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What Is Outsourcing?
By Professor Monish Gunawardana INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF MANAGEMENT The Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) is a practice that transfers an internal job of a company to another company, in a different country, or contracting a com-pany's task to a company that might be situated in a completely different geographical location. An outsourcing operation occurs when an organization or business, transfers some activities such as Payroll-handling, Insurance Claim Processing or Technical Support to a BPO company in a foreign country. The highly industrialized countries like the USA, Japan, Canada, Germany and UK outsource their tasks to developing countries such as India, China, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Brazil, Chile and Costa Rica. The well-published tasks of the outsourcing boom involve writing software codes and operating call centers. Anyhow, the outsourcing applications are infinite: remote diagnosis, medical record transcription, processing insurance claims, engineering and many more. Types of BPOs (1) Routine: Call Centers, Data Processing, Hotel and Flight Reservation, Car Rental Services. These types of BPO operations require basic skills in Information Technology (IT), Customer Care, Business studies and good command of English. (2) Discretionary: Optically document scanning, Data verification, Data repairing, Email and Mail list management, Claims processing, Remote secretarial services, After-sales support. These outsourcing operations require good technological and problem solving skills. (3) Specialized: Financial services, Payroll and pensions processing, Desktop publishing, Web designing and hosting, Multi-Media works, Customer Relation Management (CRM), Advanced technical support and Human Resource Management (HRM). These BPO operations are manned by trained knowledge- workers who are well versed in IT, Management, ISO Standards, Six Sigma and methodical thinking. Call Centers When your newly purchased washing machine does not function properly, you will use the 'toll-free number' to seek the technical support. The Call Center is the place where you will get a solution to your problem. It receives or gives calls and assists customers. On a busy day, a Call Center agent may attend to nearly 100 calls. Large-scale Call Centers employ hundreds of agents. A small center employs less than 20 agents. These small call centers are becoming more popular in developing countries. They need moderate investment and less sophisticated technologies. Computers, Telephone Lines and Electronic Display Boards and Servers are the common equipment in a Call Center. Big Indian BPO companies like Genepact, Office Tiger and Daksh have Call Centers around the world. When you are calling from South Africa to the Samsung Company in South Korea for technical assistance, your call may be answered by a Call Center in India. They generated millions of jobs for youths in Asia. In addition, Call Centers are the entry point and training ground for the knowledge industry. Hence, our entrepreneurs should invest in this thriving sector to promote Namibia as a wealthy nation. Benefits for Both Worlds The first world is the best client for outsourcing centers in the third world. The USA alone accounts for nearly 50 percent of the world's outsourcing. And it could save around US$8 billion through outsourcing. The developing nations in Asia and Latin America were heavily benefited by this emerging sector. As per the recent report of the Economist intelligence, Singapore's total 95 BPO centers place this tiny nation as the Global Per Capita leader in outsourcing. Gartner group forecasts that outsourcing figures in the Asia-Pacific region will grow to US$14.07 billion by the next year. Youths in some developing countries are well trained in Information Technology, Customer-Relation Management, Business Management and English communication. And, they receive the pre-posting training in accent and outsourcing skills before they are placed on a salary scale, which is a fraction of their counterparts in the developed countries. This permits developed nations to buy high-tech services at a low price from the third world countries. Therefore, it helps developed nations to cut costs, concentrate more on the core businesses, and gain competitiveness in the world market. On the other hand, BPO operations bring much-needed foreign exchange, employment and technological innovations to the developing nations. Source of Wealth to the 'Global Outsourcing Report – 2005' Costa Rica has risen as a competitive BPO location in the world after India and China. Costa Rica's BPO industry earns 12 percent of the GDP. India and China skipped the normal development steps and emerged as the knowledge-based economic powerhouses by utilizing the BPO. The Asia-Pacific region will generate US$14 billion by 2007. WNS is an Indian BPO manned by 10,000 talented IT professionals and it operates 9 centers in India, Sri Lanka, and America. China will touch US$29 billion by 2009. Some Indian BPO companies are moving up the outsourcing ladder and shifting their offices to Shanghai and Hungzou in China. The INFOSYS, an Indian BPO giant, decided to invest US$65 million, adding 6,000 IT engineers to its workforce. According to a study of the Analysis International, the world market value of the BPO industry will reach US$94 billion by 2009 and developing nations such as Namibia should plan to use this sector as a springboard to industrialization. Key Requirements In order to achieve success in the BPO industry, the cheap and talented pool of IT professionals, low transport costs and easy access to communication channels such as the Internet are crucial. Graduates with knowledge in IT, ISO Standards, Six Sigma Project Management and methodological thinking are the key requirements for this knowledge-based industry. Those countries willing to invest in human capital development can only survive and thrive in this highly competitive digital age. For example, the regional government of Andra Pradesh in India, to ensure a steady supply of high-tech manpower, has planned to train 50,000 youths by 2007. Costa Rica has become a rising star in the global IT industry by extensively investing in IT education. Since 1988, this country has provided computers for over 1.5 million students, more than half of whom live in underprivileged areas. Namibia's Shining Hope The BPO industry has opened a door to industrialization and it is a cash cow for third world nations like Namibia. Hence, let us offer advanced technical and managerial training for our youths. Besides that, it is very important to invest more and more on infrastructure improvement to maintain our competitive edge in the global market. India, China and Costa Rica, once rated as hopeless poor countries, have emerged as global players in the knowledge-based industries. I am of the opinion that the BPO industry should be regarded as a shining hope for Namibia.


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|This article is incomplete because of the evil sabotage by Maxwell....
Please help to improve the article, or discuss the issue with the community on the comment section.
Weevoles are Mobs introduced in the Hamlet DLC, which spawn in Tall Grass fields at Dusk and Night.
They are aggressive mobs and will attack if the player gets too close. They attack by charging at the player from roughly one tile away. This attack can easily be avoided by running.
If they get low on health, they'll bury themselves in the ground and resurface few seconds later, though Pog can attack them while they're underground.
When they die, they drop Weevole Carapace, which can be used in the Crock Pot to make Hard Shell Tacos or to craft the Weevole Mantle.
They will eat any plant related items left on the ground by the player. Those include: Cork, Grass, Grass Tuft, Berry Bush, Sapling (item), Logs, Boards, Evergreen Sapling and Seeds.
Weevoles can be caught in Traps, killing them instantly and rewarding Weevole Carapace when harvested.

subset: commoncrawl


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Commodore 1702 & 1702T Monitor Cap Kit (110v, NTSC)
Connect an S-Video (SVHS) device to a monitor with separate Luma / Chroma RCA inputs, such as a Commodore 1701 or 1702 monitor.
Male RCA and male S-Video connectors.
Unless noted in the description, all Console5 products are fully tested and guaranteed. Cap kits are made using name brand, high quality, high-temp parts from Nichicon, Panasonic, and other reputable companies.


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Road Safety Day
In Year 1, the children designed a range of outfits which could keep us safe when walking in the streets and crossing roads. They looked at different scenarios to decide who was being the safest on the roads.
In maths, in order to first familiarise themselves with the concept of speed, the children participated in a quiz in which they had to guess the average speed of the following things: a person walking, a moped, a bicycle, a car on a motorway, a cheetah, an aeroplane. The children were then introduced to the concept of stopping distances and within this 'thinking distance' and 'braking distance.'
The children then went outside and had to estimate the stopping distance of a car when travelling at a range of different speeds. The children then calculated the real stopping distance before measuring it out using a trundle wheel.
This activity was a real eye opener for the children as it helped them to understand that cars do not have the capacity to stop instantly and so it is vital that we cross at sensible points, we never run out in front of a car and we always look and listen.


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Found this program call iLock in MotorolaFans.com Forums, It sort of similar to the slide lock like iPhone.
I installed on my Sony Ericsson P1i and it works fine.
Since it's a full screen java app, it doesn't really key lock the screen, holding the back button still bring you to the main screen.
When you unlock, the application will quit. So to launch iLock, it take a couple of seconds to get the locked screen.
My Screenshot
Edit: Didn't realised that my link was broken, I have uploaded it here: IPhoneLock
Update Apr-2008:
For those who still downloading this old Java version, the author has released the iPhoneLock in UIQ3 native SIS. Here's the new entry on that.


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Recently, Jeff was featured on the Channel 4 News segment "Ask the Expert" to discuss "Warning Signs You're Headed For A Lawsuit With Your Partner". Click here to watch that segment now.
Contact Jeff at email@example.com or by calling 415-454-0455 x234 to discuss this topic.
Education and information for real estate investors posted by "The Real Estate Investor's Lawyer" who specializes in providing legal services to investors in the areas of entity formation, litigation, purchase and sale agreements, loan workouts, syndications, commercial leases, construction agreements, estate planning, wills, trusts, and related areas.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Jeff On TV: Watch Jeff Discuss Warning Signs You're Headed For Lawsuit With Your Partner
2 comments:
your blog is amazing! thank you so much for your creative inspirations and thank you for sharingReplyDelete
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South Puget Sound Area Baseball and Softball Camps With the Seattle Mariners Grand Slam Camps
We're so pleased to have Mariners Grand Slam Camps as part of our sponsorship team again this summer.
Baseball and Fastpitch Softball Camps in Puyallup, Sumner, Lacey, Federal Way, and other convenient locations!
The Seattle Mariners have officially partnered with Grand Slam Camps to provide baseball and fastpitch softball camps for kids around the Puget Sound.
Now officially called Mariners Grand Slam Camps, these are not your ordinary baseball camps. If you're used to camps that offer drills and a few games, you will be pleasantly surprised by the true, Seattle Mariners experience your child will get to enjoy with Mariners Grand Slam Camps.
Camp is about building skills but also teaching a true love of the game. Kids will enjoy a week of surprises, top-flight instruction, and lots of old-fashioned fun, whether they're beginners or all-stars.
Our older son did camp with the original Grand Slam several years ago, and he had a great time. I was very impressed with the skill level of the staff and how they made sure that every child was learning and feeling excited about baseball. It was his very first experience with baseball, and I was amazed at how much he learned and so pleased with how positive he felt after every session.
There are three camps offerings with convenient locations around the South Sound.
- The Complete Camp runs from 9:00 AM-12:30 PM from Monday through Thursday. Instructional sessions are held at the top of each hour with a general focus on situational game play and instruction about a variety of different skills of the game. Each field has two coaches – typically current college players – who are constantly teaching the finer points to players as the games are played. This is where the real learning occurs.
- The Skills Camp runs from 1:30 PM – 4:00 PM Monday through Thursday and is instructionally based. All receive hitting instruction, but also select a defensive position of emphasis; pitcher, catcher or infield.
- The Camp Bundle offers Complete + Skills Camps at a discount plus one-hour of lunch supervision at no added cost. It runs from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM. In most locations, a separate fastpitch softball camp is offered as well as baseball.
Each camp is lead and coordinated by certified teachers who have deep knowledge of the game so parents can count on a safe, upbeat, and professional environment. Add in many surprises and the constant influence of the Seattle Mariners, and you have a camp like no other. To top it all off, all campers are invited to an additional camp session in August at Safeco Field. This is part of the camp experience and is included at no additional cost. Note from SFM: These are very well priced camps already!
For more information you can visit their website here.
Questions? Email firstname.lastname@example.com or call, text or leave voicemail at: 360-802-2232
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. The folks at Mariners Grand Slam Camps were some of this site's earliest sponsors. We'd love for you to mention Sounds Fun Mom when you register if you have a chance. Thanks for doing that!


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Longwood student's in
grades Kindergarten through Sixth grade receive thirty
to forty minutes of Health a week. The Health Smart
Program was developed in conjunction with the Suffolk
County Health Department and Eastern Suffolk BOCES. It
is designed to improve the quality of students' lives.
Most importantly, it provides student's with a framework
they can use to make healthy choices into their
adolescent years and beyond.
In this unit, children
learn to identify and seek help for troublesome
feelings; protect themselves and others from bullying;
resolve conflicts peacefully; develop respect for their
bodies; practice behaviors that prevent the spread of
In this unit, children
learn to stay safe as passengers and pedestrians;
practice fire safety procedures; follow rules for being
safe around water or on a bicycle; examine media
messages around violence; prevent bullying and school
fights; assess personal risks and advocate for safe
In this unit, children
will be able to understand the body's food and activity
needs; value eating breakfast and drinking plenty of
water; follow guidelines for healthy eating and physical
activity; set nutrition and physical activity goals;
assess, adjust and self-manage daily physical activity
and eating routines.
In this unit, children
examine why people start smoking ; avoid secondhand
smoke; understand the harmful effects of tobacco,
alcohol and other drugs; say NO to pressure to use
tobacco, alcohol and other drugs, establish support from
family and peers to remain drug free.


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Shiver their timber and be the connoisseur of pleasure with the Loving Joy 10 Function Rechargeable Remote Controlled Egg. Near, far, wherever you two are, you can tease and please your lover with the click of a button from up to 15 feet away. Test their threshold with 10 powerful functions or submerge your passion and make a splash in the bath with this waterproof vibrating egg. Put the joy back in loving, this is the one egg your basket will ever need.
Product features:
- Loving Joy 10 Function Rechargeable Remote Controlled Egg
- 10 powerful and whisper quiet functions
- Waterproof
- Can be controlled from up to 10 metres away
- Remote requires 1 x AAA battery (not included)


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Your children want to experience something? Then drive to the Technoseum with your rented motorhome of the McRent Station Mannheim.
Proceed on a discover tour by the technical and social change of the 18th century until the present. Take action and experiment interactively with your children.
Visit one of the most beautiful universities in Germany which is located in the baroque castle in Mannheim. Make a tour at the castle museum afterwards and find out everything about the history of the baroque castle.


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Tiktok has introduced two main badges on its platform. One is the 'Verified Account' badge, and the other is Tiktok Popular Creator badge that I'm going to discuss here in this article. If you were a Musical.ly user (Tiktok was previously Musical.ly), you might know that we had a 'Crown' verification on that app to feature higher quality users. Many users including celebrities have received a small 'Crown' label on top of their avatar. It was a sign to indicate that, this user has contributed well in the community. Therefore, they were honored with a 'Crown' in the hall of fame.
Similarly, we have badges on Tiktok. One of the most important badges is Popular Creator badge that comes with a light blue tick. You might have seen this in the pages of many accounts. Do all of them have millions of followers? No. Though many of them have thousands at least, you can see that some of them have only few fans and still they have the badge! You might be wondering how they are getting this badge with such a small number of fans. I'm going to reveal the answer here for you.
Method to get Tiktok Popular Creator Badge is Revealed!
We have a simple hack to get the Popular Creator badge for your Tiktok page. In fact, many of the users have already utilized this hack and they all have a beautiful blue tick label on their page, below their profile avatar. The program had been restricted to public usage until all bugs were fixed because it was in its beta stage. We got immense response from the followers, when we later launched this on our social media page . Therefore, today, we are introducing to the overall public crowd in the internet! Click the button below to assign the badge to your page instantly.
By clicking this button, you will be redirected to the page where the Poplar Creator Hack has been installed. It's a simple hack that anyone can operate and assign the badge for their page.
And I'm sharing a screenshot from the famous 'WikiHov' website below. That website has a section of questions and answers. People will post their questions and its admins will reply. You can see that our website received a mention in the reply. This is getting viral!
How to complete the verification at the end properly
You may have to complete a verification at the end of the hack. Enabling this will block the unnecessary spam bots coming to the website. We were forced to enable this verification as they are capable of making damage to our servers. Not to worry, you can simply do it by installing a free app on your phone or by receiving an SMS on your number or by using any other available options. All of the apps we have listed are free apps and they are not at all harmful to your smartphone. We do test all of them before we list them.
If you decide to complete the verification by installing one app, you have to open it for more than 30 seconds. Nowadays, any bot can install the app but bots cannot use the app unlike real humans. Therefore, we added a rule that users have to install and use the app for 30 seconds. Then we can believe that it's done by a real human!
Advantages of having a Popular Creator badge on Tiktok
Though there are no disadvantages for having a blue colored badge with 'Popular Creator' label, there are some advantages. This badge can be beneficial for the growth of your page. As the name indicating, a 'Popular Creator' badge is usually given to the contributors that upload popular content. It means that if you upload videos that may get great attention from the other users, you also are eligible for this badge and Tiktok will eventually add it to your page. You don't need to do anything other than posting great content. Let me list out the key advantages of 'Popular Creator' badge below.
- Exposure to your videos – As I clearly explained above, the reach you'll get for your videos would be higher, compared to the normal users. If we talk in terms of priority, normal users carry a priority of 0 while users with a 'Popular Creator' label do carry a priority of 1. And yes, the 'Verified Account' badge owners hold the highest in this category with a priority of 2. They carry the same weight of those people who had 'Crown' on Musical.ly previously.
- More followers and hence likes – This is an obvious calculation. If you are a celebrity, people will be around you always. On Tiktok, people with such stickers are actually act like celebrities. You might have seen people requesting such popular users for follow-back their page. It's because of the celebrity status they are carrying. Therefore, a badge'd user can easily get more followers and likes, compared to regular users.
- More visibility in search – If you are a new user with less fans, and you have a common name that many already have, it's not easy to find your page while searching. But this is not the case with badge'd users. Since their priority is higher, they are visible on top of the search results and therefore it's easy to find them.
That's it. These are the main advantages of having a 'Popular Creator' badge on Tiktok.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Popular Creator Badge
1.Do I need millions of fans to get badged on Tikok?
A. No, never. That's why we have developed this hack. We made this available for everyone regardless of what Tiktok rules are there.
2. Do I need to be attractive to become famous on Tiktok to have these badges?
A. No, again! It's not about how you look or how you talk or sing. It's all making good content. Not to worry if you are not good in making good content, this hack is specially for you!
3. How to feature my page with less than 100 followers?
A. The number of fans or followers or likes doesn't matter here. They will matter only for getting featured by Tiktok itself. We are not getting the help of Tiktok here. We will change its server values to feature your page. You don't need to impress anybody here!
4. I got the badge but the number of fans are not improving well. Why?
A. You should post more videos in the beginning to get the initial attention. You have to interact with other users also. Just comment on others' videos, like them and also follow others. Use proper hashtags and you will be good to get some attention.
Do you have more questions that are not answered here? The comment section is open for you. Please shoot the questions!


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Product: Stratusphere FIT/UX
Product Version: All
Expires on: 365 days from publish date
Updated: Jan 3, 2018
A Stratusphere appliance has machines reporting to it with Connector ID agents installed in 2 physical locations. Each machine should only report to the Collector(s) in the same location.
Possible resolution:
Collector Groups can be created so that machines in a certain Machine Group will only report to collectors in the respective Collector Group.
1. Go to Inventory > Machines and select Groups.
2. Click the New button.
3. Enter your new Machine Group name and description. This will be the group that contains machines at Site A. Hit Save Machine Group
4. As an optional step, expand the Smart Group Properties and choose the categories that apply to the new machine group. Stratusphere will populate groups for you based on the Smart Group properties chosen. For example, if the new machine group contains physical desktops running Windows, Stratusphere will automatically add that new machine group to a Physical Machines Smart Group, a Desktop Smart Group, and a Windows Smart Group when it is created. Please note that drop-down options for each Smart Group Property is populated based on what CID Keys report back from the environment to the Hub. If the machines at Site A have a certain naming convention for the Machine Name, that may be a good choice for this use-case.
5. Click the Save Machine Group button to create the new machine group.
6. Machines can also be added manually. In the Inventory > Machines, check the machines, click Add to Group, check the machine group, then click OK.
Instead of adding a new Machine or manually, groups can also be imported. To import groups:
1. Go to Inventory > Machines and select Groups.
2. Click on the Import Members button instead of the New button.
3. Click on Choose File to select the CSV file containing your machine or user groups.
4. Click on the Import button.
One or more Collectors can be placed into a Collector Group. Machine Groups can be configured to report only to a certain Collector Group. This is how we are separating where machines report.
To create collector groups:
1. Go to Collector Administration > Collectors and select Groups.
2. Click the New button.
3. Enter your new group Name and Description.
4. Click the Create Collector Group button to create the new collector group.
5. To add individual collectors to this new group, select individual collectors from the Collectors tab and click on the View Properties button.
6. Then click on the Edit Properties link at the top right. Select the Collector Group from the drop-down list. Remember, the purpose of this is to add the Collector(s) from one specific region to the associated group. This Collector Group will be used for machines at Site A. After choosing the Collector Group, Save Collector Properties.
1. Go to Hub Administration > Connector ID Keys > Connector ID Key Properties
2. In the dropdown Configure Properties for:, choose the Machine group you've just created for Site A. In the dropdown Callback Destination:, choose the Collector group you've just created for Site A. This is what links the Machine Group to the Collector Group. Hit Save at the bottom of the page.
Now the Machine group for Site A will only report to Collector Group for Site A. Repeat the process for Site B, Site C, etc...


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Enter the Napa Auto Parts #NeedForKnowHow Sweepstakes for your chance to win a trip for two to Las Vegas, Nevada, MagnaFlow Exhaust kits or Royal Purple Performance kits for your vehicle.
Rating: Okay
Eligibility: US, DC, age of majority
Entry Date: March 11, 2014 and ends at 11:59:59 p.m. ET on April 8, 2014
Facebook Entry | Official Rules
Include your tip or trick on how to keep your vehicle working at high performance. Entries will NOT be judged.
Entry Limit: one entry per person/email address/household.
One (1) Grand Prize: a trip for him/herself and one guest to Las Vegas, Nevada. Trip consists of round-trip coach air transportation (from major airport near winner's home within the U.S.) for winner and his/her guest, double-occupancy hotel accommodations for two (2) nights, a Richard Petty Driving Experience for winner and guest (awarded in the form of a $3000 gift card), and a mid-size rental car for three (3) days. ARV: $4,751
Three (3) First Prizes: MagnaFlow Exhaust Kit for your Vehicle. ARV: $750
Three (3) Second Prizes: Royal Purple Performance Kit. ARV: $250
Prize Limit: one prize per person/household/email address.
Random Drawing: on or about April 10, 2014
Disclosure: this sweepstakes listing may contain an affiliate or tracking link but we do not use referral links. Read about our policies for more details.


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Chris Broderick's cool new Megadeth Endgame Ibanez custom guitar (reported here last week) isn't the first axe to feature Megadeth-themed album art. Since Megadeth's return with The System Has Failed, Dave Mustaine and his co-guitarists have used a whole bunch of custom guitars from ESP/LTD, Dean and Ibanez.
Dave Mustaine
Here are a pair of Dean VMNTs with artwork from Rust In Peace and United Abominations, respectively.
Glen's tenure in Megadeth only lasted for one album and a few tours, but he sure used some cool custom-painted guitars in that time. Here we have a pair of ESPs (Countdown to Extinction and Peace Sells …But Who's Buying graphics) and a Dean Vendetta with the United Abominations cover.
This is an off-the-shelf Ibanez S5470 with a custom hand-painted image taken from the booklet to Megadeth's new album, Endgame. Chris told the Megadeth forum this one will be re-fitted with DiMarzio pickups.
Are there any more I'm missing? Let me know if you've seen any others out there!


text: 50% of the world's population live in urban areas, so it is vital that our water systems produce clean drinking water to avoid illness and widespread disease. This is why Earth's Natural Force has partnered with the Anacostia Watershed Society to tackle the DC area's issue of clean water. We want our children to live in safe environments, and that means having access to clean water systems in the form of Washington, DC's beloved Anacostia River.


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When you're rich and famous, what problems could you possibly have?
More often than not, the myth has been shattered because celebrities are now letting us into their private lives.
Some of our local celebrities have been open about their mental health struggles; from attempted suicides, to anxiety attacks and depression, these stars have been brave enough to open up about their mental health issues and that has helped go a long way towards ending the stigma that continually surrounds mental illness.
Let's take a look at some of the celebrities who have been open about their struggles with mental health.
Hip hop star, HHP has been open about his struggles. The Bosso Ke Mang hit maker stunned the country when he admitted that he had tried to take his own life three times.
He is now doing a whole lot better and we wish him well.
Lalla Hirayama
The TV personality revealed her struggles with anxiety attacks last year and she said that she was diagnosed with the condition five years ago. She once had an attack on national TV (reportedly during an episode of V-Entertainment) but she later managed to overcome it.
She once told Times Live that during the early years of her disorder, she had up to 12 panic attacks a day.
Ifani opened up to Drum magazine about feeling depressed, in the in-depth interview he said, "2013 was a full year of depression. I would only come to life on stage because I was feeding off the audience's energy. But as I left the stage, I was back to my misery,"
Mpho Popps
The comedian has been open about his struggles with depression.
Bonnie Mbuli
The actress and TV presenter opened up about her depression in her book, Eye bags & Dimples. In an interview with IOL, she said that it began at a young age & that it is something that was prevalent in her family, her mom was also suicidal when she was young.
She said, "the trauma of my childhood had caused so much psychological and emotional damage that, over time, it translated into physical symptoms, and insufficient serotonin was causing my clinical imbalance."
Bonnie who is also a mom is in a much better place and her story has helped other people overcome their struggles.
Theo Nhlengethwa
Boom Shaka star, Theo had a rough patch in 2014 when he went through depressive episodes, it was a culmination of many tragic events including the death of Lebo Mathosa, speaking to Drum magazine he said, "people have said the most shocking things about me and it's one of the reasons I landed up in hospital. I became a joke and a laughing stock in the industry."
Celebrities are just like the rest of us and they go through things too. As such we should learn to be a little more sensitive to everyone we come across, regardless of who they are.
If you, or someone you know needs help, please click here to access a safe space called 'Let's Talk' - an initiative launched by Pharma Dynamics, a local generic pharmaceutical company focused on affordable, effective healthcare. The platform has been developed for those who struggle with mental illness to share issues to share their struggles and get access to the help they need.
You can also click here to access The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) or:
- For counselling queries e-mail: [email protected]
- To contact a counsellor between 8am-8pm Monday to Sunday, call: 011 234 4837 /fax number: 011 234 8182
- For a suicidal emergency contact on 0800 567 567
- 24hr Helpline 0800 12 13 14
- SMS 31393 (and SADAG will call you back)
Main image credit: Instagram/lalla_hirayama


text:
Date Sent:
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Attention: Microsoft User,
Your Microsoft storage has reached it's quota limit in our data base, to avoid being block click on the link below and reloging to Re-new your Microsoft Storage Limit.
Click to validate: [LINK REMOVED]
Technical Support
Copyright @ 2016 All rights reserved.
Phishing Site Screenshot:


text:
Body found in woods during search for missing mother who neighbors last saw being 'forced from her home'
PUBLISHED: 08:08 EST, 4 September 2012 | UPDATED: 10:43 EST, 4 September 2012
Searchers looking for a missing woman have discovered a body in a wooded area near her home.
Police have yet to identify the body which was found on Monday night by volunteers with Texas EquuSearch.
Relatives of 48-year-old Norma Jean Scott had asked group members to help look for the single mother after she went missing on Thursday.
She was last seen being forcibly led from her home.
Missing mother: Norma Jean Scott was last seen on Thursday allegedly being forced out of her home by neighbors
Search: Volunteers on four-wheelers had been looking for the mother over the weekend until a body was found on Monday
Frank Black with Texas Equusearch says volunteers are not sure if the body they found is the missing woman but confirmed it was found a block and a half from her home.
Officer J.C. Padilla says police were contacted after the body was located in an overgrown vacant lot.
An autopsy has been ordered.
The eldest daughter of Norma Jean Scott, Brigette Scott, said: 'She's not just going to leave us. We had plans for this whole weekend. I don't understand'
Family members told television station KHOU that Scott last was seen by neighbors being forcibly led from her home.
'That's not like her,' said Bridgette Scott, the victim's oldest daughter told the television station. 'She's not just going to leave us. We had plans for this whole weekend. I don't understand.'
The case is under investigation by the Houston Police Department.


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Increase Your Network and Applications Visibility with Splunk Enterprise and Ixia IxFlow
Today's networks are comprised of silo-based technologies and disconnected and outdated point solutions. They are also missing analytics around KPIs like usage and user trends. This complexity hampers agility.
Stela Udovicic, Splunk Sr. Product Marketing Manager, described how her company is providing end-to-end visibility across the entire data center, reducing troubleshooting times for their customers by 75-95%.
Splunk uses Ixia Network Visibility Solutions to get physical and virtual network data. It has added the newly-released Ixia Application and Threat Intelligence Processor (ATIP) to bring to Splunk solutions real-time application flow metadata, information is vital to garnering a complete picture of your network.
Splunk provides enterprise-wide visibility by accessing any machine data, enabling a full end-to-end view across the entire data center. With the ability to ingest any type of data, Splunk provides superior troubleshooting, visualization, and problem analysis, and by putting all of that information in one place, it can help IT achieve end-to-end visibility across the entire software, hardware and services stack. This allows comprehensive operational analyses like capacity, security, and root cause analysis.
Splunk uses Ixia's ATIP's IxFlow to get rich application identification at Layer 7, allowing identification of traffic such as social media, cloud sharing, and other difficult-to-monitor traffic. It provides geolocation of the source of application traffic by area, country, and sub-region and makes is easy to dynamically-classify and monitor custom applications. IxFlow filters traffic flows to types of interest and permits usage reporting and quick trouble isolation.
Splunk's platform for IT operational intelligence is available as a free web download and comes with access to more than 500 pre-built dashboards that available in their appstore, Splunk Apps. Ixia's IxFlow app is available now in Splunk Apps.
Additional Resources:
Ixia Application and Threat Intelligence Processor (ATIP)


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One of the smartest, most honest, courageous, and caring people… I came to know Vernice Jones as one of the smartest, most honest, courageous, and caring people I have had the pleasure of working with. Vernice's guidance and support allowed me to explore new dimensions in my leadership which significantly increased my ability to foster change and achieve results. I have no doubt that I would not be where I am today as a leader without her caring support, thoughtful insights, and skillful guidance.
Vernice is an engaging, thoughtful and insightful professional with exemplary skills in talent development and career coaching. I have personally witnessed her command of large group training and individual one-on-one coaching. In fact, she provided me with invaluable personal career coaching using tools such as the LPI 360. Yet, it is her innate ability to process qualitative and quantitative data and apply the interpersonal dimension of real-life dynamics to provide a unique coaching experience.
Vernice gave me the help I needed which turned out to be different from the help I wanted. I run a small business and came to Vernice focused on prioritizing tasks in alignment with immediate results and long-term objectives. Vernice brought clear thinking, strong suggestions and creative interaction to our conversations. Her insight and incisive questions uncovered root challenges and unleveraged strengths, which provided clarity in revealing a critical path to achieving my goals.
Gifted, insightful, leadership development coach and architect. I have worked with Vernice on a variety of projects over several years and am always thrilled with the results. I have had the opportunity to see her coach others and be coached by her myself. I am always amazed at her innate ability to "uncover" the real issue at hand. I have also worked with Vernice on creating a First-Manager training program. Vernice built the program from the ground up instilling competency-based learning and individualized coaching. Her creative and out-of-the-box thinking made the program a huge success with hundreds going through the workshop.
Vernice took us on a journey that enabled us to openly explore and assisted us in becoming clear on our objective. Her great listening skills and direct communication style created a space to expand into direct perspectives. We are excited about implementing our learning.
Driven, practical, no-nonsense, passionate… I engaged Vernice to work with me on a project that I had been envisioning, but hadn't given time or focus. Through her keen listening and insightful questions, Vernice inspires me and helps me think of aspects of my project in a way I hadn't before.
Outstanding course developer, facilitator, instructor and coach! During the course of a year-long executive leadership program, Vernice provided solid, relevant and effective executive training and coaching for 16 Emerging Leaders at our company. Her depth of knowledge on topics ranging from effective communications to successfully navigating in the executive ranks set our Emerging Leaders on a path to success.
Advisor, coach and mentor… Vernice Jones unselfishly shares of herself, her experience and her knowledge. Vernice was a catalyst for making my experience at Georgetown transformational.


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In the heart of Barcelona's trendy Eixample district, the 3-bedroom Urgell apartment brings you into contact with Barcelona's unique history. Visit the prominent Placa de Catalunya Square (17 minutes' walk), or take your trip indoors to the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art (13 min). With the Urgell metro station located only 3 minutes from the apartment, you can explore attractions such as the beach or Barcelona's old city, the Gothic Quarter (20 min), where medieval streets are lined with restaurants and trendy bars. This stylish vacation apartment has been decorated by our local designer for a taste of Spanish royalty. Three elegant bedrooms and a state-of-the-art kitchen will make you feel right at home. A sunny private balcony is one of the apartment's highlights. Premium amenities include free WiFi, cable TV, high-end toiletries, hotel beds and linens, and a Nespresso machine. Perfect for families and large groups of friends, this gem is a one-of-a-kind experience in the center of Barcelona.
Literally meaning 'expansion,' the elegant and central Eixample district of Barcelona is a veritable showcase of architectural Modernista masterpieces (Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia, Casa Mila, and Casa Batilo; Casa Lleo Morera; Casa Amatlier), upscale boutiques, great dining, and wild nightlife. The heart of the buzzing gay club scene is here -- its nickname is even 'Gaixample' -- but it has a more laid-back atmosphere than San Francisco's Castro. You'll find lively nightlife here, from trendy hipster bars to gilded lounges. Defined by its tree-lined boulevards and Romanesque buildings, the area is full of bustling markets, friendly locals and a wealth of famous attractions, including La Pedrera, the Fundacio Antoni Taples, the Egipci Museum, and the Sala Foundation. If you're looking to explore Barcelona's architecture, elegant dining, and nightlife scene, this is the perfect location. El Prat Airport: 20 minutes by car without traffic or 50 minutes by public transit Sants Station: 15 minutes by public transit Plaça Catalunya: 15 minutes by public transit Sagrada Família: 15 minutes by public transit Tivoli Theatre: 15 minute walk Montjuic: 25 minute walk
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|Listen to Prabhaata-rashmih Audio
Harih Om Tat Sat. Jai Guru.
I think – I don't know how many of you – may be many of you or all of you are not very clear about the nature of introspection you have to do. The introspection of a seeker, a Vedantic seeker, should always be to find out from his own mind, whether the working of the mind is over-shadowed by either a powerful or a basic desire, much worse greed and possessiveness. One point – it all comes under desire. The second part is hatred, different forms of which are intolerance, impatience, dislike, resentment, disapproval and all that. Then thirdly fear. The fear has to be distinguished from anxiety. Unnecessary anxiety is always to be avoided.
You have a knife in your hand and in using it you have to be careful that you don't cut your finger. Now, do you mean to say that this is a fear which we have to overcome or it is a useful element? In handling the knife, you have to be careful. Hold it in such a manner. You know we have got a habit. We have got the large knife. I don't know whether there is any other word in English for it. We call it 'vettukathi' which is used for cutting wood, branches of trees etc. It will be very hefty, may be more than one kilogram in weight and we generally have to hold it, whenever we hold it, with the sharp side facing downward. That is how it is to be used.
I observed in my very young days, there was an old man, an agriculturist who used to carry his vettukathi. He always used to keep it in his left or right hand. The handle in the front and the metal portion – look at me, I am holding it like this. The handle will be in front and the steel portion will be behind and he will always keep the sharp edge above. You know that one sight, it gave me so much of insight. "Oh, this is the way to carry it whenever you have to carry." He used to keep it in his hand and walk, may be a kilometer or so for the work spot.
The idea I could understand was, suppose for any reason that knife falls, the sharp edge should not hit anywhere including the body. The other portion should fall first. Is it not carefulness and a caution that is very prudent? I think one has to admire it. My mother once told me – We have to keep this knife somewhere. Generally this vettukathi etc. they used to be kept on the ground and whenever I kept it, mother told me, "You always keep it close to the wall and whenever you keep it, let the sharp edge be towards the wall. So, even if you are walking and suppose your foot happens to hit it, you will not hit at the sharp edge. "
Now, these are all precautions taken to avoid accidents and hurts. So such precautions arising out of fear or consideration will be necessary. Otherwise imaginary fears, anxieties and the like will not be correct. When a vehicle comes in your front, you always keep to a side so that you are safe and the vehicle is free to pass. These are all precautions necessary to be taken. I don't know whether they can be considered to be unnecessary fears.
About the desire, suppose you see a person prosperous and you are not so prosperous. When you are not prosperous and you see somebody prosperous, many different feelings can come. One good feeling that I can suggest is: "I am not prosperous. I would like to be prosperous. So whatever I will be if I am prosperous, the same thing I am seeing in another. So I should be happy about it. In this case, it is not myself who is prosperous but another person but prosperity is something that I like. So, whenever a person is prosperous I should be liking it. But why is it that my mind becomes not able to appreciate and feel the joy?"
That is because of either a desire or an intolerance or what you call jealousy. I don't think it is necessary. So, you should introspect and go into the mind. Am I not a lover of prosperity? Yes. So wherever prosperity is, it should make me happy. Now in this case, somebody is prosperous. I would like the whole world to be prosperous. May be I am not prosperous. But that does not take away the joyfulness of prosperity. So, when I see somebody prosperous, the very reason that I like prosperity, I must be able to enjoy and rejoice over it. Why is it that my mind is not able to? Because of a kink. That kink should be noticed and you should straighten up the mind.
Any kind of a desire – "I want to improve." I see another man improve. "Oh, I want to improve. In his case the improvement is already there. How blessed is he." Associate yourself with him so that the improvement will be easier for you. In this way, every time you should introspect and find out.
My wife could have spoken to me better. My husband should have behaved better. Yes, he should have or she should have behaved better. But the fact is that they are not able to behave. So, one day you can discuss it with them and then say: "I sometimes feel that your behaviour could be a little better. What is the reason?" Why don't you discuss it openly? Suppose after a discussion, X or Y is not able to improve. You cannot change your married partner frequently. So, you have to understand now this is one item where my expectation will not be fulfilled. So I will drop my expectation. Let me accept my partner in whatever manner he or she is. So the acceptance becomes your problem and that problem has to be tackled by the mind. There also it is introspection.
In all my talks and dealings, do I have a hatred, do I have a dislike? To have a dislike means to make the mind bitter. Dislike towards anybody in this world will make your mind heavy and bitter. So to have dislike, is it correct from the view point of a good and a noble mind? And I must give supreme place to possessing a noble mind, a good mind, a benign mind. Just like I would like to possess thousand kilograms of gold if I want gold or prosperity. More important than that is a golden mind.
So, is it right for me to have any kind of a hatred or intolerance towards anybody? No. Then why is it that my mind has it?
So, tutor the mind and then say that it is not right. You should become free, absolutely free, of hatred of any kind. There may be many things hateable in this world. Ok they are hateable you can say. But you cannot hate them. Hateable is only a classification. Classify them as undesirable. Undesirable things will be there in you as well as in others. That does not mean you must have hatred or dislike towards them. The moment hatred or dislike overpowers your mind, it becomes heavy and the whole peace and joy are robbed.
Every time you try to introspect in this manner and make your mind better and better. Inter personal relationship is very important here. Only in inter personal relationships the mind comes out with its inadequacies, insufficiencies, irregularities, defects, evils, venom, poison and all that. Somebody was telling me – "My wife is fondly speaking to the children and the children are fond of her. So, I started asking, "The way my wife is dealing with the son, why is it that she is not dealing with me"? This kind of a feeling a father has and he is spoiling his mind. Oh, the wife is not speaking to me so fondly but at least she is speaking to the son. Let me look at it and enjoy it.
No I am missing it. Oh, you are missing it already but at least you are seeing it in another. So, why don't you – that moment at least you feel joyous and you can propose to your wife – "You know I am very happy when you talk to the son so beautifully but in the same manner, I also would like to be talked to. See whether you can speak a few good words to me." You can say that because with the wife why should you have any secret. So, even prestige is a negative point. If you keep your prestige in the matter of dealing with a problem or what you miss with the wife, then that is also a defect. This is called:
Every time you have to go into your mind and find out whether it is behaving properly or not. If not, try to correct it. This is called introspection and this introspection you can do in any situation with regard to any context of things. I think all of you should do well to understand the whole process and see that every moment the mind is corrected. But I can tell you, the mind can be treated beautifully and you can take it to a level of, if I can call it, purity – purity, goodness so that you will be happier and happier and happier. And even a small fractional percentage of improvement in any matter will make the mind that much happier. So, the reward is instantaneous.
Harih Om Tat Sat. Jai Guru.
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I Was There (Mexico | 2015, 1 hr 21 min)
Directed by: Jorge Valdés-Iga
Written by: Jorge Valdés-Iga, James A. Lee, Sinead Daly
Cast: James A. Lee, Carl Ford, Sebastian Zurita, CC Loveheart, Katie O' Grady, Ernest Mingione, Aurore Fagnen, Nicole Ansari-Cox, Humberto Zurita, Tom Kermnitz, Jr, Jennifer Bouchard, Martha Iga, Sebastian Galvez, Chris Olsen, Brady Bryson, Benjamin Karp, Lella Satie, Carlos Munoz
Gus Johnson (James A. Lee) is a New York City firefighter who panicked and escaped the World Trade Center in 9/11. He barely survived the collapse and instantly became a hero. However, survivor's guilt haunted Gus turning him into a self loathing alcoholic, which drew away his wife and son (Sebastián Zurita). Years later, Samuel Lyons (Carl Ford), a photographer who crossed paths with Gus on 9/11, confronts Gus with a photo that proves Gus was not a hero that morning and blackmails him into telling the truth to his family, which forces Gus into a journey of self discovery and acceptance.


text: Chandlers Ford Snooker Club Club Category: 147 Clubs Profile Photos MapThe family-run club has well-maintained tables and is open seven days a week to members and non-members. Junior sessions are held every Saturday morning for boys and girls aged six to 18. An open tournament runs every Saturday afternoon, a scratch singles league runs on Tuesday evenings and club handicaps take place on Thursday and Sunday evenings. Chandlers Ford Snooker Club is well known as a snooker player's club. No Records FoundSorry, no records were found. Please adjust your search criteria and try again. Google Map Not LoadedSorry, unable to load Google Maps API. Driving Walking Bicycling Public Transport Miles Kilometers Previous Next


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VANCOUVER, WA (KPTV) – If you drive through downtown Portland on any given night, you'll see dozens of people sleeping under makeshift shelters. Among them are men and women who served our country in the military – veterans from every branch – who fought for our freedom and now can hardly help themselves.
However, there is a local organization doing its best to spread awareness and champion change.


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Most of the times, it is a very tedious job to convert file formats in bioinformatics, especially when we are dealing with phylogeny. Most of the available online servers mess your file and the output format is also not supported by the other programs. Additionally, it is quite difficult to perform other customizations on the phylogeny tree.
The basic requirement for using any bioinformatics software/tool is the file format and it is very difficult to deal with the phylogenetic tree conversions for the beginners sometimes. There are a bunch of tools available to visualize and annotate phylogenetic trees. Some of the most widely used software/tools are discussed below:
MEGA is a useful software in constructing phylogenies and visualizing them, and also for data conversion. It can easily convert alignment files to other formats such as nexus, paup, phylip, and fasta, and so on. The MEGA tree explorer is helpful in editing trees very easily, subtrees can also be selected and edited separately. Some tree image export options are also available. The input formats are newick, phylip, mega, and nexus. The phylogenetic tree can also be converted in newick format but it falls short on converting it into other formats such as phylip which is required in other analyses such as selection analysis.
2. Dendroscope [2]
It is helpful in visualizing large trees and provides several options to export their graphics with a command line. Several different views are also available, trees can be easily re-rooted and node labels and branches can be easily formatted. It can export trees in newick and nexus format. Although users will have to register themselves first to use this feature.
3. FigTree [3]
It is actually designed to visualize trees that are produced by BEAST [4] program. Tip labels and node labels can be easily edited. It can easily export trees in nexus, newick, and JSON format with some graphics export options such as emf, pdf, sg, png, etc.
4. Phylotree.js [5]
It is a javascript based library to visualize and annotate trees and offer some other customizations. It has a wide application in Datamonkey [6] comparative analyses. A user can upload trees using Phylotree.js where a user can easily select test and reference branches, and any changes can be mapped to their position on the corresponding structure. It is also good for comparison of trees with links between leaves known as a tanglegram, where crossings can represent evolutionary events. It also offers several export options and other built-in features [5].
5. ggtree [7]
ggtree is an R package for phylogenetic tree visualization and annotation. It also displays annotation data on the tree apart from visualizing it. Users can annotate trees with their own data and can easily convert trees into a data frame, and a lot of other features are available (https://guangchuangyu.github.io/software/ggtree/).
There is various other software available to visualize and customize phylogenetic trees such as NJplot [8], TreeGraph2 [9], and so on. We will be discussing their functional detail with examples in the upcoming articles.
- Kumar, S., Stecher, G., & Tamura, K. (2016). MEGA7: molecular evolutionary genetics analysis version 7.0 for bigger datasets. Molecular biology and evolution, 33(7), 1870-1874.
- Huson, D. H., & Scornavacca, C. (2012). Dendroscope 3: an interactive tool for rooted phylogenetic trees and networks. Systematic biology, 61(6), 1061-1067.
- http://tree.bio.ed.ac.uk/software/figtree/
- http://tree.bio.ed.ac.uk/software/beast/
- Shank, S. D., Weaver, S., & Pond, S. L. K. (2018). phylotree. js-a JavaScript library for application development and interactive data visualization in phylogenetics. BMC bioinformatics, 19(1), 276.
- Delport, W., Poon, A. F., Frost, S. D., & Kosakovsky Pond, S. L. (2010). Datamonkey 2010: a suite of phylogenetic analysis tools for evolutionary biology. Bioinformatics, 26(19), 2455-2457.
- Yu, G., Smith, D. K., Zhu, H., Guan, Y., & Lam, T. T. Y. (2017). ggtree: an R package for visualization and annotation of phylogenetic trees with their covariates and other associated data. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 8(1), 28-36.
- Perrière, G. and Gouy, M. (1996) WWW-Query: An on-line retrieval system for biological sequence banks. Biochimie, 78, 364-369.
- Stöver B C, Müller K F: TreeGraph 2: Combining and visualizing evidence from different phylogenetic analyses. BMC Bioinformatics 2010, 11:7


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Lasseter builds empire out of past failures
Using Pixar spirit, Disney creative chief succeeds
You wouldn't know it by looking at Pixar's track record. Since "Toy Story's" debut as the first computer-animated feature in 1995, the Emeryville, Calif.-based studio has racked up four animated feature Oscars, multiple other prizes (including a Golden Lion at this year's Venice Film Fest for Lasseter and four of his directors for lifetime achievement) and more than $5 billion in worldwide box office. With this summer's "Up," Pixar achieves a perfect 10-for-10 winning streak -- a feat unheard of in Hollywood, where a 1-in-10 hit ratio keeps most companies in business.
Talk to Lasseter and his team, and you'll get the usual platitudes about how Pixar is a filmmaker-led studio where story comes first -- principles the "Toy Story" director has carried over to Walt Disney Animation, where he has served as chief creative officer since the Mouse House bought its CG-savvy partner for $7.4 billion from Steve Jobs in 2006. But press a little harder, and Lasseter admits the mantra that sets the studio apart: "It's safe to fail."
The trick is to make those mistakes as quickly as possible and move on, a philosophy Lasseter picked up from colleague and computer science pioneer Ed Catmull (the man who lured him to Lucasfilm Computer Graphics Group after Lasseter lost his job at Disney in 1983 -- the setback that has paid off best in Lasseter's career).
"When you think about science, it's about experimentation, and 99% of the experiments fail, but you learn from the failures and you move on," Lasseter says. "That's the great thing about Ed. He's always wanting people to keep pushing, keep experimenting, keep trying, and we always learn and keep moving forward."
For all the technical advances that have impressed audiences about Pixar, Lasseter's greatest innovation has been to extend a principle of positive risk-taking to the creative process. Lasseter's approach applies at both studios, where he has introduced virtual safety nets to protect small failures from compromising an entire project.
He is adamant that teams not be allowed to sequester themselves or work too long without sharing their progress with others. No matter what state a project is in, every three months, directors are required to put their film up on reels and test how it screens. That way, Lasseter and his fellow leaders can identify problems early.
Lasseter doesn't believe in mandatory notes, introducing instead what he calls the "creative brain trust" at Pixar, a peer-support strategy in which all the directors and key story people from around the company get together and selflessly help on one another's films. "It doesn't matter whose idea it is, the best idea gets used," he explains.
"Animation is the most collaborative art form there is in the whole world," continues Lasseter, who says his goal at both Pixar and Disney Animation has been "to build a studio where everyone's working for the same thing, to make the best movie you can, and then to be open enough to let people put their two cents into it. The next thing you know, you're seeing stuff you would never have thought of yourself."
No shortage of bad ideas emerge, of course, but the environment is designed to be supportive enough that people feel encouraged to speak up and take creative chances.
"We fail a lot," admits "Toy Story 3" director Lee Unkrich. "We just don't fail by the time the movie comes out. John would be the first to tell you that every movie we've made has been at one point the biggest piece of garbage we've ever worked on."
Unkrich got his first co-helming credit (which at Pixar is like playing Robin to the lead director's Batman) supporting Lasseter on "Toy Story 2."
The project "wasn't working at all," he says, until Lasseter stepped in at the 11th hour, tore up what was there and rebuilt the story to resonate with audiences, pulling off what many at the studio consider Pixar's best film. (And that was hardly an isolated case. "Ratatouille" was repaired much the same way, with "Incredibles" director Brad Bird overhauling the project late in the game. Lasseter even allowed director Andrew Stanton to "reshoot" a couple scenes on "Wall-E" -- a costly fix rare in animation.)
"Back when we were first taking over 'Toy Story 2' and trying to fix it, I had a conversation with Steve Jobs expressing our concerns," Unkrich says. "He reassured me by telling me that when he looked back on his career, all the work he was most proud of was done under circumstances just like that, where it seemed impossible, where there wasn't enough time, there wasn't enough money, and everyone had set the bar really high for themselves."
Lasseter also looks to Jobs for advice, remembering an early meeting in which he went in to pitch his idea for the short film "Tin Toy." "He turned to me, and the only thing he said was, 'John, make it great.' And that's the mantra I've been living with ever since, just do everything we can to make it great," says Lasseter, who found confidence in Jobs' relatively hands-off approach to Pixar over the years, trusting the creative talent to steer the studio in the right direction.
After being named chief creative officer of Disney Animation, one of the first changes Lasseter put into effect was dismissing the suits and shifting the focus from an executive-led operation back to an artist-driven enterprise, where the ideas for feature films "come from the heart" of individual filmmakers.
"The one aspect of Pixar that we imported is our simple philosophy that a studio is not the building, a studio is its people, so each studio is going to have a different culture," he says.
At Burbank-based Walt Disney Animation, where Lasseter spends two to three days each week, the heritage of classic stories and hand-drawn animation runs deep, which is one reason Lasseter was so excited to bring back the 2-D tradition for December's "The Princess and the Frog" (directed by "The Little Mermaid" duo Ron Clements and John Musker, the latter being a classmate from his days at CalArts, where Lasseter also studied alongside Tim Burton and Brad Bird).
"I've always felt that the studio that should still be doing hand-drawn animation is the studio that started it all," says Lasseter, who until now has been guiding projects that were already in development through the Disney Animation pipeline (he tweaked "Meet the Robinsons" and restarted "Bolt," but "Princess" is the first one he built from the ground up).
"We couldn't be more proud of 'The Princess and the Frog' and the way it's coming together," says Walt Disney Studios chairman Dick Cook. Rather than simply replicating the Pixar model at Disney, "John and Ed Catmull are creating their own culture here, and they're allowing that culture to be developed by the artists at Disney."
Looking forward, Lasseter's Disney slate includes a mix of hand-drawn and computer-animated projects, and though both he and Cook are hopeful "Princess" will give them license to make more 2-D pics, they insist the fate of the format doesn't rely on the success or failure of that one film.
Lasseter is already planning other hand-drawn projects at Disney Animation. "Rapunzel," due out in 2010, will be CG, but the 2011 take on "Winnie the Pooh" could go either way.
"The thing I've prided myself in all the years of working at Pixar is picking the subject matters that really lend themselves to computer animation," says Lasseter, who directed toons about toys, bugs and cars himself. "Now, going to Disney, I get to think about what great subject matter lends itself to hand-drawn animation."
His new responsibilities leave Lasseter too busy to direct (one reason he tapped Unkrich to helm "Toy Story 3," a project rescued from a possible straight-to-DVD fate).
In his exec role, Lasseter can hardly ignore the business side, but creative concerns still take precedence -- and Cook has his back, stressing that the studio is once again making animation for the ages, not just opening weekend. Should "Princess" prove a frog at the box office, "Nothing's going to happen," Cook promises. "We will continue to look at all forms of animation, whether it be hand-drawn, computer or stop-motion."
Even if Pixar's incredible streak were to hit a speed bump down the road, the Disney honcho says he feels confident Lasseter's dedication to quality would carry them forward.


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- What is the process if I have received a faulty or damaged KLEVA RANGE™ product?
- Do my KLEVA RANGE™ products have a warranty or a money back guarantee?
- What will appear on my credit card statement?
- Where are the products from the KLEVA RANGE™ designed?
- How long will it take to receive my KLEVA RANGE™ purchase?
- Will my credit card details be safe when purchasing KLEVA RANGE™ products online?


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We are offering a set of four beautifully preserved porcelain china teacups by Lenox. You get all 4 cups for one low price. There are no saucers in this lot however.
The Nydia pattern – which had its run from the late 1930's to the early 1970's – features gold leaf / rust bands and floral pattern. The official "L" Lenox branding, "NYDIA BY LENOX", "P-419-W", and "MADE IN U.S.A." are in gold leaf, at center, on the bottom.
They are 4-1/8″ in diameter and 2″ high. Base is 1-7/8″ in diameter. All are in excellent condition, without chips or crazing. Unavoidable light scratches from handling and stacking may be evident however, lack of stains or scratches lead us to believe these cups were never used.
Check back for more great deals on fine china and silver patterns from the Rhode Island Antiques Mall!


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Starfinder Svartalfar Playable Race
Ability Score Modifiers +2 Int, +2 Dex, -2 Str
Hit Points 4 HP
Size & Type Svartalfar are Medium Fey with the extraplanar subtype.
Bane Once per day as a swift action, a svartalfar can imbue one of its weapons with the bane weapon fusion. It must select one creature type (and subtype, if choosing humanoid or outsider) when it uses this ability. This lasts for 1 hour. This ability functions only while the svartalfar wields the weapon.
Darkvision Svartalfars have darkvision with a range of 60 feet.
Low-Light Vision Svartalfars can see in dim light as if it were normal light.
Lethal Grace Svartalfars are known for their uncanny grace in combat. They gain a +2 racial bonus to Acrobatics and Stealth checks.
Light Blindness A svartalfar exposed to bright light is blinded for 1 round, and dazzled as long as it remains in areas of bright light.
Svartalfar Magic Svartalfars have an affinity for magic. A svartalfar chooses a 1st-level spell. It can cast that spell as a spell-like ability once per day for every 3 character levels it has. The caster level for this spell is equal to the svartalfar's level. Once chosen, this spell cannot be changed.
Exiled aeons ago from the First World for unspeakable crimes against other fey, svartalfars fled to the Shadow Plane. When they discovered hyperspace travel svartalfars channeled their vengeful energies away from the fey who expelled them to focus on an inscrutable endgame spanning both the galaxy and the planes. Many of these calculating killers have realized that the universal currencies of money and power can advance their race further than can the arcane knowledge they once sought as payment for their services.


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Finished Stephen Donaldson's 'The Last Dark'. The first Tomas Covenant was out 30 years ago, so it's been a while to wait.
Didn't like the ending.
I'm so dissapointment. I didn't like the ending.
The resolution to the She Who Must Not Be Named plot thread was white-bread american individualism. I would like to have seen it more integrated into the fundamental theme of the whole series, which is Love. She ought to have recognised that the Creator didn't turn his back on her – she left him (at the connivance of the ever-oily Lord Foul) and shoofed back into eternity to bump divine uglies with her long-lost true love and birth more worlds. Instead we got a "I am woman! Don't need me nobody but me!" and off she went – a declaration as close to despite (in the sense that the word is used in the book) as you could wish.
As for Lord Foul himself, the solution was that TC had to accept and integrate his dark side – a solution startlingly identical to that at the end of the Ultima series of computer games.
What I would like to have seen is Jerimiah build a prison for him and Tomas and Linden throw the bastard into it. As Kasyeyn pointed out: with the White Gold it is possible to build a construct that is perfect. More than that, insofar as the earth was built as a prison for LF, TC is his warden. His jailor. And finally, the talisman of the Wild Magic ("that destroys peace") is a pair of wedding rings – symbolising love, and being eternally bound by it.
It all fits beautifully: LF wearing the White Gold (like he always wanted) as manacles, thrown into an oubliette forever.
Instead we got "You just got to learn to love and accept yourself".
Sorry Stephen. I have looked forward to that book for years, and I feel let down. I mean, I bet you're copping all kinds of shit over it, and I'm just one in a million. Maybe even literally. Be that as it may: didn't like it.


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Solar Loan Calculator
Solar Energy
Solar energy is the radiant light and heat from the sun that is harnessed using a range of ever-evolving technologies such as solar heating, photovoltaics, solar thermal energy, solar architecture, molten salt power plants and artificial photosynthesis.
It is an important source of renewable energy and its technologies are broadly characterized as either passive solar or active solar depending on how they capture and distribute solar energy or convert it into solar power.
Solar Loan
The advantage of a solar loan is that they are far easier to be approved, and you are likely to pay it off a whole lot sooner as you are only paying off your solar purchase cost, not the cost of your home and solar system. If you intend to finance your solar power system via a loan, you can either speak to your bank manager and add it to your existing mortgage or take out a specific solar loan. Sunlight is an infinite, renewable and affordable source of Solar Energy. Nowadays solar energy has replaced other conventional energy resources like fossil Fuel, Coal and Natural Gases. Solar system devices are an important component of a solar energy system. To convert sunlight into electrical energy, a solar electrical system/ Solar Panel must have full exposure to sunlight where the installation will be.
The solar panel cost calculator
To purchase a solar energy system one should be eligible for one or more of the following conditions:
• You should come under State or federal investment tax credits.
• You should willingly look after the maintenance and repairs (as many vendors don't provide a guarantee or warranty for this).
• You have in-advance capital to buy the system or borrow some capital from a lender (many solar installers, banks and financial management organizations provide funding for solar systems).
Now, it is easy to calculate the Solar Panel Loan. Use our free solar loan calculator tool to size up your weekly, F/Nightly and monthly repayments on equipment.


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Imori (イモリ, Imori) is the youngest and weakest among the Amori Brothers. He was examinee #198 in the 287th Hunter Exam[1] and #128[2] in the 288th Hunter Exam.[3]
Imori is a spindly young man, with light brown hair and black eyes. He has sharp markings down both of his eyes. His clothing consists of a blue and white cap, a light blue turtleneck sweater, long dark blue jeans (brown in the 1999 anime adaptation) and sneakers.
Imori is cowardly, not daring to attack Killua, whom he believed to be a normal child, without his brothers, and limiting himself to stalking him. On that occasion, he attempted to convince himself that his refusal to face Killua in open combat was a tactic, and lied to his brothers as well in an attempt to save his image. When his brothers are present, he is confident to the point of being arrogant, and also prone to mocking others and violence.[4]
According to Tonpa, Imori and his brothers have attempted the Hunter Exams multiple times before the 287th session, improving their teamwork each time.[5]
Hunter Exam arc
Tonpa mentions Imori and his brothers as regulars of the Hunter Exam.[5] During the First Phase, he and his brothers are paid off by Tonpa to mock an exhausted Nicholas into surrendering.[6] When they reach the Milsy Wetlands, they are surprised to find out that the 100 applicants that used to be behind them have disappeared.[7] They complete the marathon and Buhara's task, but are left stumped by Menchi's request for sushi.[8]
Imori is one of the first 18 applicants to clear the Trick Tower and examines the body of an applicant who dies right after completing the trial.[9] Since he was the 15th to complete the previous phase, Imori is the 15th applicant to disembark on Zevil Island.[10] He stalks stalks Killua in order to claim his badge, but hesitates to attack him before his brothers return. When, on the second day, Killua addresses him, Imori contemplates running, but his brothers arrive before Killua reaches him. Imori thus kicks Killua, who stands back up uninjured and with Imori's badge in his hand. The three brothers join forces against the assassin, who takes Amori hostage as well as the latter's and Umori's badges. Killua then throws two of the brothers' badges into the woods, failing the trio.[4]
Greed Island arc
While Gon is training on Greed Island, Imori and his brothers attend the 288th Hunter Exam, only to be easily knocked unconscious together with the rest of the candidates in the First Phase by Killua. Seeing the tremendous gap in abilities between Killua and themselves, despite the boy being much younger than them, they decide that they will never retake the Hunter Exam again.[3]
Anime and Manga Differences
Translations around the World


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I came to (Students Run Philly Style) with the intention of giving my child a reason to get off the couch. Alisa (LeLe) needed something to do physically. She didn't play conventional sports: basketball, soccer, field hockey or the likes. Alisa sat around the house watching television or complaining about being bored. Little did she know her life was about to change drastically, and so was mine.
I met some students who were running Broad Street and I had this idea for my daughter: Why not sign her up? She balked. Being the parent I exercised my rights and persuaded (forced) her to join. It was simple, she had to do this for at least one year, or her life would get hard: no phone, no shopping, no television just a few simple things.
A team was formed; we had four members Alisa ,Natasha, Dennis and myself. The challenge was to get our two students to run, as you see they are girls, and what works best….(BOYS)….we introduced and baited them with the other students (boy type)…they were interested really quickly. We started slow, but our steam picked up in a hurry. The girls ,being girls, put style into their running dressing differently with things like matching and different color socks to bring attention to themselves.
The key was they were running; and we had a team… My life changed at this point the reality of I had a daughter. Our team continued to grow.
With this growth came new horizons. What started as something to get my daughter involved evolved into something for me. New students, new leaders, and more importantly, a host of new friends.
Over the years, I always thought I was giving to someone else, boy was I fooled. So much more has been given to me. I have bonded with so many people and have had an uncountable number of laughs and pleasures because of Students Run Philly Style, even through all the growing pains, challenges, and commitments of time. I would not want to change or take away any of the fun and pleasure I have had. This has been a joy ride and I'm glad my ticket got punched.
Something else tops this list: when you see a student from the past. If you ever have the pleasure of having a student tell you how running has helped to change his or her life or how it has help to mold them into the person they are today…you can get really (I'm not the type) mushy. This happened this past weekend.I was in a shop and someone came up to me and introduced herself …she told me she runs for a club that are supporters of Students Run and couldn't remember my name but knew that I ran with Student Run and just wanted to say hi and wish me well. My day was made. This is what the last ten years has meant and given to me…so from a kid who never wants to grow-up…continue to put one foot in front of the other and continue to go farther.


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Abreco® Technical Information
A higher wear material to backer ratio (3:1) vs. chromium carbide overlay at (1:1) means that AbrecoPlate® offers more wear protection for your money.
A range of sizes are available in thickness from 1/2″ (13mm) to 4″ (100).
The iron wear layer is completely through-hardened in heat treatment to 700+ Brinell (64 Rc) with no soft centre. Thus AbrecoPlate offers consistent, high wear resistance until it is worn completely through to the steel.
White Iron Wear Layer (ASTM A532 Type II "B" modified):
Backer Plate: Low carbon mild steel 44W / (A36)
Complex Chromium – Molybdenum Carbides in an extremely hard, martensitic matrix.
One of the best wear resistant microstructures ever developed.
Hardness: Brinell 700+ (Rockwell "C" 63 to 65.)
Heat Resistance: 800 F (425 C) continuous with no negative effects on the iron. Prolonged service at elevated temperatures of 1100 to 1850 F (595 to 1010 C) will reduce the hardness of the white iron. The effect is greater relative to time and temperature increases.
Achieved through a special heat treating process, the bond is fully metallurgical and continuous attachment over the entire interface, so that stresses are efficiently transferred from one layer to another. The mechanical properties of the bond zone are intermediate between those of the white iron and the steel backer plate. Bond Strength: > 33,000 psi. ( > 227MPa )


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I started blogging about this in February - and you may recall that I decided to treat these JQs a bit like a sketch book (or follow a 'what if' approach to the project).
So for the second group of 4 mini quilts I used 'memories of Andalusia' to inspire the theme of the quilts. You may recall that I prepared some background papers which I blogged about here - and I was a bit concerned that I had cheated a bit! But this was a sketchbook approach - it's fine!
So the next stage was to take the photographs created in July, print them onto 'print ready' cotton fabric and then quilt.
And here we are.
|Laid out on fabrics sun printed using 'Setacolor Soleil' paints.
|Memories 5 - The Bath House Floor
|Memories 6 - Seville Courtyard
|Memories 7 - Cordoba Mezquita
|Memories 8 - Spanish Tile


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Measurement error
All measurements involve uncertainty. Suppliers of measuring equipment usually specify the measurement uncertainty as a symmetrical interval around the measurement result:
Measurement result ± measurement uncertainty
Example: The length of a special measuring rod is 2000 mm ± 1 mm. With a 95 % confidence interval, which is normal to use, there is a 95% probability that the rod is between 1999 mm and 2001 mm.
Measurement System Analysis (MSA), also referred to as Measurement System Evaluation (MSE), can determine the measurements accuracy, precision and stability. This is done by measuring the same item repeatedly. Based on the measurement results, the accuracy, precision and stability is determined.
Measurements are done many different ways, using different kind of technologies.
Lean Tech has evaluated subjective measurement systems like appearance, taste and smell. Surprisingly, the measurement error for a visual test was greatest for the quality manager, who made the decision when there was doubt about the quality. The quality manager did not perform the test frequently, only occasionally when the quality was questioned. Ironically, this person's evaluation was less consistent than for operators whom performed the test more frequently.
Maybe you use cameras / automatic optical inspection (AOI) to control product quality? The measurement can be performed based on reference points identified by the camera. Measures of distance can be made between reference points to control product quality. Measurement System Evaluations performed by Lean Tech for camera controls, show that they are both accurate and precise if they find the right reference point.
Unfortunately, they become unstable if they fail to find the correct reference point and thus render incorrect measurement.
To make the right decisions, you need reliable measurement results. Lean Tech can help you with Measurement System Analyzes and arranges courses where you learn to Evaluate Measurements.
Here is a video about weight measurements, which determine measurement uncertainty, within day variation and between day variation:
In this video, Components of variation (CoV) is used to decide measurement error and within day variation.
For manufacturing companies, it might be relevant to use CoV to decide how much variation is due to the measurement, different measuring instruments, different analyst or operator, and different batches. This is important to know if you are making decisions based on measurements that are affected by several factors.


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Types of AC We Repair
If your AC is broken and in need of repair, we can help. Our technicians are trained and versed in a variety of AC repairs. Whether you have a newer model AC or have been using the same one for as long as you can remember, we work with all brands and models including Carrier, Rheem, Goodman, Lennox, Trane, and more.
Need a few AC unit repairs? Here's what we cover.
- Outdoor Units - We can quickly fix and repair any outdoor AC unit you might have.
- Attic Units - AC in the attic? No problem.
- Crawl Space Units - Have an AC that's a little hard to reach? If there's a will, there's a way.
- Ductless Unit - Have a new ductless unit in your home? We can repair that too.
- Commercial AC Units - Run a business and have multiple commercial AC units that need repair? You're covered as well.
- Air Handlers - We can also fix a wide variety of air handlers.
- Evaporative Coolers - Have an evaporative cooler that isn't working? We can help with that, as well.
Don't wait to repair your AC—give us a call today. We would be honored to learn more about your needs.
The internal components of your air conditioning system are designed to work together efficiently and reliably over the lifetime of the unit. Air conditioning repairs are often required as a result of the following: normal wear-and-tear on internal parts, damage to parts, improper installation or excess stress placed on the system.
If your AC unit is exhibiting the following signs, we encourage you to schedule an air conditioning repair service as soon as possible:
- Regularly shutting off
- Making strange noises
- Filters are dirty
- Difficulties turning on
- Blowing warm air
- Copper for freon is frozen
The climate in St. George makes air conditioning a necessity rather than a luxury. Choosing the right AC repair technician is an important first step to keeping your family safe and comfortable when high temperatures hit.
Customers continue to entrust their HVAC needs to our highly trained technicians for the following reasons:
- We provide free estimates
- We offer upfront, reliable pricing
- We will leave your home cleaner than when we arrived
- We provide fast, effective HVAC services
- We guarantee all of our services and parts
- We're backed by 30+ years of experience
- We offer affordable financing
- We're available 24/7 for emergency services
- Our service trucks are always fully stocked
Our commitment to keeping your family safe and comfortable during the warm months doesn't stop once we repair your air conditioning system. S&S Mechanical Contractors offers air conditioning maintenance services that keep your system running efficiently and prevent problems further down the road. Join our Comfort Club to save even more on routine maintenance services, system evaluations, and repair services!
When you secure a membership, you will receive the following benefits:
- $168 savings
- Filter changes every six months
- Comprehensive system assessments using National ACCA Standards
- Safety inspections
- Precision tune-ups twice per year
- Priority Customer status
- 15% discounts on repairs
St. George Air Conditioner Repairs
Emergency AC Repair
Whether you've called St. George home for years or are new to the area, you'll quickly find that there's no escaping the hot summer heat. As long-time residents will tell you, it's not uncommon for the temperature to hit the triple digits, which means during the summer months, your AC is your best friend.
Not only is air conditioning great for keeping you and your family comfortable in the heat, working AC is crucial for keeping you and your loved ones safe. If you're a business owner, ensuring your customers and guests stay cool during their visit is a must.
Exposure to excessive heat, even for a short amount of time, can lead to a variety of health conditions and be extremely dangerous for young and old alike.
At S&S, you have access to our team of highly-trained mechanics who can assist you 24/7, 365 days a year. Did your AC break in the afternoon—on a Sunday? No problem. Need to have your AC repaired fast before you head back to work so your dogs can stay cool? You're covered.
If your AC breaks, it's important you get it fixed as quickly as you can, and we would love to help.
With the average summer temperature reaching over 100° in St. George and the surrounding areas, your air conditioning system is a critical part of keeping your family cool and comfortable. When your air conditioning system stops working, the temperature inside your home can rise to dangerous levels. In these times, you need fast, affordable and reliable air conditioning repair services.
Our St. George HVAC technicians have the expertise and resources necessary to detect and resolve any air conditioning system issue. When it comes to AC system troubleshooting and repairs, we have a reputation for exceeding customer expectations. S&S Mechanical Contractors would be proud to handle your AC system repair next!
Troubleshooting AC Repairs
After a few minutes of intense sweating, you finally decide to check your AC to see if it's still working. Did the power go out? Is it a quick fix? Are you going to need to call somebody?
Dealing with a broken AC is never fun, but before you go calling to get it repaired, give these things a try first.
Check your thermostat
Sometimes your thermostat may be shut off accidentally. Was sleep mode activated? Check your thermostat and change the temperature by a few degrees to see if that solves the issue.
Check your air filter
Your AC may be working just fine, but the air filter itself might be blocked by debris.
If you can do so safely, check your air filter to see if there is any visible blockage. Many times, removing the debris can get your AC back up and running.
Check the power
Head on over to your thermostat. Did the battery run out? Are other electronics in your home able to receive power? It could be that a shortage is the root cause rather than the AC unit.
If there is power, and the AC is still not working, there are still a variety of other factors that could be involved. You might be low on refrigerant charge, have a faulty fan, drainage issues, or even iced condenser coils.
While these problems can often be fixed easily, it's recommended you give a technician a call for assistance. We would be delighted to help.
Why Choose Us?
When it comes to getting your AC repaired quickly and affordably, we know you have a lot of options to choose from—so why choose S&S? Not only is our team incredibly passionate and good at what they do, but we also go out of our way to take care of our customers and treat them like family. With us, you can get your AC fixed 24/7, 365 days a year.
Having a broken AC can be an incredibly stressful time whether it's at your home or business, and we are committed to helping you get your AC repaired as quickly as possible. Our commitment to helping you with your AC repair needs is what separates us from the crowd.
Give us a call today, and you'll see first hand why we have thousands of satisfied customers.
Contact Us Immediately for Emergency Repairs
Our helpful and friendly team are waiting for your call. Once you contact us about needed repairs, our technicians will arrive in easily identifiable, marked vans to provide the professional service you require. Also, ask about Gold Comfort Club membership. With that, you pay no after hour rates!


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For American conservatives, 2009 has not been a year for tact. As the only high-profile African American in the Republican Party admits that many in the GOP distrust him because of his race, not one but two mainline pundits are on record calling the first black President a "racist"; and, conservative activists have visibly delighted in rising unemployment, Chicago's loss of the Olympics, and, now, a brutal massacre at an army base in Texas.
You see, right-wing gunman are not representative of their ideological group; Muslim gunmen, on the other hand, prove that Muslims shouldn't be in the military. The Fort Hood tragedy is the perfect chance for the GOP to exploit lingering anti-Muslim racism, playing upon that familiar cocktail of fear and hatred that so often sweeps them to power, at the expense of the nation's soul. The willful racial profiling going on on conservative blogs and websites these days is probably the worst since Korematsu.
Lest we forget, there are between 3,500 and 20,000 Muslims serving in America's 1.5 million-member military. One of them, over the course of time, transitioned from a loyal servicemember to a radicalized murderer. That leaves Muslim soldiers with somewhere between a 99.97% and a 99.995% loyalty rate. Meanwhile, two right-wing extremists — one anti-government militia member, and one white supremacist — have killed in the past six months, and lest we forget, in 1995 a registered Republican army veteran committed a mass murder that makes the Fort Hood incident pale in comparison.
The point must be that none of these groups, even heinous, hate-driven organizations like white supremacists, are sufficiently dangerous to render membership a proxy for murderous intent. We should be vigilant of red flags, as surely existed in Mr. Hasan's case, but that's all either common sense or DHS policy statements have ever suggested. It is a sad state of things when tragedy functions as sufficient excuse to reveal barely-concealed racism, but here we are. For the Republican Party, the thin veneer of humanity is just so easily chipped.


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Mosul (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi troops have thwarted an attack by Islamic State militants against southeast of Mosul, a military official said.
"Four armed groups of IS attacked on Tuesday evening an armed attack against Hushter and al-Khattab regions in Qarraj town in southeast of Mosul," Brig. Gen. Wael al-Bahadli, of the army's third brigade, told Anadolu Agency.
The militants, according to Bahadli, "clashed with deployed troops for 40 minutes, before the Iraqi forces managed to defeat them."
"The army killed nine militants and destroyed an armored vehicle and three others laden with weapons," he added.
"The militant group's target was to control the road linking between Makhmur region, southeast of Mosul with Kirkuk desert, in order to move freely in this region," Bahadli said.
Iraqi army troops, according to him "started a wide-scale security campaign at Hushter and Khattab to comb them of any infiltrators."
Earlier on the day, Shafaq News website quoted a source at the districts of al-Matahen, al-Yarmouk, al- Tenek and al-Yabsat in order to search for criminals wanted on terror charges.
Despite declaring victory over Islamic State in Mosul, the group's former bastion in Iraq, observers say IS terrorists are believed to constitute a security threat even after its defeat at its main havens across Iraqi provinces.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared, in July, victory over IS militants who had held the second largest Iraqi city since 2014. More than 25,000 militants were killed throughout the campaign.
The war against IS has so far displaced at least five million people. Thousands others fled towards neighboring countries including Syria, Turkey and other European countries, since IS emerged to proclaim its self-styled "caliphate".