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Mold Removal Renton
Mold Removal
Mold is a common problem in buildings that have experienced water damage. However, in the Northwest there does not need to be such sever circumstances for mold to become a serious problem. The dampness in the air, the condensation on window sills, or the smallest leak in a roof or foundation can all create the perfect conditions for mold to set in. When you see mold, don't wait. Call Advanced Water Restoration for professional mold removal in Renton.
When mold does set in it can advance quickly. It often takes hold in many areas that are not generally visible. When this happens it can take over a home without the residents even being aware. That is why it is so important to get it taken care of quickly—at the first sign of mold. Even having a regular inspection, before you see warning signs, is a good idea in our wet climate.
Renton Mold Removal Professionals
Mold needs to be taken care of carefully. The spores are very easily kicked into the air and spread. That is why regular cleaning of your home is not enough. Mold also creates serious health risks that make cleaning it a problem. If specific precautions are not taken, the attempt to clean mold can make a person ill.
Our professional mold removal in Renton done with extreme care. We ensure that the spores are not spread and the affected areas are cleared and treated of all mold.
Mold Removal and Reconstruction Renton
Because mold often sets into areas where water has been present, there is often structural damage. Our certified contractors are able to safely handle mold remediation and rebuild any damaged areas. We guarantee all mold will be eliminated and the new material will be mold-free.
Because mold spores are airborne they are easy to breathe in and can be a serious risk to one's health. Mold can cause such symptoms as irritated eyes, nose, and throat, respiratory distress, and lung infections. The more mold a person is exposed to, the more serious the risk can become. People with mold allergies are particularly at risk, as are people with asthma.
If you see mold, call for an inspection. We are able to work on residential or commercial buildings alike, and our mold removal Renton professionals have the expertise to know where to look and to identify all types of mold.
Renton Resources: City of Renton, Washington | Wikipedia | Things to do in Renton, Washington


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Weekly Finds #23 | Life update and incredible short film!
Time for another Weekly Finds post and this time I have super exciting news to share with you all. I'm going to Hungary next month! Yes, that's right. Be prepared for another wave of travel photos on my Instagram and blog. I'm going to another youth exchange on 6th of…View Post

subset: commoncrawl


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People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is accusing an Argentinean supplier of so-called "responsibly sourced" wool of gross mistreatment of its lambs and sheep. The animal-rights group has posted on its website video that shows livestock workers slitting lambs' throats, skinning them alive, or otherwise abusing and mutilating the animals. The footage, according to PETA, was obtained from farms that are part of the Ovis 21 (sometimes styled Ovis XXI), a network of some 140 ranches that has been working with the Nature Conservancy to reverse 100 years of overgrazing on 15 million acres of Patagonian grasslands.
Brands that have used wool from Ovis 21 include ethical trailblazers such as Patagonia and Stella McCartney, both of which have praised the program for its holistic management of the region's long-term health. "We have often sought to be sustainable but this is the first time we have actually been able to improve an environment by placing business there," said Jill Dumain, director of environmental strategy at Patagonia, in 2013.
McCartney, upon being alerted to video by PETA, announced that she is no longer buying wool from Ovis 21. "We are deeply saddened and shocked by the cruelty seen on the footage, as animal welfare is at the heart of everything we do," the British designer said in a statement. "This is a huge setback to help saving the grasslands in Patagonia. We are now even more determined to continue our fight for animal rights in fashion together and monitor even more closely all the suppliers involved in this industry.
RELATED | PETA Exposé Shows Sheep Killed, Punched, Mutilated for Wool
McCartney said her label is currently looking into vegan wool, in the same manner it has incorporated luxury-grade alternatives to leather and fur over the years.
Patagonia, in a blog post on Wednesday, referred to the footage as "disturbing," but pointed out that two of the practices in the video—castration and tail docking—are not only standard across the industry, but also essential to flock health. "What's critical is that these procedures be done humanely, in a way governed by enforceable, uniform standards," the company said.
While Patagonia said that it collaborated closely with Ovis 21 on its grazing protocol, the firm admitted that it hadn't performed any animal-welfare audits beyond verifying that no mulesing occurs. (Flystrike, the parasitic condition associated with the surgical procedure, isn't a problem in the region, so mulesing is a non-issue.) As such, it was unaware of the issues raised by PETA.
"There is no excuse for violent shearing methods and inhumane slaughter," Patagonia said, noting its role in an effort by the Textile Exchange and others to develop a Responsible Wool Standard, much like the one currently available for down.
RELATED | Uniqlo to Stop Buying Wool From "Mulesed" Sheep
PETA, Patagonia added, declined the Textile Exchange's invitation to participate in the process.
"We are investigating the practices shown," Patagonia added. "We will work with Ovis 21 to make needed corrections and improvements, and report back to our customers and the public on the steps we will take."
PETA, in the meantime, is filing a complaint with Argentinean authorities, saying that Ovis 21 breached federal animal-protection laws.
"Having witnessed an astounding level of cruelty to sheep in every shearing shed we visited in Australia, the U.S., and, now, Argentina, it's high time that companies and consumers ditch real wool," PETA president Ingrid Newkirk said in a statement. "Today, finding alternatives to hide, fur, and fleece is easy, and no animal has to suffer when businesses make kind choices. We thank Stella for rejecting cruelty in the wool industry and hope Patagonia and others will follow suit."
Ecouterre has reached out to the Nature Conservancy for comment; we'll update the story with any additional information.
Update: Aug. 18, 2015
Patagonia says it has cut ties with Ovis 21 following PETA's exposé. Ovis 21 says it has withdrawn certification from the facility seen in the video.
Update: Aug. 24, 2015
The Nature Conservancy has provided a statement.


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Friday, 21 December 2012
NATIONAL SHORT STORY DAY - my book of the year
It's National Short Story Day in the UK and I'm sure they won't mind if we join in here in Ireland. In honour of the day, I want to nominate Sarah Hall's The Beautiful Indifference as my short story collection of the year. I am aware that it came out last year but I didn't get to read it until this year. It's one of those books that I greedily downloaded onto my Kindle (in an 'I want it NOW!' moment) and afterwards regretted not having a hard copy. But I can remedy that.
The collection has just seven stories - each one completely different but each one suspenseful and told in that rich, language-loving English that I so enjoy.
I met Sarah at the Cork Short Story Festival and she is bubbly and warm and intelligent - just what you would imagine from the quality of her writing. Not that you should think the book is bubbly - it most certainly isn't. It's dark and menacing, and she writes sex and crumbling relationships very well. Justine Jordan said of the book, in the Guardian: 'Monstrous events happen offstage over the course of these seven stories: beatings, maulings, suicide and abandonment. But their force is felt all the more powerfully through the measured precision of Hall's prose, which is always grounded in the exact immediacy of everyday detail.'
Sarah also reads from her own work beautifully and she talks about it well. Check out this podcast on Thresholds here.
In Cork Sarah said writers should always write in their own way rather than 'sausaging themselves into something that they are not.' She continued, 'I'd rather see Chewbaca on a motorcycle painted on a plate than something ordinary. I would rather write something bonkers than ordinary.'
Long may the bonkers, sinister and edgy inspire her work. I can't wait for the next book.
8 comments:
- Tania Hershman said...
I second your book choice whole-heartedly, it's a fantastic fantastic collection, I'm so thrilled that Sarah is already at work on her 2nd collection. it deserves all the awards it has won - and more! I'm still disturbed from her reading at Cork of the final story in the book, wow. Happy Happy New Year to you, my dear!
- 21 December 2012 at 11:46
Sounds great. Thanks for the rec, Nuala! Best collections I read this year were Mother America, Dark Lies the Island and If I Loved You ... by Robin Black. :)
- 21 December 2012 at 13:54
- WOMEN RULE WRITER said...
Tania - it's fab right? As is the woman herself. Things to aspire to :)
- 21 December 2012 at 14:08
- WOMEN RULE WRITER said...
Aw, thank you, Eimear, Nollaig shona!
- 21 December 2012 at 14:09
- Rachel Fenton said...
It's been on my list since I heard about it. Have to bump it up to the top now.
The anti-sausage advice is very good.
- 23 December 2012 at 00:28
- WOMEN RULE WRITER said...
Anti-sausage, heh heh. Happy Christmas, Rae! N x
- 23 December 2012 at 07:47
- Parrish Lantern said...
Best Wishes to you & yours for Xmas & the New Year.
- 24 December 2012 at 16:40
- WOMEN RULE WRITER said...
Cheers, Parrish - right back at ya.
- 26 December 2012 at 19:34


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We are using TestDome for 5 months already and fully satisfied with the outcome.
It provides us an opportunity to set our own timing policy, to choose from variety of questions from different areas and with difficulty gradation. Also it is great that TestDome provides free of charge tests for candidates to prepare and check how online IDE works. And support is always ready to help:)
As I like the tool a lot, here are some recommendations.
It would be really useful to add test score straight after test status on https://www.testdome.com/my-candidates. Also add "export report" feature to that page.
Technical testing for Java Developers, grading them by their professional level.
For each test we set different passing grade, for example we consider 50% as passing for specialist level, while experts require 90%+ test score.
Programming questions on TestDome are backed by a software compiler which builds and then executes the code in the candidate's answers, and unit tests are used to determine the correctness of their code. And custom questions can be created, with custom unit tests or multiple-choice options, allowing for automated scoring of sophisticated questions covering any manner of concepts in the chosen programming language.
The quick test is limited to just fifteen minutes, beyond which the considerably pricier standard test must be used. This can limit the quick test to a choice between a set of multiple-choice questions, or a single substantial live coding question, with insufficient headroom to include both.
Consider whether rigid, automatic scoring is appropriate for your recruitment screening purposes. Even in programming questions, sometimes a user will fail the unit tests due to minor syntax problems, but a manual reviewing of their code attempt reveals that they have problem-solving skills which make them worthy of progressing to the next stage of recruitment. If possible, have someone review each candidate's completed test submission, to salvage promising prospects who have failed to satisfy the automated scoring.
TestDome works well in providing an initial screening process for technical candidates, giving a standardised test process and largely automated scoring, with enforcement of a strict time limit for each test. This is a great improvement on our old process of sending out questions by email and having to manually check the time taken, and manually (and somewhat subjectively) score the answers.
I like the database of questions that already exist, and that there is a wide variety of categories to choose from. We have used TestDome to create tests for several different positions, and it's nice that we can do that from a single solution.
It's also really great to see the answers, especially programming questions and see how long it took the candidate to answer each question. And if they got the answer incorrect, TestDome shows what the code could have looked like to be correct, so we know how far off the answer was from being correct.
There's not much I dislike because the site is fairly intuitive and user friendly. Maybe one thing would be the ordering of questions on a test which only allows you to move a question up/down one position at a time. So maybe making questions draggable to re-arrange positions quickly would improve the user experience.
Since we have started using the service, they appear to have added new categories and questions to their database of pre-defined questions to choose from, which is great to see!
The primary business problem we set out to solve, and then found TestDome to solve it, was a way to test a candidates programming skills before the phone interview and live interview stage. We were spending a lot of time doing phone interviews and then a video conferencing interview which ended with a love coding session, only to find that many candidates could not solve the coding challenges very well that we gave them.
Since implementing TestDome, we are now able to test a candidates coding performance before moving on to a phone interview and then video conference interview, saving several team members time in our business.
Very Prompt and helpful support when needed, we were looking to work with a third party to write and set up new tests, testdome was able to quickly set up and support a method to do this, allowing us to start testing candidates straight away.
The standard tests aren't quite what we were looking for, but Testdome was able to quickly help us work around this
assessing candidates before inviting to interview, as the recruitment partner we don't have the technical proficiency to test candidates for their coding ability. Testdome, for us, is the perfect solution to this and further allows us to easily share the results and code output from the test with the hiring team with the expertise.
We are using TestDome for 5 months already and fully satisfied with the outcome.
It provides us an opportunity to set our own timing policy, to choose from variety of questions from different areas and with difficulty gradation. Also it is great that TestDome provides free of charge tests for candidates to prepare and check how online IDE works. And support is always ready to help:)
As I like the tool a lot, here are some recommendations.
It would be really useful to add test score straight after test status on https://www.testdome.com/my-candidates. Also add "export report" feature to that page.
Technical testing for Java Developers, grading them by their professional level.
For each test we set different passing grade, for example we consider 50% as passing for specialist level, while experts require 90%+ test score.
TestDome does exactly what it says it will do, nothing less, and nothing more.
It's easy to start adding features to a platform like this, but with the business I run, I prefer to have my own HR channels/funnels, and use TestDome as an external, reliable testing platform.
In earlier versions of the platform I would get to a weird flow or a broken button, but in all reality - TestDome is a polished tool today. I don't have any pet peeves at the moment.
We decided to give them a shot. It's fairly low risk to try it out, and worst case would be to lose some time. TestDome wasn't something we sought out, rather, a competitor of theirs was giving us horrible experience, and we looked for an alternative. And it worked out great! We've been using them for 2 years now without any issues. Would recommend.
Testing new software developers, and it's been really easy to filter out (not to say: eliminate) developers who can't code their way out of a paper bag. I'm not even talking about a typical "bubble sort" challenge, I mean - people can't even code two nested loops, and call themselves senior devs. Saved bunch of interview time this way.
Testdome is simple, provides a reasonable (though not extensive) battery of tests to choose from, and doesn't take the candidate an inordinate amount of time. It also simulates working pressure with the time limits.
Most candidates respond well to technical testing over pure interviews.
Loading custom questions is time consuming (web interface) and there is no batch interface. We'd also like to take premium questions and clone and tweak them.
They once deprecated a premium question, and I had to setup a new test as a result.
Interviews are both time-consuming, and not a reliable gauge of a candidate's technical ability.
Technical testing saves time and money (the cost an hour long interview), and provides a unbiased comparison of candidates. It also provides a good discussion point for the interview.
The ability to host custom questions on their platform that remain private to our company, but are just as easy to add to assessments as their standard questions.
It is frustrating that candidates have to verify their email address. We administer tests on site, and we would prefer that the candidate does not have to pull out their phone to receive the test link. This was a recent restriction added in the last 6 months. It should be optional.
We found this service to be the best of the available products that offer the ability to upload custom questions, create custom tests, and the ability to use the product as a self-service (although their customer support is great too).
We are validating a candidates programming abilities after they successfully pass our online aptitude test. We use TestDome to administer coding questions that we offer as part of our second round interviews.
We have migrated from a different vendor due to their stubborn pricing policy, and are very satisfied with the flexibility, ease of use and customer care at TestDome.
Could use a larger pool of pre-created tests for the different languages, but other than that we are satisfied with the services.
Our recruitment process was lacking hands on programming challenges. Most of the other providers give you a testing platform with a pre-defined set of tests, that are long and tedious, and do not measure the coding skills well - TestDome has a great set of short tests you can link up, so the actual level of the developer can be measured more accurately.
We have been using Test Dome for about 2 years, and we love the flexibility -- we can either find or write our own questions related to many different roles within our company. We also like that the tests can include specific answer questions and/or open-ended questions.
The billing process is a little confusing: each time I reload my account it feels like there's a step that I just can't see until it's too late and I've made a mistake.
We are assessing candidates earlier in our hiring process. This means we can spend more of our interview time on better candidates, and in conversation about their experience, maximizing their time as well as ours.
The platform is very easy to use, and allows our development team to create it's own test to evaluate potential new developers to our team. The support from the TestDome team is great as well, they are very responsive and seem to be constantly trying to improve the product.
For the most part TestDome meets all of our needs. There are a few minor things that would make the product better like being able to remove candidates from the completed test list that did not pass or are no longer under consideration.
This tool is helping us to evaluate potential developers as the look to join our team. It gives us a snapshot of their development and coding skills before talking to the development team. It has streamlined our process, and given us a much higher quality developer.
It generates a great flexibility in the working hours, the administration is really fantastic for the business, employees and customers, improving competitive incomes.
It's a little expensive. We agree with the cost because they have provided the content.
It is good, saves me a lot of time doing the first step of a tech interviews series.
It allows us to evaluate a rush of curriculum to find candidates with the skills we are looking for. Our CTO calculates that you save at least 2 hours compared to before. it is a great benefit.
The simplicity of creating questions and tasks to find the right candidates has saved us time and money. Thanks to TestDome our new candidates better understand the job and know what is expected also fit better with-in our organization
at this point we are very happy with it,
In the past, looking for developers requires us to trust what is presented about them. Now, before a candidate even comes for an interview we know if they can do the job or not. this has saved us time and money
The use is simple. The grip of the tool is fast.
The interface could be a little prettier. A function to search a candidate with his first name or his name could be appreciated.
The use of testdome allows us to evaluate the fundamentals of our candidates (developers) and meet only those who have a conclusive test. This allows us to save time and use this exercise as a basis for exchanges once we meet them!
Pricing is very reasonable. The platform is great for conducting multiple choice quizzes. We filter a lot of bad candidates with a short multiple choice quiz on TestDome.
You can't modify the questions on a test after somebody takes it. It's inconvenient to clone an entire test for a minor change. We also don't like the fact that you a coding test is tied to a particular programming language.
Hiring is hard and engineering hours are expensive. TestDome helps us automatically screen many candidates upfront. Our engineers no longer have to spend 30 minutes conducting the initial screening call. Additionally, we now screen all of our candidates more or less the same way.
The simple process of adding new candidates. It doesn't ask for too many information about the candidate when the invite is sent.
The simple option to share the test result quickly.
Customizing the tests for any position
It is frustrating that candidates have to pull out their phone to receive the test link.
Other then that the system is doing exactly what we want.
Effective and great customer service
It increases effectivity and efficiency of the recruitment process by testing candidates before calling them for an interview. It is cost effective and saves our time.
The ability to quickly administer a very similar test in 3 languages (there are more than this) to applicants and keep the records in a way which we can use throughout the admissions process
The systems does its job very well but in the end of the day, it is an automated grading and it can't substitute for a human evaluating the code for style etc. However it does make it easy for the human administrator to do it and 'interpret' the automated grade
I did a quick survey of automated programming tests available and this seemed like the best one. The staff were very helpful when i was setting up the process and continues to provide good support all along. using this software has been really effective in our admission process. i believe that just the fact that we apply this test has shielded us from quite a few bogus applicants.
Allow use to perform a very basic programming test on all applicants. Very good at testing the sometimes outlandish claims you find in CVs
Tests the applicant's ability to write real code. Results are scored with unit tests. We learn a lot more about candidates when they write code than when they answer multiple choice questions.
JavaScript test questions need to be updated for ES6.
Screen out unqualified programmers from our applicant pool. We use TestDome to go from 1,000 mostly unqualified applications to 50 people who can actually code.
I like the pricing structure given the inconsistent flow of our needs. It makes more sense for us to pay "a la carte" vs. a fixed monthly amount.
The tests are comprehensive and candidates see them as fair representations of their skill.
I would like to see a larger database of tests, especially with newer technologies.
Effective but shouldn't be your only technical filter
The problem we are solving is establishing a solid first gate for Engineering candidates to pass before they burn a significant amount of team resources during the interview process.
The facility to create new tests and the quality of the exercises, who are always up to date with the new technologies.
I think test dome is the tool that better fit with our necessities.
The right price for the right tool to recrtuit the best developers!
We have the chance to test our "dev candidates" very quickly with the right exercises and with a tool that examines in a reliable way the results.
We've been using Testdome for a while now and its flexibility comes in hand. We wrote some of our own questions, creating our own validations and tests, not being tied only to the challenges proposed by the platform.
Even though we have a high flexibility on creating tests, it misses ways to evaluate whole projects, complex scenarios or even web solutions.
We use it in our recruitment process.
It's really easy going. Fast and easy to complete (for the candidate also it's very simple)
Sometimes it has a few bugs for the candidates, and you need to send it again to the candidate. It only happens 2 times (nothing several or critical)
To standarize the Test we use around the continent in only one tool centralized.
Test Dome has become a vital part of our recruitment process within our development sector. Being able to set varying difficulty levels for testing potential candidates into different roles has been really helpful.
Nothing at the moment. The system is doing exactly what we want.
Saves us a lot of time by understanding someones capability in line with what their CV says.
The platform is very easy to use, our team can create a live coding test with any set of skills and email it to candidates in few minutes. We also really appreciate the customer care.
It would be nice if we could use a larger pool of pre-created tests for the different languages.
A great tool for an initial screening of candidates. Before a candidate comes for an interview we know if they can do the job or not. In this way we can save time and money.
Easy to set up and have custom testing, candidates comment it's very clear and easy to navigate
wish there was an automated feature to let you know when you're running low on credits
we have more qualified candidates who are naturally curious and up for a challenge
Simple interface, easy for both recruiter and candidates.
Very easy to create test profiles for different positions.
Ability to review thought process of candidates.
Would love to have an option for random selection of questions from a pre-defined pool.
Using TestDome to screen C++ and Java developers
Product is simple to use, intuitive, and provided a great solution as a platform for our business.
I wish inquiries could be answered more quickly. Some features or updates are a bit hidden.
Assessing technical candidates.
Number of questions and selection of topics. Easy interaction and evaluating candidates
There should be way to embed or white brand with our selection process or API
We shortlist developers very easy to interview.


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Fishing Tackle Enquiries
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Garvin descendants visit cabin
The Old Colorado City Historical Society (OCCHS) recently welcomed three
direct descendants of Dr. James Garvin to the cabin that's named after him in
Bancroft Park.
Leading the visitors was Charles Garvin, a doctor from St. Louis, who is the great-grandson of James. With Charles were his two sons, Michael and Willis, and their mother Margaret.
"They were amazed how important that cabin is to Old Colorado City and how much we had done to save and preserve it," OCCHS Treasurer Dave Hughes said.
The visit was a good follow-up to a communication three years ago from Garvin's cousin, Judy Garvin Yarborough from Alabama, who "gave us enough information to flesh out the story of one of our earliest Colorado City pioneers," Hughes added.
Built in 1859, the cabin is one of the oldest structures in the region. It was used for some of the activities during Colorado City's brief period as the territorial capital in 1862 and, in the early 1870s, as the office of then-El Paso County Clerk Irving Howbert.
Westside Pioneer/press releaase


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(A) As used in this section, "drug database" means the database established and maintained by the state board of pharmacy pursuant to section 4729.75 of the Revised Code.
(B) Except as provided in divisions (C) and (E) of this section, a physician assistant licensed under this chapter who has been granted physician-delegated prescriptive authority shall comply with all of the following as conditions of prescribing a drug that is either an opioid analgesic or a benzodiazepine as part of a patient's course of treatment for a particular condition:
(1) Before initially prescribing the drug, the physician assistant or the physician assistant's delegate shall request from the drug database a report of information related to the patient that covers at least the twelve months immediately preceding the date of the request. If the physician assistant practices primarily in a county of this state that adjoins another state, the physician assistant or delegate also shall request a report of any information available in the drug database that pertains to prescriptions issued or drugs furnished to the patient in the state adjoining that county.
(2) If the patient's course of treatment for the condition continues for more than ninety days after the initial report is requested, the physician assistant or delegate shall make periodic requests for reports of information from the drug database until the course of treatment has ended. The requests shall be made at intervals not exceeding ninety days, determined according to the date the initial request was made. The request shall be made in the same manner provided in division (B)(1) of this section for requesting the initial report of information from the drug database.
(3) On receipt of a report under division (B)(1) or (2) of this section, the physician assistant shall assess the information in the report. The physician assistant shall document in the patient's record that the report was received and the information was assessed.
(C) Division (B) of this section does not apply in any of the following circumstances:
(1) A drug database report regarding the patient is not available, in which case the physician assistant shall document in the patient's record the reason that the report is not available.
(2) The drug is prescribed in an amount indicated for a period not to exceed seven days.
(3) The drug is prescribed for the treatment of cancer or another condition associated with cancer.
(4) The drug is prescribed to a hospice patient in a hospice care program, as those terms are defined in section 3712.01 of the Revised Code, or any other patient diagnosed as terminally ill.
(5) The drug is prescribed for administration in a hospital, nursing home, or residential care facility.
(D) With respect to prescribing any drug that is not an opioid analgesic or a benzodiazepine but is included in the drug database pursuant to rules adopted under section 4729.84 of the Revised Code, the state medical board shall adopt rules that establish standards and procedures to be followed by a physician assistant licensed under this chapter who has been granted physician-delegated prescriptive authority regarding the review of patient information available through the drug database under division (A)(5) of section 4729.80 of the Revised Code. The rules shall be adopted in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code.
(E) This section and the rules adopted under it do not apply if the state board of pharmacy no longer maintains the drug database.
Amended by 131st General Assembly File No. TBD, SB 110, §1, eff. 10/15/2015.
Amended by 130th General Assembly File No. TBD, SB 276, §3, eff. 4/1/2015.
Amended by 130th General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 394, §3, eff. 4/1/2015.
Amended by 130th General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 341, §1, eff. 4/1/2015.
Amended by 130th General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 483, §101.01, eff. 4/1/2015.
Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.156, SB 301, §1, eff. 3/13/2013.
Added by 129th General AssemblyFile No.19, HB 93, §1, eff. 5/20/2011.


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Doing Business in China
The Chinese Economy. Understanding China.
With the opening of special economic zones since 1978, China has transformed its sluggish planned economy system into a lively socialist market economy system. China has maintained strong and steady growth over recent years. With its gross domestic product (GDP) growing at an annual rate of 9.9% in 2005 to about US$2.26 trillion in 2005, China has become the sixth largest economy in the world and is expected to rank second by 2030. Meanwhile, China has successfully maintained a low inflation rate - its consumer price index (CPI) grew by a modest 0.9% in September 2005 from a year earlier. China is opening her arms not only to tourists, but also international businesses and entrepreneurs.
Over 15 million foreigners enter China every year for leisure, business or to attend conferences. Among the world's 500 biggest multinational enterprises, 450 have started operations in China. By 2005, about 550,000 foreign investment enterprises (FIEs) had set up operations in China. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) exceeded US$60.3 billion in 2005. Domestic investments are relatively paltry as Chinese citizens are avid savers, leaving FDI to generate a substantial part of the country's economic activities. Imports and exports soared by 23.2% to US$1,422.1 billion. Trade surplus for 2005 jumped to US$101.9 billion from $32 billion in 2004 mainly because of surging exports of mobile phones, textile products and steel.
Like many other Asian countries, China's foreign reserves have exceeded their optimum level in recent years. According to the International Monetary Fund, China now has about US$840 billion of foreign reserves (including Hong Kong), surpassing Japan to become the country with the highest foreign reserves in the world. In July 2005, China decided to peg its currency, the renminbi (RMB) or yuan, to a variety of currencies instead of linking it exclusively to the US dollar. The landmark policy change was made in order to ease the pressure China faced from its large foreign reserves and record trade surpluses.
General Overview of China
With an area of 9.6 million square kilometres and a population of more than 1.3 billion, China is one of the biggest countries in the world. Blessed with beautiful landscape, 56 ethnic groups and the oldest continuous civilisation known to mankind, China has long been one of the world's favourite travel destinations. The climate in China is very diverse, subarctic in its northern border and tropical in the south. North China typically has four distinct seasons - bitter cold winter, blazing hot summer, and short spring and autumn. In the south, cities like Kunming, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, spring-like weather prevails in all seasons with temperatures usually ranging between 15C and 30C.
East China and west China vary in terms of terrain. The majority of the landscape in west China comprise plateaus, mountains and deserts while in the east, plains, deltas, and hills dominate, making the land suitable for cultivation.
Among China's 56 ethnic groups, the Han people make up about 92% of the country's total population. Over 50 languages are used throughout China, for example, Han, Tibetan, Urghur and Korean. The Han peopleuse many dialects in different parts of China, such as Cantonese, Shanghainese, Hokkien etc, apart from Mandarin, which is China's official language.
Related Resources
Politics and Legislation in China
China is large country and it is divided into 23 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, 4 municipalities directly under the Central Government, and 2 special administrative regions. The National People's Congress is the highest organ of state power in China.The central and highest organ of State administration is the State Council. The Central People's Government, exercises unified leadership over the local state administrative organs at various levels throughout the country.
Currently, China is undergoing reforms to set up a three-level local administrative division system, namely at provincial level (provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government), county level (cities, counties, etc), and town level. These reforms seek to build a more efficient government, dismantle bureaucratic barriers and develop an effective socialist market economy.
The Communist Party is the sole party in power in China. A multi-party cooperation and political consultation political system is adopted under the leadership of the Communist Party of China.
China's Constitution is the fundamental law of the state.
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The 10 Yr. Old
I love this video of Rep. Joe Walsh on a CNN show speaking about Obama. He describes the President as a "ten-year old" who is "in over his head." Can't say I disagree.
He makes some other great points as well. Obama doesn't like to take any criticism and gets awfully defensive when people question his policies and what he has actually accomplished as President. If he had accomplished something, I don't think Obama would get so defensive. But he hasn't, and he knows it, and now he's putting on a front that it close to tumbling down.
Walsh also mentions his golfing and how he really has no right to question where the Republicans have been when he has been hard to find in the White House.
Hope you guys enjoy listening to Walsh speak as much as I did.


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Monarchs Down FAU, 78-66; Freeman Scores 1,000th Point at ODU
Photo Courtesy: Old Dominion Athletics
BOCA RATON, Fla. – Trey Freeman scored a game-high 28 points, while recording his 1,000th point in an ODU uniform and leading Old Dominion (11-10, 4-4 C-USA) to a 78-66 victory over Florida Atlantic (5-16, 3-5 C-USA) on Thursday night at FAU Arena. Freeman has now recorded 28 points or more in five consecutive games (28, 28, 28, 37 and 28). The Monarchs led for 39:30 of the possible 40 minutes and never trailed the entire game.
To go along with a game-high 28 points, Freeman also hauled down six rebounds and dished out three assists. Zoran Talley tied a career-high with 16 points to go along with eight rebounds and three assists. Brandan Stith followed, recording 14 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
For the game, the Monarchs outrebounded Florida Atlantic 42-24. Old Dominion shot 50% (28-56) from the floor for the contest.
Florida Atlantic's Solomon Poole nailed a three-pointer to pull the Owls within 10 points, 74-64, with 1:47 to play; however, FAU would get no closer as ODU answered with four straight points to ultimately claim a victory on Thursday in Florida.
Old Dominion possessed a 53-48 advantage with 11:27 to play in the second half behind 50% shooting from the floor. With 7:57 remaining in regulation, the Monarchs led the Owls 63-44 off a Freeman jumper, which resulted in the largest lead of the game.
ODU jumped out to an early 16-2 lead with 12:40 to play in the first half, as five different Monarchs contributed points to that point. The Owls answered with an 8-0 run over a 55 second span to cut their deficit to 16-10.
Old Dominion claimed a 31-24 lead at halftime behind a half-high 12 points from Zoran Talley. Freeman followed with nine points, which gave him exactly 1,000 in an ODU uniform. The Monarchs led for 19:10 of the possible 20 minutes and never trailed in the first half.
Entering Thursday night, the Owls were winners of three of their last four contests. Florida Atlantic was led by Ronald Delph's 16 points and eight rebounds.
From ODU Sports.


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Business Briefs: Job openings, Airbnb, Labor Day travelPosted: Updated:
We are getting close to record number of job openings. The U.S. Labor Department says 6.7 million jobs were available in June. This despite a drop in hiring, something economists say shows a strong, but tightening labor market positioned to spur overall wage growth.
More businesses are turning to Airbnb for their travel arrangements. The company says 15 percent of its bookings are now made through "Airbnb for Work." The company says it can offer specialized work spaces, as well as transfer employees getting acquainted to a new city.
It's not too late to make Labor Day travel plans. Hopper says flights over the holiday weekend are down 14 percent from last year. That's the lowest they have been in four years, says Cheddar. Among the cheapest destinations right now are Fort Lauderdale, Atlantic City, and Chicago.


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House Clearance
If you need a complete house cleared or just a single item removed call Future Recycling today 020 8660 5160 or 07774 995455. We offer low cost house clearance across the UK and are only a phone call away. We always agree a price before we start work and that will be the price you pay, with no hidden extras – that is guaranteed.
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Patriots fans can breathe a sigh of relief.
Tom Brady, who left practice after being knocked down and experiencing pain in his left knee, is apparently going to be fine.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that Brady's injury has been diagnosed as a sprain and is not serious. Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the MRI on Brady's knee was negative and he now is considered day to day.
Brady went down during a joint practice with the Buccaneers, when Tampa Bay defensive end Adrian Clayborn pushed New England left tackle Nate Solder into Brady. When he went to the ground, Brady immediately grabbed his left knee and appeared to be in pain. He was able to get up and walk, but he left the practice field.
Fortunately, this was not a repeat of his 2008 ACL tear, or even anything close to that serious. We may see more Ryan Mallett and Tim Tebow for the rest of the preseason, but Brady should be good to go when the games count.


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There are those items that every home must have if they are to remain functional and enjoy life, whereas these items make life easier such as the ability to clean ones clothes through a washing machine, also the ability to be able to keep food in a good condition as they are preserved at lower temperatures in a fridge. In regards to the above mentioned, one can appreciate that there will come a time that such crucial items may break down and the consequences will be dire for the occupants of such a house, especially because their normal day to day livelihood will be affected as they will no longer be able to efficiently take care of their laundry when the washing machine is broken.
Luckily there are those experts who have made it their business to efficiently repair such broken refrigerators, washing machines as well as dryers, whereas this is a great relief to homeowners who no longer have to worry about having an interruption in their normal life as their most valued items break down. To Read more about Home Apparatus Repair Service, click to see more here. These amazing repair service providers have had an immense experience over the many years of serving their clients, which makes them always ready for any challenge that their clients bring forth, whereas they will always handle their business in the stipulated timelines and in the most efficient manner.
It is fulfilling to point to the fact that the most trustworth dryer, refrigerator, and washing machine repair service providers understand that for them to be successful in their business, they have to invest in the expertise of their employees, and as such they have enlisted the most skilled professionals who are even motivated to serve their clients at all times to their satisfaction. To Get more info about Home Apparatus Repair Service, click to see more now. It goes without saying that, the same staff of such companies understand that they have to treat their clients very well if at all they have to maintain their services, and as such they are the most courteous staff who will happily receive their clients and answer all their burning questions regarding their repair needs and advise them on best practices of maintaining their machines in order.
The other success of any repair service provider is the ability to use the right tools for the job, whereas these amazing home apparatus repair service providers know best and have invested in modern technology that is supposed to aid their repair services and ensure that they are topnotch. They also make sure that whenever they are carrying out their repair services, they use genuine spare parts that will surely give the client an amazing value for their bucks.


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In this page perimeter and area problems we are going to see some practice questions. For each question you can find solution.
(1) Sibi wants to cover the floor of a room 5 m long and width 4 m by square tiles.If area of each square tiles is 0.5 m²,then find the number of tiles required to cover the floor of a room
(2) The cost of a right triangular land and the cost of a rectangular land are equal. Both the lands are adjacent to each other. In a right triangular land the adjacent sides of the right angles are 30 m and 40 m. The dimensions of the rectangular land are 20 m and 15 m. Which is best to purchase?
(3) Mani bought a square plot of side 50 m. Adjacent to this Ravi bought a rectangular plot of length 60 m and breadth 40 m for the same price. Find out who is benefited and how many sq. m. are more for him?
(4) Which has larger area? A right triangle with the length of the sides containing the right angle being 80 cm and 60 cm or a square of length 50 cm.
(5) A garden is in the form of a triangle. Its base is 26 m and height is 28 m. Find the cost of leveling the garden at Rs 5 per m².
(6) A diagonal of a quadrilateral is 25 cm, and perpendicular on it from the opposite vertices are 5 cm and 7 cm. Find the area of the quadrilateral.
(7) The area of a quadrilateral is 54 cm². The perpendiculars from two opposite vertices to the diagonal are 4 cm and 5 cm. What is the length of this diagonal?
(8) A plot of land is in the form of a quadrilateral, where one of its diagonals is 250 m long. The two vertices on either side of the diagonal are 70 m and 80m away. What is the area of the plot of the land?
perimeter and area problems perimeter and area problems


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|Used to be, when deciding which pen to take on a trip, the most important quality it could have was its proximity to me while I packed. I just grabbed anything, but like every unattached man who spends a considerable percentage of his life walking, I've had plenty of time for superfluous contemplation.
Sometimes it might be about the nature of existence or how everything in the universe is connected in a very real way, or I might wonder how salmon would feel if they knew we had a color called "salmon", but it wasn't the color of their healthy scales... My thoughts on the trail aren't always meaningful or useful, but I think about practical things too. Like what would be the best writing utensil for a backpacker. Also, cheeseburgers come up a lot.
I write most nights, while lying in a tent or hammock, at weird angles. Sometimes while hiking, I stop to write something down in cold temperatures or at high altitudes and get frustrated with pens that fail.
After some research (i.e. watching the "Pen" episode of Seinfeld), I decided to try using the astronaut pen, aka Fisher Space Pen. Actually, I just use the refill ink for it, which offers some advantages for backpackers:
The tubing runs about $3-4 in most hardware stores, for 8 tubes.
First, slide the tube over the pen with about a 1/16th of an inch hanging over the end.
Constantly move the flame back and forth so you don't burn the tube. It will start shrinking in a couple of seconds.
Now it's comfortable to write with and it stays put when I stick it on my ear, which I do a lot. Final weight, just 3 grams.
Since I use a space pen, occasionally I hear the joke about how NASA spent millions of dollars to develop a pen that would work in zero-gravity, when crafty Russians solved the problem by using a pencil. This would be a funny anecdote about wasteful government spending if it were true, but it's a myth. What can I say, I'm a huge NASA fan, so I'm compelled to defend them...
Actually, NASA didn't develop it, Paul Fisher did, independently and without government money. He presented it to NASA, they tested it thoroughly, and started using it on space missions. Cost to NASA, $2.95 each.
It's not clear how much he spent to develop the pen, but it is clear that he did it to market his pen company. The space program was incredibly popular in those days, and he wanted to capitalize on it by making the pen the astronauts used.
Hmm, now I'm wondering if his marketing genius had anything to do with that Seinfeld episode.
It's true that Russian cosmonauts used pencils, because before these pens were invented, pens didn't work well in extreme temperatures or in a vacuum. Pencils are problematic too, though. Wood and lead burn rapidly in a pure oxygen environment and plastic mechanical pencils with graphite "lead" broke easily, which caused problems when floating around in zero gravity by shorting out electronics and floating into eyes and noses.
Then the inventor, Paul Fisher, walk in with an inexpensive solution to a potentially expensive problem, a little cartridge of thixotropic ink hermetically sealed and pressurized with nitrogen gas. It has been used in all manned space missions since. Not long after the Americans adopted the space pen, the Russian started using it as well.
So, a story that has been touted as proof of wasteful American spending, is actually a story of American innovation and our entrepreneurial spirit. And most importantly, now I don't have to roll over on my elbow in the middle of the night to write down a thought that I'm convinced is interesting or clever, even if I'm on top of Mount Whitney in the middle of winter.
I may have walked 3,000 miles with gear on my back, but rolling over on my elbow to write? Come on, I'm not Superman.
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Thursday, February 7, 2013
The Best Backpacking Pen: Space Pen Ink Cartridge
A Backpacker's Life List by Ryan Grayson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.


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Galapagos Photos
Dive The Galapagos
|Galapagos Flights
People often ask about airlines to the Galapagos, both in terms of which airline to fly and weight limitations, especially important to divers. So hopefully, what you'll have here is a flight guide that answers all questions. To see 2016 flight prices, click here. To see Avianca's flight schedule for 2016, click here.
Arriving into Ecuador:
The new airport in Quito is 70-90 minutes outside the city. So if your flight arrives around 11PM, as so many do, you would arrive at your hotel around 12:30 AM at the earliest. If you have an early departure...say the 7:40 AM ... and need to be back at the airport by 6AM, you are going to have 4 hours in a Quito hotel at best. If you end up in rush hour, transfer times could be longer. If you have only one night, it's best to stay near the airport.
If you wish to do some sightseeing on mainland Ecuador, Quito offers much more than Guayaquil. You can visit cloud forests, take a quick flight over to the Amazon jungle (far better than in Peru), visit one of South America's most famous indigenous markets 2 hours away in Otavalo or simply tour Old Quito which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. There are haciendas to enjoy and snow capped mountains to climb. You can ride horses in the Andes, go river rafting and so very much more.
Most areas around Quito are at 9,000 ft and above altitude. That altitude will make you feel a bit tired until acclimated. If you suffer from altitude sickness, please do fly into Guayaquil.
Guayaquil is a city at sea level on large rivers, even though, on a map, it looks like it's on the coast. The closest beach is about an hour away. The Malecon is a nice river walk for tourists, the iguana park in the city is interesting and I must admit, night time at Las Penas is fun, but I'd stick with Quito for mainland activities.
Airport Hotel Recommendations in Ecuador:
We don't book mainland hotels because you can get the same price, or better, online than we can get for you. We are more than happy to answer any questions and assist you with deciding which hotel, but below are our recommendations if you are simply flying in and flying out to Galapagos.
Quito: The UIO Airport is located 70-90 minutes outside of Quito.
Wyndham Quito Airport Hotel - new hotel with nice rooms that are reasonably priced. It is 2-5 minutes away from the airport and offers transfers to the airport every 30 minutes.
Casa Jimenita -very comfortable hacienda style accommodations 20 minutes away from airport.
Rincon de Puembo - nice hotel 20 minutes from the airport.
Quito Airport Hotel - simple, inexpensive, good breakfast, reliable transfers and 20 minutes from the airport.
Casa Puembo - another inexpensive option 20 minutes from the airport.
Guayaquil: All hotels we recommend are 5-15 minutes from the GYE Airport.
Hilton Colon Guayaquil: Large Hilton located 10 minutes from GYE with all the usual amenities of a Hilton.
Holiday Inn: There is a Holiday Inn located very close to the airport. They offer regular airport shuttles. If you're arriving late and leaving early, it will be the most convenient.
Hostal Macaw: A hostal in Ecuador indicates the number of rooms and is not the same as the backpacker association many have with the word. It's more of a small inn. Husband/wife owner. He was one of the first ever dive guides in Galapagos and has amazing stories. 3 blocks from the Hilton Colon. Breakfast included. Transfers available at an extra charge.
Hotel Continental: High rise in downtown across the street from the famous Iguana Park, a small city block sized green space chocked full of land iguanas. Has a 24 hour diner that features tipico food, popular with the locals. Especially good coffee and juices. Breakfast Included. Good weekend rate and free airport transfers.
Unipark: 151 room hotel across from the Iguana Park and Hotel Continental. Sleek, modern décor and a fitness center with whirpool and sauna. Owned by the more expensive (though fairly aged) Oro Verde. Transfers available at an extra charge.
VERY IMPORTANT: Taxi crimes exist in Guayaquil. No matter where you opt to stay, it is quite important that you arrange your airport transfers directly with the hotel. And no worries, they all speak English if you don't speak Spanish. Be safe and only use pre-arranged transportation. Some charge for the transfer while others offer it for free.
Flying To Galapagos:
Unless you are arriving on a red-eye, after an overnight in either Guayaquil or Quito, you should arrive to the airport 1.5 - 2 hours in advance. Before you even check in for your flight, you must first purchase a transit control visitor card and receive your Galapagos customs form. Two pieces of the bottom of the customs form are detachable. 1 has a hologram of Galapagos wildlife with your name on it and can be used as your ID in Galapagos so you don't have to carry your passport around. The other stub you must store away somewhere safe as you will need to present it at departure. We recommend slipping it into your passport. So again, upon arrival, go to the Consejo de Gobierno window before going to your airline counter or you will simply wait in line only to be sent back to the Consejo de Gobierno window.
Next, they run your bag through an X-Ray machine and may decide to inspect it for organic material. You may transport most processed foods that are sealed, but things like some raw nuts, fruit, bulk items that are not sealed, etc are not permitted.
After that, go to your airline's counter for check-in and boarding passes. They don't usually ask if you have an aisle or window preference, so if you do, best to let them know when you present your passport. Typically, they don't ask for your e-ticket, just your passport. Please note that if you may have to pay any additional fees (extra weight or if prices rose since you purchased your tickets).
Upon arrival, you will go through a Customs Line at the airport. You present the form you received at the mainland airport and pay your National Park Entrance Fee (currently $100 pp) in cash. You will receive 2 parts of the form back. 1 has a hologram of Galapagos wildlife and may serve as your ID while in Galapagos so you don't have to carry around your passport. The other form you need to present when you depart Galapagos, so put it somewhere safe and accessible. I recommend slipping it inside your passport. Your carry on bags will be checked for organic goods and then you go collect your luggage.
Weight Restrictions:
Which Airline to the Galapagos?
What are the differences? Well, in terms of the flight itself, I don't think there is much of a difference in service. If you do book your own flight...just be sure you fly into the correct airport!!
Galapagos Flights Booking Recommendation:
It is basically an insurance policy to have us book your flights because: 1)Your liveaboard knows exactly where you are so no one will be in the dark, thus minimizing any confusion. 2) If something changes that necessitates a change in your flights, we're on top of it even while you're away and out of signal range. 3) If you need any last minute changes to your flights, we take care of it for you with zero hassle for you.
Having said that, Avianca does offer prices on their website lower than we, or the liveaboards themselves, can obtain. So, if you are booking your own flight, you might be able to get substantial savings by booking your entire itinerary via either Avianca or LAN websites, but PLEASE fly into the correct airport and please use the official flight information below as a guideline for arrival times:
Aggressor: Avianca Airlines
Thurs : Flight AV1684: Departs Quito at 10:25 AM. Departs Guayaquil at 12:00 PM. Arrives Baltra at 12:50 PM.
Sun: Flight AV1636: Departs Quito at 09:00 AM. Departs Guayaquil at 10:40 AM. Arrives San Cristobal at 11:30 AM.
Mon: Flight AV1630: Departs Quito at 10:10 AM. Departs Guayaquil at 11:50 AM. Arrives San Cristobal at 12:40 PM.
Nortada: TAME Airlines
Fri: TAME Flight EQ 193. Departs Quito at 09:00 AM. Departs Guayaquil at 10:30 AM. Arrives Baltra at 11:30 AM.
Flight Departure Taxes:
Most arrival/departure taxes are included in your ticket unless you purchased your ticket a long time ago, prior to the implementation of any new airport taxes. If new taxes become regulation, you may need to pay extra at the airport as the airlines do not grandfather pricing.


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Solar Ear – Zimbabwe – A Rechargeable Hearing Aid | UNICEF
Hearing Aid Prices- What Are You Spending for?
There are a selection of aspects that go into making up hearing help costs. Besides paying for the listening device, there are other expenses related to medical examination, hearing test, changes, innovation, batteries, guarantee and service. These expenses can not be avoided completely. However, if you compare and check out various dealers, you need to have the ability to find a listening device that fits your spending plan as well as satisfies your hearing needs.
Medical Checkup And Also Hearing Test
A medical exam is the initial as well as crucial step to determining the root cause of your hearing loss. A doctor can detect if your hearing issue is a clinical problem that can be dealt with. Some hearing issues can be remedied, either totally or partially. Several insurance policy programs cover the medical examination, so you are only needed to contribute part of the medical cost.
When your medical professional has actually eliminated any kind of hidden clinical trouble, you'll need to take a hearing examination to identify the level of your hearing loss as well as the most appropriate style of listening device for you.
Hearing Help Innovation
The extremely first listening device were analog which only offered basic audio amplification. With the development of listening devices innovation come programmable and digital listening devices. Digital modern technology offers the best audio top quality as well as amplification, removing distortion of really loud noises. Normally, digital listening device are one of the most pricey, yet some listening device makers such as Siemens use them in low, mid or high range to fit every budget, way of living and hearing loss.
Hearing aid prices boost with each included functions such as adjustable quantity control, directional microphone, remote, Bluetooth and also cordless modern technology. So, expect to pay even more for hearing aids with many features.
Service warranty
A listening device purchased from a trusted representative or audiologist will be accompanied by a service warranty for one year or even more. Some service warranties cover damages to the hearing that is due to defective design, producing or fitting while various other service warranties prolong beyond that to include damage or problems that are not the fault of style, manufacture or fitting. Usually, they will replace the listening devices for free or will certainly charge you a minimal refit cost. A warranty is very helpful because the supplier soaks up the expenses rather than you.
Battery substitute is an ongoing expense of preserving your listening devices. Search to discover batteries with the lowest possible cost. Purchase from major merchants online or offline. It's best to patronize stores with high turn over so you can be sure to get new and also fresh batteries that can last much longer.
Research shows that only 1 in 5 people that might gain from hearing help actually use them. A hearing problem can leave you really feeling separated. It can trigger you to shy away from social situations as well as individual communications with others. Listening device can help to improve your hearing ability and lifestyle. Do your research and you are bound to find a top quality listening devices at an affordable rate.


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Regatta Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez started last weekend at this famous and popular touristic city on Cote d'Azur. It gathered together owners and lovers of modern yachts from all over the world.
Till the 5th of October the city and the bay has changed into a battle field for many vessels in the eyes of sophisticated (and not very sophisticated 🙂 ) audience. It has become a real open air museum where you can see true masterpieces of yacht construction.
* Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez – the annual event in Saint-Tropez since 2006


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Project Portal: Toyota's Hydrogen Fuel Cell powered Class-8 proof-of-concept is seen operating in the Port of Long Beach.
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Clad in brilliant red shielding and featuring glowing LED lighting that will be the highlight of any power gaming rig, Sound Blaster Zx is the bad boy of the Sound Blaster Z-Series ultra-high-performance sound cards. With an impressive 116dB SNR and bursting with high-grade hardware and software features, this complete home entertainment audio system is hard to beat.
CLEARER, LOUDER, HARDER, BETTER! The Sound BlasterX H5 radiates with comfort in every element of the design. It's made up of reinforced steel headband and aluminium architecture. Sound BlasterX H5 features an ergonomically-tested design that guarantees comfort over long stretches of gaming sessions, and withstand the rigours of gameplay.
Proudly display your Sound Blaster gaming headset or any pair of headphones on the Sound Blaster Headset Stand instead of chucking it on your tabletop. It is sturdily crafted with durable ABS plastic and black-plated cold rolled steel for strength and a more refined finishing. Branded with the Sound Blaster logo, this stylishly designed accessory complements any gaming setup and is a must for the serious gamer.
These (Sound BlasterX H5) are the most comfortable headphones I've ever owned. Even after an 8 hour gaming session while wearing glasses, they are still perfectly comfortable. I simply cannot fault them.
9 out of 10
Sound BlasterX H5 Gaming Bundle
One thing I really like about the headset is the headband; it's more robust than it looks, springing back into place after we bend it up so that the headband is nearly flat. Creative did this by using steel underneath the padding instead of plastic. While doing this with other headsets often makes me cringe, the Sound BlasterX H5 happily takes the bending in stride.
85 out of 100
Sound BlasterX H5 Gaming Bundle
The Sound BlasterX H5 isn't the loudest headset out there but it's plenty loud enough in our opinion, especially given how well it attenuates external sounds, and it also doesn't distort a maximum volume like so many cheaper models. Music is handled very well with bass notes that are nice and warm but not overpowering.
82 out of 100
Sound BlasterX H5 Gaming Bundle
Have tested various option and found the product quality is good.
Excellent Sound Card, I am very pleased with its sound quality.
Surprisingly!! great sounding card for games and music. It brought back the confidence I had of creative products. Software worked perfectly with my Win7 64bit :P (which was the main issue I had when upgrading my winXP to win7) had an old Audigy music. Each and every software and hardware provided, worked seamlessly and brought a user friendly 'controllable' environment, yet simple too use. Great Product I rate it as 4.5 stars..lol would be 5 if it was slightly cheaper. :P


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The Traffic Advisory speaker series, sponsored by the Barr Foundation and organized by the Boston Society of Architects and the BSA Foundation (formerly the Boston Foundation for Architecture), brought together leaders from across North America and Europe to talk to us about the role that 21st century transportation can and should play in adapting to a new period of transformative change. The series finished during the summer of 2014 and, as the series progressed, clear messages emerged: we need to plan now and with great ambition; 21st century transportation can help us address significant social, economic, and environmental challenges; and in an era of steadily diminishing public resources, we must do more than talk about the significant economic payback associated with strategic transit investments; we must find innovative ways to actually pay for them.
BSA Foundation: Provoking Positive Change
The BSA Foundation connects people locally and globally to envision Boston as a modern city with an equitable transportation policy that allows people to move freely around the city, and from city to suburb. Learn more about BSA Foundation initiatives
Video archive of all Traffic Advisory lectures:
Transportation Today:
Opening panel discussion
Stephanie Pollack, Beverly Scott,
Robert Puentes
Sustainable Mobility
Jeffrey Tumlin
Cities for People:
Pedestrian and bike systems
Helle Søholt
Beyond Smart Cities:
Design of new urban systems
Ryan Chin
Transit Equity
john a. powell
City Models/
Three perspectives
Phillip Washington, Harriet Tregoning,
Jerry Dobrovolny
From Rome to the North End:
Life without driving
Ignazio Marino, Mayor of Rome
Bus Rapid Transit:
A global perspective
Rehana Moosajee, Joseph Calabrese,
Walter Hook
The Future of Transportation:
A practical approach
Gabe Klein
The Traffic Advisory speaker series was originally part of Overhaul: The 2013–2014 Transportation Series, an expansive series of design exhibitions, lectures, and other programs offering the region's most comprehensive look at urban-transportation visioning, with Traffic Advisory, a speaker series focused on opportunities and challenges for Greater Boston; and Rights of Way: Mobility and the City, a design exhibition focusing on the past, present, and future of transportation. Traffic Advisory speakers include regional, national, and international transportation policy makers and visionaries. The series is organized by the Boston Society of Architects, the Boston Foundation for Architecture, Boston's Green Ribbon Commission, and the Barr Foundation.


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|Off-Topic All off topic general discussion, NO LADDER POSTS.
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|May 9th, 2014, 09:19 PM
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Settle down bitches,,,,,,, everyone still on the planet?
member and founder of the"space wasting, off topic bastards club"
'May the wind always be at your back and the sun upon your face. And may the winds of destiny carry you aloft to dance with the stars.'
R.I.P KRD, I miss you buddy.
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|May 12th, 2014, 09:52 PM
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Another page turned
Coasters street raps
I Hate Capcom.
|August 25th, 2014, 03:14 AM
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Location: Phoenix, AZ
Posts: 4,128
For a friend of mine it took four years of HRT to get her boobs to a small B cup size. But she's an older lady, albeit, not as old as I. Hence, it should be even more difficult to get my boobs to an appreciable size. Aaaaaaah, but I know some sweet little tricks using herbal assists and phytoestrogens. I'm pretty close to a B cup now and you can get a soft but firm and plump handful of feminine boob. Certainly more than a mouthful. And it hasn't been quite a year yet since I've been on (bio-identical) HRT.
Okay, my prior post gives the impression I started HRT last August. Well, on that attempt I didn't use a decent product or a decent dosage and I didn't include other things I needed with it. I wasn't getting it right at all. So, I stopped. Regrouped, reconnoitered, recalculated, retreated, researched, revamped and restarted last few days of September.
Damnedest thing happened. Let's backtrack and I'll give you some background information first.
I have a female brain but for four or five decades (is it considered started from puberty or before then is the question; I think before puberty, albeit in smaller amounts) my brain has been running with the wrong hormone: TESTOSTERONE. The female brain doesn't work quite right on testosterone. Besides feeling shitty all the time, there was a part of my female brain which wasn't really working much at all. It's not a very smart part of the brain but it provides a vital female drive. It makes women want to go out and find a good man, take his seed (crave it), get pregnant, see to it the man is a good provider or see to good nesting, see to a good pregnancy or bring the child to term and look to taking care of the child after delivery. All the things necessary for a successful pregnancy and good child rearing. The colloquial term for this part of the female brain would be "biological clock."
So, about a half week before Veterans Day my brain starts working better on female hormones and my "biological clock" fucking kicks in and tells me to go out and get pregnant. I'm all like WTF, I can't get pregnant. Well, it just doesn't fucking listen. It's a one way conversation and just keeps telling me to get knocked up. So now I crave men and their seed. I enjoy doing what before where I would have been so just going like eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew! I knew that HRT could change preference for some of us sometimes. Yet, I thought I'd stay strictly lesbian no matter what. Now I'm bisexual. But it's cool because, even though I felt pretty damned feminine already before, I feel even more womanly now. It feels so right.
Even though I'm finally running on female hormones it takes more than just estadiol, estriol, estrone or even progesterone (added to balance out or lessen risks with estrogens) to grow breasts. It also takes DHEA (dihydroepiandrosterone) and growth hormone. Well, guess what. Both DHEA and growth hormone are commonly low for us older ladies. Hence, this set of circumstances makes it difficult for us to grow decent sized breasts. Fortunately, I've found ways using herbals to boost my DHEA levels and possibly some growth hormone boost as well. So, for less than a year of HRT my boobs are doing rather well. I'd like my breasts to grow to 'D' cup size but I could settle for a 'C' cup. New and young breasts!
Being a woman is the best. We have so many things going on inside, things we feel, awareness ... you guys just can't imagine what it's like.
Last edited by Orinoco Flow : August 25th, 2014 at 03:30 AM.
|September 11th, 2014, 09:18 PM
Join Date: May 2000
Posts: 13,001
Live!: beerhammer
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member and founder of the"space wasting, off topic bastards club"
'May the wind always be at your back and the sun upon your face. And may the winds of destiny carry you aloft to dance with the stars.'
R.I.P KRD, I miss you buddy.
|September 19th, 2014, 03:52 PM
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Location: Phoenix, AZ
Posts: 4,128
Shit, man, I didn't know it myself.
Sure, I should have known. But I didn't. Not really known it. I'd like to say I was clueless but I saw all the indications. I never felt like a guy. Never felt as though I belonged. Never liked all the guy habits or views. I just didn't know who else I could have been, really. I saw all the pieces. I just never connected up the dots. I was so good at making excuses. I was very good with the fit-faucet rule. It was such a deep dark secret that even I didn't know.
I am proud to be a woman, to be myself. I am damn sure not going to keep quiet about who I am now that I know so much more than I did before. Everybody else gets to be themselves out in the open. Nobody is better so why shouldn't I get to be myself openly? You've seen how outspoken I can be. If I had known who I was back then I never could have kept it a secret. The only way to keep it secret was for it to be a secret from myself.
Look, things are still not as good as they should be even today. But back when I was a kid they were much worse.
So, if this had not been kept a secret even from myself back then, all the parents of the neighborhood would have been aghast that "the despicable little pervert" could be allowed to mingle amongst their pristine little children. Afraid I'd warp their fragile little minds and give them "the disease." And then, one dark and moonless night, I'd have been taken from my home, lynched, beaten mercilessly, raped and murdered by the goodly parents of the local PTA. Probably handed over by my own "father" (donor is more like it). He was a macho bastard like that. Probably why the Deity removed him when I was eight (he may have suspected).
I'm sorry I couldn't tell you all about this earlier (I told you about it as soon after I found out: click here) but isn't it better that I'm alive today?
What do you mean, "WTF?"
Mike, this is a good thing.
Can you imagine what it's like for a person to go five decades without knowing self? What it's like for a person to go that long without being allowed to be herself? Being given the wrong "manual" to grow up to during the teenage years? How does a person grow up without knowing who she is?
After over five decades I finally get to be myself. I finally know what a blessing it is to be alive. Can you just be happy for me for that?
And I've these breasts growing. They feel so awesome! My hips are wide. (Well, I could stand to lose this pooch.) Got these rawwkin' leeeeeeeeegs and this hot butt. I feel so sexy and womanly all the time. Nothing better! Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ...
I was worn down at fifty four. If the Deity hadn't finally told me who I was then, I would have died. I couldn't have gone any further without myself.
Just be happy for me, Mike.
|September 19th, 2014, 04:02 PM
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Location: Phoenix, AZ
Posts: 4,128
Remember Ocelot back from the Dreamcast IRC days? After a year and a half or two he finally saw my alleged sex mentioned. He then told me he always assumed I was a girl. So I just asked him if it really mattered. So we agreed it didn't.
|October 3rd, 2015, 11:52 AM
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Location: Detroit, MI
Posts: 9,962
I meant open.
"Respect is earned. Never given."
|November 12th, 2015, 10:55 PM
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|July 20th, 2016, 07:56 AM
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Location: Phoenix, AZ
Posts: 4,128
Because I wasn't announced before as so? From that viewpoint, yes. But I was here way back.
After finding out I'm female at the age of fifty four it has been a rather rough haul even after being source for exhilaration. A person can't even really become a real adult without knowing who self is. Also, first time around I was handed the wrong guidebook instead of the proper one for females. So, now I'm going through puberty again in my fifties (hormones).
Last week I watched "9 Months that Made You" on PBS. Great show and very interesting. One thing I'd like to point out from the show :
For human babies, inutero in the fifteenth week of development, another surge of testosterone occurs which continues at least into the sixteenth week.
(Sometimes that surge is very larger than usual. At that fifteenth week the effect on brain development for such individuals is that they more often are risk takers and thrill seekers.)
Weeks earlier the configuration of the reproductive organs has already been determined. The sex of the brain sets in the sixteenth week. Occasionally, brain sex develops which is a mismatch to the earlier genital configuration. It is not known of certainty the exact cause, e.g., (M2F) one theory being neural resistance to testosterone occurs. However, it is known as fact that when this occurs it is in the sixteenth week. The configuration of the brain (M2F) is then more consistent with female development.
|August 24th, 2016, 08:57 PM
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Location: Phoenix, AZ
Posts: 4,128
Oh, hi, leo. Seen hiro lately?
"I can't explain myself, I'm afraid, sir,' said Alice, 'Because I'm not myself you see."
-- Lewis Carroll from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
(This was SO ME prior to Feb2012.)
|August 24th, 2016, 09:03 PM
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|August 29th, 2016, 04:17 PM
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Location: Auburndale, FL
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I don't even know what's going on here. I need to go back a page or two and catch up! I even posted once or twice in that span without reading till reading the last few comments.
|April 17th, 2017, 04:44 AM
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Location: Phoenix, AZ
Posts: 4,128
Haven't used a console since the DC. That was ages ago. I have an AMD triple core (unlockable fourth core, which I've never looked into how-tos for but I ran across one report of a failed unlock attempt which went rather badly) AM3 socket Athlon 2 of 2.7GHz per core on a Gigabyte motherboard with 8 GB DDR2 RAM and a decent ATI Radeon vidcard for the time. It's not current but it's no slouch either. I assembled it rather economically as well. I'll take that over any Xbox or PlayStation any day.
Yeah, after the spy Bernie Stolar brought down Sega that killed it for me for consoles.
Last edited by Orinoco Flow : April 17th, 2017 at 04:56 AM.
|May 12th, 2017, 05:23 PM
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Live!: http://card.mygamercard.net/mini/fingertips215.jpg
Holy crap I just went back read when I first started posting in here. I'd like to kindly inform the three remaining people in thread that I am no longer retarded.
Big mike, report your loss got dammit! It's been over 15 years, time to let the world know who's the true Sega Swirl champion!!!
Zagga Zow, Zagga Zagga Zagga, Zagga, Zagga Zow
|June 8th, 2017, 07:15 PM
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Location: Phoenix, AZ
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Maybe you've just grown up since then or closer to it. Glad to hear you're doing well.
Yeah, you were always kicking BigMike's butt at segaswirl. BigMike, report your loss!
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More Nordstrom Anniversary sale goodness! If you're like me, you love this time of year because MAC always does something special for Nordstrom and I always look forward to the new palettes or sets.
While I miss the palettes, I like the direction MAC is going in with these Look in a Box sets, don't you? Each set retails for $59.50 and includes staples for each look: mascara, eyeshadow, blush and lip color. Here's a sneek peak at each set:
Look in a Box: Frisky Girl
- Beauty Powder in Pretty Baby
- Powder Blush in Well Dressed
- Mineralize Eyeshadow in Mercurial
- Lipglass in Nymphette
- Zoom Fast Black Mascara
Look in a Box: Miss Violet
- Beauty Powder in Rose
- Powder Blush in Desert Rose
- Mineralize Eyeshadow in Love Stone
- Lipglass in Lovechild
- Zoom Fast Black Mascara
Look in a Box: Tawny One
- Beauty Powder in Refined Golden
- Powder Blush in Coppertone
- Mineralize Eyeshadow in Jupiter
- Lustreglass in Love Nectar
- Zoom Fast Black Mascara
And of course, it wouldn't be Anniversary time without a few MAC brush sets. Can I tell you how many I have purchased over the years? More than a handful! This year there are 2 sets, an Eye Brush set and a Face Brush set, each priced at $49.50. Is it me or does the price creep up every year? Maybe it's the brush roll…
In addition to these sets, Nordstrom will finally let customize your own palette with 28 of their best selling shades to choose from and there's new Dazzle lipstick and Dazzleglass glosses as well. I don't have pictures yet but as soon as I do, you'll see them.
So what say you? Are you adding anything to your shopping list?


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Canon City, CO GED Test Centers
If you are searching for GED testing locations in Canon City, Colorado please see our listings below as well as cities near Canon City., Colorado. Choosing a good GED testing location is important, especially if you want to arrive fresh for your test in Canon City. Try to pick a nearby location if possible to minimize your travel time and come ready to succeed. Keep in mind that beginning in 2014 many states now offer the TASC test. It is an alternative to the GED and many states only offer TASC and some offer both. Check to see what test you are taking based on your state!Fremont County Head Start
1718 Brookside
Canon City, CO 81215
GED Testing Centers Near Canon City, Colorado
Pueblo ColoradoPueblo Community College
900 W. Orman Ave.
Pueblo, CO 81004
Colorado Springs ColoradoAspenPointe
220 Ruskin Dr.
Colorado Springs, CO 80910
Palmer High School
301 N. Nevada
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
Pikes Peak Community College
5675 S. Academy Blvd.
Colorado Springs, CO 80906
Castle Rock ColoradoDouglas County Libraries
100 S. Wilcox St
Castle Rock, CO 80104
Alamosa ColoradoTrinidad State Junior College
1011 Main Street
Alamosa, CO 81101
Other GED CentersUtah GED Testing
Wyoming GED Testing
New Mexico GED Testing
Arizona GED Testing
Nebraska GED Testing
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Warning: Spoiler Alert
Always remember when you watch the NBC series "The Blacklist," that every criminal Raymond "Red" Reddington gives up to the FBI, get turned in to help Reddington in some way. Sometimes it takes a while for Red to reap his reward, however in the third episode of this young television season, Reddington reaped the benefits immediately. The former Intelligence Operator turned Genius Crime Lord, multi-tasked quite well in this episode, that also showed some of Raymond's partners, showing their true colors.
The episode began in the motel Elizabeth Keen's staying in, trying to keep her paranoia in check that her former husband Tom's searching for her to kill her. She wakes up and see's Tom's glasses on her night stand, then looks up to see him standing at the foot of her bed, his pistol aimed at her head. Tom says that Red's aware he's there and he'll be there shortly, but she can't trust him. He says that as soon Red kills Berlin, he'll eliminate Liz. She tells Tom she'd be more inclined to believe him if he wasn't pointing a pistol at her, and he puts the weapon on the counter. Seconds later Reddington comes through the door and fires multiple shots at Tom, making sure this time he's truly dead. He then walks over to Lizzie and says she should consider herself warned, which is when she wakes up from her nightmare clutching her service revolver.
We see a middle-aged prosperous looking man sitting at an outdoor café, when a younger man with a shaved head joins him at his table, and the first man's mood changes radically. The bald guy tells the other man, his time's up and the man replies he didn't contact the police. The other guy responds that was smart otherwise they would have hurt his lovely family. The man asks if there's another way and the bald guy responds, that's the way they do things. The older man tips the table on his companion spilling everything on the other guy and makes a run for it.
He almost gets hit by an SUV and the driver comes out to find out what's wrong with him. The man tells the driver he needs to save him, but the bald guy arrives, injects the older man with a sedative and then takes him to an ambulance. The man regains consciousness as he's strapped to a gurney in a hospital hallway and he starts pleading with anyone and everyone. He's wheeled into the operating room and the surgeon smiles at him and tells him he's afraid his time's up.
The next morning in the Bowery, the cops start to rouse the homeless from their slumber on the streets, when one cop sees a man lying face-down on the pavement in a pair of pants without a shirt and asks the guy what happened to his clothes. The uniform finally gets a clue and turns the man over, it's the man who was the patient, lying there with a gaping hole in his chest and missing his heart.
Liz contacts Red and he identifies the man behind the surgery as Dr. James Covington, once a renowned heart and lung surgeon who got disbarred performing an illegal operation on a child. Prosecutors weighed pressing charges, but he fell off the grid. Raymond tells her that he now harvests organs for his clientele, people of means, many of them criminals. Others who're too far down on a waiting list for a new organ, they pay a premium and Covington keeps them alive.
Meanwhile Red and one of his partners in the syndicate a middle-aged Greek man named Niko Demakis, talk about Raymond's desire to get the rights for a port that would earn the syndicate lots of money. Niko responds that they don't have enough of a presence in the area to present themselves as credible candidates, but Red says they'll just make a deeper investment. Niko tells Reddington that the local official's not aligned with the syndicate, he's fighting a war against Berlin and the other partners have concerns, but Red says he'll handle things.
Later that day Niko meets with two other members of the syndicate, who also voice concerns over Red's plans. Just then a slight man walks into the room and approaches the three men. They believe he's stumbled into their meeting accidentally, but this man who looks like a yellow raisin in a Beatles wig, says No Niko, I'm exactly where I want to be. Turns out he says he's a representative of Berlin named Mr. Vargas and he's there to offer them a deal. However, before I continue, I need to reveal that the role of Mr. Vargas' performed by Paul Reubens/AKA Pee Wee Herman.
Vargas tells the three men that Berlin would like them to join his operation and leave Reddington. None of the men from the syndicate seems comfortable in the situation, but they listen to what he has to say.
Back at headquarters, Keen and Don Ressler learn from their medical examiner, that the man's heart wasn't his to begin with; he had been the recipient in a heart transplant. He tells them he's able to determine that from all the foreign tissue remaining in the victim's chest cavity. The two agents go to see the man's widow and they ask how there are no records for her husband ever receiving a heart transplant. The woman starts tearing up, saying they'll kill her if she talks, but Liz tells her they can't protect her unless she does.
Her husband's heart was failing and too far down on the waiting list to use conventional channels, so he contacted Covington and got himself a new heart and a new lease on life. Unfortunately, business went down hill then he started swindling his own company, he faced criminal charges and they filed for bankruptcy. However the widow revealed that Covington doesn't sell organs, he rents them at a fee of 500 grand a year, when money kept flowing no problem, but he couldn't pay them this year and Covington ripped out the heart as an example to others thinking of avoiding payment.
The woman revealed that they sent all their payments to a charity, that was a front for Covington's organization. They search the files and find a doctor that got paid a hefty sum from the charity and track him down. Turns out the doctor's a medical examiner and he's been the one harvesting organs for Covington. He tells the agents he'll do what ever they ask if they'll protect him. He tells them that he calls the facility when he gets a suitable organ and they send over a courier.
They setup a sting using a pig's heart, which the medical examiner says would fool most people that it's a human heart. The bald guy's the courier, he looks at the heart calls the facility grabs the case the organs enclosed in, jumps on his motorcycle and takes off. They start to prep their new patient, whose a crime lord known as BB. The guy on the bike spots Ressler and Keen and tries to escape, but gets slammed into by a truck and bites the dust. Although they lose the lead they find out about BB from the paperwork and Red happens to know him quite well.
Niko shows up at Red's office with some pictures of the other two partners with Vargas on the street, he tells Raymond they accepted Vargas' offer while he remained loyal to Reddington. He thanks Niko for the information and suggests they take a trip and confront the two men. Red, Niko and Dembe travel in Red's SUV, while four of Red's soldiers follow in another vehicle. Red and Niko approach the two men and ask why of the three of them, only Niko told him about the offer from Vargas. He then nods to the soldiers and both pairs of men grab one of the partners, while they beg Raymond not to do anything.
Niko and Vargas meet together, the plan was setup by Niko to rid Red of his allies and now he wants Vargas to eliminate Reddington. Vargas shouts that if Berlin wanted Red dead he would have killed him, but Niko says now the equations changed since he turned in two men who were loyal to Reddington. Vargas, snarls that he'll get it done.
Red finds BB at a local bar and grill courting death with every bite. He approaches the gangster's table and sees the pretty young girl whose his companion. Reddington brings up the operation and BB tells the sweet young thing to take a powder. Red tells him he wants to contact Covington and BB says he's got a number for emergencies and he's not about to give it to Red. All of a sudden the gangster starts grabbing at his chest and says he can't breath. That's due to the act that Red kept sending over free drinks to BB, that the gangster thought were from the house, but Raymond added a little something special to each cocktail, Viagra. Red shows BB the two paramedics that will help him as soon as he calls the doctor.
Aram's able to track the call somewhat, but can only narrow down the signal to a five block radius and Liz and Don go out searching. They finally track down the right building and they burst in on Covington performing an operation, but it's a lung-transplant on a 12-year-old boy. Children don't get offered adult lungs on the normal waiting lists, but Covington's saving this young boy's life with this procedure. They allow the surgeon to conclude the surgery before arresting him and they boy will live.
Red shows up at Niko's with Dembe and asks him what's so important that they had to rush down. Niko tells him that he wanted to look Raymond in the eye when he tells him he's out of the syndicate, then admits he accepted Vargas' offer not the other two partners. Vargas then shows with two henchmen and all have guns pointed at Red. Raymond walks over to Vargas, says chrome's so flashy in describing his pistol then takes the weapon from his hand. Vargas turns to Niko to inform him that actually he's the one who got fooled and the other two partners come out in perfect health. Red then tells all they won the rights to run the port he was seeking, the local official that held things up, was due to get a heart transplant, but the operation got cancelled and the man died. The man who replaced him is totally aligned with the syndicate.
With that announcement Reddington shoots Niko in the heart killing him instantly. Mr. Vargas screams, how many times do I have to ask you to not shoot anyone until you clear me from the area. Red tells his soldiers to get Vargas a chair before he faints.
The Story Continues Next Monday at 10:00pm on NBC.