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Chapter Eight: Family TiesMature
The air was filled with ash, swords clashing fueled the numerous sounds of war. The mages spells were as meager as balls of flame and strikes of lighting, but the more advanced enchanters threatened to rip there reality apart as the thin sheet that separated humanity and hell shook violently.
Beasts of numerous shapes and sizes littered the field of battle. The mage army had summoned them using the dead body's that seemed to continue to grow in number as the fighting raged on. Arcane horrors of which no one had ever seen continued to tare their way through Alexandra's knights. The veterans defended there kingdom till they were inevitably cut down by the Cao's massive force and the newer faces among the knights fared no better. Some fled, others became blood sacrifices in the mages summoning.
Out of breath and blood soaked, Walter rammed his blade through the body of another spell caster, there was barely anytime to think as a Cao warrior jumped above the impaled mage, sword at the ready to cleave the older man. His weapon came down making contact with Walters shoulder. The sword bounced off the mans armor with an ear shattering clang and as the warrior fell back, Walter ripped his sword out of the mages lifeless body, making his way to the fallen warrior and caving in his skull with the hilt of his sword.
Behind him, he could hear the sounds of his comrades dying and being turned into monsters by the mages. The fighting had taken him further away from the main gates, he was almost in the very middle of all this destruction and death. He had long since lost sight of the Queen as he was pushed back. Walter cursed at his carelessness. He'd whipped his head back and forth anytime he could take a breath to search for the brunette, but the search grew ever pointless as the enemy neared the castle gates.
As the mans breathing evened out he was met by a sharp pain in the back of his head and a ring of fire engulfed him. He winced, another mage attempting to take his mind long enough for a Cao warrior to strike.
Two men came at him, emerging from the surrounding flames like demons. Steadying himself, Walter pushed back the pain, charging at the men unwilling to be broken by such a cowardly tactic. Then his attention along with those of the men attacking him went to the loud thunder like sound of wood being crushed, the gates had been blown open. "Their at the gates!"
Above the raging battle stood a man with a wicked smile planted on his face, behind him more then a dozen of the finest archers in the Cao kingdom stood tall awaiting orders. His body shook with excitement at the thought of raining death upon the pathetic lot of warriors below. Their screams played over and over again in his mind like a delightful tavern song, he licked his lips imagining the bodies going limp as the arrows pierced through there skulls and hearts. No one will be out of range and if the man 'accidentally' hit one of there own, well more to add to the delightful song in his mind. The tall mans songs of agony came to a stop as his scout stood in front of him, back straight and out of breath.
"Sir! The archers on the other side are ready!" He announced, the tall man looked beyond the battlefield, opposite of their position. A small light shimmered there and he returned the signal with his own, using the small mirror in his pouch. There had been no word from his foot soldiers below of the Queens whereabouts and more importantly Krea's. His jaw clenched at the name he never liked his half brother Briggs, but to have him defeated by a parasite like the 'blonde bitch' as he put it, was just to great an insult to ignore. If he launched his attack now it would be pointless, that and his banshee whore of a mother would throw a fit if he didn't bring the Queen or Krea's body to her.
"Wait for the signal that the Queen is in range." He said dismissively as his eyes trained back out onto the battle below, the songs of screaming playing in his head yet again, the smile returning to his face.
"Yes sir." The scout responded respectfully.
Alexandra ran as fast as her legs would allow her, the armor clanging as she sped through the castle kicking in every door searching for Jordan. The medic along with Malcolm's body had not been in the infirmary and any help in finding them was unlikely seeing as how she sent the castle hands away.
The brunette had previously been fighting with the rest of her knights and Walter, but soon had lost sight of the older man as the battle became ever heated. One after the other, her people were dying all because of her incompetence. Letting Krea go in place of an actual negotiator? What in the gods names had she been thinking?
Now Krea was the target of a mad power grabbing woman and her nation was burning, the only thing she could do now was protect and defend what she had left and that included her friend Jordan. She stopped dead in her tracks as she heard the cracking of wood and the battle blow fire up further. She had a sinking feeling kicking down a door to her left she made her way through the room to the color stained window prying it open she saw the main gates blown to hell, she's running out of time.
Leaving the room, she sprinted to the end of the large hall. Kicking down every door, shouting the medics name at the top of her lungs, Alex has to find her. She just had too.
"Jordan!" She bellowed as she made her way up another level, no response, at least not the one she had desired. Two men came into her view, they were no knights of hers. Gritting her teeth, she snared at them. The two large men looked her way, their disgusting excuse for faces twisting into grins aimed at the royal as her anger continued to grow.
They were covered in blood If that's Jordan's! The men charged at her then, both with weapons lifted high, the brunette didn't move an inch. As their weapons came ever closer, in one swift move, Alexandra lifted her great sword over her shoulder swinging it and knocking there weapons out of there hands, impaling said weapons into the brick wall due to the force.
There confusion and shock was short, but just enough for the brunette to exploit as she dropped her massive weapon in favor of her dagger. She sent it through the man on the right eye causing him to scream in pain as he fell to the floor clutching his bleeding socket.
The man on the right came at her with his own dagger, swinging it at her in a fit of panic. One swing had sent him too far forward and that's when the Queen grabbed his wrist, twisting it backwards till a sickening crack was heard. He whaled in pain as he tried hopelessly to free himself of her grip. She looked at him, pure fury in her dark brown eyes. "You filthy bast-" her rage filled words and were stopped as the man in her grasp rammed his fist into the side of her face.
The man realized his horrific mistake as the brunette turned her gaze back to him, twice the malice adorned her now jet black eyes. The brown having been consumed as her pupil enlarged. He quivered, the words out of his mouth came out in small raspy breaths " I...I'm....sorr-"
Alexandra grabbed his throat, slammed him against the wall and reaching behind her back. She grabbed her second dagger, ramming it deep into his hip, twisting it slowly the mans scream couldn't escape his crushed wind pipe. The Queen moved closer and whispered into his ear her voice was laced with the feral rage of a dragon "Who's blood is on you."
He couldn't tell her even if he wished it, the man just stared back at her pleading with his eyes begging her to stop. It was all in vain however Alex was beyond reasoning with now. It's not that she's not aware of her cruelty when she is enraged, it's just she doesn't much care.
The Queen removed the dagger, slowly she began slicing up the skin below the blade till she reached the pinned mans face his screams never making it out of his crushed throat. "You didn't answer me fast enough."
The man still clutching his bleeding socket watched in horror with his remaining eye as the brunette killed his partner in the slowest display of torture he had ever witnessed. He scrambled to try and reach the massive weapon she had abandoned on the floor earlier as his hand closed around the large weapon he heard the body of his comrade hit the floor in a bloody lifeless mess.
The Queen looked down on him, blood covered her face made all the more terrifying with the shadow she caste over him. The weapon wouldn't budge no matter what he tried. Alex stomped on his hand and he cried out realizing his hold on it. "Don't touch my sword you filth." She hissed.
The woman placed the Great sword back between her shoulder blades, lifting it with ease. She knelled before the one eyed man, foot still firmly on his hand. "Who's blood is upon you." She stated once again, he quivered but answered regardless voice shaking after every word.
" A... Knight... Guarding the... Gates... Young fellow..." Alexandra visibly relaxed. She stood looking set to continue her search, the man tried getting up slowly but was soon met with a dagger embedded in his lower spine. All through out the large halls his screams were heard as he received a painful and much slower death.
The Queen continued her sprint threw the castle, but this time did not have to travel far. A few feet ahead she saw an enemy try and fail to enter a room as he was impaled by an arrow. Alex made her way towards the open door slowly, not wanting to startle the archer that dwelled within. Stepping over the dead body, she raised her arms up in surrender.
"Don't shoot?" She said questioning on if it was a friendly. Hearing a small sigh of relief as she made her way into the room.
"Queen Alexandra." Jordan sighed in relief at the sight of the Queen, lowering her bow, the medic noticed the blood splatter. Did Alex fight all the way here just to get to her? She shook her head, reckless just like Krea. The Queen was surprised to say the least. She hadn't the faintest idea Jordan had any combat skills, though most would probably think the same of her. A smile made it's way onto her face as she figured who had taught her, but the Queen asked anyway.
"So who taught you how to use a bow?'
"Krea got a hold of one-" the Queen made a face. Jordan laughed. "Very well, she stole one when we were kids and taught me the basics. I continued being taught by Walter privately after she got to busy."
The brunette raised an inquisitive eyebrow private lessons? She inwardly smiled, but quickly focused back on the matter at hand. Cao forces are already inside and are making their way up to them, now was not the time for pleasant chit chat or as Malcolm would say, 'dicking around'.
"Good we'll need those skills to fight our way out of here, come there's a secret passage" the Queen lead the medic out the door. Checking their surroundings before continuing to a nearby library. Jordan had half expected the blonde to be with Alex, but she hadn't been and the way Krea was acting the very last time they saw each other made her stomach churn. There was just so much pain in her eyes and it was understandable given what had accrued, but she couldn't help the bad feeling she was getting over what her friend might have done in such a state or more over what if she had miss stepped in the fight with Kevin.
She tugged at Alex's armored shoulder the brunette turned,"What is it?" Jordan sifted her weight from one foot to the other struggling to ask the question that was causing her anxiety.
"Is she back?" Jordan asked. Alexandra cringed visibly, the brunette hadn't received word of the blondes arrival. As if a messenger would actually make it through all that fighting, but Krea could. Somewhere deep down she was hoping against hope her love had finished her fight with Kevin a was fighting her way back into her arms, she looked at Jordan soberly.
"No, She hasn't returned, but we must defend this place until she does. Wouldn't want her to come home to a pile of ashes."
Charlie was pacing back and forth in front of her throne as the sound of her army marching filled the still outside air. She had everything lined up perfectly, soon she would have the Queen on her knees begging for mercy or perhaps something more then mercy she thought whilst licking her lips.
Her imagination was about to run ramped with thoughts of the 'royal bitch' under her command, but all of it was brought to a stop as her son Emory walked in, standing tall, hands behind his back. Charlie looked at him indifferently as she took her place on the throne.
"Well?" She asked. Emory clenched his jaw talking to this woman was always to the point, she didn't skip around anything of importance whether it was brutal or not it was a bit unsettling, but she was his mother after all. Some of her qualities were far more tolerable then others. He just wished their meetings weren't so rigid.
"My brother Archidus has his men ready on the hillsides, I am getting the second wave of mages ready to attack after that."
"Are the foot soldiers already through the gates?"
"Yes mother. They are inside the castle, it will burn."
"Good. Keep me posted."
"Yes mother." He nodded and left the room sighing, as always short, emotionless and to the point. The woman looked into the mirror at the side of her throne putting her long blonde hair in a tight bun she studied her blue eyes.
They were filled with anger, regret, and most of all want. Briggs death was tragic enough she supposed, but her attack on Alexandra's kingdom the purpose of it ran deeper then just revenge it was so much more.
Walter thrust his sword clean through another of the massive summoned beasts. It roared and hissed in pain as it's body fell in a heap on the ground before dissolving to the bone. The man was had not seen the warrior behind him, before said warrior had a chance to be head the older man, an arrow pierced through his eye socket. Following the range of the arrow he saw it's shooter, two familiar faces the brought a wearily smile to the knights exhausted face. "Jordan! Alexandra! Thank the gods you're both alright."
"How are they doing all this!?" Alexandra asked. Clearly the brunette hadn't been on the field long enough, when she had left in search of there medic, this fight wasn't as out of hand as it was now, she had never seen such mayhem. Walter looked a mess and her men or what was left of them were heavily injured, but the strangest thing out of all of this was that the Cao forces were backing out just enough for her forces to collect themselves, are they showing mercy? No why would they do such a thing with the advantage they had gained. What was Charlie playing at?
"Who can truly say, it's been a blood bath sense this began. Maybe their finally letting us breath. Dare I hope it" Walter said while putting his sword back into place.
"Everyone is scattered, we need them back to some kind of order or they'll be no surviving this." Alex stated, winning was far fetched at this point, but with luck they could see this through alive. The brunettes jaw clenched.
"How many men do we have left?"
"Not many, and most are heavily injured, but they were strong enough to hold out this long, we can handle it." Walter affirmed with confidence, he's shaken still by the mages ability to cause such destruction, but will not let his Queen fight alone even if the man ends up being the last knight standing.
"Any word from Krea?" Alexandra asked.
Walter didn't know what to say he couldn't lie to the Queen, so bending the truth for Krea's sake would have to do. Alex was a strong woman, she could bare the sorrow, he just prayed it wouldn't cost her life. With a heavy heart he placed his hand on her shoulder with the tenderness only a father could muster."There's something I need to tell you."
Archidus studied the battlefield below as the smoke cleared his eyes landed on the Queen, 'let the final bell ring' he raised his arm high, all archers following the motion as they pointed there bows to the sky. "Men! The target is in sight! Kill the Queen! Leave the stragglers to the mages!" He smirked to himself, how he did love a good slaughter signing the archers on the other hillside he bellowed.
"Make it rain!" The arrows were released the sound of there flight through the air pierced the very heavens as they completed there first arch.
"What do you mean she's not coming back!" Alexandra shouted, Krea wasn't returning why? what possible reason could the blonde have for not coming back?!...unless she was no. Alexandra couldn't think that way. The very thought of Krea laying somewhere possibly. "NO! SH—" as she began to yell at the man she was cut off as a dark shadow loomed over all there bodies. Looking up to see a swarm of arrows coming their way from both sides of the neighboring hills. Grabbing her shield Alex grabbed Jordan from the waist, pulling her toward and under the massive shield. Walter put his own up as the arrows fell upon them.
"Everyone! Shields up!" He could feel the force of the arrows, they were raining heavily only on their area in particular these were for the Queen. An ambush after all this slaughter that ruthless harpy, from under his shield he looked to Alex her eyes began to betray her pain already. His shield gave out to an arrow as it broke through grazing his arm, theses blasted things were never ending.
"Second wave... Fire!" The archers followed his command reteaching and release the high tension arrows.
Archidus looked on the screams filling his ears causing him to smile in complete delight, less then twenty Knights were left moving. If one would call there pathetic limping moving. His target however stopped completely."Hold fire!" Everyone did as they were told re holstering there bows, standing at attendance as they awaited further orders. "Let the mages do the rest." He ordered, speaking directly at the small scout demanded "Let my brother know, rest of you lets move."
Walter threw his shield out of the way and noticed his surroundings, all of his knights were dead, or on the verge of death. Arrows covering almost all of the land. He looked over at the two girls. "It's over, we have to leave, find someplace for shelter until we can regroup."
Alexandra got up before assisting Jordan. "I am not leaving my castle!"
"What castle!" Walter snapped. "Look around you! It's gone! Who knows what else they could be sending our way! We need to live to fight another day!"
"What about Krea!"
"She's gone! Dead!"
"You don't know that!" Alexandra screamed, eyes filling with tears as she stared at the tall man defiantly hurt beyond herself.
It broke Walters heart to see her in such a state, but her safety came first, he has embedded this lie into her head before anymore rout and hope invade it. "I do my lady, Please we must retreat. We are outnumbered more severely than ever before."
The queen looked around arrows littered the blood and body ridden land, the once green fields that welcomed traveler in and out of her great gates was gone, along with the gates themselves. If Krea truly was gone then what else was keeping her fighting here? Their home was gone. She swallowed the lump forming in her throat and bitterly agreed. "Fine."
"We need to get Malcolm's body first." Jordan interjected, the medic had put the young mans body away from the fighting, hoping it would calm down enough to bury him and now was the only time she saw fit to retrieve it.
"We don't have time!" Walter shouted.
"Make time! I promised Krea that he would receive a hero's burial! I know your pissing yourself cause of the mages, but don't begin to cower away now old man!" Jordan snapped. Before anyone could retaliate, a ball of fire came flying through the air and hit the Queens bedroom window.
"Mage's." The queen said under her breathe following the range of fire and watching in awe as the enemy mage forces began to block out the sun in the horizon. "We must hurry!"
Charlie was met by her son again. "Well?"
"My mage's are going in now to clean up whoever is left."
"Make sure they bring the queen to me. Dead or alive."
"Yes mother."
"Any word from Kevin or Krea."
"We found Kevin's body in a pool of his own blood, Krea was nowhere to be found, but one of our archers said that he hit Krea, but she was saved by a large, powerful man. Could be mage, or warrior, or both. I'm not sure."
"Did he come from the ground?" Charlie asked.
"That's what she is saying."
"Damn!" She shouted.
"What is it mother?"
"The man who helped her... He's... He's her father. Her real father."
"What? How could you possibly know that?"
"Because I am Krea's mother."
Krea woke up to a bright light shining in her eyes. She was in a fairly large tent, that did no justice to the rays of the sun. She tried getting up, but went back down when a jolt of pain hit her chest. Than she remembered the fight, and almost dying. Her thoughts were interrupted by a very large man walking in with a pitch of water. "Thirsty?" His voice was deep yet caring. Krea couldn't help but recognize this man from somewhere. But where? She thought. She nodded as the man handed it to her. It was freezing.
"How is this so cold?" She asked before taking a small sip at first, but the feeling of cool liquid filling her mouth and down her throat made her crave more. She chugged it down before looking at the man grateful. "Thank you."
"You're very welcome."
"So?" The man gave a confused look. "How is the water so cold?" The man smiled before putting his hand out and it turned to ice. "You're a mage! That means you're one of them!" Krea said before jumping up, ignoring her pain and holding the pitch ready to fight.
The man chuckled. "Not all mages are with Charlie."
"How can I trust you?"
"That is a very good question." He paused for a moment, taking in the sight in front of him. "I am going to be nothing but honest with you. I haven't seen you in years. I couldn't, she... She thought it would be best if we weren't there."
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't you see it?" He said moving closer to Krea. "We have the same jawline, nose, even your eyes are like me and... Your mothers."
"You're lying! My parents died years ago!"
"Those weren't you're parents Krea. Those were peasants that wanted a kid. You are no peasant, you are a warrior, you are a mage, you are part of the Bu family, one of the last ones.
"You really expect me to believe that you're my father? Who does that make my mother hmmm? Charlie?" She mocked, but the man looked down. "You're not seriously saying that wench is my mother are you?"
"I can prove it to you."
"Come here." Krea reluctantly moved to stand in front of the strong man. "This might... Sting."
"I can handle it."
The man brought his hand to the girls forehead and put his palm to rest on it. A series of images came flooding into Krea's head as tears came rushing down her cheeks. What happened when her father and Charlie gave her up to the two she was raised by.
The heartbreak that it caused the man. His journeys to keep Krea safe, without being noticed. Always watching and keeping an eye out. Her family history from decades ago. The Dragon family.
Krea was brought back when she saw an image of a little boy dying to the hands of Charlie. She could feel the pain and tried to get away from the grasp, but couldn't. She put her hand forward and a gust of air sent the man back. Krea was terrified at what just happened.
"I see your magic is finally kicking in."
"Kicking in!? Kick it out!"
"It's always been there Krea, you just needed something to unlock it."
"So what does this mean? Everything I thought I am is all a lie."
"No, I wanted to tell you earlier, but I saw the relationship you grew with Alexandra and Malcolm, I... I just couldn't."
"What? And now that my life has gone to shit you thought it was a good time to break the ice?!"
"I know you're upset, but doesn't it all make sense? I mean look back on the past years. How else were you good enough to become a knight. You were a natural born fighter, it runs in your blood."
"If Charlie is my mother than, I... I killed my brother. Briggs"
"Half brother really. You have plenty of those."
"Oh so what? Huh? That makes it okay to kill one because I have more? Heavens! You must be crazy."
"I know this is a lot to take at the moment. I'll give you time. I'll let everything sink in. We'll be outside whenever you are ready."
"We?" Krea questioned. The man just smiled and walked out of the tent. Krea sat back down and let out a breathe of air she didn't know she was holding. "Oh shit." Before laying back down with her hands on her head.
"Father, she's been in there for ages. Are you sure she is okay?"
"Yes Roux." He said walking up to his daughter. He couldn't get over how fast she'd grown up. She had been with him since she was born. She had long blonde hair like her mothers and the darkest green eyes. "Now. When she comes out, tell her lightly."
"Don't you think she'll be excited to have a sister? Like a full blood relative?"
"I'm not sure, she is very odd in the way that she reacts."
Krea had finally come out of the tent after a dew days of pondering. She looked around and saw a few men and women, all standing behind two people. She looked at the man. "I never asked of your name." Krea spoke.
The man smiled. "Aden. Aden Bu."
Krea knew that name meant fire, that had to be his main source of magic. She looked at the other woman, she looked nearly identical to her. "And yours?"
"I am Roux. Your sister. Full sister! Not that half brother sister shit."
"Way to break it down sweetie."
"Sorry father." She shrugged. She walked up and hugged the younger girl. "We've been waiting. I do hope you can join us."
"Join in what?"
"Taking down Charlie and all of her allies of course." Aden said like it was the most common thing in the world.
"Why are you choosing Alexandra's kingdom over Charlies? It's a losing battle. Thousands, if not millions are with Charlie, you and these few others, choose me and Alex's people. Why?"
"I believe that is the right thing to do."
"It's suicide."
"It wouldn't be fun if there were no risks Krea. Besides, these few men I have, are like family. And now that I have both you and Roux at my side. We can be as powerful as any army. If you choose to join, of course."
"Yeah, I've heard stories of our people." Roux started. "We were very powerful people."
"Were is the key word in that." Krea stated.
"The Dragon family was betrayed years ago so there are very few of us left. There's us and maybe a few more." Aden added. "So what do you say Krea? Take back the land that belongs to your queen? One bastard at a time." He smiled.
"How do we take down an army without being noticed?"
"We will be known, they will hear rumors of what we do, but we will never be discovered or noticed. We will be ghosts."
Krea had excepted that this was her family. She had all of the proof. "I will join you."
"Fantastic. I will get a weapon made for you as well as armor. Roux will teach you how to use and control your powers."
Krea noticed how relaxed everyone was. "No one to keep watch?"
"No need. Like I said, we are ghosts." Aden said while walking away.
"It's an illusion, a spell he sets around our camp to make it seem like nothing is here to other people. He just wanted to sound cool." Roux whispered. "Have a look around, get to know everyone. Get back to me when you want to learn. Oh and Scott will be here soon. He can heal your wounds."
"Who's Scott?"
"Our brother." Roux said while walking away into her tent.
Amory was standing by the gates and watched as his men burned the dead bodies. One soldier came running at him. "Any sign of the queen."
"She isn't here."
Amory's eyes turned a firey red. "Find her! Get all of our men to track her down!" The men scurried in fear, trying to get everyone to get together. "Three days we wasted." He said as he looked up to the now bright moon shining down on them. "I will find you Alexandra. Just wait."


text: Misc, NFL Mike Tolbert Trucks A Few Falcons December 29, 2013December 29, 2013 Big Skeezy Panthers running back (or, possibly, dump truck) Mike Tolbert had his way with more than a few Falcon defenders this afternoon. Watch as the big man knocks a few of them over. Hey Falcons, here's a tip – hit Tolbert low.

subset: commoncrawl


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The central government has called again for stepped-up efforts to ensure pork supplies and food safety in its ongoing campaign to improve domestic food and drug markets, with two more products pulled from the shelves.
Vice-Premier Hui Liangyu yesterday urged local governments to strengthen the supervision of food safety, which became a major international concern after a string of Chinese goods, ranging from seafood to toothpaste, were banned for containing dangerous substances.
The State Food and Drug Administration suspended sales yesterday of Methotrexate, a drug for leukaemia patients manufactured by Shanghai Hulian Pharmaceutical, because of negative side effects, Xinhua said.
Meanwhile, quality control authorities in Zhejiang province said they had removed a Japanese milk powder from the market because it failed to meet domestic quality standards. The powder, produced in Australia by a Japanese company, did not contain enough zinc but had too much iodine, Xinhua said.
During a teleconference with provincial leaders, Mr Hui also urged local governments to subsidise pig breeding to stabilise pork supplies and called for the mandatory immunisation of pigs and tighter animal disease controls.
The mainland's pork price surged 59.8 per cent year on year in June, the National Bureau of Statistics said, due to production bottlenecks and blue ear disease.
It helped push the country's inflation rate to an almost three-year high of 4.4 per cent in June.
The Ministry of Agriculture said the wholesale price of pork rose 74.6 per cent year on year in June.
Premier Wen Jiabao has since spoken several times about the importance of taming soaring pork prices.
On Saturday, he approved a new set of measures to encourage farmers to rear pigs.
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3 Bedroom Skyhome Min 2 nights
2 nights minimum stay in a 3 Bedroom Skyhome with ocean view
- 1 King bed
- 1 Queen bed
- 1 Single bed
- Non-smoking
- Dining Setting
- Lift/Elevator Access
- Microwave
- Telephone
- Oven
- Kitchen
- DVD Player
- Stove top
- Hairdryer
- Toaster
- Shower - separate
- Linen and Towels Provided
- Tea/Coffee Making
- Outdoor Setting
- Iron/Ironing board
- Dishwasher
- Bath
- Cable/Satellite TV
- Television
- Weekly Room Service
- Laundry Facilities
- Lounge Area
- Fridge - Fullsize
- Heating
- Wireless Internet
- Balcony
Terms & Conditions
Please be noted we have a strict NO PARTY policy, NO SCHOOLIES booking will be accepted.
Your booking will only be confirmed after we receive the deposit, please check the cancellation policy for the amount of the deposit for your booking.
The management of Nirvana By The Sea wishes to inform all guests that a painting of the building, inside and out, will commence 11 February 2017 and completion is scheduled for 27 May 2017. The swimming pool will be closed from 24 April 2017 to 27 May 2017. These dates may be adjusted as the project progresses and will update our website accordingly. We anticipate minimal impact on our guests and apologise for any inconvenience experienced.
Check in time is from 2pm and check out is by 10am
Cancellation Policy:
Please be aware this is a Non Refundable rate.Various Deposits will be required when bookings are made, any cancellations and changes will forfeit the deposit.
Low Season $300 Deposit
Mid Season QLD/NSW School Holidays, Public Holidays, and Cooly Rocks On $600 Deposit
High Season Christmas, New Year, and January School Holidays $600 Deposit, full amount required to be paid before 1st November. Any cancellations and changes made after 1st November will forfeit the full amount of the booking.


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Since the creation of computers, the tech age has gone wild with new devices and new applications for making life easier. There are apps for social networking, dating and having food delivered to your door. Here are the newest mobile apps hitting the market:
The World Of Social Networking:
Let's face it, social networking is the heart and soul of businesses, both online and offline. Social networking sites are allowing everyone to meet people from the other side of the planet! For a business, it's not always feasible to physically get together with potential customers, but through social media, they can reach out and communicate with everyone. Here are some of the most popular social networking apps that are having a huge impact on communication:
This is a blogger's dream come true! You can post and share just about anything while perusing thousands of other bloggers. You can meet and get in touch with millions of like-minded people and share your thoughts.
Simply using your phone's camera, you have the ability to stream just about anything. Periscope is a live video broadcasting service that's blasting through the app world. You can share videos by recording and storing them for 24 hours so you can send them to your friends on Twitter or Periscope.
This is an extremely popular, innovative service that lets you share your thoughts through pictures. The concept is a momentary snap that directly after viewing will disappear. They also provide a discover section that has the very best content from large publishers.
Apps For Dating:
Dating services have become the most popular trends for meeting potential dating matches while sitting on your couch.
The leader in dating sites has an official mobile app to find a special someone. You do not have to sign up through sites like Facebook. It offers a very smooth interface and personal matching search. When you meet someone who seems special, all you have to do is "wink" and starting chatting!
You do not need a Facebook account, like some sites, the service will give you good information about potential matches. After you sign up, you will have to pass a comprehensive test. This test will match you with good prospects that have viewed your profile.
This is an interesting dating service launched by SeatGeek which is an online ticket provider. If you are interested in someone, you can invite them to an event such as a concert or sports game. It's a great way to match up with people who share your interests.
Apps For Food Delivery:
Not only are there apps for fast foods, there are services that will get all kinds of meals delivered very quickly.
This service will let you order food from nearby restaurants. You can place an order, pay for it and even add meals and restaurants to your favorite list. This list will allow you to open the menu, click on a meal and add it to your cart.
DoorDash has to be the easiest delivery service out there. You will get a list of restaurants and let you be more specific about a certain meal or cuisine. Unlike some others, it will let you know how long it will take to get the order to you.
The name says it all. Restaurants are sorted by cuisines that you prefer and find out which restaurants deliver. You also have the ability to make special requests to add certain ingredients, or items, and remove certain items or ingredients.
You can look through foods within a given cuisine or go to their "What's Good" section to choose a meal you'd like to try. You will get a full menu, pictures and customer reviews. You will also have the ability to monitor your delivery.
With each passing day, there are apps for just about any area of your life. Along with this list, there are apps to help you improve your health, lose weight and monitor your fitness program. Set an appointment for your next hair salon visit or schedule a dog walking service. All these new apps are making your busy life a great deal more manageable.
Article is written by outsourcing mobile app development company Binariks.com located in Ukraine, Lviv. Best custom mobile solutions for your business.


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BeastX Microbeast USB Interface
Super Saver Shipping!
|Low Price:
This item is eligible for Super Saver Shipping Learn More
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This is a USB interface from BeastX intended for use with the MICROBEAST. This interface allows for making firmware updates in the MICROBEAST.Package includes:
- 1 - USB interface
- 1 - Interface cable, 180cm in length
This product was added to our catalog on December 22, 2010.


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Tom Young on the new developerWorks mobile site
daryl_pereira 270002AW8D Visits (3175)
In this interview with Scott Laningham, Tom Young explains what is exciting about the newly launched mobile site on developerWorks. You will find advice from your peers in the forums, demos, how-to articles and other content that will help you get up to speed on mobile application development.
Visit the mobile site or download the Worklight Trial now
Guiding smarter interactions with Cincom Synchrony
daryl_pereira 270002AW8D Visits (2456)
Randy Sanders, Program Director of Synchrony explains how Cincom helps its clients work in a multi-channel selling environment. The solution ties in neatly with the IBM Smarter Commerce solutions. Where IBM Unica can track across personalized offers, web channels and email, Cincom Synchrony pulls in other channels such as face-to-face, the call center or self-serve environment.
Given their inclusion of the IBM stack into their solutions, Cincom is one of the partners that has been enabled on IBM Puresystems.
CloudTrigger launch G2Analytics: cloud-based business intelligence and analytics
daryl_pereira 270002AW8D Visits (4894)
With the launch of G2Analytics, CloudTrigger leverages cloud technology to deliver near real-time data analysis and BI regardless of the data origin. It helps business managers easily view, interpret, and analyze their data to make fully informed decisions.
Fascinating panel on the growing importance of cloud analytics and other emerging trends with inputs from CloudTrigger, Salesforce, IBM and THINKstrategies.
(Skip first 5 mins)
Jeff Kaplan, Managing Director, THINKstrategies
After the panel, we had the chance to grab this soundbite from CloudTrigger CEO Lonnie Wills:
Putting analytics in the cloud and in the hands of everyone: where can it lead?
Why is the Request For Enhancement Good?
jeffreylo 120000DQMW Visits (2302)
At Impact, we are announcing the new WebSphere Request for Enhancement Community. On Monday, we talked about why what it is in detail. Well, the next logic discussion is "why it is good for you and IBM"?
To start, the results of IBM's community-driven RFE system are remarkable. Over 20,000 RFEs have been submitted to date with almost 2,300 already delivered into a previously released version of a product, or in the next available release. Customers may submit RFEs for products in five IBM product families: Lotus, Rational, Tivoli, Information Management, and, recently WebSphere. And with the success of the program, more product groups are getting onboard, bringing closer to making the IBM RFE the one-stop shop for customer-driven requirements gathering. As a customer, never again do you have to worry about your requirements falling into virtual black holes. And as a product decision maker, the IBM RFE gives you access to your customers through a direct, manageable, and productive model.
Join the Unconference today (Wed May 2) at Impact to learn more about WebSphere RFE Community with Andrew Bates!
IBM Impact Unconference: final tally before event
daryl_pereira 270002AW8D Visits (3097)
So this is it: from the 45 total topics nominated we now have our final 12. Topics include Cloud, WebSphere Application Server, security, WebSphere MQ, mobile and BPM.
Come on Wednesday May 2 at 12.15pm in the Palazzo A/B, level 5 to see what all the fuss is about.
And if that isn't enough, special guest speaker Grady Booch will share insights at 5pm.
Collaborative Lifecycle Management for mobile
Tom Young 120000GK47 Visits (2075)
Yesterday I talked with Will Smythe with the IBM Rational strategy offerings team about his upcoming Impact session, where he plans to discuss how Rational's Collaborative Lifecycle Management tools fit into the development and delivery of mobile apps. He also plans to talk about how Rational CLM tools integrate with Worklight.
Check out Will's session, Accelerating the Software Development Lifecycle Using Application Virtualization. 3:15 on Thursday!
Mobile Lifecycle Management
daryl_pereira 270002AW8D Visits (2338)
Leigh Williamson and Charles Rankin discuss their upcoming sessions on Mobile Lifecycle Management at IBM Impact 2012:
Find more information on the developerWorks mobile site
Micheal Rowe's mobile video review of the main tent session
daryl_pereira 270002AW8D Visits (2434)
The mighty Michael Rowe explains just how easy it is to capture, edit and publish video on the fly nowadays using a tablet and a healthy dose of imagination.
Follow Michael on Twitter to see more inventive ideas
Unconference: what's trending on day two of IBM Impact
daryl_pereira 270002AW8D Visits (2655)
Simon Maple and Cynthia Reyna touch on which sessions have gained traction and what trends are emerging in the run-up to the unconference on Wednesday.
As Simon points out, 'it could all change':
Influence IBM products with the Request for Enhancement Community (RFE)
jeffreylo 120000DQMW Visits (2357)
WebSphere Request for Enhancement (RFE) community on IBM developerWorks. Unlike many other companies' requirements submission systems, the IBM RFE is an online community consists of both customers and product team members. In fact, IBM product decision makers are active participants of the RFE community, communicating with and working alongside to refine requirements to produce products that meet customers' needs. RFE submissions are, in general, open to other community members to view, remark, and improved upon. IBM developerWorks is IBM's premier development resource site, making it the ideal home for the IBM RFE community.
Stay tuned to check out the Unconference (Wednesday, May 2, from 1:30 pm – 5:30 pm) where Andrew Bates from WebSphere will give you a demo of the tool!
Unconference trending topics: Impact day one
daryl_pereira 270002AW8D Visits (3203)
Cindy Reyna explains what's cooking right now on the IBM Impact Unconference leaderboard, and boy is it getting hot.
Simon Maple on running the WebSphere Liberty Profile on Raspberry Pi
daryl_pereira 270002AW8D Visits (4457)
If you are at Impact, you can catch Simon at the Unconference on Wednesday May 2.
See the demo in action or learn about the Liberty Profile.
IBM Endpoint Manager for Mobile Devices Demo
daryl_pereira 270002AW8D Visits (4793)
For businesses, the growth of the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) to work concept represents a real challenge when it comes to ensuring that all the workforce has the software, access and policies required to be productive whatever the device they use to get the job done. This is where IBM Endpoint Manager for Mobile Devices comes in.
As Eric Geller explains in this demo, you can now hook IBM Endpoint Manager to to more than just desktops, laptops and servers. You can now manage and retrieve system information from mobile devices: recording inventory, GPS location info
You can create groups so that policies regarding wi-fi access, passwords or software updates can be managed and deployed at scale with minimal user interaction. Once an employee has the Endpoint app installed, you can push apps, wipe the device or enforce a new password, all without any interaction from the end user. Pretty cool stuff.
Learn more and try it for yourself
Attend a Meet Up and get the lowdown
daryl_pereira 270002AW8D Visits (3200)
This year at Impact we're happy to announce there will be a new way to disseminate and share information: via a meet up. Part presentation, part networking event, the meet up pulls together experts and the inquisitive around a common subject.
As our own Noah Kuttler succinctly puts it in his guidance to organizers:
At Impact we'll have separate meet ups around developer trends, cloud computing, PureSystems and mobile.
All meet ups will take place at the Social Playground in the Solutions Hall.
Come learn about the new developments with PureSystems (and there will be many) and what exactly this new era of computing is all about.
When: April 30, 12:45 - 1:15 pm
Developers are the new Kingmakers
I recently heard that the most popular profession for students right now is to become a software engineer. Come discuss the latest trends (including a focus on mobile).
When: April 30, 3:30 - 4:00 pm
Big on Cloud? Come on over, talk to the experts and network!
When: May 1, 12:45 - 1:15 pm
What's new with Mobile at IBM? Interested in mobile apps? Network with the experts and peers.
When: May 2, 12:45 - 1:15 pm
We look forward to seeing you there at Impact 2012!
The focus on Cloud at Impact
daryl_pereira 270002AW8D Visits (1434)
I was just about to pull up a list of the top Cloud sessions at the upcoming IBM Impact conference (Las Vegas, April 29 – May 4) when a tweet from Audrey Plaza (smiling @IceQueen2305) came to my rescue. She drew up a list of top sessions from the event's agenda builder.
Here's a sample:
1063 Future of Cloud Computing - IBM's Vision and Strategy
Cloud computing enables enterprise customers to fundamentally transform their datacenter. Private cloud enables customers to offer cloud-based services to their lines of business, and hybrid cloud capabilities enable customers to leverage external application and system resources. These services range from compute resources, to middleware capabilities, to application services that may even be running off-premises. This session will discuss IBM`s cloud strategy and vision which covers infrastructure and platform as a service, hybrid cloud capabilities and workload optimized systems. Information in the session is grounded on customer experiences gained over the last several years.
Date: Mon, Apr 30, 2012
2974 Don't Underestimate Monitoring in the Cloud! And What to Do When It Breaks
Migrating applications to the cloud often breaks monitoring. Yet monitoring is even more critical during the move, and thereafter as the virtualization of components increases the complexity of distributed applications. True visibility into a cloud-based applications health state requires a comprehensive view of the state of the many components on which it depends. Even more important is a filtering mechanism that permits users to quantify an individual applications usage of shared resources. This session will discuss the monitoring-related issues that arise with cloud-based applications, and various fixes when visibility goes dark. Use cases using highly scalable yet lightweight deploy-on-demand solutions will be presented.
Date: Mon, Apr 30, 2012
2631 Choosing the Right Security Strategy for Cloud
Cloud computing ranks among the top-three security concerns for most organizations. With cloud, its no longer obvious where a companys data is being stored, who has access to it, how its being used and how to demonstrate compliance to the business. In this session, we will discuss how organizations shouldnt let security concerns be an obstacle to adoption of cloud computing. We will discuss a holistic view of securing cloud environments and understand how best to secure various patterns of cloud adoption. The session will also discuss best practices in implementing a successful and sustainable cloud computing security strategy, elaborating on different delivery models and capability alignment.
Date: Mon, Apr 30, 2012
View the full list on the Agenda Builder by searching for the 'cloud' keyword.
Beyond these sessions, I'd recommend paying a visit to the cloud zone in the Solutions Hall where you will find a panoply of partners.


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Jim Allan Motorcycles Ltd,208 Grahams Road. FK2 7BX
Jim Allan Motorcycles Ltd - MOT Test Centre.At motoring.co.uk, you can find all the information you require, including a selection of reviews and user experiences, on Jim Allan Motorcycles Ltd based in .
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Alan Motors | Carron Motor Company Ltd | E Burgoyne And Sons | Elite Recovery Falkirk Ltd | Facts Garage Ltd | James Kelly Mot Test Centre Ltd | Jm Motor Engineers | Mth Auto Services Ltd | R W Sneddon Motor Engineers | Re Nu It


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Anna of Woodbridge said: "I hired Baresa Kitchens to renovate my kitchen. I'm extremely happy with the job. Thank you to Andy who did the installation and to Frank who came...Read more
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"A fantastic skin of Batman for Windows Media Player."
Do you like the Batman saga? Do you normally use Windows Media Player to play your favourite music? If so then don`t miss the chance to install this Windows Media Player Batman Skin.
This small program installs in your PC a skin for Windows Media Player, in which you can see the famous Batman logo, and also gives the player some fun animations.
Windows Media Player Batman Skin is based on the movie "The Dark Knight" and if you are a true fan of the Batman saga, you won`t be able to resist this jewel to decorate your player in Windows in a very original way.


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Minsk puzzle
by: xutyn • 0
All Android applications categories
by: xutyn • 0
Minsk puzzle
Minsk is the capital and largest city of Belarus, situated on the Svislach and Nyamiha rivers. It is the administrative centre of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). As the national capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administrative centre of Minsk Region (voblast) and Minsk raion (district). In 2013, it had a population of 2,002,600.
This game contains the best pictures of your favorite theme. Now you can at any time and anywhere you want to play puzzle games and get fun. For the game does not need internet connection.
In this application, several levels of difficulty. You start with the most simple level, will be increased further. Once you assemble the picture, you can select it in the gallery as your wallpaper or pass again this puzzle.
Download Minsk puzzle
Free - V1.8 - 5M
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This app is no longer available.
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- Reds
- Whites
Mystery Wines
- French
- Other Import
- Accessories
Leongatha vineyard; 9,000 vines/HA (1996); this wine comes from the major part of the vineyard, cropping at approx. 1.0 to 1.2 tonne/acre. Made to be an immediately accessible, food-friendly wine. The aroma is reminiscent of small berries, blackcurrants with a little fresh plum. There are also spicy notes with a little raspberry and earth. Quite expansive palate with a layered and finely textured entry that reveals fresh red berry fruit and savoury flavours. The structure is totally appropriate for the style with supple and relatively soft tannins. Tannins and fruit vibrancy grow after two hours of breathing.
Clear, bright colour; a complex, fragrant, gently spicy bouquet leads into an elegant palate with juicy flavours on one side, more savoury, foresty notes on the other, joining together on the long, complex finish. Rating: 95 Points. Drink By: 2025 James Halliday, The Wine Companion
There is an attractive mid to deep red colour here and the wine has a combination of fresh cherry and other red berry, primary fruits. The palate has subtle spice and the finish is long and supple. This wine shows an essential freshness that will provide the consumer with the alternative of early opening or can be left to mature for a few more years. Rating: 95 Points; Phillip Jones
Enter post code / Suburb to calculate:
Dozen can be straight or mixed


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ED Magedson – Founder
Ripoff Report
USA GRANT TEAM1500 E Tropicana Blvd #214 Las Vegas, Nevada U.S.A.
Does your business have a bad reputation?
Fix it the right way.
Corporate Advocacy Program™
This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 04/12/2008 06:42 PM and is a permanent record located here: http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/usa-grant-team/las-vegas-nevada-89119/usa-grant-team-grant-scam-hoax-ripoff-fraud-wwwusagrantteamcom-las-vegas-nevada-325644. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year.
Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content
Click Here to read other Ripoff Reports on USA GRANT TEAM
If you would like to see more Rip-off Reports on this company/individual, search here:Search Tips
In order to assure the best results in your search:
Advertisers above have met our
strict standards for business conduct.


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The oppostite of feeling good. Someone or something made you feel insecure, or phsically not feeling good. Like if you cut your self. It's not going to feel good. It will feel bad and hurt.
If you get burned from a stove. You ( your hand, foot, ext.) will not feel good, you will feel bad. You will be feeling bad
by Human that feels bad January 22, 2014


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It only takes a minute to get started. Fill out our uncomplicated sign up form and login to the website.
This step is optional but will dramatically raise your chances of getting interest from other over 50s members on the site. Write about yourself, your hobbies and upload your nicest photo of yourself.
Utilise our website's advanced search to spot over 50s members who fulfill your criteria. Or just look through listings and spot people that take your fancy.
Located someone who could be interesting? Send them a word or two or just a wink and see what develops from there. With a little luck you'll be on your way to a once in a lifetime experience.
It'll only take a few minutes


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Career Center
Welcome to AFBA Career Center
| The Assistant Vice President - Analyst (AVP) will be part of Moody's Southwest Local Governments Team. This is a challenging, high profile role. The AVP will be responsible for providing insightful credit analysis of local government and enterprise debt obligations in his or her portfolio, and for contributing to the maintenance of the team's entire portfolio of existing ratings. The AVP will also be responsible for responding to investor and press inquiries, contributing to Moody's overall public finance risk analysis, participating in and representing the team at conferences and meetings and writing both in-depth research reports and quick-turnaround, news-driven commentary.
This opportunity involves having a general understanding of broader public finance trends and developing both an in-depth knowledge of specific Southwest local governments. The position also requires the development of a thorough understanding of Moody's rating methodologies and their unbiased application.
The AVP is expected to provide thought-leading analysis, topical research and commentary with minimal oversight, and, over-time, guidance for more junior analysts. The AVP will also help manage effective interaction with government representatives, financial intermediaries, investors and other market participants.
More specifically, he or she will be responsible for the following:
Local Government Rating Team - Dallas
Moody's is an essential component of the global capital markets, providing credit ratings, research, tools and analysis that contribute to transparent and integrated financial markets. Moody's Corporation (NYSE: MCO) is the parent company of Moody's Investors Service, which provides credit ratings and research covering debt instruments and securities, and Moody's Analytics, which offers leading-edge software, advisory services and research for credit and economic analysis and financial risk management. The Corporation, which reported revenue of $3.5 billion in 2015, employs approximately 10,400 people worldwide and maintains a presence in 36 countries. Further information is available at www.moodys.com.
Moody's is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, gender, age, religion, national origin, citizen status, marital status, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. Moody's also provides reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with applicable laws. If you need to inquire about a reasonable accommodation, or need assistance with completing the application process, please email email@example.com.. This contact information is for accommodation requests only, and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.
For San Francisco positions, qualified applicants with criminal histories will be considered for employment consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. For New York City positions, qualified applicants with criminal histories will be considered for employment consistent with the requirements of the New York City Fair Chance Act. For all other applicants, qualified applicants with criminal histories will be considered for employment consistent with the requirements of applicable law.
Click here to view our full EEO policy statement. Click here for more information on your EEO rights under the law.
MIS and MSS Candidates are asked to disclose securities holdings pursuant to Moody's Policy for Securities Trading. Employment is contingent upon compliance with the Policy, including remediation of positions in those holdings as necessary.
Internal Number: 1857597
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Dallas, Texas
3 Weeks Ago
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For customer support, please call 1-888-491-8833. We are open Monday - Friday 8:30am (EST) - 5:30pm (EST)


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It only takes a minute to get started. Fill out our uncomplicated sign up form and login to the website.
This step is optional but will greatly boost your chances of people actually reading your profile and contacting you. Let people know a bit about yourself, your pasttimes and upload some good photographs of yourself.
Use our website's sophisticated search to encounter members who suit your needs. Or just scan through listings and encounter folks that arouse your interest.
Located someone who could be interesting? Send them a word or two or just a wink and see if anything happens. With a little luck you'll be on your way to uncover the love of your life.
And start dating


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Contains: Certified Organic and Biodynamic Calendula flowers (Calendula officinalis), Certified Organic Comfrey leaves (Symphytum officinale), Certified Organic Linden flowers and leaves (Tilia europaea), Certified Biodynamic and Organic Mugwort leaves and flowers (Artemisia vulgaris), Lavender pure essential oil, Certified Organic Almond Oil, Certified Organic Apricot Kernel Oil, Beeswax, Certified Organic Coconut Oil, Rosewater, Spring Water
Safety Consideration: None
About Fairy Flower Creme, Lavender: One of our most popular products, we make this creme in small batches to ensure freshness and quality. Our luxurious and elegant face and body crèmes are delightfully reminiscent of our gardens. They are some of the purest cremes on the market as they are free of any harsh chemicals or preservatives.
For external use only
Related Items: Fairy Flower Creme, Unscented
*This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Botanical Name: Arnica chamissonis Part Used: Fresh and dried leaf and flower Ingredients: Certified Organic & Sustainably Cultivated Arnica flowers, Certified Organic olive oil Benefit: Supports healthy muscles, tendons and ligaments* Suggested Use: Gently massage...
Contains: Certified Organic Alfalfa (Medicago sativa), Certified Biodynamic and Organic Borage leaves (Borago officinalis), Certified Biodynamic and Organic Calendula flowers (Calendula officinalis), Certified Biodynamic and Organic Chamomile flowers (Matricaria recutita), Certified Organic...
Botanical Name: Calendula officinalis Part Used: Dried flowers Benefit: Soothes and promotes healthy skin* Ingredients: Calendula, BD, OG, Olive Oil, OGLegend: BD: Certified Biodynamic, OG: Certified Organic About Calendula: We hand-harvest several hundred pounds of...
Contains: Certified Biodynamic and Organic Calendula flowers (Calendula officinalis), Certified Organic and Biodynamic Chickweed (Stellaria media), Certified Organic Elder flowers (Sambucus canadensis), Lavender pure essential oil, Certified Organic Apricot Kernel Oil, Beeswax,...


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Managing Workforce 2000: Gaining the Diversity Advantage
€ 47,49
Bisher € 48,99
Lieferbar innert 2 Wochen
April 1991
BeschreibungUsing examples from over eighty organizations, this practical guide to human resource development strategies shows how to attract, make the best use of, and retain employees of different skills and perspectives. The authors reveal the strategies successful companies are using to capitalize on today's increasingly diverse and nontraditional workforce and shows how organizations must change to mesh with the needs, preferences, life-styles, and values of contemporary workers.
InhaltsverzeichnisBEYOND "ONE SIZE FITS ALL" MANAGEMENT. The Challenge and Opportunity of the Changing Workforce. Portraits of Diversity: Today's New Workforce. Toward a New Management Mindset: An Introduction to Flex--Management. MATCHING PEOPLE AND JOBS. Be Informative and Creative When Describing Jobs and Recruiting Employees. Help People Develop Careers They Want. Change Jobs and Work Hours to Meet Employee Needs. Hire Older and Temporary Workers. MANAGING AND REWARDING PERFORMANCE. Train Managers and Employees to Value Diversity. Enable Persons with Disabilities to Meet Performance Challenges. Individualze--Don't Standardize--Performance Management. Align Rewards with Employees' Values. INFORMING AND INVOLVING PEOPLE. Share Information and Encourage Participation. Create New Ways to Share Responsibility. SUPPORTING LIFESTYLE AND LIFE NEEDS. Offer Flexible Employee Benefits and Services. Help Employees Take Care of Family Responsibilities. TAKING ACTION. How to Develop Skills for Managing Workforce 2000. How to Manage the Change to a Flex--Management Workplace. RESOURCES FOR GAINING THE DIVERSITYVANTAGE: WHERE TO GO FOR HELP.
PortraitDAVID JAMIESON is president of the Jamieson Consulting Group. He is also codirector of the Master of Science in Organization Development program at Pepperdine University. JULIE O'MARA is president of O'Mara and Associates, a human resource development consulting firm.
Pressestimmen"The bottom line: Buy and read this book! This book will help to quickly bring public health professionals up to speed on the issues challenging many organizations."
Untertitel: 'Jossey-Bass Management'. Sprache: Englisch.
Verlag: JOSSEY BASS
Erscheinungsdatum: April 1991
Seitenanzahl: 241 Seiten
Format: gebunden


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Today's Video: Advanced management of your IBM Support Portal product list
Pat_OC Tags: electronic_support list 80 portal technical totd video managing product esupport tech ibm support start 5,515 Views
Today's Video: Advanced management of your IBM Support Portal product list The IBM Support Portal is your one stop spot for technical support resources. It gives you a unified, centralized view of all technical support tools and information for...
MQ 9.0.2 supports IBM Cloud Product Insights
Matthew Whitehead Tags: bluemix product cloud insights 1,578 Views
What is Cloud Product Insights? Cloud Product Insights is a Bluemix-hosted repository of your running IBM software instances. IBM products that support Product Insights can be configured to register themselves with the service, reporting information that you...
from Blog: MQdev BlogModified on by Naomi_S
Rational Synergy for Asia V7.1a now available for download
Rational Synergy for Asia V7.1a was released for download via Passport Advantage on November 6, 2009. This release is functionally equivalent to Rational Synergy 7.1 and supports Unicode character sets. Rational Synergy 7.1a is targeted for any customers who...
from Blog: Notes from Rational Support
Want to be notified with the latest product support notifications?
dwmigration2 Tags: product notification 1,125 Views
You say you would like to be Notified with the latest product support notifications? IBM Notifications allows you to select those Product(s) you would like to be notified for such as: Troubleshooting Tips, Product Fixes, and implementing Product best...
from Blog: CSE-Sterling Managed File Transfer
Video: Managing Your Product List in the IBM Support Portal
Pat_OC Tags: list product portal ibm esupport electronic_support video tech technical support 4,619 Views
Video: Managing Your Product List in the IBM Support Portal Great news! The IBM Support Portal has been significantly updated earlier this month! The IBM Support Portal is your one stop spot for technical support resources. It gives you a unified,...
Check it out! Informix Chat with the Labs
Andrew McCarl Tags: support development product informix 3,855 Views
Have you checked out the Informix "Chat with the Labs" series? This is an informative and interactive way to learn more about Informix products and features. This is an awesome resource, and if you haven't participated, you should. The next...
from Blog: Thoughts from Support
Receive important product support information with IBM My notifications!
Joseph Lam - IBM Tags: support info product email rss notifications 4,494 Views
There is a wise saying that "prevention is better than cure", and this statement certainly holds its weight when it comes to managing a secure and highly reliable computing environment. Last year, I authored a blog on how to stay&nbs...Modified on by Joseph Lam - IBM
2. Conception of developing a mobile app for Rational Quality Manager (RQM)
AjayChebbi devWorks Tags: systems development mobile innovation rqm quality product 3,628 Views
Flashback: A little re-wind is in order. It all started with a intern project and a craving for doing something cool. I work in a team that develops the Rational Quality Manager part of the IBM CLM/ALM solution. The product is built off of the...Modified on by AjayChebbi devWorks
Contexts and Dependency Injection (CDI) Sample
Ross Pavitt Tags: sample product 540 Views
Description The CDI sample contains a server definition which includes the CDI and JSP features. It also contains a very simple CDI application, cdiApp.war, which contains a single JSP, sample.jsp. This JSP looks up a request-scoped bean that is also injected...Modified on by Ross Pavitt
Video Quick Tip: Using IBM's Software Product Compatibility Reports
Today's Video Quick Tip: Using IBM's Software Product Compatibility Reports This short, 2 1/2 minute video provides an overview of how to use IBM's Software Product Compatibility Reports to quickly and easily generate custom reports about compatible IBM...
Enterprise Java Beans (EJB) Sample
Ross Pavitt Tags: product sample 297 Views
Description This sample demonstrates injection of an EJB into a servlet. The application consists of a servlet and stateless session bean. The servlet uses annotations to inject the stateless session bean, and then performs a call on the hello method of the...Modified on by Ross Pavitt
EJB in WAR, CDI and JPA Sample: Online Polling
Ross Pavitt Tags: sample product 325 Views
Description This sample is a single WAR module that provides two user interface views. An online polling view that displays a question, a list of answers to choose from, and current voting results. An administration view that provides options for voting data...Modified on by Ross Pavitt
Secure EJB Sample
Ross Pavitt Tags: sample product 314 Views
Description This sample demonstrates how to secure EJBs in your application. The application consists of a servlet protected by a role, servletRole, which invokes the method hello on an injected EJB, which is in turn protected by a role, ejbRole. The sample's...Modified on by Ross Pavitt
Is the Product Information Center showing a blank page in your web browser?
Joseph Lam - IBM Tags: support center library information document ic iehs blank documentation page product 4,018 Views
Are you seeing a blank page when you are visiting an Information Center for your IBM software product? If your answer is yes, then this blog post can help you recover from this...Modified on by Joseph Lam - IBM
On Demand Product Management - Webcasts.... Community Blog
Adelgaard Johan Tags: pm ppm prouct management portfolio plc plm product 2,993 Views
Deliver the correct products to the correct market at the right time... This is something every organization does try to accomplish (or that they should focus at). Below are 2 on demand webcast on product management..... that will give guidance on how you as...


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Seibertron.com - The Ultimate Transformers Fansite
Spoon wrote:i'm getting nothing but black void today.
Something wrong with the sector 7 site?
PrimulArchangel wrote:I dont see anything , just a black screen.
x-ultramagnus-x wrote:what is secotor 7? is it connected to the movie?
Wigglez wrote:Just remember. The sword is an extension of your arm. Use it as if you're going to karate chop someone with your really long sharp ass hand.
Return to Transformers Live Action Film Forum
Registered users: Bing [Bot], bodrock, Bounti76, Bronzewolf, carytheone, Exabot [Bot], Google [Bot], Google Adsense [Bot], JelZe GoldRabbit, triKlops, wilcosu35, WreckerJack, Yahoo [Bot]


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The Government quango, which granted Wembley a £120 million national lottery award to buy the site for the redevelopment, is responsible for ensuring there are 71,200 seats for normal fans in the in the new 90,000 seat stadium when it opens. The remaining 18,800 will be premium seats set aside for wealthy fans and companies in long term deals.
But the number of premium seats won't go down even if the stadium's overall capacity is reduced to 70,000 by the temporary configuration needed for a major athletics events like the World Championships.
Instead, an athletics deck will be laid over part of the first tier of seats reducing the number for ordinary supporters to just 51,500. Sport England say that doesn't flout any contractual requirements of the lottery award because there are not yet any concrete plans to stage an athletics event and no final deal has yet been signed with UK Athletics.
But because it takes around three months for the athletics platform to be laid and taken up, it is inevitable that some major football events such as the FA Cup Final will have to be played out in front of a reduced capacity Wembley. That's when the FA would be in breach of their lottery rules.
Sport England today denied they had broken any promises to football fans and said a compromise was necessary to ensure the £700m plan received the support of German bank West LB.
A spokeswoman said: "It is not true to state that Sport England has broken any promise about numbers of general admission seats and premium seats when an athletics track is in place at Wembley. It is accurate to say that if an athletics platform was constructed for a summer event it would have to be erected in the spring, thereby overlapping with some football season fixtures."
A spokesman for Wembley said: "It's all about striking the right balance and 96 per cent of the time this is a 90,000 capacity stadium for football and rugby league."
- More about:
- Athletics, Track And Field
- Gambling And Lotteries
- Loftus Road Stadium
- National Lottery
- Olympic Stadium


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- SEE tested to 85 megaelectron-volts (MeV) with no latch-up
- ELDRS tested to 100 Krad, with a powered performance <+/- 5 percent
- Ultra-low dropout voltage: 400mV @ 2.0A
- Maximum thermal resistance: 3.0 degrees C/ W
- DLA Standard Microcircuits Drawing (SMD) qualification in process
ALISO VIEJO, Calif., July 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Microsemi Corporation (Nasdaq: MSCC), a leading provider of semiconductor solutions differentiated by power, security, reliability and performance, today added two new ultra-low dropout (ULDO) linear point-of-load (POL) regulators for space, commercial aviation and defense applications to its radiation-hardened solutions portfolio. The MHL8701 and MHL8705 regulators are the first devices of their kind to include an integrated single event effects (SEE) filter to protect against soft errors caused by heavy ions often found in air- and space-borne applications. The new regulators can also be used with the company's radiation-tolerant SoC and FPGA solutions. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110909/MM66070LOGO) The hermetically sealed regulators are offered with space or military ratings. The new devices are in production and shipping to one of the world's leading space technology companies for a new space bus architecture program. "Once again, Microsemi has applied its more than 50 years of expertise in developing high-reliability components to deliver an 'industry first' product for aerospace and defense applications," said Durga Peddireddy, director of marketing for Microsemi's High Reliability Products group. "We are building on our success in these segments by leveraging our extensive industry knowledge, coupled with continued product and technology investments, to meet customer needs and deliver high-reliability components and system solutions at an accelerated pace." Microsemi's facility in Massachusetts recently received Laboratory Suitability approval ( http://www.microsemi.com/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=132073&Itemid=1898) from the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) for total dose ionization (TID), enhanced low dose radiation sensitivity (ELDRS) and SEE radiation testing in accordance with MIL- STD-883. The MHL8701 and MHL8705 were assembled in a MIL-PRF-38534 certified facility and qualified through the Microsemi Hi-Rel Qualification Level (MHQL TM) program to meet space and military requirements. The devices have attained radiation-performance levels of 300 Krad TID as per Method 1019 and a 100 Krad rating for enhanced low dose rate sensitivity (ELDRS). Single event testing was performed according to ASTM 1192F. Product InformationThe MHL8701 and MHL8705 are optimized for operation at +5 or +3.3 volt (V) inputs with 3A and 5A current rating respectively, and provide an ultra-low dropout of 400 millivolts (mV) at 2 amps with an integrated SEE filter to protect against soft data errors that may occur from subatomic radiation particles commonly found in ground-level and airborne applications. Key features:


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Ferrari may not have been able to keep pace with McLaren out on the circuit during the first free practice session for tomorrow's Hungarian grand prix here but the Italian team fired another salvo at their key rival as the controversy continued over whether or not McLaren gained performance advantage from the stolen technical documents found at the home of their chief designer, Mike Coughlan.
In particular the Ferrari top brass were outraged at allegations from Ron Dennis, the McLaren team principal, to the effect that the Ferrari F2007 driven to victory in this year's Australian grand prix by Kimi Raikkonen did not conform to the regulations by virtue of the fact that it was fitted with an illegal flexible floor, which conferred an unfair aerodynamic boost.
Dennis's letter sought to demolish Ferrari's detailed contention that the British team had derived an on-track advantage from access to the illegally acquired Ferrari data. However, Ferrari did not back down and described McLaren's accusations as "both serious and false".
"Contrary to the statement put forward by Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, Ferrari never illegally gained any advantage [from the flexible floor]," read their official communiqué. "The two F2007 cars used in the Australian grand prix were deemed by the stewards to be in conformity with the technical regulations, before, during and at the end of the event. If there had been any illegalities, they would have been disqualified.
"In fact, what the FIA [the sport's governing body] did next is commonplace. The FIA took the opportunity to issue a clarification on the interpretation of the regulation and then asked the teams concerned to make the necessary modifications. There are actually numerous examples of this in both the recent and distant past which have also involved other teams. At the next sitting of the FIA international court of appeal Ferrari will fully explain its position on the entire matter."
Ferrari's statement came at the end of a day that had started with Nigel Stepney, the former Ferrari engineer recently sacked as the prime suspect in the Italian team's leak inquiry, releasing a statement through his Italian lawyer denying that he had tipped off McLaren about the Ferrari floor at that event.
"It's not true that I revealed those irregularities," the Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport quoted Stepney's lawyer, Sonia Bartolini, as saying on his behalf. "You only needed to take a look at the car to realise what was wrong, it was obvious for people who work in formula one. At McLaren they knew without the need for whistle blowing."
Meanwhile, out on the circuit, Lewis Hamilton had to be satisfied with the third fastest time in the second free practice session after spinning his McLaren into the gravel with a couple of minutes to go as he struggled to avoid the Spyker team's new driver, Sakon Yamamoto.
"Today went smoothly, apart from my spin at the end of the second session which meant I missed out on my last run, so maybe I could have gone a little faster," said Hamilton. "The spin happened as I was catching Yamamoto on a flying lap and I was probably a little fast going into the corner. Despite this we were able to make some positive steps and I am confident with our performance so far."
Hamilton's team-mate, Fernando Alonso, set the quickest time of the day with Heikki Kovalainen's Renault second and Nico Rosberg fourth for Williams.
Hungaroring, Budapest
No of laps 70
Lap length 2.722 miles
Race distance 190.551 miles
Fastest lap 1m19.071s
M Schumacher, Ferrari, 2004
First used
World championship races 21
Most wins Williams (7)
Pole position last year K Raikkonen, McLaren
Winner last year J Button, Honda
Weather forecast


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Executive Advisor - Finance Practice
If you are interested in a role that allows for rapid-fire consulting engagements across a broad range of world-leading clients, the ability to impact on the key strategic issues faced by some of the globe's most famous brands, and an exceptional career path in a meritocratic environment, then read on. Our Executive Advisors of all levels enjoy the responsibility of forming relationships with world class executives, and can realistically expect to meet a broad variety of top practitioners from their chosen region over the course of just one year.
The Executive Advisor is responsible for interfacing almost continuously with C-level executives and other senior executives to foster deep, broad relationships with individuals, applying and packaging our resources to meet their challenges; and sensing patterns among customer needs to drive the research agenda and event calendar. Additionally, the Executive Advisor is responsible for supporting commercial meetings in conjunction with revenue partners. The role is responsible for overall contract value outcomes for the programs they support.
CEB is investing more resources in the Executive Advisor position across all product lines as this high touch role is critical to influencing the overall client experience. We are positioning this role to have a deeper level of client engagement to ensure each member is fully leveraging CEB resources.
The CEB Finance team encompasses ten products that support a CFO, a Chief Audit Officer and their leadership team and respective functions. Those executives and functions are facing an increasingly complex world with Finance acting as a business advisor, managing Risk in a complex regulatory environment, managing company Finances in an economically volatile world, making decisions with increased data and the CFO operating at the Board level with a larger influence over corporate strategy. Our research, insights and tools are uniquely designed to support better decision making in these complex environments. Within the last few months, CEB research has been used in the Wall Street Journal and CFO magazine.
Key Responsibilities:
- Applies expansive knowledge of CEB research to help resolve high-value business problems for clients
- Manages and develops Advisory strategy for a portfolio of member companies
- Assumes a leadership role in defining the research agenda and in product development activities
- Actively shapes the direction of ongoing research and product creation projects; participates in and provides feedback during checkpoint meetings and other stages of the strategic research process
- Supports revenue functions to diagnose issues and deliver insight and value "in the moment"
Basic Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree
- Willingness and ability to travel up to 40%
- At least 4 years in related field or industry
Preferred Qualifications:
- Graduate degree
- 4 years in related field or industry
- Proficient in distilling data or information to identify key findings
- Excellent communication skills
- Strong analytic and problem skills
- Ability to highly engage senior-level executives at current member companies by building relationships, establishing credibility, conducting substantive content discussions, diagnosing needs, solving problems, and identifying relevant resources
- Strong project management and time management skills
- Ability to effectively navigate a highly matrixed environment
Why Should I Be Interested?
- Unique opportunity to explore your intellectual curiosity while working for a global ideas company that is distinguished by the quality of its insights
- Ability to work with and learn from truly exceptional talent
- Ability to deliver insight to transform how executives approach problems, and witness the impact of your interaction and partnership with those executives
- Work in an environment characterized by a Spirit of Generosity, where senior leadership encourages staff to give back and make an impact on the communities in which we live and work
CEB is a best practice insight and technology company. In partnership with leading organizations around the globe, we develop innovative solutions to drive corporate performance. CEB equips leaders at more than 10,000 companies with the intelligence to effectively manage talent, customers, and operations. CEB is a trusted partner to 90% of the Fortune 500, nearly 75% of the Dow Jones Asian Titans, and more than 85% of the FTSE 100. More at cebglobal.com.
Known as an innovative growth firm, CEB is hiring experienced professionals and early careerists within a variety of intellectually stimulating careers. Learn more about our global opportunities at cebcareers.com.
CEB is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity in the workplace.
Meet Some of CEB's Employees
Peter M.
Senior Business Development Manager
Peter helps HR & customer service leaders evaluate and join CEB's best practice research programs by showing them how their involvement will impact business performance.
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A lot of people ask us how we define Fintech. The really short answer is "broadly". The slightly longer answer is "the reinvention of Financial Services through digitization". This note gives a more complete answer and defines the different segments within Fintech.
A big ocean with a lot of fish
That is how we visualize the overall Fintech market. Fintech is big because Financial Services has been a big % of GDP (e.g. 7% in USA, 10% in UK) and most of it can be delivered digitally (or dramatically enhanced digitally).
Fintech is an ocean because whatever categories we define, the lines will be increasingly blurred over time and the fish (customers) will move from one part of the ocean to another, even if we can expect more of a certain type of fish in a certain part of the ocean. Business practices & models that evolved pre digitization defined the historical Financial Services categories and "bits don't stop at historical category boundaries". If you take a customer centric approach (which startups have to do if they want to reach Product Market Fit), you ignore artificially defined categories to focus on the needs of real people. Read on for some examples.
How we define the different categories within Fintech
We have 5 Categories within Daily Fintech, neatly coinciding with the 5 days of the week.
- Digital Wealth Management
- Small Business Finance
- Consumer Finance including Underbanked
- Insurance
- The Tech in Fintech
Digital Wealth Management.
We define Wealth broadly as being any amount of capital, small or large, that is allocated to financial assets (private equity, public stocks, bonds, currencies, real estate, precious metals, art etc). We include both short-term trading as well as long-term investment. Customers wanting their capital to grow can be passive (leaving it to professionals) or active (sending time to find assets to trade/invest).
Exchanges, brokers & dealers, investment banks, asset managers, private banks, retail and commercial banks, and the entire world within and behind all these front end scenes (such as research, custody & compliance); are all serving wealth creation needs of all sorts and at all levels, ranging from millennials to corporates.
Digital Wealth Management is so intrusive that in a few years we wont be able to distinguish it from all other basic lifestyle needs. The digitization of Wealth Management affects developed societies and underserved ones.
Small Business Finance
This is a massive opportunity, because banks have ignored small business for so long. Small Business is like a middle child – neither the oldest (big business) nor the youngest (consumer). This illustrates the old adage that innovation comes from those who have been excluded from the old way of doing things. Small business needs the same Corporate Finance products that big business needs (such as debt, equity, payments, foreign exchange) but to serve these efficiently to millions of small businesses requires a far higher degree of automation and different business models. The models for a small business service are just as likely to come from Consumer Finance as they are from Corporate Finance.
Consumer Finance including Underbanked
This also illustrates the old adage that innovation comes from those who have been excluded from the old way of doing things. There is a lot of competition for consumers in the West. You could classify this market as the Overbanked. As an entrepreneur would you target a market that is already well served by many competent competitors? Or do you go after the billions of people who are emerging into a global middle class even if the revenue per client is tiny? We cover Consumer Finance innovation everywhere, but we tend to see greater innovation traction coming from the Underbanked in the Rest of the World (formerly known as Emerging or Developing, such as China, India, Africa and Latin America). This also underscores the concept of traditional categories blurring. In the developing world, most people are self-employed entrepreneurs, so there is a lot of cross over with small business finance.
We see InsurTech as a category within Fintech rather than separate. It is certainly viewed that way within traditional financial services where universal banks such as Citi grew out of a merger between an Insurance company and a Bank. Insurance has two sides. One side takes in Premiums and pays Claims. It is a customer service business with a focus on sales and marketing, business process management and statistical risk management. The other side of Insurance invests that cash flow to make sure they have the capital to pay Claims as needed. This part of Insurance is really part of the Digital Wealth Management category.
The Tech in Fintech
We focus on the use of technology. A more techie description of this category might be cross cutting concerns, those things that cut across all the 4 categories above. So we include Payments within this category. Mostly we focus on technology such as Blockchain, XBRL and AI as well as the change from mass adoption of mobile technology. We view technology as disruptive, but our focus is on the use of technology and customers don't care about disruption – they just want better, faster, cheaper financial services which maybe enabled by technology.2 - Readers Like This Post


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Your task is simple: just answer a few questions about your horse and his diet
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By: Dr. Lydia Gray
Aural Plaques are whitish, flaky lesions on the inside of the ear. They are thought to be the body's chronic, inflammatory response to a papilloma viral infection (similar to warts) spread by biting insects. Aural Plaques can be a purely cosmetic problem or cause severe ear sensitivity. However, it is not exactly known what aspect of this condition specifically makes the ears sensitive to grooming, haltering, bridling and other common handling procedures.
Generally veterinarians recommend no treatment for Aural Plaques since repeated handling of the ears seems to inflame the area and sensitize the horse. Despite this, some owners have reported success with various ointments, especially those containing steroids or other anti-inflammatory agents. Scrubbing or scraping should be avoided, however. A fly mask with ears is the best protection against new fly bites or irritation from flies. Horses that have become "ear shy" due to Aural Plaques may need specific training to condition them to accept head and ear handling.
A study has recently been completed on a new ointment that appears to resolve the plaques inside the ear. Unfortunately, the treatment is expensive and painful but for horses and owners that have been dealing with Aural Plaques for a long time, it may provide relief. Any skin condition should be examined by a veterinarian to confirm the diagnosis and rule out a more serious problem such as sarcoids or sarcoma.
About Dr. Lydia Gray
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