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Partners in Development, Inc. was founded in 2000 by Harriet "Anike" Nokuri as an all-volunteer grassroots organization to educate youth about the threat of HIV/AIDS on their promising future and to empower them through health, life skill education, and economic empowerment programs. Today, over 90% of youth are knowledgeable about AIDS, however the underlying factors that fuel infection rates remain: poverty, sugardaddyism, early, unprotected sex among youth. PID is reorganized to focus on its core mission and add value to its programs by helping youth develop skills to address the underlying social and personal threats to well-being and prosperity. Our goal is to see youth move beyond the struggle to survive, to achieving their full potential. PID's key partner is Faith International Rescue Ministries (FIRM) who manage and implement the programs on the ground in Limbe.
In conjunction with its partners, PID has rolled out a new sustainable model for it's programs. Our goals are as follows:
Click here to learn more about our team.
firstname.lastname@example.com To learn more about Partners in Development, Inc.
To learn more about Partners in Development, Inc.


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Distance from Hopkins Park, IL to Las Vegas, NV
Driving distance between Hopkins Park, IL and Las Vegas, NV is 1,819.36 miles (or 2,927.97 kilometers). If you drove an average car (using about 3.6 gallons of gas per mile), the gas would cost you around $, since you would need about gallons of fuel.
Leaving from Hopkins Park, IL you would reach Las Vegas, NV in about 1 day 2 hours if you keep an average speed of miles per hour, assuming you don't make any breaks or get stuck in traffic.

subset: commoncrawl


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Well, AT&T has eliminated the unlimited data plan, and Internet anarchists everywhere are having a cow. The funny thing is AT&T's headline on the announcement: "AT&T Announces New Lower-Priced Wireless Data Plans…"
First question: Are the plans really lower priced, as AT&T claims? Now that's funny. If you read the headline on this press release you would think it was some mundane, tiny pricing shift — like AT&T thought it could slip one by millions of frothing-mouthed, blogging mobile data heads. Of course the digital-media addicted Internet anarchists note that by definition eliminating an all-you-can eat plan is raising prices. MobileCrunch calls this a "sad day in data land."
At any rate, this was inevitable. Mobile phone companies offering unlimited data plans in the era of the smartphone is suicidal. It would be like the water company offering you all-the-Evian you can drink.
I really don't get the whole idea that data should be free. It's a silly notion of entitlement, like you should be able to go to the laundromat and pay one quarter to do as many loads of laundry as possible. Why should the mobile world be different than any other business?
The bottom line is that AT&T — and next Verizon — are prepping in advance for a major paradigm shift in their market, as 4G will move nearly the entire network to data.
Better to get this out of the way now, before the next wave of smartphones hit and even more data is consumed. As soon as 4G hits folks will start going wild, as data-access rates increase up to 15X those of 3G and data consumption goes up orders of magnitude.
But before you freak out, throw your iPhone in the trash, and contemplate a lawsuit, let's let cooler heads prevail:
AT&T's BIGGEST PLAN INCLUDES 2GB FOR $25.
That is a lot of data, my friends. I monitor my data usage closely because my wife has an iPhone that's under some kind of witness protection program as a renegade device here in the state of Montana, and here is what I will tell you: It's really hard to use 2GB on a 3G (or lower) network! Even if you are downloading stock quotes, Red Sox clips, and weather radar feeds all day long it's hard to get to 2 GB. So calm down everybody!
There is also a 200MB DataPlus plan for $15 per month. I consume a lot of data. I use a little under 200MB. This seems like an okay price to me. Now if I had an iPad and I was downloading Netflix movies? Different story.
The speculation is that Verizon will follow. Of course Verizon will follow. It's a duopoly in North America, basically. This is a gift for them!
Think of it this way: Would you rather have the largest mobile companies going bankrupt and choking up your mobile access because a bunch of punks have gone hog-wild sharing party videos? Or do you want sanity to return to the communications industry?
Embrace the change folks, it's good for the network.


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The Cricket and the Starfish When my kids were little, we did all sorts of silly things for fun. Truth be told, I'm a kid at heart myself, so finding fun ways to see the world and make young children smile has always been very easy for me. They're only 11 and 14 now, but they're also much older than you might expect kids their ages to be. We're still a goofy lot… … [Read more...]
The Meaning of Life
The Meaning of Life Geesh it's been over a month since I've written anything! I guess I'll warm up with something simple like the meaning of life. Sorry it's taken me a while to get around to this one. It's been on a post-it note on my desk for months… You know how sometimes you have to look at things through someone else's eyes to really understand their position … [Read more...]
Dime Store Bear
Dime Store Bear I suppose I'm showing my age by calling them 'Dime Stores', but when I was a kid, that was the place you went to wander around and look at stuff you probably didn't need. It probably had other stuff in it too, stuff that grownups needed, but as a kid that stuff was off my radar. Ben Franklin was the dime store in the small town where I grew … [Read more...]
Paper Airplane
Paper Airplane Fancy that, I was driving the kids yesterday when they taught me this bit. I'm the driver. I was probably babbling on and on like I do, in fact apologizing for how that big thing I really wanted didn't work out quite like I planned. Me- "Blah blah blah I'm really sorry about that, Honey." Sophie- "It's ok, Daddy, it doesn't work that way. You … [Read more...]
Staircases I love a staircase. A fancy one. A spiral staircase! A rickety old one. We're fortunate to live near some amazing state parks which provide incredible staircases with hundreds of steps which lead to beautiful places. Sometimes the steps are part of the mountain. In any case, the steps I enjoy most are those that take us from the bottom to the top. … [Read more...]
Guys Night Evolution
Guys Night Evolution I love to tell people that Legos are brain food. They make you smart. I should have played with them more when I was a kid!!! Guys Night. Love it every time. I guess it's been a while since I've written about Kid Exchange, but in summary, now and then we try to make something good come of the '2 homes' situation by swapping kids for a … [Read more...]
Karmastrophic 11-April-2012 Five years ago I had my last seizure. As much as I'd love to, and may yet, write a book about what led to my having seizures, and why I don't have them anymore, that's not my point today. Today is kind of like Memorial Day for me. I both celebrate that anniversary, and remind myself of the losses of that time of my life. It's important … [Read more...]


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Discover Puerto Rico USA, Where the Americas Meet - Vintage Travel Poster
- Title: Discover Puerto Rico U.S.A. Where the Americas meet / / Frank S. Nicholson.
- Creator(s): Nicholson, Frank S., artist
- Related Names:
Federal Art Project , sponsor
- Date Created/Published: NYC : NYC Art Project, Works Projects Administration [between 1936 and 1940]
- Medium: 1 print on board (poster) : silkscreen, color.
- Summary: Poster promoting Puerto Rico for tourism, showing view of harbor from Morro Castle.
- Reproduction Number: LC-USZC2-5643 (color film copy slide)
- Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on publication.
- Call Number: POS - WPA - NY .N53, no. 1 (C size) [P&P]
- Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA
- Notes:
- Date stamped on verso: Jul 18 1940.
- Work Projects Administration Poster Collection (Library of Congress).


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APT Offers Value Based Maintenance
The recognized leader of failure mode and preventive maintenance (PM) recommendation libraries for equipment common to the heavy process industries, Asset Performance Technologies, Inc. (APT), recently briefed ARC Advisory Group on its new cloud-based asset performance management platform, Preventance APM. The platform combines optimization and analytics capability with the APT Asset Strategy Library (ASL) content to enable users in all industries to optimize PM programs in accordance with industry best practices.
Key findings include:
Reliability centered maintenance (RCM) analysis is an arduous process that many users avoid due to the complexity of the process and the amount of resources it can consume. ASL can alleviate the pain of RCM analysis by leveraging the failure mode and preventative maintenance activity content within the library to define an optimized maintenance strategy.
The cost/benefit analysis available in Preventance APM enables users to determine a cost-effective maintenance strategy at the component level.
Preventance APM not only provides recommended PM task actions, but can also safely delete tasks if the analysis indicates it is unnecessary and therefore not economical.
Long History Behind the Scenes
Outside of the power industry, most users in the heavy process industries are probably unfamiliar with APT by name. However, as an OEM to other suppliers of asset performance management software, many are familiar with the company's Asset Strategy Library (ASL) of failure modes effects analysis (FMEA) and preventive maintenance (PM) templates and recommendations. ASL was initially developed with the support of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) in response to the scarcity of condition and preventive maintenance information available for industrial equipment. The origin of ASL is EPRI's Preventive Maintenance Basis Database (PMDB) which APT still manages. ASL is currently in use at 84 percent of North American nuclear power plants as well as successfully validated in other heavy process industries, including oil and gas, refining, and steel production.
The original objectives of the partnership were to bring a more efficient and cost-effective approach to RCM and flexible data usage to the nuclear industry. Working with users, APT developed templates and a technical basis for recommended preventive tasks and task intervals. What makes ASL unique is that the data is sourced from multiple plants, must pass an SME review, and is applicable across industries.
APT was an early adopter of mathematical modeling for asset management purposes to provide flexibility and depth to the information. ASL expedites the RCM process, thus alleviating the burden of a full internal RCM analysis. Commercially available since 2004, the company continues to add to the library. The currently available version contains nearly 800 equipment types common to the process industries, over 6100 RCM analyses, and provides approximately 5,000 PM templates.
Value Based Maintenance Methodology
APT applies its Value Based Maintenance (VBM) methodology for optimizing the value derived from maintenance based on a cost/benefit analysis. VBM is a methodology to enable the correct work to be performed at the most economically beneficial time. According to APT, it also provides a flexible approach to risk prioritization using a simple yet robust process that accounts for operating conditions, plant requirements, and market economics.
The Preventance APM Platform
APT has productized its experience and expertise in the form of its Preventance APM software platform. By combining dynamic strategy optimization and analytics with its ASL content, the company believes it can rapidly optimize any PM program.
Cloud-based Preventance APM for asset-intensive industries layers APT expertise and knowledge to eliminate arduous RCM analyses. According to APT, the software's dozen embedded algorithms enables users to model and refine equipment criticality level, operating context, business model, budget, and objectives to develop a maintenance strategy to improve equipment uptime and reliability.
Preventance APM is available in three versions to suit an organization's maintenance maturity. For beginners, Preventance Primer provides PM templates, equipment groupings, and custom criticality checklist. Preventance Planned adds generic optimization to the Primer package. Preventance Precision adds customer optimization, reliability and cause evaluation capability, and cost/benefit analysis to assess the business benefits of asset management activities.
Preventance Business Intelligence (BI) provides data visualization and analytics to gain insight into performance, better understand risk, and control costs. APT Consulting Services run the gamut from training to customized Reliability as a Service (RaaS) for greater flexibility in budgeting and service consumption. Basic RaaS level of services are deployed on an as needed basis. Advanced level RaaS adds proactive data monitoring and recommendation alerts from APT's SMEs.
APT is world renowned for its subject matter expertise in the asset management community. Formalizing its expertise in a software application is a logical next step in its growth. Its long-standing relationship with EPRI will help the company deepen its position in the power industry. The company's focus is on penetrating other heavy process industries where it has reported experiencing strong growth. Direct integrations with other enterprise systems is on the company's development roadmap. Currently, users must rely on APT's flat file approach for computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) data exchange. However, the Preventance APM platform appears to offer new industrial users a straightforward path to begin their reliability journey.
ARC Advisory Group clients can view the complete report at ARC Client Portal on New Client Portal or Office 365 or Box.com on this website.
If you would like to buy this report or obtain information about how to become a client, please Contact Us
Keywords: Asset Performance Management (APM), Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), Preventive Maintenance (PM), Value Based Maintenance (VBM), ARC Advisory Group.


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Ah, blogging in the Winter! I diligently photographed this whole draftalong adventure as I went along to find that the poor light quality and short days got the better of me. It's not just photos either, I've been sewing in black too and I'm close to making a resolution about sewing summer clothes in the winter and leaving the dark winter clothes until the light is fit to see what you're doing. There are upsides however for the both of us. Conditions have forced me to teach myself the wonders of Adobe Illustrator (and wondrous this software is!) so you have clear and detailed diagrams to see you through instead of images.
So getting back to the program, in the last draftalong post we created a skirt block and played with some dart values. Today we get to do the really fun part and transform the shape of our skirt to add flare and make an A-line skirt pattern. Before we get to that though, I wanted to add something that I left out of the last post, and that is to label your pattern pieces as you go along. Label what each piece is, where it is from and what you changed, the size, and the centre front (CF) and back (CB). This is important for when you go back to your revisions so you know exactly what piece is what. Now you should have two pattern pieces that look like this:
Next we want to trace out our pattern pieces on to a fresh piece of paper, so lay some paper down on top of your pattern pieces and trace the parts of the pattern indicated in blue below:
Once traced, take an awl (or a pin or sharp pencil) and place it at the tip of the dart you've just half traced. Then turn your top sheet of paper pivoting on your awl or pin until the traced dart leg lays over the top of the other dart leg on the layer below. Then trace off the next section as shown in blue below (don't forget to trace you're middle dart, this one's here to stay):
Place your awl or pin at the tip of the third dart (you don't pivot out the middle dart) and pivot it out as you did the first. Trace off the rest of your pattern and join the gaps in the hem and hipline:
Measure the extra width you have added to the hem with each dart and average it out. Halve this number and add that to the side of the skirt at the hem, drawing a line up to the hip line. This extra wedge of pattern evens out the flare you've added over the skirt to make the shape more balanced.
You are now finished with the back of the skirt, repeat these steps to pivot out the darts at the front and you will have a pattern for an A-line skirt! If you want to stop here just add your seam allowance, a grainline that runs parallel to the CB, a fold line on the CF and a hem. We'll go through the drafting of a waistband at the end so you can finish your skirt.
Next week we can split up our pattern pieces into six gores.
Any questions? Ask me anything in the comments and I'll see what I can do to answer them. If I've sped over a topic too quickly I can do an amendment post covering it in more detail. Until next time…….


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Ed Barnes' story on the havok being wreaked by Stuxnet on the Iranian nuclear program is pretty interesting, but then there's this: "Examination of the worm shows it was a cybermissile designed to penetrate advanced security systems."
Maybe it's just me, but I find that description totally unenlightening. And yet the apparent success of this tactic indicates to me that we're probably going to hear more about this kind of thing. Until recently, my impression was that talk of "cyberwar" and the like was just so much hot air. But Stuxnet seems to be having a significant impact on a major-league global security issue and if that can happen once I doubt it'll happen only once.


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Active $75,000
MLS #: PW16164955 | Built | Lot Size: 2.697000 Acres | Area: RVLT - Roosevelt | Type:
Primarily located in Roosevelt-Corner. 4th Lot from E Avenue K and 3rd Lot from 110th St E. Approximate dimensions are 339' x 372', permitted for LCA12 Zone, vacant, flat, desert lot. Raw land without pavement or utilities. According to planning department, lot can be permitted for light agriculture and/or following with conditions: limited residential facilities, crops, foster family homes, limited group homes, residential single family home, limited horse property, limited greenhouse, raising animals with conditions, etc.


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Talawa Appoints Michael Buffong as New Artistic Director
He will join the company, currently celebrating its 25th anniversary, in early 2012, succeeding Patricia Cumper, who is stepping down after five years in charge.
Buffong is currently directing One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest at the Leicester Curve and will be directing A Moon on a Rainbow Shawl at the National Theatre in the New Year.
His has previously worked with Talawa directing Oladipo Agboluaje's play A Passing Wind at the Pulse Fringe Festival in June of this year, while other recent theatre credits include Crawling in the Dark (Almeida) and Private Lives, A Raisin in the Sun, All the Ordinary Angels (Royal Exchange, Manchester).
Speaking about his appointment Buffong said, "I am delighted to be given the opportunity to take on this immense and challenging role. As Talawa enters its 25th year, I look forward to leading the company into a new and exciting phase, and engaging our audience with excellent memorable theatre."
Talawa company chairman Benjamin Yeoh added, "I'm delighted that Michael is coming to Talawa. He has a brilliant track record as a director and his vision for Talawa is passionate, exciting and brimming with ideas … I would also like to express my thanks and admiration to Pat Cumper for all the great work she has done at Talawa and the fantastic legacy she is passing on."
Talawa, which takes its name from a Jamaican phrase about strength, is the longest established black theatre company in the UK. The group's first production was The Black Jacobins in 1986.
Currently, the company is continuing its 25th anniversary season by staging George C Wolfe's satire The Colored Museum at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Directed by acclaimed actor Don Warrington, it runs from 15 October to 23 October 2011.
The 25th anniversary season will culminate in February 2012, with a new production of Waiting For Godot featuring an all-black cast, in association with West Yorkshire Playhouse and directed by Ian Brown.


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Guest Writer: Lily
The Three Words: Rambunctious, Happenstance, Overwhelming
The Result: "The Object of My Affections"
Today I decided to take a giant leap of faith and do something that I had been putting off for a very long time. Fed up with my cowardly nature and sick and tired of whinging about "what if", I decided that today would be the day that I finally approached the object of my affections and told him exactly how I felt about him. Brimming with a newfound confidence and with my wing-man firmly by my side (that would be Spawn, my matricidal boy genius), I quickly made my descent to the place where I knew that he would be.
On arriving at my destination and with a swell in my heart…which could possibly have been a symptom of some undiagnosed Aortic condition…I entered the shop and suddenly stopped dead in my tracks at the spectacular vision that greeted me.
There he stood, blond hair blowing wildly in the summer's breeze, muscles almost ripping through the cotton of his shirt. His pecs did a slight dance of contraction as his sinewy arms stretched up to grab something off the top shelf that was just beyond reach. As he turned and looked in my direction, I almost gasped out loud and caught my breath in wonderment, as his smile radiated the light of a thousand light bulbs and butterflies danced around his head, interacting with the glow of the halo surrounding his golden flaxen mane.
Overcome by such a glorious apparition, I returned his smile, my heart bursting with an overwhelming feeling of joy…or a ruptured blood vessel…only for the smile to abruptly die upon my lips. For it turned out that the gleam from his pearly white teeth was not meant for me but for the equally flaxen-haired beauty who now stood graciously before him. Was it just happenstance that she happened to be there, or like me, had she been waiting for a chance to stalk her prey?
Immediately I was filled with a sense of rage, my heart broken and shattered. Who was this beautiful creature talking to MY man. Where had she mysteriously appeared from? There the two of them were, laughing and joking, and I suddenly felt like a fool. I wanted to hurt her. Pull out her flaxen hair one flax at a time, though I wasn't even sure if the word flax actually existed.
Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit, for here we were, stood in the middle of a cake shop and the flaxen haired beauty was really an 80 year old woman…with a hump. And OK, he may not have been flirting and was merely serving her as he would any other customer, but the way in which she asked for half a dozen crusty rolls, left me in no doubt that what she really meant was, "I want you to take me big boy and ravish me between the Belgian buns and the split finger doughnuts."
After Thor had finished serving and the old wench woman had finally left the shop, he turned towards me and let blast the full force of his radiating, incandescent, luminous and any other word that I could find via the thesaurus, smile and I melted.
"Hello again. It's good to see you," he smiled, the sweetness of it coursing through my blood like diabetes. Uh oh! In my haste to profess my love for this god like being, I had completely forgotten that in order to do so, I would have to speak…actual words…with structure…and comprehension…and ones that made sense. I wasn't quite sure if I was up to such a challenge but I had to give it a try. I couldn't stand a lifetime of thinking, 'if only'. So I took the plunge and decided to forge ahead.
"I'm good thanks. And how are you?" I replied. Phew, so far, so good.
"All the better for seeing you," he grinned with a radiance that brought forth butterflies and turtle doves. Laughing like a braying donkey, I could only dip my head, so as to hide the lust filling my eyes. "So, what can I do for you today?" He asked in a voice so silky, that silk worms automatically started spinning their threads.
"Impregnate me with your majestic seed," I blurted, and that's when everything came to a screeching halt.
The birds that had been feeding from the palm of his hands and the deer that had been frolicking gaily among the Pain Au Chocolat, soon bolted for the door. I could only stand there in horror as I gasped, "erm…can I have some seeded bagels please?"
The confusion that had lined his face a few seconds ago soon disappeared. "Oh, for a moment, I thought you said something else. So, how many would you like?"
"Sex," I spluttered before correcting myself. "Six, I meant can I have six bagels please."
By now I was sweating quite profusely and Spawn, who usually was rambunctious by nature, had, to my relief, been unusually quiet…until now. "Wow," he smirked, a smirk which denoted pure evil, "that was so embarrassing, even our ancestors felt it." I chose to ignore him as Thor fetched and bagged the seeded purchases.
Just then, my mouth decided that it wanted in on the action. "You have lovely blond hair," it trilled, and I seemed to have Tourettes as I continued unabated. "I mean it's not really blond…more of a dirty blond really…I don't mean dirty as in, you know, covered in dirt…more like you haven't washed it in a while…not saying that you don't wash your hair because I'm sure you do because you look like someone who washes once in a while…when I say once in a while, I'm not implying that you only bathe like once or twice a week because I'm sure you wash… as often as you wash your hair…"
"Whoa, I was wrong!" piped up Spawn. "THAT was embarrassing."
Practically throwing the bagels at me, Thor uttered a stiff "here's your purchase", whilst I wished vehemently that the ground would open up and swallow me whole. "Thank you," I squeaked in the smallest voice that I could muster, before leaving the shop.
After that day, I cried for forty days and forty nights, until Noah came to me and told me to shut the hell up, as no way was he building another ark. No more will I love again and no more will I ever eat a seed bagel.
Read more about Lily and her work here.
Read more about the 3-Word Challenge here.
Categories: 3-Word Challenge


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I'm pretty convinced that you could put just about anything in a slow cooker with a lean pork tenderloin and it will turn out amazing. I love a slow-cooked pork tenderloin, with a brown sugar balsamic glaze, with a spicy barbecue sauce, and now with this tasty mexican twist! These tacos are such a great way to spice up the usual beef or chicken "taco nights" - we love them!
Best dishes and yummy dreams!
Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Shredded Pork Tacos
Inspired by: Chef In Training
Serves 4
1.5 pound lean pork tenderloin roast
2 Tbsp. homemade taco seasoning
2 minced garlic cloves
2 c. salsa verde (I use Pace Garlic Lime Salsa Verde)
1/3 c. mild Rotel (no liquid)
tortilla shells
optional toppings
1. Combine the taco seasoning with the minced garlic and rub it onto the pork roast.
2. Place the roast in the slow cooker.
3. Top the roast with the salsa verde and Rotel.
4. Cook on low heat for 4-5 hours.
5. Remove the pork and use a fork to shred it in a serving dish. Top the shredded pork with the liquid from the slow cooker.
6. Place the shredded pork in a heated tortilla and top with optional toppings!
Click here to see where I shared this recipe!
Thanks for reading, loves xo


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July 16, 2008
JOLIET – Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow announced that The Will County Children's Advocacy Center has been recognized by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois for its success in improving the quality of life for underserved members of the community and has been awarded a $5,000 grant to continue its mission of protecting abused children.
This is the second year the grant has been awarded to the Will County Children's Advocacy Center, a not-for-profit agency with a staff that is trained to interview children who are the victims of sexual abuse and severe physical abuse.
State's Attorney Glasgow established the Children's Advocacy Center in 1995 to improve the way cases of child abuse are investigated and to limit the trauma to these young and vulnerable victims.
"I want to thank Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois for acknowledging the important work The Will County Children's Advocacy Center performs on behalf of abused children," Glasgow said. "Support from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois will enable our staff to continue its critical mission of assisting the most fragile crime victims."
Children's statements, which are recorded at the center in a non-suggestive, non-threatening environment, have been used in the successful prosecution of literally hundreds of sexual predators in Will and Grundy counties over the past 13 years.
The Will County Children's Advocacy Center is one of 185 organizations to receive a grant or donation this year from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, which focuses its giving in three key areas: health services for the uninsured and underserved; human services; and education.
Additional information about Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois' charitable giving program is available at www.bcbsil.com/about_us/involvement.htm. For more information on the Will County Children's Advocacy Center, go to www.willcountychildadvocacy.com.
The Children's Advocacy Center is also a partner agency of the United Way of Will County.
Charles B. Pelkie
(815) 727-8789
(815) 530-7110 (cellular)
News releases also available
on FACEBOOK at:
on TWITTER at:


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Categories: Uncategorized Comments: Be the first to comment
The romanian law enforcement agencies raided the homes of alleged local members of "Anonymous" group:
Categories: Uncategorized Tags: anonymous, arrested, law enforcement agencies, police, romanian Comments: Be the first to comment
And here is the proof – the new VW Beetle:
Categories: Uncategorized Comments: 1 Comment
This was allover the news and the end of last year – An outing of luxury sports car enthusiasts in Japan ended in an expensive freeway pileup – smashing a stunning eight Ferraris, a Lamborghini and two Mercedes:
Here is my cartoon about this subject:
Cool, isn'it?
Here is my cartoon about this:
Steve Jobs' Last Will and Testament: apparently every member of his family has received an extraordinary, unique, miraculous IPHONE 10!
Categories: Uncategorized Comments: 2 Comments
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Useful Links: Adverse Events Reporting and Medical enquiries
UK/FLU/0718/0053 July 2018 © Seqirus UK Limited. This awareness site has been developed by Seqirus UK Limited |
This section is intended for healthcare professionals and associated healthcare employees who are involved in patient care or service provision for influenza immunisation in the UK only – this includes (but is not limited to) GPs, nurses, practice managers, pharmacists, and pharmacy counter assistants.I AM A HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL OR ASSOCIATED HEALTHCARE EMPLOYEE I AM NOT A HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL OR ASSOCIATED HEALTHCARE EMPLOYEE
For all medical enquiries and to report an adverse event
An adverse event (or side effect) is any unwanted medical occurrence in a patient who has been given a pharmaceutical product. This can be any unfavourable and unintended sign, symptom, or disease associated with the use of the product. Adverse events should be reported.
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in the patient leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme at www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard. By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
Adverse events should be reported to Seqirus UK Limited using the relevant contact details below:
Telephone: 01748 828816
E-mail: email@example.com
Please be aware that Seqirus UK Limited is unable to discuss medical issues directly with you or provide you with medical advice on any symptoms. If you are worried about your symptoms or if they get worse please speak with your Doctor or healthcare provider.
You can also call the NHS on:
Always read the patient information leaflet, or instruction supplied with your medicine or medical device.


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Clippings marked with * are translated.
Sleeping Beauty
" The sun rose with this Aurora: Margaret Illmann was a stunning princess, a shining light in this reprise which made the performance a special event…. A magic naturalness, technically sovereign, stylistically pointed and with great spirit she enchanted from the rose-adagio to the Grand Pas de deux. What a joy to know this worldclass dancer is going to dance again in Vienna again next season."
(Ira Werbowsky, Der Neue Merker, 06/2002)*
"After Giselle and Odette/Odile the role of the Aurora is the third great part of the Australian in Vienna. Even on stage she is pure naturalism itself and from the beginning she captivates the audience with a very feminine Sleeping Beauty, who knows of her origin, her Aplomb and her magical attractiveness …. She makes you melt especially after the rose-adagio and the grand Pas de Deux"
(Andrea Amort, Kurier, 24.5.2002)*
"As Princess Aurora the Australian Prima-ballerina Margaret Illmann gives her role debut at the Vienna Staatsoper. Musicality and a brilliant technique personify this dancer. Above all she gives a tender female soul and creates a self-assured princess in which one can empathize"
(Brigitte Suchan, Wiener Zeitung, 24.5.2002)*
"Margaret Illmann - with feather-light elegance and grace"
(KHR, Kronenzeitung, 24.5.2002)*
Swan Lake
"Margaret Illmann, the Australian Odette/Odile, showed convincing-educated background, designs her role also with wonderful Port de Bras and was shown applauded rapturously … having seen many "swan-lake" performances this was one of the best."
(Helmut Batliner, Der Neue Merker, April 2002)*
"An emancipated woman ... who would have thought a ballerina could tell this classic more elaborate and pointed than the usual way ? ... the way Illmann takes up music into her body, how she accentuates, how her Odette uses the opportunities to be freed from her transformation and takes Siegfrieds´ appearance as a chance for a new life."
(Andrea Amort, Kurier, 16.3.2002)*
"With tender appearance and ethereal apparition she is the ideal of a swan-woman ..."
(H.M., Kronenzeitung 16.3.2002)*
Romeo and Juliet (Bart)
"As always, in all of her roles she performs, the complete fusion of acting and dancing. Few are able to love so easily and die so touchingly ... The finishing school of ballet can be seen, not common in Berlin, a remembrance of the old Stuttgart floats over the stage."
(Michaela Schlangenwerth, Berliner Zeitung, 21.1.02) *
"The best decision the Paris choreographer [Patrice Bart] made was with his Juliet. Margaret Illmann not only dances the young lady from Verona, she is living her. Sometimes with a girlish freshness, sometimes in a pensive way. ... The Premiere audience were right to shout with joy."
(Pa., Berliner Zeitung, 21.1.02) *
"... she shines like no other. But Illmann´s charm cannot be pressed into a corset - yes, it is actually contagious ..."
(Ulrich Amling, Der Tagesspiegel, 21.1.02) *
"... Margaret Illmann convinced entirely as Juliet: Either with her playful freshness, having fallen in love or in the death-scene ... In addition her dancing is so natural and floating that the technique goes unnoticed .... This Juliet is a must."
(haf, BZ, 21.1.02) *
Magical Juliet
Margaret Illmann shines over "Romeo and Juliet" at Staatsoper.
"Those who go to a ballet only to see a specific dancer perform would have a sufficient motive. Since Stuttgart thought to be able to go without that, Berlin offers such a motive?. Margaret Illmann. Stars like her, who only through hard work reach that status, can achieve a lot for the art: Berlin dance needs it. ... Better even than Illmann in Angelin Prejlocajs `Le Parc´ or in Youri Vamos' Mafia-war-version of `Romeo and Juliet´ at Deutsche Oper is the Illmann as the new Juliet at the Staatsoper. It does not pay to waste any thought to her technique - it´s simply immaculate ! ... Only once through the whole performance you could hear her feet touch the ground - after a Grand Jeté. ... She newly unfolds step by step first the playfulness then the essence of emotion that allows dance to be deeply moving. Every one of her delicately placed steps in the Pas de deux with Romeo reveals a consciously perceived overwhelming great joy. ... Margaret Illmann was clever to wait and see how things will develop in Berlin, to then in this season be engaged as the first principal dancer at the Berlin Staatsoper."
(Wiebke Hüster, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 22.1.02) *
"Margaret Illmann is the best Juliet I ever saw. She is clear, tender, gentle,...an aura of self-assurance. The natural talent to love, necessary for a Juliet, is credible. In addition Illmann is a technically perfect Prima ballerina. A fine instep, delicate Ports de Bras, world-class legs: It is a stroke of luck the native born Australian is dancing in Berlin."
(Gisela Sonnenburg, Neues Deutschland, 23.1.02) *
"Juliet is danced by the Australien Margaret Illmann, who only two years ago was in the same role "... " , at the Deutsche Oper."... " Illmann was superb. She defected to the Staatsoper where her contract allows her to guest elsewhere. I wonder whether she might rue dancing the role in a version which swamps her considerable talents."... " Margaret Illmann is a mature dancer of exemplary grace and perfect control, slender and yearning rather than fresh and floating."
(James Woodall, Financial Times - The Arts, 28.01.02)


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Clarkson Comment Attracts Complaints
Updated: Wednesday 23rd April 2014
A tongue-in-cheek comment made by Jeremy Clarkson about record-breaking EuroMillions winners Colin and Christine Weir resulted in two viewers making a complaint to the BBC. The comment was made during the Top Gear television show last Sunday as Clarkson struggled to get into a Lotus T125 sports car, and all he said was that if the winners had any plans to buy the car then it would be worth doing so, but they would 'have to lose a few pounds'. The comment was poking fun as his own size as much as anything else, but two viewers obviously thought that it was worth complaining about.
This event highlights another one of the inconveniences that big lottery winners who go public have to live with. Not only does going public make it easy for people to send them begging letters, it also makes them something of a celebrity, and that means they will sometimes be the butt of one-liners and broadcast banter.
Whilst we can't say for certain, we suspect that if Jeremy Clarkson (or any other presenter) had made the same comment about a famous person from the world of politics or show business then the complaints wouldn't have been made. After all, such passing jibes are commonplace on television and radio and for the most part they are tolerated without remark. What made this one a little different, we think, is that although they are household names, Colin and Christine Weir are not actually working in the public eye. And, let's face it, people just seem to like complaining about things said by Jeremy Clarkson.
Those of us who haven't yet won a lottery jackpot might dream of fame, fortune and some kind of celebrity status, but if we eventually get those things we shouldn't be surprised if a TV or radio presenter decides to have a joke at our expense. The media has a long tradition of poking fun at the richest people in the land and that is just how it is. If such 'Mickey-taking' is tolerated for one group then it must be tolerated for all, and if poking fun at the Weirs is cause for complaint then that same standard should apply to footballers, actors, musicians and anyone else in the public eye.
Of course, most people reading this would be quite happy to have Jeremy Clarkson poke a little fun at them if they were compensated to the tune of £161 million. We can't guarantee you that particular deal, but if you want the chance to win your own jackpot and discover for yourself what it is like to be rich and famous then we can help you to buy lottery tickets online. The EuroMillions jackpot on Tuesday 2 August will be worth around £13 million, so if your numbers come up you wouldn't lose a few pounds – you would gain quite a lot of them! Good luck!
Written by Ian BrucePublished: Tuesday 2nd August 2011
Lottery News News Archive


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Sometimes you just need a big knife and tactical vest. This is one of those times. Like I said, I do really like the gear. However, as someone who was never military or a three gun shooter, I don't really care all that much to wear MOLLE, unless I have a need for it. This vest has been coming in real handy while reviewing the #WindhamProject. We are firing thousands of rounds through this rifle. The MOLLE vest makes it easier to keep mags closer for speedier reload time.
Something I failed to mention about this vest, is that is it mainly made with a mesh body. That makes this vest breathable. This is nice in the Texas sun when you are wearing it for hours on end.
I also keep my Leatherman MUT on my vest, which you can see on the left hand side of the screen when looking at the vest.
The video below is of the OPSGEAR guys using the cutaway system.


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Spieth, Reed lead Open field into weekend
Fifteen U.S. Open golfers scheduled for action at Chambers Bay on Saturday can thank amateur Nick Hardy for bogeying his final hole Friday to finish at plus-5 for the tournament, since that bought them two more rounds of U.S. Open golf. Hardy's bogey moved the cut line, for the top 60 and ties, from plus-4 to plus-5.
Masters champ Jordan Spieth, at 21, is looking to stretch his string of sub-par rounds in major championships to seven on Saturday. He should be comforted by the fact that the winner of the last six majors has been the 36-hole leader.
Spieth and Patrick Reed were tied at minus-5 after 36 holes. Both were at Chambers as amateurs in the 2010 U.S. Amateur championship. Reed made it to the Round of 32, while Spieth failed to reach the match-play portion of the tournament.
The last Masters champ to also win the U.S. Open was Tiger Woods in 2002. Woods missed the cut on Friday.
No early word was available Saturday morning whether Jason Day would continue for the weekend. Day collapsed on his final hole Friday, reportedly suffering from benign positional vertigo.
The six amateurs to make the cut was the most for a U.S. Open since 1966, when six also qualified for the weekend. The top among them was Brian Campbell, who was tied for 12th.
Chambers played a massive 7,695 yards on Friday, the longest in U.S. Open history. The front nine, especially, was testing, at 4,020 yards, the first time an Open course has had a nine measure more than 4,000 yards.


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This chic young lady came into the store a few weeks back and tried on the black hat that she is pictured in. I could tell that she really loved the hat- but, was unsure. She said that she never had worn a hat with such a wide brim before. I told her that I have a wide brimmed felt hat and whenever I wear it people are delighted to see me in it. When I wear the hat I get compliments from women and men. It can take sometime to get used to wearing hats- but, if you stick with it you will fall in love with wearing hats, believe that you look great, and people will appreciate your style. She bought the hat and it really topped off her chic style.
If you are longing for your own wide brimmed hat, I have the exact same hat that she bought except in red for sale here at the store: Lulu's Vintage 916 West Burnside.
This post was originally published on March 20, 2013.


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We use the same creative passion and technical expertise to create online video as we do commercials and broadcast media. Why? Because the web has grown up and audiences are no longer happy watching poorly produced cat and dancing baby videos. The expectation is that your content look just a professional on the small screen as it does the big screen. To do that, we use the same tools, passion and experience for every job. And in many cases we can produce content for both screens during the same production, maximizing your return on investment.
Online Video Production Services Include:
- Strategy
- Scriptwriting
- Pre-production
- Shooting
- Post-production


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Yes, another knitblog.
Yes, I have a personal blog, on LiveJournal, that I've had for eons, or at least since before it was so cool that everybody had one. I won't be abandoning that one, but I will probably no longer be posting any of my knitting adventures there, instead putting them on this dedicated blog. This has the advantages of not bothering my LJ friends with so much knitting that they don't care about, as well as giving my knitting friends a blog to read that doesn't contain all the non-knitting stuff they might not want to read.
So yes, another knitblog. Take that as you will.


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Saturday, June 26, 2010
The Pundits Don't Get It
The "Left"---
Commentators/Media entertainers such as Chris Matthews and Rachel Maddow appear to believe that the Tea Party Movement (or whatever you wish to call it) and the "Right" are "extreme", possibly "dangerous", and upset for no good reason. Matthews and Maddow fail to grasp that the dissatisfaction in many people is due to Legislative Absolutism (a term coined by Justice Harlan in 1901) and gross violations of the Constitution. Both Republicans and Democrats have been practicing Legislative Absolutism for decades, thus violating their constitutional oath of office. Google "legislative absolutism + Justice Harlan", but don't use quotes.
Our Fed Government is one of enumerated powers, meaning that We the People (who are sovereigns) have delegated to the central government only certain specific powers. The legislative powers are found in Article I, Section 8, clauses 1-18 of the Constitution. About 99% of the members of both Houses of Congress often get around that limitation and by-pass the Supreme Law of the Land simply by going ahead and passing laws illegally, in subject areas for which they have no delegated authority. That's why a lot of people are pissed.
The "Right"---
Media Entertainers (who some people think are political commentators) such as Glen Beck and Rush Limbaugh appear to believe that Democrats and the "Leftists/Socialists" are the main problem relative to disappearing Liberty. Apparently Beck and Limbaugh do not understand that the Corporatocracy (or as some folks call it, the Oligarchy) utilizes Republicans as well as Democrats in its quest for world governance by unelected elites. Past leaders as politically different as FDR and Barry Goldwater warned us that just such a thing was happening. People like Beck and Limbaugh seem to have no clue.
The old political paradigm of Right v. Left or Repubs v. Dems is being used to manipulate We the People. Divide and conquer. The new political paradigm is: Globalists v. the common people, or Globalism v. Sovereignty, or the Corporatocracy v. Nations... or some phrasing along those lines. The Globalists/Mega Corporatists are not genuine Capitalists; instead, they are Crony Capitalists. With their cronies in the central government, they are bringing about the elimination of the Republic of the United States of America. Basically, they are Fascists. Fascism is the marriage of large corporations to the State; it is private ownership, but government control. Plus, as I've said over and over, it's not a conspiracy; it's right out in the open for all to see. The use of the word "conspiracy" is a red herring put out by the Globalist Media.
John D. Rockefeller, probably the King of the Mega Corporatists, once said, "Competition is sin." His old Standard Oil company was broken up by the government into many sub-companies. Most of those were bought up by the old British Petroleum company, known as BP today. One of John's grandsons, David Rockefeller, stated in 1991 (not an exact quote): surely it is preferable to have an unelected body of elites ruling the world rather than the nations of the past, with their corrupt politicians.
The use of the term "socialism" is another red herring. The Mega Corporatists certainly don't want the government to own the means of production; they want to own it. Governments are being used simply as puppets, to give the People the feeling that everything is "democratic".
The misunderstanding that I have attributed to the Right also applies to the Left. Both sides seem to be ignoring the warnings of Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Woodrow Wilson, FDR, Barry Goldwater, Carroll Quigley, John Perkins, and in an ironic way, David Rockefeller. Wake up, America.
4 comments:
- Kevin P. Miller said...
great blog on "the pundits." we would have a better nation — and world —if more people expressed themselves with as much dignity, grace, and common sense as you just did.
- June 28, 2010 at 6:14 PM
- Kevin P. Miller said...
great blog on "the pundits." we would have a better nation — and world —if more people expressed themselves with as much dignity, grace, and common sense as you just did.
- June 28, 2010 at 6:14 PM
- Scott Haley said...
Thanks, Kevin. I really appreciate that...especially from someone of your calibre, judging from your blog.
Are any of your films posted on the web?
- June 28, 2010 at 7:00 PM
- Scott Haley said...
Never mind... I found your film, "A Question of Sovereignty", at vimeo.com
Fantastic job! You really captured the effects of the militarization of the police and the movement of the Canadian Government toward becoming a Fascist State. Globalism is destroying both the U.S. and Canada.
I intend to promote your film in the near future, as best I can.
- June 28, 2010 at 8:49 PM


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Thousands enjoy Park Live presented by British Airways
Tens of thousands of fans have been visiting Park Live presented by British Airways every day during the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Super Saturday (August 4)?was one of the busiest days at?Park Live?with more than 10,000 fans coming down to cheer on the athletes.
The parkland area in the Olympic Park offers a dedicated area for fans, with giant LED screens and a BA Stage where athletes are interviewed. Visitors are welcomed by BA Lawn Hosts who are on hand to look after?visitors.


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It may be a little early to start donning the Crimbo jumpers, but how could I say no when Matalan asked me to style up a couple from their range of jumpers for all the family for a Mum & Toddler shoot? I have been feeling decidedly Scroodge like for the past couple of weeks (totally out of character for this time of year!) so this was a welcomed task; and with it being the 1st December tomorrow, I am pleased to say I am now feeling in a much more festive state of mind. I'll even go as far as to say I think we'll make the most of all 3 of us being off work today and pop the tree up! One day before December - wild or what!?
Ever since our local branch of Matalan closed down a while ago, I must admit it is often somewhere that I forget about when online shopping (or browsing as the case usually may be) but, they really have some great products for incredibly reasonable prices - Matalan used to be an old favourite haunt of mine back in my Uni days to pick up new party heels and jewellery due to the great price-points without sacrificing on trend design. Fast forward four years and I've hung up the party heels (other than for once in a blue moon) and now lusting after the cute toddler collections and lust worthy homeware range - what a difference a few years can make hey! I'll definitely be remembering Matalan more often for great bargain buys in the future.
There is plenty to chose from within the Christmas range, from gifts to decorations, wrapping paper to party wear and of course, a variety of Christmas jumpers to choose from. Basically, Matalan has you covered for the festive season without breaking the bank!
I went for this fluffy style with a sequinned outline of a Robin embellished on the front, and a super cute grey Santa jumper for Theo as I love grey and white colour combinations during the Christmas period when it comes to dressing, rather than the more traditional reds and greens. I also cannot lie; I quite like Little T and me to colour co-ordinate now and then - mainly for special occasions. My lovely friend Amy from Two Shoes One Pair is often found to be 'twinning' with her beautiful little girl, styling up the cutest outfits for them both, and I think it's such a lovely thing to do. If I had a little girl I would no doubt be doing the same, but as I have a delightful little boy and I don't think he (or his Father) would take too kindly to matching Mummy's skirts and dresses, colour coordinating will have to suffice for us.
I wanted to keep our outfits really laid back and relaxed to show the jumpers exactly how they would be worn if it were actually Christmas day; soft and stretchy Zara jeans for Theo to be comfortable in while undoubtedly running riot all round the house with excitement, plus Hunter wellies and a padded coat for a winter walk to ease our full tummies later on in the day. For me, comfort never entails what would be deemed as 'normal' comfortable attire - hence the metallic skirt; hey, it is Christmas (in theory) after all, so a little bit of shimmer is compulsory, right!? But I'll even out the comfort factor with thick woolly tights, 'sensible' chunky ankle boots and a faux fur gillet for snuggling up in. We test ran these outfits in a little wooded area local to my Mum's house and had lots of fun playing in the piles of leaves. Theo adores his jumper and keeps saying 'ho, ho, ho' - I think he is excited for Santa's arrival now too :-) So thanks Matalan, for encouraging our Christmas spirits!


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UniSoft Corporation was founded in 1981, initially working as a Unix porting company, completing over 225 Unix ports to numerous CPU architectures. These included the provision of the first ever Unix source code to Sun Microsystems, Inc., UniPlus Version 7, to run on their early Motorola 68000-based workstations. In addition, we undertook the implementation of Apple's A/UX and Unix System V Release 4 ports for the 68030 and 88100 processors on behalf of Motorola.
UniSoft became involved in providing conformance test software for Unix implementations in 1985, building a strong working relationship with The Open Group (previously X/Open). We worked on the early, and many of the subsequent implementations, of the VSX test suite, which tested conformance of Unix implementations to the X/Open Unix APIs.
In early 1997 we started to concentrate on the Digital TV industry, where we saw an increased need for standardization and conformance testing of software interfaces and content. Initially we became very involved in the ATSC Digital TV Application Software Environment (DASE). Subsequently we became a member of DVB and worked more extensively with MHP, developing the initial MHP Automatic Test Environment (ATE) under contract to the MHP Test Consortium.
Our work with MHP lead us to OCAP. During October 2001 we decided to focus almost entirely on providing broadcast, development and testing tools for interactive TV standards for predominately the US market. We partnered with Strategy and Technology Limited based in London, an object carousel and iTV encoding specialist.
UniSoft has provided OCAP streaming technology (TSBroadcaster) for most of the the major US MSOs. Currently we are supporting delivery of OCAP applications and code images to over 10m OCAP set-top-boxes.
We also offer a number of EBIF products. We have supplied TSBroadcaster and TSMonitor to a number of cable networks and cable companies.
Today our main focus is iTV infrastructure requirements for US cable and terrestrial. We are an active participant of the ATSC 2.0 Implementation Team.
We conutinue to review our product offerings with the goal of providing tools which will help the industry to build and develop the US interactive TV market.
UniSoft is a privately held California corporation with headquarters located in Millbrae, CA.


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[For sponsored TLDs, this part of the application is to be completed by the sponsoring organization. For unsponsored TLDs, the registry operator should complete this part of the application. Please refer to the Detailed Application Instructions for more information on the requirements for new TLD applications.
The operation of a TLD involves the implementation of policies on a very large number of topics. Applicants are urged to use their response to this part of the application to demonstrate their detailed knowledge of what topics are involved and their careful analysis and clear articulation of the policies they propose on these topics.
Please place the legend "CONFIDENTIAL" on any part of your description that you have listed in item F3.1 of your Statement of Requested Confidential Treatment of Materials Submitted.
Section III of this application applies only to applicants for restricted TLDs. Ordinarily, restricted TLDs should be sponsored.]
I. GENERAL TLD POLICIES (Required for all TLDs. Note that two special policy areas‑‑policies during the start‑up period and restrictions on who may register within the TLD and for what purpose‑‑are covered in sections II and III below.)
E1. In General. Please provide a full and detailed description of all policies to be followed in the TLD (other than those covered in response to items E11‑E21). If the TLD's policy on a particular topic is proposed to be identical to that reflected by a particular version of any of the following documents, it is sufficient for your response to identify the topic, to give a brief summary of the policy, and for the details to reference the document and section:
• ICANN Registrar Accreditation Agreement
• NSI Registrar License and Agreement
• ICANN‑NSI Registry Agreement
• Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy
Your response should comprehensively describe policies on all topics to be followed in connection with the proposed TLD. The following items (E2‑E10) are examples only and should not limit your description.
E2. TLD String. Please identify the TLD string(s) you are proposing. For format requirements for TLD strings, see the answer to FAQ #5.
We propose a restricted TLD to be used by entities from the financial sector. The first preference therefore is:
We recognize that this string is part of ISO-3166-1 alpha-3, which, according to the FAQ does not exclude its usage for this purpose. If, however, there are concerns about use of this 3-letter string, an alternative string could be:
or a shortened version of this string if the community prefers it.
In the rest of these documents, we will refer to .FIN in the text, with the understanding that it could be changed.
E3. Naming conventions. Describe the naming conventions and structure within the TLD. E.g., will registrants have names registered at the second level (directly under the TLD, as in registered‑name.com), or will the TLD be organized with sub‑domains so that registered domain names are created at a lower level (as in registered‑name.travel.com)?
Basically, most registrations will be for 2nd level domains, for example, AXA.FIN, ALLIANZ.FIN, MARSH.FIN…
During the first six months of operation, we propose that applications will be accepted, but registrations will not take effect until the end of the period (See response to Question E.12) Also, during this initial period, the SO will survey the financial community regarding the possible reservation of certain special terms that are words in common usage (for example, LOAN.FIN or, INFO.FIN). Some terms may be proposed for total exclusion, or for use as generic 2d level domains. If the Board of the Sponsoring Organization (SO) determines that a term should be reserved as a 2d level domain, then user registrations would be allowed in the 3rd level.
In addition, all strings in the ISO-3166-1 alpha-2 list will be excluded from use as 2d level domains, subject to review by the Board of the SO.
E4. Registrars. Describe in detail the policies for selection of, and competition among, registrars. Will domain‑name holders deal through registrars, directly with the registry operator, or some combination of the two? What are the respective roles, functions, and responsibilities for the registry operator and registrars? If registrars are to be employed, how and by whom will they be selected or accredited? If the number of registrars will be restricted, what number of registrars will be selected? Have the qualifying registrars already been selected? On what basis will selections among those seeking to be registrars be made, and who will make them? If registrars are to be used, what mechanisms will be used to ensure that TLD policies are implemented?
There will be a procedure for entities which applies to become a registrar for these TLD. The SO Board will have to set up the final rules, among the proposed rules will be:
· Application (documents to be defined and posted on the registry Web) to be send by registered letter to registry
· Must be accredited by ICANN
· Application fee is EUR 5,000 (includes first annual fee)
· Annual renewal fee EUR 2,000
· Specific wordings for agreement with registrant will be forced (regarding hot line for instance)
· Special agreement between registry and registrar to be signed
· Pricing will be up to the registrar
· Prepayment or evidence that payment will occur (long relationship) is needed
· Technical test before going life
· Disputes about the accreditation shall be resolved by SO
Registrants will normally deal with the registry only through registrars. Agreements for registration, invoicing and payment for registrants will be with the registrar. In the case of disputes between registrant and registrar, transfer of a domain name registration to another registrar and change of registrant of an existing domain, the registrant will deal with the registry and procedures will be established for these transactions.
The registry will send a certificate of the registration of the domain to each registrant by registered letter and email.
E5. Intellectual Property Provisions. Describe the policies for protection of intellectual property. Your response should address at least the following questions, as appropriate to the TLD:
E5.1. What measures will be taken to discourage registration of domain names that infringe intellectual property rights?
We propose a 30-day waiting period for the activation of all registrations. During this period, the Registry will randomly review the qualifications of the applicant, and its proposal for the domain name registration will be posted on the Internet, so that registration applications can be monitored by interested parties.
E5.2. If you are proposing pre‑screening for potentially infringing registrations, how will the pre‑screening be performed?
The pre-screening procedure will be the Registry's review of an applicant's qualifications to be registered in this restricted domain.
E5.3. What registration practices will be employed to minimize abusive registrations?
The Registry's pre-screening procedure will be directed to assuring that only financial entities in certain SIC codes (standard international codes) and only those entities that are fully in compliance with applicable legal and regulatory requirements will be allowed to register in the domain. In addition, the SO Board will make an initial determination of eligibility in the case of protests, or will refer questions regarding intellectual property disputes to be determined according to the Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP). Decisions of the Board will be appeal able to UNCITRAL.
E5.4. What measures do you propose to comply with applicable trademark and anti‑cyber squatting legislation?
The registrars, the registry and the SO will adopt the UDRP for resolution of trademark disputes. The registry will also comply with all decisions by competent legal authorities having jurisdiction over the parties to controversies relating to registrations.
E5.5. Are you proposing any special protections (other than during the start‑up period) for famous trademarks?
We do not propose any special protection beyond the procedures outline above.
E5.6. How will complete, up‑to‑date, reliable, and conveniently provided WHOIS data be maintained, updated, and accessed concerning registrations in the TLD?
The registry will run the authoritative WHOIS-server, which will be updated at 15 minutes intervals. Data will be shown in machine- and human- readable formats. A Web-interface for the WHOIS-server will be available.
See also D13.2.1 where among others are listed:
4. WHOIS for public allowing everybody to query for information
5. Bulk – WHOIS for special purposes with restricted policy for the usage
E6. Dispute Resolution. Describe the policies for domain name and other dispute resolution. If you are proposing variations to the policies followed in .com, .net, and .org, consider the following questions:
We propose to adhere to the policies followed in .com, .net and .org, including the UDRP. In addition, the UNCITRAL will be available for the resolution of disputes that are outside the scope of the UDRP.
E6.1. To what extent are you proposing to implement the Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy?
The UDRP will be the standard policy.
E6.2. Please describe any additional, alternative, or supplemental dispute resolution procedures you are proposing.
No additional, alternative or supplemental dispute resolution procedure is proposed.
E7. Data Privacy, Escrow, and WHOIS. Describe the proposed policies on data privacy, escrow and WHOIS service.
Data Privacy: The registry's WHOIS, as described above, will be available through a web site. The information posted (also described above) will be publicly available information relating only to financial institutions and contact persons designated by the institutions. European privacy law will apply.
Escrow: A weekly escrow-backup-disc will be send to an escrow (see D15.2.7). Additionally there will be daily backups for recovery purposes at 2 different locations. External and recognized escrow service company is to be selected.
E8. Billing and Collection. Describe variations in or additions to the policies for billing and collection.
No registration will become effective until payment is made by the registrar to the registry.
Advanced payment will be requested from registrars.
Payments by the registrars to the registry may be made by bank-transfer or credit card.
E9. Services and Pricing. What registration services do you propose to establish charges for and, for each such service, how much do you propose to charge?
The registrars will be charged according to the following table:
Price in EUR per year
1.) one year registration
2.) Yearly renewal
3.) Weekly Bulk-WHOIS
4.) Special protection of data
6.) Name service
7.) Special Web-Service for search
8.) Help desk for registrars
9.) Certificates
See also D13.2.1. for additional details. It should be noted that the above prices to registrars are for the first operation year in scenario "50M".
E10. Other. Please describe any policies concerning topics not covered by the above questions.
Registrations will be effective for one-year periods. An application for renewal will be handled in the same manner as an initial application.
II. REGISTRATION POLICIES DURING THE START‑UP PERIOD (Required for all TLDs)
E11. In this section, you should thoroughly describe all policies (including implementation details) that you propose to follow during the start‑up phase of registrations in the TLD, to the extent they differ from the General TLD Policies covered in items E1‑E9. The following questions highlight some of the areas that should be considered for start‑up policies:
E12. How do you propose to address the potential rush for registration at the initial opening of the TLD? How many requested registrations do you project will be received by the registry operator within the first day, week, month, and quarter? What period do you believe should be considered the TLD's "start‑up period," during which special procedures should apply?
As explained in E3, during the first 6 months of operation, a decision will be made on the selection of "reserved" 2nd level domains, and no registrations will take place during that time. Applications will be accepted from registrars during the initial six-month period, and will be published, with the understanding that the registration will not become effective until the expiration of the period.
There will be a substantial number of applications (assumption is 20 % of the registrations of year 1 of scenario "50M", i.e. 10,000) received by registrars and transmitted to the registry during the start-up period and that duplicate requests will be received. A round-robin-process will be used to resolve duplicate requests, as follows:
During the initial period, there will be successive 3-day time segments during each of which the applications for registration will be queued by the registry, with one queue for each registrar. After day 3 of each segment, the queue will be closed and processed. We assume that processing can be completed in 3 days, and that new set of queues can begin. The processing will function as follows:
· Randomly re-sort each individual queue, (making it useless to sell a rank position in a registrar's queue). We propose that pre-registrations of same names by same holders will be deleted before sorting, however technical realization is still under development.
· Sorting the queues (i.e. defining which queue is no 1, no. 2 etc).
· In each round process only one request from each queue and then, (regardless of the success of the application) proceed to the next queue and repeat the process until all queues are empty
This process can be repeated during the initial period to process newly built queues, thereby reducing any backlog of initial applications and allowing the normal processing to commence at the end of the initial period.
E13. Do you propose to place limits on the number of registrations per registrant? Per registrar? If so, how will these limits be implemented?
No. In a restricted domain, such as .FIN, we do not see a need for such a policy, especially in light of the procedures to assure compliance with the qualification standards for the domain.
E14. Will pricing mechanisms be used to dampen a rush for registration at the initial opening of the TLD? If so, please describe these mechanisms in detail.
No. We have established prices which we believe are adequate for support of the registry and SO and we do not see a need for making price a means of preferential treatment.
This will allow equal market access to any registrants.
E15. Will you offer any "sunrise period" in which certain potential registrants are offered the opportunity to register before registration is open to the general public? If so, to whom will this opportunity be offered (those with famous marks, registered trademarks, second‑level domains in other TLDs, pre‑registrations of some sort, etc.)? How will you implement this?
No. We do not propose a "sunrise period" either for 2d or higher level domains. We believe that the procedure for establishing reserved 2d level domains and the dispute resolution procedures will adequately address trademark issues that may arise.
III. REGISTRATION RESTRICTIONS (Required for restricted TLDs only)
E16. As noted in the New TLD Application Process Overview, a restricted TLD is one with enforced restrictions on (1) who may apply for a registration within the domain, (2) what uses may be made of those registrations, or (3) both. In this section, please describe in detail the restrictions you propose to apply to the TLD. Your description should define the criteria to be employed, the manner in which you propose they be enforced, and the consequences of violation of the restrictions. Examples of matters that should be addressed are:
E17. Describe in detail the criteria for registration in the TLD. Provide a full explanation of the reasoning behind the specific policies chosen.
At present nor the SO nor the registry are in a position to describe accurately what will be the criteria which will have to be met by the potential registrants to register a .FIN domain name. However, in great number of countries, there are well-established institutions granting various licenses to companies or individuals operating in the broad financial field. The SO will heavily rely on their work and professionalism to set up and maintain a list of agencies and regulatory authorities,… which accreditation to exercise a financial activity will cause a potential registrant to be allowed to register a fin names.
In other countries and in other cases (for instance for financial editor), the SO will rely on country licensing where applicable, and as a general rule, apply all fairness to application review. The aim will be constantly to serve best the Internet world and the financial community at large.
The involved SIC codes that we consider as those of natural members of the .FIN community are listed in appendix E17.
E18. Describe the application process for potential registrants in the TLD.
The detailed process of registrant application will be defined by the registry and approved by the SO.
The following process is proposed: registrant will have to provide a proof of affiliation or certification by a national regulators related to the financial industry (a detailed list will be published by the SO) or a proof of membership of the SO itself. For companies that meet the criteria for being a member of the .FIN community but who cannot provide a valid certificate a direct membership application process will be established.
The registrars will have to check manually the completeness of materials provided by the registrants and send a digital copy of it to the registry.
A list of new .FIN domain names will be publicly available during one month, if no dispute occurred during this period, the registrant will be granted by the sponsoring organization the right to use its .FIN domain name for one year.
E19. Describe the enforcement procedures and mechanisms for ensuring registrants meet the registration requirements.
The security of the system rely on:
The sponsoring organization will conduct annual audit of all .FIN registrars. The auditing teams will be selected among internationally recognized auditors. Failure to meet the quality procedures could end to the withdrawal of the .FIN registrar license.
There will be an annual refund to registrars depending on the quality of their registration in order to provide a financial incentive to register members of the financial community properly.
E20. Describe any appeal process from denial of registration.
Appeals from decisions by the SO regarding denial of registration will be referred to [insert name of arbitration organization] and the SO will abide by its judgments.
E21. Describe any procedure that permits third parties to seek cancellation of a TLD registration for failure to comply with restrictions.
A procedure will be established for referral of cancellation petitions to a committee appointed by the Board of the SO. Committee decisions will be ratified or rejected by the Board of the SO, and an aggrieved party will then the opportunity to make a further appeal to be determined by UNCITRAL.
IV. CONTEXT OF THE TLD WITHIN THE DNS (Required for all TLDs)
E22. This section is intended to allow you to describe the benefits of the TLD and the reasons why it would benefit the global Internet community or some segment of that community. Issues you might consider addressing include:
E23. What will distinguish the TLD from existing or other proposed TLDs? How will this distinction be beneficial?
Internet users will have the assurance that domain name holders in the .FIN domain are qualified organizations under the laws of their jurisdictions. This will contribute to prevent fraudulent entities from representing themselves as legitimate businesses in the financial field. The domain .FIN will itself offer an intuitive guide to the location of financial institutions. Searches for the web sites of financial institutions will be aided by a specialized web-based-search-tool which will be made available. Registrants in the domain will be able to categorize themselves as follows:
· Geographic area of activities
· Corporate structure, including status as parent or subsidiary, or individual professional
· Membership in professional organizations
· Type of financial offerings and services
· Language(s) spoken
· Individual statements and comments
· Graphic images and symbols
· Links to other web sites
The web-based search-tool will be available in 7 languages, including the 6 official UN languages
· English
· French
· Russian
· Spanish
· Arabic
· Chinese
· German (not UN official language)
This publicly available information will enable consumers of financial services to make informed choices among competing providers and will undoubtedly be of great advantage to the public.
E24. What community and/or market will be served or targeted by this TLD? To what extent is that community or market already served by the DNS?
The community served by the .FIN TLD will be the Internet community at large because financial services are necessary to anyone. The .FIN will target the existing financial industry that is still poorly represented by the .com sites. Being a restricted TLD the .FIN will allow the finance industry to be better served and provide a better service to its customers. We estimate the overall size of the market to be around 1,000,000 financial institutions. (See D13.2.3)
E25. Please describe in detail how your proposal would enable the DNS to meet presently unmet needs.
Given the explosive growth of the Internet, more and more end-users are confronted with an almost incredible mass of available information which is increasingly difficult to use. Many users find themselves lost in the existing generic top level domains because of lack of meaningful categorization of web sites. Purportedly automatic solutions (as offered by web search engines) do not really help the user and in some cases increase the confusion. For example, techniques like "keying" may mislead a user who enters a term and is then led to a web site maintained by a competitor of the entity originally sought out by the user. The misuse of meta-tags also contributes to user confusion. The proposed .FIN domain will filter applicants for registration so that the user can be sure that registrants are in the financial services field. In addition it will provide a user-friendly profile of registrants which can be used to find relevant addresses (Cf. the response to Question E.23.).
E26. How would the introduction of the TLD enhance the utility of the DNS for Internet users? For the community served by the TLD?
The .FIN TLD will allow a better categorization which is an essential need for the future of the DNS. Moreover, the large fields encompassed by the finance industry will allow this TLD to handle new electronic payment system name directory such as ATM networks or credit-card gateways.
The third level domain name such as bank.FIN or insurance.FIN will also allow specialized intermediaries to be well categorized on the Internet.
E27. How would the proposed TLD enhance competition in domain‑name registration services, including competition with existing TLD registries?
Registrants from thee financial sector will be offered an alternative to the undifferentiated generic TLDs already in use. It is possible, especially at the initial stages, that some registrants with existing registrations in generic or country code domains may retain these until the .FIN domain is well established, but we believe that eventually it will become the logical choice in preference to the existing top level domains for financial entities.
V. VALUE OF PROPOSAL AS A PROOF OF CONCEPT (Required for all TLDs)
E28. Recent experience in the introduction of new TLDs is limited in some respects. The current program of establishing new TLDs is intended to allow evaluation of possible additions and enhancements to the DNS and possible methods of implementing them. Stated differently, the current program is intended to serve as a "proof of concept" for ways in which the DNS might evolve in the longer term. This section of the application is designed to gather information regarding what specific concept(s) could be evaluated if the proposed TLD is introduced, how you propose the evaluation should be done, and what information would be learned that might be instructive in the long‑term management of the DNS. Well‑considered and articulated responses to this section will be positively viewed in the selection process. Matters you should discuss in this section include:
E29. What concepts are likely to be proved/disproved by evaluation of the introduction of this TLD in the manner you propose?
Concept 1: Financial institutions need a top level domain that is differentiated from .com, .net and .org.
Concept 2: Users will prefer multiple generic domains as a better means of making intuitive searches for a relevant web site
Concept 3: There will be less instances of trademark disputes when registrants in the financial field can have a domain separate from business entities generally
. FIN will enable the evaluation of these concepts.
We believe that global competition among financial institutions is increasing and ultimately this will be of enormous benefit to users of the Internet. There are presently no comprehensive world organizations that bring together all the actors in several overlapping activities such as commercial banks, investment banks, assets management institutions, insurance companies, brokers, and distributors of financial products The institution of .FIN TLD would be of substantial assistance in fostering global competition in this area.
We also believe that the Internet has a "leveling" effect among the global competitors in the financial services field. Newcomers to the field will have the capability to achieve as much visibility through a web site as long established entities.
The success of the .FIN TLD should prove that the Internet is a powerful agent for competition on the global scale, in which old and new economy players will meet and compete for customers. be .
E30. How do you propose that the results of the introduction should be evaluated? By what criteria should the success or lack of success of the TLD be evaluated?
We believe that the test of success of the introduction of the .FIN domain will be a combination of the number of registrants and the number of users. These figures are capable of being determined and compared to the number of registrants and users of the existing domains.
E31. In what way would the results of the evaluation assist in the long‑range management of the DNS?
The experience resulting from the introduction of the .FIN TLD will be useful for analysis of the entire concept of expanding the field of generic top level domains. The results will be particularly valuable for analysis of the concept that the Internet needs new domains which refer to fundamental categories of business organizations. It should not be overlooked that this concept of categorization can be applied to nearly all types of human needs that are met by the Internet.
E32. Are there any reasons other than evaluation of the introduction process that this particular TLD should be included in the initial introduction?
The .FIN domain offers a unique opportunity for a very large and globally diverse group of entities to come together on a level playing field and serve users in an entirely new way. The institutions of the financial sector have the monetary and technical resources and the motivation to make this domain succeed. Many of the financial institutions that will use .FIN are well known, experienced and prosperous in their respective sectors. Success in the .FIN TLD will give other industries the "drive" and confidence to implement DNS in their thinking and plans.
Also, the fact that there does not exist a worldwide association representing the needs and interests of the financial services sector is a powerful argument for using a new domain to serve these needs and interests. The domain could become a model for successor categorized domains and show how to build consensus within a defined population with similar objectives.
By signing this application through its representative, the Applicant attests that the information contained in this Description of TLD Policies, and all referenced supporting documents, are true and accurate to the best of Applicant's knowledge.
Name (please print)
Name of Applicant Entity
(c) 2000 The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers
All rights reserved.
Updated August 15, 2000


text:
We have expertise in running educational tours by creating tailor made excursions for schools, universities and institutions who are interested in educational trips abroad (to India/Nepal/Bhutan/Srilanka/Maldives).We offer 2-5 week tailor-made excursions to India/Nepal/Bhutan/Srilanka/Maldives. These trips focus on developing leadership and teamwork skills, building self-confidence and facilitating young people to re-evaluate some of their beliefs, attitudes and assumptions, particularly around different cultures and their own priorities in life.
Our educational tour itineraries go beyond just seeing the sights. Through professionally guided tours and insight into each destination we invite you and your students to become actively engaged in the local culture. Our aim is to inspire students to develop new skills and friendships, to increase their understanding of international issues and other cultures and to unite them as part of our global community who can work together and rise to the challenges of the world we live in.
We can customise trips for various academic departments. Some of these are:
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For more information on the above and customised packages please contact us:


text:
Labs Project: Healthcare Delivery
The Problem
Healthcare service providers (such as hospitals, doctor's surgeries, clinical commissioning groups and others) are being asked to deliver better patient care to more people, with less resources. At the same time patients are demanding access to specialists on their terms using the technology they are familiar with in their everyday lives. Travel and waiting times are increasing costs and adding stress to already complex and sensative interactions.
The Solution
At its most simple, This Project is a Software-as-a-Service solution to enable patients to meet with a specialist remotely in a secure environment and conduct video & audio calls. Patients can use tools familiar to them (such as mobile phones, tablets and PCs) and don't need to go through complicated setup or installation steps prior to a consultation.
Powered by Microsoft Virtual Health Templates
The Microsoft Virtual Health Templates are a collection of open source pages, site functions, authentication and connections to the Skype for Business APIs. This Project takes these best practice implementations and builds on them to ensure that they are meeting the needs of both patients and medical experts.
Fully Managed Service for Office 365
This Project is a hosted service delivered by Modality Systems via a web portal. There is nothing to install locally. The solution integrates with Office 365.
Project Status
We are currently prototyping this solution. If you would like more information about the solution or would like to be actively involved in testing and shaping the solution please contact us to begin the conversation.


text:
3060 Healthy Way, Suite 100
Birmingham, AL 35243
10am - 7pm
S: 10am - 5pm
Su: CLOSED - Sunday
Summer is the time for grilling out with family after long runs and summer activities.
We want to share one of our favorite (and easy) grilling recipes!
A fun and easy way to grill out a healthy and delicious assortment of proteins and veggies is definitely kebabs. Just take chunks of veggies and proteins and stick them on a skewer, leave them on the grill, and voila!
Ingredients: (serves 4)
To Prepare:


text: For my two cents I would have to disagree with the Xeon approach. A cluster of Xserves is probley going to give you more speed and storage for the buck than a Xeon machine. We have a small cluster of Xserves running osX server and we find that it is very fast, and the new g5 slusters are even faster. Another alternative that has been done in the past is to actually run Linux on Xserves. I don't know the details of this but I do know that this has been done. If you look at the bioteam software as well there are over 200 bioinformatics tools included with the package and they all have a gui interface which is very nice for the average user. As far as management features you can't beat osx server. Everything is so easy to do you don't need a bunch of IT people to do it for you. I am a microbiologist and I admin our cluster. I think the "most tools for bioinformatics under linux" is not exactly true. I don't think you will find much trouble finding an osx port for most of the tools. FYI there is going to be a webcast about the Xserve cluster for use in bioinformatics next thursday, you might want to watch, you might get some of your questions answered. http://education.apple.com/webcast/workgroupcluster/ Mike Michael D. Chute BSL-3 Lab Manager Naval Medical Research Center Biological Defense Research Directorate Suite 1N29 503 Robert Grant Ave Silver Spring, MD 20910 Voice: 301-319-7529 Fax: 301-319-7513 On Mar 5, 2004, at 10:41 AM, Tim Cutts wrote: > > On 5 Mar 2004, at 15:32, Christopher Porter wrote: > >> >> We're in the market for a cluster; most of our options are >> Xeon/Linux, but one is a cluster of XServe G5s running OS X. We're >> going to run some benchmarks to see how the performance compares, but >> some in of our group have expressed concern that 'the vast majority >> bioinformatics software is developed on Linux', and 'there may be a >> long time lag before new software is available on OS X'. > > Most stuff compiles quite cleanly. You could get bitten though with > anything that builds shared libraries. OS X dylib bundles are *very* > different from normal UNIX shared objects. Have a look at the > O'Reilly book "MacOS X for Unix Geeks" which is very small, but covers > some of this stuff. > > There are various other gotchas as well, but I don't know about them > in detail. > >> I have never had problems getting software I need to run on OS X, but >> I wondered if anyone can provide me with examples of applications >> that won't run on OS X, or are Linux only (only binaries released & >> no source available). > > I suspect you'll get much more bang-per-buck with Xeon machines. > You'll also probably get better management features, although how > crucial that is rather depends on how large a cluster you want to get. > > Personally, although I love Macs, and have one as my day-to-day > machine, I'm currently happier with Linux for the larger scale stuff. > > Tim > > -- > Dr Tim Cutts > Informatics Systems Group > Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute > Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK > > _______________________________________________ > Bioclusters maillist - email@example.com > https://bioinformatics.org/mailman/listinfo/bioclusters


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Connecting creativity and leadership
September 22, 2016
In my last blog, which derived from my recent talk at the Dominion Theatre, we observed three ways in which people were not things, and we discussed why that was important. We concluded that being authentic was important and that one consequence of authenticity was that it enabled one to be creative; creativity and authenticity in fact go hand in hand. The more creative we are, the more authentic we become; and the more authentic we are in ourselves, the deeper the roots of creativity grow within us. And I said this was important for two very big reasons concerning leadership.
The first reason comes down to a favourite quotation that I often use from Peter Drucker: namely, that only two things make money for a business and everything else is a cost! The two things are marketing – no surprise there – and innovation. Yes, innovation, which of course derives from creativity, is the key element that enables us to maintain a real competitive advantage. Innovation enables us to develop value by either making products, processes, systems, services faster or cheaper or better than they were before; or beyond mere innovation and incrementally improving things we can go straight to pure creativity whereby we generate something – product, service, process, system – that is entirely new; that is ground-breaking in its field. That kind of change is game-changing and we know recently that it is the kind of creativity that we associate with a company like Apple whose technology entirely transformed the music industry.
But if this is important – critical indeed – then to say that the second reason may be even more important than the first sounds a little overblown! However, it probably is even more important! Dr Alan Watkins in his important book, Coherence, said: "Many executives are very skilled in operational thinking, but creating difference, setting the business apart – that is a completely separate ability". Effectively, it is applying creativity not just to the operational stuff but to the strategic direction itself. When leaders become strategic they have to be creative, and only then can they start addressing the issue of organisational longevity.
Research from the German Savings Bank Association found four key factors in organisational longevity. First, that there is a dedication to customer service. We have of course the old-fashioned sort of customer service that still continues to astound: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen continues to supply replacement parts for a 100-year old printing machine! And then there is the new sort, a sort of customer service that has to be re-invented from the bottom up, from seriously imagining and empathising with the customer. A true case indeed of new and more innovation.
Second, focusing on long-term value rather than quarterly results. But to focus on long-term value is again an act of creativity, for value itself is a creation. Third, caring for employees so that trust and sharing are possible and actively encouraged. And finally, fourth, setting ambitious goals and enabling collaboration. These are the things that true leadership will aspire and inspire to do. Of course, it's not easy, but then achievement never is, for if it was then it wouldn't be an achievement: it would happenstance or a silver spoon in the mouth, or magic, or something else that effortlessly produced results without any of the focus, hard work and perseverance that is necessary to make reality become something else – something imagined first and then realised.
Finally, then, as I sail away from the Dominion Theatre, I must remind you all that we had two sponsors at the event – two leaders – two imagineers: say it then for Garry Mumford of www.insightassociates.co.uk and Gary Crouch of www.spectrumoa.co.uk : thanks guys, you are creative, innovative and may you be around for a long time!


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I went back to Basildon last Friday for Christmas & to help in my mum's takeaway.
Although there's no college to work for, I still work hard in baking.
My mum promised to give boxes of cookies to her colleagues.
So, I was very busy in baking cookies.
Well, I did have sometimes to bake some muffins for my breakfast.
100g unsalted butter
200g self-rising flour
2 eggs
100g sugar
110g banana
1/4 cup milk
30g chocolate chips
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
Beat the softened butter with sugar until smooth.
Add one egg at a time and then beat until smooth.
Blend the banana and milk together, then add it into the batter, mix well.
Fold in the flour until smoothl.
Add chocholate chips and mix well.
Bake at 180'C in a preheated oven for 25-30 min.


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Minimal edgy - Custom Hand Lettered Return Address Stamp
A custom hand lettered return address stamp makes sending mail easy and fun with a unique handmade touch! Perfect for everyday stationery sending, even more perfect for large batches of mail sending such as wedding thank you notes, invitations, holiday cards and more.
This hand lettered design is minimal with the perfect balance of simplicity and style.
Your purchase includes an original hand lettered design by Kristen and one quality made rubber stamp mounted on a maple wood block. Each purchase also includes one revision free of charge, if needed.
>>>> The process:
1. Fill out the fields with your address the way you want it written along with your email.
2. In 2-4 days, Kristen will be in touch with your proof.
3. Once proof is approved, stamp will be put into production and shipped out with tracking. Please allow approximately 2 weeks total turnaround from time of order.
Item Details:
+ Original hand lettering & design
+ Size: approximately 2.5" wide x 2" tall - Stamp is shown mocked up on an A2 size envelope with triangle flap (all Worthwhile Paper cards come with this envelope style).
+ All natural, eco-friendly 100% renewable-resource red rubber
+ Mounted on natural maple with laser-etched design on top
+ Detailed Laser-etched design at 1000dpi
+ Ships in a natural linen bag within a sturdy kraft mailer.
+ Ink pad is not included.
Custom items are non-refundable.