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Do we get a snack on this flight, or what?
Quick quiz: You realize your job may sort of suck if you…
a) find yourself on a flight from Malta to Tripoli
b) notice the card by your seat describes you only as the "Senior Leader-in-Transit"
c) are trying to read your PDA with your sunglasses on
d) are trying to study a briefing book and can't recall if your eyes are open or shut
e) don't even care when the beverage cart goes by
f) notice you actually have a DESK on the fricking plane
g) wait. did you say Malta to Tripoli?
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Top: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton checks her PDA upon her departure in a military C-17 plane from Malta bound for Tripoli, Libya October 18, 2011.
Right: Clinton works at a desk inside the plane.
REUTERS photos by Kevin Lamarque
We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/
@Malteser can best comment on this one…
(h) You realize that you have just gotten the position of the President of the University of Wisconsin Alumni Association.
(h) don't write a humor blog for a living.
I'm thinking that "b" wouldn't be that bad. "Hey, I'm totally the one in charge here. I can call the shots on this flight."
(j) Your in-flight reading material is Blog Guy's spam file.
I think she's Carrie Fisher to Obama & Joe's Jake & Elwood http://blogs.reuters.com/oddly-enough/20 11/10/04/look-up-in-the-sky-joe/
Jake: It's good to see you, sweetheart.
Mystery Woman: You contemptible pig! I remained celibate for you. I stood at the back of a cathedral, waiting, in celibacy, for you, with three hundred friends and relatives in attendance. My uncle hired the best Romanian caterers in the state. To obtain the seven limousines for the wedding party, my father used up his last favor with Mad Pete Trullo. So for me, for my mother, my grandmother, my father, my uncle, and for the common good, I must now kill you, and your brother.
[Jake falls to his knees]
Jake: Oh, please, don't kill us! Please, please don't kill us! You know I love you baby. I wouldn't leave ya. It wasn't my fault!
Mystery Woman: You miserable slug! You think you can talk your way out of this? You betrayed me.
Jake: No, I didn't. Honest…I ran out of gas. I…I had a flat tire. I didn't have enough money for cab fare. My tux didn't come back from the cleaners. An old friend came in from out of town. Someone stole my car. There was an earthquake. A terrible flood. Locusts! IT WASN'T MY FAULT, I SWEAR TO GOD!
[Elwood covers his head in anticipation of more gunfire, Jake removes his sunglasses to make a wordless appeal, and the Mystery Woman visibly softens]
Mystery Woman: Oh, Jake… Jake, honey…
Moral of the story: never underestimate the power of a smooth talker with soulful eyes.
I like (j)…
Oh and (e) is a good one too…
@Georgia…You are in prime commenting mode. Some excellent posts.
I would offer an alternative woman-in-shades proposal: Linda Fiorentino/Dr. Weaver in MIB 1:
Dr. Weaver: You don't want to eat me. I'm a very important person on my planet. Like a queen, a goddess even. There are those who worship me. I'm not saying this to impress you, I'm just warning you it could start a war.
Edgar: War? Good. That means more food for my family. All 78 million of them. That's a lot of mouths to feed, Highness.
Dr. Weaver: You're a wonderful dad, but I'm staying HERE!
@Frisco – definitely a possibility she's a WiB. I'm sure she has enough stored up anger for either character.
BG – Frisco's post gave me an idea. Could you swap out Shra's taser for a standard issue neuralyzer? She could painlessly make us forget anything we may have learned.
wait a minute…how long has Shra had the neuralyzer??? Oh, I know you'll CLAIM you told us and we just 'forgot'. I don't believe you, BG! That explains your aviator glasses too.
Don't bother me, I'm studying the tabloids….
FRANK!!! Sic 'em!
@BG – are you a Nick Charles fan?
Nick Charles: I'm a hero. I was shot twice in the Tribune.
Nora Charles: I read where you were shot 5 times in the tabloids.
Nick Charles: It's not true. He didn't come anywhere near my tabloids.
Don't tell me you're a Dashiell Hammett fan, too? I declare, you're just about perfect!
@BG – just about? That's all I get??? 😉
my grandmother was a fan of The Thin Man movies, and I fell in love with them watching with her. That also made me a fan of any Myrna Loy/William Powell film. And any William Powell film.
okay…maybe I have a TCM addiction.
Ah. My mistake. I presumed you meant the book, not the movie series. I love the book, and everything Hammett ever wrote, but sorry, I'm not a fan of the movie series. If people drink so much that even I get tired of watching it, then they're drinking too much….
(k) you realize that you always have a squinty-eyed guy behind you either trying to read your smartphone or trying to decide if he is, indeed, sitting behind THE Hillary Rodham Clinton. (See first picture.)
(j) You have to dress respectably and accessorize with matching jewellry.
Being inside one of those is like being inside of a huge cavern.
The plane is like a cavern. Not the leader in transit…
Speaking of caves, you guys can rest easy knowing I no longer reside in one. I am now back in the land of the big PX. At least until December….
I adore the roman noir, BG. I taught all the Hammett novels in my noir fiction/film classes before I was reincarnated. You might check out the work of my friend Michael Wiley, especially his The Bad Kitty Lounge. He's on FB. Now, don't tell me you love Irish detective fiction, too….
Yay, Happy Lack of Cave to you Dave!
Stay safe,Dave…
Irish writers, Doc? That's a new one on me. I thought they were more known for their cuisine…
@Dave, until December? Well then let's stretch October and November out as best we can! Ok everybody, PULL!!!!
Look at Hillary Globemastering like a champ! What the heck is that on her shoulder though? Do we need to kill it with fire?
Skullduggery Pleasant is the closest I ever got to Irish detectives…
Try F.L. Green's Odd Man Out. Thumping good read. The Carol Reed film of the novel is good, but it doesn't hold a candle to the novel. Plot summary: The leader of the Organization is on the run after being wounded in a daring raid on a Belfast mill and struggles for 8 hours to find his way to freedom through a tightening police manhunt….
How coincidental, my mother is a senior leader in transit too!
Each day she leads the charge to the senior's buffet.
Bartholomew Gill had a nice series of mystery novels; and T.J. English has a great read in "Paddy Whacked." It's a non-fiction tale if Irish American Gangsters.
@ Spin – I wasn't online much lately and need to do some catching up…
I bet she realised her job sucked when she read on the newspaper that she was about to meet (Malta Prime Minister) Dr. Lawrence "Gaddafi". Thankfully, the newspaper she was reading issued a statement the next day saying that the PRIME MINISTER's name was erroneously reported as "Lawrence Gaddafi" instead of "Lawrence Gonzi".
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/vie w/20111022/local/Post-Gaddafi-Libya.3901 69
@Malteser: That might be a candidate for http://www.regrettheerror.com/.
Yep, seems like it would be one of the more popular posts given the gravity of the mistake lol. I couldn't resist laughing out loud when I read that error correction.


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Verizon to Bid $3 Billion for Yahoo's Web Assets2016-06-08 01:49 by Daniela
Tags: Verizon, Yahoo
According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Verizon is expected to make a $3 billion bid for Yahoo!'s main Internet assets in the second round of action. Among the other companies that want to own Yahoo are the Private equity firm TPG and AT&T.
This potential bid may make Verizon the leading contender, although at least one more round of bidding is expected and it could change in the situation.
The real action for Yahoo!'s stock price will likely come in the last 6 months of 2016 after the core business web assets are sold off. That's likely when decisions will be made about Yahoo's stakes in its Asian assets, which are the source of most of its value.
Verizon is already the owner of AOL after buying that company for $4.4 billion last year. With this purchase Verizon acquired numerous news sites, a large advertising business, and more than 2 million dial-up Internet subscribers. Buying Yahoo would give the telco control over a second giant of the early Web.
Read more -here-

subset: commoncrawl


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Showing all 10 results
High quality print catalogue showing all Abteilung goods, plus many related tutorials and models, figures, vignettes and dioramas painted with oils.
28 pages
Limited edition, only 2000 copies.
Only 2000 copies of this 286 page book will be published worldwide making the Panther Book a "must have" for lovers of history. Authors Roddy Macdougall and Martin Block, with the assistance of Panzer Tracks team bring the most comprehensive study of the formidable Panther tank to date. More than ten years of preparation have gone into this book; There are interviews with some of the personnel involved in the development and manufacture of the Panther tank. This is the first book about the Panther tank that includes detailed explanations for each of the assembly plants including specifications, Zimmerit application methods and full colour illustrations of the camouflage painting patterns along with detailed perspective drawings of the specific features. There are numerous of photographs with a significant number of them published for the first time! This isn't simply just another book, this is the standard by which all books about the Panther tank will be compared, don't miss out – once they're gone, they're gone!
The latest catalogue from ABTEILUNG502 for the present year 2018 is already available with a limited edition oriented to collectors.
All the latest new products from the luxury modellism brand published in 38 pages with a carefully edition.
*Available language: English.
Damaged is the new magazine from Abteilung 502. This new Publication wants to show modellers how to weather any type of subject, under any circumstance with various effects. Fernando Vallejo, AK's president, takes matters into his own hands and selects all the best modellers to show their best models, creations and special curiosities. Inside this magazine you can find various subjects like a truck, a ship to a tank, spaceship ship, trains….etc.
Damaged is the manual for weathered and worn models.
In this first issue you can see from the amazing snowspeeder fro Villegas, an incredible forklift by Rubén González and an awesome mad max car by Andrés Montiel… and many, many other surprises.
The highly positive reception of the rst issue of Damaged magazine gave us extra motivation to prepare an even better Issue, Number 2. In this new publi- cation you will again nd comprehensive articles dealing with a sheer variety of subjects from di erent modelling genres. The main goals of publishing this selection are to explain the techniques used by the best modellers from around the world, and show that modelling and weathering have many faces, some of which may be surprising for the reader
*Available in Spanish & English language.
We introduce you the 3rd issue of damaged, the magazine that has surprised many modellers, with a careful layout and great photos.
You can't miss it!!.
English / Spanish / German / French. 124 pages.
Mastering Oils 1, Oil Painting Techniques on AFVs, is the first one of a master series dealing with all the techniques necessary to control oil painting. In this first one the master modeler Joaquín García Gázquez shows us how to use oils in the correct way; how to mix them, how to apply them, which tools are the best for handling them. All the possibilities regarding oils applied on armored fighting vehicles with step by step guides. A masterpiece which will be very useful for any modeler.
English & Spanish. 348 pages. Hard cover.
This book is a result of an extended research on the history and organization of the armoured divisions of the Wehrmacht from its creation in 1935, until the end of World War II. It also covers the different models of AFVs that were a part of the material delivered to these divisions. Included are several organization charts, colour profiles and more than 280 archive photos, many of these previously unpublished. To complete the study, a chapter devoted to uniforms is also incorporated.
Launched under Abteilung502 brand is a perfect tool for modelers, and a precious book for history enthusiast.
Arrived in the Middle East in 1955. The tank was known as a reliable war machine from the battlefields of World War II, and quickly became a main battle tank in the Egyptian army. In the Sinai Campaign (1956), the Israeli Sherman and AMX-13 tanks met it in battle for the first time, and by the end of the operation, the IDF had managed to capture several of them. These tanks were driven through the streets of Tel Aviv as a symbol of the great victory that had protected the young, small state. Afterward, the IDF tested and studied the tanks it had captured, made sure that its soldiers learned them well, and integrated them into its Armored Corps' training course. By 1967, Syria and Egypt had bought hundreds of T-34s, and it was considered a threat that the Israeli army would definitely meet in their next war.
English, 88 pages.
This book under the ABT502 label is an art book, especially designed by Michael Kontraros for all fans of his work, and in general for those modellers who appreciate fantasy figures. This artistic book, with a very unique layout that shows us the steps of the creation of Leviathan, a work with which Michael Kontraros won several awards, ranging from his concept to his painting. The book is a limited edition of 2000 copies worldwide.
Learn the secrets of one of the contemporary master modellers with an absolutely recognizable style. Do not expect a regular modelling book, but a book to enjoy reading and learning.
*English language, 128 pages.


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Ever since OS X was released in 2001, Apple have used the names of big cats to give it a codename. We have seen, Cheetah, Puma, Jaguar, Panther, Tiger, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Lion and the current version Mountain Lion (10.8). Which leaves only one version of Mac OS X to go (10.9).
Apple currently has two unused cat names trademarked, Lynx and Cougar. However, Cougar is really another name for a Mountain Lion, so this only leaves Lynx as the likely candidate. The website Applescoop.com is stated as having information from an internal Apple source, who has said they have had sight of internal paperwork finalizing the name of the up-coming operating system.
If Apple sticks to its traditional timing of unveiling new operating systems, we can expect a public viewing at its Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco in June 2013. We may even see early preview versions appearing in the first quarter of 2013.
There is little known about what features are expected in version 10.9. It is however rumored that they will integrate Siri and Maps to the new build, which will follow Apple's continuing theme of bringing more iOS features to its Operating System. It is believed that the Maps integration will simply be an API available to developers to integrate it to their applications. (I only hope they make a better version this time around and not have a repeat of the iPhone and iPad debacle).


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You can Use Pau d'arco in different ways for unique flavors and tastes:
Once the tea has been brewed according to the basic pau d'arco recipe and is cooling down and a twig of fresh mint or a slightly heaping teaspoon of dried mint to 1 to 1.5 liters/quarts. Although this is a recipe for cold tea it is also delicious while still warm.
Lemon Pau d'arco
Add the juice of one to two lemons from organic culture, and grate some of the peel into the tea, sweeten with a little stevia.
Apple Pau d'arco
Add a good handful of dried apple pieces that have been cut down to size to 1-1.5 liters/quarts of the tea while its still hot, together with a vanilla pod and put in a cool place. Drink warm or at room temperature. To vary you can also add cinnamon if you wish.
Winter buster Pau d'arco
Prepare the tea according to the basic pau d'arco recipe then add 2 pinches of dried ginger root, a pinch of cayenne pepper and the juice of a whole organic lemon per liter/quart of the pau d'arco tea. Drink Warm.
Pau d'arco a la Creme (for sweet tooth's)
While the tea is still hot add a whole vanilla pod that has been squeezed out, together with a heaping teaspoon of candied organic orange and lemon peel and a few cloves. Decorate with whipped cream before serving!
May also sprinkle with cinnamon if desired.
Fruity Pau d'arco
Prepare the pau d'arco tea according to the basic pau d'arco recipe. When it has cooled down to drinking temperature add one quarter of a liter/quart organic cherry juice. Good warm or cold, can also be decorated with a spot of whipped cream and some grated almonds or other nuts.
Juicy Pau d'arco
For an easy taste change mix the basic pau d'arco recipe with apple or orange juice, serve warm or cold.
Brazilian Special Pau d'arco
Prepare the basic pau d'arco recipe only instead of using water use dry white wine. After it has cooled down mix with a little orange juice to your desired taste.


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By Ron Smith, Horticulturist
NDSU Extension Service
Q: About a year ago, I received a peace lily. It has done surprisingly well, considering the various opinions I have received on how to keep it healthy. About a week ago, a caterpillar appeared on the underside of one of the leaves. Two of the many leaves had been nibbled around the edges, which leads me to believe the pest hadn't been present for very long. The caterpillar (or whatever it was) was red with black markings. With this limited information, would you be able to identify this unwelcome visitor and explain how it was able to enter the house and crawl into a large flower pot on a wide window sill? Also, if this loner was able to find its way into such a succulent meal, might others of its kind follow? There are several other varieties of plants on the window sill but none have been the source of a free meal. Thank you for any help you can be on this important matter. (email reference)
A: Very likely this particular character did not crawl into your house and find the tempting peace lily to chew on. What probably happened is the female adult form came in as a flying insect (moth, beetle or fly) and laid an egg on the underside of a leaf. The egg hatched and produced this voracious eater. I have no way of knowing what this plant eater was or if you will get more visitations. Keep an eye on your houseplants for future intruders. Fall is the time when outdoor insects seek shelter against the cold and to perpetuate their species, so many will look for a place to lay eggs to begin the cycle over again for next year. Now would be a good time to check for any spaces in your foundation and to seal around windows and doors.
Q: I have a question about my lilac hedge. Every summer, the leaves turn pale and whitish. Are they lacking fertilizer? (email reference)
A: This is a powdery mildew that shows up at this time of year. You can prevent this from happening by applying a fungicide for powdery mildew control prior to it showing up. In reality, because it shows up so late in the summer, I recommend just living with it. The plants are not hurt by the infection but are aesthetically compromised.
Q: I think I have night crawlers. They're worms that come out of the ground and leave dirt mounds in my grass, so it's hard to mow. What can I use to kill them? Also, I have yellow spots in my grass. When I lift up the grass, the roots are gone and I see little, white bugs. What do you think they are and how do I kill them? (email reference)
A: You've got a grub problem. I would suggest getting someone to apply a grub insecticide to bring them under control. In doing this, you also will also impact the night crawler population in your lawn by about 25 percent.
Q: Is it too early to trim my peonies down to the ground? (email reference)
A: As a general rule, yes. The pruning down to the ground ideally is done after a hard frost shuts down any photosynthetic activity in the plants. However, with well-established peonies, this little rule can be ignored with no harm done.
Q: We've seen a lot of plants that appear to be wild asparagus. How do we know if it really is asparagus? If not, what is it? I read on a website that wild asparagus should turn a burnt orange in the fall. When is the best time to harvest it? Can it be transplanted to our garden? (email reference)
A: Wild and domestic asparagus are the same. The plants can be transplanted after a hard frost. You will be able to confirm that the plants are asparagus next spring when the spears start to appear.
Q: We live in southern Manitoba and have 25 trees that we just purchased. We have access to a large water source, but the water is relatively salty. Is this water OK to use for soaking the trees for winter? Our soil is a mix of clay, sand and loam. We haven't had any rain for a month, so I am concerned the salty water will hurt the trees. (email reference)
A: You should have the water tested for total salinity and have the salts separated out from the total to determine just what the different salts are. You are correct in being a little concerned about using this water for your trees. I would recommend that you contract to have high-quality water trucked in to use in putting your trees to bed for the winter.
Q: I have a large raspberry patch that is out of control and in need of pruning. I plan on cutting a path lengthwise to make two rows. I also would like to trim the tops and sides. What do you think of my plan and how much should I cut off at one time? The plants are healthy and produced a lot of berries this year. (email reference)
A: Go for it. You cannot kill a healthy stand of raspberries. Your plan should make life much easier for you during next year's harvest. I've cut mine down to waist height in the past with no dire consequences.
Q: I have a lawn that is not watered. It has developed two areas where the grass has turned very brown. There also are numerous spots where it looks like a horse has pawed the ground. Initially, I was told that I had voles and not moles because there are no mole hills. I then was told that I have grubs and that skunks are digging up the grubs and causing the problem. You cannot smell any skunks and no one has seen the skunks or anything else doing the digging. I was thinking I really should water these spots. What do you think my problem is and what should I do? (McClusky, N.D.)
A: Skunks can roam an area without stinking it up. Their perfume is just a means of defense. A wildlife manager once told me that skunks don't spray neighborhoods to call attention to them. However, water does miracles for lawns. If you can or want to, start a regime of watering about 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week to get the lawn to turn green. This will benefit the turfgrass and the roots of the trees that are in your yard.
Q: I was Googling about my dieffenbachia plant and came across your website. I see that you have answered questions for others, so I hope you can answer mine. We have a dieffenbachia plant that was given to us by a neighbour because it was getting too large for their house. They gave it to us two years ago. The plant is almost 12 feet tall now. We repotted it at the beginning of the summer. However, it is so large that we had to stake it in the pot. It actually fell over in the middle of the night once because it was not sitting in the pot properly. We since have corrected that problem. How do I stop it from getting any bigger? Can I cut the top part of the plant off? Thanks so much for your help with this because it has been bothering me. (email reference)
A: You certainly can cut this plant back. In fact, you can cut the cane up into 4 to 6 inch pieces. Lay the pieces sideways in moist, unmilled sphagnum moss. In six to eight weeks, foliar growth will begin emerging from the top of the cut and roots from the base. From one mother plant, several offspring are possible. If you don't want to bother with asexual propagation, you can cut the plant back to the height you want and throw the cut piece away.
To contact Ron Smith for answers to your questions, write to Ron Smith, NDSU Department of Plant Sciences, Dept. 7670, Box 6050, Fargo, ND 58108-6050 or email email@example.com.
For answers to general horticultural questions, go to http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/horticulture.
NDSU Agriculture Communication – Sept. 12, 2012
|Ron Smith, (701) 231-7971, email@example.com
|Rich Mattern, (701) 231-6136, firstname.lastname@example.com


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A Better Understanding of the Impact of Top Health Analytics Companies
Healthcare Analytics involves the activities that are undertaken or actions carried out as a result of data collected from different areas within healthcare. In the healthcare industry, there are Health Analytics Companies that provide software that enables hospitals and healthcare organizations carry out these activities successfully. There are areas that are specifically focused on. These areas are prioritized and are four in number and they are
- Claims and cost data,
- pharmaceutical and research development (R&D) data,
- clinical data (electronic medical records)
- patient behavior and sentiment data(i.e patient behaviors and preferences).
The healthcare analytics model has picked up momentum in the past and it's expected to grow exponentially in the coming years. The best healthcare analytics companies help healthcare organizations and hospitals carry out the best practices listed below.
Best Practices
Provide analysts with a data warehouse
Organizations are advised to establish an Enterprise Data Warehouse otherwise known as EDW instead of handling data manually. The EDW becomes a central location for analysts to access all data across the entire healthcare system.
Provide analysts with full access to a testing environment
After an enterprise data warehouse is established, analysts should be given full access to this data. Analysts can organize the data, rebuild sets and improve on it in order to further advance their work.
Focus on skill sets
Healthcare analytics systems should be built for sustainability by focusing on skillsets. A roadmap is then created which allows organizations to gradually build on the required skill set of the organization. This way, risk and dependency on outside resources will be minimized. Future resource needs should also be planned for to sustain future organization needs and growth.
Provide analysts with data discovery tools
Business Intelligence tools (BI) make it possible for analysts to drill into data and find trends and meaningful correlations. The right data discovery tool should enable analysts to build intertwined, insightful reports that lead to system improvements.
Plan Healthcare Analytics with competitive landscape in mind
Organizations should take the competition and evolving strategic environment into account. This means building with long-term goals in mind and not just short-term wins. Organizations should also ensure that the analytics frameworks factors in data sets that would be needed in the future.
Focus on Data quality rather than data quantity
The relevance and quality of information are more important than the quantity of data aggregated in the system. Organizations shouldn't focus on the amount of data but instead on what information it translates into and the possible trends in healthcare and outcomes. Too much irrelevant data can hide insightful and useful information. By recognizing data characteristics organizations can build a meaningful data quality management framework and deploy the most appropriate data cleaning workflows.
Build with the end in mind
Organizations shouldn't rush to implement technology solutions when addressing operational needs. Technology should be installed as an enabler of the overall operation framework and its needs. Key long and short-term strategic goals and the desired operational outcomes should be outlined at the beginning before the framework is built. Ongoing competitive trends should also be factored into the planning.
Start small and build for scalability
Health organizations are advised to not build complex systems right off the bat. Information produced from an analytics platform might identify a problem, but an established operational framework is needed to solve the problem. Instead, organizations should start with a structured proof of concept that builds the framework and aims at cashing in on low hanging fruit and quick wins. They should recognize that the analytics roadmap is not a one-time implementation and also consider an agile process for scalability that allows for interactive input and expansion.
In conclusion, healthcare analytics companies have been of great help to the healthcare industry and in the recent KLSA report, Health Catalyst was listed as one of the best healthcare analytics companies.


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In a new story, The Wall Street Journal reports today that companies taking a limited and more-targeted approach to layoffs tend to do better in economic recoveries than those that slash employment sharply and across the board. "You can't shrink your way into prosperity," Wayne Cascio, a business professor at the University of Colorado, Denver, told the WSJ.
The current recovery will test notion, the Journal says, because many companies made unusually steep and rapid layoffs during the Great Recession. NYT Co. dramatically reduced employment last year, eliminating 18% of its global workforce.
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Dwyane Wade continues to drop hints that he's leaning toward opting out of his Heat contract and seems to be increasingly considering leaving Miami. The dispute, at heart, is all about money — not just money, but promised money. Wade took some pay cuts to help assemble the Big Three, and now he wants to be compensated. The team, though, is hesitant to give an aging star a huge deal.
But the fact is that the Heat simply cannot let Wade leave. Here's why.
Hassan Whiteside can't be trusted yet.
Listen, Hassan Whiteside is great — but you can't deny he is still largely an unknown at this point in his career. Prioritizing a guy who has played 48 games in a Miami Heat uniform sends the wrong message to not only Dwyane Wade but also to players the Miami Heat might try to sign in the future. Can the Heat really continue to sell itself as an all-class family-based organization after letting Wade walk under these circumstances? You can be sure the details of promises the team made to Wade will come out, and those broken promises won't be a good look for the Heat organization.
Everyone knows Whiteside's elevator doesn't always go to the top floor. Take care of Wade, and worry about locking up the head case who has played about 30 good games in a Heat uniform a bit down the road.
If Wade walks out that door, so does the "Heat Lifer" campaign.
Cancel that #HeatLifer slogan if Wade gets cut loose 12 months later. The entire Heat Lifer thing came off as trying too hard from the get-go to many. While nice for some, real Heat fans didn't need to be told that everything was going to be OK. We didn't need a hug; we needed better signings than Danny Granger and Josh McRoberts. Leaving Wade in the wind here will represent the opposite of the Heat Lifer motto and delete everything the organization has stood for since Micky Arison took over.
Usually you get what you pay for. In this instance, the Heat would be paying for what Wade has given this city, and its team, for more than a decade. What is that relationship really worth?
The summer free-agent class of 2016 is overrated, and the Heat definitely won't land Kevin Durant.
People would have called you crazy in 2010 if you'd said LeBron James would head to the Heat, but it happened. Well, the fact is you're crazy if you think all the things that need to fall into place for Kevin Durant to come to Miami next summer will happen. The biggest reason: Durant has no ties to anyone on this Heat roster, and the dominoes that need to fall aren't happening this time around. The Heat is much likelier to settle for a fifth-place prize or a grab bag of seventh-place prizes, because many of the best free agents will have already been scooped up.
The Heat made its big splash when it gave Bosh the max and traded two-first round picks for Goran Dragic. There is no reason to gamble Wade's legacy on the fact that a miracle might happen next year.
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Losing Wade could also mean losing Goran Dragic.
Goran Dragic has made it quite clear — he's a fan of playing alongside Dwyane Wade. Dragic has plenty of options this offseason, including bolting to bigger markets like New York or L.A., so messing with him when he's free to leave doesn't seem like the best idea. Dragic has bragged since he got here how amazed he has been by how the Heat players carry themselves, and loves his new teammates — but things change fast. Money talks, but messing around with Dragic when you just spent two first-round picks to get him seems ill-advised.
Pat Riley's legacy in Miami would take a hit.
It's grown quite obvious over the last two seasons that Pat Riley is hell-bent on getting back to the top one more time before he retires. Riley has become grouchier and less laid-back in the past 24 months — maybe finally realizing his best days in the NBA are behind him.
Being so cutthroat with Dwyane Wade at the end of his tremendous Miami tenure would stain a spotless resumé in South Florida. It's just pointless to burn bridges, especially if some of those bridges lead back to Pat Riley's legacy.


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other unfavorable factors,composite wood plastic deck flooring many floor brands are in trouble and have launched price wars to ensure market share. In the past six months, the price of the laminate flooring market has been reduced by about 15%, and profits have been getting thinner,decks over basement walkouts less than half the original. In order to survive, those companies that couldn't stand up to their jobs and have no choice but to choose their way have already "changed their quality." They

have been adhering to the "five-inferiority board" in terms of quality and are playing the ball.1x3 composite deck boards For example, if the wear-resistant layer is reduced by 10%, the cost can be reduced by 20%: If the formaldehyde content is to be reduced by 10mg, the cost of adding the relevant components will increase the total cost by 10%; of which the mystery is self-evident.outdoor stair grip for wpc materials engineering What is more, some brands launched a price war under the banner of "five bad

boards" and launched propaganda campaigns to please consumers.span distance for seven trust decking They did not know that they also sold "five bad boards," because the prices they sold were difficult to support a qualified product. The cost and their profit, in order to survive, they only take the risk.using fencing to make deck floor Due to the ongoing price war, it also caused psychological misunderstandings for consumers. In some areas in the south, laminate flooring was mistaken for low-grade


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It is an honor to have four of my one of a kind necklaces appear in the Spring 2011 Edition of Jewelry Affaire Magazine!
It is a blessing to be able to express my passion through the creative process!
Thank you to those who have purchased my published pieces and for the continued support of my creativity!
Please inquire if you would like to discuss custom pieces.


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The A605 has been closed at the junction of the B1095 near Stanground after a crash.
A Cambridgeshire police spokesman said the collision was thought to have been caused when one driver suffered a 'medical episode' at the wheel at about 2.20pm.
An East of England Ambulance Service spokesman said: "An ambulance crew, ambulance officer and East Anglian Air Ambulance attended.
"They treated a man, believed to be in his 70s, who had gone into cardiac arrest.
"He was taken to Peterborough City Hospital in a critical condition."


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If you are considering selling your home, look no further than Northern Investment. At Northern Investment, we've been meeting the real estate needs of people just like you for more than 70 years. From appraisal stage all the way through the closing, Northern Investment has the experience to give you the assurance of a successful sale. Please complete the information below, and a Northern Investment real estate agent will contact you to answer your questions. Or call us today at 1.866.219.4526.
Fill out my online form.


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Lightning's Stamkos may miss 4-6 months after knee surgery
(The Sports Xchange) - Tampa Bay Lighting captain Steven Stamkos will undergo arthroscopic knee surgery to repair a torn lateral meniscus, according to multiple reports.
TSN Canada's Bob McKenzie reported Stamkos traveled to Vail, Colo. to have the procedure performed. The report was also confirmed by the Tampa Bay Times.
There is not an official timetable for his return but the procedure includes a rehab period of four to six months, meaning Stamkos will likely return in mid-March at the earliest.
Stamkos was injured during a collision with Detroit's Gustav Nyquist in Tuesday's 4-3 win. He scored his ninth goal of the season before leaving and Tampa Bay general manager Steve Yzerman said Wednesday that Stamkos would be sidelined "indefinitely".
See Gallery
In the first year of an eight-year deal agreed upon shortly before free agency on July 1, Stamkos has 20 points in 17 games.
The 26-year-old was Tampa Bay's top pick in 2009 and has 321 goals in 329 regular-season games.
Stamkos has also been sidelined with a few serious injuries in recent seasons.
He missed 55 games in the 2013-14 season with a broken leg. Last year he dealt with a blood-clotting issue that kept him out of the postseason until Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins.


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Download Our Featured Software!
Formally PIE Products Inc. we have dropped the "Inc.". Now MEC Software, we have lowered cost so we can pass that on to you by lowering the price of our applications! Nothing else has changed, we still have the same motto and provide quality software at an even more affordable price!
DJ & Karaoke Hosting 2


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If you found us from this morning's segment on First Edition with Tim Hohl & Terry Travis on KPAM 860 AM, welcome! This blog is here for one reason: to help you save money so you can achieve your financial goals.
During the interview, I mentioned a few deals running right now in the area. Here are links to the specific deals:
Safeway: Remember to grab the $10 off $50 in today's Oregonian, Mott's Apple Juice for 50¢, Tide Laundry Detergent for $1.49
Natural Grocers: $25 voucher for $10
Target: Market Pantry Pasta Sauce for 25¢, Market Pantry Pasta for 50¢, Hebrew National Hot Dogs for $1.99 (all after Target mobile coupons)
Albertsons: Seedless grapes for 99¢
Krispy Kreme: FREE doughnut on June 4
Take some time, click around and see what we are all about. If you like what you see, go here to have the deals sent directly to your email inbox and become a Facebook Fan and get our updates directly to your Facebook feed.
This post may contain affiliate links. See the disclosure policy for more information.


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Evo Magazine get an exclusive interview with development driver Andreas Preuninger at the unveiling of the new 500bhp 4.0-litre GT3 RS, the final episode of the Porsche 997.
Thursday, 28 April 2011
Porsche 997 GT3 RS 4.0 - The final chapter?
Posted by George Chapman at Thursday, April 28, 2011 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: 4.0, 997, chris harris, evo magazine, GT3, Porsche
Friday, 1 April 2011
Bell and Ross Harley Davidson Nascafe
Awesome Harley Nascafe Racer built in conjunction with Bell & Ross watchmaker is positively flexing it's muscles just sat still. Rarely does a Harley have such an effect.
Posted by George Chapman at Friday, April 01, 2011 1 comments Links to this post
Labels: bell ross, Bike, cafe racer, Harley Davidson, nascafe, racer, watch
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James, our Oceans and Islands Product Manager, gives you his top tips on how to make a vacation to Mauritius more than just a fly and flop.
1. Eat With a Local
There are many things about me that annoy my wife, too long to go into as part of a travel blog, but certainly one thing that especially grates is my restlessness at a beautiful beach destination. I believe my record for lying on a sun lounger is around 90 minutes, before I have sneaked off to the front desk and enquired about renting a car for a bit of an explore. While the Scott Dunn portfolio of hotels does a much better job of occupying me than other operators, it's fair to say that this is my issue, and I simply have to go exploring. Enter the Island Adventure to scratch this particular itch. Head into the hills with a guide by 4×4, into smaller villages devoid of tourists for street food, a 800m climb to a viewpoint closed to the public and have lunch at an incredibly friendly local's house. It's a wonderful experience that really helps you understand a small country like Mauritius – warts and all.
2. Climb Le Morne Mountain
In many ways the symbol of Mauritius and something that inevitably stands out in pretty much every photoshoot, Le Morne mountain is a huge limestone seamount, risen out of the ocean and marks the far southwest point of the island. A UNESCO World Heritage Site with a sad past, you can climb it with a guide who will be able to tell you all about why it became an infamous focus point during the abolition of slavery. Amazing views, incredible history – recommended!
3. Adventures abound
Get a tropical island view with a difference by getting up close and personal with the island's lush rainforests. You can spend a day ziplining, canyoning & Via Ferrata (an extreme walk involving drops, bridges, ladders and other awkward methods of getting from A to B). Find yourself suspended high up in the canopy or getting doused by a waterfall – a great way to spend a little time away from the beach.
4. Sea Cats
Action time! Mauritius is famed for being almost completely surrounded by a coral barrier reef meaning that, for the most part, the beaches are calm, turquoise and rich with marine life. An exciting way to explore the big blue around the island is via Sea Cats – essentially mini speedboats that you zip around as a group on the south-west corner of the island. The best bit is that YOU get to drive and the boats can take up to 3 people. These little boats are fantastic fun, spin on a dime, and fast! As you take a tour around the lagoons, your guide (in another, larger support boat) will take you to some of the best spots for snorkeling, lunch and if you're lucky a bit of dolphin spotting!
Of course, this is just a snap shot of what you can do on the island. Speak to one of our Mauritius specialists and we can point you in the direction of some of the most exciting things to do in the Indian Ocean.
5. Learn to Kitesurf
When thinking up the requirements of a dream destination for kitesurfing, it is hard to better the assets provided by Mauritius. Beginners will love the shallow flat water in the huge lagoons, making getting up on the board that much easier. While further out on the barrier reef experts will revel in what is widely considered to be the single best, wave kitesurf spot on the planet. We have teamed up with a kitesurf school that can take you to either extreme, providing tailored, 1-2-1 tuition ensuring you make fast progress. This closely supervised tuition also means they have taught children as young as seven to kite – the ultimate on water family adventure!


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Casino is a popular game across countries. In the previous, players only play land based casino. With the development of technology, there are new way to play casino through Internet. People know it as online casino. Probably, this is the solution to solve distance problem in playing casino. Many people see this phenomena and the impact of this phenomena will be a lot of sites for playing casino online
In this case, players must have guarantee that they are safe in playing it. That's why also have to be selective in choosing casino online site. Actually, the best thing to get in finding casino online is that the players receive more than just a game. Take OnlineCasinosElite.Com as the example. This site shares the best online casinos based on the bonus and the variation of the games available.
The end of the game will be winning the game. For that reason, online casinos gives the players several useful tricks and tips to play online casino better. To spread their market, they have casino online affiliation program. The comfortableness increased because the players can stay up to date with the latest news about casino online as well as casino online games
Online Casinos Elite
On Thursday, October 01, 2009 Label: Game


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bill condon, breaking dawn, kristen stewart, movie, movie adaptation, review, robert pattinson, stephenie meyer, taylor lautner, twilight
The Quileute's close in on expecting parents Edward and Bella, whose unborn child poses a threat to the Wolf Pack and the towns people of Forks.-IMDb
(So sorry I couldn't find a better synopsis…rawr)
Director: Bill Condon
Production Companies: Summit Entertainment
Main Characters:
Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan
Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen
Taylor Lautner as Jacob Black
Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Adventure, Drama
Release Dates: 30 October 2011 (Italy); 18 November 2011 (Philippines)
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
First off, I read the book years ago. And I don't do rereads unless the urge to do so was overpowering (which didn't happen with Breaking Dawn). Not that I don't think it isn't a great book or anything. In fact, BD is my favorite book in the Twilight Saga. I find Breaking Dawn's plot the most interesting and well-developed (probably due to the length).
Anyway, I can't say that I wasn't excited for the movie but neither was I willing to fall in a long line on a premiere night. Thus, I ended up waiting for a chance to get all the members of our family to be available before we all could watch the film. One would think that this is a late review. It is, actually, since I watched it almost a week ago. So forgive me if I end up not giving an opinion on specific scenes.
Moving on, let me just say that the best thing about the movie was the soundtrack. My sister and I fell in love with Christina Perri's A Thousand Years and the thing is, I haven't even heard of that singer prior to watching the movie. The wedding version of Iron & Wine's Flightless Bird, American Mouth made me recall that really nice prom (school dance?) scene in Twilight. 🙂
Aside from the OST, I think another good part about the movie was the scenes in Brazil and of course, "Isle Esme". I want to have a secluded beach house just like that. 😛
The story covered only half of the book but I guess I really can't expect the story to feel as good as reading it straight from the book. The falling out between the wolf pack felt a bit rushed or something. And of course, Jacob's imprinting didn't seem as sweet and amusing as with the book.
Now on with Bella and Edward's child, Renesmee. I really think that whoever that girl was who portrayed her, suits the role well (at least with the looks), and she reminded me of the young Lily Potter in the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows movie. Now don't throw bricks at me, I'm not comparing the two movies. I also love how adorable the baby actually was. Haha! So cute! ❤
The movie was consistent with the tone of the previous installments and I guess that's a good thing–making the entire saga very defined and unique on its own. My problem with Breaking Dawn is the same with the other Twilight Saga movies. Boring scenes and Kristen Stewart. Now, now. The boredom was saved by the songs. Kristen Stewart may be a good actress for some but I really have an issue with her fidgeting and expressionless face. Especially, the fidgeting. I had a terrible headache while watching her because I have a tendency to stare at the screen and she wouldn't stop moving. Aside from that, I rest my case. 🙂
All in all, I think it was a good adaptation and that last scene was a good way to end it–artistically done, I think. 🙂
I think I want that chess set they played with in Isle Esme. I don't know how to play chess though. =P
Oh and you've got to love Bella's wedding dress. =)


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Jigsaw puzzles are funny and developmental toys and they often become a great part of a family's pastime. But now I want to focus on the children under 1 year old and understand how to perform jigsaw puzzle activities for infants.
The most affordable option is pictures cut in two or three parts: animals, toys, cars, fruits and vegetables. You can use either laminated pictures or of a dense cardboard. The pictures should be of a large size – the younger the child, the bigger the pictures (read about baby's vision in the article Sensory Development). And here is the first benefit of pictures: the ability to teach the baby not to put the game into his mouth. The game should not be freely available for the child – it will be thus safe and interest in it won't be lost.
So let's start playing.
First of all take 1-2 pictures cut in two parts. Put one picture in front of the baby, examine it together, point to the constituent elements such as noses, tails, ears, etc. Next, disassemble the puzzle: "Oh, look what's happened! Our horse has lost its tail. Let's help her quickly!" Take the baby's hand and put it on the lower part of the picture, and say that he has found the horse's tail. Offer your baby to help the horse – together assemble the picture and be sure to praise your little one. Now let the horse lose its head with a beautiful mane. And repeat the actions described above. If it is the first board game you are playing with the baby, you should better stop it for now. But if you see that the baby is still interested in the game, play with the second picture.
Play this way with all the pictures. And do not forget to remind your baby that the pictures came to play with him, they must not be eaten. Place something eatable next to you that can be exchanged for the picture the baby has put into his mouth. Gradually complicate the tasks using more pictures at a time. And do not forget to praise your cleverest child. Once the baby can easily assemble all the pictures, start playing Messy Game.
Below you can download some pictures to play with your baby.
How to play Messy Game
It will be better if a soft toy or a doll helps you play this game. For example Teddy Bear comes to play with the baby and help him to assemble pictures. Say: "Teddy has come to play with us. He also likes to assemble pictures. Let's play with him!" Teddy Bear should assemble 2-3 pictures in a wrong way. Speak instead of it – let it talk to the baby. Say: "Look, Teddy assembled all the pictures. But it seems that he has mixed them! Let's help him correct everything." Assemble the pictures correctly together with the baby, and stimulate him to do this on his own – ask the leading questions, push slightly the right card or point to it with a finger. Soon the baby will understand the essence of the game and he'll able to quickly and easily correct Teddy's mistakes.
You should know
– It's better to start playing games that require focus and calm concentration at about 8-12 months old when the baby can hardly walk. By the time when he starts running he will be already accustomed to play calm games for 5-10 minutes. Such young children are able to absorb huge amounts of information, analyze and compare it.
– Board games (cut pictures, puzzles for kids, etc.) develop fine motor skills of still disobedient fingers, teach the child to focus and think about the task. The most important thing is that the child will have interest in lessons. And in the future, even the most active child will be able to sit down and play a calm game that is especially important before bedtime.
– Assembling puzzles help a child develop his memory, logical thinking, imagination, spatial thinking, accuracy, patience and care. They train his ability to think over a task from the different angles, to make difficult decisions on his own without assistance of adults.


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Heather writes that her son is no longer afraid of taking tests, thanks to Nancy Larson Science and the Study Skills program.
Science is still going very well for us. I am so glad I chose Nancy Larson Science (read our review) at this age. We have tried so many things before switching over, and I am so proud to tell you that for the first time, science has consistently been getting done at our house. What more »


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how have you been doing?
I hope everybody is wonderful.
Sadly, I didn't have much mail this week.
On tuesday, I did receive a letter from my very dear friend I know since we both have been to kindergarden together, and from her daughter, who is my goddaughter. I love to hear from them :)
|Letter from my goddaugther and her mother
Of course I replied back as fast as I could :) I want my goddaughter to grow up loving mail, and I think she really is enjoying the letters and postcards I send her - at least she always says so :)
|response to my goddaughter and her mother
I've hadn't had any mail since then, but there are two postcards going out today - yet that we (my boyfriend and I) are not in Berlin to tell our moms how much we love them on Mother's Day, a postcard will do so for us.
|Mother's Day cards going out to our mothers
Alles Liebe,


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Dark Sour Series
Batch #3 Released April 29th, 2016 - Deadlock, Dark Sour Aged on Black Currants
Deadlock Dark Sour (7.3% ABV) is a series of barrel aged American dark sour ales that are fermented with a mixed culture of Brettanomyces, and Lactobacillus and then aged on berry fruits. For the Spring 2016 release, we chose to age this beer on black currants. Deadlock has rich notes of chocolate covered black currants and deep, barrel complexity. The Lacto and Brett provide supporting tartness and earthy wild grown fruit notes. Bottle conditioned to help the flavors evolve over the seasons.
Batch #2 Deadlock, Dark Sour Aged on Boysenberries (Released on tap only)
Batch #1 Released June 13th, 2015 - Deadlock, Dark Sour Aged on Raspberries
Deadlock, our seventh barrel aged bottle release , is an American Dark Sour Ale that will pucker your lips and melt your soul. This seasonally released beer isn't all April showers and May flowers though, Deadlock's spring version was aged on raspberries with dark malt flavors that give rich notes of chocolate covered raspberries. Its impish qualities come through with Lactobacillus giving its signature tartness and toning down the sweetness. Brettanomyces lends a deeper flavor more reminiscent of wild grown fruit. Subtle complexities from the oak barrel come through to carry the flavor to the finish and is bottle conditioned to help the flavors evolve over the seasons.


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Why Should Teenagers Dance?
Teenagers are like sponges. They are hungry for new experiences that will help them define their self-image, in a time of rapid change they struggle to understand. I found a brilliant article from Taiwan's Cloud Gate Dance Theatre, where they run a programme for young people called "Life Pulse". They describe their experiences with young people so beautifully:
"As they move through adolescence, teenagers experience changes in their bodies and minds. They develop an increasing sense of self, and become curious about, and sensitive to, their bodies. At this time, dance can be a vehicle to help young people understand their bodies and identify themselves. Dance allows them a channel through which they can confidently express their emotions, while encouraging creativity and cultivating an appreciation for the arts. "
"... through dance education, adolescents can grow physically and mentally. It allows them to confidently express their views of the world, get recognition from others, and show their emotions. It inspires their creativity and their sensibility to art. In a study of young dancers, Susan Hoyle, Director of Dance of Arts Council England, observes that adolescents naturally enjoy dancing and learning something new. They also like to create and perform their own dances and be part of a dance group (Brinson, 1991). "
"Adolescence is a time between childhood and adulthood; it is a time when everything suddenly changes and young people look for corresponding fulfillment physically, psychologically, emotionally, and socially. During this time, teenagers become sensitive to rapid growth in appearance, including height, weight, muscles and bones, and sexual characteristics.
During such a transitional period in their internal mindset and external appearance, teenagers tend to care much about peer interaction. They expect to be noticed and easily come up with an imaginary audience with which to practice social interaction. Sometimes they exaggerate their behaviors or thoughts to fulfill a personal dream. In this transitional period, it is key for them to remain comfortable with their growing bodies (Wang & Ke, 1999). "
"In MRT stations, the Taipei Main Station shopping mall, or any other public space in downtown Taipei, it is a common sight to see adolescents grouping together to practice dance. They get together, play popular music on a portable player, and practice different styles of street dance, cheerleading, or even new styles that they have created. They are not inhibited or embarrassed to show their bodies moving to music in public. Yen & Lee (2011) describe it as something that shapes youth culture. "
"Teenagers face huge changes in their bodies and minds. They get emotional and energetic. They become isolated from their parents and family as they seek to explore the world, which switches from parents to peers. Having a positive understanding of the body can help adolescents strengthen their ego and self-worth, peer relationships, parental relationships, and further educational study. "
"Body movement is a form of language; it is a choice beyond words. Dance courses in regular schools, free street dance groups, and classes in private schools allow teenagers more choices to get close to dancing. Through such courses, it is expected that they will become more confident in interacting with others and expressing their viewpoints or emotions. In addition, by experiencing body movement, they will become sensitive to their own physical and mental conditions. With this experience, they can further listen to their inner voice and find their own identity and ego."
I have just taken excerpts that apply to us all generally but you can read the full study here: http://ausdance.org.au/uploads/content/publications/2012-global-summit/dance-learning-rp/when-young-people-meet-dance-a-case-study-from-the-life-pulse-course.pdf
Leave a Reply.
Nicola Baartse
July 2016
Oasis Dance and Drama School is about Excellence, Creativity and Encouragement.


text: The Disability Project is one of the longest running programmes that 174 Trust has to offer. Founded 21 years ago, Linda Duffy has been coordinating the programme brilliantly for the last 12 years. The Disability Project is primarily for children who live in the North Belfast area with a physical or learning disability. The youth group, aged 11-18 years old, meets every Tuesday from 4:30pm to 7:30pm. The junior club, aged 5-11 years old, meets at the same time every Wednesday in the halls of 174 Trust. For the younger group, the Disability Project serves as a wonderful social outlet, where children can play, learn, and create. With the assistance of outside organizations, the older group extends this social outlet by developing important life skills that might provide them with a greater sense of independence. And while their children are in a safe space, parents and carers are given a time of respite.


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Beyond the Big Three
|Adrienne Waldo
Here's what I like about niche communities:
1. Less clutter. There are fewer people and less noise on small networks, making you more likely to be noticed and become an influential member of the community. Rifling through profiles on LinkedIn can be like searching for the proverbial needle in a virtual haystack, but finding like-minded people on a less convoluted network is fairly easy.
2. Better discussion. The conversation tends to be more meaningful. This could be for several reasons, but my theory is that if people have taken the time to seek out a site dedicated to a certain topic, it's because they're passionate about it and really seeking good discussion.
3. Opportunity to learn. You can gain a wealth of knowledge if you pay attention. With Twitter or Facebook, you're constantly battling information overload. Rather than spreading yourself too thin trying to learn a little bit about everything on big generic sites, you can use small networks to focus on immersing yourself in one or two topics and mastering them.
4. Personalization. They're typically more customizable, allowing you to be more uniquely "you." Design your own background, post blogs or music or art, speak more freely, and develop a voice. Don't forget that once you send something out into cyberspace, you can never get it back, but I would suggest using these sites a little more liberally than your professional networks. Be genuine and let your personality shine.
5. Thoughtful feedback. Niche sites are an excellent source of outside feedback. Your friends on Facebook are going to sugarcoat, and you want to be careful about throwing around your raw ideas on LinkedIn. While Twitter can be good for feedback, it's limited to 140 characters. Smaller networks serve as an ideal solution if you're looking for detailed, thoughtful responses.
There are thousands of communities out there for every hobby, career, culture and interest. One of my personal favorites is 20-Something Bloggers, a place for bloggers like myself to meet online and share ideas. I also recommend Snooth for learning about wine, GoodReads for connecting with other bookish types, and Imeem for sharing a love of music.
If, for some reason, you're not able to find the community you're looking for, start your own! Sites like Ning allow you to build your own highly interactive social networks, complete with forums, chat, events, etc. Then, not only will you have an awesome network of people, you'll have become an entrepreneur in the process.


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Lessons Learned from a Cloud Emergency
Lessons Learned from a Cloud Emergency
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I have been focusing my career on the cloud for the past five years of so, and people reach out to me from time to time with help on a project. I am always willing to pitch in when I can, and if I have the time. Of course I have to remind them the limits I am under as an evangelist. I can't write code, or give you code that you intend to put into production, and I can't see your real production code or data. I am just not bonded and insured to be a consultant.
A couple of Fridays ago I received an urgent IM from a colleague. He had a customer who just went live with a Facebook marketing app/promotion, and it just crashed from load. They were already using Windows Azure, so they wanted some help to get it back up and running. I had time, so I jumped in.
A few minutes later I was on a conference call with the customer and the agency they hired to build the site. I start off by gathering the basic information to get started. What type of app is this? A promotion/Facebook app. What happened? They went live and crashed under the load. What is it built with? Ubuntu/Linux on Azure VMs, Apache, MySQL, and PHP.
I then asked (since this was just after the SimCity debacle) had they done any load testing? No they hadn't (wasn't in the Statement of Work), but since the crash they had done some testing. They found that after 100 users the system comes to a halt. The fact that it was exactly 100, and not 123, or 1,459 (or some other random number) made me immediately think this was odd.
I immediately start brainstorming causes to this sudden crash. They were running everything on a single Ubuntu server, with 8 cores. While this is not the way "I" would architect it, it should have plenty of horsepower for many more than 100 users.
I explained that in these situations (<rage>the site is DOWN!</rage>), that they should create a kill board (a brainstorm) of causes, and start investigating as many of the most likely candidates in parallel as they can. They don't want to single thread their response, since the goal was to get the site back up as soon as possible.
We spent some time coming up with possible reasons for the crash. The dev team was eager to pin everything on Azure. They were already in the process of getting the site running over at Amazon. I thought to myself that this was a horrible idea. Since they would be running in a VM on both clouds, it is very likely not going to fix anything. And it is very likely that the cause it not Azure in any case.
I pushed gently on this, and their thinking was that they had another project with a similar architecture, on Azure, that was having the same problems. My comment back was that coincidence doesn't guarantee causality. Since they shared the same architecture, in my mind, the architecture was the first suspect, and not the virtual environment. I have worked with some very big scale applications in Azure, and I know that it can easily handle the load they were talking about, even with their weak sauce use of the cloud. And this clearly was not some innate limit of PHP of MySQL. It had to be the code that they wrote, or the config of the deployment.
As we started brainstorming, I mentioned that the first thing I would look at is to make sure that the dev environment configuration for PHP/MySQL didn't get copied to production. I have seen this happen before, and it's easy to miss, especially if you don't have either a great deployment guide or a tested automated deployment script.
Brainstorming ideas
1. Check the request queue in the web server. As requests come in, they are queued, until a thread/process of the web server can handle it. If this is growing, your server can't keep up.
Answer: Checked, not an issue.
2. Check CPU/memory usage during the spike.
Answer: Checked. Nominal.
Nominal tells me that the issue is not a memory leak by the software, or a thread leak. And the app wasn't doing anything particularly memory or cpu intensive.
3. Check that the MySQL server is configured for persistent /pooled connections.
Answer: Will have to check.
When app servers connect to a database server, they use a connection. In a stateful app environment, they can be setup and used all day. Web apps are rarely stateful, they are usually stateless. In a stateless app, these are setup, used for a second, and then torn down. This leads to a lot of churn, and then you repeatedly incur the overhead of setting up and tearing down the connections. Most web/data platforms now have the concept of pooling. A set of connections are created and pooled. As the app server needs to use the db, it borrows a connection out of the pool, and returns it when it is done.
Sometimes the issue is that the pool can't keep up with the demand. Sometimes the pool has too many or too few connections. It is very easy with MySQL to turn the pool off altogether, which just kills performance.
There were many ideas, but you get the picture. We were going through the stack, trying to pick out what might be causing such a low user level (100 users ) to crash such a big box. My instinct was still screaming 'connection to the database'.
The call ends, everyone on the dev team has a lot of work to do, and I go about my weekend. A few times they had clarifying questions in email.
Come Monday I email the customer and ask if the situation has been resolved and if there is anything else I can do to help. He said, yes, it had. They had deployed the dev configuration into production by accident, and that he was busy screaming at the CEO of the dev shop for such a stupid mistake that cost him a lot of money and bad PR.
I thought this was an interesting story, but I also wanted to pull a few lessons learned from it:
- 1. Don't start using the cloud unless you understand the platform.
- The cloud can seem really easy, and I know that we work really hard to make it as easy as possible. But, like with any platform, the more you expect out of it, the better you need to understand it. If you are deploying a simple blog, with few readers (like this one), then roll on and learn as you go.
- If you are going to go all in with a big and high profile app as your first use of the cloud, please engage someone early on in the process who has the experience. I could have helped them architect this system in a better way so it would have worked out of the gate.
- 2. Test. Test. Test.
- This is the age of test in the software development industry. It is all about testing, at all levels of the process and architecture. Even though a load test wasn't in the SOW, they should have done some load testing, even if out of curiosity! For crying out load, this is a Facebook app, that is meant to have rapid scale. Don't you think you could do some simple testing. As a developer, with my name on the project, I would want to know. There are plenty of tools out there to easily test scale on your system. Do it!
- 3. Don't use your jump to conclusions mat.
- It was easy for this team to waste hours of valuable time because 'they had another app with the same architecture behaving poorly in Azure'. They just assumed it was Azure. They should not have jumped to a conclusion, but looked at all of the variables and understood that with the same architecture, of course you would have the same results. They should have immediately started to diagnose the situation with DATA. Looking in logs, performance monitor counters, etc to see what was going on. I also recommended that they take the machine in the cloud as is into their environment and do the same tests. That would prove if it was Azure or not.
- 4. Run with scissors during an outage.
- During the normal course of debugging you should only ever try to one solution at a time. If you fix three things, and the problem goes away, you have no idea what fixed it. The opposite is true when THE SITE IS DOWN!!! RAGE!! FIX IT!!! In these cases you need to fork the team/process/code in as many paths as you can so you can find the problem. If you don't do this, you end up spending critical hours on a path that doesn't work, and then you have to start over with the second idea on the list. If you run four or five of them down in parallel, then you can cover more ground.
- 5. Perform a post mortem, with results to the project sponsors.
- Hopefully the dev team did a post mortem and root cause analysis on this problem, and sent a very transparent report to their company's executives, and to their customer. This has to be open kimono. It has to explain what happened, without being a blame pointing device. You can't improve unless you really look at what happened hard. The report should include how you are going to avoid this problem in the future. You need to immediately do this after people catch back up on sleep, while everything is still fresh in their heads. If you drag this out, the impact will be lost.
- 6. Reach out for help.
- When you are in the weeds, and the server is on fire, the last thing you want to do is bring in someone without any context. They will just slow you down, question every decision you've made, and possibly make your team look bad. BUT YOU HAVE TO! Why? because you need someone with a clear head to ask you questions, someone that isn't in a panic. This could be someone from another team at your company, or anyone that has the experience to help out. It will hurt, you will be frustrated with this person, but it will help a lot. This is were professional networking comes in. You should know someone that you can informally bounce ideas off of, to get some outside help. Someone you know won't be busy trying to make you look bad. In this case, the only thing I had to gain was to make sure Azure was working for our customer. I had nothing to gain from making the developers look bad.
- I am not saying I rescued the day, but by asking all the dumb questions I could, because I had nothing to lose (but a Friday night) and no context, the team did find the solution. These were questions that they skipped over because of their time on the project. Someone with outside context and experience can see things your team can't see.
Opinions expressed by DZone contributors are their own.


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Today was a wonderful tease as I anxiously await spring. A variety of poppies from different Oregon gardens. The background is a combination of a monotype print, handmade textured paper, and a photo of a piece of shale. I really love poppies, as many of you already know.
Photographs, handmade papers, and monotype print — digitally layered and manipulated.
Please click to enlarge.
© 2009-2017 Roka Walsh – All content and information on
RokaWalsh.com is a copyright of Roka Walsh unless otherwise indicated.
All rights reserved.
If you would like to use an image, please contact me.


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Facts about the New Madrid Seismic Zone
February is Earthquake Awareness Month in Missouri
Check out awareness events taking place during the month | Sign up for the Great Central U.S. ShakeOut earthquake exercise
Earthquake Awareness and Preparedness
The New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ) is the most active seismic area in the United States, east of the Rocky Mountains. The NMSZ is located in southeastern Missouri, northeastern Arkansas, western Tennessee, western Kentucky and southern Illinois. Southwestern Indiana and northwestern Mississippi are also close enough to receive significant shaking from large earthquakes occurring in the NMSZ.
The active faults in the NMSZ are poorly understood because they are not expressed at the ground surface where they can be easily studied. The faults are hidden beneath 100- to 200-foot thick layers of soft river deposited soils called alluvium. Fault scarps and traces in the soft alluvium erode in a very short time or may be rapidly covered by new deposits thereby quickly hiding evidence of earthquake fault lines. Faults in places like California, where rocks are at or near the ground surface, are much easier to study because the faults are readily found, seen, measured and analyzed.
Location of earthquake epicenters in and near the New Madrid Seismic Zone (circles scaled according to magnitude.)
Knowledge about some of the NMSZ faults is obtained by seismograph recordings of the frequent small earthquakes. St. Louis University, University of Memphis, the U.S. Geological Survey and University of Kentucky operate more than 30 seismograph stations to monitor earthquake activity in the NMSZ and Central U.S.
Microseismic earthquakes (magnitude less than 1.0 to about 2.0), measured by seismographs but not felt by humans, occur on average every other day in the NMSZ (more than 200 per year).
The measured locations of microseismic earthquakes show some trends that have been used to identify active faults in the NMSZ. The trends indicate a four-segment, zig-zag fault system with a total length of about 125 miles stretching from Marked Tree, Arkansas northeastward through Missouri, Tennessee and Kentucky to Cairo, Illinois.
Active faults that have generated dangerous earthquakes in historic times or the recent geologic past (the last 10,000 years) are not always microseismically active. In fact, in some settings these quiet faults are considered the most dangerous ones because high built up stress has locked the two sides of the fault together thereby preventing the microseismic earthquakes. This is thought to happen as a prelude to a major rupture of the fault. It is not known if faults of this type exist in the NMSZ. If they do exist there is no easy way to locate them.
A series of three to five major earthquakes (believed to have been magnitude 7.0 or larger earthquakes) occurred in the NMSZ in the two month period between Dec. 16, 1811, and Feb. 7, 1812. Several thousand additional "smaller" earthquakes occurred during the three month period from Dec. 16, 1811, to March 16, 1812. These included 15 earthquakes believed to have been magnitude 6.5 to 8.0 (the size range of the 1989 San Francisco, 1994 Los Angeles and 1995 Kobe, Japan earthquakes) and 189 earthquakes magnitude 5.0 to 6.5. Two thousand were felt by people, indicated by crude seismograph instruments and recorded in personal journals at Louisville, Kentucky and Cincinnati, Ohio, which are respectively 250 and 350 miles away. The New Madrid area was at the very frontier of European settlement at this time so there were very few non-native Americans living in the immediate area to report the earthquakes.
Due to the harder, colder, drier and less fractured nature of the rocks in the earth's crust in the central United States, earthquakes in this region shake and damage an area approximately 20 times larger than earthquakes in California and most other active seismic areas. Even though large earthquakes occur much less frequently in the NMSZ than in California, the long term average quake threat, in terms of square miles affected per century, is about the same because of the approximately 20 times larger area affected in the central United States.
The frequency of large earthquakes in the NMSZ is still being debated. Several methods have been used to make estimates. Paleoseismology techniques are used to recognize evidence of large prehistoric earthquakes preserved in geologic materials (soil and rock). From the approximate locations, dates and magnitudes the long term average recurrence interval can be calculated. Currently, paleoseismologists infer two or more large earthquakes (magnitude 7 or larger) occurred in the last 2,000 years or less giving recurrence interval estimates of 300 to 1,000 years for the large quakes. Probability models extrapolate the 200 years (approx.) of recorded history or 100 years (approx.) of instrumental recordings to estimate frequency.
Some scientists believe the probability of a repeat of the 1811-12 (magnitude 7.5-8.0) earthquake is about 10 percent
The NMSZ appears to be about 30 years overdue for a magnitude 6.3 quake, because the last quake of this size occurred 100 hundred years ago at Charleston, Missouri, Oct. 31, 1895 (it was a magnitude 6.7). A magnitude 6.3 quake near Lepanto, Arkansas, Jan. 5, 1843, was the next prior earthquake of this magnitude. About 75 percent of the estimated recurrence time for a magnitude 7.6 earthquake has elapsed since the last quake of this size occurred in 1812.
A magnitude 7.6 earthquake in the NMSZ will cause major damage near the fault system in the Missouri Bootheel, northeast Arkansas and western Kentucky and Tennessee. Significant damage is expected to extend north of St. Louis up the Mississippi River valley, up the Ohio and Wabash River valleys to near Owensboro, Kentucky and Indianapolis, Indiana and down the Mississippi River valley to near Greenville, Mississippi. Significant damage is also expected in about 15 additional counties each in southern Illinois, western Kentucky and Tennessee, northeastern Arkansas and northwestern Mississippi and in about five counties in southeast Missouri outside the Bootheel.
The 1811-1812 New Madrid earthquakes destroyed most or all of the simple buildings in New Madrid and Little Prairie (Caruthersville), the only two towns in the area at the time. The simple, single story log buildings were in fact a very earthquake resistant type of construction. The land in a huge area (about 5,500 square miles or about 3.5 million acres) was also damaged or destroyed by landslides, fissures, sandblows, lateral spreads, subsidence, submergence and uplift. Much of this land became unusable for the subsistence type agriculture of that day. Buildings in St. Louis, 150 miles or more to the north, were slightly damaged. The damage mostly consisted of broken or collapsed stone chimneys and broken stone buildings, a type of unreinforced masonry construction that is especially susceptible to earthquake damage.
The primary cause of damage and injuries in earthquakes is the destruction of manmade structures and their contents. Modern society is highly dependent on our manmade structures and infrastructure. Tall structures (buildings, bridges, dams, etc.), structures with large open spaces (auditoriums, classrooms, factories, hospitals, churches, etc.), structures made of brittle materials (brick and unreinforced concrete), structures with complex shapes and lots of corners and unanchored building contents (bookshelves, file cabinets, storage racks, pipes, fire sprinkler systems, water heaters, mechanical equipment, etc.) are particularly susceptible to damage from shaking.
Damage from earthquakes in the NMSZ will vary depending on the earthquake magnitude, the character of the land and the degree of urbanization. The Bootheel area is dominantly rural with scattered, small to medium size towns. Damage to the land will be extensive and will have a big impact in this area because it will disrupt farming. Thick unfertile sand will cover significant areas of fields, fields leveled for irrigation will no longer be level, drainage ditches will be blocked, grain elevators will be damaged and transport of materials, supplies and crops will be difficult.
Towns in the Bootheel do not have many tall structures to be damaged by shaking but they do have some large open structures and many unreinforced masonry structures which are likely to be damaged. The more distant, densely populated urban area of St. Louis is not likely to have damage to the land but its huge stock of structures and their contents likely will receive significant damage from shaking.
A 1990 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) report estimates damage and injuries in St. Louis from a 7.6 magnitude NMSZ earthquake to be $2.8 billion, 260 deaths and 1,060 serious injuries. A 1985 FEMA report makes estimates for Poplar Bluff for the same earthquake of $693 million in damages, 1 death if the quake occurs at night or 17 deaths if it occurs during the day (the difference being 15 deaths at schools during the day when schools are in session).
A 1991 Missouri State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and FEMA report estimates for a 7.6 magnitude NMSZ earthquake the Bootheel counties of Mississippi, New Madrid and Pemiscot would have 0.2 percent to 2 percent of their population killed, 1 percent to 10 percent of their population seriously injured, 10 percent of their buildings collapsed and 30 percent of their buildings receiving severe structural damage. For Scott, Stoddard and Dunklin counties the percentage estimates are 0.1 percent to 1 percent killed, 0.5 percent to 5 percent seriously injured, 5 percent of structures collapsed and 20 percent with severe structural damage. For Butler, Bollinger, Cape Girardeau, Perry, St. Louis (including the City), Lincoln, Pike, Marion and Lewis Counties the estimates are 0.02 percent to 0.2 percent killed, 0.1 percent to 1 percent seriously injured, 1 percent building collapses and 10 percent with severe structural damage.