married, whether Mary Magdalene was his wife and whether he had a female disciple. These debates date to the early centuries of Christianity, scholars say. But they are relevant today, when global Christianity is roiling over the place of women in ministry and the boundaries of marriage.
The discussion is particularly animated in the Roman Catholic Church, where despite calls for change, the Vatican has reiterated the teaching that the priesthood cannot be opened to women and married men because of the model set by Jesus.
The discovery of this lost fragment, if interpreted in just the right way, matches the views of the New York Times editorial page! It's another early Christmas miracle!
Christmas miracle image via Shutterstock.


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October 22, 2020
|Bogner Unveils The Alchemist Amp Line
|Wednesday, 21 May 2008 13:20
Bogner Amplification announced today Alchemist(TM), a forthcoming line of guitar amplifiers designed to deliver the signature flexibility, pure valve signal path and rich tonal characteristics indicative of historic Bogner amplifiers, all at an excellent value.
Created directly from the vision and specifications of Reinhold Bogner, and inspired by the voicing and culture of classic Californian flavored amplifier designs, each Alchemist will deliver the chimey, sparkling cleans, creamy, touch-sensitive leads and bright and colorful crunch associated with its predecessors. Featuring two independent channels and a four-button foot switch, the line will be entirely flexible and designed to complement the sounds of any single-coils and humbuckers -- both vintage and modern. Featuring a selectable power section, from 40 to 20 watts, the Alchemist sonority quickly transforms to display a very different kind of magic. When switched to 20 watts, Alchemist undergoes a complete sonic metamorphosis, changing its harmonic complexity and feel to conjure the essence of the legendary Brown sound.
Well-rounded, the new Bogner Alchemist line will include 112 and 212 open-back Combos, a Head, each 40 watts, and a 212 Extension Cabinet. The line will boast 6L6 class-AB power sections, five-12AX7 preamps and premium Celestion(R) speakers. Plus, with top-shelf delay and reverb post effects running in parallel, and remaining separate from the original signal, the result is a rich, living and breathing, fully realized resonance poised to ignite a spiritual transformation within each and every player.
Eye-catching with a classic boutique fit-and-finish, Alchemist has a retro-modern design celebrating the classic, albeit timeless, approach to these modern amplifiers. The silver highlights and symbolic markings play to the Alchemist name and its entrancing ancient mysticism.
"We couldn't be more excited about our new line whose name speaks for itself," remarks Reinhold Bogner, founder of Bogner Amplification. "Guitarists will be in awe with the magically rich tone. Every component, every detail was hand-chosen to deliver the custom amp experience to the legions of guitarists who are truly discerning about tone."
Alchemist 112
Alchemist 212
Alchemist Head
Alchemist 212 Ext. Cab.
Press Release
Source: Bogner/PR Newswire


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:Rosa Mexicano
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The Hours: Monday to Friday, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
The Deals: Get half off select drinks and appetizers. Drink specials include The 1800 Margarita ($4.50), sangria pitchers ($4,90 individual; $13.90 large), and tequila shots ($4.50). Beer options feature $3 Corona, Modelo, and Pacifico. Half-price appetizers include the queso fundido, made with chihuahua cheese and chorizo ($4.65) and tacos de la calle, with chicken or pork ($3.50). Those enjoying happy hour must sit in the bar area or outside to enjoy the deals.
The Scene: Rosa Mexicano's interior mixes traditional Mexican flare with romantic hues and funky touches. True to its name, the backlit bar features dried scattered rose petals and uniquely shaped thatched lanterns. The walls and ceiling are painted warm reds and oranges that are softened by the lighting. Iconic Mexican touches include aging tequilas on display, colorful figurines, and embroidered prints on the chair backs. The music leans toward upbeat Latin-fusion, skimming from salsa favorites to loungey, Latin funk. The outdoor seating area and bar are more casual than the intimate dining area.
The Conclusion: Brickell provides seemingly endless happy hour options, but Rosa Mexicano instantly became a favorite when it opened a few years ago. Two people can easily share three or four menu items, spend less than $20, and leave full satisfied. The servers were outgoing and accommodating and very familiar with the menu.


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esme has been wishing she had just the right red shoes for years. red is not particularly "in" these days, but esme has fallen in love with it via her red coat. she was shopping the sales the other day when she came across a fetching pair of red boots with little buttons up the side. they were round-toed, nice and flatish, and had a zipper up the side so you didn't actually have to button all those cute buttons. esme tried to imagine what she could wear them with. a black skirt….wide pants…..pants narrow enough to tuck in…..denim/red/black/gray……
esme had to admit that while they'd look fab with a few things, the shape of the boots and the shape of most of esme's pants might not work together. and would the red really get along with the red of esme's coat? plus, they were only 20% off! so esme took a pass for now. and she can't recall the brand (an american brand, fairly new) so she can't even gaze upon them on the web!
in the meantime, esme has come across hundreds and hundreds of dollars of on-sale shoes and boots (not to mention clothes) that she would buy if she had infinite funds. a pair of gentle soul combat boots that she tried on months ago appeared with a significant markdown. some black flats that might go with a dress were discovered at 75% off. but each had it's issues. you know how unforgiving shoes can be! so they too, have stayed on the shelf (or in someone else's closet) for now.
still, esme has been thinking about each and every pair. if nothing else, they'll live on in memory!
liking red,


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Thanks for stopping by our web site! If you have seen us at one of the many educational conferences where we exhibit, then you are aware of some of our products. If you have not seen us, basically our "stock" designs are geared toward the professionals who teach, care for, or care about children. Our website is a continuing "work in progress". At this time, if you will open the "showrooms" tab, you will see most of our embroidery and screen print designs. Our "BLING" (rhinestone and stud designs) are partially shown and more will follow shortly. When we add your school or organization name into our designs, they make excellent professional looking staff shirts which will promote spirit and morale within your often overburdened crew. We will be glad to quote a price for staff shirts regardless of quantity. Since all of our embroidery is directly sewn into the garment, we can do single item orders as well as large quantities. There are some efficiencies in quantity that will reduce the prices on larger orders, but we try to provide quality products and service for any size organization and remain aware of budget constraints. In addition to "wearables", we can help you with hundreds of other professional and promotional products that you may need. Just click on the "search" tab and enter your category or theme, price range for your budget, and quantity of the item you will need and see what is available! There will often be minimum quantities that apply to these products, but quite often a few extra $$ will offset the minimum requirements. If you are like we are and have questions that you cannot find the answer to on this site, please feel free to give us a call at 214-878-0514. click the "contact us" for fax and email information.
This wine cork candle is made completely of candle wax in the shape of a wine cork. Insert it into an empty wine bottle and voilá, you have a unique candle lamp for your table. 3" L
$3.96 - $4.41


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Better employees through sport
Awards recognising imagination in team building
Pharma's strong showing
Certification Ireland lands main award
The Irish Sports Council Challenge attracted 70 companies and 4,500 employees in its second year. The winners were presented at a a special awards night in the Louis Fitzgerald Hotel on Thursday evening with Certification Ireland taking the top prize for best overall company.
"Health and fitness are important in every community be it school, town or workplace, said guest of honour, Senator Eamon Coghlan.
"This is an initiative that could and should be taken on by every employer so that they have a happier, healthier group of employees, better able to face the challenges of keeping their business moving forward."
"Nothing in life is easy but with help and support from others you can find the inspiration within to get up, get out and give your best.
The Challenge invites companies to get their workforce active and the competition element rewards those who do so in the most imaginative ways.
Last night's winners included Timezone Gym at the National Aquatic Centre who clocked up miles doing a virtual tour of Dublin's main tourist venues; St John of God Menni Services and Astellas, a US pharmaceutical company with facilities in Dublin and Killorglin, County Kerry. They had 125 members of staff participating in 2013, double the number that took part last year.
The award for best Sporting Body went to the FAI who collectively ran, cycled and swam 8,000 kilometres, the aggregate distance from Dublin to each of the away venues in the current World Cup Qualifying Campaign.
Best media campaign was won by Triathlon Ireland who trained to the centre of the earth.
The overall award was won by Certification Europe who completed an Olympic Triathlon each day during the course of the competition and who introduced a range of measures to encourage a healthy approach to life and work. We will feature the range of choices they made on Sport for Business next week.
The best Fundraiser award went to Alkermes Pharmaceutical who doubled the amount of money raised over the course of sponsorships and collections throughout their challenge to 15,000.
This years Challenge also helped raise awareness and funds for Special Olympics Ireland who brought athletes along to the awards whose own lives have been transformed through a commitment to sport and fitness and who made last nights presentations.
Olympian Olive Loughnane spoke of the importance of setting goals in order to get fitter.
"There is always a challenge in a busy life of work and family to find the time for fitness and doing it with the support of colleagues helps enormously."
Loughnane, who retired from competitive athletics last year is now working with the Central Statistics Office in Cork where staff collectively ran a Marathon a day over the four weeks of the campaign.
"You should always make an appointment with yourself each day," said John Treacy, CEO of the Irish Sports Council. "Use the time as an investment in your fitness and your future."
There is no better way to build a community of individuals than to have fun together and the Challenge has enabled more and more companies to come together and do just that."
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Fitness at work rewarded
Better employees through sport


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VEC and TUI in talks
THE impending teachers' strike may be called off as both the Laois Branch of the TUI and Laois VEC have agreed to talks on the dispute over teacher transfer agreements.
Speaking to the Leinster Express, the assistant general secretary of the TUI, Ben Bishop, has said that the Laois VEC CEO has made an offer for Labour Relations Commission intervention. "This is an ideal opportunity to engage with the Labour Relations Commission and and the TUI are going to fully engage".
Mr Bishop said that the CEO made the offer last Wednesday and the branch responded on Thursday. "The branch are fully prepared to take part in talks. The main thing is to resolve this issue so that students are not left without school", he said. The talks are expected to take place during the week.
The Laois branch of the TUI has welcomed the proposal by the County Loais CEO for agreement on arbitration in the dispute over teacher transfers.
The rolling strike is due to begin on Tuesday November 6 in all schools and centres across the county, and will take place in a single school or centre on each of the following days. The Laois branch of the TUI has said that this is a rolling strike and will roll on beyond the nine specified days. The strike is the result of an unresolved dispute between Laois VEC and Laois TUI members regarding the transfer of two teachers from Portlaoise College earlier this year.
Speaking at the October monthly meeting of Laois VEC, CEO Anne O' Keefe said that she has been having frequent meetings with the Department of Education, and that she has already travelled to meet the TUI. Ms O' Keefe added that she has support from the Department of Education and Skills, the IVEA as well as the Laois VEC committee.
"I have done nothing differently this year to any other year. I am not at fault here and I want to state that categorically. It is so wrong what has been said".
A number of representatives across the county have called for the dispute betweeen the two parties to be settled, including local councillors, parents' representatives, and Oireachtas members. The dispute has been ongoing for the past two months, with teachers already mounting protests outside the September and October meetings of Laois VEC in Portlaoise.
It affects a number of schools and FEC centres around Laois, including Portlaoise College, Clonaslee College, St Fergal's.


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Community Service Helps to Keep Our Roadsides Clean
- May 14, 2007
According to court documents, on December 11, 2015, a new wrongful death lawsuit was filed against Glenn Head of rural Novelty for the shooting death of William "Bill" Bacon by the sons of Bacon, Raymond, William and Robert. Another man, Donald Roper of Newark, has also been named in the lawsuit. Roper was called toREAD MORE
These photos were taken in Moberly at the Randolph County Courthouse on Monday, April 7, 2014. Photos courtesy of the Quincy Herald-Whig and H-W Staff Writer Don O'BrienREAD MORE
We fought the good fight and lost. But we're going to keep at it. As you know, the Edina Sentinel has followed the Glenn Head murder trial from the beginning. Head stands accused of killing Bill Bacon in December of 2012. Last week, the defense subpoenaed Sentinel reporter Echo Menges as a witness. By invokingREAD MORE
On Monday, January 27, 2014, Publisher of The Edina Sentinel, Mike Scott, received a court order to appear in Clark County Circuit Court on Tuesday morning, February 4, 2014, in relation to case No. 13CK-CR00286 the State of Missouri vs. Glenn Head, in which Head, 60, of rural Novelty, a former St. Louis Metro PoliceREAD MORE
By Echo Menges According to court documents, there will be a delay in Clark County Circuit Court case number 13CK-CR00026, the State of Missouri vs. Glenn Head, where the former St. Louis Metro Police Officer stands accused of murdering his neighbor, William "Bill" Bacon, in Knox County on December 11, 2012, due The Edina Sentinel'sREAD MORE
Update: Motions documents have recently been filed in State of Missouri vs. Glenn Head, Case Number 13CK-CR00286, which is scheduled for a Jury Trial in Clark County on November 12-15, 2013. Head is facing one charge of murder in the second degree and one felony count of armed criminal action for the alleged murder of hisREAD MORE


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Annapurna region is a faboulus place for amazing kinds of trekking and tourisn activities in Nepal. This short day hiking and trek on the some of the most beautiful places in Annapurna provides you one of the most mismerizing adventure of life. This short Annapurna tour offered by High Spirit Treks And Expeditions, is one of the preferred and most popular treks in the Annapurna region of Nepal. The Beauty of this place is described by the diversified landscape on earth with various ethnic groups, along with the culture of Gurung, Magar, Bhraman and Chhetri community and breathtaking high mountain views along the way.
The itinerary provided takes through the most amazing places in Annapurna; Ghorepani, Ghandruk, Poonhill, Australian Camp and Sarangkot which are most visited view points as well as the beautiful villages which are the key places visited by every trekkers in Annapurna region.


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Read Part 1: The Impact of Shredded Storage on SharePoint 2013
It is important to separate fact from fiction when it comes to shredded storage in SharePoint 2013, a topic that created a tremendous amount of buzz in the SharePoint community.
It is true that shredded storage, for collaboration scenarios, will reduce network and storage I/O associated with saving edits to an existing document. However, it completely misses the mark when it comes to performance related to file upload and download.
Thus, it is now time to dispel the myth that shredded storage serves as a replacement for Remote BLOB Storage (RBS) and show how you can optimize Metalogix StoragePoint to make the most of shredded storage in SharePoint 2013.
Remote BLOB Storage (RBS) provides plumbing to allow third-party providers to offload binary large objects (BLOBs) from SharePoint Content Databases to external storage locations. The primary benefit of RBS is to reduce the size of unstructured data (BLOBs) stored in SQL Server databases while providing support for commodity storage. Third party providers like Metalogix StoragePoint have extended this basic BLOB offloading capability to provide a long list of enterprise capabilities including support for a wide variety of storage devices, compliant storage, archiving, and enhanced backup/restore capabilities.
Recently I have heard statements from within the SharePoint community and from other companies that RBS is no longer needed due to the introduction of shredded storage. This couldn't be further from the truth.
In part 1 of this series we discussed the primary benefits of shredded storage. Microsoft's goal in implementing shredded storage was to reduce the I/O associated with saving document changes. Rather than store entire copies of files SharePoint 2013 shreds files into smaller chunks allowing for incremental changes to documents to be saved to the SharePoint Content Database. As a result network and storage I/O is greatly reduced making the process of saving edits to a document very efficient. Additionally SQL transaction logs associated with document edits are smaller making log shipping more efficient (in fact addressing log shipping challenges for Office 365 was one of the drivers for introducing Shredded Storage). But what about the impact to uploading (new) and downloading existing documents for SharePoint?
In my experience, most SharePoint farms have a much higher ratio of downloads and uploads versus edits to existing documents. The fact remains that while shredded storage greatly improves the I/O characteristics when saving incremental changes to SharePoint it has a net negative impact on uploads and downloads speeds.
With Shredded Storage in place, the core value of that RBS provides still exists. Does Shredded Storage reduce the size of SharePoint Content Databases (SQL Server) by removing BLOBs from SQL Server databases? Does shredded storage allow you to leverage commodity or complaint storage devices? Does shredded storage address backup challenges with growing SharePoint environments? The answer to all of these questions is a resounding "NO!"
Optimizing RBS with Shredded Storage
In SharePoint Server 2013, Shredded Storage and RBS coexist without issue. As previously discussed, the result of Shredded Storage is a single file broken down into smaller "chunks" and stored within the SharePoint Content Database. With RBS in place the smaller "chunks" will be externalized rather than a single file. Regardless of shredding the end result is the same: BLOBs are stored outside of SharePoint Content Databases.
There are, however, considerations when optimizing the performance of RBS with Shredded Storage. While Shredded Storage cannot be "turned off" in SharePoint Server 2013, it can be optimized or disabled altogether by changing the chunk size of the file shreds. The default chunk size is set to 64KB however you could set the chunk size to 2GB (the maximum allowable file size in SharePoint) effectively disabling Shredded Storage. When performance testing Metalogix StoragePoint with Shredded Storage, we found that setting the chunk size to 20MB will yield the best upload and download performance. Changing the chunk size is quite simple and requires a bit of PowerShell script.
$service = [Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPWebService]::ContentService
$service.FileWriteChunkSize = chunk size in bytes
You will need perform an IISRESET and restart the SP Timer Service on all machines in the farm.
As you have seen over this two-part series, there is a lot of misinformation currently floating around about Shredded Storage and RBS in SharePoint 2013. The reality is that neither replaces the other. In fact, Shredded Storage and RBS complement each other. Shredded Storage reduces network and storage I/O when saving document edits. And RBS reduces Content Database size, improves upload and download speed, and accelerates backup/restore operations. Following the guidelines above will help you get the most out of RBS and Shredded Storage.


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We are committed to keeping you safe and on the road.
Vehicle drop off encouraged. After Hours key drop off available at participating locations.
Please contact your local Meineke for information on enhanced safety measures.
Rough idles, worn brakes, creaky suspension are common issues that affect your vehicle's performance and put your safety at risk. Regular auto repair service is necessary to the dependability of your car and should not be neglected. Book an appointment at Meineke #469 in O Fallon, MO, and have our expert auto repair technicians at Meineke #469 in O Fallon inspect and replace the faulty components on your vehicle. We understand how important your car is to your everyday life. Our auto mechanics do their best to get your vehicle back on the road as quickly as possible without compromising the quality of their work.
Regular inspections of your car's parts and mechanisms help ensure safe conditions for trips around town or longer road journeys. In addition to checking sensors, fluid levels, belts and spark plugs, auto mechanics look for signs of wear on your tires, brakes and suspension components. Caring for the total car with regular auto tune ups and manufacturer-recommended maintenance can help you avoid a costly car repair down the road. Sign up for exclusive offers through our website and make an appointment at Meineke #469 in O Fallon MO today.
While some signals, such as a loud noise coming from your engine compartment, clearly suggest it's time for a car repair, others are more subtle. An aging car battery can cause slow engine crank or electrical component failure. If your vehicle has a hard time performing two electrical tasks at a time (headlights, radio, windows) or you notice a swollen or smelly battery, you likely need a replacement. Other parts, such as the tires, exhaust components and steering system, may send vibrations throughout the vehicle when they need attention. Any changes in volume, fuel efficiency or handling necessitate a visit to one of our professional shops. Download one of our auto repair coupons today for Meineke #469 in O Fallon MO.
As far as car repair is concerned, the sooner the better. Letting your auto repairs go by the wayside is not only bad for your vehicle, but also a risk to your safety. Warped brakes, worn axles, faulty exhaust systems are all issues that should not be neglected. These components are essential to the safe operation of your vehicle. When they fail, you lose significant control over your car, increasing the risk of a breakdown or accident. At the first sign of trouble, contact Meineke #469 in O Fallon, MO and book an appointment as soon as possible.
Sometimes, even with regular repairs and care, it's time to say goodbye to an old friend and get a new one. Upgrading to another vehicle can save you money on future auto repairs if your old vehicle is too far gone to repair. At Meineke #469, we understand that many vehicles that are driven past their prime are not as efficient as newer ones. They cost more money to own, operate and repair. Find out if it is time for your vehicle to be replaced by bringing it in for an inspection today. Call us in O Fallon, MO to get directions to Meineke #469.
You want the best physician for yourself when you are sick and the same should be true for your vehicle. When it needs repairs, capable and experienced hands can make the difference between a satisfactory job and a stellar result. That's why at Meineke, our shops are operated by local owners who are professionals at their craft. They are your neighbors and want you to leave satisfied with both the service and the price. We offer online discounts, exclusive coupons and more so you can save on necessary repairs. Book an appointment today at Meineke #469 in O Fallon MO.
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Last week we introduced you to some of the Green Monday SA vegan concepts. Going meat-free can be hard if you're not used to it, but luckily there are some amazing recipes out there that can help you stick to your Green Monday pledge.
Here's one vegan recipe for gorgeous strawberry-spinach salad wraps. Recipe serves 4-6.
For the wraps:
- 4x 30cm whole-wheat tortilla wraps
- 2 cups baby spinach, loosely packed
- 2 cups arugula, loosely packed (or more baby spinach)
- 1 punnet strawberries, tops removed and sliced thin
- 1 avocado, diced
- 1/3 cup toasted almonds (optional)
For the dressing:
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon agave nectar or maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- Prepare the salad by combining the spinach, arugula, edamame, strawberries and avocado in a large bowl. Toss gently to combine.
- Using a blender or a whisk, combine all dressing ingredients (except the poppy seeds) until emulsified, then stir in the poppy seeds.
- Pour most of the dressing over the salad ingredients and mix well.
- Reserve 1 to 2 tablespoons of dressing for the wraps.
- To assemble the wraps, brush a little of the reserved dressing on a tortilla and then add the salad ingredients. Sprinkle a few toasted almonds, if using, over the salad, then roll up the wrap.
Simple and delicious vegan recipe, right? It looks so good we wanna try this right now!
Recipe by Kelly L. Williams/The HSUS. Photo by Amie Chou/The HSUS. Recipe and photos courtesy of Humane Society International, Africa.