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Write a better story for your family
If you have a passion for children's books, then why not join our team?
Thousands of Independent Usborne Organisers across the UK and Europe have created their own 'pop-up bookshops'. They sell our award-winning children's books at home, at toddler groups, pre-schools, schools, libraries, clubs, fêtes and fairs and online. By offering free or discounted books, our Organisers are able to make a real difference to literacy and learning.
Usborne Publishing is respected as one of the top children's publishers in the world. Becoming an Usborne Books at Home Organiser opens up the opportunity for you to share beautiful, high quality children's books with your family, friends and wider community, and to provide that same opportunity to others who may wish to join. As an Organiser you offer a personalised bookselling service, passing on your knowledge, passion and advice on Usborne books in this way.
The opportunity is open to anyone over the age of 18. You don't need a sales background - just a love for our books.
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Do not be misled by claims that high earnings are easily achieved.
It's been 10 years since I joined Usborne. It has changed my life. More money, more time with the children, great friends and superb books. Natalie Fieldhouse, Usborne Organiser


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By Nithin Sridhar
"India's place in the sun would come from the partnership between wisdom of its rural people and skill of its professionals."
~Dr. Verghese Kurien
Independent India has seen many men and women whose inner calling has led them to dedicate their entire lives in the service of society. One such person was Dr. Verghese Kurien, who revolutionized the milk production that not only made the country self-sufficient in milk production but also brought prosperity to the farmers.
His Life: On this day, ninety-four years ago in 1921, Kurien was born in Calicut into a Syrian Christian family. He did his BSc in Physics in 1940 from Loyola College, Madras (now Chennai). Later, he obtained a degree in Mechanical engineering in Guindy and joined TISCO for a while.
Later, he joined the Imperial Institute of Animal Husbandry and Dairying in Bangalore and acquired training in Dairying. He finally went to Michigan University, US on a government scholarship and did his Masters in Mechanical Engineering. Kurien returned to India in 1949 and the Government deputed him to Anand, a place in Gujarat where he was supposed to work for few years in return for Government's scholarship.
Kurien soon quit his Government job, but was convinced by Tribhuvandas Patel, who was working to create a cooperative movement of farmers, to stay back in Anand. This marked the beginning of Kurien's serious involvement in the milk industry and paved the way for the subsequent improvements that he brought about.
He married Susan Molly Peter in 1953, and they had a daughter Nirmala Kurien. He established many institutions like Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd (GCMMF) and Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA). He tirelessly worked for the welfare of the poor farmers whose life, at times, completely depended on the dairy.
He also penned down a few books like 'I Too Had a Dream' and 'An Unfinished Dream'. He was awarded multiple times in recognition of his work, including Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1963, Krishi Ratna Award (1986) and Padma Vibhushan in 1999.
Kurien finally passed away on September 9, 2012, after living a fulfilling life filled with hard work, dedication, and service. He was a simple man with a simple goal of serving the society. To quote his own words: "My philosophy in life is to do as much good as I can to those who are less fortunate, but I would like to live my life as a common man".
White Revolution: In 1946, Tribhuvandas Patel united dairy farmers and formed Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers Union Limited (KDCMPUL) in order to fight against the monopoly of the dairy market and the exploitation of the farmers by Polson dairy. They procured an old dairy (of World War I times) and started producing dairy products.
When Dr Kurien arrived in Anand, Tribhuvandas recognized his potential and requested him to help in developing the cooperative. Kurien gave various advices regarding the management of the dairy and the new machineries that are to be procured for manufacturing milk.
Kurien was touched by the struggles and hardships faced by the farmers. He, along with Tribhuvandas, worked day and night for making the cooperative a success. Kurien finally joined the cooperative in the official capacity of General Manager. In 1951, the cooperative got rid of its old machinery and bought new ones from Larsen and Toubro (L&T).
This step significantly helped the cooperative to scale up its production. From a mere 200 liter procuring capacity in 1948, it increased exponentially to a capacity of 20,000 liters in 1952.
In 1955, Kurien, with the help of Dairy expert H. M. Dalaya, was successful in producing milk powder using buffalo milk. This was another turning point in Dairy industry. The KDCMPUL, was renamed as 'Amul' (Anand Milk Union Limited) in 1957. In 1965, after Lal Bahadur Shastri, the then Prime Minister of India, requested Kurien to replicate the Anand model at other places, the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) was set up.
It was through this NDDB that Kurien used to set up 'Operation Flood' that turned India from being a milk deficient country to becoming world's largest milk producer. In 1968, when Europe had surplus production of milk, Kurien presented the NDDB proposal to World Food Programme (WFP) and convinced them to donate the surplus milk and milk products, which he could then sell at regular price at metropolitan cities, capture the market there, and use the funds generated to make India a self-sufficient country in milk production.
Kurien successfully implemented this Operation Flood over 30 years in three phases. By the end of Phase 2, in 1985, the project managed to establish 130 milk-sheds and 43,000 village cooperatives. The domestic milk powder production saw a drastic increase from 22,000 tons to 140,000 tons. The Phase 3 that ended in 1996, added another 30,000 village cooperatives.
Thus, Kurien, along with support from people like Tribhuvandas, completely revolutionized the dairy industry, accomplished a white revolution and made India the largest producer of milk. More importantly, Kurien's efforts removed monopoly and exploitation by the middle men, and helped the farmers retain the majority of the profits from this endeavor.
Google India is celebrating his contributions to Indian society by creating a Doodle on him:
Google Doodle celebrating the birth anniversary of Dr. Verghese Kurien

subset: commoncrawl


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Fine Litterfall and Related Nutrient Inputs Resulting From Hurricane Hugo in Subtropical Wet and Lower Montane Rain Forests of Puerto Rico
D. Jean Lodge, F. N. Scatena, C. E. Asbury and M. J. Sanchez
Vol. 23, No. 4, Part A. Special Issue: Ecosystem, Plant, and Animal Responses to Hurricanes in the Caribbean (Dec., 1991), pp. 336-342


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Since Flickr is one of the most well-known Web 2.0 sites it is worth taking a look at what they do if for no other reason than to use it as a predictor for what the legions of Flickr clones will soon try to copy. Today we are looking at Flickr's method for selecting what it terms "interesting" photographs–purportedly without the intervention of human editors. The results are generally pretty impressive adding to the question what variable they use to distinguish compelling visuals.
"More than just "interesting," "interestingness" could potentially be a way that Yahoo! reclaims a little piece of search from Google. Today image search at both Google and Yahoo! is largely broken. Do a search for "San Francisco" at both Google and Yahoo! Image Search and you will find a hodge podge of mostly mediocre images.
Says BuzzMachine:
"What's great about this is that it exposes not the wisdom of the crowd but the taste of the crowd"
Now for the algorithm. Interestingness is described on Flickr as:
"…an amazing new Flickr Feature.
There are lots of things that make a photo 'interesting' (or not) in the Flickr. Where the clickthroughs are coming from; who comments on it and when; who marks it as a favorite; its tags and many more things which are constantly changing. Interestingness changes over time, as more and more fantastic photos and stories are added to Flickr."
Emphasis has been added.
By hinting at the existence of secret sauce, Flickr enters the "we're more than a pretty face" and "trust us we have amazing algorithms underneath" competitions along with people like Digg. If fact it's getting to the point that if you can't work the word algorithm into your "about us" you risk being called "web 1.0"!
Looking at Flickr's description of interestingness above you get a hint at what gets a photograph selected for this distinction and here is what we (and others) have been able to determine.
- Views, internal and external to Flickr, of the photo
- Number of comments on the photo, and also who comments on the photo
- Tags applied to the photo
- Flickr discussion groups in which the photo appears
- Favorites, a.k.a Flickr bookmarking, of the photo
- Time varying behavior of the above factors
Flickr mentions "who" twice in their one paragraph description of their process, but that is a much more difficult aspect to deconstruct. However one blogger noted an absence of the amaturish photos that seem so prevalent and wondered out loud how this might be so:
"One conclusion to draw might be that the professional and semi-professional photographers who make up a minority of Flickr's users are having a disproportionate influence on the metrics that go into Interestingness because they are more active. They make more comments, mark more photos as favorites, look at more pictures not by their current contacts, and therefore their activity has a greater weight in the algorithms that choose the Interesting photos."
Flickr appears to have tinkered with their algorithm (in Feb?) and introducing a penalty for those who appear to try and game the system by uploading to numerous Flickr groups. Aocording to one Flickr user:
"…some recent changes to the algorithm devalued the interestingness of photos submitted to too many groups. This had sparked controversy with a specific kind of Flickr user affectionately referred to as a 'group whore'."…"Group whores are users who send their photos to tons of different groups in a desperate attempt to garner attention (read: views, favs and comments) which in turn would hypothetically lead to a higher level of the coveted interestingness."
Here is a debate between flummoxed Flickr users and the Flickr founder over the issue.
Flickr is right, it is an amazing new feature.
Update: Thomas Hawk adds this hypothesis to Flickr's Interesting algorithm:
One major change that has also occured with regards to interestingness (in my guestimation of course) is that averaging has been introduced for more popular photographers to prevent them from overly dominating interestingness.
tags:web 2.0 web2.0 web-20 Social technology tagging Tags flickr


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REAP Wairarapa Photo Sharing
Schools Programmes
To download, first click on an image. A small menu will appear at the bottom right
. There is a down arrow. Click on the arrow to download the image. If you wish, you can first choose a lower quality image by clicking on the rectangles to the right of the arrow. Enjoy!
Launch of Our Stories and Poems
Photo credit to Peter Monk
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Rethink Design Studio's step-by-step guide to detox your home of clutter. Photo by Jan Jakub Nanista.
The purpose of a cleanse is simple: rid the body of toxins and unnecessary intake, and refill with good, wholesome nutrients. When it comes to our health and general wellbeing, we've come up with every possible extreme to make us feel renewed and whole again.
Whether it's apple cider vinegar, wheatgrass, or—our personal favorite—cotton balls, we take a disciplined (and in some cases borderline psychotic) approach to monitoring what goes in in order to expel what needs to come out. We are on a relentless search to find balance within ourselves, yet no matter how many gallons of juice we freshly squeeze in our kitchen, we tend to turn a blind eye to a vessel in need of just as much refinement: our home.
"What if we applied the same holistic approach we take with our food to the place we spend most of our time?"
Healthy, Happy Home
Several scientific studies are all pointing to the same facts we seem to ignore: "poor design works against the well-being of [its inhabitants] and in certain instances can have negative effects on the physiological indicators of wellness." In essence, your home affects your health. Before jumping on the next fad diet or exercise trend, let's take a deeper look at where some of your stress, anxiety, and underlying need to detox may be hiding. Hint: the answer may literally be right under your bed. What if we applied the same holistic approach we take with our food to the place we spend most of our time?
This is the idea behind The Full House Cleanse, and it goes way beyond clutter.
Just like our bodies, the home has the power to affect both your current wellbeing and future growth, whether you reside as an individual or as a family unit. Let this mantra guide each and every aesthetic decision: your home should be a reflection of your best self. If it's not doing this, it's time for a cleanse.
There are two levels of detox you can apply to your home: a Mini Cleanse (weekend to 1-2 weeks) and a Full Cleanse (3-4 weeks to 6 months). Take a moment to sit with yourself or with your partner and discuss which option sounds right for you. The Mini Cleanse is great for a fresh burst of energy, while the Full Cleanse is a deeper process that allows you a clean slate to only bring back belongings that have meaning or serve a purpose. With both options, the focus should be on surrounding yourself with things that represent who you are.
Tip: You may be in the market for both types of cleanse for different areas of your house, and that's okay. Schedule a time in your calendar for each space and commit to revisiting in a few months to allow time to breathe in between.
Full Cleanse How-To
Step 1: Envision Your Ideal
You've chosen your detox and marked your calendar, but you're not quite ready to get started. Just like how you wouldn't begin blending that kale smoothie without a fitness goal in mind, don't touch a single thing in your home without envisioning your ideal. Take a moment (or allow yourself a good week to dwell on it) and picture your dream space. What overall mood does it evoke? Try to get specific and imagine the color, function, and feel. Start collecting pieces of fabric, color swatches, or even a favorite piece of jewelry that you feel best symbolizes who you are. What may seem like a group of random objects could be more telling towards your style than you think.
Tip: This is a great opportunity to explore online mood boards and inspiration images if you're having trouble piecing it together. Take a moment and clearly identify what exactly in each photo makes you happy – is it natural light, a bold pattern? Get specific.
Once you've painted a picture in your mind, walk into your space and ask yourself if anything you see represents that image. If not, it's time to assess and purge.
Step 2: Find A Support Group
No matter how extreme you plan to get, assembling a team of friends, family, and professionals will help guarantee a smoother, more successful detox. Whether it's a neighbor who wants to buddy up with their own cleanse or your supportive spouse, dedicate one person as your accountability partner for when times get tough. Just like on day five of that lemon cleanse when the mere thought of a fruit makes you want to scream, there will be moments when sight of a cardboard box will put you into overdrive. Be sure your partner is someone who can balance that frustration with a calm and collected approach to finishing the task at hand. Dedicate certain days of the week for your "weigh in" where you both assess and tweak anything holding you back from finishing on time.
Apart from your buddy, compile a list of the best movers and consignment shops around so that when the time comes to kiss the clutter goodbye, you know where it's going and how it's getting there.
If the thought of taking on a room or your entire house gets you overwhelmed, this may be a good time to call a designer, organizer or decorator. There are local professionals available who are trained to provide peace of mind and have years of knowledge to help you see this through. A Mini Cleanse is a great project for an organizer while a Full Cleanse – which has the potential of growing from a space to a whole home to a complete remodel – is best suited for a decorator or interior designer.
Tip: Use a local magazine or an online search engine as a guide to finding recommended professionals in your area. Search terms that combine the service you're looking for and the name of your town generally yield the best results.
Step 3: The Purge
Before your tag team arrives, designate bins or boxes in your home for discarded items. Mark "recycle", "trash", "donate", or "consignment" to keep organized. Have your accountability partner ready to help when the bins need emptying so you avoid creating more clutter.
Do a walkthrough and mark the items you wish to keep with a sticky note and begin making a detailed list of what to cleanse. If you plan on putting these items up for sale or consignment to earn some extra income for a new design be sure to take well-lit photos and provide all dimensions. Whether you decide to leave or let go, everything needs to depart from the space in order for you to have a clear conscience moving forward.
Use this mini questionnaire as a guide to deciding whether to take or toss. If it takes longer than three seconds to decide, your gut has already given you the answer.
Take-Or-Toss Mini Questionnaire:
Is this "me"?
Does it serve a purpose? (functional or aesthetic)
Does it make me feel good?
Tip: If you're wavering, remove the item for 1-2 weeks and sit with it. See how your "body" reacts to its absence, just like you would with food.
Step 4: Deep Clean
Once all of your belongings have been cleared from the space and divided into respective categories, it's time to wipe the slate clean. And by clean, we mean deep clean. Make sure all surfaces have been accounted for: floors, walls, ceiling, even the nooks and crannies hiding on your baseboards and door casements. If the mop and broom aren't close acquaintances, treat yourself to a professional cleaning crew. You can't expect to reevaluate the space if you can't see beyond the dirt and grime of years untouched. The same goes for everything you plan to slowly reintroduce: wipe down with a wet cloth before putting something back in place. If you're going to do this, do it right.
Tip: Consider this the time to buy more natural, environmentally friendly cleaning products instead of the harsh chemicals of the past. "Green" home products work just as well and keep both your home and the world around you a cleaner place to live.
If all of the wet wipes and dusters in the world still can't cure your dingy digs, this may be your cue to throw on a fresh coat of paint or lay down a new floor. White walls do wonders with bringing in natural light and ripping up that old carpet might be the best idea you've had since starting this cleanse. And that retro ceiling fan that's close to its last spin? We haven't forgotten about it either. Don't take these design decisions lightly; you're essentially creating the backdrop for your new dream space. Call a designer if you feel at risk of throwing off the Feng Shui.
Step 5: Curate
Your home is clean, kept items are marked, and those pieces that never sat well with you are now sitting somewhere far, far away. This is when that "dream board" begins to come to life. Slowly start to bring in your "keep" pile (as well as any new purchases) and give a moment of pause and consideration after placing each item down. Is that really the best place for that bookshelf? Should those two lounge chairs be closer together? Be open to a new arrangement and allow yourself to play over the next few days. When all is said and done and your belongings are put in place, don't freak out if it still doesn't resemble your ideal. That missing "wow factor" may come in time when you find the perfect area rug or piece of art. This process is meant to make you more aware of the things you bring in; be sure they have meaning and make you feel good. Embrace the void.
Of all the tools and tips available to keep you on the right track to building your new "you," there is one that precedes them all: honesty. Before embarking on any journey with your home, be honest with your time, needs and wants, and your dedication to this project. Consider the possibility of evolution; what may seem like a weekend DIY can easily turn into a month-long redesign as you become more aware of what's best for you and your family. Next time you're in the need of a clean slate, pass on the diet trends and put your energy towards replenishing where you dwell.
Your happiness depends on it.


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We recently met with the management of one of our larger small-cap holdings, DHX Media, to discuss its results and current business trends. From an operational perspective, the company is delivering on the integration of Cookie Jar Entertainment, which it acquired last fall, and has in fact increased its target for synergies. On top of this, it appears that the pendulum is swinging back to content being king with the proliferation of video services (Amazing, iTunes, Netflix, etcetera). We expect this will create many business opportunities for DHX.
In our view, the valuation for DHX remains attractive at around 7x our estimates of forward EBITDA. We think the most recent quarterly results demonstrate the benefits the company is seeing from digital distribution of their content and the dividend shows management's comfort in cashflows going forward. It continues to be a large positon across a number of funds.
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|Kimono: New Chic* // Dress: Cotton On (similar) // Leggings: Forever 21 (exact) // Purse: my grandma (similar) // Shoes: G by Guess (similar)
We toured San Clemente on a brief & busy 29 hour trip. The first stop on the list was an obvious stroll down the wooden San Clemente Pier. We walked the entire distance & relished every moment. We watched as the surfers tried their best to catch the lackluster waves. We eyed pigeons as they flew to their perch. We stared at the seemingly endless horizon of water.
"I'm the queen of the world." I said in my best Leonardo DiCaprio circa Titanic impression.
I love the sheerness of it, which makes staring at my shadow pretty darn awesome. It's easy. It's breezy. I just might bring it with me to Coachella in April. I love the length as well as the funky cut of the sleeves. Aside from the fabric being slightly itchy, this kimono has found a popular spot in my closet.
We had a joyous albeit short journey in San Clemente filled with copious amounts of food, a great deal of sunshine, quite a bit of walking, & best of all, memories together. We decided to take more of these mini trips since it gives us something small but thrilling to look forward to. Next stop: Borrego Springs.
* Disclaimer: I received the Floral Organza Kimono Cardigan complimentary from New Chic. All opinions are 100% mine aka Carmen's. Learn more about my disclosure here. :]


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2. Voveti Prosecco Prosecco di Conegliano-Valdobbiadene (NV)
Average price: $13.99 from 2 stores
Very floral and citrusy on the nose with a spicy lemongrass top note and some deep baked peach and almond base notes. A little coarsely textured, this delivers fairly rich orange and apricot tinged flavors of minerally citrus fruits. Showing a hint of sweetness on the back end, this finishes quite assertively dry with an earthy edge to some pear skin notes. A bit rustic yet attractive. 86pts
Like this wine?
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This privacy notice is to let you know how companies within the Group will look after your personal data. This includes what you tell us about yourself, what we learn by having you as a customer, and the choices you give us about what marketing information you want us to send you.
Your personal data will be processed by Mike Robertson Associates Limited (the "Firm") and Lighthouse Advisory Services Limited, which is part of Lighthouse Group plc (the "group").
This notice explains how we do this and tells you about your privacy rights and how the law protects you.
Data Protection law says that we can only use personal data if we have a proper reason to do so. This includes sharing it outside Mike Robertson Associates Limited and Lighthouse Group plc. For example (and as described in more detail below) in different scenarios the following reasons may justify our processing of your data:
The personal data that we collect from you includes the following:
We may also need to collect data about other people such as your spouse, children or other related parties or third party beneficiaries. Depending on the nature of the data and what we propose to do with it (which will always relate to the service we provide to you or to them), we may require you to provide them with certain information (which may include this policy) or may ask for their consent.
We may collect information in a variety of ways including:
We use cookies on our website to help us to improve the performance of our websites and to provide you with a better user experience. For more information on the cookies we use and the purposes for which they are used please refer to the relevant policies on the website.
|What we use your personal data for:
|Our reasons
|Primarily, we use your data and data about you and your family to provide financial advice to you and complete and administer transactions on your behalf. We use, analyse, and assess your data to maintain and develop our relationship with you.
|We use your data in this way either because we have a contract with you (for example, a contract to provide you with financial advice) or because it is in our legitimate interests to do so (for example, it is in our interests to measure customer satisfaction and 'troubleshoot' any customer issues).
The FCA also requires us to hold records in respect of advice and guidance we give to you for a statutory period and, accordingly, we will use this data in order to comply with our regulatory obligations.
|To respond to complaints and seek to resolve them.
|We may use information about your health to help us provide the most appropriate financial advice for you and may share this with third party product providers as described below.
|In some instances, the third party product provider will require information about your health in order to provide an indication of costs, for example if you require life assurance. In other instances health information may improve the outcome for you, such as when obtaining a personalised annuity rate.
Where required to do so by law, we will make sure we have consent from you before passing on any data relating to your health.
|We may use your personal data to tell you about relevant products and offers ("marketing").
|We can only use your personal data to send you marketing messages if we have consent from you to do so or, in some cases, we can rely on a legitimate interest.
You can ask us to stop sending you marketing messages by contacting us at any time.
You will, however, still receive statements and other important information such as changes to your existing products and services since we need to send those messages to make sure that you receive information that you need.
We may ask you to confirm or update your choices if you take out new products or services with us in future. We may also ask you to do this if there are changes in the law, regulation, or the structure of our business.
|To monitor the use of our website/app and ensure that our website/app is presented in the most effective and relevant manner for you and your device(s).
|We have a legitimate interest to ensure that our website/app works properly and that our products and services are high quality and efficient.
|We may record calls you make to us and will use this data for training and quality assurance purposes (where your call is recorded we will tell you in advance).
|We use data in this way for a variety of reasons. It may be pursuant to a legal obligation and it is also in our legitimate interests to review recorded calls for quality control purposes.
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|We will make credit checks when it is in our legitimate interests and appropriate to do so in order to manage our financial risk. For example, we will undertake credit checks when advising you regarding the availability of certain mortgages.
In some cases we will need to use your personal data to fulfil a legal obligation or comply with regulations that apply to us. This includes where we receive a legitimate request from a law enforcement agency or for the purposes of detecting fraud. For example, we undertake money-laundering checks on all our customers.
|To detect, investigate, report and seek to prevent financial crime.
|To manage risk for us and our customers.
|To obey laws and regulations that apply to us.
Some services are provided to our firm or advisers by third parties such as processing business or obtaining compliance or regulatory advice, which warrant the disclosure of more than just your basic contact details. In such cases personal data held by the Firm or Group may be disclosed on a confidential basis, and in accordance with relevant data protection law.
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Depending on the instructions we receive from you, we may pass your data to other professional advisers to enable us to provide advice most suited to your circumstances. Usually, this would be referrals to accountants, solicitors, tax advisers and sometimes to specialist advisers in the financial and insurance industry if we believe you may benefit from the expertise of such third parties. We, and any third party specialist advisers to whom we introduce you, will pass your data to product providers, lenders and investment managers when you agree to make an investment, or purchase or amend policies or mortgages.
Sharing data to comply with laws:
There may be scenarios where we are subject to a legal obligation to disclose or share your personal data, such as with law enforcement agencies, regulatory bodies (such as the Financial Conduct Authority) or public authorities in order to prevent or detect crime. We will only ever disclose your personal data to these third parties to the extent we are required to do so by law.
International Group data processing and Group structure:
The Firm and Lighthouse Group shares various operations and business processes. We may share your personal data with any member of our Group to fulfil our contracted obligations to you, or because it is in our legitimate interests to do so. We may also share your personal information if the make-up of the Firm or Lighthouse Group Plc changes in the future:
Product providers, lenders and investment managers may administer your policies, including any policies you already have with them, and provide other services from centres in countries outside the European Economic Area (the "EEA") (such as India and the USA) that do not always have the same standard of data protection laws as the UK. However, they are required to put a contract in place that ensures that your information is adequately protected, and they will remain bound by their obligations under the relevant data protection law even when your personal information is processed outside the EEA.
If we do transfer information to investment or insurance companies outside the EEA, we will make sure that it is protected in the same way as if it was being used in the EEA. We will use one of these safeguards:
We may need to collect personal information by law, or under the terms of a contract, we have with you. If you choose not to give us this personal information, it may delay or prevent us from meeting our obligations. It may also mean that we cannot perform services needed to run your accounts or policies. It could mean that we cancel a service you have with us.
Any data collection that is optional would be made clear at the point of collection.
We keep records of all your transactions. You, or your appointed agent, have the right to inspect the records at a mutually convenient time. As we treat all our client records as confidential, we reserve the right to give you copies of your records if in certain circumstances releasing the original would compromise other clients' confidentiality. Unless you tell us otherwise, when we arrange products for couples or joint parties we will assume that information can be passed freely between us and the parties involved with the contract.
We take the security of your data very seriously and have implemented various strategies, controls and measures to protect the integrity and confidentiality of your data. We keep these measures under review, including by reference to broader industry standards
We will keep your data for as long as necessary, which would typically be for the whole of your life. We need this data to allow us, where agreed, to provide an on-going service and to allow us, if required, to undertake future reviews and fulfil our obligations to regulators
The law gives you a number of rights in relation to your personal data and our use of it. You have the right:
If you would like to exercise any of the rights listed above, or if you have any queries or concerns about the way that we use your personal data (or any questions about this privacy policy), you can contact the Data Guardian's Office at Quilter Financial Planning on 0161 488 3559 or in writing to:
Please let us know if you are unhappy with how we have used your personal information. Please contact the Quilter Financial Planning Complaints Team on Tel: 0191 241 0700, or Email: email@example.com, or in writing to Quilter Financial Planning Complaints Team, Riverside House, The Waterfront, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE15 8NY.
You also have the right to complain about the use of your personal data to the Information Commissioner's Office. Find out how on their website ICO Concerns or call their helpline on 0303 123 1113.


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Darlene is Past President of the American College of Mortgage Attorneys and practices primarily in commercial real estate with an emphasis on finance and environmental compliance. Darlene represents banks and insurance companies in connection with loans, foreclosures, workouts, and collection matters; automotive suppliers establishing manufacturing facilities in the United States; and manufacturers and owners of real estate assets in connection with environmental compliance, defense of enforcement actions and brownfield redevelopment.
Representative Clients include Capital One; CMFG Life Insurance Company; Curb Group, LLC; Daiei America Inc.; Diamond Hill Plywood Co., Inc.; Kwik Sak Real Estate Holdings LLC; Loma Linda University and Medical Center; McTevia & Associates; Taylor Environmental Services; Tennessee Insurance Guaranty Association and TitleMax.


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MINNNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Immigration officials say they have taken a man who was accused of having sexual contact with a student in a Twin Cities high school into custody.
David Manito, 42, was set to be released from jail Friday after the Hennepin County Attorney declined charges. An Immigrations and Customs Enforcement official said the agency placed a detainer on Manito following his arrest.
After he left the jail, ICE took him into custody. According to officials, ICE only places detainers on individuals believed to be deportable from the United States.
Manito was arrested after a Snapchat video appeared to show him inside a bathroom stall at Champlin Park High School Wednesday. He was accused of meeting a 19-year-old male student at the school for sex after contacting him on a cell phone app. Police say the student has special needs.
Charges could still be brought at a later date.
So crazy liberal Mike Freeman was not going to charge this guy? Thank God for I.C.E. and thank God for Trump.
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EACCME Accreditation
The 12th International Symposium on Pediatric Pain (ISPP 2019), Basel, Switzerland, 16/06/2019-20/06/2019 has been accredited by the European Accreditation Council for Medical Education (EACCME®) with 29 European CME credits (ECMEC®s) as follows:
- 6 credits for June 16
- 6 credits for June 17
- 6 credits for June 18
- 8 credits for June 19
- 3 credits for June 20
Each medical specialist should claim only those hours of credit that he/she actually spent in the educational activity.
Through an agreement between the Union Européenne des Médecins Spécialistes and the American Medical Association, physicians may convert EACCME® credits to an equivalent number of AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM. Information on the process to convert EACCME® credit to AMA credit can be found at www.ama-assn.org/education/earn-credit-participation-international-activities.
Live educational activities, occurring outside of Canada, recognised by the UEMS-EACCME® for ECMEC®s are deemed to be Accredited Group Learning Activities (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
National Accreditation
The 12th International Symposium on Pediatric Pain 2019 is accredited by the following Swiss Medical Associations:
Föderation der Schweizer Psychologinnen und Psychologen (FSP)
Federation of Swiss Psychologists (FSP)
|8 per symposium day
Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Pharmazeutische Medizin /
Swiss Society of Pharmaceutical Medicine
|3 per symposium day
Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Anästhesiologie und Reanimation SGAR
Swiss Society of Anaesthesiology and Resuscitation SSAR
|8 per symposium day
|Swiss Society for Interventional Pain Management SSIPM
14 for the symposium
3 for the education day
Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Pädiatrie SGP
Swiss Society of Paediatrics SSP
24 for the symposium
8 for the education day
Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Neonatologie SGN
Swiss Society of Neonatology
24 for the symposium
8 for the education day
Schweizerische Gesellschaft zum Studium des Schmerzes SGSS
Swiss Association for the Study of Pain
|8 for the education day
|Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie und -Psychotherapie (SGKJPP)
24 for the symposium
8 for the education day


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My Twins' Brownie Girl Scout Troop is participating in Thinking Day and they have chosen England. They have to make a swap, make English food, perform a skit and have a make-n-take craft at their booth. I volunteered to lead the craft and this is what I will show the girl scouts how to make: Rolled "English" roses:
To save time I went through my paper scraps and punched a couple hundred scalloped circles. For the project base I chose precut tags from Papermart. BTW Papermart is sponsoring a nice giveaway on the Ribbons.com blog so hop over there to enter! To hold the roses securely I used glue dots because one hundred girl scouts and a couple of hot glue guns seems like a risky idea 🙂 Watch the quick video to see how it is made:
Neat huh? And so easy! You can make these any size and you can even make them from felt! Home and party decor, wearables, the sky is the limit folks! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
Filed under: Crafts 4 Kids, Scrapbooking, Stamping | Tagged: england, girl scouts, giveaway, how to make rolled roses, paper roses, ribbon, tags, thinking day, thinking day swap, tutorial, video tutorial | 7 Comments »


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Wedding Band Showcase
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Contact firstname.lastname@example.com
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Do you want everyone dancing at your wedding? Do you want talented vocalists? Do you want superb musicians? Do you want a fantastic MC? If you answered YES to these questions, then you better call Janis to book them quick! Every single one of my guests gushed about how amazing this band is. Every time I looked around, not a single person was sitting. Even my mom danced, and she NEVER dances! Leading up to the wedding, Janis will work with you to create your perfect playlist and is more than happy to take special requests (just make sure you do so a couple months beforehand). No one wanted the last song to be over, and when it did, everyone stayed on the floor to give them a huge round of applause. Best band ever!!
The Janis Nowlan Band was so much fun! Planning a wedding out of town, we had to go by wedding reviews and YouTube videos to choose our band. My mom and aunt were able to go to a showcase and give us a report. My aunt called me excitedly after the showcase and said we HAD to book them! We never heard the band live until our wedding day, which I realize is somewhat untraditional, but it was a super lucky gamble. Janis played piano during our ceremony. She even learned John Williams' "Jurassic Park Theme" for us to exit our ceremony to! Then there was jazz music during our cocktail ceremony. The big band played for the whole reception. I loved talking directly to Janis on the phone to organize the night. We chose all of the ceremony music together, then the entrances. The band learned a new song for our first dance too. My husband was able to choose a few songs to play with the band, which was a huge highlight of our night (video is on their Facebook). He did not practice with them ever, but they pulled it off seamlessly! One of the things that impressed me most is that Janis said they didn't really play with a set list, they adjusted based on the crowd. Our families were up dancing all night. The Janis Nowlan Band is a group of super talented musicians, with fun personalities, who seem like they really love what they do. They were a wonderful addition to our wedding and I would highly recommend to anyone wanting live music.
Working with Janis Nowlan and her band was such a wonderful experience. We started our journey sampling different bands for our special day and instantly knew that this band was the perfect fit for us. We just couldn't stop dancing! We wanted a team of people that could light up the room and get people out on the dance floor! You can't help yourself but dance and sing along with the band. Their music just brings everyone alive! Every single member of the band is enthusiastic and animated. They play such a diverse range of music and found a way to appeal to every guest at the celebration. Janis, the band leader, gave us nothing to worry about. She was excited for our wedding and often called to chat about our wedding day to ensure that it was perfect, and it was. Janis and her band learned to play my father/daughter dance song that my father and I danced to when I was in fourth grade! The song and the dance will be cherished forever! Janis asked us what kind of music we were looking for and our only request was that we wanted them to fill the room with energy and keep our guest dancing. We have never danced so much in our lives!!! They ran the show so flawlessly and really made our celebration special. So many of our guests had so many amazing things to say about the band! Everyone truly had a remarkable time! We can't wait to become their newest groupies and follow them around to hear them play! It's really an experience everyone should have. Their music fills the heart with happiness! You are truly missing out if you don't choose the Janis Nowlan Band !! -The Chominski/DeBlasios
Janis Nowlan made our wedding unforgettable. From the second they opened up the dance floor, our guests were having the time of their lives. Family and friends of all ages – from 5 to 80 – tore up the dance floor and had a blast! Janis also lends an extremely personal touch. She and I talked on the phone numerous times leading up to the wedding so that Janis could make sure all our details and requests were in perfect order. Janis and her band live up to the hype. I would choose her again in a second! You won't be disappointed!
Janis Nowlan and her band are truly the best! They definitely made my wedding day a day to remember! They kept everyone dancing and no one wanted to leave! I am so glad my mom recommended them to us and are well worth it as they work hard to make sure their guests are happy! Janis is a gem to work with!
The Janis Nowlan Band made my wedding a day I will never forget they kept my guests moving all day my family and friends all came up to me and said how awesome the band was. They truly are the best band i have ever heard my now wife and i were very happy with how they performed and very accommodating to anything that we wanted to do. Once again they are truly the best band i have ever heard and i hope everyone can use them for any kind of event that they need.
Best wedding band out there. Janis was awesome. She was very helpful throughout the whole process. The band is fantastic and everyone danced all night. The number one comment we received from our wedding was about how good the band was. since we live in New York and got married in philly it was hard for us to actually go see bands, so we ended up booking Janis based on YouTube videos! it was scary but we 100% made the right decision. Book the Janis Nowlan Band. They are the best.


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The five of us snacked on beautifully-presented Italian appetizers, and then sat out in the garden sipping cucumber-and-mint drinks. As it got dark, we moved inside for a wonderful variety of Italian and Persian dishes. They looked so beautiful that I insisted that Salvatore had to take some pictures of the food before we ate. Even the rice was amazing, as it had been simmered in coconut milk. The taste and texture were both awesome.
We all talked and talked and talked. They were all full of interesting stories. I was pleased to note that Sandy and I have had enough adventures together that we were able to share some stories of our own.
During all the talking, Salvatore was telling me how amazing Sandy is. He said that everyone loves Sandy. I said, "So do I", and blushed.
Later, out in the garden, I said to Sandy that it might be too early in the relationship to say so, but I love him. He said, "Me too."
Later that night, and over breakfast, and in an e-mail, I repeated it again and again to him.
Is it too soon? Am I rushing things?


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Republican members of the deficit reduction super committee presented a plan that would shrink the budget gap by $2.2 trillion over a decade exclusively through spending cuts, according to various reports.
The proposed reduction includes $600 billion in changes to entitlements such as Medicare, $250 billion in cuts to discretionary spending, as well as $640 billion in new revenue through user fees and the assumption of an improved economy generating a bump in tax revenue.
The GOP plan presents itself as a counteroffer to the $3 trillion deficit reduction proposal introduced by Democrats Wednesday, which included a mix of spending cuts and tax increases.
Democrats Volley-Back a Swift Rejection, in Kind
According to reports, Democrats rejected the proposal with the same swiftness that their offer was shot down.
That doesn't sound like anything that would even be in the league, said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., according to The L.A. Times.
The super committee's ability to reach an agreement by its Nov. 23 deadline hinges on a common sticking point -- tax increases.
I expect that it's going to be very difficult to get to an outcome, but I am committed to getting to an outcome, said Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio.
Boehner is among three Congressional leaders who have stepped in to guide the super committee to a viable conclusion.
The super committee was established as part of a deficit reduction deal, the Budget Control Act, in exchange for raising the nation's debt ceiling on Aug. 2. While the government was allowed to borrow up to $2.4 trillion more through 2013, the super committee was charged with reaching a bipartisan consensus on $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction over the next decade. Congress then has until Dec. 23 to pass the recommendations, otherwise trigger cuts, in the form of slashes to defense spending and Medicare benefits, would be automatically enacted.


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Watch Chobits
Alternative name:
English: ChobitsJapanese: ちょびっツ
Type: TVEpisodes: 26Status: Finished AiringAired: Apr 3, 2002 to Sep 25, 2002Premiered: Spring 2002Genres: Sci-Fi, Comedy, Drama, Romance, Ecchi, SeinenDuration: 24 min. per ep.Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
Plot Summary: In the future, personal computers have developped into "Persocons", mobile computers that look like human beings. Hideki Motosuwa, a prep school student, desperately wants to buy a Persocon but cannot afford to. One day he finds a Persocon that has been thrown away and decides to keep it. When he turns on the Persocon, all she can say is "Chii" so he decides to name her that. After a while it starts to become apparent that Chii is more than an average Persocon. Having much better performance, it seems that Chii might be a "Chobit", a type of advanced Persocon rumoured to have independent thought.
Anime ›


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Only A Game
Support the news
Steve Ralston: Soccer's Unselfish Star
Steve Ralston's Major League Soccer career began in 1996. That may have been later than Ralston would have wished, but he had no choice, since there was no Major League Soccer until 1996.
You may be unfamiliar with Steve Ralston, since he is not married to a former Spice Girl, has never been tossed from a game for head-butting an opponent, and has never scored a goal during the World Cup finals, while everyone was watching. But nobody has played in as many MLS games as Ralston has, and nobody has started more times or played more minutes. Nobody has tallied as many assists.
Ralston's records bespeak longevity, obviously, but they also indicate determination, durability, the degree of respect from coaches Ralston has earned, and, to some extent, unselfishness.
New England Coach Steve Nicol has spoken often of Ralston's value to the Revolution, whom he joined in 2002 after six seasons in Tampa.
"He has a great soccer brain," Nicol once told me.
Steve Ralston retired Tuesday night after making one last appearance on behalf of the Revolution. There is talk that he will take that "great soccer brain" to Houston, where he will become an assistant coach. If so, the organization and the players there will be well served.
In a conversation following a Revolution practice a couple of years ago, Steve Ralston said that he got as much satisfaction from putting the ball on the foot of the guy who scored a goal as he'd ever gotten from scoring himself. This is an easy thing to say, I suppose, but when he said it, neither his coach nor any of his teammates laughed or otherwise gave him a hard time. In fact, Steve Nicol went on to speak about the extraordinary touch it took for Ralston to have so often set up his teammates so well. Then Ralston, who seemed to have become uncomfortable with the attention, smiled and said something like, "Sometimes I just kick it in toward the middle and hope something good will happen."
A wise sportswriter of my acquaintance has warned me against celebrating any athlete before he has been dead for some time, and his point is well taken. Maybe in the first days after his retirement as a player, Steve Ralston will knock over a convenience store, drink a great deal of cough syrup, punch a gaggle of paparazzi, or attempt to carry an automatic weapon on to a plane.
No matter. I'm going to take the risk. Steve Ralston's years with the Revolution gave soccer fans here the opportunity to learn a good deal about how the game should be played by watching a professional at work.
Bill Littlefield Host, Only A Game
Bill Littlefield was the host of Only A Game from 1993 until 2018.
Support the news


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False Flag Operation Prototype for the Coming War with Iran• http://ppjg.me, Mark Dankof
Last night was more of the same. I was stationed in front of CNN during my treadmill session. Wolf Blitzer was interviewing a Fred Burton of Stratfor Global Intelligence based in Austin, Texas. Mr. Burton is their Vice-President for Counterterrorism and Corporate Security. The subject was the mysterious January 16th, 2012 killing of Iranian medical student Gelareh Bagherzadeh, age 30, a woman with a profile as an activist in the Iranian women's rights movement and professionally based at Houston's world-famous M. D. Anderson Medical Center.


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Name: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan
Platform: Xbox One
Genre: Adventure Games
Release Date: 27 May 2016
Barcode: 5030917192982
Battle alongside your brothers through the sewers, subways, and streets of NYC to take down Shredder and Krang's evil organisation, Foot by Foot. Unleash custom combat skill s and powerful team combos to save Manhattan from the overwhelming dark forces growing in the shadows. Experience the game in a whole new way when you assemble your team in 4-player online co-op mode! Fight fan-favourite enemies like Bebop and Rocksteady! Gritty comic-inspired art style turns a new chapter in TMNT history! Packed with visually stunning, fast-paced combat true to Platinum Games' signature style. Original story penned by IDW Comic's TMNT author, Tom Waltz. Click Images to Enlarge
Best Price£19.99
Best Price£24.89
Best Price£13.52


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Business and Meetings
Looking for a place to host corporate events in Puebla? Our premises can give you spaces and indispensable services designed for your most important business meetings.
Granada Hotel boasts two Meeting and Conference rooms for 50 people, perfect for corporate meetings, audiovisual equipment available for your presentations as well as coffee break and catering services.
Furthermore, we are an exceptional choice categorized as Hotel for Groups providing Tour Groups services of any kind.
For more information about business and meetings in Granada Hotel please contact us.


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West Nyack
West Nyack is a city in Rockland County, New York with scores of registered stock and commodities brokerage firms and investment advisory offices. With so many brokerage firms comes the potential for stockbrokers, financial advisors, and representatives who may engage in conduct which violates securities and commodities industry rules and procedures.
For example, Richard Lee of West Nyack, New York submitted an Offer of Settlement to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) for allegedly recommending an unsuitable trading strategy. Formerly associated with Caldwell International Securities Corp., Mr. Lee targeted customers who would agree to speculation as their investment objectives. FINRA alleged the investment strategy Mr. Lee recommended generated staggering commissions. FINRA further alleged once his clients discovered the unsuitable transactions and complained, Mr. Lee failed to report those complaints. The investigators determined Mr. Lee's recommendations were unsuitable for his clients. Without admitting or denying the FINRA findings, Mr. Lee agreed to the sanctions and was suspended for 18 months.Representing Clients in West Nyack, Throughout New York and Nationwide
Are you a West Nyack-based investor who has had significant losses in your investment accounts? Did your West Nyack investment advisor make unsuitable recommendations or otherwise mismanage your investment account? Are you a stockbroker, commodities broker, financial advisor or individual from the West Nyack area who is the subject of a government or industry regulatory investigation or lawsuit? If so, you will need to have representation from an experienced, highly rated and nationally recognized securities and commodities law attorney—an attorney who knows how to handle these complex legal issues. By hiring an attorney with over 40 years of experience practicing securities and commodities law on both sides of the table, you will clearly see that Attorney Pearce doesn't just handle cases—he represents clients!
At The Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce, P.A., we represent clients on all sides of securities and commodities law and investment disputes in courtroom litigation, arbitration and mediation proceedings, and in a wide range of practice areas such as fraud and misrepresentation, breach of fiduciary duty, failure to supervise, and unsuitable recommendations. Attorney Pearce and his staff represent clients in West Nyack, throughout New York, and across the United States.
Attorney Pearce is a highly respected West Nyack investors rights advocate, known as a fierce and tireless litigator throughout New York and nationwide. Read his Investors Rights Blog and see the knowledge that can only be gained from over 40 years of legal experience. As your stockbroker, commodities broker, and investment fraud dispute lawyer, Mr. Pearce knows all of the available options for your case and will pursue them vigorously to secure the best possible outcome for you and your case. He has earned the distinguished AV Preeminent peer rating through Martindale-Hubbell, the highest rating possible, and he is one of Thomson Reuters Florida Super Lawyers for Securities Litigation. Attorney Pearce has won numerous million-dollar awards and settlements for his clients, earning him membership in The Million Dollar Advocates Forum and The Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum as one of the Top Trial Lawyers in America TM.Experienced SEC, CFTC, FINRA and FL-OFR Defense Trial Lawyer Serving All of New York
The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), and Florida Office of Financial Regulation (FL-OFR) have filed many disciplinary actions and/or complaints against West Nyack-based stockbrokers, financial advisors and/or representatives.
Attorney Pearce's trial lawyer defense skills are highly regarded in West Nyack, throughout New York and across the nation. He began his career with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 1980. Thereafter he moved to Fort Lauderdale and has expanded his nationwide SEC defense law practice to include commodities law and the defense of United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and Florida Office of Financial Regulation (FL-OFR) investigations and enforcement proceedings, including registration issues, expungement proceedings, and Form U-5 abuses and defamation.
Attorney Pearce is one of the few attorneys who has not only single handedly beat the SEC's team of lawyers, but recovered his clients' attorney fees and litigation costs incurred in the defense of the government's flawed investigation and enforcement action.Free Initial Consultation With Securities, Commodities and Investment Dispute Lawyers Serving West Nyack, New York Residents
The Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce, P.A. understands what is at stake in securities and commodities law matters and investment disputes, and works tirelessly to secure the best possible result for you and your case. Mr. Pearce provides a complete case review, identifies the strengths and weaknesses of your case, and fully explains all of your legal options. The entire law firm works to ensure that you completely understand the ins and outs of the legal process to give you complete peace of mind knowing that you have chosen the best possible representation for your case
For dedicated representation by a law firm with over 40 years of experience and success in all kinds of securities and commodities law and investment disputes serving West Nyack citizens, contact the firm by phone at 561-338-0037, toll free at 800-732-2889 or via e-mail.


text: Estel Tinuviel (esteltinuviel) wrote in fm_alchemist, 2006-04-11 20:11:00 Estel Tinuviel esteltinuviel fm_alchemist 2006-04-11 20:11:00 Previous Share Flag Next Is anyone on this community attending the Middle Tenessee Anime Con (MTAC) in two weeks. Just wondering if there were any other Southerner FMA-junkies like myself who were going. I'm cosplay as Ed by the way (got to work with what I've got), but the weirdest part is, I have talked my dad into cosplaying as Scar. Yep. So he gets to pretend kill me in our skit for the cosplay contest. This is of no real importance, and feel free to delete if you hate this post.Vic is going to be there...and Mustang, and Winry, and lizard-guy (I think Subscribe Post a new comment Error Comments allowed for members only Anonymous comments are disabled in this journal We will log you in after post We will log you in after post We will log you in after post We will log you in after post We will log you in after post Anonymously switch LiveJournal Facebook Twitter OpenId Google MailRu VKontakte Anonymously default userpic Your reply will be screened Your IP address will be recorded Post a new comment Preview comment Help 13 comments Post a new comment 13 comments


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Jessica Meadows Hammett
First off, you need to know that I'm not crazy. In fact, if you met me, you would think I was rather reserved and conservative. And for the most part, I probably am. I was born old and never went through the obligatory "wild and rebellious" phase (usually from ages 17-23). I've never smoked, I rarely drink, I seldom even leave the house on the weekends. I'm painfully responsible.
However, I know that there is a big, wide world out there and if I don't push myself to experience it now, I'm going to be old and boring before I even know it. So I do the things on the 101 Things to Do Before You Die list to prove to myself that I'm not afraid to step outside of my daily routine.


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All the brand names, logos,videos and registered trademarks maybe claimed as property of others or their respective owners.


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Embryo is a 3D first-person shoot 'em up video game released in 1994 for Commodore Amiga. It was developed by Croatian developer Beyond Arts and published by Black Legend. The player assumes the role of a pilot who manns an advanced fighter in order to drive the aliens invading the Earth away. The game bears semblance to flight simulation games, but is described as pure mayhem without any emphasis on realism.
There are no reviews for this game


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By Travis Newbill
Floral Notes and Bardo: The Creative Chronicles of a Shambhala Mountain Resident is a daily feature on the SMC blog in which a member of our staff/community shares his experience of existing as part of Shambhala Mountain Center.
Early in the morning, dharma dream — with Xavier, who was encouraging me to come live in Mexico to hang out. Inside a Theravaden shrine room, I hooked a swing on chains to the wooden rafters on the ceiling — delicate. And I swung playfully around the room while telling Xavier about Trungpa, Ginsberg, and the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics. I told him that a decade ago, the moment I heard of the school, after I had just begun reading the beats, I knew for sure that I'd be attending one day. At that instant, the chain broke through the rafters and I fell flat on my ass — as if punctuating the statement: I will attend JKS.
I told Heather about the dream, wrote in my journal, and then walked down the hill — it was dawn-time, but no sign of the sun. Thick mist.
"Regard all dharmas as dreams."
I practiced in a room by myself downtown, in front of the giant thangka of Amitabha in his pure land. Then, I washed the dishes — covering Heather's shift so that she could rest, as she still is not quite over the cold I passed to her.
— September 11, 2014
Travis Newbill is a curious dude on the path of artistry, meditation, and social engagement who is very glad to be residing at Shambhala Mountain Center. His roles within the organization include Marketing Associate and Head Dekyong–a position of leadership within the community. Follow Travis on twitter: @travisnewbill


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Dark Chocolate Health BenefitsPosted on February 7th, 2008 filed in Nutrition
2 Comments »
Dark chocolate, unlike milk or white chocolate has been proved to have a myriad of health benefits.
1) Many dark chocolate bars are sugar free and offer excellent alternatives for anyone on low glycemic diet. As a matter of fact, dark chocolate is a perfect dessert for those that love chocolate but are at risk for metabolic syndrome or insulin resistance.
Read the rest of this entry »
Double Dipping: Seinfeld had it Right after AllPosted on February 2nd, 2008 filed in Nutrition
2 Comments »
In one classic episode of Seinfeld, George Castanza is sternly reprimanded by another party guest when caught double dipping his chip in the salsa sauce:
"That's like putting your whole mouth right in the dip."
A recent study has confirmed that indeed this could well be the case.
Diet Soda Causes Insulin ResistancePosted on January 29th, 2008 filed in Nutrition
1 Comment »
For those not familiar with the term, Insulin Resistance is a status where one's body does not have a healthy sugar metabolism resulting in continuous presence of above normal insulin levels in the blood. That in turn leads to a fat deposition and a myriad of health problems. It is completely curable and reversible early on with lifestyle changes, such as healthy eating and exercise, but left unattended, can lead to full scale diabetes.
The Great Health Benefits of FiberPosted on April 8th, 2007 filed in Nutrition
2 Comments »
Fiber have significant health benefits and are an essential and necessary component of any healthy eating regimen. Fiber are undigested carbohydrates that course through the digestive system without being absorbed into the blood. They course in and out and do not contribute any energy.
The numerous health benefits of fiber include:
Wanna Live Longer? Have one Salad Each DayPosted on January 2nd, 2007 filed in Nutrition
1 Comment »
Salads are rich in fiber, vitamins, antioxidants and nutrients. Furthermore, they have no processed food, no saturated fat, and no trans fats. There is no enriched flour, chemicals, or other harmful substances. And so obviously it is healthy and does wonders for you.
Recently, a study by Louisiana State University researchers involving more than 17,000 individuals found that those who ate just one serving of salad daily consumed significantly more folate, vitamins B6, C and E than those who didn't. Furthermore, and most importantly, one daily serving of salad was shown to increase longevity by 2 years!
Low Carb Diet in Italy?Posted on September 2nd, 2006 filed in Nutrition
1 Comment »
I am subscribed to the low carb eating lifestyle and try to avoid any foods that are abundant with processed flour, starch, sugar, and other addictive-and-health-damaging powder ingredients. Prior to embarking on an extended months-long trip around Italy, I wondered how hard it will be, if at all possible, for me to stick to this eating lifestyle while continuously changing locations, moving from city to city, always staying at hotels, and having no recourse to prepare my own food.


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We have a variety of spacious and tastefully furnished studios sleeping up to 4 persons.
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A family studio is available with an open space/living room, a fully equipped cooking corner and two single sofa beds. This studio also has a separate double bedroom.
Each unit features a private bathroom with shower, individually controlled air-conditioning, hairdryer,
satellite TV and a private balcony. Baby cots are available upon request free of charge.


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Siemens / Theim (en)
Winter Erlebnispark und 2000 Teilnehmer
Join us, with enthusiasm – convincing results.
We arrange media technology and complete event technology for a wide range of events. For over 30 years our long-term mission lies in live communication at congresses, trade fairs and company events. Our know-how combined with professional equipment and motivated event specialists guarantee the success of our events and trade fair appearances.
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Discover Everything You Need To Know About Setting Up Your Ultimate A Small Woodworking Workshop They say a man is only as good as the tools he chooses to use. This statement is particularly true. Besides skill, your craftsmanship is largely determined by the tools you use. When you don't know how to choose the... Read more
Set Up Your Woodworking Shop In A Small Space Without A Nightmare Budget
February 19, 2019 (updated May 21, 2020) Published by mvpbed


text: There is a widely held belief that anyone can run a coffee shop and make money. Many people dream of opening a little coffee shop. The fact of the matter is that in the early days it is hard work, it is long hours and can be very challenging. Claire will take you through the biggest reasons that 80% of independent coffee shops fail in the first two years.


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Family Nature Camp will engage your entire family in a week of fun and adventure! Join professional naturalists on guided field trips that include bird-watching, hiking in Acadia National Park, exploring ponds and tide pools, and combing the cobblestone beaches of beautiful Mount Desert Island. Learn more about these and other Family Nature Camp activities here.
Families stay on College of the Atlantic's oceanfront campus in Bar Harbor, enjoying meals in our award-winning dining hall, and staying in the Blair-Tyson dormitory suites. Click here for information about accommodations, getting to campus, and more.
College of the Atlantic's Family Nature Camp was named in the May/June 2011 National Geographic Traveler as one the best outdoor family vacations in the U.S. and has been ranked one of the top five family camps by Disney's Family Fun Magazine and Good Morning America.
Family Nature Camp
2020 Dates:
July 5-11
July 12-18
July 19-25
July 26- August 1 [Full]
$1060 Primary adult*
$940 each additional adult
$500 per child (15 and under)
Registration costs for all sessions include lodging, meals,and all scheduled field trips.
*There is a $50 per family registration fee and Acadia National Park weekly pass cost included in the Primary adult fee.


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Call it Mardi Gras for people who don't want to hate themselves in the morning.
Dubbed the "Court of Diamond Jubilee," the University of St. Thomas Mardi Gras Gala had a more elegant, restrained feel than most Fat Tuesday celebrations. But the revelers went hog wild where it counted. Between table sales and bids on silent- and live-auction items — including fabulous vacation packages and a dinner with Texans Coach Gary Kubiak — they raised nearly $800,000 for the Fr. Francis E. Monaghan Scholarship fund for the education of current and future students.
Dave Rossman / For the Chronicle
Kevin Doris, Mary Frances Doris, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo and Dennis Malloy
Chaired by Minnie and Will Baird, the event honored Dr. Mikki Hebl and David Harvey while saluting the contributions of legacy families from each decade of UST's history. The legacy honorees were the George and Annette Strake family, the Rev. Robert Crooker and family, the Betty and Charles Fischer family, the Dennis and Ginny Malloy and Michele Malloy families, the Joseph and Norman McFadden family and the Giorgio and Cathy Borlenghi family.
Among the 480 guests thanked by UST seniors Lukas Simon and Emily Calasanz, this year's student king and queen, for their support were Marianne and UST President Dr. Robert Ivany, Margaret Alkek Williams and Jim Daniel, Kay and Fred Zeidman, Trini Mendenhall Sosa and Frank Sosa, John Poindexter and Claudia Craft, Raye White, Alice and Keith Mosing, Cathy and Giorgio Borlenghi and Lucia and Michael Cordua.


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Lab Overview
The focus of the Hotchkiss laboratory is defining new therapeutic approaches to sepsis, a highly lethal disorder which occurs during severe overwhelming infection. Our group was the first to show that sepsis-induced massive programmed cell death (apoptosis) of immune effector cells in patients dying of the disorder. Recently, our laboratory has concentrated on identifying mechanisms of immunosuppression during sepsis and developing new immuno-adjuvant therapies. We performed a detailed immuno-phenotyping of lung and spleen immune cells in patients dying of sepsis. In addition to extensive loss of CD4 and CD8 T cells, other mechanisms of immune suppression were identified including increased T regulatory cells, up-regulation of negative co-stimulatory molecules, down-regulation of positive co-stimulatory molecules, and T cell "exhaustion". The current therapeutic approach is multi-pronged and includes administration of the pleuripotent cytokine IL-7 and modulation of negative co-stimulatory pathways that induce immunosuppression using anti-programmed cell death-1. We have formed close working collaborations with colleagues at a number of major academic institutions and are organizing sepsis clinical trials using IL-7 and anti-PD-L1. Our sepsis clinical trials group is partnering with Bristol Meyers Squibb in testing of anti-PD-L1 and with Revimmune in testing of IL-7.
Richard Hotchkiss, M.D.
Professional Experience:
1982 – 1983 Instructor in Anesthesia/Attending in Respiratory Intensive Care Unit, Massachusetts
General Hospital, Boston, MA.
1985 – 1987 Clinical Associate in Anesthesia, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
1984 – 1987 Assist. Prof. of Anesthesiology and Medicine, Emory Univ. School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA.
1987 – 1996 Assist. Prof. in Anesthesiology, Washington Univ. School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO.
1996 – present Assoc. Prof. in Anesthesiology, Washington Univ. School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO.
1997 – present Assoc. Prof. in Medicine and Surgery, Washington Univ. School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO.
2002 – present Professor in Anesthesiology, Medicine, Surgery, and Developmental Biology
Nobel Symposium No. 124 Septicemia and Shock, Invited Lecturer, Stockholm, Sweden, 2003
Member – NIH, Surgery, Anesthesiology Trauma Study Section 2001-2005
NIGMS MERIT Award 2003
Distinguished Investigator Award 2007, Washington University School of Medicine
Henning Pontoppidan Visiting Professorship – Massachusetts General Hospital 2011
Scientific Achievement Award 2012 – Shock Society
I.S. Ravdin Lecture in Basic Science 98th Annual American College of Surgeons (2012)


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We present a curated list of travel books to help you plan and pass the time. This week, we're climbing into the car, taking city transit, looking for love in all the right places, and paying homage to history.
Celebrate: Jump into Canadian history
National Geographic Guide to the National Historic Sites of Canada
Official guidebook
By: National Geographic
List price: $29.95
Available at: amazon.ca
Since Nova Scotia's Fort Anne became the country's first national historic site in 1917, hundreds of culturally significant spots have been added to the list. To commemorate 100 years of conservation (and 150 years of Canada), National Geographic and Parks Canada have curated a comprehensive companion guide to help us unlock our collective history.
Research: Romance around every corner
Practical travel tips
By: Lonely Planet
List price: $25.50
Available at: amazon.ca
From Cambodia to Cape Town, there are more than 25 well-planned honeymoon itineraries pulled together in this boldly designed first edition by Lonely Planet. Take a quiz to find out you and your partner's ideal travel theme, get budget breakdowns or discover the perks of a mini-moon. There's also an LGBT-friendliness indicator for each destination.
Drive: Be a tarmac tourist
The 50 Greatest Road Trips of the World
Global driving guide
By: Sarah Woods
List price: $21.50
Available at: amazon.ca
If the open road is calling your name, you should buy this book before you answer. Veteran travel journalist Sarah Woods maps out the literal highs and lows of 50 of the world's most iconic drives, including Iceland's Ring Road and Canada's Icefields Parkway. Time to buckle in and get going.
Go: Get ready to ride
Children's travel book
By: Susie Brooks and Tracy Cottingham
List price: $21.95 (hardcover)
Available at: Chapters Indigo
Teach your soon-to-be-globetrotting tot what it takes to travel from A to B in this interactive exploration of the modes of transport. Each beautifully illustrated page turns the tedium of transit into a choose-your-own adventure of boats, bikes and buses. Get on board and see the world of motion through their wonder-filled eyes.


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With Its Total Audience Measurement Rollout Delayed, Nielsen Will Share More Connected TV Data
Clients can track devices like Roku and Apple TV
Networks will have to wait a few months longer for full access to Nielsen's new Total Audience Measurement data, but in the interim, the company is preparing to share more information about usage of connected TV devices like Roku and Apple TV.
Nielsen announced today that beginning April 25, it will make brand-level data available from connected TV devices, including streaming video devices and game consoles—Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Google Chromecast, Xbox, Sony PlayStation and Nintendo Wii—as well as enabled smart TVs.
This will allow clients to track how many homes across the country own TV connected devices and which brands, and how those numbers grow over time. Clients will be able to determine how much time people spend with devices overall and link program viewing to those specific devices.
The company is also creating a new metric called Total Use of Television (TUT), which adds connected TV usage to linear usage for what Nielsen calls "a complete view" of TV usage.
"Our device breakout data will report how much viewing to a particular network, program, episode or telecast came from a particular device type or device brand for measured content," said Sara Erichson, evp, client solutions and audience insights.
Erichson explained that many networks already have content measured by Nielsen coming through these devices. "Take, for example, the case of someone watching live TV on an Xbox," she said. "Today, this viewing would be added to a network's ratings, but no one knows how much of the overall viewing to a program is coming from that Xbox. Beginning next month, clients will be able to associate the portion of the viewing that is coming from individual brands of connected device."
For SVOD programming of older episodes (i.e., shows airing on Netflix, Hulu and Amazon), clients who are already signed up for SVOD measurement will be able to associate that viewing with specific brands of connected TV devices.
While April's rollout will pair connected devices with TV sets, Erichson said, "The next phase is identifying what apps are being accessed on these devices to get the content." She also noted that Nielsen already incorporates viewing from certain streaming devices—like CBS All Access—into its ratings.
The brand-level TV connected device data will be available on a subscription basis only, but the Total Use of Television metrics will be available at no charge to clients, Erichson said.
The data comes from Nielsen's TV panel, which the company recently doubled from 20,000 to 40,000 households for a total of 100,000 viewers. The panel includes more than 100,000 TV sets and more than 50,000 connected TV devices.
It will also be included as part of Total Audience Measurement, the multiplatform measurement tool the company is in the process of rolling out. While individual networks and clients can currently see their own total audience data, Steve Hasker, global president and COO, told Adweek in this week's issue that the public rollout (when "everybody sees everything") has been delayed at least three months, to the end of the second quarter at the earliest.
Nielsen said that today's data announcement has been in the works for some time, and isn't connected to the delay in Total Audience Measurement's rollout.
"I think it's the reality of working through the data with clients, getting them comfortable with the new data sets that they're seeing," said Hasker of the total audience delay. "That process … I don't know that we underestimated it, but we can never spend enough time with our clients analyzing that data, helping them understand it and figure out what sort of decisions it's going to lead to."
The Total Audience Measurement metrics include almost all of the ways people view content: VOD, DVR, mobile, PC, tablet, connected TV devices (like Xbox, Apple TV and Roku), and linear TV. When those other platforms are factored in, said Hasker, "We're seeing in some cases audience lift of around 50 percent, but on average, we're seeing an audience lift of around 10 percent."


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I just finished uploading this Condo for sale, 403 1250 BURNABY STREET, Vancouver West, BC
Welcome to the Horizon in the heart of Vancouver's West End/Davie Village! This 1 bedroom corner suite exudes warmth and charm and has been meticulously maintained. Features include beautiful hardwood floors, juliet balcony to enjoy your garden and lots of insuite storage space. Spectacular roof top deck with outdoor pool, patio seating and stunning views of English Bay and the city. This well managed building with on site caretaker has had many upgrades including roof, elevators, plumbing and boilers. Steps to the beach, restaurants, shopping, public transport and sea wall. Prepaid lease to December 31, 2073. Maintenance fee includes heat, hot water and taxes. Sorry no pets. Rentals allowed with great ROI! Excellent RBC Financing available. Offer if any Tuesday Jan 16, by 4:00.


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We are delighted to announce the finalists of our 2017 Postdoc Business Plan Competition.
It has been another year of high calibre submissions. As a result, the judges elected to send six business plans through to the final round. The postdoctoral researchers, and their departmental affiliations, are:
- Davor Copic with project NextGen Heat Pipes (Institute for Manufacturing, Department of Engineering)
- James T Griffiths with project Solaware (Department of Materials Science & Metallurgy)
- Carin Ingemarsdotter with project Spliceor Therapeutics (Department of Medicine)
- Hanbin Ma with project ACXEL (Department of Engineering)
- Akshay Rao with project Slate2Learn (Department of Physics)
- Chris Williamson with project Flexypix (Electrical Engineering Division, Department of Engineering)
The judges also decided to award a Highly Commended certificate to the following two semi-finalists:
- Zuzanna Brzosko with project Sixfold (Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience)
- Chao Gao with project RoboK (Department of Computer Science and Technology)
The grand finale will be held on Thursday 2 November when the finalists will pitch their business plans in front of an audience of experts in spin-out investment. If you're a postdoc and would like to attend, you can register for the event here.
The judges include Anne Dobrée, Head of Seed Funds of Cambridge Enterprise, Tom Simmons, president of the Entrepreneurial Postdocs of Cambridge, Andrew Williamson, Investment Director at Cambridge Innovation Capital and Barbara Domayne-Hayman, Member of the Cambridge Enterprise Investment Committee.
The finalists' pitches will be judged on a number of criteria, including each business's competitive position, the potential for new business creation and the teams' collective skill set.
The event is sponsored by Marks and Clerk, Parkwalk Advisors, Cambridge Innovation Capital and Barclays Eagle Labs.
Up to three prizes in total will be awarded.
- 1st prize: £20,000 investment sponsored by Cambridge Enterprise, Eagle Labs memberships for up to four team members for three months and a pitching slot at a Cambridge Enterprise Venture Partners Dinner
- 2nd prize: £10,000 investment sponsored by Cambridge Enterprise
- 3rd prize: £5,000 cash sponsored by Cambridge Innovation Capital and Parkwalk Advisors
If you entered but didn't make it through to the finals, we hope you have learned from your mentors and that the process has helped you in your quest for commercialisation.
Congratulations to all the finalists. We'll see you at the grand finale. Good luck!Tags: entrepreneurial postdocs of cambridge, postdoc business plan competition, postdocs, Robok


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ASHLEY HALL: Over years of drought, images of dying trees and dry, cracked creek-beds along the lower reaches of the River Murray became an all too familiar site.
But after three big flood events, hundreds of thousands of seedlings have now emerged underneath dead red gums in South Australia's Riverland region. But there are fears they won't survive through summer, unless water is diverted to the flood plains.
Nicola Gage reports.
NICOLA GAGE: It was a familiar sight along many stretches of the River Murray at the height of the drought.
ANNE JENSEN: Red gums need water once every two to three years to stay healthy so after 14 years we were looking at more than 70 per cent of the red gums were dead, dying or extremely stressed and we lost hundreds of thousands of trees along the river.
NICOLA GAGE: Dr Anne Jensen is an ecologist based in Adelaide. She's working with seven landowners between Berri and Loxton in the Riverland to ensure the survival of new red gum seedlings.
Red box and lignum tree seedlings have also flourished.
ANNE JENSEN: Given the history and given the past damage, we need as many of these seedlings as possible to survive and they are vulnerable for the first one to two summers after they germinate, if they don't have sufficient soil moisture reserves to survive through the summer through the heat and the evaporation.
So in looking at how we use environmental water, one of the ways that we could consider using it is to irrigate those seedlings that have come up to make sure they've got enough water through the next summer.
NICOLA GAGE: And that's what they're doing. Steve Clark is a landowner at Lock four, Book Penong. He irrigates about 100 hectares of almonds and vines.
STEVE CLARK: We are donating water to these flood plains ourselves from our own allocations so as a landowner I've closed it down a bit to the general public, opened it up to the environmental expertise and opened up my thinking so that we go in there and do the best we can for the next generation of trees.
NICOLA GAGE: Billions of litres of environmental flows are expected to be returned to the lower reaches of the River Murray in the next year. Irrigators have given up water through efficiencies. It was sold on to Commonwealth environmental water holders.
Mr Clark says they now want that water returned to the floodplains.
STEVE CLARK: Private landowners that own floodplains are custodians of the environment themselves and these aren't highly commercially viable pieces of land, they are much more environmentally valuable than they are commercially.
NICOLA GAGE: A final draft of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan is being considered by Environment Minister Tony Burke.
This morning South Australian Premier, Jay Weatherill, said South Australians needed to speak out so they receive a better deal.
JAY WEATHERILL: It is a question of whether you come with the South Australian position or whether you try and placate New South Wales and Victoria and it's pretty obvious what the problem is - 93 per cent of the waters of the River Murray are taken by the upstream states.
I don't think you can placate New South Wales and Victoria they have been the people that have taken too much and they're going to have to put some back.
NICOLA GAGE: Steve Clark has been active for a decade trialling different water use efficiency programs on his property. He says both land owners and the government have a responsibility to ensure the survival of the next generation of tree species.
STEVE CLARK: We need to grab the chance and irrigators understand that and we'll get out there on those floodplains and do our best to keep those seedlings going.
NICOLA GAGE: The draft plan is expected to be tabled in Parliament before the end of the year.
ASHLEY HALL: Nicola Gage.
The full story...
River Murray irrigators working to save red gums
Nicola Gage reported this story on Wednesday, September 19, 2012 18:46:00
ASHLEY HALL: Over years of drought, images of dying trees and dry, cracked creek-beds along the lower reaches of the River Murray became an all too familiar site.


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http://singularityhub.com/2011/06/28/driverless-cars-brought-closer-to-reality-as-nevada-passes-bill/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed: SingularityHub (Singularity Hub)&utm_content=Google Reader
Driverless Cars Brought Closer to Reality as Nevada Passes Bill
by Peter Murray June 28th, 2011 | Comments (0)
Forget the Ferrari. Future Vegas partygoers may find themselves cruising the strip in driverless rides.
There's really not a whole lot in Nevada besides long highways and oil fields. But they do have Vegas, that desert oasis of high-density excess that puts Nevada on the map many times over. The state's governor has just signed a law that subscribes perfectly to the 'Bells and Whistles' State and at the same time makes engineers' mouths water. It's a law requiring the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles to "adopt regulations authorizing the operation of autonomous vehicles."
That's right. Elvis is going stylin' in a driverless car.
We were pretty excited the first time Assembly Bill 511 first came across our virtual desk last month. As we mentioned, among the bill's requirements is for Nevada's DMV to set guidelines by which a person obtains an autonomous vehicle driver's licenses. The seemingly contradictory license is made even more so by the bill's language: "The driver's license endorsement…must…recognize the fact that a person is not required to actively drive an autonomous vehicle." But of course guidelines must be set when operating a vehicle that navigates city streets, stops for pedestrians, etc. I'm guessing these 'drivers' won't actually be allowed to nap on the way to work (at least not yet, but that is the whole point, isn't it?), and they're definitely going to have to know where the kill switch is in case of a malfunction.
Also on the DMV's To Do list are requirements for the vehicle itself, requirements for obtaining insurance, establishing safety standards and testing guidelines. Definitions are laid out too for these as yet unroad-tested technologies. Among them, "artificial intelligence" is defined as "the use of computers and related equipment to enable a machine to duplicate or mimic the behavior of human beings." You can find the entire bill here.
In addition, the forward-looking AB511 affords privileged parking for vehicles that run on alternative fuels including compressed natural gas, hydrogen or propane.
The law appears to prepare for the inevitable. Techs around the world are racing to get driverless vehicles on the road. Last August a pair of driverless vans made a three-month, 8,000 mile trek from Italy to China–traversing Siberia and the Gobi Desert along the way–to pull up at the World Fair. Human drivers intervened from time to time, but it was a smashing proof of principle. A few months earlier Stanford's robot car, Junior, showed off its new James Bond-like parking skills: a flamboyant, high-speed 180 skid into a tight spot. More recently, Stanford collaborated with VW Electronics Research lab to build an autonomous Audi TTS that ran the Pike's Peak International Hill Climb course, reaching speeds up to 45 mph. Not to be left behind in any technology race, Google is famously developing their own robotic vehicle technology. Their collective fleet odometer already counts over 140,000 autonomous miles.
While we still have a ways to go before we're all being schlepped around by our GPS- and sensor-enabled chauffeurs, AB511–at least for Nevada–gets the DMV going on the regulatory framework. The language in the bill is pretty vague and extremely limited in its scope. But its greatest value may come from the regulatory and, perhaps more importantly, social dialogue it opens up. As Hub writer Aaron Saenz has argued, getting communities to allow autonomous vehicles on their roads might prove more of a challenge than finalizing the technology that makes it possible. Sticky issues, such as who is responsible in the inevitable event of an autonomous car crash, will need to be addressed ahead of time.
The road ahead is uncharted. Regulatory bodies at both the state and federal level, manufacturers and communities as well will all have to work closely if autonomous vehicles are ever to hit the streets. The fact that Nevada is the first state to push through such a bill means they intend to pave the way for other states. As such, they stand to reap huge benefits for a transportation system that is potentially safer and more energy efficient than what's on the streets today. One can only guess how quickly that system will materialize, but it seems like Nevada's not waiting for anyone.
[image credit: ULTra]


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When I go to vote this week I will split my ticket for judicial candidates as I always do.
Because I've been hanging around courthouses as a journalist or as a lawyer since about 1980, I know a lot of the folks who wear robes. I've sat endless hours, sometimes scintillated and sometimes struggling to stay awake, in their courtrooms. It's the only thing that makes me confident about my judicial voting. It's one of the most mysterious parts of the ballot for the average citizen. And should they wind up in court, it's one that could change their life forever. Shoot, a broad appellate opinion can change all our lives forever.
A good judge is more than a party. When a political sweep occurs, as happened in Harris County back when the Democrats lost to the Republicans, good judges were tossed with the bad. This could happen again this year as the Democrats have a chance to have more voters pull their lever.
I hate to see the good ones leave and I hate to see the bad ones stay.
There are plenty of likeable folks on benches. Some are also great judges, some are just awful.
I joke that I get about a dozen votes in each judicial election because many friends ask me for my picks. You should ask someone who hangs around the courthouse, too.
Look at the Houston Bar Poll , a flawed poll that can lean pretty far over for the big firms, but a glimpse at who might be good and who might be bad nonetheless. See results from May 2007 too.
The Democrats have a website where you can read about candidate qualifications and the Republicans have one for a group of judges who kicked in money, and they all have little videos. It's fun to watch, but it really doesn't tell you much. You can also Google individual candidates and find their websites.
But, unlike most politicians, judicial candidates cannot tell you their opinions on specific matters. That makes it all more mysterious. And what you really need to know is hard to pin down. It's not who knows them at church, but it's how they treat citizens who stand before them. It's not about meeting them at dinner and thinking they were nice, but do they really know the law and know how to apply it? Their family photographs well, but are they smart enough? Are they honest enough? Are they fair enough?
And something really, really important — do they truly believe the courtroom belongs to the people who pay the utilities and not to the elected official sitting temporarily in the chair?
Their pictures don't tell you these things nor do the party slogans. Good luck to us all.