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Mod Description:
Heating and cooling your RV can pose a bit of a challenge at times. Even though the overall comfort level in your RV feels good, there can be cold and hot spots because of the irregular shapes of today's RVs. With multiple slides, bunk beds, creative cabinetry, and hybrid tenting, there are often areas that are not the same temperature as the rest of the RV. Using an air circulation fan can really help in those problem areas and Vornado Air Circulation Systems has just the right solution.
Mod Difficulty:
Vornado has a really nice modern looking fan that mounts under most any cabinet or shelf in your RV. The beauty of this fan is that it can fold up flat when not in use, so it doesn't get in your way. But wait! There's more. The fan also rotates 360 degrees, providing air circulation in any direction. You must manually rotate the fan but once you have it set, you don't have to worry about. If you need air directed in a different direction, just rotate the fan and it stays put.
One area of an RV that suffers from inconsistent temperatures is the slideout. Most late model RVs have large slideouts and none that I am aware of have heater or A/C vents within them. The slide sits outside the RV box and can suffer from cold and heat soak. So this is where I want to circulate some air towards.
I located an area in the corner of my travel trailer's kitchen, the perfect spot for mounting the fan as it will face the slideout. One thing I should mention is that these fans are 120 VAC only, so you need to be sure your mounting location is near an AC receptacle. Fortunately I have an outlet just next to the mounting location I selected.
With the exception of higher-end RVs, most RV cabinetry uses hollow core bottoms, meaning that there is a lower and upper bottom panel with a space in between that makes up the floor of the cabinet. This saves a considerable amount of weight but poses a slight challenge when mounting the Vornado fan.
When tightening the mounting screws, the two panels that make up the cabinet bottom can pull toward each other, making it difficult to tighten the screws enough so as to secure the fan. Fortunately, I have a dividing wall inside the cabinet where I am mounting the fan. This prevents the two panels from collapsing toward each other, allowing the mounting screws to be tightened enough to not come loose. If your under cabinet mounting location doesn't have enough support, you can use cylindrical nylon inserts. Drill a hole in the top panel large enough for the insert to go through but only drill a small hole in the bottom panel for the screw to pass through. Use a washer large enough to cover the insert hole and when you tighten the screw, the insert will prevent the panels from collapsing toward each other and the screws can be tightened as needed.
Mounting the fan is simple and straightforward. There is a template the comes with the fan which is used to mark where the holes need to be drilled. After drilling the holes according to the template, I discovered that the mounting screws that came with the fan were too short to pass through an RV cabinet as they are thicker than a residential cabinet bottom panel. A quick trip to the harwdare store remedied the situation. I did learn though that the screws that came with the fan were metric, 4mm by 25mm. I bought 4mm by 50mm which was long enough to pass through the two panels and secure the fan.
After securing the fan using the longer screws, the only thing left was to route the AC cord to the receptacle. Fortunately, this was but a few inches away from the fan. The fan comes with a sticky clip that attaches to the cabinet and helps make for a clean cord routing.
The fan met all my expectations. I can sit in the dinette or sofa area and feel a nice breeze, not to strong and not too weak. With two speeds, the fan can be adjusted to your comfort level. Having the ability to rotate the fan is a nice feature in case you need to move air around in other directions.
ModMyRV recommends these parts for this mod:
4 Comments For This ModSort by:
rvoutreach (January 31st, 2010 at 3:46 pm)
We did this mod and really like the fan. We did a review of it if you're interested, it is at http://rvroadtrip.us/library/review_vornado_v103.asp
ModMyRV (January 31st, 2010 at 4:16 pm)
@rvoutreach: Nice write-up! Looks like you came to the same conclusions I did. I also thought about mounting the fan through only the lower cabinet panel but thought the 1/8″ panel may be too weak and possibly crack after repeated opening and closing of the fan. Does your lower panel flex any when opening/closing the fan?
Also, I like the fact that you took power draw readings. It just further shows that this fan can work well in a boondocking situation using a small inverter.
roncryderman (March 4th, 2010 at 6:25 pm)
I installed my fan this past weekend with a few modifications. Since plug ins are few and far between in my 5th Wheel, I placed the fan on a collapsible shelf in the bedroom. I cut the 12″ shelf to 7″ to save room. We're really looking forward to cool air this coming summer.
rvoutreach (April 24th, 2010 at 10:21 am)
We don't get any flexing on ours as it is mounted close enough to the edges to have some support.
1 Trackbacks For This Post
Twitter Trackbacks for RV Under Cabinet Air Circulation Fan | ModMyRV [modmyrv.com] on Topsy.com (January 17th, 2010 at 8:52 pm)
[...] RV Under Cabinet Air Circulation Fan | ModMyRV http://www.modmyrv.com/2010/01/16/rv-under-cabinet-air-circulation-fan – view page – cached Heating and cooling your RV can pose a bit of a challenge at times. Even though the overall comfort level in your RV feels good, there can be cold and hot spots [...]


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Fun Calendar Templates Software
Create your own free calendar designs using this great calendar designer software! It also includes a number of graphic designs that you can incorporate, showing you how to easily design a calendar, or you can use the built in calendar templates to m. ...
- setup.exe
- Calandar Designing Company
- Freeware (Free)
- 2.06 Mb
- Win95, Win98, WinME, WinNT 4.x, WinXP, Windows2000
Free printable 2012 monthly calendar and 2012 yearly calendar in Microsoft Word(.doc), OpenOffice(.odt) and JPEG formats. You can add notes to individual dates or complete month very easily. There are 2 different calendar templates in the download. ...
- 2012-calendar.zip
- FreshShare
- Freeware (Free)
- WinXP, WinVista, Win7 x32, Win7 x64, Win2000, Mac OS X, Windows2000, Windows2003, Unix, Linux
With the EasyCalendarMaker you can create a personalised calendar with its calendar template. Your template allows you to make and design your own calendars and aids you in choosing the size, height, width and position of the calendar to your taste.
- setup.exe
- Calendar Template Software Creating Tem
- Freeware (Free)
- 2.86 Mb
- Win95, Win98, WinME, WinNT 4.x, WinXP, Windows2000
PrintableCal is an add-in for Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. It creates printable calendars with events from Google Calendar, Yahoo! Calendar, Outlook, VueMinder, iCal, and more. It also includes a large number of customizable calendar templates.
- PrintableCal_Setup.exe
- VueSoft LLC
- Shareware ($7.95)
- 21.09 Mb
- Win2000, WinXP, Win7 x32, Win7 x64, Windows 8, Windows 10, WinServer, WinOther, Windows2000, Windows2003, Windows Server 2012, Windows Tablet PC Edition 2005, Windows Media Center Edition 2005, WinVista, Windows Vista, WinVista x64
Any Outlook Backup is a backup and restore tool for the Microsoft Outlook. It allows you to save Personal Folders, Contacts, Personal Address Book, Mail folders, Mail accounts, Message rules, signatures, stationery, tasks, notes, calendar, Templates.
- aob.exe
- any-video-converter.com
- Shareware ($)
- 3.3 Mb
- Windows
A set of award-winning authoring tools to help you create interactive exercises, tests and quizzes. The exercises can be put on a Web page, or run as standalone programs at home or in the classroom. A great way to teach any subject - or just for fun.
- ttsetup.exe
- Tac-Software
- Shareware ($19.95)
- 7.19 Mb
- Windows 9X, ME, 2K, XP, 2003
The award-winning Teaching Templates suite is a varied and timesaving set of nine authoring tools to help you create interactive, web-based exercises, tests and quizzes - including Multiple Choice, Question Time, Gap Text (based on the Cloze test. ...
- ttqmsetup.exe
- Tac-Software
- Shareware ($19.95)
- 15.3 Mb
- Windows All
www.calendars2010.us - Calendars 2010 The #1: Online Calendars 2010. As the year 2009 nears to an end, we begin to look forward with eagerness and enthusiasm for 2010 to unveil itself. Amidst this eagerness and hope we would love to go through a 2010. ...
- Calendars_2010.exe
- Calendars 2010
- Shareware ($)
- 1.01 Mb
- Win 3.1x, Win95, Win98, WinME, WinNT 3.x, WinNT 4.x, Windows2000, WinXP, Windows2003
ABC Outlook Backup is an easy-to-use tool that allows you to backup and restore your Outlook data. It save and restore Personal Folders, Contacts, Personal Address Book, Mail folders, Mail accounts, rules, signatures, stationery, tasks, etc.
- obsetup.exe
- Outlook-express-email-backup .com
- Shareware ($28.99)
- 4.91 Mb
- Win2000, Win7 x32, Win7 x64, WinServer, WinVista, WinVista x64, WinXP
All 3000+ Calendar 2007 Refill Templates fit into any A5 Day Planner System, Time-Sytem, Filofax, Personal Organizer, Loose Leaf File Binders. Its easy to use and compatible with all printer types and stationery already being used in your office.
- a5cedemo.zip
- BestWorkX Ltd
- Demo ($24.95)
- 32 Mb
- Windows2000, WinXP, Windows2003, Windows Vista
Print It - Punch It - Get Organized - Bestworkx Time Management System Printable PDF eBook. TimeWorkX 2012 - 8.5'x11' inch. 5000+ Calendar Refill Templates. Use this dated planner to customize or update your organizer.
- bw07demo.zip
- BestWorkX
- Shareware ($19.95)
- 18.76 Mb
- Linux, Mac OS X, Mac Other, Win2000, WinOther, WinServer, WinVista, WinVista x64, WinXP, Other
All 3000 Calendar 2007 Refill Templates fit into A4 Desk Planning System, Desk Planner, Filofax, Personal Organizer, Loose Leaf File Binders. Its easy to use and compatible with all printer types and stationery already being used in your office.
- bw07demo.zip
- Best Media
- Demo ($24.95)
- 18.76 Mb
- Windows
Related: Fun Calendar Templates - Fun Fax Templates - Fun Memo Templates - Kids Fun Templates - Fun Design Templates

subset: commoncrawl


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"As an attorney with The Weller Legal Group who has years of experience in the practice of law, I've handled bankruptcy cases like yours time and time again. Still, I understand that your case is as unique as you are. Therefore, I will strive to learn its unique qualities by talking to you, understanding how you have arrived at your situation, and helping you find relief from creditors. Before you can obtain relief from your difficult financial situation, you have to take the time to assess how you got there. At The Weller Legal Group, P.A., I will help you retrace your steps, gain solid footing, and put you on the path to financial relief."
-William Brumby
William Brumby is an Associate Attorney with The Weller Legal Group Law Firm. Will is from Conyers, Georgia and majored in political science at The University of Georgia (Go DAWGS!), with a minor in English. In 2007, he began attending school at The Indiana University Maurer School of Law, earning his Juris Doctorate in 2010.
Will began his law career with a large law firm that focused only consumer bankruptcy. Later, Will chose to transition a smaller law firm so that he could have more client contact and further hone his skills as a consumer bankruptcy attorney. Will Brumby's exceptional attention to detail and aspiration to learn the minutiae in The United States Bankruptcy Code sets him apart from the other lawyers in his field.
In August of 2013, Will Brumby began practicing law with The Weller Legal Group primarily focusing on bankruptcy, debt related matters, and foreclosure defense.
Will enjoys playing golf, watching football and spending time with his family.
His email address is email@example.com and he can be reached at 1.800.407.3328


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DM6 USB KIT Overview
The perfect choice for aspiring drummers everywhere.
The Alesis DM6 USB Kit (Formerly DM6 Kit) highlights the best of Alesis' 20 years of experience in professional electronic percussion gear. This electronic drum set features a completely new sound module with 108 quality drum, cymbal, and percussion sounds. Its pads feel great and its hardware and rack system are high quality.
Like all Alesis drum sets, the DM6 USB Kit features realistic, natural-feeling playing surfaces. To reduce vibration feedback, we selected natural rubber drum and cymbal surfaces for the DM6 USB Kit's pads. This five-piece kit gets you started on a dual-zone snare pad for two-sound compatibility. You can dial in a snare drum sound in the center and a rim click, rimshot, or something totally different like a cowbell on the rim!
The DM6 USB Kit also comes with three tom pads, an upright kick drum pad, hi-hat, crash, and ride cymbal pads. It even comes with an Alesis bass drum pedal and kick pad for your personal feel.
The DM6 module features an internal collection of top-notch drum, cymbal, and percussion sounds that will blow you away. You can edit and save your drum kits for custom sounds. You get 10 presets and 5 custom slots. In addition to the sounds in the DM6 module, there's a USB output that sends the notes you play out as MIDI signal, so you can use the DM6 as a trigger-to-MIDI interface with drum-module software such as BFD, Toontrack, or Reason for a limitless collection of sounds.
The DM6 has headphone and amplifier outputs so you can play quietly in phones or connect up and rock out. You can also connect your iPod or CD player and mix it in with the DM6's stereo input jack.
The DM6 module has a metronome, an essential tool for keeping steady time whether you're practicing alone or with a band. The DM6 also has a built-in sequencer with 40 preset music tracks for play along.
A drumset is only as strong as its weakest link. The DM6 USB Kit mounts on a heavy-duty aluminum rack. The standard 1 1/2″ tubing enables you to add on with Alesis and other brands' clamps and mounts. The kit also comes with a full set of mounting hardware and cables, as well as rugged kick drum and hi-hat pedals.
Get more than you ever thought possible with the DM6 USB Kit.
BFD is a trademark of FXpansion Audio UK Ltd.
Toontrack is a registered trademark of Toontrack.
Reason is a trademark of Propellerhead Software AB.
iPod is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
- Five-piece electronic drumset with DM6 drum-sound module
- DM6 module contains 108 top-notch drum, cymbal, and percussion sounds
- Realistic, natural-feeling playing surfaces
- Works with iPad via Apple USB Adaptor (sold separately)
- 15 programmable drum sets
- Dual-zone snare pad for rim click and rimshot capability
- USB-MIDI output for use with drum-module software
- Connect your iPod or CD player and mix it in with 1/8″ input
- Velocity sensitive for natural, musical response
- Comes with bass drum pedal and drumsticks
- This product is class compliant; it does not require drivers
- (1) DM6 drum sound module
- (1) DMPad Kick Pad with stand
- (1) DMPedal single kick pedal
- (1) DMHat Pedal hi-hat pedal
- (1) DMPad 8″ Dual-Zone Pad
- (3) DMPad 8″ Single-Zone Pads
- (3) DMPad 12″ Cymbals
- (1) ProRack complete with mounting hardware
- (1) DM6 Kit cable snake
- (1) Drum key
- (2) Drumsticks
- (1) Assembly instructions/quick start guide
DM6 USB Kit Pads
- DMPad Kick Pad with stand (with pedal)
- DMHat Pedal hi-hat controller (open/closed)
- DMPad 8″ Dual-Zone Pad (snare)
- 3 DMPad 8″ Single-Zone Pads (toms)
- 3 DMPad 12″ Cymbals (hi-hat, crash, and ride)
DM6 Module
- Kits: 10 Preset, 5 User Kits
- Patterns: 40 Preset, 1 User
- Sounds: 108
- Inputs: 1/8″ stereo mix-in, 25-pin D-sub for cable snake
- Outputs: 1/8″ stereo master, 1/8″ headphone
- USB for trigger-to-MIDI interface
- Power: 9V AC, adapter included
- Shipping Dimensions: 33.8″(D) x 22.4″(W) x 13″(H)
- Shipping Weight: 48 lbs.


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Chicco Dove Grey Sleeping Crib
This crib allows you to sleep next to your baby but in your own bed. It has a travel bag so it can be used for holidays and is lightweight. The height is adjustable and one side folds down so you can sleep next to your baby for peace of mind.
Promotes side sleeping
The Chicco Dove Grey Sleeping Crib has been designed to promote side sleeping, which can help a baby. One side folds down and it can be pulled up next to a bed so mum can sleep right next to the baby. The height is adjustable and it makes it easier to tend to the baby if it wakes in the night. It also give the baby confidence that their mother is not far away. The feet slide neatly underneath a bed so there is no gap for the baby to fall through.
Travel Cot
The sleeping crib can be used as a travel cot, which gives a baby the security of sleeping in the same environment. The cot can be folded into a travel bag and reassembled to the height of any bed. The base of the bed can be inclined to help with congestion and reflux and generally help the baby to get a better night's sleep. As the baby grows, the cot can be moved further away from the bed as the side can be raised so it is a normal crib.
Features and Specs
Suitable from birth to 6 months/9 kg
Co-sleeping crib that promotes side-sleeping
Allows you to sleep close to your child
Can be used as a normal crib
Light and easy to transport
Travel bag included
Adjustable height with an inclinable base
Customer reviews and scores
While some parents say the mattress is too hard for their baby, this can be easily overcome with a softer mattress. Babies sleep better as they can see their mothers, and being able to adjust the height makes it easier to put the baby in or take them out to feed. It is easy to assemble and very sturdy and the legs are easy to slide in place. It provides new mothers with peace of mind and a little help with nursing at night too.
The side sleeping crib is a great help to nursing mothers, and it helps a baby to sleep feeling more relaxed too. The height can be altered to match any bed so the crib can be taken to grandparents houses too and it helps mothers to keep a watchful eye on their babies when they need it the most.


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Rupert Murdoch tweeted Sunday, July 12, that "The Donald" Trump is "wrong" about Mexican immigrants. Murdoch also reported facts on who is actually committing more crimes. The Donald started his campaign with
stops in Phoenix and Las Vegas on Saturday, July 11, 2015.
Trump officially started his campaign in Phoenix, Ariz. by outlining his anti-immigration plan. A reported 5,000 people welcomed the real estate mogul. Hundreds, who were unable to get inside the center, started lining up before dawn, in triple-digit temperatures, to listen to what The Donald had to say. He began full force with his pretentious, anti-immigration plan, which targets the border of Mexico. He added, "These people don't belong in our country, they are undocumented immigrants." He outlined his strategy for better control at the border, which would entail charging Mexico $100,000 for every illegal immigrant who comes across the U.S. border, stating, "Oh, I'll make them pay."
The billionaire also talked about how he keeps his confidence level up, comparing it to his past years of dating. He explained that he was dumped often, and he dealt with it by telling himself that he was the one who did the dumping. Trump also explained that he would have a very high confidence level when dealing with terrorist groups such as ISIS. He stated that he would "take them out so fast" and that this would not be a choice, but something the country has to do. He ended his speech by taking a shot at Jeb Bush, warning the crowd that Bush would be trouble for the country as president, and accusing the senator of being too soft on illegal immigrants.
Murdoch tweeted on Sunday that Trump is "wrong," adding that according to Justice Quarterly, all immigrants, including Mexican immigrants both legal and illegal, have a much lower crime rate than natural-born American citizens. He also added that second-generation immigrants are the only ones with a crime rate as high as American citizens, citing El Paso as one of the most secure cities in which to live. The media mogul also said that Trump was just trying to generate controversy with his remarks that the U.S. has let criminals from other countries find refuge in America.
According to Salon, Murdoch believes most people will accept as fact that Trump's comments (about illegal Mexican immigrants being criminals and rapists) are politically incorrect, when in fact, they are just incorrect. The real estate mogul does not have enough substance to generate attention to his issues, so he must stir up controversy to get the attention he craves. It is a political ploy to get the ear of the voter. The
reason the crime rate of second-generation immigrants matches that of natural-born American citizens is simply that "they catch up," so it seems the issue of solving the crime rate should be on cleaning it up within this country. Murdoch made a good point when he tweeted Trump is "wrong." It is good for U.S. citizens to know they are not in greater danger because of immigration, with the exception of terrorists who travel to the country simply to do harm to Americans.
Opinion by Katherine Miller-Chichester
Edited by Jennifer Pfalz
Salon: Murdoch unloads as Trump's xenophobic campaign gains steam
Yahoo News: Rupert Murdoch criticizes Trump's comments on illegal immigrants
Top Photo Courtesy of Gage Skidmore's Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inline Photo Courtesy of David Shankbone's Flickr Page – Creative Commons License


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The reduced glutathione is an amino acid produced by the body that is multi-functional. This multi-functional amino acid level could come down with age and with other medical conditions or drugs. At this time you need to feed the body with extra of this nutrient. It would not do to take any glutathione product. It works better in its reduced form. The Bulk Supplements Glutathione reduced to powder is one such ideal forms of glutathione.
The Bulk Supplements Glutathione reduced powder could also be used to make your own homemade liposomal glutathione drink.
What Is Glutathione Reduced Powder?
The glutathione reduced powder is the real available form of glutathione in our body. This amino acid has got several functions including that of powering up the brain and serving as an integral part of the immune system.
Glutathione Reduced Powder – Natural Detoxification
The glutathione reduced powder is the real available form of glutathione in our body. It cures many diseases and naturally improves the GSH level in the body as well. Promotes natural detoxification process and boost the liver and the immune system.
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Glutathione reduced form is also known as GSH. The low level of GSH can cause several health problems. The production of this can reduce with time or conditions. Taking the oral supplement of glutathione reduced powder is considered equivalent to the IV therapy for the same, only at the reduced price. It cures many diseases and naturally improves the GSH level in the body as well.
Benefits of using Glutathione reduced powder
- Glutathione is the biggest antioxidant produced by our body. It protects the cells from free radicals and cares for the brain cells also.
- It promotes natural detoxification process and can help reduce many toxin related illnesses and ailments.
- It helps boost the liver and the immune system. It is a kind of superfood for all the immune cells.
- Supplies sulfur for the cells
- It is a cofactor for many of the important enzymes
- Glutathione reduced powder binds the sulfur bonds in proteins to strengthen them.
- It is also useful for the protein synthesis.
- It can improve the blood supply to the brain and also help in Parkinson's disease. It is also found to cure short-term memory loss.
- It can prevent diseases like osteoarthritis, in heavy metal detoxification, prevents premature aging, asthma, cancer, alcoholism, liver diseases, and heart diseases, and counter the immune-suppressing diseases also.
Glutathione reduced powder ingredients and dosage
- Glutathione reduced powder contains 500mg of the reduced glutathione in every serving.
The single serving is flexible that range from 50mg to 500 mg per day. A serving of 500mg can be as small as ¼ a teaspoon.
Take a ¼ teaspoon 1-3 times a day. This powder could be mixed with a drink or added to any food that you are having.
The Glutathione reduced powder should be refrigerated upon delivery and keep refrigerated throughout. The powder should be taken along with the food for best results and to avoid any untoward reactions. Having it before the workout sessions enhances the physical strength and speeds up the healing process.
Glutathione reduced powder comes in a zippered pouch for the 100gm package. It is also available in packs of 10gm or 1 kilogram.
Glutathione reduced powder can be used for making liposomal glutathione. It is not necessary since the glutathione here is in the bioavailable state. Still, it can be used for liposomal form as well. Here is the recipe to make the liposomal glutathione with the Glutathione reduced powder.
Homemade liposomal glutathione recipe
Homemade liposomal glutathione involves using lecithin and bulk of Glutathione reduced powder. You will also need an ultrasonic cleaner and a glass container used for coffee making. Use only distilled water and keep a hand blender ready. The other substances needed are, whisk, ice, funnel and a container. Use the distilled water in its warm state and not hot.
The portions of lecithin and Glutathione reduced powder for the making are
- 3 tbsp of sunflower lecithin/soy lecithin (if you don't get the other one) for every cup of water
- 1 tbsp of Glutathione reduced powder for every half a cup of water.
Add the lecithin and the required quantity of distilled water into the flask and hand blend the contents or simply whisk them. Mix the Glutathione reduced powder separately in half a cup of water. Use a whisk or hand blender for mixing and set aside. Once both the powders are mixed well, combine them together by adding the Glutathione reduced powder mix into the lecithin flask. Once they are combined continue to blend for a while.
If you are using an ultrasonic cleaner, run it carefully for about 30 minutes. Place a paper towel under the flask so that it reduces friction sound. If the liquid starts getting hot in the machine, add some ice cubes in, to manage the temperature. The temperature should be warm, not hot.
Check the liquid and if it is without foam, the liposomal drink is ready. Transfer the contents to a storage container and drink it as per the quantity of the Glutathione reduced powder added to it. 2-3 swags are safe. But on the safer side, start low and increase only if necessary.
Glutathione reduced powder reviews
The majority customers use the Glutathione reduced powder for making the homemade liposomal glutathione cocktail. They use it for different reasons but they all end up being satisfied with the effects. Some have got faster changes after using it. Some have even told that they got relief from the problem associated with some muted genes.
The Glutathione reduced powder is mostly used to mix with vitamin C, curcumin, resveratrol etc for the detoxification and immune boosting purposes. The users have commented about the quality of the Glutathione reduced powder.
The increase in energy, improvement in gym workouts and general health are the visible changes the users have experienced.
There are no side effects mentioned for Glutathione reduced powder. Even the disappointed users have not experienced any trouble with this.
The only problem echoed by one and all is the price of the product that is too high even for the smallest quantity pack.
Flexibility in use and quality are the biggest assets of Glutathione reduced powder. It can be used in any manner you choose and mixes well with any host. It comes in small or in bulk packs and you may have it as per your usage method. The lack of any side effects and wonderful positive effects make this, priced Glutathione reduced powder still a golden ingredient for your health improvement.


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Need to know
Climate change will impact significantly on Zambia's water supplies, which will cascade through the energy and agricultural sectors, and impact the entire economy. Climate scientists hope to provide Zambian decision-makers with information that can help them plan appropriately for this uncertain future. This research considers:
- how sensitive Zambia's water system is to disruption by rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns
- how the climate system across the region works
- the strengths and weaknesses of the current climate models, in terms of projecting future changes to the system.
Zambia is a country of rivers, wetlands, rich wildlife, and mineral reserves. The map below illustrates how the country is dominated by the Zambezi River and its catchments. Almost 100% of its electricity is produced by hydroelectric sources, 43 most notably the Kariba hydroelectric scheme. Similarly, local food production is dependent on the river for irrigation. Zambia is critically dependent on water and sound water management practices.
Water: key to the economy
One of the most pressing climate-related issues for Zambia is water supply to the nation's capital city, Lusaka. Lusaka currently sources around 50% of its water through pumps and a pipeline from the Kafue River, 60km south of the city. The remaining 50% is sourced from an array of around 90 well points across the broader city. Both the Kafue pipeline pumps and the borehole pumps require large amounts of electrical power to operate. As a result there is a strong relationship between power supply stability and water supply for the city.
The recent drought conditions combined with other factors have resulted in the Kariba hydropower scheme's reducing its output significantly, with subsequent regular power cuts across Zambia, including Lusaka. This has, in turn, limited pumping capacity, resulting in water shortages across the city.
While the current drought will pass, growing urban population and water demand will increasingly stress existing water supply capacity, even without amplification of these stresses due to climate change. Current plans and infrastructure development are focused largely on upgrading the Kafue-Lusaka water supply through new pipelines and upgraded pumping. However, these plans may need to be influenced by constraints imposed by future needs of multiple water users including farming, energy generation, and environment.
Expanding the groundwater well-fields remains another option if water quality concerns resulting from industrial contamination of the groundwater can be managed. In fact, recent shortages in municipal water supply have already caused expansion of the system of private boreholes tapping groundwater under the city. As it is largely uncontrolled, it creates the potential for resource over-exploitation, pollution, and problems of a social nature related to equity of access.
However, regardless of water sources, energy supply to support pumping and treatment is a key issue. This expands our focus beyond Lusaka and the Kafue to the Kariba Dam, but also to the region as a whole and the southern African Power Pool (SAPP). Will the Grand Inga project in the Congo significantly alter the regional power landscape? How will climate impact on other regional power supplies such as ESKOM in South Africa, and Cahora Bassa in Mozambique?
Climate data overview
The Zambian Meteorological Department (ZMD) is the primary weather observing institution in Zambia. ZMD manages a network of 37 weather stations across the country, which is supplemented by other networks operated by institutions such as the Zambian Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO), and new initiatives such as the southern African Science Service Centre for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Use (SASSCAL). Some of this data is available to researchers through global station data archives such as the Global Historical Climatology Network. However, for many stations, publicly available records end in the late 1990s or early 2000s, which limits analysis of recent variability and trends. Figure 2 below shows the number of observing stations contributing to one of the blended satellite-station rainfall datasets for Zambia, and shows a rapid decline over the past 40 years. Considering the fairly wide ranging climate across Zambia, a sample of less than 20 stations is far from adequate to accurately describe its climate.
The ZMD does continue to archive more complete data, and these data can be made available as a service offered by ZMD.
As a result of the lack of primary observed data for Zambia, much of the work on historical climate trends and variability analysis is dependent on merged satellite and re-analysis data products (please see Southern Africa: tools for observing and modelling climate fact sheet). The analyses of these datasets indicate the lack of strong rainfall trends, but increases in air temperature. These are set against a relatively high level of natural variability at inter-annual to multi-decadal time scales.
Climate processes
Most of Zambia receives rain during November to April. The highest summer rainfall occurs in the north-east parts of the country, and gradually decreases towards the south-west. This pattern is determined by the seasonal migration of the boundaries between three distinct air streams that form within the tropical and sub-tropical circulation systems:
- the north-easterly monsoon bringing in warm and moist air from the tropical western Indian Ocean,
- the south Indian Ocean anticyclone creating a flux of cooler and less saturated air from the mid-latitude Indian Ocean,
- the inflow of cooler and less moist air from south Atlantic redirected within the equatorial westerlies.
In this complex system, rainfall over Zambia is influenced by how far southwards the air masses meet (or converge), and how much moisture is brought in from over the oceans. These, in turn, depend on the sea surface temperatures, and the configuration of high pressure systems over the oceans to the east and west of the subcontinent. They are also affected by global drivers of climate variability, such as El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), and by human-caused climate change.
Climate projections
There are two sources of climate projections for Zambia. A set of Global Climate Models (GCM), available through the CMIP5 archive, gives projections that the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) includes in its Fifth Assessment Report (AR5). The other key source is a series of 'downscaled' climate projections, which zoom in more closely on the region. The CMIP5 projections, simulations of future climate from 17 centres throughout the world, differ from each other for a number of reasons, expressing an aspect of uncertainty in projecting future climate. It is impossible to select a single 'best' model or simulation, and the ensemble simulations have to be looked at concurrently, considering the spread of the results as an expression of this uncertainty in projections and variability in climate.
Figure 3, from the IPCC AR5, gives information at a broad spatial scale. It shows that overall, the GCMs project mostly no change to drying across the broader Zambian region for the wet season (October to March). However, it is only the drier subset of models (left column) which show drying that is more than naturally observed in the past. The middle and 'wetter' subset of models (middle and right column) show almost no real change, and no changes greater than natural observed variability.
Figures such as those in Figure 4 are traditionally used to present climate projections, but do not easily convey the distinction between the robust and the uncertain aspects of these projections. Scientists are thus developing alternative approaches that provide a better overview of future conditions. For example, Figure 4 illustrates rainfall projections for the region of Lusaka from a number of models, where the projected rainfall is tracked through time, and the strong departures from the natural (recent) levels are highlighted. The majority of projections stay within conditions similar to these observed in the past, and only a few indicate consistently drier conditions, with rainfall reduced by 15% to 20%.
Figure 5 shows how air temperatures for Lusaka might change over time. Here we can see that temperatures are consistently projected to rise in the future, strongly exceeding the levels of natural variability, and, towards the end of 21st century, reaching 1.8°C to 3.2°C above the recent levels.
GCM projections, as presented above, provide a broad overview of future climate, and do not allow for differentiating various local influences that may be relevant from water resources and development planning perspective. Such information can be obtained from downscaled projections, however.
Dynamically downscaled projections are being generated through the Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX). Unfortunately, at this stage, few simulations are available, which do not allow for scientists to paint a defensible picture about the future climate emerging from this set of models. The results, however, concur broadly with the GCM-based projections for the region. The work continues, and it is expected that in near future, CORDEX data will lead to an improvement of our understanding of future climate in southern Africa and in Zambia.
Statistically downscaled projections are available through the University of Cape Town (UCT) Climate Information Platform (CIP: http://cip.csag.uct.ac.za). The plots in Figure 6 and Figure 7 below show statistically downscaled projected changes per month for the 2040 to 2060 period for Lusaka. These results paint a similar picture to that created by GCM projections, in terms of rainfall totals, i.e. that some drying or no change in the future is expected. However, they also indicate that these rainfall totals will be delivered in less frequent events resulting in longer dry spells, mostly during the already dry season but also extending into the early and late rainfall season.
Zambia's future climate
It is clear from all the various projections that temperature increases are expected. These will have significant impacts on a wide range of sectors including the water sector, where increased evaporation is likely to reduce runoff and infiltration, increase losses from dams and wetlands, and increase water demand for irrigation and domestic uses.
As a consequence, the moderate uncertainty around projected changes in rainfall is less important. Regardless of changes in rainfall, there will be consequences for water resources across the country.
FCFA's FRACTAL Project
Project objectives
One of the chief scientific challenges for understanding southern Africa's climate is that different models give contradictory scenarios for climate trends in the next five to 40 years. FRACTAL's team will advance scientific knowledge about regional climate responses to human activities and work with decision-makers to integrate this scientific knowledge into climate-sensitive decisions at the city-regional scale (particularly decisions relating to water, energy and food with a lifetime of five to 40 years).
The institutions involved in FRACTAL are:
- University of Cape Town
- Met Office (UK)
- Stockholm Environment Institute
- ICLEI–Local Governments for Sustainability
- Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute/ Sveriges Meteorologiska och Hydrologiska Institut
- Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre
- University of Oxford
- Aurecon
- Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
- US National Atmospheric and Space Administration
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
- European Commission Joint Research Centre
- City of Cape Town
- City of eThekwini
Figure 1
Zambia's water resources are key to its economy and food security. This map also shows the country's climate observation network. 44
Figure 2
Number of rainfall stations from Zambia, contributing in the last 35 years to global data archives used in derivation of blended satellite-station rainfall datasets. 44
Figure 4
Trajectories of total annual rainfall over Lusaka, simulated and projected by an ensemble of GCMs under RCP4.5 emission scenario. 44
Figure 5
Trajectories of mean annual air temperature over Lusaka, simulated and projected by an ensemble of GCMs under RCP4.5 emission scenario. Legend as in Figure 4. 44
Figure 6
Downscaled projections of total monthly rainfall for Lusaka. 50
Figure 7
Downscaled projections of dry spell duration for Lusaka. 50


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The Magic Mindset You Need In Selling To Reaching Decision Makers!
If You're Cold Calling To Create Business - You MUST Know This Little Used Approach...
Having worked in many different industries in my life in sales, both inbound and out, plus learning, implementing and testing marketing strategies in every concievable niche you can think of, I have learnt a little bit about what works and what doesn't when you're cold calling and trying to develop business.
Below are 3 of my top thoughts around what has worked for me in the field and for many of my colleagues and clients I've worked with.
1. Treat Your Call With a Grain of Salt!
"WHAT" I hear you say (and you're bosses cry)... We'll I don't mean literally, but I mean you have to get your head straight about sales before you go out and try and sell anything to anyone.
The best way I've found to do this is to "Let Go" of the outcome, don't even assume that you're going to get anywhere... Don't assume the person on the other end of the line is going to be friendly and also, don't assume they'll be annoyed at your call either... Be completely neutral.
By backing away from the outcome before you even pick the phone up to call, allows you to have absolutely "no pressure" on you, or on the person who picks the phone up. And I konw that you've probably come to this article looking for cold calling scripts on how to get around gatekeepers and we will be looking at how to get to decision makers without any hassle at all shortly.
First, however, I really want to emphasize this point of getting your head right first. And if you're hearing this for the first time and you're not new in sales, you're probably thinking this is a load of KODSWALLOP!... And I don't blame you one little bit.
If you're a new salesperson or one that has worked at sales for a while and not quite got the breakthroughs in getting to top decision makers then, the following tips are going to be EVEN MORE important to you, becuase you know that the old school "high pressure" try and close em game doesn't work either.
So what I want you to do before you make any more cold calls on the phone and before you even think of what to say next, is, say to yourself and imagine, that you're calling a friend you haven't known for all that long and you're it's a specific thing your calling them for, so their partner, or son, or daughter cannot help you.
They might answer you and ask what the call is about, and you're going to tell them specifically in a very laid back and "no pressure" voice, a point that is so specific that they will NEED to give you to your new friend.
When you're new friend comes on the phone, you're going to just get to the point, you're not going to go into hyped up "Hi, how are you today!" but after a friendly and low-key intro, you're going to ask them about a problem they migth be able to help you solve and that's going to invoke them to say "What do you mean?"...
If you can get that response from your friend, you're all of a sudden in a dialogue and having a friendly chat, whether or not they can help you or not is "Irrelevant" and you will gain trust.
Now, have the reverse in your mind, you call up and their partner calls and you say "Hi, it's Jack here, how are you today?"... "Can I speak with Harry please?"... They're going to go into battle mode and the contest will be on, you'll probably get to speak to you're friend, because they're your friend, but in the business development world, it's a LOT TOUGHER!
Either way, the outcome of any call with your spouse, your friends a business prospect should all be treated in a way of low-pressure and laid backedness (if that is a word)!
By detaching from the outcome, you're directly tapping into a spiritual law of "non-attachement" which will help you in the long run from a lot of stress and also guide you to a lot of success if you really study it's principals.
2. So WHAT Do You Say To a Gatekeeper Specifically?
Ok the part you've been waiting for, and indeed, what all salespeople are chasing is "What on earth do we say to gatekeepers when cold calling?" and before we go on, I want to remind you, that it's not so much WHAT you say, it's HOW you say it here that counts.
Your tonality on a call is paramount to being successful when doing a cold call in a business prospecting campaign.
So the words you say are going to be the exact same thing you say to the key decision makers, but you're going to go about this in a way that endears the gatekeeper to you and makes them want to help you.
You're NOT going to make the gatekeeper your best friend, nor do they want you to, they're there for a particular reason, and that reason is not to make friends with cold call prospecting salespeople, it's in fact the reverse... To KEEP YOU OUT!
So what is it that I've done in my career as a salesperson naturally that has 9 out of 10 times, gotten me through to major decision makers?
I used to get on the phone and be totally organic and natural in my approach, I didn't take the advice of all the so called "GURU's" out there in sales by getting all hyped up, standing up, drinking coffee then "Nailing It" on the phone (but believe me, I've tried that and virtually every other hair brained idea out there, but none of that worked).
If you try and be anyone but yourself you're going to fail, and I know this is contrarian to what you've been taught and what we've all been taught in sales. Which is, "you need to put on your sales hat to make sales calls!!!"
The truth is, you just need to be yourself and know what you're going to say. Let me demonstrate this by one of the most outstanding cold calls I have ever had in my life, and it was from someone in the security industry who had just bought into a franchise, someone who had never been in business before in his life (I know this, because he spoke to me on that sales call like a "human being" and not a prospect).
What did he say when he called me, well he spoke in a tone of a friend or someone enquiring about what my business at the time sold, computers. He said to me, my name is Mark and I'm a new franchise owner of "So and So Security" and I'm making some friendly calls in your area to see if you'd be open to having a free security and alarm check?
As it turned out, we already had an alarm installed, so I told him and he was completely ok with it, he didn't "PERSIST" and try and get me to replace my existing one and basically tell me it was useless, he did what a good 70% of sales people don't do... He LISTENED to me!
After that, I started talking to him to see what he would do and he opened up to me and began telling me about his new business and thanking me for taking his call as he was so new to selling.
As it turned out, it wasn't what he said to me at all, becuase if you compared what he said to me from a sales training course or text book, he did everything completely WRONG!
But by being himself and not studying any of the traditional sales brainwashing, he was still himself and I ended up giving him 5 referrals 2 of which were very good friends of mine and bought multi-thousand dollar systems from him and that made me happy and he ended up being very successful in selling.
So the key here is, to be yourself and ask specific questions about the problem that you solve to get through to your decision makers, in my case I was a decision maker of the building. However, if I wasn't he may not have got through, but he still would have got the most valuable thing a salesperson could ever recieve and that's referrals.
What could he do to improve?
He could open with his normal introduction, ask for my help, which he did and then see if I'd be willing to look at alternate options for protecting my stores assets.
From there, I would ask "What do you mean?" and the discussion would begin... It's really this simple, and had I have been a gatekeeper, I would probably put him through as I'm not in charge of a stores "Assets" so to speak.
Here's a little video on some of the finer points of "Opening Your Cold Calls with No Pressure"...
3. What Then Do You Say To Decision Makers?
Ok, lets assume you get through to a decision maker, what on earth do you say to them (you weren't expecting to right... RIGHT?)... I know... I've done 20 years of this stuff!
What you say to them is exactly what you say to the gatekeeper... It goes a little like this...
Sam: Hi, Joe... My names Sam and maybe you can help me out for a moment!
Joe: Yeah, well that depends Sam, what are you after?
Sam: I was just calling to see if you'd be open to some key avenues that would... <<< Solve a Deep Problem Specifically >>>... In the security case would be "Protect your assets"? (I'm just making this up ok)...
Joe: What the hell are you talking about Sam?
Sam: What I mean specifically is, a way to lower what you pay each year for building insurance and at the same time protect your staff and assets inside and outside the building... Safety is what I'm talking about Joe.
And from there, Joe is either open or closed, there's no possible way to make Joe buy if Joe has no need for it.
A lot of the time, the Joe's of the sales world and "OUR Prospects" aren't going to need what we have, so there's absolutely no point in blazing glory that we should persist in trying to sell them.
What you can do, and what is very smart to do is have a short dialogue and somehow workout a way to get them on your email or direct mail list to "Stay In Touch" but the KEY is, you must have something very valuable to offer them, even if it's free.
Once you have them on your automated email follow up series / direct mail drip feed list, you can stay in touch automatically and the best part is, they've approved you to do so... Win-Win because you're building trust, and over time gaining referrals even if Joe never buys and believe me when I say this, sales DO come from this simple process.
So begin thinking outside the box, think not only as a salesperson making cold calls, but as a CEO of your own sales entity and how you're going to market YOU, irrespective of what company you work for (if not for yourself).
This is how I've done it and how many of the unheard of, quite achiever types do it, I've studied the quite minority who do this and it's their best kept secret. A lot of them aren't showy, salesy, hypey type Sanguin personalities, they're in fact very meloncholy in their outlook and they build systems of sales and marketing support which over time make them successful, but that's a topic for another InfoBarrel exclusive that I will write about for you.
I hope you take many good points away from this article.


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Interesting: David Mamet refuses to allow "talkback" sessions where a theater company discusses his work with audience members shortly after a performance.
(ETA: And I guess by "Interesting:" I mean "Shitty:" because this is terrible.)
Seems...not great? And to send a new contract over 4 hours before a performance is unquestionably a dick move. I mean, it's got to be hard to put your work out there and let other people hammer at it. But is art only what the artist tells you it is? Does the beholder have any part other than the beholding?


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When you pack away your summer wardrobe to make space for some cosy autumn wear, make sure you add in capelets, velvet and metallic outfits, says an expert.
Sidhika Gupta, Fashion Head, Roposo - a fashion and lifestyle social network - has a few tips to help you look trendy during autumn season:
- Velvet will rule this fall. The plush fabric, in every shade including Persian blue to oxblood red, will be seen across cocktail dresses, jumpsuits, crop tops and evening gowns.
- One-shoulder dresses and tops are back with a bang and are reigning the style charts everywhere.
- Ruffles have been going around for a while. They were big during springtime and seem to stay through fall as well. Take cues from the 1980s, but with a modern twist. Go for architectural ruffles, more stiff and less floppy. Its touch of drama will make you stand out.
- Why keep your spring slip dresses back in the closet? Layer it over everything, from long sleeved shirts to comfortable knits. This fall, up the game by combining your favourite pieces of spring, like off-shoulder top and pinafore dress.
- Opt for deeper tones like black, cranberry, oak, and vintage inspired green to bloom on brocade fabrics, creating a rich and royal vibe.
-Capelet is the new jacket of fall. The draped effect which a capelet gives you cannot be achieved by any kind of jacket. It not only keeps you warm but also beautifully exposes the layers.
- A perfect way to glam up the rather sombre look of the season is to combine the metallic sheen of a 'going-out' top with slouchy tan pants and flat slides, accentuating casual chic. If you are not the glitzy type, then choose from a variety of shiny metallic details on coats and skirts which adds that oomph factor to the outfit.
- The choker, of the velvet, metal or leather variety, have been seen adorned by fashion enthusiasts. Layer multiple dainty chokers or wear a single chunky piece, just make the most of this chic accessory this fall.


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Bay Area Field Office
491 9th Street
Oakland, CA 94607-4047
Phone: 510.444.4025510.444.4025
Toll-Free: 888.645.0616888.645.0616
Fax: 510.444.4095
The Bay Area Field Office, which opened in Oakland in 1988, provides clinical case management for youth and families who need help attaining or maintaining permanency, and for young adults transitioning from foster care. We are part of Casey Family Programs' Child and Family Services team, which also operates field offices in Arizona, Idaho, Texas and Washington, all focused on the urgent and relentless pursuit of securing lifelong, permanent family connections for every child.
The Bay Area Field Office team establishes enduring connections for youth and young adults while working alongside three counties and 20 school districts to achieve safe, legal permanency and optimal well-being for all youth we serve. We train and support resource families to care for older youth (ages 11 to 18), with an emphasis on their role as partners in the effort to achieve legal and relational permanency. We engage extended family to support the youth and families who are involved with the foster care system. We honor the unique culture of each youth and family, including racial and ethnic identity, sexual orientation and gender identity, and religious and spiritual beliefs. We also partner with multiple community and public agencies to provide: permanency-focused supports, such as family finding and engagement services; resource parent supports and teaming; and cultural and identity formation work. These partnerships enrich our work through the mutual learning that takes place.
Education is a priority in our work. We provide educational advocacy to ensure youth receive the support they need to achieve their potential and to graduate from high school. We stay involved with many of our youth beyond age 18, supporting them to go on to college and connecting them with scholarships and other community resources to support their success.
We also collaborate with Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services, Alameda County Office of Education, Bay Area Collaborative of American Indian Resources, A Better Way (a peer parent program), Endurance – A Sports and Psychology Center, and other local stakeholders to help strengthen our communities so all children and families can thrive.


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Thanks for visiting and reading about our story at Pigeon Lake, Alberta. Please share your stories in the comments below.
Thank you for visiting the new website for Love the Lake, if you have any comments or suggestions please share them below.
Eradication Project
This is a FREE Website!
This site contributes to
Summer Village Office.


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Why do so many executive education, leadership development, and talent retention programs start with feedback surveys such as 360 assessments? Because they're a great way to make certain that leaders focus on honing what matters the most.
But what is the best way to approach the feedback you get from your 360 assessments? The key is to get the right feedback from the right people and to use it in the right way.
Here are the 5 steps we recommend to get the most from assessment feedback:
1. Invite the right people to give feedback.
The most useful feedback will come from whoever you work with most closely. They don't have to be dear friends or even people you like. Just look for colleagues who are in the best possible position to observe your behavior on a frequent basis. Explain what you're doing and ask for their help. Encourage them to be direct and honest in their responses when the survey arrives. This personal outreach will increase your response rate and invite the kind of helpful, actionable feedback you need.
2. Be open to the results.
When you get your feedback report, be ready to embrace whatever it contains. Don't discount positive results or become defensive about the negative. Remember that your survey participants have done precisely what you asked them to do. Be open to what they tell you, and then use it to jumpstart your personal and professional development.
3. Look at the big picture.
Identify overarching themes and patterns in your feedback report instead of latching onto any single data point. If you become overly focused on certain responses, you may miss the bigger picture. So sit with your results and mull them over. Give yourself some time to reflect. Work with a coach to pull the pieces together and to frame key insights you can take away and use as a touchstone.
4. Use what you learn to set realistic goals.
When it comes to leadership development, one size doesn't fit all. You need a plan that responds to your own individual needs — and that's where assessments shine. They help you understand your impact on others and crystallize what it means for you to become a more effective leader. You see which leadership competencies are already strengths and where you have gaps that need work. Use those "big picture" themes you've uncovered in Step 3, and think through the areas you are most motivated to change. Set realistic goals and use what you've learned to build your leadership development roadmap.
5. Monitor your progress.
Share your development plan with your boss and with other trusted colleagues who are committed to your success. Ask them to support you and to help you stay on track. Check in with them at regular intervals to discuss your progress and to evaluate how the changes you've made are being received. You can use what you learn to fine-tune your approach and further accelerate your leadership development — and your career.
In combination, these steps will help you get the most from assessment feedback.
Ellen's Wake-up Call
For example, just consider the experiences of a chief policy maker in the healthcare field, who we'll call "Ellen."
When Ellen enrolled in a development program at CCL for senior executives, her workplace colleagues gave her feedback in 360 assessment surveys on her leadership capabilities.
And the results caught her by surprise. While she got rave reviews from bosses and direct reports, her peers on the executive team gave her uniformly low marks. She discovered they saw her as someone focused only on herself, with little interest in the challenges they faced. It was a real wake-up call and became a focal point for the leadership development work Ellen needed to do.
She leveraged CCL Compass with Assessments™ to synthesize the feedback from her raters and determine what steps she needed to take next. Rather than spending time on things she was already doing well, she concentrated on building better communication with her peers. She tried some of Compass's specific tips, making herself more available to her colleagues and expressing an interest in and support for their work.
The results were transformative. The entire executive team began to collaborate more effectively together on important policy issues. Ellen and her colleagues found a new sense of satisfaction and enjoyment in their work, energizing the entire workplace.
The feedback she gained from her 360 assessment data, combined with the tailored recommendations she received through CCL Compass, accelerated Ellen's leadership development in a meaningful way —and it can do the same for you.
Take the Next Step with Your Assessment Feedback: CCL Compass™
Interested in how 360 assessments can accelerate your own leadership development and help transform your organization? Explore:
- Our new CCL Compass™ tool can help you quickly visualize your 360 assessment data in a graphical format, set relevant goals, and establish your own action plan complete with deadlines and calendar reminders. CCL Compass lets you see the competency areas where you excel and those that need more work. Users can share goals with their managers directly from the tool and copy content from CCL's rich library of information that's built into the application. Data from all of our Skillscope® and Benchmarks® suite 360-degree assessments can be delivered through CCL Compass. This tool is also available to those who haven't completed an assessment. While many leaders already know what they need to work on, CCL Compass can still offer a quick digital guide for setting goals and taking action, even without specific feedback data from an assessment.
- Learn more about Compass: Your Guide for Leadership Development, a new book that can serve as a handy desk reference for leaders looking to work on their own development and as a coaching tool for training and development professionals. It offers guidance on more than 50 leadership competencies – from the "Fundamental Four" of communication, influence, learning agility, and self-awareness to resilience, risk-taking, time management, and vision. Each chapter includes specific actions to try to build competencies and ways to measure progress. Along with advice on goal-setting, the book features stories of real leaders who excel at critical leadership competencies as well as some who don't, allowing you to learn from both.


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Kites and Galleons (200 Words)
It had been a little over a year. Every morning Clare sat at the cliff ledge overlooking the sea. She would sit there with her chin resting on her knees, gazing west, watching the ships on the far horizon. The Rover had been lost months ago, but she refused to believe Evan, Lan, and Kate were dead.


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Big tick for marriage equality as Labor gains: Ipsos poll
- Written by The Conversation
More than two thirds of voters support legalising gay marriage in a Fairfax/Ipsos poll that shows Labor again ahead of the Coalition on a two-party basis.
The poll also found 57% believed that in the area where they lived it was not affordable for a first time buyer to purchase a home; 40% said it was. Bill Shorten has regained a narrow lead as preferred prime minister: 42%, up 3 points since May, to Tony Abbott's 41%, down 3 points.
The opposition's two-party margin is now 53-47%, compared with the Ipsos poll immediately after the budget, which saw government and Labor level. This was inconsistent with other polls at the time.
Labor's primary vote is up 2 points since May to 37%; the Coalition has fallen 3 points to 40%.
Tony Abbott's approval is down 2 points to 40%; his disapproval has risen by 4 points to 54%, for a net approval of minus 14.
Shorten's approval is unchanged at 41%; his disapproval is up 2 points to 47%. His net approval is minus 6.
The Ipsos poll confirms other surveys in indicating same sex marriage has strong support – 68% are in favour and only 25% against. This is a rise of 3 points since the question was asked in a Fairfax poll in 2013.
However the issue is becoming increasingly politically complicated for Abbott, with some Liberals strongly backing a conscience vote, but an increasing backlash from conservatives in the party and in the Coalition's base campaigning to keep its present policy of opposition to gay marriage and to prevent Liberal MPs being allowed a conscience vote.
Marriage equality is supported in the poll by a majority of Coalition voters (57%) and overwhelming majorities of ALP (74%) and Green (90%) voters.
There are differences between age groups but all are in favour: 18-24 (86%); 25-39 (75%); 40-54 (72%); 55 and over (53%).
Women are more likely than men to support marriage equality (74-63%), as are Australian born compared with foreign born (71-60%).
On housing, opinions about affordability for first buyers varies according to where people live. Among those living outside capital cities, 60% believe housing is affordable in their area, and 35% do not.
Only 29% of capital city residents think buying a first home is affordable – 69% do not. In Sydney just 18% say buying a first home in their area is affordable; an overwhelming 80% disagree. The poll of 1401 was taken Thursday to Saturday.
Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult to, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has no relevant affiliations.
Authors: The Conversation
Read more http://theconversation.com/big-tick-for-marriage-equality-as-labor-gains-ipsos-poll-43224


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With the first parade of the carnival season taking place on Sunday, Sheriff Craig Webre offered safety tips for those planning to attend any of the 16 parades being held in Lafourche Parish this year. At 1 p.m. on Sunday, February 1, the Krewe Des Les Petite Lions Parade will kick off the 2015 Carnival Season in Golden Meadow. That will be followed by four (4) parades next weekend – February 7 and 8 – and then seven more parades from Friday, February 13 through Sunday, February 15. The parade schedule culminates with a slate of four parades on "Fat Tuesday," February 17.
"Lafourche Parish is a popular destination during Mardi Gras thanks to our jubilant communities and family-friendly atmosphere," said Sheriff Webre. "While we have a handful of disturbances each year, we typically make very few arrests thanks to cooler heads prevailing in most cases. We believe our presence throughout the parade makes families feel secure and deters would-be troublemakers. If an incident arises, or you have any concerns during the parade, please find one of our deputies, and we hope every situation can be resolved in a peaceful manner."
Deputies will be assigned to every parade throughout Lafourche Parish including those in Thibodaux, Lockport and Golden Meadow with the assistance of the municipal police departments. Deputies will be helping with the flow of traffic and the parade itself, as well as responding to emergencies, public complaints and incidents along the parade routes. Some deputies will be driving their units in the parade itself, while others will be on motorcycles, bicycles, all-terrain vehicles, and even on foot at various locations. LPSO Water Patrol will provide support during parades in the southern area of the parish, and the Mobile Command Vehicle will be utilized as a base of operations for some of the larger parades.
"Mardi Gras is a unique time for our deputies as they are afforded the opportunity to interact with citizens in a positive manner," said Sheriff Webre. "For a large number of citizens who have never filed a complaint or been arrested, their sole interactions with deputies may be during Mardi Gras. It's a great opportunity for our deputies to meet and greet the law-abiding citizens they serve and work tenaciously to protect."
Sheriff Webre said a crew of trustees (inmate workers) is also assigned to clean up the parade routes following each parade due to beads, trinkets and trash lining the roadsides.
For those attending parades, Sheriff Webre offers these tips for a happy and safe experience:
- NEVER throw anything at floats, float riders or anyone else participating in the parade.
- NEVER allow children on the street, and never stand or walk in the path of the parade. Stand at a safe distance from the floats.
- NEVER allow a child to retrieve toys or beads in the in parade path. While not recommended, if you must retrieve an item between floats, have an adult do so quickly and retreat safely back to the viewing area.
- Do not run alongside floats.
- Do not allow children to eat candy or sweets thrown from floats before inspected by an adult.
- If using a ladder with a seat for small children, place the ladder at a safe distance from the street, at least as far back as the ladder is tall. Secure the ladder to the ground or stable structure in some fashion and maintain constant adult supervision.
- Write your child's name, address and phone number on a tag inside their costume or clothing in case they get lost, and teach them to find a deputy immediately.


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The United States is doing more than just building facilities for the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police. We are buying weapons, tools, vehicles, uniforms, food, water. . . If it is required to run an army, we are outfitting the Afghans with it. Even fire trucks.
At one installation, the U.S. delivered a nice, shiny new fire truck for the base fire department. Apparently, the limited number of fires freed up the truck for more urgent requirements: Pumping and hauling sewage from septic tanks. Might as well let your house burn down.


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Reel Summit
This video was part of an opening keynote presentation with a globally recognized Video Marketing & Commerce Summit. Bonfire Labs was asked to write, create, and produce a video using a combination of animation and viral video content. It tells the story of how important and impactful video has become in today's culture through some of the most popular viral videos of 2012 and 2013. The video was shown to summit attendees during the opening keynote for an event in San Francisco by the Summit's producers, as a means to "set the tone" for the audience and the agenda to come. It shows online video as a powerful, burgeoning media format whose importance to marketers and advertisers could no longer be ignored, but rather, embraced. The video itself starts with a very relevant real-world analogy, told by one of the world's most renowned actors. It continues with a fluid deconstruction and morph of the video player, along the way showing relevant examples of viral videos and viral advertising that have entertained, amused and enlightened a global audience. The close brings the eventual reconstruction of the player with an example of how things don't always work out (.01% of the time).


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Last week's installment of this series asked a fundamental question: Do human beings have an unalienable right to self- defense? There is no question the founding fathers of our constitutional, representative republic believed they do, and they acknowledged that right in the Second Amendment. This was affirmed in the Supreme Court's decisions recognizing, for the first time in American history, that right: the Heller decision, and the McDonald decision, which applied the right to the states.
It is now time to consider a second, related question: DOES EVIL EXIST?
The answer to this question represents a fundamental dividing line between conservatives and socialists (for that is what the contemporary Democratic Party has sadly become). Socialists believe that human beings are inherently racist, sexist, and a variety of other "ists," but are perfectible. This Utopian perfection can be reached if only there is sufficient (absolute or near absolute) governmental power and the right kinds of taxes, redistribution of wealth, laws and regulations to make people behave in appropriate ways, to perfect them for their own good, a good they are unable to recognize or seek unaided. These laws and regulations will be created and enforced by a small class of elite "progressives" (the term they generally prefer; who, after all, could be against progress?) who are, by virtue of their education, sophistication, beliefs and highly attuned sense of social justice (generally best understood as whichever social and economic policies elite socialists prefer at the moment), already perfected.
Therefore, for the socialist, the only true evil is resistance to the evolved social consciousness of the elite socialist. One might quibble about labels, and might be more comfortable with the labels "progressive" or "statist," but I trust you understand that I am not engaging in gratuitous name-calling, but merely trying to clearly explain defining contemporary philosophical and political trains of thought. I trust that if you apply them to the policies and stated beliefs of our current "leaders"–if "leading from behind" can actually be called leadership–you'll find these descriptions to fit rather well.
For the Socialist/Progressive/Statist, unalienable rights do not exist; indeed they cannot exist. The only rights are those allowed at any given moment by the state. In this polity, rights are reduced to the reality and force of mere privileges. Religion, with its quaint, superstitious adherence to the doctrine of an eternal battle between good and evil, is just that, quaint and superstitious. It may be, from time to time, politically useful, particularly when the votes of believers might be won through stealth or outright subterfuge, or when a denomination takes up the banner of preferred leftist social causes, advancing it before—or instead of—religious doctrine, but religion is always dangerous and to be feared and suppressed because of its inherent general resistance to progressive socialist enlightenment, which is always ongoing and evolving because it can never be falsified.
This is another fundamental conflict between the religious and the socialist. Religion relies upon certain God-given, unchanging truths and principles. Socialism constantly evolves as ever more intelligent, elite scientific socialists perfect it and labor to perfect the ungrateful masses against their will. The only unchanging truth and principle of socialism is that socialism represents the only hope of man—despite millennia of failure–and may never be falsified.
If glorious socialist perfection has not been reached, it is only because the unenlightened resist and because insufficient socialism has been applied. Because man is always in the necessary process of being perfected by his betters, neither unalienable rights nor adherence to a moldy, faded, yellowing document written by privileged white men in the late 1700's can be allowed to stand in the way of the brave, inevitable march of socialist progress. The greatest weakness of socialist thought and policy is always a fundamental misunderstanding, even willful ignorance, of human nature. That, and as Margaret Thatcher said, you always run out of other people's money.
Conservatives have no doubt of the existence of evil or of its eternal work in the world. They overwhelmingly embrace Christian theology and its bedrock understanding of men as fallen sinners who can never attain perfection on Earth. Mankind cannot be perfected—he will sin; it is his very nature and for those who will see, the evidence of history is irrefutable–yet the social contract works best when he has the greatest possible freedom and autonomy. He has, above all, free will and can chose to be altruistic, kind and considerate of others. Even so, he sometimes will choose otherwise, and consequences for personal misbehavior must be made swift and certain and must be justly applied while upholding the essential dignity and worth of the individual.
Thus do Conservatives accept the necessity of the Social Contract, of the equality before the law of all men, of the rule of law, and of a supreme law of the land–-the Constitution–-which may not and should not change–-as the Founders put it–-for light and transient reasons, because the fundamental nature of human beings does not change. This is why conservatives are so alarmed and disgusted by President Obama's lawless behavior. For conservatives, any balance of power that favors the state at the expense of the unalienable rights of the individual is illegitimate, tyrannical and must be resisted, and if necessary, overthrown by the force of arms recognized and affirmed for The People by the Second Amendment. This is its real purpose and the reason it is so hated by Progressives.
Such republican (as in our federal republican form of government) rhetoric is often decried with mock horror by Progressives who cry "anti-Americanism," but this is merely one of the straw men Socialists—such as Mr. Obama—reflexively erect. Who can take seriously such people as former Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano who claimed military veterans returning from the battlefield pose a greater danger than Islamist terrorists?
Understanding the real purpose of the Constitution, and particularly of the Second Amendment, one realizes that Conservatives are not at all radical, are surely not dangerous–except to those that wish America ill–and merely reflect and adopt the thinking of the Founders and the text and intent of the foundational documents of the Republic including The Federalist Papers, The Declaration of Independence and The Constitution.
[article continues on next page]


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Jacques Lu Cont
As for the track itself, the remix was created by Stuart Price aka Jacques Lu Cont aka Les Rythmes Digitales aka Zoot Woman aka Paper Faces aka Man With Guitar aka Thin White Duke. Stuart is also from the north of England, North Yorkshire to be exact and he creates dope remixes. I'm so glad I was able to retrieve it from the vault of my mind and listen to it again. It's been on repeat, as of late, because it is a great motivational song for just moving the fuck forward in life. It's also good for workouts. So, what the fuck are you waiting for?


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Hi All,
i want to produce a summary table as shown on the left. but the JSL code (attached) have produced result as on the right.
You need to use the Tabulate Platform to generate the output you want
Show Control Panel( 0 ),
Add Table(
Column Table(
Analysis Columns( :height, :weight ),
Statistics( Min, Mean, Max )
Row Table( Grouping Columns( :sex, :age ) )
I have been following the plethera of entries you have generated in the Discussion Forum. It is my evaluation of what I have seen, is that you take the feedback you get, and understand it, and learn from it. However, what I also believe, is that you have not taken the time to learn from the excellent documentation that JMP provides, before you ask the JMP Community to solve your problem.
Help==>books==> Using JMP, Basic Analysis and Essential Graphics
Need to be read and absorbed. Gaining that knowledge will give you the answers, or at least pointers towards the answers you repeatedly keep asking of the Discussion Forum. It will allow you to not have to wait for the Community to respond.
Hi txnelsion,
appreciate your reply. But looks like tabulate can not meet the requirement. below are the differences.
1. tabulate can not be copied and paste in excel or in ppt.
2. it changes the order. e.g F comes first than M even if M is first in the original table.
3. it still have all the rows in every column.
this is not what i am looking for.
I find your responses to be incorrect. I generated this very simple Tabulate:
1. Here are the results of copying the above to Excel and ppt
2. The default ordering of the Sex column in my example, is "F" followed by "M", however, if you use the Value Ordering column property, you can change the order to whatever you want
The ordering can also be set to "Row Order Levels", which would order the values based upon the order the data are first found in the data table.
3. And as can be seen in both the excel and powerpoint the Row Values for the column Sex are not repeated.
Ok, I will take back comments 1 and 2. i will try again to copy paste. i must have been doing something wrong.
how about the comment 3. same value rows are not merged in column "sex".
my end goal is to generate the score card using jsl and have same value columns merged.
currently i am following 2 step method:
1. generating score card using JSL.
2. save in .xlsx using JSL
3. using VBA to merge the same value columns as described on this link.(https://www.extendoffice.com/documents/excel/1138-excel-merge-same-value.html)
it will be great help if tabulate can do the same thing and maintain the merged cells even after pasting into excel or ppt.
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I'm reading (devouring more like) the Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson. Jobs does not come across like a particularly nice man, to deal with or to work with, but the passion comes across. The single minded vision, the absolute devotion to phenomenal user experience, it's all there.
No doubt as I read on (I'm up to page 408 already) I'll be moved to blog on more bits, but something struck me over the bran flakes this morning that made me put the book down and ponder.
"We don't have divisions at Apple – we have one P+L, that way we all work together and there are no 'divisions' competing with each other."
What a simple concept, how brilliant. Despite getting big, the company stays small as if it was one small business – we all row on the same boat, we're all in this together. Get on board or you know where the door is.
Which reminds me of another gem. Tim Cook (now CEO of Apple) was discussing with his team a problem they were having with a Chinese supplier. "I wish someone would just go over there and sort it out" he mused. 30 minutes later, he turned to someone and said with a withering stare "You still here?". To which that person quickly made for the San Francisco airport and was on the next plane to China.
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, pub Little Brown 2011


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Having successfully designed and installed the Russell New office signage a couple of years' ago, office expansion for the West Sussex based Business Advisers, has meant we have been called upon again to design and install further 'primary branding' signs within the new meeting suites.
The signs have been designed to give a realistic 3-dimensional effect, with the companies 'halo' symbol and strapline applied directly to a painted backdrop wall in pre-spaced vinyl. The namestyle logotype has then been laser cut from acrylic, the edges polished, and pinned off the wall, to give that 'floating effect' that really lifts the identity into the space.


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This aluminum exit device is designed specifically for heavy use. It is very versatile in its application as it can be installed in a multitude of ways and door facings. This panic bar includes everything needed to install and use, including the rim cylinder and a small steel pull plate.
Universal Hardware UH40010 Rim Exit Device Installation


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A Delicate Neutral Apartment Mixes Metal and Marble
The interiors are a scenic sight
MK House
Situated by the entryway, the home office also features the same metal handles and perforated plates.
The master bedroom features a toned-down design compared to the living room. Instead of titanium plated metal, black metal details in the hanging shelf and window give the room an air of privacy. It also leads to an ensuite bathroom and closet space, using the closet to divide the room.
Of the home's two bedrooms, the teenager's room features a white wall and light wooden closet doors, offering a contrast to the master bedroom. The wide windows bring in plenty of light in the room, making it feel wider than it actually is.
What do you think of this home? Let us know your favorite part of the home in the comments below.
We feature plenty of modern homes like this one, you can have a look at this modern Taiwan home that infuses feng shui in their design. Remember to subscribe to our newsletter for the latest design tips and home tours, as well as follow us on our Facebook and Instagram to stay updated.


text: Zooko O'Whielacronx wrote: >> If you switch to iso8859-15 only in the presence of undecodable >> UTF-8, then you have the same round-trip problem as the PEP: both >> b'\xff' and b'\xc3\xbf' will be converted to u'\u00ff' without a >> way to unambiguously recover the original file name. > > Why do you say that? It seems to work as I expected here: > > >>> '\xff'.decode('iso-8859-15') > u'\xff' > >>> '\xc3\xbf'.decode('iso-8859-15') > u'\xc3\xbf' Here is what I mean by "switch to iso8859-15" only in the presence of undecodable UTF-8: def file_name_to_unicode(fn, encoding): try: return fn.decode(encoding) except UnicodeDecodeError: return fn.decode('iso-8859-15') Now, assume a UTF-8 locale and try to use it on the provided example file names. >>> file_name_to_unicode(b'\xff', 'utf-8') 'ÿ' >>> file_name_to_unicode(b'\xc3\xbf', 'utf-8') 'ÿ' That is the ambiguity I was referring to -- to different byte sequences result in the same unicode string.


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In between rock and electro, art and non-art, love and hate, cats and dogs, life and death... here come The Scribblers... Hey waitress, give us your worst cocktail!!! Lyrics, vocals and graphic design : Luz Music : Kid Chocolat This 2 titles' 45 RPM Picture Disc will only available Poor Records shop. This is a very limited edition. Only a few left!!!
Quotes :
"The 7 inch!! Great!!!! I love the sound! I want one!
James Murphy / LCD Soundsystem, DFA
"LIKE both songs. Great little 7"
Paul Mogg / DFA
"HEY HEY ! Cool The Scribblers hahaha ! I like it, it's MINIMAL."
Rubin Steiner (Platinum Records)
"The two tracks that can be checked with the link below could come straight out of Manchester or Sheffield's late electro-pop scene. They are at the same time tongue-in-cheek and unpretentious but intense, electrifying and well catchy. Indeed, one of them is a 'kind of' tribute to Mark E. Smith… But The Scribblers could also be the spiritual sons of the glorious Swiss electro duo Yello, whose early work in the late 70's/early 80's was similarly as exhilarating and fresh as the Alps' high altitude air."
Pierre-Louis Berlatier / Spirit Of Eden
Buy vinyl and get free mp3 download links


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Z-6200E Strong LED Lighting Guard Tour System
The latest guard tour reader with LED lighting, an upgrade version based on model Z-6600.Z-6200E now work with built-in rechargeable lithium battery , more stable battery life . The reader can detect droping automatically and generate history report. No need to install USB driver ,simplify the software operation.Details
Z-6200D Display Shockproof Guard Tour System
New product with impact record function.We added impact recording and expand the storage capacity based on users requirement .Built-in rechargeable battery reduced damage rate for battery . LCD display of date, time ,tags ID and operation prompt when scan tags.Details
Z-6200C Auto-induction Guard Tour System
Z-6200C and Z-6200D Security Guard Tour System are the same series of products , with impact recording technology and mass memory of 80,000 logs. Built-in rechargeable battery reduced sabotage from security guard. 2 in 1 USB cable for data downloading and battery charging . Pogo pin contacts make device more durable to resist communicationcorrosion and damage.Details
Z-6200 RFID Guard Tour System
Z-6200 read 125kHz EM ID card tags proximity. Free from pressing any button, auto-induction. It comes with Pogo Pin USB connector, prevent water get into and vandalism. More durable than traditional USB port.In addition, 2 pieces rechargable lithium battery included with the reader.Details
Z-6600LED Lighting Guard Tour System
The latest guard tour reader with LED lighting, an upgrade version based on model Z-6300.Z-6600 now work with replaceable lithium battery , more longer battery life. The reader can detect droping automatically and generate history report. No need to install USB driver ,simplify the software operation.Details
Z-6200F Wireless Communication Guard Tour System
Z-6200F used with communication station. Guards no need to enter into computer control center,just download data from patrol device to data communication station. Communication station will keep records temporarily.Then management person take data communication station to download data to PC .Details
Z-6500D Color Screen LED Lighting Guard Tour System
Z-6500D are improved to pogo pin contacts . Which is more durable to provide the long time working life.It works with built-in rechargeable battery , that reduced battery damage effectively. Besides , we had add flashlight function on Z-6500D reader , which is ver helpful for night and dark place patrol, also avoid too much belongs security officers should carried while patrol.Details
Z-6500L 2.4G Long Range Guard Tour System
2.4G Long Range Guard Tour System workwith active RFID tags , the reading distance is 5m-15cm . User no need to closecheck spot for data collecting , it is very useful for area where check spotl ocation is secluded , dangerous for human closing and so on. It can be used for mobile guard patrol ,vehicle patrol and tracking ,school,dangerous goods checking and so on.Details


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Shades of Gray
So, this isn't about those shitty books. I you want to know what i thought about them, you can check out my review on GoodReads on them. And, remember folks, a consensual BDSM relationship is not dirty, disgusting, demeaning, rape or assault.
Politics have been at the forefront of my mind for roughly the last year. Probably yours, as well. It's impossible to ignore politics during the presidential election cycle, but things haven't died down since November. In fact, they've gotten worse. My facebook feed is 50/50 normal stuff and politics. I'm guilty for that ratio, as well, because I'm stepped up my political posting, too. I've been blocked and unfriended and I've unfriended and blocked as well. I've sat on my finger and bitten my tongue to try and avoid engaging places where I don't really want to engage, but I do want to engage. If that makes any sense. I have no idea how many people have unfriended me or how many have unfollowed me.
Something that's bothered me, as political debates and discussions continue to rage, is how much both sides have abandoned the middle ground, the gray area where nearly all of life happen. We choose our polarization because it's easy, not because it's necessarily accurate, truthful or representative of how things really work. It is so easy to slap a label of good or bad on something. It fits neatly into a compartment. It's not messy. It's the easiest way to win an argument. It's the proverbial low hanging fruit.
Let's talk about abortion.
Don't run away! Hear me out.
I've been pro-choice for as long as I can remember. I can't remember a time when I wasn't. I have always believed, and still do believe, that people have the right to control their own lives and to decide what is or is not morally acceptable or them. I've been debating about abortion for two decades now. Abortion always distills to black and white arguements. Let me demonstrate.
Pro-life people tend to have two different arguments regarding abortion. The first are the women who use abortions like birth control. The second are the women who elect to have late term abortions. Now, statistics tell us a lot about women who have late term abortions. The odds of someone having an elective late term abortion are very slim. I can't say none. I can't say it has never or will never happened, but I can say it's rare. Why? Because it's not easy. Because it's VERY expensive ($12,000 out of pocket dollars for the procedure alone). Because it can only be done by 3-4 doctors in the entire country.
This argument distills women who seek abortion down to their worst. They become whores. Sluts. Tramps. Murderers. Worthy of derision and scorn.
Pro-choice people have two different arguments as well. The first are women and babies facing dire health situations and women who have been victims of rape and incest. Since Donald Trump was elected president and people began to grow worried about his possibly conservative court trying to undo Roe vs Wade, families have been sharing stories about why they sought late term abortions for their terminally ill children.
This argument distills women who seek abortions into something they're not either. They become the mother martyr. The saint. Above reproach.
What is the truth?
The truth, as we all know it, is that most people are neither irredeemable sinner or an uncomplicated saint. We all fall in the middle. Maybe you litter. Or speed. Or tell little white lies to get out of social obligations. All of us are guilty of sins and all of us have redeeming qualities. So, why do we focus so hard on the hard lines of argument that comprise only tiny portions of actual truth? Why do we draw such hard lines in the sand and then act without compassion? Both sides are guilty of this. We sling the arrows of our black and white arguments. We tear our hear over "unicorn" situations which comprise tiny teeny parts of the actual situation and we build a hill of them and then we crawl up and die on that. That's the truth.
Let's go back to abortion for a second.
In reality there probably are women who have more than one abortion because of either failed birth control or sexual irresponsibility. In reality, there probably has been a woman or two that have elected to have late term abortions for reasons other than the health of their baby. In reality there are women who have had abortions because of rape or incest. In reality there are women who have had abortions due to their poor health or the poor health of their unborn baby. These things are all true, but they comprise the outliers in this situation and not the real story. The real story is gray and varies from woman to woman, growing lighter and darker and existing in as many unique shade as there are unique people.
It's hard to acknowledge that middle ground. It's hard to admit that maybe you shouldn't die on any hills. It's hard to admit that you are applying your own life and privilege (that dirty, dirty word) to situations you can't understand. It's easy to believe that a woman has the right to walk away from sex if you can. It's easy to believe that a woman can get birth control or reproductive health care if you can. It's easy to believe that adoption is a "simple solution" if it's not you attempting to adopt a child or place a child for adoption. It's easy to believe all women have the ability (mentally and psychologically and economically) to leave an abusive relationship if you have those abilities. It's easy to believe that family and friends will jump in and help if you've always had a family unit who will jump in and help.
Black and white keep us from understanding.
Black and white keeps us from being compassionate.
Black and white keeps us from being reasonable.
Black and white is driving us apart.
Clinging to the outliers and the unicorns doesn't make you a better person.
Clinging to the outliers doesn't make you a winner.
Clinging to the one shitty girl you know in high school that had two abortions her junior year doesn't mean anything about anyone else.
Clinging to the one family you know that decided to have an abortion when a routine ultrasound (and then further, extensive tests) proved that their baby would not only die after birth, but die painfully doesn't mean anything about anyone else.
I chose abortion because it's so easy to break down this arguments. It's easy for me to repeat talking points that I've read and written over the past two decades of arguing my pro-choice position. It's easy to illustrate how those strict black and white opinions can be true, but not the whole story or reasonable or helpful. We are stuck in the throes of hyperbole. All of us. Believing the worst of others and the best of ourselves.