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Recent Blog Posts
Beginning Wednesday, May 1, 2019, FREDericksburg Regional Transit (FRED) will start early morning and late afternoon feeder bus service between Aquia Towne Center, the north VDOT commuter lot on Route 610/Garrisonville Road and the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) station in Quantico, VA. The service is made possible through a partnership among Stafford County, the Federal Transit Administration, the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation and FRED, and Marine Corps Base Quantico.
In the morning, the new service will meet VRE trains 302 (departing Quantico for Washington at 5:40 am) and 312 (departing for Washington at 7:41 am). In the evenings, the new service will meet southbound VRE trains 303 (arriving at 4:15 pm) and 311 (arriving at 6:20 pm). The service will operate Monday through Friday, except on Federal holidays.
The first bus in the morning will depart FRED Stop #36 at Aquia Towne Center at 4:45 am, stop at the FRED shelter at the north VDOT commuter lot off of Route 610/Garrisonville Road, travel north on Route 1 to Stop #502 at the intersection with Acadia Street (at Potomac Hills development), continue north where it will make two stops in the Quantico Corporate Center, and then onto the Marine Base to the VRE station. On the return trip the bus will depart the train station at 5:35 am and make stops on base at the Marsh Building and the Davis Building before returning to Aquia Towne Center by the reverse route.
The second morning bus will depart Aquia Towne Center at 6:30 am and follow the same route as the first bus. It will depart the train station at 7:20 am and return to Aquia Towne Center at 8:10 am.
Upon entering the Marine base, all passengers will be required to show a valid picture ID. The ID may be a Virginia or other state driver's license, an ID issued by the Federal government, or a state-issued picture ID in lieu of a driver's license.
The first bus in the afternoon will depart the VRE station at 4:25 pm, with stops on base at the Marsh Building and the Davis Building, the Quantico Corporate Center, Acadia Street, the north VDOT commuter lot and Aquia Towne Center. The bus will then return by the reverse route to meet the VRE train at 6:30 pm FRED Transit Quantico VRE Feeder Service 2 and return by the same route noted above, returning to Aquia Towne Center at 7:20 pm.
The morning service will also allow travelers to connect at the VRE station with OmniLink bus service to Prince William County operated by the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission (PRTC) at 5:30 am and 7:22 am. The afternoon service will allow OmniLink connections at 3:34 pm and 5:56 pm.
The schedule and map for the VRE feeder service may be found here.
To introduce the service to our customers, the FARE WILL BE FREE FOR THE FIRST TWO MONTHS. Beginning July 1, 2019, the one-way fare will be $1.75. Regular riders may find it advantageous to purchase discounted monthly passes for $60.00. Please check with your employer to determine whether you can use your commuter benefits to purchase tickets. Senior citizens 65 and over, Medicare recipients, and the disabled travel at half fare or $0.85 per trip.
All FRED buses are wheelchair lift equipped.
If you have any questions about our new service, please contact: Craig Reed, Manager of Policy and Planning at email@example.com. For information about all FRED services visit www.rideFRED.com.
- What is the "S" Schedule?
- February 5, 2016
The "S" stands for "special". Trains marked with an "S" operate every VRE service day, and they are the only trains that operate when VRE is on its "S" schedule. "S" schedule days typically occur during times of inclement weather or around certain holidays. The decision to run an "S" schedule is typically made the evening prior, or very early in the morning, before service starts. Service updates are passed to our riders via Train Talk emails, website updates, Facebook, Twitter and alerts to local media outlets.
- VRE Prepares for Winter Weather
- January 20, 2016
When a winter storm is projected to affect our region, VRE works with our host railroads, the National Weather Service and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to help determine if conditions will allow for the safe operation of our trains.
As always during winter weather, safety is our main priority. While we work diligently to keep the trains operating and on-time, inclement weather can impact our ability to provide normal service. Another key component to safe VRE operations is the ability for you to reach our stations safely.
When we have service during and after winter weather, we want to make sure the lots and platforms at our stations are clear of snow and ice. We utilize a combination of our facilities contractor, VDOT, jurisdiction crews and third party private contractors to clear the lots, depending on who has responsibility for the specific facility. Our facilities crews begin clearing and treating the platforms the day before weather is expected, and continue through the night if necessary to keep everything clear. If you do arrive at a parking lot or platform and notice patches of ice or snow, please contact us at email@example.com and we'll get it addressed. We also activate our snow removal plan working with VDOT, the local jurisdictions and our own contractors to clear parking lots, sidewalks and platforms.
In the event that we do need to cancel service, or operate on a modified schedule, we will get that information out as early as possible, usually no later than 4:15 a.m. of the affected service day. All information will be posted to our website at www.vre.org, on our Twitter and Facebook accounts, through Train Talk text and email alerts, on our station signs and our information hotline, 1-800-RIDE-VRE. VRE also contacts local media including TV, radio and traffic reporters.
While we do take the decision by the Office of Personnel Management into consideration regarding the operation of the Federal Government, it does not necessarily dictate whether or not VRE trains operate. We realize that many of our riders are not employed by the Federal Government, or are considered essential personnel who need to get to work, we still make every effort to offer at least an "S" schedule operation.
Stay safe this winter and thanks for riding VRE!
- Types of Common Rail Systems
- August 16, 2013
Rail transportation has been around since the early nineteenth century. It replaced America's network of canals, inland water steam navigation and other early forms of transportation. However, it has yet to be replaced as a key facet in America's transportation portfolio. Given rail transport's tremendous efficiency and cost effectiveness, there are many different forms of rail in use today. Ranging from small to large, they all serve a basic purpose: to move people and freight. Here is a basic overview of the railroad industry's main components.
Class I Freight Carrier: Generally focused on moving freight, a Class I railroad is defined by the Surface Transportation board as having in excess of $250 million dollars in annual revenue. Class I railroad companies own and maintain a huge network of routes connecting different locations and mainline tracks spanning several states. They possess a large fleet of locomotives and railcars suited to shipping many different kinds of materials. The Class I carriers are Canadian Pacific Railway, Norfolk Southern Railway and CSX, Union Pacific, BNSF, Canadian National and Kansas City Southern. Collectively, these companies make up a large majority ownership of all operable tracks in the United States.
Class II or "Regional" Freight Carriers: These railroads are smaller than their Class I brethren in both track-miles and revenue. A regional railroad is classified as earning less than $250 million but more than $20.5 million in annual revenue. Regional railroads often own mainline track routes to move goods long distances but often have a network of slower speed secondary tracks that branch out and connect with factories and mills that may not generate or receive as many shipments as industries on a Class I system might. Regional railroads play an important role by providing small companies with access to the major rail infrastructures across America and generating traffic for Class I railroads. Some examples of Regional carriers in America are the Reading & Northern Railroad, Wheeling & Lake Erie and the Maine, Montreal & Atlantic System.
Class III or "Shortline" Freight Carriers: Short-line railroads are often the smallest of the point-to-point rail systems in America. Their trackage territory can range from only a few miles and upward. Their official classification is contingent upon annual revenues being less than $20 million dollars annually. A large percentage of American short-line railroads are slower speed "branch line" tracks that were sold off by larger railroads. Short-lines often only have a few locomotives but can provide greater levels of attention to customers on its lines than a larger railroad carrier with many customers and lines. Some examples of short-line railroads in America are Lehigh Railway (56 track miles), Towanda Monroeton Shippers Lifeline (6 track miles), and Delaware-Lackawanna (85 track miles).
Class I National Passenger Carrier: After most railroads were permitted to abandon passenger service in the mid twentieth century, Amtrak was formed by the US Government to preserve passenger service with federal funding given its unprofitable nature. Today, Amtrak officially qualifies as a Class I carrier due to the level of revenue it receives. It utilizes a network of its own tracks and over track usage rights on other railroads to provide service in most regions across the country.
Regional Commuter Carrier: Also known as Commuter Rail, Virginia Railway Express finds itself in this category. These carriers can either operate on a network of privately held right-of-way or can operate over host railroad territory. Regional Commuter carriers are generally found around dense urban areas. Regional carriers generally own or lease their own fleet of specially built passenger equipment capable of speeds of up to 79 mph and most often operate under partnerships with a transportation authority or government agency. Some other examples of Regional Commuter carriers would be the Trinity Railway Express, based in Texas, SEPTA Regional Rail Division, based outside of Philadelphia, and New Jersey Transit Regional Rail, based in Northern New Jersey.
Closed System Rapid Transit: This system will most often operate on its own network of trackage within a city or connecting two major population centers. The defining difference between this system and other previously listed systems is train frequency. Within a rapid transit network, there are generally a large amount of connection options and routine train arrivals and departures without interference from other types of trains (closed system). The equipment is generally electrically propelled, versus conventional diesel-electric locomotive use. An example of this type of system, locally, is Metro. Nationally, another example is New York's MTA.
- Rail Jargon 101
- August 16, 2013
Ballast – Selected rock material placed on the roadbed for the purpose of holding the track in line.
Cab – The space in the locomotive unit containing the operating controls and seats for the engine crew. Cab can also be located in select passenger cars, known as cab cars.
Conductor – Railroad employee in charge of the train.
Continuous rail – Rails of standard length which are welded together at the ends to form a single rail of a considerable length.
Coupler – A device located at both ends of all cars in a standard location to provide a means for connecting one rail car to another.
Deadhead – Train going from one location to another without taking on passengers.
Dispatcher – Employee responsible for directing and controlling the movement of trains.
Engineer – Operator of a locomotive.
Extra board – A list of unassigned employees available to work, normally in the place of the regularly assigned crew.
Flagman – An extra crewman used to flag rail traffic around construction sites.
Frog – A device made of rail sections that permits the wheels on one track to cross another rail of an intersecting track. Resembles an "X" or a frog with legs extended.
Gauge – The distance between the heads of the rails, measures at a point 5/8" below the top of the rails. Standard gauge in the United States and Canada measures 4 feet and 8.5 inches.
Grade Crossing – A crossing at the same level, either between track of different railways or between railway tracks and public crossings (highways and roads).
Hot Box – An overheated axle bearing caused by excessive friction between bearing and axle due to lack of lubricant or the presence of foreign matter.
Hot Box Detector – A wayside infrared sensing instrument used to identify overheated axle bearings, usually placed about every 20 miles.
Hours of Service Law – The Federal statute which provides that all train and engineer crews must be relieved of duty after 12 hours of continuous service.
Maintenance of Way Equipment – Equipment designed for working on tracks and railroad right-of-ways.
Rail – A length of track, usually 39 feet long.
Right of Way – In the strictest sense, land or water rights necessary for the roadbed and its accessories. However, it is now loosely used to describe property owned and/or operated over by a railroad.
Single Track – A main track upon which trains are operated in both directions.
Switch (Turnout) – A device consisting of two movable rails, necessary connections, and operating parts designed to turn a train from the track on which it is running to another track.
Train Order – A written mandatory directive governing the operation of trains that is issued by the train dispatcher.
- The Juice Train
- August 9, 2013
If you served up a tall glass of Tropicana O.J. this morning for breakfast, you're not alone millions of gallons of Tropicana's most famous juice travels from Florida up the East Coast five days a week, and the company doesn't call upon trucks to do it. Rather, trains have been the preferred mode of transportation ever since 1970, with the so-called "Juice Trains" becoming the object of huge affection, with fan clubs, photography collections and even online discussion groups created to celebrate the big orange and white cars that help deliver one of America's favorite drinks.
But before 1970, getting Tropicana juice into the hands of its thirsty customers was no easy feat. When the company was first founded in 1947, it depended on hand-delivery to nearby Floridian homes, but as demand grew—particularly in the Northeast—a ship named the S.S. Tropicana was called into service in the 1950s, taking 1.5 million gallons of juice to New York each week. (One of Tropicana's first Manhattan customers, the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, had a standing order for 1,000 gallons of juice and fruit jars each week.)
By 1970, Tropicana realized it needed even faster and more frequent service. So in 1961, the S.S. Tropicana made its final voyage, and the concept of using a "juice train" to carry Tropicana's product was born. Originally a single, insulated boxcar that carried orange juice in bulk once a week from Florida to Kearney, N.J., the Juice Train expanded quickly. By the following year, the company was operating two 60-car unit trains a week, each carrying about one million gallons of juice. On June 7, 1971, the "Great White Juice Train" (the first unit train in the food industry, consisting of 150 100-ton insulated boxcars fabricated in the Alexandria, Va. Shops of Fruit Growers Express) commenced service over the 1,250-mile route. An additional 100 cars were soon incorporated into the fleet, and small mechanical refrigeration units were installed to keep temperatures constant on hot days. As a result of its focus on rail, Tropicana saved $40 million in fuel costs alone during the Juice Train's first 10 years in operation.
Today, the Juice Train, cooled to 34 degrees, departs five days a week, carrying juice from more than 400 Florida groves to your glass with as much speed as possible. (Incidentally, the first "Great White Juice Train" is still in operation today.) The look of Tropicana's rolling stock has also changed over the years, including orange, white, and blue cars, all designed to better advertise its famous cargo.
A reliable and economically viable transportation mode, the Juice Trains now also run 10 trips each week to Jersey City, N.J., and Cincinnati, Ohio, while additional shipments with specially equipped refrigerated cars now travel 3,000 miles by rail to California, as well.
Not surprisingly, the Tropicana-CSX Juice Trains have been the focus of countless efficiency studies and have received numerous awards, primarily because the Juice Trains are a great example of how modern rail transportation can compete successfully with trucking and other modes to carry perishable products.
- Safety Concerns
- July 31, 2013
As we've said before, at VRE, our top priority is your safety. Here are some examples of things that you the rider can do to keep yourself safe.
Crossing the Tracks/Trespassing
Remember that you should only cross the railroad tracks at designated railroad crossing locations. Do NOT walk on the railroad at any time. It's an extremely dangerous situation, and it's illegal, too—in the Commonwealth of Virginia it is illegal to cross a railroad track outside of a marked crosswalk. Doing so is considered trespassing and puts you at risk of citation and fine up to $250.
Railroad tracks are not only inherently dangerous because of passenger and freight trains traveling as fast as 60 to 80 miles per hour, but also because the ballast and the oil residue from diesel locomotives make it a prime environment for slips and falls.
Some choose to cross at sharp curves in the track with zero sight warnings of an approaching train, and because there's no road crossing there either, there's no whistle warning.
Unfortunately, examples of tragic accidents are not hard to find and pedestrians have been struck and killed while crossing the tracks at marked crosswalks by what is commonly referred to as the "second train," i.e., a train on a second track that can be moving in either direction at substantial speed.
The 'second train' is a real issue now at our Quantico, Fredericksburg, Alexandria and Woodbridge stations. Track improvements there have allowed track speeds to increase, so approaching trains are coming at a much faster pace. People tend to walk around the end of a stopped train, not realizing a second train is approaching or, they'll see one train pass and start to cross, oblivious to a second approaching train because they're so focused on the one they see right in front of them. It all leads to tragedy
People walk with their heads down, they have their iPod headphones jamming in their ear, or they're focused on a cell phone conversation. The result is a loss of situational awareness which can lead, quite honestly, to death. We simply cannot state the facts more clearly: Never ignore or go around flashing red lights and a horizontal gate. Never cross a railroad track anywhere but a crosswalk. And always look and listen if you want to live.
Attempting to Board a Moving Train
Have you ever thrown a basketball from mid-court towards the hoop in hopes that you will make it? What are the chances that you'll miss? Now imagine that you are the ball, and the hoop is a door on several tons of steel moving above a set of steel wheels. Would you still be willing to risk missing that shot, considering that to miss could mean the loss of your life or limb?
In the past, we've had some of our less "thoughtful" passengers foolishly attempt to run and jump into or out of the train when the doors were closing. Obviously, this is dangerous and those trying to board have fallen and injured themselves in the attempt. Luckily no one has died.
When the doors close, this means a train is ready to start moving. When those train doors begin to shut and the warning sound begins to beep it is already too late…you are now catching the next train.
Never attempt to board (or exit) a moving train. To do so will result in your immediate expulsion from that train.
Be safe. Arrive to the platform on time. Never run. In this case, a mindless decision could be your last. It's just not worth it.
Stay Behind the Yellow Line
Always be aware of one's surroundings. For example, if you are standing near the yellow line on a very crowded station platform with people jostling to maneuver through the crowd, it is possible to be accidentally bumped off the platform. Also, trains passing the stations are not required to slow down if they are not scheduled to stop.
The wind generated by these passing trains can snatch a newspaper or hat very quickly, catching you off guard. Even worse, if a railcar happens to have a loose cable or a shifted load that inspections or detectors have failed to detect, they can cause harm to those who are crowding the edge of the platform. For your own safety, please stay back from the edge of the platform and remember that the yellow tactile strip is not intended to protect you from anything, it's only a minimal line of protection to prevent slip and fall accidents near the edges while boarding.
Passenger Emergency Intercom (PEI)
All of VRE's new train cars are equipped with passenger emergency intercoms (PEIs) in the event that a passenger needs to reach a train crew member immediately. The PEIs can be found on each end of every train car, in the aisle adjacent to the stairwell. To alert and speak with a train crew, push the red button. In order to identify the exact train car in which you are riding so that the train crew will know where you're located, look above the red button for an identifying number, i.e., "V863, A-End."
Operation Lifesaver
Operation Lifesaver is an organization designed around rail safety. Below are some of Operation Lifesaver's common sense precautions and important tips to ALWAYS keep in mind when traveling by car or by foot anywhere near a railroad station or track:
- Freight trains do not travel on a predictable schedule; schedules for passenger trains change. Always expect a train at every highway-rail intersection.
- Train tracks are private property, no matter which railroad owns them. Trains have the right of way 100 percent of the time — over ambulances, fire engines, cars, the police and pedestrians.
- If there are rails on the railroad ties, assume that the track is in use, even if there are weeds or the track looks "rusty."
- A typical locomotive weighs approximately 400,000 pounds, or 200 tons. When 100 railcars are added to the locomotive, the train can weigh approximately 6,000 tons. The weight ratio of an automobile to a train is proportional to a soda can and an automobile.
- A train may extend three feet or more outside the steel rail, which makes the safety zone for pedestrians well beyond the rails themselves.
- Trains cannot stop quickly. It is a simple law of physics: the huge weight and size of the train and the speed of the train dictate how quickly it can stop under ideal conditions. A 100-car freight train traveling at 55 miles per hour will need more than a mile to stop — that's approximately 18 football fields — once the train is set into emergency braking.
- Stop, look, and listen. Modern trains are quieter than ever, with no tell tale "clackety-clack" sound. Also, an approaching train will always be closer and moving faster than you think.
- Trains can move in either direction at any time. Trains are sometimes pushed by locomotives instead of being pulled. This is especially true in commuter and light rail passenger service.
- Cross tracks ONLY at designated pedestrian or roadway crossings. Observe and obey all warning signs and signals.
- Never walk down a train track; it's illegal and it's dangerous. By the time a locomotive engineer can see a trespasser or a vehicle on the tracks, it is too late. The train cannot stop quickly enough to avoid a collision.
For more information about Operation Lifesaver's mission and educational resources, please visit www.oli.org.
- The Quiet Car
- July 17, 2013
Ever since the debut of VRE's Quiet Cars, we've intended for them to be restful, peaceful and quiet, but not necessarily tombs of complete silence. We urge everyone who plans to ride in a Quiet Car to please review the guidelines and respect your fellow quiet-seeking passengers.
Please do:
- Set your cell phone to vibrate, or turn it off. (And, kindly move to another car if you must make or take an incoming call.)
- Whisper—briefly—to your neighbor.
- Send text messages from your PDA or cell phone.
- Listen to music using headphones (but quietly enough that your seatmate doesn't have to hear it).
- Type on your computer quietly.
Please don't:
- Converse with your neighbor.
- Talk on your cell phone, even at low volume.
- Set the volume so high that others can hear what you're listening to through your headphones.
- Use electronic games or other devices that cannot be silenced.
The Quiet Car is the car located closest to the locomotive, normally, the southernmost car on the train. It can be easily identified by Quiet Car signs.
Seating in this car is provided on a first-come, first-served basis.
Should a passenger have an issue with another rider's noise making, please see a conductor to have the issue resolved.
Below are some answers to a few of the most frequently asked questions about Quiet Cars:
Why the Car Behind the Engine?
We needed to choose an easily identifiable car. With this in mind, we decided that it either had to be the cab car or the car behind the engine. It was decided that the cab car is generally louder, so the car behind the locomotive was chosen. Because the bathroom is generally found in the cab car, the flow of passengers to and from this car in generally greater.
How is Quiet Enforced?
Those seated in the Quiet Car are expected to be polite at all times. Should there be a problem, please see a conductor.
What If I Need to Make or Receive a Call on My Cellphone?
Please don't use cellphones while in the Quiet Car. If you must leave your cellphone on, switch it to the vibrate function so that its ring won't disturb others. Kindly move to another car if you must make or take an incoming call.
What If My Seatmate's Music is Too Loud?
Quiet does not mean implicit silence. A certain amount of tolerance of noise is necessary. If needed, politely remind your seatmate that they are riding in a Quiet Car and ask that they monitor the volume of their music. We have experienced instances when passengers are more aggressive in confronting their fellow riders. Certainly, we do not condone this behavior.
Can I Chat with Fellow Riders If I Whisper?
If you must communicate with a seatmate, please whisper quietly. If you find yourself needing to whisper the entire ride, it might make more sense to ride in the non-quiet cars.
There is a bathroom on the Quiet Car, doesn't this defeat the purpose of quiet?
We place bathrooms on board the train so that riders never have to walk more than 2 or 3 cars. Unfortunately, we cannot always guarantee where the exact placement of a car with a restroom will be since cars often get switched out for maintenance. This will only be a temporary change and the Quiet Car will eventually go back to being bathroom free, but only after these periodic maintenance checks are completed.
Can the Conductor Turn Off His Radio When in the Quiet Car?
We want to preserve a quiet atmosphere for the comfort of our riders. However, we cannot request that our conductors silence their radios while in this car. Instead, we ask our crews to temporarily lower the volume of their radios as they walk through this car and to station themselves in another car. This helps to reduce the disruption of quiet for our passengers.
What Should I do If a Fellow Rider Continues to Cough or Sneeze? Obviously your seatmate is not intending to be discourteous. So, if those around you have to cough or sneeze, there's no need to glare or complain. Offer them a throat lozenge or cough drop.
Again the Quiet Car is meant to be relaxing but not necessarily completely silent. If the occasional ruffle of a paper is still too much noise for you then you may wish to invest in noise cancelling head phones. Otherwise, we hope you enjoy the Quiet Car.
- Free Ride Certificates (aka: FRCs)
- July 11, 2013
Virginia Railway Express is one of only a few transit agencies that GUARANTEES its on-time performance. If a VRE train enters a station 30 minutes or more behind schedule, passengers detraining from that point forward are entitled to receive one "Free Ride Certificate" good for a FREE one-way trip on VRE.
"Free Ride Certificates" are only distributed on the affected train the same service day of the delay. Like a Single-Ride or Ten-Ride ticket, FRCs MUST be validated in the platform ticket vending machines prior to boarding. Once validated, FRCs should then be displayed on the train for inspection by a conductor.
I'm a Monthly ticket holder, what good are FRCs to me?
Many monthly riders have told us that they save their FRCs for when they want to take vacations and then use the FRCs along with a Ten-Trip ticket so they do not have to pay for the cost of a full Monthly ticket. Hopefully, this strategy works for some riders.
Can expired FRCs be exchanged for new ones?
No. Be sure to check out your FRCs expiration date. If you don't use them up by this date, they will no longer be valid.
My train was late but I didn't get an FRC, what do I do?
If a train is late and FRCs are not distributed on the train for any reason (often the train is too crowded for crews to get through the cars and distribute FRCs) you are still entitled to a Free Ride. You can request your FRC from our office using an FRC Request Form.
My train was cancelled, am I still entitled to a Free Ride Certificate?
Yes. Please send us an FRC Request Form along with a copy of your valid ticket.
As much as we want to run a perfect service, we know that sometimes delays are going to happen and this is our token of apology. FRCs are just another measure that VRE takes to try to provide our riders with the most pleasant, consistent and reliable service possible.
(P.S. if you know of another transit agency out there that guarantees its on time performance, please let us know...we're curious).
- Train Delays
- July 9, 2013
Now that the warm weather is here, you have probably noticed that it is accompanied by speed restrictions most often related to heat and flooding. These restrictions are necessary for safety, but inevitably, cause delays. There are many reasons for delays and below, we try to highlight some of the major ones:
Heat related speed restrictions:
What exactly is a heat restriction? In short, heat restrictions are orders given to railroad engineers to reduce their speed over a given section of track between the hours of 1:00 pm and 7:00 pm when the ambient temperature is predicted to be 90 degrees. Passenger trains must operate 20 mph slower than their maximum operating speed.
For all practical purposes, that usually means VRE's trains can run at 50 mph during a heat order. But why impose these heat restrictions?
Trains ride upon two ribbons of steel. This steel has been metallurgically engineered to be incredibly strong and stable, yet incredibly flexible. This flexibility, which serves well in the creation of curved track and during periods of exceptional cold (when rail remains strong) can be a double edged sword. When many miles of rail are subjected to intense heat, the rail becomes incredibly hot. The stone track-bed and the consistent lack of shade do nothing to help this problem either. Since the rail is firmly anchored into the wooden railroad ties, it has little room to move, which helps to keep trains moving at great speeds stable. As we all learned in elementary school, heat causes expansion and the superheated rail can increase in length measuring in several inches over a great distance. Since there cannot be any gaps in a rail to allow for this expansion, pressure builds up in the rail as it tries to expand lengthwise but can't. With no room to expand, the rail can bow outward like a plastic ruler squeezed at each end between your fingers. It pulls the wooden ties right out of the stone track-bed with it and creates a sharp curve. When this occurs, the track has what is known as a "sun kink" or "heat kink".
These occur without warning and if unchecked, can create a very unstable operating situation for a train.
When railroad maintenance officials see that conditions may be right for such a situation, they issue heat warnings and our trains end up travelling slower, because higher speeds add to the friction which adds to the heat. When trains slow down, there is less friction and therefore less heat which reduces the bending of the rail.
In the grand scheme of things, heat restrictions do not really count for that great of delay (8 to 10 minutes at the most which can often be made up). However, when it is hot enough for heat restrictions to be needed, it is also hot enough for the temperatures to affect mechanical equipment and signals and switches along the tracks. The combination of these two factors, mechanical breakdowns and slow speeds can, unfortunately, result in delays.
While no one likes to be delayed, even if it is only 8 to 10 minutes, the use of speed restrictions is definitely a case of being "better safe than sorry".
Flood related speed restrictions:
The most common delay during stormy weather is caused by wind and heavy rain, with both CSX and Norfolk Southern having policies in place that deal with severe weather. If the National Weather Service puts out a flash flood warning, for example, CSX's policy states that trains can go no faster than 40 mph; NS's policy states that no train can go faster than 20 mph.
Both policies follow the same theory most of us do when driving in heavy rain: slowing down enables the engineers to more safely navigate through areas with limited visibility. Most importantly, should deep water cover the tracks, or if a section of track is washed out, a slower rate of speed will allow the engineer to slow or stop the train before it is too late.
Speed restrictions during flash flood warnings, like heat restrictions, are put into effect for safety reasons. This rule is put into effect because heavy rains can wash away parts of the ballast (the rocks that support the tracks). The Manassas line is especially prone to this since the conditions that cause flooding are more prevalent in this area.
Once imposed, flood related speed restrictions will remain in place until the tracks can be properly inspected. So even though it may be sunny outside, if the tracks haven't been fully inspected yet after a storm the speed restrictions will remain.
Other delays associated with rain storms can be the delays caused by fallen trees. Tracks covered by fallen trees require railroad crews to come via hi-rail vehicles (vehicles that can run on both road and rail) in order to cut and clear the tracks as quickly as possible.
Ultimately, VRE's bottom line is safety, a focus shared by both CSX and NS. If severe weather is in the forecast, please keep in mind that your commute may be delayed, but rest assured, those commuting by car are likely sitting in far worse backups!
Track work related speed restrictions:
Like delays on the interstate due to yearly road construction and maintenance, railroads also experience delays due to yearly maintenance, track upgrades and tie replacements to keep the railroad in safe working order.
CSX and Norfolk Southern, the host railroads who own and maintain the tracks we operate on, frequently run geometry cars to test the rails to make sure that everything is safe and stabilized. When they find a problem, they fix the tracks and rail-bed. After the work is complete, speed restrictions are placed along the repaired track until proper train tonnage passes over to make sure the ties, rail and/or rail-bed has settled properly.
- History of the Railroader's Timepiece
- July 2, 2013
Ever since the first train departed, the question has been asked "what time did it leave?" or "what time will it arrive?"
Keeping time on the railroad began as an imperfect science. Timepieces of the very early 1800's were notorious for losing as much as ten minutes a day. As more and more trains began to operate on the same track, risks of confusion arose with many different trains operating on a non-standardized time schedule. As automatic signaling had not yet been developed, railroad operations were coordinated around timing.
This lack of precision finally resulted in the fatal collision of two trains outside of Cleveland, Ohio. Following this incident, railroad investigations revealed that the accident was due solely to the fact that the engineer was using a timepiece that was defective and had not been displaying the correct time.
But what was the correct time? Each railroad had its own opinion and each station along the way did too. The railroads operating in America sat down following the findings of the investigations and agreed to establish standard times and to create a standard clock.
Railroads would also establish requirements for what an acceptable time piece was. Among several highly technical internal specifications, the early requirements for a railroad approved timepiece was that it must be open faced (pocket watches without a closing cover), engineered to keep accurate set time within 30 seconds per week, as well as have a plain white dial with black Arabic numerals.
Railroads installed clock stations at central points where train crews were assigned and rules went into effect stating that all crewmembers were to set their watches to the standard time as displayed by the central clock and coordinate time with each other prior to their tour of duty.
This advancement proved to be very beneficial and exponentially improved the railroad's operating efficiency and drastically reduced the number of near-miss incidents or actual rail collisions resulting from poor timekeeping.
Secondary benefits from these changes in how time was viewed created a renewed interest in timekeeping and accuracy. Companies like Ball, Waltham and Hamilton in America and the newly formed Hans Wilsdorf Watchmakers (later designated as Rolex) and the Louis Brant watch company (later renamed as today's Omega S.A.) of Europe began manufacturing pocket-watches that were capable of withstanding extreme temperatures, moisture, as well as being bumped and dropped, perfect for the demanding environment incumbent on the railroad.
Although much has changed since those days, time is a very crucial element to railroad operations. All railroads operating in North America, including Norfolk Southern and CSXT (our host railroads) continue to have watch construction and time keeping specifications. As watch making is vastly superior to the early days of timekeeping, the technical requirements for a watch's movement are less technical or in some cases, absent.
However, the requirement of no greater loss of 30 seconds is acceptable and all numbers must be displayed as Arabic numerals. United States Naval Observatory time is statistically one of the most precise clocks on earth and is established as the "standard clock" given today's relative absence of large centralized train crewing locations. VRE crews coordinate their personal timepieces with the timing on the USNO clock daily to ensure you arrive to and from your destination on time.


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Browsing iBAM Email topic(s).
Here at iboughtamac are happy to field questions from our readers. This question came from Deborah.
"I love iMovie 08 and have been surfing the net about it after having
completed one video project so far. Read one article on your site that had
an initial review, but… is there any new info on add-ons for iMovie 08? I
would just like more transitions, ANY video (special) effects, etc. Is it
possible to use add-ons (special effects,etc.) that worked with old versions
of iMovie? If so, how do I go about it?"
This is a great question, many of the iMovie purists think that iMovie 06HD was so much better, and that is not truly the case. iMovie 08 is much more different. Unfortunately plugins are not supported in iMovie 08; however as an owner of iMovie 08, you are entitled to download iMovie 6 HD for free. That can be downloaded here,
If you go that route, you can get some iMovie 6 plugins . I have found a pretty good list here or here.
Making your own movies is always fun, and I find it interesting to go back to the movies I first made, and see the progress that I have made. Hope this has helped.
Good luck
Donna B. writes: I've found that quite often when I "cut and paste" from a document on my Mac to say, a job-posting site, there always seem to be weird characters in the "target" document. What am I doing wrong? Cheryl Colan responds: This is not a Mac-specific problem. It tends to happen when pasting […]
Ronsse Johan sent me an email a couple days ago (sorry for the delay):

subset: commoncrawl


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Chogokin x S.H.Figuarts Hulk Buster Mark II
Animation Animation News Anime Anime News Bandai Bandai Tamashii Darkon633 dc comics Disney Dragon Ball Featured Gaming Gaming News Hasbro Hero Club Herotaku Kamen Rider Live-Action Lucasfilm Marvel Marvel Comics Microsoft Nintendo Nintendo Switch Playstation 4 Power Rangers Premium Bandai PS4 review S.H.Figuarts sentai Sony Star Wars Steam Sunrise super sentai Toei Toei Animation toku Toku News tokusatsu Toy News Transformers Walt Disney Xbox One
Official Images: Chogokin x S.H.Figuarts Hulk Buster Mark II
Premium Bandai has recently opened an official pre-order page for the Chogokin x S.H.Figuarts Hulk Buster Mark II. For those who are unaware, the figure is based on the armor that will be featured in Avengers: Infinity War. Similar to the previous Chogokin x S.H.Figuarts Iron Man MK44, the new version of the Hulkbuster will also feature LED lights. Pre-orders for the figure will on April 27 at 4 P.M. JST and the item will be released this December priced at 37,800 yen. Those who are interested should contact their preferred middleman for more details.


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The Skoda Fun was out of price range when it was new. Many years later I fancied a car that offered the joys of open air motoring, and low insurance so our boys could get out on the road. For just £2995 I picked up this brightly coloured Skoda.
Skoda brought just over 400 of these special pick ups into the country.
The standard car was launched to a fair bit of interest as vehicle featured a fold out rear bench which left those in the back seat exposed to the elements. If that wasn't wacky enough what about the interior?
Bright yellow soft touch leather seat bolsters and steering wheel look unsual enough, but the fabric on each seat was covered in a frog motif.
Probably half the Funs sold came with an expensive hard top, which allowed the car to operate as cavernous (if noisy) estate. Mine came with this useful addition, which was held on by four flimsy looking steel clips. Taking the roof off was a two man job, and often disturbed the front rubber gasket. So whilst the hard top was handy it certainly wasn't a brilliant piece of engineering.
I bought s568 TWC from "The Chequered Flag" in Norfolk. It was the only one still for sale within the official dealer network.
My first impressions were good. The salesman collected me from the nearby railway station in an Octavia VRs, even though it was nearly closing time.
If I remember rightly it had about 34,000 on the clock when I picked it up. Once I left the dealership I struggled to make the petrol cap work and thought I may be marooned 300 miles from home. Somehow I got it off and my journey began.
Sadly with the seats back and the hard top in situ this was going to be one horrendous journey. The after market radio was next to useless. My only sense of gratification came from the sip, sip nature of the 75 bhp VW engine. In those early days I managed 40 mpg.
Back in Devon the car was pressed into regular use, both in our business and as expected as a runabout for our young sons. Nobody really liked to go on a long journey using it as a 4 seater, that Truckman Top and the lack of insulation made it feel like you were driving along in a giant tin drum.
But on a normal day, roof off and two up the car had an altogether more agreeable character. On a hot day with the seats back it created what you might call "an airy cabin", and on a wet day with the bulkhead in place the little Fun was just that. It was commendably quiet at 70 mph (it didn't fancy going any quicker, and I broke a water pump trying to hit the magic ton).
Somehow even this low mileage example started to "hit" a few problems. Like a rusty front wing (who had cunningly disguised it, the guy who traded it in or the dealer?), fixings for the rear seat came away and had to be replaced by parts from an old Laguna. Tyres wore out but were replaced for a ridiculous £72 for a a pair. I used it for towing, and abused it carrying stone from a Dartmoor quarry.
You'd never believe it but one pallet of rock 18″ high nearly broke the poor thing, boy did it struggle on the short journey back to our factory.
Worst of all was the horrid rust on the rear suspension bushes, oh and all the rotten wood strips I had to painstakingly rip out, replace and re-stain.
Why did I get rid of it?
Well it was looking tatty, the seats wouldn't close properly which meant every journey was noisy. I sold it for a knock down price of £600, and I;ve seen it on the M5 since. I hope it gives him good service.


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Mitsubishi Trucks
- Up to 2,200 pounds more payload that Isuzu.
- 18,000-mile service intervals - 8,000 longer than Isuzu.
- Industry-best 5-Year/175,000-Mile powertrain warranty.
The medium duty truck that will drive your business forward.
Completely re-engineered from the wheels up, the FE Model is the most forward-thinking medium duty commercial truck ever. Its cab isn't just beautiful, it offers more head, leg, knee and elbow room. Its dash-mounted shifter and available Aisin 6-speed automatic transmission are both industry firsts. The steering wheel tilts and telescopes. The driver's seat offers more adjustment. The doors feature swing-forward hinges that open just 70° but feel like 90° to offer wider and safer entry/exit. Entry steps are covered and grated. There are more convenience features too, including plenty of cup holders, a fold-down workstation, added storage areas for cell phones, coins, maps and toll receipts. Dual-caliper disc brakes with ABS are standard. Halogen headlamps and aerodynamic side mirrors offer improved visibility. And the FE's rugged, ladder-style frame has improved to make body mounting easier.
The medium duty FE is available in three GVWRs — FE125 (12,500 lb.), FE145 (14,500 lb.) and FE180 (17,995 lb.) — so no matter what your line of business here's one medium duty truck that's right for the job.
Fax: 251-438-4839


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Customers review
Contact & info
Information & contact details..
My paintings that are displayed on this website are protected by copyright. I have inserted the KV symbols in to my paintings to render worthless the healing energy in the picture.
For personalized painting , the delivery time vary in dependency on the circumstances of the painting. It takes maximum 2 weeks to produce the painting.
Because I am guided through the process of painting, it is unknow to me what size or colors the painting will be before I start.
I know the final price when the painting is finish.
I am taking £400 as a deposit. If the price is lower than the deposit I will return the price differences.
You have an option to cancel the order, but it has to be before I start working on the picture, otherwise the deposit is not refundable. I am trying to start working on the picture as soon as I receive the deposit, because I want to shorten your waiting time.
Personal handover and consultation is also possible.
If the packaging or the painting itself is damaged by the delivery company, you do not have to accept the delivery. Instead, contact me and take care of it.
If the painting is damage, after the delivery by inappropriate manipulation of any circumstances, there is not right for refund.
The paintings are in sizes from A4 to A0. Painting is mostly acryl on canvas without any color protection, for this reason please avoid contact with any kind of liquid. Any spray or glass protection will decrease or stop flow of the energy from the picture.
All paintings are original, not reproduction.
If you are interested in buying already made original painting or you would like to order personalized painting do not hesitate to contact me.
Telephone number: +44 (0)7581 090 762
Please use the window below if You have any question or You want to make an order.
Your name
Email address
Phone number (optional)


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Drive Employee Productivity with Automation
No need for guides, Just do it for me!
- A super powerful and proven way to drive software ROI
- Click by click guides is OLD, NEW is automation
- Fully automate repeated, non intelligent software tasks
- Partially automate intelligent software tasks
- Reporting expense: Just automate with MyGuide
- Downloading W-2: Just automate with MyGuide
- Reporting vacation: Just automate with MyGuide
- User making errors: Automate data entry
- Talk to MyGuide in your own voice and observe it perform tasks
- Just watching MyGuide do boring tasks is MAGIC!
- Schedule a demo today: See future of software (voice driven task automation)
Guide Users With Push Notifications
Boost employee productivity and reduce support costs
- In-app GPS like guides with push notifications
- With sound and text in native language
- Guides for any workflow including workflow across apps
- For any cloud, desktop or mobile app
- Improve data entry and boost on-boarding with guides
- Reduce support cost with guides
- Accelerate app adoption with actionable app data
- Get better app ROI with task automation
- Understand how, why, what with app intelligence
- One pack with power punch: guides, intelligence and automation
Get App Intelligence with NO-CODE
Learn What, How, Why of Apps
- Get data on app usage, page usage, feature usage
- Get insights into task funnels: How tasks are getting performed across one ore more users
- Get insights into problem areas: fields which take more time to fill or error prone
- Learn which features are getting used, which features are not getting adopted
- Push guides or automation based on data
- View via MyGuide or via your favorite dashboard (Tableau or Power BI)
- Compares one user against another and push guides to specific user
CREATE Guides with 100% automation
Create guides with NO need for human editors
- Create guides with or without human editors
- 100% auto creation of guide is possible
- 100% auto play back of guides to check for error is possible
- No code creation of guide is possible (with or without human editors)
- Create guides using computer vision (Just as humans can see, computers can see and act)
- Leverage machine learning and computer vision to automatically create guides
- Just as cars are learning how to drive, MyGuide can learn App workflow on its own!
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Banks LOVE US!
- 100% in-the-box deployment possible
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- Run guides with no network: All you need to run guides is in the box
- Keep all data inside your firewall: Nothing ever leaves your fence
- A simple JS/JSON based architecture
- Playing guides is like reading a newspaper, News can be pushed to you !!
- Super fast performance possible with JS/JSON CDN based architecture
A More Productive Employee
F500, G2000 Employees Love MyGuide
- 50,000 employees of a BIG BANK, Love MyGuide
- 60,000 employees of a hi-tech fortune 500, Love MyGuide
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- Why employees love us? What is the unique MyGuide sauce?
- Discover WHY, via a quick DEMO
- We will show you HCM success on Workday, CSOD, Oracle HCM and more !


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- Getting to see In The Heights, and acting like a crazed fan meeting the writer/star after the show
- Walking around the shops in Soho
- Eating gelato every day
- Seeing our favorite waiter at Pelligrino's in Little Italy
- Remeniscing about past trips with Halli's, Monroes, Blakeys, Sharmans, Chad, Heather, and Isaac. Wish you were with us!
- Seeing the fall leaves
- Meeting new friends (JJ and Rachel, let's hang soon)
- Getting a break from the kids
- Reading a book and taking naps, both in one day
- Alone time with my husband
- Being in New York!
- Walking through Chinatown and the mystery meat and fish displays while pregnant and queasy
- Riding the subway while pregnant and queasy
- Being pissed that I'm in the 2nd trimester and still queasy!!
I could barely keep from gagging just to take this picture. YUCK!


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Print continues with Lipstick's Perry Ogden
Our Print project continues with a brand new interview!
In 1979, 18-year-old Perry Ogden and his Eton College school friends pitched a magazine that aimed to follow in the footsteps of Ritz and Interview. It was called Lipstick and would go on to feature the likes of Andy Warhol, David Bailey and Diana Vreeland.
SHOWstudio editor Lou Stoppard sat down with Ogden to discuss the zine's beginning, how he defied Eton's '£25 profit' rule and his encounters with fashion's big names: 'You had to be very careful. Who would those people be? What do they represent?'
Ogden also talks of the surprising success of Lipstick's only issue – 'In a funny way, I guess I was proud… it went better than we'd expected. The next day or the next week, you're onto something else' – along with how he feels about his early photographs: 'They're fine. It was probably a bit daunting because, you know, I wasn't in a position to be carrying around lights and I was still very much learning.'
Check out the interview now and peruse Lipstick for yourself. Make sure to catch up with the rest of Print featuring Cheap Date's Bay Garnett, curator Tory Turk and magazine collector Paul Gorman.


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Girl Undiscovered Face Mask
This mask knows what she's doing! Luxuriate in this natural exfoliant mask targeted at restoring luminosity to stressed skin. Our three superstar ingredients - Burmese thanaka, Balinese virgin coconut oil and wild island kanuka honey combine for a hydration power-boost you can use 2 - 3 X a week. Burmese thanaka, with its fresh scent of newly-mown hay, exfoliates, organic coconut oil nourishes and kanuka honey deep-treats to soothe irritation, redness, eczema or acne. For best results leave it on for twenty minutes then massage and leave to absorb again to maximise the antioxidants and reset your skin's delicate pH balance. Size 120 ml


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Quoted: Joe Biden finds the vice presidency effortless
"It's easy being vice president. You don't have to do anything."
-- Joe Biden in a bit of casual chitchat during a break in Thursday's health-care summit caught on a live C-SPAN mike. Agreed heartily when whomever he was talking to added, "It's like being the grandpa and not the parent." His rep told Politico the veep was "obviously joking."
The Reliable Source
February 26, 2010; 1:02 AM ET
Categories: Politics , Quoted
Save & Share: Previous: Hey, isn't that: Hillary Clinton and Madeleine Albright share a long dinner
Next: 'Blonde Charity Mafia,' now playing on a computer screen near you
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When the subject of scooters gets brought up, chances are the first thing that comes to your mind is children. This is because, at a young age, scooters are the perfect form of transportation. When people get older, scooters tend to age with them. However, this shouldn't be the case because scooters (specifically electric) can be a great way of transportation at any age. If you don't believe this and think that you are too old to enjoy them, then think again after reading these reasons.
Cheaper than Gas Vehicles
There isn't anyone around the world who isn't sick and tired of paying an arm and a leg for gas. Enter in an electric scooter. Due to the fact that they run on a battery, you don't have to empty your wallet for gas every week. Obviously, electric scooters can't replace vehicles entirely as cross country trips wouldn't be possible. Instead, they are a great replacement for quick events that you have to go to. You also can make the argument that an electric car could replace both of these. However, an electric scooter is going to be a lot cheaper than an electric car. It's not feasible to assume that many of you would be willing to purchase an electric car. Thus, an electric scooter is the perfect alternative to a gas vehicle (for quick trips).
They Can Save You Time and Effort
For those of you who experience heavy traffic on your way to work every morning, do you ever get sick of it? Instead of driving right into the heart of all of the traffic, how about avoiding it with an electric scooter? Depending on how bad the traffic is, you might have to leave several minutes early for work. If you are a reasonable distance away from your workplace and live in a highly populated city, then an electric scooter is a perfect way for you to take the stress away in the morning. Also, because it's run on a battery, you don't have to expend any effort to ride on them. Unlike a bicycle where you have to consistently pedal, you just let the scooter do all the work.
They are Very Portable
Unlike a motorcycle or most bikes, you can easily store away an electric scooter. For the most part, they are very light in weight and can easily be taken on road trips. This comes in handy if you wanted to use one while on vacation. If you happened to go to a location with a lot of people, you could park your car on the side of the road with your electric scooter inside. Then, you could take it out and traverse the city on your scooter (which would, again, eliminate the worry for traffic).
Extremely Easy to Use
As several of you probably know, learning how to drive a vehicle and ride a bike can be very time-consuming. This is not the case with an electric scooter as you will be able to master it in a matter of hours. It balances itself much easier than a bicycle does and it's not as massive as a vehicle. Thus, the only thing you have to worry about is properly steering it with the handlebars. Also, parking it is extremely easy because of its small size and compact design. As a matter of fact, you could probably just pick it up and set it down to park it! On top of this, though, is that it's very easy to assemble them the first time you receive them. Of course, this is subjective based on your ability to follow instructions!
Environmentally Friendly
When it comes to battery operated machines and machines that run on gasoline, there is always one advantage that the battery operated machines have. This is that they're more of a friend to the environment. With an electric scooter, you will take great pleasure in knowing that they emit almost no toxic chemicals. There is no need to worry about carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide gasses being exposed to you and the world. Also, there is no worry about smoke because the motor is run with chains.
As you have seen, there are several great reasons for you to invest in one of these bad boys. Now, you might want to learn more about the actual scooters themselves. For those interested, you should take a look at The Electric Rider. They have a great deal of information (and reviews) on what you need to know when buying an electric scooter.


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This Chanel incredibly beautiful white and black scarf you can wear as a neck scarf, a belt, head scarf or tied around your bag. This scarve can be worn in a variety of ways: as head coverings, shawl, accent pieces, and even as garments. They can be tied, pinned with a piece of jewelry, or secured with specially designed accents.
Chanel is mostly known for the classy design knitted wool suits, little black dress and the famous 2.55 quilted handbag. Chanel brand was first started in 1910 when Coco Chanel started a hat shop for rich women of that time and later developed her business into making suits and dresses as well. Today the Chanel brand is among the most successful fashion houses and sells wide range of luxury fashion products from apparel to perfumes, eyewear and handbags. However Chanel scarf has never been the center of attention, although this brand has a great collection of the Chanel scarves.
There are absolutely beautiful Chanel silk scarves and great winter scarves, such as Chanel wool scarves or cashmere scarves. You can buy Chanel scarf online and these designer luxury scarves are sold at affordable price. You can also buy Chanel cashmere and silk scarves and wraps and these silk scarves are of impeccable quality and truly elegant designs. Buy Chanel scarf online as a gift for your family, friend or loved one.


text: Travel Hacker: The Cheapest Ways Into The City From Each Major Australian Airport Tegan Jones Jun 28, 2017, 10:30am 2 Uber? Cabs? Train? Pickups aren't always an option, either. So to streamline your next trip, we've researched the cheapest ways to get from the runway to the CBD at each Australian state capital airport. Here's what you need to know.


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Staten Island's Hilton Garden Inn is like no other Hilton Garden Inn. On a Friday night, it's the place to see and be seen as cars line up to deposit wedding guests, restaurant patrons, and stylish nightclub denizes. Here is where Staten Island locals go for a good time. But it's where they stay because they know that they can count on the community bastion both in good times and bad.
Superstorm Sandy Batters Staten Island
When Superstorm Sandy devastated the Tri-state, Hotel owners Richard and Lois Nicotra opened their door to local residents–80 rooms in the first week–expecting that they would stay during the storm and maybe a few days beyond. Six months later, five rooms are still held by families who have nowhere else to go. This was not a unanimously popular decision.
Days after the storm, New York Road Runners were expecting to check in for the New York City Marathon, but despite contract obligations, the Nicotras, second-generation Staten Island residents, told them, "we're not throwing our neighbors out."
Hurricane Sandy Relief
Hilton Garden Inn, whose slogan is "You Can Count on Us," stepped in to support the Nicotras and Hurricane Sandy Relief. They housed FEMA and Red Cross relief workers, organized a relief benefit that raised nearly $150,000 from more than 800 attendees, and planned holiday parties to boost hotel resident's morale.
Because for those families still living in the Hilton Garden Inn–despite the comfortable rooms, indoor pool, and onsite Zagat-rated restaurant–it's not easy living in a hotel.
It's not easy living in a hotel, and it 's not easy living in a place where most parks and community spaces are still closed to the public.
South Beach Restoration Project
On a sunny Saturday morning in mid-April, Staten Island residents typically gather by the iconic Dolphin statue before venturing to South Beach for a pleasant stroll on the 1.7 mile boardwalk along the East Shore. Instead, the boardwalk and beach sit behind a chain fence and the "dolphins on popsicle sticks" looked sad (and a little ridiculous) next to dead and dying plants.
To celebrate Earth Day and support their Staten Island neighbors, Hilton Garden Inn brought in employees from five Tri-state hotels (Staten Island, Chelsea, Times Square, Shelton, CT, and Norwalk, CT) to volunteer on a South Beach restoration project.
While construction crews worked behind the fence to nail down the boardwalk, volunteers dug out damaged shrubs, bringing in new plants, and adding a layer of mulch. Many, many wheelbarrows full of mulch.
Randy Toran became emotional when he pulled out a photograph from beneath a shrub. Someone's memories, like so many others, had been lost to Superstorm Sandy. But this day, Hilton Garden Inn volunteers helped restore a popular community space; and soon, Staten Island will make new memories.
Sandra Foyt | Sandra Foyt is a storyteller, photographer, and road trip junkie. A veteran of six cross-country road trips, she drove Route 66, the Lincoln Highway, the fossil freeway, the extraterrestrial highway, and even "the loneliest road in America." Find her on GetawayMavens.com, an award-winning destination guide to extraordinary travel in and from Northeast USA, on her portfolio site at SandraFoyt.com, and in freelance gigs on Family Travel 411, Minitime, Huffington Post, and Matador Network. Email: firstname.lastname@example.com, Twitter @SandraFoyt.


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Madelyn was inspired by one of my favorite aunts. This lovely scrap booking kit is just perfect for your heritage, family and friends' photos. Right now, it is 25% off, and available exclusively
Here's a layout that I've done with Madelyn by PattyB Scraps
Thanks so much for stopping by, and happy scrapping!


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Search Veterinary Jobs
Veterinary Jobs Database
|Boston MA owner/partner DVM
|Step up to the pride of ownership! Exciting opportunity for an associate veterinarian to become an owner/managing partner in a modern state-of-the-art animal hospital. We are looking for a veterinarian with 3+ years experience. Take pride of ownership in this new, modern, upscale hospital with 3,500 SF, 6 exam rooms, state-of-the-profession technology and protocols. Lucrative compensation and benefits $$$ opportunity now. Plus secure your retirement with this fantastic long term ownership equity opportunity. Flexible ownership terms. No down payment option available for qualified DVM. You owe it to yourself to explore this unique opportunity.
The Vet Broker jobs database is free service. This is a nationwide list. Search all 50 states. .
To change or remove your existing info: email email@example.com
Sign up for E-mail notifications of veterinary practices for sale:


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- Click to zoom in or click
- Double click to zoom out or click
- Click to reset image
- Click and drag with to rotate
- Double click to zoom in or click
- Double click to zoom out or click
- Click to reset
Typically true to size, some room for layering
Insulated - ideal for the cold, layers urged in extreme cold
Lightly treated, okay for light snowfall or rain
Minimal sweat evaporation during activity
For those who want to be the first on the hill and the last off, the Garner Triclimate Jacket from The North Face is ready for to shred. It's reversible, zip-in Heatseeker insulated liner combined with a 2L DryVent shell makes for a breathable, waterproof fully seam sealed jacket. A four snap powder skirt works to keep snow out of your jacket for a dry, comfortable ride. The dual-adjustment, helmet compatible hood offers additional warmth in frigid weather and underarm venting is put in place for when things start to heat up, allowing you to self-regulate your body temperature. Multiple pockets, including a media/security pocket and a goggle pocket are perfect for holding anything you may need for a day on the slopes. This jacket is also zip-in compatible with other complementing garments from The North Face.


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Saturday, January 16, 2016
288 Classes Scheduled at RootsTech 2016
There are presently 288 classes scheduled at RootsTech 2016 over four days, February 3 - 6, 2016. This does not yet include all of the classes during the Family Discovery Day on Saturday, February 6, 2016. If you were to attend classes during every available class period, you would be able to attend only about eight or ten classes so you will have to carefully consider your selections.
To help with scheduling, RootsTech has developed an app for iOS and Android devices available fro free from the App Store or the Google Play Store. The Conference is held in the Salt Palace, a very large building, and I suggest that you might want to consider the time it will take you to move from one class to another. I would also suggest planning on alternative classes in case the one you want to attend is full.
As in years past, the Exhibit Floor will also be the site of a lot of unscheduled classes. In fact, you could probably spend most of your time listening to presentations from the vendors rather than attending scheduled classes. For example, I am presently scheduled to do two presentations for MyHeritage.com at their booth on Thursday and Saturday at 3:15 pm. These will be relatively short presentations. A lot of the other vendors will be presenting classes on the Exhibit floor also.
The class listings for RootsTech 2016 have a selection of "filters" that allow you to focus the classes on a specific skill level or track.
My experience in the past indicates that I generally over-plan by conference schedule and I usually end up spending more time talking and looking around on the Exhibit floor than I do going to classes but there are enough opportunities and options to cater to almost everyone's interests.
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European researchers can now turn to a new supercomputing network for help in their scientific endeavors.
"We have just completed testing," said David Henty with the Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre, a member of the Distributed European Infrastructure for Supercomputing Applications (DEISA) consortium. "Our new supercomputing network is now open for business."
The DEISA consortium, which was launched in May and is partially funded by the European Union under its 6th Framework Program, consists of eight national supercomputing centers in Europe. Its mission: to jointly build and operate a distributed terascale supercomputing facility aimed not only at supporting scientific discovery across a broad spectrum of science and technology, but also at advancing European computer science, especially in the area of grid technology.
In the current first phase, four of the centers have linked their IBM supercomputers, providing more than 4,000 processors that can achieve processing speeds of over 22T flops (a teraflop is a trillion calculations per second).
In a second phase, expected to begin later next year, at least two more centers are expected to connect their supercomputers, adding several teraflops of processing power. In addition, DEISA's dedicated network will be upgraded from its current transmission speed of 1G bps (bit per second) to 10G bps.
The consortium is currently in talks with Spain's supercomputing center at the Polytechnic University in Barcelona, which will soon receive a new supercomputer, according to Henty. "The Spanish center would add substantial power to our supercomputing network," he said.
Last week, IBM and the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science introduced a new supercomputer, the "MareNostrum," which they contend will be the most powerful in Europe and among the 10 most powerful in the world. The supercomputer employs a cluster of 2,520 eServer BladeCenter JS20 systems running the Linux operating system. It currently comprises 3,564 PowerPC processors but will have 4,564 processors by the time it is fully completed, according to IBM.
MareNostrum is being built by IBM and the Spanish government for scientific and industrial research into the human body, meteorology, environment and industrial processes. The system, which is currently located at an IBM technical center in Madrid, is due to be moved to its permanent home in Barcelona by the end of the year.
IBM's new 16,000-processor BlueGene/L supercomputer recently edged out Japan's Earth simulator, built by rival NEC, according to benchmarks run by Big Blue.
For now, however, Europe's four initial supercomputing centers -- France's Institut du Developpement et des Ressources en Informatique Scientifique, Italy's Consorzio Interuniversitario and Germany's Forschungszentrum Julich and Rechenzentrum Garching of the Max Planck Society -- will rely on their installed base of lower-performance IBM computers, including the P690, P690+ and P655 models.
Although IBM plays a huge role in DEISA, the company will soon be joined by Silicon Graphics. Next year, the Netherland's SARA Computing Network Services center is scheduled to connect its STG Altix supercomputer equipped with 416 Itanium processors.
The new supercomputing facilities are aimed at European researchers working in several key areas of science and technology, including materials science, cosmology, plasma physics, industrial fluid dynamics and the life sciences, including biotechnology.


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Michael Boyd is a landscape, furniture, and architectural designer based in Los Angeles and San Francisco. He is the principal of BoydDesign, a consultancy for the restoration and preservation of modernist architecture, and for collecting modern art and design. He is an internationally renown and published expert on 20th century design and post-war Modernism. His most notable restorations include Paul Rudolph's Rudolph Townhouse (1975) in New York City and Oscar Niemeyer's only North American built work besides the U.N. Complex, the Strick House (1964) in Santa Monica. Boyd curated and designed the installation for the design section of the traveling exhibition Birth of the Cool: California Art, Design, and Culture at Midcentury. He has contributed numerous essays to publications on modernism, including The Migration of Modernism: From Turn-of-the-Century Vienna to Mid-Century Los Angeles for Birth of the Cool (Prestel, 2007), Chasing Modern: Ideal and Object for Modernist Paradise: Niemeyer House/Boyd Collection (Rizzoli, 2007), and R.M. Schindler: Furniture as Micro-Architecture, for RM Schindler: The Gingold Commissions (William Stout Publishers, 2007). Boyd is featured in Collecting Design by Adam Lindeman (Taschen, 2011). Boyd is the founder and designer of PLANEfurniture, a line of architectural furnishings that have been selected for the permanent collections of SFMOMA, The Palm Springs Museum, and the Univesity of California, Santa Barbara (ADC, Architecture and Design Collection, Gebhard Archives). His restoration work and design have been featured in Architectural Digest numerous times and has been on the cover of Elle Décor Italia on multiple occasions. The newly released Thames and Hudson tome, The Iconic Interior: from 1900 to the present, features Boyd's work on the cover. Boyd serves as an advisor to several museums and institutions regarding modern design and architecture, and 20th-century Decorative Arts, including: LACMA, MoMA, SFMOMA, Orange County Museum of Art, The Wolfsonian, and MaK, Vienna. He regularly lectures and appears on panels for museums and auction houses including Christie's and Sotheby's.
Craig Ellwood Steinman House 1956
John Lautner Chemosphere Complex 1960
Oscar Niemeyer Strick House 1964
Thornton Ladd House for a Writer 1965
Paul Rudolph Rudolph Penthouse 1975
Richard Neutra Kaufman House 1937
John Lautner Harvey House 1950
RM Schindler McAlmon House 1935
Richard Neutra Wirin House 1949
John Lautner Foster House 1950
A. Quincy Jones Silverstein House 1965
Sitting on the Edge: Modernist Design from the Collection of Michael and Gabrielle Boyd
Birth of the Cool: California Art, Design, and Culture at Midcentury
RM Schindler: the Gingold Commissions
Gunta Stolzl: Bauhaus Weaver
Venus Revisited: the photography of Wingate Paine
PLANEfurniture: types + prototypes


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With the second edition of her diaries out now, Rae Earl believes we all should be taught how to look after our minds.
'I thought I had rabies, meningitis, various forms of cancer,' says author Rae Earl of the mental health problems she endured as a teenager.
'I was utterly delusional at times to quite a serious point. I'd think I was either God or Satan. My brain was in a constant spiral.'
Earl's struggle with mental illness resulted in her spending several days in an adult psychiatric ward at the age of 16. It's an experience she describes as 'completely terrifying'.
When she got out, Earl began keeping a diary while living with her mother – and her mum's Moroccan bodybuilder boyfriend – in a council house in Stamford, Lincolnshire.
It was published in 2007 as My Fat, Mad Teenage Diary and last year was adapted into a surprise hit TV show starring Sharon Rooney.
The book proved popular thanks to Earl's black humour and down-to-earth accounts of both everyday teenage woes – contending with obesity, bullying and unrequited love – and her mental health problems.
Now a second volume has been published, My Madder, Fatter Diary, covering 1990 to 1991, when Earl set off to university but dropped out after five days.
A second series of the TV show is due this month.
'Essex University and me were never destined to be great partners in life,' says Earl, 42.
'It wasn't the university's fault – anywhere away from home would have been a problem. At the time, I struggled going to Peterborough, which was just 15 minutes away.
'I had problems leaving my front door at times. Which is bizarre, because I hated living at home.'
The new diaries reveal Earl had an unintended gap year.
She was left alone in Stamford while her friends went to university and she eventually learned to cope with her illness better. She was diagnosed with anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) – which seems quite a nebulous description.
'OCD covers an enormous amount of ground,' says Earl. 'It drives me f***ing mad when I tell people I've got OCD and they say: "Well, I bet your house is really clean."
'No it isn't. And it doesn't mean I cut my vegetables into equal sizes.
'OCD could mean that but it could also mean that unless you perform the same routines a certain amount of times you believe your mum will die.
A tiny part of your brain thinks "this is bollocks" but an enormous part of your brain believes it's true – and it's too much to risk.'
Earl eventually went to Hull University and established a career in radio. Therapy in her late twenties helped her deal with her illness more successfully, although she says she still has bouts today.
'It's like being an alcoholic,' she says. 'It's always there, I guard against it but in times of stress it can return. When that happens, I get help for it.'
Earl believes mental health provision for adolescents is better today than it was in the 1980s but says there's still a long way to go.
'It's still a woefully underfunded part of the NHS – although you could say that about lots of parts of the NHS.'
She says a good start would be discussing mental health in schools.
'Where do we get off, testing seven-year-olds?' she asks. 'There are so many people with mental health problems now – why is that?
'Because people are working stupid hours and schoolkids are under a lot of pressure. There needs to be a new approach.
'We have information about eating healthily for our bodies but what do we do for our minds? It's the most important part of us but what are we told about looking after our mental health? Nothing.'
Earl is thrilled by the positive reaction to the books and TV shows and has been contacted by readers and viewers who say they can identify with her experiences. Earl's mother has even had positive feedback.
'She was working on the Lottery counter at Morrisons,' says Earl, 'when an old lady came up and said: "About your daughter's show…"
'She expected her to complain about the sex and swearing but the lady said: "It was just like that in my day, only back then we were told to shut up about it. Women have been suffering for years so I'm glad it's on telly."'
She laughs. 'That says it all.'
Earl relocated to Australia five years ago and now lives in Hobart, Tasmania, with her husband and son.
She has returned to writing and the second instalment of her Hattie Moore series for teenage readers, about the ups and downs of a girl's life in Derby, is out later this year.
Earl's diaries set her up with a successful publishing career so it's a surprise to hear she's thinking about burning them on her barbecue.
'Reading the second volume was a traumatic experience as I'd forgotten how utterly miserable I was,' she says.
'They are heavily edited. I'd hate the idea of people reading what I'd written about others – particularly my mum.
'Reading it now, there's still a raw intensity of emotion there, even though I wrote them 25 years ago. Things I wrote about her weren't fair – it was angry, nonsensical bulls***.
'I was being a cow. And who wants their legacy to be "I was a cow"?'
While her teenage diaries may detail how alone Earl felt, she's happy they have become a catalyst for people to share their experiences.
'The girls at school who I thought were swanning through life have contacted me to say they felt horrible about themselves at times too,' she says.
The TV show, a fictionalised account, relocated the setting to the mid-1990s and departs almost entirely from the books in the forthcoming series.
This has enabled it to address a wider range of issues, something Earl is proud of.
'These aren't new problems, they are just problems that people haven't talked about much,' she says.
'The response to the first series was so good we can now put stuff on telly which hasn't been seen before. I'm proud my character masturbates on television.
'Men have been w***ing on telly for years so why not women? Long may that continue.'
My Madder Fatter Diary (Hodder) is out now. My Mad Fat Diary series two starts later this month on E4.


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GfK UK is part of the GfK Group, one of the largest international market research organisations in the world. The Group has offices in over 100 countries and a current total of over 10,000 staff.
Using this worldwide network of GfK local offices and preferred suppliers in countries with no GfK coverage, we can provide multi-country research and analysis utilizing expert local knowledge on markets, regions, people and resources.
Nationally representative face-to-face, telephone and/or telephone omnibus surveys are available in most countries.
Within each market we can interview all adults or sub-samples of the population, for example particular age groups, men or women, housewives, internet users etc.


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Studio Lighting Photo Shoot on Saturday
February 17, 2018
Our photo shoot is this Saturday, February 17th from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. We'll provide the set ups, models, and a variety of props. The workshop is open to Peoria Camera Club and KodaRoamers Club members only. The workshop is free but to help cover model and refreshment expenses we are asking for a maximum donation of $10 per person. Refreshments will be provided in the morning and many restaurants are nearby for lunch.
We'll be setting up on Friday, Feb 16, starting at 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, We will break for lunch from 12:00 PM to 1:00. We could use some help setting up Friday and packing up after the photo shoot Saturday. Please let me know if you will be available to help
The workshop is from 9 am to 4 pm – First United Methodist Church- 116 NE Perry Ave, (Corner of Main and Perry) Peoria. Room 215. Use the church entrance facing Perry. Parking is in the lot on Perry across the street from the church. Park in the area designated as church parking.


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The Simpsons Complete Seasons 1-20 Box Set! Contains Every Episode From Seasons 1-20 of the Simpsons Television Series! All Box Sets Are BRAND NEW! Never Been Opened Always FREE Shipping in the US Any Questions< Please Ask! Thanks
Up for sale is this Blu-ray is in Like New condition includes original disc art work & Blu-ray case. We have been selling on Amazon online since 2002. All DVD's CD's Blu-ray's and Video Games are cleaned test
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text: When Imam Feisal wrote on hudud in his column Peace Be Upon Us last month, a concerned father wrote for advice, saying his daughter had decided, based on her study of the Quran and the hadith, to remove the headscarf she had been brought up wearing, just before her university graduation. He shares his views here. IT is important, first of all, to recognise that your daughter's convictions and your concerns both come from well-intentioned, considered places. Though your opinions may be different, you and your daughter are both striving to live in accordance with God's law and to do right by each other. This common ground is profound and sacred, and from what I read in your letter, there is no question that you and your daughter share it. The Prophet said that differences of opinion among his ummah are a blessing to the community. In light of this hadith, traditional Muslim societies created the space for acknowledging and institutionalising such differences of legal opinion, which is why we have four major Sunni schools of jurisprudence (madhhabs of-fiqh), all considered valid. Today, however, we find that the space for these legitimate differences of opinion has collapsed, which has contributed to tensions among Muslims, including your family. The task of our modern Muslim ummah is to remember and re-establish its legal tradition, and to recognise that differences of opinion are a manifestation of Divine and Prophetic mercy. We are advised not to rush in judging the practices of other Muslims, who are in fact often following the opinions established by the great founders of the major schools of jurisprudence. As you and your daughter have discovered, the madhhabs have differing opinions on whether women are required to wear headscarves and other coverings. I will try to summarise the differences between them and the reasons for these differences. Jurists have defined two kinds of `awrah: the part of the body that should be covered in the presence of a marriageable person of the opposite sex, which generally means in public, and the part of the body that should be covered in order for prayer to be valid. As we shall see below, the requirements for the first definition tend to be more conservative, and more subject to varying societal custom and fluctuating norms, than the second definition. The above definitions refer to when the body should be covered, and there are different juridical positions on what parts of the body should be covered at these times. These positions in order, from most conservative to most liberal, are as follows: > The niqab, where the whole body is completely covered (including the face, hands, and feet). However, Classical jurists do not consider the niqab as applying to anyone except the wives of the Prophet. > Only the face, hands, and feet may be exposed. > The areas above the neck, below the elbows, and below the knees may be exposed. > The areas above the navel and below the knees may be exposed. There is basis in Syariah for these positions, but in order to understand the relevant injunctions, and hence the different positions, we have to understand the social norms at the time of the Prophet. In the Prophet's time, social class dictated women's dress codes. Therefore, the rules on `awrah for the Prophet's wives differed from the average Muslim lady woman, which in turn differed from the rules for Bedouin women and slave women. The differences in these societal rules are the reason that the juridical positions are different. For the Prophet's wives, the Quran required them not to engage with other men who sought their advice except from behind a hijab (33:53). The word hijab means anything that stands between two things, or that conceals and protects one thing from the other. In this context, hijab may be interpreted as "screen," "barrier," "curtain," or "veil," or another such divide, meant to protect the Prophet's wives. This injunction defined the `awrah for their interactions in public, but not for their prayers in the privacy of their chambers. Verse 33:53 was prompted by specific scandals. While the Prophet was still alive, Talha ibn Ubaydallah publicly voiced his intention to marry the Prophet's revered young wife Aisha once the Prophet died. And in a more serious scandal, Safwan bin Muattal rescued Aisha from a battlefield and carried her back home to Medina, triggering accusations of adultery, which were later dispelled by the Quran (24:11). To prevent further controversy, and to protect them from objectification and pursuit by other men, the Prophet's wives were to interact with men only from behind a hijab, and men were forbidden to marry them after the Prophet's death. Muslim jurists emphasise that the term hijab is not used here to refer specifically to covering the head or any other part of the body, nor is there any commandment in the Quran for women to cover their face or head, either in public or in prayer. The term hijab is used seven times in the Quran, but never in explicit reference to the dress code for the Prophet's wives, let alone for women in general. The word is used in the sense of a "barrier" or "screen," for example between Heaven and Hell (7:46) or between the Prophet and unbelievers (17:45). At the time, donning a protective veil was customary in the neighbouring region of Mesopotamia (modern Iraq), where ordinary folk were prohibited from looking upon the faces of royalty. Royalty were therefore completely veiled in public as a sign of their status, and slave women were even prohibited from wearing a veil. The Prophet's wives donned a similar hijab for protection. The Quran's explicit directive in 33:53 explains the origin of the niqab argued by the first juridical position, but it is also the reason why classical jurists argue that the niqab was only intended for the Prophet's wives. In another verse (24:31, God says, "Tell the believing women to lower their gaze and to be mindful of their chastity, and not to display their charms beyond what may be (decently) apparent thereof; hence, let them draw their head-coverings over their bosoms". This passage is the basis for the second juridical position, which argues that only the face, hands, and feet may be exposed. There are other arguments used to defend this position, but Muslim jurists consider them questionable and less convincing. There is a hadith in which Aisha's sister, wearing only a thin cloth that revealed her body, came to the Prophet. He told her, "When a woman reaches puberty, it is inconvenient for her to show her body except this and this part," and he pointed at his face and hands. Though this hadith is often quoted to support the requirement for head-coverings, it should be noted that this is an ahad hadith (reported only by one source) without a reliable isnad (chain of transmission). Islamic jurists generally do not lend as much credence to ahad hadiths as they do to mutawatir hadiths (reported by many sources). Some schools even reject ahad hadiths altogether as insufficient basis for legal judgments. Moreover, the matn (text) of the hadith is ambiguous: the Prophet's words don't mention any part of the body, while the Prophet's gestures don't necessarily indicate the head must be covered. Another argument is that God says, "Tell thy wives and thy daughters, and believing women, that they should draw over themselves some of their jilbab; this will be more conducive to their being recognised and not harassed. God is indeed much-forgiving and merciful!" (33:59). These women are instructed to use the jilbab as a wrap, in order to differentiate them from slave and Bedouin women so that they would be recognised and treated with respect. Muslim jurists point out this verse says nothing about covering the head, nor does it suggest that the jilbab is a requirement. What it does suggest was that there was a recognised societal difference between the cultural dress codes of free women, Bedouin women, and slaves at the Prophet's time. It should also be noted that the two Quranic verses and the hadith cited by this position relate only to the `awrah that applies in the presence of the opposite sex, and not to the `awrah for prayer. > Part 2 appears tomorrow > Imam Feisal of the New York-based Cordoba Initiative welcomes readers' feedback. Please write to email@example.com. >The views expressed here are entirely the writer's own. Tags / Keywords: Religion , Imam Feisal Abdul Raud , headscarf Related News


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Thank you to those of you who will want to support your child's learning, both in and out of school.
Whether your support is with homework and/or additional activities, it will be invaluable so thank you! It is so valuable to work as a team to support your child's learning and development and really does make a difference for all concerned with the education of children at Hague Bar.
However, after a long day at school we know that things can prove challenging at times and it is often difficult to help your child to remain focussed. I hope that the points below will help to further support you and your child or simply to reassure you that you're already doing positive things to allow your child to get the best out of their learning opportunities.
Homework works best if you can work with your child rather than them completing it on their own. It can often serve as an insight into what they have been doing at school, for those who 'can't remember' or 'have done nothing' during their time at school!
Try and pick a good time to do homework when your child is not too tired, is preferably in a good mood and not when their favourite programme is on! It may be the case that homework is best approached at a set time each day, so there is a clear structure similar to the boundaries at school; whatever works best for your child is the 'right' thing to do.
When tackling homework try and allow your child to take the lead and give them the opportunity to see how much they can do independently. You can step in if they need something reading or need help with explaining something.
We try to give homework in manageable amounts but if it proves too much please split homework into practicable chunks. After a long day at school your child is likely to 'switch off' if expected to do too long a stint of homework at a time.
Link the learning to your daily routine/activities. For example, with younger children it may be using real money when helping to count out the correct amount to pay at a shop; helping you to write the shopping list; counting out the right number of plates when laying the dinner table. Older children can still do all of these things, though they would do these things with more independence and, for example, using larger amounts of money or working out change etc.
Counting games and rhymes are all things that you probably already do with your child and because they are so valuable to reinforce learning please keep on playing the games and singing those favourite rhymes. Challenge your children in making up new ones.
Most of all - have fun and be positive. Praise, praise and more praise is the answer, it is so much more effective than criticism and usually puts a smile on both your face and theirs!
Thank you for your continuing support, together we are an unbeatable team.


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Daily complete vitamins should perform important functions such as slowing the aging process, strengthening the immune system and increasing energy levels. When considering which daily complete vitamins to take, remember that the least costly ingredients in a recommended daily vitamin are the vitamins and minerals. Your body also needs a wide array of anti-aging natural substances proven by clinical studies to provide specific health benefits.
Ideally, recommended daily vitamin and nutrient requirements would be supplied from your diet. For whatever reasons, many people make poor food choices every day. Junk food, processed food, sodas and sweets have become the norm for millions. Even with a well-balanced diet, studies find that nutrient values of foods have been declining for decades because of soil depletion.
Choosing one of the high-quality, broad-spectrum daily complete vitamins helps fill the 'nutritional gaps' that everyone has. The recommended daily vitamin essential nutrients that the body requires are extensive and are much more than just vitamins. High quality daily complete vitamins should include nutrients such as:
Amino acids like L-Carnosine, alpha lipoic acid and acetyl L-Carnitine that have powerful proven health benefits.
Bioflavanoids such as quercetin. Studies suggest quercetin may have inhibitory effects on various forms of cancer including breast, leukemia, colon, ovary, oral squamous cell, endometrial, gastric and non-small-cell lung carcinomas.
Enzymes such as lipase and protease that improve the bioavailability of the nutrients.
Immune system enhancing nutrients such as aloe vera, beta glucan 1,3 and polysaccharides.
Neuronutrients like DMAE that is reported to minimize buildup of age spots in the brain. DMAE has been shown to stimulate lucid dreams, suggesting possible sleep pattern enhancement and memory enhancment.
Eye health nutrients such as bilberry, lutein and zeaxanthin.
These recommended daily vitamin nutrients must be in correct proportions to each other based on the latest research. Few persons are qualified to design daily complete vitamins formulas, and most qualified persons are employed in the pharmaceutical industry. There are many different 'fractions' of each natural ingredient that must be examined individually, and the interactions of the various fractions followed at the molecular level to determine what metabolic pathway they may take in the body. For example, most people know that zinc benefits the male prostate, but few manufacturers/marketers know that most forms of zinc will not follow the metabolic pathway needed to get to the prostate.
And the 'delivery system' for daily complete vitamins is crucial. The active ingredients in most tablets, capsules, and liquid supplements never reach the intended organs. This is because they are damaged by stomach acids, or in the case of cheap tablets made with binders, pass right through your system. Done correctly, the daily complete vitamins and nutrients are released along with the enzymes intact in the duodenum (small intestine) where maximum absorption can occur.