text:
I intended on taking part in NaBloPoMo this month. You can see how well that's turning out for me.
I am writing this whilst rocking side to side, in the hope that my little dude (fastened securely to my chest) will go to bloody sleep. Indeed, Oliver has gone from super easy laid back baby to a super intense ball of woe in the space of a few weeks. Even putting our feeding issues aside, everything seems to be bothering him lately.
— pause to mop up regurgitated milk —
Where was I? Ah yes. Oliver. He appears to be teething, and unlike Isabel who took it in her stride for the most part, he mostly just cries, drools and chews. The extra drool is making his spewing worse (he's gone from happy-chucker to sicking up viciously acidic curdled milk) which in turn means he won't sleep lying down. For 3-4 nights last week I only slept for 20 minutes at a time because as soon as I put him down he woke. I've managed to get some sleep by propping him up on a pillow half an inch from my face (the proximity is mostly because I'm panicking, probably irrationally, about a young baby being that close to a pillow).
The extra vom is making him resist feeds which makes him grumpy which stops him sleeping which makes him more grumpy which causes crying which makes him windy which makes him grumpy… you can probably see where I'm going with this.
So anyway, as you can imagine this is having a knock on affect on day to day. I'm star … mop up puke #2 … starting to have problems keeping track of my temper which makes me grumpy and naggy with Isabel. Work is slowly slipping behind, and that in itself stresses me which makes the above worse. I'm getting to the top of the work-mountain but it's taking my evenings up and that's not ideal for any of us.
It's also Isabel's birthday tea on Saturday and I've done absolutely nothing for that yet. Oh, the stress.
There's not really a point to this post. I just wanted a good moan. As you were…
4 comments so far
sounds like you need a hug, and a time machine.
or a remote control that pauses time.
have you given the secret weapon a go yet? I can't recommend it enough. even if its just for reducing the mental stress!! it means you only devote half an hour a day to thinking 'crap what do I do next' instead of subconsciously worrying about it.
Ollie sounds like he is suffering from GERD. You might want to mention this to your Doctor next you see them. They may have a solution or some sound advice. With regards to Izz's party you only have to ask and we will do what we can to help.
Perfectly reasonable *lends ear/shoulder*. I often feel much better after moaning and moping about some stuff to my best friend.
Wow… you wanted to participate in NaBloPoMo? Me too… and then I spent two weeks trying to write two different blog entries. Only managed one. :(
Awww… so sorry about Oliver. He must be feeling terrible. Hope his pain'll pass soon. :(
Jem, much as your kids are giving you trouble right now, you are intense and a lot of us tech girls look up to you because you are doing what we all hope to be doing eventually: working on awesome things and having a family.


text:
When the time comes to sell your home in Colt Valley Farms, it's smart to take a look at what houses have sold at Colt Valley Farms in Fairfax Station, Virginia. That can give a seller a starting point for determining your Siding – Cedar Colonial's value. Contact Julie Nesbitt to get a free and more accurate assessment of your home's value. Julie Nesbitt can also prepare a marketing plan to show you how we plan to get you the best price as quickly as possible.
Did you know that in Colt Valley Farms:

subset: commoncrawl


text:
An investigation by the BBC has found that dozens of videos advocating fake cancer cures on YouTube, some with hundreds of thousands of views, were being monetized by the platform with ads.
Researchers at BBC Monitoring surveyed YouTube across ten languages: English, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic, Persian, Hindi, German, Ukrainian, French, and Italian.
They found more than 80 videos promoting bogus cancer cures, 47 of which were accompanied by ads. Some of the ads were for established brands including Samsung, Heinz, Grammarly, and Clinique.
The videos endorsed consuming substances like juice, turmeric, baking soda, and even donkey's milk as ways to prevent or even cure cancer.
The video the BBC found promoting donkey milk had over 446,000 views at time of writing.
Read more: America's doctors warn Google, Twitter, and Facebook: Anti-vaxxers are weaponizing tech platforms, prompting outbreaks that can "debilitate and kill"
The BBC's research indicated that videos not in English were slipping through YouTube's net more than English-language ones.
YouTube announced in a blog post in January that it would crack down on "borderline content and content that could misinform users in harmful ways." It described the enforcement as a "gradual change" that would only apply to videos from the US to begin with.
Once the BBC informed advertisers about their campaigns running alongside the videos, some distanced themselves. Kraft Heinz and Grammarly said they had taken steps to block the channels responsible.
YouTube demonetized 70 of the videos after being contacted by the BBC, a spokesman told Business Insider.
The spokesman said: "Misinformation is a difficult challenge, and we have taken a number of steps to address this including showing more authoritative content on medical issues, showing information panels with credible sources, and removing ads from videos that promote harmful health claims.
"Our systems are not perfect but currently, the majority of the searches about cancer cures are pointing users to authoritative sources. We're constantly making improvements, and we remain committed to progress in this space."
This is not the first time misleading — and in some cases actively harmful — videos about health have spread on YouTube.
Business Insider's Tom Porter found a network of videos pushing an autism "cure" called Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS), which contains industrial bleach.


text: Today's reading is a reminder to us that we are forever called to follow Christ and to fish for people. It is good for us once and a while to be reminded about what our call is all about and why our church is here. And while we can't force people into our building, it is our job to find creative ways to catch people with the nets of God's love. Let us continue to step up and meet this challenge, and enjoy the journey along the way.


text:
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
4pm tour
This is an illustration i did for the aforementioned book project. It is an illustration to accompany a terrific short story by Jez Burrows. Jez also wrote a short story to go along with my Waterfall picture, and it is really really cool. You guys should get this book. Here is a flickr set of the other pieces in the release show that unfortunately i could not attend because of the atlantic ocean.
21 comments:
- RAWLS said...
Looks great man!
- July 29, 2009 at 12:14 PM
- Unknown said...
- July 29, 2009 at 12:57 PM
- Drake Brodahl (pumml) said...
Gorgeous as usual, Jon! I really like how you handled the lighting.
- July 29, 2009 at 2:50 PM
- emilio lorente said...
I Love your work...the white and the silence :)
saludos desde España
- July 29, 2009 at 3:52 PM
- quentin baillieux said...
Amazing work here!
I'm in love with your pictures!
- July 31, 2009 at 3:45 AM
- Unknown said...
So inspiring! You really blow me away.
- August 2, 2009 at 6:00 PM
- Carmen Saldaña said...
Amazing and inspirational.
- August 3, 2009 at 12:22 AM
- michael robertson said...
wonderful work, jon. Your stuff is always so inspirational. great muted tones and beautiful textures.
- August 11, 2009 at 10:15 AM
- Unknown said...
Just to say, I bought the Friction book after seeing your Waterfall picture was in it; it's very beautiful :)
- August 14, 2009 at 2:24 AM
- MuchoS MonoS! said...
Man...your work simply is magical, i really like it and i'm spreading between my friends... congrats and thanks for make enjoy illustration once more...
Best regards,
- August 19, 2009 at 7:11 AM
- Tayone said...
great works here
- August 19, 2009 at 11:12 AM
- lorelay bove said...
Wow! I love the bold graphics on this piece!
- August 26, 2009 at 7:09 AM
- sarah said...
Maybe it's just me, but it looks like the church in Vertigo by Hitchcock...by the way, I love your work!
- August 31, 2009 at 2:55 AM
- sarah said...
Maybe it's just me, but it looks like the church in Vertigo by Hitchcock...by the way, I love your work!
- August 31, 2009 at 2:55 AM
- onírica said...
- September 16, 2009 at 1:56 PM
- Tali said...
oooh, makes me think of the movie Vertigo.
- October 19, 2009 at 8:05 PM
- November 17, 2009 at 10:53 PM
- Jackie Ashby said...
I have the book, it's fantastic. I'm a big fan.
- December 28, 2009 at 12:57 AM
- anywhere_Smile said...
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- August 27, 2010 at 9:58 PM
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- October 30, 2018 at 1:33 PM


text:
Joining VeloClub not only supports the work we do, there are some fantastic benefits:
by Simone Giuliani
July 12, 2018
Photography by Cor Vos and Tim Bardsley-Smith
Katrin Garfoot may have entered into cycling late, but the 36 year old's results — which include three world championship medals — line up as among the best in Australian cycling. An Olympic medal in Tokyo in 2020 had looked like the next big target, but instead she has decided it is actually the right time to pull the pin on her cycling career.
After the Commonwealth Games in April — where Garfoot walked away with a gold medal in the time trial and was part of the gold winning road team — Garfoot got sick. She was off the bike for four weeks, lost form and was facing the effort of training her way back into it. However, she wasn't sure that it was really all worth it anymore.
"That [illness] was definitely one thing that helped me make the decision. To then start again, its a lot of time to build again so the World Championships already were written off," Garfoot told Ella CyclingTips.
"In those four weeks a lot happened. I couldn't train and then I got used to not training, and I looked into other things. It all just fell into place," Garfoot said, adding that life just took over.
The German-born Australian had last year left Orica-Scott after three years with the team, as she no longer wanted to race in Europe and be away from her family and friends for so much of the year. However, the three-time Australian time trial champion was still a key athlete for Australia, as her proven record and time trial strength made her a great asset in an era of medal-focussed sport funding models.
Lining up with Orica-Scott as dual Australian road and time trial champion at the 2017 Santos Women's Tour. Picture by Tim Bardsley-Smith.
Though even with that support, ultimately pursuing a career in women's cycling still meant big financial sacrifices. That was part of the price Garfoot wasn't prepared to pay anymore, especially not when she'd already delivered on so many of her goals and her sense of fulfilment on the bike was waining.
"I got everything out of it that I've felt I wanted to get out of it in the time I did it. Just to do it now for the experience, it was not the right time anymore," she said forthrightly.
It's clear by Garfoot rapid rise in the sport that when she was committed to the sport, it was 100 percent and nothing less wouldn't do. She started out in competitive cycling in 2011, dominated the local scene in 2013 and then headed over to Europe in 2014.By 2017 she'd become only the second Australian woman after Anna Wilson to claim dual medals at the Road Worlds in the same year. Garfoot is also the only Australian, alongside Michael Rogers, to have claimed three medals for Australia.
Garfoot says her late entry into the sport, may have in fact worked to her advantage, making her a more strategic and driven player.
"It was easier for me to maintain that level of effort for the short period of time, whereas if I did it for ten years I could not imagine myself having kept it up," said Garfoot. "Also the short time frame taught me a lot of skills in how to get an outcome very effectively, with focussed outcomes."
Not that it was always easy, the year of her greatest successes, 2017, was far from straightforward. Orica-Scott was in the process of shifting away from its association with the medal-focused national high performance unit run by Cycling Australia. That was happening, just as Garfoot had signalled her attention to shift away from the team at the end of 2017 and instead focus on representing Australia with support from the Cycling Australia system.
"I felt like the kid in between during a break up," said Garfoot. "I had a very hard time before those World Championships, but the pressure probably helped me to perform."
Now the Queensland-based rider, who managed to finish off her career with a successful home Commonwealth Games, is turning her attention to what happens after she closes the door on the cycling career.
Katrin Garfoot (Australia) on her way to time trial bronze at the 2017 World Champs. Photo by Cor Vos
The key priority as she walks away from the intensity of her cycling, is to enjoy time with family and friends. Having a baby is still among the options but as Garfoot pointed out, "you don't buy them in a shop."
We are not likely to see her racing locally, although she'll probably take a roll to the coffee shop with friends for fun or go mountain bike riding. And as for that next career, she wants to pursue one that matters, where she can make a difference.
"I am not certain of what that is, but I am taking my time to mull over some ideas and see what comes of it," said Garfoot.
Whatever it is, if her cycling career is any indication, she's bound to throw herself into it with the utmost energy.
"While Kat's international results are worthy of high praise, it is her passion, dedication and commitment to excellence that will be her lasting legacy," said Cycling Australia CEO Steve Drake in a statement.
Did you enjoy this content?
If everyone who enjoys our women's cycling coverage helps to support it, our future would be much more secure. We bleed for this sport and we want to bring you quality and honest reporting, coverage, storytelling, and important issues you deserve.
So we can keep doing this to the best of our ability, please consider joining our mission by becoming a member, or making a once-off contribution. We need your help to keep this going. Thank you.


text:
One way to get your freshman 15!
Congratulations! You've gotten to college, and now you never have to read another book in your life! But that's exactly the opposite of what books can do for you in college. Instead of a book being something you have to read, think about college literature classes as your opportunity to get to read. Whether or not you're a humanities major, odds are pretty good that you'll be required to take an English course or some sort of literature course at some point in your four years of college. The list of literature courses can seem overwhelming. And they can lurk across lots of departments: the best course on Russian novels might be in the Slavic Languages and Literature Department, but it might also be in Comparative Literature, English, Art History, Classics, Politics, Folklore and Mythology, or History and Literature, to name just a few.
Here are some ways to get the most out of that potentially scary literature class:
1) Take a lecture course—but don't be afraid to take a specialized lecture.
Even if you haven't taken other literature courses, specialized lectures--The American Novel from 1860 to the Present, Twentieth-Century Irish Poetry, The Canterbury Tales-- can be a great place to start. Big sweeping introductory classes are often terrific, but they don't have to be your first literature course. If you're considering a literature lecture, consider one on a single author, or a single genre, or a single time period. Even if you don't come in with a lot of background knowledge, that's okay, because the topic is narrow enough so that you can launch right into the material without mastering everything under the sun first.
2) Take a small seminar, even if you've never taken a college literature course before.
Don't be intimidated by the fact that you have nowhere to hide – embrace it! Seminars aren't just for experts – they give you a chance to ask lots of questions and puzzle your way through totally new ways of thinking with individualized help.
3) Ask people who are majors in humanities departments to recommend professors to you.
Don't just rely on your friends for this; instead, you should turn to people who are juniors and seniors in departments with a lot of literature courses and ask them which professors they've had very positive experiences with. Ask them why the professor is so good: is the professor a brilliant discussion leader? An astounding lecturer? A generous but firm editor? Then, look at the course offerings from that professor.
4) Take a literature class with a book on the syllabus that you've read before but hated.
You know you should like The Sound and the Fury, which you read in junior year of high school, but somehow, you just couldn't get into it then. Or you knew that Walt Whitman is supposed to be great, but you've never clicked with "I Hear America Singing." This is your opportunity to re-discover the books and authors that you've completely written off. You might find something in them that you love after all.
In short: don't be afraid to take a college literature class. All the excuses--"I hated AP English," or "I can't write," or "I don't know how to think about books," or "I don't know where to start" or "Why would I bother to take a literature class when I should be taking something more practical?"--are just getting in the way: instead, give yourself a chance to explore!
For more relevant reading, check out these other blog posts, written by our English tutors: X, Y, Z. Looking to work with Adrienne Raphel? Feel free to get in touch! Cambridge Coaching offers private in-person tutoring in New York City and Boston, and online tutoring around the world.


text:
The PAO, Central Excise Unit, Madurai has been persistently fighting against the anti-employee, harassing and dishonest local administration. The unit has reported that the local administration is harassing the employees by not reimbursing their legitimate personal claims and using abusive languages with the employees and particularly with the women employees while they are visiting his chamber on official matters. In order to divide the employees he is openly practicing favoritism and misreporting the facts in respect of his office to the higher authorities. Not only this, his approach towards the Departmental persons has been causing severe damage to the image of the Civil Accounts organization.
. The PAO, Central Excise Unit, Madurai has been holding various forms of agitational actions for the last few months. It furnished detailed reports to the higher authorities and Federation headquarters before resorting organizational action.
The office was awarded as one of the best offices by CGA and award was offered for the same on Civil Accounts day 2011. When the entirety of the membership of the unit refused to accept honorarium granted to them as an award for making the office as one of the best office, higher authorities intervened and requested to the Unit Secretary to accept the same. The members accepted it conditionally. It has now been decided by the higher authorities to depute one of the senior officers for having assessment of the situation. Federation headquarters is pursuing the matter with the authorities of different level and maintaining continuous touch with the unit and the Branch.
Federation headquarters of NFCAA congratulates the PAO, Central Excise, Madurai unit. However, fight is not over. The unit and the Tamilnadu and Pondicherry Branch in specific should continue the struggle till final solutions are there. However, all Branches are requested to be ready to extend support to the unit if the authorities do not settle the problems of the Unit upto the expected level.


text:
Multiple Myeloma Jim Hall 2
Jim Hall (Photo courtesy Janssen Oncology)
Bicycling has long been a passion for Glen Allen resident Jim Hall.
He's been at home on the bike saddle since soon after moving to Richmond in the early 1970s. He started with an old Huffy and a short road trip, in which he quickly learned the worth of a bike more suited to pavement.
At age 68 and retired after a career in information technology, he tries to log 100 to 150 miles each week on the bike, and tries to make regular, 200-mile trips to visit relatives in his native North Carolina. But in 2014, he noticed something was wrong: He found himself laboring while riding with his biking club.
"It got to the point I couldn't keep up with the riders I usually rode with," he says. His condition deteriorated, and he could no longer hold his own with the beginners, let alone the more experienced riders.
He visited his doctor. Bloodwork was inconclusive, but she kept digging. She sent him to an oncologist and two months later, after a bone marrow biopsy, doctors had a diagnosis: multiple myeloma.
It's a blood cancer that affects plasma, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It can wreak havoc upon bones, the immune system and red blood cells. About 23,555 cases are diagnosed each year in the United States, making it the most common blood cancer after leukemia and lymphoma. About 12,000 Americans die from it each year.
It's rare in people younger than 45 and most common in older men. It's twice as common in African Americans, according to the CDC.
Hall was lucky, and the disease was caught early. He started chemotherapy two weeks after diagnosis, and responded well to the treatment. In 2015, he received a stem cell bone marrow transplant at VCU Medical Center, and again responded well.
The follow-up regimen to the transplant called for 100 days of isolation at home. That was asking a lot of an avid cyclist such as Hall, but fortunately one of his doctors was also a biking enthusiast. That doctor told Hall to wear a mask and keep away from others, but that he could be on the road.
Hall did.
Multiple Myeloma Jim Hall 1
Photo courtesy Janssen Oncology
He recently took part in a portion of a cross-country biking event, Road to Victories, a fundraiser and outreach effort to benefit the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.
As of today, six riders were on the road, biking in Kansas, about the halfway mark for the event. They began on Sept. 3 in Manhattan Beach, California, and are set to end the trip on Oct. 21 in Fairfield, Connecticut. The trek will cover 3,400 miles.
Hall is back in Glen Allen after riding about 950 miles with the group to Santa Fe, New Mexico. The event exceeded his expectations, he says, especially for someone who, apart from his family, enjoys nothing more than cycling. "There was no way I was not going to do this ride," he says.
It's more than simply logging miles on the road for Hall: It's also about the people, those on the bikes and those he meets on the road. "The camaraderie between the cyclists and the people you meet [means] everything to me," he says.
Riders on the tour have direct connections to the disease: Some are survivors, others are family members, and some work in the health profession. Their expenses are covered through a race sponsor, Janssen Oncology. All proceeds raised through the event will benefit the research foundation. The racing team has raised $364,853, with a goal of $400,000.
Hall expects to keep logging miles on his bike. It's good medicine.
"The two things that are going to help you with your disease," he says, are "having a good attitude and exercise."


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Yoga Meditation
Wellness Travel
Hi, I'm Martyna!
I am hatha, yin yoga and meditation teacher.
My passion for yoga and eastern spirituality took me on a journey across the seas.
And I love to share my experience with my students!
I believe that yoga is not what you see outside but what you feel inside.
Stress relief, better concentration skills, improved body strenght and flexibility are one of many side effects of regular yoga practice! The highest goal of yoga is a deep inner experience of self-knowledge and developing to our fullest potential.
Let me guide you through that journey!


text:
Mesh Back Self Belted Sweater Dress
79% Viscose 11% Nylon 10% Polyester
- Long sleeve crew-neck dress. Open back mesh detail with self tie belt. The perfect modern black dress for all occasions. Wear it with your favorite heel for a night out on the town or pair it with the work blazer for the office.


text:
WWE News
WWE officials reportedly not happy with one Hall of Famer, Hulk Hogan thanks Vince Russo
– It's no secret that WWE officials are not happy with Hall of Famer Tammy "Sunny" Sytch due to her having several legal battles and her private Skype sessions with fans. Dave Meltzer mentioned that on the latest episode of the Wrestling Observer Radio. He also said that the company has not been happy with Sunny for a while now.
For whatever reason, there continues to be speculation that WWE will remove her from their Hall of Fame, but Melzer said that she has not been removed from the Hall of Fame.
– Former WWE, WCW, and TNA creative writer Vince Russo tweeted the following to Hulk Hogan after Hogan appeared on Good Morning America Monday morning:
Just received nice message from @HulkHogan Man–we are all sinners–we are all human–just need to love each other and pick our brothers up.
— Vince Russo (@THEVinceRusso) September 1, 2015
@THEVinceRussothank yo Vince for understanding and the very kinda words,only respect and lots of love for you my brother HH
— Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) September 1, 2015


text:
We arrived amidst a storm of controversy on a bright August morning in 1995 for orientation (remember The Primary Source's postering of campus in preparation for the arrival of Gina Grant, who had pleaded no contest to the 1991 murder of her mother in South Carolina?) Since that auspicious start, we've experienced enough drama, controversy and scandal to last a lifetime. We leave four years later – a bit older, poorer (less $120,000 and then some for tuition, room and board, books, late nights at the Burren…), and hopefully wiser.
We leave Tufts a prettier place than we found it. During our tenure, Tufts jumped up in the national ranking of top US universities by US News and World Report. Tufts broke the top 25 our freshman year, and even reached a high point of 22nd place our sophomore year.
Wessell Library was transformed into the newly renovated Tisch Library. A $10 million gift from Preston Robert Tisch, co-chairman and CEO of the Loews Corporation and CEO of the NFL's New York Giants, resulted in the creation of 74,000 additional square feet of library space in a building which now seats 1,250 patrons.
Our first year was also the inaugural year of the newly renovated Dewick/MacPhie dining hall. Although the installation of a brand-new, energy-efficient gas broiler caused ventilation problems, Dewick was still popular enough to put Hodgdon on the "endangered" list. The dining hall was saved, however, after students launched a Save Hodgdon campaign and the dining hall offered special events like '50s themed meals to increase attendance. In another version of the dining hall wars, Hodgdon rivaled Dewick after Hodgdon was reincarnated as a takeout mecca and became a hip dining hall which offered stir-fry and omelets.
Brown and Brew, Tufts' one and only coffeehouse, also opened in Curtis Hall, despite student protests over the use of the space and the effect the new hangout would have on Oxfam Cafe. After much delay, the Merchants on Points System, which allows Tufts students to use points to purchase take-out from certain off-campus establishments, also got underway sophomore year.
Also, despite many protests from students, the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate decided to allot $100,000 of its budgetary surplus to the construction of a patio behind the campus center, prompting a war between then-Treasurer Josh Goldenberg and The Primary Source.
And then there were also those improvements that Tufts should have made. Remember when storms flooded the basements of Stratton Hall and other campus buildings freshman year? Or when winds ripped off a 400-foot section of South Hall's roof early one morning sophomore year?
Hesitant to leave everything to the administration, students did their fair share of trying to improve campus life.
Freshman year, members of Tufts' African American and Asian American communities protested the TCU Senate decision to remove culture representatives from the Senate body. Many of the protesters felt that one senator chairing the Culture and Ethnicity Committee could not represent the viewpoints of all cultures on campus. After nearly three hours of debate on the issue, senators held a brief recess during which four African American male protestors took over senators' chairs.
Members of the Asian Community at Tufts and the Chinese Culture Club also challenged budget cuts made by the Allocations Board (ALBO), claiming that ALBO cut the money for take-out food because it questioned the authenticity of take-out food as part of the culture.
The Tufts Burma Action Group was formed to attempt to force the Tufts administration to sever its contract with PepsiCo because it supplied a bottling plant in Burma, a country with human rights violations.
Students were also moved to action over the 110 UNICCO workers who lost their jobs when the administration decided not to renew its contract, and to transfer custodial services to ISS. The displaced workers regularly marched around Ballou Hall junior year holding signs and yelling chants while sympathetic students organized forums and collected donations for the workers.
Members of the Tufts football team also spread Tufts' good name when they helped two accident victims after their car swerved across the highway and crashed near the team's van.
This past year, diversity was the key mobilizing force among students. Seven students who were working independently organized a forum entitled "Many Voices, No Community," which drew hundreds to participate in a conversation on race, class, gender, and sexuality. Although the forum had been in the works since the beginning of the semester, the event was finalized after seniors Julie Lee and Cynthia Wong were the targets of racist remarks at a party. Submerge, a new campus political magazine, was also distributed at the meeting.
The Coalition for Social Justice and Non-Violence, a new campus group, sponsored a second forum weeks later, in an effort to discuss viable solutions to the many questions raised during the previous forum.
Rumblings about diversity came to a head at the end of the semester when a group of students marched to Ballou Hall bearing tombstones printed with the names of those African American faculty and administrators who had left Tufts, confronting administrators after Todd McFadden, then director of the African American Center, resigned. In response, Vice President for Arts, Sciences, and Technology Mel Bernstein held five discussion sessions addressing students' concerns about the diversity of the Tufts campus this semester. Debate focused on minority admissions, methods for increasing minority enrollment at Tufts, alumni gift giving, the unhappiness of minority students at Tufts, faculty hiring and retention, and the context of diversity.
Despite these improvements in Tufts life, we've also had our down moments.
Anybody remember the Student Lifeline Taxi? This taxi service was introduced in early September our freshman year with the promise of free cab rides for intoxicated students or those stranded at an off-campus location. However, students severely abused the new service within the first two weeks, running up a tab that was more than St. John's and Columbia Universities had run up in two years. The service was promptly canceled.
Tufts Connect – intended to provide uniform telephone service, cable connection, and online services – was another rookie service that found barren ground at Tufts. We arrived our first semester to discover phones with no dial tones, voice mail that didn't work, and an inability to call outside the University. Towards mid-semester, students who had not yet received a phone bill began to find their long distance service cut off because they had unknowingly exceeded their PAC limits. After this fiasco, some students were billed for phone calls that were nothing more than a busy signal.
Junior year, Tufts Connect once again came under criticism for what students called unfair billing practices. Students were upset when they were notified in August by CampusLink, the parent company of Tufts Connect, that they would be charged a one-time fee of $225 to cover many different phone services as well as an Ethernet connection and cable television, whether or not they had a computer or a television. Students were upset about not being given an option to pay in monthly installments and being forced to pay for services that they were unable to use.
Anger at Tufts Connect continued into the spring as the Senate voted to approve a new CampusLink rate structure which called for cable television and voice services to be offered separately. As this new "unbundled" plan caused much controversy and confusion among students, the hallway leading up to the CampusLink office was covered with student complaints and anti-CampusLink statements written on napkins and taped to the walls.
Another losing idea, the Tufts Computer Store, closed down sophomore year after sustaining a loss of $267,000 over the preceding two years.
Tufts, while generally a safe campus, has not been entirely free of violence during our four-year stay. Our freshman year, first floor residents of Carmichael Hall awoke to find racist, sexist, and homophobic graffiti on their walls, doors, pipes, and light fixtures. A Tufts freshman was also attacked by a group of six local teenagers in front of Goddard Chapel.
In October of our sophomore year, a group of youths assaulted two Tufts students in front of Fletcher. The same month, a student was stabbed in the abdomen with a knife during a disagreement that began after a pick-up basketball game in Jackson Gym. During the semester, four men were arrested on Professors Row and charged with larceny and assault with a deadly weapon after robbing two female students and threatening a member of Theta Delta Chi with a knife. A kitchen knife, as well as a pair of scissors, were the weapons of choice for student Gregory Glassner, who was arrested for stabbing three women at a party.
Junior year, a fight at one fraternity left four people injured, while an unidentified male drew a silver handgun in the midst of another fraternity party.
This past semester, a Tufts sophomore and a prospective freshman were attacked by a group of unknown perpetrators who jumped out of a van. Another student sustained minor injuries after she was hit by a drunk Medford man. A clash between Alpha Phi and Zeta Psi pledges at the cannon resulted in two of the sorority pledges being taken to the hospital.
However, the biggest shocker on campus was a hate crime against two homosexual students leaving an off-campus party which sparked campus-wide support for Tufts' lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered community. Over 200 students gathered at the much-maligned patio to show their intolerance for the hate crime.
On a lighter note, things haven't been all work and no play for our class.
Although we were here for the storm that shut down Tufts University for the first time in 19 years on April Fool's Day sophomore year, many of us were unfazed by Mother Nature and spent the day playing in the snow. The third-largest snowstorm in Boston history dumped more than two feet of snow on the Tufts campus, resulting in a surprise vacation for students, faculty, and staff.
Those who frequent fraternity parties were also in for a shock junior year when the Fraternity Insurance Purchasing Group (FIPG), a national collective bargaining organization for fraternities and sororities, announced a resolution passed by its members. The resolution recommended that fraternities and sororities within the organization restrict the number of guests to two per member at private parties.
When the Office of the Dean of Students announced that the University was obliged to consider the resolution as a mandate from FIPG, many fraternity and sorority members packed the TCU senate meeting to discuss the changes. Eventually, Associate Dean of Students Bruce Reitman released a statement that said the school would temporarily treat the FIPG guidelines as recommendations and not rules, allowing normal social activities to continue.
We've also gotten a chance to rub elbows with the famous while at Tufts. We've heard many renowned speakers including former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, former political prisoner Harry Wu, prize-winning author Elie Wiesel, Jesse Jackson, poet Maya Angelou, Harvard professor Cornel West, the multi-talented David Mamet, former Secretary of State James Baker, Patriarch Bartholomew, Planned Parenthood president Gloria Feldt, actor and social activist Edward James Olmos, Democratic National Committee chairman Steve Grossman, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) president Kweisi Mfume, and former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, among many others.
We were here when Norm MacDonald graced our presence by showing up in a less-than-sober state of mind and making references to Christopher Reeve's penis. We were here when Saturday Night Live's Tracy Morgan told racially-oriented jokes and performed a simulation of fellatio on the microphone. And we were also here when Tufts was the host of Jodie's Body, a one-woman show about apartheid and body image where the star was naked on stage during the whole performance.
We've also heard our share of Spring Fling performers. The Violent Femmes, George Clinton and the P-Funk Allstars, A Tribe Called Quest, and the always-amusing Barenaked Ladies have rocked the President's lawn. Junior year, Tufts decided to go for the big name in booking a disappointing LL Cool J for big bucks. Our last year, Spring Fling also took a lackluster turn. After the upbeat and energetic swing band Cherry Poppin' Daddies took the stage, we were treated to the aging Sugar Hill Gang, who hasn't had a hit in more than a decade, and Ben Folds Five, who lulled everybody to sleep and while artfully skipping their one hit song, "Brick."
We've also heard other musicians off the lawn. Letters to Cleo, Fastball, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, the Marsalis brothers and OutKast have been among those who have showed their faces at Tufts.
This year, we would also have heard Run DMC and Godstreet Wine at Fall Fest, Tufts' annual fall concert, if it hadn't been for a mistake in the planning by the TCU Senate. The concert was canceled the afternoon before because the police were not given enough notification to ensure security for the event.
Yep, we've really seen and heard enough to call these four intense and drama-filled years "the best years of our life." It's been an interesting four years, and about all that is left to say is, "What's next?"


text: SteelTown Paintball - Required Waiver for All Users STATEMENT FROM STEELTOWN PAINTBALL All participants are required to fill out the form in its entirety. By submitting the form, participants are acknowledging that they have read the contents within. Legal guardians may submit a single form for up to six (6) minor children under the age of 18. Each adult over the age of 18 must individually submit his or her own waiver. OK NEXT


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Forrest's Family Support Specialist
Sabrina Outlaw-Sanders
The B.A.S.E. Focus
The B.A.S.E. Focus
Case Management
Family Support
Individualized Plan
Community Resources
The Family Support Specialist can link the family to ta variety of community resources and can assist in developing a plan to ensure student success and eliminate tardies and/or absences.
Office (757) 825-4627
Cell (757) 570-8640
Email: email@example.com
Base Consent Form
Absence Tips
Absence Tips
If your child is going to be absent from school, please:
- Call the school and inform the attendance clerk that your child will not be attending school that day and provide and explanation.
- Be sure to contact the school each morning your child will be absent.
- Upon your child's return to school, provide him/her with a note to excuse the absence that includes: date/s of absence, name of child and reason for absence. If possible, get a copy for yourself for verification that the note was submitted.
- Vacations are NOT excused absences.
- After 5 parent notifications of absence, additional absences may be considered unexcused without written documentation from a doctor, court, etc.
Forrest Elementary, THE Place to Grow!
Forrest Elementary, THE Place to Grow!


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NK is someone you can always count on to get you in check because she gives it to you like it is. Each week, you can email a question of your choice and Instagram name to email@example.com for her honest thoughts and opinions. NK will respond to three questions on Saturdays and give those special 360Nobs readers a shout out on her post. She's leaving no stone unturned and answering all your questions about entertainment, relationships, friendships, sex, love, education and much more. Ask away and don't hesitate!
Omolara L
Dear NK, most of my friends post very sexy photos on Instagram and show off various parts of their bodies. They keep on telling me to post photos like them so I can get a lot followers and they say everyone is doing it. I just got on Instagram, but don't know if I want to post such pictures. I don't know what to tell them or how to address the situation. Can you help me?
Omolara my darling, don't mind those your friends. A lot of people like to partake in behavior/ activities that have become socially acceptable with time, but aren't always right. Instagram is the latest social media craze that has people doing some outrageous things that speaks nothing about their true characters. A lot of girls post flamboyant photos on Instagram of sexual poses and their exposed body parts because they seek attention and believe that their 'follower' count dictates the key to their success.
Nothing is wrong with having an Instagram account, but you have to be mindful of what you post online because that's how you will be perceived by society. Post what you're comfortable with sharing with the world, not what you're told to post due to peer pressure. Also, note that true friends will not let you do what you're uncomfortable with for their personal benefit.
Danlami P
NK, wassup? There's one babe who won't let me rest. I don't like her the way she likes me, but she doesn't care. She always finds a way to start talking to me. At this point, it's just annoying. How do I get rid of her?
My brother, I dey oh. Don't get rid of her just yet. First and foremeost, I would suggest you pray about it and ask the good Lord for guidance on how to present your thoughts and feelings to her. After prayer, you need to sit her down and explain that you're not interested in pursuing her in the same way. It will be hard for her to hear, but she will thank you in the end for being honest with her. Sometimes, people have such an uncontrollable crush and just need to be directed in the proper path. Be kind and gentle about it because you don't want to hurt her feelings in a ratchet manner.
Also take time to evaluate why she was put in your life. Maybe you weren't meant to have a romantic relationship with her, but it might be most beneficial if you both developed a friendship. If you don't feel so, then feel free to part ways after your conversation with her. She will respect that.
Nuella J
NK, what do you think about the appointment of Buhari as our new president?
I wish President Buhari all the best during his term in hopes of greater development and progress within our country. Nigeria is very rich in resources and knowledge, so I hope he is able to highlight our strengths and talents.


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Why Engineers Should Pursue an MBA versus a Masters Degree
Why should engineers pursue an MBA versus a masters degree?
Every semester I give a presentation to a group of senior materials science engineering students and one of my favorite quotes to use is "When we promoted him, we lost a great engineer and gained a bad manager." I always get a few laughs from that one, but mostly I receive a lot of nods in agreement from the students who have witnessed something similar in an internship. Engineers make the world work, but they often have trouble managing people. This is where an MBA comes in. There is certainly a shortage of good managers in the field of engineering and engineers are making themselves extremely marketable by adding an MBA to their list of credentials.
A question that often arises is why engineers should pursue an MBA as opposed to a master degree in their engineering field. My answer to that is that it really depends on the person and what his/her career goals are. If the person is interested in research and wants to keep working as an engineer, then a Master of Engineering is the better way to go. However, if they would like to go into management, make a career change, or start their own business, then the MBA is the logical choice.
At Rutgers Business School, MBA students with engineering backgrounds make up the second largest population of students. We have engineers, both domestic and international, from a wide variety of backgrounds (civil, mechanical, chemical, etc.). These students have the quantitative and problem-solving skills that companies crave, but lack certain soft skills such as teamwork, leadership, ethics, communication, critical thinking, negotiation dynamics, and strategic planning. These are all highly valuable skills that a student would learn in an MBA program.
Most full-time MBA students at Rutgers are looking for a career change into either marketing, finance, or supply chain and others are looking to unlock their entrepreneurship and want to start their own companies. Engineers are often introverted and, while an MBA may teach them how to be more extroverted, this type of personality often makes a career change into marketing, which could be a challenge. As a result, engineers will typically find success in more analytical roles where they are putting their strong quantitative skills to work, but in a business environment. I find that the most successful find roles in the fast-growing supply chain realm. The reason for this is because engineers have strong analytical skills and they are problem solvers; they can easily transition these skills to make a company's supply chain more efficient and productive.
Finally, an MBA can really help unlock an engineer's entrepreneurial spirit. Engineers are builders and problem solvers and many have ideas for great products or businesses, but they don't have the business acumen to make this happen. That is where an MBA can help jumpstart the process by giving the student the confidence and knowledge on how to bring a product to market or start their own business. One of our recent alums recently started his own hedgefund after graduating with his MBA and he is putting his engineering skills to work to build his own financial models in order to make better investments for him and his clients.
So if you're an engineer looking for a career change, looking to learn management skills, or looking to start your own business or launch a product, look no further than a master of business administration as it will certainly help you achieve those goals.


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Hashtag Basketball / Cleveland Cavaliers
Both Tristan Thompson and Larry Nance Jr. are getting minutes at center for the Cavaliers. With Nance under a new four-year extension and Thompson expiring in the summer of 2020, what's going on with the minute-allotment for these two players?
First thing's first. Congratulations to former head coach Tyronn Lue, who will now avoid the unbearable stink of a last-place finish this season. He will also continue to get paid and have a chance to really get back to being healthy, after a health-scare sidelined him for a couple of weeks late last season. To no longer work for Dan Gilbert has to feel like a victory at this point.
Moving on, the Cavaliers still have a mountain of payroll and an even larger mountain of questions. Of course, now that Lue is gone, the coaching and roster situations are inextricably tied together. With Dan Gilbert at the helm, there's not a lot that suggests a clear long-term plan, but contracts are contracts and some players are in Cleveland for longer than others. Presumably, Kevin Love will be a Cavalier for most of the length of his new contract, which expires in the summer of 2023. After inking Larry Nance, Jr. to a four-year extension, he appears to be the other long-term piece of the Cavaliers front-court. But was it correct to extend Nance? And where does that leave Tristan Thompson?
This is a strange thing to say, but if you were to answer the question "what is Larry Nance, Jr. good at?" the response is tricky. He's not a great shooter, as shown by the 59 three-pointers he has taken thus far in his career (he is making 22% of them, or 13-59). But what are his other weaknesses? He's an above-average passer, rebounder, defender, and off-ball player. He runs the floor, he controls the offense, and he makes his teammates better. Recently displaced head coach Ty Lue even got into the habit of playing Nance for stretches when the Cavs were most likely to lose track of their opponents. For example, Nance played the final 17 minutes of a tight loss to the Pistons, and he also bridged the 3rd/4th quarters with about 13 consecutive minutes against the Pacers on Saturday night.
After playing the last several years with a tremendous on/off split, Nance is at it again. Through the first six games of this season, the lowly Cavaliers are 19 points better than their opponents per 100 possessions that Nance is on the floor. Despite that, and despite Nance's 22 minutes per game, Cleveland was 0-4 in the first four games he appeared in.
When Nance is on the floor, things and players move. In the clip below, he acts as a facilitator, screener, and rim-runner in a matter of five seconds. He fakes two passes, has two players run by on what could be ball-screens (but they didn't get tight enough to his body), then sets the screen after a dribble hand-off and rolls inside for a dunk. That's an absurd amount of action for a center to be in charge of, unless you're Nikola Jokic.
Larry Nance Jr. Se acuerdan de el ?? pic.twitter.com/b2TVagk5y0
— NBA Para Todos (@NBAEnLinea_) October 28, 2018
Larry Nance Jr. Se acuerdan de el ?? pic.twitter.com/b2TVagk5y0
But what separates Nance from a typical center (note: Jokic is not a typical center) is that he could have - and would have - made the right pass if either rim-running guard had been free.
In the clip below, we see more of Nance in the center of the offensive action. While the floor-spacing in this play is not exactly perfect, it shows how effective Nance can be as the driver of the offense. Nance bluffs a screen for Collin Sexton before a perfectly-timed move to screen for Kyle Korver. Nance's defender, Zaza Pachulia, has to step toward Korver because, well, it's Kyle Korver. That allows Nance to make a quick break to the basket and draw weak side help. It's important to note that Nance isn't expecting this pass. Look where his eyes go after he sets the screen - he's clearly rim-running for an offensive rebound attempt, without looking back at Korver. The ball appears at his side as he's moving, so Nance makes the smart play. How many big men in the NBA can make that pass - over a double team - to the corner for this Clarkson three-pointer?
Good shot by Jordan Clarkson on a great find by Larry Nance Jr. ??Catch #CavsPistons on FSO & the FOX Sports app: https://t.co/tPNPY3f3Gq pic.twitter.com/yTjd5G4dFg
— FOX Sports Ohio (@FOXSportsOH) October 25, 2018
Good shot by Jordan Clarkson on a great find by Larry Nance Jr. ??Catch #CavsPistons on FSO & the FOX Sports app: https://t.co/tPNPY3f3Gq pic.twitter.com/yTjd5G4dFg
I know a big man who cannot make that pass.
Tristan Thompson was an integral piece of the 2016 NBA Champion Cavaliers, and for that, he will forever hold a place in the hearts of Cavs fans. However, by being an integral piece of the first Finals run in 2015, Tristan Thompson (along with JR Smith the following summer) put Dan Gilbert in a tricky spot: Pay the guy what he wants because he helps give you a title chance, or pay him what he's worth on the open market?
Dan Gilbert more or less paid Tristan Thompson what he wanted, as there weren't exactly suitors lining up at Thompson's door. The Cavaliers signed Thompson for five years and $82 million - lower than the $94 million that Tristan's camp wanted, but Thompson didn't appear to receive offer sheets from anyone else (Thompson is represented by Klutch Sports Group, run by LeBron James's dear friend Rich Paul, who also represents LeBron). In short, he wasn't in high demand.
The fallout is precisely what fans feared. Tristan Thompson is a fine basketball player, but he is not a $16 million per year basketball player, especially in the modern NBA. While Larry Nance, Jr. is not a shooter, Thompson falls short of the mark in the other offensive areas where Nance excels. Chief among those areas is passing.
According to NBA.com stats, Thompson and Nance throw a relatively similar amount of passes per game - Nance averages 37 in 22 minutes per game, Thompson averages 31 in about 26 minutes. The telling statistic is that over 11% of Nance's passes are assists, while Thompson is down below 5%. Between true assists and secondary assists, Nance creates almost three times as many possible points off assists as Thompson does, and Nance is still averaging fewer minutes per game. To simplify, Nance is throwing meaningful passes and Thompson is just getting rid of the ball because he can't do much with it.
With $17.5 million going his way this season and another $18.5 million next year, Thompson isn't exactly on a team-friendly contract that could make him an appealing trade target. Even so, he's not dead weight. Despite the feeling that he's been around forever, Tristan Thompson is still just 27-years-old. He has definite value as a rebounder (on both ends) and the eye test suggests he's an OK defender. The advanced stats suggest that he's a mannequin on defense, but he has been dealing with various minor injuries over the past 12 months, so perhaps some team believes he can get back to his 2015-16 form.
That was a long way of saying that the Cavaliers should take whatever they can get for Tristan Thompson. Give him a nice handshake, try to do right by him, and send him on his way. If someone with cap-space wants a rebounder/energy guy off the bench and wants to give up a late first-round pick along with contract filler, take it. If it's two second-rounders and contract filler, take it. Something is better than nothing, and Tristan Thompson is not a long-term piece for the Cavaliers, unless he sticks around at a heavily discounted price. And with Klutch Sports (and a Hollywood lifestyle with the Kardashians) in his corner, a discounted price is not very likely.
Larry Nance, Jr. is a better version of Tristan Thompson for a lower price. Thompson will hold that special place in the hearts of Cavaliers fans forever, but it's probably time to cut their losses. The team is going nowhere for the next 18 months, so they should take whatever assets they can get.
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Bargain hunting in banking stocks propelled a rebound in Tuesday's session as the domestic equity market closed bullish. Bargain hunting in GUARANTY (+3.8%), UBA (+6.7%) and ZENITHBANK (+1.7%) drove the All Share Index ("ASI") higher by 0.7% to settle at 31,007.25 points while YTD loss moderated to -18.9%. Investors' wealth improved as market capitalisation rose by N76.1bn to close at N11.3tn. Activity level weakened as volume and value traded declined by 20.5% and 22.2% respectively to close at 198.5m units and N2.1bn respectively. The top traded stocks by volume in today's session were FBNH (63.9m units), ACCESS (23.2m units) and ETI (16.5m units) while the top traded stocks by value were FBNH (N479.3m), GUARANTY (N407.3m), and ETI (N263.6m).
Mixed Sector Performance
Sector performance in today's session was mixed as 2 of the 5 sectors under our coverage closed in the red while 1 closed flat. Buying interest in banking stocks in today's session drove the Banking index higher by 2.6% as price upticks in GUARANTY (+3.8%) and UBA (+6.7%) pushed the index higher. The insurance index trailed as bargain hunting in MANSARD (+9.9%) erased sustained profit taking in CONTINSURE (-2.8%) pulling the index higher by 0.7%. The Industrial Goods index and Consumer Goods index closed southwards for the second consecutive session as sell pressures in WAPCO (-4.5%), NIGERIAN BREWERIES (-0.5%) and UNILEVER (-1.0%) pushed the indices lower by 0.9% and 0.1% respectively. The Oil & Gas index closed flat as no component of the index changed in price.
Investors Sentiment Strengthens
Investor sentiment as measured by market breadth (advance/decline ratio) strengthened to 1.8x from 1.6x recorded in Monday's session as 24 stocks advanced against 13 decliners. The best performing stocks in today's session were MANSARD (+9.9%), DIAMONDBNK (+9.9%) and UPL (+7.5%) while LINKASSURE (-9.7%), VERITASKAP (-9.1%) and MAYBAKER (-8.0%) led the laggards in today's session. In line with our expectation, the local bourse rebounded in today's session while significant headroom remains for increased buying activities, thus we anticipate a bullish performance in subsequent sessions while we maintain our bearish outlook over the near term.


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…is that true? I got my period today and my partner and I had sex. He ejaculated inside me. Can I still get pregnant?
It's important to say that pregnancy depends on ovulation- the process in which an egg is released. Ovulation can happen at any time during someone's period, making pregnancy possible at different times during their cycle.
With that being said, know that pregnancy is possible whenever semen comes in contact with the vagina. So although you are having your period, if you've had any unprotected sex, pregnancy can be a possibility. The best way to avoid pregnancy is to use forms of birth control consistently and correctly.
The only way you can know for sure though if you're pregnant is to take a pregnancy test 14 days after your most recent sexual contact. At that time, you will get an accurate result. Teen Clinic offers pregnancy tests for free or at a low-cost. You can call us at 303-442-5160 to make an appointment to get a pregnancy test.


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Model is wearing a size 11/12.
Color: Marsala


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This is my 3rd year blogging about books! I, unfortunately, won't be doing anything special since I hurt my back on Sunday and have been conserving my energy to be able to survive work. However, I do have plans to get back to a fuller blog schedule. I miss writing reviews, "Tuesday's Tunes", "Wednesday's Words", and "Friday's Fairytales." I also want to get back to posting "Thursday's Things" at least monthly.
Here's to another year!
Category: Announcements
I'm Back!…Sort of…
I just wanted to post this quick message that my laptop is mostly back in working order. The Boyfriend and I also moved into our new apartment, and most of the boxes have been unpacked. My new home isn't perfect yet, and neither is my laptop. So while I'll begin posting my Monday Minutes and #FitReaders posts again soon, I'm not ready to get back into the full swing of things quite yet. Besides finding new homes for the random objects I've been taking out of the few remaining boxes, and downloading and installing the kajillion updates for my laptop, I'm also dealing with a bit of a stomach bug. Either that or there was something wrong with last night's dinner. Regardless, I'm taking it easy.
Technical Difficulties
If you follow me on Twitter, you may already know that I had to take my laptop to the shop to hopefully get fixed. It's still in the shop. The Boyfriend gave me his old desktop computer, but it doesn't have a wireless card and my "office" isn't near enough to connect directly. That leaves me with my phone, but it's beyond a pain in the rear to write blog posts on my phone, and I can just forget about adding graphics. Because of all that, I wasn't able to do my #FitReaders check-in today, and I don't know when I'll be able to blog again. My laptop may not be fixable. So, until further notice, I'm on a blogging break, but please rest assured that I will be back! I've been going through withdrawals and I miss all of you since not having my laptop also means not being able to do much socializing, commenting, or blog reading the way I want to be able to do. Again, I will be back as soon as possible! TTFN!
Super Rad Announcement
Due to this, I've been celebrating with the Boyfriend and texting back and forth with friends and loved ones instead of writing today's book review. I got the call first thing in the morning yesterday after I got home from my part-time job. My head has been somewhere in the clouds since I got that phone call, and my shoulders are back where they're supposed to be, so I can only assume that they were anchoring my head while connected to my ears for the past month and a half of job hunting.
Anyway, my life is no longer on a semi-hold, and starting in two weeks I'll be earning a higher salary than I was expecting to be offered right out of college, even with my work experience. I'll also be doing something that I'll (hopefully) enjoy, and the benefits are excellent. I've been doing a happy dance and randomly jumping up and down while simultaneously freaking the cat out with my exuberant behavior. I don't think he knows what to do around me right now.
Don't worry, I haven't forgotten that tomorrow is Harry Potter Book Night! I'll be spending the day making sure that's all in order, and everything is ready to go by 5 pm CST tomorrow 🙂 Until then…
College: I'm Done
Do you remember last year around this time? Those of you who have been reading my blog since back then know all too well my stress and anxiety about completing my degree. Guess what?! I took my last Final Exam today, and I went to school in my pajamas. Why? I graduate on Saturday, and so today was probably the last time I'll be able to go out in public in my Cookie Monster pajama pants without it being completely inappropriate.
I'm still stressed out. I'm still anxious. But I'm done, and so I also have a sense of overwhelming elation. Perhaps it's because I got about three hours of sleep last night and I've been up since 5 am, but I feel like laughing and crying and hugging random people all at the same time. I also feel like taking a nap. Several naps.
So, you might not hear from me until Sunday when I post whatever pics turn out decently enough from my commencement ceremony. Until then, thank you for joining me during this part of my life, and sticking with me even when I cut back on blogging. I should be able to get back to a more normal volume of posting next week.
Annoucement: Recent Changes!
This has been in the works for a couple months, but I finally went and bought a new domain, FortifiedByBooks.com. While my old domain (TheReadingWench.com) is still active, and will still get you to the blog for awhile, please update your bookmarks.
I'm also in the process of changing the design of my blog, and updating my various social media accounts, but my logo (as seen above) is staying the same. I will also be providing the same kind of content you've come to expect from me. This is still primarily a Fantasy genre blog since my reading tastes have yet to change.
Why am I making these changes? There is a Romance author who has been mistakenly tagging me as the reviewer of some of her books. That has led to a flood of other Romance authors sending me review requests without checking to see that I am not, in fact, a Romance reviewer, I'm not the blogger they all seem to be confusing me with, and they're not even reading my review policy. While I have no problem with her, her blog, or the Romance genre, in general, I'm tired of being associated with all of that, and I'm sick of the spam. To me, it's not about who owns the domain. It's about my blog's image and my image as a book reviewer.
I'm Back!
I got back home from New Orleans last night. Have you ever needed to recover from a vacation?
That's how I feel right now, and that's why there was no Monday's Minutes post yesterday. However, I didn't want to leave you hanging until I get back into the swing of "normal" life again, so below is what you've got to look forward to throughout this month.
- #FitReaders Check-Ins will continue as usual starting today.
- The Joy Luck Club Read-Along – the first recap will be posted this Saturday, and the sign up is still open!
- Uprooted review – I finished Uprooted by Naomi Novik last week before I left for New Orleans.
- Thursday's Things #9
- The Vampire tour of New Orleans – As I mentioned in my Packing for New Orleans post, the Boyfriend and I came up with our own tour of New Orleans based on Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. While we didn't get to see every place, we saw enough for me to write a whole post about it.
- My long weekend in the French Quarter – I'll share the food we ate, the stuff we bought, and the non-vampire related places we visited or came across in our wanderings. It may end up being a two-parter, and it will definitely contain tips that will save you a lot of stress and money.
- The Never-Ending Anne Rice Reading Challenge
- Tuesday's Tunes, Wednesday's Words, Friday's Fairy Tales – I've got a ton of great ideas so I'll get these features written and posted throughout the rest of the month.
- RIP X – Vampires, Ravens, and Chthulu, oh my! I'll be posting my RIP X related reviews.
- Harry Potter Discussion and Link Up – I'll be posting the discussion post for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban on the 30th. You could be featured, so be sure to get your HP related posts linked up before then!
Blogiversary Survey!
As promised in my Sunday's Sundries post, I've created a Survey. I'd greatly appreciate it if all of you could take a couple minutes to answer the survey questions. Thank you in advance! I'm looking forward to making this the best book blog it can be. 🙂
On a side note, I wanted to let all of you know what my current blog schedule is:
- Monday's Minutes – Weekly
- Tuesday's Tunes – Monthly
- Wednesday's Words – Monthly
- Thursday's Things – Monthly
- Friday's Fairy Tales – Monthly
- Saturday's Sit Down – Whenever I have author interviews. I'm thinking about changing this to add blogger guest posts, so if you're interested in doing a guest post, send me a message through the Contact The Reading Wench page with your idea!
- Sunday's Sundries – Whenever I have something to write that doesn't fit into one of the other features.
- #FitReaders Check-Ins – Weekly, usually on Tuesdays.
- On the "off" days throughout the month, except Sundays, I'll post reviews. Sunday's Sundries will be suspended during read-alongs.
Now that I've got a little bit more time on my hands, I've decided that I'm going to add a few features to this blog:
What I'm Reading Monday – I will detail what I've finished reading, what I'm currently reading, any DNF books, as well as my total pages read for the previous week, and the total number of books I've read for the year.
Wordy Wednesday – I will list the words, and their definitions, that I didn't know from books I'm reading that week.
Thursday's Quotables – This will be my favorite quotes from the books I'm currently reading.
In addition to these, I will also be adding a Reviews page which will list every book that I review, in alphabetical order, that isn't a book on my Classics Club list. Each book on the list will be a link to that review. Also on the Reviews page will be information regarding review requests, but I haven't quite figured out all the details for that yet.


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Environmental Protection
Our activities impact the environment both directly and indirectly. We therefore want to make every effort to position ourselves as an environmentally friendly company within our business activities – a company that keeps its negative impact on the environment to an absolute minimum.
The protection of the environment has high priority in all our business activities. Nevertheless, the storage and transportation of petroleum products carries a risk of spillage. It is our responsibility to reduce this risk significantly by implementing preventive safety measures. In addition, our sites use energy, water as well as various raw materials, and generate airborne emissions, waste and wastewater.
We are committed to minimizing our environmental footprint. Environmental issues are therefore an integral part of the HSSE management system across our group of companies. According to the HSSE Policy, we are committed to making efficient use of energy and resources, and promoting the environmental awareness of employees in order to minimize harmful effects. In order to evaluate our impact on climate change, our holding company Marquard & Bahls calculates the carbon dioxide (CO2) footprint for the entire group. Some of our subsidiaries have introduced climate protection initiatives option for customers who are willing to contribute to the protection of the environment through carbon capture.
Next to our efforts on preventing environmental damage, we focus on a purposive quick response to emergency situations. As a responsible company, our holding company Marquard & Bahls decided to become a shareholder of Oil Spill Response – the world's largest organization for spill response – to be well prepared for emergency situations.


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He that gives should never remember; he that receives should never forget.
Internationally acclaimed actress Penélope Cruz has extended her collaboration with Atelier Swarovski with her celestial-inspired MoonSun collection, which celebrates the magic of the night sky. Plated in rose gold, this pair of pierced earrings includes a moon motif and a delicate star motif, embellished with prong-set white crystals. The earring jackets can be removed to create different styling options. A modern and versatile design, full of Swarovski craftsmanship, they are a perfect day to evening accent.
|Penélope Cruz MoonSun by Swarovski
|Additional Info
|What's included
|Vendor Code
|Country of Origin
About Swarovski
About The Penélope Cruz MoonSun by Swarovski Collection
Standard shipping:
Lijo Decor offers free ground shipping on all orders to anywhere in the contiguous United States. Most orders will ship 4-10 business days after your order is placed. You will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking information upon shipment of your order.
Expedited shipping:
Expedited delivery options only affect the shipping service used, standard handling times will still apply. To expedite the handling time for your order, please contact customer service at 866-611-4438.
International shipments:
Lijo Decor does not take responsibility for any customs, taxes, duties or fees that may be charged when importing merchandise from the US.
Thank you for choosing Lijo Decor.
We want you to love your purchase, but if you are not completely satisfied, we will gladly accept returns of unused items within 30 days of delivery.
Please make sure to package the items well so that they are not damaged in transit.
Please ship returns to:
Lijo Decor Returns
Order # _______________
1985 Swarthmore Ave. Suite 5
Lakewood, NJ 08701
Unfortunately, we cannot accept returns on custom orders or engraved items.
If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us directly for assistance.
Email: email@example.com
Phone: 866-611-4438
Thank you!
Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a gift and not giving it.


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Is this the legendary Angry Bird?
Chiak Beh Liau! ( Can't finish the food!)
Ugliest dog on earth but you'll see my fun side below:
Anyway you don't look like my mother or my kind, just a kiss with a long wet tongue.
Oops, sure it hurts!
Kermit the Frog resting minus his banjo
Wake me up if any stranger gets close by.
We're both infants, so don't you bully me.
Pictures are mostly obtained from this media print:
Alan CY Kok


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The Craft BeerAdvent Calendar 2014 Day #8
- My Rating: [C+], I gave it a (3.1 of 5) on Ratebeer.com
Weltenburger Kloster Anno 1050 – Klosterbrauerei Weltenburg, 5.5% ABV – 330ml., (Kelheim, Germany)
from their website:
"The classic Märzen beer of the world´s oldest Abbey Brewery.
Cultivated, elegant, golden yellow, excellently brewed on the basis of sophisticated, traditional recipes, a full-bodied balance of fine hops and energizing bitter-sweetness."
- Style: Amber Lager/Vienna
- Taste: Crisp barley malt bready meal beer
- Do I love this enough to drink it again: no
- Would I recommend this to beer aficionados: not explosive but solid
Visual: Pours clear golden yellow with a smallish head, a thin layer of ultra-micro retention, lots of fast loose-knit streams.
Nose: lagered barley malt, some grass (lvl-5)-pungency
Attack: crisp, barley malt,
Mid-palate: (lvl-4)-sweetness, (MAIN) bready, barley grainy malt, light lemon citrus
Finish: cuts dry, super subtle almost no hopped bitterness, burpy, barley malt finish.
Summary: A very easy-going and easy-drinking low bitter all malt lager; it certainly goes well with a hot meal.


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Businesses and organizations of all sizes are finally embracing cloud computing. Even holdout organizations like some large government agencies are starting to deploy private clouds, or hybrids that contain some mix of private and public cloud infrastructure. The benefits of cloud computing are numerous and well-known at this point. They include near infinite expandability, having an external provider worry about maintaining the base infrastructure, and the ability to spin up new servers or services in just a few seconds.
But the most advanced enterprises are taking cloud computing a step further, into the realm of containerization. The concept of containers is a pretty brilliant one because it provides all the benefits of cloud computing, like infinite expandability, but also provides individual control over each container, which is essentially a fully-operational and independent virtual machine.
A container can be created to fill almost any need, from a tiny microservice to a full operating system. And because each container has all the resources that it needs within its perimeter, it can easily be transported to other computing environments, such as moving from a development cloud to a production environment. Some large enterprise networks might deploy, move or modify thousands of containers every day.
Unfortunately, cybersecurity has been slow to catch up with advancements in containerization, and most traditional security products have very little visibility into containers running in the cloud. The closed and independent nature of containers means that cybersecurity scanning from the outside will yield limited results. And because most cybersecurity programs have little to no insight about how containers should and do work, even if a container is successfully scanned, the scanning program may not understand if the container is operating properly or not.
There are other issues as well. Containers can expand if they need more resources and might even be deployed or destroyed nearly instantly as needed. Most cybersecurity programs, especially things like scanners that check the network on a schedule, will almost always be operating with old information. And because containers are part of a network of other containers, they need to coordinate with one another and with the container orchestration software like Kubernetes or Docker. That causes an explosion of so-called east to west internal traffic, which is often not monitored by cybersecurity defenses.
The NeuVector container security platform was created specifically to safeguard containerized environments. In fact, it's deployed as a privileged container itself within the environment that it will be protecting. From its position within the containerized environment, it can monitor all Layer 7 network traffic, including that moving between containers and the host orchestration software. In this way, it can protect against attacks made against individual containers or the entire environment.


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BlackBerry Partners Fund
Adrian J Cotterill, Editor-in-Chief
Research In Motion's investment arm, BlackBerry Partners Fund, has expanded its venture capital financing overseas with the launch of a USD 100 million fund focused on mobile investment opportunities in China.
The new fund was formed in conjunction with China Broadband Capital Partners and will invest exclusively in China's growing mobile ecosystem.
Research In Motion (RIM) co-CEO Jim Balsillie told us that "the fund will help fuel substantial innovation and commercial success within the mobile ecosystem in China."


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A nippy Newlands Stadium hosted an intense Absa Cup clash between Ajax Cape Town and Wits University which the hosts fought hard to win 5-4 on penalties on Saturday afternoon.
The desire to win the Absa Cup quarterfinal was visible as early the 2nd minute when Wits hard-man Benson Mhlongo opened the scoring.
The Students skipper Charles Yohane swung in a free kick from the right and Mhlongo beat his marker, and goalkeeper Moeneeb Josephs, with a well struck header to make it 1-0.
Wits were content to counter-attack as Ajax piled on the pressure but to no avail as Wayne Roberts together with centre-back Neil Winstanley and co. were - as usual - solid in defence.
Chances were few as the hosts only had four shots on goal - one wide - while the antiquated Joburg team only had three attempts at Josephs goal.
It was not until the 46th minute that the Urban Warriors would find a breakthrough.
Left-back Brett Evans swung in a free kick from the right which the notably taller Wits defenders could not clear as Mulekelayi Kanku rose to head the ball past a flat-footed Roberts.
With both teams having had good chances to score referee Daniel Bennett signaled for half-time.
The score level at 1-1.
The hosts kicked off the second half and charged at the Clever Boys determined to get a goal, or even a winner.
Ajax striker Wilfred Mugeyi and Winstanley were contesting a classic battle with Mugeyi giving the lanky defender a torrid time.
Mugeyi outpaced Winstanley but his stinging left-footed shot from within the 18-yard area was well saved by Roberts who stopped the ball from going over the line for a corner.
Referee Bennett pointed to the corner flag and the appalled Roberts received a yellow card for his protests.
The resultant corner did not produce the desired result.
Coach Gordon Igesund brought on Grant Igesund - who is becoming known as a super-sub - and despite receiving a yellow card within a minute Igesund Junior showed his prowess as a striker when he received a ball from Alfred Phiri, turned past his marker and blasted his shot from 26-yards out which caught Roberts off-guard in the 84th minute.
The Wits keeper, stunned, parried the ball for a corner and it appeared as if Ajax's hunger to win was renewed.
Wits replied two minutes later when Sipho Mngomezulu tested Josephs on the other end.
After neat play by his team mates Mngomezulu received the ball on the edge of the area and attempted to chip Josephs who just managed to palm the ball over the cross bar.
Coach Igesund's boys had the last chance to march into the semi's though.
Brent Carelse, who had a storming game, stepped up to face Roberts from the penalty area when ref Bennett judged full back Anton Greyling to handle Carelses' attempted cross.
Carelse, a former Hellenic player, struck the ball well and beat Roberts but his powerful shot rebounded off the cross bar in the 90th minute and Roger De Sa's boys were still in the game.
Ajax and Wits then entered a thrilling 30 minutes of extra time but neither side could beat either of the Capetownian keepers.
The best chance falling to Nathan Paulse who, whilst man marked, turned in the box but his tame shot was easily caught by Roberts.
The referee signaled for the penalty shoot out.
Former Cape Town Spurs team mates Roberts and Josephs stepped to the penalty area where the latter faced Gareth Devine who slotted coolly past Josephs.
Reagan Noble missed for the Students while Carelse, Bageta Dikulu, veteran Ernest Mtwali, Evans and Phiri converted their spot kicks to send the Ajax faithful into raptures.
Ajax have now advanced, with Manning Rangers, to the second edition of the Absa Cup semi-finals.
Read more about Ajax Cape Town on the web site of the club.


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Here we are, the first weekend in October and I have to say, I am 100% ready for crisp mornings, cool afternoons, boots and scarves. I don't know about you all, but I need something a little stronger than Pumpkin Spice to ring in the fall. I'm not talking whiskey (or am I?) I'm talking décor! Mr. Right and I bought our house almost exclusively for the wrap around porch, so I'll be darned if I'm not going to decorate the hell out of it each season. As it happens, this cute little ensemble was the simplest and cheapest focal décor piece I've ever created. The most expensive thing is the hay, which I literally hauled from our hay barn to the front porch. If we run low on the goodies for the goats this winter, I suppose they can have the bales back. Until then, it's a focal piece!
So this was so cheap it cost me almost $20. The local thrift store near my house is going out of business. I don't know if you have ever been to a going out of business sale at a freakin' thrift store, but its damned amazing. I bought a couple glass light covers for .25 cents a piece and spray painted those puppies black to act as pots for my fake leaves. They look pretty awesome out on my bales, but I think I'll get a couple more do decorate my mantle, too! I took some time to free-hand letters on my glass ornaments, which started out clear, but I dropped a couple drops of white paint into them to make them stand out against my stacks of goat food, er, hay bales. The larger ornaments I stuffed with fake leaves that I wrestled away from a 6 year old after originally having purchased them at the dollar store. Because I'm crafty, (or just cheap) I snagged some bailing twine to string up my balls (somehow that's not the first time I've said that!) and fixed them to the bales. If I can keep tiny little hands off my stuff, I'm sure they're going to last the fall.
That cute eyelet fabric used to be someone's bathroom curtain, I'm sure. Another thrift store find I blew a whopping .10 cents on. Mr. Right welded me that amazing horseshoe Punkin' which is a staple in my fall decor. Around here you can trade a bottle of Pendleton to a farrier for some used horseshoes (which is exactly what we did) and create some amazing art. Keep an eye out in my winter décor for some more horseshoe happiness!
I can't wait to begin spreading the fall all around the house! I have a ton of autumn leaves from the dollar store that I'm going to recruit the children to string as a garland. So between the dollar store, the thrift store and my resourceful bartering skills, I have managed to deck out my front porch to be the envy of the neighborhood for just under $20 (not including a bottle of Pendleton Whiskey)! There are tons of cute call creations that you use to decorate a large or small space. If you don't' have the room for a couple bales of hay, a simple large lantern can be filled with plastic pumpkins and leaves for a quick and super cute décor piece.
I hunted all over for this lantern and finally found one at the flea market for $4.00, bargain! I like to hunt all year long for things that I might use for decoration. I particularly hit the thrift stores in the summer on the hunt for fall and winter crap. It's cheaper in the off season and there typically is a better selection if you plan ahead!
Overall, I am pretty pleased with myself and I can't wait to convince Mr. Right that we need to start decking out the yard for Halloween!! Until then, I'll sit and admire my porch while I sip my Pumpkin Spice Latte in my UGGs. Happy Fall Y'all.


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Ian Daly Reinhold Scherer
[1] M. Rubinov and O. Sporns, "Complex network mea-sures of brain connectivity: Uses and interpreta-tions.," NeuroImage, vol. 52, pp. 1059–1069, Sept.2009.
[2] K. H. Kim, J. W. Choi, and J. Yoon, "Difference ingamma-band phase synchronization during semanticprocessing of visually presented words from primaryand secondary languages.," Brain research, vol. 1291,pp. 82–91, Sept. 2009.
[3] S. Sasai, F. Homae, H. Watanabe, and G. Taga,"Frequency-specific functional connectivity in thebrain during resting state revealed by NIRS.," Neu-roImage, vol. 56, pp. 252–7, May 2011.
[4] M. Knyazeva, "EEG coherence changes during fin-ger tapping in acallosal and normal children: astudy of inter- and intrahemispheric connectivity,"Behavioural Brain Research, vol. 89, pp. 243–258,Dec. 1997.
[5] I. Daly, S. J. Nasuto, and K. Warwick, "Brain Com-puter Interface control via functional connectivity dy-namics," Pattern recognition, vol. 45, no. 6, pp. 2123–2136, 2011.
[6] F. Darvas, R. Scherer, J. G. Ojemann, R. P. Rao, K. J.Miller, and L. B. Sorensen, "High gamma mappingusing EEG.," NeuroImage, vol. 49, pp. 930–8, Jan.2010.
[7] S.-P. Kim, J.-H. Kang, S.-H. Choe, J. W. Jeong,H. T. Kim, K. Yun, J. Jeong, and S.-H. Lee, "Mod-ulation of theta phase synchronization in the humanelectroencephalogram during a recognition memorytask," Cognitive neuroscience and neuropsychology,vol. (online fi, 2012.
[8] G. Viswanathan, E. Raposo, and M. da Luz, "L´evyflights and superdiffusion in the context of biologicalencounters and random searches," Physics of Life Re-views, vol. 5, pp. 133–150, Sept. 2008.
[9] A. K. Singh and S. Phillips, "Hierarchical controlof false discovery rate for phase locking measuresof EEG synchrony.," NeuroImage, vol. 50, pp. 40–7,Mar. 2010.
[10] K. Friston and O. David, "A neural mass model forMEG/EEG: coupling and neuronal dynamics," Neu-roImage, vol. 20, pp. 1743–1755, 2003.
[11] C. M. Sweeney-Reed and S. J. Nasuto, "A novel ap-proach to the detection of synchronisation in EEGbased on empirical mode decomposition," Journal ofcomputational neuroscience, vol. 23, no. 1, pp. 79–111, 2007.181
[12] G. R. M¨uller-Putz, R. Scherer, G. Pfurtscheller, andC. Neuper, "Temporal coding of brain patterns fordirect limb control in humans," Frontiers in Neuro-science, vol. 4, pp. 1–11, Jan. 2010.
[13] Y. Wang, R. Wang, X. Gao, B. Hong, and S. Gao,"A practical VEP-based brain-computer interface.,"IEEE transactions on neural systems and rehabili-tation engineering : a publication of the IEEE En-gineering in Medicine and Biology Society, vol. 14,no. 2, pp. 234–239, 2006.
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The law firm of Kirby McInerney LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on behalf of those who acquired Merit Medical Systems, Inc. ("Merit" or the "Company") (NASDAQ:MMSI) during the period from February 26, 2019 through October 30, 2019. Investors have until February 3, 2020 to apply to the Court to be appointed as lead plaintiff in the lawsuit.
The lawsuit alleges that Merit failed to disclose that: (i) the integrations of Cianna and Vascular Insights, including their products, sales people, and R&D facilities, had caused operational disruptions and reduced sales and were months behind schedule; and (ii) sales of acquired company products had slowed substantially due to pre-acquisition pipeline fill, in particular for Vascular Insights products which, as late as July 2019, had zero orders during fiscal 2019.
On July 25, 2019, Merit announced disappointing second quarter 2019 financial results and cut its fiscal 2019 sales and earnings per share outlook due in part to "slower than anticipated conversion and uptake of acquired products." On this news, Merit's stock price fell $13.84 per share, or 25.2%, to close at $41.00 on July 26, 2019.
Then, on October 30, 2019, the Company disappointing third quarter 2019 financial results, reduced fiscal 2019 guidance again, and entirely withdrew fiscal 2020 guidance. Merit attributed the results in part to their "own overestimation and forecasting." On this news, Merit's stock price fell $8.45 per share, or 29.0%, to close at $20.66 on October 31, 2019.
If you are a shareholder of Merit, have information, or would like to learn more about these claims, please contact Thomas W. Elrod of Kirby McInerney LLP at 212-371-6600, by email at firstname.lastname@example.com, or by filling out this contact form, to discuss your rights or interests with respect to these matters without any cost to you.
Kirby McInerney LLP is a New York-based plaintiffs' law firm concentrating in securities, antitrust, and whistleblower litigation. The firm's efforts on behalf of shareholders in securities litigation have resulted in recoveries totaling billions of dollars. Additional information about the firm can be found at Kirby McInerney LLP's website: www.kmllp.com.
This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.


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Protecting the Bull Run Watershed for future generations: Three proposed City Charter amendments
Protecting the Bull Run Watershed has been a top priority for me for many years. In 1995, when I was a parent at Markham Elementary School, I wrote and won grants from Metro and the Bureau of Environmental Services for the Family Watershed Education Project. Students, parents, and teachers received trainings and workshops, and we transformed a lawn at the school into a native plant garden. The capstone of the three-month project was a tour of the Bull Run Watershed, hosted by the Portland Water Bureau. The reservoirs and the forests captivated me. It was by far my favorite of the dozens of field trips I chaperoned over my 17 years as a parent in Portland Public Schools.
As only the second woman ever in charge of the Water Bureau, I want to do my part to protect this precious resource by incorporating key protections into the City Charter, which serves as the City's constitution. I want to leave office next year with Bull Run protections safely enshrined in the Charter.
Why? Because Portland depends on the Bull Run Watershed for quality drinking water, yet there is nothing in the Charter that mandates the watershed protections currently in City Code. The Bull Run Watershed has been a high-quality unfiltered drinking water source for the Portland metro area for more than a century, and we have an opportunity to continue this legacy for generations to come.
A cornerstone of the City's protections for the Bull Run Watershed has been the fact that its water resources—the Bull Run River and tributaries, Bull Run Lake, and two storage reservoirs—are within an area that is closed to public access and where land disturbing activities are broadly prohibited. There is no logging, recreation, or development activity allowed in the mostly old-growth forest surrounding the water source. Last year's fires in the Columbia River Gorge that came perilously close to the Bull Run Watershed were started by human activity.
Why now? Because it's an historic opportunity for Portland, and the need is urgent.
This summer, the City will enter into an agreement with the U.S. Forest Service to swap land parcels within the watershed to consolidate City land ownership around the drinking water system. As we take this important step, it's appropriate to take another to add protections for the Bull Run in the City Charter. Through Charter amendments, we have an opportunity to allow all Portland voters to confirm their commitment to environmental stewardship and protection of health and safety.
Some may say the Charter Commission due to be convened in 2021 should consider this issue. Waiting for the Charter Commission would delay these improvements for several years. It would reduce the amount of public input and discussion by including these issues with multiple others in the 2021-22 process, rather than sending the amendments to the ballot now. Also, since Charter Commissions are not obligated to consider issues suggested by the City Council, there is no guarantee the future Charter Commission would be willing to consider these topics.
Having made the decision to propose a Charter amendment, I looked for other potential changes that would be useful, with the overarching goal of wise use of ratepayers' money in the expense of putting an issue on the ballot. Through taking this inventory, we found two other "housekeeping" amendments that are also helpful to include in this process. These three proposals will improve environmental stewardship, expand options addressing health and safety, and allow public use of Water Bureau property outside of the Bull Run Watershed.
The proposed amendments are here. The proposed ballot captions and summaries are here. My summary:
This proposed Charter amendment will also strengthen the essential watershed protections for City-owned lands in the Bull Run by ensuring that any future proposed revisions or removal of these protections be approved by Portland voters. The amendment will install the public closure, the general prohibition on logging, and the prohibition on development activities currently in code to the City Charter. It will also require that City-initiated work on the drinking water and hydroelectric infrastructure in the watershed avoid—then minimize and mitigate—any impacts to surrounding ecosystems and cultural resources.
A 2014 ruling in Multnomah County Court illustrated that the City Charter does not clearly provide authority to the City Council to authorize mutual aid agreements between the City's utilities and other utilities, cities, or tribes. The proposed Charter amendment would clarify the City Council's ability to authorize such agreements.
Most of these lands contain drinking water tanks, piping, or other infrastructure. Some of these lands could be useful for public purposes outside of the drinking water system—for community gardens or greenspaces, for example. These activities do not conflict with the primary use of the lands for providing drinking water.
A 2014 ruling in Multnomah County Court illustrated that the City Charter does not clearly provide authority to the City Council to designate these lands for public use. The proposed Charter amendment would enable the City Council to designate Water Bureau properties for secondary public uses.
In the coming months, I look forward to speaking with many of you and hearing your feedback. I also encourage you to use this as an opportunity to learn more about the Bull Run Watershed and all that it provides here: https://www.portlandoregon.gov/water/29784
City Council discussion with a vote to refer these amendments is tentatively scheduled for the June 26th Portland City Council meeting, along with the land swap agreement. I invite you to attend and share your thoughts, or send me an email regarding the Council referral to Portland voters on the November 2019 ballot.