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"Brother Paul" is the pastor of Walnut Street Missionary Baptist Church, Janie's Husband since December of 1973, father of three, and grandfather of sixteen.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Let's Take a Break
Break time use to be my favorite time at Lebus Mfg. Company. It was time to stop working and to rest. I use to go and get a cup of coffee and maybe a snack at break time. When I first started to work in the Die Shop at Lebus they had me sweeping the floor and cleaning. Come break time I was ready to rest. I use to get a package of peanuts out of the vending machine and would take them home for Janie to enjoy. It use to make me sad when she would finish eating them but that is a whole other story I will have to tell here some time.
Right now I am taking a break from sermonizing. I am working on a new sermon for Sunday morning. It is an exciting text and very convicting. The text mentions the sabbath which was a day of rest. It was to be a day unlike any other normal week day. It was a day, a whole day, you gave to God. After I blog I am going for a walk. We had a big fresh homemade salad for lunch that was really good. I talked to my oldest daughter while I was grocery shopping this morning. I had to go to the bank and the post office so I while I was out I went by Brookshire's. I talked with my youngest daughter while I ate lunch. I took a break from blogging and talked with Jason just now. He has joined a basket ball group in the town there and that is looking like a really good way to build relationships with people there. Arianna has gained two pounds and she sure looks cute even on Skype.
Well break time is over. I better get to walking. God bless you.
Monday, September 27, 2010
What a productive day
|Me and Elijah, grandchild no. 9
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Out And Out Fun
|Enjoying Pomegranates at the Taylor house
We had a good crowd at church today. The services went very well and choir practice was just out and out fun. I have a very busy week ahead with the local association meeting at our church on Saturday. I have to get ready for that and get sermons ready for Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I am running behind on so many things. I am way behind schedule on my thesis and as soon as I get the local minute book ready to go I have to work on the database for the State association meeting. I have a meeting tomorrow morning and one tomorrow afternoon. Two meetings on Tuesday and one on Wednesday. We need to go to Canton on Thursday, Henderson on Friday and back to Hillsboro for the meeting on Saturday. Busy Busy. God bless you.
Friday, September 24, 2010
A Concert
|Connie, Susie, Lara, and Charlcye
|A private concert for the Taylors
|Tom Peveler, Lara, and Janie at the concert
We must leave in about an hour to head for another doctor's office. I am taking my father-in-law to Longview this time to see a doctor there. I got up early this morning and worked on my French lesson. Janie and I took her parents trash off and visited with her uncle Trenton. We had a good visit with him and returned home and I cooked some eggs and bacon for Janie and her mother for breakfast. I talked to my daughter, Stacie, for a while and will be seeing her and family tonight. We have not seen them in a long time. We will head back to Hillsboro tomorrow afternoon. God bless you.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
|My Father-in-law at the doctor's office Today
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
New Sermons
|Bro. Paul, preaching at the nursing home
|Touring Carcassone with the grandkids
The French lessons are coming along better than I had expected. I am using RosettaStone software and it is very effective. They say in their advertisement that you don't have to memorize anything and I could not understand how that could be. How else will you remember what a word means if you don't memorize the word and put it with its English counterpart. Well it is true to its claim. The software has thus far not yet spoken one word of English to me. NOT ONE! Yet when I hear the French word for cat, "chat", I don't translate the word I think of a cat. The software makes you think in French. I can see how this is going to work very well for me. I started to translate the words and caught myself. You don't translate you put the word with the action or thing that it represents. The part that is giving me problems is grammar. I score well on knowing what things and actions are but when you put them into sentences and you must match gender and number and such I score very low. I get upper 90's and 100's on speaking and knowing the words but 60's and 80's in putting the right words with those nouns and verbs. The learning process is just begun but it is looking good.
Well its back to work. God bless you.
Monday, September 20, 2010
The Next Thing
|Bro. Paul leading the singing at the nursing home
|Janie and her mother heading for the beauty shop
The church in Lorena voted to have services every Tuesday night. I love to preach and am excited about having more opportunities to do so. I have not completely decided what to preach for them but am leaning toward the book of Proverbs. The Holy Spirit has been silent as far as I can tell about what I am too preach this Sunday. If He remains silent I will take that to mean that He intends for me to proceed with the plan to preach from the book of Matthew. Well its time to move to the next thing. God bless you.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Parlez-vous français? Not Yet
|Justin and Sarah's new home
This afternoon I began my first French lesson. It is a very long journey but I shall be patient. I am resolved to learn this language and have set aside time each day for this purpose. Tomorrow while the Ladies Auxiliary meets at our house I plan to work on my thesis. I am anxious to return to that labor and shall do so with much delight. I have too few index cards to begin the sorting process so the actual setting down of the words of the thesis is still far away.
Yesterday we visited our daughter and got to see there new home. It was very nice indeed. If it were located in the middle of a 200 acre farm I believe they would be most content. They have cows on one place, pigs, turkeys and other fowl on another, and chickens on yet another place. God truly has blessed them. Its off to bed now. I plan to do my French lessons first thing each morning so had better get a good nights rest. God bless you.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Sewing in the Morning
|Mother's new sewing machine
|Mother checking out the book on her new machine
Janie and I will head back to Hillsboro this morning stopping to see our daughter's new house in Palestine. I preached the sermon that I am going to do Sunday to my in-laws last night. It made me anxious to preach it Sunday morning. God bless you.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Irons In The Fire
|Lilia's collection of pet toys, Janie & Arianna behind her
Our local Association meeting will be at our church on October 2nd. I am the clerk/treasurer for our local association which means I take care of the money and have the minute books printed and mailed out. I plan to have the local minutes printed out and ready to go before the State Association meeting in November. That is an ambitious goal but one I think I can achieve.
I have often thought about taking some irons out of the fire. I sometimes think that at 57 I should start winding down a bit. I could give up both clerk jobs and the camp registrar's job and the tech support for sullivansupply.com and that would give me more time for other things. I have even considered not pushing for the doctor's degree and just write my book on the Song of Songs without the pressure of a deadline. A friend just asked me to consider taking on another task/responsiblity and I am praying about that. My health is good and I seem to have plenty of energy. There are somethings that I would like to spend more time doing like, visitation, woodworking, hiking, learning French, learning Biblical Hebrew, and gardening. The thing is this.... I am going to always have Irons in the fire. I know myself well enough that for every one I take out I will but another in. It boils down then to what Irons do I want in my fire. I think, Lord willing, I will just keep the ones I have in there for now.
God bless you.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
My Forgetter Works Good
|Me and Marie, a long time member of Walnut St. Baptist
I have typed the exposition of 7 of the 10 verses I will be covering in the Sunday sermon. I will try to finish that off in the morning. I went by the bank, Post Office, mission treasurer's house, and the church. I am suppose to be walking right now but thought I would blog first before I forgot it. You know, I never forget to eat. I never forget to sleep. I never forget to go to church. I did forget to pick Janie up from work once but not twice. Forgetting is a common malady. I just wish it would happen less. I have a funeral tomorrow afternoon and then its off to Henderson. We really want to go see our grandkids in Moss Hill, its just a matter of picking a day. I suspect we will go to Henderson on a Thursday and then to Moss Hill on a Friday morning. That would probably work best for us. Well I better get to walking. God bless you.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Jet Lag Over
|On the way to school in Limoux France
We have a lunch engagement with a friend today and then this afternoon at 5:00 we will head down to Lorena for services there. They had listened to a recording of one of my sermons in their Sunday morning services and I had run out of time and announced that I would finish that sermon in the evening services. I got a phone call requesting that I come prepared to finish that sermon so as not to leave them hanging. I have that sermon out and will preach that for them this evening.
The bulletin is ready for Sunday and today I will get the sermon for Sunday typed up. I am going to attempt to preach through the book of Genesis on Sunday mornings and will start that series most likely in January. I had planned not to do a series like that until I finished my thesis but the LORD had other plans for me. I just can't seem to keep Genesis off of my mind so I will yield to His leading. I am planning to preach on a Christmas theme each Sunday in December which is not that far away.
Ok its off to study now, the ladies will be here in 2 hours. God bless you.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Untitled Hymn
When I woke this morning,
the Holy Spirit came.
He told me "son your life is not a game."
You need Jesus,
You need Jesus,
You need Jesus, to live.
We went before the throne,
He waited at my side.
I praised the Lord, for me it was He died.
Thank you Jesus
Thank you Jesus
Thank you Jesus, I live.
For some things I asked Him,
I confessed my guilt of sin.
I felt so undeserving deep within.
I love you Jesus
Love you Jesus
Love you Jesus, you live.
I lingered just a moment,
When amen I'd said.
I got upon my feet and rose from bed.
I'll live for Jesus
live for Jesus
live for Jesus, He lives.
Thankful for my breakfast.
Thankful for my wife.
Thankful God has given eternal life.
Now go serve Jesus
go serve Jesus
go serve Jesus, and live.
|Janie and I overlooking the Aude river in Limoux
At the funeral yesterday a young man sang the song "Untitled Hymn." It is a beautiful song written by Chris Rice. Google it on youtube.com and check it out. That tune was stuck in my head this morning. The lyrics above came to me this morning and so I have shared them with you.
God is moving in my life and I am just following His lead. I woke this morning with my mind full of the things that I needed to get done. All of a sudden the Holy Spirit called me to the throne and a chill went down my spine. I obeyed and began to pray. Now don't think me crazy. I do not hear voices in my head. The Holy Spirit speaks to my heart. I would never pray at all if the Holy Spirit did not move me to prayer. My spiritual ears have been cleaned out it seems and I am more aware than ever of the actions, and the voice of the Holy Spirit of God.
Today I will preach at the nursing home, visit some of our shut-ins, and prepare the bulletin for Sunday. Tuesday I will teach the Ladies Bible Study and preach in the services down in Lorena. Wednesday will find me meeting with 3 other pastors in Corsicanna and I will preach our evening services. Thursday afternoon I have a graveside service to officiate and then its off to Henderson. All of these tasks have been given to me by the Lord and I will, in His strength, do my best. Well it is time for Bible reading, and I need to review my sermon for this mornings service. God bless you.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
|Our grandson, Andrew beside a tractor in France
|Janie and me with our 5 grandkids in France
Saturday, September 11, 2010
We are Home
|Janie with our new found friends in France
|Jason, Me, and Hicham, the pastor in Carcassonne
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Are We There Yet
|Lilia, Caleb, and me at the summit marker mount Pic de Brau
|Lilia, Me, and Caleb about 1/3 of the way up the mountain.
This evening we took the kids to a carnival in town. They had a really good time. They were so excited. We returned home and Jason and Angie cooked us another outstanding meal.
|Caleb, Andrew, and Micah at the carnival
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
|Micah, Jason, Caleb, Andrew, Janie, and Lilia in front of the castle
|Sweet Arianna, her feet are ticklish
Monday, September 6, 2010
Publish Post
|Now that's what you call a yawn.
We went grocery shopping with Jason this afternoon. Supper consisted of fish sticks, mixed veggies, a baguette, and some pasta. It was very good. For dessert we had Panna Cotta that was really good. Everyone has gone to bed but Janie and I so I guess we should head that way. God bless you.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Fait Le Bise
|Fellowship at the church in Carcassone.
Last Sunday I was new to this culture but this Sunday I "Fait le bise"d like everyone else. Now for those of you who do not know what that is let me enlighten you. "Fait le bise" is what you call the way they greet each other here in France. It is to gesture a kiss to the right cheek and then to the left of the person you are greeting. Now most limit it to just that while others actually kiss your cheeks. It was not as uncomfortable a thing as I thought it would be. I have a son-in-law that would hurt you if you tried such a thing with him.
During our meal I got to visit with the retired pastor of the church at Carcassone. We had a really good Bible discussion and I look forward to our email conversations in the future on various Bible topics.
The services at Walnut Street went very well. I enjoyed the singing and the sermon. I look forward to being back there next Sunday.
|The men washing the dishes after the fellowship
Saturday, September 4, 2010
She is Home
|Janie in the back seat on the way to IKEA
We have seen three crops that grow here in southern France, grapes, sunflowers, and maze. We have eaten locally grown strawberries and they were excellent.
|Arianna in a new outfit at home
Friday, September 3, 2010
Shopping in France
|Rabbits, eye balls and all, at a meat market Limoux, France
|Now that is fresh Chicken
|Janie wanted to feel of the river water, it was cold.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
|Escargot, does not taste like chicken
|The Bible Study group, Magrie, France
Jason cooked our supper tonight before the Bible study. We had smoked chicken, string beans, corn and escargot. Jason and I were the only ones to eat the escargot. For those who may not know what that is I have place a picture of it here. They are snails and they were not bad at all. They really don't have much taste and are not as slimy as you might think. We cleaned up after supper and got ready for the arrival of the Bible study group. There were five in attendance besides us. Jason played the guitar and led the singing of two songs. He turned it over to me for the lesson. Three of the five did not speak English so Jason started off translating and then turned it over to the retired pastor of the church at Carcassonne to translate the rest of the way. It was hard to keep up with me though I tried to keep it slow and simple. We closed the service with a chain prayer and then visited a bit before the five left. It was a good Bible study time and all seemed to enjoy it.
Jason has gone to spend the night with Angie. Janie and I will get the kids up and ready for school in the morning. Jason will return to carry them to school and to take us to the Friday market day in town. It will be a good morning of site seeing and shopping. We will probably stay in town until noon when the kids get out for lunch.
Angie and Arianna are doing fine. I don't know when they will come home but we are looking forward to seeing them outside of the hospital. I am going to check my email and head for bed. God bless you.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Qu'est-ce Que C'est Vomit?
|Caleb, Lilia, Andrew, Micah on top of the hill near their house
|Janie outside Curves in Carcassonne, France
|Janie with Curves worker next to the dreaded stretch machine
I will miss being with Janie tonight. She will enjoy time with the baby and I am sure will be very tired tomorrow. I don't know what will happen tomorrow if any of the other kids get sick they may call off the Bible Study. Hopefully none of the rest of them or us will get sick. I better head for bed quick to keep my resistance up. It has been good to be here and I hope that we have been able to be a help to Jason and Angie. The things we do on our vacation to the south of France is probably nothing like the things most people do when they vacation is such an exotic place. I have studied the Bible today and I always enjoy that. I have washed dishes today and cleaned up after a sick child. How many vacationers to Europe can say that. God bless you.
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By Roseline Oker
Nigeria's production declines by 67,500bpd
The Organisation of Petroleum Corporation (OPEC) has attributed the increase in crude oil prices to supply disruptions in Nigeria and Iraq, and signs that US shale oil output is shrinking.
OPEC said tht US refiners were providing support, with utilization above 89 per cent, as plants returned from maintenance ready to meet buoyant gasoline demand.
Besides, Nigeria's crude oil production has declined by 67,500 barrels per day in March to 1.67 million barrels per day. The country had earlier recorded 1.74 million barrels per day in February compared to the 1.75 million the country recorded in January, 2016.
Brent crude oil price was $43.10 per barrel while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) stood at $40.36 as at Monday.
OPEC, which made this disclosure in its April monthly oil market report released at the weekend, added that massive bullish bets (close to record levels) on higher futures prices by speculators also helped in elevating oil futures prices to near $40 per barrel in March.
This, it said, occurred despite a slight improvement in fundamentals, as oversupply still persists amid record-high global crude oil inventories.
It noted that some support also came from a continued decline in gasoline stocks, improvements in US jobs data, a weak dollar,
According to OPEC, crude oil futures also rose on forecasts by various sources expecting sharper declines in non-OPEC supply in 2016, due to low prices.
OPEC added that the private sector of Nigeria sent positive signals in March, according to the Purchasers Manager Index (PMI) survey. "The index moved closer to the neutral line on a lesser decrease in output and new orders. The index posted 49.6 in March, up from 47.9 in February", it added.
Dwelling also on price increase, the United Stats Energy Information Administration (IEA) stated that with global oil inventory builds expected to average 1.4 million bpd in 2016, oil prices are expected to remain near current levels. Forecast Brent prices average $35 per barrel in 2016.
It stated: "Global oil inventories are expected to grow by 0.4 million bpd in 2017. Lower forecast inventory builds contribute to a moderate price recovery in 2017, with Brent prices forecast to average $41 per barrel. Forecast Brent prices reach an average of $46 per barrel in the fourth quarter of 2017, as the global oil market is expected be relatively balanced late in 2017, with the potential for significant inventory draws beyond the forecast period.
"Forecast West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil prices average the same as Brent crude oil prices through the forecast period. The price parity of WTI with Brent in the forecast period is based on the assumption of competition between the two crudes in the U.S. Gulf Coast refinery market, as transportation differentials are similar to move the crudes from their respective pricing points to that market.
"The expectation of continuing large inventory builds is a major source of uncertainty in the price forecast, as the capacity of global oil storage to absorb such builds is unknown. If global storage capacity becomes stressed, the cost of storage will rise to reflect more expensive marginal storage options such as floating inventories on crude oil tankers. The higher storage costs would lower near-month crude oil prices. Additional uncertainty stems from the pace of global economic growth and its contribution to oil demand growth and from the responsiveness of oil producers to sustained low oil prices.
It said that the current values of futures and options contracts highlight the heightened volatility and high uncertainty in the price outlook (Market Prices and Uncertainty Report).
"These levels established the lower and upper limits of the 95 per cent confidence interval for the market's expectations of monthly average WTI prices in July 2016 at $27 per barrel and $57 per barrel, respectively. The 95 per cent confidence interval for market expectations widens over time, with lower and upper limits of $22 per barrel and $78 per barrel for prices in December 2016. At this time last year, WTI for July 2015 delivery averaged $52 per barrel, and implied volatility averaged 46 per cent, with the corresponding lower and upper limits of the 95 per cent confidence interval at $35 per barrel and $78 per barrel".
See original article here

subset: commoncrawl


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A green bottle filled with Basil is the base of this altered bottle--
that is supposed have the theme "Kitchen"and in the process of
searching for items to use, it evolved into
The Kitchen Prophet.
The head is an old brass bedstead part, the vintage
peeler says Real A Peel---from my small collection
of kitchen items..the crown was cut from a
yogurt container, The Sculpey hands and heads I made
several years ago in a flurry of head makings for jewelry.
Then there's the beaded hair, old buttons, trim around the
neck and the spider HAD to be part of this
alteration as he advises the Prophet in
in matters of Epicurean feast preparations.
I find I would rather work on assemblages
that are wired, nailed and screwed together,
rather then depend on glues to keep it sturdy.
I can't stand to wait for it to dry before I can
continue and boy, do sticky fingers frustrate me.
Coming soon--exciting new things on this blog for
your enjoyment...videos---games etc.


text:
Always curious and always learning, books are a fantastic way to engage the minds of avid young students. Browse our selection of kids' book gifts to encourage your children to explore new worlds made of words and banish boredom on a rainy day. Why not add a cool custom backpack into the mix as well? Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, your kids will love showing off their personalized gear to all their classmates at school.
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Full of cookies and hot cocoa, the holiday season is one of the most magical times of year for a kid. Get into the giving spirit when you browse our selection of Christmas gifts for children. Is your daughter a horse lover? Pick up some personalized animal stockings to make her squeal with delight. If your son loves football, grab a Game Day Duffle Bag for all his gear as he trains for the NFL. Whatever his or her interests may be, there's bound to be a present for your kid that will make them believe in Santa for just a little longer.


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The Medici Hunting Reserve
Visiting Montalbano
In 1626, the Medici built the 'Barco Reale', a hunting reserve surrounded by a 50-km wall in the Montalbano area. Their intent was to preserve wild boar, hare, partridge, pheasant and other types of wild game. They also used the reserve as a base for replenishing the area with game for the Grand Duke's hunts. The Medici family safeguarded the area's hardwood forests, which included oak, chestnut, mulberry, pine, elm, walnut and cypress. They also protected its widespread shrubbery (juniper, myrtle, etc.)
In the early seventeenth century, hunting saw a decline and the hunting reserve was slowly abandoned and lost, as the property passed into the hands of the Lorraine Dynasty (1736). During that period, management of area's farms was given over to tenants who represented the owners' interests rather than those of the farmers. After the mid eighteenth century, the decline of the timber trade and the work needed to rebuild the reserve's walls and reclaim its landscape, resulted in a period of inactivity. It was only after Pietro Leopoldo's ascent to the throne (1765), that decisive measures were taken regarding the 'Barco Reale'. Due to the high cost of maintenance and management, the reserve was dismantled and the area was dedicated to alternative uses.
The Wall
The reserve's wall stretches for just over 50 km and it originally formed the reserve's boundaries. Currently, about 30 kilometers remain in tact, various states of conservation. This irregular wall is made of alternative segments of sandstone and large sandstone boulders, combined with lime. It is often interrupted by gates; while the gates are no longer in tact, visitor can still see their lock and special hinges. This unique historical wall is a part of the area's heritage that must be both safeguarded and enhanced.
Source: Consortium of the Municipalities of the Montalbano Area


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I've written the first 30 pages of a novel-in-progress three times now, using two different points of view and even trying present tense.
Point of view is my largest concern anytime I start a novel. I think it's the most important decision a fiction writer makes.
I'm several months –– but only three chapters –– into a new novel, one which I hope launches a new series. I want the book to feature a husband and wife team. The wife is a career-oriented power player in her profession; the husband is a cynical type who wants no part of his wife's relative celebrity. I wrote the first three chapters from the husband's third-person perspective –– he's the outsider, viewing his wife, the most powerful person in their workplace. I didn't love those pages. And, after writing three novels recently using the third-person perspective of a female, I was hankering to write from a male's first-person point of view. (I grew up on Robert B. Parker and John D. MacDonald, after all.) So I scrapped the third-person opening, committed to the first-person voice of the husband, which moved him much closer to the action, while making sure the wife remains a large part of the plot from the start. I'm off to the races now.
No discussion of point of view is complete without also mentioning John Gardner's "psychic distance" chart. In his book The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers, Gardner offers this wide-to-narrow camera lens view of the distance from which a reader views an author's scene:
- It was winter of the year 1853. A large man stepped out of a doorway.
- Henry J. Warburton had never much cared for snowstorms.
- Henry hated snowstorms.
- God how he hated these damn snowstorms.
- Snow. Under your collar, down inside your shoes, freezing and plugging up your miserable soul
While third person has many benefits, I'm a sucker for the intimacy of the first-person speaker. I like to be closer to to the character. Writing in first-person, to me, is like acting: I step into character and voice and record (and convey) the information in a manner true to the speaker's worldview.
What it always comes down to is making the appropriate choices for the work at hand. After writing 100 pages to get 30, I'm hoping I've done that.


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I'm getting this warning in the Visual Studio IDE. Is this true? Why is this the case, both are block elements in xhtml, no?
How can I determine which doctypes this error applies to? Does the above apply to both xhtml strict and transitional?
- I can't think of any good reason to nest a div inside a header. What exactly are you trying to do?
- I meant heading rather than header of course.
- A div within a header looked weird to me too. It was an input button within a div. I took out the div and got what I wanted. I guess my question really is, is there a set of rules I can lookup in terms of what can be nested in what. What's allowed and what's not? I just assumed you could always nest a block within a block. Obviously not.
3 answers
A heading is a block element but can only contain inline elements. There's no difference for strict or transitional. When you're unsure what an element can contain, these pages can help you out for Block elements and Inline elements.
If you need something to change the format inside a header (h1,h2,etc.), try a
<span>. Block elements aren't allowed.
I've used this reference made from at guy of the WASP project alot back in the days to learn and remind me of whats standards specs say.


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The Real Stories project is a multimedia collection of workforce development stories from students, faculty, and child welfare professionals at all levels. Each project provides unique, first-person insight into the impact that NCWWI initiatives and partnerships are having on workforce and child welfare practice across the country.
National Child Welfare Workforce Institute
For decades, the approach to workforce issues in child welfare was crisis-driven. Workers were not sufficiently supported, and states struggled to meet outcomes. In 2008, this began to change when the Children's Bureau funded the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute (NCWWI). By bringing together tribes, states, agencies, and universities in partnership, NCWWI has transformed the field by developing purposeful interventions that have the workforce at the forefront of sustainable change. View to learn how NCWWI has accomplished this in their purposeful approach.
Learning, Leading, and Changing from National CW Workforce Institute on Vimeo.


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DJ Bobak
Look no further than DJ Bobak for the ultimate musical experience of smoothest blends and creative mixes that span all genres. Not only is he continuously cultivating fresh, unique techniques within DJing, but DJ Bobak has also gained huge recognition for his original mashups and remixes on his heavily viewed Soundcloud page. Bobak's portfolio spans from Boston nightlife to all of the South Shore's prominent bars, with no venue being too big or small for his best performances.
Bobak not only is continuously pursuing his solo career as a DJ/remixer, but he also has co-founded one of the Boston-areas up and coming DJ entities known as DJs of Boston. He currently resides over the nightlife sector as a consultant to the DJ staff to ensure the utmost professional technical and presentation skills for the talented young roster!
Some of Bobak's past and present venues include Royale, Icon, Ascend, Underbar (now Candibar), .:therapy, Boat Cruise Summer Series, and The Harp, just to name a few.


text:
a private training studio • Helen Killmer offers 1:1 and group fitness classes at her beautifully serene barn. Endurance spin, S.WA.T, kettlebells training and yoga workshops are just some of the offerings.
Berkshire Pulse • All levels of Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Tap, African, Flamenco, Latin, and Scottish Folk dance, plus World Music Percussion, Hip Hop, Tai Chi, Zumba and Yoga for children and adults.
Lenox Fit • Making the Berkshires more beautiful, Lenox Fit offers not only cardio, strength and personal training but Spa services, tanning, a juice bar and fitness apparel.
Studio Lakeville • Gym & Fitness Center. A spacious, friendly studio offering full and fashion classes. Following your workout, have a nutritious meal at the Green Café.
Canyon Ranch Spa • Luxury Spa Treatments & Salon Service. Our unique spa treatments combine ancient, traditional and modern therapies to restore balance and reenergize body and mind.
Mayflower Spa • A Haven of Tranquility with a reputation for attention to detail and connoisseurship, the Spa offers highly personalized destination wellness programs and a restful and restorative stay.
Potting Shed Spa at Blantyre • Relais et Chateaux and Forbes 5 Star property is reminiscent of a gentler time of elegance and romance. The Spa offers massage, facials and body treatments.
Spa at Cranwell • Relax, Restore and Renew with our unique and unsurpassed spa experience. Relaxing treatments from massages to rejuvenating skin and body treatments are provided
Spa At Litchfield Hills • Whether you are looking for a quick styling or a full day of pampering, our beautiful amenities will transport you to a world of harmony and tranquility.
Winvian Signature Spa • Indulge in a blissful array of five-star spa services at this luxury Spa. From stone massage to restorative facials and body scrubs in a Zen-like atmosphere.
Amenia Yoga Center • Yoga for every body, tailored especially for you! Change your mind about your body! A warm, inviting space to practice and study yoga in groups or individually.
Kripalu • Offering over 800 programs a year in yoga, holistic health, personal growth and spirituality. Holistic immersion programs integrate principles and practices from yoga and the world's wisdom traditions.
Millbrook Yoga • A group of individual yoga teachers are working together in cooperation with Ilana and Bob Nilsen to bring a wide range of yoga offerings to our Village of Millbrook.
Sruti Berkshires Yoga Center • Center for Yoga & Transformational Arts. Sruti is a Sanskrit word meaning that which is heard or revealed through direct experience. Come experience, you never know.
Yoga At Space • Beautiful yoga studio in the northwest corner of Connecticut offers daily classes in a wide variety of levels and styles.
Danica • Adding life to your years. An innovative and integrative Center for Physical Therapy, Pilates and Tai Chi to achieve personal goals of restoring, maintaining and enhancing mobility and balance,
Omega Institute • The most trusted source for wellness and personal growth, Omega offers diverse and innovative educational experiences to inspire integrated approach to personal and social change.


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As much as we'd love to give physical copies away for promotional purposes, anyone who understands the costs of pressing vinyl, as well as the amount of time invested, will appreciate it really isn't possible in this day and age, especially for an independent label pressing limited numbers.
Your understanding and support is greatly appreciated.
The management ;)


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Oracle on Tuesday reported that net income jumped 18 percent to $2.6 billion (£1.6 billion) while revenue rose 3 percent to $9.1 billion (£5.6 billion) for the second quarter, but the company's hardware revenue continued to show weakness.
Hardware systems product revenues for the quarter fell 23 percent to $734 million (£450 million), and hardware systems support revenues dropped 6 percent to $587 million (£360 million).
New software license sales and cloud software subscriptions were up 17 percent to roughly $2.4 billion (£1.47 billion) in the quarter, which ended Nov. 30. Oracle launched a wide variety of cloud services this year, including its Fusion Applications, a PaaS (platform as a service) and the Oracle Social Network.
Software license updates and product support revenues, which are highly profitable for Oracle and other software vendors, grew 7 percent to $4.26 billion (£2.61 billion).
"Applications, middleware and database all had double-digit growth in new software license and cloud subscriptions, with applications leading the pack with growth of over 30 percent," co-president Mark Hurd said in a statement.
Oracle executives have repeatedly attempted to soften expectations for the hardware business it gained through the acquisition of Sun Microsystems, saying the company is more focused on specialized systems like Exadata, which combine servers and other components with Oracle software, rather than compete in the commodity hardware market.
"Sun has proven to be one of the most strategic and profitable acquisitions we have ever made," Oracle CEO Larry Ellison said in a statement released with the earnings announcement. "Sun technology enabled Oracle to become a leader in the highly profitable engineered system segment of the hardware business. I believe that products like Exadata and the SPARC SuperCluster will not only continue to drive improved profitability in our hardware business, by the end of this fiscal year, they will also drive growth in our hardware business."
Sales of the specialized systems showed "excellent growth" during the quarter, co-president and CFO Safra Catz said during a conference call Tuesday.
The company sold more than 700 engineered systems in the quarter and saw strong growth for SPARC T-Series systems as well, Hurd said during the call. ZFS storage systems products also had double-digit growth, according to Hurd.
Oracle's Fusion Applications are seeing "rapid growth across the board," Ellison said during the conference call. The company is winning "the majority of deals" when it competes against cloud HCM (human capital management) software vendor Workday, he added.
"We're beating [Workday] in North America and almost shutting them out in Europe," Ellison claimed. Workday, which recently came off a successful IPO, has turned heads in recent years after winning a number of very large enterprise deals.
Even as Oracle sells more cloud subscriptions, however, this shouldn't make investors worried about a significant dip in Oracle's on-premises software support revenues, Catz said.
"It's just not going to have a material impact," Catz said during the call. "Our renewal rates remain extremely, extremely high."
"As a general matter, folks who are already on-premise will buy some [cloud-based] modules as add-ons," Catz added. "To the extent they're converting from one to another, as a general matter, we always get more money."
Ellison also cited the upcoming release of Oracle database version 12c as something that will help drive growth "for the next several years," both in terms of license revenue and by making Oracle's cloud services more attractive.
At one point, the topic turned to the global economic environment. Oracle's European results showed double-digit growth despite the economic weakness in the region. "The only ones that aren't surprised about Europe are us," Hurd said. Oracle began an expansion of its staff in Europe about a year ago and has generated a deal backlog because of that move, he said.
"We have a very strong organization in Europe," he said. It's not as if Oracle isn't finding sales more difficult to close in Europe, "but we're in more deals than before," Hurd added.
Overall, Oracle's second quarter is interesting from a timing perspective, said Craig Guarente, president of Palisade Compliance, a consulting firm that advises customers on software license audits and contract negotiations associated with Oracle.
For one, Oracle does most of its business in the fourth quarter, said Guarente, who spent 16 years at Oracle and served as the company's global vice president of contracts, business practices and migrations before leaving last year. "It's hard to get customers to commit to things when it's not the fiscal year end." That's because of a perception among customers that they can get the biggest discounts in the fourth quarter.
Guarente, who keeps many contacts within Oracle, said he sees "a lot of unhappy sales representatives" at the vendor. The high-profile departure of North American sales chief Keith Block in June was a blow, he said. "When Keith left, it took a while for those guys to get their territories in line, regroup and resettle."
Palisade is doing mostly Oracle software audit work for clients these days, and is encountering a "very aggressive audit team" at Oracle, Guarente said. In fact, Palisade has encountered a number of instances when a customer voluntarily went to Oracle for help managing their software licenses and figuring out what they own, he added. These cases "led to an audit and a multi-million dollar finding," Guarente said.
One thing any Oracle customer needs to do before negotiating with the vendor is some serious homework on the vendor's practices, according to Guarente. "Oracle is smart and well-organized," he said. "Their contracts are locked down. There's a reason they're written a certain way. If you don't know Oracle and you start trying to negotiate with them, you're going to lose."


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Dec 1, 2015
Ghosts. Suzy Soro (@hotcomestodie on twitter and here's her books!!! http://www.amazon.com/Suzy-Soro/e/B006MIPE7I/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1) and I talk a LOT about Ghosts. We weed off about France (we recorded this before the Paris attack but after Charlie Hebdo) Celebs and Standup. But then we get BACK to Ghosts. I'm a skeptic but it's a safe space so we dork the heck out!! Her stories (now in the books) about celebrities are pretty great. Get on that. Enjoy!
It's DECEMBER… Donate to your LOCAL FoodBank http://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank/ In January I'll bug you for donations to the dork forest again.
My hour comedy special out and you can download it here: http://bit.ly/horcruxdownload or get the DVD on my site. It's called "This Will Make An Excellent Horcrux" because comedy is all about soul ;) … Own it today and forever. www.jackiekashian.com .
You can always get a shirt or CD/DVD at www.jackiekashian.com or www.dorkforest.com - USE THE AMAZON banner when you order your own dorky goodness from the monsters at Amazon.
Premium Episodes are here (along with some stories) https://thedorkforest.bandcamp.com/ if you want.
Audio leveling by Patrick Brady
Music is by Mike Ruekberg
Website design by Vilmos: Really good Web designs. http://hiredguncoding.com


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head in the clouds
though i'm not quite sure what my dream job is, i definitely look at kim severson's from time to time and imagine how wonderful it must be.
i had the great luck of meeting kim when i was just starting out as a cook. i'd just graduated from school, was editing the daily cal for the summer, and thought what i wanted was to be a newspaper food writer. she was working at the chronicle, and was very generous with her time and insight. she offered me a lot of help, which i didn't take. i sometimes wonder where i'd be now if i had gone down that path.
after she broke the trans-fat stories and entered the national spotlight, she moved to the ny times and now writes the kind of stories i look for first every tuesday night when i dorkily read the food section before i go to bed. she writes about people first, and food second. about culture and relationships to food, about history and tradition, and all with a sense of humor.
i totes look up to her, and i recommend her stories to everyone. check her out...


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How Does An Influencer Marketing Agency Work?
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What Does An Influencer Marketing Agency Do?
Influencer marketing is booming. Influencer marketing on Instagram alone is a $1 billion market. The global influencer market is poised to become a $5-10 billion market in the next few years. And now, more than ever before, brands are faced with a dizzying array of options for strategizing, planning and executing influencer marketing.
The world's top brands, from Ray Ban and McDonald's to American Express to Target, are using influencer marketing. The market is expanding in all directions, giving birth to new opportunities. Influencer marketing is quickly becoming a necessity for successful marketing plans, and effective campaigns are proving essential.
From fast growth startups to top established brands, many advertisers are quickly discovering that well-performing influencer marketing campaigns can be difficult to create, coordinate, and execute. Campaign structuring and optimization, contracts, content review and a dozen other variables and steps translate to campaigns that can be challenging to manage, particularly without a wealth of experience. Though some brands may opt to do the work in house using various tools and platforms, influencer marketing agencies, with extensive knowledge and experience with influencers and campaigns, can be vital in ensuring the success of influencer marketing efforts.
But what does an influencer marketing agency do and why are they important in today's influencer marketing landscape?
What Is An Influencer Marketing Agency?
Simply put, an influencer marketing agency is an agency that works with brands and social media influencers to create and facilitate influencer marketing campaigns. The best influencer marketing agencies manage campaigns from start to finish using the knowledge and experience that comes with managing thousands of campaigns with hundreds of different variables. Top influencer marketing agencies excel at creating, tailoring, and optimizing campaigns for individual brands, marketers, and goals, as a result of having structured and carried out a wide variety of campaigns (often for a wide variety of advertisers).
There are a number of different types of agencies that interact with brands. Creative agencies, social media agencies, media buying agencies all engage with brands to help them create campaigns and reach campaign goals, but each one does so in a different way. The same is true of influencer marketing agencies, which work with both brands and influencers to make influencer marketing campaigns less cumbersome and more efficient, creative, strategic, and deliver upon set goals.
Influencer marketing campaigns come in all shapes and sizes. From sponsored Instagram influencer posts to yearlong, cross-platform campaigns, there are a number of ways in which brands can leverage the power of influencers to best reach and engage with audiences. Influencer marketing agencies make it easier for brands to find and work with influencers, but that's just a singular aspect of the work that influencer marketing agencies do. Much of the work of an influencer marketing agency takes place behind the scenes, tackling campaign structure, optimization and reporting, rates and contracts, and much more.
What Does An Influencer Marketing Agency Do?
A vital piece of the influencer marketing puzzle, influencer marketing agencies maintain strong relationships with brands and influencers to create and execute campaigns that produce optimal results for both.
Influencer marketing agencies work alongside each brand to understand brand values, goals for a campaign, voice, messaging, and a host of other attributes that make each brand unique in the crowded markets in which they operate. An influencer marketing agency's primary focus is crafting and executing the most effective campaign for a brand by partnering with the best influencers and devising a tailored plan to meet a brand's specific needs and to reach the precise audience it's looking to reach.
The relationship between a brand and an influencer marketing agency is based on trust, reputation, and results, and influencer marketing agencies put the needs of their clients first and work to ensure that campaigns are successful. For Maybelline, success meant making itself a big part of the New York Fashion Week conversation through fashion and beauty influencers on Instagram. For American Express, success meant becoming a part of the Coachella experience through its #AmexAmbassadors. There are dozens of ways to define success in an influencer marketing campaign, and agencies work to orchestrate the type of success best suited to each brand's campaign goals.
An influencer marketing agency's relationship with influencers is crucial, too. Influencer marketing is growing as the benefits of using influencers become more and more clear to brands and marketers, which means that the time and attention of the best and most effective influencers are in high demand. Maintaining positive relationships with influencers means that an agency's clients have the opportunity to work with influencers with proven success in a campaign workflow and a history of quality performance. Because they have relationships with influencers, agencies are able to offer critical insights into campaigns and the creators themselves.
Influencer marketing agencies take on the responsibilities of finding and vetting influencers to reach a desired audience, establishing publishing schedules and guidelines, negotiating rates and contracts, reviewing content, reporting on campaigns, and more. They're the central and pivotal force of knowledge and experience within the space, and as such, work to ensure that campaigns are as safe, valuable, and successful as possible.
Why Do Influencer Marketing Agencies Exist?
Though the world is becoming more and more familiar with the concept, influencer marketing is still deeply nuanced. Factors that may seem minor — hashtags, proper tagging, timing of a post, etc. — have the power to make or break a campaign. A campaign's success or failure can be broken down to several steps and critical decisions — many of which build upon each other and can easily compound a campaign's ultimate result.
Campaigns are full of nuance and variables and they can be difficult to manage. Influencer marketing agencies create value by using the nuances and variables inherent to influencer marketing campaigns to a brand's advantage. By drilling down into the meaningful details, agencies can produce results through fine-tuning and the drive to keep campaigns dynamic and high-performing without creating more work for brands.
Among the most vital functions an influencer marketing agency performs are:
- Influencer discovery — A part of an agency's core function is seeing to it that the influencers a brand works with are reputable, that they're a good fit, and have valuable engagement rates (beyond a measure of simple vanity metrics like followers, likes and comments), and that they'll be effective in creating quality content that meets brand standards and FTC guidelines.
- Campaign Structuring — It's important that campaigns are targeted and that they're reaching their intended audiences in the best possible way. Agencies aid brands in determining the ideal audience and in selecting which social channels it should use to get a campaign message to the intended audience. Agencies also establish publishing schedules, making sure that influencer assets are used effectively in order to maximize returns.
- Campaign Briefs — Briefs help influencers become a part of the collaborative process that's essential to influencer marketing by giving creative guidance and outlining key messaging, talking points, and goals for the campaign. Having an agency to help draw up the all-important brief will make those collaborative efforts more effective.
- Optimization, Documentation, and Review -- A critical part of an agency's work is making sure that the details are handled impeccably. Rates negotiations, contracts, content review (for quality and compliance with brand and legal regulations), and campaign reporting and optimization are indispensable to the overall success and safety of a campaign and the degree to which the campaign provides value and insight to a brand even after it's completed.
Not only do agencies handle a lot of the work for brands, they also create value by making campaigns safer and more effective for brands. With FTC regulations, PR concerns, and concerns over money spent on campaigns that underperform, agencies provide a level of security. Using knowledge built over thousands of different campaigns with all types of influencers, agencies tailor influencer marketing campaigns to each and every client to usher in success that is targeted, measurable, scalable, and provides valuable insights for brands and marketers.
In maintaining close relationships with both brands and influencers, influencer marketing agencies occupy a unique position that allows them to optimize campaigns on both sides and to protect against things like fake engagement or follower accounts on Instagram, overpayment for underwhelming results or engagement, and quality control. Furthermore, using an agency with expertise in FTC regulations and brand reputation is one of the best ways to safeguard against any campaign activities that might risk damage to brands.
As influencer marketing becomes more crowded, it's more vital than ever before that brands' influencer marketing campaigns are targeted, well-researched, and provide value to the brands they serve. Influencer marketing agencies exist to help brands build the most effective campaigns possible and to leverage their experience and expertise to help drive brand efforts forward and to innovate within the influencer marketing space. Platforms and tools that are designed to streamline and automate influencer marketing will continue to exist (and may, in some cases, consolidate), but as long as the essential human element of influencer marketing remains, using influencer marketing agencies will continue to be one of the best ways to create and execute effective and high-performing influencer marketing campaigns.
Also See Our Posts On:
The Influencer Marketing Roadmap Guide To Your Next Campaign
Instagram Case Study: How Maybelline Got 3.6M Likes With Instagram Influencers
What Is An Influencer On Social Media?
April 17, 2017 By Mediakix Team


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Nargis Fakhri – Bollywood Actress
Nargis Fakhri is an American model and actress and made her acting debut with the Bollywood film Rockstar. She went on to star in the Bollywood films Madras Cafe(2013),Main Tera Hero (2014),and had a supporting role in the Hollywood film Spy (2015).She starred opposite John Abraham in Shoojit Sircar's political thriller in Madras Cafe (2013).Film critic Saibal Chatterjee said Fakhri strikes the right notes",whereas Rajeev Masand called her "pleasantly competent Later that year,she made a special appearance in the action comedy Phata Poster Nikhla Hero to perform in the item number "Dhating Naach" with the film's lead actor Shahid Kapoor.In 2014 Fakhri appeared alongside Varun Dhawan and Ileana D'Cruz in David Dhawan's comedy Main Tera Hero.Fakhri performed with Salman Khan in the item number "Yaar Naa Miley in the film Kick. She then played a brief role in Paul Feig's action comedy Spy (2015), her first Hollywood film. Fakhri has completed work on three projects.That the first is the biographical sports drama Azhar based on the life of Indian cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin. Fakhri will be playing former actress Sangeeta Bijlani,The second wife of Azharuddin, who will be played by Emraan Hashmi.She will also star opposite Abhishek Bachchan in the comedy film Housefull 3,which also stars Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Jacqueline Fernandez, and Lisa Haydon.She will also feature in the romantic drama Banjo opposite Riteish Deshmukh.All three of these films are set to release in 2016.


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Keeping your tot totally on trend, these drop crotch pants are the perfect addition to your little ones wardrobe. This unisex design and abstract animal print makes it super easy to match these with anything!
• Slightly dropped crotch
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by Beauty Angels
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Categories: Solo Lingerie Natural Tits Petite Young Heels Brunettes Masturbation Hairy Pussy
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One of the main fears of corporate blogging is the risk to reputation and the damage that employee bloggers can do to their own company.
If a firm does choose to allow employees to blog in work time, it is my experience that many legal and HR advisors advocate having a restrictive and detailed blogging policy to protect the firm.
A danger with this approach is that if you set up such a blogging policy, it will become so tight that no employee would dare to blog…
Against this background, consider this research which was recently published in InsideKnowledge magazine.
A study into corporate blogging at software giant Microsoft, where as many as one-in-ten staff are involved in blogging, indicates that it is the organisation's laid back approach to the medium about what staff can – and cannot – write about that has been one of the key reasons for staff to take up blogging.
The study was conducted by Lilia Efimova, Telematica Instituut in the Netherlands and Jonathan Grudin, principal researcher in the adaptive systems and interaction group at Microsoft Research.
The benefits to Microsoft of blogging have included improved PR, enhanced internal communication and a more effective relationship with clients.
The authors believe that a crucial element in the success of blogging lies in the lack of corporate control of the medium.
In a not dissimilar way, consider this blogging policy which is at PR firm, Hill & Knowlton.
Effectively it is a 15-line plain English code of practice which shows a clear understanding of social media issues such as "I will acknowledge and correct mistakes promptly" and "I will not delete comments unless they are spam or off-topic."
What I do not like about the policy is the emphasis on "I" which is repeated 15 times and makes it almost sound if the blogger is in the army.
What I do like about the policy is that the firm has adequate legal protection as the blogger is reminded not to do anything in breach of his or her employment contract and if someone thinks a breach of the code has been made, you are invited to contact a relevant member of staff.
In addition, the firm has resisted the tendency (which some lawyers or HR professionals have) to create a 10-page blogging policy which would scare people from blogging in the first place.
This is precisely the situation which Microsoft has avoided.


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You'll take core courses in theology, philosophy, English, history, art, communication, linguistics, social work, and engineering (Technology and Society). You'll choose additional elective courses from a variety of majors.
You'll have three ways to complete this major:
- A 12–15 credit, semester-long internship in a student's area of interest in consultation with faculty.
- A second major or a minor from one of the following areas: philosophy, English, theology, history, art, digital media production, environmental studies, theatre arts, language studies, psychology, political science, music, or business.
- Choosing from a list of elective courses.
You can also choose to do the seven-course minor in Christianity and popular culture.
The television, film, or music industries are only the most obvious examples of career opportunities that demand an understanding of popular culture. Being able to make sense of and perhaps even predict cultural trends and how those trends influence people would be an immense asset to employers in the fields of business, digital media production, organizational psychology, and youth ministry, to name a few.
Looking at specific career options related to a major is not always the best or even the most practical way to pick a college major. The Association of American Colleges and Universities website notes that employers look for more than a specific major in a college graduate; they want employees with skills that can be adapted for our rapidly changing workplaces.


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Conversations From A Marriage...
Me: Hey, where are you going?
Hubby: Home Depot.
Me: Oh, for what?
Hubby: Some rope.
Me: Why do we need rope?
Hubby: Well, we don't have any.
Later in the day...
Me: Hey, um, do we have any rope? (just to mess with him....)
Hubby: No, why? Are you going to hang yourself?
Me: No, I was going to hang you.
Hubby: Well, in that case, you can just use my penis.
Me: Ha Ha Ha.
Hubby: You're right. That would never work. Too much slack. And then--well, then I'd just be tied to a tree.
Picture me: eyes rolling & walking away....
Labels: Conversation from a Marriage


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Citation: Xue C (2012) Cryptococcus and Beyond—Inositol Utilization and Its Implications for the Emergence of Fungal Virulence. PLoS Pathog 8(9): e1002869. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1002869
Editor: Joseph Heitman, Duke University Medical Center, United States of America
Published: September 13, 2012
Copyright: © Chaoyang Xue. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Funding: This study is supported by the American Heart Association grant 12SDG9110034 and UMDNJ institutional startup fund to C.X. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Competing interests: The author has declared that no competing interests exist.
There are over one million fungal species in nature, but only a handful of them cause human diseases. A variety of distinct factors aid the virulence of fungi in their transition from environmental reservoirs to mammals. One important factor is their ability to acquire nutrients efficiently so that they can survive and thrive in a nutrient-limiting host environment. The human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans (C. neoformans) is the most common cause of fungal meningitis, yet the mechanisms of Cryptococcus neurotropism remain poorly understood. Recent studies have revealed that Cryptococcus has evolved sophisticated acquisition systems to utilize the carbohydrate inositol both in plant niches and in human brains, where abundant inositol is available. Inositol utilization in Cryptococcus and its likely contribution to Cryptococcus virulence may represent one example of a common trait for the emergence of pathogens from environmental reservoirs.
Cryptococcus Can Undergo Sexual Reproduction by Utilizing Inositol from Plants
C. neoformans and its sibling species Cryptococcus gattii (C. gattii) are basidiomycetes that cause systemic fungal infection in animals and humans. These two species have distinct, but also overlapping, environmental niches. C. gattii was traditionally considered to only exist in tropical and subtropical regions and was mostly associated with plants such as the Eucalyptus species [1]. In contrast, C. neoformans has a more global distribution, being isolated mostly in soil contaminated by plant debris and bird droppings. In addition, C. neoformans has been isolated from a variety of plant species [2], including indigenous African trees that have been proposed as the origin of C. neoformans in Africa [3], suggesting that this species also has an arboreal niche.
The details as to why Cryptococcus prefers tree or other environmental niches remain unclear. Cryptococcus can complete its sexual cycle by associating with plants, suggesting such association is beneficial for the fungus [4]. Because cryptococcosis is noncommunicable between humans, the initial infection is likely exclusively caused by environmental sources. Basidiospores are thought to be the initial infectious particles inhaled by the human host to cause cryptococcosis, as spores are small enough to lodge into the deep alveoli of the lung and are fully virulent [5], [6]. Hence, mating and recombination of Cryptococcus have to occur in nature, as supported by population studies of environmental isolates [7], [8]. However, neither mating nor basidiospores have yet been observed in the environment. The discovery of Cryptococcus mating on plants sheds light on the whereabouts of Cryptococcus spores in the environment. Recently it was found that inositol secreted from plants stimulates Cryptococcus mating [4]. The importance of inositol in the mating of Schizosaccharomyces pombe [9] and for fertility of plants and humans has also been reported [10], [11], suggesting a conserved contribution of inositol in sexual reproduction.
There are two main sources from which fungal cells acquire inositol. For one, intracellular glucose can be used to produce inositol in a multiple-step inositol biosynthetic pathway in which the inositol 3-phosphate synthase (Ino1) is the rate-determining enzyme [12]. Inositol can also be imported from the extracellular environment via inositol transporters (ITRs). Cryptococcus can use inositol both as a carbon source and as a precursor to generate secondary messages that are important for regulating cellular functions and for adapting to environmental signals. Interestingly, in contrast to only one or two inositol transporters present in most fungi, Cryptococcus contains an unusually large inositol transporter gene family with over ten members, derived in part from recent gene duplications, suggesting Cryptococcus has evolved by associating with the tree niches for inositol utilization [13] (Table 1). Among the transporters, Itr1 and Itr1a are two required for fungal mating [13]. The ability to sense and efficiently acquire inositol from plant surfaces could fuel Cryptococcus in its proliferation and sporulation.
Adapting to Trees and Other Niches May Contribute to the Emergence of Cryptococcus Virulence in Humans
The progenitor of Cryptococcus existed before humans or other warm-blooded mammals populated the world, and plants or plant materials could well represent the original niches for Cryptococcus, as suggested by a recent report [3]. The successful transmission from an environmental host to a warm-blood mammalian host defines a precondition for the success of a human pathogen. Mammals developed a sophisticated defense system to ward off the attack of deadly microbes, including physical barriers (high body temperature and epithelial surfaces) and immune response (innate and adaptive immunity). In addition, nutrient limitation is an important restricting factor for the growth of those microbes in vivo. Cryptococcus cells grow well at body temperature (37°C), and possess an enlarged polysaccharide capsule and thick melanized cell wall, which enable these cells to resist the hostile host environment. As an intracellular pathogen, the ability of Cryptococcus to survive and replicate in macrophages after phagocytosis has been proposed to be a consequence of adaptations that have evolved for protection against environmental predators in nature, like amoebae [14]. By associating with the plant niche, Cryptococcus may have developed a complex nutrient-acquisition system to acquire limited nutrients, including inositol, to support its growth and sexual reproduction. This efficient nutrient utilization system could also play an important role in using nutrients in mammalian hosts. It has been shown that enzymes involved in inositol metabolism and inositol sphingolipid biosynthesis are required for the pathogenesis of C. neoformans [15].
Inositol Acquisition May Contribute to Cryptococcus CNS Infection
The predominant clinical manifestation of cryptococcal infection is the development of fatal meningoencephalitis, especially in people living with AIDS/HIV. The cause of Cryptococcus neurotropism remains unclear. Several factors point to inositol as one of the potential host factors promoting the development of cryptococcal meningitis. First, both human and animal brains contain abundant inositol, which plays a critical role in regulating normal neurological responses and psychological feedback [16]. Inositol is a major osmolyte in the human and animal brains and is present in the human cerebellum (5.1 mM) at over 200-fold higher concentrations than are found in plasma (0.02 mM) [16]. Astrocytes that associate with the blood-brain barrier (BBB) contain over 8 mM inositol that can be rapidly released [16]. HIV-infected persons have increased brain inositol levels due to gliosis or increased cell membrane turnover [17]. Second, Cryptococcus can utilize inositol as a carbon source, which may provide a growth advantage during brain infection since glucose levels are generally low in brain [18], [19]. Third, Cryptococcus can efficiently acquire environmental inositol with its large inositol transporter gene family [4], [13], [20]. Mutants lacking two major fungal inositol transporters, Itr1a and Itr3c, showed attenuated virulence in multiple murine models, indicating that inositol acquisition is required for the Cryptococcus–host interaction, particularly during brain infection [4], [13], [20]. Recently, we found that inositol can directly increase the rate of Cryptococcus transversal across the human brain macrovascular endothelial cell monolayer in an in vitro model of the BBB, and the inositol effect is fungal inositol transporter–dependent (Liu et al., unpublished). This discovery demonstrates that inositol sensing and utilization could be an important virulence factor for the development of cryptococcal meningitis, which provides a direct biological connection between an environmental adaptation strategy and the emergence of its virulence during human infection (Figure 1).
Cryptococcus cells commonly exist in the environment by associating with several niches, including birds, soil, and plants. Inositol is present on plant surfaces and can stimulate fungal mating (including fruiting) to produce infectious spores. Spores inhaled by humans can enter the lungs to cause lung infection. Fungal cells can also be disseminated to the central nervous system (CNS), where abundant inositol is present, and cause fungal meningitis. Inositol can be used as a precursor for both the energy source and the signaling molecule. Part of the model is adapted from Hull and Heitman [6].
Despite progress in understanding the role of inositol in Cryptococcus pathogenesis, many questions remain unanswered. It remains unclear how inositol promotes fungal cell transversal across the BBB and whether inositol is utilized as a signaling molecule, a carbon source, or both by the fungus during brain infection. It is also unknown whether inositol contributes to the development of capsule structure in Cryptococcus and other neurotropic pathogens, since the capsule is one common feature of those pathogens and contributes to their neurotropism. Addressing these questions could lead to a better understanding of the Cryptococcus CNS infection.
Contribution of Inositol to the Virulence of Other Pathogens
Inositol is the precursor for making phosphatidylinositol (PI) and is essential for cellular structure and regulation of intracellular signaling in all eukaryotes. The role of inositol acquisition in the development of virulence has been studied in a variety of fungi, protozoa, and certain eubacteria [12]. Similar to Cryptococcus, the yeast pathogens Candida albicans and Candida glabrata (C. glabrata) can acquire inositol through both de novo biosynthesis pathways and import via inositol transporters. Blocking either pathway does not affect fungal infection, but deleting both pathways is lethal, suggesting inositol acquisition is essential for Candida survival and either pathway is sufficient to support fungal growth and full virulence [21]. The inositol regulon is wired differently in C. albicans compared to the one in C. glabrata, suggesting complex inositol regulatory systems in different fungi [22].
Besides fungi, inositol also plays a role in pathogenicity of other parasitic microorganisms [12]. Interestingly, although parasites such as Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania mexicana and mycobacteria such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis can both synthesize and import inositol, blocking inositol biosynthesis leads to growth defect and virulence attenuation, indicating inositol uptake itself is not sufficient [23], [24]. Inositol synthesized in cells has been suggested to be the source of PI used for GPI anchor assembly, which may explain the importance of inositol biosynthesis despite the ability of pathogens to import inositol.
Other Adaption Strategies Associated with Cryptococcus
Besides utilizing plants as one niche, Cryptococcus cells often associate with certain amoeba species in which the yeast cells can be taken up but survive inside the amoebae, a phenomenon similar to Cryptococcus–macrophage interactions. The interaction between Cryptococcus and amoebae has been shown to increase the resistance of Cryptococcus to phagocytosis during its infection in lung, suggesting that selective pressures placed by amoebae on Cryptococcus contribute to the maintenance of fungal virulence in animal hosts [14]. In addition, Cryptococcus cells can increase ploidy and significantly enlarge in cell size in vivo as a way of protecting yeast cells from phagocytosis [25]. Nitrogen-rich pigeon guano is another primary ecological niche of C. neoformans. Media made of pigeon guano has been shown to stimulate mating of C. neoformans but not C. gattii [26]. The availability of nitrogen, such as uric acid, has been shown to play a role in Cryptococcus virulence [27]. A recent study demonstrated a nitrogen-metabolite repression process to regulate the nitrogen acquisition [28]. Thus, understanding the environmental niches of a particular human pathogen can be very helpful in understanding its disease mechanism. In addition, the adaption of a pathogen to new environmental niches could result in the emergence of new virulence traits. The perfect example is the outbreak of cryptococcosis in otherwise healthy people caused by C. gattii in western North America where Eucalyptus trees do not exist and it is not a tropical climate. The most common C. gattii strain (VGIIa) showed higher proliferation rates in macrophages than other C. gattii isolates from around the world: an indication of the emergence of virulence since proliferation rate is correlated with fungal virulence [29]. The emergence of disease caused by C. gattii in immunocompetent individuals in temperate Vancouver Island, Canada and its expansion in western North America suggests an evolution of host range, geographic location, and virulence of this pathogen [30].
The author thanks Issar Smith, David Perlin, and Alexander Idnurm for critical reading of the manuscript. The author acknowledges insightful comments from the anonymous reviewers. The author apologizes to those colleagues whose papers could not be cited due to space limitations.
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Casadevall A, Perfect JR (1998) Cryptococcus neoformans. Washington, DC: ASM Press.
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Mitchell TG, Castaneda E, Nielsen K, Wanke B, Lazera MS (2011) Environmental niches for Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii. In: Heiman J, Kozel TR, Kwon-Chung KJ, Perfect J, Casadevall A, editors. Cryptococcus: from human pathogen to model yeast. Washington DC: ASM Press. pp. 237–260.
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- 11. Carlomagno G, Nordio M, Chiu TT, Unfer V (2011) Contribution of myo-inositol and melatonin to human reproduction. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol 159: 267–272.
- 12. Reynolds TB (2009) Strategies for acquiring the phospholipid metabolite inositol in pathogenic bacteria, fungi and protozoa: making it and taking it. Microbiology 155: 1386–1396.
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- 18. Barnett JA (1976) The utilization of sugars by yeasts. Adv Carbohydr Chem Biochem 32: 125–234.
- 19. Healy ME, Dillavou CL, Taylor GE (1977) Diagnostic medium containing inositol, urea, and caffeic acid for selective growth of Cryptococcus neoformans. J Clin Microbiol 6: 387–391.
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- 21. Chen YL, Kauffman S, Reynolds TB (2008) Candida albicans uses multiple mechanisms to acquire the essential metabolite inositol during infection. Infect Immun 76: 2793–2801.
- 22. Bethea EK, Carver BJ, Montedonico AE, Reynolds TB (2010) The inositol regulon controls viability in Candida glabrata. Microbiology 156: 452–462.
- 23. Martin KL, Smith TK (2005) The myo-inositol-1-phosphate synthase gene is essential in Trypanosoma brucei. Biochem Soc Trans 33: 983–985.
- 24. Movahedzadeh F, Smith DA, Norman RA, Dinadayala P, Murray-Rust J, et al. (2004) The Mycobacterium tuberculosis ino1 gene is essential for growth and virulence. Mol Microbiol 51: 1003–1014.
- 25. Okagaki LH, Strain AK, Nielsen JN, Charlier C, Baltes NJ, et al. (2010) Cryptococcal cell morphology affects host cell interactions and pathogenicity. PLoS Pathog 6: e1000953 doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1000953.
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- 30. Kronstad JW, Attarian R, Cadieux B, Choi J, D'Souza CA, et al. (2011) Expanding fungal pathogenesis: Cryptococcus breaks out of the opportunistic box. Nat Rev Microbiol 9: 193–203.


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Farmer's Market QuicheAugust 14, 2011
I love to go to the farmer's market for fresh vegetables. But, if you're anything like me, you tend to get a little overzealous – buying entirely too many vegetables only to get them home and realizing they take up a lot more fridge space than you'd planned for. And there's no conceivable way you can eat them all before they go bad.
Of course, it makes me almost physically ill to have to throw them away, weeks later – each moldy, meely, or otherwise unsavory bag I plunk into the trash forcing me to admit I wasted my money.
I don't know what made me think of this recipe, other than it's been a while since I've had quiche and we used to have it pretty often when I was growing up. I really love the versatility and inexpensiveness of quiche. It can be made out of almost anything. It works for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. And all for around $0.50 in eggs!
You can use literally any ingredients you have on hand for this recipe (feel free to mix and match from what I've used). I could easily see using peppers, spinach, tomatoes, broccoli, eggplant, … stop me anytime. I had several ears of corn on hand to use, so I put it in with the egg mixture and the dish became something between a quiche and a corn pudding (and that's FINE with me, because I love a good corn pudding).
As far as cheese goes, my favorite cheese to use in a quiche is a good, sharp swiss. Though in this case, I treated it like a clean-out-the-fridge recipe and used the remnants of cheddar and mozzarella I had on-hand.
Now, the notes:
I used our classic tart crust, because it's just so rich and delicious and simple (You'll find the recipe here). Of course, you can always go the easy route and buy a refrigerated pie crust, in which case I urge you to make two quiches and freeze one for later, because it really makes enough filling for two.
You can use regular milk or even cream instead of the buttermilk, if you prefer. I thought buttermilk felt more farmy (plus it was nearing its expiration date…).
Farmer's Market Quiche
- 1 Pie/Tart Crust
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- ½ Cup Chopped Onion
- 1Cup Sliced Zucchini
- 1 Cup Sliced Mushrooms
- 5 Eggs
- 1 Cup Shredded Cheese
- ½ Stick Butter, Melted
- ½ Cup Buttermilk
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- A dash of cayenne pepper, if you're into that
- 10 Asparagus Spears
Prepare the pie crust(s) and press into a tart pan or pie plate. Prick air vents with a fork and blind bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees before adding the filling.
In the meantime, sautée onions, zucchini, and mushrooms in olive oil. Remove from pan to cool slightly.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs with the next 5 ingredients (through cayenne pepper), mixing until incorporated.
Place sautéed vegetables at the bottom of the pie crust, and pour egg mixture over the vegetables (only fill ¾ of the way to avoid overflow). Place your asparagus spears evenly around the top of the quiche, pressing down into the mixture slightly, to create a starburst pattern.
Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees, then lower the temperature to 375 and bake for an additional 25-35 minutes, until set. Slice and serve hot, warm, or cold. It keeps well in the fridge for 2 or 3 days, covered.


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…are apparently negotiable (at least some people think they are). I was raised in an LDS family. Mom tried to teach me at an early age how important church is in having a happy life. It's a lesson that I really began to grasp when I was married to my ex-husband and living across the country from my family. I had fallen away from the church as a result of hurt feelings and feeling a lack of compassion and support from local church leaders before I got married. My ex husband and I were living with his dad and step mom and I was no longer allowed to attend my church. I had to attend theirs or lose the roof over my head. Not being allowed to attend my church left a big impression on me and I finally understood what mom tried to teach me so many years before. Another lesson I learned about church was that the rules and guidelines put in place by the church are less about controlling and limiting the people, and more about protecting them and helping them to live a truly happy life. Drugs, alcohol, and sex can give you the illusion of happiness, but when the consequences hit, the misery sets in. Only when we protect ourselves from this stuff are we truly happy.
Now, years later and remarried with a good sized family that is spread across many states and countries, I want to be able to maintain a certain spirit, or feeling, in my home. I consider myself to be a pretty strict parent. I see the potential my children have and I expect them to live up to that potential. I have children who drink, smoke, do drugs, have sex outside of marriage, and I am hard on them. When they come into my home they know that I do not allow that stuff in my home. They will quickly be removed from my home if the rules are not followed. They know this and yet they still have a choice. They are welcome to leave anytime they feel the rules are not worth following. I know it sounds harsh. I have many children (natural, step, adopted, foster, etc.) and I have to protect the ones who are too young or immature to protect themselves. I also need to protect my home and myself.
I have begun to notice issues with my husband becoming far more relaxed on the issue of following rules. He will encourage others to break the rules, often unintentionally, but encourage them still the same. I will tell one or more of the children to do something and he will give them an easier, or lesser, job to do, or just tell them to do the bare minimum to get by. I know my family hates when I yell, and they all know this will lead to me yelling, so I don't understand why he does it. We currently have 2 of our kids, and temporary custody of another child living with us, and trying to get full custody of yet another. Gaining custody of these kids is important to both of us, at least he says it's important to him, so why does he continue to allow turmoil in our home that could jeopardize these kids well being. I just don't get it.
I know he's a good dad, but I wonder how long until he becomes so absent minded that it all goes down the drain. Some days I feel like we're pretty close to hitting that point. I have to be strong. I have always felt like the mean parent. I know it comes from the years of him being a weekend dad to 3 of them, and always feeling like he had to buy their love. This was a cycle that started long before I came into the picture, and he allowed it to continue until it became normalized. I felt forced into the role of bad cop while my husband enjoyed playing good cop. Since I came in to the family at the height of this cycle, I could see the damaging effects much clearer than the others could, but I was too late to fix it. I hope that someday they will understand why I am the kind of parent I am.


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Russo Art Gallery
Bogazkesen Cad. 21A, Tophane/Beyoglu, Istanbul 34425 | +90 212 252 0535
Opening Hours: 11.00am-6.30pm Tue-Sat
Originally founded in Rome in 1898, the gallery opened its Istanbul branch in November 2014. Its new exhibition space in Istanbul's up and coming gallery district Tophane is an extension of the existing gallery in Rome. It hosts exhibitions of its most representative artists with the aim of enhancing a cultural exchange between Rome and Istanbul.


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A fun lifestyle family portrait session at the Carl Sandburg Home in Flat Rock by Asheville portrait photographer
Category Archives: Portaiture
A fun lifestyle family portrait session at the Carl Sandburg Home in Flat Rock by Asheville portrait photographer
A beautiful outdoor fall maternity session by a waterfall in Asheville!! Photos by Asheville wedding and lifestyle photographer | AMW Studios
I'm thoroughly embarrassed about how long it's been since I shared photographs of our own kids… This is sort of like, the painters house always needs his own house painted, right?! Well thats my excuse anyways…. Gosh they grown up way too fast. Piper just turned two!!! Crazy huh? Well, my plan is to start […]
Now, I love weddings don't get me wrong… But…I've gotta say, lately I've really been loving all these baby/family portrait sessions that Matt and I have been doing!! Not only is it a huge privilege to be asked to document the next adventure in our couples lives (right now 100% of our portrait clients are […]
So as most of you know, we have lots of exciting things in the works right now!! Matt and I have been busy busy busy photographing amazing weddings and engagement sessions!! We're currently booking weddings for 2015 (just a couple dates left!!) and 2016 both in New England and down in the Carolina's where our […]


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German advertising law: the duty to provide information
14. November 2013
A court in Germany recently held that a travel company's advertising failed to fulfil German advertising law obligations to provide basic information to consumers. Information on the company's address and identity were missing. Here is an overview of company obligations concerning advertising.
German advertising law and the duty to provide information
It can be derived from § 5a of the German Unfair Competition Act, that the obligation to provide basic company information in advertising exists if – (a) products or services are offered; and (b) they are offered in such a way that an average consumer can enter a transaction.
This generally means that the obligation to provide information arises once there is sufficient information in an advertisement about the characteristics or price of a product or service which enable a consumer or decide whether to make a purchase or not.
The Higher Regional Court of Schleswig-Holstein stressed in a recent case that the duty to provide information exists when the fundamental contractual provisions are made public (case ref.: 6 U 28/12). In this particular case, it was sufficient that the contractual conditions that were made available enabled the consumer to make a decision to purchase.
It follows from this that advertisements containing images and so-called reminder advertisements do not have to fulfil the information requirements.
What does the duty to provide information entail?
An advertisement to which the duty to provide information applies must contain the following:
1. Main characteristics
An advertisement must contain all the main characteristics of the product or service.
The main characteristics of a product are those which are likely to influence a consumer's purchasing decision. Such characteristics include: availability, the nature, quality and finish, the composition, the advantages and risks, the date of manufacturer, the number.
2. Identity of the seller
The seller must provide details of their address and identity. Under certain circumstances the seller must also provide information on the company for which they are acting.
3. Price
Details of the price of a product or service must also be provided in an advertisement. If it is not possible because of the nature of the product to display a price in advance, details of how the price is calculated must be provided.
All additional fees such as postage, packaging and shipping must also be displayed; or if this is not possible, consumers' attention must be drawn to the fact that such costs will be charged.
4. Conditions
Information must be provided on the general conditions that apply to a purchase. These include conditions for payment, delivery and contractual performance, as well as details on the complaints procedure.
5. Right to withdraw
Finally, information must be provided on a consumer's right to withdraw from a transaction or to terminate a contract; including details of the legal consequences of opting to terminate a contract.
Warning letter
If you fail to provide the correct information in your advertising you risk receiving warning letters from competitors. Warning letters are expensive, but with solid legal advice they can be avoided.
If you would like assistance in ensuring that your advertising campaign fulfils the legal obligations on providing information to consumers, contact our team of expert German lawyers.
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Categories: Advertising Law
Comments (1)
I read your writing interestingly. Can i ask you some questions, please? Are these all about just for the german advertising law? Or all over ther world? If it exists just for the german advertising law, then can i ask you what is the difference with the other countries?