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Salazar Takes Victory Lap for OK of Stalled Refinery 3 Weeks from Election Day
Last week, President Obama approved the first new oil refinery in more than 30 years.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced the approval of a "land-into-trust" application from the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota.
"Today's historic decision is another step forward in the Obama administration's all-of-the-above energy strategy and commitment to strengthen Tribal communities and generate jobs for rural America," Salazar said. "By working with the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara people to place this land into trust status, we are supporting infrastructure that will help bring American oil and gas to market while promoting tribal economic development and self-determination regarding land and resource use."
The tribes requested that the Bureau of Indian Affairs take 469 acres into trust, with 190 set aside for the refinery and the remaining acreage to produce feed for their buffalo herd. Salazar went to the reservation to announce the approval at a news conference.
Environmentalists panned the move as a blatant push for pump-price-weary votes three weeks out from Election Day.
Salazar pitched the creation of 800 to 1,000 construction jobs, up to 140 operations jobs, and millions in annual revenue streams to benefit the tribes and surrounding rural communities, while pitching the standard administration line that under Obama "domestic oil and gas production has increased each year, with domestic oil production currently at an eight year high, and natural gas production at its highest level ever" -- that hike being attributable to increased production on private lands while federal leases are stymied.
As proposed, the 13,000 barrel-per-day facility would handle crude from the wildly successful Bakken Formation fracking effort that has been hailed by the GOP as an American renaissance in fossil fuels.
But there are a couple of tripping points in the Salazar victory lap.
The project was initiated under the Bush administration, in 2003, and has been bogged by delays under this White House. Republicans also wryly noted that the administration's proposed fracking regulations could make the refinery useless if they can't extract oil and gas from the area.
Tex "Red Tipped Arrow" Hall, chairman of the Three Affiliated Tribes, told the Senate Indian Affairs Committee in July that the federal government needs to "stop treating Indian lands as public lands" -- like when it comes to lengthy permitting reviews.
Hall also noted that in his quest for the refinery approval, he was "shocked" to learn that many of the people at the Bureau of Land Management, holding sway over the fate of such projects, had actually never witnessed a hydrofracking operation.
"So I asked the BLM, I said what if our tribe wants to put our own hydrofracking rule that meets or exceeds yours. North Dakota -- EPA doesn't regulate North Dakota, North Dakota gets treated as its own state. And I said the tribes are not treated as our own separate sovereign. You need to allow our tribe -- because this is our homelands. The state has no jurisdiction there -- needs to be treated the same and give us that ability, give us that right and the Black Feet Nation in Montana has its own hydrofracking rule," Hall testified.
"Our tribe passed its own environmental code. It's a million dollar offense if any oil company dumps on our reservation. No federal agency has given that to us. Nobody held draft, we did it on our own to protect our own homelands because we live there," he continued. "…We're a treaty tribe. We've never consented to be treated as a public lands and where did you get your authority? And the answer will be either FLPMA, with is the Federal Land Policy Management Act of 1976 or they'll say it's a 1938 Indian Mineral Lease and Oil and Gas Leasing Act. Well, we haven't found that authority in any one of those two pieces of legislation."
"Just answer the question. Don't tell us how many times you've consulted with us because you haven't. Simply answer the question of what -- where do you get your authority to treat us as public lands?"
At an April hearing of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs, Hall testified that the Obama administration's "actions to date have given me and other tribes the impression that tribal input is not desired or only minimally needed even though there is strong evidence that the proposed regulations will cost the MHA Nation and the surrounding community a sizable number of jobs and money."


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Anthony Ward Testimonials
(Cont'd from Slideshow)
'...When he was working, he earned about $1,300 a month. He and his wife had five children at the time. His wife, Carmalita, had been attending Northeast A&M College, so they were living
on one income.
Mr. Ward was referred to Arrow Head Yacht Club in Ketchum, Oklahoma, and he was hired with the company. He was making $1,120 a month. He continued working with this employer for 5 months. Mr. Ward was later referred by ORO to the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma as a construction worker for the tribe.
During this time, the family suffered much stress and anxiety. Their youngest child fell into a swimming pool, causing some brain damage. The child survived, but had to have extensive physical therapy. To this day he continues to overcome some physical and speech disabilities.
Mr. Ward now has his own business, Wards Truck Company. He earns about $44,000 a year. His wife, Carmalita, who was also a participant with the program, is currently working for the Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma for the Tribes Child Protective Services Department. '

subset: commoncrawl


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One to one digital distribution service for artists and labels, over 10 years experience distributing digital music and managing/running independent record labels.
Your music distributed Worldwide to hundreds of digital music stores. It doesn't end there, your music is effectively marketed to those stores too.
Easy to understand accounting system, monthly payments and simple data that can be quickly interpreted making it easy to pay your artists
Tweets by @JonRailbird
Railbird Google+ Page.


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Whole of House Water Solutions
Unlike many of our competitors, Waterways is able to offer whole house water solutions due to our superior and extensive range of water treatment and filtration technology.
Whole of House Filtration
We use water every day around the home. Whether it's in the kitchen, the laundry, the bathroom or outside, water is an integral part of our day-to-day life. With water playing such an important part of what we do, it makes sense to use the best and the healthiest water available. That's why we provide whole house filtration and can consult on, design and install a system designed specifically for your home.
Our water filtration systems give you and your family an unlimited supply of safe, clean and pure water. This water is not only enjoyable to drink, with impurities and pollutants removed, the water is easier on your plumbing, appliances and fixtures, skin, hair and general health.
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We understand that not everyone's water source is the same; while many people use mains water, others use bore water or rain water. As a result, we can install systems for all water sources.
In addition to water source, we also take into account the size of your house. Our Big Blue Filtration Systems have been designed to handle the large amounts of water used by domestic homes, and compliment these with mixed bed systems, carbon filters and high flow systems for larger flow rates. With a range of sizes available, you can be sure we'll have one to suit your household.
How a Whole of House Filtration System works
The Big Blue Filter Systems are for dirt, sediment, chlorine, colour and odour removal.
A Water Softener removes calcium and magnesium to give our lovely blonde website model her beautiful, soft luscious hair. It lathers soaps better, prevents scale build up on fixtures, metal & glass surfaces etc. (used for mains water and bore water).
The Waterways Ultra-Violet System kills bacteria as it passes through the chamber. Mainly used for rainwater systems and bore water systems not commonly used for mains water as the water authority chemically treat the municipal water supply. (used for rain water and bore water).
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To install any whole of house water treatment system we cut into the existing cold water feed to the house, re-route the pipework to feed through the treatment system then connect it back to the existing feed so that the entire house can be supplied with treated water.
Find out more
To arrange a whole house filtration system for your home, get in contact with us today. We can provide you with the perfect system, giving you and your family access to clean, safe and refreshing water throughout your entire home.


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Photography: Paolo Zerbini & Éamonn Freel
We launched the Influence Issue last month at White Rabbit Studios in Shoreditch. Thank you to everyone who joined us to make it such a special night, and thank you to BrewDog for the beer and Chan Photographic for the prints.
You can get hold of a copy of Issue 04 here: pylotmagazine.com/the-magazine.
All exhibited images printed at Chan Photographic.


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Bird Identification, Free Homeschool Planner, Homeschool Schedules, Online Chemistry, and More
From the Editor
WOW. Bear with me with this long intro – I have lots to tell you!
As I wrap up this issue, I can't get over how many wonderful free resources are packed into this newsletter! I'm a little late getting the issue out, but I couldn't stop adding links to more free stuff – I think this is the longest newsletter I've ever published! This issue is all about saving money while homeschooling, and I'll start with our free homeschool planner. It's been updated and redesigned for 2016-2017 and I think you'll love the clean new look and additional pages. You can download it here.
In the Educational Resources section below, I have highlighted several free online curricula, and of course our latest blog posts are highlighted as always. Last month I featured the AudioFile Sync summer program, and I wanted to mention it again in case you missed it. 2 free books are featured for download each week (the download link is only good for the week it is featured, but there is no expiration once you download it). This is week 3 out of 15, so there are still 24 free audiobooks to go – you can see all the titles here.
I spent yesterday writing a detailed explanation of how the Build Your Bundle sale works for those who are like me and didn't understand how it works (I just couldn't grasp all the various parts to the sale the first time I saw it). I also have a helpful planning spreadsheet that will allow you to see how each of the items in the bundles fit with various topics (thanks to Kristi of This Side of Heaven for the original version of the spreadsheet). I'm giving away a $25 gift certificate to Build Your Bundle – the drawing is at 2pm today
so hurry!
BYB just announced (literally the moment I was putting this in the mailer) that they will send a $10 coupon good for any Build Your OWN Bundle to anyone who purchases a premium product (this would be for a separate transaction, so don't include the build your own bundles in your premium product purchase). As an affiliate of this and many other programs I see a lot of promotions, but I have to say that I am absolutely blown away by the fantastic values of these bundles. For a fraction of the price, you can get products like The Mystery of History, Writeshop Junior, Mapping the World With Art, Sir Cumference Living Math, and dozens more (see them all)! When you combine the Buy 2 Get 1 Free with the $250 Bundle of Bonuses free with any bundle purchase, you can get $1,000 worth of homeschool products for about $50!
Example: Charlotte Mason (value $294) $30 + Unit Studies #1 (value. $228) $20+ Unit Studies #2 (value $229) FREE w/B2G1 + Bundle of Bonuses (value $250) FREE w/ bundle purchase= $1,001 of product for $50
For $240, you could get ALL 15 bundles with $3,500 worth of product – see how here! This one week event happens only once per year, and ends at 11:59pm ET on Monday, May 23.
Finally, I'd like to welcome our newest sponsor, OSU Chemistry Online. As as non-science person (how I have a child majoring in engineering is beyond me – I couldn't even breed fruit flies in high school biology!), I outsourced all of our upper level science courses. OSU is an excellent option for an online chemistry course from a reputable university, so check out their program. Enjoy the newsletter!
Warm regards,
Mary Ann Kelley
Our Sponsor: OSU Chemistry Online
|Is your high schooler interested in science and already prepared for an introductory course at the college level?
Oregon State University's online chemistry program offers college-level credits in general chemistry to homeschoolers from a distance. Our 100-level courses are delivered 100% online and students learn in a variety of ways, including the use of: interactive homework, video and self-paced modules, discussion boards, pencasts, live tutoring, and virtual labs.
|For more information, please visit OSU Ecampus Chemistry or call Greta Kvinnesland at (541) 737-6707.
Teaching Calendar
May 30, 2016 — Memorial Day (Observed)
June 2, 2016 — Native Americans granted US citizenship – 1924
June 11, 2016 — Great Barrier Reef Discovered – 1770
June 12, 2016 — Anne Frank born this day in 1929
June 14, 2016 — Flag Day
Educational Resources
Easy Peasy All in One Homeschool
Easy Peasy is a complete, free online Christian homeschool program for Preschool – 8th grade that was designed by a mom for her own kids; there is a separate site for Easy Peasy High School (similar to the lower school, but there are no levels). "This curriculum is great for anyone who needs/wants to save money or time. As for money, the curriculum is free. The materials are online and free. You will need to have basic school supplies such as paper and pencils, but it requires no books or major supplies. In this way it is
also good for those living overseas who have limited means of access to English books. As for time, this is a way for your children to work independently and to free you from planning. There are EP families who are successfully using the curriculum while the homeschool parent is working, having health issues, or even in school themselves."
"AmblesideOnline is a free homeschool curriculum that uses Charlotte Mason's classically-based principles to prepare children for a life of rich relationships with everything around them: God, humanity, and the natural world. AO's detailed schedules, time-tested methods, and extensive teacher resources allow parents to focus effectively on the unique needs of each child …Each year/grade has a list of books to lay out what resources will need to be collected or purchased, and an optional weekly schedule based on a 36-week school year to break the resources into smaller increments to help with pacing the books throughout the year. There is no fee to use the curriculum or website."
SAS Curriculum Pathways, a project of the NC-based software developer SAS, offers online modules for Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies, Science, and Spanish for grades K-12. All SAS resources are completely free (with free registration), and if you have trouble registering there are instructions for homeschoolers here. "Each SAS Curriculum Pathways resource has an accompanying lesson guide. Lesson guides provide a set of learning objectives, necessary materials, estimated time for completion, ideas for assessment, answer ke
ys/scoring rubrics (if applicable), and alignment to state and Common Core State Standards." To see all of their resources (including titles, categories, resource type, and Quick Launch numbers) in one place, visit this page.
BirdSleuth Explorer's Guidebook
If you are like I was, you love it when your kids spend quality time outdoors. The BirdSleuth Explorer's Guidebook is a great way to encourage that, teaching kids to become expert observant of the natural world around them. The 12 page free download has instructional pages to help identify birds by habitat, behavior, and appearance, and pages 8 & 9 are designed to have multiple copies included, creating a complete bird-watching journal with as many pages as you wish for identifying and illustrating different birds. You can purchase a hard copy for $10, or download a free digital copy (name, email address, state, and type of school required).
Our Sponsor: Build Your Bundle (Sale ends May 23)
Recent Blog Posts
Arranging a Strong Week: Your Homeschool Schedule
As a homeschool evaluator in Virginia, I've worked with hundreds of kids in families who have used all kinds of weekly homeschool schedules. I'm also in my 19th year of homeschooling, and since we've moved around a lot, I've been in a ton of different homeschooling communities and groups with so many good homeschooling families. I've seen all kinds of weekly schedules work well for people, and creating a strong week of homeschooling can look different for each homeschooling family. Some families have weekly schedules that look like school schedules, but most homeschooling families use the flexibility of homeschooling to create a weekly schedule that is customized for them. Here are some of the homeschool schedules that I have seen work to create a strong homeschooling week. Read More…
Build Your Bundle Explained (and a $25 Gift Certificate Giveaway)
This sale can be overwhelming, so I want to do two things in this post – explain a little more about the sale and the great deals, and give away a $25 gift certificate to one lucky winner. When I first heard of the Build Your Bundle sale, I was confused. Really confused. It took awhile to wrap my head around how it worked, so I thought I'd explain it for any of you who are in the same boat I was. Read More…
Finding Community as a Homeschooler
At first, particularly if you are new to homeschooling, it may seem like there are no homeschoolers around at all. But chances are very good that they are just hidden in plain sight! Families in many areas have established homeschool groups that meet for field trips, projects, playtime, and even parent-run classes. Finding them can be the hardest part. Some homeschool groups maintain a low profile to respect or protect the privacy of their member families. So it can be challenging to make that first connection. But homeschoolers, in general, are very resourceful and well-connected, and once you've found one local homeschooling family, you may soon hear about others. Read More…
What Curriculum Should I Use for My 4 (or 5 or 6) Year Old?
Recently on TheHomeSchoolMom's Facebook page someone asked for recommendations for her soon to be 4 year old. It took me back to when I had a 4 year old and a 1 year old and had recently decided to homeschool.
I. Was. So. Excited.
What curriculum should I use? (I bought KONOS and timeline figures and a gazillion Usborne books.) How should we schedule our days? (I bought Managers of Their Homes and carefully scheduled every moment of our days and then proceeded to never once use the schedule.) I made lesson plans and felt organized and believed that my kids were going to get the best education ever. And honestly, we had great fun with some of the activities – but none of it was better than what we could have done by just living and playing.
So after all these years (my kids are now 19 and 16), what curriculum would I suggest for a 4 year old …
Read the rest on TheHomeSchoolMom »


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How a poor boy from London's East End became the most exclusive diamond merchant you've never heard of.
British billionaire Laurence Graff, the man jewelry business insiders call the new Harry Winston, swears this story is true: A woman and her husband walk into Graff's shop on London's swanky New Bond Street and ask to see the stunning diamond-and-ruby necklace in the window. It's the woman's birthday and hubby wants to buy her a bauble. At $2 million, however, he feels the price is too steep. Instead he offers $1 million and exits the store, giving the jeweler 24 hours to cash the check. Later that day the lady returns with a second man, her lover. He, too, admires the necklace but finds the price too high. Another $1 million check is written and left on Graff's desk. The dapper jeweler, ever discreet and always the consummate salesman, breathes no word of the birthday girl's earlier visit to his store. Later she returns once more to scoop up her present, and presumably tells each of her benefactors that he has gotten a bargain from the jeweler. Graff cashes both checks.
It has the flavor of a very tall tale. Why does Graff tell it? It adds to the mystique and drama that define his business, the upper tier of jewelry retailing. The 69-year-old Laurence Graff climbed from scrubbing toilets in a Hatton Garden workshop to the helm of a worldwide brand with 15 stores in the globe's wealthiest spots, from Monte Carlo to Dubai to Moscow. Behind this retail chain is a wholesale buying operation: Graff Diamonds International is vertically integrated, taking stones from the rough shapes that come out of the mine to the display case. He sells stones of the greatest weight and highest quality and claims an average transaction price of $400,000. By that score he seems to easily surpass such classic outfits as Cartier, Winston, Van Cleef & Arpels and
Graff knows how to cultivate his customers. He once sailed out to meet
Graff shares quite a few of Trump's traits: charming and outrageously self-promoting, blunt and full of braggadocio, obsessed with superlatives. (He is about to release a glossy $150 coffee table tome, about himself, entitled The Most Fabulous Jewels in the World.) "I'm a complete thoroughbred in the business," proclaims the trim, nattily attired jeweler (suits custom-made in Milan; monogrammed bespoke shirts), with no trace of irony.
Graff also possesses Trump's knack for making money. He's probably worth some $2.5 billion, including homes in Geneva (his legal residence), London, New York and Cap Ferrat in the south of France; a new 150-foot Feadship yacht; a Global Express XRS plane; a winery and vineyard in Stellenbosch, the Napa Valley of South Africa; and a modern and contemporary art collection worth $250 million.
To be sure, sellers of luxury goods--from yachts to art, watches and real estate--have had little trouble raking in fat profits since 2000, a period during which the affluent have been awash in money. Graff rode that luxury boom at his Graff Diamonds International (he owns 100%), where sales jumped from $90 million in 2000 to $400 million in 2006, while aftertax profit grew from $11 million to $48 million.
What distinguishes Graff from the likes of Cartier and Van Cleef is a decision he made a decade ago. Wanting to expand globally and needing a steady supply of diamonds, especially bigger stones, in 1998 he bought a 51% controlling stake in a Johannesburg diamond wholesaler and manufacturer, South African Diamond Corp. (Safdico). Other retailers buy and sell finished diamond jewelry. Graff's wholesale business allows him to cut out the usual middlemen--the brokers, polishers and manufacturers who each take their slice as a rough stone moves up the jewelry chain.
Through Safdico, Graff now buys half of his uncut diamonds from the South African mining behemoth De Beers (Safdico is one of 93 sightholders, or wholesalers who are permitted to buy rough diamonds from De Beers). On the manufacturing rung he employs 370 cutters and polishers in South Africa and Mauritius, who handle smaller goods, and 19 master craftsmen in Antwerp and New York, who work on the larger diamonds. He makes all his own jewelry, in his London and New York workshops. (De Beers has developed its own retail brand in conjunction with luxury conglomerate LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, but it's not competing with Graff at the highest end of the price spectrum.)
This pipeline is especially helpful to Graff with big stones, his specialty. Gross margins at branded jewelry retailers like Tiffany and Cartier hover at roughly 50% for diamonds up to around 5 carats. For bigger stones, where the per-carat price is much higher, those margins get squeezed below 20%. "When you sell a big stone worth $2 million or $3 million," explains diamond analyst Martin Rapaport, "you can't mark them up that high. The person buying that stone is going to be smart and a serious handler."
Indeed, on very large stones of 20 carats and up it may make sense for a jeweler to take no profit: The monster pieces draw attention to the brand. A 50-carat flawless diamond of the highest clarity might wholesale for $100,000 a carat, or $5 million, and sell at retail for not much more than that. There is still money to be made on the very large pieces, however, by someone who buys rough and takes on the labor and risks of chopping up the rock.
A publicly traded entity like Tiffany has to concern itself with inventory turnover; Graff cavalierly maintains a huge inventory of diamonds, with a retail value, he estimates, of $1.5 billion. The stockpile enables Graff to construct jewelry made up of multiple rare diamonds, like the $30 million necklace he sold late last year that could be worth 20% less if each of the diamonds were sold on its own.
These two factors--bulging inventory and vertical integration--help explain why Tiffany's net profit margin sits at 9.6% while Graff puts his at 12%.
Graff can count one potent rival, the Israeli Lev Leviev (see FORBES, Sept. 15, 2003), who has set up a diamond operation even more vertically integrated than Graff's. Leviev owns mines and mining interests (in Africa and Russia), as well as manufacturing and wholesale operations. Now he seems to be gunning for Graff at the retail level. Leviev's sumptuous first store, in London on Old Bond Street, sits a stone's throw from Graff's on New Bond Street, and his second, in Manhattan, will be less than a block from Graff's new boutique on Madison Avenue. Graff is dismissive. "I don't think he's a potential competitor," he sniffs. "He doesn't have a clue what the retail business is all about."
Graff grew up on Commercial Road in London's gritty East End, where he spent his first seven years living in a single room with his Jewish Rumanian immigrant mother, behind the corner sweet shop his Russian father opened just before leaving to fight in World War II. At age 14, in 1952, he was getting such poor marks in school that his family urged him to drop out and start a trade. Graff's first job: apprentice (which included scrubbing floors and toilets) to a jeweler named Schindler in London's Hatton Garden, historic center of the city's diamond and jewelry trade. He was fired just three months later but got another job where he learned how to repair rings and make small pieces of jewelry.
When that business folded a few years later, Graff, now 18, convinced an older man to take him on as an apprentice in a new venture. Soon the two men owed their suppliers $6,000, and Graff says he talked his senior colleague into letting him take over the debt--and the business. By the time he was 22 years old Graff had wheeled and dealed his way to a solvent, one-man enterprise. At age 24 he opened up two small jewelry shops.
But Graff couldn't convince London's top jewelers to buy his competent but lackluster designs. He decided to hit the road. With $1,000 worth of diamond jewelry in a black leather briefcase, Graff stopped at Robinsons department store in Singapore. He ended up landing a jewelry exhibit there every other month. "All of a sudden I was selling $10,000, $20,000 worth of diamonds at a time," he recalls.
He also made an important contact in Singapore, the then prince of Brunei and his wife, formidable collectors of art and jewelry. They became lifelong clients, as did dozens of moneyed Malaysians, Indians and Chinese. The Brunei connection proved extremely valuable. For a period of two decades starting in 1966, Graff says, he traveled to Brunei as frequently as once a month to visit with the royal family, who brought him along to polo matches and gave him an Aston Martin to tool around the kingdom. With him at all times was a briefcase loaded with diamond jewelry.
By the 1970s the Middle East was awash in oil, and Graff's Arab clients were jetting to London to spend their cash. Graff became their point person there. "If they needed a doctor, I found them a doctor. If they needed a car, I found them a car. The Saudi princesses would go shopping, and then they'd come to my office to change into their new clothes."
Graff closed his two small shops and in 1974 opened up a bigger one close to Harrods. One lucky day Saudi Prince Turki bin Abdul Aziz walked in unannounced and "bought out the entire shop," Graff recalls, "including the largest diamond I had in stock, which was 14 carats."
Of course Graff would still travel when a deal was to be made. In the early 1980s, after seeing a Graff exhibition in Hong Kong, a lady-in-waiting to Imelda Marcos invited Graff to the Malacañang Palace for an audience with Madame Marcos. At the end of Graff's week in the Philippines Mrs. Marcos bought three storied gems that he had carried to Manila, for a total of $10 million. Among them: the 42-carat Emperor Maximilian, named for the Austrian archduke who, legend has it, was wearing the diamond around his neck in a pouch when he faced a Mexican firing squad in 1867. Graff bought it at a Christie's auction in 1982 for $726,000.
By the early 1990s, with oil money tapering off and the Sultan of Brunei cutting back on his jewelry purchases, Graff decided his shop near Harrods needed an upgrade. Graff relocated to New Bond Street in the tony Mayfair neighborhood--and went on a real estate shopping spree. He now says that his commercial real estate in London is worth $500 million.
America, where half the world's diamond jewelry is bought, was Graff's next big move. Competitors Cartier and Van Cleef had both been swallowed up by corporate conglomerate Richemont. The top diamond jewelry brand in America, Harry Winston, had descended into chaos after its founder died in 1978 and sons Ronald and Bruce engaged in a nasty legal battle that crippled the business. "There was really a vacuum at the top of the pyramid," recalls Frenchman Henri Barguirdjian, 50, who runs the U.S. operations. "All of our competitors had neglected that end of the market."
Starting in 2001 Graff opened stores in New York, Chicago, Las Vegas (in Steve Wynn's casino) and in Bal Harbour and Palm Beach, Fla. In addition, he cut a deal with
Graff's one U.S. misstep: a failed attempt to open a store in Beverly Hills. Wynn caused problems, Graff says, because the contract between them gave Wynn a partnership interest in any store within a radius of the Wynn casino, which included Los Angeles, until September 2008. (Wynn declined to comment.) Graff wound up dropping his Rodeo Drive plans, losing $1 million on the deal.
Barguirdjian says each of the U.S. stores has turned a profit within a year of opening. Graff's 800-square-foot Manhattan store, the busiest in the U.S., grossed $65 million last year. A spokesman for Harry Winston declined to answer questions, but two sources in the jewelry business say sales at Winston's Fifth Avenue store last year were 60% of Graff's in New York.
Graff still controls virtually every aspect of his business, including marketing. Graff wrote the ad copy nine months ago for a $30 million 267-carat multicolored diamond necklace: "It took Graff and nature one million years to create this necklace." An Asian client acquired the piece shortly after the ad appeared. If Graff buys a stone that has no name or legend attached? No problem, says François Curiel, international head of jewelry and chairman of Christie's Europe. Graff will simply christen it: the Graff Blue, the Graff Orange, etc., branding the gems and, Graff hopes, increasing their value.
Over the years Graff has brought three family members into the business, including son François, 43, who holds the number two slot at Graff Diamonds, and, Graff says, will eventually take the top job. (François' French mother, Anne-Marie, has been married to Graff for 45 years; the couple has two other children.)
This fall Graff will open stores in Hong Kong, Tokyo and Geneva, double the size of his flagship store in London and undertake construction on a new 4,200-square-foot Manhattan boutique on Madison Avenue.
At the same time, Graff's Safdico wholesale business is expanding, constructing diamond factories and an office park that will eventually employ several hundred workers in Botswana. Graff says he wants to further extend his vertical reach into mining. Last year he failed in his attempt to buy a controlling stake in the Letseng mine in the mountain kingdom of Lesotho. Graff rues the lost opportunity, since just weeks later the 603-carat Lesotho Promise was unearthed there, the fifteenth-largest rough ever discovered. Graff's Safdico ended up buying the stone in October 2006 for $12.4 million. He thinks he can double that investment.
Graff says he's not interested in selling out, even at a time when private equity firms like Ronald Burkle's Yucaipa are investing in British jewelers Garrard and Stephen Webster. "In my thinking, I'm just starting out," Graff says. And he has no taste for going public. He did that in 1973, selling a third of the company, but decided he hated dealing with shareholders and a board. By 1978 he had bought back all the shares.
For now Graff stands alone in his domination of jewelry's upper reaches. Observes Christie's François Curiel: "The Jacques Arpels, Harry Winstons and Gerard Boucherons are long gone from the business. Where else can a customer walk in and see the man behind the brand?".
In February 2018, I took on a new job managing and writing Forbes' education coverage. I'd spent the previous two years on the Entrepreneurs team, following six years…
In February 2018, I took on a new job managing and writing Forbes' education coverage. I'd spent the previous two years on the Entrepreneurs team, following six years writing for the Leadership channel. My mission with education is to explore the intersection of education and business. I'm recruiting contributors and also looking for my own stories. I've been at Forbes since 1995, writing about everything from books to billionaires. Among my favorite stories: South Africa's first black billionaire, Patrice Motsepe, and British diamond jewelry mogul Laurence Graff, both of whom built their vast fortunes from nothing. At Forbes magazine I also did a stint editing the lifestyle section and I used to edit opinion pieces by the likes of John Bogle and Gordon Bethune. I got my job at Forbes through a brilliant libertarian economist, Susan Lee, whom I used to put on television at MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour. Before that I covered law and lawyers for journalistic stickler, harsh taskmaster and the best teacher a young reporter could have had, Steven Brill.


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Little "L" would like a fairy theme and I'm looking forward to making her room feel whimsical and childlike without taking the fairy idea too literally.
Words that come to mind? Ethereal. Magical. Light. Sparkle.
Let's add a few of these shams and toss pillows.
I have something to say and it's really important!
If you would like to be delighted by your home, click here. Have a question for me? Click here. I would love to connect with you via Facebook or Twitter!


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A very organic looking bowl with a lovely Celadon glaze on the outside and black obsidian glaze on the inside..
Use for serving hot or cold food or for display.
Microwave, oven and dishwasher safe.
Height ~ 5 1/2 inches.
Hand crafted on Vancouver Island by Michael Giles.
Celadon is a term for ceramics denoting both wares glazed in the jade green celadon colour also known as greenware and a type of transparent glaze, often with small cracks, that was first used on greenware, but later used on other porcelains. Celadon glazes originated in China. (Wikipedia)


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|Publication Date
|Trim Size / Pages
|9.3 x 6.4 in / 464
The new crime novel in the increasingly popular mystery series featuring Italian Detective Inspector Bordelli, "a disillusioned anti-hero who is difficult to forget." (Andrea Camilleri)
Florence, 1965. A man is found murdered, a pair of scissors stuck through his throat. Only one thing is known about him—he was a loan shark, who ruined and blackmailed the vulnerable men and women who would come to him for help. Inspector Bordelli prepares to launch a murder investigation. But the case will be a tough one for him, arousing mixed emotions: the desire for justice conflicting with a deep hostility for the victim. And he is missing his young police sidekick, Piras, who is convalescing at his parents' home in Sardinia. But Piras hasn't been recuperating for long before he, too, has a mysterious death to death with . . .
Marco Vichi's novel Death in Florence won the Scerbanenco, Rieti, and Camaiore prizes. His novels Death in August and Death and the Olive Grove are available from Pegasus Crime.
Buy it now in print: Amazon Barnes & Noble IndieBound
Buy it now in ebook: Amazon Barnes & Noble
"Inspector Bordelli has a lot on his mind. He wonders why he's never found a great woman, he's got to cut back on cigarettes, and he should probably figure out who killed that wealthy older lady in her 17th-century villa." The New York Times
"Vichi's stellar first in a new mystery series delivers a plausible solution worthy of a golden age crime novel." Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW (on Death in August)
"Vichi shows us ever more secret and dark sides to an otherwise sunny city. But his happiest creation, in my opinion, remains the character of Inspector Bordelli." Andrea Camilleri
"Straight from the city that brought us da Vinci and Dante, Vichi is on a par with writers like Henning Mankell and Elizabeth George who have elevated the police procedural to a work of art." Shelf Awareness (starred review)


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Losing belly fat can be a top priority for many people both to enhance their aesthetics and also make them feel better. Despite what you may have read in the past, you do not need to do 1 million abdominal crunches in order to get that flat stomach you have always wanted.
BellyFATtack is pleased to introduce you to a few key simple steps that you can take to ensure that you allow your body to get rid of this unwanted fat. One of the easiest ways of getting rid of fat is sleep. Yes you read that right! When your biorhythm or body clock as some people call it, is off due to late nights and early mornings it triggers the production of more ghrelin. This substance causes hunger cravings so when you have less or interrupted sleep so you are tired, you end up eating more. Make sure you get at least 7 hours sleep a night and you will be surprised what changes it can do completely naturally.
Remember that there is only so much that abdominal crunches can do for your body. All they will do is build the muscle under the layers of fat and not actually help you get rid of it. The main cause for a build-up of fat is a poor diet, can be quite hard to remedy due to all of the advertisements about unhealthy food on offer. However, all you have to do is work out what you like and eat it in moderation coupled with healthy food that you also like to eat which can be vegetables, fruit and lean meat. One other easy way to reduce calories extremely easily it is cut down on foods that are known as 'empty calories'. These are certain types of food and drink that do not fill you up like a full meal would but are just as calorific as an entire meal. This can be sugary drinks such as full sugar Coke or snack items such as crisps. These to not full you up and at the same time are just packing your body full of unneeded energy. Reduce those from your diet and you should start to see instant improvements.
As well as a healthy diet, you also need to exercise. Do not think that you suddenly have to go and run a marathon to lose weight. Just brief periods of exercise per day is all that it takes to start seeing some reduction in weight and losing belly fat! Small changes in your exercise, diet and sleep can make a big different and you will barely even notice anything has changed. This will also help you stick to the changes and be able to continue to see the results that you are looking for.
Please let us know if you like the BellyFATtack article:


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About FutureNow
FutureNow is the Western Australian Training Council for the Creative, Leisure and Technology Industries.
The creative, leisure and technology industries are a collective of Arts and Culture; Tourism, Hospitality and Events, Information Communications Technology, Screen and Media, Print and Graphic Arts and Sport, Recreation and Racing.
FutureNow works with industry, the education and training sector, government and the community to achieve the best possible education and skills outcomes.
We invite you to contribute to this work by joining one of our industry advisory networks.
FutureNow also produces advice for employers, learners and government around current and emerging skills needs and future training requirements for the creative and leisure industries.
FutureNow News


text: Sinsheim Germany - Concorde & Tu-144 Supersonics 01/10/2019 Spent New Years day 2019 in Sinsheim Germany touring the Concorde and Tupolev 144. The German museum is the only place in the world you can see a TU-144 outside of Russia and the only place to see a TU-144 and Concorde in a single location. Also saw one of my favorite cars a Delorean and even a Back To The Future Delorean. A lot of cool and unique cars and planes. Love this museum and a great time and highly recommend. It was also like a big playground when you get to climb through airplanes and


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With new Altcoins hitting the cryptocurrency market, usability is what the investor and user is looking for. IOSToken (IOST) is a promising coin that will help users turn their services into cash. This is a market place where online traders can meet and showcase their wares locking out the expensive third parties.
IOSToken rides on the Ethereum blockchain and giving IOST the attributes of smart contracts. However, this might soon come to end once plans are finalized to create IOST native coin. The focus for the platform still remains; to correct the inefficiencies and scalability problems facing the first and second generation coins among others ills.
IOSToken (IOST) Popularity
Many cryptocurrency enthusiasts associate IOSToken (IOST) with high end investor which is a fallacy. Upon launch, the platform went for institutional partnerships due to the support and value addition the collaboration brought on-board.at the moment, small and big investors are staking on the coin due to its growing value.
The technology behind the platform is unique, a diversion from Proof-of-work (POW) and Proof-of-Stake (POS) to Proof-of-Believability (POB). POB ensures increased energy efficiency which will translate in increased blockchain technology uptake going forward. This model emphasizes fairness since distribution id random.
IOSToken (IOST) Benefits
As an investor or participant in any crypto-platform, knowing the benefits helps make informed decisions. With IOSToken, you are not alone; it is a system that the masses have adopted. If you are an online shopper, IOST platform will function like Amazon, BitTorrent and Alibaba; a central place where buyers connect with provider less middlemen.
This is a simple distributed system where you directly interact with your consumers. It gives users a seamless base where you can host your online services. This type of blockchain hosting is the easiest and attracts a near zero fee depending on the "space" you require for your "online outlet".
IOSToken is a major breakthrough in the online market where trade has been made complicated by slow transaction speeds and charge backs. Self-hosting has also been a preserve for the rich but with this new system, anyone can be able to get a pie of the IOSToken blockchain.
With the testnet and GitHub, there is more to come than just a digital asset marketplace. Once the tests are complete and everything working according to plan, the developers are confident that the end product with transform the entire cryptocurrency landscape and revolutionize how businesses interact with the consumer online.
IOSToken (IOST) Market Outlook
IOSToken (IOST) has gotten a global outlook thanks to its being listed on Bitfinex and Binance. In addition, a boost from a security information partner, Chatlin early April has seen the coin price gain traction. This collaboration means enhanced security features for the IOST systems.
At the time of writing, the coin is ranked 54th by market capitalization and trading at $0.056445 with a 24-hour drop of 5.13% against the dollar and 2.85% to BTC. This however shows a significant growth compared to same time last month. Huobi and Binance exchanges seem to be pushing much of the coin's volumes, a fact that is it getting the global attention it deserves.
With a full time global team now spread in 9 countries, IOST is set to move to the next level. With a meet-up slated for May 1st-4th in Singapore, there are more expectations on the coin performance and this could see the coin back on track. The marketing team efforts to increase adoption could result in substantial price surge and value growth for the coin.
With the lessons learned from the market crash earlier in the year, IOSToken (IOST) is focusing on gaining traction and stability. Their technology choice appears sustainable making it one of the best in the market. By the end of the year, the current IOST will have been transformed with the coin trading around the $2.


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Recently added items
KitchenAid Attachment - Sausage Stuffer (5SSA)
Regular Price: $29.00
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The sausage stuffer kit attaches to the KitchenAid® Food Grinder Attachment (sold separately) to help you create incredible homemade sausage with ease using the power of your KitchenAid® Stand Mixer. Combine your choice of ingredients and run them through the grinder and stuffer to create everything from small breakfast sausage links to large Italian sausage.
- Compatible with Any KitchenAid® Stand Mixer
- Transform your stand mixer into a versatile kitchen appliance that can help you tackle even more culinary tasks.
- Attaches to Power Hub
- Attaches to your stand mixer's power hub and uses the power of the motor to operate the attachment.
- Includes Narrow and Wide Tubes
- Make everything from breakfast link sausages to larger sausages like kielbasa and bratwurst.
Model: 5SSA
Product Packaging: 23(H) x 8.5(D) x 8(L) cm
Net Weight: 0.2kg


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Detta är ett fiktivt samtal mellan David Caruso, som är den rödhåriga skådespelaren i CSI Miami och producenten Jerry Bruckheimer, som har hjälpt till att producera CSI Miami.
Bruckheimer: David, how are you doing? Have you recovered from your Emmy snub?
Caruso: Im doing okay, Jerry. Thanks for asking.
Bruckheimer: Dont mention it.
Caruso: Now that you bring it up, though, Jerry, Ive been doing some soul-searching. Trying to figure out how Emmy Awards voters manage to overlook me year after year after year.
Bruckheimer: I know! It doesnt make sense.
Caruso: [Putting on shades.] Or… does it?
Bruckheimer: David?
Caruso: Heres the thing, boss. I think we need to do… a very special episode
Bruckheimer: Nice! Like a crossover with The Unit?
Caruso: Not exactly, Jerry. Not exactly.
Bruckheimer: So what are you thinking?
Caruso: Picture this: The episode opens, and Im crouched low, looking meaningfully into the eyes of a little girl, maybe five, six years old. Her stripper mother lies dead in a pool of blood in the background. I put my hand on her shoulder and say, "Young lady, were going to find the monsters who did this to your mommy." And she says, "Monsters? You mean like the boogie man in the basement?" And then I say, "Yes, sweetheart, but this time… [Taking off shades.] … hes got nowhere to hide."
Bruckheimer: Okay, but what makes that different from the seven-other kid-centric episodes we did last season?
Caruso: Ah, but wait, Jerry. Heres where it gets interesting.
Bruckheimer: Okay, Im listening.
Caruso: This time, instead of passing off the child to the nice people at social services, I decide the only way to protect her is to keep her by my side at all times. So she shadows me through the whole episode. Almost like "take your daughter to work day."
Bruckheimer: Or "take the traumatized child to work day," if you will.
Caruso: YES! First, I can take her to her mothers autopsy. But it wont scar her for life, because as Khandi Alexander cuts into the corpse, shell refer to it as "sweetheart," "baby," and other various terms of endearment.
Bruckheimer: Then what?
Caruso: Then, well drop by the ballistics lab, where well outfit the little girl with a pair of pint-sized, protective headphones, while Emily Procter fires a few rounds into a wall, to test the bullet striations. Maybe well let the kid fire a couple shots, lighten the mood a little.
Bruckheimer: Okay, go on…
Caruso: Finally, well find some excuse for Adam Rodriguez to take off his shirt and dive into a local lagoon, to retrieve some evidence, or something.
Bruckheimer: Of course.
Caruso: And then at the very end, the killer will somehow get his hands on the little girl, use her as a human shield in a showdown with the entire force. And thats where Ill get to give a big, impassioned monologue about a childs innocence and the fleeting nature of life.
Bruckheimer: Before blowing the perps head off?
Caruso: Either that, or Ill follow the perp to Rio!
Bruckheimer: Viewers love it when you go to Brazil.
Caruso: I KNOW!
Bruckheimer: Theres just one thing Im not getting.
Caruso: Whats that?
Bruckheimer: Well, if its a very special episode, shouldnt there be some pyrotechnics? At least one big explosion?
Caruso: Oh, therell be an explosion all right… [Putting on shades.] … an explosion of emotions.
Bruckheimer: Oh, David, I smell a ratings bonanza.
Caruso: And I… I smell an Emmy.


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LAUSANNE (AFP) - Sepp Blatter turned 80 on Thursday (March 10), with a party planned at a luxury hotel in Zurich, as Switzerland's criminal investigation into his Fifa presidency looked set to intensify.
After his four-decade career at world football's governing body formally ended on Feb 26 with the election of his successor, Gianni Infantino, Blatter was "extremely busy with the preparations for his birthday," his spokesman Klaus Stoelkher told AFP.
But on Wednesday, France announced that it had seized documents in connection with the suspect 2 million Swiss franc (S$2.8 million) payment he made to Frenchman Michel Platini - a transaction that led to Blatter's ban from football.
The French search followed a request from Switzerland's top prosecutor who is probing Blatter over criminal mismanagement at Fifa and the possibly "disloyal" payment he made to Platini, the suspended president of European football.
Blatter told AFP that he saw no malice in the timing of the search.
"I don't think that the Swiss prosecutor's office considered that it was the day before my birthday," he said, adding that news of the search would not spoil his celebrations.
"I don't see how this could ruin this lovely day."
Roughly 100 people have been invited to the party at the Savoy Baur en Ville hotel in Zurich, which has been organised by Blatter's daughter Corinne, one the ex-Fifa boss's most outspoken defenders throughout the scandal that brought down his presidency.
Aside from friends, the guests include Jean-Paul Brigger, a former Swiss international and long-time Blatter collaborator at Fifa and Rene Fasel, the head of the International Ice Hockey Federation.
A cake - with no candles - and a brief speech by his partner Linda Gabrielian are on the agenda.
Despite Blatter's departure from FIFA in disgrace, some members of the body are expected to attend, including acting secretary general Markus Kattner, who many believe faces a demotion under Infantino.
Blatter worked as a journalist and for the Swiss ice hockey league before joining Fifa in 1975 as the organisation's development director, when it had roughly a dozen employees and worked out of small building in Zurich.
He rose to the post of secretary general under president Joao Havelange, before his election as president in 1998.
Fifa's size and revenues exploded under his administration, but criminal indictments in the US and multiple other allegations claim that graft also flourished.
With the organisation plunged into a devastating scandal, Blatter was provisionally suspended in October.
Last month, a Fifa appeals upheld an earlier verdict that found Blatter guilty of ethics violations in connection with the Platini payment, but reduced his ban from eight years to six.


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At MERROW WHOLESALE AUTO INC in Manchester, NH, we try to attain our most important precedence, customer satisfaction. Had I known this before I would have gone and acquired my car, then circled and offered it to help pay off what I still owed on it. This is why automotive auctions are so nice. Wholesalers and retailers are in business to provide a rising number of laptop users who need different pc elements. There's a purpose why Wholesale Auto Inc is a premier Used Cars, Car Warranty lot for larger Athens. MERROW WHOLESALE AUTO INC has the Used Cars , Used Pickups For Sale inventory in Manchester that you've got been searching for.
Thank you for visiting Action Auto Wholesale of Painesville, Willowick in Painesville, Willowick, OH! EVERETT — There are 112 holders of wholesale auto seller licenses renting house inside the places of work of Suite B at 7207 Evergreen Way. This is an easy solution to find a reputable dealer that has wholesale tires on the market. The clerk at the auto parts retailer will both discover your filter in stock or order it for you. These books attempt to gather collectively the average wholesale prices for various vehicles across the nation. In actuality, all they'll provide you with is wholesale value in your automobile. Everything begins with finding the dependable high quality product wholesale suppliers.
Although Wholesale Auto Co. in Midland MI doesn't keep open 24 hours a day, the Wholesale Auto Co. website does. Our knowledgeable staff will reply your questions, show you how to discover the right Used Cars , Auto Warranty inventory. We provide Quality Pre-Owned Luxury Cars for sale to Auto sellers and the Public Nationwide at Wholesale Prices! We respect the chance to help you with your automotive needs and sit up for serving you in the future.
Be positive that the listing of all of the advisable and confirmed wholesale car audio distributors you get and you're about to start working with is at all times reviewed and up to date. We carry probably the most complete choice of Used Cars, Used Pickup Trucks inventory available in MO. At Automotive Wholesale Center in St. Charles, MO, we're your foremost place to go for all of your Used Cars, Pickup Trucks wants.
The Mercedes dealer will then provide up the Camry for public sale together with cars from other sellers to create the pool of vehicles that make up a Dealer Auto Auction. And there might be no more than three licensed wholesale dealers sharing office area in the same constructing. When the economy is unhealthy the dealers confidence wavers and they'll go on plenty of great deals simply because it wants some paint work, windshields a transmission or whatever. For example, you should purchase auto lights in four-piece units and pay the price of solely a 3-piece set. Many of these auctions are restricted to dealers who've licenses and are open for everyone.


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Swan Heating & Air – 935 Customer Reviews – Loveland, CO
Swan Heating & Air – 935 Customer Reviews – Loveland, CO
Schedule your repair, tune-up, installation or replacement service online ahead of time.SCHEDULE SERVICE
Your air ducts can easily become contaminated with pollen, dust, and other harmful debris, and if not properly maintained, they can become an obnoxious problem. Keeping contaminates and moisture out of your ducts is the number one way to keep them working efficiently. Moisture in the ducts raises the risk of microbiological growth such as mold, which can be released into your home increasing risks to your health.
Our duct cleaning technicians are thoroughly certified & qualified to inspect your ducts, and we guarantee our service 100%. We will come to your home or office in the Loveland, Fort Collins, or Longmont areas for a free inspection to determine whether or not our services would benefit you.
There is a large amount of visible mold growth inside your ducts or on any other components of your ventilation system. There are several factors to consider regarding mold detection:
If any of these conditions identified above exist, it likely suggests one or more underlying causes. Prior to any servicing, we will determine the underlying cause or causes and correct them so the problem does not return.
The HEPA-AIRE method used by Swan's duct cleaners assures you that your ducts are being cleaned with the most advanced source removal equipment available. This high tech, state-of-the-art system is used by leading professional duct cleaners throughout North America, and is widely recognized as the most significant breakthrough in duct cleaning equipment technology in the past 30 years.
The key components of this system are the patented HEPA-AIRE portable power vacuum and the AIRE-SWEEP compressor. This system enables our technicians to reach and thoroughly clean your entire duct system with minimal noise and disruption.
First, the HEPA-AIRE power vacuum is connected to the duct system near the furnace. Next, 1 inch access holes are drilled into the air ducts. Then, long lengths of air hose with special 360 degree high velocity nozzles are connected to the compressor and "snaked" through the entire duct system, dislodging debris that has accumulated on inner duct surfaces. Lastly, the HEPA-AIRE unit creates a powerful vacuum, pulling dislodged contaminants into its filtration system. This filtration system is so efficient that it captures contaminants 1/300th the diameter of a human hair and returns filtered "hospital grade" air to your home. And, it's so quiet you'll hardly know it's running.
Once your duct system has been cleaned, we reseal all access holes and your ducts are returned to "like new" condition.
See what some of our customers have to say about their duct cleaning experience with Swan Heating & Air Conditioning:
"Exceptional customer service. I was very pleased with services and professional knowledge. Thank you!"
Jacob B – Aug 11 2017
"Mike and Brenden cleaned my air ducts and dryer vent. They arrived when they said they would, went right to work, and kept me informed about the process throughout the afternoon. They were polite and professional and did a great job. I would definitely recommend them."
Bobbi C – May 6 2017
"Wow! Mike G. just left our home after spending an afternoon cleaning our air ducts. What great service!! So glad we called Swan!"
Connie H – Nov 7 2016


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HAYGEN is a Lifestyle boutique and online store selling on trend home, fashion & gifts. They have become a one of a kind destination store renowned for their unique product mix and providing exceptional customer experience. Due to the business growth they are looking for hard-working and passionate people to join the team.
HAYGEN is a fast growing Lifestyle retailer with one London store and plans to open more
London stores this year. HAYGEN stocks on trend interior, fashion and lifestyle products
curated from influential brand and sell them both in store and online at haygenshop.com.
HAYGEN won a Timeout Best Shop in London award and are a London Design Festival
Partner. The business is growing fast and they are looking for hard-working and passionate
people to join the team at this exciting time.
Do you love lifestyle stores, interiors & fashion? Do you managing and motivating people?
Do you want a busy work environment where you learn and are challenged daily? Do you
love building relationships with great customers? Are you keen to put forward ideas and
make things happen?
If yes, then this job is for you.
Manage our fab Islington store
Provide exceptional customer service
Take a creative and commercial approach to merchandising
Set and drive targets with the team
Stock & operations Management
Online order management
Confident leader and delegator
Organised, confident & hard working
- Min 2 years' experience of working in a busy retail environment & managing staff
- Must be commercial minded, driven and good at selling
- Be available to at least one weekend day (with one full weekend off per month)
- You will have input in creating a rota that works for you
- Plenty of career growth opportunities as Haygen opens more stores
- Retail / management experience and fluent English essential
Email Jenny with your CV to firstname.lastname@example.com and call the store on 0207 226
9528 to follow up. Bring your CV in person and ask for Sophie.


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Our sales and valuations side of the business continues to grow year on year and Diarmuid Madigan and his team are ready to assist you in any way possible during the disposal or acquisition of your family home, investment property or development land.
Sales have recently been negotiated by M&C Property in the following areas in the last 12 months so if you have a property to sell we would be delighted to hear from you!
- The Village at Adare Manor, Adare
- North Circular Road
- Irish Estates, Corbally
- Lissanalta, Dooradoyle
- Woodhaven, Castletroy
- Golf Links Road, Castletroy
- Thornfield, Allandale, South Circular Road
- Farranshone, Ennis Road
- Lansdowne Park, Ennis Road
- Dromroe, Rhebogue
- Riverpoint, Bishops Quay
- Steamboat Quay, Dock Road
- Investment property at Davis Street, Limerick
- Old Windmill Court, Limerick City
- Abbey River Court, Limerick City
- 7 residential houses at Cois Furain, Loughrea
- Investment property at Bride Street, Loughrea
- Detached bungalow at Oranmore
- Semi detached property at Leac Lian, Barna


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All positions in the HSE are advertised on the HSE Website. You must use the Application Form particular to the post advertised.
There are a broad range of occupations in the Health Sector. When thinking of the Health Sector one might assume that it is mainly Doctors and Nurses, however there are a vast number of careers within the sector.
All positions within the health sector have minimum qualifications attached to them. Certain professions, e.g nursing, medicine, and therapies require that you study and qualify in that particular area.
The Health Services provide thousands of different services in hospitals, health facilities and communities throughout Ireland.
Rachel Berry is working as a Pharmacist in University Hospital Galway. She studied for her A Levels in Banbridge Academy Northern Ireland and took her Pharmacy degree in Queens University Belfast. Initially she worked in retail but moved to a job as a dispensary/rotational C Grade pharmacist in a hospital in the NHS, for the next couple of years. Deciding that her career needed some direction and focus she applied to work for the HSE as a Basic Grade pharmacist and to start a Masters in Clinical Pharmacy.
What were the main 'career decision' milestones in your life so far?
In school I was lucky enough to be in a position where my best subjects were also the ones I enjoyed most so when it came to decision time the choice of subjects for GCSE/A-Level was straightforward - sciences and maths.
During my last two years at school I organised work experience in areas I thought I might like to pursue a career e.g. medicine, retail and hospital pharmacy, veterinary medicine. Pharmacy stood out because the degree could be applied in several different areas such as business, management, research, the health service and industry. At that stage I wasn't sure exactly where my interests lay and the pharmacy degree content appealed to me so I chose pharmacy.
As an undergraduate and pre-registration pharmacist I worked in retail. By the time I was fully qualified I was sure that the business/retail side of things weren't for me and so I found a job as a dispensary/rotational C Grade pharmacist in hospital and spent the next couple of years working in the NHS.I especially enjoyed the clinical aspect of the job but unfortunately that particular post did not allow for much career development in that area.
Last year I decided that my career needed some direction and focus so I applied to work for the HSE as a Basic Grade pharmacist and to start a Masters in Clinical Pharmacy.
Who are the people who most influenced your career direction?
I think my decision to become a pharmacist was a pretty independent one although my Careers Advisor at school did agree that it was a realistic/suitable choice to make. My parents would have been supportive whatever direction I had taken but they were probably relieved that I choose a degree that would almost certainly have a job and prospects at the end of it.
How did you go about getting your current job?
I was actively looking for a new job in Scotland or Ireland at the time. My current job was advertised on the HSE careers website: www.careersinhealthcare.ie. It appealed to me because as part of the job you got to complete a Masters in Clinical Pharmacy and depending on where you were placed in interview, choose which hospital you worked in (the scheme involved the major teaching hospitals in HSE West and South).
I applied online and was shortlisted for an interview which assessed the candidates suitability for the job itself and the Masters. I got a phone call a few days later to say I had been successful.
Describe a typical day?
The first thing I do when I go onto the ward is to look at the drugs the nurses have ordered from pharmacy. The nurses will have ordered drugs for new patients and this is one way of spotting any potential problems early on e.g. drug not stocked by the hospital, wrong dose or strength etc. If anything strange does show up I go to those patients first and address the problem.
The next thing on the list is to go and talk to all the new patients and get a list of all the medicines they were on before admission. Most of the time this is relatively straightforward (and quite enjoyable as most of the patients like to have a bit of a chat) but there are occasions when it still isn't clear, even after speaking to the GP, the patient and the community pharmacist.
The list I obtain is compared to the drugs prescribed by the doctor. If the lists don't match I first of all look to see if there is an explanation and if not then let the medical/nursing staff know. Sometimes a patient won't be on a drug that they really should be taking according to their medical history or vice versa and I will highlight this as well.
Once the new admissions are sorted out I try to go round all the other patients and check that the drugs they are prescribed are suitable. I'll also answer any questions they have regarding their medicines and pass anything I'm unable to answer on to the medical/nursing staff. How busy I am depends on how many new patients there are and whether or not they have complicated drug histories. I have other non-clinical commitments which need to be fitted in as well.
What are the main tasks and responsibilities?
What are the main challenges?
The fields of medicine and pharmacy are constantly developing: new clinical trials are published, new drugs developed and new ways of using medicines are introduced. It is a challenge to keep up to date with all this new information and it can appear quite daunting at first. I've recently started studying for a Master's in Clinical Pharmacy and have found it to be a great help as my learning has become more focused, manageable and "real" (I can relate it to actual patients).
On a day to day basis there is always something new or unexpected. These things could be interpreted as a challange but I like to think they keep me alert and interested in the job. In terms of the pharmacy department as a whole I think the main challenge is addressing how best we can meet patients needs and provide a quality service in the face of limited resources.
What's cool?
I enjoy the fact that there is a lot of patient contact and that we have the opportunity to make a real difference to people's lives through sometimes relatively simple actions. For example, just taking the time to sit down with someone and listen to their concerns or explain what each of their medicines is used for could make the difference between them taking medication or not. I found working as a community pharmacist quite an isolating experience and enjoy working alongside other healthcare professionals in my current role.
What's not so cool?
What particular skills do you bring to your workplace?
Communication skills - you need to be able to communicate information effectively in layman's terms to patients and on a professional level to other healthcare professionals.
Good interpersonal skills.
Conscientiousness - attention to detail is very important because even something that looks like a minor error/omission could have a big impact on the patient's health.
Analytical skills - you need to be able to work through information and decide if it is relevant and valid. You need to have an interest is peoples wellbeing and have a sense of your responsibility to them.
What subjects did you take in school and how have these influenced your career path?
For GCSE I studied Maths, Additional Maths, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Geography, English Language and Literature and German.
For A-Level I took Maths, Chemistry and Biology. I chose these subjects primarily because I was good at them and also because I enjoyed them. The school I attended was very academic and I always knew my future career would involve science of some description so the choices I made were logical.
I do regret not continuing on with art, although at the time I wasn't sure I could spare the time to commit to an extra subject that wasn't really going to come in useful. I guess you just have to weigh up costs and benefits. I found it very helpful to have a good grasp of statistics and pure maths as these topics came up quite alot during the pharmacy degree.
If you are thinking of taking a degree in pharmacy make sure you look at the admission requirements in good time as they can be quite specific and I know the grades are increasing every year so you need to be sure you are capable of making the grades.
What is your education to date?
What aspects of your education have proven most important for your job?
What personal qualities do you have that helps you in your career?
What is your dream job?
Does your job allow you to have a lifestyle you are happy with?
My current job is nine to five, Monday to Friday with around 5 weeks annual leave per year so it allows plenty of time for leisure activities, family, friends etc. Other hospitals I have worked in had a weekend/on-call rota but it was easy enough to organise my social life around this. The job comes with a decent salary and I am pretty much able to take holidays and treat myself to the odd shopping trip or whatever as I please (within reason)! I am very happy with the lifestyle working as a hospital pharmacist allows me to have.
There are opportunities for career progression as a hospital pharmacist although compared to the NHS the HSE has some catching up to do. Hopefully the role will develop in the coming years as it has in the NHS where pharmacists are becoming highly specialised, have prescribing rights and are integrated more fully into the healthcare team. From my experience of the HSE there isn't really a structured training/career path after registration that all pharmacists follow but there are plenty of opportunities if you go out and look for them.
What advice would you give to someone considering this job?
Consider your options carefully. It is likely that you are expecting top grades in your Leaving Certificate if you are considering pharmacy as a career so there will be plenty of doors open to you. Make sure you do plenty of work experience in different areas of pharmacy and if it is healthcare you are interested in then consider getting some work experience in medicine etc. I know quite a few people who have completed a pharmacy degree only to realise they actually want to do medicine!
What are the three most important personal characteristics required for the job?
Have you undertaken, or do you plan to undertake any further training as part of your job?
I am currently studying for a Masters in Clinical Pharmacy. It is possible to undertake further training in specific ares e.g. psychiatry, respiratory and I may consider this if I find I develop a particular interest during my Masters. If I return to the NHS at some point I will probably do an independent prescribing course as this would open more doors for me in the future.
What kinds of work experience would provide a good background for this position?


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The artwork on this note card was created by 5768 WRJ Art Calendar artist Césan d'Ornellas Levine.
Search URJ.org and the other Reform websites:
Search URJ.org and the other Reform websites:
Multi-Generational Jewish-Muslim Dialogue
Mar. 10, 2011
Partnering with the local Muslim Society, the congregation held a multi-generational interfaith dialogue program.
Community Contact Information:
Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester
Chappaqua, NY
Partnering with the local Muslim Society, the congregation held a multi-generational interfaith dialogue program to discuss differences and similarities between the two faiths.
Since 2007, a group of synagogue members and local Muslims had been holding monthly joint Torah/Koran study. In addition to monthly study, members of both communities participated in a 9/11 memorial service at the mosque, broke the Ramadan fast beneath the synagogue's sukkah and participated in the groundbreaking ceremony for the synagogue expansion.
In April 2009, the program further expanded to include a multi-generational Jewish-Muslim Dialogue that would build upon the existing relationships and take place on two Sunday afternoons. The program would emphasize the inclusion of youth from both faiths and would allow participants to explore both their commonalities and differences through two simultaneous but separate sessions: one for adults and one for youth. For the youth session, each child was invited to bring a ritual object in order to spark discussions about holidays and observances, as well as evoke emotions associated with those rituals.
Temple Beth El used fliers to advertise the event at the synagogue, the mosque and throughout the community. The synagogue's communications committee also issued a press release to the local media.
Project Implementation:
The first dialogue took place at Temple Beth El in the fall of 2009. Everyone began in the sanctuary, where they heard the purpose of the program: to allow an exploration of the participants' common humanity and give people the opportunity to share their own personal and communal experiences. Participants then split into two groups: adults and youth.
The adult session began with introductions as everyone was asked to speak about their family's journey to America and Westchester, the challenges of integration and maintenance of their religious practices as immigrants and the role of religion in their lives. Then the program continued with a parallel study of the Torah and the Koran, much in the same way that the discussions had been going since 2007.
The youth session began with introductions as well; they were asked to briefly state their name, age, and where they attended school. Then each child shared the ritual item he or she had brought and explained its significance and meaning in his or her religion. A variety of items were presented, including a menorah, Haggadah, prayer mat and books, traditional head coverings, and a shofar. The children had an opportunity to ask questions after each item was introduced.
To conclude the first program, the adults and children came together and shared what they had learned.Since breaking bread together is a powerful experience, the program concluded with attendees bringing traditional dishes to share, which they then explained to the rest of the group.
The second dialogue took place in the fall of 2010. The adults studied the story of Joseph to continue their conversation about the challenges of integrating into American culture without losing touch with their faith. Meanwhile, the children interviewed each other, asking questions such as, "Where were you born?" "How many siblings to do you have?" and "What's your favorite holiday?" Each child then introduced the person they had interviewed. The children explained why they had chosen a specific holiday as their favorite, and how that holiday was significant in their religion. Then they played a vocabulary game in which the children had to match words that had similar connotations in both religions (for example, "Torah" and "Koran"). As in the first program, the session concluded by having the adults and children come together to enjoy the traditional dishes.
While education was the main component of the Multi-Generational Jewish/Muslim Dialogue, the program has also strengthened relationships between the Jews and Muslims in Westchester. During the war in Gaza, for example, the dialogue group tackled the difficult issues surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Through those challenging conversations, participants were able to gain a better understanding of one another's unique perspectives about the conflict.
Another example: Following the devastating floods in Pakistan, synagogue members reached out to the mosque, knowing that many of their members are from and still have family there. The synagogue collected food and medical supplies to send aid to those in need. Thirty congregants visited the mosque on a Sunday morning to help sort supplies and pack more than 60 relief boxes, which were sent to Pakistan via Pakistan Airlines.
The timing of this effort was particularly powerful, as it came in the midst of the controversy about the Muslim community center near Ground Zero and when mosque construction in communities around the country was coming under attack. The Muslim society involved in this dialogue was in the midst of its own building project at the time, so Temple Beth El's rabbi spoke at a public hearing before the town planning in support of the mosque's efforts.
Temple Beth El plans to expand its partnership with the mosque by hosting a joint Mitzvah Day with the local Muslim society.
Search URJ.org and the other Reform websites:
The artwork on this note card was created by 5768 WRJ Art Calendar artist Césan d'Ornellas Levine.
Show your WRJ pride with this zippered canvas bag. Features the phrase "Well-behaved women rarely make history" and the WRJ logo.
$18 $15


text: Meet the staff of First United Methodist Church Coppell Rev. Dr. Tom Palmer Senior Pastor Email Tom Rev. Martha Hagan-Smith Pastor of Family & Community Transformation Email Martha Rev. Rick Williamson Pastor of Discipleship and Care Ministries Email Rick Anastasia Markina Director of Sanctuary Worship Email Anastasia Dave Wilson Director of Modern Worship Email Dave Deanna Goodman Director of Children's Music Email Deanna Altynay karsakpayeva Organist Jordan Jackson Director of Student Ministries Email Jordan Christy Allen Associate Director of Student Ministries Email Christy Tori Rantala Student Ministry Worship Leader Email Tori Kathy Braem Children's Minister Email Kathy Dena Nichols Director of Stringfellow Preschool Email Dena Bentley Foster Executive Director of Administration Email Bentley Jackie Campbell Director of Finance Email Jackie Amy Richardson Financial Assistant Email Amy Kay Thomas Administrative Assistant Email Kay Kathy Baker Administrative Assistant Email Kathy Type and Press "enter" to Search


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Mock Draft
Yeah that's right. My mock draft stops right after the Patriots pick. Basically it's because I am too lazy to do the rest of the first round, and they are far enough into the first round where this is somewhat acceptable. And to those of you in fantasy NFL draft leagues, this should be enough for you to get by. I'm talking' to you 25 sloppy!
Bonds on BondS
Red Sox Update
*Sox really struggled this week after rolling out to 8-4 to start the season. Manny is starting to hit though, and if the guys at the top can continue to set the table for Manny and Papi, more runs should be in the Sox future. Hopefully the starting pitching can continue to be excellent, and the middle relief can do a better job bridging the gap from the starters to Jonathan "don't call me Rick Vaughn" Papelbon. Wild Thing!....You Make My Heart Sing!!!
Diamonds Are Forever
*You really have to hand it to the MetsNot only did they come back to beat the Padres 7-3 on Thursday, they did it in style. For starters, second baseman Kaz Matsui homered in his first at-bat of the season, for the third year in a row. Too bad he has only managed 8 more in 728 professional ABs. Then, to cap off a come from behind win after being stifled by Jake Peavy for 7 innings, Julio Franco produced a 2-run homer. Not only did it help the Mets win, it made the 47 year old Franco the oldest player ever to hit a homerun. I think its obvious that the guy is 50+, which makes it even more remarkable. I mean this man played in his first pro season with the Phillies in 1982. Before I was born! And look at him, he's still a physical specimen and his still rockin' dingers with that big loopy swing of his. I told ya I had a feeling about the Mets this year, and it's stuff like this that has me keepin' the faith.
*From the forever young, to maybe the not so physically gifted. I recently heard of a poll that was done to rank the world's 100 Most Unsexy men. Randy Johnson finished second on this list, and deservedly so, and comedian Gilbert Gottfried finished first. Now while I am not going to argue that both of those men are disgustingly ugly, I do believe there is one name that still trumps them all. You may have forgotten this man because he is out of the public eye, but I'm sure he was hoping to place higher than 30th on this list in order to have some sort of comeback. Perhaps a turn in the Surreal Life house? Who is this you ask? The man, the legend, former Yankee, Indian, Expo, Ranger, Blue Jay, Braves, Twins, Dodgers and Red Sox outfielder OTIS NIXON!!
*Fresh Fish? After shelling out $55 million this off-season to AJ Burnett, Toronto GM JP Riccardi and his staff are probably wondering the same thing. Only 4 innings into his second start of the year, Burnett began experiencing pain in his right elbow. This is nothing new for Burnett, who has spent the better part of 3 seasons on the DL in the past with arm troubles. AJ isn't young, at 29 years old, and while he has electric stuff, he often seems to have some issue, whether it's physical or mental. I still don't see how you give $55 million to a pitcher who has a career record of 49-50 with an ERA around 3.80. I know a pitcher's prime comes later than a hitter's, but at age 29 Burnett was not worth the risk. Not with his track record. To make matters worse, he lost the final 7 decisions of his Marlin's career, and left on terrible terms with manager Jack McKeon. It seems like Burnett's name was brought up so frequently around the trading deadline last season, and it was often said how if put in the right system, maybe he could finally learn to harness his ability. It seems now that it may have had nothing to do with the situation, and more to do with Burnett's inability to put it all together. AJ was supposed to be the #2 in the Blue Jays rotation in hope's of taking some pressure off of a rehabilitated Roy Halladay, instead he is the #1 off-season signing to hit the DL so far this year. So far all of you who wanted your team to trade for Burnett last summer, be thankful your GM is smarter than you. As for the Jays, they better pray Burnett can get his act together, or they may be the ones trying to shop him at this year's trading deadline.
*The White Sox and Astros, the two teams that were in the World Series last year, have the best record in the majors at 13-5. Oh yea, and even more impressive? The two teams I selected to make the World Series are 13-5 (White Sox) and 12-6 (Mets). Hey I realize its been about 3 weeks, but it makes me look good anyway so I'll take it.
*Yet another Met note. In another game against the Padres, Met's announcer Keith Hernandez had this to say upon seeing the Padres female message therapist in the dugout. "I won't say women belong in the kitchen, but they certainly don't belong in the dugout." Needless to say, women have not been responding well. My recommendation for Keith on how to handle this? You're Keith Hernandez! You won the MVP! Say whatever the hell you want.
Fantasy Update
Week 3 Final Score: 8-11-3
Week 4 vs Mikey's Studs (36-22-8) <----he's in first place, should be a battle
*After I wrote this, LeBron posted a triple double (32 pts 11 reb 11 asst) in his first ever playoff game. Need I say more...


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Sunday, May 1, 2011
Weekend Recap!
I had a great weekend, spent mostly with the fam :-)
Friday~ I did something I never NEVER neevveerrrr thought I would do...
me and my brother got tattoos together!!
last time with a plain wrist, ahhhh
at this point I was dying~it hurt so much worse than I thought it would
& the finished product! I absolutely love it & am so glad I got it!!
ha, my faces are awful--but it hurt so bad!
My brother got the same thing but on his forearm and in black.
I have always said I would NEVER get a tattoo unless it was meaningful to me.
My brother is all about tattoos so this was something that we could do together & it meant so much to him that his "wimpy" sister would do this with him.
I like that I got it light blue because it is not very noticeable and can easily be covered by my watch or bracelets.
Saturday~ Adam and I went to the Georgia baseball game. It was perfect weather outside & I loved being in the sunshine!!
Sunday~We went to church this morning & then to brunch with my parents, brother, sister-in-law, & Carolyne-Grace.. Then I came home and took the best nap ever. Woke up & had just started studying when my dad called and asked if A and I wanted to meet them for dinner.. SO we went & had pizza with them!
...& here I am now looking like a hot mess, drowning in study guides :(
**ONLY 2 more tests, 2 more assignments, & 2 finals until Summer!**
OH & I got highlights on Thursday, Love them!! :-)
~Hope everyone else had a great weekend!!~
6 comments:
Your tattoo is pretty! I have too low of pain tolerance to ever get one! That's neat you and your brother did it together! Good luck finishing up with school! I love your highlights! :)ReplyDelete
Very cute! I don't think I could have handled it.. I am such a wuss.ReplyDelete
love yourhighlights and your tattoo!ReplyDelete
your highlights look fabulous on you girl! glad you had a fun weekend spent with family and A too! so sweet of you to get a tatoo with your brother! good luck on finals and end of semester, praying and sending lots of good luck to finish strong :)ReplyDelete
Cute tattoo! I got one on my foot a couple years ago and it hurt soooo bad! I will never get one again haha!ReplyDelete
Sounds like a great weekend :)ReplyDelete
That's sweet that you and your bro got matching tattoos!
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A wedding is your day. Your friends and family, everyone you love most, together to celebrate with you and your partner. It's basically the greatest party you'll ever throw, the one day where everything will be about you two. It's the perfect day to do things your way!
There's a lot of tradition associated with weddings, and there can be a lot of pressure from friends and family to do things certain ways. The whole something borrowed and blue, church wedding with the veil and the cake and the tear-jerker first dance. And if that's what you want, then do it. Be unabashedly traditional if that's your style! But if it's not, then be you.
Maybe you're a rock climbing, trail mix eating, outdoor extremist. Then get married in the middle of the woods, or overlooking a lake, with flowers in your hair. And you can repel into your reception. Or maybe you're all about the glamour. Try a pink ball gown dress or a masquerade ceremony or a Louis Vuitton themed wedding cake. If you're more of a literary type, you can sort your guests into Hogwarts houses or base your vows off Darcy's confession of love or have a mad tea party reception.
There is definitely the possibility of being too cheesy, too themed, too over the top. In the end the day is about you and the beginning of your lives together and you don't want to distract from that. I'm just saying that a little creativity can go a long way in making your day your own. Don't feel ashamed of the things that make you and your partner special… Maybe he proposed at a carnival. Why not use that somehow? You could have cupcakes that look like the big top. Maybe you have a favorite saying. Put it in your vows. Maybe you really don't want a church wedding or a traditional dress or you don't like cake or veils. You are not tied to tradition. Do what makes you both happy!
Talking with friends who get you or a wedding planner who's willing to listen and think outside the box are good places to start. Decide what your priorities are, where you want to spend effort and money planning, where you're uncomfortable with the 'expected', and what is best for you and your partner. Go from there! This is your special day. Don't be afraid to make it as unique as you are. People may talk, your mom may complain, but at the end of the day this is your wedding. What do you want it to be? Gather ideas, talk with your fiancée, decide what makes you happy. And go for it.
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- Prepare white glue for decoupage by mixing it with water. I use Elmer's Glue All and mix it 2 parts glue to 1 part water.
- The glass must be clean, so wash it first with dish soap and water. Rinse and dry with a paper towel. Use glass cleaner or alcohol if needed. Take extra care not to leave fingerprints.
- Place the glass plate upside-down on your work surface. You'll be working on the underside. It's easier to work on the plate if you rest it on a wide-mouth plastic container.
- Brush the decoupage glue onto the glass surface in a fairly thick, even coat with a foam brush. The glue goes on white, but dries clear.
- Dip each cut paper piece in a dish of water as you're working. It'll curl up and then relax. Remove from the water dish and blot away excess water. Now it's ready to add to the glue-covered glass surface
- Place the cut paper shape on the glue-covered surface and apply more glue over it. Take care in arranging the cut paper elements — they're prone to sliding. Turn the plate over to check the placement.
- Gently press out any air bubbles and excess glue and wipe away. After the papers are all glued on, cover the whole surface with another coat of glue to seal everything.
- Allow to dry completely. Overnight is recommended. I helped speed up the drying with a heat gun, which worked well.
- After the paper is dry, use a craft knife against the rim and carefully cut off the excess paper. If needed, you can use an emery board of fine sanding block to smooth the edge.
- Paint the back of the plate with acrylic paint. Let dry. (see image below)
- Finish with a few coats of acrylic varnish over the dry paint. Let dry.
- Clean any glue from the front of the glass with glass cleaner and paper towels
- Be sure to use enough glue on the glass, under the papers.
- It's important not to remove too much glue while pressing out air bubbles. When the plate is dry, you can have streaky areas and shiny spots where there wasn't enough glue.
- It can take a little practice to get the amount of glue just right — and to get the hang of pressing out the air bubbles without removing too much of the glue. Be patient. It's worth the effort!
- If using any inkjet images, check first to make sure the ink won't run when wet. Spray inkjet prints with fixative if necessary.
- Sponging on a few layers of acrylic paint on the back of the plate creates a slightly textured and tactile surface.
- Remove glass from the picture frame. Be careful handling the cut glass edges. I apply low-tack painters tape around the edges of the glass for safer handling.
- Cut out a focal image, if desired. I used the Direct Cut feature on the ScanNCut machine to fussy-cut a floral design—and it worked great. A huge time-saver! But the image I selected had too much detail for the scanner to fully read—it only saw the outline. So I cut out the inside blank areas with a craft knife. Then my floral print was ready to use! Easy! *Note: This floral design is clip art from the DoverPictura "Flowers CD-Rom/Book ImageArchive" (royalty free artwork). However, you can find lots of downloadable copyright-free images available on the internet from many sources. My floral image is an inkjet print and didn't run when tested with water. Before using an inkjet image, be sure to test it first.
- Select a Gelli® print for the background. You can use cut or torn pieces, or an entire print as shown here.
- Follow the steps shown above (glass plate project) for gluing the paper pieces in place.
- As the background paper is applied to the glass, the saturated edges are easy to tear. Remove a small margin, if desired. The blank area on the glass is perfect for applying gold metal leaf — creating a beautiful imperfect edge around your print! Wipe the excess glue off the bare glass areas and allow the papers to dry.
- Apply Duo Adhesive (or any glue that is tacky when dry) to the blank glass areas. Allow it to dry — it will turn clear and remain sticky to the touch. Place pieces of gold metal leaf on the sticky areas, then brush off excess metal leaf with a soft brush. Done!
- Clean the front of the glass with glass cleaner and insert into the frame. It's ready to hang or give as a lovely gift!!
Remember, we now have Gelli® partners all over the world, so it's easier than ever to find a Gelli® retailer near you!


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