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In India, Hindi is one of the national languages and English still continues to be the common language for communication in most parts of the countries. In order to get a good job, knowing good English is very important. Not just knowing, it's important to speak it fluently too. But how to learn English without spending a penny? Here is a list of Basic English learning apps for android and iOS users.
India is a country of diversity. From diverse traditions to diverse languages, did you know there are almost 19.5k languages spoken in India?
However, out of this only around 22 languages are the main ones we come across.
Best English Learning Apps that Make life a Bit Simpler for You:
- Learn English with Duolingo
- Learn Languages with Memrise
- Busuu: Learn Languages – Spanish, English & More
- Learn Languages LingQ: Read, Listen, SRS Vocabulary
- Improve English: Vocabulary, Grammar, Word Games
- Hello English: Learn English
Even though the name suggests that you can learn only English from the app, you can learn more than one language from the English training app. No wonder, Duolingo is an Editor's Choice best English speaking app too! With an average rating of 4.7 Stars, Duolingo is undoubtedly one of the best English learning app for Indians at the store.
This free language learning app boasts a user base of over 150 million users learning the top languages across the globe like English, French, Spanish, German, etc.
You can learn up to 2000 words, 8000 sentences via over 20,000 different games and exercises.
This English grammar learning app is suitable for all age groups and develops your vocabulary as well as your grammar.
Why do we love Duolingo?
- Available on the phone as well as desktop
- Learn more than just English
- Uses very little data.
Download App from Play Store or App Store.
Memrise is an application to learn English Online which is also an Editor's Choice app. It has also been awarded the Google Play I/O Best App of 2017.
Besides English, you can also learn Spanish, French, Japanese, Italian, German, Korean, Arabic, Russian, Chinese, Portuguese, Danish, Swedish, Polish, Norwegian, Turkish, Dutch, Icelandic, and Mongolian.
Make full use of your time while commuting to learn from the app. Offline mode lets you use and learn from the app even when you're out of coverage area.
In order to keep your accent at bay, their pronunciation guide also lets you know how locals speak the same language.
Daily goals ensure you are using the English app every day to meet your goals.
Why do we love Memrise?
- Google Play I/O Best App of 2017.
- Learn 15+ other languages than English.
- Offline mode
Download App from Play Store or App Store.
Busuu – Learn Languages
Learn English online with Busuu, another best app to learn English online.
Another best English learning app for android and ios users for various reasons.
You can start from basic and go up to an expert level in English.
Being one of the top-notch English learning apps, it also gives you a certificate from McGraw-Hill Education in case your employer asks for the same.
Besides, there are almost 150 units in a language, you can learn the top 12 languages through this app.
You can also learn the grammar besides the language and use the app in the absence of an internet connection.
No wonder, it has an average rating of 4.3 Stars at the Play Store.
Why we love Busuu?
- Editor's Choice
- Certification
- Accent Training
Download the app from Play Store or App Store.
LingQ – Learn 42 languages
One of the learning English free apps that are a full-fledged learning app with an average rating of 4.3 Stars. Start your course from basic and go up to the experienced level.
Being one of the best English learning apps, LingQ boasts of 1000s of hours of lessons to educate yourself. You can not only learn but also review using their SRS review system.
Get everyday activities from tutors, statistics of how much you have learned ever since you have installed the app, manage and learn all your saved vocabs.
This English speaking app offers courses in 20+ different languages besides English.
Why do we love LingQ?
- Learn multiple languages
- Downloadable audio files with subscript
- Ling! Premium comes bundled with added features.
Download App from Play Store or App Store.
Improve English
This English grammar learning app is another Editor's Choice learn English speaking app with an impressive rating of 4.7 Stars at the Play Store.
One of the finest English language learning apps you will ever come across.
It teaches you new words every day with the 'A Word A Day' concept. Besides, they are also committed to growing your vocabulary from Beginner to Advanced level to prepare you for competitive exams.
Stay a step ahead by learning things that no one spoken english app concentrates on – idioms, phrasal verbs, and commonly confused words and improve English grammar.
Twelve carefully designed games to grow your various aspects of English i.e. spoken, spelling, vocabulary, etc.
Added features are mini-tests, revisions, improvement, development of your spoken English, and much more!
Why we love to Improve our English?
- Games to make learning fun
- Learn Maths too
- Google Play's Best learning apps in the Best Hidden Gem category
Download the app from Play Store or App Store.
Hello English – Learn English
With a rating of 4.6 Stars, Hello English is one of the finest English learning apps that we have found for you.
And, we are not the only ones saying it, the Editors are also backing us up!
From learning English from chatbots to 475 free interactive lessons, Hello English is a perfect teacher.
Learn English in interactive sessions and keep the practice via daily news and videos.
Compete with learners from across the globe and know your rank that'll help your study more seriously. Win coins for better ranks.
Why we love Hello English?
- 10,000 words dictionary
- Multiplayer quiz games
- Practice using daily news and videos
- Discussions with teacher
- Learn national as well as international languages
Download app from Play Store or App Store.
With any of these English learning apps on your phone, learning English will be a piece of cake.
Just make sure to be regular and not give up and you will ace the English language in no time like a pro!
You Might Also Like:-
Best Free General Knowledge Apps for Android
Dictation Apps for Converting Voice to Text
Note Taking Apps Android and iOS


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Minter: Drive, ride more safely after tragedies
Another tragic bicycle fatality in our state this week — the third in one year — compels me to write to express my deep sorrow, and to express a plea that we all drive more safely on our roadways.
I receive the news of every highway fatality in our state, and each tragedy strikes me personally. As an avid cyclist and as Vermont's secretary of Transportation, I share the collective mourning for these losses and feel a special responsibility to find ways to prevent future tragedies.
These were the first bicycle fatalities in Vermont in many years. From 2005 to 2014, there was only one reported bicycle fatality involving a crash with a motor vehicle (2010). Nationally, there are about 700 cyclists killed each year.
It is not only cyclists who are vulnerable. In Vermont, 44 people died in highway crashes last year, including five pedestrians. Across the nation, nearly 90 people lose their lives each day in highway crashes — and more than 250 are injured every hour — due to drunken driving, excessive speed, driver distractions and not wearing a seat belt.
- Wife of cyclist killed in crash: 'He always felt safe'
- Police: Suspected DUI in crash that killed cyclist
As a leader in the Vermont Highway Safety Alliance, VTrans is working to drive down our highway crashes and to help save lives. In 2014, we saw the lowest number of fatalities on Vermont roads since before World War II. But this is not good enough; our goal is zero deaths. And it will take all of us focusing on safety when we are on the road — whether driving a car, riding a bike or taking a walk. The tragedies of this season must lead us all to become safer drivers and riders.
At VTrans, we are dedicated to the mission of making our roadways safer for all users. Significantly, we also have changed our policy around roadway-shoulder paving and maintenance to make roads more bike-friendly. In our paving projects, we are increasing the miles of paved shoulders in the state that are 3 feet or greater. And this spring we met our new goal of shoulder sweeping on all bicycle-priority routes before Memorial Day.
Our "Safe Routes to Schools" program partners with over 80 schools to help kids learn how to ride safely and correctly. Our publications — "Bicycle Commuter's Guide," "Share the Road Brochure" and "Parent's Guide to Safe Bicycling" — are distributed through DMV offices, bike shops and other venues. In addition, we fund Local Motion's statewide bicycle safety education and outreach to law enforcement and driver education instructors, and the development of its one-stop-shop website for bike safety: www.localmotion.org/education/safestreets.
We also are working closely with the cycling community to prioritize our future on-road bicycle investments through an innovative planning process. This plan already has incorporated input from more than 2,100 users through a "Wikimap" collected via Strava data. We will use that to help identify opportunities to improve roads for cyclists on the highest-ranked (read: most trafficked) bicycle corridors in the state at: http://vtransplanning.vermont.gov/bikeplan.
I recently spent a week with my bike on a solo exploration of Lake Champlain's highways and byways in Vermont and New York. I marveled at my great fortune to live in this beautiful part of the world, and pondered what more we could do to improve the cycling experience and opportunity in Vermont.
This year, I bike with fellow cyclists in my heart and on my mind. While we can never bring them back, we can ride in their honor. Please, focus on safety.

subset: commoncrawl


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The Infoshop Cronopios is a collective space which helps to fight against hierarchies and oppression of all kinds. Hierarchy and oppression is also – but not solely – incorporated in (political) structures, also but not only performed and carried out in jobcentres, by cops and the military, parliaments, prisons, churches or the state. Hierarchy and oppression are part of everyday lifes, they are within and between us becoming tangible in discriminations. Patriarchy, homophopia, fixed gender norms, racism, antisemitism and dominant, elitist or authoritarian behaviour are exemplary expressions of hierarchical oppression.
To oppose hierarchies and oppression, in the Infoshop we are putting our utopias of an anti-oppressive and non-hierarchical communality into concrete practice. We are self-organised, not represented or representable by any institution or organisation. In the infoshop we take decisions in consensus and we encounter each other on a horizontal level despite our differences. We are taking part in struggles of those who rebell against the hierarchies and oppressions that make them suffer without taking power over others in turn. This means we are in solidarity with the struggle of refugees against Fortress Europe, we fight against fascism including fascistic currents located within the social mainstream. We fight alongside disenfranchised tenants for the right to the city and are in solidarity with those who refuse to be identified as either male or female, … . We take part in these struggles and we want to support them with each of us participating in its own way without pressure to perform.
However, the fact that people are getting deported or evicted from their homes is not solely due to cruel officials or exploitative investors: the problem is within our social structures and we are all part of it! They require a radical transformation which cannot take place in taking recourse to the use of these very same structures; radical change cannot take place through infighting in political parties or a five-Euro donation to save the rainforest. In the infoshop resistance to structural oppression starts in our practices of everyday life. It is a resistance which cannot be represented, that is non-hierarchical and does not require neither spokespeople nor responsables. The infoshop welcomes all those who share these values.


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After a 5:45 am pre op check in and the hustle and bustle of paper work,IV's and blood draws Josh was the first to head to the OR. One more visit together before seperating for surgery. Just around an hour later it was Scott's turn to head to his OR
At 10:45 Dr.Pomfret was starting the liver division for the LDLT. 12:15 division was successful and Scott's new liver was being prepared for transport to his OR. Scott's procedure will take 3-4 hours and Josh will be heading to recovery about 1:30pm.
So we are at the WAIT STATUS …(posted on behalf of Scott by sister Gloria)


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Coordinate System
Help Topics
The used coordinate system is based on the classical model having its coordinate origin at the lower left. The zero of the horizontal X coordinate is situated on the left edge of the sheet. Its value increases in the right direction. The zero of the vertical Y coordinate is situated on the lower edge of the sheet. Its value increases in the up direction. The unit distance corresponds to the width of the
(icon), i.e. 32 graphic pixels. This makes it possible to use the coordinates easily (The indexing of the squares 0, 1, 2 ... corresponds to their coordinates) maintaining the possibility of working with fine graphics (using decimal numbers). This coordinate system is used by all functions of the Peter system.
Full Html Context Help of The Peter
Gemtree Software & Children Programming


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Equine Net design and style is really a very niche specific industry. Just about any individual can build a website these days. And even finding an excellent site is reasonably painless. But if you'd like a fantastic web-site for the horse-related business enterprise (and a single that in fact works!), that is definitely a further story.
Your average Net style firm is more than proficient at building desirable, functional sites. On the other hand, they may be generally somewhat generic. They aren't specific to the horse sector, so they lack that particular "feel" that horse small business owners are in search of. When a website visitor finds an equine internet site, they wish to understand that the firm truly is in the horse market and not just some cookie cutter enterprise planning to make a buck.
Horse owners/lovers are extremely passionate and they wish to deal with others who share that exact same passion. So, as a business owner, you wish your web-site to clearly convey your "love for all things horses". The most beneficial approach to achieve this really is to possess your site designed and advertising and marketing by a person who is an expert in horses AND internet marketing + Web design and style!
As opposed to possessing a random Internet style corporation develop your equine enterprise web site, let somebody who shares your passion for horses develop a professional, personal, niche-specific web page that perfectly complements your enterprise.
You will discover a number of firms in the US that specialize in building internet websites for horse small business owners.
A properly designed web-site is going to be easy to navigate, with a clean appear & feel, good graphics, and also be highly optimized so that it performs nicely in the search engines. What excellent is really a beautiful internet site if no a single can find it?!
Functionality is important too. The web-site needs to load incredibly quickly and provide visitors with an easy approach to find the information they may be trying to find. Contact forms and phone numbers must be highly visible. Your primary message should come across pretty clearly so viewers know exactly what your business provides. You only have a few seconds to create that first impression when an individual arrives at your homepage, so don't squander the opportunity to gain a new customer because your web-site isn't up to par!
Everyone knows that a business enterprise needs to possess a web page nowadays, but not everyone knows that you can have one particular created by a enterprise that shares your exact passion. Don't settle for a boring, generic internet site… see how an equine Internet design firm can boost your online visibility.


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October 3, 2018 (Steven O'Reilly) – Rorate Caeli reports the availability of a lengthy interview of Bishop Athanasius Schnieder and the Rorate Caeli website provides a link to it (see here). The interview, entitled "Catholic Church: Where are you heading?", was conducted in July 2018 by a Hungarian theologian Dániel Fülep.
Of particular note, Bishop Schneider responds to a question regarding the status of the "formal correction," promised at one time by Cardinal Burke. Regarding a potential correction, Bishop Schneider indicates that "I think we have to see the finality of formal correction of the Pope in our circumstances" (p. 39). The Bishop goes on and calls to mind the various appeals already made to the Pope not to change the doctrine and praxis on the question of communion for divorced and remarried Catholics, e.g., the appeal by one million people prior to the 2015 Synod of the Family, the appeal of the bishops of Kazahkstan, and – of course – the dubia. We also remember the filial correction made just over a year ago (see here). However, Bishop Schneider observes "The situation has become worse in spite of all these appeals, the Pope even officially approved last year the norms of the bishops of the Buenos Aires region, which foresee the admittance to Holy Communion of unrepented adulterers in special cases" ("Catholic Church: Where are you heading?", p. 40). The Bishop continues (emphasis added):
"I think that – humanly speaking – a formal correction will not change the position of the Pope. What is the meaning of a formal correction? One also has to be realistic and prudent, and ask what is the best manner to serve the Church, to help the faithful? When we can foresee that the correction will not have an effect on the Pope, then, I think, it would be meaningless to make a formal correction. On the other side, we have to do all what we can, the cardinals and bishops, to strengthen the faithful. Therefore, we published several declarations in order to strengthen the faithful. I see no other possibilities for the moment. Of course, the basic requirement is to pray, to pray very intensively for the Pope that God may illuminate him. Then of course, we can hold conferences to stress this theme according to the constant Catholic sense. Maybe we could also make and spread a kind of oath against the most dangerous errors of our time. This could be made maybe by a group of theologians, and then spread. Then individual bishops can with their faithful or parish priests in the parishes publicly profess these Catholic truths. This would be, in my opinion, a concrete and efficacious means of help to address the current doctrinal confusion. The ultimate change comes only when God intervenes, when he illuminates the Pope or when He will give us a future holy and courageous Pope. ("CATHOLIC CHURCH: WHERE ARE YOU HEADING?"
Theologian Dániel Fülep's interview with Bishop Athanasius Schneider
Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Mary in Astana Astana, Kazakhstan, July 2018, p. 40-41 [interview link here])
My read on the answer above is that there will be no formal correction. That said, I think many by this point had already discounted the possibility of there being one – so, the Bishop's comments may not come as an unexpected surprise. I am sure at one time a formal correction was seriously considered, even intended perhaps, but somewhere along the way – it now appears clear – the prudential judgment was made to drop the idea given it was 'foreseen' a formal correction would not have "an effect on the Pope."
The theology of how a "formal correction" might have worked was somewhat murky, and unprecedented. It probably did not help matters that the dubia cardinals never received any substantial public support for their efforts from other cardinals and bishops, and as time marched on, what support they might have hoped for only grew weaker – relatively speaking – either through the deaths of allies or as Pope Francis added more and more of his "own" cardinals to the Sacred College. Who knows? Perhaps it was feared a "formal correction" might only precipitate an even more formal magisterial act on the part of an obstinate Francis.
Of course, that is pure speculation. Whether it may have led to one or not, or whether or not it played a part in the demise of the "formal correction," I do think we should expect to see more on the topic from Francis regardless. As with the recent change to the Death Penalty entry in the Catechism (see More Papal Confusion: Footnoting Francis throws his predecessors under the bus) to bring it more in line with Francis' thought, it is likely – I think probable – a similar change to the Catechism (i.e., CCC 1650) regarding communion for adulterers is afoot. Perhaps we might also expect the upcoming synod will attempt to include a further confirmation of the teaching of Amoris Laetitia in its final document, thereby giving it additional magisterial weight in the wake of Episicoplis Communio (see here).
It is – humanly speaking – a bleak moment. It appears the human options have been exhausted. But, God is ultimately in control of history. We have seen times where he has acted when all things otherwise seemed hopeless (e.g., here). Therefore, as Bishop Schneider notes: "The ultimate change comes only when God intervenes, when he illuminates the Pope or when He will give us a future holy and courageous Pope." Therefore, pray – just as the Bishop suggests. Let us pray for Pope Francis that he may definitively uphold, and illuminate the Apostolic See with the doctrine of the Apostolic Tradition.
Steven O'Reilly is a graduate of the University of Dallas and the Georgia Institute of Technology. He is married to Margaret O'Reilly. He lives near Atlanta with his family. He has written apologetic articles and is working on a historical-adventure trilogy, set during the time of the Arian crisis. He asks for your prayers for his intentions. He can be contacted at firstname.lastname@example.com (or follow on Twitter: @S_OReilly_USA).


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Parts of a large chain of mountains in Europe known as the Alps, the French Alps are home to a number of famous resort towns such as Chamonix, Samoëns, Grenoble, St. Gervais, Annecy and Albertville. Renowned as a popular holiday destinations for winter sports, snow activities and outdoor pursuits, the French Alps are famous for their alpine skiing, mountaineering, mountain biking, paragliding and even white water rafting. The region is also known for its spectacular natural beauty and alpine lakes including Lake Geneva, Lac de Bourget and Lac d'Annecy.
French Alps accommodation is found in both the north and south of the region in areas known as Alpes Du Sud and Alpes Du Nord. Offering a wide range of accommodation options including some of the most popular ski resorts and resort towns, French Alps accommodation boasts hotels, villas, resorts, eco lodges, ski residences, chalets and spa retreats that range from 3 to 5 stars. Home to both boutique properties and major chains such as Mercure and Best Western, French Alps accommodation is conveniently close to a range of local leisure activities and attractions including Grenoble, St Gervais, Chamonix, Monetier-les-Bains, Samoëns, Col du Galibier, Saint-Martin-de-Belleville, Col d'Arsine, La Rosiere Espace San Bernardo, El Zocalo Theatre, Mont-de-Lans, Allos and Loutesskis. Book French Alps Accommodation
The French Alps are best known for their resort towns, skiing and mountaineering however there are also a number of other attractions located in this region of France. Mont Blanc, located in Haute-Savoie, is the tallest mountain in the Alps and indeed in Western Europe, measuring 4,807m. Another of the region's popular natural attractions include Lake Geneva, the largest of the alpine lakes. The resort town of Aix-les-Bains is famous for its day spas and thermal springs while Evian-les-Bains is renowned for its mineral water. Annecy, known as the 'Venice of the Alps' due to the number of canals that meander through the town and the mountain village of Briançon, the highest town in Europe, are also popular places to visit. Grenoble is the largest city in the French Alps and is known as an ancient yet vibrant city popular for countryside excursions and visiting its range of museums. Read more about French Alps Attractions
The mountains prevent visitors from flying directly into the French Alps however there are a number of airports located in surrounding towns that allow you to transfer from there. There is an international airport in Grenoble and the TGV (fast train) and other regular train services connect the French Alps to Paris, Lyons and a number of other cities. There are a number of highways within the valley which make driving easy and there are plenty of car hire companies located in the French Alps. The best way to navigate the Alps, hiring a car gives you the freedom to soak up the wonderful scenery and visit wherever you please.
The French Alps form a crescent shape that covers a distance of 1,200km in Europe. Aside from France, the Alps also extend into a number of other European countries including Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Germany, Monaco, Slovenia and Liechtenstein. The French Alps are home to a number of glaciers as well as 30,000 wildlife species and 13,000 species of vegetation, many that are native to the region. There are a total of 82 official summits in the French Alps that measure at least 4,000 m high with the highest being Mont Blanc at 4,810 m on the French Italian border. The French Alps attract around 120 million visitors annually.


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Cut flowers are globally known to be one of the best cash crops because they are easy to grow and provide a good income during the growing season. There are some common features that people consider while deciding upon which cut flowers to grow. They include flowers that are:
- Beautiful
- Relatively low maintenance
- Easy to harvest
- Fast growing and productive
- Profitable
Of all the young plant options for cut flower cultivation that we have trailed and added to our offerings, we recommend a short –list of the ones that more or less fit all the above features. The top three include:
- Anthurium: Anthuriums top our short list because they are cinch to grow, require low maintenance, provide all year blooms and are extremely high in demand all across the globe. For everything you need to know for cultivation of Anthuriums, click here.
- Carnation: They are easy to grow, prolific and gorgeous. Native to Europe and Asia, they come as annuals, biennials and perennials and can be grown by planting seeds or by plant cuttings. However, most growers do not prefer the former method as it takes from 12 to 24 months for plants to bloom when grown using seeds. Carnations are slightly high on maintenance but are extremely profitable. For a complete guide for cultivation of carnations, click here.
- Gerbera: Also known as Daisies, these exotic plants are grown throughout the world and are extremely high in demand. They are one of the best specialty cut flowers to grow as they can give very high return if planned and maintained well. For everything you need to know for cultivation of Gerberas, click here.
The above selections of flowers are the workhouses of our operation. To know about the other varieties that we grow, click here. Florance Flora is dedicated towards providing the best quality young plants for cultivation of cut flowers. Our 30 years of experience in this field has helped us understand the market trends in the floriculture industry and build expertise to grow and help growers meet the industry standards in terms of cultivation of high quality cut flowers and supply them to markets across the globe.
Have questions? Write to us at email@example.com and we will answer.


text: Latitude E5420 14″ LED Notebook Core i5 2.50GHz 2GB DDR3 SDRAM 320GB HDD DVD-Writer 32-bit Windows 7 Professional View on Amazon Rating: Amazon Price: N/A (as of June 27, 2019 8:33 pm – Details). Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on the Amazon site at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. Dell Latitude E5420 14" LED Notebook – Core i5 i5-2520M 2.50 GHz 469-0240 41


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The UK Royal Air Force (RAF) has taken delivery of the 100th Eurofighter-built Typhoon FGR4 multirole combat aircraft.
The aircraft is scheduled to be operated by the No 1 (Fighter) Squadron, which was re-formed as the air force's fourth front line Typhoon squadron at RAF Leuchars in Fife, Scotland, in September 2012.
No 1 (Fighter) Squadron commanding officer wing commander Mark Flewin said the reformation reflected the air force's initiatives to further grow its Typhoon force.
"The squadron has already begun autonomous operations, and is supporting the Quick Reaction Alert mission here at Leuchars," Flewin added.
"I have no doubt that this aircraft will be put to good use in supporting the standing task in addition to a busy exercise programme in 2013."
Built by a consortium of EADS, Alenia Aeronautica and BAE, Typhoon is a twin-engine, canard-delta wing, multirole fighter designed for deployment during air operations, including air policing, peace support and high-intensity conflict missions.
Typhoon is the largest new generation fighter programme in the world, covering serial production of 559 aircraft in three tranches for the air forces of Austria, Italy, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Spain and the UK.
A total of 170 aircraft have been ordered by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) under three tranches and the first Typhoon was delivered to RAF No 11 Squadron in August 2007.
The aircraft has been used by the air force in the Falkland Islands, UK Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) North, UK QRA South missions and most recently along with Tornado GR4 fighters to impose a no-fly zone over Libya.
The MoD is also planning to continue investment in the Typhoon programme to help enhance multirole intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance surveillance capabilities of the Tranche 2 and 3 aircraft.
Image: Royal Air Force's 100th Typhoon aircraft readies for its first training sortie at RAF Leuchars. Photo courtesy of Corporal Dave Blackburn RAF, Crown Copyright / MOD 2013.


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The next New England KM Cluster will be held in Cambridge, Massachusetts on January 21, 2005. It will be hosted by IBM at One Rogers Street. The theme is 'Creating the Social Enterprise: Getting Connected from the Inside Out.' Peter Gloor (MIT Sloan), Kate Ehrlich (IBM Research) and I have had fun putting this together and hope to see you there. Here is a summary of the theme and participants.
There is a growing interest in the power of social networks and our ability to analyze them. Managers who look at their organization through the lens of a social network diagram, will see where barriers such as those between countries or organizations might block the smooth flow of information; where important expertise stuck at the edges of the network is not being effectively utilized to generate new ideas; where decision-makers are holding up processes by not distributing decision-making authority.
But what does the network look like when viewed from the inside out, from the perspective of the person within the network? How does an individual use the resources around them - whether people, technology, information, knowledge, - to make the right personal connections and get the best information they can in the shortest amount of time?
The session looks at key elements: the technology, emotion, time and space as some of the elements that make the organization more or less "usable". Can technology really foster new connections between people? Is our work regulated by personal relationships or do the demands of professional obligations transcend personal emotion? How does space - both physical and virtual – and time impact our ability and willingness to collaborate?
Tom Davenport will kick off the meeting by looking at the rise of high performance knowledge workers who use technology, as well as their network, to get and manage information. He will explore our theme in the broader perspective of personal knowledge management. Tom will also examine the social role of idea practitioners in spreading innovation.
For the remainder of the day we have convened three panels to consider how different levels of a network – people, teams and enterprise structures – impact the individual in the network. Mark Bonchek, Managing Director of Tapestry Networks will moderate the panels and lead us through a discussion of the challenges and opportunities to bring a network perspective - from the inside out - to creating the social enterprise of the future. Eileen Clegg of Visual Insight will record the proceedings using Visual Journalism.
Panel One: Personal Networks: Is there a role for technology? Social software tools are designed to help individuals expand their network of contacts for business and social pursuits. Can technology really speed the referral process or does something get lost in translation? Panelists: Judith Meskill (Social Software Weblog), Dave Newbold (IBM Emerging Technology), Paul Trevithick (Social Physics)
Panel Two: Team Dynamics: Building synergy out of diversity. People are often selected for membership on a team based on their skills, competencies, and past performance. But emotional factors such as energy, liking, and trust influence individual behavior with potentially profound consequences for the team. Panelists: Patti Anklam (Hutchinson Associates), Tizanna Casciaro (Harvard Business School), Kate Ehrlich (IBM Research)
Panel Three: Structural Enhancements and Barriers: Creating spaces for connection and collaboration. Work takes place in a context that is both physical and virtual, as well as temporal. What characteristics of the environment help or hinder collaborative behaviors. Panelists: Peter Gloor (MIT Sloan), Bill Ives (Portals and KM) and (an expert in the use of physical space TBD)
By highlighting these three levels within networks we hope to not only illuminate the role and experience of the individual but to also shed light for managers on some of the important dimensions to create and maintain a productive, effective networked organization. John Maloney will lead a summary discussion at the end.


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The Ten Commandments of Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing is an art that can be mastered only when approached in a disciplined fashion. Similar to every other form of art, it has fundamentals that should be given special attention. These fundamentals are the ground rules that must be adhered to in order to excel in this art.
I would like to refer to these fundamentals as the Ten Commandments, and they are as follows:
1.They Should have patience
Mastering the art of patience, I'd say, is very essential to master the art of social media marketing. Success in social media campaigns is not something that you get to see overnight. You must shout out to make your presence known, but do not expect to be noticed immediately. Keep shouting till others notice your presence. Stay positive, and do not get discouraged if your first few posts haven't been successful in creating the buzz that you had been expecting.
2.They Should be focused
Set proper goals for your social media marketing campaigns, and focus on them. Without a clear path set before you, it is impossible to go on a journey in this virtual world. If you believe that social media is the cheapest mode of marketing, then you are completely wrong. According to Charlene Li, "Social media isn't inexpensive, it's different expensive." In fact, this is a more critical and complicated mode of marketing, because you come so close to your audience that they can either pat you on your shoulder or slap you on your face. Now all this depends on how you carry yourself in the social space. You cannot carry yourself in a dignified manner if you market in a random manner ignoring your goals.
3.They Should be an observer
Social media is not a one way channel where you keep doing all the talking and expect everyone to listen. Once you are done with the talking, sit back and listen to what your audience have to say. Spend time on observing the reaction of your audience. This is very important because your next move depends on how your audience respond. Audience can be segmented based on their response to various posts. Based on the details of segmentation, your posts can target them.
4.They Should keep thy audience engaged
Keep reminding your audience continuously that you exist. If you fail to do this, you'll be forgotten. Have live discussions online by posting questions that would draw opinions and suggestions from various people around the globe. Make your social media handle as interesting as possible to your audience. The more interesting your social media activities are, the more your audience will promote you. So, in a way, keeping your audience engaged will also help in spreading the word about you.
5.They Should respond on time
Social media waits for no one. When someone reaches out to you, ensure that you respond on time, because if you don't, your competitor will. Competitors watch your social media activities closely at all times. You must be careful not to let them snatch and fly away with your followers. When someone shows interest in what you are doing, respect their interest and revert back to them at the earliest. If you do this, your follower will continue to cling to you, but if you don't, he might jump to someone else who respects his interest and does the needful.
6.They Should have quality, not quantity
Remember, you are not the only one existing here. So be selective of what you show your audience. Pestering your audience with too many posts is a strict NO. Only share posts that your audience can relate to, or else they might ignore your posts. Your audience will not be interested if you simply blah, blah, and blah about whatever you do. They'd rather be more interested in the big story. So pick the best out of your stock and show that to the world. Ultimately, you are what you share, and your brand image is built on how you project yourself, so project yourself in the best possible way and stay as simple as possible.
7.They Should not imitate thy competitor
Do not set foot in the social media marketing space just because your competitor is already there. The concept of "something is better than nothing" does not apply to social media marketing. It is better to have nothing than just something for the sake of it. Your competitor's goals will be completely different from that of yours, so if you try to imitate their strategy, it might end up as a total failure. Instead, create your own style to reach out to your audience.
8.They Should build relationships, not followers
Do not waste your time and money on increasing the follower count of your social media handles in an attempt to look more popular. It is better to have 100 strong relationships than to have 1000 inactive followers. Always try to strike a chord with your followers and present yourself as someone who cares for their needs and not as someone who's desperate to sell their goods. This is the only way by which a strong bond can be created between you and your followers.
9.They Should be ethical
Freedom and social media are synonymous. Social media is a platform where everyone is free to do the talking. You are given complete freedom to market yourself in any way possible, but never take advantage of this and attempt to deceive your audience with false reports and misrepresentations, because they will eventually backfire. Always avoid criticising your competitors and highlighting their shortfalls, but instead, show others how different you are from the rest. You must ensure that you make the best use of your freedom and get the maximum possible result, ethically.
10.They Should look back and evaluate
As you go on your social media journey, you ought to look back from time to time and evaluate your past activities. A regular assessment will give you a clear picture of how you have been performing so far. It is also a stage where you get to identify areas that require improvement. This is very critical to your survival in the world of social media. Whenever something does not proceed as expected, go back to the drawing board and reorganize your strategic plan.
The bottom line is to stay simple and honest.


text:
Medieval bakery (PAINTED) ARCHIVED
The estimated delivery date: 20 June
This set includes a bread oven, a warming oven, two baker's work tables, highly detailed backsides, a mill, a basket with cabbage, a can of milk, a bottle of butter, and several bags of flour and fruit.
You can change almost everything here with this fully customizable design.
Assembly needed.
Fully painted with acrylic paints by professional artists.
A varnish coat added to avoid scratches in manipulation.
The Baker spread flour across the work table, silently giving homage to Vesta, the goddess of the Hearth. Kneading the dough, he reflected on how hard the past few months had been on the bakery. The new tavern up the road specialized in baked goods and had really taken a large portion of the Baker's business. He would be lying if he didn't admit that their roast pig pie wasn't better than his.
But things were going to change soon; for fortune had smiled upon him. Marko the apple seller, his old friend, had agreed to sell him several bags of his amazing fresh apples on credit. Reaching for the cinnamon, the smell making him smile, soon the scent of hot apple pies and fresh bread would be in the air.
It was only be a matter of time before they would be lining up to buy his wares and he would be on track by winter time.