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There are a multitude of decisions to make as you prepare for college, and they all must be dealt with. The things you decide about college will affect you forever, and this is why you must make the right decisions. Read the information from the article below, and use it to make your best choices.
Make sure that you bring an ample amount of toiletries when you enter college. When you don't have enough, you'll run out in a hurry. You'll save more money if you buy them in bulk.
Make healthy food choices. There's nothing fun about the freshman 15! Make sure to eat healthy. Try not to eat too many on the go foods like pizza or fast food. Not only is it expensive, those extra pounds can be hard to lose.
Where you study is as important as the actual activity of studying. The best location for your studies isn't always your dorm. Instead, look for an interruption-free zone. Usually, the best choice is the library. Another good choice is to purchase headphones that cancel out the noise.
Your seating arrangements can affect success in your classes. Be sure to get there early to grab a front row seat! This allows you to become more engaged with the professor, and you are more likely to ask questions because you won't have to shout across the room.
Find the admissions office prior to picking a college. This lets you determine if any school-specific scholarships are available. Lots of institutions offer students generous scholarships. By speaking to the admissions office, you will get the clearest idea of how you can finance your time at their school.
If you have a test, be sure to eat breakfast that morning. A breakfast of any type will help you stay focused and alert during a test. Your brain cannot function as well on an empty stomach and its growling will distract you from your exam. Low energy levels and a grumbling stomach can affect the outcome of your test, so try eating a small meal to keep yourself focused and energized.
Make sure you're sleeping enough. It is all too easy to stay up all night in college, but getting plenty of sleep is important. Failing to get enough sleep will negatively impact your state of mind and hurt your grades.
Go to school using the bus. With the right timing, it can really help out on your commute to school. You will save time by not having to hunt for a parking space on campus. The amount of money you save on fuel and parking passes can be used for other things like books and food. It's also a great way to "go green."
Be courteous and friendly with your teachers. Professors are the ultimate resource and can do a lot to help you along the way. Seek them out whenever you have a question or feel you can be of help in class. Your grades and the opportunities you are offered will be better if you take the time to build good relationships with your professors.
Put the number of campus security on your speed dial. All universities have programs and resources in place to keep students safe, so familiarize yourself with the best methods to reach the police or security office. Hopefully, you will never need that number, but you should have it, just in case.
The career office is a very valuable resource at your college. Such offices help graduates find jobs, but they also are known for posting part-time opportunities on campus and in the surrounding community.
Don't copy the works of others. You are going to be writing many papers while you're in college. Make sure you know proper citation in order to avoid unintentional plagiarism. Professors are sure to check your work, so make sure it is your own work.
If you have to take a test, keep reading. When you do this, your mind will review the information as you sleep. Your brain helps build missing contexts between these pieces of knowledge, so you'll find the information makes more sense in the morning.
If you don't know which of a few majors you want to go with, start each of the beginning classes in those majors. This will help you to determine which subject matter really suits you. If you do not choose early you might have to take more classes than you first expected.
You can always take classes at community college before you to to university. Community colleges are a less expensive option for completing your core classes. There is always time to go to university when you have taken core courses. Make sure you keep this option in mind if money is a factor.
If you are employed full-time and want to return to school, consider an online university. These are for non-traditional students with inflexible schedules or those who cannot go to classes nearby. Online universities let you do your courses whenever you wish to and can be accessed from anywhere.
Do you already play sports and wish to keep playing them when you get to college? Give the college a ring to talk with the coach. Informing the coaches is key because they often don't know about all the incoming athletes. You may even receive an unexpected athletic scholarship.
Socialize with a couple of students in every class you have. Although you may feel strange when approaching a stranger, it will make your life easier. This allows all of you to be able to exchange notes with each other in case one of you has to miss class. You might find, also, that you can study with the new people you met.
You've, hopefully, found some aid in the paragraphs above and will now have a better understanding of what will be expected from you during the following years. Life involves transition and choice, and the decisions made during the college years can be pivotal. Use the tips you learned here and get on the right track towards graduating.


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Berkshire County Education Task Force to suggest radical reorganization
DALTON — After two years studying the struggles of local schools, the Berkshire County Education Task Force is poised to recommend that all county schools fold into one countywide district over the next 10 years, a sweeping move that could save the county as much as $34 million each year.
Yet the informal discussion and straw poll results of Saturday's meeting came with the strong message that creating a single district of what is now 15,000 students is an ultimate aspiration - that an intricate road map with various strategies for such a monumental task will be in the works for some time.
And committee members did not want what was mostly a firm consensus to incite panic among parents and educators, and said they wanted to be clear that more clarification is needed, and that the intent is not to shut down schools or slash jobs.
Chairman John Hockridge, a North Adams school official and chairman of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees cautioned that the idea is conceptual, and the committee will pick its way through the nitty-gritty — with the ongoing help of its consultant — of how to implement the countywide shift.
"There could be immediate push-back," Hockridge said. "We have to be sure our message is clear."
But Jonathan Butler, president and CEO of 1Berkshire, said the committee's tilt toward one district — among those present — is an "aspiration," the discussion of which "begins to condition people's thinking as a possible outcome."
Looking ahead
Nevertheless, it was a bold move for a committee composed of past and current educators, superintendents, local officials, business and higher education leaders, and others. It comes after monthly meetings and community outreach since 2015, and the help of consultants.
Education consultant Karla Brooks Baehr of District Management Group — through state funding — outlined scenarios that aim to get a handle on declining enrollments that harm education quality and school funding. State funding is based mostly on student headcounts.
And all of this threatens the region's economic development, according to an earlier report to the committee from the University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute. The report said enrollment decline will continue as the county's population keeps falling. Between 2000 and 2015, Berkshire schools saw a 22 percent drop in students. The institute projects another 11 percent loss of students between 2015 and 2025, whittling student populations down to 14,000.
With the stated goals of giving students more equal access to good education and support, and to keep school costs manageable for taxpayers, the committee pondered scenarios ranging from creating three modified supervisory unions in the county or three regional school districts. Another option is doing nothing and coming up with new ways to share services and staff.
"It's challenging whether you're dealing with three smaller regions or one large region," said Jason "Jake" McCandless, superintendent of Pittsfield Schools, speaking to what it would take to reorganize schools in the county's 32 communities.
And each of the options came with its impact on costs in a county that spends a total of $250 million every year for its schools. The creation of either three regional districts or one district brings the maximum savings, up to $34 million in what would mostly be administrative and transportation costs.
A link to the report can be found at the Task Force's website, http://www.berkshireeducation.org/about.html
Local control
While it might be a solid plan on paper, committee members talked about the charged issue of community pride and control that could shoot the recommendation down before lift-off.
"The 32 communities that comprise Berkshire County have respect for this notion of local control, even if what you're controlling isn't the best thing for the community you control," McCandless said. "In the 1700s, communities shed blood for it. If that weren't a real issue I think we would have done this 20 or 30 years ago."
Stephen Bannon, a long-time Great Barrington town and Berkshire Hills Regional School District official said he thought three districts might be less troublesome in terms of local control.
"You would still have a countywide approach with three districts," he said.
But Douglas McNally, former principal of Taconic High School, said in terms of community support or push-back, it won't necessarily be easier to sell three than one.
"If our ultimate goal is one, [then] state it," he said.
And William Cameron, former superintendent of Central Berkshire Regional School District said setting up three districts could be chock full of hassles given all the tax assessments to towns, and other things that would have to change if the goal is to get to one district.
"Having a single district gives us the greatest flexibility if the population [continues] to decline," he added. "The only [option] it seems to me that cuts the Gordian Knot is [one district]."
"One district is intimidating to think about," Butler said, noting that there aren't just population drops but also shifts as people move around and use school choice, where students attend schools out of their own district. He said anything less than one district might not be a "long-term product that can last for decades."
And it was the same around the table: Support for one district, but head-scratching at the complexity of the idea.
"It's a 946-square-mile district," said Robert Putnam, interim superintendent at Adams-Cheshire Regional School District. "While I support it, that's a challenge."
McNally made it clear that the plan does not involve busing students to far-flung schools.
"A kindergartner isn't going to be put on a bus in Sheffield and end up in Pittsfield," he said.
Other possible bumps
"If we vote on one district, how do we get there?" said Brian Fairbank, whose company The Fairbank Group manages resorts like Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort. Fairbank has been key to raising money for the task force's work.
Collective bargaining with unions was raised as one complication, with some members wondering how pay scales would be determined across such a large school landscape.
But McNally tried to shoot that worry down. "15,000 [students] is a moderate-size district," he said. "Isn't it easier to negotiate one [union] contract rather than 32?"
Jake Eberwein, a dean at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and a former Pittsfield Schools superintendent said it would all take "years of transition" to adjust. It won't be easy, he said, and noted there would have to be at least some administrators situated around the county.
"I agree with the aspiration, but it's the implementation I'm having trouble with," Hockridge said. "But having superintendents in the room ... gives me confidence that [one district] might work."
What is still unclear, according to Hockridge, is the effect of a move to one district on school choice, and the $5,000 that follows the student to another district, removing it from the student's own district.
The program is the source of controversy, since on the one hand it removes money from one district while giving it to another at a rate far below the true cost to educate one student. Pittsfield Schools, for example, sent $2.8 million to other districts in 2017 and received only $593,000 from school choice students. In the same year Berkshire Hills, by comparison, received $1.2 million and sent out $671,000.
Brooks Baehr's report said 10 percent of Berkshire County students use the state program - more than five times the state average - and that the program likely will not go away.
The financial implications of that state-imposed $5,000 are still unclear, Hockridge later told The Eagle.
Calls to the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education were not returned Monday to clarify this.
But what is clear is while currently districts are not responsible for busing choice students, they would be under one regional district, the study said. And because regional districts get state reimbursement for transportation money, total busing costs would drop.
The message
Hockridge told The Eagle that the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education supports the work of the task force, and that Brooks Baehr is in direct communication with the agency.
But Glenn Koocher, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees said the state might not be agreeable on the school assessment and accountability front.
"DESE might get involved - it has it's own agenda," he said.
Brooks Baehr, a former deputy commissioner of the agency and a former Lowell Public Schools superintendent — a district with about 14,000 students — said it wasn't the day to actually make the recommendation, since there were still so many questions.
And there were widespread concerns about fallout.
"While [one district] is the optimal option, [it] politically may stop the process in its tracks ... paralyzed by parochial foot-dragging," said Michael Wise, a Great Barrington town official.
Brooks Baehr said people would see the idea in their own unique way. "It's like a Rorschach test — people put into it their own picture, good or bad."
Carl Stewart, chairman of the Southern Berkshire Regional School District said the language used to present the idea to the public is critical.
"If it seems like the work of a think tank, it won't go over well," he said.
Yet by the end, courage had been stoked.
"If we're scared to put our feet in the water, what does that say to people who are looking to us to make a decision?" said Regina DiLego, chairwoman of the Lanesborough School Committee.
Bannon said the real test is taking the idea back to town boards and school committees before launching it, "if you want to really put something behind this."
Putnam said one district is the best way to solve the county's school woes, and McNally said it is the best way to serve students.
"This is what's best for the kids," McNally said.
And all around the table, they had surprised themselves.
"I never thought we'd go this way," Fairbank said.
Reach staff writer Heather Bellow at 413-329-6871
If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us. We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom.

subset: commoncrawl


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Belgium drops fee for checks of journalists at EU summits
By EUobserver
Journalists covering future EU summits will not be required to pay a proposed €50 fee for Belgian security screenings. According to the International Press Association (API-IPA) and Belgian journalist unions, the Belgian authorities agreed to review the fee and signalled an exemption for journalists to the law passed in February 2018 which proposed the fee. "This is great news," said API-IPA president Tom Weingaertner.


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Special report: No stopping the party in Paris
It is about 11am on Sunday but at Notre Dame Cathedral, one of Paris' most iconic structures, a line of more than 50 people has formed outside the church entrance.
The Seine flanking it is still swollen, but at least the rubbish that had piled up after garbage workers went on strike before the Euro 2016 football tournament is gone.
What can be seen in the capital instead are the blues and greens of the French police and soldiers, many toting assault rifles, standing guard at street corners and key tourist sites or patrolling metro stations and the airport.
The city is one of stark contrasts - the festive, rowdy football fans draped in the colours of their country, watched by no-nonsense, stoic law enforcers; their songs and merry-making periodically drowned out by wailing sirens of passing ambulances or police cars.
Many had feared that France, which seemed to have had a run of bad luck, would be stretched beyond its limits when it opened its doors to 1.5 million tourists for the month-long Euro 2016.
France besieged
Brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi attack the office of the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris, killing 11 people and injuring 11 others in the building. They also kill a police officer outside the building. Terror group Al-Qaeda's Yemen branch claims responsibility for the attack. Subsequent related attacks in the area kill five and wound 11.
Multiple coordinated attacks are launched in several locations in Paris, killing 130 people and injuring 368 others. The worst-hit site is the Bataclan concert hall, where 89 people die. The Stade de France stadium is also hit, as are several eateries and bars.
Tens of thousands take to the streets across France opposing new labour laws that unions say are pro-business. Subsequent strikes have disrupted air and rail transport, oil refineries and nuclear power stations, as well as refuse collection. Violence breaks out.
Severe floods in France claim four lives, with thousands evacuated from their homes and damage expected at €2 billion (S$3 billion).
Football fans of Russia and England clash before and after their Euro 2016 match in Marseille. Two English fans end up in a coma after being attacked with hammers by Russian hooligans.
An extremist stabs and kills a police officer and his wife at their home in Magnanville in north-central France. Militant group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Tan Dawn Wei
Its fatigued security forces, already embattled by at least six terror attacks since last year, plus months of labour protests and migrant camp duty, were primed to deal with possibly more during this season.
As parliamentarians voted to extend the country's state of emergency - declared after the Nov 13 Paris terror attacks that killed 130 people last year - until the end of July, the authorities beefed up its law enforcement pool by roping in a record 90,000 police officers, soldiers and private security guards for the tournament.
But ill-timed floods and labour protests put a greater toll on the country's resources as it struggled to get itself ready for the world.
The Seine burst its banks in the worst flooding in Paris in 35 years, while the country faced fuel shortages, a crippled public transport network and uncollected rubbish after air, rail and garbage workers went on strike.
Despite all that, the French seem to be coping well. Wait staff in bars and cafes are surprisingly good-natured and relaxed, debunking the snooty service myth that has come to characterise them.
"We've been very busy and working harder during this time, but we need the tourists," said a hotel employee matter-of-factly.
Euro 2016 is important to France in many ways, not least of which is the economic benefit it will bring: €1.26 billion (S$2.4 billion) in revenues, 20,000 jobs created, and nearly 100,000 people employed.
Tourism in France, the world's most popular destination with 83 million visitors a year, was hit hard after the November terror attacks.The country has spared no effort in making sure its visitors are safe. Security is tight almost everywhere.
A mountain of discarded umbrellas lies next to a line of fans being patted down before being allowed to enter the biggest fan zone near the Eiffel Tower. Bags are scanned by security guards stationed at mall entrances. Armed police keep spectators in check outside stadiums while closing an eye to scalpers hawking €200 tickets.
The government spent nearly €2 million setting up CCTV surveillance cameras in fan zones, and months carrying out drills in various cities.
This investment has paid off, giving confidence to tourists like Mr Damien Wright, a 27-year-old teacher from Newcastle in Australia, who was standing outside the Parc des Princes stadium on Saturday night holding up an "I need tickets" sign.
"As you can see here, there's a lot of police presence. We feel quite safe," he said.
Singaporeans Jerlyn Lee, 21, Bryan Goh, 22, Mark Weng, 22, and Felicia Chua, 21, were also undeterred.
"When news broke about the fights among the football hooligans, we got a bit worried," said Mr Goh, a geography undergraduate at King's College London. "But we had already made travel plans."
The French themselves seem determined to lead their lives normally. At Le Petit Cambodge and Le Carillon, where a gunman shot and killed 15 patrons, trendy Parisians pack the sidewalks. There is no hint of the blood shed on that street just seven months ago.
Activist Manon Piazza, 22, of the Nuit Debout movement, which has occupied Paris' Republic Square since March 31 this year to protest against the labour reforms, said the authorities have been heavy-handed at times.
"They would come here and just throw people out when there were no violent protests," said the undergraduate. She does not think protesters like her are adding to the country's problems.
"We're just exercising our right to come together in specific places. But I do think Paris is one of the safest places to live in now because the authorities are so prevalent."


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It is an art.
A true calling which only a few have the ability to abide by.
In the age of computers, iPads, phones and not forgetting tv, to truly be lazy and not accomplish much takes quite a lot of effort.
Lazy is an adjective which means 'unwilling to work or use energy'. Usually seen in a negative connotation unless it describes a holiday or possibly a Sunday.
I am honing my craft and being lazy. Really lazy. Mind quietening, tea drinking, afternoon napping lazy. The way you have to be when you're poorly. I'm not poorly. Today I am lazy.
I may not be lazy tomorrow. Tomorrow I may make a list on Trello of all the things I need / want to do. Or I may not. I may just bite the bullet and do all the things I need / want to do. Or I may not.
Don't misunderstand, I am not apathetic. I am just downright lazy and I am surprisingly good at it.
The world can just carry on doing what it needs to do for a bit without me. I'm not really expecting my brief sabbatical to have any impact on anything or anyone but it does me the power of good. So hurrah for laziness!
Maybe we should do research into it and its benefits; like meditation, yoga, exercise, sunlight, good food and joy we should all be able to chill out and be lazy and see it as a true gift.


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Breathe easier with our air filtration services for your Huntersville property.
Do you suffer from allergies or asthma? Do you dislike the stale smell of your home after a certain time away? When it comes to the indoor air quality of your home, there are many things you can do to cover up the everyday smells that we encounter, but there are only a few things you can do to actually eliminate particulates like dust, dirt and other debris from the air. At JLK Mechanical Heating & Cooling, we understand all too well the importance of air filtration in a home or business, and we would like to help ensure your indoor air is as clean as possible.
Even though there are many cleansers and products out there that keep our homes and businesses fairly clean, there's not much you can do on a cleaning level to eliminate the particulates that are swirling about in the air. With air filtration assistance from our team at JLK Mechanical Heating & Cooling, your Huntersville, North Carolina home or business can start to breathe easier almost immediately. We will examine your HVAC system and property and determine how we can not only choose the right filter for your property, but also maximize the efficiency of your air filtration system.
If you're looking to get the best air filtration, we recommend the REME Halo air filtration system. Instead of trapping particles, the REME Halo can actually eliminate certain contaminants from the air. Additionally, it uses specialized processes that can get rid of foul odors and leave your home feeling and smelling fresh. If you need help with air filtration, contact us today for more information about our services.
At JLK Mechanical Heating & Cooling, we offer air filtration services in Concord, Charlotte, Cornelius, Huntersville, Davidson, Mooresville, Kannapolis, Harrisburg, and Lake Norman, North Carolina.


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Michelle Obama Hilariously Breaks Down Why Melania Trump's Inauguration Gift Exchange Appeared So Awkward
The former FLOTUS also explained to Ellen Degeneres how Barack stepped in and saved the day.
Posted May 19, 2006 – One of three Duke University lacrosse players accused of gang-raping and beating a Black exotic dancer wants the case settled before next school year.
"We want a trial as fast as we can," Reade Seligmann's attorney, Kirk Osborn, said at a hearing Thursday for the Duke sophomore. "This young kid wants to go to school in the fall." He argued that Seligmann has established "what we think is a pretty clear alibi."
But the judge in the case said not so fast, telling the defense it can forget about a speedy trial.
The case "is not going to jump ahead of the line and be handled any differently," Superior Court Judge Ronald L. Stephens said.
But, in an apparent minor victory for the defense, Stephens said he would allow attorneys access to a cell phone that was found at the off-campus house where the alleged sexual assault took place.
The phone is believed to belong to the accuser or 31-year-old Kim Roberts, an exotic dancer who worked the party with her. It was found by other lacrosse players the day after the accuser reported the incident. They turned the phone in to police after finding it on the lawn.
"That will enable us to see who she was talking to that day," Osborn told the judge Thursday, adding that an expert needed to examine the phone to see what information could be collected from it.
"Hopefully, the phone won't be tampered with," he said.
Osborn added that the day after the alleged crime, the woman's cell service was cut off.
Nifong said prosecutors are not interested in the contents of the phone, such as the last 10 numbers called, but Osborn said that's information the defense should be allowed to see.
And the judge gave him the green light to proceed.
Seligmann, 20, of Essex Falls, N.J., and 19-year-old Collin Finnerty of Garden City, N.Y., have been suspended from Duke until the charges against the two sophomores are dropped.
David Evans, 23, of Bethesda, Md., who graduated a day before turning himself in, maintains his innocence. He told reporters Tuesday that the "allegations are lies" and that he will be acquitted of all charges.
Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong said he wants to try the three players together. They are charged with kidnapping and raping the North Carolina Central University student at a March 13 team party where she was hired to strip.
After Thursday's brief hearing, Nifong said he does not expect any trial to begin before next year.
Meanwhile, an analysis of the latest DNA test in the case shows that the accuser's boyfriend is the most likely source of sperm found in her body, The News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C., reported.
However, Brian Meehan, director of DNA Security Inc., said it's impossible to pinpoint when she had sex.
"In general, if we test a vaginal swab, there's no way to determine how old the semen is on that swab," Meehan said.
Marcia Eisenberg, technical director for Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings, a forensic identity lab, told The News & Observer that live sperm can live inside the body for 48 to 72 hours after sex. Even after the sperm cells die, it is possible to extract DNA from fluid left in the body.
Do you think there is enough evidence to clear Seligmann and proceed with a speedy trial? Click "Discuss Now" to post your comment.
The former FLOTUS also explained to Ellen Degeneres how Barack stepped in and saved the day.
"When my teacher asks me a question thinking I'm not paying attention, but I get it right."


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The Out of Home Care programme at Parkerville Children and Youth Care (Inc) provides a holistic, multi-disciplinary and therapeutic care service for vulnerable children. Our aim, as a team of committed staff, is to bring healing and growth to the lives of vulnerable children.
We are seeking experienced Professional Therapeutic Carers to provide therapeutic care to children who have experienced trauma from abuse. These fixed term positions would ideally suit couples who do not have children who live at home, but appropriately qualified single people should also apply. Applications are particularly encouraged from Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people.
These are live-in roles in our group homes in Perth Metro and Midwest & Gascoyne Region, working 11 days on and 3 days off roster (including public holidays). You will work in a residential setting and play a pivotal role in the day to day life of the children in your care by providing support and care to guarantee a positive, homely environment. This will involve everyday tasks such as preparing meals, arranging clothing/laundry, driving to/from school and out of school activities, watching the children play sport and ensuring their home is clean and tidy.
To be considered, you must have experience either in or directly relevant to this type of role and be able to genuinely demonstrate empathy, guidance, respect and patience at all times. It is imperative you are able to work with minimum supervision and be highly self-motivated in this demanding yet rewarding role.
- Competitive salary, dependent on skills and experience
- Access to a fully maintained vehicle for work purposes
- Salary packaging options and access to discounted health insurance plans
- Work as a member of a multi-disciplinary team
- Receive specialist training and support by programme staff so that you can be confident and effective in your role
Interested? Please review the Job Description and download an Employment Application Form. Your application, consisting of:
- Completed employment application form
- Covering letter
- CV or resume
- Current WWC card
- Current National Police Certificate (issued in the last 3 months)
- Current Drivers Licence
- Current Provide 1st Aid Certificate
to firstname.lastname@example.com.
To discuss the role and your interest in it, please call:
Paul Hogan on 08 9235 7000 for Perth Metro
Beki Smith on 08 9391 1952 for the Midwest & Gascoyne
Parkerville Children and Youth Care Inc. has met the Safeguarding Children Standards set out by the Australian Childhood Foundation and received full Safeguarding Children accreditation in November 2016.
Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the safety of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share our commitment.
Our recruitment and selection processes reflect this commitment and will include criminal records and reference checks for successful applicants.
It is essential that all applicants meet the above criteria and are permitted to work and remain in Australia with no limitations.
Contact Us
Contact Details
To discuss the role and your interest in it, please call:
Paul Hogan on 08 9235 7000 for Perth Metro
Beki Smith on 08 9391 1952 for the Midwest & Gascoyne


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Scent of a WomanSat, Jul 13, 2019./noise/movies | Link
I might have seen this one before. A Pacino jag, and also James Rebhorn (as a milksop headmaster). Nothing more than Oscar bait for Pacino, who is better elsewhere. Chris O'Donnell is not great as his seeing-eye scholarship student. Tailor Anh Duong is striking in her almost non-speaking role. A very young Philip Seymour Hoffman. Overall it's mawkish American hokum. Loosely based on a book and something of a remake.
Rick Morton: One Hundred Years of Dirt.Sat, Jul 13, 2019./noise/books | Link
Kindle. Got the pointer from the Guardian staff book list for 2018. Briefly this is a memoir by a still-young bloke from far western Queensland who became a journo in the big smoke (in fact all of the east-coast big smokes). He gives some insight into why Queenslanders vote in what looks like beggar-thy-neighbour fashion, incidentally fueling the argument for epistocracy. (I'm not in favour of an epistocracy.) There is a lot of poverty (of means, experience, hope, goodwill and much else), addiction, domestic violence, feudal families, so forth. It reminded me strongly of Nicholas Cowdery's Getting Justice Wrong in saying many powerfully obvious things — often backed by recent, timely and relevant data and economic narratives — that will somehow go unheard by those with power.
Widely reviewed.


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Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Paid Off!
Meezy and I did something pretty gratifying last week - we paid off his Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8! We live off his income since mine is sporadic, so any real estate commissions I make can be spent or saved at our discretion. We could've put my recent commissions into our savings, or blown them on whatever we felt like, but instead we decided to just pay off his car (about a year ahead of schedule) to eliminate that monthly payment and save ourselves the interest from those remaining payments. It felt so good to send out that payoff! This isn't the first car we've owned outright, but it is the first one that's only had 50,000 miles on it at the time of payoff, and is still worth a good chunk of change. Here's hoping we can hang on to this car for a couple more years and enjoy what having only one car payment feels like!
*Edit - Meezy has reminded me that we paid off his Jeep Wrangler with less than 50,000 miles on it, so I stand corrected!
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Three Reasons the Blue Jays will win the AL East
BY ROSS PARCEL, Feedcrossing.com syndication
The Toronto Blue Jays have been near the bottom of the AL East for a long time. Even when they had superstar Roy Halladay, they were troubled to find success in such a powerful division. This year is different, however. Anything looks possible with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox both hovering around .500 and upstart Baltimore Orioles leading the pack. Barring injury, the Blue Jays could contend and win the division this year. These three things are the reasons why:
The 29-year-old slugger is everything you could want in a Robin to Jose Bautista's Batman. He can play first base, third base, and even DH for the Blue Jays. Entering Tuesday, he has 16 HR's and 41 RBI's. This puts him tied for 2nd in home runs and 3rd in RBI's in the whole league. His average is starting to creep back towards .300, sitting at a decent .274 entering the night. He is focused and on fire, which is scary for all AL East teams, especially once Bautista starts to hit.
Led by underrated southpaw Ricky Romero, the Blue Jays rotation is very exciting. Of the five main starters, their combined ERA is a solid 4.05. Young pitchers, such as Henderson Alvarez and Kyle Drabek, are performing well and taking the next step in their development. Brandon Morrow has some of the most electric stuff in the game. John Farrell has a chance all five days with this rotation.
This team has a perfect balance or experience to go along with their promising youth. The 23-year veteran is a great influence on and off the field for the Blue Jays. Also, he can still play! He is a coach on the field, which a lot of teams do not have. Add Jose Bautista, among others, and this team has sprinkled together quite a cast. Don't expect this team to falter down the stretch with such leadership aboard.If these three things provide true, this could be the year where the Blue Jays make a splash and head to the playoffs. The extra Wild Card team could definitely help them in their path to the promise land. One thing that they need is a refocused Adam Lind. They put him on release waivers, and I expect someone to pick him up. But if he stays in the organization, look for him to figure it out and be back in The Show in no time.
Be sure to check out other great articles at Mr Fantasy Freak.


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Surul Appam - Rolled Sweet Appam, this is one of the easy to make sweet recipe which my mom used to make when I go to school. She will make this for evening snack. I have almost forgot this recipe for sometime. When I visited my mom last time, she made this tasty sweet for me and my kids. My kids enjoyed it very much. Few people add food color to the roll, but she will make it without adding any color. So, if you want it to be more attractive for your kids, you can add a pinch of any food color to the roll batter.
Surul Appam - Rolled Sweet Appam
Preparation Time : 30 Minutes | Cooking Time : 10 Minutes | Serves : 3Ingredients
Egg - 1 No.
Maida / All Purpose Flour - 1/2 Cup
Grated Coconut - 1 Cup
Sugar - 1/4 Cup
Cardamom - 3 No.
Cooking Soda - a pinch
Salt - a pinch.
1. Keep all the ingredients ready for making Surul Appam / Rolled Sweet Appam.
a. Grate the coconut.
b. Powder the cardamom.
2. Whisk / Beat the egg in a bowl. Add the Maida / All purpose flour, salt, cooking soda and a tablespoon of sugar.
3. Beat it nicely to make a thick paste without any lumps. Pour water little by little and mix it to make a dosa batter consistency. Let it set for about 15 minutes. In the meantime add cardamom powder, remaining sugar to the grated coconut and mix well.
4. Grease dosa tawa with little ghee. Take a ladle full of batter and spread on the tawa to make small dosa. Allow it to cook on both sides.
5. Once it is cooked on both sides, place the coconut stuffing in the middle of the dosa and roll it as shown in the picture below.
Easy and tasty Surul Appam - Rolled Sweet Appam is ready to serve.


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Clutter makes me frustrated and I needed to do something about it. Now we have Kathryn come every week to organize our home and the results are nothing short of amazing... she's timely, smart, intuitive, and a pleasure to be around. Highly recommended.
Ben C.
Los Angeles, CA
After a recent move, Kathryn unpacked and organized my master bedroom. She was quick, made efficient use of her time, and came up with simple but creative solutions to my storage needs. Now, everything has a place and it's all very intuitive.
Erin S.
Simi Valley, CA
Kathryn did an amazing job! In a short time she had organized my office closet/ book shelf and helped to arrange the room better. She worked mostly independently but also with me now and then to make the best storage choices. My office looks and feels so much peaceful and neat. She was a pleasure to work with and I'll surely be hiring her again for other areas of the house.
Nancy H.
Whittier, CA
Kathryn was awesome! She's really gifted at organizing took my totally messy closets and made them spacious and organized. She's a pleasure to have in your home & to work with. I hope I'll be able to work more with her in the future and can highly recommend her!
Louise, K.
Newport Beach, CA
Kathryn did a great job of organizing my closet, helping me eliminate the clutter and simplify my wardrobe. She was timely and very kind!
Sheena S.
Laguna Beach, CA
Kathryn was absolutely amazing. Quick and thorough. I will hire her again.
Jessica A.
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Almost don't want to recommend her because then she'll be too busy for me. But she was awesome!!! Highly recommend!
Tammy K.
Redondo Beach, CA
I had a great experience working with Kathryn. She helped with a project that required perfect timing, creativity, and good communication. She knocked it out of the park!


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More good news for Oakland: MTC has announced the awarding of a $4.5 million grant from the State's Active Transportation Program for a road diet and protected bike lanes between 20th Street and 41st Street. Oakland received another ATP grant from the statewide pool to fund a redesign of 20th Street last month, bringing the total awards to $9 million.
Telegraph Avenue is one of Oakland's most dangerous streets. As we covered last year, the corridor is overbuilt for cars and doesn't adequately serve the existing high volumes of pedestrians, bicyclists, and bus riders. The proposed design would add protected bike lanes along most of the corridor, along with bus bulbs and enhanced crosswalks.
Unfortunately, the project will stop short of the Temescal district, one of the City's most popular destinations. In developing the corridor plans, the City balked at pursuing a road diet in Temescal due to higher traffic volumes and backlash from select residents and merchants in the area – despite the fact that most shoppers in Temescal don't drive. Any major changes to the segment north of 41st Street will be left for a future phase. It is unclear whether the City will pursue interim improvements to address critical pedestrian safety issues and inadequate transit facilities in the area, but little is expected to change for bicyclists on this segment. Hopefully the City will reconsider this segment soon.
Several other local projects were funded by the regional ATP round, including protected bike lanes on Rumrill Blvd in San Pablo and the Lombard Street Vision Zero project in San Francisco. Again, the $30 million available in regional funding was dwarfed by the $220 million in applications. More funding is needed; yet, as currently planned, the next cycle of ATP grants will not occur for three years.


text: >>>>> "GS" == Gianluca Sforna <giallu gmail com> writes: GS> So, what about doing that in the mock chroot after the build? Well, get started, then. I already do install tests and rpmlint of installed packages into the chroot at the end of the build process; I'd happily run your utility as part of that process if that's where it would be best to run it. - J<


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We must reform CHI or start an alternative
Many of the challenges reported by sciences are also increasingly faced by the multidisciplinary communities that form HCI. These challenges include funding, poorly designed studies, missing replications, broken peer-review, paywalling, poor communication, and stressful careers [1]. Is the HCI community responding to these challenges? The CHI team is dedicated to developing the conference and has introduced many changes recently. However, there are some issues that seem to change slowly. Here's a summary of ten criticisms that I tend to agree with:
1) CHI has met the limits to growth. Too many submissions, too many tracks, too many presentations, too crazy. Simply: the proportion of interesting and important papers does not grow as quickly as the number of submissions. As Stanislaw Lem wrote, it is easier to find 1 interesting paper among 1,000 than to find 1,000 among 1,000,000. I'm afraid that CHI may end up with a large chunk of sterile, nice-to-know papers that dilute the conference and dilute our field. The Best Paper system has not changed this. I am not suggesting that we can improve the field simply by reducing the number of papers published at CHI. I am suggesting that making CHI more selective would have second-order effects via affecting goal-setting and priorities and by supporting shared attention on the most important topics.
2) CHI incentivizes novelty and quantity over rigorous, principled and boring research: For instance, CHI's guide to successful submissions states that "Novelty is highly valued at CHI". And this is exactly what lessons learned from other fields should warn us against: "As long as the incentives are in place that reward publishing novel, surprising results, often and in high-visibility journals above other, more nuanced aspects of science, shoddy practices that maximise one's ability to do so will run rampant." [2]
3) The peer-review system is at the deep end. The most relevant reviewers are ACs, and the reviewer pool has been half-empty for a long time. CHI has introduced numerous improvements, such as desk rejects, early 2ACing, and the rebuttal phase. While reducing load and improving quality, these have also tended to increase workload and not fix the underlying problem: reviewing is too much like a lottery. What could be done? One thing to try out is to publish reviews with names. NIPS, for example, does this. Leaving a permanent non-anonmized record might help.
Exorbitant High participation fees costs. The new normal is a registration fee of 1,200-1,400 USD. Add travel and overprized accommodation to that. And these prices keep rising!** Compare this to NIPS, which asks 400 USD and boldly states: "This is the 13th year in which we have not increased our fees."
** I was wrong here, as Jofish Kaye kindly pointed out: "Registration costs have been the same at CHI since 2008: $800 for the 4-day early member registration (which is the most popular option), and $400 for the student 4-day early member registration." (Nonetheless, total costs of a conference travel are high.)
5) Unacceptable open access policy: ACM is not committed to an acceptable Open Access policy. European funding agencies, for example, insist on choosing the open access option. However, ACM asks considerable open access fees on a per paper basis. Now, given that ACM only releases those papers, but the rest are paywalled, the net effect is that European taxpayers support an American-based organization but the majority of research remains behind paywalls. If ACM does not want to change, the Vox article suggested a radical move: "One radical step would be to abolish for-profit publishers altogether and move toward a nonprofit model." [1]
6) US-centeredness: If you look at the places where the conference and the PC meetings are held, and compare that to the countries that contribute most papers and ACs, you'll spot an annoying discrepancy: The venues have been about three-fourths in North America, although roughly half or more of contributors are from elsewhere. In addition to the issue of unrepresentativeness and unfairness, many feel that US/Canada is running out of interesting places. San Jose was a great conference but perhaps the least interesting city to host CHI. And Denver, really? Seoul and Paris, to me, were among the best.
7) An overpacked program that does not foster intellectual debate. The conference offers very little value in terms of genuine debate that promotes intellectual growth. Let's say you get lucky and get your full paper in. What happens next is this: You step on the podium, do your 17 minutes of a talk, then answer 2-3 mostly random questions, and you're done. That's it! There is no real discussion about the work, because there is no room for such. The organizers have been maximizing the growth of attendance at the expense of intellectual growth. Workshops do not solve this, naturally, because they target earlier stages of research. One option to consider, similar to e.g. computer vision, is to divide papers into oral vs. poster presentations, or long vs. short presentation.
8) No journal. Yes, I can publish a paper in, say, TOCHI, and come to CHI to present it. That's splendid. But why not the other way around? UbiComp made a bold move toward a VLDB-like hybrid where papers can be submitted to journal at any time, and accepted papers get to be presented at the annual conference. I'm afraid that the reason that this might not happen at CHI, simply because there are too many papers and their archival value is becoming debatable.
9) Stressful once-per-year deadline. This is not only unnecessarily stressful, but it incentivizes short-term planning. If you have to choose a research problem that can be solved in 8 months versus another that takes 2-3 years, which one would you pick if you are under pressure to advance your career by churning out CHI papers? Worse, the risk of "losing one year" may incentivize authors to bloat their claims about contributions.
10) Too many poorly designed studies. While not all papers need to have a study, my sense is that in those that do statistical power tends to be low. Too often studies are designed to confirm predisposed ideas instead of critically testing them. There are many delightful exceptions each year of course. But something needs to be done to improve the quality of empirical evidence for our claims. And I feel (but have no evidence) that there may be a structural flaw: some subcommittees may be better prepared and have higher standards in this regard than others. However, these subcommittees are out of touch with each other.
None of this is new. These issues have been raised at PC meetings, in hallways, in a recent discussion about EuroCHI, and in CHI Meta. Most researchers who I know agree with at least a subset of these issues. If we take HCI seriously, as we should, we are obliged to discuss improvements. I am personally concerned about points 2, 5, and 7.
There are roughly three options now: 1) reform CHI, 2) improve the other (specialized) HCI conferences to let out steam from CHI, or 3) establish a new general-purpose conference following an alternative model. Discussing which road is the best is beyond this post. However, CHI has shown extraordinary ability to develop itself over the years, and none of the issues is beyond its remit. While I wish these changes happen by internal reform – CHI still is my favorite conference – if changes are too slow or bear no results, we should not be afraid of trying out alternative models.
Post scriptum (Sep 29): Many thanks to numerous commenters, here in this blog, in Facebook, and to those who emailed me. The post has made rounds in social media and been even attended to by our friends higher up in the CHI organization. Thank you for listening. To sum up, the feedback that I got can be divided into "good news" and "bad news". Let's start with the bad news: 1) According to a bibliometric analysis, a big proportion of CHI papers gather a relatively low number of citations [3], for example when compared to NIPS; 2) The most common sample size in CHI studies is only 12 [4], which – needless to say – is associated with unacceptably low statistical power. 3) In the UK, in the national research assessment, the "value" of a CHI paper has already been dropping in relation to other CS conferences. Then the good news: A good number of the issues have been challenged, such as the claim that participation fees are raising (fixed, see above), and my claim that it's US-centered (this is more balanced over all SIGCHI conferences and possibly improving), and my claims that "boring" research is thwarted and there being no intellectual debate (see Jeffrey's comment below). I was also pointed out that CHI is actively discussing its position regarding open science, and it has opened the proceedings for a limited time after a conference. While not a true open policy (perpetuity), they are acting on this, which is great. Even better, I learned that CHI may be setting up a steering committee that might attend to things like this. That's great. What next? We should get to the root of these issues and discuss what we can do to them. Here's a good starting point for that end: http://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/royopensci/3/9/160384.full.pdf
[1] http://www.vox.com/2016/7/14/12016710/science-challeges-research-funding-peer-review-process
[2] https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/sep/21/cut-throat-academia-leads-to-natural-selection-of-bad-science-claims-study?CMP=share_btn_tw
[3] Lexing Xie: Visualizing citation patterns of CS conferences: http://cm.cecs.anu.edu.au/post/citation_vis/
[4] Kelly Caine, Proc. CHI'16: http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=2858498


text: An article about emerging multinationals investing in Europe and their impact on the local economy written with Elisa Giuliani. We investigate how subsidiaries of multinationals from both emerging (EMNEs) and advanced (AMNEs) economies investing in Europe learn from the local context and contribute to it as much as they benefit from it. There are EMNE subsidiaries that contribute through their significant local innovative efforts to development processes in the host country. This suggests possible win-win situations from which novel policy implications may be drawn.


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Lisa Antas, DVM, Chief of Staff
Dr. Antas has been practicing at Columbus Central Veterinary Hospital for over 10 years and is our Chief of Staff. She grew up in Hamilton, New Jersey, and now currently resides in Shamong, New Jersey. She received her undergraduate degree from Rutgers' Cook College in 1996 and her DVM degree from Cornell in 2000. While she was in vet school, Dr. Antas worked at our hospital as a veterinary technician. We feel so lucky to have such an outstanding Chief of Staff treating our beloved patients!
Dr. Antas focuses on general and emergency medicine, and providing outstanding care to all of her patients and their families. Outside of work, Dr. Antas likes to play sports, hike, and spend time at the beach. She also enjoys spending free time with her friends, family, and especially her son Alex and her daughter Dylan. Dr. Antas also has three pets—a cat named Darby and two dogs, Sedona and Sierra.
Marian Boden, VMD
Dr. Boden has been a veterinarian at Columbus Central Veterinary Hospital for several years. She grew up in central Pennsylvania and currently resides in Hainesport, New Jersey. Dr. Boden received her undergraduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh, Johnstown in 1991 and her VMD from University of Pennsylvania in 1996. In addition to practicing at North East Animal Hospital, Dr. Boden has also spent time practicing at several other veterinary hospitals in Pennsylvania.
Dr. Boden's medical interests include emergency medicine and she appreciates establishing close relationships with her clients and their pets. Dr. Boden spends her leisure time gardening, watching movies and traveling. She also enjoys being with her friends and family as well as her pets, which include several dogs, cats and fish.
Dennis Ting, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, Board Certified Surgeon
Dr. Ting is originally from Southern California where he attended the University of California, San Diego for his undergraduate work in the field of Animal Physiology and Neuroscience. He then earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of California, Davis in 2003. In the following year, Dr. Ting returned to Southern California to complete a one-year internship in small animal medicine and surgery. With a growing interest in small animal surgery, he completed a surgery specific internship in Denver followed by an orthopedic research fellowship at Michigan State University. Dr. Ting then stayed at Michigan State University and completed his residency training in small animal surgery.
Dr. Ting, who is board certified by the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS), performs advanced surgeries at Columbus Central Veterinary Hospital by appointment. He has particular interests in orthopedics, traumatology, and oncologic surgery. He is trained in minimally invasive surgeries such as fluoroscopic-assisted fracture repair. Dr. Ting has also published a number of original orthopedic articles in various veterinary surgery journals and has presented numerous lectures on national and local levels.
Marisa Snyder, DVM
Dr. Snyder joined Columbus Central Veterinary Hospital in 2019 after receiving her DVM from Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. She grew up in Medford, NJ and received her undergraduate degree from Cook College, Rutgers. Dr. Snyder has a variety of Veterinary experiences including working with small and large animals in Ghana and Costa Rica, volunteering at Cedar Run Wildlife Center, interning at the Philadelphia Zoo, and shadowing local dog/cat, dairy, and equine vets prior to graduate school.
Dr. Snyder's medical interests include exotic and multi-species medicine, believing that all animals and their owners should receive exceptional care. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time on the beach, dungeons and dragons, playing video games, music & art, and snowboarding.


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Train drawing game for kids for android
Free and easy coloring pages game for kids. If your child is fascinated by trains, railways and travel, this simple game will provide new inspiration for hours of creative play and learning.
Imagine you are a train driver and your locomotive is a European, Amtrack, tgv, usa, Eurostar, Thalis, Shinkansen, ICE, Europass or Bullet train. And you are riding through Italy, France, Switzerland, USA, Japan or China.
Or imagine you are a passenger who buys a ticket at the office at the station and travels by train for a day trip or holiday. Train rides are great, as long as he drives on time (train crisis). If not and you need to wait: Take it easy. Take some pictures of your train.
This app is also great for kids who love model trains such as Thomas & Friends, Chuggington, Brio, steam, electricity, wood and other toy trains like Marklin, Lego or Fleischmann. These children often play with train games (train driver or conductor).
– Easy to play
– Share your drawings via email, Facebook, etc.
– Save and load your coloring pages
– Make your own drawing or wallpaper
– Intuitive icons and navigation. Simple to play
– Pro version without ads and pop-ups available
Train coloring game is an educational game for stimulating the creativity of toddlers, preschoolers and children. If you or your little boy or girl loves to color, paint or draw and loves railroads and trains, try it! It's much more creative than an ABC or alphabet train.
And once the coloring page is finished, you can easily share it on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, or e-mail with family and friends. For more coloring pages: take a look at our other games.
Similar Apps


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0113 2341444
Situated right in the heart of Leeds' professional core on East Parade, Minerva offers flexible floor plates, a stunning reception area and common parts, with a wide range of amenities close by and is only minutes from Leeds City Station. The quality of the reception area continues throughout the entire building. Floor plates have been designed for the modern business environment and benefit from both a Grade A specification and stunning views of the city centre.


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Marnie Simpson seems pretty confident, right?
The Geordie Shore star, 24, often posts sexy selfies to Instagram – and we've all seen her racy antics on the MTV reality show.
But now she's made a pretty upsetting confession. Because as it turns out, she's not quite as self-assured as she appears.
See: Could Charlotte Crosby Be Leaving Geordie Shore?
In fact, she sometimes takes those super-raunchy selfies in a bid to feel better about herself.
Marnie tells the Daily Mail: 'A lot of the time I feel insecure and if I take a nice selfie of myself then it makes me feel better. It makes me think: "Stop being down, stop being insecure you look good."
'I 100% put them up to validate myself and I know that sounds bad, but most of the time when I do a sexy selfie it's to make me feel good.'
Marnie's admitted that the harsh comments she's received on social media have contributed to her insecurities.
She continues: 'It's really bad that the industry and the trolls have that effect on us but if that's the way it makes me feel. If a little selfie makes me feel better then so be it.'
See: Vicky Pattison Gives Her Verdict In LOOK's Style Clinic
Hmmm. Well we don't think you should feel anything other than gorgeous, lady. And we all know where those body shamers can go.
It's been well documented that the Geordie Shore girls have had their fair share of cosmetic surgery, with Marnie confessing to undergoing procedures herself.
Latest Stories
But she's now said: 'We're all looking like each other and I do feel like when you get so many things done that everyone looks the same.
'I still try to look natural and I know that sounds silly because I do stuff to myself but I try and do it in a natural way.'
Whatever you think about her transformation, let's hope Marnie soon realises just how beautiful she is.


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Prepaid Electricity GREENVILLE TXReasons To pick Pronto facility - service For every Customers. Prepaid Electricity GREENVILLE TX No Hidden Fees/No Gimmicks Free Extensions No Payment Fees No Minimum Account Balance Monthly Billing In 90 Days STEP BY STEP PROCESS How It Works Pronto gift gives you the liberty and malleability to be in govern of your electricity costs. You regard as being how much you want to purchase and pay as often as you would like. every that is required is a true email and cell phone number with SMS text capability. You must be accomplished to receive texts or emails as this is how we will nimble you that your account is management low.
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Data and Tools for ABB Tuition Revenue and Distribution Calculations
ABB Tuition Files
NEW! FY21 ABB Tuition Projections – Preliminary FY20 true-up estimates and FY21 revenue projections are now available. These estimates are subject to change based on university, state, and federal policy changes in light of COVID-19: FY20-21 ABB Tuition Revenue (05.24.2020)
These files and files for prior years are available on OPB's Annual Budgets webpage.
ABB Tuition Data Model and Resources
In December 2016, a number of tables were made available that enable campus users to do and see all calculations relevant to the distribution of net operating fee revenue under ABB. Links to a variety of information that will enable users to understand and use the data are provided below.
Please note that a number of improvements, including (but not limited to) the ability to include students with exemptions as well as data quality checks, have been made as the data have been moved to AIDB. The budget allocations made through FY16 under ABB represent final allocation decisions; no changes to budgets for prior years will be made on the basis of the data now made available through AIDB. Historical data are included here only to facilitate trend analysis.
NOTE: ABB tables and queries are currently under construction. OPB's Data Architecture team is hard at work to build out a streamlined version of tables and views that will be used to create the interactive dashboards and reports for trending. As these new tables and views are developed, the ABB queries formerly provided by OPB will not work. We expect to complete the first phase of this update later this summer. Check back for more information and technical training sessions.
Data Model Details
- Introductory PowerPoint
- Table and column definitions (PDF)
- Entity relationship diagram (ERD) of model – this shows the relationships between the various tables in the model
- NEW! June 2018 Supplement Changes – Student Credit Hour Technical Addendum
Documentation and code for ABB tuition calculations:
- Documentation of how to connect to data and perform all necessary calculations.
- SQL code that performs ABB tuition calculations using the new distribution parameters
- SQL code that provides the basis for projecting tuition revenue pools by campus, tuition category, and residency. This code is used in the Excel-based "ABB Tuition Files" to provide projections. The general approach to projections is outlined in the Introductory PowerPoint available on this page.
In each file, explanatory information is available on the "Reference" tab. The files currently available are:
- The FY18 ABB Tuition Table, which includes calculation of the distribution of FY17 actual and FY18 projected tuition revenue using the new distribution parameters
- The Excel file that provides calculations of years through FY17, using the old distribution parameters.
May 2018 ABB Newcomers Presentation slide deck
ABB Questions?
Please contact us at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Be Medical Bariatric
SADIS Surgery Is A Technique That Combines Three Utilities:
The Super obesity treatment
Treatment of type two diabetes
And revision of gastric sleeve failure
To explain it in a simple way, this surgery consists in the operation of gastric sleeve or Tubular Gastrectomy, to which is added an omega duodenum ileal Bypass.
Be Medical Bariatric
Our Package Includes everything
Preoperative valoration
2 nights at the hospital
1 night at the hotel
Pre & post op-medication
Medical Fees
Ground transportation
Personalized service
What Exactly Is Sadi Surgery?
SADI-S (Single anastomosis doudeno-ileal with sleeve gastrectomy) is an innovative surgical technique, based on the techniques of "Mini Gastric Bypass or a single anastomosis Bypass" and the "Doudenal Switch" getting the effectiveness of both at the same time, avoiding its risks or adverse effects.
How do I know if I am Candidate?
- Super-obese patients (double or triple morbid obesity -IMC> 55-).
- Patients with severe metabolic syndrome (diabetes mellitus severe, hypertension, cholesterol – elevated triglycerides).
- Patients in which has failed the operation of gastric sleeve.
What Are The Benefits Of This Surgery?
This technique achieves:
- A weight loss greater than the Gastric Bypass.
- A greater proportion of healing from metabolic problems (diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol..), greater than with gastric sleeve or gastric bypass.
- In addition, patients have a good quality of life, can eat like patients operated by Gastric Sleeve, and don't have diarrhea or flatulence.
This technique avoids:
- The risk of biliary reflux of the "Mini Gastric Bypass or bypass of a single anastomosis"
- The risk of excessive malabsorption, with diarrhea and flatulence of "Duodenal switch"
- This new technique allows us to have a powerful therapeutic tool for particularly complex cases.
What tests or formats should I perform before the surgery?
The first step is to fill out our medical questionnaire, our coordinator will contact you as soon as possible to talk about your case and if it is necessary to perform a test to make the evaluation correctly. If you are not a candidate for this surgery, our doctors will make the most appropriate recommendations to take care of your health and well-being.
You must also be able to handle the physical stress of surgery. Some people have health complications that make major surgery very risky. In some cases, these complications stem from obesity itself, and some initial weight loss can improve the health of the patient enough for surgery.
Psychological readiness is another important factor. Gastric sleeve entails a series of dramatic lifestyle changes, which can be stressful or cause unexpected reactions. Having the right attitude toward food, exercise, and health is important.
If a test is necessary, the doctor will let you know in the medical evaluation, as well as the diet that should follow.
What doctors will perform my surgery?
Our medical team is made up of Dr. Jaime Ponce de León, Dr. Frayre, Dra. Denisse Cueva and Dr. Jesús Sánchez. All with good experience so you can be sure of being in very good hands. We also have our coordinator Ana Cristina, who will accompany you before, during and after your procedure, to support you in doubts, formats, payments, your trip and everything that entails as a hotel, transport from the airport to where you need, as well as visit at the hotel to support you.
Fill the Form!
If you are thinking of doing this surgery please contact us, it is necessary to make a valuation to know if this is the surgery indicated for you, you can send us a contact form and we will answer you. If you want to talk with our coordinator call to 619 213 8044, or send us an email firstname.lastname@example.com.


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How To Block Norton Antivirus Pop-Ups?-norton.com/setup Norton Antivirus is a well-perceived and trusted antivirus program that a large number of individuals have been using each other day to give the most extreme security to their PC's protection and information. Norton holds a wide range of helpful highlights and... Read More
How to Install Norton antivirus on your Computer via Norton.com/setup?
How to Install Norton antivirus on your Computer via Norton.com/setup? In this article, we will give a speedy walkthrough to help introduce Norton Internet security suite on your PC. These days, when everybody is associated through any advanced stage or cloud administrations, it is as simple as going for a stroll in a... Read More


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Keys Ranch Tour#9 in Best Things To Do in Joshua Tree National Park
Key Info
- 3.5Value
- 0.0Food Scene
- 3.5Atmosphere
This National Historic Register Site is located in a remote canyon and is restricted to ranger-guided walking tours only. The ranger will describe the story of the 60 years William and Frances Keys spent working and raising their five children in such a remote location. In the early 1900s, Bill Keys was hired to run the Desert Queen Mine, but when it closed in 1917, he decided to stay and homestead with his family. Over more than five decades, he dug for gold and gypsum, operated a stamp mill and crushed ore for other miners in the area. The family raised goats, chickens and cattle, had a fruit orchard and vegetable garden, and dug wells for water. They also built windmills and dammed up the rocky canyons surrounding the ranch to create a lake.
Today, the ranch house, schoolhouse, store and workshop still stand. Tours are a half-mile in length and last 90 minutes. Group size is limited to 25 people. Recent visitors give high praise to the informative rangers, love the time capsule aspect of the ranch and highly recommend a visit. They also note it is important to bring water and wear hats, as there is little to no shade.
Ranger-led 90-minute walking tours (on hiatus during summer) visit preserved ranch buildings, abandoned mining equipment and other relics of the Keys' remarkable life in this desert enclave. Tours are generally offered from October through May and must be reserved in advance online. Tickets, which your park admission does not include, cost $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 6 to 11. To get to the ranch, pass the entrance to Hidden Valley Campground, turn left at the Y intersection, follow the road approximately 2 miles to the locked gate. Your guide will meet you there.
More Best Things To Do in Joshua Tree National Park
#1 Rock Climbing
Climbers flock to Joshua Tree from around the world to tackle the literally thousands of routes open to them. There are challenges for all ability levels, with more than 8,000 climbing routes, 2,000 boulder problems and hundreds of natural gaps to choose from. Because Joshua Tree has its own particular set of safety issues, from high temperatures to remote climbing spots, it pays to do your homework first. If you're unfamiliar with the park, you'll want to purchase a climbing guide and hiking map, which are available at park visitor centers and online.
Certified guides can also lead you on climbs and provide a great way to explore in safety. If you do hire a climbing guide, make sure that they are permitted to work in Joshua Tree National Park. Each guide is required to have rock guiding certifications through the Professional Climbing Guides Institute, the American Mountain Guides Association or similar organizations. They are also required to be certified in Wilderness First Aid and CPR and must carry insurance.
Explore More of Joshua Tree National Park
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text: The Youth Summit will be held from May 16 to 19, 2014 in Quebec City! Registration just started ! Groups of pastoral youth in all parishes are now invited to place the event on their agenda. More precise information concerning the coordinates of the team, the program and registration has been published in the last week. The website for the Youth Summit (www.youthsummit.ca ) is a very active one and you are invited to visit it frequently.


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11010 NE 8th St
Bellevue, WA 98004
(425) 454-5888
Quality service, thoughtful amenities and spacious accommodations await at Courtyard Seattle Bellevue/Downtown. With a central location near Bellevue Square, their hotel makes it easy to visit popular attractions including Bellevue College and Meydenbauer Center.
After a busy day, relax in their rooms and suites with plush beds and stylish décor. Your high-tech needs are met thanks to our flat-panel TVs, high-speed Wi-Fi and plug-in panels. In the morning, enjoy a healthy and hearty breakfast, then have dinner and cocktails with friends at their restaurant, Table 8. With their indoor pool and fitness center, working out is convenient. Settle into the urban surroundings and cityscapes that envelop Courtyard Seattle Bellevue/Downtown.


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It's official – delicata is my favorite squash. I realize that's a loaded statement, but try it once and you will understand. It's less common than butternut or spaghetti squash, but that just increases its allure.
Although delicata is a winter squash, it's more similar in size to the summer variety. This is both good and bad news. Good, because it is easy to cut. Bad, because you will run out of it more quickly.
It tastes like a mix between butternut squash and sweet potato – in the best way possible. And, because the natural flavor of delicata squash is so amazing, you don't have to add much when you cook it. This is perfect for me because after a 12-hour work day the last thing I want to do is spend an hour in the kitchen.
Another great thing about delicata squash? It's one of the few winter squash varieties that you don't have to peel. My peeling skills are lacking and my knife skills aren't much better. I can't even tell you how many scars I have on my hands from peeling my fingers instead of the butternut squash in my hand.
How do you cut delicata squash?
I'm so glad you asked. I'm going to show you just how easy it is:
After you wash it, cut off each end so you have two flat sides.
Then, place the squash on one of the flat ends and slice it lengthwise down the center.
Using a spoon (or your tool of choice) scoop out the seeds.
As an added bonus, the seeds of a delicata squash are edible and can be roasted similarly to pumpkin seeds. Set them aside for cleaning later if you decide to go that route.
Once both halves are cleaned out, place them flat side down and cut them into half moons.
I typically make them 1/4-1/2 inch thick, but it's really personal preference. Try your best to keep each half moon approximately the same size. They don't have to be perfect, but if their thickness varies too much they will cook differently. There's nothing worse than pulling something out of the oven and having half undercooked and half burnt.
How to roast delicata squash:
Place the half moons in a pile on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Yep, just pile them on there. Drizzle the olive oil on top and add a pinch of salt and pepper. Then, with your (clean) hands mix it all together. This step can be done in a bowl, but I think the oil is more evenly distributed when you mix it with your hands.
Once everything is mixed, line up the half moons on the baking sheet. They can be close together, but make sure you don't put them on top of one another, otherwise, they will steam instead of roast. They'll still taste good, but you won't get the nice browning effect from roasting (which also adds to the WOW factor).
Bake them at 425° F for about 12-14 minutes (depending on how thick you made them). Then use tongs to flip them and put them back in the oven for another 8-12 minutes. It all depends on how brown you want them.
That's it! See how easy?!
Unfortunately, delicata squash has a shorter shelf life than butternut because of its thin skin, so they're only in season for a short period of time (typically late summer, early fall). That just means you should get them while you can. Honestly, I am about to roast another one as I'm writing this.
If you don't eat them all off the baking sheet, which I frequently do, they are a great addition to fall salads. As the temperature outside starts to drop, my body craves more sustenance and roasted squash makes salads seem a little more hearty.
What is your favorite way to cook delicata squash? Leave a comment below – I'd love to hear about it!
If you make this recipe, let me know. I wanna see it! Share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #dietconfessionals.Print
Easy Roasted Delicata Squash
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
The BEST roasted delicata squash. Seriously easy to make (only 4 ingredients) and tastes great on its own or added to pretty much anything.
- 1 delicata squash
- 1–2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- pinch of sea salt and pepper
- Preheat oven to 425°F
- Cut off both ends of the squash (see photo above), then cut in half lengthwise
- Scoop out the seeds (put them to the side to clean if you want to roast them)
- Place the cleaned halves flat side down and cut into half moons
- Put the half moons on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste
- Mix everything together with your hands
- Spread the squash flat on the baking sheet and roast for 12-14 minutes (depending on how thick the pieces are)
- Flip the squash over with tongs (or a fork – whatever works) and cook for another 8-12 minutes
- Try not to eat them all off the baking sheet
- Serving Size: 1/2 squash
- Calories: 100
- Sugar: 1
- Carbohydrates: 2.5
- Fiber: .5
- Protein: .5


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So, tomorrow we are getting up ridiculously early to do Geneva in a day!
It's the first press day of the 2017 Motor Show, so let us know if there's anything you want to see in detail, up close and personal.
We only have a few hours there but will do our very best to get the requests you ask for!


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Check Rates or Reserve Now
Extended Stays
Please call 877-570-2267 now for special pricing on stays longer than 35 days.
Resort Activities & Events
Whether you're planning a retreat for the whole family, a group of friends or a getaway for two, there's no shortage of unique activities to explore at Pine Island RV Resort. Plan activities upon arrival or visit this page before your departure to plan ahead. Looking for more? Our friendly staff can fill you in on all of the great ways to make your stay a memorable experience.
We currently offer the following activities:
- Shuffleboard
- Horseshoes
- Pool table
- Board games
- Themed dinners
- Bingo/Card bingo
- Planned activities
- Music
- Poolside gatherings and much more.


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Brooks Irrigation
Achieving your desired results
Brooks Irrigation provides you with trusted advice, delivers high quality irrigation systems and provides the best service the industry has on offer.
Our Services
Councils and Sporting Clubs
Enhancing Community Experience
Commercial and Strata
Increasing Corporate and Strata Impression
Florishing results for your private gardens and lawns
About Us
Brooks Irrigation was founded by Joe Brueck in 1970 and grew into one of Sydney's largest irrigation businesses. Brooks Irrigation is now a very well estblished and trusted specialist brand in the industry and is known for it's high quality systems, installations and services - ranging from small micro drips to sports grounds, parks and commercial irrigation with tank and pump systems.
With recently changed ownership, Brooks Irrigation is investing in the future and excited about expanding our business and continue to serve our growing loyal customer base.
We operate from our Banksmeadow shop (open to trade and public) and carry a large range of the best irrigation products and brands the industry has on offer. Supported though our strong supply parntership network we can resolve and source all things irrigation.
We are very proud to service our many council, commercial and residential customers delivering quality installations, service and provide trusted advice.
With the water restriction now in place we take responsibility for informing our customers on how to manage their irrigation to all aid in reduced water consumption.
If you would like to discuss your irrigation needs, or are looking for a career in irrigation, please get in touch.
Contact us or visit our shop
6/14 Anderson St, Banksmeadow NSW 2019, Australia
(02) 9666 6090


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The fine, or any part thereof which remains unpaid, may be levied at any time within six years after the passing of the sentence, and if, under the sentence, the offender be liable to imprisonment for a longer period than six years, then at any time previous to the expiration of that period; and the death of the offender does not discharge from the liability any property which would, after his death, be legally liable for his debts.
Simply Put
The fine that remains unpaid may be charged at any time within six years after passing of the sentence and if the offender is sentenced for a longer period than six years then offender is liable to pay the fine at any time before expiration of the term. Death of the offender does not discharge him/her from the liability and any property for paying the debts will be utilized in discharging the debts.


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Invisalign Gallery
When it comes to stunning dental transformations, some changes simply have to be seen to be believed! Check out our MDRN invisalign smile gallery below to view before and after photos of Dr. Stapleton's real patients. If you see any results that look like what you're hoping to achieve regarding your own teeth, don't hesitate to contact us in the Westchase District – we'd love to welcome you in for a consultation!


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The BMW i3 was recently awarded the Game Changer of the Year award at the annual Cars.co.za Consumer Awards.
Game-changing products can have a significant impact on the new vehicle market in a variety of ways, including: increasing sales volumes, introducing new technology, improving brand perception or simply representing a vast product improvement. Judges selected the finalists in this category from all the new vehicles that were launched in the South African market during 2015. The BMW i3 won the category despite going up against the Volvo XC90 and Ford Everest, both of which were strong contenders.
Why did the BMW i3 win?
The BMW i3 is not the first electric car to go on sale in South Africa, but it could be the EV that jolts the electric revolution into motion. With its revolutionary architecture, futuristic design and overall quality, the i3 has captured the public's imagination. The newcomer's quick off the mark, remarkably refined and, given the desirability of the BMW brand, the i3 represents a convincing trailblazer for the age of the electric car.
Unlike some other EV offerings, the i3 is not based on the platform of an existing internal-combustion powered vehicle. Instead, the LifeDrive architecture is based on a flat floor (incorporating the powertrain), with a super strong passenger cell mounted on top and made from advanced materials such as carbon-fibre. Instead of hiding its unique construction, BMW celebrates it by leaving many of the most important details exposed – such as the carbon fibre weave, which is visible in the door sills.
Take a look at our review of the BMW i3 Range Extender here!
BMW and Nissan have teamed up to develop the electric car charging infrastructure in South Africa. This crucial move should accelerate the acceptance of electric cars in South Africa.
The single-minded pursuit of efficiency and eco-friendliness is also evident inside, where the minimalism is celebrated by the use of excellent materials – KENAF, for example, is a member of the cotton family and very sustainable. Then there's the fact that the factory that builds the i3 is 100% powered by electricity generated from sustainable sources.
Opinions from the judges
"Right now I would say the BMW i3 is the single most important car I've driven in 15 years of doing this job. I can't give it higher praise than that. It is exactly the type of car that is needed to break down barriers to greater electric car acceptance. And the design… well, that actually plays a big part in its desirability. It is extremely bold. Very confident. And I like it very, very much" Hannes Oosthuizen
"Perhaps it's the radical choice of materials - much of the interior is recycled and the textiles are bamboo - that inspired the i3's designers to break so drastically from convention, but the i3's interior is the freshest I've seen in a decade. It feels like a concept car that escaped from the design studio before anyone could make it dull. The i3 offers is a wonderfully modern, comfortable cabin to commute in, and hopefully all BMWs (and cars in general) will look and feel like this in the future..." Ciro de Siena
BMW i3 driven and reviewed in South Africa: Why it's so good