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In 2010 Atul Gawande, a Boston based surgeon, published his 'The Checklist Manifesto: How to get things right" [Henry Holt and Co. LLC, ISBN 978-0-8050-9174-8]. The point of the book is that customised checklists help us all – no matter how experienced and clever – to do the job better.
There's nothing new about checklists. For lawyers there is much transactional law that lends itself to 'doing by numbers', a reality that encourages the profitable use of paralegals.
For advocates too the notion of checklists is also well established. A trial note book is a super checklist, inside of which there are sub checklists and far too much distracting detail. Having sat grudgingly through a number of presentations on the necessity for a trial note book and the need to have it tabbed and colour coded etc. etc. , I did not expect to find a book on checklists interesting, let alone a successful change agent for how and what I teach.
Gawande's insight is the bleeding obvious (with hindsight), namely that a checklist is only as good as its immediate relevance to the user. Take the weekly shopping list – whether it be the adhoc list of items scribbled on the white board fridge magnet, or that new cell phone app you've been playing with that lets you put items against various categories on that shiny, bright little screen. The former probably works better than the latter unless you can readily change those app categories. Why is this so? The app categories are generic and are not the best fit for your shopping preferences. There's a best fit checklist in your head that reflects both your categories AND where you'll find them in your supermarket.
For so long as you shop alone and you know what's missing from your home shelves then your 'inside the head' checklist is very efficient. The problem arises when you share the shopping: your 'assistant' is not inside your head, doesn't share your priorities for filling the missing spaces on the shelves, doesn't tour the supermarket in the same idiosyncratic way that you do, and probably wants to move along some of those shelf items and stock a few items of which you do not approve.
There are 'would be' high flyer advocates who share with some aspirant surgeons the misconception that theirs' is a solitary craft for genius, overlooking that without continuous teamwork nothing notable is achieved. Developing and sustaining that teamwork is a high order application of sharing the shopping journey. The method is to start with the generic (like the app shopping list) and then tailor that checklist to the needs of the team so that it's there, being easily and helpfully applied, during the preparation and during the performance.
By the way it's a misconception to believe that such a checklist cuts off the capacity to be creative. To the contrary, with everyone knowing what they are doing, and why, there is the opportunity to search for a better way. And, having found it, the checklist is updated.
As advocacy teachers we can use checklists both for trial preparation and performance sessions. By showing that it works it is more likely (I hope) that our students will then carry over the habit into their practice. My present plan is to create a checklist backbone, to which students (and other teachers) can add such 'reinforcing' and finishing detail as meets their changing needs.
Paying false homage to my blog colleague Charlie Rose's commitment to a rule of three I introduce the substantive part of this article by calling upon the 3A's ( the advocacy teacher's response to the 3R's). We have adversarial, audiences, and anticipation as the three touchstones of our craft. I've yet to find a way to properly use this insight but astute readers may find a way and share it in the Comments box.
Within our adversarial system we define a contest within the legal elements of each cause of action or charged offence that is before the court. But that's not the only foundation concept to which the student must pay attention. There is also, and always, identification of audiences and the respective objective needs and subjective wants of each audience. That this is so is readily seen as this article is being written by the hype around the forthcoming trial of a recent head of the IMF who engaged a hotel staffer who entered his New York hotel suite. Whether what then happened was an outrageous abuse or a consensual fling is for a New York jury to decide. The legal teams for both prosecution and defence are doing their darndest to create atmospherics for the audiences that give their side some advantage in the public space that is the media.
That leaves 'anticipation'. This is a concept with several implications in the advocacy concept. It is clearly difficult to grasp – the proof of that being the daily performances of too many advocates who clearly don't have a clue about even one such implication. 'Anticipation' requires an advocate to recognise what their competent opponent would do and either prevent it, or minimise the amount of damage that their opponent can do. The problem is that the less than competent advocate lacks the capacity to discern what a competent advocate would do, no matter for which party they act.
'Anticipation' also refers to what the good advocate will set up in each of their audiences: a sense of a case that is well prepared, will be well delivered, and which will be persuasive. (There is a third aspect of anticipation to which we will turn later.)
The foundation of elements, atmosphere, and anticipation leads into a checklist of 'required' evidence. Both sides must engage in this task: one side to make sure they have it, the other side looking for the bit that is missing, or the bits that are there but are, for one reason or another, compromised. Hence the checklist requires the lawyers to look to the sources of evidence and then objectively evaluate the 'weight' that each bit bears. So, early in the piece, there are reasons for advocacy to be taught tethered to an evidence course. How better to understand the critical place of 'credibility' as a basic evidence concept than to see in the course of practising the art of cross-examination that a critical mass of mud on the face of the messenger is so very effective to cast doubt on the strength of his or her relevant and admissible message.
Given the sources and their perceived strengths and weaknesses the advocacy student must then consider the interwoven concepts of, 'What is the most persuasive order in which to present this evidence?' and, 'How do I minimise on direct the target size of my witness who will be cross-examined when I finish?' It's at this point that the student is applying the guideline, 'Start with your best, finish with your second best, and wrap the weak stuff in the middle'.
Following this skeletal approach the student should be able to run 'trigger' points from her or his checklist that bring to mind the topics of factual material that need to be drawn out from one or other witness in a predetermined, persuasive story.
With the law and fact content settled, a student advocate needs to pay attention to the presentation aspects of both their and their witness' performances. For the novice this means that the checklist includes how their anxiety is going to be masked. It may include such detail as, 'Are my feet and that of my witness facing towards the decision maker?' ' Do I and my witness have a half glass of water handy?' 'Are we both able to bring our voice speed down to a good court room speed by syncing our toes with our voice speed, and having a note that has 'SLOW' written vertically on the page?' and, 'Am I now entering that 3D space with my witness to recreate for the audiences in this court room a past experience of the witness that is being retold by us today?' That amount of detail is only necessary for the newbie. The more experienced, where such preparation is automatic, merely writes: 'control anx' to cover for that rare occasion when the automatic deserts them. That's the beauty of the customised checklist: it's there when it's needed.
The checklist may also include a reminder about clothing and artefact such as tattoos and body piercings: doing whatever can be done to keep a prejudice in the audience turned off.
That done there is the checklist point about how and how early to introduce visuals that will entice the audience into a story that they can now 'see' as well as listen to. There'll be a cross link to that evidence topic of 'more prejudicial than probative' to remind the advocate who loves gore that some in their audience max out with a 'low level violence' rating.
Slipped repeatedly into this sequence will be the message, "Reassess your position. Should you now reinforce, back up, shift focus, or move forward?" That's the essence of having our students acquire the inner knowledge that all good advocacy is both reactive and pro-active to the immediate environment.
Making or not making objections to questions or assertions by the opponent is another application of the reactive/proactive approach. The common objections lend themselves to a checklist. Introducing that list – for the novice- are two questions: 1. Do I have a good faith basis for this objection? AND 2. Do the tactical benefits (now and for possible appeal) outweigh any tactical downside (such as antagonising a jury)? Once again the 'objections' checklist provides a good link with the parallel evidence learning.
By dint of explication and repetition above I hope that it is clear that this article does not endorse generalised checklists of the sort that might be otherwise called templates or precedents. Sadly, but fortuitously for adept advocates, there are plenty of situations where the witnesses have used such generics. Sometimes the advocate just knows that the witness will have followed, for good or ill (and usually with their assessment brain in the 'off' position) some inappropriate checklist. It is good to anticipate such a witness because worse than no checklist is the slavish following of the wrong one. The cross examination of such a witness must eschew belittling but leave the other audiences in no doubt as to the lack of witness credibility.
Our students need to know that a checklist is a map for macro items and a reminder of those things that are important to the student at and around the time that the checklist is prepared. Just as effective CV's change with time so should a useful checklist.
A useful checklist uses topics (just like the agenda for witness examination). It is short (like an opening and a closing). It is easy to find. It will do either or both of: 'Do this and confirm you have done it', or, 'Read this and do it'. It does not include explanation because that is a given before the checklist is prepared. Just as teacher and student find it useful in basic training, so later that student, now an advocate, can make it useful for advocate, witnesses and anyone else on the team.
I can see an advocate walking up the stairs to the court house. The mobile phone is open, they have closed out the non work apps and they are looking at their pre-court checklist. There are many things on their mind. Fortunately the last item is, 'turn this thing OFF'.
Hugh Selby © June, 2011.


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Violent hail storms have undeniably been on the increase in both intensity and frequency around the globe as a direct result of the approaching Planet X, aka Nibiru.
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Beyond Update
Bogor Bliss
Situated in the heart of Bogor city, only 45 minutes away from Jakarta, Salak Tower Hotel managed by Salak Hospitality Group is ready to be your holiday home. Boasting a classic yet stylish interior, the hotel offers 150 lavish guest rooms in three different categories – Superior, Deluxe and Presidential Suites. Salak Tower Hotel also provides 10 meeting rooms and one ballroom to host your special events, from business meetings to big celebrations, as well as two dining venues – Skyview Restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner while Oasis Café and Bar will indulge you with delectable light bites. Tourist destinations like the Bogor Presidential Palace, Botanical Garden, and shopping arcade are only a stone's throw away.
Salak Tower Hotel
Jalan Salak No. 38-40, Bogor, West Java
(0251) 7565-111
Author: Team
Magazine issue > Beyond Update


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IDLIB, February 28 -- Terrorists of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (terror group) pose a threat to Syria's stability by conducting events for building up their offensive potential.
"A threat to security and stability in Syria is coming from terrorists of the Nusra-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham alliance, which controls almost the entire Idlib de-escalation zone. Field commanders are carrying out events on reshaping allied groups with the goals of increasing their offensive capabilities in the directions of Aleppo, Hama and mountainous Latakia," the diplomat stressed. "The militants plan to expand the sphere of their influence and establish full control of Idlib." It's also noted a growing number of ceasefire violations. "Only over the past four days nearly 40 such cases have been recorded, when people died or were wounded," she said.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres drew attention to the deplorable situation in the Idlib de-escalation zone in his recent report on the humanitarian situation in Syria. Besides concerns over the growing activity of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the report details atrocities of terrorists against civilians, including suppressing ethnic and religious minorities, illegal detentions of civilians and cases when people have gone missing, she noted.
BARCELONA, February 28 -- Current lap time results [12pm] from the second Formula 1 pre-season test at Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona.
1. Charles Leclerc MON Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow SF90 1m 16.231s 69 laps
2. Alexander Albon THA Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda STR14 1m 16.882s 83 laps
3. Lando Norris GBR McLaren F1 Team MCL34 1m 17.084s 72 laps
4. Pierre Gasly FRA Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Honda RB15 1m 17.091s 55 laps
5. Nico Hulkenberg GER Renault F1 Team R.S.19 1m 17.496s 73 laps*
6. Lance Stroll CAN SportPesa Racing Point F1 Team RP19 1m 17.556s 65 laps
7. Antonio Giovinazzi ITA Alfa Romeo Racing C38 1m 17.639s 50 laps
8. Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport W10 1m 18.097s 85 laps*
9. George Russell GBR ROKiT Williams Racing FW42 1m 18.130s 67 laps
10. Kevin Magnussen DEN Rich Energy Haas F1 Team VF-19 1m 18.199s 53 laps
11. Daniel Ricciardo AUS Renault F1 Team R.S.19 1m 19.759s 11 laps**
12. Valtteri Bottas FIN Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport W10 1m 22.150s 38 laps**
*Morning session
**Afternoon session
NEW DELHI, February 28 -- India heavily responded to Pakistan's ceasefire violation and attack on communities in the Jammu and Kashmir state on Thursday.
The Indian artillery responded with fire to the attack that the Pakistani military launched at about 6:00 in the morning local time (3:30 Moscow time). The artillery shootout lasted about an hour. No injuries were reported. Tensions are running high along the contact line separating Kashmir's Indian and Pakistani zones following a terrorist attack on an Indian military convoy in the Jammu and Kashmir state on February 14. Forty-five people were killed in the attack. Jaish-e-Mohammed (The Army of Muhammad) claimed responsibility for the attack.
On Tuesday, India's aviation bombed this group's camp in the part of Kashmir controlled by Pakistan. On Wednesday, the Pakistan Air Force responded with air strikes on military installations in Jammu and Kashmir. New Delhi and Islamabad also stated that they downed each other's plans in the air fight.
BARCELONA, February 28 -- Current lap time results [12pm] from the second Formula 1 pre-season test at Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona.
1. Lando Norris GBR McLaren F1 Team MCL34 1m 17.084s 45 laps
2. Pierre Gasly FRA Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Honda RB15 1m 17.091s 38 laps
3. Charles Leclerc MON Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow SF90 1m 17.253s 33 laps
4. Alexander Albon THA Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda STR14 1m 17.279s 49 laps
5. Nico Hulkenberg GER Renault F1 Team R.S.19 1m 17.496s 47 laps
6. Lance Stroll CAN SportPesa Racing Point F1 Team RP19 1m 17.556s 37 laps
7. Antonio Giovinazzi ITA Alfa Romeo Racing C38 1m 17.969s 43 laps
8. Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport W10 1m 18.097s 55 laps
9. Kevin Magnussen DEN Rich Energy Haas F1 Team VF-19 1m 18.199s 53 laps
10. George Russell GBR ROKiT Williams Racing FW42 1m 19.232s 31 laps
"It is simply not sustainable to exchange every car on the road today with an electric car."
ROTTERDAM, February 28 -- You might think the environment is helped by buying an electric or hybrid car.
The CO2 law
But the truth is that so much CO2 is released during the production of the batteries, that any savings will be nullified afterwards. That says the Swedish Environmental Research Institute, a government agency that has done research on the power source of electric cars. According to the authors of the report, the production of lithium-ion batteries for light electric vehicles produces on average 150-200 kilos of carbon dioxide equivalents per kilowatt-hour of battery. One of the smallest electric cars on the market, the Nissan Leaf, for example, already uses batteries of approximately 30 kWh. Many new models have batteries of 60 and 100 kWh.
An electric car with a 100kWh battery has thus delivered 15-20 tons of carbon dioxide, even before the engine is switched on. In this calculation a 50-70 percent fossil share in the electricity mix is assumed. That is not the only environmental burden. Car batteries contain metals such as lithium, cobalt and nickel. Since the extraction of these metals is chemically intensive, it takes a lot of energy and damage to the environment of the extraction site.
The authors of the report point to the need to supplement the consumption figures of vehicles currently in use with information on manufacturing, environmental impact and recycling options. Now only the low fuel figures are mentioned, so the false idea arises that the cars do not produce harmful substances. They also advocate certification of the battery makers. This is often still happening in countries such as China and India, where environmental impact is of secondary importance. By using more green power while making the batteries, a big step forward can be made. But producers have to indicate that well and honestly.
The making of Batteries
One recent study by scientists in Norway has found that in some circumstances electric cars can have a greater impact on global warming than conventional cars. Electric cars are only as green as the power that supplies them and, in many parts of the world, most electricity is still derived from fossil fuels. Guillaume Majeau-Bettez, one of the authors of the report from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, says he was shocked and disappointed by the study's findings. "The electric car has great potential for improvement, but ultimately what will make it a success or failure from an environmental standpoint is how much we can clean up our electricity grid - both for the electricity you use when you drive your car, and for the electricity used for producing the car."
Mining companies are positioning themselves to meet the increased need for raw materials that include lithium from Australia and Chile, cobalt from the Democratic Republic of Congo and nickel from Australia, Canada, Indonesia, Russia and the Philippines. Environmentalists are alarmed by the mines and smelters needed to supply the electric vehicle industry. The Philippines has closed or suspended 17 nickel mines this year because of environmental concerns. In Columbia, residents who live near the Cerro Matoso nickel mine, which spun-off from BHP Billiton in 2015, have reported elevated rates of birth deformities and respiratory problems associated with exposure to pollution generated by nickel mining and smelting.
UBS estimates that the combined production of pure EVs and plug-in hybrid EVs will mean a 12-fold increase in battery power will be needed by 2025. This will boost global cobalt demand for plug-in vehicles at an average rate of around 20 per cent per annum for the next five years. Lithium demand is also set to rise by 16 per cent per year over the course of the next decade, quadrupling by 2025 to 750,000 tonnes. As a result, prices of key commodities associated with making batteries have exploded. While demand for the minerals is growing, concerns are accelerating over the environmental footprint of the vast processing plants that are required to turn rare earth elements into materials that are needed in electric vehicles. Many of these are in located China, where environmental standards are low and difficult to monitor.
Most of the raw materials in an electric vehicle battery are used in the cathode, the electrode that provides electricity when the battery is discharging. "Processing lithium is not so much of a problem – because of where the materials are sourced from [Australia and Chile], " says David Merriman, the deputy division manager at the metals consultancy Roskill. "However, cobalt - which goes into the cathode in the battery - is causing a lot of concern. Much of it is produced in the Democratic Republic of the Congo so there are a lot of conflict mineral issues and child-labour issues. Downstream users are having to look at this closely."
Graphite, another rare earth used in lithium ion batteries, is mostly produced and consumed in China. Mr Merriman says there are also concerns over the way this rare earth is mined, although the industry is now seeing more non-Chinese mine operators starting up, which may help to raise standards. One of the problems with the surge in demand for metals for batteries is that increasingly the capacity for these minerals is coming from new and emerging mining companies, who may not have the same sustainability and responsibility standards as established miners.
The International Centre for Metals and Mining, based in London, is a lobbying organisation for the world's biggest miners and has companies such as BHP, AngloAmerican and Barrick Gold as members. Codelco, the world's largest copper miner, which announced this nonth that it is to mine lithium in Chile, is another member. John Atherton, ICMM's director - health, safety and product stewardship, admits that there are problem areas in the world where rare metals are mined. "Regarding China, there are large areas where we don't know what is going on and in other territories there are difficulties with governance and sometimes a clash between the approach of large-scale and small-scale miners." However, he insists that members of organisations such as ICMM, which has a sustainability framework that its members must follow, do genuinely want to curb their environmental impact. "Our members do have the skills to minimise impact and the amount of innovation that is going on means that there is a constant improvement, both in company performance and in the management of environmental risk and social risk," Mr Atherton says. He argues that an increasing dialogue between the downstream users of the metals – the car makers and battery manufacturers – means that new entrants into metals mining will be scrutinised and will need to prove themselves responsible, if they are to be part of an international supply chain. Areeba Hamid, a senior Greenpeace clean air campaigner, says: "More electric cars will increase demand for lithium and cobalt, but this doesn't have to mean environmental damage or human rights abuses. Companies need to fully commit to and resource responsible supply chain oversight and policies to ensure they don't mine in ecologically important, vulnerable areas or encroach on local people's rights and livelihoods."
Greenpeace says efforts to reduce the price of EVs should focus on improving technology and economies of scale, not through the use of cheap labour or lower mining standards. Down the line, to offset the environmental impact of mining, there will also need to be a large build-out in recycling facilities to meet the first wave of electric vehicles, analysts say. Currently more than 90 per cent of lead-acid batteries used in conventional petrol-engine cars are recycled, versus less than 5 per cent of lithium-ion batteries. An estimated 11 million tonnes of spent lithium-ion battery packs will be discarded between now and 2030, according to Canada-based Li-Cycle, a recycler of batteries. Companies such as Belgium-based Umicore have already started to recycle lithium-ion batteries and are investing in expanding its capacity. Umicore expects huge volumes of spent batteries to start coming on to the market for recycling from around 2025. So are consumers kidding themselves that buying an electric vehicle is "good" for the environment? "There are two sides to the story: although emissions are better from an electric vehicle there is still an environmental impact at the mining and [power] generation stage," says Mr Merriman. "The good news is that that impact is improving." And the picture will get better across Europe and in the US, as more electricity generation comes from renewable sources rather than fossil fuels.
Nissan, which builds its first mass-market electric car the Leaf in the UK, says it monitors its supply chain carefully to assess whether the mineral resources contained in materials or components used to manufacture its products have any harmful social effects, such as on human rights or the environment. "When there are concerns about the minerals being used, Nissan actively works to end that use," a spokesman says. Nissan is also working on battery recycling and has developed xStorage, which gives electric vehicle batteries a second life. The battery can be reused in homes and businesses as an energy storage unit, which the homeowner can control. Nissan's efforts show that manufacturers are aware that they will have to work hard to make electric vehicles more desirable and greener, despite governments around the world giving them a helping hand. But it is Ms Hamid who explains why electric vehicles can only reduce, rather than eliminate, the impact on the environment. "To tackle both air pollution and climate change we will also need to drive less altogether and opt for walking or cycling instead, as well as improved public transport," she says.
"It is simply not sustainable to exchange every car on the road today with an electric car."
Aston Martin Beats Car-Sales Goal
LONDON, February 28 -- Aston Martin beat its 2018 car-sales target and predicted further growth this year as the luxury automaker seeks to rebound from a shaky initial public offering in October.
The Gaydon, England-based company sold 6,441 vehicles last year, a gain of 26 percent and above the top end of the forecast range, according to a statement Thursday. It reiterated a target of 7,100 to 7,300 car sales for 2019.
Key Insights
Aston Martin's DBX SUV, seen as crucial for future growth, is on track to begin full production in the second half, with a new plant at St Athan, Wales, complete. The expansion comes as global auto markets slow, with carmakers like Daimler AG issuing cautious forecasts. Aston Martin appears more positive after a 31 percent jump in China sales, where rivals have seen demand stutter, and even higher growth in the U.S. The company plans to cope with a no-deal Brexit by importing parts via a variety of ports and even by air to combat customs delays. It will tap 30 million pounds ($40 million) of extra working capital if needed, though has committed only 2 million pounds. Aston Martin has argued that it should be seen as on a par with Ferrari NV, an aspiration that's brought immediate pressure as the Italian company has a stronger balance sheet and higher earnings multiples. The U.K. company plans to deliver 14,000 cars a year in the medium term, more than doubling current production.
Market Reaction
Aston Martin shares closed at 1,374.40 pence on Wednesday, 27 percent below the IPO price of 19 pounds a share. That gives the company a market value of 3.13 million pounds, less than one-fifth that of Ferrari, which listed in 2015. Full year revenue advanced 25 percent to 1.1 billion pounds, while adjusted earnings before interest and tax rose 18 percent to 146.9 million pounds. Both numbers were in line with analyst estimates. Adjusted Ebitda is expected to be lower in the first half in the absence of gains on disposals a year ago.
Shenzhen surpasses HK in GDP
SHANGHAI, February 28 -- Shenzhen's 2018 gross domestic product surpassed that of Hong Kong, calculated by the annual average exchange rate, for the first time in history, as the latter unveiled the government's 2019-20 budget.
Hong Kong's GDP grew 3 percent in 2018 to HK$ 2.845 trillion ($362.4 billion), equivalent to 2.4 trillion yuan based on the average annual exchange rate, according to the government's Census and Statistics Department. Meanwhile, its neighboring city and China's "Silicon Valley" Shenzhen earlier this year announced a year-on-year increase of 7.5 percent in GDP-2.422 trillion yuan in total. Therefore, Hong Kong was behind by about 22 billion yuan and Shenzhen also ascended to the top spot in GDP in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Shenzhen's 2017 GDP already outperformed Hong Kong according to the real-time exchange rate, but fell behind if calculated by the annual average exchange rate. Converting using the average rate in the year is relatively more accurate, said Sun Bushu, deputy director of the South China City Research Association. However, per capita GDP in Hong Kong in 2018 was HK$381,870, equal to around 322,000 yuan according to the annual average exchange rate, and remains above Shenzhen's 200,000 yuan.
Furthermore, he estimated that Guangzhou would also catch up with Hong Kong soon. Hong Kong's Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said in his budget speech that the local economy was expanding with a stronger growth momentum during the first half of 2018, but had slowed down in the second half due to brewing trade tensions and other unfavorable conditions. For the fourth quarter, the growth rate was a mere 1.3 percent, making it the slowest pace since the first quarter of 2016.
HANOI, February 28 -- The White House says no joint agreement was reached between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at their second summit in Hanoi.
"No agreement was reached at this time, but their respective teams look forward to meeting in the future," press secretary Sarah Sanders wrote in a statement.
Sanders added: "President Donald J. Trump of the United States and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea had very good and constructive meetings in Hanoi, Vietnam, on February 27-28, 2019."
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the two leaders "had very good and constructive meetings" and "discussed various ways to advance denuclearization and economic driven concepts," but that "no agreement was reached at this time." The two leaders had been scheduled to hold a signing ceremony Thursday afternoon in Hanoi for an expected deal. But the event was called off less than two hours before it was supposed to take place, and Trump moved up his departure time from Vietnam.
Trump had spent the morning setting expectations for the event, repeatedly stressing that he was "in no rush" to force North Korea to denuclearize. "Speed is not that important to me as long as there's no testing," Trump said Thursday morning in Vietnam, referencing Pyongyang's halt of missile tests. At one point, Trump reiterated the phrase "no rush" several times in a row. "Over the years, I'm sure we'll be together a lot," he added. In a startling moment, Kim even responded to reporters' questions about his intentions and predictions for the summit. "It's too early to tell, but I wouldn't say I'm pessimistic," he said through a translator, perhaps answering a foreign journalist's question for the first time. "From what I feel right now I do have a feeling that good results will come out."
ISLAMABAD, February 27 -- Pakistan and India said on Wednesday they had shot down each other's warplanes, in a dramatically escalating confrontation that has fueled concerns of an all-out conflict between the nuclear-armed rivals.
Pakistan said it struck two Indian jets in its airspace, while India confirmed the loss of one of its planes and said it had shot down a Pakistani fighter jet. Four bodies were recovered from the wreckage of an Indian Air Force chopper, said officials. Pakistan initially said it captured two Indian pilots, but later its military spokesman announced there was "only one pilot" in Pakistani custody. The clash prompted Pakistan to close its airspace "until further notice", while at least six airports were closed in India, and a vast area of airspace north of New Delhi was closed to civilian flights.
India's foreign ministry demanded the "immediate and safe return" of the pilot, calling on Pakistan to ensure no harm comes to him. The intensifying tension between the neighbours threatens to undo recent diplomatic progress between India and China, which is a long-standing close ally and arms supplier to Pakistan.
On the sidelines of trilateral talks with Russia on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj and expressed concern over the escalating conflict. Other global powers, including the United States and European Union, have also called for calm, while Malaysia issued a travel advisory for its citizens to avoid non-essential travel to the affected areas.
Calling for talks with India to defuse the situation, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday warned of the potentially catastrophic consequences should "better sense" not prevail. "History tells us that wars are full of miscalculation," Khan said during a televised broadcast to the nation. "My question is that given the weapons we have can we afford miscalculation?" He said Pakistan was "ready to cooperate", adding: "Let's sit together to talk to find a solution."
Editors Choice
May 2020


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Red Hill Pet Center Moves to West End
On June 30, one of San Anselmo's oldest businesses became one of San Rafael's newest, as Red Hill Pet Center closed its doors and quickly reopened in the West End of San Rafael.
For three weeks, Elvis Johnson has been welcoming customers into the store's new San Rafael location at 1566 4th Street. He told me the new space has benefitted from significant foot traffic since opening. The parking situation, with 30-minute max meters, has also allowed for easy parking adjacent to the store.
And how does the inventory compare to the Red Hill location?
"Our store is basically the same size as our old store," says Johnson, "and we are offering all of the same products as before."
Items such as dog food, cat food, bird food (including chicken and wild bird), fish and reptile food are readily available. The store also offers an assortment of health supplements, toys and grooming items for all pets. As for live animals, the aquariums are fully stocked with fish, and Johnson currently has some rathercute pet rats, plus a few chicks for egg laying, as well as a milk snake, tarantula, leopard gecko, and some frogs.


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INFO CENTRUM is a private company that provides information services on procurement contracts by daily monitoring of public procurement sources.
1. Subscription to electronic information services on public procurement contracts.
2. Data collection and input services, information and publicity services.
3. Integrated information system to support private business information policies.
UK Public procurement > contract notices, preprocurement.
Contracts Finder > public contracts, opportunity, early engagement.
Customer satisfaction > references to Tender Book and official data.
Motor vehicles tenders
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UK public tenders
Note* Use the quick filter on the left-hand side of the site. Nota* For all tenders, use the on screen menu from top right corner.
For the standard price list click here


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Dadara Opens His Heart @ KochxBos Gallery, Amsterdam
Contactless: The Future Is Now in Felipe Pantone's Newest Exhibition and Digital Experience
Out Of Touch: Subliminal Projects Creates Group Show to Benefit Color Of Change and Heart to Heart
The heart, a universal symbol for life and love, is often been a favorite symbol for artists to manipulate into different shapes and forms, but we cannot recall a more thorough exploration of the valentine ventricle than Dadara's latest undertaking. Previously basing his research on the human mind, the Amsterdam-based artist's upcoming solo presentation, poetically titled Every Journey of a Thousand Hearts Starts With a Single Beat, focuses solely on the human heart. The show opens on January 25th at KochxBos Gallery, and we thank Dadara for opening his studio (and heart) for a preview of the work.
When a cardiologist found Dadara's book Open Your Mind, So We Can Use Your Data, he proceeded from open mind to open heart and invited Dadara to witness a five-hour-long open-heart surgery in which the artist saw the beating human organ. The experience changed the artist's perspective, inspiring a series of concepts through which he approached his research. "I'm always conscious of my brain, but only now have I become profoundly conscious of the continuous beating of my heart."
Along with painting a series of canvases presenting the importance, fragility, complexity, interconnectivity, and strength of our most vital organ, Dadara experimented with other mediums and formats during his explorations. Viewing the heart as a "muscular machine that keeps all life compressed to the size of a fist, the body's engine with two halves that complement each other like Yin and Yang," the artist pays tribute to an incredible part of the body by introducing new concepts. This includes a painting made using his own blood, as well as a 3-meter long drawing he continuously painted as a diary of the entire exploration.
Finally, he cast a three-dimensional replica of his heart, sculpted in gold-plated silver, with sapphires accentuating the veins and arteries, creating the crown jewel of the exhibition. "My heart is the heart of the show." –Sasha Bogojev
Dadara's Every Journey of a Thousand Hearts starts with a single Beat opens at KochxBos Gallery on January 25, 2020, with an opening reception from 5 to 8 pm, and is on view through February 15, 2020. The artist will be in attendance and will be interviewed by Jim Jansen chief editor of New Scientist.


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Nia Robinson Elected SGA President
April 20, 2018
Nia Robinson '19 was elected president of the Student Government Association for the 2018–19 academic year on Friday, April 20.
Robinson received 66 percent of the vote (1,122 votes), more than the total number of students who voted in last year's SGA election.
"I want to thank everyone who supported me and thank the other candidates who participated in a great race," Robinson told The Campus. "I am excited to get to work."
Rae Aaron '19.5, the current speaker of the SGA, came in second place, with 26% of the vote (435). Charles Rainey '19, a former first year senator and community council member, came in third (129).
Lynn Travnikova '20 was elected the co-chair of Community Council for the fall semester and John Gosselin '20 was elected co-chair for the spring semester. Gosselin currently serves as the senator for Atwater Commons.
A referendum to support a complete divestment from fossil fuels by the college passed with 80 percent of the vote (1,325 to 340).
The Campus will publish a more detailed report in the April 26 issue of the paper.


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Breaking News
KT NEWS SERVICE. Dated: 4/15/2019 3:17:48 PM
JAMMU, Apr 14: The 16th Mr J&K state bodybuilding championship 2019 was conducted at International the Gym, Rehari Colony here today In the weighing approximately 150 bodybuilders from all the affiliated unit, districts, clubs and institutions of J&K state have participated. Today the BBAJK also celebrated Baisakhi as health day and all the bodybuilders have taken the oath to say no to drugs and also to aware the youth and upcoming young generation to live a healthy life by doing regular exercise and by eating a well balanced diet and also to stay away from bad company and bad influence. Those present included Bhupendra Singh Tirth(President), Rajesh Dutta (General secretary), Naresh Gupta, Nand Kishore Gupta, Sanjay Bali, Sandeep Dutta (Vice-President), Sureshet Dutta, Aman Suresh Sharma(Organising Secretary), Kishore Sharma.
Kashmir Times


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Hosek Performance Engineering uses personalized science based training to help you excel in all aspects of endurance running. Athletes in our program typically run 3-5 days a week depending on their schedules and what they are looking to accomplish. Our training focuses on quality with every mile or rep prescribed having a specific purpose to help you reach your goals. Advancing your endurance and speed capacity is a long process and we aim to improve your future performance as well as your present.
Along with running, a major key to success is recovery. Allowing your body to heal from the stresses you place on it is a huge part of training. In today's 'push without limits or consequences' craze it is important to remember to treat your body right. Proper stretching, mobility, and diet are all major focuses within our program.
As much as training is focused on, maintaining a healthy life balance is also promoted. Having fun while training is an important part of the process and it can get monotonous without it. Fitting training into daily life can be tough and enjoying the grind even more so. We work with each client individually to help them get the most out of their training: Mentally, Physically, and Emotionally.


text: toggle menuMENU Statement of Gambling Policy Review consultation 2019 The London Borough of Tower Hamlets acting as a licensing authority must determine and publish a Statement of Gambling Policy at least once every three years, in line with statutory guidelines. In respect of this we have reviewed our current Statement of Gambling policy 2016 – 2019. However before determining this we must carry out statutory consultation. This consultation will run for 12 weeks commencing on 4 April 2019 and finishing at 00:00 hours on 27 June 2019. In connection with this statutory consultation we seek your views in relation to this review. We would be grateful if you could read through our table of changes, and if you wish view the draft Statement of Gambling policy 2019 – 2022 and provide any comments you may have. Local authorities are required to have a Statement of Gambling Policy as per the Gambling Act 2005. Regulation of gambling is split between the Gambling Commission and local authorities with the gambling authorities regulating operators, i.e. business who provide gambling, and local authorities regulating premises i.e. the physical area/premises where gambling takes place. The Gambling Act 2005 has three licensing objectives that a licensing authority must incorporate into any strategy. These are: preventing gambling from being a source of crime or disorder, being associated with crime or disorder or being used to support crime ensuring that gambling is conducted in a fair and open way protecting children and other vulnerable people from being harmed or exploited by gambling. The licensing authority is obliged to protect vulnerable people, and the licensing policy is devoted to achieving this, across a range of premises licences and permits which the authority will administer. The licensing authority would also be interested to know if you have any concerns about Illegal gambling within the borough. This is gambling conducted without the require licences or notifications. You can comment on the reviewed policy using the following comment boxes or make comments via email@example.com and post: Licensing and Safety TeamLondon Borough of Tower HamletsJohn Onslow House1 Ewart PlaceLondonE3 5EQ Have your say Consultation will close at 00:00 hours on Sunday 27 June 2019.


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Hamilton hatte Auto-Unfall in Monaco - "Niemand verletzt"
Hamilton war in seinem Pagani Zonda 760 LH unterwegs. Ein aufgemotztes Einzelstück mit 760 PS und einem Wert von rund zwei Millionen Euro. Und das "LH" steht für Lewis Hamilton.
Dear TeamLH, just wanted to let you know why things have been quiet on social media the past few days. I've not been well with a fever but I also had a road accident in Monaco on Monday night. Whilst ultimately, it is nobody's business, there are people knowing my position that will try to take advantage of the situation and make a quick buck. NO problem. Nobody was hurt, which is the most important thing. But the car was obviously damaged and I made very light contact with a stationary vehicle. Talking with the team and my doctor, we decided together that it was best for me to rest at home and leave a day later. But i am feeling better and am currently boarding the plane to Brazil. However, I am informing you because I feel we all must take responsibility for our actions. Mistakes happen to us all but what's important is that we learn from them and grow. Can't wait for the weekend Brazil Bless Lewis Ein von Lewis Hamilton (@lewishamilton) gepostetes Foto am


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Online slots tournaments
Online Slots Tournaments – How to Play in Online Slots Tournaments
Explaining online slots tournaments, what are free online slots tournaments, real money slots tournaments and places to find slots tournaments.
There are a couple of online casinos that offer slot machine tournaments. You will find a few of these listed in this article. Some of the online casinos listed offer real money slot tournaments, while some even offer slots tournaments for free players. All of the online slots casinos listed here are respected and trusted companies, fully licensed in the jurisdiction where they operate.
Free online slots tournaments
FreeSlot.com online casino offers a completely free weekly slots contest where they give away over 300 dollars in prizes each week. Their competition does not require a download to play, and as a matter of fact, players don't even need java or flash to take part. FreeSlot.com is a subsidiary of Slotland casino and their software is one of the very few online casino softwares that are totally html based.
Real money slots tournaments
All Jackpots online casino offers live, multiplayer slots tournaments on a weekly basis. You can choose to either play the sit-and-go format, where players choose for how long they'd like to play, or in a predetermined scheduled format, where the particular slot tournament is more of an event. All Jackpots Casino's most substantial event is their popular "Weekender" tournament, which offers a large $20 000 prize pool.
When you decide to play an Internet slots tournament at All Jackpots Casino's online slot machines, you will be playing with a group of other players, and have your own unique screen name. You are required to use an alias as your tournament screen name, instead of your account name, for obvious security purposes. The online slots tournaments here are only open to real money players, and players cannot use their bonus money in the tourneys. There are some other special considerations to take into account; such as Slot tournament play does not count toward loyalty point earnings, although tournament winnings are immediately added to your player account.
RiverBelle is another online casino that runs online slots tournaments regularly. These include extremely fun multi-player tournament games, similar to the ones you'd find in a land-based casino. Their casino software is presented in a free download format, and their online slot machines software is second to none. They also offer free roll tournaments, which means you can enter the tourney at no cost. Furthermore, they offer the very rare to find sit and go online slots tournaments. Only a limited number of gamers are allowed to enter the sit and go online slots tournaments.
Roxy Palace online casino has 2 excellent slot tournaments every week, which awards an exciting $30,000 in prizes each month. Roxy offers a 100 per cent signup bonus for up to 100 with dollars to congratulate you on your first deposit there, and they are definitely 1 of the most highly recommended online casinos. They employ the famous Microgaming Viper software, which is probably the most popular Internet casino software in use today and have a broad range of 98 online slot machines games to play.


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Vintage Crest Ring with White Topaz
The Vintage Crest Ring with White Topaz from Carrie Elizabeth looks like a timeless piece of vintage sourced from the Paris flea. The stunning crest features shimmering white topaz set on a dainty and delicate yellow gold band.
- White topaz
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To extend the life of your gold plated and vermeil jewelry, avoid wearing when washing hands, showering, applying lotion, using harsh cleaning supplies or working out. To clean, buff gently with a soft and dry 100% cotton cloth or a microfiber cloth. Do not use jewelry cleaner on gold plated jewelry.
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(No. Not like that. Like this.)
Or... if you want, I can make you a snow angel necklace, instead. (Poof! You're a snow angel necklace.)(Just kidding.)
Here's all you have to do.
Watch the slide show.
Tell me the name of the two animals playing in the Pink Garden.
Want to enter twice? Leave another comment on this blog.
Want to enter three times? Become a follower (or tell me you're already a follower.)
Ready for the slide show? Here it comes.
Wait for it.
Wait for it.


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The Orders module's search function offers two ways to search for records in Skubana.
The first one uses the traditional search function, which involves narrowing down your search by entering as much information on the Search fields as possible.
- On the Toolbar, click Orders.
2. On the Orders page, the Search/Filter By panel can be seen on the left. Click the Search icon on the top right of the Search panel to display the fields (effectively, your search criteria) you can use to narrow down your search. You can search by status, order number, sales channel, warehouse, recipient, country, buyer's email address and user name, SKU, and the order date.
3. Enter your search criteria, then click Search. The records that meet your criteria are then displayed on the center panel of the Orders page.
In the example below, most of the the search fields were filled up to narrow down the search. You may opt to enter just one search term, if you want.
The second way involves searching for specific records in your order's various stages.
1. On the Toolbar, click Orders.
2. On the Orders page, you can see the various stages an order may be in: Unresolved, Awaiting Payment, Awaiting Shipment, Awaiting 3PL Export, Awaiting Dropship, Pending Fulfillment, Shipped, On Hold, and Canceled. If you know the stage where the order record is currently in, click the stage, then look for the record on the center panel of the Orders page.
If you do not know the record's current stage, you have to click, then go through the records under each stage.
In the example below, since you know that your order is missing product info, you click Missing Product info under the Unresolved tab.


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3D Touch is the best new killer features in iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus which Apple had spent over 5 years to develop 3D Touch Functionality in it. The new feature allows the display to sense how much pressure is being applied and allows users to open up apps in a new way (Quick Actions, Peek and Pop, Turn Your Keyboard into a Trackpad etc) to interact with their phones. 3D Touch maily works in stock app and there are already a number of apps that have been updated for 3D Touch compatibility every day.
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So let's get started….
Though Apple didnot allow 3D Touch features for older devices, but there is a chance to get 3D Touch features on your older devices too if you are on iOS 9 – 9.0.2 and had already jailbroken. If you are not yet jailbroken and willing to install all these tweak then here's step by step guide on How to jailbreak iPhone, iPad and iPod touch running iOS9 – 9.0.2 using Pangu.
Best 3D Touch tweaks for iPhone 6S, 6S Plus and older devices
Shortcutix is a jailbreak tweak that allows you to customize every single part of Shortcut menu which includes title color, fonts, icon color, background color, border color, blur style and more. It's so smooth to use & beautiful to see. Shortcutix is available in Cydia via BigBoss Repo for $1.30. You can also configure from the settings app as well.
Tactful is very useful tweak for Cydia app which lets you add shortcuts like adding a repository, refresh the repositories, instantly go to search, go to recent installation as well as peek and pop features to install or remove into any packages cell (Search, Installed etc) Tactful is available for free in Cydia's BigBoss Repo and you have no options to configure after installing this tweak.
Appendix is jailbreak tweak which adds 3D touch support to folders with more than 4 applications ie; you can quickly launch apps without opening the folders. You can also have option to configure from settings. Appendix is available for free of cost from BigBoss Repo.
Shortcuts is a jailbreak which allows you to add force touch menu and adds more shortcuts for Settings, Cydia, Weather, Spotify and more. Shortcuts is available for $0.99 from Cydia's BigBoss Repo and can be configure from settings preferences.
Point-And-Shoot is a jailbreak which changes the default camera quick action and allows user to access the camera without opening the camera app. With this you can flip the camera by double tapping in it, take a photo with a single tap and more. You can also configure from the settings app. Point-And-Shoot is available for free via BigBoss Repo.
CalculatorCopy is a jailbreak tweak which adds Mimics iOS 9.3's shortcut quick actions for calculator app. That is you can directly copy the last result from the homescreen. After installing this tweak you have no options to configure. This tweak is available for free from Cydia via BigBoss repo.
UnlimShortcut is a jailbreak tweak that allows you add two more quick action shortcuts to any app by removing the four shortcut limit. After installing this tweak, you can configure from the preferences in the settings app which contains a lot more feature that allows you to change the width, height, title font, and max icon size for the quick action menu
CamTouch is the tweak which actually adds the two additional shortcuts to the stock Camera app. After installing this tweak you have no option to configure from settings but It simply adds the two additional modes to the Camera app's quick action shortcut menu. CamTouch will only work when UnlimShortcutis installed.
Hapticle is a jailbreak tweak which adds a subtle haptic response to the various 3D touch tweaks. Hapticle is available for free from Xarold Repo (http://repo.xarold.com/)
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Traverse is a jailbreak tweak which allows users to create 3D touch actions for applications directly on their devices and assign URL schemes to the respective action and also offers a unique interface to add the actions with the title of the action, subtitle, the app bundle and the URL scheme. It is also available for free from Cydia and you can have option to configure from the settings app.
Installing Cydia Tweaks
To install the Cydia tweaks, simply open Cydia – Tap on Search and type the name of the Cydia tweak that you want to install and Tap install. That's it!
Note: Respring your device every time you install new tweaks. The tweaks may not work properly if you do not respring or reboot your device.
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Harper Camperland Blog
- 0 0Published on Apr 01, 2017
RV Spring Cleaning and Organizing Tips
Springtime means reviving your RV from its winter slumber. Whether that means pulling it out of storage and getting ready for the season's travels, or just re-organizing and purging unnecessary items from your winter travels. Either way, we've got some great tips on how to do a little spring RV cleaning and organizing.
First let's imagine you are uncovering your rig, opening the doors, and getting it ready for the season. Cleaning your RV is going to be your first task. The exterior is a great place to start with your cleaning project. Being stored away in a storage shed or covered and left in an open lot can wreak some havoc on the exterior of your RV. These simple products are a great way to clean:
Simple Green Spray Cleaner- this product is great for cleaning many different surfaces and the ingredients are eco-friendly. Simple Green will remove stubborn stains from awning and white trim, as well as mold and residue from the exterior. It can also tackle black streaks that can be a result of rubbing up against or bumping into objects.
Charlie's Soap Indoor/Outdoor cleaner- this is another great cleaner for the exterior of your RV. It can get rid of any buildup or residue plus, it adds a little bit of sheen to the finish once dry. It'll make your RV look almost brand new again.
Moving inside, cleaning the interior of your RV is big project. Not only does it involve cleaning but also organizing. To start, some great products for cleaning indoors includes:
Dusting: A microfiber terry cloth works wonders for wiping down surfaces that may have gotten a little dusty. You can wet your microfiber cloth with just water and it'll remove dust from any surface. Plus, Microfiber cloths won't leave any streaks.
Cleaning the interior of your RV: You can use any indoor cleaning product, but again Charlie's indoor/outdoor soap works wonders, and leaves everything with a nice shine. Otherwise simple products like Windex works great for cleaning windows, Pledge for wood surfaces, etc.
Cleaning out your RV waste tanks can be daunting. But with Happy Camper's Tank Treatment, it can be a breeze. All you have to do is add a few scoops to your black tank and it will clean it so you are all set for the season. It works to combat odors and breaks down solids for the best tank flush you'll need.
Your RV water heater tank is another important thing to keep clean. You can rid your water tank of all sorts of build-up and residue with a simple mixture of vinegar and water. Get the full instructions here http://www.loveyourrv.com/cleaning-rv-water-heater-tank-vinegar/
You also want to make sure any water lines or gas lines are free of any build-up before you set out for the season. Refer to your RV's owner's manual on tips for keeping those intact.Organization is the next key step in your spring cleaning project. Sometimes taking the time to go through everything you have in there
and pitching what is not necessary is the best way to clean. The key to not getting overwhelmed is taking it room by room. Let's start with the kitchen.
The cupboards in your kitchen can be your new best friend for organizing and storing your essentials. From Tupperware organizers, to using command hooks to hang your utensils inside cupboard doors, the options are endless. Use plate racks to organize your dinnerware; magazine holders work great to hold Ziploc bags, foil, and saran wrap. Under the cupboard spice racks work wonders for holding your essential cooking spices without taking up counter or cupboard space.
Next is the bathroom. Again, utilizing any cupboard space you may have is key. If you have a medicine cabinet, you can store items on the inside of the cabinet door. Shoe organizers work great on the interior of your shower to hold your bathing essentials, and you can use cute wrought iron towel racks to hold your towels and washcloths.
Last and most important is the bedroom. No matter the size of your RV's bedroom, keeping your closets and drawers organized can leave room for more of the comforts you want in your bedroom. Sterilite totes are perfect for organizing your closets. They are very versatile and can hold quite a bit of items. Combined with wire closet organizers, you can fit all the clothing essentials you will need. If you have an RV with space underneath the bed, totes filled with dividers are the perfect place to keep shoes and other essentials that won't fit in your closets. The options are endless!
Spring cleaning and organizing your RV can make for a stress free travel season for everyone. What are some of your favorite RV organizing tips and tricks?


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The FTD® Justice™ BasketB30-4340
The FTD® Justice™ Basket is a perfect display of patriotic beauty. Red spray roses, carnations and miniature carnations are accented with a spray of white standard daisies presented in a whitewash basket gorgeously accented with a blue designer ribbon to create a floral arrangement that will do your heartfelt sentiment justice.
- For U.S. and Canada deliveries only
- Delivery Information
All items featured on this site represent the types of arrangements we offer and may vary depending upon availability in certain regions. Substitution Policy


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Manchester stands in solidarity with protesters in America
Manchester City Council will light up Wythenshawe Hall tonight (Tuesday, 2 June) in solidarity with those protesting for equal rights across America.
The latest updates and advice.×
Manchester City Council will light up Wythenshawe Hall tonight (Tuesday, 2 June) in solidarity with those protesting for equal rights across America.
Further details have been released about the proposed memorial commemorating the 22 May 2017 terror attack ahead of the third anniversary of the event being marked.
A book of condolence has opened on the Manchester City Council website where friends and colleagues can leave a message following the death yesterday of Cllr Sue Murphy, Deputy Leader of the Council.
Sue, who was first elected to the City Council in 1995, had been Deputy Leader of the Council since 2010 and previously served as Exec Member for Employment and Skills and Exec Member for Finance.
The Leader of Manchester City Council responds the Chancellor's Budget speech today.
Manchester City Councillors have passed a motion calling for the consideration of an Ultra Low Emissions Zone within the city's Inner Relief Route.
A statement from Cllr Sue Murphy following the death of Clayton and Openshaw councillor, Andy Harland.
A report detailing proposals to change the way bus services are delivered in Greater Manchester - including proposals to introduce a Bus Franchising Scheme - has been heard by Manchester City Council.
Manchester City Council responds to the attack on London Bridge today.
The forthcoming General Election will shape the future of the country and as the campaign gets underway Manchester residents are being urged to make sure they can vote.
Today (Monday 11 November) Manchester City Council can announce its successful accreditation as a Living Wage Employer by the national Living Wage Foundation (LWF).
Statement from the Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council, Cllr Sue Murphy
The annual report that provides an in-depth look at how the city is performing against its ambition to be in the top flight of world class-cities by 2025 is now available.
People who live, work in or visit Manchester city centre are being asked for their views about it from Monday 29 July.
Cllr Abid Latif Chohan has taken up the chains of the Lord Mayor of Manchester today, Wednesday 15 May.
A full list of candidates standing in Manchester's local elections on 2 May has now been published.
The draft budget will be heard by scrutiny committees before being considered by the Council's executive on 13 February. A meeting of the full Council on 8 March 2019 will then set the final budget.
The report, which gives in-depth information on everything from economic growth and environmental issues to health and homelessness is now available.
Manchester City Council is calling on the government to provide more support for the victims of modern slavery as it believes the support available is not sufficient and needs to go beyond what is currently offered.
Dog lovers who have their own pooch are being targeted by Manchester City Council in its latest drive to recruit foster carers for some of the city's most vulnerable children.
Dave Moutrey Director and Chief Executive of award-winning arts venue HOME has been appointed to the position of Director of Culture for Manchester.
A seedling from a tree that survived the September 11 attack on the World Trade Centre in 2001 is to be presented to Manchester in a statement of solidarity from New York.
A Council by-election will be held in Manchester's Fallowfield ward on Thursday 27 July 2017.
Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: "This is an absolutely horrifying incident. Our thoughts are with everyone affected"
A final reminder has been issued to Manchester people to make sure they are registered to vote in the impending General Election.
Councillor Eddy Newman has taken up the chains of office as the new Lord Mayor of Manchester.
Almost two million electors will have the chance to elect the first ever Mayor of Greater Manchester as voters across the region go to the polls on Thursday 4 May.
Anyone who is not already on the electoral register has just days left to add themselves in time to be able to vote in the first ever elections for a Greater Manchester Mayor.
Manchester City Council's Executive will consider the findings of a major City Centre Review when it meets on Wednesday 8 February.
More than 2,600 people have already given their views on options for the Council's 2017-20 budget.
Members of the Council's Executive have published their priorities for the period up to 2020 to help support the Our Manchester strategy for the city.
Manchester City Council has announced that chief executive Sir Howard Bernstein will retire from his role with the organisation in Spring 2017.
There are just days remaining until the deadline for Manchester residents to make sure they are registered to vote in next month's local elections.
A book of condolence has been opened at Manchester Town Hall, following the attack in the Pakistani city of Lahore last weekend.
Manchester Town Hall will be lit with the colours of the Belgian national flag of black, yellow and red throughout the national mourning period declared in Belgium following the attack in Brussels.
A new councillor has been elected to serve the Higher Blackley ward of Manchester City Council.
The Council has launched a consultation on its plans to make £13.8m of savings in its 2016/17 budget.
People with questions about devolution in Greater Manchester can put them to Sir Richard Leese in a special Twitter 'Question Time' session.
A magnificent portrait of Emmeline Pankhurst is to take pride of place in the Rates Hall in Manchester Town Hall.
Manchester City Council is to prepare plans to find a further £80m of savings from its budget over the next two years as a result of the financial settlement imposed by central government.


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forwardView The Photo Gallery
Photo by Magnus Bergström
Swedish designer Jens Fager is a reputation you must get used to listening to as he steadily climbs the design ladder making worldwide waves for his interiors and product designs. After graduating from Stockholm's Konstfack University in 2008, Fager shortly set to work designing for Muuto, Stelton, Edsbyn, Zero Lighting, Philippe Starck, and the Absolut firm, and was even named Designer of the Year by Residence journal proper off the bat. Currently, he's the artistic director representing Sweden within the prestigious culinary competitors Bocuse d'Or Europe 2014. Let's see what this design dynamo covets on this week's Friday Five.
B. Ocean This is the sight from my mom-in-regulation's home, near the place we stay. After this night's dramatic transformation of climate, it turned out to be a completely clear blue sky with no wind. The ocean brings freshness and power to your thoughts. Just a spot to load up the power and an ideal spot for my youngsters to play and discover the character.
Courtesy of Artek
P. Enzo Mari Enzo Mari is likely one of the most influential individuals to me. His stability of pragmatic considering, playfull concepts, excessive-finish engineered merchandise with a humorousness, and poetry, makes him one of many strongest designers ever. There are a number of sensible merchandise like GLOBO hanger for Magis, Putrella for Danese, and BOX chair for Castelli.
A. Bread I labored as skilled chef earlier than I was moving into the design career. I love baking my very own bread, then you understand precisely what you're consuming and also you get a way more fascinating bread, with nice style. I have experimented rather a lot to succeed in this end result and baking bread, is a few small world of science. Humidity, temperature, warmth of the oven, and the best way you put together the dough provides the character to the bread and naturally, the fantastic style. Just the odor of freshly baked bread within the morning provides some concord and a sense of wellness.
A. Axe This is my axe produced by the Swedish firm Gränsfors. For me, the axe is such a apparent device. A device product of two elements in an ideal stability. The lovely picket, curved helve is formed for creating an enormous power and energy throughout work. This, together with a hand smith axe head in Swedish metal, makes it perfection. An object the place the sweetness comes via a real want and excellent craftsmanship.
Courtesy of Braun
H. Watch Many designers have tried to do cool watches in several ideas and funky supplies, however with out success. Of course that is my private viewpoint. Dieter Rams' look ahead to Braun is the essence of a watch, their objective and the expectations you will have of a watch. The visuals and graphics are clear and this together with nice chosen supplies, makes it virtually completed. Why I say "virtually" is simply because I imply every part can all the time be higher…


text: Dear all, Arrow PMC member Kouhei Sutou has developed Ruby bindings to the GLib C interface for Apache Arrow * https://github.com/red-data-tools/red-arrow * https://github.com/red-data-tools/red-arrow-gpu He is proposing to pull these projects into Apache Arrow to develop them all in the same place https://github.com/apache/arrow/pull/1990 We are proposing to accept this code into the Apache project. If the vote passes, the PMC and Kou will work together to complete the ASF IP Clearance process (http://incubator.apache.org/ip-clearance/) and import the Ruby bindings for inclusion in a future release: [ ] +1 : Accept contribution of Ruby bindings [ ] 0 : No opinion [ ] -1 : Reject contribution because... Here is my vote: +1 The vote will be open for at least 72 hours. Thanks, Wes


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There are 52 episodes of Beast King Golion.
Episode numbers and titles are as documented by The Beast King Golion Collection unless otherwise indicated.
We need some info!These titles are fan-translations dating from before the official DVDs were released. They need to be updated to match the DVD subtitles.
|Ep. #
|Page Status
|Escape from Slave Castle
|Five space pilots are captured by and escape from alien forces.
|The Ruined Phantom Planet
|The team lands on Altea and learns the legend of Golion.
|The Ghost and the Five Keys
|The team searches desperately to find the 5 Golion keys.
|Resurrection of the Legendary Giant
|The team finds the final key and saves the world.
|Fortress for the New Struggle
|In the midst of another Galra attack, Altea gets a new fortress-castle.
|Death of Shirogane the Hero
|The Golion pilots become targets in this episode and its possible someone just might die.
|The Beautiful Princess' Battle
|With Shirogane dead, could the Golion team find a new partner for Blue Lion?
|Stolen Blue Lion
|A handsome pilot appears on Altea who impresses everyone but Kurogane.
|Girl of the Land of Evil
|Hothead rescues a girl who apparently escaped from Galra. But not all is as it seems...
|Curse of the White Lion
|A white lion appears and Fala believes it is the reincarnation of her mother (father in the English Dub).
|The Red Rain of Hell
|Blood rains down on Altea. Golion must defeat the half-beastman responsible.
|Evildoing of the Emperor
|The Emperor has an enslaved planet build him a statue for his 500th birthday. A slave escapes to get help from Golion.
|Introducing Beautiful Honerva
|Queen Elena, Fala's Aunt, is alive and is coming to the castle, but Honerva intervenes
|The Crown Prince of Hell
|Daibazaal sends a new foe for the Golion team- his own son!
|Overcome the Phantom of Shirogane
|Fala trains in Black Lion to prove herself a worthy team member of Golion. This upsets the team who wish Shirogane was alive and pilot of blue lion.
|The Legendary Bridge of Love
At the dedication of a new bridge, Sincline attempts to capture Fala.
|Challenge from Space
|A world with a long bitter feud with Altea issues a challenge to Golion
|Footsteps in the Forest of Fear
|Another scientist makes a potion that implants souls of beastmen into plants. Sincline goes to Altea to get a cure for his father.
|The Mystery of Ghost Castle
|After an earthquake a mysterious ghost castle appears, but it is more than it appears.
|Goodbye, Earth
|Earth is in trouble, and the Golion team races to Earth to help. Will they save the Earth? Or be destroyed with it?
|Altea's Sister Planet
|Princess Amue escapes from Sincline and calls her brother and Golion for help when she crash lands on a frozen planet.
|Phantom Space Flowers
|Mysterious flowers bloom on Altea and everyone gets sick. Blue lion leaves in search of a cure
|Friday the 13th
|Golion takes a day off for a swim but their fun doesn't last long
|Look for the Little Shadows
|The Galrans deploy pint-sized saboteurs. Only the Space Mice can take them on
|Destroy the Giant Cannon!
|Sincline is building a giant cannon on planet Mura, a sister planet to Altea.
|Defeat the Invisible Enemy
|3 members of Golion are away from the castle when attacked by an invisible enemy.
|Giant Beastman's Lullaby
|Sincline's new beastman thinks Shorty is her baby.
|The Demon's Birthday
|Golion team takes the opportunity to bring the battle to Sincline after answering a distress call.
|Comes a Fiery Sky
|All the water on Altea dries up and Blue Lion can't function
|The Prince Imperial's Dark Love
|The people of Altea mourn upon hearing that Princess Fala is dead. Is she really dead? Or is a more sinister plan afoot?
|The Dreaded Mecha Beastman
|Sincline challenges and loses to his father. Meanwhile Altea's new advance warning system is launched just in the nick of time.
|Behold the Hundred-Ton Punch
|Golion trains hard after their defeat to face the Dreaded Mecha Beastman once more.
|Terror of the Space Frogs
|Shorty and some kids bring tadpoles home with them only to discover they're from Galra.
|Underground Operation
|Sincline digs a tunnel to put a bomb under the castle to defeat Altea.
|Protect the Soccer Field
|Golion team builds a new stadium for the people of Altea but must defend it against the equipment enchanted by Honerva
|Mortal Combat between Light and Shadow
|The clone of Sincline goes up against Golion
|Space Speed Demon
|The fastest pilot in the empire gets a new craft that can outpace Golion.
|Golion Hunting
|An elite team from the empire attacks the Altea people.
|The Hypergravity Planetoid Trap
|Honverva uses her powers to send a destructive asteroid with massive gravity on a collision course with Altea.
|No Tomorrow for Altea
|With the Golion team out of the way, Sincline launches a full scale assault on Altea.
|Brave Shirogane's Brother
|Sincline discovers Princess Amue survived her fall and tries to recapture her.
|The Sand Planet of Death
|Golion receives an SOS from a friend about Galra's latest evil plan.
|Angry Youth Suicide Corp
|Galra takes planet Amazon back. Four youths join together to try and take their home back.
|The Planet Jarre Oath
|Galra makes their own Golion. Can the original Golion stand against it?
|The Great Army of Darkness
|The Emperor creates a plan to send 500 beastmen to Altea. Ryou, Amue, and two others gather intel for Golion.
|Fight Back, Space Mice
|Platt whips his family into shape and later get a new weapon built by Shorty.
|The Seven Free Planets
|Altea hosts a meeting of the Leo alliance, seven planets that are united against Galra.
|Reunion with the Phantom
|The Golion team meets a young man with connections to one of the castle staff
|The Last of Hys
|With Saint in charge of the Control Room and Sincline with the Giant Cannon, things look bleak for Golion.
|The Great Storming of Galra
|Altea and its allies launch an offensive against Galra
|Golion's Desperate Battle
|The battle continues. Sincline learns the truth about his mother.
|Burn, Galra Castle
|Sincline makes a stand. Will it be his last stand..or Golion's?
|V • E Voltron Television Series
|Television Series
|Original Japanese Series
|Mirai Robo Daltanious (1979) • Beast King GoLion (1981) (episodes) • Armored Fleet DaiRugger XV (1982) (episodes) • Lightspeed Electroid Albegas (1983)
|Voltron Series
|Voltron: Defender of the Universe (1984) (episodes) • Fleet of Doom (1986) • Voltron: The Third Dimension (1998) (episodes) • Voltron Force (2011) (episodes) • Voltron: Legendary Defender (2016) (episodes)
|Additional Voltron Content
|Voltron Pilot (1983) • Voltron: Defender of the Unvierse (2007) • Voltron 84 (2017)
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|DreamWorks Animation • Kickstart Productions • Studio Mir • Toei Animation • World Events Productions
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To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport further to the Department of Justice's extension and continuation of the visa waiver scheme, the value of this to the tourism industry in Ireland; if he will provide details of the way the tourist agencies intend to take advantage of this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. – Anthony Lawlor.
For ORAL answer on Wednesday, 28th March, 2012. Ref No: 16545/12
Answered by the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Leo Varadkar:
The Deputy's question relate to the potential offered to the tourism industry in Ireland by tourism from China and other BRIC markets, as well as from the visa waiver scheme.
The recent visit of Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping was a wonderful opportunity to showcase Ireland to potential holidaymakers in China. A large media contingent travelled with Mr Xi, bringing the story and images of the Cliffs of Moher, Bunratty Castle, Riverdance and Dublin to a huge audience of potential holidaymakers in China. The Deputy can be assured that Tourism Ireland is working to maximise the tourism potential of the visit.
The visit, along with initiatives such as the visa waiver, provide opportunities to expand beyond traditional markets and look to the long-term opportunities presented by developing markets such as the BRIC countries, particularly China, India and the Middle East. Earlier this year, Tourism Ireland announced a new strategy to attract more high-spending visitors from the emerging tourism markets of Brazil and Russia building on the existing focus on China, India and the Gulf States. The organisation targets potential holidaymakers in these markets by working closely with airlines and tour operators to increase exposure and demand for holidays to Ireland.
The benefits of the visa waiver scheme are already apparent and this was reflected in the decision by my colleague the Minister for Justice and Equality to extend the scheme. Tourism Ireland has been working hard to maximise the benefits of the scheme, promoting it to travel trade contacts, industry partners and to consumers through an extensive programme of marketing activity and media relations in relevant markets. Since the visa waiver scheme was introduced here by the Government last year, there has been a noted increase in demand from tour operators for visits to Ireland.
Already 24 new tour operators and travel agents (9 from China, 10 from India, 5 from the Gulf States) who already programme the UK are programming the Republic of Ireland in 2012 for the first time on the back of the new Visa arrangements. Further growth is anticipated for 2013.
However, we must be realistic. The majority of our overseas visitors come from the core source markets of Great Britain, North America and Mainland Europe and this will continue to be the case for some years. Our focus is on creating sustainable growth in revenues across all markets rather than dramatic growth in any one market.


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I recently paged with interest through two Fitch reports on Credit Default Swap (CDS) spreads and subsequent default rates during the financial crisis. [1],[2] The earlier of these Fitch reports examines CDS spreads (the annual cost of insuring a notional amount of debt) since 2007 for five US sectors, three with direct exposure to the property market (homebuilders, real estate investment trusts, and monolines), and two financial services sectors (banks and insurers).
After the collapse of two Bear Sterns hedge funds with sub-prime mortgage related exposures in mid 2007 the financial crisis began to gather momentum. Data show a sustained surge in CDS spreads from this time. At that time however it was the homebuilders who were perceived as being most risky, evidenced by an annualised CDS spread of 101 basis points (BPS) for the sector as a whole, implying a probability of default (PD) of 1.7percent, whereas the monolines as a group reflected a PD of just 0.5percent. By October 2008 homebuilders and the monolines had swapped their relative risk rankings within the group of five sectors - evidenced by the fact that the cost of insuring against homebuilder default using a CDS had surged to 447 bps, while insuring against monoline failure had warped to 1656 bps, an implied PD of 20.7percent.
The Fitch report brought to mind a July 2007 article in The Economist that played down the likelihood of the monolines running into trouble.[3] The article points out the monolines' practice of stress-testing each transaction, accepting only those with no losses under any scenarios. The article goes on to state that it would be difficult to imagine a situation in which the monolines' capital cushions could be wiped out or even lose their AAA ratings. The reason mooted for monolines' supposed imperviousness to credit losses is that they were only exposed to the senior tranches of collateralised debt obligations (CDOs).
Far from AAA ratings, today the continued existence of the monolines is in doubt. One of the enduring qualities of The Economist is its willingness to adopt a standpoint on issues, notably in areas such as ethics, climate change, international politics, and the dangers of asset price bubbles inter alia. But by bringing attention to monolines' massive leverage (MBIA's outstanding guarantees apparently amounted to 150 times capital at the time), and by downplaying this excessive leverage through the argument of sustainable stress-testing, the article displays the extreme myopia so prevalent of market participants on the brink of a financial crisis.
The Economist failed to see that, in spite of the fact that the monolines had no direct exposure to sub-prime mortgages, the fact that they were both so heavily leveraged and exposed to any sudden reversal in market liquidity left them highly vulnerable. Rising spreads on CDS contracts at the time provided a clue that providers of credit risk insurance were about to become caught up in a cycle of downgrades and capital attacks under conditions of depleted market liquidity. The fact that the monolines' models showed no losses in all scenarios points to an extremely narrow view of what a scenario is, showing no recognition of leverage and liquidity risk.
The paradox of negligible implied default rates derived from CDS spreads on the monolines in mid 2007 is what piqued my interest in the Fitch report and brought me to recall the Economist article. The paradox lies in the role played by credit default swaps, in the waves of subsequent downgrades in the debt and structured credit markets more broadly, and as a direct cause of capital losses at monolines more specifically.
The latter role of credit default swaps in the monolines' downfall came about as a consequence of these insurers' strategy not to simply content themselves with relying on their AAA ratings to guarantee securities with a lower rating than their own, but to leverage their returns by insuring tranches of mortgage-backed and other collateralised debt obligations with credit default swaps, against which they were not required to hold capital. In normal states of the world credit default swaps can be seen as similar to out-of-the-money put options, in that both offer low cost and effective protection against downside risk to buyers, while generating high yields for the writer from the steady source of premium income. But the risk associated with this high yield was disguised in the tail of the return distribution. Rather than sustainable stress-testing, failure to recognise adverse scenarios that could result in increased uncertainty or unstable states of the world meant that the monolines were unable to measure and price the risks associated with writing credit default swaps.
It's not simply a case that the financial institutions writing credit default swaps were unable accurately to price the risk of these instruments paying out. It's equally remarkable to consider that, as the later of the Fitch reports points out, CDS spreads did not appear to provide a leading indicator for financial institution default risk during the financial crisis; spreads on corporates provided at best mixed results.
Quite aside from the increased uncertainty prevailing at that time, it is possible that the widespread practice of using implied default probabilities from CDS spreads directly contributed to the waves of downgrades experienced in the debt and structured credit markets. As default rates began to soar on sub-prime mortgages, CDS spreads on structured products backed by mortgages, CDOs, and on the monolines themselves began to ratchet up. Low levels of liquidity in the highly leveraged CDS market tend to ratchet up CDS spreads as downgrades create a self-sustaining spiral of deleveraging, forced selling, and even higher prices on CDS contracts.
Market participants today are keenly aware of the sudden and extreme deleterious effects excessive leverage and a lack of liquidity may have on the capital position. Indeed, this danger has been given explicit recognition by the Basel Committee for Banking Supervision's new Basel III proposals, wherein a leverage ratio and two new liquidity ratios are to be phased in to a pillar 1 type treatment by 2018. However, the danger still remains that if wholly synthetic measures such as CDS spreads become institutionalised as an instrument for estimating default probabilities, episodes of destabilising procyclicality from both internal and external ratings are certain to reoccur.
[1] Fitch Ratings Macro Credit Research, "CDS Spreads and Default Risk: A Leading Indicator?", May 12, 2011. [2] Fitch Ratings Special Report, "CDS Spreads and Default Risk: Interpreting the Signals", October 12, 2010. [3] The Economist, "A monoline meltdown?", July 28, 2007.
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August 1, 2020 6:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Long Bridge Swim
** The Long Bridge Swim has been cancelled for this year. Please visit their website for more details. **
The Long Bridge Swim is the Northwest's Premier open water swimming event! A beautiful 1.76 mile swim from the south end of Sandpoint's historic Long Bridge to the the North end. Spectators can easily watch their swimmers progress as they make their way across Lake Pend Oreille. Since 2010 the Long Bridge Swim has raised funds to support swim lessons for kids and adults in the greater Sandpoint Area.
Need a place to stay? Book a room with us on the mountain and enjoy a mountain getaway after your swim!


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Peach Cake with Ice Cream and Almonds
Oct 6 2015
I read the other day about a banana bread recipe (from Pamela Salzman) using the almond pulp leftover from making my own almond milk.
As I do that all the time, I am left with tons of pulp. I can only make banana bread so often so I tried a version of it with peaches and it was delicious. I served it for dessert with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. My kids had it for breakfast as well and loved it.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, almond pulp, salt, baking soda, baking powder and salt, breaking up chunks of almond pulp. Set aside.
Place the maple syrup, melted butter and vanilla in a bowl and whisk.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and combine until just blended. Fold in the peaches.
Pour into a greased pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Bon Appetit!


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B2B Reports that of 800 small businesses polled recently their top three priorities for marketing investments are:
- Web Design (53%)
- Search Engine Optimization (43%)
- eMail Marketing (41%)
I wish the story had gone been more in-depth, but I can surmise the reasons. Most companies, even small ones, have websites. Their companies are growing and they now have the funds to invest more and create a bigger, better, more dynamic web presence for their company. However, I have seen large companies, hire big-time creative agencies, that develop great looking websites with unfortunately very little use to the customer.
Website by and large are all about the company and its products with paragraph upon paragraph of copy which few will read. Few benefits and how they translate to the bottom line for the prospect. Of course, I am in the B2B world, so I speak primarily of B2B portals. And there is little reason for the person to return to the site again.
Small businesses will struggle with what to do, how to tie-in their email campaigns, optimize their websites to inprove organic rankings with major search engines, and then there are the social media outlets. What to do about those?
It will be very important for these small companies to find a partner who understands not only web design, but functionality. A partner that's listening to not only the business owner, but their customers, employees, sales people, and can understands the importance of content.
Content, the holy grail of search engines. What is your content? How will search engines recognize your content, and are all your links tagged appropriately? Are your links optimized? Do you participate in affiliate programs? This all can make the small business person's head spin. But it doesn't need to.
Simplify. Don't freak out. If you're investing in internet marketing, you're doing ok. So keep it simple with these rules:
- Don't rely on search engines to drive all of your traffic. Drive your own. Use an integrated program including traditional media, email, banner ads, blogs, and other social media like linked-in, Facebook and the like. And don't forget about video opportunities like You Tube, and Google Video. Sure, participate in Google Ad Words if appropriate, and optimize ALL of your web presence, but focusing on driving the prospects you want, to the places you want them to go.
- Content. I mentioned it above. Provide useful content to your visitors and readers. Blogs are so popular because you get honest opinions and information, not commercials. Talk to your salespeople, talk to your customers. What kind of INFORMATION can you bring them that's fresh and keeps them coming back. You want to set yourself up as the "Thought Leader" the company that your prospects and customers can turn to for information in your industry to help them run their businesses better.
- Link. Make sure that your emails have links to articles in your blog, which offer links to information and related products on your website. Make it easy for your reader (prospect) to find useful information, and get back to the original source. If you find websites, blogs, or other online media that your prospect will find useful, link to it! And contact that site owner, and ask if they'll consider the same. Inbound links to your site (that are relative content) can help your optimize.
And when you select a partner to improve your e-presence, for goodness sakes, check theirs out first. Do they offer useful content? Do they have a blog presence that offers opinions and insight, or is it one big commercial? Do they have their own email campaign? Are their other links to sources you would find interesting? If not, you may want to check out other sources.
The internet, start smart, keep it simple, make it useful, and keep it relevant.


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Scooter Jacking – coming to a town near you soon | OPINION
We've reported on scooter crime in the past. As early as May 2016 we brought you the story of David Babbs and his attack by hammer wielding scooter thieves, David is still recovering from his injuries, both mentally and physically. Since then things have gotten out of hand in the Capital and copycats are already using the same business model in other areas of the UK. With little or no deterrent and a softly, softly approach to policing things are only going to get worse.
Yesterday, 31 year old Max Scarazzini was chased through Manchester and robbed of his black Vespa GTS 300 by four lads riding on two scooters, (possibly Yamaha TMAX/XMax, understandably the victim was a little shook up so can't be sure). The robbers were all wearing casual clothing and dark crash helmets. We've spoken to Max this morning to get some details about what happened.
The chase
Max was riding through the Salford area of Manchester at around 2pm yesterday (04/09/2017) when the two dark coloured scooters (both carrying pillions) began to chase him. Max tried to get away by swerving through traffic, continuously beeping his horn and desperately running red lights during the dangerous high-speed pursuit. Once he realised there was no escape he dropped the scooter under a bridge near to a set of new rail tracks in Trinity Way, Salford.
It wasn't a deserted area, a group of around 10 road workers were stood nearby, in fact five of them were just two metres from where the scooter was dropped. The robbers shouted to them that Max was the scooter thief, a clever distraction technique, and as the robbers picked the GTS up one of them kept coming at Max to keep him away before they made their escape on the three machines.
Luckily for Max he wasn't injured in the harrowing incident and he 'only' lost his scooter but it could have been so much worse. To add insult to injury Max was left at the side of the road for two hours before the police showed up, he'd even tried flagging down passing patrol cars with no success.
Where it happened
The chase started on the A56 (dot A on the image above) and ended where dot B is on Trinity Way. The chase lasted approximately 0.6 miles.
The stolen scooter
Max's GTS 300, reg number PN15 YSL (pictured top). He bought it in March this year and it had around 2250 miles on the clock. It was fitted with a chrome mudguard protector, front and rear racks, a sports screen and rear crash bars. Have you seen it, or a group of three dark coloured scooters riding together in Manchester since yesterday afternoon? If you're in the Manchester/Salford area keep your eyes open.
WATCH | This video shows some of the 'Moped' crimes being committed
'Moped' enabled crime
A media frenzy into so called 'Moped enabled crime' brought this mostly London based phenomenon to the attention of the masses. Lawless youngsters stealing high powered scooters (not mopeds in most cases) and using them to commit thousands of crimes. From muggings to robberies, mobile phone thefts, drug deals, stabbings, acid attacks and even murders.
In our increasingly compensation/blame lead culture the police's hands are tied to a certain extent. The criminals know that they can't be chased if they take crash helmets off. The red tape, public inquiry and court case that follows if little Jonny gets injured whilst being pursued by police after attacking/robbing an innocent member of the public isn't worth the loss of career.
Until the law changes to give power back to the police and the police can actively and forcefully apprehend these villains, then this epidemic will only get worse. As we've seen, it's already spreading to other cities. Lives will be lost, and riders will take the law into their own hands if so called 'moped-enabled crime' isn't stopped very soon. Already delivery riders in London have started to fight back, I'm sure many more are going out armed, just in case they are targeted whilst going about their business.
Let us know what you think
Let us know what you think should be done to halt this crime spree. What should the deterrent be and should using a vehicle to deliberately attack another rider carry a tougher sentence, attempted murder for instance? Should carrying an acid spray (or similar chemical) carry the same sentence as a loaded gun? After all, facial disfigurement is a life sentence for the victim.
Words: Iggy
Also, thanks to Max for the photo of his scooter.
VIDEO | Join the protest ride September 9th 2017
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