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Shrinidhi Hande presents you with yet another case study, this time our own new Indian startup, mGinger.com a new venture which pays you to receive SMS advertisements on your cell.
Last month, I got over 50 invites from several contacts to sign up for a website under their referral. I ignored all those invitations and have been studying mGinger for sometime now. This post is to share my thoughts and analysis on this very new concept and business model of SMS advertising, its feasibility and sustainability.
mGinger: The mediating company which hunts advertisers willing to advertise through SMS and dispatches such ads to its members charging advertisers for the service and passing a part of income to members for receiving ads.
Advertiser: An enterprise willing to pay mGinger for giving publicity to its products and services via SMS
Members: Mobile users who have registered themselves with mGinger by giving their personal details, preferences etc and have opted to receive SMS ads in consideration for money.
The scheme is something like this:
Mginger pays you to receive contextual ads by SMS and all you have to do is register yourself, select the types of ads you want to receive, refer your friends for the program, sit back and enjoy. Ads will flow into your inbox, and you'll be paid 20 paise per ad SMS that you receive directly and 5 paise for each SMS your friends receive. Per day a maximum of 10 SMS will be sent and the potential is that you may make thousands of rupees every month just for receiving SMS. mGinger would get this money from advertisers who will be paying for the publicity given.
Though this concept is new in India, it already does exist in UK (by a company called mindMatics) and some other countries. The promoters of mGinger are ISB graduates so it wouldn't be fair to suspect their vision and only time will tell if mGinger will be a hit or a miss. The idea seems extremely innovative and exciting at the first glance but this author's eyes and brain easily penetrate behind the superficial layer and I have following observation:
Conventional advertising: When an advertiser advertises in TV or newspaper or internet, the end user (viewer/reader/surfer) is not at all paid to see the ad and is often forced to see the commercial and the commodity/service being promoted gets registered in his mind when he sees it embedded in between other content (TV program or news article) that he is interested in viewing/reading.
SMS advertising: Recipient receives ads with sole reason of making money. He may or may not choose to even read the ads, let alone making use of it.
If I'm an entrepreneur and wish to advertise my product/service, what counts for me is how many people out of all those who received my advertisement eventually come to my shop and make some purchase. How many SMS ads get converted into business enquiries and subsequently into sales is something yet to be seen. In conventional medium, at least the product/service gets registered in the mind of target audience as they see the ad but in SMS ads, if everyone deletes the SMS without even reading it, my entire expenditure goes down the drain. Say as a businessman I spend Rs 1 lakh for advertising and say mGinger sends one ad each to 1 lakh people. mGinger is happy, its members are happy, but unless some of them come to by shop, do some business and I get a profit which exceeds what I spent its not useful for me. In order to ensure positive ROI, mGinger needs to send SMS only to those selective members who are likely to make use of the information given.
mGinger is very much aware of this and is categorizing its user profiles. If you do not understand what I mean by customized advertising, read below examples:
*If a bank wants to send SMS promoting personal loans, such SMS needs to be sent only to salaried or professionals who have proven income and may need a loan. Sending home loan ad to college student will be waste of money as they're not eligible for a loan.
*If a restaurant in a particular area of a city has some new schemes and wants to promote it, people living in surrounding areas are prime targets. If that SMS is sent to someone living in other part of town, chances are less that he'll travel all the way to this hotel.
*If advertisers have information that I have not gone on a vacation for quite a long time now, I become easy target for any holiday plans and schemes, because chances of me considering one are more if I get a good deal. On the other hand if I've just returned from a vacation, I may not consider another for near future, irrespective of how tempting the offer is.
*If I'm trying to sell an expensive item, say a Mercedez Car, I would want to target only those who earn high income, say Rs 1 lakh or more per month and not everyone on the street.
In order to achieve this kind of personalization, mGinger will need huge member base to meet any combination of profile an advertiser may demand, and they need advertisers to send ads for various kinds of users they have. Building this database will take time.
Note: None of the advertising medium gives guaranteed results (i.e. just because you advertise on leading news paper or TV channel there's no assurance that people will line up in front of your shop next day and buy what ever you offer, the ads just help to get the message across (that you're offering something) to the masses). While conventional medium like TV and print have been time tested and proven to be effective, we'll need to wait for sometime for some businessman to try this relatively new concept of SMS advertising and declare if he's happy/not happy with the overall outcome and effectiveness.
Risks for advertisers: If recipients install SMS spam filtering software and get all mginger ads deleted outright the very purpose of reaching the target audience gets defeated. (Such feature already exists in emails as all of us know and it is only a matter of time before they appear in mobiles)
Currently mGinger doesn't have enough inventories of ads to serve all its members, which has resulted in members listing for all possible categories they can (hoping to get more ads), this dilutes quality of target audience.
SMS traffic: Let us assume one fine day mGinger gathers enough advertisers willing to pay for SMS ads and starts sending SMS to members in full scale. This means lakhs of outgoing SMS daily. Are our cell phone infrastructure prepared to handle this much volume? Already we are facing congestions during festival season when everyone sends festival greetings to all his/her contacts. Soon they (mobile service providers like Airtel and Hutch) will start demanding a share in profits, either from subscribers or from mGinger or both.
What does TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) has to say about this? This is purely a commercial activity on a mobile network meant by and large for personal usage. Commercial SMSs (SMSs sent to 4 digit numbers like the ones you send to download ringtones, to cast your vote for Indian Idol) are charged at a premium (Rs 3,5 or 7 as the case may be) and a fraction of this goes to government as tax. Will not the government love to have a share from mGinger's business? If you're starting a hotel you need to keep price of commercial LPG in mind. Profitability will be hit if you print your menu thinking you'll be able to cook with domestic LPG. Probably mGinger team has some way to counter this.
It is possible to show highly interactive/creative ads in print/TV media and grab attention but only plain text messages can be sent as SMS, which will be boring for people to read. (Well, mGinger can surely consider MMS advertising if SMS ads succeed!!!)
mGinger has managed to gather subscribers base of few lakhs (I don't have exact number, 4.5 lakh and growing is the available number) . This appears ineffective compared to millions of viewers TV channels or internet websites claim to have and is not a tempting enough number for an advertiser to choose this as a medium. Existing members who are expecting mGinger to generate enough revenue at least to foot their monthly telephone bill, are getting disappointed that they're not getting much (if any) ads. For mGinger, it is like egg first or hen-they need huge member base to convince advertisers and members need advertisements flowing into their inbox right away.
Some analysts compare mGinger with Google adsense and say mGinger will be more successful than adsense. I disagree. Google had huge list of advertisers and they didn't have enough web pages of their own to display all these ads and eventually they came up with idea of adsense, showing their ads on other websites with a revenue sharing model. mGinger yet to build up its database.
How will mGinger protect its members from unsolicited spam messages? Advertisers may ask all details of members (like show me to who all you sent my SMS?) and if mGinger shows your details (see Boss I sent your SMS to these 10000 people), the advertiser now has your name, phone number, preference and other details. Next time, he may choose to approach you directly instead of coming through mGinger, which will increase unsolicited SPAM messages. So mGinger will have to prevent its database from getting into wrong hands and need a mechanism to prove that right ads have been delivered to right members without compromising on member data.
This post is not to criticize mGinger or to discourage you from becoming a member. Any new start up will face several hurdlers like these and we hope mGinger will overcome all of them and will prove to be beneficial to everyone involved. mGinger team has been very honest in their statements and they have evaded most of the myths surrounding the concept (like everyone thought they'll become rich overnight, but it is not so)
mGinger is spreading like wildfire among students and professionals alike but advertisers will take their own time to analyze this new concept before they can trust this and choose to spend on it. Several competitions have also come up promising more lucrative returns than mGinger. While there's no guaranteed return, sharing all personal information in order to get target ads is something one needs to be a bit cautious about.
The biggest challenge for mGinger now is to convince advertisers to spend on SMS ads by assuring them of a positive ROI. Obviously they can't approach advertisers saying "We've half million SMS hungry members,please do charity". They have managed to lure ordinary people into registering with the temptation of free money, but a seasoned businessman will not succumb to any hype or temptation and will use rely on his own instincts and judgement to decide if he should spend on this. Members may soon get frustrated if they dont make even a minimum of say Rs 50-100 per month and pressure from other sides (from Govt, competitor, telecom operators etc) may creep in as well. I wish mGinger all the best.
mGinger official website | Clear your myths about mGinger here |Read this article on Mouthshut|mGinger mGinger website for advertisers (AdGinger!)
*Analysis of MLM & Network Marketing Companies
*Club Mahindra timeshare membership
*IBM Satyam acquisition rumors
*SMS and Win Hype


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Who: The nine-member (yes, NINE) K-pop girl group Girls' Generation who became fast friends with Kelly Ripa when they performed their first international single "The Boys" (released in Korean and English)
What: An American version of their I Got A Boy Korean album (released New Years Day)
When: 2013
What We Know: The group is in talks with Interscope Records to release an American version of their latest Korean album though a date, title, and track details are undecided. If a nine-member Korean group making it in the U.S. sounds like a stretch remember two members are from America! Yet we think most will react like David Letterman -- with nine women writhing in front of them, he looked like he could barely control himself!
Who: The artist with the most-viewed video ever on YouTube, Psy (which means a new Psy music video AND a new dance, how could we NOT be excited?!)
What: Psy's new international album, still untitled, that will feature both Korean and English tracks with possible production by Diplo and guest appearance by 2 Chainz
When: February or March
What We Know: He has global appeal now, but Psy has expressed he wants to release his new single in Korean with an accompanying dance featuring "some sports move". The K-pop veteran has said he wants a solo comeback single to prove he can have similar success as "Gangnam Style" without the help of another big name. Can he deliver a song that crosses language barriers...AGAIN?!

subset: commoncrawl


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RBC.com | Français | | Contact Us
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About RBC > Media Newsroom > Speeches > Overview of 2004 & First Quarter 2005 Financial Results
Barbara G. Stymiest
Chief Operating Officer
RBC Financial Group
136th Annual Meeting of Royal Bank of Canada
February 25, 2005
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Thank you Gord, and good morning ladies and gentlemen. I will be discussing your company's financial results for 2004 as well as for the first quarter of 2005, prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S., or U.S. GAAP. I will also spend a few minutes on our strong record in the area of corporate responsibility.
We benefited in 2004 from an increase in revenues, a decline in the provision for credit losses and a lower income tax expense due to a 250 basis point decline in the effective income tax rate.
However, we also recorded higher non-interest expenses and charges in last year's fourth quarter related to our business realignment and the impairment of goodwill at our U.S. mortgage origination company, RBC Mortgage. As well, the strengthening of the Canadian dollar last year had a dampening effect on our US dollar denominated revenues, expenses and earnings.
As a result, net income was $2.8 billion for 2004, 6% lower than 2003. On a per share basis, earnings were $4.25, down 4%.
Return on common equity, or ROE, was 15.9% compared to 17.0% in 2003.
With the exception of RBC Banking, four of our five business segments recorded double-digit growth in their earnings last year.
Net income from RBC Investments was 19% higher than in 2003, arising from solid performances from U.S. and Canadian brokerage and asset management businesses, as well as from Global Private Banking.
ROE was 18.4%.
Net income from RBC Insurance rose 19% in 2004, reflecting higher earnings from the Canadian life and health operations, the home and auto business and U.S. operations.
ROE was 25.3%.
RBC Capital Markets' net income was up 34% from 2003, reflecting solid performance in investment banking, higher returns from private equity investments, and a significantly lower provision for credit losses.
ROE improved to 18.7%.
RBC Global Services' net income increased 26%, due to strong earnings growth in all divisions stemming from higher fee-based revenues and net interest income, as well as a reversal of the general allowance and recoveries in the provision for credit losses.
ROE improved to 35.3%.
RBC Banking's earnings declined $267 million or 17%, as lower earnings in U.S. operations more than offset earnings growth in Canada.
ROE was 18.4%.
RBC Banking's earnings in Canada improved $66 million or 5%. We recorded strong volume growth in Canadian consumer products in 2004 with mortgages, personal loans, credit cards and mutual funds in particular all rising at double-digit rates. We further strengthened our market share leadership in mortgages, deposits and business financing.
However, U.S. Banking earnings declined by $324 million, reflecting the fourth quarter goodwill impairment charge at RBC Mortgage, lower revenues from both RBC Centura and RBC Mortgage, and business realignment charges. As Gord Nixon mentioned, generating better returns from our U.S. and International Personal and Business segment is one of our important priorities for 2005.
I am also pleased to report that we performed well in the areas of portfolio quality and capital ratios and met our dividend payout ratio objective in 2004. But our revenue, expense, earnings growth and ROE objectives were not met. Revenue grew 2%, reflecting weaker results from U.S. Banking operations. However, excluding the impact of the stronger Canadian dollar, revenue growth was 5%. An 8% expense increase for the year largely reflected higher costs for benefits, higher variable compensation related to higher revenues, and costs of the Rabobank settlement in the first quarter. Our performance compared to our 2004 objectives is outlined on page 7 of our 2004 Annual Report.
In light of our performance last year, we set more aggressive objectives for 2005 in the areas of revenue growth, expense control, earnings growth and ROE.
We have made three changes to our medium-term financial objectives this year. We are raising the earnings per share growth objective, introducing a new objective for expense control, and raising the portfolio quality objective, in light of a more meaningful measurement methodology we are adopting.
We continue to raise our common share dividends and they were up 17% from 2003 to 2004. Our dividend payout ratio was 47% last year, well within our 40 - 50% target.
First quarter 2005
Now I'd like to turn our attention to the results for the first quarter of 2005, which we released earlier today.
We delivered very strong revenue growth, improved cost management and solid asset quality against a backdrop of low interest rates and healthy economic, capital market and credit environments.
Net income was a record $1,041 million, up 31% from a year ago. Earnings per share were $1.58, up 34% from last year's first quarter.
ROE was 22.9% compared to 18.1% a year ago.
Turning now to the results for our new business segments, net income from the Canadian Personal and Business segment was $658 million, up 14% from last year, largely reflecting higher revenues from our disability insurance business, greater loan and deposit volumes, increases in mutual fund sales and capital appreciation, and higher revenues associated with retail foreign exchange activity and credit card transactions.
ROE increased to 44.3%.
The U.S. and International Personal and Business segment's net income was $100 million, 56% higher than in the first quarter of 2004, largely as U.S. Banking net income rose $27 million from a year ago, due to better mortgage pricing, wider margins and volume growth in loans and deposits, as well as better cost management.
ROE for the segment was 7.3%.
Global Capital Markets had record net income of $253 million, up 32% from a year ago, reflecting an 8% increase in revenues from stronger equity underwriting activity and improved returns from our structured transactions group and our private debt and equity businesses.
ROE improved to 22.4%.
RBC's total revenues in the first quarter were up $471 million or 11% from a year ago. Strong performance from all our segments more than offset a $100 million reduction in revenues due to the strengthening of the Canadian dollar against the U.S. dollar.
Non-interest expense decreased $112 million or 4% from last year's first quarter, reflecting costs incurred in the first quarter of 2004 related to the Rabobank settlement which were not repeated in this quarter. The appreciation of the Canadian dollar relative to the U.S. dollar from the first quarter of 2004, reduced non-interest expense by $60 million.
Turning now to portfolio quality. The total provision for credit losses was $108 million in the first quarter of 2005 compared to a recovery of $28 million a year ago, which reflected a reversal of $150 million of the general allowance for credit losses.
Nonaccrual loans were $1,053 million, down 41% from last year, due to the favourable resolution of a number of nonaccrual loans and few new impairments in the quarter.
Our capital ratios remained strong and well above our target ranges, with a Tier 1 ratio of 9.2% compared to 9.3% in the first quarter of last year and 8.9% in the fourth quarter of 2004. The Total capital ratio was 12.7% versus 12.9% a year ago and 12.4% a quarter ago.
In the first quarter, we met most of our financial objectives for 2005. Though our valuation moved to the second quartile of the S&P/TSX Composite Bank Index from the third quartile last quarter, it did not meet our objectives of being in the first quartile. We are determined to improve our performance on this score. And while we did not meet our dividend payout objective in light of the high level of earnings this quarter, we have not changed our objective for the full year.
We also made excellent progress towards achieving our three key priorities for this year which as Gord mentioned, are:
For the balance of 2005, we are determined to move forward in achieving these priorities.
While I have just reviewed the numbers for our financial performance, it's appropriate we also spend a few minutes discussing RBC's record and approach to the area of corporate responsibility. How we conduct ourselves as citizens is a critical component of our corporate performance and one that is measured and scrutinized almost as vigorously as our financial numbers.
By investing in companies known for management integrity, the marketplace has rightly put value in ethical behaviour. As Gord said earlier, RBC is globally recognized for our achievements in corporate responsibility. But these awards and recognitions, while certainly impressive, are not our motivation to act responsibly. Acting responsibly is good business that has benefits for all of us.
Running a business that is transparent, sensitive to its environment and its communities, and open to notions of sustainability is showing respect for society's expectations of its leaders.
We recognize that our ongoing commitment to sustaining an ethical and responsible culture is integral to our long-term success. It makes sense in the context of our employees, our clients and our shareholders.
But make no mistake: we approach corporate responsibility as a core discipline that enhances good management and sound business practices. Our practices are constantly reviewed to ensure they are fulfilling the objective of helping us manage the business more responsibly without incurring extra bureaucracy.
Evidence of this can be found in all manners of our activities -
From how we respond to our communities in crisis, such as during the catastrophic tsunami that hit South Asia, to our commitment to diversity in our workplace;
From ethical client service, to how we take steps to protect our clients from fraud; and
From how our board conducts its affairs on your behalf, to the way we disclose our financial information.
Ladies, and Gentlemen, everyday the performance of our company and our people are judged. We are humbled that so many of our stakeholders have an approving view of what we have done to date, knowing that there is still room to improve.
We understand that social and environmental factors can be significant drivers of long-term financial performance. Rest assured, we are working as hard to maintain our strong performance in these areas as we are in ensuring solid financial performance.
Thank you for your attention.


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America's Cuban Territory
It was January 1996 and I had just landed on the island of Cuba in a U.S. Navy plane, which was strange enough. Now I was riding a launch, bucking low waves, entering bright blue Guantánamo Bay, heading for the naval headquarters on the far shore. No Cuban military or local civilian militia shot at us from the beach, even though we were within range.
Then we rounded a spit of arid, windswept, rocky land, and I saw cacti. In Cuba, the pearl of the Caribbean? Cacti in a country synonymous with the humid heat, verdure and temptations of the tropics? But there it was, a stand of cacti worthy of a John Ford Western. Had it been imported by an imaginative and accommodating Navy commander trying to make ensigns from Arizona feel at home? No, I was later told; it had been cultivated by order of Fidel Castro himself to fence in the U.S. troops stationed there, and keep Cubans out of the base.
It was then that I started to comprehend the thorny issue of the United States Naval Station at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
The arrival at the station six years later, on January 11, 2002, of captured Taliban fighters and operatives of Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network is only the latest chapter in the episodic history of "Gitmo," as it is known, transforming, once again, this secluded tropical backwater into a geopolitical hot spot.
According to the captain's log of his second voyage to the New World, Christopher Columbus spent the night of April 30, 1494, anchored in what is now Guantánamo Bay. He called the site Puerto Grande, and it proved hospitable: no record exists of trouble befalling the fabled mariner that night. But the history of Gitmo since then is sprinkled with occupations, combat and international confrontations.
The British navy occupied the bay for four months in 1741 when it fought Spain over trade interests in the American colonies. A century and a half later, in 1898, a battalion of American marines became the first U.S. troops to land in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. According to local lore, Spanish guerrillas, who signaled to each other with dovelike coos, closed in on the outpost and killed two of the marines, the first American casualties of that conflict.
But in the end, the United States would win that war, inspired by Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders' charge up San Juan Hill outside the city of Santiago de Cuba. Spain was forced to relinquish Puerto Rico, the Philippines and Guam, transforming the United States into an emerging global power, and Cuba gained its independence. In 1903, the new Cuban government signed an agreement with Roosevelt, who had since become president, allowing the United States to lease 45 square miles of Cuban territory, on either side of the mouth of Guantánamo Bay, for use as a "U.S. Coaling and Navy Station." The rent was 2,000 gold coins per year, which today is worth $4,085.
The Cubans insist that when their constitution was written in 1901, its framers were forced to include the wording of the Platt Amendment, a law passed unilaterally by the United States that same year that gave Washington the right to intervene in Cuba. Otherwise, the United States would not withdraw its occupation troops. According to the Cubans, the leasing of the land for the naval station was a direct result of that strong-arm tactic.
In 1934, the lease was renegotiated with the stipulation that the outpost would revert to Cuban control only by mutual agreement. No such agreement has ever been reached; American servicemen and servicewomen have been stationed there ever since.
During the first half of the last century, life at Gitmo was generally low-key. In 1939, on the eve of the Second World War, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt expanded Gitmo into a port for air and sea patrols, but it remained far from the action. Apart from that, during intermittent civil wars and other political turmoil in Cuba, troops stationed at Guantánamo were deployed briefly to protect U.S. economic interests on the island, and sometimes to restore order. But they couldn't head off the Cuban revolution, and in the late 1950s Gitmo, relatively quiet since 1945, was forced to wake like Rip Van Winkle from its drowsy isolation.
On June 27, 1958, rebel forces led by Raul Castro, Fidel's brother and now head of the Cuban armed forces, kidnapped 29 U.S. sailors and marines who were returning from leave inside Cuba. U.S. servicemen regularly roamed the island, especially the nearby city of Guantánamo's bars and brothels, the latter located in the aptly named zona de tolerancia, or zone of tolerance.
The captives were released three weeks later, unharmed. But on January 1, 1959, Fidel Castro assumed power in Havana, and the United States immediately prohibited its forces stationed at Gitmo from entering Cuban territory.
Before the revolution, many Cubans worked on the base in civilian positions. But the United States, afraid of infiltration by spies, stopped hiring locals to staff those jobs. Those already employed at the base were allowed to continue after further background investigation, and today 10 aging Cuban "commuters" still work there, walking through the main gate every day. The other nonmilitary positions were filled by specially recruited foreign nationals. Jamaican stewards, for example, work in the officers quarters, and Filipinos run the ferry that connects the two sides of the base.
On January 4, 1961, President Dwight Eisenhower announced the formal break in relations between the United States and Cuba, but emphasized that the rupture had "no effect on the status of our Naval Station at Guantánamo."
Despite that declaration, the laid-back tenor of life at the base did change. At the time of the Bay of Pigs invasion, in April 1961, Guantánamo was put on high alert, although it was geographically far from the action. Later that year, Castro planted his cactus curtain. During the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, dependents of the military personnel and other civilians were evacuated. In 1964, after Cuban fishermen were fined for entering Florida waters, Castro cut off fresh water to the base. In response, the United States imported water and then relocated a desalinization plant from the mainland.
Underwater fencing was strung to head off those trying to enter Gitmo from the sea. Both the Cubans and the Americans planted land mines on either side of the 17.4-mile fence that defines the land borders of the base, the United States alone burying some 50,000 of them.
The two sides also constructed watchtowers to oversee that mined "no man's land" and staffed them with guards toting automatic weapons. Occasionally, shots were fired across the fence, and the Cubans claim several of their border guards were killed in the early years. (The United States denies the allegation.) But no one can recall a shot fired in anger since 1972. For the next 20 years or so, Gitmo was visited by balmy breezes and the occasional storm, but not much else—until the Caribbean immigration emergency broke on its shores in the mid-1990s.
The crisis was precipitated by riots in Havana in August 1994, in response to which the Cuban government announced that it would not block attempts by its citizens to leave the island. Tens of thousands shoved off to sea in boats and rafts, trying to reach the United States. Reacting to the human tide, the Clinton administration decreed that it would no longer allow Cuban refugees to automatically enter the United States, but would pick them up at sea and stash them at Guantánamo while it reviewed their asylum applications. Some 20,000 Haitians were already detained there, after having been intercepted at sea trying to escape their ravaged land for the coasts of Florida. Almost all of them were eventually sent back to Haiti.
By 1995, some 51,000 refugees populated Guantánamo. They lived in camps called Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, etc. and one denominated Camp X-ray, a cell block for those considered dangerous. It is in a new incarnation of Camp X-ray that the captives from the Afghan war were locked up in early 2002.
For the majority of Cuban and Haitian refugees, Guantánamo was a very different experience than it is for the Taliban fighters and suspected Al Qaeda members. The Cubans and Haitians lived in tent cities, which included busy streets, churches, libraries, clinics, playing fields, community centers and a refugee government. They organized dances and staged concerts by such Cuban-American performers as Gloria Estefan.
Those camps also suffered some of the problems of cities—thefts, fighting, and even alleged brutality by military police. In September 1994, Cuban detainees staged protests, demanding to know when they would be released; they were forced back into their camps by Gitmo military guards. Later, the United States and Cuba reached immigration accords, and refugees picked up at sea have since been transported back to Cuba, where they can apply for one of the 20,000 American visas available annually. Only those who prove they will suffer political persecution if returned to Cuba proper are taken to Gitmo, where they stay until they are granted asylum by third-party countries.
In January 1996, I arrived at the base to interview the last of the 30,000 Cubans who had been housed there. A day later, the last of the camps were dismantled and Gitmo resembled a ghost town. The Americans eventually dug up the mines on their territory. The Cuban mines are aging and sensitive to the point that they are sometimes detonated by slithering iguanas or scampering banana rats.
By January 2002, Gitmo was the home to a handful of asylum applicants and also some 2,700 resident personnel, both military and civilian. Those residents live mostly in suburban-like, duplex-style housing. The base has a bowling alley, an outdoor theater that shows first-run films, schools, a church, even a McDonald's. Every year, a Cuban-American Friendship Day celebration is staged to honor the diminishing number of Cuban employees. An annual chili cook-off is one of the base's big events and fund-raisers.
The arrival on January 11 of the captives from the war on terrorism shattered that strangely middle-American idyll. Soon an international controversy shook the camp: a photograph of recently arrived detainees kneeling outside their chain-link cells in orange jumpsuits, blindfolds and shackles drew accusations of inhumane treatment by the U.S. military. President Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld denied the accusations. But they also insisted that the internees would not be treated as prisoners of war, which would have insured them certain legal protections, because they did not meet key stipulations of the Geneva Convention, including, among other things, the fact that they didn't wear uniforms. A global outcry made them change their minds about the Taliban fighters, but the Bush administration wouldn't budge on the al Qaeda captives.
As more detainees arrived on flights from Kandahar, in Afghanistan and were questioned, it was determined that they came from at least 32 countries, including Britain, Sweden, France, Russia, Australia, Denmark, Kuwait, Pakistan, Yemen and Saudi Arabia. Three hundred had arrived by late February. The importation of these men from faraway lands brought new phenomena to Gitmo. A handful were Christians, but the majority were Muslims. They were issued copies of the Koran, and a Navy chaplain of the Muslim faith intoned a lilting summons five times per day, calling the men to prayer. On February 23, the Muslim prisoners celebrated Eid-al-Adha, The Feast of the Sacrifice, the most important holy day in the Islamic year. The camp was suffused with the smell of lamb stew prepared for the prisoners by camp cooks. But their life at Gitmo was not all prayer and hospitality. At least five interrogation huts were constructed, and U.S. military sources said that certain captives were chosen to be sent to Guantánamo because they might possess valuable information about terrorist organizations. The base suddenly found itself on the very front lines of intelligence gathering in the war against terrorism. In that role, Gitmo apparently yielded results. The alert issued by the FBI in mid-February that Yemeni terrorists might strike in the United States or against American interests in Yemen reportedly was based in part on information obtained from interrogations at Guantánamo.
How did the government of Fidel Castro react to the use of a corner of Cuba to house not refugees, but alleged terrorists? Although it was expected that Cuba would protest, it did not. The Castro government, which condemned the attacks on the World Trade Center and on the Pentagon, offered medical personnel to work at Camp X-ray, an offer rejected by the United States. This does not mean that Cuba condones the U.S. presence at Guantánamo Bay. The treaty signed in 1903 and again in 1934 was forced on Cuba, the Castro government insists, and the yearly check for the rent of the base has not been cashed in more than 40 years.
Still, the Cubans say an atmosphere of détente has developed over the years between the forces stationed on either side of the fence. That spirit of cooperation was forged during the quiet years of the 1970s and 1980s. Even today, the respective military commanders sometimes meet to discuss concerns of common interest. Among other things, they are alerting each other to air traffic, which has suddenly picked up with the arrival of the captives and more U.S. troops.
It is not yet clear how long Camp X-ray will serve as a cell block for Muslim fighters, but the United States has raised the possibility that it will send most back to their countries after they are interrogated. What will happen with the others has not been stipulated, but it is likely that before too long the cells will be dismantled and Gitmo will be returned to its habitual state—an outpost off the beaten track, a sleepy backwater on a windswept tip of Cuba, planted with cactus.
John Lantigua, a journalist and novelist, is the author of The Ultimate Havana (Signet, 2001), a novel about cigar counterfeiting.


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Sen. Dick Durbin: Journalists Deserve Protection But We'll Decide Who's Actually A Journalist
from the trade-your-laptop-in-for-a-notepad-for-extra-journo-cred dept
Illinois Senator Dick Durbin has penned an editorial for the Chicago Sun-Times in which he argues that journalists need some form of government-granted protection, but that the government should decide who is a real journalist and who isn't.
As he points out, there is currently no national "shield" law that protects journalists and their sources, although a bill along those lines is slowly making its way through the system. Durbin seems to feel a great many people should be excluded from this protection, though -- possibly for no other reason than the platform used.
The media informs the public and holds government accountable. Journalists should have reasonable legal protections to do their important work. But not every blogger, tweeter or Facebook user is a "journalist." While social media allows tens of millions of people to share information publicly, it does not entitle them to special legal protections to ignore requests for documents or information from grand juries, judges or other law enforcement personnel.There's your new have-nots, if Durbin's deciding. Here's the list of who Durbin feels actually deserves the "journalist" label and its associated protections.
A journalist gathers information for a media outlet that disseminates the information through a broadly defined "medium" — including newspaper, nonfiction book, wire service, magazine, news website, television, radio or motion picture — for public use. This broad definition covers every form of legitimate journalism.The internet: illegitimate journalism. Journalism isn't a static object with a single definition, it's something people do, with or without the title, and the dissemination of these endeavors spans many platforms. While there are a lot of old school journalism outlets listed, Durbin also includes "news website," which covers a whole lot of gray area (Buzzfeed? TMZ? Vice?). Without further details, it would appear a "news website" will probably have to be anchored by one of the other "time-honored" journalism outlets.
If a newspaper journalist writes a blog on the side or maintains a Twitter account, are those sidelines protected because of his or her position, or is it only what appears on the printed page/associated news website? Or conversely, if someone's journalism efforts are mainly relegated to platforms not covered by Durbin's list but occasionally contribute to "legitimate journalism," does that cover the non-associated online work as well? No matter how these instances play out, "journalism" is being defined by media form rather than by the activity itself. While the government should recognize freedom of the press and grant protection to journalists, it becomes problematic when the definition is narrowed to pre-existing forms that don't truly reflect journalism as it exists today.
Durbin says that those who think the government shouldn't be able to define journalism need to be reminded that 49 states already do just that. That doesn't make these definitions better or more acceptable and certainly shouldn't be taken as some sort of tacit permission for the federal government to define what media forms it will protect and which it won't.
He goes on to cite recent events as evidence this protection is needed.
The leaks of classified information about the NSA's surveillance operations and an ongoing Justice Department investigation into who disclosed secret documents to the Associated Press have brought this issue back to the forefront and raised important questions about the freedom of speech, freedom of the press and how our nation defines journalism.Journalists should certainly be shielded from those who think they should be prosecuted for exposing leaked documents. But this administration isn't interested in protecting whistleblowers and, if it wasn't running up against existing "freedom of the press protections," would probably be punishing journalists as well. Allowing the government to pick and choose who is protected will likely result in a large number of unprotected journalists, thanks to an inadequate definition. And even this additional protection is unlikely to prevent entities like the DOJ from violating the Fourth Amendment in a search for sources and whistleblowers. If you're already violating civil liberties, breaking a law isn't much of a concern.


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Geography: Mongolia lies in central Asia between Siberia on the north and China on the south. It is slightly larger than Alaska.
The productive regions of Mongolia—a tableland ranging from 3,000 to 5,000 ft (914 to 1,524 m) in elevation—are in the north, which is well drained by numerous rivers, including the Hovd, Onon, Selenga, and Tula. Much of the Gobi Desert falls within Mongolia.
Government: Parliamentary republic now in transition from communism.
History: Nomadic tribes that periodically plundered agriculturally based China from the west are recorded in Chinese history dating back more than 2,000 years. It was to protect China from these marauding peoples that the Great Wall was constructed around 200 B.C. The name Mongol comes from a small tribe whose leader, Ghengis Khan, began a conquest that would eventually encompass an enormous empire stretching from Asia to Europe, as far west as the Black Sea and as far south as India and the Himalayas. But by the 14th century, the kingdom was in serious decline, with invasions from a resurgent China and internecine warfare.
The State of Mongolia was formerly known as Outer Mongolia. It contains the original homeland of the historic Mongols, whose power reached its zenith during the 13th century under Kublai Khan. The area accepted Manchu rule in 1689, but after the Chinese Revolution of 1911 and the fall of the Manchus in 1912, the northern Mongol princes expelled the Chinese officials and declared independence under the Khutukhtu, or "Living Buddha."


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Okay so first and foremost , excuse me for my lengthy absence on Shimmerz projects! Life has been CRAZY, and I've stepped down from a few more DT's. Thankfully Stacey was patient enough with me to keep me on board! So i'm sure you have noticed the new product Dimensionz, I cannot rave enough about them! LOVE THEM! I'm all about some texture :) I'll link the Shimmerz Youtube channel so you can check out the introductory video , and see some of the gals amazing work with it! Here is my first project using them. And in my tut I used them in lots of different ways. But there are many more possibilities! as always, youc an get FREE product! All you gotta do is mention my name or blog ( in the notes to merchant section ) when you checkout at shimmerz, and then bam free product to you! You can try Dimensionz for free :) I used quite a few Shimmerz products on this! They will be listed below of course :) Hope you like my burlap canvas! Hugs!
Shimmerz Store
Tutorial Link
Shimmerz Store
Tutorial Link
Dimensionz in Pearly Gates, Copperhead, Blue Lagoon, Grey Flannel
Shimmerz Spritz in Olive Branch, Pop Art Pink
Texturez in Artichoked


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GLOBUS 2020: Majestic Rockies with the Rocky Mountaineer (CVE)
13 days from Vancouver to Vancouver
The Canadian Rockies-a land of majestic mountain scenery, fascinating wildlife, sparkling glaciers, crystal-clear lakes, and interesting towns. If you want to see breathtaking scenery and jagged mountain peaks, this Canadian Rockies tour is for you. Spend time in Vancouver, Victoria, Whistler, Sun Peaks, Jasper National Park, and Banff National Park. A tour highlight is a train ride on the Rocky Mountaineer, where you'll travel over the Continental Divide, recline in your seat, and watch out the picture windows as you travel through stunning scenery. Other tour highlights include an Ice Explorer ride on the 1,200-foot-thick Columbia Icefield; a stop at gorgeous Lake Louise; and a cruise on Maligne Lake, one of the most picturesque spots in the Canadian Rockies. You'll also enjoy unsurpassed scenery on the drive between Jasper National Park and Banff National Park. Keep an eye out for alpine meadows, waterfalls, massive glaciers, and wildlife. On this Canadian Rockies tour, Globus has included some out-of-the-ordinary adventures to make your vacation unique. After your ferry ride from Vancouver to Victoria, visit Butchart Gardens, where you'll admire the floral displays on 55 acres and enjoy dinner at the original Butchart family residence. Globus has also arranged a special private breakfast at the Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre in Whistler, where you'll learn about the First Nations people. You'll have leisure time in the towns to explore on your own or to participate in optional activities. Sample the cuisine offered in the towns, take a scenic walk, relax, and enjoy peace and quiet while surrounded by awe-inspiring scenery. Words and photos cannot adequately capture the beauty of this area. You must witness it in person, and this tour offers the opportunity to sit back and take it all in while Globus handles all the details.
Call (434) 296-0171 for more information or to book today! Mention code 14885143
- Tour Operator
- Globus
- Offer
- Offer valid through 6/30/2020
- Duration
- 13 Days
- Escorted
- Escorted - Yes
|Day 1
|Welcome to Vancouver, your gateway to the Canadian Rockies! At 6 pm, meet your traveling companions for a welcome drink. Your Tour Director will prepare you for your upcoming adventure.
|Day 2
|This morning, tour Vancouver, including the waterfront, Chinatown, and Stanley Park with its old-growth evergreen forests and totem poles. Catch the BC FERRY over to Vancouver Island and Victoria. Visit world-famous [LF] BUTCHART GARDENS, followed by a special dinner in the original Butchart family residence. See major attractions on your city orientation tour including the Fairmont Empress Hotel, Bastion Square, and Thunderbird Park. (B,D)
|Day 3
|The day is free to explore on your own; your Tour Director suggests an optional marine wildlife and whale-watching trip. Shoppers will love Government Street's elegant shops and Market Square's specialty stores, while history buffs should be sure to visit the Royal British Columbia Museum. (B)
|Day 4
|Today, board a BC FERRY and cross the Strait of Georgia and cruise through the spectacular Gulf Islands, an archipelago known for its Mediterranean-type climate. Stop at SHANNON FALLS, where a boardwalk leads to a viewing platform near the base of the roaring falls. On to the alpine resort of Whistler at the base of breathtaking Blackcomb Mountain. Time to explore the 2010 Winter Olympics' sites. (B)
|Day 5
|Today is free to explore all that Whistler has to offer. You might enjoy a trip on Whistler's Peak2Peak Gondola, connecting Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains. Enjoy spectacular scenery and incredible photo opportunities as you travel via the longest unsupported gondola span in the world. Other options include a walk in the tree tops, a sightseeing excursion by air, shopping in the village, or just relaxing at your resort. (B)
|Day 6
|Sun Peaks
|This morning, enjoy a visit and private breakfast at the [LF] SQUAMISH LIL'WAT CULTURAL CENTRE, dedicated to the history and culture of the First Nations people. Then, journey north through the heart of the magnificent Cariboo region. Spectacular scenery abounds as you pass by rolling hills, deeply incised rivers, and sparkling lakes. Afternoon arrival in Sun Peaks with the balance of the day at leisure. You may take advantage of an optional canoe trip on Lake McGillivray, where, surrounded by beautiful scenery, you learn about Canada's fur trade. (B) NOTE:Operation of the canoe trip is subject to favorable weather conditions.
|Day 7
|Continue north, following Yellowhead Highway and hugging the mighty North Thompson River, into the province of Alberta. See the base of 12,972-foot Mount Robson (the highest point in the Canadian Rockies) before entering JASPER NATIONAL PARK. Marvel at the precipitous gorges, snowcapped summits, and lakes of exquisite blues and greens in this wild mountain wilderness. Before arriving at your hotel, perhaps take an optional float trip down the historic Athabasca River, where your experienced guide will navigate as you absorb the splendor of Jasper National Park. (B,D)
|Day 8
|Enjoy a sightseeing tour to see Jasper's unspoiled beauty. Afterward, travel to glacial Maligne Lake for a narrated CRUISE to Spirit Island. On the return journey, stop to view Maligne Canyon. Balance of the day is at leisure to explore Jasper on your own. (B)
|Day 9
|This morning, travel through Jasper National Park on Icefields Parkway to the 750-foot-thick Columbia Icefield for a thrilling ICE EXPLORER RIDE. Climb Sunwapta Pass to savor stunning vistas of alpine meadows, waterfalls, and massive glaciers, then scale Bow Pass with splendid views of Peyto Lake. Next, stop at Lake Louise, whose green-blue waters form a perfect mirror reflection of Mount Victoria. Continue into BANFF NATIONAL PARK. (B)
|Day 10
|Breakfast this morning is served on top of Sulphur Mountain. Take a scenic ride on the [LF] BANFF GONDOLA to the top of the mountain and then enjoy spectacular views of the valley below as you savor a flavorful meal. Additional sightseeing in Banff includes a visit to Bow Falls. The balance of the day is at leisure. Consider an optional flightseeing trip for a bird's-eye view of the Rockies. This evening, join your Tour Director for a farewell dinner. (B,D)
|Day 11
|This morning, board the ROCKY MOUNTAINEER and travel over the Continental Divide and along the Kicking Horse River. We travel westward to Shushwap Lake with its thousand miles of shoreline and then overnight in Kamloops. Tonight, enjoy free time in Kamloops. (B,L) NOTE:Kamloops properties are considered moderate 2- or 3-star hotels or motor inns. The city does not offer any hotels in the superior category. Your chosen hotel is determined by Rocky Mountaineer: however, you can rest assured that it satisfies our high standards of cleanliness and comfort.
|Day 12
|Back aboard the Rocky Mountaineer, enjoy your amazing journey through the fertile fields of the Thompson Valley and the beautiful Fraser Canyon. Late this afternoon, arrive in Vancouver, where you'll be transferred to your hotel. (B,L)
|Day 13
|Your vacation ends this morning with guests departing on individual schedules. (B)
- Dates/Pricing
- Disclaimer
- US$ Price Details
Gratuities for Tour Director and driver are available for pre-purchase. Any applicable Goods and Service Tax (GST) and/or Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) for Canada are additional. Taxes will be calculated and listed at the time of booking, prior to payment being collected.Pricing is based on SilverLeaf Service on the Rocky Mountaineer. Upgrade to GoldLeaf Service for a supplement of $500 to $520. Please book early, as space is limited.Prices are per person, based on double room occupancy.Single Room Supplement: $1,075 to $1,310Triple Room Reduction per person:$185 to $255Extra Nights per person in Vancouver:May: in single room $250; in twin room $140; in triple room $109June-September: in single room $270; in twin room $150; in triple room $116October: in single room $240; in twin room $135; in triple room $106
Travel Terms & Conditions
The purchase of any travel services offered by Globus, constitutes a contractual arrangement between you (the Traveler) and Globus, and represents your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions. Please ensure that you read carefully and understand the Terms & Conditions prior to booking. These Terms & Conditions cover Deposit & Final Payment information, Air-Inclusive Deposits & Final Payment, Revisions & Revision Fees, Air Arrangements, Participation, Travelers Who Need Special Assistance, Young Travelers, Smoking, Price Policy, Visas and Passports, Hotels & Accommodations, Baggage Allowance, Travel Documents, Not Included in the Land Price, Refunds, Service Inquires After the Vacation, Holidays, Safety, Photos & Pictures, Optional Excursions, and Responsibility.
Important Notes
- Vacation departures, itineraries and prices are subject to change.
- A non-refundable, non-transferable deposit is required for Globus to reserve space for you. View Terms & Conditions for limited exceptions.
- The following charges are not included in the land vacation price unless otherwise noted: airfare to and from the start of your vacation; Intra-vacation air unless specified in the itinerary; airline baggage fees including checked and/or excess baggage fees; Federal inspection fees for the Federal U.S. Customs and Immigrations; International Air Transportation tax; agricultural tax; other per person taxes imposed by government entities; airport taxes and fees including the September 11th Security fee up to $11.20 per person, passenger facility charges up to $18 per person, Federal domestic flight segment fees up to $4.00 per segment, and U.S. and International arrival and departure and other government-imposed added by the airline and applicable at time of booking; port taxes; passports; visas (except on Cuba programs) and vaccinations; tips to your Tour or Cruise Director, Globus Group Leader in Cuba, Local Host, driver, Local Guides, and/or ship's crew; gratuities on ferries, trains, and cruise ships; laundry; telephone; minibar; alcohol, beverages, and food outside of the contracted Globus menu as presented at a hotel or restaurant or onboard your vessel (these extra items will be billed to you before leaving the hotel, ship, or restaurant); airport transfers on non-qualifying flights; optional excursions; additional activities and excursions purchased online; porterage at airports and train stations; Travel Protection; and all other items of a personal nature.
Booking your Vacation with Air
For air departure dates within 331 days, you'll be offered a choice of carriers and flight schedules as well as price points to choose from when selecting your flights. Your schedule will be provided to you at the time of booking (schedules are subject to change by carriers). Globus offers 2 air options: Flex Air and Instant Purchase Air. Flex Air allows flexibility if you want to make changes to your vacation schedule. Instant Purchase Air may offer additional airline options but has more restrictions. Some vacations may only offer one Air type option. Guaranteed air-inclusive prices: air is only available to passengers traveling from the United States and only available when booked in conjunction with a land vacation. An additional $300 per person non-refundable air deposit is required for Flex Air booked in conjunction with any land vacation (i.e. air-inclusive vacation). Air can only be booked by Globus in conjunction with a vacation package. Instant Purchase Air requires air payment in full at time of booking (i.e. air-inclusive vacation) plus non-refundable per person service fee ($30 for North/Central America, $50 for Europe/Middle East and $80 for all other destinations. Once booked, Instant Purchase Air is non-refundable, and non-changeable. Some vacations may only offer one Air type option. However, once your airfare is confirmed and Globus has received your full air and land deposit, your air-inclusive vacation price is guaranteed.
Air-Inclusive Vacations - Applicable Taxes & Fees
Air-inclusive vacations include government-imposed taxes and fees applicable at the time of booking and will be shown as a Total Amount. Additional airline fees for baggage may apply. At the time of booking your air-inclusive vacation online, carrier Websites will be provided to check baggage fees, or you can visit www.iflybags.com for up-to-date baggage pricing/restrictions. For return travel from some countries, international travelers are required to pay entry and/or exit fees at the airport. These fees will be collected by the local government and are payable by the traveler at time of travel. Your confirmation booking information will contain information about these fees.
* The "Starting at" or listed price is based on the lowest price available to book. Price is per passenger based on double occupancy and does not include airfare; additional fees/charges are not included. If a price is crossed out, the new price shown includes a limited time promotional offer(s) - please review current promotions or deals for additional information. Some tours require intra-vacation flights (and in some cases intra-vacation segments must be purchased from Globus).


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Moderator: Moderators - Public
Fr. A.U.N. wrote:Jim, my friend and I would like to order two books from COT directly, in one shipment. Do you have information what are the shipping costs for Croatia?
luvlvx wrote:i wish to make an international order for 776 1/2 (standard edition). What is the best contact email?
Jim Eshelman wrote:We could really use some reviews of 776 1/2 on Amazon. Only one review has appeared and, while we can't complain about the sentiments or rating , more reader opinions would be welcome.
Amazon continues to carry the book, but is slow on ordering. (They just ordered 19 - one case - though they've been out of stock most of the week and the sales ranking shot up this morning implying they had a bunch of orders.) You can still usually get the book much faster if ordering directly from http://www.thelema.org/publications. But, regardless of how you get the book, if you have a copy and have an opinion about it, and have an Amazon account, you can post a review on
http://www.amazon.com/776%C2%BD-Practic ... 970449623/
It would help us, and it would help other people curious about the book.
Thanks in advance.
v0rtex666 wrote:I just posted a review. 5 stars and glowing of course. It should show up in 48 hours.
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Tommy Tweedz - 4:20am [Unsigned Artist]
"Hit single 4:20am off his new mixtape
"HighFlights at Midnight" on datpiff.com(
http://www.datpiff.com/mixtapes-search.php?criteria=TOMMY+TWEEDZ&x=7&y=8 )
www.tommytweedz.com Follow @tommytweedz
instagram/facebook/twitter/youtube/datpiff #F.W.M!!!!!!!!! album coming soon....."
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
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The New Hampshire Library Association (NHLA) is seeking nominations for THREE (3) voting positions on the executive board:
Vice President/President Elect (three year commitment)
Secretary (one year commitment)
Treasurer (two year commitment)
Nominees must be current members of NHLA, and enthusiastic about the organization's mission to promote advocacy, professional development, and communication on a wide range of library-related issues. Serving on the NHLA board is a great way to network with other librarians and to have a positive impact on librarianship outside of your town's library.
If you are interested in one of the positions, or if you know of someone who would be a good candidate for a position, please respond to this e-mail by July 1st. Elections occur in September/October by ballot, and are announced at the NHLA Fall Conference in November. New board members take their position on the board at the December 17, 2013 meeting.
For more information about the duties of the positions or about the executive board, please read the NHLA constitution and bylaws at http://nhlibrarians.org/about/governance/.


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I very much appreciate the comments to my Dec. 13 blog on AdvisorOne. "Mary Schapiro and the Strange Case of Business-Model Neutral", as I do all the comments to all my blogs, and I have to admit that being compared to my hero Dennis Miller (no matter how much of a stretch) is the highlight of my career.
Veteran advisor and industry critic Errol Moody was kind enough to post an excerpt from a speech he gave back in 2006, which is just as relevant today as it was then. He included a quotation from then NASD CEO Mary Schapiro (now SEC chair), which raises another of those red herrings that the financial industry uses to deflect attention away from its anti-consumer practices. Schapiro said:
"I believe very strongly that the people best able to protect investors from mistakes, misunderstandings, deception or outright fraud are the investors themselves—if they are knowledgeable about investing and the markets. I cannot overstate the importance of this…"
With thinking like this, Ms. Schapiro and many, many others place the blame for the sorry state of personal finance in America squarely back on the investing public, as they lament a near-universal lack of "financial literacy." Now, in the immortal words of Dennis Miller, I don't want to get off on a rant here, but what are we talking about?
Sure, people would be better able to make sound financial decisions if they understood the basics of risk and reward, the time value of money, the hidden costs of fees and commissions, the power of compounding, etc. etc. No question. And many advisors I know spend considerable time educating their clients.
But the notion that this rudimentary knowledge—which, like customizing my website's "home page," clearly falls into the category of things most people really don't want to know—is going to somehow protect financial consumers from the conflicting interests and agendas in financial services is patently absurd. They'd have a better chance of sorting out what science really tells us about global warming, I mean, climate change.
Which, of course, is why people need financial advisors in the first place. Unfortunately, not just any advisor will do. As most of you know way better than anyone, it takes years for financial advisors to figure out how the financial services industry really works (and even longer for journalists). Many never do get it—or want to. I came to the conclusion a long time ago that the most important job of a professional financial advisor is to protect his or her clients from the financial services industry.
But most financial consumers will never figure all this out, no matter how "financially literate" they become. Nor should they be expected to. We don't lament the American public's current lack of medical "literacy," legal "literacy" or accounting "literacy." But who can deny that most of us would be a lot better off if we knew more about each of these vital areas? Case in point: I know an otherwise intelligent woman who gets her medical advice from the herbal section clerk at Whole Foods. But I digress.
The point is that we all rely on professionals for advice because we don't have the time—or the inclination—to become experts on the growing number of areas of our lives that require such expertise. Set up a WiFi lately?
What we want is to be able to rely on those professionals to be competent in their area, to stay current, to be ethical and to put our interests ahead of their own or anyone else's. And no amount of "literacy" is going to change that, whether in personal finances or anywhere else.
Here's a crazy thought: maybe the SEC should focus on actually protecting the investing public, rather than telling us to "Watch out; It's a jungle out there." Of course, that's just my opinion; I could be wrong.


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Mel Brooks accepts AFI award
Robert De Niro and Morgan Freeman never worked with Mel Brooks, and the Oscar winners came to a ceremony in his honor to let him know they resent it.
Brooks received the American Film Institute's 41st Life Achievement Award Thursday, and Freeman and De Niro were among a galaxy of stars who paid tribute to the man behind Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, and The Producers.
Martin Short opened the program with a song-and-dance routine set to a medley of melodies from Brooks' films.
"The word genius is used a lot in Hollywood, so I might as well call Mel one," Short said.
Billy Crystal, Amy Poehler, Sarah Silverman, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Cloris Leachman, David Lynch, Larry David, and Carl Reiner also honored the 86-year-old filmmaker at a private dinner at the Dolby Theatre that had the energy of a good-natured roast.
"We are going to miss you so much, Mel," Kimmel said. "You were one of the greats. Rest in peace, my friend."
David blamed Brooks for his idle years as an aspiring comedian.
"Mel Brooks didn't get me into comedy, he kept me away from it," David said, recalling how he was intimidated by Brooks' talent. "I spent years doing nothing because of him."
Woody Allen, Clint Eastwood, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Whoopi Goldberg, and Gene Wilder were among those lauding Brooks via video.
"I don't think there's any man anywhere who's like you," Wilder said. "I love you, Mel."
Silverman and Reiner also pledged their love to Brooks.
"I hail you, king Kaminski," Reiner said, using Brooks' real surname.
Past recipients of the AFI honor include Elizabeth Taylor, Kirk Douglas, Eastwood, Spielberg, Lucas and Martin Scorsese, who presented Brooks with his award.
Scorsese put the Oscar- and Tony-winning talent in the same category as the Marx Brothers, Laurel & Hardy and Abbott & Costello.
"Mel has made his own tradition of greatness, and it's that tradition — drawing from the past, honoring it, toying with it, vamping on it, extending it to places wise men, very funny men previously feared to go – that's what we're celebrating here and honoring tonight," Scorsese said. "Mel has always made his own way, and he brought us all along for the joyride."
Brooks was almost all comedy as he claimed his prize. He directed an expletive at Kimmel, declaring, "I'm not gonna die."
But he dropped the funny stuff to thank the institute for recognizing him and to share his lifelong love of film.
"Movies saved my life," he said. "They rescued my soul. No matter what was bad or wrong, it could be wiped out on Saturday morning."
TNT will broadcast highlights from the ceremony as a TV special on June 15.
Read more:


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Rack Automatic Transfer Switches (AP77XX), specifically the models below ONLY:
There is a probability to permanently damage the Rack ATS if the procedure is not followed.
Required Download Procedure - two options:
1.) Disconnect the secondary input power source and apply power to the ATS through the primary source only during the firmware update. This will remove the redundancy from your loads for approximately five minutes but will not require powering down your attached load.
2.) Remove ALL connected loads to the ATS and apply the firmware update using the instructions below.


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THG Celebrity of the Year: Kristen Stewart!by Hilton Hater at .
We've arrived at #1.
Over the past couple weeks, THG has been counting down the stars that made 2012 such a memorable year, from their sex tapes to their Billboard hits to their nude photos and royal babies.
We ranked Kate Middleton at #4, followed by Taylor Swift and then Rihanna at #2. Who does that leave as our undisputed Celebrity of the Year?
The actress starred in two blockbusters this year: Snow White and the Huntsman and Breaking Dawn Part 2. She also established some indie cred via On the Road.
But let's face it: these roles are not the main reason Stewart made so many headlines in 2012.
Instead, Kristen's most buzzed-about accomplishment (perhaps for the rest of her years) will be her affair with Rupert Sanders, a story made for this tabloid age and made even more unprecedented when Stewart actually came out and admitted to the scandal!
Her statement and public apology to Robert Pattinson may go down as the year's most shocking moment.
This relationship - previously kept under wraps as much as possible by the duo involved - was suddenly front page news. Would they get back together? What, exactly, happened between Stewart and Sanders? How would it affect the Breaking Dawn box office?
In the end, the film fared well and Kristen and Rob appear back together.
Other numbers/facts related to Stewart's big year include:
- She became the face of Balenciaga perfume in June.
- She ranked #7 on AskMen's list of Top 99 Women.
- She earned $34.5 million, more than any actress over the past 12 months.
- She was named one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood.
Without The Twilight Saga, but with Pattinson, what does 2013 hold for Kristen Stewart? Marriage? Pregnancy? Another hit film?
THG will be there every step of the way to find out. Won't you join us?


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4 points to remember while placing in-play bets
10 Sep 2017 03:47 pm, by YorkshireSquare
As you may be aware, in-play or live football betting is the type of betting wherein you place wagers as a football match is already happening. Live bets are pretty much available on almost every permutation in the Premier League and English Football League matches from Leeds United to Chelsea. As in case of the pre-match bets, you can seek help of SBAT predictions for in-play betting too. Let's take you through 4 points you should keep in mind while placing in-play bets on EPL and EFL matches.
Bet little and more often
You should never bet your entire bankroll on a specific outcome. If it doesn't happen, you'd lose everything. This is applicable to both the conventional pre-match as well as the live bets. As normally there are many special offers available on in-play bets, punters often get tempted and throw lots of money on outcomes that seem highly probable. You should never do that. It's always better to bet little amounts, and if you've enough to spare, to spread your bets over multiple possibilities. You might end up winning more that way!
Don't go blindly by the commercials
Online and off-line bookmakers go all out to promote their offers through aggressive commercials that feature well-known celebrities. For instance, Bet365 actively uses Ray Winstone, the popular British actor for their commercials promoting in-play betting. He is a marvellous person and everyone listens to him.
We all love Ray and those ads are excellent too, however, just because a bookmaker is aggressively advertising a 5/1 punt for a certain player to score the next goal, it doesn't automatically mean that it's a best value bet for you. You must use your own knowledge while placing bets and avoid getting influenced by television commercials.
It's the pre-match preparation that matters the most
Reputed team managers like Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola literally spend months and months researching the intentions of their opponent teams, just to be able to strategize accordingly, ensuring wins for their teams.
The same way, you should put in lots of effort into your bets and avoid making random switches while the game is in play. In fact, majority of your investment and time must go into the pre-match bets because that way you'd have had spent ample time on studying different variables. In-play bets on the other hand must serve as the icing on the cake. They must never entirely replace the pre-match bets.
Stay focused on the changes
If you are confident of your pre-match betting decisions and have carried out ample research beforehand, you'd not need to stay constantly glued to the screen. Your knowledge of English Premier League and football overall would allow you to instantly notice any significant changes in the playing style or tactical advantages of any kind. You must step in and place in-play bets only at such times (when there's some change in the usual game pattern); because this is something you couldn't have predicted, but is nevertheless important.


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06 Aug 2015
Tobacco control was not included in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which guided the international community's work on development over the past 15 years. With the shift from the MDGs to sustainable development goals (SDGs) this year, hopes are high that the development community will finally pay attention to tobacco control.
Tobacco control recognises development
Sustainable development brings together three dimensions of development – social, economic and environmental – and so does tobacco control, as outlined in the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Its Objective is "to protect present and future generations from the devastating health, social, environmental and economic consequences of tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke".
Indeed, implementation of the FCTC is included in the proposed SDGs, recognized as one of the ways to achieve healthy lives for all people.
"To see the FCTC included in the proposed SDGs is an incredible achievement, but we need to keep in mind that there are 17 sustainable development goals and the FCTC is only one of the 169 targets," explains Sonja. In other words, with so many objectives, tobacco control might or might not end up on the radar of the development community.
A recently released report by Unfairtobacco.org, the German NGO Forum on Environment and Development, and Bread for the World, a major German development NGO, links the SDGs with implementation of the FCTC.
New report
The report, Tobacco: Antisocial, Unfair, Harmful to the Environment, was developed to highlight the complexity of sustainable development and to alert development organizations, including the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the official German development agency, to the integral part that tobacco control plays in sustainable development strategies.
The authors look at some key development concepts, such as dignity or prosperity, and provide examples of their relationship to tobacco control.
A key recommendation of the report, directed to the German government but also relevant to many other governments, is to support FCTC implementation through development assistance in line with FCTC article 26.3.
Get Involved
- Read the report
- Download a graphic illustrating the report
- Learn more in our campaign, FCTC: Action Now!


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Giveaway: MomsCrafts4U Set of 3 Cloth Pads $15 ARV {8.3; US/Can} CLOSED
Written by NPN Reviewers on July 3rd, 2011
Ecological Responsibility, Green Living, Natural Parenting Products, Reviews and Giveaways
This giveaway is now closed. Stay tuned for the winner announcement. Thank you to all who entered.
This is a joint giveaway with The Artful Mama and Natural Parents Network. You may enter at one site only. Please find the section marked "Win it!" for the mandatory main entry and optional bonus entries.
After deciding to cloth diaper my son, I began to think about cloth for myself. I have always had issues find the right absorbency or have had discomfort or irritation if I needed to use disposable products for an extended period of time. I was most uncomfortable during my last trimester of pregnancy when I was using pads to catch the little accidents that women are sometimes blessed with.
I began my search for a new solution to replace my daily liners and discovered cloth pads. The ones from MomsCrafts4U were great! They are as breathable as your regular underwear and are absorbent enough to pull moisture in and away from your body. The upper is made from cotton fabric and has an absorbent core and fleece backing to prevent leaks. The pads come with wings that are secured by snaps.
I wear these pads as every day liners and as back-up protection when I am using a menstrual cup. I am quite happy with them as I can wear them for eight hours without them feeling bunchy, hot or wet. The liners are thin enough that I can fit three into my wetbag for the day and change as necessary. They are made from cotton so they do not retain a smell. I wash them with my regular diaper load and tumble dry them. They wash up well with only minimal fabric wrinkling.
When the pads are soiled I can toss them into my diaper pail if I am at home, or I can fold them into themselves and snap them up to avoid creating a mess in my wetbag if I am out. If you are concerned about stains you can use a wet pail method by keeping them in a small closed container in your bathroom until you are ready to wash them, otherwise putting them in a small wetbag or diaper pail works. I plan to continue using mama cloth even after my son is done with diapers, so I will use a small hanging wetbag to store my used pads in between washing.
For my body type and use the liner pads work well, but if I were a larger woman I would need a different size. Size 1 is the liner style pad and is 8″ long. Size 2 is 10″ long but has added ZORB fabric in the core. There is a third option for Heavy/PostPartum, it is 14″ long and contains the same cotton upper and fleece backing with the ZORB material and added PUL for extra wetness protection. The Size 2 and Heavy/PostPartum have snaps in two positions to adjust to most women. Each of the pads are labeled with a small tag on the wing to differentiate the size.
You can purchase your own cloth mama pads at MomsCrafts4U's Etsy store, she sells mama cloth, wetbags, nursing pads, keychains and fleece socks. Coupon code: FREEDOMOFCLOTH is good for 10% off any purchase in the store until July 10th. MomsCrafts4U has an array of various fabrics for their cloth pads.
For your own chance to win three, 8″ cloth mama pads from MomsCrafts4U, enter in the comments below! The winner can select any three 8″ cloth mama pads from in stock fabrics from MomsCrafts4U. Contest is open to the United States and Canadian mailing addresses only.
MAIN ENTRY: Visit MomsCrafts4U's Etsy Store and tell us which product interests you most!
Leave a valid email address in at least one of your comments so we can contact you if you win. You can write them like this to foil spambots: mail {at} naturalparentsnetwork {dot} com.
This is a joint giveaway with The Artful Mama and Natural Parents Network. You may enter at one site only, and we'll be recording IP addresses to ensure that there are no duplicate entries. That said, please do visit and enjoy both sites!
BONUS ENTRIES: after completing the mandatory entry above to increase your chance of winning (leave a separate comment for each so we can count them all):
- Follow MomsCrafts4U in Google Friend Connect (leave your GFC name).
- Subscribe to The Artful Mama blog in a reader or by email (1 entry for each).
- Subscribe to Natural Parents Network in a reader or by email (1 entry for each).
- Leave a relevant comment on a non-giveaway article from The Freedom of Cloth Carnival and tell us which post (comment on separate posts for up to 3 entries total).
- Leave a relevant comment on a non-giveaway article at Natural Parents Network and tell us which post (comment on separate posts for up to 3 entries total).
- Like MomsCrafts4U on Facebook.
- Like The ArtsyMama on Facebook.
- Like Natural Parents Network on Facebook.
- Post this giveaway on your Facebook page or wall and leave the link (1 entry). You can use this status update: Enter to win a set of three 8″ Cloth Pads by MomsCrafts4U from @The_ArtsyMama and @Natural Parents Network. Contest ends August 3 and is open to US/CAN shipping addresses.
Be sure to attach the contest URL to your update! (http://naturalparentsnetwork.com/giveaway-momscrafts4u/)
- Follow @The_ArtsyMama on Twitter and leave your Twitter name in the comment.
- Follow @NatParNet on Twitter and leave your Twitter name in the comment.
- Follow @MomsCrafts4U on Twitter and leave your Twitter name in the comment.
- Tweet about this giveaway (up to 5 times total, at least 24 hours apart). You can tweet this text: #Win three 8″ Cloth Pads by @MomsCrafts4U from @The_ArtsyMama & @NatParNet! #giveaway #FreedomofCloth http://bit.ly/mmp9cE {8.3, US/CAN}
- Enter another of the giveaways on Natural Parents Network (1 extra entry per giveaway — check back for more).
- Put The Freedom of Cloth Carnival badge on your website. The HTML code is on the bottom of the page at the link. Leave your site URL in the comment.
- Put The ArtsyMama badge on your website or add http://theartfulmama.com/ to your text blogroll for 2 extra entries each. The HTML code is in the right sidebar of The Artful Mama. Leave your site URL in the comment.
- Put the Natural Parents Network badge on your website or add http://NaturalParentsNetwork.com to your text blogroll for 2 extra entries each. The HTML code for the badge is on the right sidebar. Leave your site URL in the comment.
- Contest open to U.S. and Canadian mailing addresses.
- Contestants may enter at either The Artful Mama or Natural Parents Network but not both. Entries will be combined for the drawing of a single winner.
- Leave each entry as a separate comment so we can count them all.
- For actions like following and subscribing, if you already follow or subscribe, just let us know in your comment.
- For tasks that garner you multiple entries, you can copy and paste the comment with a #1, #2, etc.
- You don't have to do any of the bonus entries, but you do have to complete the first mandatory one.
- We will pick the winner through Random.org after the contest closes and send an email notification. Leave a valid email address as you comment so we can contact you if you win. If we can't reach a winner or don't hear back within a couple days, we'll draw a new name.
- Any questions, let our giveaway coordinator know: ShannonR {at} NaturalParentsNetwork {dot} com
Contest closes August 3 at 11:59 p.m. PST.
at a discounted price. MomsCrafts4U will provide a set of three 8″ Cloth Pads for the winner.
We try to seek out only products we think you would find
relevant and useful to your life as a natural parent.
If we don't like a product, we won't be recommending it to you.
See our full disclosure policy here.
Ecological Responsibility, Green Living, Natural Parenting Products, Reviews and Giveaways


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Ed Boyle and Jim Tucker were appointed Joint Administrators of Arcadian Estates Ltd – in Administration (the 'Company') on 17 December 2014.
Please refer to this site to access reports issued.
If you have amounts due to you from the Company as at the date of appointment, you can register a claim by completing a proof of debt form.
Please send your completed proof of debt form, together with supporting documentation, by email to the case contact or by post to:
Arcadian Estates Ltd – in AdministrationC/o KPMG LLP15 Canada SquareLondon E14 5GL
Supporting documentation for your claim includes invoices, statements of account, proofs of delivery, contracts or any other relevant information.
Edward George Boyle and James Robert Tucker are authorised to act as insolvency practitioners by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales.We are bound by the Insolvency Code of Ethics.The Officeholder(s) are Data Controllers of personal data as defined by the Data Protection Act 2018. Personal data will be kept secure and processed only for matters relating to the appointment. Please refer to our Privacy Policy for further information.


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WBUR News
Support the news
Zohydro Maker Developing Abuse-Deterrent Painkiller
The San Diego company that makes the powerful new prescription painkiller Zohydro is selling off its migraine therapy business to focus on developing abuse-resistant forms of Zohydro.
Zogenix Chief Executive Officer Roger Hawley said the sale will help the company focus on the launch of Zohydro ER while providing capital "to continue the development of two abuse-deterrent formulations" of the opioid.
The company announced in November it would pursue an abuse-deterrent form of the drug.
Health officials around the country worry addicts will crush Zohydro capsules and then snort or inject the drug to get high.
Citing such worries, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick tried to ban the drug, but a federal court blocked the state from enforcing the ban. Patrick has since announced new restrictions on the drug.
Support the news


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Crisp. Crunchy. Chewy. Creamy. The possibilities are endless. You'll never think of salad the same way again. Tossgreen takes healthy to a new level by offering fresh and sustainable made-to-order salads and burritos.
Simple instruction signage guides the ordering process. The toughest part is deciding if you're hungry for a burrito (or tortilla-less burrito bowl) or salad.
Salads begin with a leafy green base: iceberg, romaine, mixed greens or spinach. I opted for half-spinach and half-mixed greens. For $5.99, you select five toppings. There are more than 50 vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, "crunch" items and various cheeses. Want more than five? Pony up 49 cents each. I enjoy a mingling of flavors and textures, so my creation included hearts of palm, artichoke hearts, crisp pita chips, julienned carrots, sun-dried tomatoes, chickpeas and herb-roasted chicken, which was moist and flavorful.
Tossgreen also offers items you may not typically find on the average bed of lettuce, like jicama (a crunchy, slightly sweet root), red grapes, wasabi peas, toasted coconut, goat cheese and white cheddar.
Adding proteins is only 99 cents to $1.99. Options include herb-roasted chicken, steak, roasted shrimp, roasted tofu, bacon, boiled eggs and avocado — we know, it's a fruit — but it has about 7 grams of protein.
Ingredients are placed in a large bowl with your choice of salad dressing, then tossed and chopped, ensuring an even distribution of dressing. With 18 choices, there's something for the pickiest diner, including ones with food allergies (dairy, gluten, oil). There's even a simple lime or lemon squeeze, which adds a surprising amount of flavor and minimal calories.
I sampled the carrot ginger, but found it too sweet and opted for the lemon shallot vinaigrette. A bit bland; I wouldn't order it again. I made a mental note to try the chipotle ancho vinaigrette.
Feeling uninspired? Order a chef-designed salad. Prices vary, but these concoctions are complete with protein, dressing and mix-ins.
For those craving a burrito, select a base of regular or wheat tortilla or bowl. It's soon copiously filled with brown or white rice, warm fajita-style veggies and black or pinto beans. Again, proteins are extra. There are several sauces that can be added, plus cheese and sour cream.
Tossgreen's emphasis on sustainable green practices is evident everywhere. Some of the locally sourced items, along with their sources, are handwritten on a chalkboard. Everything is recyclable or compostable, down to the bowls and plastic drinking cups. Chicken and steak are all-natural.
Offering four flavors of frozen yogurt and assorted mix-ins, Tossgreen wraps up your made-to-order meal with a healthful and tasty dessert.
Awesome job, Caron! Great review. I don't get over to the Southside much but I'll have an alternative to Bento the next time I am over that way. Is this location a new building or did they take over a closed restaurant? It reminds me of that sushi place "How you roll" or whatever. Wednesday, January 30, 2013|Report this
I love tossgreen. Adam it is right between Jason's Deli and Pottery Works. :) Thursday, January 31, 2013|Report this


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Great deals on flights to Rotterdam
Find our lowest prices for flights to Rotterdam The Hague Airport with British Airways.
Find our lowest prices for flights to Rotterdam The Hague Airport with British Airways.
Rotterdam's city centre has acted as a laboratory for every architectural style since 1945. Without the postcard-pretty canals of its great rival Amsterdam, the city is known for modern avant-garde developments such as its Cubus Houses' boxes on stilts or the spike-towered post-modernist Blaaktoren, both in the Old Harbour.
This clean, modern look fits with Rotterdam's local reputation for being unpretentious. Europe's busiest port, it's said to be more hardworking than Amsterdam and less snooty than The Hague. Rotterdam's Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum is one of Holland's top three old master collections, while the architecture of its Kunsthal contemporary art gallery, designed by local boy Rem Koolhaas, is a sight in its own right. Its River Maas waterfront and seemingly endless docks (accessible by ferry) are on a scale not found elsewhere in Holland. And despite wartime bombardment, Western Rotterdam still has older corners, notably in the bar-filled Oude Westen neighbourhood and around the small 17th century port at Delfshaven.
Find a British Airways flight for less, we'll refund the difference.
Fly with British Airways and enjoy award-winning service, excellent value for money and no hidden charges:


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TheRealObiOne wrote: »Paper zombie meta in arena = completely acceptable
Paper zombie to help beat a raid that is crushing guilds souls because its not fun at all = NERF
I'm not sure any of you understand what's the problem in here. The thing is not about Isolate on raid boss but about the combination of it with Assaj's lead and Acolyte unique and basic. All of that combine make her go to 100% health, lose it all because of bonds of weakness, gain it all on a second heal and lose it all again. Which make her gain 50% TM two times so that she's in a loop.
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Julie Brooks necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 106 diseños de 32 diseñadores freelance.
eCape, Inc. is the parent company of WeddingsonCapeCod.com, (WOCC) ,one of the 5 Cape Cod, MA- based sites on which we sell advertising. We have over 200 advertisers on WOCC.
This site is geared toward one group only - brides who want to get married in the scenic seaside destination of Cape Cod, MA.
So the look must be pretty, lovely, perfect - you get it. I have looked through well over 100 bridal sites and blogs to get ideas so be glad you don't have to!
The logo I like the best is the one for brideandbloom, which is attached. I like the typography, especially the flourish in the &.
Maybe the "on" in WeddingsonCapeCod.com could be fancy. The WOCC logo needs to say WeddingsonCapeCod.com, also combined with the tag line Everything for planning your perfect Cape Cod Wedding.
Color: see the purplish-blue color of the site right now--we want to keep that. It's the color of hydrangeas, a flower which is popular to use in weddings on Cape Cod
additional elements: see weddingwire.com --see how the logo has a faded graphic background of stylized flowers--I'd like something like that but using a seaside motif--waves or seashells (scallops, not clams), or starfish, or hydrangeas. No fish, birds, or crustaceans. .
I also need a version of this logo which looks exactly the same but for gayweddingsoncapecod.com
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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The world is growing together: the Swiss architect Erich Diserens, who is former Associate of Herzog & De Meuron founded together with the young Chinese architect Xi Zhang EXH Design, their Shanghai-based architecture practice and manufacturing company, in 2006. Since then they built up a beautiful collection of furniture and are working on several architectural projects.
Their geometric table 'Wove' is made of wood with glossy lacquer (top) and steel (base) and can be used as a conference or dining table. The big version is formally composed of two bases and an according top.


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Jabs about how we can't stop checking our phones are incredibly common, but that doesn't stop comedian Louis C.K. from having some hilarious, if not sad insight as to why we do it. Hint: it's not because we're happy and fulfilled.
Put that way, it's easy to see, as Louis C.K. points out on Conan, why we'd do things like put our own lives in danger by texting and driving—being alone is hard, man! We don't want to deal with that stuff if we can avoid it at all times, which is exactly what cell phones let us do. But, if we're willing to brave it? Maybe, just maybe, we'll find something there. Or at least, Louis C.K. does.


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Winter Wedding Ideas
By Angela Blue
Bridal Guide
We love the intimate magic of winter weddings: the off-white gown, the sparkling centerpieces, perhaps a beautiful blanket of snow to line your way down the aisle. Among the popular color schemes for winter weddings, one of our favorites is all white. While a pristine, elegant and purely bridal scheme this is, it can be difficult to master for fear of the ceremony space or reception hall being too stark or boring. Here are some ideas borrowed from past winter celebrations that showcase the all white wedding in a polished and chic way. After all, it's a nice day for a white wedding (according to Billy Idol).
Ceremony Decor