text:
|Número de publicación
|Tipo de publicación
|Número de solicitud
|Fecha de publicación
|24 Dic 1991
|Fecha de presentación
|10 Ago 1990
|Fecha de prioridad
|11 Jul 1986
|Número de publicación
|Harold F. Fechtner
|Cesionario original
|Beckman Instruments, Inc.
|Exportar cita
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Citas de patentes (36), Citada por (42), Clasificaciones (15), Eventos legales (3)
|Enlaces externos: USPTO, Cesión de USPTO, Espacenet
This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 07/396,769 filed Aug. 18, 1989, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,970,053, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 06/884,465 filed July 11, 1986, now abandoned.
The present invention relates generally to the field of automated clinical chemistry analyzers and more particularly to the storage and transportation of reagents within such analyzers.
A number of special purpose analyzers are available for the measurement of various analytes in human body fluid samples. In the past, such analyzers were often adapted to test for a single analyte in a patient sample and may have required extensive operator actions to perform an analysis. For example, the operator might be required to perform manual pipetting of patient sample and reagents into a test chamber or cuvette, manual timing of the reaction, and the manual reading of an arbitrary value from the analyzer that is then compared to previously generated calibration values to obtain a final result. As is readily apparent, largely manually operated analyzers are not suitable for either a large number of patient sample analyses or to performing an analysis in a limited amount of time.
In order to meet the increasing demand for the routine testing of a growing number of analytes as well as for the reduction in overall testing costs and the skill required of the technician/operator, several analyzers are currently available which are partially or fully automated. A typical automated analyzer can analyze a single fluid sample for a plurality of analytes with little or no intervention on the part of an operator.
The number of different analytes or chemistries that an automated clinical analyzer can analyze is often termed the "menu" of chemistries available on the analyzer. An automated analyzer may be designed, for example, to analyze a limited menu of basic chemistries that represent the bulk of the work load in a clinical chemistry laboratory, such as glucose, creatinine, sodium, potassium and the like. On the other hand, other analyzers may offer a much larger menu, sometimes ranging up to 50 or 60 different chemistries. Many of such chemistries may represent relatively low volume chemistries, that is, ones that are required on an infrequent basis as compared to the basic chemistries mentioned above.
Each chemistry run on an analyzer generally requires its own unique reagent or combination of reagents. Although it would be desirable to maintain all of the reagents on the analyzer for each of the chemistries on the menu, most large menu analyzers do not have the storage capacity to do so. Instead, reagents for a subset of the menu are stored on the analyzer at one time. When an analysis is to be run that requires reagents that are not presently stored on board the analyzer, the reagents must be placed onto the analyzer before the analysis is run. If the reagent storage area on analyzer is already full, then reagents for a chemistry not in use are removed and the reagents for the new chemistry are installed in their place. With such an approach, it is desirable that the analyzer maintain as many reagents on board as possible and, further, that reagents be easily removed and replaced so that analyzer down time and operator time can both be minimized.
It is known in the art to use reagent cartridges on automated clinical analyzers to increase the ease with which reagents are handled and decrease the time required to reconfigure the chemistries on board the analyzer. Such cartridges may contain all of the various reagents required for a particular chemistry and may be configured to fit onto a reagent storage rack or wheel within the analyzer.
An example of this type of cartridge is used on the Spectrum™ analyzer manufactured by the Diagnostic Division of Abbott Laboratories in Irving, Texas. The Spectrum analyzer employs a molded plastic reagent cartridge generally in the form of a truncated wedge and containing several chambers for the various reagents required for a chemistry. The reagent cartridge fits into an annular well within a reagent storage wheel on the analyzer and each cartridge is accessed by one or more automatic probes that dip into the cartridge chambers.
The reagent cartridge used on the Spectrum analyzer, however, has several disadvantages which are characteristic of reagent cartridges for automated analyzers. The Spectrum analyzer reagent cartridge has integrally formed common walls between the adjacent reagent chambers. It is believed by Applicant herein that reagents stored in adjacent chambers tend to become contaminated due to migration of the reagents through the common chamber walls. Reagent migration is a problem that has been heretofore unrecognized in the art. It is important because contaminated reagents can give spurious test results which may be life threatening. Reagent migration can also decrease the storage life of the reagents, thus increasing analyzer operating costs. The increased operating costs are particularly apparent where the reagents stored in a cartridge are used infrequently and must be stored for a relatively long period of time until consumed.
From an operator's standpoint, the Spectrum analyzer reagent cartridge is difficult to remove from the instrument. Although the cartridge must be lifted upwardly from the storage wheel, the cartridge provides no convenient means by which it may be grasped from above.
Further, the cartridge and the wheel which receives the cartridge provide no sure indication that the cartridge is properly seated in the wheel. Thus, a misaligned cartridge or debris in the storage wheel can cause improper indexing between the cartridge and the wheel. Since the cartridges are each accessed by automatic probes inserted a predetermined distance into the cartridges, inadequate or improper indexing may result in a collision between the probe tip and the bottom of the cartridge. Although such collisions can be avoided by decreasing the insertion depth of the probe into the cartridge, the resulting distance between the inserted probe tip and the bottom of the cartridge causes unused reagent to be left in the cartridge, further decreasing the cost effectiveness of the automated analyzer. Also, a misaligned cartridge may incorrectly access openings with respect to the probe, causing the probe to impact the cartridge and damaging both the probe and cartridge.
Also, the Spectrum analyzer cartridge have been assembled using what is believed to have been ultrasonic welding which may not form a sure, uniform seam. The result is a cartridge which is costly to manufacture and which has a tendency to leak.
A reagent cartridge in accordance with the present invention overcomes the limitations and disadvantages described above. Such a cartridge includes a plurality of storage compartments each including wall members and further including connecting members holding the storage compartments in a fixed relationship and separating the wall members from each other. By doing so, the wall members of each storage compartment are distinct and separated from the wall members for the other storage compartments in the cartridge, thus eliminating the reagent migration problem discussed above. The connecting members may take the form of a members at the top and bottom of the cartridge.
Each of the storage compartments includes an access opening comprising a neck and a collar formed on the neck. The collar is spaced from each storage compartment bottom wall by a predetermined distance which is adapted to accommodate the insertion depth of a reagent transfer probe. Thus, the reagent cartridge provides a sure and repeatable indexing mechanism which prevents collisions between the probe tip and the cartridge yet allows efficient utilization of reagent stored within the cartridge.
The collars are adapted to be received by parallel rails included in a reagent storage area of a clinical instrument upon which the cartridge is used. The parallel rails include depressions and the reagent cartridge includes a raised body having teeth adapted to be received in the depressions. The teeth and depressions together form a detent mechanism which positively indexes and retains the cartridge on the parallel rails yet allows the cartridge to be easily inserted into and removed from the reagent storage area. Where the reagent storage area is in the form of a rotatable wheel or carousel about which reagent cartridges are disposed, the detent mechanism is particularly useful to retain a cartridge positively on the parallel rails as the wheel or carousel is rotated. The bottom of the cartridge may also include internal depressions aligned with the access openings to provide further insertion clearance for the probe tip when the probe is inserted into the cartridge.
In the embodiment disclosed herein, the reagent cartridge is formed in two parts, a body and a closing member. The body and closing member are pressed against a plate heated to an elevated temperature which renders plastic the portions of the body and closing member in contact with the plate. The plate is removed and the body and closing member are pressed together to form a uniform weld therebetween. This technique overcomes the difficulties and drawbacks associated with ultrasonic welding of reagent cartridges as is described above.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a reagent cartridge in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the reagent cartridge of FIG. 1 taken along plane 2--2 thereof.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the reagent cartridge of FIG. 1 taken along plane 3--3 thereof.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the reagent cartridge of FIG. 1 taken across plane 4--4 thereof.
FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the reagent cartridge of FIG. 1.
FIG. 5A is a cross-section detail view of typical mating areas between the body and bottom member of the reagent cartridge of FIG. 1.
FIG. 6 is a side view of the body and bottom member of the reagent cartridge and a plate used to weld such elements together.
FIG. 7 is a top view of a portion of a reagent cartridge carousel adapted to receive the reagent cartridge of FIG. 1.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the carousel of FIG. 7 taken along line 8--8 thereof.
With reference to FIG. 1, a reagent cartridge 10 in accordance with the present invention comprises an upper integrally molded body 12 and a molded bottom member 14. The body 12 and bottom member 14 are welded together as is described hereinbelow to form the completed reagent cartridge 10. The body 12 is formed to define three reagent storage compartments 16, 18 and 20, each adapted to receive and hold reagents for use in a clinical assay. In the embodiment disclosed herein, the volumes of the compartments 16, 18 and 20 are about 5 ml, 25 ml and 125 ml, respectively. Each of the storage compartments 16 and 18 are defined with generally cylindrical side walls 22 and 24, respectively as seen in FIG. 2. The third storage compartment 20 includes side walls generally defined by semicircular end portions 26 and 28 connected by straight wall members 30 and 32.
The body 12 includes a top 34 (FIGS. 1 and 3) which forms the top wall of each of the storage compartments 16, 18 and 20. The top 34 connects and spaces the storage compartments 16, 18 and 20 such that the side walls for the storage compartments 16, 18 and 20 are separated and none of the storage compartments 16, 18 or 20 share a common side wall.
A plurality of webs 36 (FIG. 1, 3 and 4) join the storage compartments 16, 18 and 20 and provide rigidity to the body 12. In the embodiment disclosed herein, the webs 36 comprise six horizontal web members 37a and two vertical web members 37b and 37c between the compartments 16, 18 and 18, 20, respectively. Each of the two vertical web members 37b and 37c terminate near the bottom member 14, defining rectangular openings 38 and 40 therethrough. Outer edges 42 of the horizontal web members 37a are of the same general peripheral outline as an outer edge 44 of the top 34 beginning in the vicinity of the end portion 26 and extending about the storage compartment 16. It will be recognized that the webs 36 may be replaced by other suitable structural means such as solid external walls, ribs, or other structural members arranged in various geometric configurations, all of which are useful for connecting the outer peripheries of the compartments 16, 18 and 20 while still maintaining suitable distance and thus isolation between the reagents stored in each of the compartments 16, 18 and 20. Also, the number of the horizontal webs may be varied from the six disclosed herein, or may be eliminated altogether, relying only on the top 34 and the bottom member 14 to hold the compartments 16, 18, and 20 in place without affecting the physical integrity of the cartridge 10.
With reference to FIGS. 1 and 3, the body 12 includes openings 48, 50 and 52 formed through the top 34 for access to the storage compartments 16, 18 and 20, respectively. Cylindrical necks 54, 56 and 58 surround the respective openings 48, 50 and 52, the upper portion of the necks 54, 56 and 58 including threads 60 for receiving caps (not shown) for closing the storage compartments 16, 18 and 20. Each of the necks 54, 56 and 58 also includes annular collars 62. The collars 62 are spaced a predetermined distance from the bottom member 14 when the cartridge 10 is assembled as shown in FIG. 1. The collars 62 together define a plane that is parallel to the top 34 and that lies between the top 34 and the threads 60 on each of the necks 54, 56 and 58.
A detent member 64 (FIGS. 1 and 3) is formed on the top 34. The detent member 64 comprises vertical walls 66 projecting upwardly from the top 34 together defining a rectangular body aligned with the necks 54, 56 and 58. The detent member 64 includes flanges 68 and 70 which project outwardly from the walls 66 generally toward the wall members 30 and 32 and in the same plane as the annular collars 62. Each of the flanges 68 and 70 includes a portion 72 which slopes downwardly away from the neck 58 and from the plane defined by the annular collars 62 toward the top 34. Each portion 72 terminates in a tooth 74 which returns to the plane defined by the annular collars 62.
Turning now to FIGS. 2 and 5, a lower surface 76 of the bottom member 14 includes a raised boss 78. The raised boss 78 includes a peripheral portion 78a extending about the periphery of the bottom member 14 and arcuate portions 78b-78e all of which are opposite the sidewalls 22-32 when the body 12 and bottom member 14 are assembled. Depressions 80, 82 and 84 (FIGS. 2 and 3) are formed into an upper surface 86 of the bottom member 14, producing corresponding protrusions 88, 90 and 92, respectively, on the lower surface 76. When the body 12 and the bottom member 14 are assembled as described below, the depressions 80, 82 and 84 are coaxially aligned with the openings 48, 50 and 52 and the corresponding necks 54, 56 and 58.
The bottom edge of each of the sidewalls 22-32 includes a protruding ridge 93a as illustrated with respect to the sidewall 22 in FIG. 5A. The upper surface 86 of the bottom member 14 includes corresponding protruding ridges 93b adapted to align with the ridges 93a when the body 12 and bottom member 14 are assembled as described hereinbelow.
To assemble the reagent cartridge 10, the body 12 and bottom member 14 are pressed against a plate 94 (FIG. 6) which is heated to a temperature sufficient to render plastic and thus fusible the ridges 93a of the body 12 and the corresponding mating ridges 93b on the upper surface 86. The plate 94 is then removed as indicated by the arrow 96 in FIG. 6 and the body 12 and bottom member 14 are urged together, welding the body 12 to the bottom member 14. In the embodiment disclosed herein, the body 12 and bottom member 14 are formed by means of injection molding from high density polyethylene material. To prevent the polyethylene material from sticking to the heated plate 94, the plate 94 is coated with a non-stick material marketed under the trademark Teflon, allowing clean removal of the plate 94 and uniformly high quality and reliable welds between the body 12 and the bottom member 14.
With reference now to FIGS. 7 and 8, the reagent cartridge 10 may be inserted onto and carried by a reagent cartridge carousel 98. The carousel 98 is rotatably mounted to an automated clinical instrument (not shown) and is preferably automatically rotated to position one of a plurality of reagent cartridges 10 carried by the carousel 98 for the removal of reagents using a probe as is described below. The carousel 98 includes a central hub 100 which receives a shaft 102 rotatably supported by the automated analyzer. For example, the shaft 102 may be rotated by means of a stepper motor under the control of a microprocessor-based computer system which controls the operation of the analyzer. The hub 100 supports a plurality of radial fingers 104 which in turn define a plurality of slots 106 disposed radially about the hub 100. The side walls of each of the slots 106 expand outwardly near the periphery of the carousel 98 to define tapered openings 108. A peripheral reinforcing member 109 is formed about the edge of the carousel 98 to add rigidity to the carousel 98. The reinforcing member 109 is above the tapered openings 108 as seen in FIG. 8 to provide a clear path for insertion and removal of the reagent cartridge 10 as is described below. Each of the slots 106 includes an internal shoulder 110. Depressions 112 are formed into the shoulder 110 proximate the periphery of the carousel 98.
As will now be described, a plurality of cartridges 10 may be inserted onto and carried by the carousel 98. In the embodiment disclosed herein, the carousel 98 may be disposed in a refrigerated environment to maintain the reagents stored in the cartridges 10 at a temperature of about 8° to 10° C. More particularly, the slots 106 are adapted to receive the necks 54, 56 and 58 and the detent member 64 on the top 34 of the reagent cartridge 10. The storage compartment 16 at the narrow end of the cartridge 10 is inserted first into one of the slots 106 and surface 114 of the annular collars 62 and surface 116 of flanges 68 and 70 rest upon and are supported by the shoulder 110 in the slot 106. With the reagent cartridge 10 fully inserted into the slot 106, the portions 72 of the detent member 64 come to rest in the notches 112 and the teeth 74 rest against the edge of the notches 112 nearest the periphery of the carousel 98. In this fashion, the cartridge 10 is retained on the carousel 98 and the carousel 98 may be rotated by the shaft 102 without displacing the cartridge 10 by centrifugal force. Furthermore, the combination of the shoulder 110 and the collars 62 along with the notches 112 and teeth 74 serve to position the cartridge accurately on the carousel 98 for positive and repeatable access by a reagent removal probe.
As seen with reference to FIGS. 3 and 7, such a reagent removal probe 120 is carried by an automated crane well known in the art (not shown) which positions the probe 120 over predetermined probe insertion locations 122, 124 and 126. The insertion locations 122, 124, and 126 are generally coaxially aligned with the necks 54, 56 and 58 when a cartridge 10 is installed on the carousel 98 as just described and the carousel 98 is rotated to a reagent removal position for the cartridge 10. The automated crane also lowers the probe 120 at any one of the locations 122, 124 and 126 to a predetermined insertion depth D with respect to the shoulder 110 shown in phantom in FIG. 3. Thus, the shoulder 110 and the collars 62 along with the notches 112 and teeth 74 repeatably and precisely align the cartridges 10 with respect to the probe insertion locations 122, 124 and 126 and the insertion depth D. Accordingly, probe insertion will not result in collisions between the probe 120 and the top of the cartridge 10 nor will the tip of the probe 120 impact the bottom of the cartridge 110, clear advantages in the automated clinical chemistry analyzer art.
Conviniently, to remove the cartridge 10 from the carousel 98, the storage compartment 20 is grasped and the cartridge 10 is raised slightly, disengaging the portions 72 and teeth 74 from the notches 112, enabling the cartridge 10 to be easily radially removed from the slot 106 within the carousel 98.
Thus, the reagent cartridge of the present invention holds a plurality of reagents in compartments which do not share common walls, decreasing the likelihood of reagent migration and contamination and thus increasing shelf life and long-term reagent stability. The cartridge 10 of the present invention can be easily placed onto a reagent cartridge carousel yet is firmly retained by the carousel until the cartridge 10 is ready for removal. The collars 62 and teeth 74 provide a precise indexing means for the cartridge, allowing reagent probes to be inserted into the cartridge with no risk of collision between the probe tip and the top or bottom of the cartridge. Furthermore, the bottom member 14 of the cartridge 10 includes depressions 80, 82 and 84 which provide an additional margin of safety for the reagent probe and enable the reagent cartridge to deliver more usable reagent to the automated analyzer.
It is to be recognized that the scope the present invention is not to be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed herein but is to be defined only in accordance with the appended claims.
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text: I seem to always have these great ideas and then run out of time to complete them. So after writing this post I am actually going to pull some paper out and do some crafting. I know what I want to do, and it shouldn't take me too long to do it, its just sitting down to do it. So I'm not going to worry about the laundry, or the kitchen, or the kids toys that I want to go through so we can bring out new ones. I'm going to take some time for me. So be sure to come back later to see what I've created!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
About TTA
In 1999, John Skjelstad became involved in a unique tracking system. Unlike other tracking systems which had been developed for industrial uses such as keeping track of trucks or goods in factories, the idea of this new system was specifically to track the movements of people.
Combining the system with extensive research into the fields of radio technology and established acoustical phenomena used to localise audio, John founded TTA in 2004 as a company dedicated to developing these technologies in the entertainment field.
John Skjelstad
Since then, product development has been on-going with the development of the TTA audio matrix, featuring proprietary algorithms developed to overcome problems inherent in moving audio sources "transparently", and most recently, Stagetracker FX, a complete performer tracking, audio localisation and sound effects editing and playback system.
The TTA tracking system was the winner of the Plasa Innovation Award in 2006.
TTA continues to grow as a company and now consists of a dynamic team of development, sales, logistics and marketing personnel.
All software development, system assembly, R&D and testing are carried out in-house at the TTA offices close to Trondheim in Norway. Hardware manufacture is outsourced to a local Norwegian company.


text:
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Hondros College of Nursing is seeking an Academic Support Advisor. Our enrollment is conveniently offered four times a year with no waitlists.
7 days ago


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Welcome to our nursery…
Busy Bees at the QE Hospital is a purpose built building, which was opened in 2007. There are 7 fantastic Rooms for all age group with a range of age appropriate resources.
We are a secure building which can only be accessed through our display buzzer system. We are open from 7am-6pm (closed on bank holidays). The rooms are all large and airy. All of our rooms have a Room Manager or Senior Room Manager overseeing the room to ensure we always plan activities around the children's interests and development stage. We also offer emergency places for families attending the QE hospital or who work for the armed forces and have been injured during service.
We have a large garden area which is split into 3 sections that the children can access, a soft play area, a grass area and 1 playground. The children are able to grow their own fruit and vegetables, dig in the mud or sand pits or take part in a variety of exciting activities offered.
The staff at QE Hospital site are dedicated in giving the children the best start and work alongside the parents to provide every opportunity to each child. We follow the EYFS within the nursery and continually observe and support the children in their individual needs. All of our staff are either Level 3 or above trained or are working towards their level 3 qualification. All the staff at QE Hospital are committed in personnel development and attend a variety of courses offered by either our National support centre within the Busy Bees company or with Birmingham council such as First Aid, Food Safety and EYFS to name a few.
We have many initiatives within the nursery designed by our support centre that are offered to the children. Babies have the Busy Babies initiative. This is the black and white area in babies. We also have Wake and Shake. Pre-school children have access to a touch screen computer and use this to enhance there early ICT skills.
The children's time in nursery is treasured and remembered in a variety of ways, such as displays, photographs and the children's learning journals which are their own to keep when they leave the nursery, we also have a graduation ceremony for all the children to attend when they leave us for school.
We hold parents evenings twice a year for the parents to come along and speak to their child's key person and we have a large amount of parents in our Parent partnership group who support the nursery in many ways.
We have a Senco, Behaviour management co-ordinator, Designated safeguarding officer and Health and safety officer on site who specialise in these areas and support the children, staff and parents.
We offer a healthy and well balanced menu for all the children and have been awarded the 5* award in excellent food hygiene standard. The food is all prepared on site by our trained kitchen staff. There is a four week menu in place that is changed seasonally which includes a weaning menu for our babies.
Even more reasons to love our nursery…
- Good Ofsted 2016 - click here to see our report
- A large enclosed garden safe for your children when playing outside
- Full time EYT employed at the nursery
- On site kitchen staff providing the best food for your children
- 5* award for excellent food hygiene
- Flourishing Preschool to encourage children to reach the all important milestones before they go to school
- Ideal location in the grounds of the QE hospital Birmingham,


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Piping and Pipelines Assessment Guide
Keith Escoe
Editura: Gulf Publishing
Whether it's called 'fixed equipment' (at ExxonMobil), 'stationary equipment' (at Shell), or 'static equipment' (in Europe), this type of equipment is the bread and butter of any process plant. Used in the petrochemical industry, pharmaceutical industry, food processing industry, paper industry, and the manufacturing process industries, stationary equipment must be kept operational and reliable for companies to maintain production and for employees to be safe from accidents. This series, the most comprehensive of its kind, uses real-life examples and time-tested rules of thumb to guide the mechanical engineer through issues of reliability and fitness-for-service. This volume on piping and pipeline assessment is the only handbook that the mechanical or pipeline engineer needs to assess pipes and pipelines for reliability and fitness-for-service. It provides essential insight to make informed decisions on when to run, alter, repair, monitor, or replace equipment. How to perform these type of assessments and calculations on pipelines is a 'hot' issue in the petrochemical industry at this time. There is very little information on the market right now for pipers and pipeliners with regard to pipe and pipeline fitness-for-service.
- Limba : Engleza
- Cuprins : Chapter 1: An introduction to in-plant piping and pipeline fitness-for-service Chapter 2: An introduction to engineering mechanics of piping Chapter 3: Fitness-for-service topics of local thin areas, plain dents, dents-gouges, and cracks for piping Chapter 4: Fitness-for-service for brittle fracture concerns Chapter 5: Piping support systems for process plants Chapter 6: Piping maintenance and repairs Chapter 7: Hot tapping (pressure tapping) and freezing Chapter 8: Pipeline fitness-for-service, repair and maintenance selected topics
- Data Publicarii : 10 Apr 2006
- Format : Hardback
- Numar pagini : 560
Adauga in:


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I hosted my WetCanvas Weekend Drawing Event (WDE) over the weekend. I did a lot of painting. I also made 50 home made tamales. My, that was an adventure! First you cook that pork butt for 2 hours, then you cool it, shred it, make the pureed peppers to season it and cook it some more. Then you make that big bowl of masa while the corn husks are soaking for an hour. Then you make all of those little tamales (50 of them). I tied a little corn husk tie around each one. Then you steam them for 2 hours. They were a big hit!
Monday, December 15, 2008
Weekend Art Hosting - December 15, 2008
Posted by Beth Parker at 12:29 PM
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Christian Bookstore .Net is a leading online Christian book store.
Shop Christian Books, Bibles, Jewelry, Church Supplies, Homeschool Curriculum & More!
Item Specifications...
1) Sweet Sweet Spirit
Item Description...
2) He Set Me Free
3) On The Battlefield
4) This Great Caravan Keeps Rolling Along
5) Reaping In The Spirit
6) Leaning On The Everlasting Arms
7) There Is A River
8) Just Over In Gloryland
9) Im Telling The World About His Love
10) Stepping In The Light
11) Gods Building A Church
12) Hes A Personal Savior
13) Lead Me Gently Home Father
14) Angels In The Room
15) Glory Road
16) Let The Hallelujahs Roll
17) Now That Im Saved
18) Yes Lord Yes
19) Only A Look
20) Love Of God
Buy Sweet, Sweet Spirit by Bill & Gloria Gaither from our Christian Music store - isbn: 9787474041647 & 7474041642 upc: 617884221621
The team at Christian Bookstore .Net welcome you to our Christian Book store! We offer the best selections of Christian Books, Bibles, Christian Music, Inspirational Jewelry and Clothing, Homeschool curriculum, and Church Supplies. We encourage you to purchase your copy of Sweet, Sweet Spirit by Bill & Gloria Gaither today - and if you are for any reason not happy, you have 30 days to return it. Please contact us at 1-877-205-6402 if you have any questions.
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Nominations: Best Game of July 2014
IGN Editors nominated five games for Best Game of July 2014. The spectrum of nominees ranges from the superb final chapter of The Wolf Among Us to a marvelous remake of classic puzzler Abe's Odyssey. We'll be revealing our winners on August 8, so stay tuned to see who reigns supreme. And cast your vote now for IGN's July People's Choice Award!
Game of the Month Nominees
The winner will be revealed August 8!
IGN People's Choice July 2014
As you wait with bated breath for the Editors' pick, chime in with your own opinion in our July People's Choice Award Poll. Which of the nominated games do you think reigns supreme in July? Voting closes at midnight Pacific the evening of Thursday, August 7, so vote now!
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From inside the book
15 pages matching existing buildings in this book
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ospital Fire Safety
regon Mental Hospital Fire
ospital Fire Record
7 other sections not shown
Common terms and phrases
alarm American Hospital Association anesthesia machine anesthetizing locations Anthony Hospital approved automatic sprinklers balconies basement bustible cautery circuit Class combustible anesthetic agents conductive floor connection construction corridors cyclopropane cylinders containing devices drills Effingham egress electrical equipment electrode electrode placed enclosed enclosure ether existing buildings exit travel explosion-proof extinguishers factor of safety feet fire department fire doors fire escapes Fire Marshal Fire Protection Association fire safety fire-resistive flames flammable gases hazardous locations horizontal exit Hospital Operating Rooms hospital personnel ignition inches installed institutions insulated Lake Forest Park less locations see Sections materials ment minimum National Electrical Code National Fire Protection NFPA nitrous oxide non-hazardous location NOTE occupancy ohmmeter operating room passageways patients permitted plug recommended regulations requirements of Section resistance roof safeguards Sections 2-1 slide escapes smoke barriers spark stairs stairways standard storage swinging switches third floor tion tread valve ventilation voltage walls width


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SHOCK VIDEO: Haunting clip filmed by killed clubber shows Orlando gunman open fire
THIS chilling Snapchat footage captures the moment Omar Mateen opened fire on the dancefloor at a gay nightclub – launching one of the deadliest mass shootings in US history.
Amanda Avear, 25 was partying with her pals and filming on her smartphone when Omar Mateen stormed and opened fire.
She was one of the 49 confirmed dead today.
The chilling clip – which has been shared thousands of times on social media – shows a group of young men and women dancing in the nightclub and posing for the camera as loud music plays in the background.
Suddenly the popping sound of shots firing can be heard.
Amanda flips her phone and her face drops as the clip abruptly cuts off.
Her best friend, Mercesez Marisol Flores, was also killed in the attack, which left a further 53 injured.
After hailing bullets on the crowd as they ran for cover, monster Mateen would later take several hostages into the bathroom after police arrived on the scene.
He then barricaded himself into the stalls and police – afraid he was about to detonate a suicide vest – blew a hole through the wall using a Beacat armoured vehicle.
As Mateen climbed through the hole he was gunned down.
There were unconfirmed reports that another attacker was involved.
ISIS have since claimed responsibility for the massacre and warned that Mateen was just one of many in the American cell operating under their directions.
But investigators are yet to find a link between the G4S security guard and the terror group.
Just hours after the incident police arrested a man on his way to LA's Gay Pride festival after a tip off that he was preparing to "hurt" revellers.
He was stopped behind the wheel and his car was found packed with explosives and rifles.
Police do not currently believe there is a connection between the two men.


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Kim Kardashian Goes Topless Again on Instagram, This Time With a Famous Friend
Another day, another naked picture of Kim Kardashian on Instagram — not that we're complaining, though. On Wednesday, the star posted a new topless photo with Emily Ratajkowski, using her sassy caption to call back to the buzz surrounding her nude Instagram photo from early March. Emily posted the snap as well, choosing to instead attach a caption with a little more meat. It's been less than a month since Kim found herself at the center of the photo controversy. The whole ordeal spiraled out of control when Kim clapped back at her haters and other celebrities came to her defense. Kim even ended up writing an essay about the whole scandal. Keep reading to see the latest snap — and the respective captions — then check out even more naked celebrities on Instagram.


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Style #: W-003B-03103
$199.95 $99.00
Details and NotesEco-Friendly Quality G-Spot Phthalate Free Silicone Waterproof Rechargeable
The Alto-L Vibrator from the SKY Series from AVE will stimulate and delight your clitoris while the finger-like massaging motion of the shaft will have your g-spot soaring with pleasure. The cloud-shape vibe is discreetly sized and shaped to fit comfortably in your hand. The medical grade silicone rabbit-style vibrator features seven quiet vibration modes to choose from. The waterproof and rechargeable vibrator measures 7.5 inches long total length, four inches insertable, with a maximum width of 1.25 inches. Includes a storage pouch, USB charging cord, user guide, and three year manufacturer warranty booklet.
Lover's Lane recommends water-based lubricants with luxury adult toys. Click here for water-based lubes.


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I hope you're in the mood for a deep belly laugh today, because my Owl Plushies turned out absolutely ridiculous! They're the most demented looking owls ever. But, since they're intended for a pair of three month olds, I bet they could care less that they were supposed to look like this:
Yup. Craft FAIL! Oh, well. If you so happen to be better at cutesy doodling, you can make yours so much cuter than mine. I'm going to try doing a few more, but since these took me about an hour, I figured I'd give myself a break for a bit while the little one naps. So, if you're looking to make something adorable for a special someone in your life this Christmas, here's the basics on how to do it:


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For help locating resources, using the library, or to request a research consultation, try our Ask Us service.
Journal Hosting Service
Queen's Open Journal Hosting Service provides an immediate and efficient publication facility for Queen's faculty and students who wish to publish an online journal or series.
Managed by the Library, journals are hosted via Open Journal Systems (OJS). OJS is a journal management and publishing system which supports all aspects of the journal management workflow, including submissions, peer review, editing, online publication, indexing and exposure.
The Library will act as 'online distributor' for your journal and will provide secure storage and software for the content, support you and your team in the set-up and maintenance of your journal using OJS and facilitate indexing and dissemination in Google Scholar, Google or other discipline-specific databases of choice.
See our A-Z list of Journal titles published by Queen's authors (OJS hosting site).
Ask Us for more information and to set-up your new publication, through the Queen's Journal Hosting Service Administrator.


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2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid - Consumer Review
Build Quality
Reliability Value
Build Quality
Reliability Value
Highlander Hybrid A Great Car
By Alan Allison on
Vehicle2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Limited 4dr SUV AWD w/3rd Row (3.3L 6cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
ReviewWe have owned the H/H for 4 months and love the vehicle. It drives and rides like a dream. We took 4 people, 4 medium suitcases, and 4 sets of golf clubs on a 1300 mile golf and wine buying trip. The back was full to the ceiling but we still had room for two cases of wine to bring home.Overall gas mileage is averaging 25mpg. So far we get better highway mpg 26-27 than city 24-25. Gas mileage was about 2.5 mpg higher before Oregon stuck it to the public with ethanol. Acceleration and passing ability is good, but if you lead foot the car a lot while driving it will cost you in mileage.
Best FeaturesSeating comfort, hybrid drive system, steering and handling.
Worst FeaturesShed some weight and improve the gas mileage even further
Recommend (0) (0)
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£1million glass path over the Thames
VISITORS to one of Britain's most famous bridges can now enjoy stunning views, thanks to a £1million facelift.
The glass walkway showing the stunning view below
This glass flooring across Tower Bridge, 138ft above the Thames in London, provides spectacular views of the bridge lifts and river traffic below.
The west walkway opened yesterday, to be followed by the east walkway on December 1.


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What does every one-year-old want at her party? A keg.
Haha, just kidding.
What do the parents of every one-year-old want at her party? A keg.
There are those Debbie Downers who go on and on about how first birthday parties are such a waste because the kids don't remember them. Then there are the rest of us. The rest of us for whom, despite entering the world of parenthood, the fun gene has not been suppressed. Altered, yes, (staying up past midnight? Totally overrated…) but not suppressed. We are the people who throw adult-friendly kid birthday parties.
My Emma and her little buddy, Charlie, have birthdays two days apart, giving us the perfect excuse to have a joint first birthday party for them. The colors were red and aqua. The decor was all homemade and very Pinterest-worthy. The homemade food was a smash hit. There were adult beverages. It was so much fun!!
I know at some point down the road, my precious little one will want a tacky-licious themed birthday party, and I'm just praying I can persuade her to do a 90s Just Dance theme party instead, so Mommy can show off her perfectly choreographed N*Sync moves. But for now, she's one. She gets the party Mommy wants to throw, and that party includes a keg, champagne punch, and Killer Chocolate Cake (the one on the left :)).
I've never had another chocolate cake like this one, which is good because if there were more than one cake like this in existence, there would be some sort of massive implosion of the universe. It's not quite a flourless cake, but it's just as dense and rich. It's kind of like a brownie, but a little more cake-like. There are chocolate chips to tip it over the edge. The outside of the cake may look a little dry, but once you slice into it you meet a luscious, fudgey interior that makes you wonder why you don't make this cake every week for the rest of time. The original recipe from the Frog Commissary in Philadelphia calls for a mocha ganache/frosting, but I like to use a basic chocolate buttercream and LOTS OF IT. I think the sweet, whipped chocolate buttercream tempers the richness of the cake, which is saying quite a lot because I make a rich chocolate buttercream. Mmmmmmmm.
If you have something very, very special to celebrate, this cake is your cake. If you are trying to introduce your friends to the taste of chocolate nirvana, this cake is your cake. And if you stand with us, the cool parents, for whom a child's birthday party is a great excuse to get together, eat amazing food, and pop a few corks in the process, then this cake is your cake! (said best with a Braveheart-esque accent and conviction)
And of course, happiest of birthdays to our sweet, sweet Emma. We love you more and more each day!! Everything about you is amazing, especially (but not limited to) your love of food and the fervor with which you eat it. Just don't make us take you to Chuck E. Cheese….
- Cake
- 1½ sticks unsalted butter
- 6 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- 6 eggs
- 3 c sugar
- ½ t salt
- 1 T vanilla extract
- 1½ c flour
- 1½ c semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Frosting
- 1½ sticks unsalted butter
- 1⅓ c GOOD quality cocoa
- 4½ c powdered sugar
- ½ c milk
- 1½ t vanilla extract
- To make the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. (do not skip that step!!)
- Melt the butter and chocolate together in a double boiler or a heat-proof bowl over simmering water (water should not be touching bottom of bowl). Cool chocolate mixture to lukewarm.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla. Whisk in the chocolate mixture, then stir in the flour and chocolate chips. Pour the batter into prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes. (Try not to overbake this cake, although it IS tough to tell when it is done because of all the melted chocolate chips). Cool on racks and remove from pans as soon as cooled. Wrap the layers if not using/frosting the same day.
- To make the frosting:
- Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add a small amount of additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla.


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Welcome to small house, happy family. I'm Kate and I've spent the last six years turning our 1800 square foot house into the perfect home for our family of six. It might be tight at times, but we're making it work and I want to show you how!
When we bought our "starter house" six years ago, we thought we would live in it for five years and then move on to something bigger and better. We didn't anticipate how much we would fall in love with our house and neighborhood. It sounds crazy, but we're determined to raise our four daughters (Tempe, age 8; Helena, age 7; Juno, age 4; and Pearl, age 1) in our pretty little home.
Here at small house, happy family I blog about a little of everything. I believe living small should be both functional and beautiful. I'm excited to share my ideas for making small houses into homes--with lots of kids' activities and ideas thrown in for fun, too!


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Along with spring comes graduations. We are always pleasantly surprised at the graduation announcements and reception invitations we receive each year. Those joyful young children are now young men and women ready to embark on a new adventure. My how time flies. Now for some thoughts on graduate gifts.
Here is a tried and true list of graduation gifts we have given over the years. We like to give from the heart and that often means something handmade. Now for those who are a bit harder to please, you can never go wrong in giving money! Slipping a little cash in the package is always appreciated
Houndstooth Blanket
This blanket is an easy crochet pattern and nice to have for curling up with and reading a good textbook.
Click here to purchase pattern.
Pick fun fabrics and sew up this easy pillowcase project. Click here for step-by-step tutorial.
Embroidered Washcloths
No more lost towels or washcloths. This is a great idea for those going off to college. If you don't have a sewing machine that embroideries – ask around or find a local embroidery shop. This gift is always a favorite.
Pinwheel Mug Rug
For those late night study sessions. The mug rug adds the feel of home comfort and adds protection to those pricey textbooks that students tend to stack and put drinks on. Click here for inspiration.
Easy -n- Quick Ladder Scarf
Who doesn't like a scarf? Knit this in a cotton/linen blend for warm seasons or bulky wool for cold seasons. Your graduate will love a warm scarf for those brisk walks to class during the winter. Well maybe not if you attend college in the south. But I don't know anything about that. Nebraska is COLD.
Click here to purchase pattern.
$ Money $ is always a welcomed gift!
Visit Grace Elizabeth's Etsy Shop for current gift ideas >>>
Patterns and finished items available


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Traveling Luck for Auchencrosh, United Kingdom (general), United Kingdom
Where is Auchencrosh?What's around Auchencrosh?
Wikipedia near Auchencrosh
Where to stay near Auchencrosh
Also known as Auchencrosh Hill
The timezone in Auchencrosh is Europe/London
Sunrise at 08:37 and Sunset at 15:50. It's light
Latitude. 55.0667°, Longitude. -4.9667°
Weather near Auchencrosh; Report from Prestwick Airport, 59.7km away
Weather :
Temperature: 4°C / 39°F
Wind: 10.4km/h Northwest
Cloud: Few at 1500ft Scattered at 2000ft
Weather :
Temperature: 4°C / 39°F
Wind: 10.4km/h Northwest
Cloud: Few at 1500ft Scattered at 2000ft
Satellite map around Auchencrosh
Loading map of Auchencrosh and it's surroudings
Geographic features & Photographs around Auchencrosh, in United Kingdom (general), United Kingdom
- populated place;
- a city, town, village, or other agglomeration of buildings where people live and work.
- Balkissock (4km)
- Ballantrae (6.5km)
- Colmonell (7km)
- Glenwhilly (10.7km)
- Lendalfoot (12.4km)
- Cairnryan (12.7km)
- Daljarrock (13.7km)
- Kirkcolm (14.6km)
- Barrhill (14.7km)
- Pinmore (17.6km)
- New Luce (18.2km)
- Innermessan (18.3km)
- Artfield (18.5km)
- Auchmantle (19.2km)
- stream;
- a body of running water moving to a lower level in a channel on land.
- Water of Tig (4.1km)
- River Stinchar (4.7km)
- Water of App (9.4km)
- Galloway Burn (9.4km)
- Glen Burn (12.7km)
- Muck Water (13.2km)
- Duisk River (13.7km)
- Cross Water (14.5km)
- Water of Lendal (14.6km)
- Feoch Burn (15.6km)
- Kirclachie Burn (16.3km)
- Cruise Burn (18.2km)
- Main Water of Luce (18.2km)
- Cross Water of Luce (18.2km)
- point;
- a tapering piece of land projecting into a body of water, less prominent than a cape.
- Downan Point (3.5km)
- Finnarts Point (8.1km)
- Milleur Point (11.1km)
- Bennane Head (11.1km)
- Jamiesons Point (13km)
- Leffnoll Point (14.4km)
- Corsewall Point (15.2km)
- lake;
- a large inland body of standing water.
- Chirmorie Loch (13km)
- Black Loch (14.2km)
- Loch Connell (15.3km)
- Loch Derry (17.4km)
- Loch Farroch (18.2km)
- Loch Crongart (19km)
- building(s);
- a structure built for permanent use, as a house, factory, etc..
- Shennas (6.5km)
- Craigneil (8.8km)
- Craig House (10.7km)
- Ballochmorrie House (13.1km)
- Miltonish (13.1km)
Accommodation around Auchencrosh
- hill;
- a rounded elevation of limited extent rising above the surrounding land with local relief of less than 300m.
- Auchencrosh (0km)
- Beneraird (2.3km)
- Downan Hill (4km)
- Knockdolian (6.1km)
- Artfield Fell (18.5km)
- estate(s);
- a large commercialized agricultural landholding with associated buildings and other facilities.
- Glenapp Castle (1.2km)
- Finnarts House (7.7km)
- Corwar House (18.6km)
- bay;
- a coastal indentation between two capes or headlands, larger than a cove but smaller than a gulf.
- Carleton Port (13km)
- Loch Ryan (16.9km)
- mountain;
- an elevation standing high above the surrounding area with small summit area, steep slopes and local relief of 300m or more.
- Carlock Hill (4.2km)
- Altimeg Hill (4.2km)
- railroad station;
- a facility comprising ticket office, platforms, etc. for loading and unloading train passengers and freight.
- Pinwherry Station (12.3km)
- region;
- an area distinguished by one or more observable physical or cultural characteristics.
- The Moors (16.8km)
- cove(s);
- a small coastal indentation, smaller than a bay.
- Dove Cove (4.7km)
Wikipedia entries close to
- Cairnryan harbour
- Russian cruiser Varyag military
- Dunragit city o
- Glenluce Abbey monastery
- Ailsa Craig Lighthouse landmark tower
- Barr, Ayrshire city o
- Ardwell
- Culzean Castle landmark castle
- Electric Brae landmark landmark
- U 33 (Kriegsmarine) landmark landmark
- Wigtown city city o
- Creetown city city o
- Nordkanal (Meerenge) waterbody strait
- Port William
- Loch Doon science
- Patna, East Ayrshire city o
Airports close to Auchencrosh
Prestwick(PIK), Prestwick, U.k (59.7km)
City(BHD), Belfast, North ireland (83.9km)
Aldergrove(BFS), Belfast, North ireland (100.9km)
Glasgow(GLA), Glasgow, U.k (104.4km)
Islay(ILY), Islay, U.k (116.3km)
Airfields or small airports close to Auchencrosh
West freugh, West freugh, U.k. (26.3km)
Warton, Warton, U.k. (219.1km)
Woodvale, Woodvale, U.k. (226.9km)
Photos provided by Panoramio are under the copyright of their owners.


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Magnolia Texas
Morning Star Builders is proud to be building custom homes in Magnolia, TX and we're excited that you're considering living here. Because it's such a vibrant community, we knew you'd like to know more about this wonderful place to live.
Magnolia became the city's official name on July 28, 1903. In 1840 the southern section of Montgomery County was lengthened to include Spring Creek. At that time, Magnolia was known as Mink, Texas and it was not until 1885 when the first mention of its current name was used.
Roaring 20s
By the mid 1920s, Magnolia became a thriving community with the establishment of a large number of businesses that included sawmills as well as other important shops like hotels, railroad depots, telegraph station etc. that would eventually constitute a bustling community. In 1924, the city became an important shipping point for cattle; farming products and most notably lumber.
An important election was held on September 28, 1968, which determined that the township of Magnolia would become an incorporated municipality. Out of the 123 votes that were cast, 106 voted for incorporation and only 17 were against. The measure was passed and on October 15, 1968, the first Mayor of Magnolia was elected.
A short drive from the City of Houston, Magnolia TX is slated to have a major expansion with the opening of SH 249 Toll Way along with big name investors and businesses like ExxonMobil establishing their headquarters near the city. While Magnolia is evolving into a vibrant and largeer community it still is able to keep its small town charm. It is a place where people show neighborly love for one another. A perfect place to settle down, start a family and grow a business.
The city of Magnolia schools are operated by the Magnolia Independent School District, which covers 147 square miles of the surrounding countryside. With more than 65,000 residents, 8000 students are enrolled in a typical school year. Magnolia has the second fastest enrollment growth rate. It recently constructed a new high school as well as several elementary schools in order to meet the growing demands of the community.
The top industries in the city of Magnolia are in the fields of:
- Construction
- Engineering services
- Business Consulting
- Medical services
- Production, transportation and Materials moving
- Pipe and other metal manufacturing
- Educational Services
Fast Facts:
- The cost of living in Magnolia is 1% lower than the Texas average.
- The cost of living in Magnolia is 11% lower than the national average.
- The cost of housing in Magnolia is 20% lower than the national average.
- Texas general sales tax is 23% higher than the national average.
- Texas state income tax is 100% lower than the national average.
Eden Café and Restaurant – a popular dining place in Magnolia, Eden's serves good meals with a nice atmosphere. They have an extensive wine list and most is available by the glass. Try the Catfish and the chicken fried steak.
El Chaparro Mexican Bar & Grill Restaurant – one of the best restaurants in town that serves Tex-Mex cuisine. Prices are affordable, nice ambience, great clean facilities with plenty of parking. Food is amazing. Delicious margaritas.
Family Tree Recipe's Restaurant – as the name suggests, this is a family owned and operated establishment with courteous and attentive staff. They offer tasty bread and sandwiches made fresh while you wait. They offer daily plate lunch or off the menu burgers, sandwiches and salads.
Unity Park
Have fun with your family strolling on the award winning Unity Park, a 30-acre combination municipal park and wildlife reserve. The park is also a highly desired events place along with Williams Pavilion.
The Stroll
The Stroll, a half-mile linear park in the heart of Magnolia Town Center, once the original township of the City. The Stroll serves as a walking path for many, and plays host to events throughout the year that bring the community together for fun, to promote local commerce and to welcome the Texas Renaissance Festival in the fall — Magnolia is the official Host City of the Texas Renaissance Festival!
The Stroll – anchored by Sullivan Park at FM 1488 and Unity Park – is connected by Unity Park Drive, a 0.7 mile stretch which may be traveled by car, bike or on foot.
Magnolia, Texas truly is a great place to live. If you'd like to talk to us about building your custom home here in Magnolia, give us a call. We can't wait to meet you.


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The Merno font is the hand lettering font that can be use for various purposes.such as headings, signature, logos, t-shirt, letterhead, signage, lable, news, posters, badges etc.
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Benchmarking. Chapter 8 By: Anitha Veerpaneni, Kristie Winnett, and Danielle Steibel. Benchmarking. Focus Questions What is your definition of benchmarking? Why is benchmarking important?. Benchmarking. According to the text benchmarking is:
Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author.While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server.
Chapter 8
By: Anitha Veerpaneni, Kristie Winnett, and Danielle Steibel
Focus Questions
"systematic search for best practices, innovative ideas, and highly effective operating procedures"
It constantly challenges your organization to improve, and to set new goals and objectives
Six Techniques for Benchmarking
Weaknesses of Benchmarking
Besterfield, D., Besterfield-Michna, C., Besterfield, G., & Besterfield-Sacre, M. (2003). Total Quality Management (3rd ed.). Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education.


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I've seen it so often. Women find out their pregnant, start feeling the effects of it, and quit coming to the gym or their classes. When I see them again postpartum, they feel huge and out of shape.
Now, let me preface this by saying that I'm not throwing rocks. I know how debilitating some of pregnancy's "side effects" are. As one who has experienced hyperemesis through two pregnancies myself, it can be extremely difficult to lift your head to do a daily task (other than hang out with the toilet) let alone get yourself dressed for a workout.
I'm also going to say that working out is the only thing that saved me from 1) losing my lunch (and my mind) completely and 2) turning into a couch potato. Even though by eight weeks I could no longer do my usual workouts due to the severity of my nausea, practicing and teaching Yoga and Pilates really, really helped me maintain a healthy weight, keep down the nausea, maintain strength and flexibility and a strong core (essential for delivering babies), and mental clarity.
Pregnancy is a wonderful new adventure, and the perfect time to clean up your routine. This doesn't necessarily mean starting something new or increasing your goals. It means making small, healthy changes that benefit you and the baby and your household. Gentle, consistent exercise is the main way to keep pregnancy side effects at bay. It helps maintain muscle tone and bone strength, increases adherence to healthy behaviors and therefore a healthy weight, increases circulation and oxygen to the body (and baby), increases positive mindset and mood while decreasing anxiety and depression, and also reduces all the side effects of pregnancy such as swelling, excessive weight gain, gestational diabetes, insomnia and exhaustion.
This sounds wonderful (and is!) but I always provide a word of caution. Whenever pregnant, make sure you consult your physician and/or OB about your routine. Each pregnancy is unique and needs to be well attended by both you and your doctor. Complications and contraindications can occur at any time, in which case you must curtail or change your regimen to meet doctor's orders. Never go against them (seek a second opinion if you don't agree with the decision) for your own sake and that of the baby.
Most of all, enjoy the journey. Be gentle with yourself. You are venturing down a new path–yes, even those of us who have multiple children, it's still new because there's another one coming 😉 Take care of the important things, learn to let the little things go, and laugh a lot. Children are precious and fun…and I bet you'll feel better when you do!


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Bernardo Bertolucci (born 16 March 1940) is an Italian director and screenwriter. Bertolucci initially wished to become a poet like his father, and he worked as an assistant to the famous cultural figure Pier Paolo Pasolini when the latter made his first films. Bertolucci's second feature, Before the Revolution was his Breakthrough Hit and made him seem as the next big thing in European cinema and was a major influence globally on the likes of Martin Scorsese who was the same age as the young director. It would prove influential on Mean Streets in particular.Bertolucci was remarkable for an Italian film-maker for the level and reach of cultural and commercial influence he had, despite the nature of his subjects. He was a committed Marxist, a member of Italy's Communist Party but he directed the likes of Jean-Louis Trintignant, Marlon Brando, Gerard Depardieu and Robert De Niro and several other big stars. He noted that it was utopian dream of reconciling the Cold War through his films by explaining Marxism or his friendly version of it to the consumerist, capitalist West. He achieved this by marrying Freud with Marx, showing that capitalist society and a middle-class family inevitably created sexual neurosis and a true sexual revolution and independence depended on a commitment to revolutionary change. This was the arc of many of his characters, who are middle-class bohemians who are tempted by revolution but whose class angst and Freudian Excuse held them back from committing full time.But if the content or the message went over the audience's heads, they were seduced by Bertolucci's style, his command of camera movement, his visual expressiveness, the coolness of his cast, the over-the-top set design and the costumes and use of music. This made his movies unforgettable and they became hits across the world. His film, The Conformist was a major influence on the New Hollywood, inspiring films like The Godfather, The Parallax View and several others. After seeing the film, Marlon Brando was interested to work with the young director and this led to Last Tango in Paris a global hit and phenomenon which made the director, briefly, a household name.Bertolucci's follow-up Novecento was even more ambitious and it had an All-Star Cast but it didn't have the same reach mostly because the Communism was no longer subtext but a part of the story and became an Audience-Alienating Premise for the west even if it later influenced Oliver Stone. He made a comeback in the 80s with The Last Emperor which won him a Best Director Oscar.At his peak, he was considered one of the best directors in the world.
- La Commare secca
- Prima della Rivoluzione (Before the Revolution)
- Partner
- The Spider's Strategem
- The Conformist
- Last Tango in Paris
- Novecento
- La Luna
- Tragedy of a Ridiculous Man
- The Last Emperor
- The Sheltering Sky
- Little Buddha
- Stealing Beauty
- Besieged
- The Dreamers
- Me and You


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Simplicity Vs. Complexity
image credit: gmacorig
image credit: victor nuno
Simplicity (or minimalism) is one of the largest movements of the last decade, across industries. It is especially big in the areas of design, music and architecture.
Complexity was a bigger trend during the 80's and 90's, especially in art. Electronic and rock music from the 80's and 90's had that 'over the top' feel to it, where artists were throwing everything and the kitchen sink at their mixes.


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Centre parties bottled it once on water charges so it's crucial they hold their nerve this time around
Talk is cheap. The established political parties - Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil in particular - have been very vocal about the importance of the centre of Irish politics holding. Now have to back it up with action.
They must lay down a marker that they're willing to walk the walk. The report of the Commission on water charges, due in the coming days, is the time to do so.
Ever since Paul Murphy won the Dublin South-West by-election two years ago on an anti-water charges platform, the centre of Irish politics has been on the run. In electoral terms, the hard left is still relatively small. But there's no question it has been punching far beyond its weight. Murphy's shock victory prompted a previously hesitant Sinn Féin to fully row in behind the anti-water charges campaign and that, in turn, prompted a rethink in Fianna Fáil on water charges.


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Things to Know Before Start Learning R
Why use R for statistical computing and graphics?
- R is open source and free!
R is free to download as it is licensed under the terms of GNU General Public license.
You can look at the source to see what's happening under the hood. There's more, most R packages are available under the same license so you can use them, even in commercial applications without having to call your lawyer.
- R is popular - and increasing in popularity
IEEE publishes a list of the most popular programming languages each year. R was ranked 5th in 2016, up from 6th in 2015. It is a big deal for a domain-specific language like R to be more popular than a general purpose language like C#.
This not only shows the increasing interest in R as a programming language, but also of the fields like Data Science and Machine Learning where R is commonly used.
- R runs on all platforms
You can find distributions of R for all popular platforms - Windows, Linux and Mac.
R code that you write on one platform can easily be ported to another without any issues. Cross-platform interoperability is an important feature to have in today's computing world - even Microsoft is making its coveted .NET platform available on all platforms after realizing the benefits of technology that runs on all systems.
- Learning R will increase your chances of getting a job
According to the Data Science Salary Survey conducted by O'Reilly Media in 2014, data scientists are paid a median of $98,000 worldwide. The figure is higher in the US - around $144,000.
Of course, knowing how to write R programs won't get you a job straight away, a data scientist has to juggle a lot of tools to do their work. Even if you are applying for a software developer position, R programming experience can make you stand out from the crowd.
- R is being used by the biggest tech giants
Adoption by tech giants is always a sign of a programming language's potential. Today's companies don't make their decisions on a whim. Every major decision has to be backed by concrete analysis of data.
Companies Using R
R is the right mix of simplicity and power, and companies all over the world use it to make calculated decisions. Here are a few ways industry stalwarts are using R and contributing to the R ecosystem.
Company Application/Contribution Monitor user experience Ford Analyse social media to support design decisions for their cars New York Times Infographics, data journalism Microsoft Released Microsoft R Open, an enhanced R distribution and Microsoft R server after acquiring Revolution Analytics in 2015 Human Rights Data Analysis Group Measure the impact of war Created the R style guide for the R user community inside Google
While using R, you can rest assured that you are standing on the shoulders of giants.
Is R programming an easy language to learn?
This is a difficult question to answer. Many researchers are learning R as their first language to solve their data analysis needs.
That's the power of the R programming, it is simple enough to learn as you go. All you need is data and a clear intent to draw a conclusion based on analysis on that data.
In fact, R is built on top of the language S programming that was originally intended as a programming language that would help the student learn programming while playing around with data.
However, programmers that come from a Python, PHP or Java background might find R quirky and confusing at first. The syntax that R uses is a bit different from other common programming languages.
While R does have all the capabilities of a programming language, you will not find yourself writing a lot of if conditions or loops while writing code in the R language. There are other programming constructs like vectors, lists, frames, data tables, matrices etc. that allow you to perform transformations on data in bulk.
Applications of R Programming in Real World
- Data Science
Harvard Business Review named data scientist the "sexiest job of the 21st century". Glassdoor named it the "best job of the year" for 2016. With the advent of IoT devices creating terabytes and terabytes of data that can be used to make better decisions, data science is a field that has no other way to go but up.
Simply explained, a data scientist is a statistician with an extra asset: computer programming skills. Programming languages like R give a data scientist superpowers that allow them to collect data in realtime, perform statistical and predictive analysis, create visualizations and communicate actionable results to stakeholders.
Most courses on data science include R in their curriculum because it is the data scientist's favourite tool.
- Statistical computing
R is the most popular programming language among statisticians. In fact, it was initially built by statisticians for statisticians. It has a rich package repository with more than 9100 packages with every statistical function you can imagine.
R's expressive syntax allows researchers - even those from non computer science backgrounds to quickly import, clean and analyze data from various data sources.
R also has charting capabilities, which means you can plot your data and create interesting visualizations from any dataset.
- Machine Learning
R has found a lot of use in predictive analytics and machine learning. It has various package for common ML tasks like linear and non-linear regression, decision trees, linear and non-linear classification and many more.
Everyone from machine learning enthusiasts to researchers use R to implement machine learning algorithms in fields like finance, genetics research, retail, marketing and health care.
Alternatives to R programming
R is not the only language that you can use for statistical computing and graphics. Some of the popular alternatives of R programming are:
Python - Popular general purpose language
Python is a very powerful high-level, object-oriented programming language with an easy-to-use and simple syntax.
Python is extremely popular among data scientists and researchers. Most of the packages in R have equivalent libraries in Python as well.
While R is the first choice of statisticians and mathematicians, professional programmers prefer implementing new algorithms in a programming language they already know.
The choice between R vs Python also depends on what you are trying to accomplish with your code. If you are trying to analyze a dataset and present the findings in a research paper, then R is probably a better choice. But if you are writing a data analysis program that runs in a distributed system and interacts with lots of other components, it would be preferable to work with Python.
SAS (Statistical Analysis System)
SAS is a powerful software that has been the first choice of private enterprise for their analytics needs for a long time. Its GUI and comprehensive documentation, coupled with reliable technical support make it a very good tool for companies.
While R is the undisputed champion in academics and research, SAS is extremely popular in commercial analytics. But R and Python are gaining momentum in the enterprise space and companies are also trying to move towards open-source technologies. Time will tell if SAS will continue its dominance or R/Python will take over.
SPSS - Software package for statistical analysis
SPSS is another popular statistical tool. It is used most commonly in the social sciences and is considered the easiest to learn among enterprise statistical tools.
SPSS is loved by non-statisticians because it is similar to excel so those who are already familiar with it will find SPSS very easy to use.
SPSS has the same downside as SAS - it is expensive. SPSS was acquired by IBM in 2009 for a reported $1.2 billion.


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The great dharma wheel is nothing more complex than that. The big mystery in life is that there is no mystery.
Treachery is Valued
in Transition
So yes, grief. I don't relate to it properly. I experience loss only when things lose meaning, everything else is just a new found quiet. I even begin to panic when something starts to seem meaningless, don't I? What is that like to witness from your point of view?
It's dramatic. Like debit card transactions. Yes. They are a source of anxiety, or anything involving having to negotiate socially. That's just an obvious one. I would rather not do whatever it is than to try to negotiate my case, convince someone to do what I asked.
I used to be the same way. Perhaps for a different reason. Why were you that way?
Well, I always hated the idea of haggling. I just want to know the price so I can pay it. For me, I don't understand the whole context of haggling. I have no clue about what any of it means. I don't have the human mindset, for lack of a better word, that would let me even begin. I only understand behaviour, not the subjective experience behind it.
I think I don't like to control other people. The reason I didn't take to horseback riding. No one can avoid controlling others.
Well, I've been manipulated so many times now I think I absorbed it through osmosis.
In some countries, it's valued as a social interaction. I was with a really good haggler in Nepal and sort of get it now. It was kind of a game.
I understand how people symbolize the behaviour, and the processes they will enact based on that symbolism. I would and do fail at initiating those moments of contact. Those who are quick on the uptake, shrewd students of character, can sometimes quickly pick up on my confusion, and if kindly will even change their tone and expectations. Usually this doesn't happen though. I do understand deceit, patterns of misrepresentation. People swear that elements of this misrepresentation are innocent, harmless. I can't figure out what those are supposed to be. It all looks the same to me.
I think in our society, honesty is valued more. We are the descendants of puritans. In my experience, treachery is valued more. Might makes right. Virtuous are those who can make circumstances conform to their desires. You are right if you can prove it, and you prove it by controlling against any other outcome. This is my experience. Am I out of touch?
No, there are many people who feel that way.
People claim honesty when all they actually express is truthfulness. The integrity of principles is not commonly expressed, or even present. Everybody lies, but they mean well.
I feel that in the past, virtues were valued more…but less and less with every year now. Virtue was never valued more than it is today. The pilgrims didn't, the crusaders didn't. History supports leadership of the ambitious over the compassionate.
My mother keeps saying that people were different when she was growing up, and I keep telling her that she was just blind to the corruption around her. Change blindness. It's been proven, even in the lab, that we normalize conditions around us, create a sense of acceptability even if none is naturally present. There is a provable will to be at peace with the herd, but corruption is not the problem. Fear of transition is, puritanism, idealism, the will to preserve status. Denial of the will to live in favour of the will to power. The search for truth and justice is no such thing. It is just prettier words for the will to power. We feed our alphas on this.
"If lust and hate is the candy,
If blood and love tastes so sweet,
Then we give 'em what they want."
10,000 Maniacs – Candy Everybody Wants
So I went off on a weird sermon, my apologies. I hope there was something useful in today's class. I meant to illustrate status in the context of transitions, and the role the will has to play in that whole affair. If that didn't happen maybe I will have to try again later.
Your thoughts are welcome. Be well friends.
Travis Saunders
Dragon Intuitive


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About Us
inTAXicating Tax Services is a Canadian business – based out of Toronto, Ontario – which is operated by Warren Orlans, an experienced tax professional who has significant taxation experience working in the public and the private sectors for over 17-years.
Warren spent almost 11-years working in the Canada Revenue Agency (then Revenue Canada), working his way up and through the CRA beginning as a Collector in the Business tax area. Warren either worked in, or was responsible for, tax issues regarding; GST/HST, Payroll (Source Deductions), Director's Liability, Training and Learning, Construction (Underground Economy) Unit, Corporate Tax (T2), Payroll Audit, Field Officer, Liens, Investigations, Audit, Compliance and for 5-years he was a Resource and Complex Case Officer responsible for the most complex and difficult tax files in the Tax Services Office, as well as teaching his staff how to resolve complex files.
Warren and his colleagues know the CRA policy and procedures and are able to best assist you, and your business, clarify and resolve your tax issues.
Unlike others who have worked in or with the CRA, we do not believe that calling the CRA names gets you off with the best foot forward, nor do we believe that telling the CRA what to do works with the best success. Instead, we prefer to use legislation, policies and procedures to negotiate the best plan possible through law.
In addition to working with individuals and businesses who have tax issues, inTAXicating also works with Accountants, Accounting Firms, Tax Lawyers, Law Firms, Trustees, Banks and other professional firms to assist them where they have a client with a tax issue, or to clarify the direction the CRA is heading on a tax matter.
In addition to working at the CRA, Warren was the Tax Manager for the Canadian Operational Unit of Computershare Trust Company of Canada / Computershare Investor Services, where he honed his skills regarding US tax matters, Revenue Quebec, Cross-Border Tax matters and where he served as the Canadian FATCA lead.
Warren also worked for CitiFund Services, the transfer agent business of CitiGroup, where he was the AVP Transfer Agency Operation for Taxation and was the Canadian lead for FATCA.
If you have a tax question, or concern and you want the truth on your options, contact us and if we can help you, we can. If your matter is best handled by a Tax professional in a different are of Tax, we will refer you to someone in our network.


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Beetroot and Goat Cheese Tart with Arugula and Pecans
A delicious and pretty beetroot and goat cheese tart topped with arugula, pecans and pomegranate arils. Perfect savoury meal for lunch or dinner!!! Love taste and vibrant colours!!! Ingredients For the crust 1¼ cups all-purpose flour ½ almond flour ½... Continue reading →