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Thank you for visiting our team page and helping us to reach our fundraising goal!
Our team is joining the fight against brain cancer by participating in Head for the Cure Metro KC on Sunday, August 30th. Head for the Cure is dedicated to raising funds and awareness for brain cancer research.
Team ekSTRONG is a group of family and friends who are walking in honor of Sandra Ekstrom. She was diagnosed with Stage 4 Glioblastoma in March of 2016, and her battle came to an end on December 10, 2016. This race is in honor of a woman who fought hard against an ugly disease. Team ekSTRONG will always remember a beautiful, strong woman who was loved by many.
About Head for the Cure:
Head for the Cure works to inspire hope for the community of brain cancer patients, their families, friends, caregivers and other supporters, while celebrating their courage, spirit and energy. Every Head for the Cure event marks a day of celebration where those diagnosed with brain cancer are honored and celebrated by their friends and families, those who have lost their battles are remembered, and we are all inspired to carry on the fight.
Funds raised by Head for the Cure support the Brain Tumor Trials Collaborative, a network of medical centers with the expertise and the desire to participate in state-of-the-art clinical trials investigating new treatments for malignant brain tumors.
Please consider making a donation today to help us reach our goal and to help Head for the Cure defeat brain cancer, step by step!


text: Disable setting of custom colors if run without lxsession. Unfortunately colors setting will not work without XSETTINGS daemon because any custom settings in .gtkrc-2.0 file will be overridden by the theme. Therefore we should not use ~/.gtkrc-2.0 to save gtk-color-scheme because it is useless, and disable setting of custom colors without lxsession. TODO: detect other XSETTINGS daemons and use them for color changes.

subset: commoncrawl


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Moon Shots – A Technology Showcase
12790 El Camino Real #100
San Diego, CA 92130
Conserving precious resources – Decontaminate water using Microbiological systems
For every barrel of oil produced, an oil well generates about 10 barrels of salt water. H2Organix takes a completely different approach to decontaminating industrial wastewater by leveraging the power of natural systems biology. Their technology addresses the extremely high costs of disposing water in the oil and mining industries. They produce water suitable for agriculture use and also achieve surface discharge standards.
On March 15th, learn how H2Organix tapped the genius of nature to find a new way to clean the waste water from oil drilling. Rick Wilson, founder and CEO of H2Organix will explore proven solutions to remediate contaminated water from oil & gas drilling and mining by deploying ecologically designed lagoons. Joining Rick is John Todd, Founder and President of John Todd Ecological Design, who has designed and constructed 18 large-scale ecological wastewater solutions around the globe.
This should be a fascinating discussion on water and our planet.
Rick Wilson, PhD, Founder & CEO, H2Organix
Rick has 25-years experience developing and commercializing materials and energy technologies. Recently, Rick led the team at Cool Planet Energy Systems developing and commercializing CoolTerra™ soil health additive, winning the 2015 Edison Gold Award for contribution to Agriculture. As CEO of Cobalt Technologies, a Silicon Valley venture-backed biotech startup, he developed low-cost renewable chemical technology and partnered with the Solvay group to deploy production capacity in South America. At the executive level of British Petroleum, he led the turn around of the $3.5 BN Global Derivatives chemicals business sold to Ineos. While at BP he also ran the Australasian fuel supply business, and led clean fuels R&D early in his career. He currently serves on the Bioenergy Technical Review Panel for the National Renewable Energy Lab in Golden, Colorado. Rick holds an MBA (Honors) from the University of Chicago, a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Lehigh University, and a BA in Chemistry from UC San Diego.
Jonathan Todd, PhD, Chief Design Officer, H2Organix
Jonathan brings robust large-scale ecological wastewater solutions to the market having designed and constructed 18 projects across the globe. Dr. Todd led the design, construction and implementation of the Omega Center for Sustainable Learning — a "Living Bulding Challenge" and LEED platinum award winning project. Dr. Todd, working alongside his father, John Todd PhD, are recognized as the pioneers in ecologically designed wastewater treatment systems. They collaborate with the top sustainable architects and landscape architects in the world.
Paul Hullar, SVP Engineering, H2Organix
Paul has 25+ years expereince as a Procter and Gamble executive, executing conservation projects across the US, Canada, Mexico, Germany, France, England and Poland. He is also the author of "Winning with AB32" – Generating Revenue with California's Cap and Trade.
5:30: Registration, Appetizers and Networking
6:30: Presentation
7:45: Audience Q & A
8:00: Program Concludes, Networking, Coffee & Dessert until 8:30
MITEF Members and MITEF Sponsors: Free
Non-members: $65
MIT Alums: $50
On-Site: $75
NOTE: Online Registration ends at midnight, the day prior to the event. If you register online the day of the event, you will be charged $75, the on-site price.
PAYPAL is our payment processor and accepts ALL MAJOR Credit Cards.


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Privacy Policy
Gender differences and pharmacovigilance: analysis in the Italian population
Eleonora Castellana, Maria Rachele Chiappetta, Francesco Cattel
SC Farmacia Ospedaliera, AOU Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, Italy.
Received 7 January 2017; accepted 2 May 2018.
Summary. Introduction. Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are a major burden in healthcare. Scientific literature shows that women tend to have a higher risk of adverse drug reactions than men due to differences in pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and drug use. Materials and methods. Data were obtained from the Italian National Pharmacovigilance Network and we focused our attention on ADRs in the period between 2001 and 2016. We identified: the most reported ATCs (Anatomic, Therapeutic, Chemical Classification), the severity of ADRs, age, outcome and sex. Results. During the observation period, 301,233 ADRs were reported, women have a higher risk of ADRs over the age of 2 and under the age of 11 years. Serious ADRs were more frequent in females than in males; on the contrary death events were more frequent in males than in females in all age groups. Women presented more ADRs when treated with thyroid hormones (81%-H03AA), aminoquinoline antimalarials (78%-P01BA), COX-inhibitor anti-inflammatory and anti-rheumatic drugs, (71%-M01AH), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants (68%-N06AB), benzodiazepine derivative anxiolytics (66%-N05BA), acetic acid derivative anti-inflammatory and anti-rheumatic drugs and related substances (59%-M01AB), broad-spectrum penicillins (58%-J01CA), penicillin associations including beta-lactamase inhibitors (57%-J01CR) and propionic acid derivative anti-inflammatory and anti-rheumatic drugs (57%-M01AE). Men had more ADRs when treated with protease inhibitors (61%-J05AE) and reverse transcriptase nucleoside inhibitors (70%-J05AF). Conclusions. ADRs are more frequent and more serious in women than in men, but death is more common in males.
Key words: pharmacovigilance, adverse drugs reactions, gender, women, men.
Differenze di genere e farmacovigilanza: analisi nella popolazione italiana
Riassunto. Introduzione. Le reazioni avverse a farmaci (ADRs) rappresentano un'importante voce di spesa del Servizio Sanitario Nazionale. Le donne, in letteratura, sono descritte come il genere più predisposto a manifestare un elevato rischio di reazioni avverse, rispetto al sesso maschile, a causa della differente farmacocinetica, farmacodinamica e differente utilizzo dei farmaci. Materiali e metodi. I dati ottenuti per l'analisi sono stati estrapolati dalla Rete Nazionale di Farmacovigilanza, focalizzando l'attenzione sulle ADRs avvenute nel periodo tra il 2001 e il 2016. I dati estrapolati sono: le classi ATC (classificazione anatomico, terapeutico, chimico) maggiormente segnalate, serietà delle ADRs, età, esito e sesso. Risultati. Durante il periodo di osservazione sono state raccolte 301.233 ADRs: il sesso femminile è stato soggetto ad un rischio più elevato di ADRs soprattutto dopo i primi 2 anni di vita e dopo gli 11 anni. Le reazioni avverse gravi sono state più frequenti nel sesso femminile rispetto a quello maschile. Le donne hanno presentato più ADRs se trattate con ormoni tiroidei (81%-H03AA), con i farmaci antimalarici (78%-P01BA), con i coxib antinfiammatori e antireumatici (71%-M01AH), con gli antidepressivi selettivi serotonina inibitori della ricaptazione (68%-N06AB), con i derivati ansiolitici delle benzodiazepine (66%-N05BA), con i farmaci antinfiammatori e antireumatici derivati dell'acido acetico e sostanze correlate (59%-M01AB), con le penicilline ad ampio spettro (58%-J01CA), con le associazioni di penicilline inclusi gli inibitori della beta-lattamasi (57%-J01CR) e i farmaci antinfiammatori e antireumatici derivati dell'acido propionico (57%-M01AE). Il sesso maschile ha invece visto più ADRs se trattato con farmaci inibitori della proteasi (61%-J05AE) e farmaci nucleosidici inibitori della trascrittasi inversa (70%-J05AF). Conclusioni. Le ADRs sono più frequenti e gravi nelle donne rispetto agli uomini, i quali, però, sono più soggetti a eventi di morte.
Parole chiave: farmacovigilanza, reazione avversa al farmaco, genere, donne, uomini.
Pharmacovigilance (PV) is defined as the science and activities relating to the detection, assessment, understanding and prevention of adverse effects or any other drug-related problem. WHO established its Programme for International Drug Monitoring in response to the thalidomide disaster that came to light in 1961. The development of pharmacovigilance legislation is based on the observation that adverse drug reactions (ADRs) cause around 197,000 deaths per year in the European Union. An ADR is an 'noxious and unintended' response to a medicine that occurs during use1.
Scientific literature shows that women tend to have a higher risk of adverse drug reactions and it has been reported that women are about 1.5-1.7 times more vulnerable to ADRs than men2.
Differences between male and female subjects in physical (body-water space, muscle mass, organ blood flow, organ function) and physiological aspects (menopause, pregnancy and menstruation), as well as differences regarding pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics (bioavailability, distribution, metabolism, excretion) are purported and considered potential reasons for the difference in ADR risks. The clinical relevance of these gender-based differences to the occurrence of ADRs is not yet clear3,4. Historically, women of childbearing age were excluded from clinical trials after the thalidomide tragedy. In the aftermath of this event and in an attempt to protect all unborn life from unknown ADRs, all fertile women were banned from participation in clinical trials, regardless of whether they were pregnant5. Although the regulatory authorities have stressed the importance of including more women in clinical trials, women are still underrepresented in clinical research, especially in phase I and II trials3,4.
The aim of this study was to investigate the gender-related differences in ADRs in the Italian population, on the basis of sex, during a 15-year observation period.
Materials and methods
Data were obtained from Italian National Network of Pharmacovigilance (INNP)6 and we focused our attention on ADRs in the period between 2001 and 2016.
We analysed:
■ gender;
■ age, broken down into six groups (less than 1 month, from 1 month to less than 2 years, from 2 to 11 years, from 12 to 17 years, from 18 to 64 years and from 65 years);
■ severity, non-serious and serious (congenital anomaly/deficit of the newborn, invalidity or severe permanent impairment, life-threatening event and death);
■ outcome (improvement, still not recovered, recovered with consequences and recovered);
■ ATC (Anatomic, Therapeutic, Chemical Classification) and drugs most reported.
Gender and age
301,233 ADRs were collected during the observation period.
Table 1 shows that females have a higher risk of ADRs, especially over the age of 2 years. Between 1 month and 2 years of age, males are more susceptible to ADRs than females.
Non-serious adverse drug reactions
Males had "non-serious" adverse drugs reactions more often than females, up to the age of 2 years, whereas above this age, females were more susceptible than males (Table 2).
Serious adverse drug reactions
The results of the "Congenital anomaly/deficit of the newborn" analysis are not significant except in the 18-64 year group, in which women were more likely to experience ADRs than men. The "invalidity or serious permanent ADRs" were slightly higher amongst males up to 11 years of age, whereas after this age females were more often indicated. Moreover, "life-threatening ADRs" were more frequent amongst males up to 11 years, but were more common in females thereafter. On the contrary, death events were more frequent in males than in females in all age groups (Table 3).
Outcome of adverse drug reactions
As regards ADRs according to outcome, the adverse drug reaction data show that "improvement" is slightly higher in males up to 11 years of age, but higher in females after this date. A similar tendency is observed in the rate of "still not recovered" and "recovered with consequences" outcomes.
Over the age of 2 years, females have a higher "recovered" rate than males (Table 4).
There was a significant difference for ATC reports (Figure 1 and Table 5): female subjects experienced more ADRs than male subjects, except for protease inhibitors (J05AE) and reverse transcriptase nucleoside inhibitors (J05AF). In this case, adverse drug reactions are more common in men than in women (61% and 70% respectively).
ADRs were more frequently reported in females for certain classes of drugs, such as thyroid hormones (81%-H03AA), antimalarial aminoquinolines (78%-P01BA), COX inhibitor anti-inflammatory and anti-rheumatic drugs (71%-M01AH), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants (68%-N06AB), benzodiazepine derivative anxiolytics (66%-N05BA), anti-inflammatory and anti-rheumatic acetic acid derivatives and related substances (59%-M01AB), broad-spectrum penicillins (58%-J01CA), penicillin associations including beta-lactamase inhibitors (57%-J01CR) and propionic acid derivative anti-inflammatory and anti-rheumatic drugs (57%-M01AE). The relationship between ATC and the drugs that caused major toxicity is shown in Table 6.
As stated by The Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA), "compared to the past, current scientific knowledge has allowed us to identify, differences in genetic, anatomical, physiological, hormonal features as well as in habits, lifestyles, sports, nutrition, social factors and cultural rights, between men and women". In 2012, AIFA pharmacovigilance data also showed that most of the adverse reactions in women are caused by overdose or polydrug use, events that are related to a drug dosage calculated using a male model of 70 kg. These differences therefore support the importance of encouraging the development of "gender-specific medicine"7.
In Italy, the AIFA encourages doctors and hospital pharmacists to report ADRs.
In our study, most reactions were more common in women, but men have more adverse drugs reactions before the age of 2 years and over the age of 11 years; most ADRs occurred in the 18 to 64 years age group. One possible explanation is that patients in this age group use a greater number of medicines8.
Most of the ADRs were not severe and had a positive outcome. Although the female population had a higher prevalence of ADRs, and serious ADRs, death was more commonly reported in the male population.
Thyroid hormones (levothyroxine), aminoquinoline antimalarials (hydroxychloroquine), COX inhibitor anti-inflammatory and anti-rheumatic drugs (celecoxib and etoricoxib), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants (citalopram, paroxetine and escitalopram) and benzodiazepine derivative anxiolytics (lorazepam and alprazolam), were the medicines for which more ADRs were observed in women than in men. It should be pointed out that, statistically, women take more drugs than men9 and that the incidence of conditions, such as thyroid and autoimmune diseases and depression are more frequent in women10.
Men are more vulnerable to protease inhibitor drugs (ritonavir and telaprevir) and reverse transcriptase nucleoside inhibitors (zidovudine and lamivudine); in this case, men are subject to a greater number of HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) diagnoses11.
These data suggest that ADRs are more frequent and severe in women than in men, but that death occurs more often in males.
It should be pointed out that women take more drugs than men and that some classes of drugs are used more by one sex than the other, depending on the medical conditions, which are often gender-dependent.
These data indicate the need to include women in clinical studies and the importance of monitoring ADRs to ensure greater medicinal product safety.
1. World Health Organization (WHO). Pharmacovigilance. Available from:http://www.who.int/medicines/areas/quality_safety/safety_efficacy/pharmvigi/en (updated December 2017).
2. Rademaker M. Do women have more adverse drug reactions? Am J Clin Dermatol 2001; 2 (6): 349-51.
3. Zopf Y, Rabe C, Neubert A, Gabmann KG, Rascher W, Hahn EG, Dormann H. Women encounter ADRs more often than do men. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 2008; 64: 999-1004.
4. Fattinger K, Roos M, Vergeres P, Holenstein C, Kind B, Masche U, Stocker DN, Braunschweig S, Kullak-Ublick GA, Galeazzi RL, Follath F, Gasser T, Meier PJ. Epidemiology of drug exposure and adverse drug reactions in two Swiss departments of internal medicine. Br J Clin Pharmacol 2000; 49: 158-67.
5. Sabine Oertelt-Prigione. Gender differences and clinical trial design. Clin Invest 2011; 1 (2): 187-90.
6. Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA). Farmacovigilanza. Available from http://www.agenziafarmaco.gov.it/content/farmacovigilanza (updated June 2018).
7. Loddo G, Cottonaro S, Daga F, Bellini P. Gender medicine: a new approach for healthcare. Programma scienziati in azienda - XIV edizione Baveno, 16 settembre 2013-19 luglio 2014. Available from:http://www.istud.it/up_media/pwscienziati13/gender_medicine.pdf.
8. Singh H, Dulhani N, Kumar BN, Singh P, Tewari P, Nayak K. A pharmacovigilance study in Medicine department of tertiary care hospital in Chhattisgarh (Jagdalpur), India. J Young Pharm 2010; 2 (1): 95-100.
9. National Institute of Statistics. Available from: http://dati.istat.it (updated April 2018).
10. AIFA & ISS. L'uso dei farmaci in Italia. Rapporto nazionale anno 2011. Available from:http://www.epicentro.iss.it/farmaci/pdf/OsMed/OSMED%202011.pdf.
11. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. HIV/AIDS surveillance in Europe 2017. Available from: https://ecdc.europa.eu/en/infectious-diseases-public-health/hiv-infection-and-aids/surveillance-and-disease-data/annual.
Conflict of interest statement: the Authors declare no financial disclosures related to the content of this article.
Acknowledgments: Special thanks to Dr Danila Turco.
Correspondence to:
Eleonora Castellana
SC Farmacia Ospedaliera
AOU Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino
Corso Bramante 88
10126 Torino, Italy
email: email@example.com


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It is bad for your health to go to appointments and procedures because you have to; always choose to. Have to is disempowering. Choose to is how empowered patients act, and that attitude is associated with increased wellbeing. In diagnostic and treatment procedures, less invasive alternatives are always safer. If they fail to provide good […]
Video: Safety of Diagnostic and Treatment Procedures, and Being an Empowered Patient
Chronic Illness Q&A with Dr. B.
The purpose of this blog and the entire website is to provide evidence-based information on how to live a rich, rewarding life despite living with chronic health challenges. It is also for anyone wanting to know how to optimize subjective wellbeing by learning how to fully engage in a life of practice that is based […]
Chronic Illness Q&A with Dr. B.
This question & answer column is for people living with chronic health challenges and their family caregivers, who want to learn to increase the odds of improving their health by learning to live with mastery & wellbeing. I invite you to post your questions in the comments box below. When I get a certain number […]
Video: The Power of Conscious Choice
This is part five of a presentation given at Marin Center for Independent Living in 2013. You will learn about the power of making conscious choices throughout the day. I recommend as a discipline, eliminate the phrase "have to" from your vocabulary. Never do anything you don't want to do. Recognize that you are making […]
In Your Own Hands – 5 Ways to Never Be Stressed Again
Every Monday, my blog post "In Your Own Hands" is where I'll be featuring articles I find interesting or that I think are a good resource to help you take charge of your health. What articles have you read recently that caught your attention? Leave a comment and let me know. Pain & Dread in […]
Chronic Illness Q&A with Dr. B.
This question & answer column is for people living with chronic health challenges and their family caregivers, who want to learn to increase the odds of improving their health by learning to live with mastery & wellbeing. I invite you to post your questions in the comments box below. When I get a certain number […]
Video: A Mindfulness-Based Mastery and Wellbeing Practice
Asking yourself: "What am I practicing" as you go through the day serves to bring awareness to your actions. Most of the time, automaticity governs our actions. By asking ourselves what we are practicing, we develop enough awareness to determine whether our actions are aligned with our personal life values. That new awareness then allows […]
Video: Mind Training Cures Depression
Never do anything you don't want to do. The most powerful mindfulness practice is to consciously choose everything you do from moment-to-moment. Eliminate all toxic words from your language—words such as have to, must, got to, can't, should, shouldn't, and replace them all with: "I'm choosing to…" This "I am choosing" practice reprograms the brain […]
Awareness of Choice Improves Health and Wellbeing
Awareness of Behavior Leads to Awareness of Choice. The goal is to increase awareness of our behavior in order to assess, throughout the day, whether our behavior is the most effective behavior to help us meet our needs and goals. Also, is our behavior in harmony with how we want to live our lives—with what […]
Loving Self-Care for Health
Deepak Chopra recently wrote an excellent article in the Huffington Post about self-care. The following article is information I would like to add to what he offered. Partnerships in Loving Self-Care One of the best ways to develop loving self-care is to have a life partner and/or close friends with whom you are in a […]
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The various grade levels for the CYFL had a fantastic opportunity to play the game they love in the place they hope to play for state championships in the future. A unique format allowed for each of the CYFL teams to participate in five 10 minute segments that included both offense and defense. There were teams from all over the state of Indiana along with a few from Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois. The young Spartan teams played very well throughout the day scoring plenty and putting together some solid defensive plays along the way. It was the last planned activity for the league and one heck of a way to close out a fun and exciting 2017 season. Thanks goes out to all the parents, players, coaches, sponsors, and community members that helped make this and the entire season a fantastic one.
The next scheduled event for league participants will be a three day spring camp in early March. Until then we look forward to seeing our players on the wrestling mats, the basketball courts, maybe in the pool, hopefully in the weight room, and of course doing their best in the classroom.
More photos available on the CYFL facebook page. If you are interested in learning more about the Connersville Youth Football League you can go to www.connersvillefootball.com or contact Coach Kelly via email email@example.com


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The world's fourth-largest smartphone maker Xiaomi officially entered the British market this week with the international debut of its flagship Mi 8 Pro, which hopes to win the market dominated by Samsung and Apple.
Xiaomi Senior Vice President, Wang Xiang, said the UK is one of the major global technology centers. "This is a vibrant place with young people, which largely matches our culture – we want to be the coolest company in the minds of our fans", commented he.
Xiaomi, which leaked in July and had a market capitalization of about 44 billion USD, initially headed to other Asian markets for its international expansion, especially to India where it managed to outperform Samsung as the top smartphone retailer earlier year.
The company founded in 2010 made its European debut in Spain a year ago. This year, Xiaomi officially entered France and Italy.
In August, the company said its foreign earnings for the quarter ended June 30 increased more than doubled on an annual basis.
The Xiaomi product line in the UK is led by the Mi 8 Pro, which has dual AI, 6.21-inch AMOLED screen, pressure-sensitive display, fingerprint reader and transparent glass for the panel.
The company's products will be sold online as well as in physical stores, including its own Xiaomi store, which will open on November 18th.


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Abarth 595 VS Audi A3
Abarth 595
- Good engine/chassis combo
- Surprising grip levels
- Unusual
- Terrible driving position
- Ride not great around town
- No reversing camera
Audi A3
- Sedan styling looks superb
- Quattro all-wheel drive on highest grade
- AEB on all grades
- Plain standard interior
- Limited rear legroom
- Low on standard features
Abarth 595
Since 1949, Abarth has been giving the venerable Italian brand, Fiat, a patina of performance, based largely on giant-killing feats in small modified cars like the Fiat 600 of the 1960s.
More recently, the brand has been revived to boost the fortunes of the smallest Fiat on sale in Australia. Known formally as the Abarth 595, the tiny hatch packs a bit of a surprise under its distinctive snout.
|Safety rating
|Engine Type
|1.4L turbo
|Fuel Type
|Regular Unleaded Petrol
|Fuel Efficiency
|4 seats
Audi A3
Audi's A3 is one of the most affordable ways into this prestige German brand. But like some amusement park mirror maze you'll find with so many A3 variations there are numerous, seemingly identical ways into the model.
Which one do you choose? There's a sedan, a hatch, and a convertible with four different engines, not to mention front- or all-wheel drive.
That's why this range review is here – to guide you through the A3 hall of mirrors, and identify the right model for you.
|Safety rating
|Engine Type
|2.0L turbo
|Fuel Type
|Premium Unleaded Petrol
|Fuel Efficiency
|5 seats
Abarth 5955.8/10
It's tough to be kind to the Abarth 595. Based on a platform that's more than a decade old, the car has been left behind by its rivals in many ways, including basic ergonomics and its value equation.
The larger engine does work well in this smaller package, and its road-holding ability belies its size. However, only die-hard fans of the Abarth brand will be able to cope with the uncomfortable seating position and a complete lack of even the most perfunctory features that cars costing $10,000 less are able to offer.
Could you look past the Abarth 595's foibles? Let us know in the comments below.
Audi A37.5/10
The Audi A3 is now five years into this current generation and it's beginning to show its age in terms of tech and styling in the cabin, despite updates adding new equipment. It's expensive compared to most small cars but is spot-on for a prestige vehicle.
The Sedan is, in my view, the best looking small sedan on the planet and offers the biggest boot space in the A3 range. The Sportback, however, is arguably more practical, with better legroom, headroom and cargo carrying ability (with the rear seats down). The Cabriolet has the same perfect proportions as the sedan, but like all good convertibles doesn't make practicality a priority.
The sweet spot of the range would have to be the Sportback 2.0 TFSI quattro S Line with its $50,000 list price making it the most affordable but most 'specced up' A3 in the entire range.
You have $50,000. Do you buy an entry-grade Audi A3 Cabriolet, a 2.0 TFSI Sport Sedan or a Volkswagen Golf R? Tell us what you think in the comments below.
Abarth 5957/10
Despite being based on a design that's a decade old, the Abarths still stand out. Based on the classic Fiat 500 shape of the 1950 and '60s, it's more cute than cut-throat, with a narrow track and tall roof giving it a toy-like presence.
The Abarth attempts to beef things up with deep front and rear bumper splitters, go-fast stripes, new headlights and alternate-colour wing mirrors.
The 595 rides on 16-inch rims, while the Competizione runs 17s.
Inside, it's definitely different to most mainstream cars, with colour-coded plastic panels on the dash and a very upright seating position, along with a dual-tone steering wheel.
It's a love-it-or-hate-it proposition. There's no middle ground here.
Audi A38/10
The A3 comes in three body styles: a five-door hatch, which Audi calls the Sportback; the four-door Sedan, and a two-door convertible which it refers to as the Cabriolet. It may not surprise you to learn they're all different sizes, too.
The Sportback doesn't look like the shortest of the three but at 4313mm end-to-end it's 145mm shy of the Sedan and 110mm shorter than the Cabriolet. But those exterior dimensions don't tell the whole story on interior space. So, which one is more practical? We'll get to that.
But first, the looks. The Sportback has a wagon-like appearance with its large (for a hatch) rear quarter windows. If you think it looks longer than a regular hatchback, you're right: a Volkswagen Golf is 50mm shorter even though it shares the same platform as the A3.
However, unlike the Golf, there's something about the Sportback's proportions which doesn't seem balanced.
Then there's the A3 sedan. Now this is a perfectly proportioned car. Looking like a miniature version of the A8 limo, the A3 is one of the only tiny sedans on the planet that looks fantastic.
The Cabriolet is based on the Sedan, and it too looks beautifully proportioned. Soft tops, when they're up, never do much for a car's profile. Be it a Bentley or an A3, they always look better down. When the roof is down the A3 appears lower, sleeker, and tougher.
While all A3's have the same grille and headlight design the rear treatment of the Sedan and Cabriolet is more refined with their blade-like tail-lights and boot lid lip, than the Sportback, even if it does have a roof-top spoiler.
Interiors are identical across each A3 grade, the cabin benefiting from excellent fit and finish and the use of high-quality materials. But if you like bling-tastic cockpits, maybe you should be looking at a Benz A-Class because even the fanciest A3 money can buy, the RS3, comes with a small display screen and a rather low-key interior design.
As for rivals, the new A-Class (which I've just reviewed) is a glitzy competitor in hatch form, with a soon-to-arrive sedan going head-to-head with the little Audi as well.
Or there's BMW's 1 Series hatch and 2 Series Coupe. The 1 Series hatch is seriously ugly, the 2 Series is stunning and looks fast standing still.
Abarth 5954/10
This is another area where the Abarth falls down. First and foremost, the seating position for the driver in both cars is utterly compromised.
The seat itself is mounted far, far, too high, and has little adjustment in any direction, and there is no reach adjustment in the steering wheel column to allow a taller (or even an average height) driver to get comfortable.
The more expensive Competizione we tested was fitted with a set of optional sports bucket seats from racing company Sabelt, but even they are mounted literally 10cm too high. They are also ultra firm, and even though they look supportive, lack decent side bolster support.
The tiny multimedia screen is okay to use, but the buttons are miniscule, while there's a complete lack of storage places in the front.
There are two cupholders under the centre console, with two more in between the front seats for rear seat passengers. There are no bottle holders in the doors and no storage for rear seaters.
Speaking of the rear seats, they are the very definition of cramped, with little headroom for moderately sized adults and precious little knee or toe room. There are two sets of ISOFIX baby seat mounting points, though, should you fancy wrestling your wriggling toddlers through the narrow aperture.
The seats flip forward to reveal more cargo space (185 litres with the seats up, and 550 litres when the seats are down), but the seat backs don't fold flat into the floor. Under the boot floor is a can of sealant and a pump, but no space saver spare.
In truth, it was a long day testing this car… at 187cm, I simply could not get comfortable in it at all.
Audi A37/10
The Sportback and Sedan have five seats, while the Cabriolet has four. Leg and headroom in the back row for all body styles is limited. The Sportback will give you the most rear legroom, while the sedan has a few millimetres more space for your knees than the Cabriolet.
At 191cm tall I can sit behind my driving position in the Sportback with a pinkie finger's space, while my knees brush the seatback in the Sedan, and the Cabriolet won't accommodate my long legs back there at all.
Rear headroom in the Sportback isn't bad with enough room for my big head to clear the ceiling thanks to that tall(-ish) flat roofline while the sedan is a tighter fit but I just make it under. The Cabriolet's low fabric roof means only small adults or kids will be able to sit up straight back there – unless the top is down and then you have literally unlimited headroom.
Boot space varies obviously depending on the body style. The Sedan has biggest cargo capacity with 425 litres, the Sportback offers up 340 litres, but fold those rear seats down and you have 1180 litres at your disposal, plus a bigger aperture to fit stuff in. The Cabriolet's folding roof eats into the boot space, but you're still left with 320 litres even when it's down.
The folding roof is automatic and can be raised or lowered at up to 50km/h, but it's slow - I've timed it and it takes about 20 seconds to open or shut.
Storage throughout the cabin is limited, too. There are two cupholders up front in all cars, while the Cabriolet is the only A3 to have two cupholders in the back (they're between the rear seats). If you want cupholders in the rear of the Sedan and Sportback you'll have to option the $450 fold-down armrest which houses them.
All grades above the 1.0 TFSI come with storage nets in the seatback and front passenger footwell, 12-volt sockets in the rear centre console and boot, plus cargo nets back there, too. There's a USB jack in the centre console of all A3s.
Price and features
Abarth 5954/10
The range has been stripped back to just two cars, and costs has come down slightly, with the 595 now starting at $26,990, plus on-road costs.
A new 5.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system (with digital radio), a leather wrapped steering wheel, TFT dash display, rear parking sensors, alloy pedals, 16-inch alloy rims, and (front-only) adaptive dampers are standard on the base 595.
A convertible, or more accurately, a rag-top (cabriolet) version of the 595 is also available for $29,990.
The 595 Competizione is now a whopping $8010 cheaper at $31,990 with a manual gearbox, leather seats (Sabelt-branded sports buckets are optional), 17-inch alloys, a louder Monza exhaust, as well as front and rear adaptive Koni shocks, and Eibach springs.
Unfortunately, what stands out more on the Abarths is what they don't come with. Auto lights and wipers, cruise control of any sort, driver aids including AEB and adaptive cruise… even a rear view camera is missing.
What's more puzzling is that the Abarth's architecture, though a decade old, has provision to accept at least a rear view camera.
Abarth's explanation that the car's home market doesn't see these inclusions as important doesn't really hold water, either.
In terms of value, the lack of basic content sends the Abarth to the bottom of a competitive pile that includes both the Ford Fiesta ST and the Volkswagen Polo GTI.
Audi A37/10
The A3 isn't great value for a small car, generally speaking, because while you are getting a high-quality prestige vehicle, it doesn't come with a mountain of equipment that you might find on a more affordable little hatch or sedan.
Look at it this way: take $40 into a fish and chip shop and you'll walk out with your arms full of food, take the same amount into a Michelin-starred restaurant and you'll be lucky to get an entrée. Same with buying a prestige car – and the A3 really is a starter on the Audi menu.
Coming standard on the entry-grade $36,200 1.0 TFSI Sportback are xenon headlights with LED running lights, cloth upholstery, dual-zone climate control, a 7.0-inch touchscreen with sat nav, reversing camera, multimedia system with voice control, eight-speaker stereo, Bluetooth connectivity, CD player, front and rear parking sensors, rear view camera and 16-inch alloy wheels.
Only the Sportback comes in this 1.0 TFSI grade. The rest of the body styles start with the 1.4 TFSI ($40,300 for the Sportback; $41,900 for Sedan; $49,400 for Cabriolet) which comes with the 1.0 TFSI's equipment but swaps the cloth seats for leather upholstery and adds paddles shifters, aluminium-look interior elements and 17-inch alloy wheels.
Stepping up to the 2.0 TFSI Sport ($46,400 for Sportback; $48,000 for Sedan; $55,500 for the Cabriolet) adds leather sports front seats, aluminium door sills, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and 17-inch alloys with a different design.
The 2.0 TFSI quattro S line ($50,000 for the Sportback; $51,600 for Sedan and $59,100 for the Cabriolet) brings in lowered sports suspension, 18-inch alloys and LED headlights.
Each grade also attains more safety equipment, which we'll cover further on.
I've also reviewed Mercedes-Benz's new A200, which is a good model comparison for the A3. At a list price of $48,200 the 1.3-litre four-cylinder A200 is pricier than the 1.4 TFSI, but offers better value than the A3 2.0TFSI with more equipment, including two 10.25-inch display screens.
As for paint colours, only 'Brilliant Black' and 'Ibis White' won't cost you a cent more. Optional colours include 'Cosmos Blue', 'Tango Red' and 'Monsoon Grey'.
Engine & trans
Abarth 5957/10
The Abarth 595 pair use the same 1.4-litre 'MultiJet' four-cylinder turbo engine in differing states of tune. The base car makes 107kW/206Nm, while the Competizione makes 132kW/250Nm, thanks to a freer-flowing exhaust, a larger Garrett-branded turbocharger and an ECU re-tune.
The base car can do 0-100km/h in 7.8 seconds, while the Competizione is 1.2 seconds quicker; the optional 'Dualogic' automatic is 0.2sec slower to the mark in both cars.
A five-speed manual gearbox is standard, and neither car is fitted with a limited slip diff.
Audi A37/10
Now on to the engines. Yes, I'm doing this in what may seem a strange order, but trust me, it's to guide you safely through the A3 range without anybody getting lost. We don't leave anybody behind here, not on my watch.
The grades indicate the engines in the A3 line-up – the higher the grade, the more powerful the engine. So, the range starts with the 1.0 TFSI which has a 85kW/200Nm 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine, and steps up to the 1.4 TFSI which has a 110kW/250Nm 1.4-litre four-cylinder with cylinder on demand (COD) letting it run on two cylinders when not under load). Both are front-wheel drive (FWD) cars.
Next rung up is the 2.0 TFSI Sport and that has a 2.0-litre four making 140kW/320Nm with drive going to the front wheels. The top of the range is the 2.0 TFSI quattro S line which has the same engine but is all-wheel drive (AWD).
Those are all turbo-petrol engines – yes, no diesels and no manual gearbox option either. All have a seven-speed dual-clutch automatics shifting the gears.
If you're after something more hardcore in the same package, there are two halo 'models' that sit above the A3 range: the S3 with a 213kW/380Nm 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four and the RS3 with its 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo-petrol making 294kW/480Nm.
Given they are almost stand-alone models, the S3 and RS3 aren't included in this review, but you can read about them separately by clicking those links.
Fuel consumption
Abarth 5957/10
Over 150km of testing, the Competizione consumed a dash-indicated 8.7 litres per 100km, against a claimed combined fuel economy figure of 6.0L/100km. Our brief test of the 595 revealed a similar number, against the same claimed figure.
The Abarth will only accept 95 octane fuel or better, and its small 35-litre tank is good for a theoretical 583km between fills.
Audi A38/10
Fuel usage depends on the engine and body style, with weights varying across the range. The most fuel-efficient engine is the 1.0-litre which is only offered on the Sportback, and Audi says over a combination of urban and open roads you should see it use 4.8L/100km.
The 1.4 TFSI Sportback uses 5.0L/100km, while the Sedan uses 4.9L/100km, but the heavier Cabriolet drinks more at 5.1L/100km.
My most recent A3 test car was a 1.4 TFSI Sportback and the trip computer reported 7.6L/100km over a mix of city and country kays - not bad.
The 2.0 TFSI Sport Sportback uses 5.9L/100km, the Sedan needs 5.8L/100km, the Cabriolet a bit more at 6.0L/100km.
The 2.0 TFSI quattro S Line Sportback uses 6.2L/100km, while the Sedan will go through 6.1L/100km and the Cabriolet again is highest with 6.4L/100km.
That raises the question of how much more does the Cabriolet weigh? About 170kg more than the Sedan and Sportback thanks to the extra reinforcement needed to strengthen the body to compensate for the rigidity it loses by not having a fixed metal roof.
Abarth 5955/10
Ergonomics aside, the combination of torquey engine and lightweight car is always a good one, and the 1.4-litre turbocharged four is a good match with the front-drive Abarth.
There's always enough mid-range urge to give the Abarth the hurry-up, and the longer-legged five-speed gearbox is a good match for the engine.
It also grips and turns surprisingly well, despite the Sport button adding too much artificial weight to the Abarth's steering feel.
That same button also firms up the front dampers on the 595 and all four on the Competizione, which works well on smoother terrain, but stiffens it too much over more undulating surfaces.
Around town it can be hard to strike a good balance between ride and comfort. The difference between soft and firm is much more pronounced in the Competizione, but it will still get tiring if your commute is a bumpy one.
The turning circle, by the by, is ridiculously large for such a small car, making u-turns - already compromised by the lower front bumper - unnecessarily fraught.
The Monza exhaust on the Competizione gives it a bit more presence, but it could easily be louder (or at least more crackly) again; you're not buying this car to be a wallflower, after all.
Audi A38/10
I've driven all A3 variants from the 1.0 TFSI to the 2.0 TFSI quattro S Line, plus the S3 and RS3, but most recently I tested the 1.4 TFSI Sportback, which I'll focus on here.
Our car was fitted with two optional packages – the 'Style Package' which adds LED headlights, 18-inch alloys and sports suspension, and the 'Technik Package' which brings a virtual instrument cluster, an 8.3-inch display and sports steering wheel.
Those larger 18-inch alloys wearing low profile 225/40 Hankook Ventus S1 Evo2 tyres look great, but like thin-soled shoes you'll feel every imperfection on the road giving a harsher texture to the ride, plus they can be noisy on course-chip bitumen.
I'd stick to the standard 16-inch wheels. Sure, they don't look as racy, but the ride from those, on 55 profile tyres, is a lot more cushioned.
Despite that grittier feel from the tyres the sports suspension is excellent and manages to soften bigger bumps well. Handling is good too, thanks to that suspension keeping the body well controlled.
Good visibility, steering that's light but offers decent feel, and a comfortable seating position make the A4 pleasant to pilot, but not hugely engaging. If you're after more of a driver's car, the S3 and RS3 will deliver – trust me.
Acceleration isn't bad from the 1.4-litre, with 0-100km/h claimed to be 8.2 seconds. That dual-clutch transmission is a quick shifter and smooth even in bumper-to-bumper traffic, but only if you turn off the stop-start engine system (jerky and hard to tolerate).
I'm also not a fan of the way the stop-start system switches the engine off as you coast to a stop at traffic lights and intersections. For me, that borders on a safety issue, particularly when needing to turn on an amber only to find you momentarily lack steering or power.
As mentioned in the engine/transmission section, the 1.4 TFSI Sportback is a FWD car. Put it on a steep hill, as I did on our test incline, and even in dry conditions it'll lose traction under hard acceleration. Traction control reins the slippage in, but AWD 'quattro' cars won't struggle for traction in the same circumstances.
Abarth 5955/10
Despite a lack of electronic safety aids – and, somewhat amazingly in the current age, a rear-view camera – the Fiat 500 that forms the Abarth's basis still carries the maximum five-star rating from ANCAP it was awarded in 2008, by dint of its seven airbags and bodyshell strength.
It wouldn't have the same luck if it were judged under new ANCAP regs coming into force in 2018, though.
Audi A38/10
The A3 has a maximum five-star ANCAP rating from its 2013 crash test, which applies to the Sportback, Sedan and Cabriolet.
While the Sedan and Sportback have seven airbags, the Cabriolet has just five, missing out on the head-level curtain bags.
The amount of advanced safety equipment increases as you step up through the grades, but AEB is standard across the range. Lane keeping assistance, blind spot warning and rear cross traffic alert becomes standard from the 2.0 TFSI Sport upwards, while the lower grades can attain these with the optional $1500 'Assistance Package'.
For child seats there are two ISOFIX mounts and two top tether anchor points across the back seats in the Sedan, Sportback and Cabriolet.
Abarth 5957/10
A three-year/150,000km warranty is offered as standard on the Abarth 595 range, with a suggested service interval of 12 months or 15,000km.
Abarth importer Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Australia offers three fixed-priced services for the 595 range at 15,000, 30,000 and 45,000km, with the first costing $275.06, the second $721.03 and the third $275.06.
Audi A37/10
The A3 is covered by Audi's three-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. Servicing is recommended at 15,000km/12-month intervals. A three-year/45,000km service plan is available and costs $1680.


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Storage King has listed a few tips on how to pack, wrap and load your precious belongings. Unlike packing for a new home, storage comes with unique challenges that make forward planning essential. We are here to help you prepare every step of the way by ensuring your goods are protected from breakage and easily accessible.
Fortunately, with Storage King's help, you can make the most out of your Storage Pod without spending too much time packing or worrying about your personal effects.
1. Start with your Furniture
In almost all cases, furniture should go into the Storage Pods first. Large items like couches, beds and tables generally weigh more than boxes and provide an ideal foundation for stacking. If possible, these items can be placed vertically to optimise the storage space.
2. Fragile Items
It's best to ensure that any breakables or fragile items that are stored in boxes are clearly marked as fragile.
3. Group Boxes by Weight or Fragility
A box filled with plates is going to weigh a lot, but will not serve as a good foundation for stacking. A box of books, on the other hand, will make an ideal foundation piece. When you pack, group your items in terms of whether or not they are foundation pieces. Large boxes are ideal for lighter items such as linen whereas small boxes are ideal for heavier items such as books.
4.Compact Packing
Compact packing is almost always safer than a muddled up heap. Keep things tightly packed and you will avoid dust and fully utilise your Storage Pods space.
5.Wrapping Paper For Breakables
All breakables such as glasses and family china should be wrapped in paper for protection.
6. Bubble Wrap is a Smart Investment
Bubble wrap may be costly, but it will also be well worth it. If you are planning on storing valuable breakables, wrap each item in bubble wrap and pack it carefully.
7.Couch & Mattress covers
We highly recommend you cover your mattresses and couches with plastic covers, they are affordable and will protect your items from scuff marks and dust.
8.Prohibited Items – What can't you store?
One thing that people rarely consider is how dangerous it can be to have hazardous or perishable items in storage. Avoid storing things that are perishable or flammable. Anything that can decay over time or produce a smell should be kept out.
Such items include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Aerosol cans
• Cleaning chemicals
• Firearms and/or ammunition
• Fuels / oils
• Food (including food stored in glass jars)
• Insecticides
• Liquid bleach
• Animals
• Lighters
• Perishable goods
• Propane
Packing for storage can be quite a daunting task, but a little planning will go a long way. The more protection you add to your items the better!
Book our packing service and we will take care of it all. There is no need for you to leave your home or lift a finger. From crockery to furniture, our experienced staff will pack your items safely and securely for transit and storage, using quality packing materials.
Storage King has all the packaging supplies you need for the safe Storage of your belongings.
We offer Moving Kits, Cardboard Boxes, Document storage, Stationery, Bubble Wrap, Mattress & Couch Covers, Moving Blankets, Stationery, Labels, Tape… everything you need for storage or moving house.
DON'T FORGET: Any packaging material you order online will be delivered to you or can be collected from one of our indoor storage warehouses. Check out our packaging page to place your order !


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Alert alert!! I have had a cold! I had a cold and I was very cross about it! I hate … More
Category: Body Positivity
I'm still worthy!
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Never let a hot dog dictate your mood!
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What to do about "problem areas"
Accept that problem areas are not a real thing, they are a societal construct designed to keep women subjugated, paranoid … More
I'm not what you expect me to be, but that's okay…
This isn't a self deprecating post I promise!! In our (and any) Society, certain norms are established by popular consent, … More
Reboot day 37: Awesome tuesday!
Not even just awesome for a Tuesday either! Awesome in its own right! It started bright and early with a … More
Reboot day 9: Personal training…with battleropes
Battleropes, and kettlebells, and core bags and bench presses and everything!! So…it is Tuesday, which is PT day, and last … More
Reboot day 8: don't worry I don't have a broken heart!
After all the excitement of the weekend I declared today a rest day! No of course that doesn't mean I … More
So, I did the thing…
You know…the thing where I had to walk, in a bra, overnight… yeah…that thing… OK…I sort of did the thing… … More
Body Positivity
I am not putting up that picture to show off… This is not a look at my weight loss etc … More


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In the Judeo-Christian tradition, taken from the narratives of the Holy Bible, Jehovah God gives His people the Ten Commandments, literally written on stone. These sacred precepts and tenets are God's wise strategy for saving humankind from sin and evil.
Next, Jesus is sent to earth and simplifies the Ten Commandments into two. All God's laws hang on two chief principles because one cannot truly love God and love the neighbor without obeying all ten laws.
Then Paul comes along and changes the whole moral trajectory of salvation, which renders God's commandments null and void. Let me correct myself. Some of Paul's words were interpreted by theologians in a way that has led to a change in the moral direction of salvation. The passage in Paul to the Romans (3:28), is the main culprit for this theological misstep:
"Man is justified by faith alone without the works of the law."
Theologian Emanuel Swedenborg skillfully points out that what Paul meant by "law" was not the Commandments but the specific Mosaic law meant only for the Jews – such as the law of the meal offering or the law of the red heifer. As evidence for this Swedenborg claims this is the reason Paul rebukes Peter for Judaising and belonging to the "circumcision group." (Galatians 2:12)
Then, Swedenborg offers three more passages that show Paul believed that salvation was not through faith alone but that the Law and its works should be followed:
"For not the bearers of the law are justified by God, but the doers of the law shall be justified." (Romans 3:13)
"God will render every man according to his deeds." (Romans 2:6)
"We must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ; that each one may receive the things done in the body, whether they be good or evil." (2 Corinthians 5:10)
But instead of "doing good" and following the law of God's commandments, a new theory of salvation has popped up among certain Christian traditions. Instead of getting off one's ass (and out of the easy chair) an individual can find salvation and appropriate God's mercy merely by "believing" that Jesus is our savior and that His death on the cross "wiped clean" our personal misdeeds. This faulty doctrine inseminates the erroneous idea that Christians are excused from bad behavior.
I have to admit that this is an attractive strategy for our postmodern culture, which seeks instant gratification. It is a lazy man's approach to gaining access to the kingdom of heaven. But it is a counterfeit theology. God's kingdom is a kingdom of LOVE and spiritual service. Heaven is not a vacation destination or a reward for an "elect."
This is why the Lord said that "If you want to enter life obey the commandments," (Matthew 19:17) and that "Loving God with all your heart" and "loving your neighbor as yourself" were the commandments on which all the Law and the Prophets hang.
For anyone who still has doubts about Paul's recognition of the importance love and good works in fulfilling the law I leave you with just two more biblical passages:
"Love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Charity worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore charity is the fulfilling of the law." (Romans 13:8,9,10)
A person cannot truly love from the principle of innocence without asking for the Lord's divine help in following all the commandments and removal of harmful compulsions. And lastly, proof of Paul's own conviction that love trumps faith!
"Now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity." (1 Corinthians 13:13)
The Second Coming will clear out all false doctrines, which have taken on the proportions of a Great Red Dragon!


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I'm going to leave the above picture for you to look at for a second. Does it look a little dangerous? How about breathtaking? Welcome to Colorado and the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. Established only recently in 1999, Black Canyon has actually been in the works for a long, long, long time. National Geographic may have said it best when they explained,
"Imagine chiseling two parallel walls of hard gneiss and schist running the length of Manhattan and standing higher than two Empire State Buildings stacked atop one another, with water as your only tool…What you see from the rim is the product of two million years of patient work."
That's what you have to keep in mind when you stand on the precipice of Black Canyon. Two million years. From a vantage point of 2700 feet above the Gunnison River, the expanse of this park might not be entirely comprehensible to you. Even in the earliest findings of history, no human occupation of the valley is to be found- the mighty cliffs were nothing any person sought to overcome. Later in history, however, the canyon became an obstacle to Spanish, French, and American explorers trying to investigate the territories. Something about a cliff over half a mile high that draws the attention of an adventurer!
As explorers of the 21st century, though, we have far more opportunities to experience this phenomenal park, thanks to the National Park Service. If there are experienced climbers out there, I would say have at those cliffs- but be warned, these cliffs are not just steep, they also prone to crumbling and offering very little handholds. Attempt at your own risk; there are plenty of other adventurous escapades we can pursue.
The Black Canyon is inviting to some of the most experienced and adventurous of outdoorsmen (or women) because the territory is so very strenuous. To me, the hike to the bottom of the canyon does sound like an adventure worth taking. The National Park Service warns visitors that there are no marked trails to the bottom and that the hike itself is for only those in the best physical condition. So if you're ready to pack high-energy food and LOTS of water, feel free to get yourself down the canyon with guided ropes and a couple of friends. Be careful of bears, though, and poison ivy. But no matter how challenging all that sounds, think of the feeling of reaching the bottom of that awesome canyon and looking up. I would think that's worth all the bruises, scrapes, and poison ivy.
Regardless, I realize that risk is not for everyone. For those who want a little less danger in their lives, I suggest we take the Oak Flat Loop trail or the Rim Rock trail. These two trails maintain views of the spectacular canyon without quite as much death-defying challenges, traversing the outer rim of the canyon and venturing into some of the park's thick forests and death-defying cliffs. Throw on a backpack, pack a water bottle and some snacks and head out for a hike and get a closer look at this beautiful creation of nature.
As you can see, as we get closer to the west coast the adventure is only growing. Black Canyon is a reminder that there is danger in even the most majestic places. Mother Nature sure has a way of making some phenomenal places for us to explore. It is on us to choose the adventure that is best for us.
For more information:


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The NAO robot is a wonderful platform for research. It is already capable of expressing itself through gestures and its LED eyes. With these pluggable eyebrows, these robots will be able to better express themselves. The device allows NAO to express anger or sadness while performing tasks.
More like this ➡ here
These eyebrows are directly controllable by NAO's development environment.
*some of our articles have aff links. Please read our disclaimer on how we fund Exxponent.


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Currently Browsing: bacon
Bacon & Avocado Pasta Salad
A simple pasta salad loaded with bacon and avocado mixed with an easy and light salad dressing. A sprinkling of thyme on the salad brings out the freshness in the bacon & avocado pasta salad. This salad is all you need after a week of heavy eating junk. It is to die for!
2 20 mins 0
Hawaiian Rice
It's funny how adding pineapple to any rice gives it a Hawaiian feel to it, however, this Hawaiian Rice is not only about adding pineapple. It's got coconut milk giving it that sense of the coastal atmosphere, a crunch from the cashew nuts, freshness from the grated carrots, saltiness from the bacon and aroma from the different spices. This dish is a great twist to ordinary fried rice.
2 20 mins 2


text: So, I know I have been slacking on the blogging, but it's that time of year again…fall rush!!! I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, so I thought it was time for a blog post! I have photographed MANY families this fall and I wish I could blog them all! Until I get around to more blogging time, enjoy the sweet Allen family!


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Mr. Eric (b. 1990) is a musician born in Maracaibo, Venezuela. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Music Composition from Florida International University. Mr. Eric began piano and solfège lessons at the age of four, followed by drum set and guitar lessons by the age of nine and twelve respectively. At the age of twelve, Mr. Eric started receiving music theory and guitar lessons for several years before finishing his high school studies. After moving to the United States, Mr. Eric began his Bachelor Degree in Music Composition under the teachings of Dr. Orlando Garcia. During this period, he won several awards and prizes including first place in Klezmer Company Orchestra's 2014 Composition Competition for writing a Latin/Jazz tune that featured several Jewish folk tunes. He then obtained a second place in their 2015 Composition Competition by writing a fugue based on a Jewish folk tune arranged in a Jazz style for a Big Band ensemble. Mr. Eric was also selected to represent the south-east region as a semi-finalist in the national 2014 Rapido! Composition Competition. Mr. Eric enjoys writing music in a wide variety of styles. He is currently working as a music educator as well as a composer for motion pictures and video games.
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🎩HatsOffComedy, a St Albans based Comedy Club, is the brainchild of Andrew Ryan, Michael O' Shea and Penny Rainford.
We hold regular Comedy nights in Hertfordshire bringing top class Comedians from the TV /UK & International comedy circuit to our venue in St Albans. We also put together bespoke comedy nights for private shows, fundraising, PTAs & corporate events.
🎩 Andrew is a Comedian, originally from Cork, Ireland. He has performed stand-up on BBC3's Russell Howard's Good News, Best of the Edinburgh Festival Live on BBC3, The Blame Game on BBC1 and Live at The Comedy Store for Comedy Central.
🎩 Michael is a lifelong resident of St Albans and owner of the successful Courtyard Cafe. Growing up in a large Irish family he developed a love for food and a passion for 1960s radio comedy.
🎩Penny has a background in advertising and grew up with comedy as an integral part of her life. Sir David Hatch, the man responsible for the hugely successful radio show Just A Minute and an original cast member of the 1960s stage and radio comedy show I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again is her father.
How did HatsOffComedy come about?
Andrew who is a resident in St Albans regularly visited The Courtyard Café and over time got to know Michael & Penny, who have close friends for over 20 years and both go to Comedy nights regularly.
We discussed putting on a Comedy night in The Courtyard Café to raise money. We approached Andrew, the line up was fantastic. The evening was a sell out and the feedback incredible.
We held another show in early 2017, and after the demand for tickets out weighed the capacity we moved to a bigger 120 seater venue. Our waiting list for tickets grew. Our nights sold out within a week. In 2018 HatsOffComedy is now holding regular nights in Hertfordshire and we look forward to many years ahead. And there is the beginning of the story….
A love of Comedy, Community and Coffee and HatsOffComedy began.
Take a look at "Our Gigs " page and join us for an evening of laughter. Remember tickets sell out quickly.


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A Display Energy Certificate shows the energy performance of a building based on actual energy consumption as recorded annually over periods up to the last three years (the Operational Rating). The DEC also shows an Asset Rating for this building if this is available (by way of an EPC). A DEC is valid for one year and must be updated annually.
The Operational Rating (OR) is a numerical indicator of the actual annual carbon dioxide emissions from the building. The various types of energy consumption from occupying a building must be brought together on a common basis so that the performance of one building can be compared with that of another. The UK has decided that the common unit should be CO2 emissions, since this is a key driver for energy policy.
This rating is shown on a scale from A to G, where A is the lowest CO2 emissions (best) and G is the highest CO2 emissions (worst). Also shown are the Operational Ratings for the previous two years; this provides information on whether the energy performance of the building is improving or not.
The OR is based on the amount of energy consumed during the occupation of the building over a period of 12 months from meter readings and is compared to a hypothetical building with performance equal to one typical of its type (the benchmark). Typical performance for that type of building would have an OR of 100. A building that resulted in zero CO2 emissions would have an OR of zero, and a building that resulted in twice the typical CO2 emissions would have an OR of 200. If the building is a net energy generator, it would still be given an Operational Rating of zero.


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This is a grassroots campaign to make La Mesa work for everyone. That means we need volunteers to help us get the word out!
Who's volunteering
Samuel Mandler
Mariko Nakawatase
Roshani Khanna
Eric Morrison-Smith
Cheri Korobkin
Shilpa Malhotra
George Fahouris
bob Simpson
bob Simpson
Roshani Khanna
Marsha Lewsley
Eric Stevens
Jennifer Spencer
Sophia Wulftange
Sylvia Starbird-Herman
Will you volunteer?
Like this to encourage your friends to volunteer.


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Dentistry on 7 opened its doors in 2006 but Dr. Paulette Pillersdorf DDS, has practiced dentistry in the Unionville, Markham area for the past 20 years. Our mission is to provide professional, efficient and thorough dentistry all in a warm, caring and relaxed atmosphere.
Price Range
Monday - 10:00am -7:00pm
Tuesday - 8:00am -5:00pm
Wednesday - 8:00am - 5:00pm
Thursday - 9:00am -7:00pm
Friday - 9:00am -1:00pm


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Most of us have wondered just how clean the Tube is.
With around 5 million journeys every day, that's a lot of people walking in dirt from the road, sneezing on poles or putting their feet on the seats.Twelve arrested for stealing 'bikes of NHS staff' outside hospital
Now Transport for London has released details of how often they clean trains on each of the lines.
Responding to a Freedom of Information request, they told us that seats on the District, Jubilee, Northern, Circle, Piccadilly, Metropolitan and Hammersmith and City lines are never shampooed.
The only lines where seats get a wash are the Bakerloo, Victoria and Central (and even then it only happens every six months to a year).
Don't panic, as the carriages do get a basic clean every night when they go back to the depot.
The seats are hoovered regularly, and covers are removed and replaced if they are soiled.
How often are we talking?
The Bakerloo, Central, Victoria, Metropolitan, Circle, District and Hammersmith & City:
Seats are brushed every night on the underground sections of the network. They are vacuumed on a 21 day rotation during a longer clean, when train poles and floors also get a going over.
On the Victoria Line, seats are washed every 24 weeks. On the Bakerloo line they are washed every 36 weeks. On the Central line they are washed at least once a year.
The Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines:
Seats are vacuumed every night. Floors are given a general mopping every night and get a proper polish every 17 to 23 days.
Litter will be removed every night on all lines.
Floors across the network are swept every night, and are mopped every two to three days.Face coverings: Where to buy them and how to make your own
Poles on the network are spot cleaned nightly and are wiped down every two to three days, so you might want to hang on to your hand sanitiser.
While it's not advisable to hang off the outside of a train James Bond style, those who do will be pleased to know that train exteriors are cleaned every three days, provided it isn't too cold outside. Trains on the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly get put through a 'train wash'.
Time Out took a rubber mallet out on to the network a few years ago to see exactly how dirty things could get.Banksy debuts new coronavirus-inspired piece on London Tube
Their unscientific experiment involved bashing seats on all the different lines to see which one threw up the most dust.
The cloud billowing up from the Jubilee line shows what years of no shampooing really looks like:
A TfL spokesperson said: 'We're committed to providing the best possible service on London's transport network.
'Although cleaning regimes vary across the Underground, each line has a rigorous cleaning schedule in place, for both the interior and exterior of the trains, to provide a pleasant environment for our customers.'
They did not provide details for the Waterloo line.
Additional reporting by Dianne Apen-Sadler.


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Weekly Newsletter 7/1/2019
Monday, 7 January 2019 | Russ
Welcome to our first weekly newsletter of 2019!
We hope you had a great Christmas and wish you all a Happy and Prosperous New Year!
This time of year is relatively quiet (compared to November) and it's a great time to have a January Sale! We've updated our Clearance section with existing clearance prices reduced further and lots of new stuff added - grab yourself a bargain while they last! https://www.theboardgamehut.co.uk/clearance-sale.html
This week's new releases (and some other recent highlights from the last couple of weeks) follows below...
Best Wishes, Russ & Kelly


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Before the season began all you heard was how good the Suicide Squad was going to be. They didn't disapoint as they defeated Dynasty in a 3 game series to win the South Asian Softball League Fall Ball Championship.
Dynasty struck first and won 14-8. Suicide Squad batted 1 players and had some players coming late. Dynasty didn't disapoint and won that game.
Game 2 Suicide Squad wins game 2 in decisive fashion 20-12
Game 3 Suicide Squad led from start to finish making some phenomenal defensive plays until their offense came around and they eventually mercied Dynasty 14-0 to win the Fall Ball Championship.


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Is Norwich vs Aston Villa on TV? Channel, live stream, kick-off time, and team news
Aston Villa who are without a win in their last three games travel to Norwich in a bid to maintain a play off place
ASTON VILLA are looking to maintain the gap between promotion chasing sides in the Championship when they face a struggling Norwich City on Saturday.
Although Steve Bruce's side are without a win in three games, losing 3-1 to QPR in their last fixture. Only scoring two in all three fixtures.
Hull frustrated Aston Villa in a goalless draw. With John Terry and co, unable to break the deadlock against Bruce's old side.
Norwich have failed to get going all season not helped by losing Alex Pritchard to Premier League side Huddersfield in January. One positive is that since his departure, Norwich fans have seen the rise of midfielder James Maddison.
Maddison has scored 14 goals this season as well as picking up 10 assists in all competitions.
What time is kick-off?
THE game will take place on Saturday, 7 April
Kick-off is at 12.30pm UK time, from Carrow Road.
What TV channel is it on and can I live stream it?
YOU can catch all the action live on Sky Sports Football and Main Event, with coverage starting at 12pm.
To stream the game live, you can buy a Sky Sports Day Pass from Now TV for £7.99. Buy it here.
We will be running a dedicated LIVE BLOG here on SunSport, which will keep you up to speed with all the action from Carrow Road.
Albert Adomah has been the stand out player this season in terms of goals, scoring 15 times. A key player going into the final few games of the season.
💰How to win £1MILLION with Sun Six💰
SUN SIX is the new predictor game where you can win £1million - just by correctly picking the results of six games.
Here is how to get your mitts on the million:
- Make your picks - predict the scores from these six games
- Enter your details - quickly sign up to Sun Bets so we can contact you
- Score £1m - Watch the scores roll in and you can win £1m
Top pundits IAN WRIGHT and DANNY HIGGINBOTHAM have made their picks for this week if you need a steer.
And remember, you can claim a free £30 bet with Sun Bets when you sign up put a tenner on this weekend's football here.
What is the team news?


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The EMO Trans team in Hong Kong reports that there have been no disruptions to cargo flights due to political protests or labor strikes. The flight cancellations reported yesterday affected passenger flights only on Intra-Asia flights.
The HKG office is working as normal and monitoring the situation closely. All cargo is moving smoothly at this time.


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23 June 2016, Siegfried O. Wolf
Recognizing the steadily declining political, human rights and security conditions in Bangladesh, on June 7, 2016, the European Parliament (EP) in Strasbourg held a debate on the current situation in the South Asian country. During the lively discourse, several different views were put forth by members of the European Parliament (MEPs) regarding the causes and consequences of the deterioration of the societal and political space, foremost through rising Islamism, intolerance, political radicalization in the country. Considering these different views and opinions it should not come by surprise that there were also different suggestions made as to what should be the next steps by the parliament, and what kind of political action is expected in Europe from Bangladesh political elites in general and the government in particular. Despite varying opinions on what to do, MEPs agree the current political trajectory one may observe in Bangladesh is deeply worrying.
Continue reading "Rising Islamism in Bangladesh is a European concern too"


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The weather is still cool (or maybe frigid where some of our readers are!) and it's not peak algae season, but pool owners should know what kills algae in pools. Probably even more important is knowing how to prevent algae from ever taking hold of your pool. When it comes to algae, the best defense is a good offense. We're in favor of stopping algae before it starts.
Algae is a microorganism that is very successful at growing and multiplying in all conditions. Like all organisms, algae need food, energy from the sun, and water to grow. Leaves and dust fall into the pool carrying seeds, spores and bacteria. All of these, and the leaves themselves, are algae-food.
The tiny but tough algae that are commonly found in pools are:
- Green (and Blue)
- Yellow, or Mustard
- Black
The remedy for each type of algae will vary, so it is important to take a water sample in to your local pool store, have it tested and make sure you have the correct algaecide product.
So what kills algae in pools? Killing algae involves adding the recommended algaecide chemical, brushing the pool vigorously and frequently and running your filter to remove the dead algae from the water.
- The recommended treatment for Green algae is chlorine-based shock. This can be in granular or liquid form.
- Copper algaecides are most effective to fight Mustard algae, and also help to control Green.
- Black algae is the most difficult to get rid of because it forms a protective barrier around itself. Physically scrubbing and brushing the area is particularly important for this type of algae.
After you've killed the algae with the proper algaecide, you'll need to add a clarifying product (flocculant) that will cause the skeletal remains to sink to the bottom. You then filter the water to remove the remains, backwash your filter to remove both live and dead algae from the system, and finally, put preventative measures in place.
The most effective way to prevent algae from occurring again is to remove the organic matter that it feeds upon. The Solar-Breeze NX is a solar-powered pool skimmer that continuously skims the surface up to 20 hours a day, using only solar power. It also dispenses chlorine as it travels the surface of the pool. This continuous coverage is really important. You can't fight the war against algae with just few hours of hand skimming and expect to win.
Another preventative measure is ionizing your pool water using a solar powered ionizer that releases a constant stream of minerals into the water. Ionized water kills algae before it starts and is perfectly safe to swim in.
A Solar-Breeze NX in your pool is the best line of defense against algae. Plus, it saves the time and effort of hand skimming and allows you cut the running time of your pool pump. Try one in your pool today.


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Philosophy professor Jeremy Pierce at Parableman shares his experience with finding the best and least expensive philosophy textbooks, and makes some good recommendations.
I'm always trying to keep my students' textbook prices down. Here are some of the lower-priced books I've found. I'd be glad to hear any other suggestions any other philosophy instructors have found helpful.
For the ancient and medieval historical intro class that I've taught a number of times, there have been two books that I've liked. I had settled into Julia Annas' Voices of Ancient Philosophy at one point, since it organized the material by topics (which is arguably better suited for an intro class in some ways than working through the material chronologically, which admittedly does have other advantages), and I love a number of her more idiosyncratic choices of texts. Amazon sells it for $52, though, and I still had to provide some medieval sources. The college bookstore always jacks the price up noticeably above list price, too. I've used Penguin's edition of Augustine's City of God, and I've tried a few different Aquinas anthologies, one from Oxford World Classics and the other from Hackett (Aquinas: A Summary of Philosophy). Along the way, I discovered Nicholas Smith's (et.al.) Ancient Philosophy: Essential Readings with Commentary, which contains a pretty large amount of material for only $35.
I should say that the best inexpensive texts for historical sources are from Hackett, Penguin, and Oxford World Classics. The two things I look for are readability (at least in intro courses) and whether they include marginal page numbers and such markers, since some of the texts for ancient and medieval sources don't, and it's much harder to find a passage if you don't have those. I've looked at Amazon's preview function to compare translations for a number of these books. Sometimes one translation is much harder to introductory students to grasp.
For early modern texts, I usually use Jonathan Bennett's online translations. Those are free, and they're much more readable than anything you can buy. For an advanced history of philosophy class, I might hesitate to use these, although I'd probably do it for a 300-level survey. I don't hesitate at all with intro courses.
Other books I've used include Greg Ganssle's Thinking About God, which is an excellent introduction to philosophy of religion. It's the most readable introductory book I've ever seen. It's fun and funny. But it seriously looks at the issues, and while I don't agree with Ganssle on every point I think he's especially fair on some pretty controversial questions. (Continue)


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Brand Website: http://www.naruko.sg/shop/index.php?route=common/home
MaskQueen and Niuer head office signed an authorized contract, not only enjoying the best prices, but also getting goods directly from the factory in Taiwan, which completely eliminates the risk of getting fake! NARUKO is the Taiwan Beauty King Niuer brings together 20 years of experience in beauty products, combined with the first-class international R & D team launched by the new concept of skin care brand. Niuer persists in passing on the beauty legacy and devotes himself to letting women "know how to love themselves" and creating products with high-effectiveness and strict quality control. NARUKO engages in fair trade practices to promote higher environmental standards and sustainability.


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Since the company incorporated in 1999, Nordic Maritime has been offering the highest quality of ship management services, tailored to each client's individual shipping requirements. From Fleet technical management to marine operations and HSSEQ, our Management system provides procedures, instructions and documentation of all vessel activities in a simple, systematic and well-structured manner. Nordic Maritime's management system is easily adaptable by the ships' crew & office management. In addition, our extensive experience as vessel owners and managers ensures the professional handling of any operational and technical matters that may arise during the ships' voyage.
Using the latest technology in ship to shore communication, our clients have access to crucial real-time information, enabling efficient onshore management of their vessels and ensuring client's satisfaction and industrial standard are met.
We provide also provide the following ship agency services to your company:
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Cocaine In Wastewater Affecting London's Wild Eels
As one of the most bizarre consequences from stormwater overflow you'll ever see, cocaine residue in the River Thames has been making eels hyperactive.
"A team of scientists at [King's College London] studied wastewater that's entering into the river from nearby sewers during storms and found traces of the drug within 24 hours of the overflow," according to Fox News. "Compared to other major cities, the level of cocaine entering London's water system — likely through users' urine — is much higher."
Stormwater overflow occurs when major storms overwhelm treatment plants and wastewater flows directly into source bodies before it has the chance to be treated. In the case of London's eels, increased caffeine, cocaine, and benzoylecgonine were all found to make their way into the river before wastewater plants could remove them.
Concern for the eels' behavior stems from a 2018 study that found eels exposed to cocaine could have trouble mating, among other issues.
In addition to better stormwater overflow protection measures to prevent the issue, London's residents should consider what they send into their wastewater. A local conservationist, Mike Waller, noted that any foreign constituents that make their way into source water could have adverse effects for wildlife and that consumers should take the first step in protecting their natural surroundings.
"Mr. Waller has urged people to consider how they dispose of items, including non-illegal drugs, as even things such as painkillers can cause problems," the Evening Standard reported. "Items put down the toilet 'can go far and wide' and create issues for all wildlife, he said."
Since the issue of stormwater overflow may not be solved for some time, it may be up to London's residents to keep their cocaine residue away from local eels.
To read more about how wastewater operations handle stormwater overflow visit Water Online's Stormwater Management Solutions Center.


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Discover Your North Star
Find Your Purpose, Passion & Priorities
A five-lesson course designed to help you uncover your mission, vision and core values so you can start living the beautiful life you deserve.
"Life changing. I can literally see what I need to do and how to get there. It's mine for the taking."
- Julie B.
In this course we will: Define your personal core values, visualize and design your ideal day and find your true priorities and purpose - your North Star.
LESSON 1: Visualizing Your Ideal Day
Visualization might seem a little "woo-woo" to some, but trust me, it's not. In your first lesson, we'll dive into a visualization exercise that will help you discover exactly what your ideal day looks like - just a regular Tuesday, except it's one that you LOVE waking up to. I will be your guide as you begin creating the foundation of your North Star - your purpose and your passion.
LESSON 2: Designing Your Life Map
In our second lesson, I'll share why your ideal day visualization is scientific and helpful for your journey toward establishing your North Star mission and vision statements. We'll also begin a new activity: The Life Map. This is the roadmap showing you where you've been (including ALL the ups and downs) in order to define where you want to go. Get ready to dive deep into this lesson and learn more about yourself than you thought possible!
LESSON 3: Uncovering Your Priorities
Our choices shape our future, and in this third lesson, we'll be talking about the choices we make every day that can affect the rest of our lives. You'll learn to rethink being "busy" and how your internal locus of control can create the outcomes you WANT. You'll finally understand how to focus in on what's most important to you - your true priorities in life.
LESSON 4: Defining Who You Are
Before Lesson 4, we've been looking back at where you've been and discovering where you want to go. Now, we'll get it all down on paper and begin to take action through creating your mission statement, vision statement and discovering your core values. The result? Knowing exactly what your purpose and passion in life is, and having the roadmap to go after it - even if that means big changes are coming!
LESSON 5: Creating Your North Star
We'll wrap things up in Lesson 5 by making sure you're excited and ready to go after whatever you want for yourself and your life! I'll share REAL mission statements, vision statements and core values from REAL women who have taken the liveWELL Method, so that you're feeling equipped and secure in your own. After completing this lesson, you'll have discovered your North Star, guiding you toward what's truly important to you.
"I'm really letting it sink in that my dreams are possible and through your guidance and my heart's hope, my goals will be fulfilled."
- Deb W.
Your Instructor
Tonya Dalton is a productivity expert, speaker, founder of inkWELL Press Productivity Co, and author of The Joy of Missing Out - named one of 2019's Top 10 Business Books by Fortune Magazine.
Tonya's goal is to help you use the power of productivity to achieve your dreams and find success in all aspects of your life.
Tonya's messages about business management, productivity, and the pursuit of passion have impacted thousands and inspired her to launch her podcast, Productivity Paradox, which has surpassed more than 1.5 million downloads. Her podcast regularly ranks in the top 50 of all business management podcasts on Apple Podcasts.
Tonya has been featured on Real Simple, Entrepreneur, Inc., Fast Company, Fortune, and HGTV among other places. In 2019, Tonya received the Enterprising Woman of the Year Award and was named North Carolina's Female Entrepreneur to Watch by The Ladders.
Learn more at tonyadalton.com
Uncover your path, purpose & passion to boost your productivity and happiness.
Looking to dive deeper after completing the North Star course?
We offer a discount of $247 on the liveWELL Method Course for all North Star alumni. Since you've completed Module 1 of the liveWELL Method - the North Star course - you can jump right into Module 2!
Have questions? Send us an email at [email protected] and we'll be glad to help you!


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Pattern Prediction Worked This Time – Is Stock Market Predictive?
The last two-week prediction using pattern similarity was pretty good:
The question is if we can trust and use the only one such prediction for investing. Pattern recognition system is based on the statistical classification of patterns assuming that the patterns are generated by a probabilistic system. "Probabilistic" means that sometimes an expected thing happens, sometimes does not. Yes, some patterns can be repeatable in the future, therefore, the selected present patterns can be used to predict the future pattern. However, statistics evidence that the prediction can be wrong.
Basically, average stock prices are almost continuous function of fundamentals. The stock market performance depends on the strength of the companies and the economy as a whole. Such things are quite transparent and predictive to a certain extend. Least predictive factors (noise) are natural disaster,
political event, published news, investors' psychological reaction to news or event, etc.
If we try to calculate the value of "patterns" predictive factor, it might be a relatively small amount – around 20-40%. So that it is wise to analyze information from multiple sources to make a more comprehensive conclusion. There is always a risk involved in stock investing. In fact, historically a stock market crash is a result of combination of all factors – short, medium, and long terms, predictive and non-predictive. "Non-predictive" means – there is no way to know for sure about this in advance.
© Alex Shmatov. Published with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction strictly prohibited without permission.
Stock Market Forecast for August 16-27 by Pattern Similarity
A pattern recognition system is to classify data based on statistical information excerpted from the data. Normally, a pattern recognition system consists of data input, converter, an extraction processor to classify accordingly to descriptive scheme, and output grouped data. The statistical classification of patterns assumes that the patterns are generated by a probabilistic system.
Some patterns can be repeatable in the future, therefore, we can use selected present patterns to predict the future pattern. Investment Analyzer InvAn-4 (IA) by Addaptron Software has an extra feature to predict stock or index prices using pattern similarity. The prediction period can be chosen within a range 1..60 trading days; the period of historical data that used for matching recommended in 4..16 times longer than prediction period. IA searches for the best matches by scanning all historical data from the internal database.
IA ranks all possible matches on the basis of maximum correlation and minimum deviation within given historical period. IA performs pattern matching using open, high, low, and close prices and volume data. When scanning is completed, IA composes forecast using several best matched patterns (top ranked). Since the statistical regularities of the patterns help to create more stable picture, IA allows adding up many top-rated patterns. The composite result is built as a weighted average with weights proportionally pattern ranks.
The chart below shows S&P-500 Index forecast for August 16-27, 2010 by Investment Analyzer. The forecast is a small uptrend and then a bigger downtrend:
Nothing in this piece or blog should be construed as investment advice in any way. Always do our own research or/and consult a qualified investment advisor. It is wise to analyze data from multiple sources and draw your own conclusions based on the soundest principles. Be aware of the risks involved in stock investments
S&P-500 Forecast for the First Two Weeks of August on the Basis of Technical Indicators Signals
There are many technical indicators. And there are many interpretations of each indicator's signal. Some stock investors and traders use particular favorite indicators and insist on own interpretation. Who is right? What if to allow a computer program to decide using back-testing which indicator should be trusted more and another less for particular market conditions and a specific stock?
One of computer programs that enables to compose the forecast with weights accordingly to predictive ability of each technical indicator is Investment Analyzer InvAn-4. It performs a short-term (10 trading days) forecast using Neural Network. The chart below shows an example of such forecast. It is S&P-500 forecast for the first two weeks of August, 2010.
Nothing in this piece or blog should be construed as investment advice in any way. Always do our own research or/and consult a qualified investment advisor. It is wise to analyze data from multiple sources and draw your own conclusions based on the soundest principles. Be aware of the risks involved in stock investments


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This brilliant new book explores how, over the last 250 years, the German people have shaped their natural environment and how the landscapes they created took a powerful hold on the German imagination. Beginning in the 1740s with Frederick the Great of Prussia, who regarded the reclamation of marshland as 'conquests from barbarism', we meet Johann Gottfried Tulla, 'the man who tamed the wild Rhine' in the nineteenth century. We learn about the construction of the Prussian port of Wilhelmshaven on the Jade Bay, later to become a symbol of the new Germany's naval ambitions. We witness the colonisation of the moors and the triumph of the steamship. But the dark side of this conquest emerged under the Nazis, who set out to colonise 'living space' in the East. Convinced of their superiority over the 'marsh-dwelling Slavs', the Nazi occupiers of Poland embarked on a programme of population transfer and racial engineering. This physical and ethnic reshaping of the east European landscape would result in the murder of millions of Jews and Poles. Race and reclamation went hand in hand. The modern idea of 'mastery' over nature always had its critics, whether their motives were aesthetic, religious or environmentalist. Germany's defeat in 1945 brought renewed attachment to an idealised natural landscape. The Conquest of Nature is a groundbreaking study that opens new vistas on the history of Germany. It also shows that while mastery over nature delivers undoubted benefits, it has often come at a tremendous cost to both the natural environment and human life.
|Published by
|Vintage Digital
|30 November 2011
Legal information: rental price per page €. This information is given for information only in accordance with current legislation.


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Tag Archives: Cook
Meatball Mania
My husband Richard absolutely loves meatballs. For Christmas, I asked for this meatball maker. I found out about it from my friend Mattie's Blog . She also loved this because the meatballs browned evenly in less then 15 minutes. In … Continue reading
Posted in cooking, food, Kitchen Appliances, recipes Tagged Beef mince, Christmas, cocktail meatballs, Cook, Food, italian wedding soup, Meatball, meatball maker, meatballs, New York Giants, recipe, Slow cooker, soup, Tomato paste, Wedding soup 4 Comments
US Senate Bean Soup
I got this recipe from "Not Your Mothers Slow Cooker Cookbook." and have wanted to make it for awhile. If you google Senate Bean Soup you will get a zillion hits 1 lb dry navy beans picked over; soaked in … Continue reading
Posted in cooking, food, Kitchen Appliances, recipes Tagged Bean, beans, Black pepper, Celery, Common bean, Cook, Ham hock, Slow cooker, United States 4 Comments
Wolfgang Puck Immersion Blender with attachments
This is a wonderful appliance that I got for my birthday about 2 years ago. I actually wanted it because it came with a neat little case which made it very easy to store. I also liked the length which … Continue reading
Posted in cooking, Kitchen Appliances Tagged Blender, Celery, Cook, Fruit, Fruit and Vegetable, Home, Onion, Pressure Cooker, Shortcake, Whipped cream, Wolfgang Puck Leave a comment
Scorpions a delightful tropical drink By Richard McCarty as a tribute to the Reno Rib Fest 6 oz orange juice 4 oz lemon juice 1 1/2 oz orgeat syrup 6 oz light rum 1 oz brandy