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These birds are way too pretty to be named after rodents! Although they are a plain, soft grey color, they have elegant crests and long, graceful tails. The Mousebirds are a small group of (possibly near passerine) birds, which have no known close affinities to other groups, though might be close to trogons and owls.The Mousebirds are therefore given order status as Coliiformes. This group is confined to sub-Saharan Africa, and is the only bird order confined entirely to that continent. They had a wider range in prehistoric times and apparently evolved in Europe. You can see the differences between varies species of Mousebird on this website.
They are widely spread in Africa so you are very likely to see them no matter where you are going on safari. Kruger Park, easily accessed from Johannesburg is a great place to start.
We saw them easily in northern Kruger Park in April 2009. We saw them in other areas of Kruger too. I've seen a few good videos of them at Pete's Pond in Botswana too.
Video of Mousebirds at Pete's Pond, Botswana.


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The Sports Xchange
Seahawks don't want past win to become future sin
RENTON, Wash. -- This is where the Seattle Seahawks wanted to be: at home, coming off a bye, needing just two wins to get to the Super Bowl.
The Sports Xchange
Seahawks don't want past win to become future sin
RENTON, Wash. -- This is where the Seattle Seahawks wanted to be: at home, coming off a bye, needing just two wins to get to the Super Bowl.
And all of that, the Seahawks say, means it doesn't really matter who they have to play to get there.
The fact that their divisional round opponent Saturday happens to be the New Orleans Saints adds some obvious intrigue though.
The Seahawks beat the Saints 34-7 on Dec. 2, a Monday night clobbering that was maybe Seattle's best all-around game of the season. And the ease with which Seattle won that game leads to the obvious question of whether the Seahawks think it will be easy again.
Seattle coach Pete Carroll said he doesn't think that'll be an issue. But, just in case, he brought it up to his team first thing once the playoff matchup was set.
"This is one of those answers that goes along with how you prepare every week," he said. "The last game didn't matter, and who you played and how they played and all that doesn't matter, and this certainly applies to somebody that we've played before in the season.
"The first thing I had addressed in our team meeting when we came back together was, 'What has happened in the past doesn't tell the story of what's going to happen in the future, one way or the other.' So you have to have the discipline to do that. If you're not disciplined about that and understand that and appreciate that so you go back to work and start all over again, then you could fall prey to that and think that, 'OK, something is going to be easier than otherwise' or it could be so hard that we couldn't be able to handle it."
Seattle won that December game with a dominating effort on both sides of the ball, outgaining the Saints 429-188. Russell Wilson completed 22 of 30 passes for 310 yards and an astounding passer rating of 139.6, while the Seahawks held Saints quarterback Drew Brees to 23-of-38 passing for 147 yards -- his lowest total since 2010.
The Seahawks know that Brees and company are likely to change some things up this time around, specifically trying to find ways to get tight end Jimmy Graham (three catches for 42 yards in the first game) more involved.
Offensively, Seattle used a big-play offense to break the game open early in the first meeting, with tight end Zach Miller setting up one score with a 60-yard reception on a play-action pass and Doug Baldwin catching a 52-yarder in a man coverage situation to set up another. Wilson also had 47 yards rushing expertly executing the zone read for some timely gains early in the game as the Seattle offense set the tone.
The Seahawks have struggled offensively since then, with just 77 points in the last four games.
However, they are likely to get the services of receiver Percy Harvin for just the second time all season as he appears ready to return after battling a hip injury all year. That could add a dimension to the Seattle offense that would offset any counters made by the Saints from the Dec. 2 game.
Cornerback Richard Sherman, meanwhile, said the way Seattle lost last year in the divisional round and the perpetual chip on the shoulder carried by many players will mean there is no danger of the Seahawks being complacent after having won the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs.
"I think that's how our team is made," Sherman said. "Our team is made to play with a chip on our shoulder regardless of the situation, regardless of the notoriety that we're getting, regardless of anything, because you can't change the chip, you can't take it off. So guys will always play with that edge, that fire and that hunger. It's something that is embedded in all of us."
NOTES: Strong safety Kam Chancellor did not practice Wednesday due to a hip injury. He has been limited in practices with the same injury in recent weeks and has played fully on game days. He will be especially important in this game against the Saints' great tight end, Jimmy Graham.

subset: commoncrawl


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WASHINGTON, April 22 — The Bush administration sketched its vision of the United States' diplomatic presence in the new Iraq today, describing an embassy with about 1,000 American and 700 Iraqi employees and protected by American soldiers and security forces bolstered by scores of armored vehicles.
Lawmakers listened attentively, even skeptically, as the undersecretary of state for political affairs, Marc Grossman, described a new American embassy protected by more American troops than Iraqi security forces.
"I will say — and I hope that you will be proud of this as well — we have had so many State Department people volunteer for these jobs that we have no trouble assigning them to the 142 positions that we have currently announced," Mr. Grossman told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which has been holding hearings on the transition to Iraqi sovereignty, scheduled for June 30.
The committee's chairman, Senator Richard G. Lugar, Republican of Indiana, said he hoped to hold a hearing as early as Tuesday on the nomination of John D. Negroponte, the American envoy to the United Nations, to be ambassador to Iraq.
"It is critical Ambassador Negroponte and his team be put in place at the earliest possible moment," said Mr. Lugar, who made it clear he was annoyed at the amount of information provided by the administration to date.Continue reading the main story
Mr. Grossman said that at least temporarily after June 30, the security burden would be borne by American soldiers and guards, rather than Iraqis.
"Everybody here should understand that this is not just a dangerous mission for our military forces and coalition military forces that are out in Iraq, this is a dangerous mission for our people as well," Mr. Grossman said, referring to State Department employees.
Mr. Grossman added that American embassy employees would live in trailers, at least initially. He also said that preliminary accounts that the new embassy would have 3,000 American employees were incorrect. He said 32 diplomatic-security people were already in Baghdad, along with 51 armored vehicles, with another 98 vehicles on the way.
Mr. Lugar and the committee's ranking Democrat, Senator Joseph R. Biden of Delaware, extended warm personal greetings to Mr. Grossman — along with pointed criticism of the administration's handling of Iraq in general.
"Our experiences with inadequate planning and communication related to Iraq contribute to the determination of this committee to impose very high standards on information," Mr. Lugar said.
He expressed annoyance with the deputy defense secretary, Paul D. Wolfowitz, who appeared before the committee on Wednesday and, in Mr. Lugar's view, was less than forthcoming about plans for the transition in Iraq.
"I would stress that what we are attempting to do here is not an academic exercise," Mr. Lugar said. "Within the substantial bounds of Congress's oversight capacity, we are attempting to illuminate the United States' plans, actions and options with respect to Iraq, both for the benefit of the American people and to inform our own policy-making role."
Mr. Lugar's speaking style is almost invariably low key, so his comments seemed to signal considerable displeasure.
Both Mr. Lugar and Mr. Biden have suggested that the administration reconsider its apparently iron-clad commitment to the June 30 transfer.
Mr. Biden suggested today that as described by the administration, the new Iraq would seem to the Iraqis themselves less like a free country than one that was still under occupation.
"What they're going to find on July 1, they're going to wake up and there's going to be 160,000 American troops and an American ambassador pulling the strings," Mr. Biden said.
Elsewhere in the Capitol, Senator John Warner, the Virginia Republican who heads the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he was convinced after a private briefing this morning by the national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, that "while a large measure of sovereignty is being passed to Iraq," the United States and its allies would have to bear the burden of security for some time.
And Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, the House Democratic minority leader, again criticized the administration's handling of Iraq, declaring that the $87 billion supplemental appropriation approved last year was obviously not enough, and that the administration is not sufficiently explaining the present spending.
"It's time for the administration to get a grip on Iraq," she said. "It's a mess. Any policy conceived in secrecy, funded in secrecy and conducted in secrecy will have these problems."Continue reading the main story


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A. The gold standard treatment for allergies is to prevent any access to the offending substances which cause them! Unfortunately in dogs it is not always easy to diagnose the causative substances or if it is then to avoid them. Common culprits such as pollen and dust mites can be hard to avoid completely but recommendations as per asthmatic children with regards to bedding etc can help significantly. Adverse reactions to food are relatively common in labradors and a hydrolyzed diet can eliminate scratching related to food ingredients and proteins; an 8 week trial on a hydrolyzed diet will investigate how much of an impact food has on her condition. Supplements to improve her natural skin barrier against allergic sensitivities can help and are included in some skin support diets if the hydrolyzed food does not help after 8 weeks. Medicated and or oatmeal shampoo can help in some patients also
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Israel News
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Edition française
Green Israel
Stem Cells 311.
(photo credit: (University of Louisville Medical School)
Researchers at the Technion- Israel Institute of Technology and Rambam Medical
Center in Haifa are the first in the world to create new blood vessels using
embryonic stem cells that were programmed in advance.The breakthrough
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treating cardiovascular diseases in patients.
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Daydreaming about Madonna and Vanilla Ice?This shirt from MadeMe Clothing led me to search for these images, some of which I had never seen on account of the fact that Madonna's book Sex cost $50 when it came out and was in a sealed package.Um, Hot. Vanilla Ice took the whole sexy douchebag thing to the new heights.
Via Plus Joe
15 April 2009
Where were you in '92?
Posted by Leti at 3:43 PM
4 comments:
- melaniebee said...
love than yin yang scorpion tattoo.
- April 15, 2009 at 7:26 PM
- justbrad said...
these are soo good.. i think i need that shirt too btw, could you pass the link on to me e-friend.
- April 17, 2009 at 8:56 PM
- Leti said...
Oops I just updated the url for the shirt. It's from MadeMe you can find stockists on their site.
- April 21, 2009 at 1:34 PM
- laurakitty said...
God, she looks so hot!
- May 11, 2009 at 1:48 PM
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The Infernal Devices #1
Author: Cassandra Clare
Released Date: August 31, 2010
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Orphan Tessa Gray, sixteen, crosses the ocean from New York to find her brother Nate in Victorian London, her only possession a clockwork angel necklace from her mother. She is ignorant of her power to transform; the Dark sisters are not. They kidnap her for the Magister, who wants to marry Tessa and claim her power.
Shadowhunters, warriors of angel blood, battle demons and keep the peace in the Downworld of vampires, warlocks and other supernaturals. Orphan teen Shadowhunters Jem, Will, and Jess rescue Tessa and agree to help save Nate. Vengeful vampire Lady Camille Belcourt and her current lover, warlock Magnus Bane provide entrée to the Magister's secret Pandemonium Club.
I was curious what the Shadowhunter hoopla (yes, I said hoopla. Don't be surprised?) was about, considering the fact City of Bones is becoming a movie this August (thank the trailer. It was the cause of my curiosity, along with a bunch of other stuff). No, I haven't read The Mortal Instruments. Yet. I probably wouldn't have if it didn't become a movie, despite the fact the covers are extremely pretty and practically shouting at me for the last few years with the words "READ ME! READ ME PLEASE!" when I walk by or browse the reading section at Wal-mart.
As a result of first impressions, I'm pretty much sucked in. But... (there's always a but) I'm not fully sucked in and fangirling. Yet. I'm pretty sure it won't be far off though. Or maybe I'm sort of fangirling, but I haven't realized it yet because the books haven't hit me full force (hey... this is my first time reading Cassandra Clare after all).
Goodness. If you keep seeing Six-Fingered Nigel like this, he'll expect you to declare your intentions.Tessa arrives in London from New York in the 19th Century to look for her brother, who has somehow disappeared. She is taken in and trained by the Dark Sisters in preparation for the Magister and is later taken in by the local Shadowhunters, who offer to help find her brother. Tessa is the type of person who can always be found reading, and enjoys talking about books. And as Charlotte mentions, I love how Tessa manages Will; she always seems to have something to say in response to his snide remarks that infuriates him when she has the chance to do so.
Ghastly wailing noise, isn't it? I don't know how all the cats in the neighborhood don't come running every time he plays.Will is a humorously sarcastic (and cute... sarcastically cute?) person who keeps others at a distance from him and tries to keep his true emotions at bay. He's not exactly my favorite character in Clockwork Angel, mainly because he's really rude to others, despite the fact other characters care about him and continue to be nice to him either way (to which I have no clue how they actually deal with his attitude all the time). Will somehow always tries to find a way for others to hate him. But despite the fact that he's arrogant in a way, it's hard to notice that with his witty comments here and there.
Goodness – real goodness – has its own sort of cruelty to it.On the other hand, Jem is completely opposite from Will's character and like Tessa, always has something to say in response to Will's snide remarks. He also tries to see the bright side of things or both sides of a situation, and in light of that, always has a bit of good advice to reassure Tessa or any other character throughout the book. And speaking of advice...
Overall, Clockwork Angel has a unique fantasy storyline set in Victorian London and has a variety of characters that are well-liked. To be honest, I'm now wondering why I decided to not read Cassandra Clare's books in the first place when I first saw it (saying that the book was thick would be a fib).
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Owls
Book Trailer:
~Happy Reading!


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> Home
Press Release
Customer Service Reps Become "Listening Posts"
John Goodman of Customer Care Management & Consulting recommends that reps get more involved in providing customer feedback for customer improvement efforts.
(Mountain Lakes, NJ, January 27, 2017) — Earlier this month, five leading service experts shared their insights into the coming changes in customer service and the role of the customer service professional.
Writing in Customer Communicator newsletter, John Goodman of Customer Care Management & Consulting, reminds readers of their unique role as the eyes and ears of the organization.
Even as automation and self-service become a bigger part of the service experience, reps need to be involved in providing feedback to management for continuous improvement efforts.
"Part of the rep's job is to be listening, and continuously asking, 'Why am I getting this call?'" he says.
But for this to work effectively, managers must set up an effective input mechanism. It might be as simple as an email box that reps can use to report a recent customer difficulty or other snags in the system that come up.
Goodman adds that you also need someone to handle those notes as they come in and to make suggestions for internal improvements.
The final step in the process, Goodman says, "is to provide feedback to the frontline on what you are doing with their customer feedback — even a short note that says, 'Here are three things that we have done this month based on frontline input.'"
About the Customer Service Group
For more than 20 years, the Customer Service Group has helped customer service, call center and help desk managers increase productivity, improve service quality and boost customer satisfaction, loyalty and retention. The group's materials include The Customer Communicator newsletter, training guides, DVDs, and Customer Service Week celebration materials.
Website: http://www.CustomerServiceGroup.com


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Last journal entry in the book of Romans. We have allowed the world's system to dictate how we should live our lives. If the world says it's legal, it's right. What does the word of God say?
I know that it says that we must be transformed by the renewing of our minds and we have the mind of Christ. That's tranforming in itself. Why do we dumb down the mind of Christ to conform to our image? I beseech you therfore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your body a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good , and acceptable , and perfect, will of God.


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Recent Posts
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366daysofcooking on Day 122 Soup Drops Karen Chambers on Day 122 Soup Drops Jen on Day 349 Citron Preserves Piet Beukes on Day 353 Roast Turkey with Swee… Piet Beukes on Day 373 Rhubarb and Green Curr…
Category Archives: Cooking
Day 375 Beet Pickle
I spent today as a Historic Foodways Artisan at the Heart and Hands Festival. This is an annual event at Joseph Schneider Haus Museum and Gallery here in Kitchener and showcases practitioners of various traditional crafts. Since the museum's time … Continue reading
Posted in Cooking, Food History, Kitchener, Preserves, Salad, Uncategorized, Vegetables Tagged Beet Pickle, Berlin Cook Book, Kern, year 1906 2 Comments
Day 366 Devilled Crabs, Creamed Lobster, Pigs In Blanket, and Dressing for Raw Oysters
Wow, I did it! This is my 366th entry and time for a bit of a celebration since I achieved what I promised. For one year — a leap year — I have cooked, blogged, and researched every single day … Continue reading
Day 364 Escalloped Parsnips
Today I celebrated Christmas with my family at my home. It was so nice to be able to welcome everyone after cancelling so many family celebrations due to the work on the house. Family tradition says that after several turkey … Continue reading
Posted in Cooking, Food History, Kitchener, Uncategorized, Vegetables Tagged Berlin Cook Book, Cowan, Escalloped Parsnips, year 1906 1 Comment
Day 363 Tea Biscuits
My family is arriving tonight from points east and south for another Christmas celebration tomorrow. No one is exactly sure when they will arrive so I have a beef stew slowly cooking on the back of the stove and plan … Continue reading
Posted in Bread, Cooking, Food History, Kitchener, Uncategorized Tagged Berlin Cook Book, Hollinger, Tea Biscuits, year 1906 Leave a comment
Day 362 Banana Pudding
I'm back home and discovered I have some bananas to use up soon so I'm making Banana Pudding. Mrs. Jacob Hespeler's contributed the recipe for the 1906 Berlin Cook Book. I measured the butter, weighed the sugar, and separated the … Continue reading
Posted in Cooking, Food History, Kitchener, Pudding, Uncategorized Tagged Banana Pudding, Berlin Cook Book, Hespeler, year 1906 1 Comment
Day 362 Tomato Salad
I had meant to make this salad for yesterday's Christmas feast but completely forgot about it — probably because I don't like tomatoes! However my tasters do like them so it is a good time to prepare this simple Tomato … Continue reading
Posted in Cooking, Food History, Kitchener, Salad, Uncategorized Tagged Berlin Cook Book, Lang, Tomato Salad, year 1906 Leave a comment
Day 361 Roast Turkey, Oyster Filling, Cooked Turnips, and Carrot Pudding
Today is the big day. It is Christmas Day in 1906 and in 2012. It is time for a feast from the 1906 Berlin Cook Book. Some cook books include menus for special days but this one has some for … Continue reading
Posted in Christmas, Cooking, Food History, Kitchener, Main, Pudding, Uncategorized, Vegetables Tagged Berlin Cook Book, Boulee, Carrot Pudding, Cooked Turnips, Oyster Filling, Roast Turkey, Sachs, year 1906 1 Comment


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Reuters Staff
1 Min Read
May 8 (Reuters) - Buruj Cooperative Insurance Co
* Q1 net profit before zakat 28 million riyals
* Q1 gross written premium 176.9 million riyals Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage:
All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays.
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