text:
There is evidence that humans have been consuming strawberries since the Stone Age, but it was much later that we began to cultivate and produce strawberries on a large scale. Today, there are strawberry farms and greenhouses; massive acreages are dedicated to the strawberry industry.
Early usage history of the strawberry dates back to the Romans, though written references are few and brief. Generally cited as growing in the wild, it is likely that cultivation had not yet begun.
"With thine own hands thou shalt thyself gather the soft strawberries growing beneath the woodland shade." - Metamorphoses, Book 13 by Ovid (8AD)
However, it is possible that a few growers existed, as there were some who used strawberries for their medicinal purposes.
Early France
By the 1300's, the French began to transplant Woodland Strawberries (Fragaria vesca) from the wilderness. At this point, strawberries were mostly grown for ornamental purposes. High class people including King Charles V planted extravagant crops in their gardens. These strawberries were tended to carefully and fertilized well. Runners were transplanted to empty sections, ensuring the quantities never dwindled. The industry had not yet developed by this point, but specific strawberry-growing methods were already in the making.
By the 1500's, instructions were available on strawberry growth. In Charles Estienne and Jean Liebault's L'Agriculture et Maison Rustique (1568), it was prescribed to replant the fields every three years, a method still in practice today. Hoeing and fertilization were also indicated, suggesting that cultivation at that point was fairly similar to today's home-grown methods.
Early England
During the 1400's, references to strawberry cultivation had already appeared. The Bishop of Ely grew strawberries in his Holborn garden to such success that it was mentioned in Shakespeare's Richard III. By the 1500's, physicians and apothecaries began to grow strawberries because they believed it had medicinal uses; books were written on the benefits of strawberries. Demand rose and regular farming of strawberries was established.
Although there is little information on the methods of cultivation used in England from that period, it is likely they grew strawberries with similar technique as France. In Tusser's Five Hundred Points of Good Husbandry (1557), strawberry growing is said to be a good form of employment for women. The most common species grown in England was also the Woodland Strawberry (Fragaria vesca), because of their abundance in the wild and easy transplant by runners.
Other Early Growers
Strawberries are found in the wild around the world, but most of the cultivation history has not been documented. There are earlier growers than the abovementioned, but minimal information has survived.
China: As strawberries also grew natively in Asia, it is thought that the Chinese have used strawberries for supposed medicinal purposes since th 26th century BC. However it uncertain when strawberries began to be cultivated.
Natives: North American natives did not grow their own strawberries, but foraged whatever grew in the wild. When American settlers came into contact, strawberries were traded, and the settlers soon began to grow their own.
Several methods of cultivation are available today; each are effective for different uses. Some require newly developed technology, but early cultivation principles remain
Rows and mounds:
This method can be used for both home grown and commercial strawberries. The strawberries are planted on raised rows or mounds of dirt, and reused each year. The purpose of the rows and mounds is drainage: the excess water will flow down to the lower ground between the plants, so the strawberries do not flood (too much water can kill a plant). It also makes harvesting easier, as the harvesters are able to walk between the plants. Although the yields are typically lower than the plasticulture (see below) system, it is used in places with colder climates (shorter growing season), since it doesn't require replacing plants each year.
The principles of this method is similar to those of early strawberry growers. Although technology has made it more efficient, with better fertizilers, tools, and irrigation, the basic techniques are the same, and strawberries are still harvested by hand.
outdoors rows
The plasticulture method is the most common method is the most common method for commercially grown strawberries. As with the previous method, the plants are grown on raised beds. Each year, new beds are formed and covered with plastic. Irrigation tubing is run under the plastic. Holes are punch in the top of the plastic and plants are planted in the holes. This ensures that the only vegetation growing is the strawberries; weeds are suffocated beneath the plastic. After the harvest, the plastic is taken off, and the plants are plowed down (killed).
Plasticultue is an effective method for mass production because strawberry plants decrease in production after two years, and annual replacement ensures a full harvest. A drawback is that it requires a longer growing season, since each year uses new plants. However, most strawberries are planted in warm locations such as California, so this is not an issue. The cost of plasticulture is also more than traditional methods, because of the extra work each year, but a larger harvest compensates for the price.
Greenhouses have been used for horitcultural purposes for centuries, but it is not until recently that strawberries have been grown. They are still very uncommon for the purpose, and are usually only used when off-season strawberries are not available. The cost is high, and yields are not high, but they ensure that strawberries can be grown at any time.
The Belgians and Dutch have relatively large greenhouse strawberry industries, as they have little access to imported fruits. However, it is an impractical method in most countries as off-season strawberries cost less to transport than to grow in greenhouses. Some research has gone into improving the method for commercial uses, but as of late, it is still an uncommon method in most parts of the world.


text:
Pulau Ketam
Earth : Asia : Southeast Asia : Malaysia : West Coast (Malaysia) : Pulau Ketam
Pulau Ketam is an island at the mouth of the Klang River, near Port Klang, downstream from Kuala Lumpur. It host Chinese fishing villages comprising houses on stilts.
The settlement was established in circa 1880 by mainly Teochew and Hoklo (Hokkien) Chinese fishermen. The buildings in the floating village are all propped up on stilts which extend up to 10 m below the water's surface. The streets, while appearing like normal paved roads, are similarly supported. Outside the main town, more precarious looking wooden bridges can be found. There are no cars on the island and getting around by bike is the norm, though there are a few motorbikes.
Teochew, Hokkien and Mandarin Chinese are the main dialects spoken. Though English is commonly understood.
Get in
The only way in is by boat from Port Klang (45min, RM7). From Port Klang railway station, head across the tracks towards the water and look for the small ferry terminal to the left.
There are about 15 ferries per day. The last boat from the island leaves at 5.30PM on weekdays and at 6PM on weekends. There are always speedboats on call that can be chartered at any time of the day or night.
Get around
Rent bikes for RM5 per day or take a boat trip.
Mangrove, water, houses on stilts, fish markets.
Wonder how a Chinese fishing village ended up in Malaysia.
Despite only being accessible by boat the shops are reasonably priced and fairly well stocked, so don't worry about having to buy everything in KL beforehand.
Seafood restaurants abound. There is also a variety of foods available.
Beer - the settlement is Chinese dominated, so drinking won't bring stares from conservative Muslims.
There's at least two hotels both offer bicycles to rent. Prices are a lot cheaper than in KL.
The hotels have WiFi.
Get out
Take boat trips around the islands, though boat back to Port Klang is the only way to leave.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
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text:
Gunsight Peak from Henrys Fork Basin
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Looking back at Gunsight Pass and Henrys Fork Basin on the way back from Val Benchmark. Gunsight Peak (13263) is on the left. July 8, 2008
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text:
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Novelty Underwear Waiter's Thong
Average customer review 4.5 out of 5 stars4 reviews
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Product Description
For the guy who likes to serve it hot, grab hold of this Maitre D' thong! One size fits most waiters, servants and butlers.
By Male Power, this saucy little number is bound to get the lady of the house in a fluster as you give your partner the 'naked butler' treatment.
Made of nylon, this comfortable thong features its own little bow tie, rhinestone buttons to the front and semi sheer flaps at the rear to provide your derriere with a little extra modesty as you undertake your chores.
Ideal for roleplaying games and dress up. Wearing these will leave you subject to taking sexy orders!
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Customer Reviews
Novelty Underwear Waiter's Thong 4 4.5 out of 5 stars
See all 4 customer reviewsOrder by:Write your own review
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Novelty Underwear Waiter's Thong
Mmmmmm, what shall I have for dessert
Reviewed: 03 February 2015 by playfulnpretty, a Bisexual Married Female
I originally bought this item for a weekend away, where I teamed it with the 'Fever Male Stripper Kit' for a twist on the 'normal' French maid scenario (see my review "Room Service? Yes, please!)
They're much more use, though, at home, where if I've had a long shift at work, hubby treats me to a nice dinner, served wearing nothing but these and a tea towel!
I'm not sure if his cooking's improving or not - but somehow dinner just tastes better these days for some reason! hehehe
- Pros
- What's not to like... service with a 'smile'. :D
- Cons
- Looks and works better with the Fever Male Stripper Kit.
- Bottom line
- Sexy!
- Was this review helpful to you? Yes
Bit of fun and a great item
Reviewed: 23 April 2012 by igmmgi, a Straight Engaged Male
It is comfortable to wear but was little bit small when you have erection. It is good for the situation games, for example in the kitchen to serve the meal :)
If you would like some fun you should buy it...
My girlfriend likes it she laughs a lot.
Good value for money.
- Pros
- Funny thong, good fit, nice material.
- Cons
- It is not enough big when you have erection.
- Bottom line
- Bit of fun and great item.
- Was this review helpful to you? Yes
Order by:
Good fun
Reviewed: 19 May 2014 by jade2512, a Straight Engaged Female
Bought as a surprise for my OH he loved it.
I bought with a bow tie and cuffs. It's good quality material that feels nice and doesn't look tacky. He had plenty of room to grow and have my hand in there too. It's a good piece to buy if you fancy a smile and something good to look at.
Why should men only get viewing pleasure?
- Pros
- Good quality.
- Cons
- Nothing.
- Bottom line
- Great gift.
- Was this review helpful to you? Yes
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text:
Rattle Them Bones - Vinyl Record
- Product Code:
- Label/Make:
- Savoy
- Genre/Model:
- Rock
- Description:
- Vinyl LP - Sealed
- 795041791313
- Description
- Track Listing
- Reviews
- Glossary
2. Diga Diga Do
3. The Jitters
4. Let It Roll Again
5. It Only Took A Kiss
6. She's Always Right (I'm Never Wrong)
7. Why Me?
8. Devil's Dance
9. It s Lonely At The Top
10. Still In The Mood
11. Gimme That Wine
12. 5-10-15 Times
There are no reviews for this product.
Vinyl records are able to capture the purest quality of recorded music in true form. This is possible because the initial recording is captured on an analog source (usually tape) for the ultimate in High Fidelity sound, it is then pressed onto virgin vinyl. Analog recordings capture the bottom end (or bass) while adding sweetness to the high end (or treble) better than any digital recording ever could. Analog systems are still commonly used before they are digitally transferred to CD. This means that the sound then is altered in the transfer process when CD's are produced. The word fidelity means accuracy and faithfulness. High Fidelity sound is faithful to the original sound made by the artist, capturing maximum accuracy of what was intended for the listener to hear. Vinyl records capture those sounds for the ultimate High Fidelity listening experience!
180/200 GRAM Vinyl LP
These vinyl records are produced with 180 or 200 grams of high definition premium grade virgin vinyl. This is a higher quality audiophile pressing than the typical vinyl record of 100-120 grams. These limited edition LP's are manufactured with the hi-fi enthusiast in mind. A 180 or 200 gram LP is sometimes also referred to as an audiophile pressing, there is a higher bass response and an even warmer High Fidelity sound. 180 or 200 grams LP's are typically manufactured in limited amounts and are considered collectables, commanding a higher price.
Typically, a vinyl reissue is a repressing of an original LP, usually extracted from the recording's master-tapes. In some cases, reissues are remastered to lower surface noise and improve overall sonics. Reissues help preserve the music of an original recording, especially when original LPs become unavailable or can no longer be found. Reissues can be pressed on a variety of thickness from 150 gram to 200 gram and offer a great opportunity for records collectors to own many classic recordings.
Customers who bought Rattle Them Bones, also bought:
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text:
In the Matter of NICKOLAS KEMMONTAE
LONG, Minor.
December 16, 2004
v No. 253480
Oakland Circuit Court
Family Division
LC No. 02-666912-NA
Before: Murphy, P.J., and White and Kelly, JJ.
Respondent-appellant appeals as of right the trial court order terminating her parental
rights to the minor child pursuant to MCL 712A.19b(3)(c)(i), (g), and (j). This case is being
decided without oral argument pursuant to MCR 7.214(E). We affirm.
The trial court did not clearly err in determining that the statutory grounds had been
established by clear and convincing evidence. In re Trejo Minors, 462 Mich 341, 356-357; 612
NW2d 407 (2000); In re McIntyre, 192 Mich App 47, 50; 480 NW2d 293 (1991). This case
commenced after respondent-appellant left the minor child, then aged three, alone with his half-
brother, then aged 13½, for three days while she was on a substance abuse binge. The minor
child was taken into temporary care, and respondent-appellant entered into a parent-agency
agreement that focused on her substance abuse. Other issues she needed to address included
counseling, parenting classes, employment, and stable housing. Respondent-appellant complied
with some of the conditions of the parent-agency agreement but failed to adequately address the
substance abuse issue, claiming that she needed more help although she did not avail herself of
the services provided to her. The trial court made it clear over the course of the proceedings that
addressing her substance abuse needed to be respondent-appellant?s priority. However, after a
period of time, she stopped attending counseling sessions, stopped providing drug screens, and
even stopped visiting the minor child. Respondent-appellant did not even attend the termination
trial. These failures, along with the evidence reflecting that respondent-appellant was dismissed
from a work program for failure to show, never provided proof of housing, and admitted that she
could not care for the minor child, lead us to conclude that the trial court did not clearly err in
finding that the statutory grounds for termination of respondent-appellant?s parental rights had
been established. The trial court did not place undue emphasis on respondent-appellant?s
noncompliance with the parent-agency agreement but focused on respondent-appellant?s lack of
follow through in addressing her substance abuse issues and her plea for additional help despite
not participating in all of the services offered to her.
Furthermore, the evidence did not show that termination of respondent-appellant?s
parental rights was not in the best interests of the minor child. MCL 712A.19b(5). Although
there was a bond between respondent-appellant and the minor child, it had been a year and a half
since the minor child was taken into care at age three. The court appropriately focused on the
fact that the minor child needed permanency and respondent-appellant was unable to show long-
term consistency in order to effectively parent the child.
/s/ William B. Murphy
/s/ Helene N. White
/s/ Kirsten Frank Kelly


text:
OHSU's Finest: Ranking the Doernbecher Jordans
November 20, 2014 BY Patrick Johnson / 3.98 / 5
We're currently three days out until this year's crop of Doernbecher Freestyle Nike silhouettes arrive. Of course, the annual Jordan retro is at the forefront as the most c...Read More
Sneaker Con Chicago – October 2014 On-Feet Recap – Part 1
October 27, 2014 BY Patrick Johnson / 3.58 / 5
Sneaker Con's stops in Chicago are always special, as the Midwestern crowd always brings out some unexpected heat every time the traveling sneaker show rolls through Broadway Par...Read More
Sneaker Con Miami May 2014 On-Feet Recap – Part 2
May 27, 2014 BY Patrick Johnson / 0 / 5
Two Heat victories and a Sneaker Con had Miami feeling all sorts of love this past weekend. There was plenty of LeBron representation by the looks of things ranging from his greatest h...Read More
- $319.99 BUY IT NOW 2hr 47mins
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Releasing This Weekend: November 23rd, 2013
November 22, 2013 BY Brendan Dunne / 5 / 5
Alright so you know about all the Doernbecher Nikes hitting tomorrow-but don't forget about the other releases that are scattered in for the busy Saturday. The Air Jordan 28 SE w...Read More
Nike Doernbecher Freestyle 2013 Collection – Release Reminder
November 22, 2013 BY Brendan Dunne / 0 / 5
There's more to this year's Doernbecher Nikes than just the Nike Air Foamposite One and the Air Jordan 10. Also coming out tomorrow is the rest of the collection, which inc...Read More
Air Jordan 10 "Doernbecher" – Release Reminder
November 22, 2013 BY Brendan Dunne / 0 / 5
The Air Jordan 10 "Doernbecher" will release tomorrow, November 23rd. This year has been way more prolific than most in terms of Air Jordans with the Doernbecher treatment-...Read More
Air Jordan 10 "Doernbecher" – Official Image
November 21, 2013 BY Brendan Dunne / 0 / 5
While you're huddled over your computer screen/smart phone hotly anticipating those tweets from official Nike channels announcing that this year's Doernbecher sneakers are ...Read More
Nike Doernbecher 2013 Collection – Pricing Info
November 8, 2013 BY Brendan Dunne / 0 / 5
You can now get a full look at the pricing info and style codes for each of the 2013 Nike Doernbecher sneakers. To nobody's surprise the Nike Air Foamposite One "Doernbeche...Read More
Air Jordan 10 "Doernbecher"
October 9, 2013 BY Brendan Dunne / 0 / 5
Right after Jordan Brand satisfies the OG set with this weekend's Air Jordan 10 "Steel", they'll be taking part in this year's Doernbecher Freestyle colle...Read More
Nike Doernbecher Freestyle 10th Anniversary Collection
September 29, 2013 BY Brendan Dunne / 0 / 5
You already saw the Air Jordan 10 "Doernbecher" and the Nike Air Foamposite One "Doernbecher", but keep in mind that there are a bunch more sneakers and stories...Read More
Doernbecher x Air Jordan 10 by Daniel Pena
September 28, 2013 BY Brendan Dunne / 5 / 5
It appears that 2013 will have not one but two Air Jordan Doernbecher editions. Next up is the Air Jordan 10 from Daniel Pena, a sneaker that fortunately takes advantage of the liberti...Read More


text: In an ongoing effort to cut our monthly expenses we've gotten rid of our cable tv and the house phone. To top it off we don't have any converter boxes! So far so good. The kids are not really missing it yet.....they can watch the few shows that they really enjoy online and they ahve tons of online games they like. The quiet is amazing! Just knowing the tv won't be on makes it quieter. We've been heading outdoors in the evenings after supper and watching the kids play for a bit. The only problem is I hand quilt at night when we watch tv! Now I have to get a new routine in place! So far by turning these two off I'm saving $70 a month! We all have a cell phone so we didn't really use the house phone anyway.


text:
A SUPERMARKET has officially opened a new community room to give local groups space to meet.
Pat Glass MP and store manager Gary Ewart cut the ribbon to unveil the new community room at the Tesco Extra store on Genesis Way in Consett.
The space, offered by only four Tesco stores across the country at present, is designed to give local organisations, church and community groups a place to use.
Loading article content
Groups can apply to use the room free of charge, with a kitchen area and even computers made available.
Among the first organisations to use the room is a local breastfeeding support group.
Mr Ewart said: "Having worked at the previous Tesco in Delves Lane for the past three years I have always been impressed by the community spirit here in Consett and the impressive amount of charity work undertaken by local people.
"We are pleased to open our community room and in turn give something back to the community. I am sure it will be well supported and well used."
Pat Glass added: "It is expensive for community groups to pay for room hire locally and we know times are tough.
"We need community champions and it is fantastic to see Tesco investing in the local community".


text:
ChinaFAQs: An Intense Push for Energy Efficiency
Key Points
- Although a dominant image of China's economic boom has been billowing smokestacks from burning coal, its efforts to increase energy efficiency are noteworthy.
- China is on track to meet a goal of reducing national energy intensity by 20% by 2010. This target, set in 2005, is the cornerstone of a set of policies to cut energy and emissions growth.
- As a direct result of policies, greenhouse gas emissions are measurably lower today than under the "business as usual" scenario. These gains suggest that real progress is possible in the future.
National Energy Efficiency Targets and Policies in China
Over the past few years, China has been pursuing one of the world's most ambitious programs to improve energy efficiency.
The effort, launched in 2005, was prompted by warnings that changes in China's economy were rapidly undoing the effects of policies that had previously led to improvement in national energy efficiency.i Between 1980 and 2000, China's economy quadrupled in size while energy consumption had only doubled, a sign of continually improving energy efficiency.ii
Yet, in the early 2000s, an array of factors — including fast growth in exports and heavy industries — began to reverse the trend of efficiency gains. Overall energy use, air pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions soared.
In 2005, China's leaders formally recognized that the reversal posed a serious problem, and issued a high-level directive: a mandatory goal to reduce by 20% the energy intensity (energy consumption per unit GDP) of China's economy by 2010.iii Only by lowering the amount of energy required for economic output, China's leaders decided, could investment from capital-intensive energy supply products be devoted to more balanced, environmentally favorable, and sustainable economic growth.
Reducing Energy Intensity Growth: 20% by 2010
The initiative launched an array of energy saving efforts, some echoing the measures that produced the economy-wide efficiency gains of the 1980s and 1990s. This time, however, changes in China's economy and political culture often restrained the central government's ability to simply order curbs in energy demand. Instead, officials turned to policies that included both "sticks" and "carrots," ranging from new regulations and taxes to incentive programs for companies that reduced energy use (see ChinaFAQs: Efficiency, A Thousand Companies at a Time).
The new efficiency push has paid off. In 2006, China's energy intensity decreased by 1.8%—the first improvement since 2001.iv That gain in energy intensity was followed in 2007 by a 4% improvement and, in 2008, by a further reduction of 4.6%. Preliminary statistics suggests efficiency gains could be even greater in 2009.v
China appears to be on track to meet its 20% reduction target for 2010, which would reduce warming emissions by some 1.5 billion metric tons of CO2.vi This reduction is approximately equal to the total annual CO2 emissions of Texas, California, Florida, and Ohio combined.vii By any measure, China's reductions are massive and may be the largest national mitigation effort currently underway globally.viii
For further reading:
China FAQs: "Efficiency, A Thousand Companies at a Time" (WRI, 2009); Levine et al., "The Greening of the Middle Kingdom" (LBNL, 2009); and Lin et al., "Achieving China's Target for Energy Intensity Reduction in 2010" (LBNL, 2006)
|Notes and References
|i Lin J., N. Zhou, M. Levine, and D. Fridley, "Taking out 1 billion tons of CO2: The magic of China's 11th Five-Year Plan?" Energy Policy 36 (2008), 945-970
|ii Lu, Y. 1993. Fueling One Billion: An Insider's View. London, U.K.: Paragon Press.
|iii China's National People's Congress. 2005. 11th Five-Year Development Program.
|iv Although this was below the level on track to reach a 20% reduction by 2010. Levine, MD., Zhou, N. , and Price, L. (Summer 2009), "The Greening of the Middle Kingdom: The Story of Energy Efficiency in China." The Bridge, National Academies of Engineering, Volume: 39, Number: 2
|v National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). 2009. "National and Provincial Development and Reform Commissions Held a Meeting on Resources Conservation and Environmental Protection in Xi'an, March 31, 2009." http://hzs.ndrc.gov.cn/newgzdt/t20090331_270198.htm
|vi The reductions are relative to a base case with 2005 energy intensity. Levine et al. (2009), "Greening of the Middle Kingdom."
|viiBased on annual totals for 2005. Climate Analysis Indicators Tool (CAIT US) version 3.0. (Washington, DC: World Resources Institute, 2009). Available at http://cait.wri.org.
|viii Lin J., N. Zhou, M. Levine, and D. Fridley, "Taking out 1 billion tons of CO2: The magic of China's 11th Five-Year Plan?" Energy Policy 36 (2008), 945-970
Expert Blog Posts
Experts In the News
A study co-authored by Valerie Karplus says that with reforms, wind-generated electricity could account for up to three quarters of China's target of supplying 20 percent of primary energy demand with non-fossil fuel sources by 2030 in "This is how composicion de la viagra China can live up to its huge wind energy potential" The Washington Post
- Nathaniel Aden , World Resources Institute
- Joshua Busby , Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs
- Edward Cunningham , Boston University
- Erica Downs , Eurasia Group
- Meredydd Evans , Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
- Barbara Finamore , Natural Resources Defense Council
- Jerry Fletcher , West Virginia University
- Carla Freeman , Johns Hopkins SAIS
- David Fridley , Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
- Kelly Sims Gallagher , Tufts University
- Banning Garrett , Singularity University
- Kate Gordon , The Paulson Institute
- Melanie Hart , Center for American Progress
- Mikkal Herberg , The National Bureau of Asian Research
- Isabel Hilton , Chinadialogue
- Trevor Houser , Peterson Institute for International Economics
- S.T. Hsieh , Tulane University
- Angel Hsu , Yale Center for Environment and Policy
- Daniel Kammen , University of California, Berkeley
- Robert Kapp , Robert A. Kapp and Associates
- Valerie Karplus , Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Albert Keidel , Atlantic Council
- David Kline , Citizens' Climate Lobby
- Bo Kong , University of Oklahoma College of International Studies
- Michael Levi , Council on Foreign Relations
- Mark Levine , Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
- Joanna Lewis , Georgetown University
- Kenneth Lieberthal , The Brookings Institution
- Haibing Ma , Worldwatch Institute
- Denise Mauzerall , Princeton University
- Mackay Miller , National Renewable Energy Laboratory
- Irving Mintzer , Potomac Energy Fund
- Jonathan Moch , Harvard University
- Clayton Munnings , Resources for the Future
- Jane Nakano , Center for Strategic and International Studies
- Chris Nielsen , Harvard University
- Rose Niu , The Paulson Institute
- Stephanie Ohshita , Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
- Huei Peng , University of Michigan
- Lynn Price , Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
- David Pumphrey , Center for Strategic and International Studies
- JingJing Qian , Natural Resources Defense Council
- Rod Quinn , Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
- Luke Schoen , Tsinghua-Berkeley Inter-University Program
- Deborah Seligsohn , UCSD
- Monisha Shah , National Renewable Energy Laboratory
- Bo Shen , Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
- Ranping Song , World Resources Institute
- Edward Steinfeld , Brown University
- Jennifer Turner , Woodrow Wilson Center
- Alex Wang , UCLA School of Law
- Elizabeth Wilson , University of Minnesota
- Julian Wong , Green Leap Forward
- Ailun Yang , World Resources Institute
- Zhang Xiaoquan , The Nature Conservancy
- Nan Zhou , Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
Data Sources
BP Statistical Review of World Energy
Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (ORNL)
China Energy Databook (LBNL)
Key China Energy Statistics 2011 (LBNL)
Climate Analysis Indicator Tool (CAIT)
Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR)
Energy Information Administration (EIA)
International Energy Agency (IEA)
The World Bank
UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)


text:
April 17, 2013 BY Brendan Dunne
The WMNS category is getting a little bit of collab love from New Balance in the form of this 996 pair. The sneaker was whipped up by the Beauty & Youth folks, who have been hard at work with a ton of collabs from all over the sneaker world as of late. The ladies colorway is a being/pink/gold affair, one that keeps branding on the insoles in typical, lowkey New Balance fashion. See the full shots right after the jump and lookout for this gold tinted NB pair at stores like Hanon this Saturday, April 20th. Also, stay tuned in case they make their way to US shops.
Filed under: Collaboration New Balance Upcoming Sneakers WMNS


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(Recasts with context, adds background)
PANAMA CITY, June 25 (Reuters) - Panama's economy grew in April at its slowest pace in more than four years, the government said on Wednesday, hit by a construction workers strike and the end of public work projects.
Panama's economy grew at a 2.74 percent rate in April compared to the same period a year earlier, when it expanded by 10.41 percent. The April growth rate was the lowest since January 2010.
Construction output was hit by a strike that halted progress on a multibillion-dollar expansion of the Panama Canal as well as at hundreds of other building sites.
The conclusion of other public works projects in recent months also cut into demand for building materials such as cement.
The Panama Canal expansion was originally set to be finished this year, but was delayed after a spat between contractors and the authority in charge early this year.
Panama, with a population of about 3.7 million, has seen its economy growing at an average annual rate of 8.5 percent over the past five years, boosted by $15 billion worth of infrastructure projects. (Reporting by Elida Moreno; Editing by Paul Simao)


text: This document is from our Archive and no action should be taken in reliance on it without specific legal advice. Prev Publications Next Issue Issue 7 - Winter 2008 Date 12 March 2008 First Person Issue 7 - Winter 2008 Welcome to the seventh issue of First Person, Mishcon de Reya's regular briefing for private clients and their advisers. In this issue we examine a high profile divorce case that appeared in the media last year, summarise the benefits of mediation as a method of dispute resolution and provide an overview of checks that should be carried out when purchasing art. Many other topics are covered and we hope you find them interesting. View HTML version Services Art Law Family Immigration Mishcon Private Tax People Andrew Goldstone Mark Keenan Tony Morton-Hooper Barbara Reeves Karen Sanig


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Facebook Should Have Stayed in Boston, and Other Quotable Moments from Y Combinator's Startup School
(Page 2 of 3)
taken the Internet in a different direction. You would have enabled a whole bunch of things like gaming and commerce a lot earlier."
James Lindenbaum admitted that Heroku was initially skeptical about the 2010 acquisition offer from Marc Benioff at Salesforce.com. "We had received a lot of acquisition offers, [because] we were one of the only [Platform as a Service] companies that had developer loyalty and scale, so we were kind of desensitized," Lindenbaum said. "Salesforce.com's marketing tactics were the exact opposite of ours. We wanted to show, not tell, not hype. But Salesforce.com believed in the cloud long before it was called that, and the more we thought about it, the more we realized why we wanted to do this. Money is great, and we like money, but if we wanted to alter the path of history and change the way software development is done, we had the opportunity to use Salesforce.com's megaphone to advance our philosophy."
James Goetz from Sequoia Capital said that the first products from now-legendary Silicon Valley executives like Sandy Lerner and Len Bosack (the founders of Cisco), Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn) and Omar Hamoui (AdMob) were all a little rinky-dink, but that these entrepreneurs persisted. "The common thread is that these were all sketchy misfits, unknowns, who all focused on [solving] personal pain points and were all willing to put something out early and iterate. So rather than become intimidated by all these icons, I hope you walk out of here amped to become an entrepreneur, or at least join a company on your path to becoming an entrepreneur."
Ashton Kutcher, currently the co-star of ABC's "Two and a Half Men," said he's worried that there are too many young Mark Zuckerberg wannabes in Silicon Valley. "I see a lot of entrepreneurs who come in and jump from the problem they're trying to solve to what they're going to get by solving the problem. They have this idea that 'The market cap is this and we're going to make this much money and it's going to be a billion dollar company,'" the actor said. "I have this red flag that goes up that says, 'Wow, this guy wants to be Mark Zuckerberg.' This switch in my head shuts off as I hear this, because they are jumping to the effect. If you want to be a real entrepreneur, you have to be the creator of someone else's new reality. If you want to be Mark Zuckerberg, the best you are ever going to do is second place, because nobody can be a better Mark Zuckerberg than Mark Zuckerberg."
Mullenweg confessed that he built Akismet, Automattic's anti-spam system, in part because he didn't want his mom to have to spend 10 minutes deleting Viagra and Cialis spam every time she logged on to WordPress. "I convinced her to start a blog, which seems like a good thing, but at the time spam was a huge problem," Mullenweg said. "I said, I have to fix this spam thing before she starts blogging."
Pincus said Zynga doesn't launch a new game until it's sure that the experience for consumers will be like arriving at a great cocktail party. "We want it to be instantly social the minute you get there, without you doing any work," Pincus said. "So we use lots of data on the backend to understand how we are doing on socialness." Consumer's next chance to test how well Zynga is going on that score will come with the release of CastleVille, a Shrek-inspired game set in a medieval cartoon world. "Every new game we launch is funded like a startup— it's not funded until we have conviction," Pincus added.
Zuckerberg said that in almost every area, from hiring to product innovation, Facebook tries to strike a balance between moving too quickly and moving too slowly. "You want to make mistakes evenly on both sides," he said. "Most companies move too slowly because they are afraid of making mistakes. But at every all-hands at Facebook, I say that the biggest risk is not taking any risk." Zuckerberg also said that the failed acquisition talks between Facebook and Yahoo back in 2006 were a critical turning point for the company. "I learned a lot about the team, and turned over a lot of the team, after that," he said. "Selling for hundreds of millions was not what I was in it for. I wanted people who were … Next Page »
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(View PDF Version of Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee Members)
CHAIRMANJason CumminsHead of Economic ResearchBrevan Howard1776 I Street NWWashington, DC 20006
VICE CHAIRMANStuart SpodekManaging DirectorBlackRock55 East 52nd StreetNew York, NY 10055
Terrence M. BeltonManaging DirectorJPMorgan Chase270 Park AvenueNew York, NY 10017
Gregory DavisPrincipal, Global Head of Fixed IncomeVanguard200 Vanguard BoulevardMalvern, PA 19355
Daniel L. DufresneManaging Director, Global TreasurerCitadel LLC131 South Dearborn StreetChicago, Illinois 60603David GreenlawMD, US Trading Desk EconomistMorgan Stanley1585 BroadwayNew York, NY 10036
Elizabeth M. HammackGlobal Head of Short Term Interest Rate TradingGoldman, Sachs & Co.200 West StreetNew York, NY 10282Christine HurtsellersCEOVoya Investment Management5780 Powers Ferry Road NWAtlanta, GA 30327Carey LathropManaging Director, Global Head of Credit MarketsCitigroup390 Greenwich StreetNew York, NY 10013
Michael LillardChief Investment OfficerPGIM Fixed Income655 Broad StreetNewark, NJ 07102
Michelle Neal Chief Executive Officer, Markets BNY Mellon101 Barclay Street New York, NY 10286Ajay RajadhyakshaManaging Director, Head of Macro ResearchBarclays745 Seventh AvenueNew York NY 10019Brian P. SackDirector of Global EconomicsD. E. Shaw & Co., L.P.1166 Avenue of the AmericasNew York, NY 10036Irene TseChief Investment OfficerTse Capital Management40 West 57th StreetNew York, NY 10025Mihir WorahManaging DirectorPIMCO650 Newport Center DriveNewport Beach, CA 92660


text: Ok, this has really got me, I have ran VAG-COM but no errors, replaced battery, check i have a spark on all plugs, fuel is going in, but car just turns on starter and makes no effort to ignite. does anyone know if the car runs or starts, albiet rough, if you disconnect the Air flow sensor? I can vag-com the ecu, no errors, does this mean the ecu is ok, or should i suspect this still? are there any immobiliser issues known on the a4's? the car is a 98 a4 1.8T cheers


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David Fincher Met With Lucasfilm About Directing 'Star Wars: Episode 7′
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away (AKA, a few years ago), David Fincher was courted to direct 'Star Wars: Episode 7.' We know how that turned out: J.J. Abrams ultimately landed the job and Fincher went on to direct an adaptation of Gillian Flynn's 'Gone Girl.' However, in the world of trivia, this has got to be one of the most interesting near-misses in blockbuster history.
'SNL': Chris Pratt and Aidy Bryant Share a "Booty Rap"
If you went to some kind of comedy university, there would probably be an entire class available on the subject of how awkward white people rapping is inherently pretty funny but difficult to pull off without feeling too hacky. Whether or not 'SNL' pulled it off with last night's "Booty Rap" sketch is something we'll let you decide, but at least guest host Chris Pratt and the always reliable Aidy Bryant attack their material with gusto.
Weekend Box Office Report: 'The Equalizer' Triumphs While 'The Boxtrolls' Underperforms
When you put Denzel Washington in an action movie, you've written your meal ticket for the foreseeable future. Few actors are as consistent as Washington with their opening weekends, even when the project looks like something everyone has seen countless times before...
'SNL' Creates a Very Special Episode of Your Favorite '90s Sitcom
As is often the case, the weirdest sketch from last night's 'SNL' season premiere was easily the funniest in the entire show. The latest in Beck Bennett and Kyle Mooney's series of truly strange sketches and shorts, the scene is an exacting parody of lousy '90s television that sidesteps all obvious jokes in favor of making fun of a very specific kind of TV show.
'SNL' and Chris Pratt Tackle the NFL's Recent Problems and Scores a Comedy Touchdown
You don't have to be a sports fan to know that the NFL has come under fire in recent weeks for how it has handled (or failed to handle) its players committing all kinds of heinous crimes. Although this is a very serious matter that has football fans deeply troubled and concerned about the future of their favorite sport, it's certainly not above satire, which is where 'SNL' comes in.
'SNL' and Chris Pratt Create Their Own Marvel Movie Trailer
When you have 'Guardians of the Galaxy' star Chris Pratt guest hosting your season premiere of 'SNL,' you find time for a Marvel sketch. Much like how the show poked fun at 'The Avengers' when Jeremy Renner hosted, this episode found a very game Pratt participating in an amusing fake movie trailer that not only made fun of his space opera blockbuster, but Marvel Studios in general.
Weekend Box Office Report: 'The Maze Runner' Outpaces Liam Neeson's 'A Walk Among the Tombstones'
Young adult movies are big business. 'The Maze Runner' took over the box office this weekend, proving that the audience for films were young people in science fiction dystopias are forced into violent and terrible predicaments extends beyond the 'Hunger Games' franchise.
TNT Secures TV Rights to 'Avengers 2′ and Four Future Marvel Movies
If you thought studios securing release dates years in advance for movies that don't even have titles yet was crazy, you haven't seen anything yet. Now, television networks are now buying the rights to air those untitled movies years before they're even released in theaters. Specifically, TNT has signed on the dotted line with Marvel Studios to air the next five Marvel movies, which includes 'Avengers 2,' 'Captain America 3,' 'Ant-Man' and, um, two others.
'King Kong' Prequel 'Skull Island' Nabs Tom Hiddleston and Jordan Vogt-Roberts as Director
The reveal of Legendary Pictures' 'Skull Island' was one of the few genuine surprises of this year's Comic-Con. The studio already had a teaser for the film set on the infamous island inhabited by King Kong, dinosaurs and other terrifying monsters, but it was lacking just about everything else. Now, those gaps are starting to get filled: Jordan Vogt-Roberts has signed on to direct, Tom Hiddleston will star, and the film itself will hit theaters on November 4, 2016.
The 'Batman vs. Superman' Batmobile Was Stolen…By a Stormtrooper
A pretty wacky rumor sprung up over the weekend. It seems that, according to certain sources, the Batmobile from 'Batman vs Superman' had been stolen from the set, which meant that some car thief was driving around Detroit in their brand new tank. The rumor was quickly put to rest, but not before director Zack Snyder was able to joke about it.


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Scorsese's `Casino' Comes Up Broke
Published 4:00 am, Friday, May 24, 1996
CASINO: Drama. Starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Sharon Stone. Directed by Martin Scorsese. (R. 180 minutes.)
'Casino" is about as weak a film as can be imagined from the team of director Martin Scorsese and actors Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci.
This is not to say that the picture, now on video, is flat-out terrible. The scene in which Joe Pesci explodes into a rage and stabs a guy to death with a ballpoint pen has its appeal. So do the confrontations between Pesci's "made guy" and De Niro's Vegas casino honcho.
But even the best De Niro-Pesci scenes in "Casino" only call to mind better ones in their other Scorsese films, "GoodFellas" and "Raging Bull." There is only one spot of freshness in "Casino," and that is, surprisingly, Sharon Stone. She plays Ginger, a former hooker turned glamorous hustler who becomes the wife of Ace Rothstein (De Niro). All the prerelease hype about Stone's performance turns out to have been accurate. Stone takes this woman from sparkling confidence to dissolution and disintegration, hitting every bump and ditch along the way.
But Stone is just one aspect of this huge, three-hour film, which, in essence, tries to tell the history of the mob in Las Vegas in the '70s. Go in interested and you may find your interest tested way past its limit. "Casino" is not about people, just Vegas. It's an ambitious film, but also a scattered, unfocused one.
To tell this sprawling story, Scorsese and co-writer Nicholas Pileggi rely on voice-over narration. But "rely" is too weak a word. They depend on it, slavishly. It's an audacious move, but so is jumping off a cliff.
Obviously, Scorsese has plenty he wants to tell us about Vegas and its customs. But he doesn't dramatize it. In "Casino" there's nothing to follow but gamblers and crooks knocking each other off. You care no more than you do reading about it in the newspaper.


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Budgeting for Managers
By: CIR Capacity for Africa
Lagos State, Nigeria
24 - 25 Oct, 2016 2 day
Instead of being left out, managers without background in finance can participate fully in budgeting decisions and exercises once they have completed this training course.
This two day training course teaches participants how to make reasoned financial decisions
Course content includes basic financial terminology, budget preparation techniques, tools such as ratio analysis, making good budget decisions, and more.
For Whom
For Budget Officers, Finance and Admin Managers, Internal Auditors, Divisional, Branch and Departmental Managers, and other Management Executives participating in Budgeting, Budgetary Control and Monitoring.
|Lagos Learning Center, 1A Unity Road, Ikeja
|Oct 24 - 25 Oct, 2016
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text: [Federal Register Volume 63, Number 228 (Friday, November 27, 1998)] [Proposed Rules] [Page 65566] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 98-31570] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Food and Drug Administration 21 CFR Part 807 [Docket No. 98N-0520] Medical Devices; Establishment Registration and Device Listing for Manufacturers and Distributors of Devices; Correction AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS. ACTION: Proposed rule; correction. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is correcting a proposed rule that appeared in the Federal Register of September 29, 1998 (63 FR 51874). The document proposed to amend certain regulations governing establishment registration and device listing by domestic distributors. The document was published with an error. This document corrects that error. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Walter W. Morgenstern, Center for Devices and Radiological Health (HFZ-305), Food and Drug Administration, 2094 Gaither Rd., Rockville, MD 20857, 301-594-4699. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In FR Doc. 98-25797 appearing on page 51874 in the Federal Register of September 29, 1998, the following correction is made: On page 51875, in the third column, amendatory paragraph four is corrected to read: 4. Section 807.20 is amended by revising paragraph (a)(4), by removing paragraph (c), by redesignating paragraph (d) as paragraph (c), and by adding paragraph (c)(3) to read as follows: * * * * * Dated: November 19, 1998. William K. Hubbard, Associate Commissioner for Policy Coordination. [FR Doc. 98-31570 Filed 11-25-98; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4160-01-F


text:
This is the property information request for the key selling points for business travellers for 2016.
The purpose of this form is to provide the BWA Sales Team with additional knowledge about your property from a corporate selling perspective. The BWA Sales Team will then use this information to assist in securing tenders and negotiating corporate business for your property.
The information you provide must to be valid for the period 1 January – 31 December 2016.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact the Sales Department at BWA Head Office +61 2 8913 3300 or email firstname.lastname@example.com.


text: Flicklizic 1067 Report post Posted April 2, 2013 (edited) Well, I'm building a game engine using directX10 and I need to discuss some ideas and conclusions. Some informations: - My game is something like diablo/torchlight style mixed with DotA, usign a third camera view from top to bottom. - Currently I'm using a quadtree to split the terrain and cut some unnecessary draw calls (frustum culling). - Each chunk of terrain has its own materials: 2 alpha textures, 8 diffuse textures and 8 normal textures, the alpha texture determine where I should use each texture (I use some logic to cut some unnecessary process at the pixel shader). - For lightning Im using the Light Pre-Pass system, so I render all the geometry 2 times (only normals first). - All the meshes are well stored and indexed, so when I need to draw the scene, first I look for all meshes of the same type, put all information from them into an Instance Buffer and then just do 1 draw call for them. 1) Just a conclusion, as I will always be facing almost the same number of triangles because Its a third camera view from the top to the bottom and the camera zoom is fixed (maybe a little zoom will be allowed but almost 99% there will be no zoom) I dont need to worry about LOD, correctly? 2) Now Im using some heightmaps to store the height for the vertices from each terrain, they are stored like a texture, this way Im getting +- 1Mb for each terrain chunk, but I need a better way to do this, just using the heightmap dont allow me to do things like this: - The terrain isnt continuous, to do this I need to store the x, y and z float information that is expensive...There is a bette way do archive the same result? 3) They use alot of meshes or just bump/parallax occlusion techniques? -Look to the ground -Ground too 4) A quad tree still is a good idea for this or there is a better way? 5) Each time that I need to load an assert I load it using virtual memory, this is correctly? (all my assert data (texture, meshes, etc) are edited custom file types). Sorry for my bad english, tutorials, books and examples are welcome too! Edited April 2, 2013 by Flicklizic 0 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


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Officials outline Dungeness septic options, costs
By Joe Smillie
Peninsula Daily News
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Options for replacing the current septic systems range in cost from $13 million to $25 million, Damon McAlister with the Parametrix engineering firm of Bremerton — which has developed a draft Dungeness Wastewater Treatment Feasibility Study — told landowners at a meeting at the Dungeness Schoolhouse on Saturday morning.
Ann Soule with the Clallam County Environmental Health Department said the county was awarded a grant from the state Department of Ecology last year to develop a plan to improve the quality of Dungeness Bay's water.
The goal is to come up with a plan that would treat sewage from the north shore neighborhoods to a level that would reduce fecal coliform contamination, improve habitat for salmonids and allow the bay to be reopened to shellfishing.
"This is the kind of search for an elegant solution to a problem that I just love," Clallam County Commissioner Jim McEntire said after the meeting.
The county says on its website, http://tinyurl.com/brwwrjq, that microbial source tracking in the Dungeness Bay shellfish growing area adjacent to this community — portions of which are closed for commercial harvest — "shows that human waste is a contributor to water quality degradation."
It also says that failing to deal with septic system problems could lead to lower property values.
McAlister presented a handful of landowners and officials in attendance Saturday with four options: replace aging septic tanks with more modern systems; install smaller sewer systems for clusters of houses; have a large, centralized system to collect and treat wastewater; or develop a central collection system that would pump the sewage to Sequim for treatment.
"Each has its pros and cons," McAlister said.
"What we're trying to determine is what would provide the most benefit for the least cost."
McAlister's presentation Saturday listed a range of prices from a low of $13 million for new septic systems for each lot all the way up to $25 million, which would be the cost for the central collection and treatment option.
Treated water must come out as a Class A effluent, McAlister said, which means it would be suitable to irrigate land but will not be consumed by humans.
Unless a grant is acquired to help pay for the construction, the cost of the upgraded sewer system would be borne by land owners.
The most expensive option would mean the average cost to lot owners would be up to $46,860.
Matt Heins of Dungeness Farms, though, noted the cost could be factored based on lot size or other figures that would require larger lot owners, like him, to pay more.
He said the cost would be worth it, however.
Dungeness Farms would eventually be able to use a commercial shellfish license it hasn't been able to use for 15 years because of the pollution in the bay, he said.
The Clallam County health department held a pair of public hearings on the sewage dilemma last year, collecting surveys from residents who said improving the quality of the Dungeness Bay was their top priority.
Another public hearing probably will be held in March before a final draft of the feasibility study is presented to Clallam County commissioners later this year, county personnel said.
See the county website for the draft feasibility study.
Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Joe Smillie can be reached at 360-681-2390, ext. 5052, or at email@example.com.
Last modified: February 10. 2013 5:52PM


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Verse 4. Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me. The enemies of David were cunning as well as mighty; if they could not conquer him by power, they would capture him by craft. Our own spiritual foes are of the same order -- they are of the serpent's brood, and seek to ensnare us by their guile. The prayer before us supposes the possibility of the believer being caught like a bird; and, indeed, we are so foolish that this often happens. So deftly does the fowler do his work that simple ones are soon surrounded by it. The text asks that even out of the meshes of the net the captive one may be delivered; and this is a proper petition, and one which can be granted; from between the jaws of the lion and out of the belly of hell can eternal love rescue the saint. It may need a sharp pull to save a soul from the net of temptation, and a mighty pull to extricate a man from the snares of malicious cunning, but the Lord is equal to every emergency, and the most skilfully placed nets of the hunter shall never be able to hold his chosen ones. Woe unto those who are so clever at net laying: they who tempt others shall be destroyed themselves. Villains who lay traps in secret shall be punished in public. For thou art my strength. What an inexpressible sweetness is to be found in these few words! How joyfully may we enter upon labours, and how cheerfully may we endure sufferings when we can lay hold upon celestial power. Divine power will rend asunder all the toils of the foe, confound their politics and frustrate their knavish tricks; he is a happy man who has such matchless might engaged upon his side. Our own strength would be of little service when embarrassed in the nets of base cunning, but the Lord's strength is ever available; we have but to invoke it, and we shall find it near at hand. If by faith we are depending alone upon the strength of the strong God of Israel, we may use our holy reliance as a plea in supplication.
Verse 4. Pull me out of the net: that noted net, as the Hebrew hath it. John Trapp.
Verse 4. Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me. By these words, he intimates that his enemies did not only by open force come against him, but by cunning and policy attempted to circumvent him, as when they put him on, as Saul instructed them, to be the king's son-in-law, and to this end set him on to get two hundred foreskins of the Philistines for a dowry, under a pretence of goodwill, seeking his ruin; and when wait also was laid for him to kill him in his house. But he trusted in God, and prayed to be delivered, if there should be any the like enterprise against him hereafter. John Mayer.
Verse 4. For thou art my strength. Omnipotence cuts the net which policy weaves. When we poor puny things are in the net, God is not. In the old fable the mouse set free the lion, here the lion liberates the mouse. C. H. S.
Verse 4. The rescue of the ensnared.
- The fowlers.
- The laying of the net.
- The capture of the bird.
- The cry of the captive.
- The rescue.
Verse 4. (last clause). The weak one girt with omnipotence.


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My Nonprofit Reviews
Review for Starfish Foundation Inc, Milwaukee, WI, USA
I have seen the results of the work that the Starfish foundation does for others and I can honestly say that this organization changes the world. They make it possible for military veterans, sexual abuse survivors, and others who have faced trauma in their lives to begin their healing process. It is because of this organization that hearts are healing and the world is a safer place. Bless all of you!
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I actually went ahead and tried the big one as well, since the colors were so bold. It took me about 45 minutes, but I enjoyed it. Thanks for both.
Loved this puzzle, thanks!
I found the small one. Thank you so much.
If possible, I'd love to have this at about 80 pieces. Thanks.


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Life forms that produced oxygen appeared on Earth at least 60 million years earlier than previously thought, according to a study by scientists at Trinity College Dublin.
The organisms were responsible for adding oxygen to our atmosphere, laying the building blocks for the evolution of more complex life forms.
It was previously thought that such oxygen emitting organisms only became present here around three billion years ago.
However, while studying the patterns of chemical weathering, preserved in ancient soil found in India, geologists at Trinity College discovered that oxygen had been present at the time at elevated levels.
Such quantities of oxygen could only have been produced by organisms that convert light and carbon dioxide to water and oxygen through photosynthesis.
By using complex dating techniques they were able to determine that the soil was formed in the presence of the gas around 3.02 billion years ago, 60 million years earlier than previously thought.
The research, published in the journal Geology, is important because the spread of oxygen producing organisms was vitally important to the evolution of multi-cellular life on the planet.
The study shows that the evolutionary process began earlier than previously thought, after a short lived pulse of atmospheric oxygenation.


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You are currently browsing the tag archive for the 'Paul Strubeck' tag.
This is the third of three digressions before getting on with the account of my trip west.
The saga of SS Binghamton started in 1904,
and I last saw it from land on January 6, 2017, when demolition was said to have started. Demolition had started but defined as "asbestos abatement" by the alien looking figures clustered near the tender and the stack.
As a relative newcomer in the sixth boro, I first set foot on the ferry in 2011, when some thought a chance still existed to save her or parts of her. I've also been holding off doing this post in hopes that more photos of the demolition process would surface. I hope I can still do another post if such photos emerge. I would have been there, but I was on my trip west.
The next two photos I took on July 16 from the water, the last it turns out.
Paul Strubeck took the photo below as he passed by about 10 days later when the stack had just been removed . . . as in a decapitation.
Only a few days later, Glenn Raymo took the next two shots from the Walkway over the Hudson, rubble going up the river.
Here's a TV commercial once intended to attract patrons to the now gone restaurant.
Thanks to Paul and Glenn, more of whose work is available here.
Earlier this month gothamist.com ran an intriguing set of photos taken by Mr. Cushman. Here's his entire archive. Here's a good selection.
The warehouses on the opposite side of the river from red vessel below are the current location of Brooklyn Bridge Park. That makes the pier location a little south of piers 16 and 15. South Street Seaport Museum's boats today. Could that be Ollie, the stick lighter currently disintegrating in Verplanck?
I'm not sure what we're looking at here, but the Cushman identifies it as 1941. According to Paul Strubeck, it's likely an express lighter–a category of self-propelled vessel I was not aware of–possibly operated by Lee and Simmons Lighterage.
And finally . . I wish this photo–dated September 1940-– had been framed differently. Phillip's Foods is still around, although I've never eaten at any of their restaurants or if this is even the same company. Royal Clover . . . I can't find anything about that brand. And seeing all those cartons in Jeff and the barges, today there'd be a few containers and you'd have no idea of the contents.
You can search Cushman's archives here. I call these "fifth dimension" i.e., time added, photos.
For another treasure trove of photos of old New York harbor, click here.
aka GHP&W 5
You saw the tug Cornell moving Clearwater to the Rondout in this post in late October. But if you wondered how the Maine-built sloop was loaded, today's your lucky day. First, the truck comes to deliver the wood to support the keel on the barge before the
Travelift moves Clearwater. Along the left side of the photo, that's Norman's Kill near where it flows into the Hudson.
When the blocking is ready, the Travelift moves down the tracks alongside the "pit"
and final adjustments are made.
Jacks provide stability. Note the large green building in the background; that's Scarano Boat Building, where the Manhattans and many other vessels have been built.
Click here to see the 3m31 sec YouTube of the process of getting the loaded barge out of the pit for the southbound trip to the Rondout.
Many thanks to Paul Strubeck for these.
Here are previous posts with photos by Paul, who decks on Cornell,
which does most of its work on the Hudson. Deborah Quinn (1957) has been here several times, the first here.
Here's old and new side by side in Red Hook Erie Basin, Scotty Sky and Chandra B.
And some old boats together, Spooky, Pilot, and Gowanus Bay. Click here for one of my favorite sets of photos involving Gowanus Bay. Pilot and Spooky (as Scusset) both came off the ways in Wisconsin in spring 1941 as USACE vessels.
Evelyn Cutler first appeared on this blog as Melvin E. Lemmerhirt.
I don't know the story of the seaplane landing on the Rondout on the far side of Cornell, but soon I will be putting up a photo I took last weekend of a seaplane on the St. Lawrence.
It's that time of year, with hints of
the dark side.
Many thanks to Paul, who took all of these photos.
Safe travels.
Many thanks to Paul for this aerial photo, said to show tugboats idled by the strike that lasted the first half of the February 1946.
Here's the verso of the photo, in the case you read Spanish.
For more context of 1946 NYC, click here for a set of Todd Webb photos. If you have time for the 13-minute video at the end of that link, it's well-worth it also, especially for the quote attributed to O. Henry . . . calling NYC "Baghdad on the subway," which has a whole different set of connotations in 2015 as in O. Henry's day.
Click here for more 1946 sixth boro photos by Andreas Feininger.
And since we're stuck in 1946 for now, check out this Life article with drawings about a 1946 proposal to build a "first-world" airport (my quotes) along Manhattan's west side covering 9th Avenue to the water and between 24th and 71st!
I'm not going to count, but there must be dozens of posts here with photos from or some mention of Paul Strubeck. Here I'm pleased to dedicate a whole post to him in part because these photos make me see the sixth boro with new eyes. Enjoy. Cornell . . . by foggy night and compare to my photo from about the same day but at dawn here and scroll to the third photo. The location is the soon-to-open Brooklyn Barge Bar, where I'm eager to imbibe a sunset beer. Also in Paul's "roll" of film are
Pinuccia and Specialist mostly obscured,
Captain D ,
Nanticoke passing the East River Seaplane base,
an unobscured photo of Specialist,
Sea Robin secured to Sugar Express at the sugar plant in Yonkers,
James William,
and Foxy 3 pushing a Thornton barge, which
brings us back to a great photo of Cornell, which Paul used his special lens for.
All photos here are used with permission from Paul Strubeck. Thanks much, Paul.
Unrelated: Here's an East River seaplane photo I posted here many years ago. And a photo of Sugar Express towed south by a former fleet mate of Sea Robin.
Not Afrodite although Apollon is otherwise a twin.
This IS Afrodite. All the rest of these fotos are compliments of Paul Strubeck.
In this set of Paul's fotos, you may conclude that his conveyance is overtaking Afrodite, but I'm reversing the order as the vessel Afrodite–leaves the upper Hudson running towards sea and St. John.
Click here for the rest of the TCM (I'm not sure why the T-E- N) fleet.
This looks like Kathleen Turecamo and Frances assisting Afrodite out of the berth.
I took the first foto, but all the others I am grateful to Paul Strubeck for.
I'll 'fess up . . . this is the picture in my head when I think of Afrodite. And here is a former USN vessel by that same name!
You may once have ridden this vessel. Thirty months ago you could have made a bid on it. Eighteen months ago it was topheavy and listing. Two weeks ago Paul Strubeck caught this foto. Might you call it a major haircut.
Around the same time, Paul caught this vessel in Verplanck. That looks like Cornell to the left also. I don't know what Cormorant's future will be.
I caught Planetsolar on my way outatown, but bowsprite studied the first solar-powered circumnavigator up close and impersonal and shares these fotos.
Inside these caps are props. Click here and here to see the props.
Enjoy these views starting with this view looking forward along the portside and moving counterclockwise around the boat.
Click here for a compilation of clips taken over two years on Turanor PlanetSolar. And if you have 40 minutes to watch this video from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, you could like it. I especially liked the Singapore dry dock section beginning around 31 minutes in. And from yesterday's NYTimes, here's a story about the boat's current research mission.
Many thanks to Paul and bowsprite for these fotos.
Speaking of bowsprite . . . if you're local and free on Saturday, come down to Pier 25 where she has organized the craft market called Radio Lilac, named for the 1933 lighthouse tender there.
If anyone out there needs to be convinced of the beauty of the Hudson Valley less than 100 miles north of the big city, take a glance at this foto by Tim Hetrick showing tanker Icdas 11 escorted by a paparazzi savvy eagle.
The foto below shows sloop Clearwater in mid-June arriving at the music festival that shares the same name.
A minute or so earlier . . . Clearwater rounded the bend following Woody Guthrie toward the shallows.
But if anyone has notions of operating a wooden vessel, it's important to consider the regular maintenance. Here was a post from about three years ago about work on Clearwater. Currently way upriver this
is happening again. All the following fotos now come thanks to Paul Strubeck. In mid-December, Clearwater was downrigged and hauled out near Albany at Scarano Boat Building and
gently placed onto Black Diamond, with tug Cornell nearby.
Securing the big sloop for travel takes care and time, more time than there is light at the winter solstice end of the year.
But when all's fast, the trip to where the winter maintenance crew can begin.
Click here for an article about Clearwater's winter home in the shadow of the Hudson River Maritime Museum.
Many thanks to Paul for sending these along. It looks like I need to find time to get up to the Rondout. The first two fotos in the post are mine.
The race took place exactly 60 years ago today, and megathanks and superkudos to Harold Tartell for finding fotos of more than half of the boats involved in the race.
Top Class A (over 1250 hp) finisher was Reading Lines Shamokin.
Second was Barbara Moran.
No foto found yet of third place Socony 11, but fourth place was William J. Tracy of Tracy Towing Line.
Again, no foto of Dauntless #14, but here's sixth place finisher Russell #17.
Number seven finisher was this Turecamo Girls, painted in "wood."
And rounding out Class A, here's Dalzelleader.
In the Class B division (850 to 1250 hp), top boat was Pauline L. Moran.
Number two finisher was Red Star Towing & Transportation's Huntington.
In Class C (less than 850 hp), the top finisher was steam vessel Latin American, operating for the Texas Company.
Number two Class C boat was Providence, of the Red Star Towing & Transportation.
Third place Class C finisher was Ticeline, of Tice Towing Line, Inc.
Unranked Class B boats include Fred B. Dalzell here and
here, as well as
Anne Carrol, a 1910 steamer of Carroll Towing Line also ran.
I'm reposting this image, made available by Paul Strubeck and posted yesterday. 1952 is especially significant for me because it was the year I was born. It was also the year that
Queen Elizabeth was crowned, nuclear sub Nautilus keel was laid, a B-52 first flew, SS United States first crossed the Atlantic, Ike became President, the word "smog" was coined in reference to London weather, Albert Schweitzer won the Nobel Peace Prize, lots of UFOs buzzed Washington DC airport, and Werner von Braun published Man Will Conquer Space Soon.
This last entry reminds me of the Mr Armstrong that died a few days ago. I'll never forget the July night in 1969 that I, age 17 then, stayed up all night even though it was haying season; I'd worked in the hay all day July 20, and stayed up much of the night before working again all day on the 21st. My father thought I was crazy but my mother came downstairs to watch with me a few times during the night. "What will it change?" she asked in different ways, and I surely had no answer, as excited as I was.
A few days later a farmer nearby told me it was all a hoax. "Nobody really walked on the moon," Elmer said. "It's all just a movie they made in Hollywood."
43 years and a month later . . . well, maybe it didn't change anything related to our travel destinations, but the some of the technology we live with on earth stems from those efforts.
A final thought: I recently read a statement by Robert Ballard saying that the NASA budget (I'm not sure which year he was talking about.) for ONE year equals the NOAA budget for 18 years. As much admiration as I have for Neil Armstrong, maybe the next heroic explorations should involve walking along the bottoms of the oceans.
Harold . . . I hope your family illness will subside so that you can attend the tugboat race this coming weekend. Thanks again for these archival fotos.


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Accueil > Anglais > Presse > Archives > Social affairs
"Consumers are growing anxious about the state of the economy and their own personal finances as George Osborne's package of spending cuts looms, according to a study of confidence published today.
"The report followed the release of three pieces of data yesterday - a drop in mortgage approvals, weak consumer credit and a decline in output from the service sector - that heightened fears that the economy has entered a new slow patch.
"The latest snapshot of consumer confidence from GfK NOP found that August's pick-up in sentiment had proved short-lived, with the index dropping two points to minus 20."


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Happy Monday, everyone, and welcome to the first in a series of columns I'm calling Shippable Shows. We'll be looking at shows past and present, one by one, and seeing what it is about them that make them such fodder for shipping, what the major and minor ships are, and some of the best shippy moments. Of course I had to start with the show that has practically owned shipping for the eight years it's been on the air, and the one that brings most readers to this column -- Supernatural.
|Stop looking at Dean and kill the monster, Sam.
What makes it shippable?
Bros Forever: The theme of the show is family, and it takes family to its most extreme in showing us a pair of brothers whose love for each other has literally stopped the apocalypse and changed the world. Not to mention an angel who rebelled against heaven for the sake of a human. Supernatural is all about the intensity of male-male relationships, about brothers in arms and how they're wiling to die and sell their own souls, literally and figuratively, for each other. This is the sort of bond that shippers seize on, and say, well, if they're willing to do all this for each other, what's to say that their relationship stops where society says it should? Why would a physical or romantic relationship be out of bounds, when soul-selling, killing and dying are all on the table in multiple instances? Shipping in Supernatural is about pushing those bonds to another level, and about sublimating the need and companionship into a different form.
Spoken and Unspoken Moments: The deep (some might say "profound") bond between the characters is evidenced in both words and actions, in characters saying "I need you" and "There's nothing I wouldn't do for you," in prolonged eye contact and intimate (if not explicit) touching. There's a lot of holding each other up, hands on shoulders, watching each other sleep, etc. These can all be read straightforwardly as actions of brothers and friends helping each other, but they can also be read as implicitly romantic. How they are interpreted is up to the viewer, and both readings can be considered valid. True, the show protests its shippability, but with no greater frequency than it provides moments that can be read as shippable -- and there is such a thing, as Hamlet once noted, as protesting too much. Supernatural can definitely be accused of that. Which leaves it to the fan to decide which moments carry more emotional weight and resonance -- the prolonged eye contact and "I did it, all of it, for you" lines, or the throwaway protestations.
Fandom Rivalry:: Supernatural both benefits and suffers for having two major ships that are in rivalry with one another. Ship wars aren't pretty, as we've previously discussed here, but they do have the benefit of making people very protective of their preferred pairing, and that rivalry keeps the feelings about that ship fresh and intense. That keeps people glued to each episode, eager for subtext to support their pairing, and it keeps meta -- the lifeblood of shipping -- flowing. There's never any dearth of in-depth analysis on the most recent episode or season and how it can be read as supportive of one ship or another. And the show provides fodder for both, often knowingly, which leads me to:
|"What's a slash fan?" Well, Dean, it depends on who you ask.
Ship Awareness: The writers and producers of Supernatural know very well that there's a huge following of shippers -- and unlike other shows, there's direct evidence of that in the show, in the form of Sam and Dean coming across a community of "slash fans" in the episode "The Monster at the End of This Book." A fangirl who writes steamy fanfiction is actually a character on the show, so there's no doubt that the show's staff knows the extent to which shipping can go. And they play to it, in endless in-jokes and winks to the fan base, all intended in good fun. Where the knowledge may be lacking in the writers' room, however, is in understanding the depth of shipping as well as its extremes -- its ego as well as its id. Slash shipping isn't all about sex or about enjoying good-looking men, and how it's represented onscreen has importance beyond simple fan service. Unfortunately, it's hard to find a show today that truly understands that. If I had the ear of a writer of a show -- any show, not just Supernatural -- and they wanted to know how to understand shipping and slash, I would point them not to the fan fiction but to the meta, to the analyses that lay out point by point why certain pairings are not just plausible but powerful and effective ways to move the story forward. And no show needs to know this right now more than Supernatural does, if only to stop them from taking joking half-measures and expecting the fan base to be satisfied with that.
The major pairings:
As I mentioned above, there are two major pairings in this show and they come into direct conflict with each other. As a multishipper, I'm a fan of both, so don't expect me to take a side as I describe them.
Dean and Sam (Wincest): Yes, it has to be mentioned -- the first major pairing in this show is an incestuous one. The two brothers, Dean and Sam, have a sibling relationship like none other. They've died for each other, killed for each other, gone to Heaven and Hell and Purgatory multiple times for and with each other -- there's basically no rule they won't break for each other's sake, no taboo they won't trample in their desire to take care of each other. So Wincest (named after their last name, Winchester, + incest) pushes that truism toward yet another taboo and posits that the bond between the two is so strong, there would be no reason why a physical or romantic relationship would be off limits, when so many other things clearly are well within the bounds of "I'd do anything for my brother." Incestuous pairings, especially sibling pairings, are nothing new in the world of shipping, but this one has visibility like few others, and it's been expressly called out on the show itself, which gives it a special status.
|Supernatural: where personal-space issues actually get addressed.
Dean and Castiel (Destiel): Castiel the angel first appeared in Season 4 as the angel that raised Dean from hell and comes to him with the message that God has work for him. But over the course of Season 4, Dean's unflinching morality and humanity changes Castiel, and at the end of the season the angel rebels against heaven, against the angels he refers to repeatedly as "brothers," and takes the humans' side in the apocalypse to come. In a show that cares about family as much as this one does, finding a reason to rebel against one's brother is a Big Deal, and Castiel's continuing sympathy and fealty to humanity -- and, most notably, to Dean -- is a strong sign of a bond that is intense and strong. Destiel fans see a romance with Castiel as a chance for the terminally unselfish Dean to mature and start taking care of himself and wanting things for himself, and Dean as a chance for Castiel to find a home and family that he can more easily justify being a part of. This pairing is significant because it could potentially (although not likely) happen in canon, and there has been a big push from the fandom to see it happen. Whether it remains subtext or becomes text, Destiel has struck a chord in the fandom so deep that it's come to rival Wincest in terms of both number and volume of supporters.
The minor pairings:
|"Nice EMF there, Sam."
Sam and Gabriel: Gabriel was an angel who died just as he was being given half a chance. First known as the Trickster, a demigod, Gabriel was revealed as the archangel he was in Season 5, and was cut down by Lucifer just as we were starting to genuinely like and root for him. Pairing him with various other characters (most notably, Sam) is a way to get him back into the mix, and to this day, three seasons later, fans are still hoping for one last trick to be revealed and for Gabriel to return.
Dean and Jo: Brought in as a wannabe hunter in Season 2, Jo was first disliked by the fandom but quickly gained her own following. She was killed in Season , but not before she really showed her chops, and hers was a hero's death. Many saw her as a good match for Dean in terms of temperament and lust for life, and she was brought back briefly as a ghost in Season 7 to have one last moment with Dean.
Sam and Lucifer: Lucifer was masterfully played by Mark Pellegrino -- first as the genuine article, and then as a hallucination in Sam's head in Season 7. In both incarnations, he seemed to genuinely like and want Sam, and promised to reward him for allowing Lucifer to take over his body as was foretold by the prophets. It's an easy path to follow from Lucifer wanting Sam's body to Lucifer wanting Sam's body, and many shippers had no trouble going from Point A to Point B.
Meg and Castiel: They shared a kiss on screen and the last time we saw Meg she made a rather racy suggestion that Castiel seemed to appreciate.This angel/demon pairing has both fans and detractors in the fandom, but one thing can be said about it: it surely inspires strong feelings.
Castiel and Balthazar: Balthazar was introduced in Season 6 as an old ally and friend of Castiel's, as though the two were as different as could be. Much of the shipping of these two (and also of Lucifer and Michael) focused on imagining the angelic backstory of which we got far too little on the show itself. What was it like before the fall of Lucifer? How did the angels survive in the ensuing wars, and what sort of bonds did they form in their own foxholes, doing their own version of the constant battle we see Sam and Dean face on earth in every episode?
Gabriel and Crowley: One an angel, the other a demon, but both rebellious against authority, both sarcastic and intensely amusing onscreen. Though they never met in canon, that doesn't stop shippers from theorizing about how intensely entertaining they'd be together.
Like I said, there are many, many more, and I'm sure I've overlooked someone's favorite. These are the ones that leap to mind. Feel free to call out some of your favorites in comments.
What makes Supernatural a shippable show for you? What pairings do you enjoy reading and writing? Sound off in comments. Please remember this is a shipping-safe zone -- you don't have to ship to comment, but you do need to be respectful of shippers. Thank you for being considerate.
Next week I'll be out of town, but the week after that I'll be doing Shippable Shows: Teen Wolf. Don't forget to be sure that your favorite show is represented in this series. Thanks!


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The process of integrating social media in insurance and its moving parts continues with a new report examining both hurdles and opportunities specific to the North American property and casualty (P&C) insurance industry. Basing its findings on 3Q 2011 interviews with 15 P&C industry executives, Aite Group makes a convincing case that although some are successful, many P&C insurers are not fully social media savvy...yet.
"Dramatic and rapid consumer adoption of social media, fueled by the uptake of mobile communication and computing devices, and further spurred by most other global consumer industries, has presented the P&C insurance industry with a variety of challenges and opportunities," says Stephen Applebaum, senior analyst at Aite Group and author of the report. "Further magnifying the enormity of these implications is the fact that social media, unlike most of the disruptive technologies that preceded it, has impact and utility across the entire P&C insurance enterprise and the broader insurer ecosystem."
Underwriting, claims, and marketing are specific areas for application. Applebaum also specifically names one bracket that could use some new friends and followers: the agent and broker side.
"They seem to be having the greatest difficulty among all parties in the P&C insurance industry in embracing and leveraging social media opportunities externally, particularly with regard to their all-important customer relationships and prospecting."
Today's hurdles are undoubtedly the result of consumer disengagement from the traditional agency-distribution model. In the report, Aite asserts that carriers can no longer rely solely on agents to pinpoint the product needs and expectations of current customers and prospective ones. Another area where social media is vastly underutilized is claims, where "revolutionize claims handling."
Conversely, social media is making the jobs of those investigating claims somewhat easier. More people are willing to serve up details about their daily activities for public consumption, often inadvertently revealing discrepancies in their stories, especially when that pertains to injuries for which the over-sharers collect workers' compensation benefits.
Nevertheless, the marketing paradigm on which companies have relied for years is of diminishing efficacy. Insurers realize that now friends and veritable strangers are able to sway the average person more easily than agents, traditional marketing, and ad slogans.
"It is said that insurance is at its core a relationship business," Applebaum explains. "Since social media has significantly changed the nature of business-to-consumer and interpersonal relationships, it is fair to say that it has therefore fundamentally altered the P&C insurance business. As an increasing number of people use their computers and mobile devices to connect with friends, post their opinions, and engage in conversations, it is vital that thought leaders who deal with this new breed of consumer understand this phenomenon and prepare their organizations to thrive in a new world order in which customers wield more power and influence over businesses than ever before."
Applebaum reports that "nearly two-thirds of internet-using adults also use social networking sites," and that virtually all Millennials use social media, thus representing a large and untapped market for the industry.
Define and Defend Your Brand
He adds that even greater value can be realized if insurers social network more strategically, to provide the public with advice and information not only in the wake of natural disasters, but also to ensure they are fully informed and prepared ahead of such events.
"P&C insurers can no longer afford to ignore social media," Applebaum concludes. "It is a permanent, transformative, and ever- evolving reality. Understanding and mastering it will be critical in myriad ways; connecting with customers in new and fundamentally different ways; building, defining, and defending a brand; and gathering vast amounts of distinct, valuable and granular customer information available in no other way."
The 20-page report is available for purchase on the company's website.


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Choose the best answer for each question. When you have finished all the questions, click on the Get score button at the bottom of the page to see your score and the correct answers.
The present perfect past tense is formed with have (has) and the past participle of the main verb. The present perfect tense describes an action that happened at an indefinite time in the past. The present perfect also describes an action that was repeated several times in the past.


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My Nonprofit Reviews
Mary S.
Review for Operation Breakthrough Inc, Kansas City, MO, USA
I have been a volunteer and contributor to Operation Breakthrough for over 20 years.
In spite of the fact that the children are poor and many are homeless, it is one of the happiest, busiest places in Kansas City. It is impossible to be at Operation Breakthrough and not find yourself smiling.
I have served on many boards in Kansas City, there is not a more committed, dedicated staff any where.
This is not just a day care center or a school. Operation Breakthrough cares for all aspects of a child's life.
Operation Breakthrough offers a" village" to raise our poorest children.
More Feedback
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
Operation Breakthrough has given me great joy. I was given a profound gift when I discovered this wonderful place. I have also learned about the struggles of the poorest among us and I am a better person because of them.
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
I would find more people to help lobby at the Missouri state capitol to help inform the state's legislators about the plight of poor children and their parents, so these law makers would offer more support to Operation Breakthrough's mission.


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Milpitas High's varsity baseball team traveled to Santa Clara High School on May 1 and lost 7-4. The game was played under the lights at Washington Park. The Trojans could not muster any big hits and Santa Clara was on a hot streak. The Santa Clara pitcher had the Trojans off balance all night long.
On April 29, the Trojans hosted the Oak Grove Eagles in a non-league game and tied 4-4. The game was called because there was an injury to an Oak Grove player in the eighth innings. Paramedics were called and both teams agreed to call the game. The Trojans had their chances but could not capitalize with runners in scoring position.
The Trojans now face a challenge: they must win every remaining game in order for them to win their first Santa Clara Valley Athletic League championship in 16 years.
Their record stands at 13-9-1, 8-3 in league play, which leaves them tied for first place.


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Click here to print the obituary below
In Memory of
Margaret Jean Elizabeth Allan
March 13, 1926 - April 1, 2010
Jean was finally reunited with her husband, Stu, on April 1, 2010 in her 85th year after a lengthy battle with cancer. Dear mother of Gail (Terry) Hill, Patricia Jacobs, Douglas (Ellie) Allan, Cheryl Allan (Tom). Survived by grandchildren Holly, Craig, Brittany, Tiana, and Brock (Rebekah). Great-grandmother of Maddison, Walker, and Nicholas. Also survived by brother-in-law Les Gowman and nieces Janet and Barbara (David) and many other relatives in southern Ontario. Predeceased by sisters Audrey (Gordon) Heal, Norma Gowman, and brother Roy MacVicar. Jean will be remembered for her stories of the Brant Inn and the success of A&B Catering. She will always hold a special place in our hearts. According to Jean's wishes, cremation has taken place. Special thanks to Dr. Beverly Hattersley and the staff of 3 West, St. Peter's Hospital for their exemplary care and compassion. A celebration of Jean's life will be held at Cresmount Fennell Chapel (322 Fennell Avenue East, Hamilton), Tuesday, April 6, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. Donations in memory of Jean to the Canadian Cancer Society or the Hamilton Dream Centre would be appreciated.


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