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Have you been visited by a Newlyn bailiff due to unpaid Council Tax, Business Rates or a Benefit overpayment?
If you have, don't panic, Council Tax Advisors are the leading not-for-profit organisation who specialise in helping people just like you stop bailiff action and set up affordable repayment plans, ensuring you retain your possessions and can get your life back on track.
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Kamizelki Moncler Damskie
It is absolutely that Moncler Womens Vests enjoy the hot market every year,especially in the winter.with top quality,great for the cold weather.They are light in weight,you will have much different impression about the winter,no longer means cold and heavy.With the moncler jackets,you can ejoy the fun for the season and stay in comfortable.It is easy to cacth the world fashion,just come to our website,and get one for yourself.
Style: Smart Casual
Moncler Womens Sleeveless Vests Double-Sided Orange,Moncler a clothing sensation beginning in the fashion capital of the world, France. Moncler was found in the 1950's by Rene Ramilion. This collection has been created to interpret an urban and modern style through the eyes of class and elegance. Moncler is a collection specialising in outdoor clothing.
Klienci, którzy kupili ten produkt kupili również...
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subset: commoncrawl


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As I write this column, I have just returned from the opening night dinner at the Barron's Top Independent Advisors Summit in Orlando. I was privileged to be a keynote speaker during the conference. Looking around the room after speaking to attendees, including many clients and principals from all of the major custodians, there was one trait that advisory firm attendees appeared to have in common: the desire to share their experiences, both the good and the bad, with other industry leaders. This sharing serves to confirm that although a diverse community, most advisors have had common experiences. These experiences are not isolated to this year's "industry leaders." Rather, having had the privilege to work with advisors for more than 25 years, I have come to learn that these experiences are consistently applicable to all advisory firms who were this year's leaders, last year's leaders, next year's prospective leaders, and all other firms that aspire to be a recognized leader in the future, no matter how or by whom they are recognized.
Most advisors started with a few clients. Most never thought they would be managing a business, just other people's money. Most advisors have never had any formal business training, and most have been successful despite not being very good business men or women.
Most advisors realize that no one manager is right all the time—not even close—and that being honest is just as important as being right. You can always be honest, but you can never always be right.
Furthermore, no matter what the Kool-Aid sellers will tell you, no questionnaire can fully measure an investor's true risk tolerance. No investor truly knows his or her emotional tolerance for market volatility or ability to withstand losses until his or her portfolio suffers a material decline.
It's easy to take a bow when markets are performing well, but it is a wise advisor who doesn't forget how important regular communication is during a down market. Experienced advisors know that their job is to identify risk tolerance and investment objectives and to allocate client assets consistent with those parameters (and when markets underperform, to provide the needed discipline so that investors don't make the much-too-often-repeated mistake of buying high and selling low).
For those few clients who will never get it, let them go. For most advisors, the best client-related decision is to know when to say no: You and the client are not a good fit, and if they weren't happy with their last advisor (whom you know is pretty good), you are destined to be the next casualty.
When it does hit the fan, and it has at some point for all advisors, and that little voice in your head says, "I knew this would not end well," that voice should hopefully only need to be heard once, because you have developed the discipline and confidence to walk away rather than continue a relationship that will consume a disproportionate amount of your time and energy.
Finally, the much-too-often-repeated and potentially most dangerous mistake for advisory firm leaders in the post-Madoff era is to take for granted that compliance is being adequately discharged in their firms without taking an active supervisory interest. At the end of the day, it is your firm, and the buck stops at your desk. Get involved and stay involved. Delegate does not mean abdicate. Because you are required to appoint a chief compliance officer does not mean that you, as the chief executive officer, can or should rely solely on that person. Although the CCO reports to the CEO, it is the CEO who needs to confirm that he or she has the right person for that role. As a great president once said: trust, but verify.


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Festival bromantic
Ben Affleck and Jeremy Renner are in Venice to promote The Town. Casey Affleck is in Venice to promote I'm Still Here. Joaquin Phoenix is in Venice but didn't seem to show at the photo call or the premiere of his own movie – at least I can't find any photos of him at the official events. He was around though, for some select press, and never took his cigarette out of his mouth. All of them hooked up for dinner last night, seemed to have a really great time, and then they'll move on together to Toronto to continue the bromancing.
I don't like that word. But it seems apt.
These boys on the festival circuit – Casey amid allegations he harassed female producers on the set of his movie, Ben without Taupe, surrounded by lovely costars, Renner the single hot stud with a lot of buzz, Joaquin the unpredictable... what?
They eat pasta, drink water, and go to bed early.
Photos from Splashnewsonline.com and Andreas Rentz/Gareth Cattermole/ALBERTO PIZZOLI/Pascal Le Segretain/Gettyimages.com


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AssemblyPoint necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 124 diseños de 45 diseñadores freelance.
I'm got to select a winner this Sunday. I'll also need business cards and stationary done. Design needs to be ready for presentation on Tuesday....AssemblyPoint is a new Web 2.0 site for managing employee details, tracking time spent on projects, and tracking holidays and sick days. There are a lot of systems out there that do this but we're making our site extremely easy to use with a lot of participation from employees as opposed to the HR department. The URL will be assemblypoint.com
I need a logo that will work really well on the Web. It must contain the name AssemblyPoint. The name can be spelt as one or two words. I'm open to all lower case or a mixture. The logo should ideally incorporate an icon. The site is aimed at small to medium sized companies and is used for managing employees details, time spent on projects, and vacation/sick days. Other employee related functions will be added over time. There's a large element of "self service" in the system whereby employees add/edit their own information.
- Item 1...a logo incorporating the name AssemblyPoint, or assembly point, or Assembly Point. Althought the service is aimed at corporates it shouldn't have a dull corporate look and feel. The service is all about people.
- Item 1...no rainbows, musical instruments or toasters. No reflections or fills too complex for Web.
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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It is no secret that I like planted flowers indoors - I love that they are seasonal, last longer than cut flowers and are usually much less expensive. Do you know how much it would have cost me to make a floral arrangement to fill this pewter bowl- especially if I had it done at a floral shop. Hundreds. Hundreds! For $12 I made this very sweet and seasonal centerpiece that would great for Mother's Day... or any other occasion like a Tuesday?
Use potting soil to fill the container. After a couple of days the flowers should be transferred to a pot, as this bowl doesn't have any drainage. It will work great for about 5-7 days, though.
Start by placing the flowers around the perimeter of the bowl, then fill in with soil. Pack them in tight for a full effect.
Use moss to cover any exposed dirt... not a lovely sight on the dining table.


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Don't look now but here's another actual, in-use machine defying conventional wisdom and continuing to serve proudly, even at the ripe old age of 10+ years: Bungo Pony's garage jukebox.
Speak now if you think you can trump it: A 133Mhz Pentium machine with 128Mb and a entire battalion of DVD drives, USB expansion cards, you name it … playing tunes in the garage with the help of DSL.
(Also note that bumping the memory from 42Mb to 128 did not improve performance, as I have also suggested on this humble blog. You add-more-memory zealots need to rethink your religion. 😈 )
In all a lovely machine and a true warrior. Thanks for mentioning it. A gold smilie for Bungo Pony: 🙂


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A running discussion on the Cincinnati Reds and everything else in the baseball universe.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Dusty to Talk to Gary Sheffield
4 comments:
- smittyApril 2, 2009 at 9:30 AM
yea. i wont watch a game if this happensReplyDelete
- AnonymousApril 2, 2009 at 12:01 PM
Gary Sheffield is still a dominate player and Dikerson would be the lefty off the bench and still start around 50- 60 games this year.ReplyDelete
Thankfully, it seems that the Reds may actually only have interest in him as the weak half of a leftfield platoon. Even so, I have ZERO interest in bringing in Sheffield. The temptation for Dusty to abuse and misuse him is far too great. Unfortunately, the Reds have to ensure that the 25 man roster is "Dusty proof."
Personally, I'll have my fingers crossed that Sheffield heads for greener pastures outside of Cincy.
Thanks for the comment, but I'm afraid we'll just have to agree to disagree on that one. Sheffield hasn't been a dominant player since 2005. Right now, he's a shell of his former self.
In his age 39 season in 2008, Sheffield posted a slash line of .225/.326/.400/.726 in 482 plate appearances. That's not dominant. In fact, it's not even average. To top it all off, Sheffield is a terrible defensive outfielder at this point in his career.
Dickerson would be in the discussion for best defensive leftfielder in all of baseball, while Sheffield would be in the discussion for the worst. Dickerson would give the Reds a massive advantage in run prevention over Sheffield. That kind of advantage would be VERY difficult for Sheffield to offset on the offensive end of things. And, at age 40, he simply wouldn't be able to do it.
If the Reds are going to be successful in 2009, it will be on the backs of their young talent and an improving defense. The more they sacrifice the defense, the more they sacrifice in the win column.
Personally, I want no part of an aging Sheffield. Not only is he on his last legs in terms of production, but he has a habit of being toxic in the clubhouse when he is unhappy. With Sheffield, it might morph into a situation where if he plays too much, then he hurts us with his substandard production. But, if he plays too little, then he hurts us with his attitude. Either way, I don't see him helping us.
The only way it *might* work is if Sheff agreed to a very limited role and Dusty agreed not to fall in love with another unproductive veteran outfielder. Basically, if Sheff was comfortable filling the Jonny Gomes role. Even then, I'll take the younger Gomes every day of the week and twice on Sundays. Gomes still has upside to his game and is good in the clubhouse, whereas Sheff is the opposite.
Anyway, my $.02.


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I installed this game via APK on my Chinese tablet "Infotmic M799CA", created a desktop shortcut for it and noticed that after a (very frequent) device hang with consequent reboot, the game gets lost.
Tapping on the desktop icon says "Application not installed". I have to reinstall it again to make it work.
I found this happening only with this software. Any ideas about how to prevent it?


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NICOSIA, Cyprus — Cyprus' president has appointed a panel of three former supreme court judges to investigate how the country ended up nearly bankrupt.
President Nicos Anastasiades said Tuesday that ordinary citizens who are shouldering the burden of "actions and omissions" by officials want to see those responsible punished.
Anastasiades urged the judges to kick off their probe by investigating his family's business dealings amid an accusation in an opposition newspaper that a company that is said to be co-owned by one of his relatives took money out of Cyprus' now defunct second-largest lender, Laiki, days before the country agreed to a €16 billion ($20.5 billion) international rescue.
Under the terms of the bailout with its euro area partners and the International Monetary Fund, big depositors in Laiki are facing big losses.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Job Information
24 Hour Fitness, INC. Club Attendant II in Schaumburg, Illinois
FULL-TIME Part-time
LOCATION 141 N Barrington Road Schaumburg IL 60194
The Housekeeper Day will support in performing a variety of maintenance and cleaning tasks to keep the facility in a healthy, clean and orderly standard. Duties require contact with Housekeeping Supervisor, club management, staff, and members.
Estimated % of Time Spent
Cleans and dusts walls, mirrors, countertops, glass, and windows
Sweeps, mops, scrubs, and vacuums floor of all areas of club, including locker rooms, weight area, cardio, office space, hallways, stairs, etc.
Cleans and dusts all weight and cardio equipment
Restocks supplies
Empties clubs' garbage and recycling containers
Completes daily and weekly scope of work
Performs special cleaning projects as assigned
Performs assigned cleaning tasks during the day
Adhere to all safety rules
Use all janitorial supplies in accordance to product labels and club manuals
Adhere to authorized dress code
Attend all required training sessions and meetings
Report all facility maintenance issues to the Housekeeping Supervisor or Facility Technician
Report any member complaints to the Housekeeping Supervisor or Operations Manager
Knowledge of department policies and procedures
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
Cleaning practices and procedures
Understand and follow written instructions
Effectively communicate (verbal and writing skills) in English and/or Spanish
Work independently in the absence of supervision
Attention to detail
Establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with those contacted in the course of duties
Minimum Educational Level/Certifications
- High School Diploma or General Education Diploma (GED)
Minimum Work Experience and Qualifications
- Six months of janitorial experience
Physical Demands/ Environmental Conditions
While performing duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, and use hands and arms
Frequently required to climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl
Regularly required to lift up to 25 pounds. Occasionally required to lift up to 100 pounds
Telephone usage: Ability to communicate with internal and external members
Required usage of cleaning chemicals, ladders, and cleaning utensils
Regularly exposed to moving mechanical parts
Noise level in the environment is occasionally loud
FUNCTIONAL GROUP New Club Opening


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Photographer's Note
We were fortunate enough to be in the Kathmandu Valley during Holi, and were swept up in this ancient Hindu festival of spring that has spread to non-Hindus as well. It's also called the festival of colour, in part because, in all the frolicking, people smear each other's faces and clothes in brilliant colours and drop water balloons filled with coloured water off rooftops onto the streets and pedestrians below. The whole thing takes place in the happiest of spirits and, if you're out, you are fair game to be 'greeted' by the colours. No one is spared - local, traveller, rich, poor ...
Besides all of this fun, buildings are decorated too. In this photo a man is throwing paint on the stupa of Swayambhunath Temple, one of the most sacred Buddhist shrines in Nepal. The temple is also called The Monkey Temple, because the monkeys that live there are linked to a myth about the very origins of the shrine. This stunning stupa sits on a hilltop 365 steps above the Kathmandu Valley.
The combination of the joyous mood of Holi, and the beauty and significance of the site made our day unforgettable.
Nobody has marked this note useful
Photo Information
- Copyright: William Coombs (williamcoombs1) (365)
- Genre: People
- Medium: Color
- Date Taken: 2012-03-06
- Categories: Festivals
- Camera: Nikon D90, 18-105mm VR Nikon
- Exposure: f/9.0, 1/1250 seconds
- Photo Version: Original Version
- Date Submitted: 2014-01-21 5:09


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Item Description
branch christmas gift labels | 2" squares
from $15.00
These 2-inch square personalized gift labels will add the perfect finishing touch to your Christmas gifts!
Shipping Info
|art prints, notepads, note cards + labels
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Please note: Production for mealtime items usually takes 2-5 business days, but it can sometimes take longer (for example if they notice a defect when packaging the order and they need to remake an item), and then the items are shipped from Dallas, Texas. Shipping normally takes about 2-5 days. We're not able to offer any expedited options for mealtime items.


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We want you to be completely satisfied with your Valley Rose Studio purchase. Exchanges can be made within 7 days after receipt of delivery and item returned in original unused condition. Items must be unworn and have all original packaging included in return. Custom orders, final sale, or discounted items cannot be exchanged. Shipping fee's apply to returns or exchanges. Exchanges must be approved before sending back.
Our Sapphires are from Thailand, Africa, USA or Australia and have been verified by our reputable suppliers to be conflict-free and ethical.
Our 14k Fairmined Gold is the leading industry sustainable and ethical gold choice. our gold is only from responsible Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM). It is backed by a rigorous 3rd party certification and audit system that ensures that small entrepreneurial mining communities meet world leading Standards for responsible practices. Fairmined transforms mining into an active force for good, delivering social development and environmental protection, providing everyone with a source of gold they can be proud of. While recycling gold is still a sustainable and ethical option, it doesnt provide a solution for how the majority of the gold in the world is obtained. Buying fairmined gold helps to invest in the social, economic and environmentally sustainable development of miners, their families, workers and the community.
Type: Rings
Our socially & environmentally responsible collection is handcrafted just for you with love & care for the environment using fairmined eco friendly gold and conflict-free ethical gemstones. Plus one tree is planted for every purchase.
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Print and download this handy chart to find your ring size. Make sure you use exactly 8.5"x11" letter paper. You can use a string or a piece of paper and wrap around your finger or nuckle to measure the circumference and match to your size.
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Please select your meditation time
Start Meditating
Conclude Meditation
From John Main OSB, "God is the Centre of my Soul," THE WAY OF UNKNOWING (New York: Crossroad, 1990), pp. 18-20.
Meditation is a very simple concept. There is nothing complicated about it, nothing esoteric. . . . In essence, meditation is simply being still at the centre of your being.
An excerpt from John Main, "Make Nothing Happen," WORD MADE FLESH (London: Canterbury, 1993), pp. 20-21.
Religion is meaningless if it is confined to external and ritual acts of worship. Liturgy and ritual only have meaning when they are inspired by conversion of heart.
An excerpt from John Main OSB, "Letting Go," JOHN MAIN: ESSENTIAL WRITINGS, Modern Spiritual Masters Series (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 2002), p. 127.
One of the most difficult things for Westerners to understand is that meditation is not about trying to make anything happen.
From Laurence Freeman OSB, "Meeting the Other," LIGHT WITHIN: The Inner Path of Meditation (New York: Crossroad, 1989), pp. 65-67
Every relationship of our life, every turning towards another, is an ever-deepening encounter with the Other in whose image we are made.
An excerpt from Laurence Freeman OSB, "Dearest Friends," Christian Meditation Newsletter, Vol. 28, No. 2, May 2004, pp. 4-5.
Contemplatives know that the work they are doing in silence and stillness touches and affects the whole person. The wounding division between body and mind is gradually healed and the meaning of resurrection becomes clearer.
An excerpt from Laurence Freeman OSB, "Dearest Friends" in Christian Meditation Newsletter, Vol. 35, No. 2, July 2011, P. 5.
We are all looking for something. Some have a clear sense of it, at least a conscious awareness of something missing.
An excerpt from Laurence Freeman OSB, "Dearest Friends," The World Community for Christian Meditation International Newsletter, June 18, 1999.
Deep prayer teaches us what the angel of death teaches. When the meditator meets poverty of spirit, it is like an experience of death.
An excerpt from John Main OSB, "Second Conference," THE GETHSEMANI TALKS (Tucson, AZ: Medio Media, 1999), pp. 35-37.
We must take extreme care about using terms like "self-renunciation." In prayer we do truly seek to turn our whole being to a contemplation of God's goodness, of his infinite love.
From Laurence Freeman OSB, "The Light of the Self," from LIGHT WITHIN: The Inner Path of Meditation (New York: Crossroad, 1989), pp. 85-87.
Meditation exposes . . . a hard and essential truth [ . . .] : if we cannot communicate our real self to others it is because we haven't yet made contact with it ourselves.
An excerpt from John Main OSB, "From Isolation to Love," THE WAY OF UNKNOWING (New York: Crossroad, 1990), pp. 44-46.
We meditate because we know with absolute certainty that we must pass through and beyond our own sterility. We must transcend the sterility of the closed system, of a purely introspective mind.


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Who I am
I'm a french junior system engineer in an IT service company specialized in FOSS.
I'm currently living in what others call "the most beautiful city in the world": Paris (they are so wrong -_-)
I also am a Novell CLP.
Realisations in the FOSS community
I've been using Fedora since Fedora Core 5 (Bordeaux, what a wonderful name :-). Since then, I've been an active member in the french community.
Mohamed Elmorabity and I co-founded the Fedora | Paris project. What we do is gather the Fedoristas who live in Paris and have diner more or less every 2 weeks, and more if the night goes on. Of course, we all already know each other on IRC or on the forums, so those meetings are more a way to know the non-geek-side of each other, and build friendship inside our community. The subjects of conversation can be geared towards Fedora but it is not mandatory. We are not a LUG, Fedora is merely what brought us together. Put in other words, Fedora | Paris aims at seeing what lays beyond the geeky mask. Fedora | Paris is also responsible of providing the restaurants and after parties for the Fedora Community regarding events organized in Paris. As a result, we are proud to count Max Spevack and Yaakov Nemoy as international guests (as well as the French community members who don't live in Paris but gave us a visit).
I also contribute to Fedora by packaging.
Under pressure (and guidance) from Thomas Canniot, I became a Fedora Ambassador in June 2008.
As of February 2009, I am the assistant secretary of the Fedora-Fr NPO.
I initiated shomyu. The goal is to provide a web application for members of a community to locate themselves and add a short description about them.
Shomyu was born after frustration from not being able / wanting to use the proprietary frappr service that Fedora-Fr is currently using. Let's hope shomyu can replace it if it ever gets in a working enough shape.
I participated in the organization of the F10 Release Party in Paris where I lead some workshops.
Plans for 2009
Here's what I want to do for 2009:
- Help develop more the french speaking community and have it work in a less "insular" way.
- restructure the wiki of the NPO
- make weekly and bimonthly reports on what is going on in the french community
- Collaborate more with the OLPC-France association, share events with them, ...
- Establish a strong Fedora presence in Paris, especially by making sure Fedora will always be well represented in the "Premier samedi à la Cité des Sciences".
- We've attended the event every month since march, which is already quite a success
- Attend some important events:
- February:
FOSDEM - Bruxelles
- see my report
- March:
Linux Solutions - Paris
- did not go, could not have the days off
- June: FUDCon - Berlin
- I'll be leading a shomyu hackfest
- July: Rencontres_Mondiales_du_Logiciel_Libre_2009
- February:
- Put to use the XO that I bought and help the OLPC / Sugar projects.
- Have shomyu actually used by some community (which means "start coding, you lazy me !" :)
- e-mail: bochecha {the weird "a"} fedoraproject {I think the english word is "dot"} org
- IRC: bochecha on Freenode.
- Blog: http://blog.fedora-fr.org/bochecha


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- Andrew Jackson
- James Knox Polk
- James Buchanan
- Ulysses S Grant
- Chester Alan Arthur
- Grover Cleveland
- William McKinley
- Woodrow Wilson
- John Fitzgerald Kennedy
- Lyndon Baines Johnson
- Richard Milhous Nixon
- James Earl Carter
- Ronald Wilson Reagan
- George Herbert Walker Bush
- William Jefferson Clinton
- George W Bush
This page also gives some background on the genealogical questions surrounding some of the recent president's Irish ancestry.
To go with this, you can read a USA Today article on Bush's Irish link. That article actually only says there are 11 presidents with Irish ancestry, so believe who you choose.


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Secret store price codes revealed
Bargain shoppers now know if you are getting the best deal or not
Imagine always getting the cheapest prices and knowing what's going on clearance.
We asked several Target shoppers if they considered themselves a bargain shopper and almost everyone said, "Yes."
[WEB EXTRA: Store pricing code guide]
In Fact, Donna Fosnaugh says, "If it's not on sale, I don't buy it. I never pay full price."
Now, there is a way to ensure you don't pay full price.
Kyle James, of "Rather Be Shopping," cracked several stores price tag codes so you know if what you are buying is on sale, clearance or full-price.
"It's a great feeling you kind of have a one-up on the stores," James said.
Here's how it works. Look at the price tag and focus on the cents.
"It's important to pay attention to the dollars, but this tip is all about the cents," James said. "If you know the cents at certain stores you can determine if you're getting a good deal or not."
For example:
- Target: If the price ends in .99 you are paying full price
If price ends in .98 it is a markdown
If it ends in .04 it is a final markdown
Shopper Kim Rugh says she has heard of this before for other stores, but not Target.
"I did not know that. I heard at the gap if it ends in 97 that is as low as it will go. I did know that for another store, but not for Target," Rugh said.
According to James, stores like Costco, The Home Depot and JC Penney all use the same method -- you have to look at the cents to determine the deal you're getting.
At Sears, if price ends in .88, it's the best price. If it ends in .97, it's a discontinued item on clearance and if it's .99, it is full price.
Brandy Carter said she was also caught by surprise and didn't know some stores have a pricing code.
What if it goes on sale the next day but you already bought it?
"I take the receipt in and usually within 30 days -- sometimes 90 -- depending on the store they will give you the difference," Fosnaugh says.
Rugh says it's frustrating.
"You wish you had a crystal ball, like, if you wait till tomorrow you could save money," Rugh said.
If you see "NM" in corner of Kohl's electronic price tag, it means "new markdown," and the next day, the price will be cheaper.
Shopper Tammy Leckrum said she had no idea.
"Oh no, I didn't know that," Leckrum said.
Or if you see an asterisk in the upper right corner of a price tag in Costco that means it is the best price you are going to find.
James says it's a simple way to save money.
"It's kind of a no-brainer," James said. "Within seconds, you can determine if you're saving money or not."
That's good news for Rugh and her daughter, Lauren.
Rugh says now that she knows the codes, "I can be an even better shopper, that's cool right."
Copyright 2014 by ClickOrlando.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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November 4, 2004 • Posted By Shaun Lyon
Lalla Ward and her husband, author Richard Dawkins, will be presenting from Dawkins' newest book on Wednesday, November 10th at 6:00 pm at the Brattle Theater, 40 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA. For full details on this event click here. (Thanks to John S Hall)


text: Lets start with a blindingly obvious statement, pollution is getting out of hand and whilst it might not directly affect our lifetimes, it will have major implications on our future generations. Limiting CO2 emissions would be a step in the right direction for this world. Electric cars will by no means "save the world" alone, but it's a start to helping address these pollution issues. Here we look at 3 great reasons you should really think about going electric on your next vehicle and help save the world!!! Reason 1 – Electric cars are becoming "cool" Not so long ago options to buy an electric car were what you could say, limited! Now, all the major car companies are investing heavily in electric car technology and that is leaving us (the buyer) with much cooler options to choose from. Electric cars like the ones you see here are now fun to look at, exciting and incredibly powerful. Pictured: Tesla P90D and its absurd ludicrous mode. We have one guy to thank for that, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla has almost single handedly changed this industry. Musk has always been a fanatic of fast cars, which go from 0-60mph in no time.  Electric cars in the past have never been described as "powerful" but recently, things have changed. Now there's the Tesla P90D, which has unbelievable power, going from 0-60mph in just 2.8seconds. Check out the video here. But not only supercars, the regular electric vehicle is being designed to be sleek, smooth and powerful which makes them much more appealing to the younger generation.  Tesla also has very recently launched its much more affordable model 3 which got over 115,000 orders within its first 24 hours. The price point is around $35k and is another huge leap in the right direction for electric vehicles. Reason 2 – Those Tax breaks What would you say to an extra $7500 come tax season? There is a federal income tax credit of up to $7,500 if you buy a plug in hybrid or electric car. Imagine this nice bonus just for driving an electric car. In some cases with used models, that is almost one quarter of the total purchase price. Your monthly gas bill will almost certainly drop down so if you think about it, 3-4 years driving your electric car, it will pay for itself. Reason 3 – Maintenance is easier and less necessary Sure, there are still the check ups just like any vehicle but with no engine and no oil to check amongst other regular car maintenance issues the hassle is definitely limited. You no longer have to deal with that horrible "Check engine light" and it most Tesla cases, they can send out the wireless software update to you. In theory, you are driving a huge phone on wheels, Crazy to think about, right? But the world is definitely changing and as you saw in our other recent article http://www.wilhelmautomotive.com/blog/?post=the-evolution-of-the-electric-vehicle , the electric vehicle is definitely evolving, maybe its time for a change for you too.


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Beware: Beverages That Sap Your Bones
Why cola, caffeine and alcohol can rob your body of calcium—and what you should be drinking instead.
Sure, you've heard that foods rich in calcium and vitamin D can keep your bones healthy. But did you know that some of your favorite drinks may be sabotaging your best efforts for strong bones? Here, the beverages that could be robbing your body of valuable nutrients--and the bone builders that'll help keep you in tiptop shape!
Moderate intake may be beneficial to bones, but indulge in more than three alcoholic drinks a day and your bones could suffer. That's because the beverages interfere with the body's ability to absorb calcium and vitamin D. And excessive consumption destroys osteoblasts, the cells that make bone.
Bone builder:Try a plum mocktail! Next time you're in the mood for a drink, quench your thirst with a mocktail made of boiled plums (3 cups), water (1 3/4 cups), honey (4 tsp), salt (1/2 tsp), black pepper (1/4 tsp), sugar (2 Tbsp), lemon juice (1/4 tsp) and fresh mint to garnish. According to researchers, postmenopausal women who ate about a half a cup of dried plums for three months had increased levels of hormones associated with bone formation. And a 2010 Journal of Nutrition study showed that adult and elderly mice fed dried plums actually gained bone mass.
Whether it's diet or regular, making a habit of sipping cola can reduce your bone mineral density by 4%, according to a Tufts University study. The reason: "Phosphates in soft drinks bind to calcium and eliminate it from the body," explains Carolyn Dean, MD, ND, author of The Complete Natural Medicine Guide to Women's Health. And that loss of calcium can equal loss of bone.
Bone builder: Switch to seltzer or clear sodas. The same Tufts study found no bone loss in people who drank non-cola soft drinks, like ginger ale and citrus-flavored sodas.
Need a cup o' joe to get going in the morning? One or two cups may be fine, but overdo your java and you could be putting your bones in jeopardy. "Coffee affects the bones adversely by increasing calcium excretion," warns Dr. Dean. While keeping your daily caffeine intake to 300 mg should be fine, many people get much more than that—consider that you'll get about 320 mg from just two 8-ounce cups!
Bone builder: Sip green tea instead. It has less caffeine than coffee, and it contains antioxidants called polyphenols, which short-circuit chronic inflammation, a major contributor to bone loss. In fact, a Texas Tech University study found that drinking 4 cups of green tea daily actually improves bone density.
Hint: You can ease the transition to green tea by swapping your second cup of java for matcha green tea, which has more caffeine than other green varieties.


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Rachel Bird of Kingsley, Iowa, didn't have a date for her prom on Saturday. She really wanted to go with Tim Tebow. She tried asking him to go via Twitter. She tried contacting his agent. She also tried the Jets. Nothing.
Undaunted, Rachel did the next-best thing: She spent 20 bucks on a life-size color print of Tebow and glued it to some cardboard she and her mother found in the trash behind a hardware store. Presto! A prom date certain to keep his hands to himself.
Here's what Bird had to say about her evening, according to the Sioux City Journal:
"He was a cheap date, and he didn't talk much," Bird joked. "And when I asked him to stand in a corner, he did. I don't think it even hurt his feelings."
He acted the same way with the Broncos. Cardboard Tebow is just like the real thing!
[Sioux City Journal; h/t to Jordan H. and Bryan]


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Secrets in Siberia
Mike Ramsdell was a covert operative for the federal government. He was assigned to capture and extract a high level target from Russia, but the mission went horribly wrong. Check out the fictionalized account of the story at potevka.com and you can personally contact Mike at michaelramsdell.com.
Producer: Anna Sussman
Sound Design: Renzo Gorrio


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localschools necesitaba un nuevo diseño de página web y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 49 diseños de 13 diseñadores freelance.
LocalSchoolDirectory.com provides information on all public and private schools across the U.S. Our major audience consists of parents looking for school information. We would like a redesigned website with a clean simple look.
New website logo located here: http://www.localschooldirectory.com/new_logo.jpg
Since we have a lot of data on our site, we would like to clean up all the clutter and organize the data in a more simple way.
Some aspects of what our new design should stand for:
1) Welcoming Community Site For Parents & Teachers
2) Simple, Direct & Easy to Use
3) Professional
4) Easy To Find Statistical Data
LocalSchoolDirectory.com provides a large amount of data on public & private schools, therefore we would like a template that can represent this data in a SIMPLE & ORGANIZED way that can also be scalable when more data points are added (test scores, attendance,...)
We are offering 2 extra prizes at $150 for subpage:
1) School City Page
a. e.g. http://ca.localschooldirectory.com/…cPath/1878
b. Organize data provided onto the new template
c. Clean way to display all schools located within city
- Min 900px total template width
- 160px width left or right column (Navigation,Ads,...)
- Minimize heights for the header & footer
- Clean web 2.0 design
- School related pictures can be used (but not necessary)
- We do not mind tabs if done well
- We feel that white along with trim that matches new logo may work, however we are open to any clean, organized color scheme
- Browser safe fonts (Does not need to match New Logo)
- Individual elements such as buttons/menu options should be provided
- Vector+PSD file formats
- Interested in having the site coded as well, (Can discuss details once prize has been awarded)
- Clutter
- Clip Art
- Too many colors
- Fancy Graphics


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They say a picture's worth a thousand words. Under inside this old wooden restaurant lies an unforgettable conversation.
Life as a carbon-based life form; a journey of building on success and learning from mistakes.
They say a picture's worth a thousand words. Under inside this old wooden restaurant lies an unforgettable conversation.
After more than a year of searching we've finally put a deposit onto the contract for sale of land. It's a nice 650m2 block of land in Cabramatta. We chose this option because there wasn't any house on the market that meets our criteria.
Thanks to my negotiation skills, the tax-free incomes has seen my saving account grown by 600% in the last couple of months.
One of the fundamental advise when it comes to money is - "pay off your home loan before making any other investment is the smartest thing to do."
There are many guides available online or consults conveyancing solicitor. This post details my own experience and contacts through the buying process - I am borrowing 80% of the purchase price for a vacant land, which I intended to build soon after.
My conveyancing solicitor is Tracey Tran at Legal Life Lawyers, because she personally went through the same process of purchasing vacant land and building. You can avoid alot of financial mistakes by following someone else's footsteps.
Remembering that purchasing property is your biggest liability, your property will remains the bank's asset for the life of your mortgage (the term mortgage comes from the Old French words mort, "dead," and gage, "pledge").
So be smart and "pay off your homeloan before making any other big investments."


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I know it's a stereotype, but even in these days of liberation and equality, at so many barbecues I go to, it's the blokes who gather round the grill to marvel at its shiny grandeur. They grunt at each other in short sentences punctuated by words like "Holden-Slater-Duckworth-Lewis-Fastcut-32 Standard" and argue over who gets to prod the meat to make sure that it is really, truly, dead.
Now I like having a chat about the next Test series as much as the next person, but really, given the choice, I'd far rather the more creative work of coming up with the salads.
While there are only about 15 proteins you're likely to grill on the barbecue, when it comes to salads there are thousands. In fact, there are recipes for more than 4100 salads listed on www.taste.com.au alone.
For me, salads make the barbecue as much as the meat or the game of backyard cricket. But, with so much choice on offer, deciding what to make can be perplexing.
The first thing I like to do is think about the meat or seafood being served and what salads go best with those proteins. For example, ingredients like avocado, spinach and bacon go really well with chicken, while roast beetroot, walnuts and soft goat's cheese are perfect with lamb. Fish like salmon loves flavours like lemon, dill and cucumber. So why not combine each of these trios into a salad to match the meat/seafood.
The next thing is to think about how your dressings can build bridges between your salad and protein. For example, how about using a fresh mint vinaigrette if you are serving that beetroot salad with lamb or a simple, creamy horseradish dressing made from flavouring sour cream with a good dollop of horseradish if you want to serve the same salad with beef? (With that latter dressing, feel free to make it looser by mixing in lemon juice or warm water.) Also, think about how the dressings will react with the proteins. Salads are a great partner to grilled meats for a twist.
That reminds me. Adding sweet little highlights of dried fruit, such as sultanas or chopped dates, is another way to add interesting texture and flavour contrast.
In fact, almost all the ingredients mentioned above can come together in a pumpkin salad that is complex enough for the most demanding vegetarian, but can also be given some carnivorous chops by pairing it with bacon or even roast pork.
To make a blue cheese dressing that pretty much goes with anything – try it on a plain iceberg lettuce salad or with spinach and bacon – just whisk 50ml yoghurt or sour cream with 40ml milk and then add 100g crumbled/cut soft blue cheese with 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar.
Taste and adjust the flavour by adding salt and more vinegar or milk.
TIP #1 A tarator sesame seed sauce is a wonderful sauce that is loved across the Middle East and in Turkey.
If you have tahini you can substitute that for the freshly ground sesame seeds, but I fell for freshly ground tahini when I tasted Julie Goodwin's version.
As tarator moves towards Asia Minor you will find that the recipe changes and in Turkey and further east, walnuts replace sesame seeds and soaked bread replaces the yoghurt. Either way, however, this is a wonderful, flexible sauce that is a good partner to loads of different steamed vegies, seafood – try it with battered mussels like they serve on the streets of Istanbul – or with meat such as lamb.
TIP #2 If you can find fresh pomegranate seeds, add them to salads. Likewise, you could always substitute tarator sauce for a dressing made with pomegranate molasses, olive oil and a little salt.
If you are looking for the coolest chefs in the world, look no further than Montreal and the two bears of men who run Joe Beef. Fred Morin and David McMillan might look like a couple of heavyweight boxersturned-wharfies, but their French-inspired food, muscled up in flavour like a culinary Rocky Balboa and stereotyped as Francophile dude food, is really something much more elegant – and acidic.
I have developed an unhealthy addiction for their maple mustard that is perfect with everything from fried eggs to smoked cheddar toasties.
It's as easy to make as bringing 185ml maple syrup to the boil over medium-high heat and keeping it bubbling away until the bubbles start getting really big. This will take about 6-7 minutes.
Then let the thickened maple syrup cool. When it has, whisk in 125ml dijon mustard, a heaped tablespoon of mustard seeds and half a teaspoon black pepper. It is ready to use once it's cold. Store it in an airtight container for about two weeks.
Follow Matt Preston on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mattscravat
Information in this article is correct as of 13 November, 2012.
Matt Preston writes for the taste section, available every Tuesday in The Courier Mail, The Daily Telegraph, and Herald Sun, every Wednesday in The Advertiser and in Perth's Sunday Times.


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Diabetes Around the Clock
Having diabetes is a constant commitment. Make smart and healthy choices—even during the most hectic days.
When it comes to the critical elements of diabetes management, eating breakfast and remembering to test your fasting blood sugar levels would certainly be on the list. Managing your blood sugar is an around-the-clock job. And when you make small steps throughout each day, you can take a huge leap toward controlling and managing your condition.
At work:
Morning break
- Get in a little exercise. Use the stairs, maybe spending a few minutes going up and down a few flights to clear your head and stretch your legs. For each minute you spend walking the stairs, you could burn up to 10 to 15 calories.
- Enjoy a snack. Make your own low-sugar yogurt parfait. Combine a 6-ounce cup of plain Greek yogurt and half a cup of fresh peaches in a bowl for a healthy and satisfying morning pick-me-up. This 200-calorie snack is packed with calcium and fiber.
- Don't skip lunch. Keep your blood sugar steady by sticking to low-fat, lean-protein options. A turkey sandwich on whole-grain bread with a side of salad greens is satisfying and won't cost you a lot of calories, sugar or carbohydrates.
- Drink water. Refill your glass often to stay energized and hydrated. Switching to water from coffee, soda or juice can help cut back on the total sugar and calories in your diet. Flavor your water with a squeeze of lemon or lime, or with an orange wedge instead.
Afternoon break
- Take "me" time. Relieve stress and tension right in your office. Shut your eyes and breathe deeply for a couple of minutes of meditation to clear your mind. Mental stress has been found to elevate blood glucose levels in people with diabetes.
- Wiggle your toes. Ward off diabetic foot problems by performing simple exercises to increase circulation, reduce pain and strengthen your feet. Try this one: Lift your leg slightly off the floor and wiggle your toes. Then move your feet in a clockwise circle from the ankle for a count of 10 before switching directions and doing the same counter-clockwise.
Back home:
- Keep a journal. Besides recording your blood glucose numbers, write some of your health goals for the week in your daily journal. Include a tip for yourself to help you stay motivated. Try something like: "Lose just five pounds to fit into my favorite outfit again!"
- Get some shut-eye. Eight hours of sleep per night will keep you well rested—and help you control your weight and blood pressure. You'll be prepared to start the next day off on the right foot.


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I answered – "As far as I know there is currently no statutory limitation on annual increases to real estate taxes. Corzine may have talked about it at one point, but I am not aware of any law. From what I have seen in the past few years municipalities can raise taxes as much as they like. Senior citizen homeowners have some protection with the "Senior Freeze" property tax reimbursement program - but "normal" taxpayers get no relief."
As referred to in my response, I have noticed over the past two tax filing seasons that the property tax deductions of NJ homeowners have increased dramatically – and at the same time the amounts of the homeowner rebate checks for non-senior and non-disabled homeowners have decreased dramatically. The new rebate program, renamed the Homestead Rebate, promises much higher rebate checks this year. Although the money for the increased rebates will have to come from somewhere – the NJ legislature would never think of reducing spending, only increasing taxes, fees, surcharges, etc – so the money will come out of one pocket and go into the other.
In the "old days" you could always tell when it was the local election year in Jersey City, New Jersey – the real estate taxes would go down!
The other email read – "What a wonderful service you are providing by making your website such a resource of tax information. I learned so much by reading through it. I wonder if you could answer a quick question concerning the Homestead Rebate/Fair Tenant Rebate. I tried asking the State, but keep getting a run-around. If a person was qualified to file a Fair Tenant Rebate for 2004 and 2005, but didn't do so, could these be filed now and be paid retroactively?"
My answer – "Thanks for the kind words. I glad you found my website helpful. As far as I know, if you did not file an original tenant rebate application (TR-1040) for 2004 and 2005 with your 2004 and 2005 NJ-1040 filing it is too late to do so now. There is a Form TR-1040-X (Amended Fair Rebate Application) for 2004 and 2005, but these forms are only if you actually filed an original 2004 or 2005 TR-1040 - and not to submit an original 2004 or 2005 application. So it looks like you are out of luck."
The application for the NJ tenant's rebate is submitted by filing Form TR-1040 with your 2006 NJ-1040. According to the NJ-1040 instructions, "A tenant who is not required to file a NJ income tax return (because of income below the minimum filing threshold) and meets the qualifications for a tenant homestead rebate may file only Form TR-1040 to claim a rebate. It is not necessary to file the NJ-1040 along with the tenant rebate application." If you are filing only the TR-1040 you have until October 31, 2007 to file.
The first round of tenant rebate checks has already been mailed out. The maximum rebate for a qualified non-senior and non-disabled tenant has been increased from $75.00 to $350.00.
The email mentioned "getting the run-around" when calling the NJ Division of Taxation with a question. My advice is never call the State if you have a question. Over the years clients and others who have done so have been given totally false answers to specific questions. Ask your tax professional. Or you can email the state at email@example.com.
I never call a state or federal tax agency – I have been "burnt" too often in the past. I require that all contact be made either via postal mail or email so that I have documentation of any representations made by the agency. I almost never receive the courtesy of a written response to my postal correspondence to the NJ Division of Taxation (unless I write to a specific person – generally higher up on the chain of command) – although most times the issue addressed in the correspondence is taken care of. I have found lately that I get a prompt and, for the most part satisfactory, response to specific client questions and issues from the NJDOT by using the above email address.
While on the subject of New Jersey taxes, as I probably mentioned in a posting last year, every single client, without exception, who had a balance due on a 2005 NJ-1040 I submitted online using NJWebFile was double-billed for the amount due (a balance due notice was sent to the client in August of 2006), even though the balance due had been originally been paid on time and the client had a cancelled check. What the state did was apply the payment to tax year 2004 and not 2005. Most clients either contacted the NJDOT directly or emailed me and I contacted Trenton to explain the error. Recently, in the course of preparing one of the GD extensions, I discovered that the client had simply paid NJ the amount requested without notifying me.
Two things:
First - I am required by law by the State of New Jersey to file all full-year resident NJ-1040s electronically, unless the client provides me with a signed "OPT-OUT" form. I am not a federal "ERO" (Electronic Return Originator) and I do not file federal returns electronically (and will not do so until the federal government either provides me with free software or allows one to do so free online, like NJ does with NJWebFile). I do not use software to prepare tax returns – I do all 400+ manually. So the only way I can comply with the law is to use NJWebFile, which I do whenever possible or feasible. If the State of New Jersey wants me to file all my NJ-1040s electronically the least they can do is make sure that the system to do so actually works properly! This year I filed all balance due NJ-1040s manually, and got a signed OPT-OUT form from the client.
Second – Whenever you receive a balance due notice, or any correspondence, from the IRS or a state tax agency send it to your tax preparer immediately! Do not just automatically pay any balance requested. If you prepared the return yourself you should contact a tax professional. Over the years I have found that more than 50% (and that is conservative – it is more like 75%) of balance due notices received from the IRS or the state are incorrect! When I found out that the client had double-paid her 2005 NJ state income tax I immediately emailed the NJDOT with copies of both cancelled checks attached.
Those of us who live in the Garden State are well aware of just how expensive a proposition it has become. Check out my earlier posting on "NEW JERSEY - A NICE PLACE TO VISIT, BUT WHO WOULD WANT TO LIVE HERE!"
Any questions about New Jersey taxes or rebates?


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My First Puzzles: Alphabet - A Free Educational Puzzle Game for Kids and Toddlers for Learning Letter Shapes - Kid Toddler App
iOS Universal Education
Kids from 2 to 6 will have fun discovering and learning the alphabet while solving puzzles. Letters are pronounced when the puzzle is completed.
With 16 different puzzles (4 first are free, others can be bought inside the application), nice sound effects, beautiful graphics, this game will entertain your children while improving their motor skills.
This game is part of our "Learning is fun" collection of educational games. Visit our web site for more info: http://ar-entertainment.net/learning/ or http://ar-entertainment.net/learning/ipad.html
What's New
Fix minor bugs


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This is the third entry in our small and medium sized businesses (SMB) Cloud blog post series (check out part 1 on cloud storage and part 2 on the cloud and mobile web if you haven't already!), and an opportunity to tell you about a great offer from two key players in the mobile accounting space.
What's more important to your business than getting paid, and what's better than getting paid fast? An endless stream of payments, I suppose, but perhaps we could look at solutions for that in future posts. In the meantime, the ability to know where your business stands – where it is on orders placed, invoices sent and paid, or stock levels from anywhere at any time – can give you a competitive advantage. It allows you to better manage cash flow, develop new business opportunities and accurately plan into the future.
Whether you are still relying on older accounting software to keep your finances in order or you have moved on to more 'robust' products, being able to invoice a customer as soon as the product or service has been delivered, thereby speeding up the payment cycle, can only help your bottom line.
To that end, one of the leaders in online invoicing, FreshBooks, and their mobile app partner ReportAway!® have got a handy solution for you. Here's some info on what you can expect with ReportAway! for FreshBooks:
ReportAway! is a FreshBooks application for BlackBerry® smartphones that allows you to create invoices and track time to your FreshBooks account wherever you are. From ReportAway!, you can create invoices to your FreshBooks account, which can be sent out immediately to your clients. It also allows you to enter payments, create estimates, track time to your projects, and add expenses while on the go. There is also a handy mileage calculator for automobile expense entries.
ReportAway! integrates with native BlackBerry smartphone Phone, Contacts, Calendar and Task applications. You can also import BlackBerry device phone logs, calendar events, or tasks as time into FreshBooks, as well as importing BlackBerry contacts as FreshBooks clients.
FreshBooks, and their mobile app partner ReportAway! have come together to create a great offer for you to try out their cloud based accounting solutions. Here are the basics:
If you are new to both FreshBooks and ReportAway!, you can download ReportAway! for Freshbooks on the BlackBerry App World™ storefront for free (regularly $19.99 USD) until December 15th, 2011. If you are new to ReportAway! and already have a FreshBooks account, you can try out ReportAway! for 30 days for free.
You may also be entered to win a BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet! For full details on the offer and promotion, check out the FreshBooks blog post.
Why not give it a try? Let us know what you think of the app in the comments.


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Celebrating More Than 50 Years of Psychology at UCA
The Department of Psychology and Counseling has a strong tradition of high quality undergraduate psychology education and rigorous professional training in mental healthcare. Founded in 1967, the Department of Psychology and Counseling is one of the largest and most diverse psychology departments in Arkansas.
Our undergraduate program encourages scientific inquiry, critical thinking, and independent research. Graduates are prepared for graduate work in psychology, social work, and counseling programs, or to pursue other professional careers.
Our graduate programs prepare students to become Licensed Psychologists, School Psychology Specialists, or Licensed Professional Counselors who provide evidence-based services for children, adults, and families in a variety of healthcare and educational settings.
Master's Training Opportunities
- The Specialist in Education program in School Psychology is accredited by National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) and leads to certification as a School Psychology Specialist.
- The M.S. program in Mental Health Counseling is well respected for producing high quality, effective Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs).
Doctoral Training Opportunities
- The School Psychology Program is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA); however, the program has been granted voluntary inactive status from the APA and will not be accepting new students beginning Fall 2019.
- The Counseling Psychology Program is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA).
See each program's website for specific admissions procedures and application deadlines.
If you have questions about our programs, please contact the Student Services Advisor (501-852-0780 or firstname.lastname@example.com) or the Department Office (501-450-3193).
The Department Needs You!
The future of the Department of Psychology and Counseling depends, in part, on the financial support of alumni, parents,organizations, and other friends of the Department. With your contributions, we can continue our strong tradition of support for students and faculty as they seek to fulfill their professional goals. There are a number of ways to give to the Department including scholarships for current students.
Click here to learn more about each of our foundation funds and how you can contribute your support.
News and Current Events
Alumni Spotlight
April Reed, L.P.E., School Psychology Specialist
Click here to learn about this and other former students, where they are now, their experience at UCA and their advice for current students.
The Department of Psychology and Counseling is part of the College of Health and Behavioral Sciences and is located on the 2nd floor of Mashburn Hall across from the HPER Center.


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Feb. 15, 2005 – Witnesses testifying at a special Congressional hearing yesterday told Democratic lawmakers about severe and rampant mishandling of American and Iraqi funds managed by the former US-run occupation government, as well as censorship and manipulation of Iraqi media in the service of pro-American propaganda.
One former senior advisor to the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), the organization established to administer the US occupation of Iraq during the first year following the March 2003 invasion, testified that massive amounts of freshly minted American cash were distributed regularly to Iraqi ministries and American companies.
On at least one known occasion, cash was handed to a private US mercenary firm, ostensibly to be spent on its operations in Iraq, though the cash was not properly accounted for once it was paid. Former CPA employee Frank Willis said that company, Custer Battles, was handed $2 million in shrink-wrapped $100 bills in his presence, and he displayed a photograph taken just moments before the handing over to prove it.
A lawyer attended the hearings to represent two former associates of Custer Battles who declined at the last minute to testify in person for fear of retribution from both the mercenary firm and the Bush administration. Alan Grayson said his clients have filed a sealed claim against Custer Battles alleging, in part, that the company accepted $15 million from the CPA to provide security for Iraq's civilian airline, which was in fact grounded for the duration of the contract and in no need of the company's services.
The hearing was called by Senator Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota), chairperson of the Democratic Policy Committee, in lieu of oversight activities that should have been held by Congressional committees with actual jurisdiction over US policy toward Iraq, in Dorgan's view.
Senator Harry Reid (D-Nevada) and Representative Henry Waxman (D-California) joined Dorgan on the committee, which heard testimony from four witnesses, including two who worked in Iraq and personally witnessed what they termed the misuse of Iraqi and American monies intended for reconstruction-related projects. The committee members said the hearing was inspired by a recent report by the inspector general for Iraqi reconstruction, which found nearly $9 billion in mismanaged or missing funds that were supposedly under CPA control.
Theft By Any Other Name
Grayson read from an internal memo compiled by a Custer Battles field manager, which drew damning conclusions about Custer Battles' top executives, apparently regarding the company's fulfillment of a $21 million contract to guard the exchange of Iraq's Saddam Hussein-era currency for US-minted bills in late 2003 and early 2004. Based on information provided by one of Grayson's clients, the memo stated:
Indicated in this report are enormous areas of discrepancies and irregularities that lend themselves to criminal fraud. A broader issue of criminal intent has become evident. The documents are prima facia evidence of a course of conduct consistent with criminal activity and intent. The concerns and issues raised by [whistleblower Pete Baldwin], in his response to my email, significantly reinforces my concern that criminal activity transpired here on the money exchange project.
The memo goes on to cite "a clear and definite pattern of deception and misrepresentation" and recommends, "Further discussions and decisions concerning the [money exchange] project should be coordinated through the corporate criminal defense attorney."
In his testimony, Grayson mistakenly referred to the author of that memorandum as Custer Battles' "corporate integrity officer." But according to a New York Times article published last October, it was only after that memo was written that the man who penned it, Peter Miskovich, found himself promoted from a field manager to the position of corporate integrity officer. At that point, Miskovich recanted the findings reported in his memo and revised attribution of blame to individual lower-level employees, insisting that neither Scott Custer nor Mike Battles, the company's founders, "was involved in the questionable conduct." Prior to his change in title, Miskovich oversaw the money exchange project, reported the Times.
Assistant US Attorney Richard Sponseller, according to Grayson, has suggested that any fraud committed against the CPA should not be equated with theft from the United States, since the CPA was an international organization. But when President George Bush signed the CPA's original funding mandate, it clearly referred to the organization as "an entity of the United States."
Custer Battles has reached the same conclusion about its own lack of culpability, but for different reasons. The company's lawyers told CorpWatch, a website that monitors the activity of war profiteers, that the claim against them should be dismissed because the money allegedly stolen was rightfully that of Iraqis, not Americans.
Grayson told the committee that the Bush administration has so far declined to respond to the claim he filed on behalf of the two men previously affiliated with Custer Battles.
Grayson pointed out that for a full year after the federal government had conclusive evidence that Custer Battles was committing crimes against the United States, the CPA continued to award hefty contracts to the firm. Finally, on September 30, 2004, the US Air Force placed Custer Battles on a government blacklist under a code that excludes contracting with organizations involved in "fraud, antitrust violations, embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, false statements or any other offenses indicating a lack of business integrity."
In an October 2004 press release, Custer Battles denied all claims of misconduct and speculated that the two ex-associates, identified as former employee Pete Baldwin and contractor Bob Isakson, filed their claim as "a last ditch effort to achieve a competitive edge over [Custer Battles]." Isakson runs a disaster relief firm that Custer Battles said competes with it for contracts.
A 'Public Diplomacy Operation'
Journalist Mark North, who covered the invasion for National Public Radio and was employed by the CPA to train Iraqi journalists to report for the US-founded Iraq Media Network (IMN), told the hearing that CPA officials regularly directed and censored the activities of the TV news station. He said "a laundry list of CPA activities" was handed down to dictate subject matter with which to replace stories Iraqi journalists preferred to report, such as those pertaining to the problems of post-war life in the embattled country.
"The original plan for IMN seems to have been jettisoned by CPA officials who were more interested in managing news for Iraqis and Americans," North told the committee. He said the CPA made the Iraqi media operation into "another Voice of America," referring to the US government-run propaganda outlet that broadcasts to millions of people in foreign countries. He said CPA officials told him IMN was to be "a public diplomacy operation" for the occupation authorities.
North testified that on occasion, CPA officials specifically ordered stories critical of the occupation and its effects to be cut and insisted that IMN run stories about positive work undertaken by occupation forces.
News content was not the only problem North reported. A labor conflict also arose during his four-month involvement at IMN. "For the first two months, the local staff of about 200 journalists and technicians were not paid their salaries," North said. "Finally, they went on strike. CPA would not negotiate. Striking staffers were told to go back to work, or the US Army would remove them from the studios."
North also told the committee that of the ten American journalists and engineers hired to train Iraqis, all quit within six months. Additionally, the Iraqi hired as news director "was forced to resign," North testified. Ahmed Al-Rikaby had dismissed five employees North described as "troublemakers and Baathists," but the American corporation that oversaw IMN hired them back and reprimanded Al-Rikaby. IMN was established by a Pentagon contractor called Scientific Applications International Corp, which specializes in military gear and programs.
Furthermore, while private American contractors were lavishly wasting CPA funds on five-star hotels in Kuwait and unnecessary supplies in Baghdad, the Iraq Media Network lacked even basic equipment. According to North, a request for just $200 with which to print a journalism training manual in Arabic was never fulfilled. North said he had to use his only day off to teach a journalism course.
While the committee members and witnesses repeatedly affirmed their support for the US mission in Iraq and did not suggest the activities in questions were necessarily systemic, each witness testified that the corrupt activities were carried out as a matter of policy, and no one suggested questionable transactions were contrary to CPA regulations.
Senator Reid speculated that the problems raised by witnesses at the hearing represented "just the tip of the iceberg."
The White House had no comment on Monday, but a Pentagon spokesperson told the LA Times that the occupation authority tried its best to run on the level. "The CPA was operating under extraordinary conditions from its inception to mission completement," Army Lt. Col. Joseph Yoswa said. "Throughout, the CPA strived earnestly for sound management, transparency and oversight."


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3 cups freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice
1 cup freshly squeezed tangerine juice
4 cups sugar
1 packet dry pectin
2 inch knob ginger, thickly sliced
Whisk the juice through a sieve to get rid of any pulp. If it goes below 4 cups, add more juice or water (gasp!)to compensate. I really didn't lose any juice during this step but better safe than sorry. Add the juices, ginger and sugar to a heavy bottom pot. Bring to a temperature of 220. Fish out the ginger. Add the pectin and stir. Cook for 5 additional minutes. Pour into prepared jars. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
Yield: about 4 8-oz jars
Note: A great source for canning information is the Blue Book guide to preserving. I highly recommend it for learning how to can. Here is a bunch of other canning books and equipment I find useful.


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EDMONTON - In Toronto, they're known as the Dixon Bloods. Or the Dixon City Bloods. Or the Dixon Goonies. Many — though not all — are Somali-Canadian.
According to Toronto police, the gang has been "networking with associates" in Edmonton since 2006.
Not so coincidentally, since 2006, more than 30 young Somali-Canadian men have been killed in Alberta, most in gang-related shootings and stabbings. About half those killings took place in Edmonton.
Det. Cory Buerger is a member of Edmonton's gang unit, on secondment to ALERT, the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team.
For almost a decade, he's tracked the rise of local drug gangs dominated by Somali-Canadians. All, he says, are tightly networked with Toronto groups.
"Dixon Blood members have been seen in Fort McMurray and Edmonton, but they're not wearing their gang colours out here."
Instead, he says, members in Alberta operate as free agents. They don't stake out physical turf, as they have in Toronto. They're mobile, customer-based, delivering drugs to their buyers. Buerger says the Bloods and their affiliates bring their drugs through Vancouver, but their guns from Ontario. Most are bought legally in the United States, then smuggled across the border near Windsor.
This June, after a year-long investigation, 17 Canadian police agencies, including the Edmonton Police Service and ALERT, executed a takedown of Dixon operations in Toronto, Windsor and Edmonton: Project Traveller.
Police made 44 arrests, and seized 42 guns and $3 million worth of narcotics, including cocaine, heroin, marijuana, LSD and crystal meth. Among those arrested was Edmonton's Daud Hussein, 27.
Yet for all its scope, Project Traveller really made headlines because of its connection to Rob Ford.
Many of us — including American TV comedians Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert — have been indulging in what you might call Schadenford, smirking at the antics of Toronto's mayor, as he finally admitted he'd probably smoked crack in one of his drunken stupors. But all the snickering at Ford's self-pitying confession, and at the revelation that infamous crack video was real, has obscured a deadly serious question.
Why was the mayor of Toronto partying with alleged gangsters?
Ford's defenders call his admitted crack use a private, personal failing, not a political sin. But this is about more than a private citizen getting high.
It's about the mayor's alleged association with members of the violent Dixon Bloods.
It's also about alleged efforts by the mayor's staffers to obtain or destroy that incriminating video — efforts that have already led to one extortion charge.
Ford, remember, was photographed with his arms around three young men: Anthony Smith, Muhammad Khattak and Monir Kassim, all alleged Bloods.
Kassim and Khattak were arrested during Project Traveller.
Smith was gunned down in Toronto less than two months before Ford's crack video hit the news. Khattak was shot and wounded at the same time.
One of the two men charged in those shootings was Hanad Mohamed, who was arrested in Fort McMurray on May 24. At the time, RCMP seized four cellphones in his possession — looking, perhaps, for the Ford video.
Toronto police say it was actually discovered last week, on a computer seized during Project Traveller. That raid took place less than a month after Gawker and the Toronto Star first reported that Mohamed Siad, another alleged Bloods member, had tried to sell the video to them. Siad reportedly wanted money to start a new life in Fort McMurray.
Yet while Kassim, Khattak, Siad and Mohamed are all under arrest (and Ford's driver, Sandro Lisi, is out on bail after his arrest), Rob Ford is still the unimpeachable mayor of Toronto.
Ahmed Hussen, president of the Canadian Somali Congress, has spearheaded efforts in Edmonton and Toronto to keep kids out of gangs. The Ford affair, he says, has smeared all Somali-Canadians, most of whom are law-abiding.
"We became collateral damage in the media's pursuit of Mayor Ford," he says. "It's ironic. You have a situation where all these young men from our community are in jail, yet the mayor has never been questioned by the police, even though his best friend has been charged with extortion."
Eventually, Torontonians will have to pass political judgment on their mayor. But however laughable Ford's antics, the Dixon Bloods are no joke — and Ford's high-profile recreational activity exacts a high human cost.
"A lot of families in our community have lost their sons to gun violence, both in Alberta and Ontario," says Hussen.
Is it too much to expect our politicians to be part of the solution, not part of the problem?
On Twitter: @Paulatics
Paula Simons is on Facebook. To join the conversation, go to facebook.com/EJPaulaSimons or visit her blog at edmontonjournal.com/Paulatics


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An Albuquerque mental health clinic is using hit show "Breaking Bad" and its methamphetamine trafficking theme to help fight addiction.
KRQE-TV reports ( https://bit.ly/1dw86ZF ) that Sage Neuroscience Center has partnered with HealthShire.com to give away two addiction-treatment scholarships at the end of the AMC television series.
The "Breaking Addiction" awards are open to residents in the Albuquerque area over 18 who cannot afford treatment.
Applicants have to submit their story of addiction, which will be compiled into a collection for addiction awareness and posted online.
"Breaking Bad," which was filmed largely in Albuquerque, follows former high school teacher Walter White, played by Bryan Cranston, who produces and sells methamphetamine with a former student, Jesse Pinkman, played by Aaron Paul.
The show is airing its final season.
Information from: KRQE-TV, https://www.krqe.com


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Todd will be the first to tell you I'm a terrible unpacker.
I traveled a lot this Fall, and more often than not, my suitcase sat by my bed untouched until I was preparing to leave again. I would take out a few things and put a few more in, but the suitcase was never empty in between.
As a child I used to watch my father fold his business clothes neatly, one shirt on another, breathing in the smell of his aftershave as the zipper wound around the edges. While I hated the fact that he was leaving, I loved the way it was packed. It was so organized and simple. It narrowed a complicated life into sections and pockets, and it was so manageable that way.
There's something to be said about a freshly packed suitcase.
But there's always the mess of coming home. Trying to make your life fit back on the hangers and realizing it isn't as easy as reaching in and tucking away. There's washing and ironing and folding to be done, and the closet already seems full. It's so much work to make it all right again, and it makes me imagine life looking like it did a few days ago.
It'll never be the same, I think.
I'm tempted to leave it alone and let the memories steep a little longer.
I didn't know how I reached for her until I saw the photographs, and my heart crumpled at the shape of my hand on her head. I'm cupping her face as I would any of my own children, but I've only known her for an instant.
Who can explain a love like this?
I hold a backpack we brought for her, and tell her I can't wait to spend time with her. We spend hours at her school and I follow the backpack left and right, down the corridors and stairs that know her fingers and feet.
We learn that we will get to see her house today, and I feel every shade of emotion possible. My family sponsors many children through Compassion, but I have never seen their beds and their tables. While I am aware that it will affect me emotionally, I can't prepare myself for the moment she points and smiles, saying "Here it is!" while Abby and Ellie follow her in.
I watch the backpack in the doorway and I take a minute to breathe before I go in.
I finally do, and find a place on a couch in the main room, smiling as she plays with the girls and soaking in the reality of her world. Before I can take it all in, she sits beside me and takes the backpack off. She points to the zipper and I remember that we told her we would open it when we got to her house.
I nod and we all watch as she pulls out the crayons, the coloring books, the slinky, and all the other art supplies and fun things we packed away late one night in Nashville. Her face lights up as she spots the nail polish and before I know it, the three girls have settled at the table and are giggling and painting like it's any other day with any other friend.
Then the coloring comes out and they relocate to just outside the front door as I learn from her brothers what life looks like here. It's hard to hear the details, but I am grateful to know what she's up against. Eventually it is time for us to leave and the girls come back in so we can say goodbye to her family. Fernanda sits on my lap and I reach to zip her backpack, fighting tears as I realize she has put all of the cellophane, empty boxes, and meaningless tags inside with the rest of it.
Then again, who am I to presume I know trash from treasure?
I tell her I am afraid to fly. I tell her that I do it because I know God has a plan for my life and I want to be obedient to His calling. I tell her that He has a plan for her life too, and I don't want her to be afraid. My fingers unclasp a necklace Todd gave me to encourage me in a difficult season, and I slip the chain around her neck. I tell her what it says ("I am not afraid…I was born to do this" {Joan of Arc}), and I see her expression change for a moment before she buries her head in my chest and hugs me. It's the first unprompted hug we've shared, and I get lost in it.
"It's real." She whispers, and the translator gives me her words.
She tucks it under her shirt and I pray over her.
We will be taking her to the zoo the following day, so we know it's a short goodbye. Still, as we board the bus and look out the windows, she is watching us intently. As the motor starts, the girls wave and we see her reach in her jacket as we pull away.
She pulls out the necklace, holds it up like an unspoken promise, and then hides it deep again while we drift out of eyesight.
Although I may never find the words to describe this moment (I can't imagine I will), something in me shifted.
Try as I might to empty this suitcase, I know one thing for certain.
It will never be the same.
She wears her backpack to the zoo the following day, and I smile as she sorts through it all. She has obviously taken everything out and played with it, but has taken care to put every last bit back inside.
An airplane flies over and she points to it. I tell her that I will be riding on one that night and her face drops. She asks if I can stay for one more day and I tell her I wish I could. I tell her I will write and pray and God willing, I will see her again. She smiles at that and asks "How?" I tell her God can do anything, and she nods like she believes me.
When it's time to say goodbye, I try not to cry. I do pretty well until I tell her not to forget to write us and she lifts her pinky in the air, smiling. I had taught her about "pinky promises" during lunch and apparently she wanted me to know she took it seriously.
We must have hugged and said goodbye twenty times or more, until finally her backpack was so far in the distance that it was just a speck of pink to my eye.
It was so arranged when we came, I think. So orderly and neat.
It's better this way, though…
As the days pass, I think of Fernanda and her fingers smoothing her sweater over her new necklace while she grinned like a sweet little Cheshire cat.
She loved the necklace, but not because it was something she could show off.
Quite the opposite, in fact.
Oftentimes we share what should be sacred, and shout what was more beautiful in the silence.
The deepest, most valuable moments of this life are not given to us to be given away again.
We tell our stories, we share our hearts, we live passionately and openly with the community the Lord gives us-absolutely.
But every now and then, we recognize that He has given us a moment, a word, a glimpse of Himself, an unspoken promise that is far too wonderful to try and explain.
So we smile, smooth our sweaters, and honor Him, fingers tracing the outline of grace.
His fingers are delicate and swift, clasping the ends together while I read the words through tears.
Don't be afraid, love. You were born to do this…
"It's real," I whisper, pressing into Him with gratitude.
It will never be the same.
He knows I don't feel worthy of the gift, and He reminds me gently that I am no position to recognize trash from treasure.
His fingers cup around my face, and I feel deeply known despite every reason I shouldn't.
It's home, this place so far away…
Who can explain a love like this?


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