text:
Dancing in the streets
There were a lot of people at the window. I started to count them, but got bored and gave up. Mainly men though, after all it was an international bank. I imagine that junior personnel continued to execute essential tasks while their managers looked out from the windows.
Naturally, we had laid on the spectacle in the streets below.
The posters had been displayed for weeks, and there had been, of course, a huge impact on Social Media. Even a special group on Facebook. We had excellent media managers and quite a few influencers had been persuaded to give it a write up and promise to be there.
In reality it was more noise than music, but we needed to attract and sustain attention. Flags were waving, coloured smoke bombs exploded harmlessly, and balloons escaped to the skies above.
Some of the office managers had left the building and had lined the streets in order to be nearer to the action. This was an unexpected, but welcome, bonus.
We entered the building from the rear, and avoiding the lifts, took the stairs. We had been training for this for weeks, and weren't even out of breath when we got to the ninth floor.
We split into two groups, five of us overpowered those not at the windows while the rest of us locked the spectators in their offices and pumped in gas to immobilise them. There were so many spectators in all that they would never be missed. Everybody's attention was riveted on the performers in the street.
We opened the safes and deposit boxes without a problem and bundled the contents, including some exquisite diamonds, into our backpacks.
Military precision and months of training was paying off.
Unfortunately we had neglected one small, but important detail.
One of the windows, the one with the brown window frames, was empty of onlookers.
Unbeknownst to us, the bank had obtained, and installed, a squad of the latest generation of Mark VI RoboGardians, and kept them in the room, ready to intervene at any sign of disturbance, or heist.
They suddenly burst out, unannounced, and primed for action.
We didn't stand a chance and were neutralised with embarrassing speed.
It was all over for us, but the carnival outside played on. (379 words)
Another #FotoFlashFiction entry today. This is a 500 word flash fiction challenge organised by Donna.
My feature photo today was taken in Japan


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2020 Clarity and Focus
By charles kirkland | Direct Mail
As I opened my eyes I knew something was different. I could feel the pounding in the back of my head. With each heartbeat, I could feel the pain. I seldom get a headache, and even the back of my eyes hurt.I don't drink so this couldn't be a hangover. 😉Most Saturdays I get up […]Continue reading

subset: commoncrawl


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From June 4th through the 28th, the Women's Art Institute on campus will be hosting a cohort of artists in their Summer Studio Intensive Course. One of the goals of the Studio Intensive is to gain insight into the work of contemporary women artists -- here in the library you can attain this goal, too, by picking up a book from our new display: Celebrating the Women's Art Institute. This display is full of art books with large color reproductions, biographies of women artists, and the history of women in art - including children's books on the topic. Stop by the St. Paul campus library for a dose of creative inspiration!
As always, if art books aren't your thing, ask a librarian for another recommendation or check out the Genre Jars at the Research Help desk for a surprise suggestion of Poetry, Memoir, Historical Fiction, Mystery, or Romance!


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$45.06 – $53.58
Multi-functional 4/5/6-Tier Shoe Racks – Shelf Cabinet – Large Stack able Shelves Holds – Shelf for Shoe – Book Home Storage.
• Space-saving Shoe Rack: Keep your shoes well organized
• Optional Layer Height: You can remove a layer to fit not only boots, heels, but also fit purses or other larger stuffs.
• Non-woven Fabric Layer: Effectively prevent the sandy soil on soles falling into shoes on lower layer.
• Easy to Assemble: This shoe rack requires no tools to assemble, so you can do it yourself within minutes.
• Sturdy and Durable: Constructed from high quality iron pipes, plastic connectors and non-woven fabric.
Keep your shoes organized with this Shoe Rack, which is designed to provide a great storage solution for your collection of favorite footwear. It is constructed out of durable iron pipes, non-woven fabric and plastic connectors.


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Which cast members of Push, Nevada have died?
Living or Dead? Celebrities, films, tv shows, birthdays, deaths ... your one-stop shop to satisfy your morbid curiosity.
Push, Nevada is an American mystery television series set in the fictional town of Push, Nevada. It premiered on September 17, 2002 on ABC, and ran for 7 episodes before it became one of the first shows to be cancelled during the Fall 2002 season. Created by Ben Affleck, Sean Bailey (co-producer of Project Greenlight) Matt Damon and Chris Moore, Push, Nevada was unique in that it offered viewers a chance to follow along and solve the mystery of Push for a prize of $1,045,000. Each episode contained clues, from web addresses in the opening credits to specific phrases uttered by characters in the show, each having its own significance to the mystery. 24-year-old New Jersey resident Mark Nakamoto won the grand prize, calling a special number within just two minutes of the last clue being given during an airing of Monday Night Football. The show's cancellation came about two weeks before the final clue was given, but U.S. law required that the contest continue until its conclusion.


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« MySQL Performance: Reaching 100M(!) Transactions/sec with MySQL 5.5 running on Exadata! | Main | MySQL Performance: 5.6 Notes, part 2 - Under full dbSTRESS workload... »
Monday, 11 April, 2011
MySQL Performance: 5.6 Notes, part 1 - Discovery...
I was lucky to discover MySQL 5.6 features ahead and here are my notes about performance improvements and pending issues observed on my benchmark workloads.. The story finally was very passionate and that's why very long for a one blog post :-)) so I've decided to split it into several parts and will publish all of them over a day..
Here is the first part, Discovery of MySQL 5.6.2 as it..
The new MySQL 5.6 version brings many "fundamental" improvement within InnoDB code:
- first of all a split of the "kernel_mutex" was introduced! - it was one of the most hot contentions observed in MySQL 5.5 and limited InnoDB performance in so many cases..
- purge processing became multi threaded! - so we may expect to not see purge lagging anymore or reduce it considerably on heavy writes..
- page cleaning and flushing activity was removed from the Master Thread and assigned to the Page Cleaner (dedicated thread)
- METRICS table was introduced to make monitoring easier ;-))
- Performance Schema was improved and extended with a lot of new stuff..
There are other new features as well, but the listed ones were in my top priority list to test them and see what kind of new limits or contentions we'll discover now in 5.6 :-)) - as I always saying to our customers when they are coming in our Benchmark Center - "you may have a brilliant idea, but it may still be killed by poor or not optimal implementation.."
HW Platform - For my tests I've used a 48 cores AMD box running Oracle Linux 5.5 and having fast enough I/O level (Sun's Flash cards were used here, but I'm skipping any details about because I'm not seeking for I/O performance, but will stress MySQL to see existing contentions within its code..) - so I'm not using O_DIRECT to not enter into any I/O issues I've observed before in the previous tests :-))
SW Configuration : I did not use any specific system settings different from "default", and again (to be compatible) used the EXT4 filesystem. The following "base" MySQL configuration settings was used:
sort_buffer_size = 2097152
table_open_cache = 8000
# files
# buffers
# tune
### innodb_flush_method= O_DIRECT
### innodb_change_buffering= none
# perf special
innodb_read_io_threads = 16
innodb_write_io_threads = 16
innodb_io_capacity = 4000
### innodb_max_purge_lag=400000
### innodb_adaptive_hash_index = 0
# transaction isolation
### transaction-isolation = REPEATABLE-READ
### transaction-isolation = READ-COMMITTED
### transaction-isolation = READ-UNCOMMITTED
# Monitoring via METRICS table since MySQL 5.6
innodb_monitor_enable = '%'#-------------------------------------------------------
All these settings were used "by default" within every test except if there are some other details are given..
Load Generator : don't think you'll be surprised I've used dbSTRESS :-)) (as usual).. My initial plan was to test all the workloads with various scenarios, and specially I was curious to see what will be the next bottleneck on the workloads which were limited before by the contention on the "kernel_mutex" (you may get a look on my previous posts about)..
How to read the following graphs :
- first of all, there is a title on each graph ;-)
- then the legend on the right side explaining the meaning of curves..
- and then, if nothing else specified, I've tested a step by step growing workload, and on each step there were x2 times more concurrent user sessions than on the previous one..
So far, time is for testing now ;-)
First bad surprise..
Well, the first bad surprises came from the beginning on the yet first Read-Only probe tests - MySQL 5.6 was way slower than 5.5!.. and the main killing factor was an incredibly grown contention on the "btr_search_latch" mutex..
I was very surprised to see it so hot on the Read-Only workload.. - well, not really, as in my understanding this contention usually appeared until now when the new data pages were loaded into the buffer pool, so even it was a Read-Only activity, the contention was still observed until most of the pages were not kept in the buffer pool..
My feeling here that before the split, "kernel_mutex" limited impact of "btr_search_latch" as instead of one contention there were two contentions :-)) but now, when the "kernel_mutex" contention is gone, sessions are beating more hard for the "btr_search_latch".. - and I don't know why this contention is still remaining even once all accessed pages have been already loaded into the buffer pool?..
Here are TPS and Mutex Waits graphs from the beginning of the Read-Only test, just from 1 to 16 users, and it's clearly seen performance degradations is already starting since 16 users:
On the workload scenario which was previously blocked by the "kernel_mutex" contention in MySQL 5.5, the things are not yet better on 5.6 due the "trx_sys" mutex contention now:
The workload is still the same Read-Only scenario, but we're executing only "simple" queries here (SEL1 - a single line join).. As you see, on 5.5 performance is limited by growing kernel_mutex waits. But on 5.6 we're hitting "trx_sys" contention since 32 concurrent sessions..
On the same time I was curious why this issue was not seen before on other workloads like sysbench for ex., and realized that you need to have at least a server with 24cores. For example, if I'm limiting MySQL to only 16 cores, the issue near to be gone (which is normal, as I'm forcing a limiting of a concurrency)..
Here is the graph of the same test but having MySQL server running on 48, 16 and 24 cores:
As you see, trx_sys contention can be reduced here by limiting MySQL to 16 cores, but I cannot consider it as a solution.. MySQL 5.6 should scale far away comparing to 5.5, so let's forget about workarounds :-))
Next step: the "btr_search_latch" mutex is related to the Adaptive Hash Index (AHI) feature. Many people are advising to disable AHI and remove any use of "btr_search_latch" mutex within InnoDB code, and some even reporting to have a better performance when the AHI is turn OFF.. - Well, personally, until now, I saw only performance degradation with AHI=OFF, but things may be different in different workloads.. In my case it's not helping (even the result is better comparing to the initial one, but still worse than with 5.5):
Retesting with innodb_adaptive_hash_index=OFF :
yes, it's removing "btr_search_latch" bottleneck!!
then, I expected to see the buffer pool contention as it was in 5.5 before.. - but if I remember well, this part of code was improved in 5.6, so on 16 sessions TPS continued to increase ;-)) but then on 32 sessions TPS was dropped due "index mutex" locks (initially created within a dictionary).. - then with a growing load the "trx_sys" contention is killing performance completely..
MySQL 5.6.2-latest version
Finally I was lucky to discover I did not use the "latest" 5.6 trunk - as you can see the things are changing very quickly in the 5.6 development, and the issues I was observed were already fixed one week before.. :-))
Retesting with the MySQL 5.6.2-latest version:
- high contention on the btr_search_latch mutex since 16 sessions is gone!
- contention on btr_search_latch mutex is starting now since 32 concurrent sessions as before..
- since 64 sessions the trx_sys mutex contention is added too..
- since 256 sessions the trx_sys mutex contention is dominating..
disabling A.H.I is completely removing btr_search_latch mutex
contention, but it's not improving performance:
even before any other contention is coming in game, the TPS level
is already lower when AHI=OFF
(for ex.: on 8 sessions TPS is 7.500 with AHI=OFF, while it's 10.000 with AHI=ON)
then we hit a contention on the buffer pool index..
NOTE: buffer pool mutex contention may be very random - all depends how the data arrived into the buffer pool.. - if one of the BP instances is more accessed than others, we're getting back a situation similar to a single BP instance..
then once again the trx_sys mutex is taking a dominating position..
- even before any other contention is coming in game, the TPS level is already lower when AHI=OFF
- why do we still have a contention on the btr_search_mutex even once all accessed pages are already loaded to the buffer pool ???
any idea about reducing the trx_sys mutex contention ??..
An now retesting the SEL1 Read-Only:
It's way better than before, but performance is still limited by the "trx_sys" mutex contention..
NOTE: testing with READ COMMITTED and READ UNCOMMITTED transaction level isolations did not change absolutely nothing..
And now the same test on 5.6-latest but with a MySQL server limited to 24 and 32 cores:
Observations :
- on 24 cores the ~max TPS level is kept up to 512 concurrent sessions
- on 32 cores it's up to 256 sessions only..
- on 48 cores performance is already decreasing since 64 sessions..
And now retesting initial Read-Only also on 16, 24 and 32 cores:
What is interesting: limiting thread concurrency by binding MySQL process to less cores even improved the peak performance obtained by 5.6 on this test!..
To be continued.. (see part #2)..
blog comments powered by DisqusNote: if you don't see any "comment" dialog above, try to access this page with another web browser, or google for known issues on your browser and DISQUS..


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Mold remediation for flooded basement
Mold Detection & Removal review in Toronto
Had a basement flood in rental home from broken clean water pipe. Contacted Mold.ca for a quote. Gregg was able to swing by that afternoon and walked me through the process required. There was the presence of mold in multiple locations. Gregg was quite knowledgeable and with my concerns of freezing weather and 'wet' old basement foundation, he was able to expedite getting the basement humidity into a safe range. Learned that mold is most dangerous when dried out and was glad I did not try to do myself. The house is now clean and safe as we look to renovate and get available for renting again.
Was this review helpful?
- Company Response
Hi Stefan. Thank you for writing a testimonial. It was great working with you. Happy New Year, and all the best for 2020! The Mold.ca Team.


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Cape Cod
Kunstwerken > Fotografie
Harry Callahan
Gelatin silver print. Excellent condition.
Image size: 25 x 25 cm
Signed in pencil below image on recto. Signed, numbered (#350) and referenced (HC 700-L) in pencil on verso.
2 359.40$
incl. btw
All four corners slightly worn. A tiny loss of 1 mm of the layer at the lower edge in the margin and away from the image.
Henry Callahan is considered one of the most innovative and influential photographers of modern American photography. His oeuvre covers a wide spectrum of subjects, from nude photogra ...Lees verder


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yesterday 15:25
yesterday 14:24
yesterday 14:20
yesterday 13:50
yesterday 12:40
yesterday 12:10
New satellites can be built under Kazakhstan's leadership – Lionel Champeaud
NUR-SULTAN. KAZINFORM – A delegation of France's Airbus Defence and Space (AD&S) that has been Kazakhstan's strategic partner in space industry for the past 10 years is expected to partake in the international forum The Space Days in Kazakhstan on November 12-13. On the eve of the forum Kazinform correspondent sat down with Lionel Champeaud, Vice President Central Europe, Russia, Central Asia, Baltics, Caucasus, Airbus Defence Space, to talk about Airbus-Kazakhstan cooperation.
Mr. Champeaud, how do you see the cooperation with Kazakhstan in the past 10 years?
Airbus is well known for its commercial aircraft and we are proud Air Astana has been developing its fleet with Airbus since 2006. Nevertheless, it is true cooperation with Kazakhstan received a boost in 2009, when Airbus was selected for helicopter and satellite projects. Those projects were followed by a program launched in 2011 to replace aging military-transport aircraft fleet with modern C295. At the same time, Airbus remains also a customer of Kazakhstan as we buy significant volume of titanium. Thus, our cooperation has been rather fruitful for the last 10 years.
What is the major outcome of this collaboration in the field of space technologies?
As a strategic partner to Kazakhstan, Airbus is committed to supporting the development of local aerospace industry through space expertise, research and technology projects and initiatives.
Together with Kazakhstan Gharysh Sapary (KGS) and Kazcosmos, Airbus created a joint venture Ghalam in Nur-Sultan in 2010.
Over 60 Kazakh engineers have received training in Airbus facilities in Europe acquiring a deep knowledge in satellite system design and integration. Thanks to these newly acquired capabilities, Kazakhstani engineers are now able to design and manufacture Earth Observation satellites.
By the way, the first satellite produced by Ghalam, Scientific and technological satellite (STSat) was launched early 2019 and is flying flawlessly in orbit.
The state-of-the-art infrastructure for Satellite components manufacturing has been built in Nur-Sultan.
Ghalam has already been selected to manufacture thermal protection for the One Web constellation and for Airbus Telecommunication satellites.
The first equipment - sun sensor – produced by Ghalam is now in orbit. The equipment is part of KazSTSat scientific satellite designed by joint team of Ghalam and SSTL.
As for Satellite Assembly, Integration and Test, 2 big satellites could be integrated / tested at the same time.
It is also important to note successful launch of KazEOSat-1 and KazEOSat-2 satellites in 2014. Images received from those satellites are widely used for the needs of agriculture, control of emergency situations and other GEO-applications.
What are the future perspectives?
Kazakhstan has today several satellites in orbit, for Telecomunication (KazSat 2, KazSat3) or for Earth Observation (KazEOSat 1 and 2). All these satellites were procured as a result of Kazakhstan's international call for tender, and manufactured, integrated and tested outside of Kazakhstan, by major non-Kazakh Prime Contractors. Some of these satellites will soon need to be replaced by new satellites, and the new satellites could be built under Kazakhstan's leadership (Ghalam being Prime Contractor) and with a significant contribution of Kazakhstani industry.
The production of Satellite Components is set to grow, to fulfil of above-mentioned Kazakh satellites, but also because Ghalam will be in a position to propose its qualified components to foreign satellite manufacturers, as Ghalam does today with Airbus or Oneweb, allowing Kazakhstan to export technological equipment outside of Kazakhstan.
Baikonur, how does Airbus sees its future?
Baikonur is the cradle of space exploration and, at Airbus, we pay our deep respect to the work done by the specialists since many years.
The French President Charles de Gaulle was the first Western leader to visit cosmodrome Baikonur in 1966. It shows that we have been working together since many years for the benefit of space exploration.
Airbus has been long using Baikonur to launch its satellites and Airbus was the first European company to create a joint venture «Starsem» in post-Soviet time (in 1995) to launch Soyuz rockets from Baikonur.
Nowadays it is rather difficult to predict the future of the launchers market. Newcomers are changing the rules and commercial competiveness is the main driver. Nevertheless, the space legacy must provide Kazakhstan with the development options, especially when it is part of the Kazakh State strategy and investments.
50 years anniversary of Airbus and 10 years anniversary of the Kazakhstan partnership. What are the lessons learnt?
The Aerospace industry has distinguishing features such as the use of innovative technologies and longer terms for both project development and return on investments.
Main customers of space-related products and services are still Governments, investing in a wide range of activities due to the value of space for strategic, economic goals and national prestige.
That is why private players like Airbus need the government leaders to provide with a longer-term strategy and a vision to grow together, and commit fewer mistakes in the future. Airbus looks into the future to work hand in hand with Kazakhstan to grow into the next level of the space age.
- Baikonur to prolong quarantine until Oct 5
- China sends nine satellites into orbit by sea launch
- Life in orbit induces brain changes in cosmonauts — head of research
- Russia finishes tests of satellite lasers for advertisement from space
- Baikonur city extends quarantine until Sept 21
- Asteroid over 22 meters in diameter to pass by Earth on Tuesday – NASA
- Speeches of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan
- President's Address to the Nation
- Development of the President's Message
- Foreign Mass Media about Kazakhstan
- World and Crisis


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On Thursday (11 October 2018), Robinhood, the Californian FinTech startup, founded in 2013, which launched a zero-commission crypto trading service ("Robinhood Crypto") in February, announced that the service had now become available become available in Ohio ("The Buckeye State").
The Robinhood mobile app lets U.S. customers (mostly millennials) trade cryptocurrencies, stocks, ETFs, and options commission-free (and with no minimum investment) all within one app.
When Robinhood Crypto first launched in February 2018, the only two cryptocurrencies supported that you could trade were Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH); also, the service was only available in four states. By 12 July 2018, as reported in the Robinhood blog, support for trading two more cryptocurrencies — Litecoin (LT) and Bitcoin Cash (BCH) — had been added, and the service had expanded to 17 States (AZ, CA, CO, FL, IN, MA, MI, MS, MO, MT, NJ, NM, PA, TX, UT, VA, and WI).
July 16th and August 6th saw Robinhood add trading support for Dogecoin (DOGE) and Ether Clssic (ETC) respectively. As for expansion of the service to other U.S. states, since July 31st, the service has become available to customers in 8 more states: Iowa (July 31st); Georgia (August 2nd); Alaska (September 25th); Oklahoma (September 27th); Rhode Island (October 2nd); Arkansas and Tennessee (October 5th); and Ohio (October 11th).
This means that the Robinhood Crypto service is now available in 25 states: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Robinhood makes money in the following ways:
- Earning interest on funds held in customer accounts.
- Selling order flow to exchanges wanting additional liquidity.
- Selling subscriptions to "Robinhood Gold", which costs $10 – $200 per month, and allows margin trading.
In early May 2018, Baiju Bhatt, Robinhood co-founder and co-CEO, told CNBC on a phone interview:
"In the next couple of years, I think you'll see Robinhood looking like a full-service consumer finance company."
The news about Robinhood Crypto's expansion into Ohio comes just one day after we found that Robinhood now had six million customers (according to a Techcrunch report, "up from 4 million just 5 months ago"). Although this was an important milestone for Robinhood, the company made a much more important announcement that day: after a two-year engineering effort, it had managed to build its own clearing system from scratch. Robinhood says that this will result in several benefits for customers:
- elimination or loweing of "a bunch of small, frustrating fees" that were previously passed on to customers (e.g. bank reversals fees go down from $30 to $9);
- improved customer support since the new in-house clearing system gives them more account and trade information; and
- a better user experience and a faster pace of introduction of new features
Featured Image Credit: Photo via Pexels.com


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Weight Training Fitness Pty Ltd is one of the most advanced and premier gyms in Harrington Park, Sydney. Our gym is equipped with state-of-the-art fitness equipment (such as cardio and strength training machines, suspended outdoor running tracks, spinning bikes, rowing machines etc.), training systems as well as the fitness analysis system.
Weight Training Fitness is a member of the community since June 2017.


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2017 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet in Atlanta, Georgia
Fifty years since its debut, the 2017 911 ushers in a new generation of the world's best-selling sports car. The 911 represents the pinnacle of automotive prowess – commanding sports car fascination. And just like its predecessors, the new 911 Cabriolet delivers on Porsche's commitment to its core principles; intelligent performance, supreme luxury, and innovative engineering. The team at Porsche Atlanta Perimeter invites you to explore the model in detail below.
Intelligent Performance
The 911 sports a newly developed six-cylinder twin-turbo boxer engine. The new iteration allows the driver to experience an enhanced drive and tempts even the most discerning enthusiast with the following:
- Added 20hp of power
- Extra 43 lb.-ft. of torque
- 12 percent increased fuel efficiency
Exact dimensions of performance include 370 hp at 6500 rpm and an acceleration from 0-60 in a mere 4.6 seconds. At nearly 15 ft. the 911 can reach a top track speed of 181 mph. The new 911 integrates the 7-speed Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK) for a responsive switch that enables drivers to configure their own individual vehicle set-up, complementing the diver's driving preferences.
Quintessential Sports Car
The updated saloon features a luxurious interior equipped with enhanced tech features. The Porsche Communication Management System (PCM) – a user-friendly but powerful tool – allows for a closer connection between you and your Porsche. The PCM is your control center for audio, navigation, and communication, and thanks to Apple Carplay you can access the apps on your iPhone directly through the PCM. The interior materials are exquisitely made and provide added comfort through excellent ergonomics. The 911 has everything you need and more.
If you are searching for a Porsche Dealer near Atlanta, Georgia, stop by Porshce of Atlanta Perimeter to view our models up close in our impressive showroom.
Feel Free to fill out the form below, give us a call at 888.893.6299, or continue your search by browsing our 911 inventory and special offers.


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Cookie preferences
This website uses cookies, which are necessary for the technical operation of the website and are always set. Other cookies, which increase the comfort when using this website, are used for direct advertising or to facilitate interaction with other websites and social networks, are only set with your consent.
€29.00 €99.00 (70.71% Saved)
Prices incl. VAT plus shipping costs
- Order number: ESP00167.1
- Luxurious espadrilles made of smashing pink cotton-linen fabric - Exquisitely crafted with... more
Product information "Espadrilles"
- Luxurious espadrilles made of smashing pink cotton-linen fabric
- Exquisitely crafted with navy accents
- First-class fashioning with very comfortable, leather cushion; elastic band ensures tight fit
- Durable material; midsole of hemp/ flax protected by solid rubber sole
- Lightweight summer shoes to slip in as relaxed alternative at beach & pool at next luxury resort by trendy label ESCADRILLE
- Delivery: 5 workdays
Related links to "Espadrilles"


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Rue des Ramparts
Paziols, Aude
+44 (0)7970 655240
Relaxed living on the edge of a Route des Vins village, with warmth, character and views, and a log-burner for out of season stays
The Experience
From the moment you open the big wooden door and step into the sun-and-shade courtyard – old almond tree, dining table, rustic benches – you know you're in for a treat. The English owners have a created a home of great character: two ancient stone barns woven into one and renovated with love and creativity. You enter the inviting hub of the house: a kitchen/dining area with a twin bedroom and bathroom to one side; then up to a sitting room (with sofabed) and top terraces for stunning views… down to a terrace, then down again, to bedrooms in the second barn. It's a charming layout, suitable for a party large or small; the two bedrooms in the 'wing' can be closed off. All feels homely, welcoming and warm, with bright simple fabrics and paintings, small rugs on wood or terracotta floors, books, music and logs for winter stays. Shop at the twice-weekly market in Tuchan (3km); swim in the rivers or village pool; star-gaze from the terraces with a bottle of Corbières. The owners have their own small winery and the area is a wine lover's dream.
- Swimming pool
- Hot tub
- Garden
- Open fire / woodburner
- Breakfast included
- Breakfast available
- Meals available
- Vegetarian meals
- Oven
- Parking on premises
- Free parking nearby
- Accessible by public transport
- WiFi
- Television
- Central heating
- Limited mobility
- Wheelchair access
- Mobile reception
- Hob
- Barbecue
- Paid parking nearby
- Air conditioning
- Relaxation areas
- Washing machine
- Tennis court
- Microwave oven
- No smoking
- Credit cards
- Working farm
- Owner has pets
- Electricity included
- Dishwasher
- Pets welcome
Family friendly
- Baby monitor
- Books and toys
- Children welcome
- Babies welcome
- Stair gates
- High chair
- Cot available
- Pub/bar within 3 miles
- Restaurant within 3 miles
- Shop within 3 miles
- Bikes available
- Food courses
- Kayaking
- Other courses
- Sailing
- Surfing
- Wild swimming
& pricing
Booking information
- Check in
- 4pm
- Check out
- 10.30am
- Booking restrictions
- Parking space for one car outside the gate.
- Closed
- Never.
- Meals
- Restaurants 1km.
- Nightly price
- from €71
- Weekly price
- from €500
- 1 House for 6
- From €713 bedrooms
We have had a wonderful break here. We've experienced all the weathers, arriving in rain which turned to wind and then glorious hot sunshine by 6 pm. The property is perfect for our needs and we made good use of all three terraces at various times of the day. Brilliant excursions to the Cathar Castles and gorges. The local swimming is also a delight. This is a great base to explore the region. We hope to return....soon!
This is a real home from home. The various terraces have glorious views of the rugged, dramatic & romantic countryside. They also have decent walls and railings so were safe for our small children. We love popping down to the village for fresh croissant, having a beer at the bar whilst waiting for the delicious mobile pizza van, swimming in the river, climbing the Cathar castles, listening to the bizarre village announcements heard everywhere on loud speakers, spotting wild boar in the vineyards at dusk and going to the beach which is 45 mins away and where there are some great restaurants
We had a great time here and echo how nice it is to relax on the terrace at the top of the house, when we have enjoyed many meals cooked in Hugo's well equipped kitchen. We have visited and highly recommend Carcassonne, Toreilles Plage, Maury Gorge,Cucugnan,Collioure,Fontfroides Abbey. There is a nice circular walk from the village which takes one and a quarter hours.Next time we will come by car to take some Les Clos Perdus wine back.
We loved staying here and enjoying the drama of the amazing views from the sitting room. We arrived in a howling gale and were relieved to discover that the house is very cosy and comfortable. Thanks for the recommendations: Torreilles Plage and the beach restaurant were perfect and we had fun at the river too. We visited six of the Cathar sites and Peyrepetuse and Queribus castles were particular favourites- also Fontfroide Abbey which is magical. We had some good meals and would recommend Auberge de Vignerons in Cucugnan, Auberge de Moulin,Duillac and Tapas de la Clape, Les Halles , Narbonne
This is the second time we visit your beautiful place. Your house feels like home from the beginning. We enjoyed everything; the view, the weather, the surroundings, the village. The extra happiness thing here are the swallows!
It's been a joy to return to Paziols after a dozen years. Swimming in the Gorge de Galamus was a highlight and we were all enchanted by the big vistas. This is my perfect Paziols house- Good layout and the terraces and courtyard make coffee, wine and whisky all taste better.
What an amazing place! This cottage is the best base we could have had for a visit to Languedoc. As it was a holiday home for the host family for many years, everything has been thought of. The views are amazing. And the kitchen has everything you could need so self catering is a breeze. Walking into the village for the daily baguette was enjoyed by all, as was the evening walks into the vineyards. The stairs are open, but our kids aged 2 and 6 found them no problem. The area can be windy, but here you have a walled yard to shelter in or beautiful terraces to enjoy the view. Loved it!
The neighbourhood
Local points of interest from Hugo Stewart
- Several Cathar Castles to explore. Queribus, Aguilar and Peyrepertuse are nearby.
- Good walking country. Swimming in nearby river. A local vigneron has a bar and pool in amongst the vines a couple of kilometers away.
- Wine tastings available at many wine growers "cave" including our own.
- Coast within 45 mins with beach bars or walk a few hundred yards and you will have it to yourself.
- Village shop ,bar and restaurant.
- Perpignan, Narbonne and Carcassonne within the hour.


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A unique Tarija trip planner. Tarija is an important city of Bolivia. This city is home to many famous tourist attractions such as Basilica de San Francisco, Archaeology & Paleontology Museum, Bodega La Concepcion, Campos de Solana/Casa Real, Casa Vieja, Castillo de Moises Navajas, Gilded House, Iglesia de San Juan, Iglesia de San Roque, Kohlberg and lots more. It is a city which required 3 Days to visit. One can enjoy a comfortable stay in Tarija which has a huge variety of hotels. While planning a vacation to Bolivia one can surely include Tarija city in their travel itinerary. On this page, create your virtual travel plan of Bolivia including Tarija city and other neighbouring cities. Find the travelling distance between Tarija and other city, time taken to travel and authentic travel reviews by other travellers. Tarija travel planning made easy with JustOrbit. Plan your trip to Tarija by selecting the perfect places to see, tourist attractions to visit, things to do and hotels in the city. Tarija trip planner for everyone.
Tarija is famous for & as:Shopping
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Many cities are accessible from Tarija. We have selected the most popular tourist cities that you can visit after Tarija. Based on number of days in hand for vacation these cities have been listed and can be added to your travel itinerary by selecting "Add to Trip" displayed on the right of each city name.


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WHITESIDE, Mary (May)
On Thursday August 29, 2019 at Allendale Long Term Care in her 84th year following a courageous battle with Alzheimers. Predeceased by her husband Alf. Mother of Susan and her husband Adrian Strank and of Sharon. Loving grandmother of Christopher, Geoffrey (Kate) and Jennifer Strank, and of Sean Whiteside. Great grandmother of Charlotte, Logan and Sophie. Predeceased by siblings Cathy, Benny and June. The family will receive visitors at J. SCOTT EARLY FUNERAL HOME, 21 James St., Milton (905) 878-2669 on Tuesday September 3, 2019 from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. and on Wednesday from 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. A memorial service will follow at 11:00 a.m. from the funeral home chapel. Special thanks to all of the staff and volunteers at Allendale for their care. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to the Willow Foundation (Allendale) would be appreciated. Messages of condolence may be left online at www.earlyfuneralhome.com
21 James Street | Milton, ON L9T 2P3 | Phone: 905-878-2669


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Cannabliss is an homage to herbal remedies via a classic looking damask that only upon further inspection reveals itself to be marijuana. Classy yet definitely sassy. Available as a scratch and sniff that was in development for many years, we have nailed a very pleasant yet dank scent that is made from true flowering hemp terpenes to ensure we're keeping it real. CBD for your eyes and ol factory. Dope.
For a limited time every Cannabliss order will be blessed with limited edition Flavor Paper rolling papers!!!
"I think pot should be legal. I don't smoke it, but I like the smell of it."


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Please select from the tags below to filter your results.
The RCP today joins other medical royal colleges in a joint statement supporting junior doctors and a return to negotiation.
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(This post was originally written on 750words.com. It has been edited.)
Here's an interesting experiment in writing while watching TV. A movie, actually, but if I can do this, then I can do my writing and not fall behind on my favourite shows. So the experiment isn't going so well. I'm losing my train of thought. But the thing is, I don't have anything in particular in mind to write right now. Some days I feel like I can write a couple of thousand words a day. Some days I don't know if I can get out a couple of hundred. I'm so happy to get my days off early in the going. And to have the whole day at the end of the month.
Yep, trying to write and do something else at the same time isn't going to work. I need to just shut the rest of the world off and write. It's something I've never been very good at. My brain doesn't work like that. It wants to be looking, reading, watching, hearing everything at once. I suffer from that affliction of fear of boredom. Fear of missing what's out there in the world. I love that idea Frank Chimero had: if we could just stop producing for one year. Just one year, to give us all some time to catch up, to see what we want to see, read what we want to read, listen to what we want to listen without worrying that we're missing ten other things in the meantime. The time I spend listening to one new album, not even an hour, there are ten new albums out that I want to hear. I'll never catch up. It's a physical impossibility.
But instead of rushing around to do everything, I want to spend more time with the things I love. I want my knowledge to be small and deep, not broad and shallow. A lot about a few things, rather than a little about everything. It's what I've tried to do in the past. Read all the books on one topic, by one author. Watch only movies about one subject. For the most part, it actually works. Books, however, are a different story. I don't know that I could pick one subject, one author.
Music's easy–I could live the rest of my life listening only to Canadian artists. Hands down, I don't even have to think about it. If I went through my collection right now, I don't even imagine I'd have to delete that much. Less than half, for sure. I'd be sad to lose Kate Bush and Peter Gabriel and Sufjan Stevens, but I could do it, because there's so much more Canadian music out there that I haven't heard. I may have discovered it and want to listen, but I have got around to it. Sometimes, I'm just happy to stick with what I know and love.
But there's always that moment, that moment of discovery. It's the most amazing thing, when a piece of art catches you out of daily life, makes you sit up and listen. I want more moments like that. I want to create moments like that. I hope my novel is full of moments that surprise me. I kind of can't wait for the writing part of this venture to start. It feels like I've been waiting forever, but I only signed up in October. I've had this story in my head for a long time, that's true. Not this exact story, of course, because that's been changing constantly. But my story about artists figuring themselves out. And now it's finally going to get out of my head and down on paper, as it were.
I actually don't think I'll do much writing on paper. Maybe on my days off I'll grab my clipboard and just ramble. Do some longhand that won't be very good writing, but will be very good exercise. This is supposed to be my exercise. It is, and I think that's why I put it off like I do. I don't want to write my 750 words some days, but I force myself to do it. Sometimes, all I write about is writing, but at least it's words on the page. I need to get words on the page if I want to get good words on the page. Ideally, I want great words on the page. For November, I'm aiming for something good. We'll work on great later.
At the end of next month, I'm going to need a nice long break from the novel. Unless of course it all goes well and I fall in love with the characters and just want to keep writing stories about them. I don't want to make my novel into a series, not officially. But I love what Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have done. Instead of a series based on the same characters, they've created a series based on the same structure and style. That's pretty genius. If my novel were to become a series, I'd want it to be a TV series. That would be my preference. But that's just daydreaming.


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De-icing Costs Now Included For All Flights This Winter
Now that the busy and successful summer season has drawn to a close, ImperialJet are delighted to announce that all flights booked this winter season will be fully inclusive of de-icing charges.
As the cost of de-icing can be unpredictable and is usually not known until after each flight is completed, we look forward to making the booking process this winter as convenient as possible.
With a minimum additional cost of approx. EUR 1,000 for one of midsize jets up to around EUR 10,000 for our heavy jets during the harshest of winter conditions, plan ahead with certainty this winter and book with ImperialJet.
Plan your next flight here or call our Charter Team on +49 811 99 88 6315 (24 hours a day) for a tailored proposal.


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If you don't know which is the new color of the war, we can tell you! It is the PINK, which is everywhere in the new set with blond lieutenant Penny Mathis aka Jenny P from ActionGirls' squad, consisting only from sex bombs 😉 everything is explosive!What to say about Jenny P's arsenal – even the bullets are pink (For God's sake, where is this world going to!) 😉
If you want to be shot from killing Jenny P, check out the whole 101-photos-set here» and you'll be completely dead! 😉
photos courtesy of actiongirls.com


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In order for a business to compete in today's global economy, effective supply chain management is critical. Whether tiny cottage industries or enterprise-scale organisations with thousands of geographically distributed employees, companies worldwide rely on collaborative relationships with international partners in order to prosper.
This can, for obvious reasons, be something of a balancing act. An inefficient supply chain can put a business at a distinct competitive disadvantage, while a single weak link in that network can have catastrophic consequences. For these reasons a solid foundation of trust and collaboration is necessary, hence the value placed by businesses on high-quality translation and interpretation services.
However, there's more to supply chain management than keeping the wheels of global cooperation well-oiled. There are also factors that make doing business with certain countries risky for reasons beyond the control of supply chain managers. Think of natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes, for instance, or the impact of political turmoil.
These issues can be a challenge to quantify, but that's precisely what property insurer FM Global has attempted to do in a new report. The FM Global Resilience Index ranks 130 countries by the level of risk they represent to businesses who locate supply chains and facilities therein, based on factors like susceptibility to natural disaster, quality of local infrastructure, responsiveness to incidents and the influence of corruption.
The end result, accessible through an interactive web-based tool on the FM Global website, should prove invaluable to supply chain managers who are tasked with assessing the risks associated with establishing business partnerships in a particular region. As the forces of globalisation continue to gain momentum, this burden will only increase across the board, affecting executives in all sectors.
So, what did the FM Global report discover? Read on to find out.
The highest scorers
Out of the 130 countries included in the research, Norway, Switzerland and Canada were singled out as the three locales in which supply chains are most resilient.
The prosperous Nordic nation took the overall top spot, scoring well for economic factors as well as one of the world's lowest levels of corruption. Over in central Europe, Switzerland swept in at number one worldwide for political risk, infrastructure and local supplier quality, though the country was dragged down to second place overall by exposure to natural disasters.
FM Global also identified a fast-rising star in the form of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which climbed 19 places in the international rankings between 2013 and 2014 on the back of reduced political risks and improved local supplier quality.
The picture was a little more mixed over in the world's two biggest economies. For the purposes of the report, FM Global divided the US and China into three regions each in order to account for varying levels of exposure to natural disasters. Each US area made it into the top 25 internationally, while China's regions ranked 61st, 66th and 75th. The lowest-scoring Chinese grouping was the Shanghai region, which again faces an elevated risk of natural disaster.
The riskiest regions
On the other end of the spectrum, FM Global identified Kyrgyzstan, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic as the three countries that are least resilient to supply chain disruption. A range of factors were at play behind the nations' scores, including Kyrgyzstan's vulnerability to an oil shock (129 out of 130) and the influence of corruption on Venezuela's supply chains (128 out of 130).
Bangladesh, meanwhile, was singled out as one of the countries to have fallen the furthest between 2013 and 2014, with FM Global citing declines in the quality of both natural hazard and fire risk management.
Of course, if there's one thing we should take away from the report, it's that a wide range of factors should be taken into account by a company that intends to set up supply chains or facilities on foreign soil. No two nations are alike, and it isn't always easy to make a distinction between developing countries and economic powerhouses.
This was something commented upon by Margareta Wahlstrom, United Nations special representative of the secretary-general for disaster risk reduction, at the launch of the report.
"We live in a volatile world and whether that's because of what nature wrought or the human element, every nation is prone to some form of risk," she said.
"The question is why are some countries … more resistant to supply chain disruption or better able to bounce back? It's a puzzle that world leaders are perpetually trying to solve and there's endless value inherent in a tool like the FM Global Resilience Index to help answer that."


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The book list has been released! Woo hoo! If you have not heard about this, check it out at their website. You get to hand out free books in your community or neighborhood. FUN!
World Book Night US 2013 Book List
From their website- How it works…
Each year, 30 books are chosen by an independent panel of librarians and booksellers. The authors of the books waive their royalties and the publishers agree to pay the costs of producing the specially-printed World Book Night U.S. editions. Bookstores and libraries sign up to be community host locations for the volunteer book givers.
After the book titles are announced, members of the public apply to personally hand out 20 copies of a particular title in their community. World Book Night U.S. vets the applications, and the givers are chosen based on their ability to reach light and non-readers. The selected givers choose a local participating bookstore or library from which to pick up the 20 copies of their book, and World Book Night U.S. delivers the books to these host locations.
Givers pick up their books in the week before World Book Night. On April 23rd, they give their books to those who don't regularly read and/or people who don't normally have access to printed books, for reasons of means or access.


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This unit walks students through a variety of activities revolving around George Orwell's book '1984'.
- Subject:
- English Language Arts
- Material Type:
- Unit of Study
- Provider:
- Michigan Virtual
- Author:
- Abby Perdok
- Date Added:
- 06/28/2017
This unit walks students through a variety of activities revolving around George Orwell's book '1984'.
Learn how to locate and use digital images appropriately, understand that digital images can be edited and resized using online resources, understand how selfies can impact my digital identity and know how to represent myself appropriately online.
Learn how to use online presentation tools, understand the features and attributes of effective presentations and know how to use a variety of media to create and collaborate on an effective presentation.
Learn about interactive websites and resources, understand the different types of interactive learning and understand how to use geographical information.
Learn how to analyze data and create different visual representations, understand how spreadsheets, charts and visual representations can help organize, evaluate, and present data and know different ways of organizing and sharing abstract representations of data.
Learn what a social network is, understand why it is important to manage your digital identity when using a social network, understand why it is important to navigate social networks safely and post thoughtfully and be able to create a set of personal guidelines for navigating social networks.
Design Thinking is a process for designing something to solve a problem. It shares a lot of similarities to the Engineering Design Process you might learn in a STEM class and the Scientific Method you learn in science. However, it tends to work really well with creating solutions to problems that impact humans, also known as Human Centered Design
In this Thing, you'll work with a team to identify a problem, come up with ideas to solve it, make a prototype of your best idea, test it out and ultimately share it. Your goal is to make a positive impact on the problem you choose.
Learn how to make everyday living choices, understand how decisions I make can affect my future and understand how to create a multimedia portfolio that promotes myself.
Learn how to use different media tools to communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively, be aware of advantages and disadvantages of different media tools, know how to select an appropriate technology tool to meet different types of communication, understand how to use and remix several different technology tools responsibly to communicate information and be able to use a design process to plan and create digital artifacts.
Learn the process for creating a digital story, be able to select and use appropriate digital tool(s), understand how to use a Storyboard to build and organize your story elements, participate in constructive peer feedback to improve the end product to be shared and create an original story with different media elements.
Learn how to research and compare products, know how to protect myself as an online consumer and be able to protect myself from deceptive advertising, scams and rip-offs.
Completing the Basic module of 21Things4Students, students will learn about some basic and more advanced technology skills to help them progress through the "Things" and in their future. The roadmap/tracking guide is located in Quest1, and a short skills checklist (by grade level) is also located in Quest1.
Learn how to use cell phones in a safe, legal, and appropriate way, know how to manage my digital identity and reputation through the appropriate use of mobile devices and be able to create my own cell phone application.
Learn why programming and invention are important in our lives, understand the basics of online game design, know how to use coding to automate a task, understand computational design by applying technology to a problem, understand programming as you complete hands-on activities, solving problems encountered and understand the coding your program creates.
Learn how to create visual organizers and how to create and use QR codes in learning
Learn how how to create, organize, use and share links (bookmarks) to favorite sites online. Understand what the cloud in cloud computing means.
Learn how to use how to use the basic and advanced features of a word processing application. Share and collaborate with others on documents.
Learn more about your digital footprint and the amount of media usage you achieve daily.Learn how to develop a professional web presence that positively impacts your digital footprint. You also have the opportunity to create a blog.
Learn how to be safe while on the Internet, understand online etiquette and understand the impact of online bullying.
Learn about copyright and fair use, understand the social responsibility of using copyrighted materials, know how to recognize and avoid plagiarism and know how to use a creative commons license.


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The Bundy family of Nevada have joined forces with hard-core militiamen Saturday taking over the headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, vowing to occupy the remote federal outpost 50 miles southeast of Burns – for years. Ammon Bundy, the leader of the armed protesters states, "We will be here as long as it takes."
CNN Reports:
(CNN)Armed anti-government protesters have taken over a building in a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon, accusing officials of unfairly punishing ranchers who refused to sell their land.
One them is Ammon Bundy, the 40-year-old son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who is well-known for anti-government action.
He spoke by phone to CNN on Sunday at 8 a.m. ET. Asked several times what he and those with him want, he answered in vague terms, saying that they want the federal government to restore the "people's constitutional rights."
"This refuge — it has been destructive to the people of the county and to the people of the area," he said.
"People need to be aware that we've become a system where government is actually claiming and using and defending people's rights, and they are doing that against the people."
The group is inside part of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns after gathering outside for a demonstration supporting Dwight and Steven Hammond, father and son ranchers who were convicted of arson.
Prosecutors said the Hammonds set a fire that burned about 130 acres in 2001, to cover up poaching. The father and son were sentenced to five years in prison.
The Hammonds said they set the fire to reduce the growth of invasive plants and to protect their property from wildfires, CNN affiliate KTVZ reported.
CNN law enforcement analyst Art Roderick, a retired U.S. marshal who investigated anti-government militias for years, warned that Bundy's call for supporters to join him might "turn into a bad situation."
"What's going to happen hopefully (is) … we don't go out there with a big force, because that's what they're looking for," he said. "The last thing we need is some type of confrontation."
He said that over the years, law enforcement has learned how to handle a situation like this; one that hasn't erupted in violence and in which a law may be broken, but there's no immediate threat to anyone's life.
The best approach now, Roderick said, is to wait the group out and to figure out how to bring a peaceful end to the standoff.
'We are not terrorists'
After the march Saturday, the armed protesters broke into the refuge's unoccupied building and refused to leave. Officials have said there are no government employees in the building.
"We will be here as long as it takes," Bundy said. "We have no intentions of using force upon anyone, (but) if force is used against us, we would defend ourselves."
Ammon Bundy said that the group in Oregon was armed, but that he would not describe it as a militia. He declined to say how many people were with him, telling CNN on Sunday that giving that information might jeopardize "operational security."
The elder Bundy drew national attention last year after staging a standoff with federal authorities over a Bureau of Land Management dispute.
"We are not terrorists," Ammon Bundy said. "We are concerned citizens and realize we have to act if we want to pass along anything to our children."
He wouldn't call his group a militia, but others are.
"I don't like the militia's methods," local resident Monica McCannon told KTVZ. "They had their rally. Now it's time for them to go home. People are afraid of them."
A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service representative said the agency and the Bureau of Land Management are aware of the armed protesters.
"While the situation is ongoing, the main concern is employee safety, and we can confirm that no federal staff were in the building at the time of the initial incident," the representative said. "We will continue to monitor the situation."
What the protesters want
When asked what it would take for the protesters to leave, Bundy did not offer specifics. He said he and those with him are prepared to stay put for days or weeks.
"We feel that we will occupy this as long as necessary," he said.
"We are using the wildlife refuge as a place for individuals across the United States to come and assist in helping the people of Harney County claim back their lands and resources," he said.
"The people will need to be able to use the land and resources without fear as free men and women. We know it will take some time."
He did not explicitly call on authorities to commute the prison sentences for the Hammonds, who are scheduled to report to prison Monday. But he said their case illustrates officials' "abuse" of power.
"Now that people such as the Hammonds are taking a stand and not selling their ranches, they are being prosecuted in their own courts as terrorists and putting them in prison for five years," Bundy said.
He said the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge has taken over the space of 100 ranches since the early 1900s.
"They are continuing to expand the refuge at the expense of the ranchers and miners," Bundy said.
He also said Harney County, in southeastern Oregon, went from one of the state's wealthiest counties to one of the poorest.
CNN has not independently corroborated Bundy's claims.
Photo: Bing


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Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is one of the fastest emerging technologies. It helps businesses streamline processes and create operational efficiencies. The efficiency gains are so significant that it's hard to ignore automation technologies.
According to a report by Forrester, the Enterprise Robotic Process Automation market is expected to reach over $2.9 billion by 2023. This massive growth rate of RPA is due to its inexpensive implementation costs and massive ROIs. Consequently, the adoption of the RPA technology is expected to surge. The majority of demand is in Canada, Europe and India.
RPA is creating new career opportunities and giving solutions for various challenges faced by BPO/ITes providers etc. It can easily automate desktop processes and reduce repetitive tasks.
The certified RPA individuals are better equipped to face real-world challenges and can exponentially increase their income.
- Students/Freshers have better prospects in Data & IT/Software Industry.
- Platform for fresher's/ graduates to kickstart their career in the highly competitive IT World.
- Students taking the course will be qualified for a larger number of job opportunities.
- Scope of RPA Course is fantastic and growing in demand
- Salary hike
- IT / Software Professional
- Project Managers
- HR Professionals
- BPO executives / Managers
- Supply Chain Management Professional
- Finance Professionals
- Healthcare professionals
We send you for interviews till you get a job
• We will design your Resume
• Interview Preparation Support
• Write technical exams before attending interviews
• Mock interviews
• Pre-Requisite: Job Seekers, any Graduates, Software Developer, Fresher, web
developers, web designers, SEO specialists
• You get an opportunity to work on live projects.
- You get higher salaries.
- A much better and promising career
In this Automation Anywhere Training, aspirants will acquire knowledge to help the organizations achieve process consistency across the team or else by automating and managing workflows in an efficient way. Online Robotics Automation Anywhere Training helps the audience gain skills to automate in a virtual manner to solve complex IT business problems
There are no prerequisites required to enroll in the Automation Anywhere Programme. The most basic knowledge of programming is enough to learn Automation. Even if you don't have any programming knowledge, our professionals will provide a quick crash course on all the skills required.
The potential savings for companies that deploy RPA stand between $5 trillion to $7 trillion, by 2025 (based on studies conducted at Hadoop). Hadoop also estimated that, by 2025, RPA softwares will be performing tasks with an output level that will be equivalent to 150 Million full time employees.
The companies include KPMG, EY, ACCENTURE, People First, STG, 2 Coms Consulting, Trigent Software. At this rate, it is fairly evident that RPA adoption will be universal in no time.
Requirement of engineers that have good programming skills and passion to think towards identifying newer areas where bots can be helpful is certainly very high.
Ace Emerge is the Best Institute & Automation Anywhere Authorised training partner.
- It is an expert/certified trainer.
- It provides ample practice and great learning experience.
- It has limited seats in every batch, thus more attention.
- Hands on Project Experience exposures in the Lab session
- Real Time case studies to practice
- Free Technical Support after Course Completion
- Back up Classes Available
- LAB Facility
- Free Wi-fi to learn subject
- Latest Study Material
- Fast Track and Normal Batches available


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Contact Us
- email@example.com
- Phone
- +44 (0) 141 227 2300
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a tool used to inform and assess the significant effects of a project or development proposal on the environment.
Our experienced EIA Team specialise in undertaking robust EIAs for a range of development types offering full coverage of the U.K. and Ireland. Our diverse experience includes energy, minerals, waste, housing and commercial developments.
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) services include:
- Project Management
- EIA Team coordination
- Screening to establish whether EIA is required
- Scoping
- Production of EIA Report/ Environmental Statements
- Non-Technical Summary production
- Community consultation and public exhibitions
- Stakeholder engagement
- Post-consent monitoring
Related Services
The EIA Team works closely with Mabbett's in-house technical experts to ensure an integrated, multi-disciplinary approach to all projects. As such, our complementary services include the following:
- Ecological and Ornithological Surveys
- Noise Assessment
- Air Quality Assessment
- Hydrology/ Flood Risk Assessment
- Drainage
- Contaminated Land
Contact Us
Contact Susan Bell, Principal Environmental Planner via email at: email@example.com or T: 0141 227 2303 to discuss further.


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Sharing experiences and quickly bringing new guys up to speed is one of the fundamental functions of a healthy wardroom. Unfortunately, a lot of dumb mistakes get repeated because knowledgeable JOs are afraid of appearing arrogant or presumptuous.
"I don't want to be 'That Guy'".
Nobody wants to be "that guy"- you know, the JO who's been here all of three months longer than you but still feels obligated to offer you coaching and words of wisdom. Somehow every ship has (at least) one. This is the guy who never fails to let you know what you could have done better, never fails to chime in with a reminder of his vast operational experience, never passes at an opportunity to climb up on his high horse and condescend to you with unsolicited advice. When you have endured a personality like that, you'll do anything to avoid becoming him.
The thing is, "that guy" would be a tool whether or not he was giving advice. He would still be a tool if he were three years senior to you. His advice may well be valid and useful; it's his delivery that chafes. You intuitively sense that he's playing some kind of silly dominance game, establishing pecking order and all that. So don't do that. It doesn't mean that nobody should share their experiences. Don't avoid giving advice; avoid being a tool.
"I'm too junior to give advice."
When, precisely, do you think you will be qualified to share what you have learned with your shipmates? On your next tour? When you're a Department Head? When you're in Command? Do you think anyone at that level really remembers the nuances of survival as a JO? I'm not suggesting that you go contradict the CO on the best way to make a convoy approach… but you don't have to be some kind of wise Yoda to have figured out the most efficient way to complete a Battery Charging Lineup. When it comes to challenges specific to your level of experience, you are the most qualified guy in the room to express an opinion.
"Nobody wants someone telling them how to do their job."
What people don't want is to be patronized or to be used as a sounding board for someone else's self-aggrandizement. They also don't want to repeat your mistakes. As long as you are humble in your approach, most people will appreciate all the help they can get. New JOs are often expected to develop into competent warfighters on little more than a cycle of "shut up and learn" and "message to Garcia," so the counsel of a trusted officer close to their experience level is usually what fills in the gaps.
Almost every piece of advice I have given is tied to a mistake I made at some point or a wrong way I have thought about things. I share what I've learned, because that's how a healthy wardroom works. If you can save someone the embarrassment of making the same mistakes that you did, you owe it to them.You owe it to their watch section, and you owe it to your ship.


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from regulatory reporting
towards regulatory intelligence
Finally, there is brx, the all-in-one user-centric platform bringing you the next era of regulatory reporting.
Bringing you the next era of regulatory reporting.
brx goes beyond reporting and fully supports the holistic view on the reporting process
thanks to the built-in work flow engine, the different reporting processes can be effectively managed and monitored through intuitive dashboards
through the activity tracker and planner, collaboration across teams and within the team will be made easy.
integrated with Collibra® containing the definitions of reports, datapoints, lineage diagrams, … allowing the user to understand the overall data flow from and to the report.
our paradigm "define once, report once" will contribute to the consistency and overall quality of the data and reports to be delivered.
cutting edge technologies combined with the capabilities of cloud computing will result in incomparable performance.
by relying on a microservices architecture and facilitating the integration of publicly available building blocks offered by regulators (DPM, BIRD, ...) updates can be easily absorbed and quickly integrated, resulting in a shortened time-to-market.
by leveraging cutting edge technologies, our best of bread micro services and publicly available building blocks together with top notch cloud infrastructure, the total cost of ownership (TCO) will be drastically reduced.


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"The devilish ingenuity of Mr. Bodkins' criminals is such as to make the nervous tremble for a world without Paul Beck."
-- The Yorkshire Daily Observer
PAUL BECK and DORA MYRL would have been interesting enough on their own: two prime examples of early fictional detectives, each successful in their own right, worthy rivals of Sherlock Holmes and all that, but then their creator did something unprecented in crime fiction: he married them off to each other.
Yep, before there were Tommy and Tuppence or Nick and Nora, there were Paul and Dora.
(Well, actually, Alfred and Dora. In the original short stoies that appeared in assorted magazines of the time, Paul Beck was called "Alfred Juggins).
Paul (or Alfred) first popped up in a string of short stories, the most popular format of the times. Many were published in the fiction magazines of the time, most notably Pearson's Weekly.
A "rule of thumb" detective, he was intentionally put forward as a toned down, regular kinda guy sort of detective, a working class dick who favored legwork and common sense. A bit of a plodder, and a little on the plump side, Beck was meant to offer a vivd contrast to the lighning bolt flashes of genius and aristocratic eccentricity of Holmes and the other Great Detectives of the time.
As Leroy Lad points out, however, in After Sherlock Holmes (2014), "all of this is amusingly disingenuous" as Beck is actually something of a genius himself, a master of disguise, a crack puzzle-solver, and the possessor of an encyclopediac knowledge of all sorts of arcane minutiae and scientific know-how, even employing x-rays to solve one of his cases. He was also pretty well off, with "comfortable lodgings" in Chester.
Nor was Beck all science and logic -- Bodkin often used magic and illusions in his stories -- Beck was a master of legerdemain, while many of the stories were presented as pure connundrums deliberately presented as challenges to the reader. There was even a recurring villain in many of the stories: the nefarious Monsieur Grabeau, whose skills as a magician were secondary only -- of course -- to Beck.
The Beck stories proved popular enough that twelve of them were soon rounded up and presented in book form, appearing in 1898 as Paul Beck, The Rule of Thumb Detective.
Dora made her debut two years later, in the twelve story collection Dora Myrl, Lady Detective (1900), the author no doubt hoping to cash in on the relative uniqueness of a female sleuth.
Bodkin seems to have succeeded -- The Spectator, in their February 24, 1900 issue, raved on (and on) about this very accomplished and successful private detective, deeming her "one of the most remarkable examples of new womanhood ever evolved in modern and ancient fiction." A far more dashing and romantic figure than Beck, Dora was presented as a graduate of Cambridge (her father was a professor), a whiz at math who received a degree in medicine ("but practice wouldn't come, and I couldn't and wouldn't wait for it"), working at various times, as she puts it, as "a telegraph girl, a telephone girl (and) a lady journalist," admitting "I liked the last best."
There's a subtle attempt at social commentary here in pointing out both Dora's impressive qualifications and the sad lack of opportunities for her to use them. Fortunately, she realizes her gift for detection while working as a companion to an elderly woman who was being blackmailed.
Having solved the case, she set up on as a professional detective, parlaying her keen intellect and a knack for disguises into a lucrative practice that catered mostly to high society, often relying on a bicycle for transportation and, just in case, a gun for protection. The Spectator at the time went on to point out that her adventures were "full of absurdities and solecisms" but nonetheless found its "simplicity and vivacity... irresistible."
Further stories featuring either Beck or Myrl wouldn't have been much of a surprise to anyone, given their popularity, but Bodkin raised the ante considerably when he decided to feature both of them in The Capture of Paul Beck (1909).
In this groundbreaking novel, the two private detectives are rivals working the same case, and while Beck may get the title role, it's Myrl who actually solves the case, and it's nice to see Myrl treated with equal importance in the book.
Perhaps realizing he's finally met his match, Beck and Myrl marry at the end of the book. As Dora confides to a friend in the last paragraph, "I was married... this morning. Paul said he had waited forty-one years for me, and he was in a hurry."
Unfortunately for readers, the couple apparently still fly solo in most of their subsequent stories. One notable exception is Young Beck, A Chip Off the Old Block (1911), a collection which introduced their son Paul, who is also a detective. In this one, Dora and Paul Senior, now in their fifties, are retired to Kent, where their rivalry is confined to golf. Still, they don't seem to mind lending a hand to Paul Junior on his cases.
Matthias McDonnell Bodkin was an Irish nationalist politician and Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, as well as a noted author, journalist and newspaper editor. he was also a barrister, King's Counsel (K.C.) and County Court Judge for County Clare, from 1907-24. Bodkin wrote in a wide variety of genres, including history, novels, plays, and political campaigning texts.
Twelve untitled stories, with Paul and especially Dora's roles greatly reduced, as their son Paul, now a detective himself, dominates the show.
An impressive slab of a hardcover, rounding up all the books, and boasting an intro by Geoff Bradley, editor of CADS.
Early Female Eyes
Respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith.
Drop a dime. Your comments, suggestions, corrections and contributions are always welcome.
"...and I'll tell you right out that I'm a man who likes talking to a man that likes to talk."
Copyright 1998-2019, thrillingdetective.com. All rights reserved.
Come visit The (New) Thriilng Detective Web Site.
Web site by The Thrilling Detective Web Guy.


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How often are the precipitation maps generated? All Daily Maps are regenerated every 10 minutes.
Where are the road names? We are working on providing selective display of road names to the county and city maps.
Why doesn't my data doesn't show up on any of the maps? If you are new to CoCo RaHS, it might be that we don't have your longitude and latitude entered into our mapping system yet. Since maps are only created every 10 minutes, you may need to wait a bit and check again. It is also possible that we have incorrect longitude and latitude for your station. If that is the case, please contact your Volunteer Coordinator. The maps also only include data that is collected between 4:30am and 9:30am. If you read your rain gauge later in the day, then your data won't be mapped, however it is still in our data base.
Why does my station need to be in the mapping system? We have programs that draw each of the maps using your longitude and latitude to plot your data. These programs use a data file that contains all of our known stations and their locations. If your station isn't in this data file, we can't locate where your data came from therefore your data won't be mapped. When you join the project it may take time before we know your longitude and latitude and even more time before that information gets to the webmaster and gets entered into the necessary data files.
If my station isn't entered into the mapping system, is my data being lost? No, all data entered is written to our data files. As soon as your information is entered into the mapping system, your data will begin appearing on our maps (within one day).


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Drugs Information
Welcome to our Drugs Section!
In this section, we provide detail information about various drugs and medicines with their uses, doses, side effects, importance and safety measures, etc.
© Doctor-clinic.org. All rights reserved.
Bookmark This Page:
Disclaimer :- The materials in this web site are in no way intended to replace the professional medical care, advice, diagnosis or treatment of a doctor. The web site does not have answers to all problems. Answers to specific problems may not apply to everyone. If you notice medical symptoms or feel ill, you should consult your doctor . We will not be liable for any complications or other medical accidents arising from or in connection with the use of or reliance upon any information in this web site.


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Asset Inventory Identification
This content was COPIED from BrainMass.com - View the original, and get the already-completed solution here!
Asset Inventory Identify the information assets that exist in your organization. If you work for a large organization, refer only to your own department. Conduct an information asset inventory on your organization using the Asset Inventory and Risk Assessment Table located on the student website. Include information assets from the following general asset categories:
- People
- Processes
- Software
- Hardware
- Databases
Complete the first six columns of the matrix and the annual rate of occurrence (ARO) column. Conduct a threat analysis for five Monday 10
selected assets, one from each of the asset areas listed above. List each threat with its associated asset in the matrix. Estimate the ARO for each threat.
Write a 1100-1400 word paper that discusses the top risks faced by the company and the strategies that should be taken to mitigate them. In your findings, discuss the following:
- Describe how you determined the values for the assets you have listed. The valuation process must take into account the value the company would lose should the information asset be lost, modified, or destroyed. Discuss the vulnerabilities that led you to list the threats. Identify which threats you consider serious and which ones you consider not serious. For your conclusion, describe how this assignment has changed your view on the value of information in the summary of your paper.
Solution Preview
Hi, here is the Inventory Asset. I know that time is short for you. Please let me know of any updates or changes you would like made. Thanks. I hope to work with you again.
Risk Management according to the Certified Information Systems Auditor's manual "...is the process of identifying vulnerabilities and threats to the information resources used by an organization in achieving business objectives, and deciding what countermeasures, if any, to take in reducing risk to an acceptable level, based on the value of the information resource to the organization."
The first step in developing a Risk Management Program, is to perform a Risk Assessment, designed to assess the value of assets, the risk of losing those assets and determining the threats to those assets. A Quantitative Risk Assessment will produce the magnitude of the potential loss and the probability that the loss will occur. Risk therefore is expressed as R=p(L) where R=Risk, p=Probability of Loss and L=magnitude of loss. From this information a Risk Management Program can be developed. The Risk Assessment helps to determine which assets are most value, face the greatest threat and where the threats lie.
Information Technology Assets can be divided into 3 categories:
1) Infrastructure-The hardware and software, including network equipment, etc that makes up the IT department.
2) Human Resources-The users, administrators and other employees that make up the IT department.
3) Data-The information that the company uses to run their business.
Each of these asset categories has its own risks and threat types.
The ...
Solution Summary
Asset inventory identification are examined.


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A Long-term Safety Study With Tapentadol ER and Oxycodone CR in Patients With Moderate to Severe Pain Due to Chronic, Painful Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy (DPN)
|The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details.
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01063868
Recruitment Status : Terminated (Business decision)
First Posted : February 5, 2010
Results First Posted : May 10, 2011
Last Update Posted : March 4, 2014
- Study Details
- Tabular View
- Study Results
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
|Condition or disease
|Diabetic Neuropathy, Painful Diabetic Polyneuropathy
|Drug: Tapentadol extended release (ER) Drug: Oxycodone controlled release (CR)
|Phase 3
|Study Type :
|Interventional (Clinical Trial)
|Actual Enrollment :
|47 participants
|Intervention Model:
|Parallel Assignment
|None (Open Label)
|Primary Purpose:
|Official Title:
|A One-Year, Randomized, Open-Label, Parallel-Group, Multiple-Dose Long-Term Safety Study With Controlled Adjustment of Dose of Tapentadol Extended-Release (ER) and Oxycodone Controlled-Release (CR) in Subjects With Chronic, Painful Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy (DPN)
|Study Start Date :
|January 2010
|Actual Primary Completion Date :
|April 2010
|Actual Study Completion Date :
|June 2010
Experimental: 001
Tapentadol extended release (ER) 100 150 200 250 mg twice daily for 52 weeks
Drug: Tapentadol extended release (ER)
100, 150, 200, 250 mg twice daily for 52 weeks
Active Comparator: 002
Oxycodone controlled release (CR) 20 30 40 50 mg twice daily for 52 weeks
Drug: Oxycodone controlled release (CR)
20, 30, 40, 50 mg twice daily for 52 weeks
- Number of Subjects With Treatment-emergent Adverse Events (TEAE) [ Time Frame: Entire Study ]The number of participants who reported a TEAE during the treatment period. TEAE was defined as any adverse event that started or worsened on or after the start of the study medication and up to 3 days after the discontinuation of the study medication.
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|18 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- Man or woman aged 18 years or older
- Patients with Type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus must have a documented clinical diagnosis of painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy with symptoms and signs for at least 6 months, and pain present at the time of screening
- Diagnosis must include pain plus reduction or absence of pin sensibility and/or vibration sensibility on Total Neuropathy Score - Nurse (TNSn) examination in lower and/or upper extremities at screening
- The investigator considers the patient's blood glucose to be controlled by diet, or hypoglycemics, or insulin for at least 3 months prior to enrolling in the study (this control should be documented by figures of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) no greater than 11% at screening)
- Patients have been taking analgesic medications for the condition for at least 3 months prior to screening (patients taking opioid analgesics must be dissatisfied with current treatment, and patients taking non-opioid analgesics must be dissatisfied with current analgesia)
- Patients currently requiring opioid treatment must be taking daily doses of an opioid-based analgesic equivalent to <=160mg of oral morphine
- Patients with baseline score for average pain intensity in the previous 24 hours of =>4 on the 11-point numerical rating scale (NRS) at the beginning of the titration period
Exclusion Criteria:
- Significant pulmonary, gastrointestinal, endocrine, metabolic (except diabetes mellitus), neurological, psychiatric disorders (resulting in disorientation, memory impairment or inability to report accurately as in schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease)
- History of moderate to severe hepatic impairment
- Severely impaired renal function
- Clinically significant laboratory abnormalities
- Clinically significant cardiac disease
- History of seizure disorder or epilepsy
- History of any other clinically significant disease that in the investigator's opinion may affect efficacy or safety assessments or may compromise patient safety during study participation.
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT01063868
|United States, Arizona
|Mesa, Arizona, United States
|Tucson, Arizona, United States
|United States, Florida
|Fruitland Park, Florida, United States
|New Port Richey, Florida, United States
|Oviedo, Florida, United States
|Tampa, Florida, United States
|United States, Illinois
|Libertyville, Illinois, United States
|United States, Indiana
|Franklin, Indiana, United States
|United States, Kentucky
|Paducah, Kentucky, United States
|United States, Massachusetts
|Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts, United States
|United States, New Mexico
|Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States
|United States, New York
|New York, New York, United States
|United States, North Carolina
|Greenville, North Carolina, United States
|Hickory, North Carolina, United States
|Wilmington, North Carolina, United States
|Winston Salem, North Carolina, United States
|United States, Ohio
|Kettering, Ohio, United States
|United States, Oklahoma
|Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
|United States, South Carolina
|Greer, South Carolina, United States
|United States, Texas
|Dallas, Texas, United States
|Odessa, Texas, United States
|San Antonio, Texas, United States
|United States, Virginia
|Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States
|Study Director:
|Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, L.L. C. Clinical Trial
|Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, L.L.C.
|Responsible Party:
|Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, L.L.C.
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|Other Study ID Numbers:
R331333PAI3028 ( Other Identifier: Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development, L.L.C. )
KF57 ( Other Identifier: Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development, L.L.C. )
|First Posted:
|February 5, 2010 Key Record Dates
|Results First Posted:
|May 10, 2011
|Last Update Posted:
|March 4, 2014
|Last Verified:
|January 2013
Diabetic neuropathy
Peripheral neuropathy
Peripheral Nervous System Diseases
Diabetic Neuropathies
Neuromuscular Diseases
Nervous System Diseases
Neurologic Manifestations
Diabetes Complications
Diabetes Mellitus
Endocrine System Diseases
Analgesics, Opioid
Central Nervous System Depressants
Physiological Effects of Drugs
Sensory System Agents
Peripheral Nervous System Agents
Adrenergic Uptake Inhibitors
Neurotransmitter Uptake Inhibitors
Membrane Transport Modulators
Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action
Adrenergic Agents
Neurotransmitter Agents


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Happiness is often fleeting, and misery, quite common. Let's face it, drama is everywhere—in our own lives, and in films. And that isn't such a bad thing. Tossed and mixed with a plethora of other genres, a dosage of Drama often adds depth to film, making it more human, more relatable, and more truthful. And hey, while only some dramas end on a happy note, it's always nice to see how characters (as well as their fellow directors and writers) fought grief in the most creative and powerful ways. Drama isn't such a bad thing, it inspires and motivates!
The term underrated is a tricky one, and quite frankly, ambiguous because you'll always have to consider several factors that would classify it as such. Is it underrated because of its neutral reviews? Its less than impressive box office returns? Or is it simply because it is less known in this day and age? Each and all would classify it as underrated. Whatever the reason may be, here are 5 underrated Drama films that are definitely worth a watch.
Punch-Drunk Love (2002)
Let's begin with a film known for its fusion of romance and drama, because why not begin a film about love? Over the past few years, I've fallen in love with Paul Thomas Anderson's films because of how Auteur his films seemed, and how human his themes were. PT Anderson often spins simple themes of human emotion and conflict to a beautifully crafted sublime and surreal films, but Punch Drunk Love was a risk in itself. Blatantly odd as it is twisted, the film channels a unique combination of erraticism and drama that can often be misconstrued as an incoherent mess. But it isn't, and is in fact, far from that.
Punch Drunk-Loves follows the story of a psychologically troubled novelty entrepreneur, Barry Egan, who falls for his sister's English co-worker. While falling in love, he is tormented by his family, his condition, and a phone-sex line company who extorts him for cash. Exhilarating because of the film's odd portrayal of its characters and events, the film explores the question of whether or not it is better to deserve to know the truth or to deserve to be happy.
Although many may be familiar with PT Anderson's prestigious films like Boogie Nights, Phantom Thread, and the oh-so beautiful film, Magnolia, many have hesitated to take Punch Drunk Love seriously, especially since his other films do seem like they tower and overshadow this one. Hearing that the main character is played by Adam Sandler doesn't help at all, as it may be more than enough for some to consider the film distasteful, but it's definitely worth a watch, especially if you're curious on how PT Anderson transforms unconventional elements to things of beauty.
Afterlife (1998)
When a foreign film begins with a limited theatrical release and starts aging, it enters to the realm of underrated films. Afterlife is one of the three foreign films in this list, and is a gem once you've actually finished the film and appreciate its value.
Nostalgic and raw in its nature, Afterlife follows the story of individuals, who, upon their death, are given one week to decide on a memory from their lives that they get to keep for eternity. Given the same predicament, it's easy to relate to the character's struggles. Imagine choosing a memory with a previous lover, and not with someone you've shared a marriage with. Imagine bearing a memory that tempts you to fall in love with someone you will never ever be with, for eternity. Or imagine dying, and not knowing which memory to choose because you consider all memories to be either neutral or bad ones. The memories of the individuals are then reenacted, and put together by a film production team. And perhaps what makes the film more intriguing is the fact that not all of the moments in the film are scripted. Some are actually played by nostalgic non-actors who share with us their own precious, real-life memories.
Afterlife was released in Japan in 1999 and grossed less than million dollars. And although it's been around in different film festivals, the film's limited release along with its inevitable aging may have may cause many to overlook this beautiful film. Now that you know about it, it's time to give it a watch.
Departures (2008)
When Departures was released, it garnered mixed reviews from critics and audiences. Some have called it too subtle and too slow a narrative, while some praised it for its tribute to the Japanese Culture's perception of death. Whatever the case, this second film in our list of aging foreign films with a limited theatrical release is almost no different than Afterlife—it tackles death and grief dramatically, yet beautifully.
Like most cultures, the Japanese marries death and ritual as a sign of respect. Written and directed by Yojiro Takita, the film follows a newly unemployed cellist who takes finds himself desperate to make ends meet. He stumbles upon a local ad with the word "Departures", thinking that it was a career that concerned travel. Little did he know that it was actually an ad by a funeral home looking for an encoffineer. Despite being frowned upon by his wife and friends for his chosen career, he discovers the universal language of love and loss. With Cello pieces performed in the side, the film makes for a beautiful merge of drama, great screenplay, and music.
Aftershock (2010)
Aftershock is the third and last film in our list of aging foreign films you most likely missed because of its limited theatrical release. Inspired by the tragic 1976 Tangshan earthquake in China, the film depicts the story of family members who endure a long duration of separation and struggle
The film and its many melodramatic nuisances make it difficult for you to sit still, and consume passively. Fair warning: it's definitely one of those tear-jerking films that would make you think what you yourself would do, given the same dilemmas. And that is what makes this film so beautiful, its many layers and struggles one may relate to as a parent, a lover, and as an acquittance.
Similar to the other films in this list, Aftershock did not see a local Philippine theatrical release, despite it being shown in the IMAX format in several countries. And if you haven't heard of it til now, now's a better time than ever to give it a sit-down, and enjoy one of the best Chinese Drama films flooded with emotion and cultural value.
The Shack (2017)
People tend to have a strong distaste for anything religious that is put on the big screen, yet that is just probably just their own biases screaming. After all, where there is religion, there is conflict and disagreement. Released in 2017, The Shack explores the concept of suffering and forgiveness, in a Christian Perspective.
The film follows the story of Mack Philipps, who, after losing his daughter, distances himself from his family and religion. Journeying to an abandoned shack after receiving a mysterious letter, he finds himself in the midst of God, who shares with him the value of forgiveness and wisdom, no matter how tragic circumstances can be.
Religious or not, watching this film with an open mind may give you a new sense of understanding of how pointless hatred can be, and how forgiveness can heal more than an aching wound.
Also published in Gadgets Magazine June 2018 issue
Words by Gerry Gaviola
Art by Theresa Eloriaga