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Ladies — Is your best friend turning you into a gay man?
The best parts of having a stylish gay man by your side are trusting his opinion to help create an outfit and taking his advice on handling new relationships. However, sexuality aside, your friend is still male and, by nature, has a different perspective on situations. So we're sure blindly following his strong opinion can sometimes leave you wondering, is he turning me into gay man? Keep your head up for a couple tell tale signs and gauge whether or not your platonic paramour's pointers have you teetering on the edge of an inadvertent sex change.
You have probably lost count of the times you've uttered the phrase "help me figure out what to wear." In the past the looks have been successful, the compliments endless, but has your BGF been operating on autopilot? Every night is not Saturday night. A tank top or cropped shirt is not cocktail hour appropriate. Looking like you're one Patron shot away from a public display of your new abs is tacky and slightly exhausting.
In the gay world relationships can last a lifetime…or the duration of a cocktail. Where that's true with any coupling, the turnover is a bit more frequent for gay men—there's a reason for all the lesbian U-Haul jokes, too. So when you seek his advice on a current love interest, be weary if your best gay suggests not to making a move. Take it with a grain of salt. Unless you're prone to stalking, this advice may just be a man's natural defensive position (and the reason so many of gay relationships just end). Women have more patience, so exhibit some with straight guys. They're slower and need you to reach out some.
Also, there's a severe possibility that gay men have a genetic predisposition to interior design, but they usually have two levels of taste, one for their clients and one for themselves. Somehow pattern on pattern, on pattern, seems to work for these men at home. And where you probably love a smart paisley, ikat, damask, or toile, sobriety is key to the mix. Try to make him treat you like a client. Otherwise your new living room could look like a conversation pit on steroids. Which is great for editorial purposes, but you do want to live in it as well.
Strong opinions are attractive and you really want to be able to trust your darling gay's taste, but if you don't double-check their advice against your gut, it's possible to lose some of your own personality. He, along with the rest of the world, already adores you so make sure you're not teetering too far over the edge. As cute as the two of you look together, does the world need a little brother version of your over-the-top, sexless husband?
Catch new episodes of GIRLS WHO LIKE BOYS WHO LIKE BOYS on Fridays at 9 PM et/pt. Can't wait? Watch the full episodes RIGHT NOW!


text:
Organic Conference packed with experts, food and fun
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is now taking registrations for the 2013 Minnesota Organic Conference, to be held January 11-12 at the River's Edge Convention Center in downtown St. Cloud. More than 500 people are expected to attend.
Now in its 12th year, this farmer-focused conference offers 36 educational sessions for crop and livestock producers as well as vegetable and fruit growers. There will be special programming for farmers interested in transitioning to organic and for beginning farmers. Keynote speakers this year are Minnesota State Climatologist Mark Seeley and organic certification expert and advisor Jim Riddle. Farmers and researchers from New York, Arkansas, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Montana are also on the agenda, along with a lot of home grown expertise.
Sessions start promptly at 9:00 a.m. on Friday and 8:00 a.m. Saturday. In addition to the educational programs, a trade show with more than 80 booths will feature equipment manufacturers and suppliers, seed companies, fertilizer dealers, certifying agencies, agricultural consultants, soil labs, nonprofit organizations, public agencies, organic traders, buyers, and distributors, and many other resources.
Early bird registration costs $125 for the two day conference with significant discounts for those registering from the same farm or business operation. Early registration rates end December 28, 2012.One day registrations are also available. Registration includes conference snacks and meals, which draw rave reviews every year and are made with ingredients from organic farms and companies in Minnesota and neighboring states. A block of hotel rooms will be held at the Kelly Inn, which adjoins the conference center, until December 15, 2012.
The registration brochure, which contains program details and registration materials, is available now at www.mda.state.mn.us/food/organic or by calling 651-201-6012. A few trade show booth spaces are still available; interested vendors should call Jessica Miles at the same number.
The Minnesota Organic Conference is organized by the MDA with significant financial support from Ag Star Financial Services, Albert Lea Seed, Minnesota Crop Improvement Association (MCIA), Wedge Community Co-op, Organic Crop Improvement Association, and Minnesota Farmers Union, along with other sponsors.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
A £7billion high-speed rail link between Manchester and Leeds - HS3 - would help create a "northern powerhouse" to complement not rival London as Britain's global city, George Osborne insisted.
But as the Chancellor also held out the promise of "serious devolution of powers and budgets" to cities in northern England in return for adopting elected mayors with powers similar to those enjoyed by Boris Johnson in London, political opponents suggested this was more about electoral politics than anything else given Conservatives fear they could do badly in northern English seats in the 2015 General Election.
It was only three years ago that the idea of elected mayors was soundly rebuffed when the residents of nine major cities rejected it in several referendums.
Loading article content
"This is more about northern votes than northern growth," declared Lord Prescott.
The former Labour Deputy Prime Minister pointed out Mr Osborne's remarks echoed the Northern Way initiative, which the Labour peer launched in 2004 to drive growth and improve connections across the region but which was later scrapped by the Lib-Con Coalition.
"There's no money, just a declaration from the very same man who abolished the Northern Way three years ago. He is trying to reverse his own damaging decision and we haven't seen any detail because there isn't any detail," added Lord Prescott.
Gordon MacDonald, the SNP MSP, said it was ridiculous the UK Government was considering extending high-speed rail without any regard to Scotland.
"What has become clear is that with a No vote the Tory-led Westminster system will keep Scotland in the slow lane," he said, stressing: "There is an undeniable economic case to connect Scotland to the rest of the UK and the continent."
In April, Alex Salmond announced he was establishing a feasibility study to look at starting a high-speed rail link from Scotland to England, saying the UK Government's £43bn HS2 plans "lacked high ambition". Speaking at Manchester's Museum of Science and Technology, the Chancellor noted that within 40 miles' commuting distance of the venue were cities that were home to a total of 10m people - more than Tokyo, London or New York - with important industries, great universities and areas of natural beauty.
But, he explained, it was quicker to travel by train from London to Paris than to cross half the distance between Liverpool and Hull.
The Conservative aim was to create a "radical transport plan", so that travelling between England's northern cities felt like travelling "within one big city".
Mr Osborne, who represents Tatton in Cheshire, told his audience: "The cities of the north are individually strong but collectively not strong enough; the whole is less than the sum of its parts.
"So the powerhouse of London dominates more and more and that's not healthy for our economy; it's not good for our country. We need a northern powerhouse too. Not one city but a collection of northern cities; sufficiently close to each other that, combined, they can take on the world."
Speaking during a later visit to a Coca-Cola plant in Wakefield, Prime Minister David Cameron said the creation of a northern powerhouse was an "exciting vision", noting: "This is an attempt to say - let's make the most of our great northern cities so we get growth right across our economy."
Earlier this year, the First Minister spoke about London becoming the "dark star", drawing jobs and investment to itself to the detriment of the rest of the country, and suggested the answer was the creation of a "northern light" in the form of an independent Scotland to rebalance the economy across the whole of the British Isles.


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Brotronics subMicroLRS
- Brand: Brotronics
- Product Code: subMicroLRS
- Availability: In Stock
- $26.99
- Ex Tax: $26.99
"Smallest full range and filtered OpenLRSng RX at 1.69g and (16mm x 16.5mm) Selectable Analog or Digital RSSI output."
Comes with openLRSng software. Compatible with all transmitters that use in openLRSng. Full-range receiver.
* Note: Does *NOT* come with Antenna. Please see related items below for proper antenna that is required for this Receiver.
• Lowpass input filter to reduce out-of-band interference.
• PPM output up to 16 channels (enable in menu).
• RSSI output, digital (enable in menu)
• Completely user-settable frequency selections: 413MHz up to 453MHz.
• Up to 24 hopping channels, user-settable.
• Custom pin mapping.
• Wireless setting adjustment and bind, without any damage or harm on your aircraft.
• -121dBm rated sensitivity.
• 16x16.5mm size with PCB.
• Around 1.69 grams.
Tags: brotronics, submicrolrs, radio


text:
Copyright © University of Cambridge. All rights reserved.
'Up and Across' printed from http://nrich.maths.org/
Show menu
The problem provides a visual context in which to consider how graphs can represent horizontal and vertical movement over time.
A possible start to using the interactivity in a classroom could involve asking students to sketch the graphs in advance, before seeing the polygon(s) roll. Their suggestions could be displayed for all to see and discuss.
The pause button could be used to focus discussion on the different stages of the "journeys" and to make conjectures about what will follow.
Possible follow up questions:
Some graphs start at the origin and others don't. Can you explain why?
Some graphs have sections that are horizontal and others don't. Can you explain why?
Why is the horizontal speed
constant during each stage of the "journey"?
This problem is the third of three related problems.
The first two problems are
How far does it move?
Speeding up, slowing down


text:
Many people suffer from lower back pain, and to make matters worse, back pain and stomach pain often go hand in hand. About 75% of people who suffer from consistent back pain also suffer from stomach pain, and often have a history of stomach or intestinal issues.
There are many reasons as to why you may experience stomach pain along with back pain, some involving back problems, stomach disorders, or even psychological issues.
A back injury or injury to the spine can cause pain to radiate in the abdomen. Also, a pinched nerve can not only cause pain to the entire area served by that nerve, but it can also cause various stomach functioning problems as well. The abdominal muscles and back muscles work very closely with each other, so any muscular back pain can also become muscular abdominal pain.
There are a variety of gastro-intestinal problems that can directly relate to any lower back pain you might be having as well. Inflammation of the colon, or colitis, is very often associated with lower back pain. Irritable bowel syndrome or various inflammatory bowel diseases like ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease can also be the culprits for persistent back pain. Often, these will present themselves with back pain associated with abdominal pain and symptoms involving discomfort or dysfunction in the intestinal tract and stomach. Symptoms such a diarrhea, stomach cramps, constipation, gas, and bloating will typically appear, signaling a problem with bowel habits and digestive function.
Conditions involving the bowels and intestinal tract should be consulted with a doctor, specifically a gastro-intestinal specialist. He may recommend a colonoscopy procedure to determine the actual cause of pain and discomfort. Medical treatments could include anti-inflammatory drugs, a combination of antibiotics and other drugs depending on if infection is present, intravenous treatments, or even surgery depending on the severity. Simpler at-home treatments include over the counter medications to ease discomfort associated with diarrhea and constipation, eating a diet high in fiber, and keeping yourself hydrated with plenty of liquids. A heating pad may also help ease the back and abdominal pain.
Stress and emotional issues can often cause what is called psychological back pain, meaning the pain is directly related to the severe stress felt by the patient, for whatever reason. Oftentimes, this pain can transfer to the abdomen and stomach, causing distress and sensitive stomach due to a patient worrying or becoming stressed over their undiagnosed back pain. This often becomes a frustrating and unbearable combination for some, as it is a never ending cycle of stress and pain. Ulcers are one of the best examples of such a phenomenon. Ulcers have been discovered to be stress-related, and it is found that once patients learn to relax and manage their stress-inducing issues in life, that they stopped developing frequent ulcers.
Even simple problems like heartburn, constipation, acid reflux, and diarrhea can be culprits in causing back pain in conjunction with abdominal pain. All of those can be treated with a change in diet and over the counter (or sometimes prescription for the more severe cases) medications. Remember that a combination of back and stomach pain can mean a serious condition, so checking with a doctor is always the first step.
Written By: Updated: June 29,2011


text:
Dig the latest release by Shorty Jizzle and the Plumber Cracks? How about The Obesity Epidemic?
Chances are, you don't -- because those groups don't exist. But that didn't stop attendees at the Coachella music festival from praising the bogus groups to high heaven when "Jimmy Kimmel Live" brought its Lie Witness News segment to the popular music festival.
Watch below as the fake-music lovers -- one tastefully adorned in a Native American headdress -- gush all over the best bands that nobody's ever heard. Because they're not real. (Though, really, wouldn't Get the F---- Out of My Pool make an awesome band name?)
Related Articles:
Axl Rose Endorses Obama (Kind Of) on Kimmel


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I still can't believe how many favorite songs you guys have.
Lol, FINALLY!!!! I have wondered for years what "25 or 6 to 4" meant. Going over the lyrics, it finally clicked. The whole thing is about trying to stay awake and write a song. It's not 25 or 6 to 4, it's 25 or 26 minutes to 4:00AM! :D
Anyway, getting back to topic. This is one of my favorite songs by Chicago (aka Chicago Transit Authority):
I liked Chicago from the Peter Cetera era myself, lol.
Edit: How about changing the thread title to "Favorite Songs"? You could also say "Favourite Songs?", but I prefer the prior because it is better.
Okay! I cant keep this secret any longer! The member who asked me
not to tell anyone will probably get upset and do unspeakable thing's
to exact revenge on me for my betrayal! But,I feel it's better out in the
open! This is joostins favourite song! Please don't judge him!
LMAO....I'm kidding....Honestly I am.


text:
" "PC version: The Watchmaker a lawyer; Victoria Conroy; and an expert in paranormal phenomena; Darrel Boone; meet for the first time at 3.00 a.m. in a London legal studio. A few hours later a taxi drops them off at the gates of an imposing Austrian castle ¿" "
* Prices may differ from that shown
When I started playing the game, I was struck by the quality of the graphics. It reminded me of Gabriel Knight III. Since I loved that game, you can imagine I liked this one from the start. The Watchmaker is an epic 3D point and click graphic adventure with many animated cut scenes. The graphics are exceptional - especially in and around the castle - the English voices are not great, but passable - probably because it was produced in Italy. But the game is well worth the playing.
The game begins with the introduction to the two main characters, Darrel an expert in parapsychology and Victoria a lawyer. They are briefed about the case they have to investigate a large pendulum with special powers has been stolen, which could have catastrphic consequences if not found. They are sent to an Austrian castle, where the pendulum is believed to be hidden. Your quest centres around the castle and the grounds of said castle. The castle is vast and it will take you some time to discover all areas. You arrive at 9am and have till midnight to find the device. The game has a timer, but it is not real time - yes time moves on, but basically when you have sucessfully completed a task - so no worries about the timer running down and you not being even half finished.
You switch between characters, which is achieved by pressing the F8 key. If you need to swap items you can call the other character and give the required item. The beauty of this game is the inventory it is a joy to use, if you click on an item you get a 3D image, which can be handy need you see the back of a bottle etc. The puzzles are relatively straight forward, but of course there is always the odd obscure one thrown in - i reckon developers do it to extend gameplay, but that is my opinion. The time spent on detail is impressive, as there are many mirrors round the castle and you see your character's reflection running or moving past - i liked that touch.
One flaw i found was, when you click the mouse to move the character to a certain part of scenery, it wandered off to another part......GGGGRRRRRRRRRRRR, quite annoying. Due to the fact the character gets shot at and has to dodge other obstacles, this was really annoying as your character died because it wasn't at the right place at the right time. However, there are limitless saves and i advise you save whenever you are going round a corner or trying anything new, you never know after all and let's face it if you get killed after forgetting to save and you have to go over and over old ground the it becomes mighty boring.
The game is made by GotGameEntertainment and should you need any patches or fixes - the website has them. Good game, well worth the try!!


text:
Over 1.8 million nonprofits and charities for donors, volunteers and funders
Causes: International, International Relief
Mission: The HALO Trust is the world's oldest and largest humanitarian landmine clearance organization. Started in 1988 our mission is "Getting mines out of the ground, for good".
Results: HALO has destroyed over 1.5 million landmines and cleared over 10,800 minefields to enable families to rebuild their lives after a conflict. Our gratitude to our donors cannot be overstated. Where HALO has cleared minefields and battlefields, farmers are now planting their crops, homes and roads are being rebuilt, and children walk to school, secure in the knowledge that their next step will be a safe one.
Target demographics: some of the world's most vulnerable people in war-torn countries.
Geographic areas served: We currently work in Afghanistan, Angola, Cambodia, Colombia, Georgia, Ivory Coast, Kosovo, Laos, Mozambique, Nagorno Karabakh, Somaliland, Sri Lanka, the West Bank and Zimbabwe.
Programs: landmine and UXO removal and weapons and ammunition destruction.


text:
Competing work and family responsibilities are a challenge for many employees—and employers are caught in the middle. They must balance the impact of employees' needs to care for children and parents against their own primary mission of running a business.
But when employers make employment decisions based on sex stereotypes about caregivers or favor employees who don't have family responsibilities, affected employees can successfully sue for family responsibilities discrimination (FRD).
The EEOC attributes the increase in claims of FRD to the significant increase in the number of women working outside the home.
Women now comprise almost half the U.S. work force. But women are still the primary caregivers in most families. As people live longer, employees are increasingly responsible for caring for their elderly parents. This has led to a rise in "sandwich" caregivers—employees who have caregiving responsibilities for bo...(register to read more)
To read the rest of this article you must first register with your email address.


text: Let me apologize up front if this has been addressed before- I am new to the forum and phone!! There are certain numbers in my contacts that don't receive my messages; other's do. I have been able to text these individuals in the past but all of a sudden my messages aren't received. they are sent on my end (or at least I press send). I'm not sure what the problem is- but one of them is my boss and we have been able to text with no issues then all of a sudden he thinks I'm not answering his texts when in fact I received his text and replied back the information he needed but he didn't get the reply. I've sent several "test" texts and they just aren't going through; I can receive from him but can't send back. But I can text my sister perfectly. I'm about to pull my hair out- can someone help!


text:
- Product Type: Drain Plug
- Color Family: White
- Brand or Model Compatibility: Fits 25 To 60 qt. Ice Chests
- Number in Package: 1
- Product Name: Beverage Cooler Parts
- Includes: 1 drain plug with push-to-close cap and nut with gasket & washer
- Easily installed ? place plug through cooler, screw down gasketed nut
- Triple-snap cap seals tight to prevent leaks
- Tethered cap helps prevent cap loss
*Items shipped from our warehouse to stores in Alaska and Hawaii will receive a 70% shipping discount.
30-Day Return Guarantee
We want you to be fully satisfied with every item that you purchase from www.acehardware.com. If you are not satisfied with an item that you have purchased (excluding Gift Cards and gas-powered outdoor equipment*), you may return the item up to thirty days after the original purchase date to receive a store credit (less shipping, handling and other charges). We recommend that you make returns of online purchases to an Ace retail store near you which will issue your store credit. If you do not have an Ace retail store near you, please contact a Customer Service Specialist by calling 1-866-290-5334 for complete return instructions. Please refer to our Return Instructions for more information about returning a purchase.
The item must be returned in good condition, in original boxes (whenever possible), and with all paperwork, parts and accessories to insure full credit. After 30 days, please contact the manufacturer directly.
*Gas-Powered Outdoor Equipment cannot be returned once gas or oil has been put in it, even if the Equipment has been drained of these materials.
What people are saying
Reviewed by 2 customers
- Compact
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Best Uses
- Canteens & Coolers
Comments about Igloo® Drain Plug (24010):
I was going to throw away an Igloo cooler that I had since my kids were little (now 33 & 42)because the plug had broken. I was told by my sister that i could just replace the plug. I didn't know this. I am so thankful I was able to keep this cooler. It may be old but looks good as new and keeps things colder longer than the new ones. Plus, it has lots of memories!
- Was this a gift?:
- No
- Easy to Use
- Good Quality
Best Uses
- Canteens & Coolers
Comments about Igloo® Drain Plug (24010):
easy to replace
- Was this a gift?:
- No


text:
Last week was National Library Week, sponsored by the American Library Association. The signage featured in Roesch Library displayed this year's theme, "Communities Matter," said Katy Kelly, communications and outreach librarian.
Every day in the Roesch lobby there was free candy and a light-up disco ball. There was also a daily trivia question, such as, "During what hours can you visit the U.S. Catholic Special Collection on the 3rd floor?" The participants who had the correct answer, Monday through Friday between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., won a #clubroesch tank top.
"Anyone who got the question correct got a tank; people were really excited to get one," said Kelly. "The responses I got were from people saying it made their week, or their day. The library felt good to provide prizes that students really wanted."
If you didn't win a shirt last week, follow @roeschlibrary on Twitter to find out how you can receive one during finals week.


text:
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Separate names with a comma.
Discussion in 'The Lighter Side' started by Glockdude1, Nov 24, 2002.
4yrs & 600 replys!!!!!
2 13 rounders for his G23 (he only had 10 rounders till then.), and a 40 roud drum for his 1911 (Which we found out today, the 40 rounders don't seem to work.).
The silvertips are .357 Magnums.
"Whew"! I feel so much better now...........
But Walter didn't get me anything
-if they don't make a gun safe for the exact amount of guns you have so you buy the next one up thinking "I can fill that up eventually".
-if you think that just about 130 more threads and you can make a "gun-nut-a-day" calendar for the next 2 years.
-if when you go to the range everybody asks "can I try it"
-if you read every post on this topic and get all warm and fuzzy that there's a lot of people out there just like me.
-if you see a hole in your target that ain't yours and wish it was.
-if you can't decide which gun to hunt with, so you bring 3 because 5 might be overkill
-if you are worried that "if I'm armed this well, other people can be too" and later try to think of a way to help arm the LEO's better.
Ladies and Gentleman of the Gun nut thread...
If you notice, the reply count is now at 607 and the views is around 23,000!
The "list had also surpassed 500 entries!!! Thanks to GunsRmyprozac, the total is now 504!!!! I am so excited.
BTW, Welcome to the gun nut realm GunsRmyprozac!!! This thread was started by Glockdude over 4 years ago!!! And it keeps getting better.
(but I'm still bummed out that Walter45Auto didn't get me a Christmas present )
4 more years!! 4 more years!!
I'll go for that but remember, only two "terms" are allowed.
thanks for the welcome, I enjoy GlockTalk, and especially enjoy you might be a gun nut if, so heres some more
You might be a gun nut
-if when your wife asks what you are doing online you show here the thread and she chuckles because she knows its true now, or will be soon (I skipped the sneaking guns in posts for my protection )
-if when you come home with a new gun wife asks "so how much is the next one gonna cost" sarcastically, and you answer, with 3.
-if when an anti-gunner tries to get you on their side by saying "guns kill people" you reply "I hope so, that's after what I paid, it better"
-if when cleaning your guns after the range you think "that's it?"
-if you spend endless hours researching how to make it "just a little better"
G20-IWB24/7 posted a thread in G-N-G titled "You might be a "Glocktalk-er" if. . . . : (Link ) Some are gun nut enough to add to the list:
If your wife/girlfriend automatically holds your non-dominant hand while shopping at the mall, so you can get to your gun faster.
If you've ever had someone say "D%#N" after showing them your ammunition stash.
If youve ever had someone Holy Sh&% after seeing your gun collection. ...And its the curator of a gun museum!
If your watch and ring are NOT the most expensive metal objects in your possession.
If you've ever rewound the movie "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" to watch the Glock 18 action again, and not to watch Angelina Jolie's figure.
If you've ever made a comment during a movie's firefight like, "well, that gun is only an 8+1 , so you know this is totally fake."
If someone uses the word "bug" you immediately start looking at everybody's ankles.
If all of your favorite stores are "Surefire-authorized Dealers."
If you carry more rounds of ammunition than there are days in the month.
If you don't like nachos, but you've had them once at Wal-Mart anyways, "for tradition's sake."
If you can't wait for a SHTF occasion, and double dog dare any zombies to come to your house
If you get physically ill when you read the letters ATF
If you have ever kissed or hugged your gun
If you really want to/have take[n] pictures of your dogs next to your guns
If you have pictures of your cats with your guns
If you cringe when you see a character in a movie point a Glock and hear a the sound of a revolver hammer cocking on the soundtrack.
If you feel the intense need to show off your arsenal at every possible moment
If you have a special online photo album just for your favorite gun pics
If someone says something about being scared that your GLOCK has no manual safety, and you take 10 minutes t explain exactly houw the GLOCK Safe Action System works..... AT YOUR FAMILY'S CHRISTMAS Dinner! (Guilty as charged! )
-if you wonder how various substances, liquids, vegetables would react when fired with all of your cartridges, singly or simultaneously
-if when watching shoot-em-up movies you get irritated at the amount of ammunition that can't possibly be flying and look at your own ammunition stash to see if you could show what it would actually take to do it
-if a friend gets locked out of their house and ask if you have a key, you bring a .44mag.
-if you can name every single gun in Mr. and Ms. Smith at first glance, and still enjoy Angelina Jolie
-if when your local range is shut down for "Law Enforcement Officer Training" they let you in to show what they could come up against, "however unlikely"
-if when watching television shows where guns are intentionally damaged to prove a point you want to give it a proper burial
-if you buy a new gun planning to sell an old one to pay for it, but "never get that far"
-if you're not quite sure why the cadence "this is my weapon, this is my gun, this is for fighting, this is for fun" is so funny (temporarily guilty until boot camp)
-if you try to involve guns in everything you do, such as fixing things, cooking, etc.
-if it doesn't matter why anti-gunners don't understand because you're right anyways.
-if when you make a large ammo purchase of 1000 rds or more, you get to your car and think, maybe just a few more boxes
Sure fire way to get get one of the ME profs here on a tangent. On that note:
. . . if you've ever brought in a bare AR-15 receiver and the engineering drawing for said receiver into class for an. example of the forging process (Design for manufacturing)
. . . if you were one of 3 people in said class to ID the receiver as soon as the prof walked into the room.
. . . if you've ever asked the prof if the field trip for the class was going to be to the Colt factory.
. . . if you've ever tried to use guns as a way to sidetrack the prof for 10 minutes or so.
And another two
You might be a gun nut if
. . . if you've ever been sitting around somewhere talking guns with one of your buddies and no less than 3 of your friends come up and say, "You really remind of that dude from Tremors," or, "Ya know, in 5 years, I can see you as the dude from Tremors."
. . . you and your buddy both took it as a compliment.
......You own a rifle identical to the one used in Tremors........
.......just so you will be prepared if they ever attack
Wow, sweet thread!
-If read the entire thread in one sitting, with a loaded AK-47 at your side.
-If a trip through Cabellas used rifle section turned into a disertation on WW2 rifles for your travel buddy.
-If you have ever ruined a good dinner conversation when the word gun was mentioned, and you took it way too far.
-If you've ever gotten part time work at the local gun-shop because you spend so much time there.
-Have wanted to shoot a water mellon with a 4bore.
-Wondered how you could get a hold of an XM109 and just how much ammo would cost.
-Had to tell a LEO claiming to own Class 3 equipment that everything he just claimed to posses did not qualify.
-Spend over 2 hours with a friend talking about just how fast the Ruger .204 moves.
-Wish you could mount a 30mm Avenger cannon to your Volvo.
-Consider selling your car for gun money.
-Had to choose between a wife and your guns.
-And decided she never really stood a chance.
Nope. AR15 and GLOCK 30 (As we speak.).
That's happened to me in a few different gun shops.
Nope, but I HAVE tried!
Last Tuesday I sredded a Pumpkin with a brand new 12 Gauge.
Why Yes. Yes I have.


text:
In the world of the Internet it takes a lot to be seen and heard. Every day there are new posts, new bloggers, new networks, new social media platforms. People take notice when you're outrageous and controversial, that is true, and many bloggers know this and use it to their advantage. I don't want to be "that guy," for lack of a better term.
I'm not all that hip.
I am just myself.
I'm not controversial and I don't like fighting with strangers on the Internet.
I like to cook and I like making people smile, which is one of many reasons food blogging just fits me, for better or worse.
Instead I try to get noticed by taking good photos and posting interesting recipe ideas. It seems to be working so far and I'm nearly thriving as a food blogger. My motivation is to inspire that burned-out home cook somewhere "out there" that just can't stand making the same chicken dish for the millionth time.
While I do try to take good photos every time, I most definitely do not.
I also don't have massive amounts of camera equipment, like many professionals do, and I've never taken a class in anything having to do with blogging or photography.
I have a camera, I have a tripod, I have a laptop and I have whatever nature gives me. I try to make it work.
I use natural light only. And when it snows, I make sure to blog. The light bounces everywhere and it's so bright that it's nearly guaranteed to be a successful shot.
When this happens:
So does this:
And this:
In fact, I'm pretty sure I chose our home based on how many windows it has. That, and the community pool.
But I digress...
If you want to take a good photo the first thing you should do is turn your flash off and open your curtains unless you have sheers. You should most likely turn off the lights around what you're shooting as well. Move outside if you don't have enough natural light indoors.
Like I did for this shot:
Our old house didn't have as many windows as we do now, so I was often outdoors in the early days (with a point and shoot).
These were also photographed outdoors. I was frustrated with the clouds.
Yes, your neighbors will think you're nuts for standing over a plate of food with a camera, but that's OK. Because in three days, your image could go viral and once you're viral, you can just sit back and do pretty much nothing other than enjoy it and hope it never stops.
It will stop, though, and that's OK too. That's why you post again.
I post about once a week due to the little people in my life. I also watch the weather report like a hawk and plan about five days in advance to write a post. I make sure the kids' schedules are set, so they won't need me while I'm working. I make sure there's enough sunlight, I make sure that the table is waxed and that I have no outstanding deadlines. I also make sure the kitchen is fairly clean before beginning a post.
The fact is I don't just randomly sit down and whip up a post about what my kids are eating for dinner that day with step-by-step instructions. I wish I could do that, as so many other bloggers do. But they are superheroes and I am not.
My kids are picky and eat about five things, all of which you most likely know how to make already. Instead I post about what I want to eat. In fact I'm pretty sure this entire food blog concept (for me) was created because I was frustrated with my picky eaters. I just wanted to eat something interesting. I was tired of everything being requested "plain." That is so boring.
Example: If I made this soup for dinner
…my family would disown me, I'm pretty sure. That doesn't mean it doesn't taste amazing though. They're just boring eaters.
Looking back, it has been really amazing to see my blog develop as a history of our family.
I have photos from when Trey and Max were born.
And I remember it like yesterday because it's all right here in front of me. I have every holiday.
I have every adorable moment.
No scrapbooking required (sorry craft bloggers I just suck at crafts, I mean no offense). That has been a major bonus that I didn't plan on developing. It just happened.
Someday I will be posting daily, I'm sure. But, that hasn't happened yet. I am entirely too busy. I squeak by for now. And until then I try to make each post stretch by picking up odd jobs on social media platforms. Yes, occasionally I get paid to tweet. Weird, right? Yeah, that's a real thing. Also, I do some graphic design work on the side and syndication of posts helps (a lot!) financially as well.
Getting paid for work I already did for free? Um, yes please! We'd like to take a vacation again in the next 30 years.
I also get about a thousand emails a day from people (companies, authors, networks, marketers, etc.) that are looking to get a message out to the public. They want me to try their product (free samples!) and get a message out to you, my readers, telling them my experience with said product. I only answer the ones that really interest me, honestly. At first I tried to answer everyone and everything and it was too much. Now I answer readers almost exclusively.
So, overall I work about 20 hours a week, not including "mom work," and I do it always in the morning. I'm a morning person. Afternoons and evening are for the family. I plan around the weather and take a lot of photos of everything around me just in case something amazing happens, like this shot of Max collecting leaves on an autumn day.
In a world of digital photography, there's no reason not to take photos of everything. I make money, yes, but I'm hardly rolling in it. Maybe someday. I started out with a point and shoot camera and a baby on my hip because I wanted something spicy to eat. It has grown organically from there. Most of the photos I do take don't pass the blog test, but over time, I'm learning and growing and trying new things. It seems to be working.
It's not easy, and it takes a lot of planning and creativity, but it beats arguing with strangers on the Internet.
At least, for me.
More from living


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Union to sit Mark Clattenburg
Premier League ref Mark Clattenburg, who has been accused by Chelsea of using "inappropriate language" toward two of its players, will not officiate a match this weekend as the England Football Association announced it will launch an investigation into allegations the referee made racist comments during Manchester United's 3-2 win.
The Professional Game Match Officials union released a statement Monday, saying "that with any football match the focus should not be on the officials but on the players and the game itself."
"The FA has begun an investigation relating to allegations made following Sunday's fixture at Stamford Bridge between Chelsea and Manchester United (Sunday 28 October 2012). The FA will make no further comment at this time," read the statement on the FA website.
Gordon Taylor, head of the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA), encouraged the FA Monday to take swift action to learn the lessons of the last 12 months."
"This is extremely serious for the referee involved so that's why it's important that it is dealt with in the most thorough manner and as quickly, efficiently, and transparently as possible," he said
The referees' union pledged its "full support" Monday to Clattenburg after Chelsea accused him of directing racial slurs toward Mikel John Obi and Juan Mata.
"Prospect is committed to helping to eradicate racism in football and in society generally," the trade union, of which the referees' union is a member, said in a statement. "We will be making no further comment at this stage."
Mikel's agent and Chelsea did not comment Monday, but the club did confirm that it had decided against holding a press conference Tuesday to preview Wednesday night's Capital One Cup clash against United.
Chelsea's complaint against Clattenburg, 37, could hinge on the evidence of the assistant referees who would have heard every exchange, according to ex-referee Graham Poll.
"A referee's microphone is on open. Everything he says is heard by two assistants," Poll, who refereed 1,544 matches during his career and officiated at two World Cups, told BBC Radio 5 live. "So if Mark said something, the assistants would have heard it."
Former Premier League referee Jeff Winter said Clattenburg won't officiate a match again if the charges are proven true.
"I'm not saying referees should do it, but there seems to be one law for one set of people and one law for another, but this inference that racial language has been used is very, very serious," Winter said.
Information from Press Association was used in this report.
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text: Went and met with the home owner today. We walked the property and I pointed out the poor workmanship of the aerating company. I told her I was going to re do her front yard for free so she could see the difference. I asked her what company did the work and it was one of those larger guys. After I was done we spoke some more and long story short I got her to sign on for snow as well. Good advice guys!


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Reviewed By Ernesto C (Carmel, NY) Reviewed for a 2000 Ford F-150 —4/2/2016 7:42 AM
Great respose on the pedal and lower RPM's at crusing speed.
Reviewed By Michael T (Plant City, FL) Reviewed for a 2000 Ford F-150 —4/14/2014 1:14 PM
I purchased these BBK Headers with a K&N FIPK (cold air intake). I planned on installing both myself. The K&N; no problem. The headers however, after 3 hours of fighting to get the old headers off, I took it to my mechanic! After having them installed for a couple of days, I can tell you they are well worth the money. They will by no means make your truck a screaming hot rod; but you will definitely notice a difference in performance!


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" Brand: James Brown / Type: Hair Shampoo / Suitable for: dry hair "
As I have a scalp that likes to start looking greasy the day after washing, I have used a lot of dry shampoos over the years. I have bought the Battiste one most often as I think it strikes the best balance between price and effectiveness. More recently I have switched to Superdrug's own brand version which is cheaper and genuinely effective. I am still interested in trying new brands though, because I haven't found a dry shampoo that produces a result absoloutely as good as washing my hair. It is probably impossible, but I am an optimist! For this reason, I have recently tried Fabulously Flirty Dry Shampoo, which cost £4.99 in Superdrug, for 150ml. This makes it more expensive than Battiste, but I have since discovered that it is available in Savers for..£1! If only I had looked there first..
A dry shampoo is one that you don't need to use with water. They are either available in powder or sprays, with this particular product coming as most do in an aerosol. The makers say that their "intimate knowledge of how woman want to feel on a special occassion", has lead them to creating the product. It is based on a cornstarch formula, as many dry shampoos are. They say it will leave you with a just -washed look and feel, with even three day old hair will look "fresh and shiny." That is quite a big claim. I have to wash my hair almost every day, due to my scalp, so if true, this product would potentially save me a lot of time.
I remember that when the product was being advertised a lot last year, it was promoted with the help of a sort of rock chick model. The can is black with gold and pink lettering, which fits in with that image. It makes it stand out from the likes of the Battiste with their more floral patterned design can. I am not sure that labelling a product "flirty" and "scandulous" makes it so, but it is trying to create a distinct image in a crowded market. I don't care much about it's branding, if a product actually works.
The instructions on the can recommend that you spray the shampoo on to your hair from a distance of 20 cm, targeting areas of excess oil. This is quite easy to do, because the spray works at an angle as well as when upright. It isn't the most responsive spray button I have used though. That is probably just as well as I don't want to apply too much at once. Like most similar products, the shampoo leaves a whitish powdery residue on the hair. It isn't the worst I have tried, but obviously you need to be careful to follow the instructioin to brush it out thoroughly. Before doing so, you need to wait 30 seconds to allow the cornstarch to absorb the excess oil. Even when in a real rush, I can afford to wait that long! It makes the hair feel a little damp, but this isn't noticeable to others after a short time. This means I can apply it on my way out without looking as though I haven't had time to dry my hair.
What I really like about this shampoo is it's scent. It is earthy and spicy, and quite different from the usual floral and fruity aromas. It is a really nice smell, and feels more like unisex than other products. If you are a man and looking for a dry shampoo, this would probably suit - if you could get over buying one called "Fabulously Flirty"! I believe that there is only the one scent available, which is more unfortunate if you don't like it. It is strong enough to last until the next day, without being overwhelming.
It definitely deals with my greasy roots if I skip one wash, and it makes my hair smell fantastic. However, I have used it on my hair 2 days after washing, and it did not work as well. There was some improvement, but it did not look freshly washed. I still felt self conscious, and even when I used it on fresher hair, my hair did not remaining looking good for as long as it would had I washed it. [I needed to re-apply it before going out in the evening, after having first used it in the morning.] If you do not need to wash your hair so often, you will likely achieve longer lasting results. In the short term, this does remove oil, and if I just don't have time to wash and dry my long hair, I will settle for that. I did not notice that my hair looked any shinier despite the claims, which is a shame.
It brushes out easily, both after spraying and at the end of the day. I have used up my can over the last month, and my hair is not any worse for having used it - I haven't experienced any build up or irritation.
I do not think that it is worth £5, as while it does a reasonable job in the short term, it isn't significantly better than cheaper products for me. In fact, it doesn't last as long as Superdrugs own brand. I love the scent, and I would buy it again for that if I can find it in Savers for £1. If I had never tried another dry shampoo, I would be grateful for the quick and easy solution it offers when I just don't have time to wash my hair. However, as I have tested others, I would say that this doesn't offer the best value for money. If you can get it for the lower price, I would say buy it to experience the lovely scent.
[This review also appears on Ciao under my user name.]
I was introduced to dry hair shampoo a while ago now by a friend of mine whom I go to the gym with. I found that going to the gym three times a week for my spinning classes and body pump, as well as going to and from work in smog ridden London left my hair is a nightmare. As I also suffer from a dry, itchy scalp and sometimes from greasy roots and dry ends I try not to wash my hair every day because it often makes the problem much worse. I also live in a hard water area which means the water can also cause problems for my hair, if I just use a shampoo then more often than not my hair feels like straw and really dry, so I do have to invest in a good conditioner to keep my hair looking shiny and healthy. So I needed something to tackle the issues in between washing my hair which would not only leave me feeling confident that my hair didn't resemble a chip pan but that it smelt fresh.
I have shoulder length, layered highlighted blonde hair and it can take me between 10 minutes and half an hour to wash and condition properly depending upon which conditioner I use, if I opt for a leave in conditioner than it is highly likely I am going to take up to half an hour to sort my hair out, so again when I am in a rush to leave the house or get to the gym after work, I don't want to have to wash my hair both before and after.
So whilst in a panic in the middle of Boots last month I was gutted to find that they had no Batiste in stock at all and was told they didn't know when the next delivery was and the helpful assistant told me that there was plenty of other dry shampoo's to choose from in the meantime. I have never looked at using another brand if I am honest and nor did I realise there was so many options to choose from, Boots even do their own version although as I wasn't impressed with their scalp conditioning shampoo I decided not to try their own brand and instead opted for a 150ml bottle of James Brown London fabulously flirty dry shampoo.
James Brown London fabulously flirty dry shampoo is marketed with a statement which says "For hair that gets people talking" whilst promising to give you fresh clean hair which smells as good as it looks when you need to get out the door. This product retails at £5.99 and is immediately more expensive than Batiste but is sold in a 150ml can which is similar to a can of hairspray. The can itself caught my eye on the shelf because it was sat amongst all of the other James Brown London products which happen to be sold in bright white packaging and the whole collection is currently on an offer of buy two products and get a third free, handy for me because I needed some new shampoo and conditioner as well, so I added the dry shampoo in my bundle of three. The can of dry shampoo as I have said is pure black with a pull on and off lid, as it is an aerosol you should always be carefully where and when you spray it and there are some safety instructions on the back of the can. Not only is the can itself pure black with a sort of patent style finish it promotes the words 'scandalous' with a red background and the 'Fabulously flirty' with a gold background which immediately catches your attention and led to my purchase.
To use the dry shampoo the directions on the can state that you are to hold it approximately 30cm from your hair and then spray lightly and evenly. Once you have done this you will notice a talcum powder looking effect to your hair which is the corn starch. Once you have done this you simply massage through your hair, like it was shampoo, using your fingertips and then leave it for a few moments before you brush it out. So having followed the instructions on the can I grab my paddle brush and brush my hair to remove any access powder from it. Now before I used this dry shampoo my roots were greasy and I very much wanted to wash it because I had just finished a spinning session at the gym, but if I wanted to see how well this product worked then there wasn't much point in washing my hair was there? As soon as you spray this product onto your hair, it does look a little white which is rather worrying but it does smell very similar to Lee Staffords Poker Straight styling product and slightly similar to the tropical Batiste dry shampoo that I have used before a bit like coconuts and it is a really pleasant smell. Anyway, once you are satisfied that all of the powder has disappeared you can style your hair as you would normally do.
The first thing I noticed after using this product was less greasy roots, infact I struggled to see whether I had used this product in the first place because there was no sign of any greasy roots anywhere on my head as there had been before using the product. Having blonde hair myself, it can look extremely dull and dark looking when it is in need of a good wash and what this dry shampoo does is brighten your hair to give it that just washed look as it promised to do in the marketing statement, although you obviously haven't washed your hair at all and if I am honest no one would know the difference unless you told them because it looks and smells like you have and therefore gives you a peace of mind and a nice smell to your hair.
As I mentioned before this really does smell quite tropical and the smell lingers on your hair throughout the whole day, it does however begin to wear off after about eight hours but the staying time is really quite impressive. Once I had used this on my hair the next task was to see how well my hair would look after it had been straightened because when I used Batiste my hair straightened as well it does once it is freshly washed. So I grabbed my GHD's and straighten my hair. I assumed that my hair would be an utter nightmare to style like it always is when I need to wash it, but I was pleasantly surprised again when my hair straightened like a dream and looked fantastic whereas usually it would look lank and devoid of any life at all.
I only use this product in between washes and now instead of washing my hair every day or sometimes twice a day when I have been at the gym, I can now wash my hair every other day or at least every two days and not have to worry about looking a real mess with dirty hair. As I said before it smells lovely on your hair and the fragrance lasts between washes to give your hair that just washed smell.
So how does it work? To be honest as with Batiste dry shampoo there is a long list on ingredients upon the can, some of which I haven't got a clue what they are and what they are for but the one ingredient which does stand out to me is the corn starch which is a natural substitute for talc and is used to absorb excess oil which in this case is the oils giving your hair a greasy appearance and mops up all the excess oil into the talc particles removing them from your hair and cleanses the scalp at the same time allowing it to breathe thus giving you the just washed look and feel. Now as this is an aerosol it is obviously a highly extremely flammable so be very careful when using it and where you use it.
James Brown London fabulously flirty dry shampoo can be bought in Boots and I am not sure whether or not it is available anywhere else on the high street. It is only sold in 150ml cans and retails for £5.99 which as I have said is more expensive than Batiste so if you are willing to spend that little bit more then it is worth trying or waiting until you can buy it on an offer. I have been using my can for just over eight weeks now and I do need to invest in another can because I have almost used this can up and I do use it every two to three days on average in a week.
Had does it fair overall? Well I absolutely loved this product, dry shampoo is for me one of the best products that I have ever been introduced to and been told to buy. It does exactly what I want it to do with minimum effort and fuss, my hair has been in a much better condition over the last eight weeks since using it because I haven't washed my hair constantly and it smells lovely. I am not currently sure whether or not I would go back to using Batiste because I actually prefer the James Brown dry shampoo mainly because on smell alone it isn't as potent but it does last longer and for me it leaves my hair looking washed and smelling clean for a little bit longer and that is how I justify spending the extra £4 per can, however I will keep a travel size can of Batiste in the house for emergencies and weekends away because that is a major selling point that Batiste has over this product.


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PHILADELPHIA - The NHL free-agent courting period has done wonders in for creating dialog.
The problem is all the idle chatter has plugged the lines on trade talks.
"It stalls a lot of things," Calgary Flames GM Brad Treliving said after completing the NHL Draft. "You look at the number of signings, the lack of signings, of players that are their own free agents. I would assume those teams that want players back have made offers, and now everybody's waiting. I don't necessarily know if the market is being driven by it, but it's slowing the market, without question."
The logjam will end Tuesday when the 30 teams open their chequebooks in the hopes of landing this year's crop of free agents.


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Look! String Art above the Mantel
Apartment Therapy reader sub-culture shared their string art with us yesterday in the comments section of this post. With very little means, they created a large-scale artwork fit for placing above the mantel.
Sub-culture created the graphic using thumbtacks and "a few hundred feet of thread". That hard work paid off, as this work of string art couldn't be more at home over that fantastic stone fireplace. We love that from very lightweight and inexpensive materials, something of such large scale and high impact was created. (Thanks, sub-culture!)


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Rural - Albany, WI
Come build your dream home in this quiet rural subdivision of Homestead Estates. Located with an easy commute to Madison, Janesville, Beloit, and Monroe. Enjoy peaceful country living. Deed restricted to protect your investment.
Would you like more information regarding this property?
Please call (608) 329-2200.
Data Provided by:
South Central Wisconsin MLS Corporation


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Stephen William Borthwick is an English rugby union footballer who plays lock for Bath and England. Borthwick is captain of the England Rugby Union team's tour of New Zealand in 2008. He has established himself among the best line-out jumpers in England. He is 6'6" and over 17st.
More on Wikipedia…
(4 quotes found)
"Under Brian Ashton we're improving incrementally."
Steve Borthwick
"We made some errors in our discipline, and we gave away some silly penalties."
"I cannot make the presumption he is leaving."
"I would like to see Brian Ashton at Bath for several more years."
Quotes Daddy offers a number of tools for developers and bloggers to integrate quotes into their site including customizable widgets, embeddable quotes and API.
Over 1,000,000 famous quotes and user quotes that you can save to your favorites, share with friends and add to your site, blog or social network.


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(WBIR) Several Knoxville intersections are becoming more bicycle-friendly, thanks to a little bit of paint and an inexpensive city project.
The city recently adjusted traffic sensors at 12 intersections to allow them to pick up bicycles for light changes as well as cars. Most of the intersections with the sensors are located in and near downtown Knoxville.
City traffic engineers said they chose those locations because they're known trouble spots on established routes, which are becoming more popular as biking activity increases.
"It's growing and growing. Every year we're seeing more and more. We do bicycle counts and those keep going up. And there's definitely defined routes from Fourth and Gill and Parkridge going to UT, that's a real popular area. South Knoxville's real popular. In west Knoxville there's a real popular route that takes you from Cedar Bluff all the way to downtown," Jon Livengood, the City of Knoxville's Traffic Engineer & Alternative Transportation Coordinator, said.
The project is inexpensive. It didn't require any new equipment, so the only cost was labor and the paint for the new symbols on the street.
- Cherokee Blvd @ Kingston Pike – 2 symbols
- Clinch @ 11th St – 2 symbols
- Clinch @ Henley St – 2 symbols
- Colonial Dr @ Chapman Hwy – 2 symbols
- E Blount @ Cityside Ln – 1 symbol
- Hall of Fame @ E Hill – 3 symbols
- Martin Luther King @ Summit Hill -1 symbol
- E Hill @ Gay St – 1 symbol
- Wesley Rd @ Kingston Pk – 1 symbol
- Gill @ Broadway – 2 symbols
- Gill @ Hall of Fame – 1 symbol
- Golfclub Drive @ Kingston Pike – 1 symbol


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D-backs GM Towers shows interest in Kuroda
D-backs GM Towers shows interest in Kuroda
General manager Kevin Towers confirmed the club's serious interest in the 36-year-old, who hasn't ruled out a fifth season with the Dodgers, but hasn't committed to one either. Kuroda told the Dodgers he'd like to go out a winner, which should make the National League West champions pretty attractive. Kuroda, who went 13-16 with a 3.07 ERA in 32 starts this past season, is definitely attractive to them.
"I've always admired Kuroda," Towers said. "His first start was against the Padres when I was there. We didn't do a thing. I've heard nothing but great things about him as a person. With his style, a sinker, a strike-thrower. He plays in the NL West, he's been effective at Chase Field. And with a one-year deal, there's less risk. He's still got Japan, too, but I'm looking forward to having a discussion. Where it takes us, I don't know."
Unlike the Dodgers, who have no veteran alternative if Kuroda leaves, the D-backs can sign Kuroda and non-tender Joe Saunders or tender Saunders if Kuroda signs elsewhere. Whether the D-backs want to pay Kuroda anywhere near the $12 million he earned last year with the Dodgers is a big question, but it's not clear the Dodgers can afford that salary either with the club for sale in bankruptcy.
Towers said the club's new Spring Training facility, Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, is another inducement for free agents living in Arizona who already found the D-backs an attractive destination.
MLB.com takes a glance at each position entering the Hot Stove season.
• SP: Plenty of mid-tier arms
• RP: Closers flood market
• 1B: Pujols, Prince elite
• 2B: Thin but reliable
• 3B: Aramis the lone big bat
• SS: Attention on Reyes
• OF: Bargains available
• DH: Ortiz the top target
Hot Stove Tracker
"It's a selling point," he said. "The Spring Training facility is huge for players who can live in their home year-round. They don't have to be packing up. It's nice to know where you're going to be."
While the starting rotation still is in limbo, Towers said he was pleased with the re-signing of second baseman Aaron Hill to a two-year, $11 million deal.
"Based on what we saw, Hill's defense is so important in our park with our staff," he said. "His makeup, his intangibles, his ability to turn the double play. And I think we'll see more power. His swing is from the foul line to the gaps and that's the easiest part to hit it out of Chase."
Towers suggested that playing on artificial turf in Toronto might have played a part in his defensive decline over the first half of 2011 before the trade to Arizona. He also theorized that Hill was trying too hard to keep up the pace of the 62 home runs he hit in 2009 and 2010. He finished 2011 with eight.
"You hit 36 homers, and once you do that once you expect to repeat it," he said. "[Jose] Bautista was able to back it up. Aaron didn't and probably struggled."
Towers said he wants the D-backs to be "a little more aggressive" signing Latin American players, but then was asked about Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes.
"I don't know if we'll be that aggressive," he said. "He's pretty amazing. Incredible hulk."
Towers said he's more comfortable at this year's General Managers Meetings than last year's, his first with the D-backs. Those rumors of dealing Justin Upton, they're gone.
"I have zero interest in moving him now that I know him," he said. "Our club is going to look a lot like it did last year at the end of the year. A different arm or two. We'll wait for the young talent. People say we overachieved to win 94 games. I hope they say that again.
"I feel much better about our club this year. Last year, I was going a lot on our scouting reports. But I've gotten to know the staff, the players in the system. I like what we have. Sometimes a lot of change isn't good. I like our character and makeup, our speed, our power, our pitching depth. Our bullpen is much stronger. And it really comes down to health. A ton of credit goes to our training staff. They are the unsung heroes with the job they did."
Ken Gurnick is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Felger and Massarotti were joined by Chris "Mad Dog" Russo, of SirusXM's Mad Dog Radio, on Radio Row live from Indy.
How important is this game the legacies of the Pats, Brady, and Belichick?
Would New York Jets fans rather see the Giants win a Super Bowl or guarantee that the Pats won't win it?
Do the Jets have a shot at getting Peyton Manning?


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Kent Model Clubs
Model railway clubs, model car clubs, model aircraft clubs, model helicopter clubs & model boat clubsin Tunbridge Wells, Rochester, Sandwich, Folkestone, Dartford, Orpington, Welling, Bromley, Gillingham, Ashford, Bexley, Faversham, Sittingbourne, Westerham, Dover, Deal, Chatham, Tonbridge, Canterbury, Sevenoaks, Maidstone, Gillingham, Beckenham,
Canterbury and District Model Engineering Society
With around 50 members Canterbury and District Model Engineering Society was formed in 1972 to provide for the interests of local model engineers.
Please take a look at our web site for full details of our Society.
Contact InformationWeb Site: Canterbury and District Model Engineering Society
, Canterbury, Kent, .
01227 273357
Chatham & District Model Railway Club
We are actively searching for new members to our club in Kent - everyone is welcome.
Contact InformationWeb Site: Chatham & District Model Railway Club
Secretary, , Kent, .
Erith Model Railway Society
Contact InformationWeb Site: Erith Model Railway Society
Norvic House, Erith, Kent, DA8 3RX.
07736 560956
Kent Model Engineering Society
A model engineering club catering for all disciplines, who are actively seeking new members. Everybody is most welcome to come along and join us at any of our meetings
Contact InformationWeb Site: Kent Model Engineering Society
The Lionel Road Community Centre, Eltham, Kent, SE9.
02087 778586
Sheppey Miniature Engineering And Model Society
We are a model engineering society with a dual gauge track both 31/2 and 5 inch we also boast a large model boat pond and car track. est 1979 and located at Bartons Point coastal park Sheerness Kent.
We run every Sunday from Easter untill the end of October
Contact InformationWeb Site: Sheppey Miniature Engineering And Model Society
Bartons Point Coastal Park, Sheerness, Kent, ME12 2BE.
Return to Model Clubs County pages | Submit a Listing


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Eddie Bauer Sport Shop Mobile Tour
Eddie Bauer Inc. (EB), a leading international retail clothing brand, planned to launch a 16-venue mobile tour to introduce its newest retro-inspired sportswear collection geared to a younger audience. Through the tour, consumers were to be given the opportunity to see and possibly win a new Eddie Bauer Special Edition Ford SUV and EB Teardrop Sporting Trailer. The objectives of the promotional tour were to drive traffic into Eddie Bauer stores and to the EB website, as well as see if redemption rates of game pieces and sales would be higher in a market area where there were events held compared to markets where no events were held.
Clearpoint Agency was tasked with producing a final budget, hiring and scheduling staff, acquiring an EB edition Ford SUV from a local dealer and implementing a plan for the 16-venue tour (over 15 dates in two months) within just a few weeks.
Clearpoint handled all venue contact, coordination and on-site support for the tour. Our team corresponded with venue officials, made arrangements for arrival and departure times, permits, exhibit specifics, hiring and training of staff, setup and breakdown procedures, promo giveaways, etc. Clearpoint also developed a recap sheet that would quickly outline results for EB corporate staff after each tour event.
The tour helped to drive traffic to the Eddie Bauer website and into retail stores, which in turn, enhanced sales. In total, the Eddie Bauer Sport Shop Tour exhibited before nearly 385,000 people, distributing 34,000 instant win game pieces and 21,924 giveaways. The sweeps and tour combined to provide a very positive launch for the new retro line of clothing, and same store sales posted their first gain (7%) in more than three years. Turn-in rates of game pieces per store were, in fact, considerably higher than in areas where no events were held.


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The contract for the Screen Actors Guild expires Monday. SAG has been negotiating with the studios for weeks, but the parties are nowhere near an agreement. The smaller actors' union — American Federation of Television and Radio Artists — however, is in the process of voting on a contract. Chances of a Hollywood actors' strike are slim, but movie shoots have ground to a halt, just in case.
Copyright 2017 NPR.


text: Global Entrepreneurship Week 2012 - Participant Survey About You There are 9 questions in this survey. It should take you between 2 and 4 minutes to complete - thank you in advanceThe GEW Team * 1. What is your current business situation? I am an aspiring entrepreneur - I haven't started a business yet I have recently started-up a business/social enterprise I run an established business I am significantly growing my business I am not self employed and haven't considered entrepreneurship or self-employment before Global Entrepreneurship Week I am in a business support role (interested in enterprise but not looking to start a business) Other (please specify) * 2. Your age Under 11 11-14 15-16 17-18 19-22 23-29 30-35 36-40 41-50 51-64 65+ Prefer not to say * 3. Your gender Male Female Prefer not to say * 4. Your location Aberdeenshire Angus Argyll Ayrshire Banffshire Berwickshire Bute Caithness City of Aberdeen City of Dundee City of Edinburgh City of Glasgow Clackmannanshire County Antrim County Armagh County Down County Fermanagh County Londonderry County Tyrone Cromartyshire Dumfriesshire Dunbartonshire East Lothian East Midlands East of England Fife Guernsey Inverness-shire Isle of Man Jersey Kincardineshire Kinross-shire Kirkcudbrightshire Lanarkshire London Mid Wales Midlothian Moray Nairnshire North East North Wales and Anglesey North West Orkney Peeblesshire Perthshire Renfrewshire Ross and Cromarty Ross-shire Roxburghshire Selkirkshire Shetland South East South Wales South West Stirlingshire Sutherland West Lothian West Midlands Wigtownshire Yorkshire and the Humber Next


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Known as the Country Music Capital of WA, Boyup Brook hosts the Western Australian Country Music Awards in February each year in a four day extravaganza. It is also home to the unique Harvey Dickson's Country Music Centre and rodeo facility which hosts major events in October and shows during the year.
The visitor information centre houses part of the internationally recognised Carnaby Beetle and Butterfl y collection. The award winning Pioneer Museum features an authentic Freemasons Temple and other memorabilia including a comprehensive display of machinery from the early clover harvesting days. A place of many sculptures including mysterious holograms, sand sculptures, and wide median islands, it will be an unforgettable experience for those who venture to visit.


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Looking at the weather reports has always been part of the daily routine for anyone that lives in a resort area. The weather can and does affect our daily lives much more than it will impact those people living in the city with a regular 9 to 5 job.
In the summer, resorts count on nice, sunny weather to attract visitors. During the winter, we also rely on good weather to get the absolute most visitors to the area, but we, obviously, also need those wicked stormy days to provide the snow those people are searching for.
All this uncertainty in the weather also plays a role in what we eat. Like I said, this past holiday season was nowhere near as busy as it could have been for many folks, so there might be that one big check and you could be tempted to splurge and have a big steak for dinner, or you might be looking ahead a little and decide to be slightly more frugal for now.
Meatballs are a great way to do both; splurge a little while preparing for leaner times ahead. Meatballs are a great addition to the plate of spaghetti to make it a heartier meal and not just a simple plate of noodles. You can choose different meats, adding veal, lamb or pork for better meatballs, or stay with all beef and keep the price down.
There are few things to keep in mind for good meatballs. First, use meat cuts with a little fat content like chuck that is usually 20 to 25 percent fat instead of leaner sirloin, and pork shoulder instead of loin, to avoid dry meatballs. Also, don't overwork them or that can lead to them being dense and dry. I'm using only beef and pork, but again, feel free to add veal or lamb as your tastes and budget allow. Think snow.
1 lb. ground beef (80-20%)
½ lb. ground pork shoulder
1 small yellow onion, small diced (not fine chopped)
1 shallot, diced
2 garlic cloves, diced
2 T butter
3 slices white bread, crust removed & cut into small cubes
¾ C milk
1 large egg, beaten
1½ T salt
1½ T pepper
2 T fresh parsley, chopped
2 T dry basil
1 T dry oregano
¼ C Parmesan cheese, grated
¼ C olive oil
Soak the bread in the milk. In a skillet, sauté the onion and shallot on medium-high until start to soften and turn translucent. Add the garlic and sauté just for another minute or two to slightly soften and let cool.
In a large bowl (I use an oversized bowl for larger surface area), lightly mix the meats together. Sprinkle seasonings and cheese over the meat. Pour the egg and onions over the meat. Gently squeeze excess milk out of the bread and sprinkle over the mix. Gently mix everything together and then Gently roll into about 2- to 3-inch balls onto a sheet pan.
Get the oil hot in a skillet and brown the meatballs on all sides and place on a sheet pan. Finish cooking in the oven at 350 degrees until done. If you are using them all fresh, you can finish cooking them in a skillet with half the sauce you plan on using.
Smitty is a personal chef specializing in dinner parties, cooking classes and special events. Trained under Master Chef Anton Flory at Top Notch Resort in Stowe, Vt., Smitty is known for his creative use of fresh ingredients. He has been a chef for PGA's Memorial Tournament for more than 15 years and ran the main kitchen at the World Games. For more information and archived copies of Stir it Up, visit chefsmitty.com. Smitty welcomes questions and comments at firstname.lastname@example.com or (530)412-3598.


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About usThis organization was established in the year 1973 in the name of Jeewa Motors and established a very good reputation in the business of trading motor vehicle parts and accessories.
In the year 1986 the founder of this organization, Mr. L.G.P De Silva passed away and his son Mr.Janaka De Silva became the successor to the business.
Mr. Janaka De Silva had gathered lot of experience under his father and also he started manufacturing of Sign board, and where he identified the great potential of the industry and he stepped with great confidence and experience to the advertising industry.This organization within a short period of time became prominent in this said industry and identified in the name of Jeewa Plastic (Pvt) Ltd. Mr. Janaka De Silva is the founder of Jeewa Plastic (Pvt) Ltd and he became the chairman from the date of incorporation.
Jeewa Plastic (Pvt)Ltd. has established a great reputation in the advertising industry due to many factors and some of them are:
- The Company Could Serve customer needs on their request.
- The wide range of products in the company and hence customers need not waste time by evaluating or looking for their needs.
- The company brings down quality products from reputed suppliers and makes them available to local customers and also sole agent for large number of products in the advertising industry.
- A well experienced and discipline set of employees are serving the customers under the high quality team of management.
- This company is always updating with the international market and updates the customers with the latest development in the trade.


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As a result of globalization, deregulation and terrorist attacks, the insurance industry has gone through a tremendous transformation over the past decade.
In the simplest terms, insurance of any type is all about managing risk. For example, in life insurance, the insurance company attempts to manage mortality (death) rates among its clients. The insurance company collects premiums from policy holders, invests the money (usually in low risk investments), and then reimburses this money once the person passes away or the policy matures. A person called an actuary constantly crunches demographic data to estimate the life of a person. This is why characteristics such as age/sex/smoker/etc. all affect the premium that a policy holder must pay. The greater the chance that a person will have a shorter life span than the average, the higher the premium that person will have to pay. This process is virtually the same for every other type of insurance, including automobile, health and property.
In the U.S., the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 legislated that banks, brokerages, insurance firms and other types of financial institutions can join together to offer their customers a more complete range of services. In the insurance business, this has led to a flurry of merger and acquisition activity. In fact, a majority of the liability insurance underwritten in the U.S. has been through big firms, which have also been scooping up other insurance names.
Ownership of insurance companies can come in two forms: shareholder ownership or policyholder ownership. If the company is owned by shareholders, it is like any other public company. That is, its shares trade on an exchange like the NYSE, and it is required to report earnings on a quarterly basis. The other type of ownership is called "mutually owned insurance companies." Here the company is actually owned by the policyholders, so an account called policyholder's surplus, rather than shareholder's equity, appears on the balance sheet. It should be mentioned that in recent years many of the top mutual insurance companies have gone through demutualization to become shareholder-owned. Today, only a small handful of companies are still policyholder-owned.
Types of Insurance
There are several major types of insurance policies. Some companies offer the entire suite of insurance, while others specialize in specific areas:
- Life Insurance - Insurance guaranteeing a specific sum of money to a designated beneficiary upon the death of the insured, or to the insured if he or she lives beyond a certain age.
- Health Insurance - Insurance against expenses incurred through illness of the insured.
- Liability Insurance - The miscellaneous category. This insures property such as automobiles, property and professional/business mishaps.
There are many factors to examine when looking at insurance companies. More than anything, both consumers and investors should concern themselves with the insurer's financial strength and ability to meet ongoing obligations to policyholders. Poor fundamentals not only indicate a poor investment opportunity, but also hinder growth. Nothing is worse than insurance customers discovering that their insurance company might not have the financial stability to pay out if it is faced with a large proportion of claims.
Over the years, there has been a big shift in the life insurance industry. Instead of offering straight insurance, the industry now tends to sell customers on more investment type products like annuities. As a result, insurance companies have been able to compete more directly with other financial services companies such as mutual funds and investment advisory firms. To capitalize on this, many insurance companies even offer services such as tax and estate planning.
Key Ratios/Terms
Return on Equity (ROE): Net Income
Shareholder's Equity
ROE indicates the return a company is generating on the owners' investments. In the policyholder owned case, you would use policy holders' surpluses as the denominator. As a general rule for insurance companies, ROE should lie between 10-15%.
Return on Assets (ROA): Net Income + Interest Expense
Total Assets
ROA indicates the return a company is generating on the firm's investments/assets. In general, a life insurer should have an ROA that falls in the 0.5-1% range.
Return on Total Revenue: Net Income
Total Revenue
This is another variation of the profitability ratios. The insurance industry average return is approximately 3%. If possible, use the premium income and investment income as the numerator to find the profitability of each area.
Reinsurance: This is the process of multiple insurers sharing an insurance policy to reduce the risk for each insurer. You can think of reinsurance as the insurance backing primary insurers against catastrophic losses. (To learn more, read When Things Go Awry, Insurers Get Reinsured.)
The company transferring the risk is called the "ceding company"; the company receiving the risk is called the "assuming company" or "reinsurer."
Lapse Ratio: Lapsed Life Insurance Specified Period
Contracts in Force (in effect) at Start of Specified Period
This ratio compares the number of policies that have lapsed (expired) within a specified period of time to those in force at the start of that same period. It is a ratio used to measure the effectiveness of an insurer's marketing strategy. A lower lapse ratio is better, particularly because insurance companies pay high commissions to brokers and agents that refer new clients.
A.M. Best Ratings: A.M. Best dubs itself "The Insurance Information Source." This company provides data and research on almost every major insurance company in North America and abroad. Many analysts equate the quality of A.M. Best ratings to Moody's or Standard and Poor's bond ratings. A.M. Best ratings are so widely followed because they can usually obtain company information that wouldn't be accessible to the average person.
The A.M. ratings range from A++ (superior quality) to F (the company is in liquidation). If you are analyzing an insurance company, you may want to consider looking for the A.M. Best rating.
Analyst Insight
There are three major factors that we must consider when analyzing an insurance company. Coincidently, these are the same ones that the A.M. Best ratings (among other things) take into account.
- Leverage. The first things you want to check when considering an insurance company are the quality and strength of the balance sheet. Everyday insurers are taking in premiums and paying out claims to policyholders. The ability to meet their obligations toward these policy holders is extremely important. Companies should strike a balance between high returns while keeping leverage intact. A company that is highly leveraged might not be able to meet financial obligations when a large catastrophic event occurs. The following three things act to increase leverage:
1) Writing more insurance policies
2) Dependence on reinsurance
3) Use of debt
Reinsurance allows a company to pass off some of the risk exposure to other insurers (usually a good thing), but be careful. Too much dependence on reinsurance means that the company is not keeping a fair portion of responsibility for each premium dollar.
- Liquidity. The first test of an insurer's ability to meet financial obligations is the acid test. It tests whether a firm has enough short-term assets (without selling inventory) to cover its immediate liabilities. Also take a close look at cash flow. An insurer should almost always have a positive cash flow. Other things to keep an eye on are the investment grades of the company's bond portfolio. Too many high and medium risk bonds could lead to instability.
- Profitability. As with any company, profitability is a key determinant for deciding whether to invest. For an insurance company, there are two components of profits that we must consider: premium/underwriting income and investment income.
Underwriting income is just that: any revenue derived from issuing insurance policies. By averaging the premium's growth rates of several past years, you can determine the growth trends. Growing premium income is a "catch 22" for insurance companies. Ideally, you want the growth rate to exceed the industry average, but you want to be sure that this higher growth does not come at the expense of accepting higher-risk clients. Conversely, a company whose premium income is growing at a slower rate might be too picky, looking for only the highest quality insurance opportunities. The one thing to remember is that higher premium collections do not equate to higher profits. Lower numbers of claims (via low risk clients) contribute more to the bottom line.
The second area of profitability that you need to include in your analysis is investment income. As we mentioned earlier, a greater proportion of an insurer's income comes from investments. To evaluate this area, take a look at the company's asset allocation strategy (usually mentioned in the notes of the financial statements). You aren't likely to find any secrets in this area. A majority of the assets should be invested in low-risk bonds, equities or money market securities. Some insurers invest a substantial portion of their assets in real estate. If this is so, take a look at what type of property it is and where it is located. A building in New York City is much more liquid than one in Boise, Idaho.
ROA, ROE, and the lapse ratios (discussed above) are also useful for evaluating the profitability of the insurer. Calculate the ROA and ROE numbers over the past several years to determine whether management has been increasing return for shareholders. The lapse ratio will help to tell whether the company has managed to keep marketing expenses under control. The more policies that remain in force (are not canceled), the better.
Other Factors
Another major item that affects the performance of an insurance company is interest rate fluctuations. Insurance companies invest much of the collected premiums, so the income generated through investing activities is highly dependent on interest rates. Declining interest rates usually equate to slower investment income growth. Another downside to interest rate fluctuations (not exclusive to insurance companies) is the cost of borrowing. Find out when the company's debt matures and how high the interest rates are. If the company is about to borrow or reprice its debt, there could be a big shock to cash flows as interest expense rises.
Demographics play one of the largest roles in affecting sales for insurance, particularly life insurance. As people age, they tend to rely more and more on life insurance products for their retirement. Death benefit policies ensure that beneficiaries are financially secure once the insured dies, but in more recent years, the insurance industry has made great headway in offering investment/savings type insurance products. Because baby boomers are quickly approaching retirement age, take a close look at the suite of insurance products that the company is offering and, from that, see if it stands to benefit from this large portion of the population getting older.
The one problem with analyzing insurance companies is that the disclosure usually isn't enough. Proper analysis requires substantial disclosure of things like reserve ratios, exposure to catastrophic/environmental loss and details of the company's operations. This isn't to say that the financial statements are not enough for adequate analysis, but to dig really deep, a person needs more information. We should also note that A.M. Best ratings take all of this information and more into account when they determine their ratings.
Porter's 5 Forces Analysis
- Threat of New Entrants. The average entrepreneur can't come along and start a large insurance company. The threat of new entrants lies within the insurance industry itself. Some companies have carved out niche areas in which they underwrite insurance. These insurance companies are fearful of being squeezed out by the big players. Another threat for many insurance companies is other financial services companies entering the market. What would it take for a bank or investment bank to start offering insurance products? In some countries, only regulations that prevent banks and other financial firms from entering the industry. If those barriers were ever broken down, like they were in the U.S. with the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999, you can be sure that the floodgates will open.
- Power of Suppliers. The suppliers of capital might not pose a big threat, but the threat of suppliers luring away human capital does. If a talented insurance underwriter is working for a smaller insurance company (or one in a niche industry), there is the chance that person will be enticed away by larger companies looking to move into a particular market.
- Power of Buyers. The individual doesn't pose much of a threat to the insurance industry. Large corporate clients have a lot more bargaining power with insurance companies. Large corporate clients like airlines and pharmaceutical companies pay millions of dollars a year in premiums. Insurance companies try extremely hard to get high-margin corporate clients.
- Availability of Substitutes. This one is pretty straight forward, for there are plenty of substitutes in the insurance industry. Most large insurance companies offer similar suites of services. Whether it is auto, home, commercial, health or life insurance, chances are there are competitors that can offer similar services. In some areas of insurance, however, the availability of substitutes are few and far between. Companies focusing on niche areas usually have a competitive advantage, but this advantage depends entirely on the size of the niche and on whether there are any barriers preventing other firms from entering.
- Competitive Rivalry. The insurance industry is becoming highly competitive. The difference between one insurance company and another is usually not that great. As a result, insurance has become more like a commodity - an area in which the insurance company with the low cost structure, greater efficiency and better customer service will beat out competitors. Insurance companies also use higher investment returns and a variety of insurance investment products to try to lure in customers. In the long run, we're likely to see more consolidation in the insurance industry. Larger companies prefer to take over or merge with other companies rather than spend the money to market and advertise to people.
Key Links
- A.M. Best - An excellent source for insurance related information and statistics.
- Insure.com - An insurance guide comparing hundreds of companies, and offering thousands of educational articles.
The Industry Handbook: The Telecommunications Industry
Bundle Your Insurance For Big SavingsBundling your insurance can save you money and time. Read on to see how get the most out of multiline insurance discounts.
What Happens If Your Insurance Company Goes Bankrupt?When insurance companies go bankrupt or face financial difficulty, it's bad news for policy holders.
How To Invest In Insurance CompaniesKnowing the special circumstances that insurance companies operate under helps in evaluating whether or not a listed insurance company is a good investment and whether the economic environment ...
Exploring Advanced Insurance Contract FundamentalsUnderstanding your contract can help you protect our family's financial security.
The History Of Insurance In AmericaInsurance was a latecomer to the American landscape, largely due to the country's unknown risks.
4 Things That Keep You From Getting Life InsuranceWe look at four common reasons people give for not applying for life insurance, and see if they're legitimate.
Financial Advisor
Getting Life Insurance in Your 20s Pays OffFind out how Americans in their 20s can benefit from a well-thought-out life insurance policy, especially if they are able to build cash value for retirement.
For Life Insurers, Making Money Is A Numbers GameLife insurance is a data-driven industry that relies on complex financial models to predict future expenses and income from premiums and investments.


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Piano (Master Teacher)
Doctor of Musical Arts, University of Maryland, College Park
Master of Music, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Diploma from Ecole Normale de Music, Beirut, Lebanon
Bachelor of Arts, Piano Performance, Detroit Institute of Musical Arts
Diploma from Fountainbleau School of Music, Fountainebleau, France
Debut 1981 at Carnegie Recital hall; Visiting Artist, North
Carolina ARTEMIS BELIAN BEDROS originally from the Middle East, Ms. Bedros
began her musical studies at the age of eight as a scholarship student of Mme.
Marie Rieu, the noted pianist and member of the Jury of the National
Conservatory of Paris. Since her debut recital at the age of eleven, her
performances here and abroad have established her as a sensitive as well as
brilliant and exciting recitalist, chamber musician and orchestral soloist. Jane
Zitnick of the Fayettville Observer wrote of the exceptionally talented
pianist, Artemis Bedros, gave a performance of the Beethoven Emperor Concerto
that was certainly a highpoint in the symphonys history.
Ms. Bedros holds a Diploma from the Ecole Normale de Musique, Beirut Lebanon, Bachelor of Music in performance from Detroit Institute of Musical Arts; diploma from Fontainbleau School of Music in Fontainbleau, France; Graduate studies at Juilliard School of Music; Masters Degree from University of North Carolina and DMA studies at the University of Maryland. She has worked with such nationally and internationally distinguished musicians as Mieczyslaw Munz, Jean Cassadesus, George Kiorpes, Peter Schickele, Nadia Boulanger and Dr. Stewart Gordon.
From 1980-83, as Visiting Artist at the Robeson Technical College in Lumberton, North Carolina, Artemis Bedros gave over 100 concerts, lecture recitals, radio and television performances and interviews throughout the state. In 1981 she gave her debut recital at Carnegie Recital Hall in New York.
Artemis Bedros is Nationally Certified Master Teacher and has been on the faculties
of: Detroit Institute of Musical Arts; Robeson Technical College Lumberton, North Carolina; St. Andrews College in Laurinburg, N.C. ; and University of North Carolina where she had a teaching fellowship. Since 1993, Ms. Bedros has been teaching at the Claremont Community School of Music.
She is very active in community musical organizations, serving as President of Tuesday Musicale of Pasadena; the Armenian Allied Arts Association; USC Friends of Armenian Music; Music Teachers of California, Pomona Branch; State Vice President of Professional Music Teachers Association; and has held the position of Vice President in charge of Education for Master Classes International and the Rachmaninoff International Piano Competition in Los Angeles.
Artemis Bedros is listed in various biographical publications including Who's Who among American and International Women, Personalities of the Southern and International Who's Who in Music.


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