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Welcome Message
Thank you for visiting our hardchargers.com website. We are proud Artillerymen, who have served our country were called to duty. The purpose of the Association is to establish and maintain a fraternal, non-profit corporation to bring together those who have served honorably with, or are now serving in the 30th FA Regiment. We are dedicated to basic, traditional American principles of love of our country, respect for our flag, and the rule of law. We honor our comrades, preserve and strengthen comradeships between members, gather historical materials, and maintain support for our heritage as Field Artillerymen. Our membership has grown to over 200.
Our website is constantly under construction. Changes and additions occur frequently. We are a growing association and we try to keep our website current and active. For those who are interested in joining, email our Membership Chairman, he will contact you within a few days or download an application from this website and mail it to the address on the application.
Using the Hard Charger Guestbook - It's EASY
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1.) Click on the "Guestbook" Navigation bar near the bottom of the website Home Page.
) Click on "Post New" and enter name and message on the form
) Click on "Post Message" near the bottom of page
4.) Finally click on "Back to Hard Chargers website" to get back to where you started.
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Process Of Cancel Waiting List Train E Ticket After Charting
July 30, 2019
If you have booked a railway reservation in any class by online but it is in waiting list then you can cancel it before confirm. If your waiting e ticket does not confirm after final chart then you are not allowed for travel on that e ticket.
After charting of passengers if your waiting e ticket does not confirm then your e ticket will be cancelled automatically. You don't need to cancel W/L e ticket. The amount of ticket charge will be credited in your bank account from which you had pay for tickets.

subset: commoncrawl


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Idiot Box Experts Twitter FeedMy Tweets
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Tag Archives: The Mentalist Podcast
Ep. 10 "CBS, Eye of the Beholder"
On this episode of the Idiot Box Experts: What has Paul so tongue-tied? Why is Billy suddenly checking the skies? The guys countdown the best and worst fictional roommates, make their War of Roses pitch, and hand out the CBS … Continue reading


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20-litres (35.2 pints) of Bunny Hop (ABV 3.5%) our extra hopped pale ale. Perfect for parties. Features a built-in tap for pouring. Contains live beer and requires settling for two days before serving. Shelf life is approximately four weeks. Once opened, consume within three days. Made to order – the earliest delivery date is four working days from date of order. Store in a cool place, between 10 and 12 degrees.
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Typical Foot Problems of Athletes and Sports Enthusiasts Seen by a Podiatrist
Spring, TX residents enjoy every season – the mildness of spring, the heat of summer, the crisp autumn and a typically cool, but not truly cold winter. Given that the weather is good for sports all-year round, this means possible risks of injury at any time. Foot injuries can be particularly troublesome, not only because you rely on your feet to get you from point A to point B but also because your weight is bared by your feet.
A Spring, TX podiatrist is in your future if you live near the north Houston area and sustained an injury to one or both feet. Typically, foot injuries can be traced to not warming up correctly before a physical activity, overdoing or even not being trained properly. Foot and ankle specialists see many exercise and sports related injuries.
Muscle Strain
Sports that require fast movement such as racquetball, sprinting or basketball often cause muscle strain. A strain involves a partial or total tear of muscle fibers. While most strains can heal up in one to two weeks, if the pain persists longer, a podiatrist in Spring, TX is your best treatment option.
Sprained Ankle
You have ligaments which are strong fibrous bands of tissue that connect the bones in the ankle joint as well as work to prevent excess movement. Without proper footwear and warm-up, you can easily injure your ankle, causing a sprain. Typically, a sprain feels better after two or three days of RICE treatment (rest, ice, compress, elevate). However, if it does not, it is necessary to get treatment from a podiatrist.
Spring, TX Tendinitis
There are some nice walking trails in addition to various sports options to indulge in the area. Tendinitis is always a potential problem whether you participate in a sport with a lot of repetitive action such as tennis or volleyball or simply wearing the wrong shoe for your powerwalks or jogging times. Tendinitis is an inflammation of tendons, the tissue that connects bones to muscles. The Achilles is the most common tendinitis problem that podiatrists in Spring, TX treat.
High impact sports may also cause stress fractures in the feet as well as plantar fasciitis. Stress fractures are hairline breaks cause be repeated stress to the bone. Plantar fasciitis is the inflammation of the connective tissues that stretch from the toes' base then across the foot arch to where it goes into the heel. These conditions can be quite painful which is why getting treatment by a podiatrist in Spring, TX is important.
If you live in the Houston area and are experiencing foot pain, it is important to choose a podiatrist in Spring, TX. Visit www.sweeneyfootankle.com for more details.


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Nokia has been forced to issue a profit warning as the company continues to struggle to compete against Apple, Research In Motion, and other smartphone makers.
The company, which remains the No. 1 mobile phone maker in the world, said its second quarter will likely end up at "the lower end of, or slightly below, its previously expected range of €6.7 billion to €7.2 billion," according to the company.
Specifically, Nokia investors are wary that the Finnish phone maker will continue to lose customers in the higher-end phone market without stopping the bleeding. Some analysts are now saying Nokia's current mobile offerings both in North America and Europe are extremely weak.
Even with continued struggles against Apple and other smartphone competitors in the North American market, the company still has been able to focus on mid-range and lower-end phone models.
"There are people out there saying that Nokia is going into a tail spin, like Motorola did," said Tero Kuittinen, MKM Partners analyst, in a statement. "That's the narrative that's freaking people out, but I am not buying it. That tends to be discounted, particularly in the U.S., where Nokia has zero presence and all the focus is on what Apple and Google are doing."
In other Nokia news, the company recently announced a bicycle-powered phone charger aimed at Europe and developing nations in South America and Africa.
Source: DailyTech


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News in Brief: A Washington Roundup
Court Declines Illinois Spec. Ed. Case
The U.S. Supreme Court declined last week to hear the appeal of an Illinois family that, after deciding to place their son in a residential special education school in Maine, sought reimbursement from the boy's school district.
A mother identified as Alice M. argued in court papers that her son, Dale M., was entitled to placement in the Elan School because the 1,585-student Bradley-Bourbonnais school district in Bradley, Ill., had failed to address his behavioral problems adequately.
A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, in Chicago, ruled 2-1 in January that the school district's recommendation to place him in a nearby day school was appropriate under federal special education law.
The Supreme Court declined without comment on Nov. 13 to hear the family's appeal in Dale M. v. Board of Education of Bradley-Bourbonnais High School District (Case No. 01-431).
—Mark Walsh
Education Panelist Roukema to Retire From Congress
Rep. Marge Roukema, a top-ranking Republican on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, announced this month that she will retire when her current term expires in January 2003.
The former high school history teacher has represented New Jersey's 5th Congressional District for more than 20 years. She is known as a moderate among generally more conservative Republican members in the House, and has been a supporter of more federal money for K-12 education and of reforms in student-loan programs.
Most recently, she sponsored legislation to place a moratorium on visas for international students until immigration laws can be changed to more carefully screen applicants.
In her announcement, Ms. Roukema, 72, praised the education committee's work on the pending Elementary and Secondary Education Act reauthorization. She added: "Now I will turn my attention to finding new ways to help children and families."
—Joetta L. Sack
Vol. 21, Issue 12, Page 20Published in Print: November 21, 2001, as News in Brief: A Washington Roundup
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Five of the brightest young prospects in European football
In this feature piece, Essentially Sports takes a look at five of the most exciting players under the age of 21, who have created a stir in the footballing world after their exploits in Europe's top leagues this season. These players have displayed consistent performances throughout the season and have been instrumental to their respective clubs. With the amount of talent they possess, one only hopes that these wonder kids will go on to fill their enormous potential.So without further ado, here are five of the brightest young prospects in European football.
5. Ousmane Dembele (Borussia Dortmund)
"I've never seen such a talented player before." These were the words stated by BVB general manager Hans-Joachim Watzke about his latest recruit from the summer transfer window, Ousmane Dembele. Given the performances of the young prodigy this season, we are inclined to believe Mr. Watzke. At 19 years of age, Dembele has made a fantastic start to his career at Dortmund. Having signed in the summer from the French side, Stade Rennias Fc, the Frenchman is proving to be indispensable to the German outfit. Dembele has registered a total of 6 goals and 11 assists in the Bundesliga this season. He has also completed the most number of take-ons in the Bundesliga this season.Pretty impressive stats for a nineteen-year-old. If Dembele can manage to maintain his stellar form for the next few years, Dortmund stands a real chance to dethrone Bayern Munich as Germany's best football team.


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Don't expect a stock market rally anytime soon, David Hefty, chief executive of Hefty Wealth Partners, told CNBC Tuesday.
"We think the market will continue to bottom over the next one to two quarters," he said.
"If there's going to be any type of rally at all we think at earliest it will be sometime late this year."
Hefty, who is heavily invested in cash, noted there is "a lot of risk in the system and I equate that to swimming in a pool of sharks. If there's a few guys in there that want to swim and be rewarded, that's great. If they get bitten or, worse, eaten alive, I'll wait. The sharks will go away and there'll be a safer time to reenter the market."
The technical indicators his firm uses had been bullish until June 6, when they turned over 50 percent bearish. That has only happened twice before — April 2000 and November 2007.
"Even though the last two times the market followed that with an over-50 percent drop, who knows what's going to happen this time?" Hefty asked.
"Maybe there could be a short-term rally this summer. The markets are very thinly traded. They go up and down at a very rapid pace. They're moving fast."
In the same interview Mark Newton, chief technical analyst at Greywolf Execution Partners, wasn't as bearish. He thinks in the next four to six weeks, "we can retrace some of these declines."
He said that from a technical standpoint "the market is gradually showing signs of coming out of eight weeks of decline. I think the risk/reward [ratio] does favor positioning on the long side."
July is "typically one of the more bullish months of the third quarter" where the Standard & Poor's 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average are concerned, with gains averaging 1 percent, Newton said.
"The bottom line is we haven't really seen any real signs of technical deterioration in the longer-term trends, so that's key," Newton said. "We have a short-term correction but the overall longer-term trends are still intact."
He is long on the PowerShares DB US Dollar Index Bullish Fund and the ProShares UltraShort Euro Fund .
CNBC Data Pages:
Disclosure information was not available for David Hefty or his company.
Mark Newton is long on UUP and EUO.


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After nearly a decade of searching for Osama bin Laden, most Americans will never forget the day the president said these words.
Since bin Laden's death on May 2 2011, the story of Navy SEALS hunting bin Laden down and killing him in Pakistan has been chronicled in a critically acclaimed movie, a best-selling book and countless news stories.
But now a member of the SEAL team says the story is all wrong. He remains anonymous and is called "the shooter" in an Esquire magazine article.
Another SEAL mark Owen, the author of "no easy day" says bin laden was shot by the point man in the raid.
Owen claims when SEALs entered bin Laden's room he was on the ground already dead from a shot to the side of the head.
"The shooter" tells a much different version. He tells Esquire the point man missed a shot from the second floor and the team then went upstairs. That's when the shooter claims the point man grabbed two women and in this excerpt the shooter claims he came face to face with their target.
The author of the article, who spoke with the anonymous seal, says he provided this additional detail.
There is no official way to determine who is telling the truth.
But CNN sources say "the shooter's" story is more credible.


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(This version of the October 1st story corrects to clarify in first 2 paragraphs that Monte dei Paschi reached a plea bargain and was not sent to trial)
MILAN (Reuters) – A Milan court has ordered Deutsche Bank
Monte dei Paschi separately reached a plea bargain with prosecutors after it was also investigated over similar allegations, the sources said.
The court also indicted 13 former and current managers from the three banks over the case, with prosecutors alleging they used complex derivatives trades to conceal losses at Monte dei Paschi, Italy's third largest lender, the sources said, adding that the trial will start on Dec. 15.
All those indicted have previously denied any wrongdoing.
The alleged crimes relate to the 2008-2012 period and include market manipulation and obstructing supervisory activity as well as false accounting, the sources said.
The allegations center on two derivatives transactions, known as Santorini and Alexandria, which Monte Paschi's former management arranged with Deutsche Bank and Nomura to conceal losses, prosecutors have said.
Since then, Monte dei Paschi has been bailed out by the Italian government and has had to raise billions of euros from investors to stay afloat. The bank is now seeking a further 5 billion euros ($5.60 billion) in capital as part of its latest rescue plan.
Under Italian law, a company can be held responsible if it is deemed that it failed to prevent, or attempted to prevent, a crime by an employee that benefited the company.
Amongst those being sent to trial are Monte dei Paschi's ex-chairman Giuseppe Mussari and its ex-general manager Antonio Vigni, as well as six former Deutsche Bank staff and two Nomura employees.
The case also involves a hybrid financial instrument which Monte dei Paschi used to partly fund its disastrous 2007 acquisition of rival bank Antonveneta. It paid some 9 billion euros for the lender, helping to sink its accounts.
($1 = 0.8922 euros)
(Reporting by Manuela D'Alessa; Writing by Crispian Balmer; Editing by Alexander Smith)


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Feeling creative?
Then join in with RHS Garden Wisley for great autumn art activities for families this October half-term.
And remember to pick up a family trail or an activity card at the garden entrance. They have loads of fantastic ideas that will help you to make the most of your visit.
Taste of Autumn Festival
21-24 October
- Celebrate the season at Wisley's annual Taste of Autumn Festival. Sample different apple varieties, enjoy cookery demonstrations, displays of fruit and vegetables then browse our food stalls and find new products to try.
- Apple tastings – around 20 different types of apple will be available for tasting. Find your favourite, then get advice from the Wisley Fruit team on choosing varieties to grow.
- Around 40 stalls will provide a wide range of tempting foods to buy, including cakes, jams, chocolate, liquorice, pies, olives, honey and cheeses.
- Don't miss the cookery demonstration kitchen, hosted by TV's 'The Big Chef' Peter Osborne, and designed to give you ideas on autumnal recipes to get the most out of seasonal ingredients.
October half term
25 -31 October
- Family fun for half term
- Feeling creative? Then join in our great autumn art activities for families this October half-term. And remember to pick up a family trail or an activity card at the garden entrance. They have loads of fantastic ideas that will help you to make the most of your visit.
- Have fun making an autumn mobile with sticks, leaves and autumn foliage (25 – 26 Oct)
- Create some incredible art pictures outdoors (27-29 Oct) with natural materials or try your hand at making a small woodland creature sculpture from clay .
- Halloween weekend (30-31 Oct) – plant some garlic to help keep the vampires away. And author Amy Stewart will be at the Plant Centre from 2:00pm to talk about her new book 'Wicked Plants: an A-Z of Plants that Kill, Maim, Intoxicate or Otherwise Offend'.
These activities run from 10am – 12pm and from 1pm to 3.30pm.
All children aged under 16 welcome to take part, but these activities are most suitable for children aged 3- 12. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Conkers at RHS Garden Wisley
This Saturday why not join in a game or two of conkers.
All you need to do to take part is turn up on the Seven Acres lawn at 12 noon.
On the day you will be given your conker, so grab a member of your family, a friend or a complete stranger to smash your way into the world record.
After the attempt why not marvel at the Birds of Prey flying display at 2pm, sow some garlic to keep the Vampires away, balance, swing and leap your way around the Wild at Wisley play area or follow the autumn family trail around the colourful garden.
Birds of Prey
30 and 31 October
- See some amazing owls in a Birds of Prey display.
- The birds will be on show all day, with flying displays starting at 11am and 2pm on both days.
RHS Garden Wisley
Wisley Lane
Normal garden entry
- RHS members plus family guest free, children under 6 free, adults £9.50, children (6-16) £3
Find out more at www.rhs.org.uk


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Although Los Angeles is a long way from the Caribbean where rum is the word all over the islands, our semi-tropical climate calls out for the sensational taste of this smooth libation used in classic cocktails all over the City of Angels. That said, the top notch bars that serve rum drinks also focus on the creative aspect of this versatile liquor for the basis of a number of sippers to remember. So, consider the follow five that do an exceptional job when it comes to making something to drink with the use of that special sauce called rum.
Caña Rum Bar
714 W. Olympic Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90014
(213) 745-7090
Head downtown for the ultimate rum bar, so exclusive that a $20 annual membership fee is charged the first time you lay claim to this semi-private club. However, that's a small price to pay for the change to enter the Cana Rum Society for the opportunity to enjoy tastings of the smooth sauce as well as a chance to try as many small-batch rums as you wish of the more than 150 on offer.
4427 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 669-9381
"Ho'okipa I Ka Malihini" says the site for Tiki-Ti, welcoming visitors to this tiny place that's big on attitude and rum-based drinks. You'll only find 12 seats in this Silver Lake hangout, but the tropical libations number more than 90, including a mean zombie. The house special is named after Tiki-Ti founder Ray Buhen and is called Ray's Mistake. The rum involved is of the dark Corub variety with other ingredients including a selection of botanic liquors as well as what these digs call "our own super secret flavor." Interested? Bring cash because no plastic is accepted at this small joint that's big with the hipster and the hippie crowds.
Sonny's Hideaway
5137 York Blvd.
Highland Park, CA 90042
(323) 255-2000
Jamaican rum is on show at this east side spot in such cocktails as the millionaire and the suze old-fashioned, both delivered with top-shelf service and bartenders who have been around this special sauce long enough to really get how to mix it. Locals swear by Sonny's Hideaway as their own special hideaway with its small menu that can be enlarged if you ask for a concoction that's on your mind and not on the menu.
Related: Best Rooftop Bars In Los Angeles
The Wellesbourne
10929 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90064
(310) 474-0102
The clubby atmosphere at this leather-laden bar is reminiscent of places where women once never entered. Now, everyone who enters is privy to classic rum-based libations served with what seems to be a white glove approach. A gaming room and a relaxing patio are on the menu at The Wellesbourne, as are a number of other scenarios suitable for sipping in an atmosphere that may make you feel underdressed if you aren't wearing an ascot.
Tonga Hut
12808 Victory Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91606
(818) 769-0708
At the celebrated Tonga Hut, enjoy the original Don the Beachcombers recipe for the original 1934 zombie which include three different rums. Another special on the menu is the navy grog, also a three-rum cocktail that this favorite outlet has made its own. Whatever you choose to sip at Tonga Hut is likely honed to perfection as this is the oldest tiki bar — opened in 1958 — still standing and still thriving in the Los Angeles basin.


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Anna Gristina accused Manhattan madam Monroe Gary Greenwald prostitution
NEW YORK — A suburban mother accused of moonlighting as a multimillion-dollar Manhattan madam was so keen to avoid legal trouble that she left town for Canada within an hour of hearing about an earlier prostitution investigation, prosecutors said Monday.
Prosecutors mentioned the hasty 2008 departure as Anna Gristina made her latest of several bids to get her $2 million bond reduced. A judge turned her down, saying another jurist had acted rationally in setting the amount. Defense lawyer Gary Greenwald said he planned to appeal.
Gristina, 44, of Monroe, has been held since her February arrest. Prosecutors say she ran a pricey prostitution service for 15 years and claimed to have law-enforcement connections who could give her a heads-up if legal trouble loomed. Her lawyers say she was simply trying to start a legitimate dating service.
While prosecutors have previously cited Gristina's 2008 Montreal trip in arguing that she's a flight risk, they shed new light in court papers and remarks Monday.
She feared that she might be under surveillance and a target of the 2008 prostitution investigation that led to former Gov. Eliot Spitzer's resignation, Assistant District Attorney Charles Linehan wrote.
Gristina was later recorded telling an associate that she had been tipped off and "that she fled within the hour of learning this," Linehan told state Supreme Court Justice Charles Solomon on Monday. "...There's no plainer example that (Gristina) is a risk of flight."
Spitzer was never charged but was publicly identified as a client of a call-girl ring at the heart of a federal case. The Manhattan DA's office handled some related prosecutions.
Greenwald says Gristina went to Canada only because she wanted to avoid potentially being called as a witness for someone who did get entangled in those cases; her concerns had nothing to do with Spitzer, the lawyer said. A private investigator has said he was seeking Gristina at the time as a possible defense witness for a madam who eventually pleaded guilty in that case.
Gristina wasn't charged at the time, and prosecutors didn't take legal steps to try to force her return from Canada, Greenwald said.
"She never ran away from anything," he said after court. While Gristina has been on prosecutors' radar since 2004, she was charged only this year. She has pleaded not guilty to a single count of promoting prostitution.
Greenwald called the bail excessive for a mother of four who's facing one low-level felony charge and has no prior criminal convictions.
"There is no way in hell that this is the right bail," he said.
Monday's hearing wasn't technically about whether the bail was right or wrong. Rather, Solomon was tasked with reviewing whether the judge handling the case, state Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, had used his discretion properly in setting the bond.
Merchan weighed arguments from both sides, and "in my judgment, (his) decision is not an abuse of judgment," Solomon said.
Prosecutors have said they believe Gristina made and squirreled away millions of dollars during years of peddling flesh. But the charge against her pertains just to a tryst she allegedly arranged this past July — a sting involving two prostitutes meeting with an undercover officer posing as a client, prosecutors said in papers filed Monday.
Gristina "discussed pricing and available prostitutes" with the undercover officer and directed him to an Upper East Side apartment for the assignation, Linehan wrote.
Also charged in the investigation are a co-defendant accused of helping Gristina run the business, two women charged as prostitutes and a man accused of laundering money.


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The Naples Riviera by Herbert M. Vaughan
Beati sunt mortui: here rest, we know, the priestess Mammia, the decemvir Aricius, Libella the aedile, and a host of other citizens with whose names the student or the lover of Pompeii is familiar. How many a time has this line of roadway rung with the sound of the last sad appeal, the thrice repeated valediction: "Vale, vale, vale! farewell until the day when Nature will allow us to follow thee!" How often have the wooden pyres flung up in these precincts their clouds of perfumed smoke into the clear air, now redolent with the aroma of yellow broom, of dewy thyme and of sweet marigolds! Perhaps it was amidst these lines of cypress-set tombs by the Herculaneum Gate that the poetic genius, whose verses were spurned by his own generation, composed his famous Ode to Naples, for in its opening lines Shelley tells us it was the aspect of the "city disinterred" that gave him inspiration:—
"Around me gleamed many a bright sepulchre
Of whose pure beauty, Time, as if his pleasure
Were to spare Death, had never made erasure;
But every living lineament was clear
As in the sculptor's thought; and there
The wreaths of stony myrtle, ivy and pine,
Like winter-leaves o'ergrown by moulded snow,
Seemed only not to move and grow,
Because the crystal silence of the air
Weighed on their life...."
One prominent feature of this district has already attracted our attention; the number of deep ravines with which the whole plain is intersected. These natural clefts are marvellously lovely in their rich luxuriance of foliage, and with their precipitous sides and verdure-clad depths will recall the wonderful latomiè, the ancient stone-quarries of Syracuse. Their depths are filled with orange and lemon trees, mingled with sable spires of cypress and the tall forms of bays, which here bear jet-black berries, such as are rarely seen in our northern clime; whilst the edges of the cliffs are clothed with a serried mass of wild flowers; red valerian, crimson snap-dragon, tall blue campanulas, the dark green wild fennel, white-blossoming cistus, and a hundred other plants, gay with colour and strong with aromatic perfume.
"The quarry's edge is lined with many a plant,
With many a flower distilling fragrant dew
From brightly coloured petals. Almond trees
Give snowy promise of sweet leaves and fruit;
Here all the scented tangle of the South
Covers the boulders, calcined by the sun
To pearly whiteness; thorn or asphodel
Sprout from each cranny of the topmost ledge
To nod against the deep blue sky, or peer
Into the verdure-clad abyss below."
Vastly different is the aspect on this side of the peninsula to that which we have just left behind us. There is the plain below us, thickly dotted with farms and villas set amidst crops and orchards, a fertile scene of industry and population; here on the Salerno side are wild stony tracts affording only pasturage for a few sheep and goats, and covered for miles with broom, cytizus, coronella, myrtle, and numberless fragrant weeds, all struggling fiercely for existence on the dry barren soil, and filling the clear air with an incense-like perfume. Such is our first acquaintance with the Costiera d'Amalfi, that wonderful stretch of indented rocky coast-line once containing the Republic of Amalfi, which was the forerunner of the glorious Commonwealths of Florence and Venice. From the grey cliffs of Capri to the west, as far as the headland beside Salerno, stretched this diminutive state, composed of a confederacy of sister-cities, whereof Amalfi herself was the queen and metropolis. Its glories have long vanished, but the Costiera d'Amalfi remains an enchanted land, not only on account of its natural beauties, but also by reason of its historical associations which give an additional charm to every breezy headland and every little town upon this wonderful shore.
[pg 131]Above the terraced garden rises the orangery, well watered by many artificial rillets, and from the midst of the orange and lemon trees there emerges a path leading to the entrancing bosco, or grove, that fills the deep hollow space formed by the sheltering cliffs behind. It was mid-winter, as we have said, yet pink cyclamens and strong-scented double narcissi were blooming freely, whilst from the dark boughs of the ilex trees overhead there fell upon the ear the pleasant twittering of innumerable birds, for happily the cruel snare and the gun are strictly forbidden in this sacred spot, so that his "little sisters, the birds," that the gentle Saint of Assisi loved so tenderly, can still sing their songs of innocence and build their nests in peace amidst the trees that no longer remain the property of the great humanitarian Order. At nightfall this garden is almost equally beautiful beneath a star-lit sky and with the many lamps of the town below throwing long bars of yellow light upon the placid waters of the Bay. As we pace the long terrace, wrapped in the glory of a million stars and revelling in the exalted yet fairy-like loveliness of the scene around us, we perceive the mellow night air to be redolent of a strange but fascinating perfume. It is the olea fragrans, the humble inconspicuous oriental shrub that from its clusters of tiny white flowers is thus giving out its secret soul at the falling of the night dews, and permeating the whole garden with its marvellous floral incense. But if the star-lit, flower-scented nights of Amalfi are to be accounted as exquisite memories, how much more glorious and exhilarating is the rising of the sun, as he appears in full majesty of crimson and gold above the classic hills [pg 132]that overlook Paestum to the east! Leaning at early dawn from the windows of the Cappuccini, we have watched the sky flush at the first caress of "rosy-fingered Eôs" and seen the fragment of the waning moon turn to silver at the approach of the burning God of Day, still tarrying behind the lofty barrier of the capes and mountains of the Lucanian shore.
It is all very well in its way, but in wet weather its surface is one sheet of slippery mud, and the streams pouring down the hillside make it chilly and damp for all who are not quick walkers. Besides this not very attractive and soon exploited walk, there are only the vicoletti, the narrow steep rocky paths running up hill, which make rough going and give little pleasure, for they are almost all bounded on either [pg 223]side by high stone walls that jealously exclude the view. So much for Sorrento in its winter dress. But when the spring comes, here truly is a transformation from cold and torpor! The soft warm air is redolent of the penetrating fragrance of orange blossom, of stocks, of jessamine, of wallflower, and of a hundred odorous plants and shrubs from each garden and grove behind the many obstructing walls. The balconies and gate-pillars are draped in scented masses of the beautiful wistaria, which in Italy produces its long pendant bunches of purple flowers before putting forth its bronze-coloured leaves. Cascades of white and yellow banksia roses fall over each confining barrier, or else their stems may be seen climbing like huge serpents up the trunks of pine and olive, to burst forth amidst the topmost boughs into floral rockets against the cloudless sky. The ravines with which the whole of the Piano di Sorrento is intersected are filled with a perfect jungle of fresh spring foliage, amidst whose varied tints of green appear here and there the bright red shoots of the pomegranate trees bursting into leaf. In the heavily perfumed air at dusk, or when the bright moonlight is flooding the whole scene and is turning the Bay into a mirror of molten silver, the song of the innumerable nightingales can be heard resounding from all sides; alas! too often sweet songs of sorrow for nests despoiled by the ruthless hands of young Sorrentine imps, as in the days of the Georgics.
From Ana-Capri we ascend to the peak of the lofty Solaro, by no means an arduous climb from this point, for we have but to follow a narrow goat-track leading across slopes covered with coarse grass and some low thickets of stunted lentisk and myrtle. The rosemary too grows plentifully on the dry wind-swept soil, and the soft sea breeze wafts its refreshing scent to our nostrils. There is a pretty legend of the people which relates the cause of this plant obtaining its perfume of unearthly sweetness:—how the Madonna one day hung the swaddling clothes of the Infant Christ to dry upon a common pot-herb in the garden at Nazareth—the rosemary is freely used in Italian cookery, and its taste is as unpleasant as its scent is delicious—whereupon the humble plant thus honoured was ever afterwards endowed with the delicate odour that is so highly prized. And beyond this, the rosemary was likewise permitted to put forth masses of flowers of the Madonna's own colour of blue, concerning which a tradition—Celtic, not Italian—avers that on Christmas morning upon every plant of rosemary will be found by those who care to seek them expanded blooms in honour of St Joseph, the Virgin and the Holy Child. Reaching the crest of the Solaro, we are well rewarded for our climb over the stony slopes by a wide-spreading view. Owing to the central position [pg 269]of the island, we can from its airy summit, some sixteen hundred feet above sea-level, command a glorious panorama of the three bays of the Neapolitan Riviera, each teeming with a thousand associations of classical or modern history.
Nor is its classical lore the only feature of the Bay of Baiae, for though its actual scenery cannot compare with the grandeur of Capri nor its vegetation with the rich luxuriance of Sorrento, yet these shores have a quiet beauty of their own. Vine, olive and almond abound on all sides, and everywhere we see the groves of orange and lemon that in spring time scent the air with their perfumed blossoms. And in the early months of the year every patch of warm-coloured, up-turned earth is gay with sheets of that beautiful but rapacious weed, hated of the peasant, the oxalis, with its clusters of pale yellow flowers: a species of sorrel that is allied to our own white-blossomed variety. From many a point on the little ridges that rise behind Pozzuoli magnificent views can be obtained, whilst to those who care to study the scientific results of volcanic action the Phlegraean Fields afford endless occupation and interest. Every one of course visits the Solfatara, that curious semi-extinct crater, the Forum Vulcani of Strabo, which has remained for over seven hundred [pg 304]years in its present condition of languor. A strange experience it is to enter the heart of a volcano that is still comparatively active, and to observe woods of poplar and a large pine tree beneath which grow masses of spring flowers—bright blue bugloss, the crimson vetch, starch hyacinths, purple self-heal, and golden spurge—and to pass from these thickets on to a space of bare white-coloured ground that trembles and sways under the feet like a sheet of insecure ice. Beyond, one sees the little fissures (fumaroli) emitting fumes of sulphur, and the guides take us to stifling caverns in the hill-side where we are shown the beautiful primrose-coloured crystals.
The appearance of the Image of "Il Divo," upon which the sunbeams were playing in dazzling coruscations of light, was greeted with a murmur of applause and satisfaction from the expectant crowd in the open. Hats were doffed; knees were bent; prayers were muttered, as with slow and cautious steps the bearers of the Image and its canopy began to descend. Having gained the lower ground in safety, a momentary halt was made, during which we were able to note the mass of votive offerings—jewels, chains, rings, watches, seals—suspended round the Saint's neck, amongst them being many silver fishes, doubtless the gifts of grateful mariners. And at this point we were spectators of a pretty incident. A little girl with black ringlets and eager eyes was dexterously lifted on to her father's shoulder, in order that she might present "Il Divo" with a golden chain, which the tiny fingers deftly clasped round the bejewelled neck of the silver bust. The crowd saw and applauded; it was a moment of triumph for the dark-eyed child, for the Church, and for the approving throng. With the new addition of the child's necklet to the treasury of the Saint, the procession pursued its way through the square towards the Valley of the Mills, with banners waving, with priests chaunting in harsh monotonous tones, and with clouds of incense rising into the sun-kissed air. It was truly a beautiful and curious sight, this festival of the Church amidst people so devout and surroundings so appropriate.
Casting a longing look behind we quit Amalfi in [pg 169]the cool of the evening, in order to cover the eight intervening miles of coast road that lie between us and Salerno. We pass Atrani, with its tall parti-coloured tower, and proceed towards our destination with the smooth plain of waters below us and the fertile slopes above our heads, and thus we quickly gain Minori, another of the busy little settlements that once helped to make up the collected might of the old Republic. We meet with bare-footed sun-embrowned peasants, in their suits of blue linen and broad shady straw hats; lean sinewy figures, returning from a long day's work in the fragrant orange groves by which the town is surrounded.
In these days of easy travelling there lies a choice of two routes to Paestum and its temples: one by driving thither direct from La Cava or Salerno, in the mode of our forefathers; and the other by taking the train to the little junction of Battipaglia, and thence proceeding southward by the coast line to the station of Pesto itself, that stands almost within a stone's throw of the chief gate of Poseidonia. A third, and perhaps a preferable way, consists in using the railway beyond Battipaglia to Eboli, a town of no little interest in the upper valley of the Silarus, and thence driving along the base of the rocky hills that enclose the maritime plain and through the oak wood of Persano that was brigand-haunted within living memory. But though the scenery between Eboli and Paestum undoubtedly owns more charm and variety than the marshy flats can boast, yet the strange loneliness of the sea-girt level has a fascination of its own, which will appeal strongly to all lovers of pristine undisturbed nature. For the larger portion of these Lucanian plains still remains uncultivated, so that thickets of fragrant wild myrtle and lentisk, of coronella and of white-blossomed laurustinus, stud the landscape; whilst [pg 199]the open ground is thickly covered with masses of hardy but gay flowering weeds. The great star-thistles run to seed unchecked by the scythe, and the belled cerinthia and the glaucous-leaved tall yellow mulleins seem to thrive heartily on the barren soil. Boggy ground alternates with patches of dry stony earth, and in early summer every little pool of water affords sustenance to coarse-scented white water-lilies, and clumps of the yellow iris that are over-shadowed by masses of tall graceful reeds.
Remnants of Tiberius' palaces, all of which are said to have been razed to the ground by order of the Roman Senate at his death, are scattered thick as fallen leaves in Vallombrosa over the whole surface of the island, and it is to the ruins of the Villa Jovis at its eastern crest that the visitor will in all probability first direct his steps. The way thither from the little city of Capri leads through narrow lanes along a stony but populous hill-side, to which the flat-roofed dazzling white houses with their small iron-barred windows lend [pg 255]an oriental aspect; an illusion that is aided by the appearance of an occasional date-palm over-topping some low wall, and by clumps or hedges of the prickly pear. This latter plant, of Indian extraction as its name of Ficus Indica betrays, grows in profusion over the sun-baked rocky slopes of southern Italy, especially in the neighbourhood of the sea. The peasants find it most useful, for it makes impenetrable hedges, and its coarse pulpy leaves when pounded up afford good provender for their goats and donkeys. The fruits of the prickly pear, those quaint crimson or yellow knobs attached to the edges of the leaves, are likewise gathered and eaten by the people, or else cleaned of their protecting layers of spiny hairs and despatched in baskets to Naples, where the cactus-fruit forms an important item of the popular fare. The fruit itself has a lovely colour and a fragrant scent, which give promise of a better flavour than it actually possesses, for it is hopelessly insipid to the taste, although the Neapolitans declare that the pulp, when mashed up into patties and iced, is very palatable.
But besides wine and oil, the island is likewise celebrated for its beautiful and varied flora, and it is amongst the olive groves and lanes of the western side of the island that the wild flowers can be found in the greatest profusion. Amongst the tender green shoots of the young springing corn are set myriads of brilliant hued anemones, purple, scarlet, and white with a crimson centre; and even in January can be found in warm sheltered nooks the pretty mauve wind-flower, one of the earliest of spring blossoms in Italy. The grassy pathways that intersect the various holdings are gay with rosy-tipped daisies, white "star-of-Bethlehem," dark purple grape-hyacinth, and the tiny strong-scented marigold, that seems to bloom the whole twelve-month round. Amongst the loose stone-work of the walled lanes, where beryl-backed lizards peep in and out of every crevice, can be found fragrant violets and the delicate fumitory with its pink waxy bells. In moist places flourish patches of the wild arum or of the stately great celandine, the "swallow-wort" of old-fashioned herbalists, who believed that the swallow made use of the thick yellow juice that runs in the veins of this plant to anoint the eyes of her fledgelings! And with the disappearance of the anemones as the season advances, their place is taken by blood-red poppies, by golden hawkweeds and by masses of tall magenta-coloured blooms of the wild gladiolus, the [pg 268]"Jacob's Ladder" of our own English gardens. Strange enough amongst these familiar homely flowers appear the sub-tropical clumps of prickly pear, and the hedges of aloe which here and there have thrown up a gigantic spike of blossom eight or ten feet in height, a triumphal favour of Nature that the plant itself must pay for by its subsequent death.
Leaving behind this region of houses and of cultivation, the zone of forest is reached, covered with woods of chestnut and oak, with a thick undergrowth of heather, myrtle, laurustinus and sweet-scented yellow coronella; there is grass under our feet, and long-stemmed daisies, violets, mauve anemones and small fragrant marigolds everywhere. Through the trees comes the nasal but [pg 292]not unmelodious singing of an unseen charcoal-burner, or the plaintive note of the little goat-herd's rustic pipe, accompanied by the musical jingling of his goat-bells;—for a moment we try to fancy ourselves in the pastoral Italy of Theocritus, where nymphs and shepherds, peasants and dryads, lived together on terms of amity in the woods.
It is but a short quarter of an hour by train from Torre Annunziata to Castellamare di Stabia, the ill-fated Stabiae of the Romans, which shared the evil lot of Pompeii and Herculaneum. On our right we have the sea, with the castle-topped islet of Revigliano, whilst on looking to the left we can survey the fertile valley of the Sarno, and the shapeless mounds which hide that precious goal of every traveller to these shores, the buried city of Pompeii. Everywhere thrives sub-tropical vegetation:—cactus and aloe draped in wreaths of smilax; tall straggling masses of scarlet geranium that cling for protection to the Indian fig, and blossom in security amid their spiky but safe retreats; shrubs of fragrant yellow genista; clumps of purple-leaved ricini, as the Italians name the castor-oil plant. If it were summer time, the daturas would be covered with their great white floral trumpets, and every oleander bush would be one blaze of the coarse carmine blossoms that are here called Mazza di San Giuseppe, or St Joseph's nosegay, and a very gaudy rank bouquet they make. But in spring-time the oleander can but display long greyish leaves and pods of snowy fluff, which is blown hither and thither like thistle-down on the air; and it is only in flaming summer that these regions are brightened by St [pg 27]Joseph's flower, or by the still more gorgeous masses of the mesembryanthemum, which clambers on all sides over the lava rock and hangs in crimson festoons from tufa cliffs, making impossibly splendid splashes of colour in the landscape.
If the garden of the Hotel Palumbo seems a fitting place wherein to idle or to dream, might not it also appeal to some historian, not tied to time nor to the hard necessity of money-making, as a suitable spot for the conception of a history of the origin, rise, decline and fall of the great maritime Republic, whose dominions, still smiling and populous, surround Ravello on all sides? Gibbon found the first suggestion for his Roman History whilst musing upon the ruins of the Capitol, and he finished his great work in a Swiss garden amidst the scent of acacia bloom; might not the annals of the Amalfitan Republic likewise spring from reflections made upon this terrace, where the memories of a former greatness still beautiful in its decay must operate so powerfully? Well, perhaps some future Gibbon—or more probably some budding Mommsen—may in time present the world with a true impartial and erudite history of the Costiera d'Amalfi.
The fruit of commerce is propagated by means of grafting the sweet variety on to the stock of the bitter orange—said on doubtful authority to be indigenous to this district—which is fairly hardy and can be grown in the open as far north as Tuscany, so that every aranciaria ought to possess a nursery of flourishing young sweet-orange shoots, ready in case of necessity. For eight long years the grafted tree remains as a rule profitless, but having survived and thriven so long, it then becomes a valuable asset to its proprietor for an indefinite period;—as a proof of the longevity of the orange under normal conditions we may cite the famous tree in a Roman convent garden, which on good authority is stated to have been planted by St Dominic nearly six hundred years ago. As to the amount of fruit yielded, the growers of Sorrento commonly aver that one good year, one bad year and one mediocre year constitute the general cycle in the prospects of orange farming. Two crops are gathered annually, the principle one in December and the other at Eastertide, the fruit produced by the later and smaller crop being far finer in size and flavour than those of the Christmas harvest. Mandarin oranges are gathered on both occasions, but the large luscious loose-skinned fruit of March and April—Portogalli as they are commonly termed—are far superior to the small hard specimens that appear in December, and seem to consist of little else than rind, scent and seeds. The oranges begin to form in spring time, almost before the petals have fallen, when the peasants anxiously draw their conclusions as to the expected yield. But however valuable the fruit, the wood of the tree is worthless for commerce, except to make [pg 233]walking-sticks, or to serve the ignoble purpose of supplying hotels and cafés with tooth-picks! Lemons, which are far more delicate than oranges and require to be kept protected by screens and matting during the sharp winter nights, are less common at Sorrento than on the warmer shores of the Bay of Baia or the sunny terraced slopes of the Amalfitan coast.


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A multitude of products available in our day to day lives either for personal, hygienic or cosmetic purposes contain some amount of fragrance which could potentially be harmful not only to yourself but more so to your infant. Some of these fragrances or perfumes may be natural or synthetic. Being informed about the adverse effects of these scented products will enable you to create a healthier and safer environment for you, your family and your child. Women's perfumes may contain chemicals adverse to newborns.
Many perfumes, colognes and body sprays contain chemical that can be harmful to some people's health. Children and babies in particular have a higher risk of being exposed to harmful chemicals which can be found in these products. Their sensory organs are still new and developing, and they are highly sensitive to substances in the air and their environment. Many products that on the market, the ones we use on a daily basis, not just limited to perfumes, contain some amount of fragrance. Items such as cleaning products, laundry detergents, body lotions, shower gels and shampoos designed for babies may also contain scented chemicals.
Although we know that perfumes and common household items are supposedly regulated by the Food and Drug Administration for harmful chemical content, regulations governing the fragrance industry is separate altogether allowing loopholes whereby companies self-regulate. A study in 1995 by the Environmental Protection Agency found that 90% of chemicals in fragrances have been derived from petroleum.
Based on a study by the Agency for Toxic and Diseased Substances, compounds derived from petroleum, which has been used in a high percentage of scented products, can cause birth defects, cancer, skin irritation and may also potentially damage the immune system is exposed to over a prolonged period of time. A Greenpeace research by the Health Institute of Nevada has revealed that at least 35 well-known perfume and cologne brands contain at least two toxic synthetic chemicals – synthetic musk and phylate esthers, which are known to alter pulse and mood, blood pressure, trigger migraine headaches and change brain blood flow. The study in 1995 by the Environmental Protection Agency found that pesticide linalool, a commonly used ingredient in perfumes and colognes is known to cause depression, lethargy and life threatening respiratory complications.
As a parent, you have the power and responsibility to make your home safe for your family and in particular, safe for your baby. Choose fragrance-free products, and choose not to wear perfumes or colognes. Keep your home free from detrimental chemical exposure where possible. Read labels on the products you buy carefully as manufacturers often use ambiguous and misleading terminology to advertise their products as au naturel. Where possible, avoid using air fresheners. Buy body products that are fragrance-free both for yourself and for your baby. And lastly, buy dishwashers and detergents that are also fragrance-free as both these items come into close contact with your baby, either through using of cutleries and clothes, both of which are used on a daily basis.


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Mum made bomb calls to escape $210 drug debt
"THERE'S a bomb and everyone has to evacuate immediately."
It was the alarming phone call a Boonah bank branch received in October last year, sparking a mass evacuation of staff and customers.
Krystal Maree Gabriel, 28, called three businesses on the same day, telling them she heard a rumour there was a bomb in the building or she had information to suggest there was.
Gabriel called the NAB Bank, the IGA supermarket and the post office between five and seven times.
She also called Ipswich Police and told them there was a bomb at the Commercial Hotel in Boonah.
All four business had to be evacuated and searched before staff and customers could go back inside.
She then called 000 five times and asked why "her threats had not been taken seriously".
The Mount Alford woman later told police she made the hoaxes as a joke and settle a $210 drug debt.
She was told "if she did it she wouldn't have to pay the drug debt".
Gabriel pleaded guilty in Ipswich District Court to four counts of bomb hoax. Defence lawyer Geoff Seaholme yesterday said his client described the crime as a "dare".
"It is rank stupidity but it caused a lot on inconvenience," Mr Seaholme said.
Mr Seaholme told the court Gabriel, a mother of a five-month-old, was taking drugs at the time of the offence but had since quit.
The court heard her criminal offending started in 2016 when she was caught with cannabis.
Judge Dennis Lynch told Gabriel the bomb hoaxes had a significant cost to the four businesses.
"No one should think this is funny. You caused alarm for authorities who had to go and investigate and make sure those places were safe," Judge Lynch said. "It had a significant cost to the community and to the businesses that were not able to trade normally. No one should find that remotely humorous."
Gabriel was sentenced to six months jail with immediate parole.


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8×8, SoftBank Telecom Partner on Virtualized Cloud Services
Cloud-based business communications provider 8×8 has signed an agreement with SoftBank Telecom that will see SoftBank license 8×8's subscription-based Zerigo enterprise cloud software.
Through the agreement, 8×8 and SoftBank will take Zerigo and develop additional software to provide SoftBank with virtual desktop interface (VDI) services. SoftBank's plan is to take Zerigo and the additional cloud services to its customers in Japan, but over time, it will roll out the virtualized cloud data services throughout the rest of Asia before taking them to Europe, the United States and other major markets around the world.
SoftBank plans to market the new cloud services to its existing customers, which the company stated includes some of the "world's largest enterprises." The 36-month contract looks to be a good win for 8×8, which will earn development, installation and ongoing license fees throughout the entire run of the contract.
"SoftBank selected 8×8 after an extensive search of software providers based on 8×8's clear commitment to quality, scalability and reliability as well as flexibility and cost competitiveness," said Ken Miyauchi, director of the board of SoftBank Telecom, in a prepared statement. "SoftBank is pleased to partner with such a nimble, Silicon Valley company whose culture mirrors our own and whose experience in delivering cloud services will be invaluable in helping us to rapidly deploy similar services in Japan. We expect our customers will be delighted with these new offerings and we look forward to expanding the available markets in the near future."
The Zerigo technology SoftBank will be using was acquired by 8×8 in June 2011. The acquisition of Zerigo added virtual private servers, managed DNS services and monitoring tools for 8×8's cloud-based services portfolio.
SoftBank, which has built its nearly 30-year-old business on voice and data transmission services, got into the cloud market with the launch of White Cloud, a cloud computing service aimed at helping customers optimize their IT investments and assets.


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Ships are constructed in countries around the world – but only the largest shipowners are likely to have in-house dedicated teams to verify construction and repair works. Bureau Veritas Solutions Marine & Offshore provides project assurance through on-site, second-party representation, supplementing in-house teams. Our experts are available worldwide to ensure that new construction, conversion, and repair works are completed to specification and quality standards.
Vessels can be built or repaired in shipyards across the world, often at great distance from the owners who commission and operate them. To be sure that vessels are built and repaired to specification, shipowners must have second-party representation on the ground. This requires the presence of a range of experts, including mechanical, coatings, and structural engineers, who can act on the owner's behalf, ensuring the vessel is constructed or altered as required.
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- Our regulatory experts support shipowners by ensuring vessels are built, converted or repaired to specification
- Our extensive global presence ensures our experts can be quickly deployed to shipyards around the world
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How the HTC One's Camera Bucks the Trend in Smartphone Imaging
Now that we've seen the HTC One camera announcement, I think it's worth going over why this is something very exciting from an imaging standpoint, and also a huge risk for properly messaging to consumers.
With the One, HTC has chosen to go against the prevailing trend for this upcoming generation of devices by going to a 1/3.0" CMOS with 2.0 micron pixels, for a resulting 4 MP (2688 × 1520) 16:9 native image size. That's right, the HTC One is 16:9 natively, not 4:3. In addition the HTC One includes optical image stabilization on two axes, with +/- 1 degree of accommodation and a sampling/correction rate of 2 kHz on the onboard gyro. Just like the previous HTC cameras, the One has an impressively fast F/2.0 aperture and 5P (5 plastic element) optical system. From what I can tell, this is roughly the same 3.82 mm (~28mm in 35mm effective) focal length, slightly different from the 3.63 mm of the previous One camera. HTC also has included a new generation of ImageChip 2 ISP, though this is of course still used in conjunction with the ISP onboard the SoC, and HTC claims it's able to do full lens shading correction for vignetting and color, in addition to even better noise reduction, and realtime HDR video. Autofocus is around 200ms for a full scan, I was always impressed with AF speed the previous cameras had, this is even faster. When it comes to video HTC apparently has taken some feedback to heart and finally maxed out the encoder capabilities for the APQ8064/8064Pro/8960 SoC, which is 20 Mbps H.264 high profile.
|HTC One Camera Specifications
|HTC One
|Sensor Size and Type
|4.0 MP 16:9 Aspect Ratio (2688 x 1520)
|Focal Length
|Optical System
|2-axis +/- 1 degree, 2 kHz sampling
|Max Capture Rate
|8 FPS continual full res capture
|Video Capture
| 1080p30, 720p60, 720p30, 1080p28 HDR, 768x432 96FPS
H.264 High Profile, 20 Mbps
The previous generation of high end smartphones shipped 1.4 micron pixels and a CMOS size of generally 1/3.2" for 8 MP effective resolution. This year it seems as though most OEMs will go to 1.1 micron pixels on the same 1/3.2" size CMOS and thus get 13 MP of resolution, or choose to stay at 8 MP and absorb the difference with a smaller 1/4" CMOS and thinner optical system. This would give HTC an even bigger difference (1.1 micron vs 2.0 micron) in pixel size and thus sensitivity. It remains to be seen whether other major OEMs will also include OIS or faster optical systems this generation, I suspect we'll see faster (lower F/#) systems from Samsung this time, some rumored images showed EXIF data of F/2.2 but nothing else insightful. Of course, Nokia is the other major OEM pushing camera, but even they haven't quite gone backwards in pixel size yet, but they've effectively been in a different category for a while. We've already seen some handset makers go to binning (combining a 2x2 grid of pixels into one effective larger pixel) but this really only helps increase SNR and average out some noise rather than fundamentally increase sensitivity.
The side by sides that I took with the HTC One alongside a One X so far have been impressive, even without final tuning for the HTC One. I don't have any sample images I can share, but what I have seen has gotten me excited about the HTC One in a way that only a few other devices (PureView 808, N8, HTC One X) have so far. Both the preview and captured image were visibly brighter and had more dynamic range in the highlights and shadows. So far adding HDR to smartphones has focused not so much on making images very HDR-ey but rather as a mitigation to recover some dynamic range and make smartphone images look more like what you'd expect from a higher end camera. Moreover, not having to use flash in low light situations is a real positive, something which currently adds a false color cast if you're using a device with an LED.


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Skating (Gross Motor)
Indoor "skating" with song "12 Variations on 'Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman", K.265 (Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)
- Practice skating/sliding indoors by cutting 2 sheets of waxed paper slightly longer than child's foot
- Being barefooted and on a non-carpeted floor works best for this "skating"
- Child places feet on the wax paper and without lifting feet, skates across the floor
- Play some music while child (you can join in....) skates. Use song "12 Variations on "Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman"
- Sometime this month let child skate with real skates - roller skates, roller blades, or ice skates
When skating encourage child to alternate feet - sliding with right foot and then left foot.
Encourage child to come up with a "skating" routine that can be memorized and repeated for the family.
- waxed paper
- scissors
- song "12 Variations on Ah, vous dirai-je,Maman"(Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star) by Mozart; album "Essential Classics - Mozart Piano Concertos No. 21 and 26 OR music of your choice (optional)
Activity Resources
Curriculum Plan Resources
Skills Focus
- Shape - Review
- Color - White
- Number - Eight, 8
- Alphabet Letters - W, N
- Senses - Taste
- Character Trait - Self-Control
- Target Words - Good-night, Sweet, Sour, Next
Monthly Proverb
Dutch - A handful of patience is worth more than a bushel of brains
Did You Know?
" Approximately two-thirds of parents surveyed would like information about ways to support children's early reading and school readiness skills, ways to help children's social-emotional development and how to use positive discipline." Washington Early Learning System
Books to Read
"Black and White Rabbit's ABC"
by Alan Baker (Activity 9)
"Goodnight Moon"
by Margaret Wise Brown (Activity 14) (audio book available)
"Cars and Trucks and Things that Go"
by Richard Scarry (Activity 26)
Music Playlist
"Alphabet Medley"
by Sharon, Lois & Bram Album: Sing A to Z (Activity 1)
12 Variations on "Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman" K.265 (Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star) Mozart"
by George Szell; Cleveland Orchestra Album: Mozart: Piano Concertos K. 467 & 537; Variations K.265 (Activity 20)
"10 Crunchy Carrots"
by Charlotte Diamond Album: 10 Carrot Diamond (Activity 6)
Monthly Materials List
Click Here to view the list!
Fingerplay / Poems / Songs
Singing Time
(Activity 23 Month 10)
I wake up in the morning early
And always the very first thing
I poke up my head and I sit up in bed
And I sing and I sing, and I sing.
(This poem was memorized and recited each morning in our family. Use this poem or find your own for your wake-up routine.)


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No prosecutions over the death of baby Joshua
Police say no prosecution will take place into the death of Joshua Titcombe or any other babies at the maternity unit at the Furness General.
The baby, from Dalton-in-Furness, Cumbria, died nine days after he was born at the hospital 2008.
His father, James, refused to accept the explanations he was given for his son's death and successfully argued for an inquest which, in 2011, heard that midwives repeatedly missed chances to spot and treat a serious infection.
Joshua's observation chart went missing and has never been found, while a coroner accused midwives of "colluding" over mistakes made.
Police began an investigation into Joshua's death before the inquest and later widened their probe to look at the deaths of 18 other babies and two mothers at Furness General.
In 2012, detectives said no action would be taken in relation to the deaths except the case of Joshua Titcombe, which had been passed to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for its consideration
Detectives also investigated 14 births which involved complications, but also recommended that no action be taken in relation to them.
Today, Cumbria Constabulary announced the HSE had notified them that it would not be carrying out any further investigations.
Last month, an independent report - chaired by Dr Bill Kirkup - uncovered a "lethal mix" of problems at the "seriously dysfunctional" maternity unit, which led to the Health Secretary describing the unnecessary deaths of 11 babies and one mother as a "second Mid Staffs".
Police said today that the Morecambe Bay Investigation, which was separate from the criminal probe, did not raise "any further issues of significance that were not already known to the investigation team".
Senior investigating officer Detective Inspector Doug Marshall said: "Although we have not been able to progress to a criminal prosecution, I am confident that it was right for us to undertake a police investigation.
"Our investigation meant that other agencies also began looking at what was happening at Furness General Hospital, and it assisted families in getting the independent investigation that they deserved.
"As the Report of the Morecambe Bay Investigation stated, it was always going to be difficult for the police to reach the bar for prosecution, however it was in the public interest for us to investigate these serious complaints as thoroughly as possible.
"I would like to take the opportunity to thank the families involved for their support and patience during a lengthy and complex investigation.
"I hope that our investigation and the Report of the Morecambe Bay Investigation have, in some way, addressed their concerns and brought them out into the open.
"However nothing can ever bring back those that they have tragically lost, and our thoughts remain with them. I share the hope that lessons have been learned and the necessary improvements made."
Speaking at last month's unveiling of the independent report, Mr Titcombe said the police investigation into his son's death was not an "important issue" for him.
He said: "If I am honest with you, I think this (Morecambe Bay) investigation gets to the truth. What good would the HSE prosecution do in fining a trust that is already struggling for money?
"So it's not an important issue for me. What's important is the recommendations of this report are implemented. There has been progress in patient safety, let's carry on that now, let's commit to 10 years of driving to change the culture."


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Find small-kitchen design ideas to fit your house's traditional fashion. Cabinets by Martin Kobus Dwelling for KronoSwiss hold a glossy profile, and Holly Hunt pendants illuminate countertops by Neolith Products. Galley-model kitchens are, by definition, small. On this narrow kitchen in a Victorian row house, a peninsula separates the main sink from the bar sink, creating much-needed counter space.
The simplest answer for galley kitchens is normally to take away a wall One wall is usually an exterior wall, which cannot for eliminated. This working island features as a cooking area with a constructed-in range and prep space and as a bar with seating. The island in this horseshoe, or U-form, kitchen includes a second sink and acts like a dining space that can seat a number of people.
This extended island offers this L-shaped kitchen a galley-like really feel and features plenty of cupboard storage, counter house and seating. This kitchen's twin skilled-model ranges and ample counter area allow two cooks to work on the identical time, while the office nook and central island can be utilized for snacks or learning.
This galley kitchen is in the end modern and effectively designed. A U-formed kitchen is likely one of the most space-efficient designs, and is ideal for small kitchens. In lots of kitchens that have this layout, the peninsula serves as a room divider that separates the kitchen from a eating or living room area, as seen in this design.
If you happen to're on a decent finances think about revamping kitchen cupboards or investing in some new kitchen worktops to refresh the style and add years of service to the busiest room in the house. This eight-foot-long island is nice for grabbing a quick meal and as extra house for meals prep.


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Dockwalk.com Forum
Training - Ask MPT
Navy Credits
You will find that if attended; your advanced firefighing will be accepted, radar and navigation will only help you through the required STCW classes.
Your sea time credits although you may have accumulated many years, unless you have held a USCG license during this time the most you would be expected to receive is a 200t masters. Maritime professional training center has very good information along with www.uscg.mil/nmc
Capt Stan Glover
Found the clarification in the MSM Vol. III, that 100% of my seatime will count since I'm an Operations Specialist, and after further investigation into my own record, I'm only getting credit for 5 years of my sea service, but still, that 60 months, 1800 days, 43,200 hours of acceptable transferrable time.
So it looks like I'm right in line for my Master/Mate 200gt. Anyone have any advice on how to expedite my application to get it through faster? Should I submit it now, or after I take my classes?


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ECS is a new intelligent energy management control system platform designed to reduce energy consumption, improve the utilization of the system, increase reliability, and predict electrical system performance as well as optimize energy usage to reduce cost.
Coordinate hardware and software components provide efficient power monitoring solutions that meet all requirements, from standard solutions to customized applications.
The hardware and software components of our energy management system for low-voltage power distribution make energy consumption transparent, document it, and thus support your corporate energy management.
ECS combines data from process and power systems to give you valuable new insights into your plant's operations. This integration makes it easier to see and understand where in your process waste is occurring, so you can take the necessary steps to reduce or eliminate it. Reducing waste will directly improve your bottom line.
The ECS Meter devices detect and document energy values of individual loads in a precise and reliable manner. They also provide important measured values that can be used to analyze the status of the system and the power quality. Thanks to their versatile communication capability, ECS Meter can easily be integrated into power monitoring system.
Wall-Mounting version
19" rack version
The ECS monitoring software is suitable for infrastructure, industrial applications and buildings. Power monitoring makes possible to integrate varius functions such as structured visualization and archiving of consumption data, cost center allocation etc.
EQoS provides a web-based solution with differentiated types of access. The client may define data analysing and processing areas and eventually request the creation of customized energy models.
Some advantages:
- Consumption accounting - useful in case of distribution of costs and to know the value of expenses.
- Consistency check between the energy bills and actual consumptions.
- Quantification of fixed costs and of the real energy sales agreement by the energy suppliers.
- Generation of standard alarms if the monitored quantities exceed the thresholds foreseen.
- Remote control in order to identify possibly damaged appliances or appliances consuming too much energy (due to their performance degradation, obsolescence, maintenance/cleaning necessity, etc.).


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A correspondent from British Columbia recently asked "What is a Liberal party bereft of liberalism?" He was, of course, describing the situation today where the Conservative parties are moving farther and farther to the harshest right, Liberals are the new Conservative-Light and the New Democrats are lost in a confused and undetermined world of the centre-left.
It is a situation desperately in need of new definition and new alliances. What we appear to have is our political structures moving further and further away from their mobs. And contrary to the limited perceptions of our putative leaders, they are driving their natural supporters away.
Look around the world or even here at home. There is political insecurity as voters wrestle with their frustrations. They want something different but are finding it difficult to articulate. Some leaders are connecting; We are thinking of Emmanuel Macron in France, Bernie Sanders in the U.S.A. while on the other hand we have Trump in the U.S. and the rise of the far right in Europe.
The resilience of Donald Trump's support is surprising pundits. Valérie Plante's mayoral victory in Montreal and the ability of Naheed Nenshi to fight off a strong attack from the right in Calgary are catching us all by surprise. You can no longer trust political logic.
Stephen Harper swore he would move Canada permanently to the right of the political spectrum. All he moved us to was that final distaste for his oppressive form of right-wing libertarianism. He made a mantra of balanced budgets and the voters moved to a braver, deficit promoting Liberal Party.
But where is Justin Trudeau in this political turmoil? He talks the talk of saving an environmentally threatened world and approves the senseless pollution extremes of pipelines for bitumen. He makes promises to his party for power and then betrays the party. He promises voting reform without understanding the options. He promises new peacekeeping without understanding the realities of the world's needs. He bemoans the privileged attitude of the Senate while creating a new privileged class of elites to continue the cost to Canadians for a Senate that is unwanted and unneeded.
What Canada needs is a new social democratic party of the centre-left. The New Democrats need to drop their ties to "me-first" unions and move along with real liberals to this new party. The Conservatives can fade into a futile future with their mean and selfish attitudes. Liberals will find their future as progressives challenged from the left. And voters will have new options, better government and, in time, a modern constitution for their country.
Copyright 2017 © Peter Lowry
Complaints, comments, criticisms and compliments can be sent to firstname.lastname@example.com
Tags: Conservative, Harper, Liberal Party, NDP, Senate of Canada, Trudeau


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After a "bye week" from DraftKings golf due to the format of the Zurich Classic, we are finally back! If you got a chance to watch any of the Zurich over the weekend, you would have noticed that it was a team event. Golfers were paired up in groups of two with different scoring formats each day. Thursday and Saturday were "Best Ball," while Friday and Sunday were "Foursomes," (or alternate shot). The tournament featured walk-up songs for each group at the opening tee box which also added some excitement. I would not be surprised if DraftKings already has something up their sleeve for next year's Zurich Classic. We saw them roll out contests for the Match Play event a month ago, so maybe they will take on the Zurich Classic next season.
This week the Tour heads to Charlotte, North Carolina for the Wells Fargo Championship. This is one of the stronger fields we have recently seen, including 13 of the Top 20 players in the world. This year's event, as opposed to last, is being played at Quail Hollow Club. Therefore, looking at the leaderboard from last year becomes irrelevant. If you want to see how players fared at the site in 2017, take a look at the PGA Championship leaderboard, which was played at Quail Hollow. The course layout has changed since the 2016 Wells Fargo Championship as it is now a Par 71. That being said, course history should not be weighed as heavily as it is in other tournaments.
Key Statistics
- Strokes Gained: Off-The-Tee
- Ball Striking
- Driving Distance
Top End
With such a loaded field for this week's Wells Fargo Championship, we only find ourselves with four players over the $10k mark, three of which surpass $11k. The favorite, Rory McIlroy leads the way on DK at $11,800. He is followed by Justin Thomas at $11,300, Rickie Fowler ($11,100), and Jason Day ($10,200). With so much value in the low-$7k range, you are able to build around a player from this top range. Though an argument can be made for any of these top four players, I will be leaning towards Justin Thomas ($11,300). We don't have much of a sample size of this new layout at Quail Hollow, but the first time it played as a Par 71 last season at the PGA Championship, Thomas won by two strokes. Though it might play a little differently since it is not a major, it is something that cannot be ignored. Either way, Thomas has made all seven cuts in 2018 with six of them resulting in top-20's. While McIlroy is the favorite this week, DailyRoto gives Thomas the best odds to win at 7.40%. Thomas has a nice floor for DraftKings and if you are willing to pay up this week, this is the safest spot.
Fleetwood and Finau Top Second Tier Options
While paying up this week isn't all that bad, there is tons of value under $10k due to the strength of the field. Tommy Fleetwood at $9,000 checks all three boxes when looking through the key statistics. Fleetwood currently ranks third in SG: Off-The-Tee, 38th in Ball Striking, and 28th in Driving Distance. Like Justin Thomas, Fleetwood has yet to miss a cut this season. In a range surrounded by Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and Paul Casey, Fleetwood could go unnoticed.
Tony Finau ($8,700) is also worth a look in this next range. I mentioned early in the season I expect him to get a win at some point this year, and I do not want to miss out. He is 34th is SG: Off-The-Tee and second in Driving Distance just barely behind Trey Mullinax. Finau is coming off of a surprising Top 10 finish at The Masters on a sprained ankle and looked good this past weekend at the Zurich, finishing solo sixth with Daniel Summerhays.
Other Plays: Webb Simpson ($8,400), Alex Noren ($8,100), and Bryson DeChambeau ($8,000).
Nothing But Value at $7,400
It seems as if you could fill a roster with six players priced at $7,400 this week. I mean we have been paying $8,900+ for Luke List the past couple weeks and now we get him for $7,400 after a missed cut at the Valero Texas Open? Sign me up. List is currently eighth in SG: Off-The-Tee, 53rd in Ball Striking, and third in Driving Distance. This distance off the tee should help him on long par fours, as nine of them stretch over 449 yards.
Another player with distance that I will be targeting from this price point is Gary Woodland ($7,400). Woodland fits the mold of the type of player we are looking for as he ranks 13th in SG: Off-The-Tee, first in Ball Striking, and sixth in Driving Distance. However, recent form is an issue as he has made just two cuts in his last five events since his win at the Phoenix Open. The numbers should outweigh where Woodland's game is at right now. He has rattled off seven straight cuts made at Quail Hollow with his last four being Top 25 finishes (T22, T24, T4, T18). Woodland is a fine cash game play, but will be a nice leverage play in tournaments with many people off of him right now.
Lastly, we find Francesco Molinari also listed at $7,400 and his name is popping more than anyone. Molinari played at Quail Hollow for the PGA Championship a season ago, where he finished T2, and also played it well at the Wells Fargo in 2016 with a T17. He ranks sixth in SG: Off-The-Tee and 23rd in Ball Striking. DailyRoto's models always love Molinari as well, rating him out as the fifth best value on DraftKings. He has the best odds of any player priced under $8,100 to make the cut (70.75%). Starting a team with List, Woodland, and Molinari would leave you with over $9,200 to spend on your last three roster spots. This could be the way to build in cash games.
Other Plays: Emiliano Grillo ($7,700), Byeong Hun-An ($7,600), Dylan Frittelli ($7,100), Joaquin Niemann ($6,800), and Sam Ryder ($6,500)
Mulligan of the Week
Joaquin Niemann
Though you might be a week late to the party, I hope you were able to add Niemann while you still could. The 19 year-old amateur went pro just before the Valero Texas Open, where he finished a solo sixth. Committing to several events through sponsor exemptions, Niemann qualified for this week's event through his debut Top10 finish. He is now just 269 FedEx Cup points away from earning his temporary tour card. Even if he does not get to that number, Niemann showed how good he really is and is especially worth a look in keeper leagues.


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Easy Mocha Fudge
You won't need a candy thermometer to make this no-fuss, mocha-flavored fudge made with bittersweet chocolate.
Last Christmas I set out to write a proper fudge recipe that cooked the fudge mixture to just the right temperature on a candy thermometer. I kept ruining it, plus it was a pain to make, so now I do myself a favor and use this easy method.... Read More
View Recipe


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NYC billionaire mayor not looking to buy the Mets
As a billionaire, Mayor Michael Bloomberg could afford to buy the Mets. But that's one job that he's not looking to step into after he leaves City Hall.
The mayor was asked by a reporter on Wednesday if he'd be interested in buying the team.
Bloomberg said he enjoys attending Mets games, but he can't figure out "why anybody wants to own a sports team." He said he already faces tough scrutiny from the press without owning a team.
The Mets have been in financial turmoil following three seasons of losing records at Citi Field and a lawsuit filed by the trustee seeking to recover money for victims of the Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme. A trial is scheduled for next month; the trustee is seeking $386 million.


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PR Executives, Including Edelman CEO Richard Edelman, Petition PRSA
A group of PR industry executives today announced a petition to the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) to remove PRSA accreditation — known as APR — as a requirement for being a national director or officer in the organization.
The group, which includes Edelman CEO Richard Edelman, Art Stevens of StevensGouldPincus, and Dave Rickey, bylaws revision chair of PRSA, issued a statement today, which read in part:
We are calling on PRSA to abandon the decades old requirement that its national officers and board members be accredited. Less than 20% of PRSA members are accredited meaning that 80% of the 21,000 members cannot become PRSA leaders unless they choose to become APR. We do not believe that democracy is being served in PRSA so long as a small minority of its members can hold elective office.
Sandra Fathi, president and founder of agency Affect Strategies, is part of the committee and told PRNewser today, "To volunteer in your chapter or any section you do not need to be APR. I'm the past president of the tech section and president elect of the NY chapter, but because I'm not APR accredited, I cannot serve in any capacity on the national level and that's what we think is wrong."
"No one is disputing the value of being accredited, only disputing whether it should be requirement to be involved on the national level," she said.
Gary McCormick, APR, Fellow PRSA, 2010 Chair and CEO of PRSA, said in a statement to PRNewser:
When the ad hoc committee obtains the necessary signatures and forwards the language it would like the Assembly to consider, PRSA will develop an outreach program to raise awareness of the proposed amendment, similar to the one we conducted for the changes to PRSA's Bylaws that were proposed last year.
PRSA's current Board of Directors has not taken any position in support of or against the proposed amendment. Individual Board Members, like all Delegates to the PRSA Assembly, will be free to vote in favor of or against the amendment, as they determine.
The committee is seeking 1,000 signatures and will present them to the Assembly Oct. 15 in Washington, D.C. A similar petition was presented last year and failed to pass.


text: SAVE 1. McDonald's What to expect: Dad gets his free 1pc Chicken Mcdo when you buy a Happy Meal for the kiddo! Must Do: Upon availing your favorite chicken meal, order large fries and their Angry Birds desserts, too—everybody happy. Head over to: McDonald's stores in SM branches from 3PM to 5PM on June 17. 2. Dunkin'Donuts What to expect: The unexpected—Dunkin' Donuts is keeping the secret until you win this promo. But for sure, it's a great surprise for your dad! Must Do: Share what you miss most about your dad in the comments section. Get creative! Head over to: To their Facebook page and look for their Father's Day promotion. Don't forget to use the hashtag #DDFathersDay to qualify! Entries will be accepted until Sunday. 3. Applebee's What to expect: A free Clubhouse Grille! Must Do: Dine with them and have a minimum single receipt dine-in purchase of P1,500 to get the free Grille. Head over to: Applebee's, 30th Street corner 9th Avenue, W Global Center, Bonifacio Global City. 4. New Balance What to expect: 20% discount on select regular-priced performance footwear and apparel. Must Do: There's still time to buy a last-minute gift for Pops. How about a pair of nice basketball shoes? Head over to: All New Balance stores (expect New Balance SM Aura) until June 19. 5. Guevarra's What to expect: A chance to give your dad the gift of time—they will raffle off an Ibarra Rizal 90514BY - 40mm Rose Gold watch! Must Do: Enjoy Chef Laudico's sumptous breakfast buffet for a gastronomically remarkable morning with the fam! Head over to: Guevarra's at P. Guevara, Manila until June 19. With a mininum spend of P3,000, you're qualified for the Father's Day draw on Sunday, so eat away! 6. Spiral Manila What to expect: Lots of prices to be given away to dads such as Kiehl's gift packs, Samsonite bags, Jack Nicklaus shirts, Angeles City Flying Club Trial Lessons, and an Apple Watch! Must Do: Taste world-class buffet dishes courtesy of celebrity dad and restaurateur Rob Pengson with the Spiral team. Head over to: Spiral Buffet Restaurant, CCP Complex, Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City. 7. Star City What to expect: The ride of your lives—be a kid once again (with your kids) with a 50% discount on the tickets of dads and the little ones! Must Do: Hop on the ferris wheel, bump car, and carousel, or brave the Viking and Jungle Splash if you could! Head over to: Star City, Sotto corner Jalandoni Streets CCP Complex, Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City. 8. VASK Tapas Room What to expect: New and classic dishes for only P1,600++! Must Do: Design your own brunch with their selection of hot tapas, cold tapas, main course, and dessert. Head over to: Vask Tapas Room, 5th Floor Clipp Center, 11th Avenue corner 39th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City 9. Manila Bay Cruise What to expect: A free lunch cruise for dads! Must Do: Fill your tummies with good food from their lunch buffet while cruising along Manila Bay for two hours. Head over to: Sun Cruises Esplanade Seaside Terminal, Manila on Sunday, 11AM. Dads must be accompanied by three paying adults to avail of promo. 10. Eugenio Lopez Center What to expect: A staycation to remember for the best dad ever—for P4,950 (good for two people)! Must Do: Go loco over their barbeques, inclusive of the promo, while watching the fun movie screenings of ELC on Father's Day like Finding Nemo and Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs! Head over to: Eugenio Lopez Center, Sumulong Highway, Antipolo City. 11. Summit Ridge Hotel What to expect: Bring the family and treat your dad to a free buffet lunch! Must Do: Load your plate with their signature Baby Back Ribs, Burgers, Sausages, Roast Beef, and more! Head over to: Summit Ridge Hotel, Km 58 Maharlika West, Tagaytay City. Bring four full paying adults to avail of promo. 12. The Bellevue Manila What to expect: Your dad to be treated like royalty—a free makeover by Jing Monis Salon, a luxurious overnight stay, breakfast buffet, and more when you book a room! Must Do: Unwind and let the Bellevue staff pamper and treat him on this special day. Head over to: North Bridgeway, Filinvest City, Alabang, Malacca Ln, Alabang, Muntinlupa City. 13. Dusit Thani Manila What to expect: Sunday crossover brunch at UMU and The Pantry for guests? Game! But what's more, dads get a chance to test drive the latest MINI Cooper cars and win awesome giveaways! Must Do: Join in surprise activities Dusit Thani has in store for all its guests! Head over to: Dusit Thani, Ayala Centre, Makati City 14. Nurture Wellness Village What to expect: A day to relax and rejuvenate the senses with their signature massage services starting at only P3,000! Must Do: Forget stress with dad for a while and indulge in their luxurious massage. Head over to: Nurture Wellness Village Pulong Sagingan, Barangay Maitim II West Cavite, Tagaytay City. 15. Acacia Hotel Manila What to expect: A special gift voucher from The Barberian. Time to get that trim! Must Do: Dine at the Acacia Coffee Shop and The Lobby to get this deal! Head over to: 5400 East Asia Drive corner Commerce Avenue, Filinvest Corporate City, Alabang, Muntinlupa City. 16. The Picasso What to expect: In-room massage and 10% discount on all services of Felipe and Sons! Must Do: Capture dad's makeover on social media! Head over to: The Picasso Boutique Serviced Residences, 119 L.P. Leviste Street, Salcedo Village, Makati City. ALSO READ: The Booky Report: Top 10 Most Loved Restaurants In The South for June 2016


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The moment it clicks for parents in therapy is one of those incredibly rewarding times. From the first day of enrollment, therapists are explaining the model for therapy and the principles of a Relationship Based Approach. The parents are more than not overwhelmed and simply need to be authentically heard and have a time to express their frustrations and emotional journey. As the relationship develops, the therapist focuses on bringing to light the impact of genuine acceptance and the students difficulty with transforming a negative core belief into a positive one.
The therapist then concentrates on providing parents with the basic model of being able to use empathy, nonjudgmental curiosity, and attunement to create an experience of safety. This approach is often a huge shift in thinking, acting, and reacting. The good news is that the therapist has been modeling this approach not only with the student but with the parents as well. As the therapist models, their goal is to transition the parents to be the one who guides their student toward genuine vulnerability, openness, empathy, and acceptance.
As the goal of transition takes place, parents often get stuck in the behavioral band where blaming, victimizing, anger, advice giving, and lecturing take place. Being stuck in the behavioral band is a familiar place which aggravates parents and actually is preferred by the student. The parents often need clarity and repetition to identify when they are getting stuck. Frequently, the parents lose sight of the objective which is to move through the behavioral band and access genuine emotions. The therapist job is to facilitate parents to safely guide the student (empathy, curiosity, and attunement) to reach a place of regulation and vulnerability (emotional band) and then bring it all together by engaging in an experience of acceptance.
It takes time and dedication for all three parties to practice this ability to identify behaviors, genuinely explore emotions, and then have it culminate in an experience of acceptance. As the family becomes more proficient, there comes a time when the parents are able to actuate the process. This moment is when it actually clicks and parents recognize that their student and themselves have actually gone beyond just talking about things and have created a priceless experience. The reaction of parents when this moment happens is exciting because they can feel that they are able to generate authentic connection. This ability to create movement is the foundation for accessing safety and trust within the relationship at home.
The family will continue to practice this process over and over again, but the more it happens the more attuned the relationship becomes. This attunement reassures the student that they are worthy of being loved and deserve to be in a trusting and intimate relationship. This process becomes more refined overtime and both parents and student recognize the relational value that has been established.
The moment it clicks is extremely exciting not only for parents but for therapist as well because an ability to create genuine intimacy and change becomes more than possible, it becomes a reality.