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- Free, Quick & Easy
Magnus Carlsen leads the Tata Steel Masters by a full point after brushing aside Teimour Radjabov in Round 9 for his sixth win in a row. Other results went the World Champion's way, with Wesley So and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave drawing their game, while Ding Liren's resistance was eventually ended by Anish Giri. Levon Aronian's 1st win was Baadur Jobava's 7th loss, while the remaining draws were entertaining battles that could have gone either way. In the Challengers, meanwhile, David Navara is finally out in front alone after his fourth win in a row.
Tata Steel Masters Round 9 results
Carlsen commented after beating Radjabov:
I guess at some point when you're winning many games your score starts to play the games for you - your opponents get intimidated.
Winning many games could be a description of Magnus' career for the last five years, but it's clear – as we saw in St. Louis – that a big winning streak can also make a difference, both to the player's confidence levels and his opponent's fear. It might not help that Carlsen has one heck of a handshake as you can see briefly in the video clip contained within his post-game interview:
But what of the game itself? Well, fortunately Jan Gustafsson was again on hand to annotate the work of a master:
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Aronian-Jobava was quickest game of the day, both in moves and time, since Jobava left most of his thinking until it was too late. Although not having the tournament of his life, Aronian shared some tricks of the trade on how to handle an opponent doing even worse (Jobava came into the day with six losses, one draw and one win):
When your opponent is struggling it's important just not to give him any chance to win, and the rest… he'll start pushing and create problems for himself. That's what I do, that's what everybody does. That's how the business is.
In this case Jobava came up with a curious of plan of installing a knight solidly on b4 – so solidly that it soon didn't have a single square it could jump to. Aronian set about punishing his opponent's elaborate play on the queenside by swinging a rook to the kingside – offering the pawn on c4:
Aronian was surprised his opponent took the bait, since he was sure White's attack would be mating. That proved to be the case, with Baadur perhaps accelerating the end in a desire to get away as soon as possible. He spent 6 seconds on 23…Qd8, which allowed the crushing 24.Qh5!
Jobava resigned, since you don't need to be a 2700-GM to see that Black is about to get crushed e.g. 24…Rh8 25.Rxe5 dxe5 26.Bxg6…
Aronian joined Hans Bohm to talk about his game:
The day's other win was a miniature that morphed into a marathon. Anish Giri had been outfoxed in the opening the day before by Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, but he was the one doing the outfoxing against Ding Liren.
The Chinese player adopted the King's Indian Defence but was thinking hard while the players were still deep in theory. Ding Liren delayed giving a bishop check on e3, which allowed Giri to prevent it with 19.Nd1, apparently a novelty. Black immediately launched a pawn storm on the kingside, and then seemed to go astray by exchanging his dark-squared bishop for a knight on move 25. The critical moment was reached after 25...Bf5:
After queen or bishop moves Black is doing fine, but after 13 minutes of reflection Giri uncorked 26.g4!!, the only refutation of Ding Liren's play. 26…fxg3 would run into 27.Rxf5 Rxf5 28.Qxe4, but in the game the white kingside pawns went on to wreak havoc. The only surprise was that Ding Liren hung on, and on, and on. It began to seem as though he'd found a fortress, but it wasn't to be...
This is the position after Giri played 63.Kf4!. The computer dislikes the sacrifice of the c4-pawn, but Anish had seen a winning plan: put the bishop on c6 (giving up the h5-pawn), gradually manoeuvre the king to d7/8, gobble up the enemy pawns and queen one of your own. Ding Liren resigned on move 75, for his eighth decisive game in nine.
The other encounters were drawn, but they were anything but non-events. It's impossible to do them justice, but let's try to at least rank them in terms of excitement:
4) Radoslaw Wojtaszek – Vassily Ivanchuk (replay the game)
These two players starred at the start of Wijk aan Zee, but have since struggled, with Ivanchuk suffering an embarrassing loss in Round 8 when it turned out he was unaware of some well-known theory. That couldn't quell his fighting spirit, though, and on move 25 he thought for nearly 12 minutes before rejecting a draw by repetition. Soon afterwards, though, Wojtaszek seized the initiative, and his better-placed pieces and the weakness of the black king looked as though they might give him winning chances.
This was the final position, though, since after two losses in a row Wojtaszek applied the well-known Soviet remedy of a draw to stop the rot.
3) Wesley So – Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (replay the game)
Wesley and Maxime are not only top representatives of the new generation, but started the day only half a point behind Carlsen. That added significance to the game, but it was tough to get overly excited when they began to bash out a game that had been played before:
For the second day in a row Maxime was the better prepared, but only the strange 28.Re7?, described by both players as a blunder, injected life into the position.
That was hit by 28…Bf8, with Wesley saying he'd missed
that 29.Rfxf7 Bxe7 30.Rxe7 Rd7 31.Bxc5 fails to the intermezzo 31…Rd1+! Curiously, though, 30…Rd7 is by no means the only way for Black to get a good
position. In the end, as so often seems to happen in the Grunfeld, a position a
pawn up for White turned into a position a pawn down, but Wesley So was again
rock solid after that. It's not for nothing he's now put together a sequence of
over 50 games without a loss – no-one else has even managed 9 in the tournament!
The players both talked about the game – and their chess life in general – afterwards:
2) Fabiano Caruana - Hou Yifan (replay the game)
This could easily have taken first place, since it definitely provided the most intense time trouble excitement, and was very nearly a sensation. As she did against Carlsen, Women's World Champion Hou Yifan played the Najdorf Sicilian, and then managed the feat of causing Fabiano to think for almost 42 minutes about the position on move 14. If he did that we should perhaps devote a few seconds to it:
After the agony of choice he picked 15.0-0, perhaps rejecting plans involving castling on the other side of the board. It's hard to assess that decision, but the time spent later became a crucial factor as the game ended up balanced on a knife edge with both players desperately low on the clock – which would win out, Hou Yifan's piece attack on the kingside, or Caruana's passed pawns on the queenside?
The computer spits out missed chances for both players, but the one that most obviously stands out came after 38…Rf3:
The computer votes for 39.a6, claiming the attack can be parried and the pawns will win material – it shows one particular flashy line where white sacs the queen for the rook on f3 and then puts his own rook behind the a-pawn. Instead Caruana went for the multipurpose 39.Qb1, preventing e3 (although in fact Qb1 is much more effective after e3 has been played) and supporting the b-pawn, but after 39…Rd3! the moment had gone.
The game wasn't over, though. After the time trouble it's curious to know what would have happened if Hou Yifan had added fuel to the fire with 41…f5!? It certainly looks tough to meet at first glance. Instead the game ended relatively quickly in a draw by repetition.
1) Ivan Saric – Loek van Wely (replay the game)
These players have been through the grinder in Wijk aan Zee, but they didn't spare each other. First something went badly wrong for Loek in the opening (some might say playing the Pirc was asking for trouble…), and after 14…cxb5 it was clear the b-pawn's chances of survival were less than great:
It still, though, took Saric another 16 moves until he successfully rounded up and captured the pawn – with an overwhelming position. It remained overwhelming until the last few moves before the time control, when he fell into an ambush by playing 38.g4? and allowing 38…Rd1+!
Now the curious piece and pawn set-up means 39.Ke2 is actually mate: 39…Ng1+ 40.Ke3 Ree3+. Saric avoided that, but although still nominally up material he'd clearly lost the initiative, and Loek began to demonstrate some virtuoso technique in the double rook endgame.
Ivan slipped from the narrow path around move 80, when computers began to announce distant mates. Loek seemed to know exactly what he was doing until he got down to this position:
As every Russian schoolboy knows this is mate in 39 if you play 90…Kh3… Instead, Loek played 90…Rg3+, when after 91.Ke4 g4 92.Rg5 he could make no progress and agreed a draw.
It was a game hard to beat for prolonged tension,
especially when the broadcast of the moves suffered a glitch right at the end
and the draw was announced in a winning position. The issue was resolved a few
minutes later, though, and given his tournament so far Loek can perhaps breathe
a sigh of relief that he didn't go on to somehow lose the ending...
Magnus Carlsen previously said he'd needed all his wins just to keep up with or ahead of the field. In Round 9 it wasn't strictly required, but he did it anyway, and has now opened a gap of a full point ahead of the chasing pack, with guys like Giri and Caruana two points behind with four rounds to go:
The focus of Round 10 is inevitably going to be whether Carlsen can "do a Caruana" by scoring his seventh win, against Ivanchuk with the black pieces. Whatever Magnus says you can be sure he's highly motivated, especially since merely winning tournaments has become mundane for him. Carlsen's record against Ivanchuk is +5, although the Ukrainian has also landed some hefty blows (his 2013 win in the London Candidates almost derailed Magnus' coronation). It should be fun!
In the Challengers, meanwhile, we had an almost unheard of five draws, though they weren't all entirely solid. It's not often you see a position as outlandish as this one, from Gunina-Shankland, where after 19 moves the black minor are raking across or embedded in the white position:
Somehow, despite an enormous edge, Shankland managed not to win, Gunina for a brief moment could have turned the tables and then they were able to hoover up all the chaos and end with rook+3 pawns vs. rook+3 pawns on the same side of the board.
The first of the two wins had local significance, since:
This wasn't the day, though, as US youngster Samuel Sevian
crashed through in brutal style. The final position:
That just leaves the game that finally saw David Navara capture the sole lead, with his fourth win in a row taking him to 7.5/9 and no. 15 in the world. His opponent, Salem Saleh, had a promising attack, but saw his overextended structure taken apart when the attack ended with an exchange of queens. Co-leader Wei Yi drew with Robin Van Kampen, and is now half a point behind.
Round 10 of the Masters starts half an hour later at 14:00 CET on Wednesday 21 January and can of course be followed live here on chess24! You can also watch every game in the Masters and Challengers using our free mobile apps:
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MANILA — During her speech at the Asian Development Bank a week ago, Helen Clark asked: "Are the gender gaps reducing as we near the end of the second decade of the 21st century?"
The short and depressing answer is no. In fact, according to the World Economic Forum's forecasts and shared by Clark, it would take 217 years to achieve gender parity on pay, senior leadership, and participation in the workplace, and 99 years to achieve parity in parliament.
And amid some progress in some sectors, women in leadership positions, she said, continue to be a "rare commodity" across the world. Many glass ceilings remain, including at the United Nations where Clark, known for breaking barriers throughout her career, failed to win her Secretary-General bid in 2016.
Q&A: Helen Clark on cracking the glass ceiling and life post-UNDP
Never one to rest or shy away from controversy, former United Nations Development Programme Administrator Helen Clark is already approaching new challenges head on. She spoke to Devex about her tenure at UNDP, women's leadership and what challenges lie ahead.
But there are ways to tackle those obstacles, and different stakeholders have a role to play in making them happen, said the former prime minister of New Zealand and the United Nations Development Programme's first and only female administrator in its over-half-a-century history.
Women in positions of influence, too, have a role in paving the way for others to break their own glass ceilings.
"I think when women do get in positions where they can influence decision-making and policy, they need to bring the perspectives of women into the job. You know, women do have expectations of women in leadership positions. They don't expect them to pull a ladder up after them, [as though] it was all easy and really there's no issues. No. They expect women to be particularly sensitive to addressing the needs of women," she told Devex in an interview. "That I very much found was the expectation when I went to the New Zealand parliament, that women expected, rightly so, that you would pick up their own interests."
Devex spoke to Clark at the sidelines of ADB's Gender Month event, where she shared her thoughts on the current movements taking shape across industries, from #MeToo to #AidToo, and advice for young women entering politics and those put in leadership positions. She also talked about the Global Commission on Drug Policy, which she joined in November, and how she sees their mission advancing women's rights. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What do you think of the current movements advancing gender equality, women's rights, across industries?
I'm very much in favor of #MeToo and of women calling time on this kind of behavior. This sort of behavior with sexual harassment, abuse, violence, rape, even in workplaces, it's gone on a long time and women have been feeling they couldn't speak out. Now they are, and that's a tidal wave, and it's across so many different sectors of society, and the economy and nongovernmental organizations and development and humanitarian ones. It has to stop. But to bring it out in the open is really an important part of getting it to stop and getting organizations to reexamine the cultures they have that make it possible for this to happen.
A lot of these seem to be happening in developed countries. How can people in developing countries, in Asia for example, join in these conversations?
I think it will be a ripple effect. When it started in Hollywood, who thought it would roll out to even as far as it has got. For a while, the tsunami didn't reach New Zealand. Now it has. We have a major law firm standing accused of having a sexual predator who harassed interns. So it's coming out, and I would be surprised if, as it rolls on out around the world, we don't see more women coming out in Asia and other continents, because believe me this is universal, and women everywhere will need to stand up to it.
You mentioned New Zealand and there's an interesting discussion taking place there with your new prime minister, on whether she can juggle work and family life. We all know women can multitask, but why do you think something like this is still being asked?
It was raised before the election and in a totally inappropriate way, because our new prime minister is 37 years of age. So clearly still of child bearing age. And these men interviewers wanted to know: Are you going to have a baby? Which is frankly none of their business.
They were never challenged on why they were asking these questions, which they would never ask of a man. They say, 'oh well, we're entitled to know as taxpayers and citizens if the prime minister is going to be at work all the time.' Well, actually prime ministers aren't at work all the time. I've been one. You take a holiday. You have an acting prime minister. You go overseas to a major meeting. You have an acting prime minister. You may be sick. I actually was never sick. But you may be sick, and there's an acting prime minister.
Hey, our prime minister actually is going to have a baby in June. And she's going to take six weeks parental leave. And there will be an acting prime minister who does the job. So perfectly normal. And it has been greeted really with excitement by younger women because they're wondering: Can we do it all? Can we have family, and can we have a career? And the message our prime minister is sending is: Yes you can.
So she's become like a role model for these young women.
Absolutely. 37 to become prime minister is a significant achievement. But hey, there's a prime minister of Austria who's 31. There's the president of France, selected at the age of 39. I think it is really exciting to see younger generations coming up to these high leadership positions. I was elected prime minister at the age of 49, which was quite young at the time. Now it looks positively oldly. So we live in a changing world.
The aid sector is being rocked with sexual harassment scandals. Did you handle something similar when you were UNDP administrator?
UNDP, and I would be absolutely certain other organizations who we worked alongside like UNICEF and U.N. Population Fund and UN Women and World Food Programme worked as hard as we could to promote a workplace with zero tolerance for sexual harassment. Actually, harassment and bullying of any kind. But sexual harassment, assault, these were completely unacceptable behaviors.
Unfortunately, life being what it is, there were complaints. What I can say was when every complaint was received, it was sent to the office of audit and investigation for investigation. And at the end of that process, if a case was substantiated, there was action. That action, depending on the gravity of the offense, could have been demotion, could have been a note on the file, could have been a sacking, could have been handing over to authorities in a country for prosecution. There are a range of measures.
What we don't know is, across the aid and development sector, how many women never came forward because they felt it would somehow hurt them. And let's not assume that development and humanitarian organizations are any different from any of the other organizations that have now been paraded through the media. Unfortunately, these things happen despite often the best intentions of management to stop it and develop a culture where it didn't happen.
How do you think the aid sector should be handling this, because there are also questions in terms of, let's stop aid to these organizations. What are your views on how they are handling it, and how the sector should be handling it?
Well in the first cases that emerged, around Oxfam and Save the Children in Britain, I think most people would say, this was not appropriately handled at all. And in the case of Save the Children, a senior person who had been the subject of a range of these complaints, was in effect passed on to UNICEF, and appointed a senior position, which he has now left. So, not appropriate handling at all sorts of levels of these kinds of complaints. And frankly the U.N. hasn't always handled them well, either. Certainly my position always was zero tolerance and if there was complaint it goes immediately to investigation. But try to work to get this workplace culture that's stops these things.
Late last year, you joined the Global Commission on Drug Policy. Can you just tell us a little bit about the work you're doing with them?
The Global Commission on Drug Policy is a grouping of mainly former heads of state and government. What we are seeking to do — and this commission has gone for a number of years before I agreed to become a member — is advocate for evidence-based drug policies. What works on drug policy.
Now the problem is it's counterintuitive, because for decades, populations have been bombarded with messages about people who use drugs that are very pejorative. They're called evil, the drugs are called evil, and of course we see this played out in a number of countries in quite harsh ways. The thing is, you can't win "a war on drugs" like that. We need to see this in the social context in which it arises. And we need to have first in our mind what is the well-being of the individual. When U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres was prime minister of Portugal, his country had the highest rate of drug induced death in Western Europe. He knew something had to be done. And his government acted to decriminalize drug use and to put in place a lot of social and health policies to stop this death rate and try and address the well-being issues. Today they have the lowest rate of drug-induced death in Western Europe, and the Portugal model is looked on as one that is very successful.
So what we do as a commission is look at models that are working. The chair of our commission is Ruth Dreifuss, who was [home affairs minister] in Switzerland for years and also the head of state of Switzerland as chair of the federal council. She was the minister who introduced major harm reduction measures that took people who are using drugs out of very abject circumstances in Zurich's public parks and other places, and into safe spaces. Safe spaces where they weren't going to die from the habit that they've developed.
That's what we're interested in: What will work to save life and improve well-being, offer options to people, put the social and health policies around them.
Some people may think that's quite far from advancing women's rights, but how do you think your role would impact on women?
What we see for women is an increase in the imprisonment of women for drug offenses in every continent on earth. The women tend to be sort of at the low end of the structure of this drug business, if you like. They may be imprisoned because they are users, small scale dealers or some kind of courier. And they are more easily picked up than the big fish.
When you have something criminalized, you create something that's worth a lot of money and you have big fish, big interest, almost corporate interest actually. So the women are ending up in jail in much bigger numbers, and of course many of these women have children who they're parted from for years. So the situation for women is quite difficult. And that again for me is a reason why we need to look at the evidence in what would work in drug policy that enables women and their children's well-being to be addressed.
You're very much involved in politics. What advice can you give young women who are showing increasing interest in entering politics?
So often women look at politics and they go "oh that's not for me," because they're all so rude to each other, so harsh. But it will change politics if we have many more women in setting a bit of tone. I went into the New Zealand parliament in 1981, and the women were eight out of 92. It was really quite pathetic. And the tone there was not good. It was very male oriented.
But as more women came in, and we're now up to 38 percent, the culture of the parliament has changed a great deal. It improved the standards of debate. Their behavior does improve. They think about what they're saying a little bit more. So, we have to be prepared to go in and contest positions and really get the political parties taking notice of us and agreeing that everybody needs to be represented in the political system of the country. You do need women in constituencies and on party lists, and they have to be supported. Because often they don't have the financial networks that men have. "All girls" clubs don't have as much money as "all boys" clubs, and they may have physical insecurity challenges. If they're coming into a parliament where very few women are, you need to support the women's networking across the political parties. That's very very important too.
So there's a lot we can do to improve participation, but it takes women also to take that step, to say, "no, I'm going to be part of changing this political culture."

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Hi, My time with Scrapinic had already ended . It was very inspireing time. I love all the chipboards that I was working with, all the patterns all the collections are great. For today I made two cards made with one paper collection Amber Moon from Prima Marketing.
Miłego dnia!
Have a nice day!


text:
"Text and Textile," on view at Beinecke Library from May 3 through Aug. 12, explores the intersections of text and textile in literature and politics, from images of Eve spinning in a 13th-century manuscript to the mill girls of New England in the 19th century.
The exhibition features works in a wide variety of formats drawn from throughout each of the Beinecke library's curatorial areas, as well as items from the Yale Center for British Art, the Yale University Art Gallery, and the Manuscripts and Archives Department of the Yale University Library.
Particular highlights include: Gertrude Stein's waistcoat; manuscript patterns and loom cards from French Jacquard mills; the first folio edition of William Shakespeare's plays; the "Souper" paper dress by Andy Warhol; American samplers; Renaissance embroidered bindings; Christa Wolf's "Quilt Memories"; Zelda Fitzgerald's paper dolls for her daughter; Edith Wharton's manuscript drafts of "The House of Mirth"; an Incan quipu; poetry by Langston Hughes, Emily Dickinson, Susan Howe, and Walt Whitman; and "The Kelmscott Chaucer" by William Morris.
The exhibition was conceived by Kathryn James, curator of Early Modern Books and Manuscripts and the Osborn Collection at the Beinecke Library, and Katie Trumpener, the Emily Sanford Professor of Comparative Literature and English. It is co-curated by James, Trumpener, and Melina Moe, research affiliate at the library.


text:
Hi Glow girls and guys. I have had the greatest honour to be nominated and short listed for the Adult Nurse of the Year for Nottingham 😍. To say I am overwhelmed by this. There is a voting poll which closes 1st May 2016. I would be extremely great full for your time to have a look and of course a vote 😍. Thank you 😘😘
Thank you 😘😘
Voted! ☑☑☑ Good Luck 🍀 💖
Aww thank you, it is such an honour I'm thrilled by this 😍💕
Congrats!!!! As a fellow nurse I kneel what a HUGE honour that is!!! Amazing news!!! Very excited for you 😊😊
Thank you 😘😘💕
Wow! Go girl! Your photo is beautiful 😘
This is fabulous thanx for all your support!! 😘😘
Well done shereen I have nominated you! Go Notts healthcare Woo!!! Best of luck xx
Wonderful news! Will definitely vote! Well done! Xxx
Well done. definitely will get my vote xxxx
That's lovely and so kind of you to say!! 😘😘
And ill tell my sister to vote too. We lost our father 3 years ago at QMC. You girls were amazing. You helped me stop being a nurse - I was being very clinical- and be a daughter. So I could actually let go and cry. 😔❤
As a fellow nurse and as a girl from Nottingham. You have my vote!! Well done darling. That's amazeballs!!! 💃💃💃
Wow congratulations! I will definitely vote for you! 😘 xx
That's glow girl Jane Newton 😍
Thank you so much, it is wonderful! The service that I am working on with fellow girl girl Jane Newton 😍, we are seeing and getting amazing feedback from families that are at end of life. XxxxX
Wow amazing! Well done! I'll give you a vote xx
Congratulations. That's such an amazing achievement. I'm a nurse too. And I know just how wonderful it feels when you get some positive feedback. X
Awww lovely thank you 😍😘😘


text: As we are trying to make our lives easier through technology, isn't there a part of us that is getting overly dependent on these means? So much so that it gets almost extremely disgusting at some point. Haven't we gotten really far from actual social networking in the stead of social networking? I reallyContinue reading "If My Phone Could Talk…."


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text:
Paramahansa Yogananda's "The Toiler's Lay"
Paramahansa Yogananda's poems serve to deepen yoga meditation, offering devotees new ways of grasping the spiritual nature of all things.
Paramahansa Yogananda
Introduction and Excerpt from "The Toiler's Lay"
Paramahansa Yogananda's "The Toiler's Lay" from Songs of the Soul is dramatizing the longing that arises as the human body and mind grow tired and weary of the continual grind of struggle and strife; many times one wishes that one could just run away from all of the cares and bothers.
Excerpt from "The Toiler's Lay"
From school of life,
From bossy duty's binding day,
From hours of dollar-strife
I wish I were a runaway!
From harrying worry-hound
I'll flee one day,
From crowds and restless throngs around
I wish I were a runaway! . . .
(Please note: The poem in its entirety may be found in Paramahansa Yogananda's Songs of the Soul, published by Self-Realization Fellowship, Los Angeles, CA, 1983 and 2014 printings.)
The speaker in "The Toiler's Lay" expresses a sentiment that is universally common to humanity laboring in this material world to keep body and soul together.
First Stanza: Life on Earth Is a School
Yogic teachings liken the human experience of earthly existence to "school," from which one must complete lessons in order to graduate to a higher existence. The speaker acknowledges that life's ordinary school and ordinary labor thereafter exert the force of tiresomeness that make one want to be "a runaway."
Each day is filled with duties one must perform just to get through the day: eating, tidying one's home, caring for family members exemplify some of those activities that are required and therefore must be considered "duties."
And of course, one of the most profoundly important duties is the earning of money to support the upkeep of the body and the home and the family. The speaker acknowledges that much of one's labor is "dollar-strife."
Regardless of the nature of the moneymaking employment, the performance of all jobs and professions requires specific amounts of physical and mental toil.
Second Stanza: The Longing To Be Free
The speaker proclaims that one day he will free himself from these "harrying worry-hound[s]"; he will, in fact, leave those "crowds and restless throngs." Again, the speaker repeats what becomes his refrain in the poem, "I wish I were a runaway!"
The speaker seems to be quite certain that he will one day be able to enjoy a different kind of being from the ordinary noisy, tiresome existence of daily toil. The reader commiserates and feels a sense of adventure in following the declarations of this confident speaker who wants to run away from it all.
Third Stanza: As Complaints Pile Up
The speaker then becomes very specific in his complaint with the material level of existence: he is tired even of having to eat food, and particularly tired of being tempted by delicacies.
The speaker engages the food itself calling it "greedy"; the food is greedy and manages to make itself be consumed by the tempted human being, who cannot help it that his body requires the nutrients in food, and whose consciousness tells him that the allure of the food motivates him to consume it.
Even though he knows he needs the nutrition, the speaker intuitively understands that his soul is not dependent on the physical food, and thus, in fact, he is longing to be that runaway to the place where even his body will not be tempted by physical food. Thus again, he engages the refrain, "I wish I were a runaway!"
Fourth Stanza: Banal Physical Features
The speaker again becomes very specific in naming the physical features of his environment with which he has become bored; instead of the "homely chairs and banal couch," he would prefer to recline on a "grassy bed." The romantic that ever exists in the human heart always finds nature more congenial than man-made utensils.
The speaker's "heart's desire" urges him to prefer the couch be the grass, instead of man-made contraption that he encounters daily. Thus, again he wishes to be "a runaway!"
Fifth Stanza: Craving the Natural
The romantic strain continues in the fifth stanza, which swells, doubling its lines from the four of the other stanzas to eight lines. The speaker proclaims that "someday" he will drink from his hands, scooping the waters from a natural stream. He will eat the fresh fruits that he can pluck with his fingers.
Instead of using a man-made cup, the speaker will use his God-created hands, and instead of using the man-made forks, he will employ his God-created fingers. And instead of the homely, man-made chairs and couches, he will sit "[a]ll snug beneath the shady trees."
Instead of listening to man-made music, he will be "[e]nlivened by songs of birds and bumblebees" all the while being "fanned by mothering air," instead of the man-made apparatuses that move the air to cool homes in summer.
Sixth Stanza: Home in Omnipresence
Still predicting his future "new-made day," the speaker portends that one day he will "bathe [his] weary mind" in the joy that that new day will herald. No more "dishwashing, cups and saucers"—for he will be "a runaway," and he will experience an unalloyed joy of freedom from the things of this world.
Of course, this speaker's prediction is not that he will experience a utopian physical Garden of Eden; he is referring to his home in Omnipresence, where he will finally be liberated from the physical and united in the spiritual with the Divine, from which he will never want to be "a runaway."
Life Sketch of Paramahansa Yogananda
The great guru/poet Paramahansa Yogananda was born on January 5, 1893, in Gorakhpur, India. His name at birth was Mukunda Lal Ghosh. Always a spiritually advanced child, at age 17, he met his guru, Swami Sri Yukteswar, under whose guidance he flourished and became the spiritual giant and sacred engine that leads souls back to their eternal abode in the arms of the Divine Creator.
Paramahansa Yogananda came to the United States in 1920 to speak in Boston at the International Congress of Religious Liberals. His speech was so well received that he quickly gathered a following. By 1925, his organization, Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF), was well established with the purpose of disseminating and maintaining the purity of his teachings of yoga. He has come to be known as the "Father of Yoga in the West."
The following is an excerpt from the introduction to Paramahansa Yogananda's biography on the Self-Realization Fellowship Web site:
In the hundred years since the birth of Paramahansa Yogananda, this beloved world teacher has come to be recognized as one of the greatest emissaries to the West of India's ancient wisdom. His life and teachings continue to be a source of light and inspiration to people of all races, cultures and creeds.
Paramahansa Yogananda's in-depth work, Autobiography of a Yogi, has become a spiritual classic worldwide. Many devotees have been drawn to the teachings of this yogi through that autobiography, and many of their stories about how they came to find that work include some of the most inspiring "miracles" of modern American culture.
Such world-renowned figures as Dennis Weaver, Steve Jobs, George Harrison, and Elvis Presley were influenced by the Autobiography of a Yogi and the teachings of the great guru. Weaver even became a lay minister and spoke often at many of the SRF temples in California.
In addition to the autobiography, the great guru has published many collections of his talks, in both written and oral forms. His audio collector's series of ten of his informal talks includes the following titles:
1. Beholding the One in All
2. Awake in the Cosmic Dream
3. Be a Smile Millionaire
4. The Great Light of God
5. To Make Heaven on Earth
6. One Life Versus Reincarnation
7. Removing All Sorrow and Suffering
8. In the Glory of the Spirit
9. Follow the Path of Christ, Krishna, and the Masters
10. Self-Realization: The Inner and the Outer Path
These inspirational talks reveal much information about the great guru that appeals to his devoted followers. Just listening to a God-realized voice offers an uplifting spiritual experience.
The Poetry
For my commentaries on the poems of the great guru, I rely on his marvelous collection titled, Songs of the Soul, the version published in 1983 with its most current printing 2014. Two additional collections of his poems are extant, Whispers From Eternity and Metaphysical Meditations.
Because the "poems" of this great guru function on levels that ordinary poems do not, they are often used in devotional services held by groups of devotees of the SRF teachings throughout the world in the Readings Services as well as their Special Commemorative Services.
Paramahansa Yogananda's poems are more akin to prayers than to the poetry of ordinary poets, whose subject matter often dramatizes only human emotion in its relationship with creation and other human beings, instead of with the Creator; the great guru's poems always invoke the Creator's presence whether directly or indirectly.
Other Publications
The great guru's organization, SRF, also continues to publish collections of his works. Many of his talks have appeared in the series of essays that include Man's Eternal Quest, The Divine Romance, and Journey to Self-realization.
Corrective Translations
The guru has also bestowed on the literary world three important translations of extant perennial works that have been grossly misunderstood in some cases for centuries. His new translations along with his explanatory commentaries are correcting that misunderstanding.
In Wine of the Mystic: The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam — A Spiritual Interpretation, he shows how that poet's God-realized effusions put on display a man in love with his Creator and not the wine sopped Epicurean that has been misapplied to the work.
In the guru's in-depth translation and commentaries on the ancient Bhagavad Gita, titled God Talks With Arjuna: The Bhagavad Gita — A New Translation and Commentary, the great spiritual leader offers not only the poetic translation of the work but also the relevance for humankind of the psychological and spiritual instruction offered in the ancient poem.
Most importantly for Western culture, Paramahansa Yogananda has offered a full explanation of the phenomenon known as the "Second Coming." Titled The Second Coming of Christ: The Resurrection of the Christ Within You — A revelatory commentary on the original teachings of Jesus, the work explains the true meaning of many of Jesus' words long misunderstood and mischaracterized, such as "The Kingdom of God is within you" and "I and my Father are one."
The Lessons
Of all the publications offered by SRF and the great guru, it is the Lessons that remain most vital. One could dispense with all of the other books, audio tapes, poetry, and other commentaries if one possesses those lessons.
The Lessons begin by offering physical exercises that prepare the physical encasement to sit quietly and still while performing the more advanced exercises that lead to Kriya Yoga practice.
The Lessons contains six steps that can be completed in three years, but each student is free to progress at his/her own pace. The Lessons include instruction in the following techniques: 1. Energization Exercises. 2. Hong-Sau Technique of Concentration, and 3. Aum Technique of Meditation.
After completing the first two steps, the devotee may apply for the Kriya Yoga technique.
Kriya Yoga Initiations
The Kriya Yoga technique features four initiations for a total of twenty lessons. The First Initiation, featuring lessons K1-9, includes the technique of Kriya proper, on which all of the other initiations are based. The Second Initiation contains four lessons, K10-14, and the Third and Fourth include the remaining lessons K15-20.
All of the Lessons, including the Kriya Yoga Initiations, include many explanations based of science, as well as on the life experience of Paramahansa Yogananda. These marvelous works are presented in such way to hold the student-devotees' interest with little stories, poems, affirmations, and prayers that enhance the purpose of each lesson.
Complete Works
In addition to all of the works mentioned above, Paramahansa Yogananda has published many others, including his Cosmic Chants, which offers musical notations as well as the lyric for each chant.
An annotated list of the works of the great guru is offered on the Self-Realization Fellowship Web site under the title, "The Complete Works of Paramahansa Yogananda."
Brief Publishing History of Songs of the Soul
The first published version of Paramahansa Yogananda's Songs of the Soul appeared in 1923. During the 1920s and 1930s, the great spiritual leader revised many of the poems. The final revisions of the poems authorized by the great guru appear in the 1983 printing of the text, which along with the revisions restored many lines that had been omitted from the original version.
I use the 1983 printing for my commentaries. The current printing year is 2014. No further revisions or additions have been made since the 1983 printing. The 1923 versions of the many of the poems may be read at Full Text of Songs of the Soul.
Be a Smile Millionaire
© 2017 Linda Sue Grimes


text: Friday e-mails aren't always welcome as we try to empty our inboxes before the weekend. But one Friday e-mail that I look forward to receiving is the Scout Report. This University of Wisconsin-Madison curated resource is "one of the Web's oldest and most respected current awareness services. Published every Friday since 1994, it is received by more than 50,000 readers every week." It is a great way to stay informed about valuable online resources. Sign up for the always interesting Scout Report.


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Global Dream, Dream Cruises' first Global Class ship, will boast "the world's longest rollercoaster at sea" when it enters service in early 2021.
The Space Cruiser, which has been created in collaboration with Maurer Rides, will be the centrepiece of the Dream Park at the Pier – "the first-ever theme park at sea" onboard the new Global Class vessel.
"Outfitted with powerful electric motors and positive-locking drive system, the coaster defies the physical limits experienced by conventional rollercoasters, thus allowing acceleration over 1g almost everywhere on the 300m track," Maurer Rides' project manager Marco Hartwig said, adding that the ride can reach speeds of up to 60 km/h.
Each of the three Spike carts will provide interactive driving excitement for up to two riders per vehicle with inline seats and an integrated throttle allowing guests to control the speed of the ride. Due to the unusual perspective, the driver of the Space Cruiser will have the feeling of flying over the sea, said the company in a statement.
Besides the Space Cruiser, the Dream Park at the Pier will also feature a myriad of other attractions, including a giant inflatable obstacle course, trampoline park, bungee trampoline, surf simulator, human gyroscope ride and go-kart ride for kids.
Apart from the theme park, other amenities on board Global Dream will include a cineplex, Asian and Western spas, ample shopping facilities as well as Asian and international dining experiences and fast food restaurants.
Her 2,500 cabins will be able to accommodate up to 5,000 passengers on a twin share basis and can cater to over 9,000 passengers during peak holiday periods. Global Dream will also feature Dream Cruises' signature 151-suite luxury "ship-within-a-ship' concept, "The Palace".


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In this opinion piece Mark-Steven Howe considered the challenges of basing decisions on of average values for decision making when infection is not evenly distributed either geographically nor demographically[read the full story...]
Periodontal treatment and glycaemic control in diabetes
This review of the efficacy of scaling and root planning (SRP) and SRP + adjuvant treatments in improving glycaemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic periodontitis included 14 RCTs suggesting some benefit in the short term.[read the full story...]
Tooth loss predictors in periodontal patients
This review of predictors of tooth loss in patients with periodontitis undergoing treatment and receiving supportive care included 20 studies. Findings suggest older, non‐compliant patients, smokers, diabetics, those with IL‐1‐polymorphism, and teeth with bone loss, high probing pocket depths, mobility, as well as molars, especially with furcation involvement, are at higher risk of tooth loss.[read the full story...]
Lifestyle training for schizophrenia: STEPWISE fails to make a difference
Ben Janaway writes his debut elf blog on the STEPWISE RCT which is out today in the British Journal of Psychiatry: Structured lifestyle education for people with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder and first-episode psychosis.[read the full story...]
Periodontitis: How good are current prediction models?
12 prediction models for periodontitis incidence and progression were identified in 7 studies. There were several methodological and reporting shortcomings of published prediction models and indicated further research is required.[read the full story...]
Oral lichen planus and diabetes: are they associated?
This review of the relationship between oral lichen planus and diabetes included 22 studies. While both meta-analysis suggest a relationship the confidence intervals cross the line of no effect so are not statistically significant.[read the full story...]
Diabetic patients: does periodontal treatment improve glycaemic control?
91 diabetic patients were randomised to non-surgical scaling and root planing and amoxicillin or control. While periodontal status significantly improved at 3 months there was no no significant effects on
glycaemic control.
Physical health inequalities in primary care
Andy Bell from Centre for Mental Health and the Equally Well UK collaborative, calls for action in response to the Public Health England briefing on severe mental illness and physical health inequalities.[read the full story...]
Eating disorders and autoimmune diseases: a bidirectional relationship?
Helen Bould appraises a new Swedish study published today in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, which evaluates the strength of associations for the bidirectional relationships between eating disorders and autoimmune diseases.[read the full story...]
Collaborative care for depression and physical multimorbidity: clinically and cost-effective over the long term
Gemma Shields summarises the findings of a cluster RCT looking at the long-term clinical and cost-effectiveness of collaborative care (versus usual care) for people with mental-physical multimorbidity.[read the full story...]


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Community members are encouraged to discard old and unwanted documents this weekend.
Sate Representative John Galloway is hosting a free document shredding event this Saturday at Westaby Hall Parking Lot, 425 Hood Blvd., in Fairless Hills. Shredding begins at 9 a.m. and ends at noon.
Gina Whitefield, a legislative assistant for John Galloway, wants people to know how valuable shredder events can be for the public.
"With the big problem of identity theft all over," Whitefield said. "It's a good thing to safely destroy documents so that no one can get their hands on your personal information."
There is a limit of two bags or boxes per person and all non-paper trash must be removed from boxes and bags. Staples are acceptable, but the machines cannot handle paperclips.
Anyone attending is also encouraged to bring non-perishable food items for donation.
For more information call John Galloway's office at 215-943-7206.


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4 Taverner's Path is a three-story, flat-roofed structure built in 1910 by the Reid Newfoundland Company. It is situated in Trinity, NL, near several other historic homes, churches, and institutional buildings. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.
Statement of Significance
Formal Recognition Type
Registered Heritage Structure
Heritage Value
4 Taverner's Path was designated a Registered Heritage Structure by the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador in 2016 due to its historic and aesthetic value.
4 Taverner's Path has historic value due to its association with the Reid Newfoundland Company, the firm responsible for construction of much of Newfoundland and Labrador's railway infrastructure. The structure was built as a railway hotel, but did not assume this use and was sold shortly after construction when the rail line was not extended into Trinity as planned. It was owned for many years by Captain George Barbour, part of the rescue effort during the 1914 sealing disaster, who converted the structure into a duplex home. The structure went through a series of owners and uses since construction, but was used as a hotel or inn for much of its history.
4 Taverner's Path has aesthetic value due to its size, style and location. Its large, rectangular massing and simple details set the structure apart from either merchants' or workers' homes in the area. Together with its paired front doors, these elements indicate clearly that the building is not a residence, but was built for an accommodation use. Its location in the heart of Trinity, near several other historic homes and business premises, contribute to its value as a centrally located, "downtown" hotel.
Source: Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador property file "Trinity – Reid Newfoundland Company Hotel – FPT 104"
Character Defining Elements
All original features which relate to the age and style, including:
-flat roof;
-narrow wooden clapboard;
-roofed veranda;
-wooden cornerboards and trim;
-size, style, trim, and placement of wooden windows;
-size, style, trim, and placement of wooden doors;
-double doors on the front façade;
-location of building in Trinity near several other heritage structures, and;
-dimensions and orientation of building.
Location and History
Trinity, Trinity Bay
Town of Trinity
Civic Address
4 Tavernor's Path
Construction (circa)
1910 - 1910
Reid Newfoundland Company (railway)


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A CDR is generated for each call made to or from the Barracuda Phone System, and are available on the Reports > Call Detail Records page. Customize your view by adjusting the number of records per page and the date/time range. You can also view the most recent calls from the last hour, today, the past week, or the past month. The report includes the following fields:
- Call Answered – Time stamp of when the call was picked up
- Call End – Time stamp of when the call ended
- Caller Name – Incoming caller's name
- Caller Number – Incoming caller number
- Destination Name – Call recipient name
- Destination Number – Call recipient number
- Billable Time – The billable length of the call; specifically, the time from call answer to call end (not including the amount of time the call was ringing before being answered)
- Recorded File/Fax – If the call was recorded or a fax was received, a link will be displayed in this column through which you can listen to the call or display the fax
Download CSV File
From the REPORTS > Call Detail Records page, click Download CSV to download call details to a comma-separated value (CSV) format file which you can then import into a database or spreadsheet for analysis. Note that the records are raw data which may require additional analysis to be meaningful.
For example:
- Data may contain records for both the originating leg (or A-leg) and the receiving leg (or B-leg) of the call. Corresponding legs can be correlated using the uuid and bleg_uuid fields.
- Transferring a call from one phone to another generates a new CDR for each transfer, and attended transfers appear different than blind transfers.
The CSV file contains the following fields:
- start_timestamp – Time that the call was initiated (i.e. started "ringing")
- answer_timestamp – Time that the call was answered (if blank then call was unanswered)
- end_timestamp – Time the call ended (i.e. one party hung up)
- caller_id_name – Caller ID name if available
- caller_id_number – Caller ID number if available
- destination_name – Recipient's name if available
- destination_number – Recipients phone number (i.e. the dialed number)
- accountcode – Indicates an internal user made an outbound call
- billsec – Billable seconds, i.e. the amount of time between call answer and call hangup (does not including time spent ringing)
- duration – Total duration of call, from start to finish, including ringing time
- hangup_cause – Reason that call ended. Common causes are:
- NORMAL_CLEARING – one or both parties hung up
- NORMAL_TEMPORARY_FAILURE – indicates an issue with the carrier on an outbound call
- gateway_name – Gateway name
- outbound_route – Outbound gateway
- network_addr – Network address
- read_codec – Negotiated codec of the inbound call
- read_rate – Read rate extension data
- write_codec – Negotiated codec of the outbound call
- write_rate – Write rate extension data
- context – Context of the inbound call
- uuid – Universally unique identifier
- bleg_uuid – UUID of the bleg
- direction – Indicates whether call is inbound or outbound
- record_file_name – Name of record
- record_file_checksum – Record file checksum


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Download ClipConverter
Clip Converter the flexible and a great tool that allows the user to record, convert and download nearly any audio or video URL to common formats. The user to play, change, saves and downloads their required videos from Google, MySpace, YouTube, Blip and Yahoo websites. The user can watch online videos from this tool. The user can convert these videos into different formats such as flv, mp4, iPhone, avi, ipod, PSP, wmv, rm and mpg. The user can save the videos anywhere in the personal computer. The interface of the tool is attractive. This software is very easy to use and does not require any technical skills to operate it.


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The 2010 Edition of Social Security's Red Book is Now Available
The Red Book serves as a general reference source about the employment-related provisions of the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs. While the Red Book is primarily for educators, advocates, rehabilitation professionals and counselors who serve people with disabilities, it can also serve as a self-help guide for Social Security applicants and beneficiaries. The 2010 Red Book is available in English and Spanish at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/redbook/
For more information about going back to work while receiving Social Security disability benefits please contact Attorney Sheri Abrams at www.sheriabrams.com for an Appointment.


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Do you have general liability insurance? These days, more and more companies are being sued by other businesses and even consumers. No business is perfect, and accidents can happen, but there's no reason you should have to suffer financially over a simple mistake. Often, a company can be wrongfully sued when they had done nothing wrong at all. With that said, it's important to protect yourself. General liability insurance can help you from lawsuit due to negligence, libel, slander, bodily injury and even property damage claims. By getting general liability insurance, you can protect yourself over the potential financial loss that may occur from a lawsuit. However, general liability insurance can be expensive so it's important to shop around for the best quotes. If you are interested in general liability insurance for your business, read on to learn about the top three places online where you can get general liability quotes for free.
The Hartford
The Hartford is a great company that offers free quotes for small businesses. By filling out a quick and easy online form, you can get you can get your quote in as little as ten minutes. The Hartford is a company that has already been servicing small businesses for years and continues to do so in a variety of ways. Hartford will help protect you from personal injury claims by covering necessary medical costs. With damage protection, they'll cover any claims of property damage on your behalf and will also work hard to maintain your reputation should you suffer from claims of false advertising, slander or even false arrest. Additionally, Hartford can work with you to ensure that you do everything necessary to limit risks and improve safety. No matter how bad it gets, The Hartford is with you every step of the way.
- Get a quote in less than 10 minutes.
- Protects from medical costs, personal injuries and more.
- The Hartford works with clients to reduce risk.
Hiscox is another company that offers free quotes online and offers some of the best rates on the market. They serve a variety of business types including contractors, IT, marketing, real estate, architecture and beauty. Whether you are concerned about bodily injury, property damage or data loss claims, Hiscox will cover it. Insurance quotes are available for businesses and individuals across the country, and fast and easy to get. Rates offered are as low as $30 a month. For more information, you can speak to an insurance agent by telephone. Hiscox agents are available to help you Manday through Friday, from 8am to 10pm.
- Free online quotes.
- Offers some of the insurance market's best rates.
- Agents available online or by phone.
NetQuote is a terrific resource for finding quotes from the top insurance companies in the country like Progressive, StateFarm and Esurance among others. Quotes from NetQuote are completely free with quotes as low as $20 per month. By entering your zip code and completing an online form, you can get multiple quotes in just minutes. Use your generated quotes to compare companies and get the best rates. Because liability insurance can be costly, it is important to do what you can to save. Comparing the quotes on NetQuote is tremendously easy and is well worth your time. Get your quote today.
- Compare quotes from several top-rated companies.
- Only takes minutes to get quotes online.
- Find quotes as low as $20 per month.
General liability insurance is vital for any business that wants to avoid taking heavy financial losses over various forms of litigation. Protect yourself with general liability insurance, and check out the top-rated providers we've listed above that make it easy to get free quotes.


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Friday- 5 miles on treadmill
I woke up yesterday not feeling too well. I slept in as long as I could before my little buddy wanted breakfast. He's just the sweetest boy, seriously. I wanted to get my run in since I have a half marathon next week so I decided to see how I felt.
I even got out of my pajamas and wore a cute matchy outfit for the win!
I ran, it wasn't pretty but I got it done. I even managed an arm workout after. J always sits on the treadmill after I run. Maybe because it's warm?
I got dressed and headed out to get some errands done. I still wasn't feeling good, but needed to get things done before the weekend. Including getting the tires rotated on the hubs car. J always loves this place, more free popcorn!
By the time we were done with our errands, J was pooped. Don't worry, if you look closely he is holding on to his shiny blue sword. He takes it everywhere and he almost left it at the post office yesterday. That would have been a tragedy! Remember when he used to take Bullseye everywhere with him?
As the evening rolled around I was feeling even worse. J was so sweet and got his own snacks and cuddled with me while I napped. I'm so lucky to have a sweet lil guy like him. We were supposed to go to our neighbors for dinner and a movie, but I had to call and cancel. I told Josh to pick something up for himself and to get me some Cup of Noodle. He brought home Water Moon, one of our fav restaurants while I ate Cup of Noodle=(
J had a fever last night so I'm hoping he wakes up healthy. I don't want to waste the weekend!
what is your fav thing to do when your under the weather?
How's your running going? Any races this weekend?


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Check before you travel on Monday
Press release • Dec 10, 2017 19:01 GMT
London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway are advising passengers to check before they travel on Monday ( 11 December). Both operators plan to run as full a service as possible. However further snow falls and freezing temperatures overnight may make road access to stations and depots difficult.
For the latest information about rail services go to www.nationalrail.co.uk
Notes to Editors
Press office tel: 03300 955150
About West Midlands Trains
West Midlands Trains Ltd. will be running the West Midlands rail franchise from 10 December 2017 until 2025/6. Abellio has a 70.1% share of the company, East Japan Railway Company (JRE) and Mitsui & Co., Ltd. (Mitsui) own the remaining 29.9% in a 50:50 split.
About Abellio
Abellio is the international passenger transport subsidiary of the Dutch national railway company, Nederlandse Spoorwegen. Every day our people provide rail, bus and tram services to 1.7m customers across the UK, Germany and in the Netherlands. In the UK we operate buses through Abellio London, as well as ScotRail and Greater Anglia train services, and Merseyrail in a joint venture with Serco. In Germany we operate Abellio Deutschland, serving communities in North Rhine Westfalia, Saxony, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Hesse and Thuringia. Our role in transport extends beyond the journey from a-to-b. With our international heritage and our policy of sharing best practice, not just amongst ourselves, but across the wider transport industry, we provide thought leadership and truly innovative ideas which make a positive contribution to the communities we serve. For more information on Abellio visit www.abellio.com
About Mitsui
Mitsui is one of the most diversified and comprehensive trading, investment and service enterprises in the world with 139 offices in 66 countries as of March, 2017. Utilising our global operating locations, network and information resources, we are multilaterally pursuing business that ranges from product sales, worldwide logistics and financing, through to the development of major international infrastructure and other projects in the following fields: Iron & Steel Products, Mineral & Metal Resources, Infrastructure Projects, Integrated Transportation Systems, Chemicals, Energy, Food Resources, Food Products & Services, Consumer Services, IT & Communication, and Corporate Development Business. Mitsui is actively taking on challenges for global business innovation around the world. For more information, visit www.mitsui.com.
About JR East
East Japan Railway Company (JR East) was established in 1987, when Japanese National Railways was divided as part of a package of railway reforms. JR East's railway business covers a 7,500 km (approx. 4,660 miles) network in the eastern part of the Japanese main island, including Tokyo Metropolitan area, and provides transportation services, comprising urban, suburban and high speed operations, for 17 million passengers on a daily basis. JR East also undertakes non‐transport commercial activities, which account for more than 30% of the total revenue of JR East Group. JR East contributes to passengers and communities it serves by delivering high degrees of punctuality, reliability and comfort and also continues to pursue higher levels of safety and service quality through technical innovation. For more information, visit www.jreast.co.jp/e.


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Detectives from the Montgomery County Police Department – Collision Reconstruction Unit are investigating a fatal collision involving a pedestrian that occurred on Aug. 31. At approximately 8:56 p.m., 1st District officers and Fire and Rescue personnel responded to Bells Mill Road at Windsor View Drive for the report of a collision involving a pedestrian.
Preliminary investigation has indicated that the pedestrian, identified as Simon Saikmon Eng, age 65, of Harness Trail in Potomac, was walking west in the area of the eastbound side of Bells Mill Road. A Lexus LS 430, operated by Guy Wassertzug, age 50, of Broad Green Terrace in Potomac, was traveling east on Bells Mill Road and struck Eng.
Eng was transported to the hospital in serious condition; his injuries were believed to be non-life-threatening. Eng later died at the hospital.
This collision remains under investigation. Anyone with information regarding this collision is asked to contact the Collision Reconstruction Unit at 240-773-6620.


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Our News
Our inside stories
for you
11 Jul, 2019
by Iustina Faraon
Why We Will Not Pay for Reviews
Why We Will Not Pay for Reviews in the blockchain space.
10 May, 2019
by Sodiq Ajala
How to Leverage Blockchain Technology for your Business Growth
What do you do when your business fails to bring in the returns you envisaged...
01 Apr, 2019
by Iustina Faraon
An entrepreneur's experience with the blockchain technology
In 2017, Vlad and I wanted to learn more about the blockchain technology. We...


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- This event has passed.
Live Entertainment on the Patio at Pelee Island Winery
Sunday, May 13, 2018, 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm
Event Website
455 Seacliff Dr.
All Summer Sundays have wine by the glass for $4. Food for Purchase – Catered by Kings Landing.
All event dates and times are updated to the best of our ability. Please contact the event organizer directly for accurate hours and event status.
Venue: Pelee Island Winery
455 Seacliff Dr.
Kingsville, ON Canada
Phone: 519.733.6551


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Sweater: Piperlime (cute option); Shirt: Land's End; Jeans: Loft (similar);
Booties: Rebecca Minkoff (cute option); Earrings: Stella & Dot
I have been on the hunt for the perfect black and white checked flannel shirt for several months, and when I saw it in the Land's End catalog, I immediately earmarked it for a Christmas gift. When I opened one of my gifts on Christmas morning, there it was! And, since wearing it with this sweater and my Leap sweatshirt, I've worn it at least three other times. And, it's only January 6th! That's what I call the perfect black and white checked flannel shirt!
Pairing my new favorite shirt with one of my favorite sweaters only makes sense, right? I wore this for a little post holiday get together. It was a low key evening and I wanted to be comfortable but a little glam. I know, distressed boyfriend jeans paired with a sweater and flannel shirt isn't terribly glam, but I did add a major hint of sparkle with my amazing ear jacket earrings! They are stunners and dress up any look.
The Sweater: Before and After
Seriously, this flannel shirt is so awesome! It's comfortable, fits really well, and can be paired with so many pieces in your closet! I can't wait to show you all the other ways I plan it wear it. If only it would go with my sequin joggers....


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Holiday Oversized Knit Sweater Grey
Tick all your comfort goals in the Holiday Oversized Knit Sweater (Brown, Cream, Grey) - with its oversized silhouette and slouchy fit complete with a back slit. This sweater is a living testament that you can still look good bundled all bundled up.
Made of knit wool material
For Reference, Model is a UK 4/6, 1.75M tall
24" - 26" Across, 22.5" Front Length, 25.5" Back Length, 26" Sleeve ( From Shoulder ) 4.5" Sleeve Opening, 7.5" Slit Opening At Bottom.


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Social Health Australia is a new non profit and emerging community committed to companioning people through times of crisis.
Our approach has been largely informed by the field of spiritual or pastoral care. This emotional-existential support is usually made available, and often publicly subsidised, in settings such as hospitals, aged care facilities, prisons, universities and the military. Spiritual care is theologically-informed and often aims to help a person find ultimate meaning during times of crisis. Social health is rooted solely in human connection. This connection is intended to foster compassion – which literally means 'to suffer together' – and encourage reflection so that life's challenges might be regarded as a natural part of the human experience.
Social Health intends to primarily serve individuals who would prefer, or would find it problematic, to receive theologically-informed spiritual care. This includes those who do not identify as religious; are fearful of evangelism or agenda; and/or have experienced shame or abuse because of religion.
The vision, approach and ethos for Social Health has been inspired by a number of sources. They include pioneering thinkers like Carl Rodgers, who left his religious studies and moved into a field where his thinking would not be curtailed in order to help bring about humanistic, person-centred counselling; Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl who made significant contributions to the field of existential therapy including authoring the seminal 'Man's Search for Meaning', and perhaps most significantly, Jon Cabot-Zinn who helped meditation become more accessible as mindfulness, by moving it away from its Buddhist roots.
In a manner similar to Cabot-Zinn, Social Health intends to remove the theological-underpinnings from spiritual care so that it might be more easily acceptable to that part of the Australian public that would prefer an alternative to, or might otherwise reject, conventional spiritual care. And as with Cabot-Zinn, a practicing Buddhist himself who ensured that mindfulness would not diminish Buddhism, Social Health aims through its work never to undermine the faith community.
Guiding Principles
Social Health believes that every person, regardless of their belief system, has a right to receive help when dealing with illness, transition, grief or loss when this support is provided in a setting, particularly those subsidised by the government. We are also committed to extending that same fairness to those who companion people during difficulties so that they are not only properly vetted for having the competencies to take on this work, but also provided with the support that they need, and never required to be religiously affiliated or theologically trained.
Our organisation does not agree with the thinking that any properly trained person should be able to support any person dealing with adversity. Given the importance of the quality of the connection necessary for the conversations that meaningful companioning can bring about, Social Health sees great value in allowing those in need to have a say regarding who they want supporting them. Such agency it is believed will allow more kinds of people to access this support.
Because of the growing evidence suggesting that people in crisis are more able to connect with someone to whom they can relate, Social Health sees it as imperative that we demonstrate an openness to bringing forward support people from many kinds of backgrounds, who hold many different world views, which offer many different ways of allowing people to feel heard, make meaning, and move through difficult moments. We see bringing about this kind of inclusivity as critical to our success.
Social Health is committed to exploring how new programs can be delivered in new settings, especially ones where conventional spiritual care does not operate. We believe that this approach will allow us to reach people who may otherwise fall through cracks in the current system of care. Our hope is that it will also open up new avenues of dialogue that will contribute to much needed innovation regarding how people in crisis can be supported.
Finally, Social Health understands that we must move beyond calling attention to the deficiencies associated with conventional spiritual care. We realise it is equally important to not assimilate the attitudes and actions that have harmed people in the past. That's why Social Health is committed whenever possible (and it's almost always possible) to embrace positivity as a guiding principle that informs all the ways we evolve our new model of emotional-existential support. We also believe doing so will make the Australian public far more receptive to our work.
Our Stewards
Social Health is led in its start-up phase by Joe Sehee (Director) and Ally Scott (Programme Development) with additional guidance provided by a steering committee comprised of Rod Bower, President, Humanists Victoria; Meredith Doig, President, Rationalist Society of Australia; Neale Roberts, Manager of Spiritual Support Services, Canberra Hospital; Collin Acton, Director General – Chaplaincy at Royal Australian Navy; John Davey, Social Health Advocate, and Annie Whitlocke, Buddhist Spiritual Carer, Monash Medical Centre.


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Ironic Contradictions
I'm a long time reader - since way back when I was seven. That makes it over three quarters of my life that I will be a reader for. But it is worth it. When I'm not reading or wasting my time online on here or Goodreads I'll be off playing video games, studying teaching and messing around with friends and pop culture. Or reading some more.
Recently added
10:00 am 6 March 2012
One of the positives of being a uni student now is the amazing time on my hands to read books. Okay sure I have to do all the university texts and so forth but when travelling an hour to and from campus and in between lectures a remarkable amount of time is free to read. Well it certainly beats having to attend school where there was no time to read.
How does that all relate? Oh simply on the odd coincidence that I managed to finish the last two hundred pages across the three hours I had free travelling and waiting for lectures/tutorials. And I was staggered when I finally finished book one of the Stormlight Archive. This could very well be one of the best epic fantasy series ever written.
Let me break it down.
The Plot
This was superb. Revolving around three different main characters Sanderson plotted a whole course for his novel that I didn't see right at the beginning. Full of wonderful twists, turns, plots and sudden realisations Sanderson does a fine job of keeping his readers interested. I particularly loved how he would drop in a sudden bomb at the end of a chapter that left me going: "Hang on what! You mean Saldeas actually... You mean the visions are actually..." It was that kind of plot. I also loved the way in which Sanderson slowly provides a view into the background behind each of the character's motives. I feel that they were much more fleshed out in terms of providing me as a reader with a sense of how each character's morality worked than A Game of Thrones which I was unable to get into. That's not a cheap shot at A Game of Thrones which many have enjoyed but rather an indication that I really liked how Sanderson wrote his world.
The Worldbuilding
As in Mistborn the world is highly fleshed out. But this world is even deeper than the world of Mistborn. Religion again has its place alongside discussions of philosophy and morality. There are various native plants, creatures and people discussed which all fit neatly into a grand mythology of the Heralds and the Voidbringers. If you're looking for a Tolkienesque world with a grand level of attention to details then look at this for starters.
The creatures introduced by Sanderson were fascinating. You had the chasmfiends, the Parshendii and parshmen, the chull, the axehounds and the sky eels for starters. Each of which were nicely depicted through images in the book. In fact the elaborate artwork was something else to behold for a book. The most intriguing creatures however were the spren. These are spirits which appear in different forms and flock to various events. For example windspren fly on the breeze, firespren appear around fires, painspren are attracted to pain, rotspren are attracted to rot and so on.
The Magic
You have the supernatural featuring strongly as in all of Sanderson's books to date. There are three types of main magic mentioned along with another which is hinted at. The fourth I won't delve into as it is simply called Old Magic and may feature more in later novels. I'll put a spoiler here as I provide some details which some readers may find spoiling.
Stormlight Lashings
In Sanderson's world gems are powerful because they alone can collect the radiant energy of highstorms. This stormlight causes them to glow brightly. Some have the ability - like the Radiants of old - to absorb the stormlight from gems and use this to perform various lashings. These lashings bind objects together, prove gravitational pulls and change gravity. The stormlight also heals and strengthens the user
Soulcasting again uses gems to change objects into other objects. For instance stone can become fog, blood can become ice, fire can become wood and so forth. The magic is done through the use of powerful objects called fabrials. Apart from that you can find out about the soulcasting more through reading.
Shardplate and Shardblades
These are weapons which turn men into unstoppable warriors. The plate strengthens a man and increases his speed and agility. The shardblade slices through any object and when it touches flesh it passes through deadening the soul. Basically if it touches your spine you will burn to death. Shardblades disappear when dropped and can be summoned by their wielder in ten heartbeats. While reading the book I kept imagining how awesome a film version would be to hear the heartbeats as the sword is summoned - and because of how much action envelopes the book.
The Characterisation
I loved the characters of this world. They each had a strong and properly explained moral centre to their being that was observable from the start. Some may become annoyed at the lack of sexuality in the book but I disagree with it being absent. In fact I think Sanderson deserves credit for fitting a clever touch of romance during a massive war where most of the women are away from the front-lines. Oh and there is that time with the crazy priest dude and Shallan.
Because what the book is about is not romance or action or war although those elements are visible. This is in essence a book about the characters and how they struggle through conflict, how they wrestle with turmoil and danger and in the end triumph. This is a book about overcoming the odds. The best kind of book in my eyes. Of course naturally each character must be brought low to rise again and you feel pity for their failing. But then when they rise you cheer for their victory.
So what now?
Well obviously I suggest you go read the novel if you love fantasy in its epic glory. This is a grand novel and world that for me was addictive. I'm left desiring more despite the thousand pages I've just finished. And that's a good sign of an awesome book for me. If I loved it enough to hungrily devour it. Because what I can see is that Sanderson is just a good storyteller telling good stories. And no book of his I've yet read has been worth less than five. (There's always Warbreaker but I'm an optimist). Anyway do I need to present another reason for you to enjoy this book?
I'm going to put this out here right now since it is the middle of the year and say this is probably my favourite book read all year. I loved it that much. Second and third places go to The Hero of Ages and Warbreaker and then you can have Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell followed by 1984 and Brave New World.
This provides apprehensions about the upcoming books in this series. I hope they are as grand if not better than this opening novel.
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Well, you know, you get wiped-out. And the deeper the wipe-out gets, the deeper the reluctance to use ornament or to use any of the other facilities that brought you to the wipe-out. See, if you never get wiped-out then the natural assumption is the things you're doing are right.
Those with something to fall back on, invariably fall back on it. They intended to, all along. That is why they provided themselves with it. But those with no alternative see the world differently. ~ David Mamet
Because you are human beings you are going to meet failure. You are going to meet disappointment, injustice, betrayal, and irreparable loss. You will find you're weak where you thought yourself strong. You'll work for possessions and then find they possess you. You will find yourself — as I know you already have — in dark places, alone, and afraid. What I hope for you, for all my sisters and daughters, brothers and sons, is that you will be able to live there, in the dark place. To live in the place that our rationalizing culture of success denies, calling it a place of exile, uninhabitable, foreign. ~ Ursula Le Guin
An artist needs a certain amount of turmoil and confusion. ~ Joni Mitchell
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Classic Apple Pie Recipe
It's that time of year...baking on the brain. The smells of fall bursting through the air and dancing in the breeze. Smells of sweet pumpkin and crisp apples. Let's sweeten up the kitchen and get down to baking! Adapted from the William Sonoma Kitchen
For the dough:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. Old Salt Merchants Bolivian rose salt
- 2 tsp.Old Salt Merchants cinnamon or ginger sugar
- 16 Tbs. (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 3 to 4 Tbs. ice water
For the filling:
- 2 lb. Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into slices 1/4 inch
- 2 lb. Pink Lady apples, peeled, cored and cut into slices 1/4 inch thick
- 1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup Old Salt Merchants Cinnamon Sugar
- 1/4 tsp. Old Salt Merchants cyprus salt
- 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
- 4 tsp. cornstarch
- 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
- 2 Tbs. cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 egg white, beaten with 1 tsp. water
- 2 tsp. granulated sugar
How to:
To make the dough, in a food processor, pulse the flour, bolivian salt, and cinnamon o ginger sugar together until combined, about 5 pulses. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 pulses. Add 3 Tbs. of the ice water and pulse 2 or 3 times. The dough should hold together when squeezed with your fingers but should not be sticky. If it is crumbly, add more water 1 tsp. at a time, pulsing twice after each addition. Turn the dough out onto a work surface, divide in half and shape each half into a disk. Wrap the disks separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out half of the dough into a 12-inch round about 1/8 inch thick. Fold the dough in half and then into quarters and transfer it to a 9-inch deep-dish pie dish. Unfold and gently press the dough into the bottom and sides of the dish. Trim the edges flush with the rim of the dish. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
On a large sheet of lightly floured parchment paper, roll out the remaining dough disk into a 12-inch round about 1/8 inch thick. Using leaf pie cutters, make rows of cutouts in the dough, spacing them 1/2 inch apart and leaving a 1-inch border along the edges, to create a lattice appearance. Reserve the cutouts for decorating. Reroll the dough scraps to make more cutouts. Refrigerate the lattice top and cutouts for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the filling: In a large Dutch oven, stir together the apples, brown sugar, cinnamon sugar, Cyprus salt, nutmeg and cornstarch. Set over medium heat, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are just tender but not mushy, about 20 minutes. Uncover and cook until the liquid has thickened and become glossy, 5 to 7 minutes more. Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice and let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
Position a rack in the lower third of an oven, place a baking sheet on the rack and preheat the oven to 400°F.
Let the pie shell, lattice top and leaf cutouts stand at room temperature for 5 minutes. Transfer the apple filling to the pie shell, scatter the butter pieces on top, and gently invert the lattice top over the pie. Trim the edges flush with the rim of the dish and press the top and bottom crusts together to seal. Brush the underside of the leaf cutouts with egg wash and gently press them onto the edges of the piecrust, overlapping the leaves slightly. Decorate as desired with the remaining leaves. Brush the entire top crust with egg wash and sprinkle with the granulated sugar.
Place the pie dish on the preheated baking sheet. Bake until the crust is crisp and golden brown, about 1 hour, covering the edges with aluminum foil if they become too dark. Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool for at least 1 1/2 hours before serving. Serves 8.
***If you don't want to make your own pie crust or you in a hurry, use Pilsbury ready-to-bake pie crust.


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A Tool to Identify Skin Infections in Canines
A web interface that identifies the type of skin infection in a canine.
Date You Started Your Project Started03/08/2019
Project Stage: Select the description below that best applies to your approach.
- Start-Up (first few activities have happened)
1. The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve?The main problem that my project is targeting to solve is identifying common skin infections in canines. Most of the time, these infections can be easily treated with over the counter medication. Often, canines develop skin infections, that need immediate relief, but, the availability of veterinarians and the costs associated with the hospital visit, delay the diagnosis and treatment. This is especially an issue if the dog is abandoned or stray.
2. Your Solution: How are you planning to solve this problem? Share your specific approach.My project is an intuitive, web-based interface that identifies the type of skin infection a canine has, by having the user input an answer to a set of questions. These questions were based off of the research that I performed on each skin infection, and the corresponding symptoms. This application utilizes conditional logic, in order to navigate the user via successive questions, in order to arrive at a diagnosis. My application can currently identify over 20 of the most commonly seen skin infections, and I am working on incorporating AI and machine learning into my app to increase it's accuracy and efficiency. Alongside this, I recently visited a local veterinarian at the Saratoga Veterinary Hospital who was impressed by the project and validated its accuracy and feasibility in the field. My program is effective because it helps reduce unnecessary costs and visits to the vet. I plan to implement it by supplying my tool to countries such as India, where there are so many stray and abandoned dogs that could use such a technology. I also plan to promote it within my own community, by bringing it to local animal shelters.
3. Personal Journey: What's the story behind why you decided to start this project?This project was inspired by my own dog, who had developed a rash last year, right around Thanksgiving. The vet was unavailable and we did not want to rush her to the emergency room for something so minor. Seeing your pet restless and uncomfortable is not easy, so I took the initiative to do an online search and find out what was going on. After doing extensive research, I applied the triple antibiotic cream we had, and made her wear her dog booties. It ended up working, and she was relieved of the irritation soon. That's when I figured, that many pet owners could use such a tool. Another inspiration for me was visiting multiple animal shelters and seeing a lot of abandoned animals on the streets of underdeveloped countries like India. After seeing such conditions, I strongly feel that this application can be widely used and adopted by people all over the world.
4. Selfie Elevator Pitch: Include 1-minute video that answers the following "I am stepping up to make change because..."
5. Example: Please walk us through a specific example of what happens when a person or group gets involved with your project.The process of using my application is extremely simple for the user. The first screen that pops up is the welcome screen. From there, the application starts asking the user simple questions, based off visible symptoms, that only require a "yes" or "no" answer. These questions were formulated using a flowchart that I made to guide me on where to send the user, based on their previous responses. After answering a few simple questions, the user is provided with the type of skin infection the canine has, along with some remedies to help cure it.
6. The X Factor: What is different about your project compared to other programs or solutions already out there?Currently, the only method for identifying skin infections is taking the dog to the veterinarian. There are no technologies similar to mine, which are designed to do the same thing.
7. Impact: How has your project made a difference so far?My project has been fully built, and it can currently identify over 20 skin infections. I plan to engage users through connecting with local veterinarians, as well as furthering my reach by bringing my app to countries such as India, where there are many stray and abandoned dogs. I have already gotten my project verified by a veterinarian for accuracy and feasibility.
8. What's Next: What are your ideas for taking your project to the next level?In the near future, I plan to bring my project to local animal shelters and expand the usability and functionality based on user feedback. For the next step, I want to further my impact by taking my project to countries like India, and relieving stray and abandoned animals of their suffering, where this technology can have an incredible effect, and empower us, to be the voice for these poor animals who cannot speak for themselves. In order to make this application accessible by all, I have ensured that my application is completely free of cost for all users.
9. Which of the following types of expertise would be most useful for you?
- Research
How did you hear about this challenge?
- T-Mobile page or contact
10 comments
Join the conversation:Comment


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IronWood Analyses
OriginTrail; Technical Report
OriginTrail is a purpose-built protocol for supply chains based on blockchain technology. Supply chains are often seen as one of the best use cases for blockchain, promising many upgrades when compared to centralized solutions used by the industry today. The protocol brings decentralization to supply chains, and with that comes traceability, trust, and information integrity.
The OriginTrail ecosystem is built on nodes that provide the processing, bandwidth, and storage capacity to make all data functions possible. The node operators are paid with TRAC tokens.
The primary difference between other supply-chain-centric projects and OriginTrail is that OriginTrail is a protocol, meaning OriginTrail can be used to gather information from different blockchains and integrate them together. This is advantageous because instead of directly competing with other established supply chain projects, it is possible to integrate them within OriginTrail's ecosystem directly.
Breaking into the multi-billion dollar supply chain industry will be a challenge for the team, but given the current state of supply chain management, it's entirely feasible as this promising technology comes to be more accepted and used. The current centralized systems often offer poor scalability and inefficient cost effectiveness. OriginTrail is attempting to surmount these issues with the use of blockchain technology directly.
OriginTrail is based in the capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana. The team is composed of experts experienced with supply chains and a variety of other areas, and their advisors are industry-leading experts with vast experience in commerce and supply chains.
OriginTrail Team
Tomaž Levak Co-Founder & CEO
Co-founded OriginTrail in September 2013 with Žiga Drev and Branimir Rakić. He studied at the University of Ljubljana, where he received his Bachelor's in International Relations and his Master's in Human Resource Management. Tomaž managed supply chain and technology projects in Europe and the Middle East.
Žiga Drev Co-Founder & COO
Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer at OriginTrail. He studied at the University of Ljubljana and received a Bachelor's in International Relations and his MBA. Žiga manages stakeholders in complicated supply chain setups in Europe & Asia.
Branimir Rakić Co-Founder & CTO
Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder, Master's in Electrical and Computer engineering. Branimir has been optimizing telecom networks since 2011 and working on blockchain supply chains since 2016.
Maja Voje CMO
Chief Marketing Officer and Co-Founder. Maja has six years of experience in marketing, and is a Google and Rocket Internet alumni and Udemy instructor.
Aleksandar Veljković Blockchain & Cryptography Lead
Teaching assistant at the Faculty of Mathematics, University of Belgrade. Aleksandar's research topics include blockchain and Big Data.
Token stats and ICO
OriginTrail uses an ERC-20 based utility token called "TRAC."
Total Supply: 500,000,000 TRAC
Token standard: ERC20
50% of all tokens sold at ICO for 22.5 million USD (10c per token), with about half sold in pre-sale at a 20% discount.
TRAC tokens serve as payment to all the functions in the OriginTrail ecosystem.
Node holders can perform several tasks with TRAC and receive compensation for their services via the token. Anyone who holds the token will be able to stake any amount of TRAC and passively gain TRAC for providing services to the ecosystem.
The previously mentioned functions are in the protocol layer; the second layer is for derivative use of TRAC tokens inside decentralized applications built on the protocol.
One example could be a consumer application that would award shoppers TRAC tokens for interaction. The potential use cases for applications built on the OriginTrail are vast, and every such use will require TRAC tokens, potentially driving the demand and price upward.
Currently, Origin Trail doesn't have any direct competition. There are others in the industry that are trying to achieve a somewhat similar goal, but owing to Origin Trail being blockchain agnostic, these other technologies can incorporate and benefit from using Origin Trail's protocol and network. The supply chain industry is massive and can genuinely benefit from blockchain solutions, so it would be easy to imagine competitors in the future.
Points of Confidence:
- Blockchain agnostic
- Variable masternode staking
- Zero knowledge proofing
- Built on GS1 standards
- Easily integrated into existing ERP systems
- Small Team
- Heavily reliant on community development of dApps
- Team does not have a lot of documented experience within the industry
OriginTrail is a leader in blockchain supply chain solutions. In operation for over five years, OriginTrail has been providing solutions to help bring transparency and accountability to supply chains. With its smooth integration into existing ERP systems, OriginTrail aims to be a plug-and-play system that could make big waves in the industry. The team is on target with most of their roadmap within 2018 and will release the beta in June. OriginTrail has met each target and excelled in community outreach. With a knowledgeable team and dedicated community following, it is easy to see how OriginTrail can advance the supply chain industry into a new revolution of transparency and accountability while providing compensation to those who contribute to the cause.
News & Resources
OriginTrail was the first blockchain startup to receive the Wal-Mart's Food Safety Innovation Spark Award.
OriginTrail joins the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance and Blockchain for Social Impact coalition.
April release of Incentive model documentation and full GS1 compatibility.
- European Wine Pilot Project has been completed, meaning that OriginTrail is tracking data from European wineries that are making their way to the Chinese market
- First public call for Trace Alliance
- Hong Kong Office to focus on new partnerships in the Asian markets


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Manufacturer: Portal Games
You are holding in your hands an adventure game for you and your friends to play as castaways on an uninhabited island. Your task is to build a shelter, ward off potential dangers, and complete the missions. There are seven different scenarios included in the box - they will provide you with new, more difficult and curious ways to play!
Explore the Island
Uncover its secrets
Set up camp
Create new items
Face numerous adventures
And survive....
90 Adventure Cards
73 Event Cards
52 Mystery Cards
12 Custom Dice
7 Scenarios
Wooden Markers
Beast, Items, and Starting Equipment Decks.
Ages: 14+
Players: 1-4
Game Length: 60-120 minutes
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