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Sterling Silver Filigree Wild Hearts Sleeve Charm
DescriptionA true conversation starter, this sterling silver Wild Hearts sleeve charm will make an impression. Featuring a swirling filigree design, it will give you a touch of bonafide rock chic. Only compatible with a Wild Hearts Bracelet.
Product Details
- Metal content Sterling Silver
- Metal colour Silver
- Bead colour Silver
Delivery & Returns
FREE delivery for all orders over $100. Orders under $100 will be charged a flat fee of $9.90.
Once your order has shipped, please allow 2-7 business days for delivery depending on your location. Orders requiring ring sizing take up to three (3) additional business days to complete.
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Care & Cleaning
When you purchase any products from Emma & Roe by Michael Hill, you are welcome to have your piece cleaned and polished in store at no charge.
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"What used to be thought of as the quietly gray weather of the Northwest may now be recognized as a titanic struggle of the weather gods; full of avalanches, non-tropical cyclones, and weather induced mirages. Turn off the TV weather, read this book, and get in touch with the magic dance of Northwestern wind, waves, and water."
-Congressman Jay Insleeco-, author of Apollo's Fire: Igniting American's Clean Energy Economy
"Great progress has been made in understanding the often challenging and always interesting weather of the Pacific Northwest. Cliff Mass has either participated in or directed much of that work. Readers will directly benefit from his knowledge, experience, and enthusiasm in this highly readable, fascinating, and useful book."
-Jeff Renner, Chief Meteorologist, KING Television, Seattle
"Cliff Mass has written an excellent, clear and comprehensive survey of weather in this region covering the origin and incidence of all major weather phenomena in the Northwest from rain to wind to snow to drought to optical illusions. Weather, as Cliff makes abundantly clear, is not just a source of griping or amusement or awe in this region, but often a life and death matter."
-David Laskin, author of Rains All the Time and The Children's Blizzard
"The Weather of The Pacific Northwest is a great tool for learning and understanding our constantly changing weather. Having grown up in Seattle and racing year round on Puget Sound it is always a struggle to figure out what the weather is going to do, and Cliff Mass does a great job of explaining what affects our weather and why it can be so diverse. Anyone wanting to understand the Pacific Northwest's weather will find this book extremely informative and a joy to read."
-Trevor Sterry, Vice Commodore Shilshole Bay Yacht Club
"The book uniquely includes solid scientific rigor in explanations that help to unravel the many mysteries and curiosities of the weather in the Pacific Northwest. It provides an unsurpassed opportunity to interested laypersons and weather enthusiasts not only to learn about the many weather events that occur in the Northwest but also to understand the meteorological principles that are at the root of their existence."
-Brad Colman, NOAA/National Weather Service
"In this richly illustrated book, Cliff Mass draws on his distinguished research career in the Puget Sound area to provide a fascinating account of the weather and climate of the region.. Covered in separate chapters are floods, snow storms and ice storms, windstorms, sea breezes, land breezes and slope winds, mountain-related phenomena, and even optical phenomena such as mirages that give the impression of 'floating ferries.'.. With this material in hand, anyone can become an informed armchair weather forecaster."
"This book cleverly combines the best of four genres: a coffee-table book, an almanac of typical and extreme weather, a narrative of significant weather disasters in the Pacific Northwest United States, and a scientific discussion of the reasons for this weather.. This book could enhance high-school science and geography classes, and would be an important resource and text book for university undergrads in meteorology survey courses."
-Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society
"Mass' book, The Weather of the Pacific Northwest, is terrific, with great explanations of the many phenomena that impact our region, and with clear charts, graphics, and excellent photos to match."
"The Weather of the Pacific Northwest offers a clearly written, well-illustrated, and interesting look at the varied weather of this region of the country . . . . The book is written so as to be most appealing to the layperson rather than the serious academic researcher. Recommended."
"The book draws on the most current science . . . . It's written in a clear, simple style aimed at the layman, but with enough sophistication and detail to satisfy serious weather aficionados. Colorful photos and graphics enliven the text and make technical concepts easier to grasp."
-Seattle Times
"These captivating facts from a local atmospheric science guru will elevate your chitchat from 'Hey look, it's raining again,' to 'Do you know the origins of the Pineapple Express?' ."
-Seattle Magazine
"The Weather of the Pacific Northwest is a handsome tome . . . . And his book, like few other books ever could, hits us where we live."
-City Living
"We grouse about it. We joke about it. We gab about it. But the one thing many of us seldom do with Northwest weather is develop some knowledge about it. That no longer need be the case with the arrival of Cliff Mass' illuminating new book, The Weather of the Pacific Northwest . . . . an often-fascinating examination of the whys and wheres of this region's complex weather, an appealing volume greatly enhanced by lavish color photos, diagrams and graphs . . . . [and] a worthy new addition to bookshelves throughout this region, especially for residents who would rather garner some insight into Northwest weather and not just grouse about it."
-Seattle Post-Intelligencer
"[The Weather of the Pacific Northwest] may be used to teach 101-level college courses, but it's aimed at us, the weather-using public. There's a sky-spotting index for armchair forecasters, easy-to-follow charts and diagrams, and some disaster lore to help illustrate what happens when low-pressure zones and jet stream deviations collide."
-Seattle Weekly
"A fine and authoritative account of the region's remarkably varied weather."
-Oregon Historical Quarterly


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I'll be honest with you, I don't feel like writing right now. My "creative juices" feel tapped dry, and I don't feel like forcing words onto a blank word document. I just don't.
I've had a long week. There are a lot of things I could be doing right now that I actually feel like doing. However, here I sit with my headphones on, feet propped up, trying to match my typing fingers with the stirrings in my exhausted heart.
Why force it? Well, there are a few reasons; one being that it's my job to write, another being that I like to consider myself a writer. I'm a writer. I write, even if I don't feel like it sometimes.
If I didn't repeatedly tell myself that I was a writer, and if I didn't truly believe that I'm a writer, there would be a lot of blank word documents on my computer. Because what I believe to be true doesn't always match up with how I'm feeling at the moment. Can you relate?
What I believe to be true doesn't always match up with how I'm feeling at the moment.
That means that how I'm feeling shouldn't be the deciding factor of what I do. If I ever want to "make it" as a writer (and I still haven't determined what "make it" means), I will often have to go against the pull to hit snooze or the temptation to scroll through that stinking social media feed one more time.
Though, this will only work if I'm constantly refocusing on who I am, who I want to be, and what I believe to be true. I'll be the first to tell you that the person I want to be is certainly not the person that I am on most days.
For example, I want to be slow to speak and quick to listen, and I can instantly think of a few times that did not happen this past month. Oh yeah, I opened my large mouth way before thinking or listening. If that's not who I want to be, then why did I do it?
Because that's what I felt like doing in the moment. Plain and simple. It felt right, and it felt good.
Though, when I go back to the drawing board, when everything slows down and I sit with my bible and my journal, it's as if the fog begins to rise and my heart drops a little when I realize that my impulse decisions actually did not line up with truth.
Can I tell you something? It's healthy to recognize your mistakes from the day. We live in a world that ferociously shouts, "Do what you feel like doing!" and "Live life without regret!" But the truth of the matter is, we will do things that we wish we didn't do.
If we don't hit pause, take note of our mistakes, and ask God to help us move past them, we will continue to live off of our foggy feelings-based impulse decisions. And as long we do this, we will find ourselves in a constant state of falling and disappointment.
Always falling and never moving forward. Lost in the fog.
If we don't hit pause, take note of our mistakes, and ask God to help us move past them, we will continue to live off of our foggy feelings-based impulse decisions.
I'm not suggesting that we dwell and feast on the things we did wrong every single day. Though, I do think it's important that we take a moment, or two, every single day to remind ourselves who we want to be and what we believe to be true, because our feelings will always be fighting for our attention and can often lead us away from both of those things.
If I didn't clear my mind every day, I would rarely write. Though, because I believe that God uses me to speak through my inadequate words to encourage you (and that's even hard for me to type), I write even when I don't feel like it. If I don't push past my feelings constantly, (and I mean constantly, it's a battle, y'all), I will lose my passion and my purpose. It's happened before, and it could happen again. It's a lonely, deceitful place.
What feelings are leading you down dark, twisty paths of despair? What thoughts are keeping you from getting back up again? Have you lost track of your passions and your excitement for life? Perhaps it's time to go back to the drawing board. Ask yourself, "Are my actions lining up with who I want to be and what I believe to be true?"
Have you lost track of your passions and your excitement for life?
Refocus. Recalculate. Take note of your thoughts and feelings that are not embedded in truth; ask for forgiveness from those you've hurt, forgive yourself, and keep pursuing a life well lived. Wake up from the fog and cling to what is true. Living a life led by truth will be far more rewarding than living a life led by your feelings.
Caitlin Jordan is the managing editor for I Am Second. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@caitlinr_jordan).


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There is nothing as freeing and easy as surfing in your bikini or swimsuit. With no wetsuit or rash guard to pull on, you head into the water after a short warm-up on the sand. As you paddle out the water rushes around you and then there is the spray, ocean breeze, and ultimate freedom as you take a wave. However, this idyllic scene of simple surfing is often plagued with uncomfortable or embarrassing moments in your bathers.
Problems with Most Bathers
Ladies have long moaned about the moment when you hit the water and your bathing bottoms roll halfway up your backside, or worse, a top or bottom that is ripped off in the surf. While the men are able to take on the Gold Coast and Bali's breaks without showing more skin than intended, it is often not true for women. The long and short of it is that the design of most bikinis and bathing costumes is for seeing, not surfing.
On the other hand, sports apparel companies have tried for a number of years to break into the business of active swimwear. These companies know what an athlete needs in terms of functionality, but often miss the mark on style and design. Athletic bikinis were made just for performance, but ignored what women wanted in terms of attractiveness and style. What these apparel companies didn't understand was when it comes to women's bathers, both style and functionality is necessary. Luckily, Hive Swimwear delivers on both objectives.
New Focus for Active Swimwear
More and more girls and women are proving that they are just as athletic, capable, and determined as the boys. As well, these fierce women are showing that they can definitely keep up on the waves and in the pool. Their swimwear should keep up as well. Hive Swimwear makes bathers that allow women to be active without being worried.
For active women, the shape and material of a bikini truly matters. When you buy a bikini online it needs to have enough coverage on top and bottom to be comfortable while moving and be made of a material that clings to the skin and does not slip and slide in the waves. In the past, the options for these less revealing bikinis were plain and uninteresting. While a simple black bather is a great option, it shouldn't be the only option active and athletic women have. Women's swimwear designers agree.
Making Something Pretty
Stripping down to just bathers is difficult for many women. Regardless of size, shape, or athleticism, women often focus on the flaws and imperfections of their bodies. Therefore, taking on the waves is even more difficult when feeling uncomfortable or unattractive in a bikini. Women shouldn't have to feel this way.
Athletic bathers should be attractive as well. A great pattern or sexy shape allows active women to still feel feminine and beautiful while taking part in the activities they love. Feeling good and looking great makes a day out on the surfboard even more fun.


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Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > Myanmar: New Parliament, Sui Kyi and the Rohingyas
Mainstream, VOL LIV No 17 New Delhi April 16, 2016
Myanmar: New Parliament, Sui Kyi and the Rohingyas
Friday 15 April 2016
by Aparupa Bhattacherjee
Despite the opposition from those parliamen-tarains closer to the Establishment, the new parliament in Myanmar has passed a bill providing a new position for Suu Kyi. With the NLD majority within the parliament taking a conscious decision not to upset the existing power structure that prohibits Suu Kyi from becoming the President, the move by the National League for Democracy (NLD) is a compromise and acceptance of the reality. This really augurs well for the democratic transition of Myanmar, as the country cannot afford a hostile approach from the elected members and the Establishment.
But the crucial question is: would the parliament also pursue such a strategy of compromise and address one of the most crucial questions that would help or mar the democratic transition process—that is, the one related to the Rohingyas?
Will the New Parliament address the Rohingya Issue?
Of course, the Rohingya question is not the only issue facing the democratic transition of Myanmar; there are numerous other ethnic divides, militant groups and peace initiatives that the new government and Suu Kyi has to address.
But the Rohingya question demands special parliamentary attention for two sensitive reasons. First, unlike the other ethnic groups, the Rohingyas have a large disadvantage: they are not considered to be Myanmarese in the first place and not a part of the process of the Constitution and parliment. Other groups do have issues and faultlines, but the larger Myanmarese nation and parliament accept them as citizens. Rohingyas are not considered as Myanmarese citizens and have no locus standi in any parliamentary discussion. Second, there is no group or section within Myanmar that could project the views of the Rohingya community. The Rohingyas have neither a militia, as most of the other ethnic groups have, that forces the state to respond, nor do they have a political voice within Myanmar. On the other hand, though divided over numerous faultlines, the Myanmar nation is united in terms of their opposition towards the Rohingyas. And that makes this section different from the other ethnic groups and political processes. Neither are the Rohinyags considered as an ethnic group, nor is there a political process.
So an unfortunate answer for this question—whether the new Parliament would address the Rohingya issue— would be in the negative. No, the new Parliament is unlikely to address the Rohingya issue. First, if one has to go through the NLD's electoral campaign, it remained silent on the Rohingya issue. Perhaps, winning the elections and entering the parliament was the primary objective than talking about national reconci-liation. Though the NLD did speak about political and ethnic reconciliation, it remained silent on the Rohingya issue. Second, the majority in Myanmar do not want even to talk about the issue; they are convinced that the Rohigyas are in fact Bengalis and have no place inside the country. With such a maximalist view, the NLD consciously kept a low profile on the issue.
After winning the elections and having taken control of the parliament, the NLD is not likely to speak up. There are larger issues, starting from finding a prominent role for Suu Kyi within the parliament and addressing the national reconciliation processes with different groups. The Establishment is another issue that needs to be appeased for the NLD. Projecting the Rohingya issue is not likely to get any positive response from the Establishment; hence the NLD will avoid speaking on the subject and look into other issues that it considers vital for its survival and further expansion.
Outside the NLD, none of the other parties is likely to bring up this issue inside the parliament. Nor will the regional parties from the Rakhine region, for example, the Arakan National Party, raise this issue with a positive approach.
Will Suu Kyi address the Rohingya Issue?
If the NLD is unlikely to make it an issue and the parliament unlikely to debate it, the other option is Suu Kyi, the Noble Laureate. Unfortu-nately, her position has also been not so convincing. A new book (The Lady and the Generals by Peter Popham) claims that she was unhappy with the questions in a BBC interview on the Rohingyas and apparently lost her temper with the interviewer. Worse, the book reports that she commented off-air after the BBC Today programme: "No-one told me that I was going to be interviewed by a Muslim." With Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy on the driving seat today, the larger question is: would the Noble Laureate remain silent on the crucial Rohingya issue that is hurting Myanmar's international image?
In Myanmar today, there is so much of hope with the ongoing democratic transition, especially with the NLD taking over power since last month. Although Suu Kyi is barred from becoming the President, Htin Kyaw, her close confidant, has been chosen for the post; hence it could be speculated that the real power will be in her own hands. This is a crucial phase for not only Myanmar's political reforms and democratic transition, but also for its larger national reconciliation process with numerous ethnic groups. There is an ongoing peace process and efforts towards a National Ceasefire Agree-ment with all the ethnic armed forces is the next step. However, this process unfortunately does not include the radical violence against the Myanmarese Muslims, especially the Rohingyas in the Arakan State.
Ethnic solidarity and integration had been given prominence by the NLD in all its pre-election campaigns. Suu Kyi has always stressed on National Reconciliation but, unfortunately, this has not been transformed into action. The newly formed NLD Cabinet seems to consist primarily of the Burmans with only one member from an ethnic minority. On the Rohingyas, she avoids and refuses to state anything when questioned about the problem. When pressed on the Rohingya issue during the above BBC interview, she was reported to have commented: "I think there are many, many Buddhists who have also left the country for various reasons. This is a result of our sufferings under a dictatorial regime."
The Rohingya crisis has attracted the attention of the international media and leaders. Why does Aung San Suu Kyi refuse to voice her opinion about the crisis that has compelled the entire world to sympathise with the Rohingyas?
Why is Suu Kyi Silent on the Rohingyas?
To appease her vote-bank?
Many interpret her silence on the Rohingyas as a part of electoral politics to appease her vote-bank, a majority of whom are Buddhists. Myanmar is approxi-mately 96 per cent Buddhist and four per cent Muslim. It seems Suu Kyi has chosen the heavier side preferring to retain their support rather being concerned about the plight of the four per cent.
Suu Kyi is worried about taking up the cause of minority Rohingyas largely because of the majority narrative in Myanmar in the last few years. Emergence of radical groups and a violent majoritarian narrative on religious grounds has shifted the larger national political discourse. She is cautious perhaps of this larger majori-tarian "Myanmarese" discourse. Though the Rakhine Buddhist and Rohingya rift has been in existence since the 1990s, post-2012 it took a serious and violent turn. The 969 radical Buddhist movement was led by Ma Ba Tha (Association to Protect Race and Religion), and one of the most controversial monks of Asia, Asin Wirathu. This group and the monk openly engage in anti-Islamic propaganda and preach hatred throughout Myanmar. Their openness indicates the support of the ruling elites; to an extent it might be orchestrated by the Tatmadaw elites as well. Subsequently, it also led to the rise of Burmese nationalism with the use of Buddhism. Today any support for the Rohingyas in Myanmar is considered equivalent to anti-Buddhism and, therefore, anti-national. Perhaps this majoritarian politics is forcing Suu Kyi to remain silent.
Is Suu Kyi Islamophobic? This is a new question that is likely to haunt Suu Kyi after the revelation of her BBC interview mentioned above. Mishal Husain, according to reports during her interview, repeatedly asked her to denounce the violence against the Muslims in Myanmar whereas Suu Kyi continued to retain her stand that not only the Muslims, several Buddhists have also suffered.
Worse was Suu Kyi's comment about being "interviewed by a Muslim". This statement has not only resulted in numerous international supporters of Suu Kyi being disheartened, but also compels one to raise another question: does she also have misgivings about the Muslims similar to many of her countrymen and women?
If yes, it will be surprising, given the fact that Suu Kyi has grown up in a multicultural atmosphere and her values are perceived to be multicultural. Aung San Suu Kyi, who had been partly educated in India, is quoted to be a follower of Gandhian philosophy which upholds tolerance as its principal value. Both her later education and life in Britain have been in a multicultural environment before she returned to Myanmar in 1988. Furthermore, she has been bestowed with popular awards such as the Noble Peace Prize and the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. Hence, the above statement from Suu Kyi is not only shocking but upsetting as well.
Is her concern for Rohingyas genuine? There is a different reason for her silence on the Rohingyas. As mentioned by Suu Kyi time and again, if she takes a stand on behalf of the Rohingyas it will make the situation worse for them. The fear here is—it will further infuriate the anger of the Rakhine Buddhists against the Rohingyas. To some extent she is correct. Increasing international focus on the Rohingya suffering has made the Rakhine Buddhists agitated, further deepening the existing rift between the two communities. The anger was evident when Buddhist mobs attacked several international Nongovernmental Organisations including several doctors from Medecins San Frontieres (MSF). Some attacks have also hampered the much-needed aid being delivered to the Rohingyas.
But silence is definitely not a solution to this problem. Given the present situation, the Rohingya crisis has crossed the national boundaries of Myanmar and is perceived as a problem by both South-East and South Asia. It is high time that Suu Kyi breaks her silence on the Rohingyas. With the NLD in power, the parliament should have a reasonable debate on the Rohingyas. Such an approach will also reduce international tensions and pressure on the Rohingya issue and provide more space and time for the new government. In the long run. Such an approach will also help consolidate Myanmar's democratic transition.
Aparupa Bhattacherjee is an independent researcher and focuses on South-East Asian politics, especially Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia.


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A native of Chicago, the Weekender never knew Red Bulls fans actually existed.
Real Red Bulls fans. Real in the sense that Columbus Crew fans were always real. Chicago Fire fans were always real. Seattle Sounders fans were real from day one. Even Galaxy fans were real. They were in a Paul Rudd movie, so it must be so.
But Red Bulls fans? They were an ornery bunch of bridge-and-tunnelers who'd slipped into the MLS ether while new teams came along and spray painted electric green and cobalt on the league mural commissioned when Fredy Montero was still in grade school. They trudged to New Jersey and spent hollow summer nights at Giants Stadium, while every other team on the expansion radar promised and delivered amazing stadiums even in less-than-amazing industrial suburbs like Commerce City or Bridgeview.
Red Bulls fans didn't even used to be Red Bulls fans. They were MetroStars fans. And before that New York/New Jersey MetroStars fans. How's that for an identity crisis? Crew fans were Crew fans. Period. They brown bagged it to work and cheered for Frankie Hejduk and things never changed. D.C. United fans were United fans. Period. They made the stands at RFK rock up and down and things never changed.
But things have changed in New York. A lot. New coach, new stadium, new players. Which leads to the Weekender's confession: When Joel Lindpere rocketed that gorgeous volley off Andrew Dysktra's mitts last weekend and led New York past Chicago in the season opener, it felt good to see Red Bulls fans elate.
They existed after all, patting each other on the backs for Lindpere's blast or for Bouna Condoul's heroics, seemingly forgetting all about 2009, when the league's most important market was the league's worst team.
The league's curious schedule has a light week of games on Easter weekend just one week removed from the opener, but no matter. New York's trip west to Seattle on Saturday night would have been the game of the week even on a full slate, if only for the chance to see Red Bulls fans test their stomachs two weeks into 2010.
Did the Chicago win mean much? Maybe not. Last week's opponent are in flux with no identity yet and a glorified rookie in net. This week's opponent are concrete with Kasey Keller and Freddie Ljungberg and Sigi Schmid and the whole polished bunch, looking every bit the best reason to stand in the rain in Seattle since Nirvana lined them around the block at the Crocodile Café in 1992. (The Weekender didn't know $3 tickets existed either.)
If New York wins this one, maybe the club is as real as those fans. The Weekender will certainly give them that much. Maybe Red Bulls fans can reassert their rightful place on the MLS landscape, not as a bitter league original but a phoenix rising on the PATH train to Jersey.
Theater: Clash of the Titans
The last time Liverpool FC lover Liam Neeson and Chelsea fan Ralph Fiennes shared the screen was in a Nazi holocaust camp in Steven Spielberg's seminal drama Schindler's List. Are the stakes somehow higher this time, when Neeson (Zeus) and Fiennes (Hades) choose sides in Clash of the Titans? Tough call. Regardless, neither of them are Harry Hamlin.
Bookmark: The Big Short
Did anyone but the Weekender wonder why Sandra Bullock never mentioned Michael Lewis on Oscar night? After all, Lewis was the one who did the dirty work: He wrote the novel The Blind Side. Lewis is also famous for making stats geeks baseball's hottest commodity with Moneyball and Gordon Gecko look soft in Liar's Poker, and his new best-seller digs into the sub-prime mortgage morass.
Listen Up: LCD Soundsystem, Sound of Silver
Could the Weekender send Red Bulls fans out there without some New York music? The Internet was abuzz this week over the new single "Drunk Girls" from this NYC dance/punk group, with a much-hyped third album highlighting an already stacked month of May for new releases. Until them, go back and check out the group's 2007 release, which spawned the tailgate must-have hits "All My Friends" and "North American Scum." The latter comes complete with the quintessential line: "New York's the greatest if you get someone to pay the rent." Fuhgettaboutit.
Nick Firchau is a new media editor with MLSsoccer.com. "The Weekender" column appears every Friday.


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Every woman seems to have this problem on some body parts and this is considered as perfectly normal and natural due to weight loss after giving birth or after living for years with extra pounds.Every woman wants to look beautiful, that's why some go extra length in trying to find solution to this welcomed mark.
Here are some natural ways to deal with it:
1. Tablespoon of sugar and few drops of lemon juice with some almond oil.
Sugar is known for its exfoliating effects. To use this natural exfoliant, take a tablespoon of sugar, add in a few drops of lemon juice with some almond oil and stir thoroughly. When this exfoliant is ready, just rub it for a few minutes on the affected area of your skin. Afterwards, rinse the mixture off with warm water and dry. Do this for a month until you discover positive results on your skin.
2. Aloe Vera
Get few small aloe vera leaves, and use these to rub on your skin for a few minutes. Next, rinse the area off with warm water.Do this for 3-4 weeks.
3. Potato Juice
Potatoes enhance the growth and repair of skin cells. Because of these effects, it is not surprising that the juice of this vegetable has been used for eliminating stretch marks. Simply cut a potato into thick slices and just rub these on your skin for 5 to 10 minutes. Once the juice dries on your skin, let it stay for a few more minutes before rinsing off.
4. Olive Oil
Olive oil has been trusted by people as an excellent skin moisturizer because of its hydrating and cooling effect. For stretch marks, you can use this oil by heating it slightly before applying on your skin. The warm oil promotes good circulation of the blood, which will soon help reduce the appearance of the marks. There is no need to rinse the oil off since it is a great moisturizer that can keep your skin smooth and supple.
5. Alfalfa
The leaves of alfalfa are rich in amino acids, which support healthy skin. It is also a good source of protein, vitamin E and K, and these work by ensuring body tone naturally. You can also detoxify your skin using alfalfa leaves because of their anti-fungal properties. To treat marks on the skin, get a small amount of alfalfa powder combined with some chamomile oil. Mix well until a thick paste is formed. Use the paste as a massaging cream on the skin and apply at least three times a day.
6. Cocoa Butter
Cocoa butter is renowned for its anti-aging properties while promoting circulation and reducing stretch marks. Just take a tablespoon of cocoa butter and massage on the affected portion gently. Do this technique twice a day for at least two months until you notice an improvement on your skin.
7. Egg Whites
In fact, the healing property of egg whites comes from the sufficient amounts of amino acids and proteins that repair skin cells efficiently. To prepare the mixture, place whites from two eggs in a bowl, then whip well. Apply a layer of this mixture on the skin either with a brush or by using your fingers. Allow the mixture to dry completely for at least 10 minutes. Then, rinse egg whites off your skin using warm water. Follow on with olive oil to moisturize the area. You may use this technique daily for optimum results.


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One of the current trends in the market place today is buying a "fixer upper" and planning on making a large return on your investment. There are numerous television shows out there showing us how easy it is to accomplish this, when actually it is no simple feat. I've renovated income properties and our family home and I'm hoping to draw from those experiences to provide a short list of things to consider before you purchase a "fixer upper" property.
~ Consider the time and true cost required to complete the renovations and how it will affect your life and your family's life.
~ Hire professionals to ensure what your assumptions about the structure and area it is situated are accurate.
~ Renovating a home you also live in can be very frustrating, from the dust and dirt to the revolving door of trade's people coming through your home.
~ Allowing the time off work to meet with trade's people is a big factor and not having a general contractor to oversee the project may mean things are not being done to your requirements.
~ If you're completing the renovations personally allow for a large time frame to juggle the renovating and your income producing job.
~ Get serious with yourself and determine if you can; for example - drywall, lay flooring or even plumb in a new bathroom.
Knowing what exactly you are getting into is very important to ensure that the renovations don't end up costing more than you anticipated and that the time and money spent on the investment can be recaptured.
All the Best!


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Watch as Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton has a tense confrontation with a young Somali-American woman in Minnesota Tuesday over her checkered past on racial issues.
The Washington Free Beacon reports The woman greeted Clinton and then brought up the "super-predator" remarks she made in the 1990s in support of a tough federal crime bill that Black Lives Matter protesters have deemed overly harsh on minorities.
A protester interrupted a private fundraiser to confront Clinton about the same comment last week.
This time, the conversation was more in the open.
"Well first of all, that comment was made one time," Clinton said. "I've always been in favor of young people [getting more] opportunities."
Clinton touted a speech she gave early in the campaign that included speaking out against racial profiling, but the young woman was unimpressed, asking how blacks could be sure Clinton would be "accountable to black communities now."
"I think, you know, you can look at my history," Clinton said. "I always have been."
"I don't think that's true," the young women said. "[I've looked] at your history and that's not what happened."
"I'm happy to give you more information, and the reason so many black and [inaudible] people across the country support me is because they know me. They know what I've done, and they know that I mean what I say, and I will have a very comprehensive agenda to deal with a lot of the problems," Clinton said.
She added she was proud to have support in the Somali-American community, but the young woman appeared to dismiss Clinton touting having the endorsement of a Somali-American councilman, flustering Clinton.
"You know what, dear?" Clinton asked. "You have a different opinion. He is a Somali elected to the City Council. I'm really proud of that."
The woman said something unclear, to which Clinton responded, "Why don't you go run for something then?"
"I'm working for a Somali-American," she replied as she turned to leave.
"Well, good, good luck to you," Clinton said, laughing.
Photo: Bing


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The Devils' Punchbowl, Hindhead, Surrey, United Kingdom
For 200 years, the Hindhead commons and the Devil's Punchbowl, in Surrey had been divided by the A3 dual carriageway.
In August 2011 the A3 tunnel works were completed and the process to remove the old road began.
This photofilm charts the regeneration of this area of natural beauty, documenting the views of various stakeholders; highlighting the habitat renewal for endangered wildlife species like the silver-studded blue butterfly and the Dartford Warbler.
The notorious A3 at Hindhead was known for its traffic congestion and its accidents, but now with the removal of this once divisive route, the public can now visit the area and freely walk between the two properties as can local wildlife build their habitats unhindered.


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Ovenden West Riding totally outclassed a very poor Tyersal side 10-0 at Bradford in the Premier Division of the West Riding County Amateur League.
A George Bamford hat-trick in the first 20 minutes destroyed the hosts.
Daniel Ratcliffe in the Tyersal goal was beaten in the eighth minute by Bamford after good work by Scott Eastwood and Steve Fullard.
Five minutes later Martin Woodhouse created the opening for Bamford's second from six yards.
On 20 minutes Glyn Beale created the opportunity for Bamford's strike past Ratcliffe.
West Riding were knocking the ball around in fine style and Fullard soon added number four. Two minutes later Woodhouse's free kick from 18 yards made it 5-0.
Eastwood's industry earned him the opportunity to score the next and on the stroke of half time Woodhouse was on hand again for West Riding's seventh.
After the break Tyersal stemmed the tide for long periods but Woodhouse completed his hat-trick from an acute angle.
Debutants Morgan Griffiths and Connor Atkinson completed the rout.
Eli Hey scored a hat-trick as Halifax Irish Club beat third-from-bottom Kirkburton 6-2 at West Vale.
Antony Brown, Leon Hurles-Brook and Matthew Jones got the other goals for Irish, who led 3-1 at the break.
Ovenden are up to second and Irish fifth in the Premier but Huddersfield YMCA, who have won 11 out of 12, are the likely champions.


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GBA Resources
Façade Improvement Grant ("FIG") Program – Administered by the Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC), businesses are eligible to receive up to $3,000 per façade as part of a 50/50 matching grant. Applications must be approved prior to work. For a copy of the application click here. For more details about the program, visit the BDC website.
BaltimoreMICRO – Micro-Loan for businesses with annual revenues less than $1,000,000. Loans range from $5,000-30,000. For information click here.
Enterprise Zone Tax Credits – The Enterprise Zone and Focus Area tax credits can help businesses reduce their Real Property Tax Bill, Personal Property Tax Bill and Income Tax Bill. Click here for the Information Sheet and Application
Other BDC Loan Programs Available – Click here to find out more.
The Neighborhood BusinessWorks Loan Program – The Neighborhood BusinessWorks Loan Program provides gap financing, i.e. subordinate financing, to new or expanding small businesses and nonprofit organizations in sustainable communities throughout the State.
Maryland Microenterprise Loan Program (MLP) – The Maryland Microenterprise Loan Program (MLP) expands opportunities for microenterprise development, creates new opportunities for small business development and sustains local economies in Maryland communities.
Brownfields – BDC may provide assistance with environmental site assessments, and there is potential for tax credits associated with the redevelopment of environmentally contaminated sites or sites that are perceived to be contaminated.
Baltimore Development Corporation
Choose Maryland
Baltimore Open for Business This site provides information to business owners on how to open a business in Baltimore City. On this site, you will find permit and license information and applications, agency contacts and helpful resources to get you started.
LINKS TO PLANNED URBAN DEVELOPMENT (PUD) and URBAN RENEWAL PLANS (URP):
Belvedere PUD
Woodbourne URP
Woodbourne URP Exhibits
Feb. 2006 – York Road SNAP Draft
1999 – Commerce at the Crossroads Belvedere York
York Road Zoning District


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Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health leverage Qlik Sense to support system-wide clinical, operational, academic initiatives
Business intelligence's collaborative and agile solution delivers deep insights to improve patient care, population health outcomes, operational efficiency, and research productivity - a Qlik and Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health collaboration.
As the healthcare industry looks to understand and take advantage of the benefits of business intelligence (BI), local and international industry leaders are already making use of this technology to get ahead.
It is no secret that healthcare providers are facing rising costs, long revenue cycles and bad debt, and the list goes on.
"The South African public are also demanding transparency and accountability following recent events in the healthcare industry. Shifts in the industry have provided a need for BI with a drive towards evidence-based medicine (EBM), pay for performance (P4P), diagnosis-related groups (DRG) and consumer-directed health plans (CDHP), all resulting in capabilities being needed to quickly integrate and analyse BI data across healthcare and hospital systems," says Jane Thomson, MD of South Africa Qlik Master Reseller.
With the use of BI platforms, healthcare providers are able to:
* Improve patient care with shorter wait time from synchronising resource scheduling with patient flow models;
* Improve patient safety from immediate access to consolidated diagnostic information reducing opportunities for medical errors;
* Reduce healthcare operational costs from analyses of resource utilisation, materials stocking levels, purchasing options and supplier performance;
* Optimise revenue cycle management from reducing the time and cost to collect reimbursements; and
* Ensure trust and timely regulatory compliance by delivering on key operational, patient safety and quality of care metrics.
Based on the above, it comes at no surprise that Qlik, a leader in visual analytics, announced Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health have chosen Qlik to further their mission of enhancing patient care through advanced collaboration and aggregated data from clinical, operational and academic departments across multiple partner hospitals. With Qlik Sense, Jefferson is better able to collect, analyse and disseminate data, and make decisions that have long-term effects on the health of current and future patients.
Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health, under the leadership of Stephen K Klasko, MD, MBA, President and CEO, is shifting the conversation surrounding healthcare and population health in the United States. To meet the needs of care teams requiring a visual analytics solution to continue to transform how healthcare is delivered, Qlik Sense is able to centralise large amounts of data coming from various departments and organisations, while ensuring the data is secure, comprehensive and timely. Using Qlik's visual analytics software with innovative technology and re-imagined processes, the organisation can make fact-based decisions that drive value and quality care for the patients, while improving the overall operation of the organisation.
"The data and analytics landscape has changed and we are reimagining how we deliver meaningful insights to caregivers for the benefit of our patients' experiences and health outcomes," said Mouneer Odeh, VP of Enterprise Analytics and Chief Data Scientist at Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health. "Our enterprise analytics vision is to make health, education and discovery smarter. To do this, we must deliver the right insights, to the right people, at the right time, in the right context. This 'precision analytics' concept is changing the way we deliver care, driving operational efficiencies, and improving our research productivity.
"Healthcare organisations such as Jefferson Health are recognising that their ability to drive innovation, value, and market share directly from their information is what sets them apart from the others," said Brad Copeland, Vice President, Qlik. "Having analytic capabilities at the ready enables healthcare systems to see the whole story that lives within their data, which, at the end of the day, enables them to improve the care provided to their patients."


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One of the Originals and the Best - Kids Black Morphsuit! Our best-selling Kids Morphsuit is perfect for a multitude of occasions! You will have the best fun ever (and no one will even know it's you).
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I always thought that when you didn't have much to say, a safe topic to talk about is the weather.
Can you believe this heat?
How about that storm last night?
I heard that it's going to be a cold one tomorrow!
It appears that I was wrong.
Here's the situation. If the weather becomes unseasonably, dangerously cold in your area and schools close...apparently it becomes a MAJOR debate.
I posted this on my facebook page last night after seeing many comments on school district posts that were upsetting to me, both as a parent and a teacher:
Seriously biting my tongue on facebook tonight but I thought I could vent over here.
I live in Delaware and we are getting the coldest temps we have had in
decades tomorrow. So most schools have closed. Parents are complaining
about it and saying that the districts are "insane" and people are
"sissies". Well, I'm about to flip the freak out.
School administrators make the call. Those same administrators
will still be at work tomorrow...cold and ice and all. They are not
insane. They are putting the safety of the students first.
am a teacher. Will I be off tomorrow? I'm not sure yet. But if people
think that teachers are so lazy that they NEVER want to work, then that
is sad. Yes we like a day off here and there. I know almost every
teacher that I know is/would be shocked to be off tomorrow. But WE don't
make the call. WE go to work or not...either way is no biggie to me.
But I do bus duty EVERY morning. I stand outside for 15-20 minutes in
the cold or rain or whatever. Yes, I have gloves and a scarves and a
jacket (like smart asses like to point out) but it is still cold and I
stand there and welcome kids to school with a smile each morning.
We have kids at my school that get bused in from ALL over northern
Delaware. They wait outside for the bus...and some ride over 20 minutes
in a cold, barely heated bus to school. Some kids have to walk to
school. Those are the kids that are being protected when the schools
close. Classrooms were cold today... I am sure they would be way worse
Decisions are made based on the safety of the kids. Period.
Educators aren't lazy people that close down school for "insane" or
"ridiculous" reasons. I am very sorry if you are inconvenienced. I get
that. But such is life. It's a big fat INCONVENIENCE sometimes.
And sometimes it's a surprise day off.
The response to this post was OVERWHELMING. At this time, over 72,700 people have seen the post, 315 people have shared it, and there are 1977 likes and 338 comments. That is a big deal for little old me.
After reading ALL of the responses, I have come to the following conclusions:
You can't please everyone.
And....well....yep, I think that is about it.
Everyone has an opinion. Some people are open to hear the opinions of other, some are not. Some want to state their opinion in an a**hole-ish way. Some are rather polite and mature.
Bottom line is: parents and teachers want what is best for kids. Maybe we don't agree on what is best at that moment. But hopefully we are all doing our best.
And fingers crossed that this ONE very cold day off in the winter of 2014 won't raise a generation of sissies (as this seems to be an odd concern of many). Just tell those kids to MAN UP and get out in the cold...especially those little 5 year olds that would be waiting for a bus this morning. Or just keep them safe and warm inside and call it a day.
I am going with the latter.
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
The day I wrote about the weather.
Posted by Katie@SomewhatSaneMom at 8:53 AM
2 comments:
Very well written!! I agree with you whole-heartedly. Everyone has an opinion. Life would be boring if they were all the same. What is sad is when they believe that their's is the only one that matters. Here's to keeping kids safe!!!ReplyDelete
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Most of our patient's receive Therapeutic Massage and/or Manual Therapy as part of their Corrective Treatment Plan since muscle damage is often secondary to Neurological Disorders and in most cases has been present for many years. To assist the Physical Medicine Departments in Correcting the years of muscle damage that has accumulated we utilize the safest and best practices of manipulation of superficial and deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue using various techniques, to enhance function, aid in the healing process, decrease muscle reflex activity, inhibit motor-neuron excitability, promote relaxation and well-being, and as a recreational activity.
Massage involves working and acting on the body with pressure – structured, unstructured, stationary, or moving – tension, motion, or vibration, done manually or with mechanical aids. Target tissues may include muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia, skin, joints, or other connective tissue, as well as lymphatic vessels, or organs of the gastrointestinal system.
In our professional setting your Therapeutic Massage involves you being treated while lying on a massage table, or sitting in a massage chair to aid in the healing process and to promote relaxation.
Some benefits of therapeutic massage are:
- Headache reduction
- Reduced stress
- Less absenteeism
- Increased energy
- Reduced Fatigue
- Greater ability to enjoy daily life
- Lowered blood pressure
- Reduced back strain
- Improved employee retention


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The jerk chicken at Yardie Jerk is organic, and slow-cooked over a wood fire. Nicely spiced but not searingly hot, the chicken is juicy and really holds the smoke flavor, says rworange. The fresh pineapple ginger punch and sorrel punch are excellent.
rccola was pleasantly surprised by the coconut cornbread, which is "moist and succulent," and not overwhelmingly coconutty. Other sides are wood-roasted sweet potatoes and sweet plantains (both good), golden coconut rice, and rice and peas.
The restaurant is modern and clean, notes rworange, in a kind of fast-food-place way; there are some outdoor tables and a small parking lot.
Another jerk option is the Tuesday special at Anula's Cafe in Oakland. Here the meat is incredibly moist and flavorful, says 10foot5, and served with great rice and beans. Lightly sautéed kale is good on the side, but the curried potatoes don't taste like much. Open since January, Anula's has a few seats at a window counter, but is mostly a takeout joint.
Yardie Jerk [East Bay]
3301 San Pablo Avenue, Oakland
Anula's Cafe [East Bay]
1319 Franklin Street, Oakland
Board Links: Oakland (near Home Depot): Yardie Jerk - Organic Jamaican BBQ "slow cooked over real wood"
Anula's Cafe


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KHK gene
The information on this page was automatically extracted from online scientific databases.
From NCBI Gene:
This gene encodes ketohexokinase that catalyzes conversion of fructose to fructose-1-phosphate. The product of this gene is the first enzyme with a specialized pathway that catabolizes dietary fructose. Alternatively spliced transcript variants encoding different isoforms have been identified. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008]
From UniProt:
Catalyzes the phosphorylation of the ketose sugar fructose to fructose-1-phosphate.
Cytogenetic Location: 2p23.3, which is the short (p) arm of chromosome 2 at position 23.3
Molecular Location: base pairs 27,086,743 to 27,100,751 on chromosome 2 (Homo sapiens Annotation Release 109, GRCh38.p12) (NCBI)


text:
We help banks transform their operations, bring innovation, drive profitability
and optimize resources. Our Next Gen connected services help build future ready
We support mission-critical legacy core banking systems of leading banks in all geographies.
We helped a global bank in modernizing their systems and enhancing transparency and agility in mortgage and lending.
We delivered a comprehensive online Vendor-Dealer Financing solution for a leading bank in India.
We assisted a large Consumer Finance firm in their global expansion strategy and platform consolidation on VisionPlus.
We re-engineered the Asset Liability Management system of a global bank that is used across 100 countries.
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The customer is a multinational bank with presence in more than 25 countries and serving its customers through more than 90 branches.
The customer is a leading global financial services institution. We documented complex business functionalities, integrated the systems to attain cost-effectiveness and data accuracy.
The customer is a major global financial service provider operating in Europe, the United States, the Middle East, Latin America, Australia, Asia and Africa.
For further information please write to firstname.lastname@example.com


text: Lecture Slides for Let's Communicate Douglas M. Fraleigh; Joseph S. Tuman; Katherine L. Adams ©2017 ISBN-10: 1319101925 ISBN-13: 9781319101923 Let's Communicate is everything you want in a human co .....[+]Let's Communicate is everything you want in a human communication text—substantive, engaging, and fun. Created by communication scholars Douglas Fraleigh, Joseph Tuman, and Katherine Adams, Let's Communicate takes their combined 100 years' worth of research and teaching experience to present all the basic human communication concepts with unique attention paid to technology, culture, gender, and social justice. The authors provides provocative, real-life examples and a special focus on skills that together make communication meaningful for students both in and out of the classroom—all at an affordable price. Let's Communicate is also the first human communication text to use hundreds of hand-drawn illustrations that help students understand and retain important concepts. These unique and often humorous illustrations present concepts in graphic form (especially helpful for visual learners), make complex ideas easier to understand, provide hooks to help students remember material, extend concepts, and generate discussion.Let's Communicate matches cutting-edge content with powerful digital tools accessible through LaunchPad, a learning platform that that contains hundreds of videos, LearningCurve (our adaptive quizzing program), various assessment options, video assignment tools, instructor supplements, and a full e-book


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a selection from the drop-down list.
[Before this recording, Genya Ravan had achieved several hit singles as Goldie in Goldie and the Gingerbreads, and she smiles in the center of the photo below. Much in demand, that group toured and performed with many of the household names of the sixties. In her own words, here is her story of a storytale-spontaneous session.]
1966, I went to a studio in London to sing background vocals on a Georgie
session for Island Records. I walked in to work as a vocal section with Maggie
Bell and Dusty Springfield, both friends of mine. And there were Spencer Davis,
Stevie Winwood, and Georgie Fame along with his horn section. So we did a song
(who remembers?).
"Do they show?"
Home Albums Artists Contact Downloads Help Links New Shopping Words
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Nekaj časa nazaj sem skupaj s solato kupila tudi pikapolnico.
Uboga revica je bila precej iz sebe in po fotografiranju je odletela neznano kam.
I purchased a ladybug few days ago. She was hiding in a lettuce and was very confused finding herself in our apartment.
She flew away after photoshoot.


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×Help us improve the quality of this website.
× Thank you for your report!.
My Country No More
Between 2011 and 2016, oil drilling in rural North Dakota reached its peak, setting off a modern-day gold rush in the quiet, tight-knit farm town of Trenton, North Dakota, leaving human memory, culture and identity scorched in its wake.
Genre: Documentary
Actors: Endless Eye Productions
Director: Rita BaghdadiJeremiah Hammerling
Country: United States
Duration: 70 min
Quality: HD
Year: 2018
IMDb: 6.8


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The Lakers can breathe a little easier. They're not the only ones struggling to lure big-name free agents in recent years.
The Dallas Mavericks sustained a serious — and very public — setback when center DeAndre Jordan reneged on a verbal commitment to them and rejoined the Clippers.
It stunned the NBA world, shoving aside the unspoken rule that a promise is a promise, even if it's not actually in writing yet.
The league probably will have to look at this in depth, the NBA helplessly experiencing a good old-fashioned college football recruiting battle, where nothing is ever official until a signature is applied on letter-of-intent day.
Last week's alleged agreement with Jordan was an impressive score for the Mavericks. Then Jordan had doubts about ditching the only team he has known in his seven-year career and agreed to sign the Clippers' four-year deal, not the one from Dallas.
It has become an unfortunate pattern for the Mavericks.
Deron Williams was still a top-notch point guard when he chose Brooklyn instead of them in 2012. Then Dwight Howard chose Houston over Dallas in 2013.
The Mavericks have responded over the years by signing Monta Ellis and Chandler Parsons, solid acquisitions but not franchise cornerstones. In fact, Ellis just agreed to terms with Indiana, leaving Dallas after two seasons.
The NBA has a headache because enterprising Mavericks owner Mark Cuban might be upset. And he might be right.
The league allows eight full days of wining and dining before its annual moratorium on deals ends, at which point players can turn verbal agreements into signed documents.
What's the difference between words and pen strokes? A lot, apparently.
The Mavericks' roster will be substantially weaker without Jordan. They allowed center Tyson Chandler to leave because they wanted Jordan to replace him. Chandler understood, telling reporters that "Business is business" before agreeing to a four-year, $52-million deal with Phoenix within the first 24 hours of free agency.
The Mavericks secured a commitment from Jordan a few days later on a four-year, $80-million deal. Or so they thought. Then they went out and got sharpshooter Wesley Matthews to help shore up their backcourt.
Now their only center is Satnam Singh Bhamara, a second-round draft pick from India.
There are few, if any, centers of note still unsigned, the Mavericks now forced to choose from a pool of Jordan Hill, Bismack Biyombo and other post players with massive holes in their game.
Clippers fans were ecstatic, adopting the "StayDre" hashtag on Twitter as they welcomed home Jordan.
Mavericks fans? Not so much.
"Clips [are] pathetic bro," wrote @scott_kohler41 on Jordan's Twitter feed. "Don't do this to Dallas. Stick to your agreement like a man. Be the focal point, not 3rd wheel. Stay."
But Jordan returned to the Clippers. Another rough turn in free agency for the Mavericks.
Twitter: Mike_Bresnahan


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Backpacking our way through the streets of Peshawar in the early 1970s, my girlfriend and I were politely accosted by a well-dressed, middle-aged businessman who asked if we'd like a cup of tea in a nearby café. So we gratefully took a seat; after the tea had been brought he produced a bundle of rupees and asked me in effect how much I wanted for passing my girlfriend over to him for sex. I declined, obviously, and shortly afterwards we set off again, never to see him again.
The incident however stayed in my mind; thinking it over and trying to work out his mind-set, he obviously had assumed that she was at my disposal, available, and would presumably do as I ordered with no say in the matter. Very strange.
A decade later I came across a book by the French sociologist Juliette Minces, 'The House of Obedience: Women in Arab Society'. I made some notes on it, thought it relevant to the Peshawar incident, but then thought no more of it. Recently however, in the wake of the numerous grooming incidents around Britain, including those in my home city of Oxford, the sexual assaults in Cologne, the incidents in swimming pools on the Continent involving migrant men harassing women, I got my own copy and read it right through. At a time when our society is struggling to come to terms with such events, caught between the desire not to blame whole communities, but also not to ignore what is happening, the book is like a clear light on the issue, which lays out the difficulties we face, but also seems to suggest informed, compassionate and creative ways forward.
Minces, whose book is based on 'observations in the field, during more than four years spent in the Indian subcontinent, Iran, Turkey, Black Africa etc., including two years in the Maghreb and Arab Near East', states that her research resulted in her being 'able to see the sort of lives women led there'; her opening remarks outline the type of upbringing girls usually receive.
'From early childhood, girls are taught obedience. This amounts to thorough-going conditioning and is justified by Koranic law which lays down that women should be respected but also stipulates that their position is inferior to men's.'
In the domestic sphere, she notes, the 'father, her elder brother, her uncle, even her cousins exercise absolute authority over a woman or girl of their family; later, her husband and his family will take over this role'.
In an analysis which accords absolutely with the plight of Muslim women here who reject such subservience, and invariably have to break with their families, she explains that 'Should a particularly courageous woman refuse this tutelage, she will be shunned or physically forced to submit. A woman who has been cast out by her family faces a very hard and isolated life … The isolation of rebellious women is reinforced by the whole community, to whom such behaviour is quite unacceptable There are no institutions geared to help women in this situation: the family has always been considered to be the only possible institution….'
This is the first point at which Minces's observations suggest a positive course of action to be adopted: we must consciously strengthen and support the women's groups and networks that offer support – so there are institutions that can help.
As I write I'm occasionally toggling over to a newspaper article from Aug. 2017, which is headed by yet another mass mugshot of convicted 'mainly British-born Muslim men' - yet another grooming gang, who this time have hailed from Newcastle Upon Tyne. Minces lays out the origins of the types of mentalities that have led to such grooming incidents:
'The birth of a boy' she reports, 'is an occasion for great festivities, even among the poor; God has blessed the family's house. A baby boy will be suckled longer, his mothers and sisters will carry him until a later age, he will be pampered, spoilt, given everything. His caprices will be forgiven and interpreted as signs of future virility'.
Furthermore, as he grows, 'A boy may respect the women of his family but he will despise any woman who does not belong to his family group unless she is a potential bride. As far as he is concerned, an unveiled woman has deliberately put herself on offer'.
Later, the young man embarks on a troubled youth: 'Adolescence starts very early on the sexual level: it is followed by at least ten years of frantic and almost total frustration … This frustration, born of the specific structures of the society and of this long sexually frustrated adolescence, will stay with him for the rest of his life…'
'This psychological frustration is compounded by what one could call a 'psycho-visual' frustration resulting from women's incarceration. Women are rarely seen without a veil. The veil, which protects them when they leave their homes, only accentuates the obsession of adolescents and adult males alike. ….'
Does that not amount to a compelling explanation for the Cologne attacks, for example? If my memory serves me right it was a crowd of mainly young Afghan men, clearly not well educated, recently arrived from their country, and steeped in traditional attitudes to women, who perpetrated the assaults. In a way you feel sorry for them, being unable to achieve meaningful relationships with women. As Minces puts it: 'Women remain as strangers, and are so much part of another world that men feel really happy only among themselves….'
Yet you can also see why local authorities in Stavanger, Norway, alarmed by the number of sexually-motivated attacks perpetrated by some of the migrants they were hosting in their community, initiated a mandatory (and widely reported) programme through which migrants were led through the cultural and social aspects of relating to women in the western world. If a woman smiled at you for example, that did not mean that she was begging for sex.
When such attitudes of repressed sexuality, that the Stavanger classes were confronting, are imported into a Western setting the dangers are obvious. Minces has more to say about the issue. 'The Western woman is not a member of the clan, so everything is permissible, there are no restrictions whatsoever. She is seen as not only approachable but available, since her behaviour is the opposite of what is expected of a 'decent' woman – only the behaviour of a traditional Muslim woman is considered 'decent'. Even more than an Arab woman, a Western woman is seen as potential prey. Any refusal on her part is greeted with astonishment, sometimes with anger, always with aggressiveness. Does her attitude and dress not proclaim that she is on offer to the first bidder? Does she not have the reputation of being 'free' and thus at the disposition of every man?'
'This is part of the reason for the number of verbal or even physical acts of aggression endured by women on her streets. What would an honest woman be doing on the street anyway?'
These last observations have been borne out by reports from young women in Germany, who when resisting sexual attacks have been greeted with absolute fury and even greater violence. 'This naïve cynicism', says Minces, is only explicable in terms of the spoilt child's upbringing which little boys receive….'
Addressing such attitudes should form part of the rehabilitation of convicted members of grooming gangs. And awareness of the need to address such attitudes should also be high on educationalists' agendas, in particular trying to ensure that Islamic schools are challenging rather than perpetuating them.
There is also a need to find opportunities to bring new thinking into the type of self-isolating communities that continue to produce men who see western women as fair game. One of the recently convicted group of Newcastle groomers, for example, during a rant at a female ticket inspector who found him travelling on public transport without a ticket in 2014, had shouted "All white women are only good for one thing, for men like me to f*** and use like trash. That's all women like you are worth."
And the Muslim commentator Yasmin Alibhai-Brown has reported on depressing conversations with Muslim women in northern towns where she found a mirror-image of such attitudes towards the local victims of the gangs; the Muslim activist Mohammed Shafiq of the Ramadan Foundation has also spoken of an incident where the parents of girls who were being groomed went to seek help from a local Pakistani women's group and found that 'the door was literally slammed in their faces'.
So the tacit involvement of women also has to be a matter of concern. 'By their own behaviour' writes Minces, 'by their tenderness and indulgence, mothers create the despots who will eventually rule over their daughters and daughters-in-law, and thereby reproduce the same male traits they themselves have often suffered from'.
Such attitudes are reinforced by what the Casey Report called the 'first generation in every generation' phenomenon, by which 'each generation grows up with a foreign-born parent'. This clearly reinforces rather than challenges traditionalist attitudes, and is an area where host communities can, and should, take action.
One way of clarifying the attitude that Minces identifies is to give it a name, and the term 'Oriental Patriarchy' is potentially helpful in identifying the processes at work. Sadly, Oriental Patriarchy (OP) is increasingly asserting itself in contemporary Britain, examples including the attack on young girls attending a concert at the Manchester Arena, segregation of the sexes in some Islamic schools, attacks on the critics of such practices - such as the labelling of Ofsted as 'racist', the separation of sexes at political meetings held by the Labour Party in constituencies with a high Muslim population, and, let's not forget, the murder of Shafilea Ahmed by her parents, whose 'crime' was to want to train as a barrister rather than be used as a pawn in a land deal which was being set up back in Pakistan.
Sadly, too, there is widespread confusion about the rights and wrongs of challenging OP, with those who rightly fought the reprehensible racism of the 1970s and 1980s seeing criticism of this imported strain of misogyny as continuing the racist narrative of before. It should however, be possible to keep two things in mind – an attitude of goodwill and possibility, combined with a determination to counter and oppose those whose cultural backgrounds can incline them to deny women agency and work for a world where they are kept as subordinates.
Such a world would be antithetical to the values that our society has struggled to build over the past two centuries and more, and the problem for those who want to create it here is that they face opposition – from those within their own communities who regard their mindsets as backward and retrogressive, from the effects of education (as Mary Wollstonecraft put it – 'Enlarge the female mind, and there will be an end to blind obedience'), from clear-sighted women's groups, from the enforcement of equal rights legislation.
But perhaps what those who would live by the codes of OP fear most is the awareness of those in their communities who know perfectly well that there is a bigger life out there for them and their families when they grasp the opportunities western societies can provide.
John Webster


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Like the Titanic
May we remain as calmas the mother tucking in
her two sleepy-eyed children
to bed in their Titanic cabin
as feet pounded and voices swelled
through the outer hall in waves
until an eerie silence
framed the off-kilter place.
And now we kiss our ownon their soft, familiar heads,
hiding our loosened tears in their hair,
shielding their ears and eyes
from what we see is coming
with our own aching eyes -
the unwitting world being veered
into a microwave sea
where the ancient hulls of our genomes
breached by the pulsing waves
despite what the blind captains say
can never be restored.
Let's shut our cabin doorsLet's squeeze our families in daily embraces,
though there will be no stampede.
though there will be no stampede.
make prayers and music to soothe.
Though our DNA be doomed
through irrevocable folly
it does not mean we cannot rally
for moments sheltering peace.


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Friendly Pets Open Doors to New Friendships
A single research study that's been going on since the 1920s shows that pets can make people happier. That's not really news to those of us who love our pets. But the other real benefits of a pet might surprise you.
Pets do make us feel better, but not because they help people live longer. Instead, they can open doors to activities and people—and these are what can help us live longer. Those are just a few of the findings of a research study called "The Longevity Project," reported by scientists with the University of California, Riverside, in March 2011. The study wasn't focused on pets alone, but included pets because they are such an important part of many children's and adults' lives.
For the study, researchers followed 1,500 children as they grew up in the 1920s and beyond. Analyzing years of data about how long these folks lived, they found these results, among others:
- Pets can make people happier or feel better about themselves, compared to those who don't have pets. But pets are not a substitute for friends.
- People who feel loved and cared for also have a better sense of well-being, researchers conclude. That, I think, can include your loving pet.
- "The clearest health benefit of social relationships comes from being involved with and helping others," they report. And when it comes to pets, we conclude, they can be a great door-opener, ice-breaker or entre to get to know other people.
- Researchers also report that the people you spend time with impacts the type of person you become — healthy or unhealthy.
And we say: the people that your pet is likely to help you meet—at dog and cat shows, pet clubs, dog parks, while walking around the block and even at the vet—are other pet lovers who are kind, loving and giving. Just nice folks, like you!
Learn more about these and other findings of The Longevity Project.
Did you find this article interesting? Share it with your friends!


text:
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text:
Bank analyst, Meredith Whitney, said investors should avoid bank stocks at all costs. In the second half of 2010, she expects job losses and a housing double dip. The drop in reported credit card delinquencies was actually the result of new credit card rules which took effect earlier this year. She thinks the financial reform bill will "be very bad" for banks".
When it comes to credit cards, the banks are gaming the payments, because, under the new laws which were designed to appear to protect consumers from self-serving billing practices, only the amount of the payment in excess of the minimum must be applied to higher rate balances. The minimum payment is applied by the banks to lower interest rate balances first.
Elizabeth Warren continues to argue that the loopholes in financial reform which allow the big interstate banks to escape tougher state laws and rules on banks and credit unions create unfair competition, a destruction of a level playing field, and subjects consumers to higher interest rates if not usury. Senator Whitehouse's amendment would close these loopholes and make big banks subject to stronger state laws if they want to do business in those states.
Another financial reform amendment by Senator Durbin would require credit card companies to cease charging transaction fees if the business also accepts debit cards. This will help businesses, but it is expected the credit card companies will pass the lost transaction fees in higher card fees to credit card holders.
April CPI went down one-tenth just as it went up one-tenth in March for an annual inflation rate of 2.2%. Core inflation was unchanged at .9%. Using the 1980's calculation for inflation, inflation would be approximately 9.5-9.6%. Using the 1990's calculation for inflation, inflation would be approximately 5.5%.
In the April meeting minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee meeting of the Federal Reserve, it was observed that business conditions are improving but most anticipated the pick up in output would be slower relative to past recoveries. It is unlikely that consumer spending will be driving economic recovery and the savings rate has dropped. The housing market appeared to have stalled. Commercial real estate activity continued to to fall on deteriorating fundamentals. Small businesses continue to have continuing difficulty in obtaining bank loans. Small and regional banks are vulnerable to commercial real estate loans. If European countries expand fiscal consolidation (cut deficits), the result would likely be slower growth in in Europe and a weaker global economy. As I have noted on several occasions, and as one participant in the FOMC commented, core inflation appears to have been held down in recent quarters by unusually slow increases in the price index for shelter (its composition was changed) and the recent behavior of core inflation might be a misleading indicator of the underlying inflation trend. While inflation remains low to flat, expectations of inflation are increasing among market participants. Again Mr. Hoenig was the sole dissenting vote on "exceptionally low levels of the federal funds rate for an extended period", because he fears it will lead to a build up of future financial imbalances increasing the risks of longer run macroeconomic and financial stability and limit the FOMC's flexibility in when and how it begins to raise rates.
David Beckworth has concluded that a current high unemployment is not cyclical but structural, which means there are thousands of jobs which are permanently gone and will never be refilled. In my opinion, this also means those unemployed over 55 years old will particularly have a hard time find comparable work or comparable pay to their former jobs.
The SEC suspects ETFs fueled the May 6th drop. ETFs accounted for 70% of the securities that fell 60% or more from their price at 2:40 P.M. Bond ETFs did not see sharp drops. Many of the trades involved stub quotes or place holders (one cent) as the result of computer programs.
John Hussman in his weekly commentary is concerned that the ECB's pledge to buy sovereign bonds from European banks will place weak assets on their balance sheet just as the Fed did with toxic mortgage backed assets. I personally do not think they are comparable assets. Hussman sees monetary policy as being only as good as fiscal policy. Unfortunately, the eurozone has removed monetary policy from its member nations control and the Stability and Growth Pact has significantly crippled member nations' fiscal policy applications consistent with internal economic needs. Hussman is also ignoring the current account imbalances within the eurozone. He believes that without a central taxing authority, the eurozone lacks the ability to control deficits. Consequently, he thinks Greece will have to restructure debt, but he is ignoring that the IMF/EU bailout forbids restructuring. He actually thinks Greece and other countries will pull out of the euro, but he is not acknowledging that that would require withdrawal from the European Union in totality, which is very unlikely and difficult to happen. He sees tepid wage growth for the next several years and inflation not being a factor until the last half of this decade.
Congress will be considering a mish-mash conglomerative bill which includes several diverse issues: a 30 day extension of jobless benefits, retroactive reinstatement of expired tax cuts, summer jobs, police and teacher jobs, and increased taxes on investment fund managers from 15% capital gains to 35% as well as other oil barrel tax, a three year delay in Medicare payment cuts to doctors, etc. These bills are designed to have a little something for each party and often end up either mired in controversy.or whisked by the wind.
Hundreds of cases have been referred to the Justice Department over several years involving bid rigging of municipal bond sales by financial advisors and traders, including banks. This also involved the sell of interest rate swaps to local governments that backfired. The process was pervasive and may have involved many, if not most, of the largest banks.
Pinalto, Cleveland Fed President, sees a gradual recovery and low inflation. She sees high unemployment and overwhelming cautiousness by consumers and businesses as a major impediment ("headwind") to recovery. Kohn, Fed vice-chairman, sees keeping future price expectations intact as vital with interest rates are very low. Unanchored expectation would be risky and far too costly. He addressed the uncertainty of determining proper price stability, asset bubbles, asset purchases and sells, and balancing financial stability. Dudley, New York Fed President, said the recovery will not be robust, household deleveraging started last year, and the transitory inventory boost to GDP is over. Tarullo, Fed Board Governor, in Congressional testimony said the European credit crisis could spill over and cause U.S. bank losses on credit exposures.
The passage of the Senate financial reform bill has a variety of winners and losers, but it is going to Conference Committee with the vastly different House version and in conference committee anything can happen and a bill could emerge which is vastly different from the two which went into Conference Committee. You can expect many amendments which were not debated publicly and the bank and financial services lobbyists will have their knives out and counter attacks washing across the Conference Committee like the waves of the ocean.
Economic information we did not get to on the show:
The IMF said the European Union fiscal tightening will slow recovery.
The new UK government will cut $8.75 billion in spending.
Japanese core machinery orders were up 5.4% in March.
EU plans hedge fund crack down with rules to control pay and borrowing as well as force disclosure of investing information. Some think this will discriminate against U.S. hedge funds and other none EU funds.
Germany unilaterally and without consultation with other EU countries banned short selling of equities and sovereign debt swaps. It had negative effect on the markets, but it is essentially meaningless without action by other countries as the trades will just be executed in other foreign markets.
Eurozone CPI was up .5% in April on rising energy prices. CPI was up 1.5% vs year ago.
UK CPI was up 3.7% April vs year ago with higher food and tobacco/alcohol taxes.
Chinese CPI is expected by the government to rise 3% vs year ago in May and June.
Dubai World reached a tentative agreement with creditors to restructure $28.5 billion in liabilities.
Japan's economy grew 4.5% (expected 5.4%).
Spain's lar4gest union may call for a general strike.
Greek demonstrations were mild after last week's violence,
Print Page
- ProMarket.org - The blog of the Stigler Center at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business


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Applied Instructor Skills (AIS) Training
An Applied Instructor Skills (AIS) Training Opportunity was held August 12, 2017 at the Penn State Worthington-Scranton, PA campus.
The group represented a combined 342 years of experience in training and education, with an estimated combined round trip mileage of 15,126 miles.
Photo (left to right): Bob Kennedy (New Haven CT); Howard Forman (Tappan Zee NY); Russ Miller (Greater North  NJ); Joe Shedlawski (Greater North NJ); Chet Frame (instructor, EL Paso TX); Jim Timmons (New Haven CT); Suren Palakkal (Triangle NC); Michael Ford (instructor, NEPA); Don Sheldon (TIER NY); Wout Verwoerd (Netherlands); Eugene O'Gara (PAN PHIL PA).