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About eight months ago I had a turning point in my life. Instead of hiding from and burying my fears – a trait I'd gotten very good at over the years – I began to learn to face them head on. In addition to therapy and medication, I recently discovered two more things I want and need to do to take better care of myself – the first is getting regular exercise and the second is attending a 12-step program (for friends and families of problem drinkers).
Knowing that exercise would be beneficial to both my physical and mental health, I decided to start the Couch to 5k program – walking/running sessions of 20 to 30 minutes three times a week, which allow you to work up to running a 5K at the end of two months. (I figure if I write about it I'll be more likely to follow through with it, accountability and all that.)
I should stop here to say I am not a runner. I've never been very fond of running and recall dreading having to run "the mile" in gym class my freshman year of high school. I developed a pretty nasty case of shin splints (probably from running in Keds, but c'est la vie). However, recently I've been inspired by several of my friends, also in their 30s, who have taken up running. Heather and Nicole both just ran their first 5k – The Race for the Cure. Alison has also taken up running. Julie recently confessed her "drug" of choice in dealing with depression – exercise – and she ran a half marathon this past weekend. Then there's Sonja my triathlete friend who's ran, biked and swam in more races than I can count.
While running isn't something I usually enjoy, I want to give this a try, a real try.
I did my first session early Sunday morning – a five minute brisk walk followed by alternating between running for 60 seconds and walking for 90 seconds for 20 minutes. The weather was about perfect, sunny and warm, but not too warm, and it felt good to get out of the house alone, doing something good for myself. It wasn't easy, but it wasn't impossible.
As I ran my thoughts wandered to the 12-step meeting I recently attended. I thought about the parallels between running and recovery – both my recovery from Generalized Anxiety Disorder and my recovery of being an adult child of a dysfunctional family and the relationships I've had with addicts over the years. Both running and recovery require patience. Both running and recovery require perseverance. Both running and recovery can be overwhelming at times, but you have to focus on one day at a time, one run at a time, even if it's just for 60 seconds.
I did my second running session on Wednesday morning. It was the complete opposite of Sunday, rainy and cold. I wore my jacket with the hood up and gloves on to keep my hands warm. I stayed pretty toasty except for my legs, which froze. (I've since learned of base layer tights which I am going to have to buy, especially if I'm going to be running through the winter.) My glasses were covered in rain drops and fogged up as my body temperature rose. There were lots of fallen wet leaves and branches on my path. Again, it made me think about my road to recovery. Some days the sun is shining and the path is clear and everything seems right on target and other days there are clouds and fog, it's cold and the obstacles on my path make it easy to lose my footing.
Whether I am running or working on bettering myself mentally and emotionally, the challenges will always be there. It's not always easy. It's often hard work. I can't prepare for every obstacle, but I can learn to let go of my desire to control everything. I can go with the flow. I can do my best.
When I'm running, I try to concentrate only on getting through that particular 60 seconds of running. I don't think about running a 5k in a few months. I don't think about running for 10 minutes at a time or even 5 minutes at a time. I do my best to stay in the moment and focus on those 60 seconds. (It reminds me a lot of labor and giving birth actually.) Just like in my life, I can't wonder what the future will hold, but I can live in the now.
There's a daily meditation that's part of the 12-step programs that begins "Just for today I will try to live through this day only, and not tackle all my problems at once. I can do something for twelve hours that would appall me if I felt that I had to keep it up for a lifetime." I've been thinking about that a lot lately (and in the past it would seem) and it really sums it all up for me. Yes, I want to be able to run a 5k someday, but just for today I will focus on getting through those 60 second intervals at a time. Yes, I want to be healthy emotionally and mentally someday and perhaps not need therapy or medication, but just for today I will stay present and do my best. Slow and steady wins the race.
Other women who have done or are working on the Couch to 5k (C25k):
- Heather – Pittsburgh Mom
- Charmaè – All My Bites
- Brandi – Ramblings of a Tired Mama has completed the C25K a few times in the past, most recently about three years ago.
- McMama's Musings finished the C25K with a charity race a few weeks ago.
- Jessica – Let's Get Fit
- Joyful Abode
- Jennette – Pasta Queen
- McKenna – The Mom Crowd
- If you've completed the C25k or are working on it, please leave me your URL in the comments. 🙂
Cross-posted on BlogHer
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Buttercream Cake Decorating: Game of Thrones Cupcakes
Spring gives some people a burning desire to clean things. I have never suffered that particular affliction. But every spring I seem to find myself newly obsessed, OCD style, with some specific aspect of food. One year it was a burning fascination with making homemade biscotti. I went through dozens of recipes and then once I totally understood the form, I started making up my own. Another spring it was scones. Batch after batch of exotic flavors came through my stove and into the patient palate of my husband.
This year, it appears my Spring obsession is cake decorating. This seems quirky and a bit old fashioned. Like something out of the 1950s where I put on my frilly apron and wow my friends with a spectacularly decorated cake. I think it came with my child though. It started at my son's first birthday when I realized that every year there would be this big event--his birthday--that would occasion cakes. The first year they were monkey cupcakes. This year I realized that as a two-year-old he would actually be old enough and aware enough to be interested in his cake, and excited about what it looked like. So I got really super freaking crazy and made a three dimensional Thomas the Train cake. It was moderately successful, but lets just say that it ended with an accidental beheading of Thomas, and the realization that I might just not be innately God's gift to cake decorating. I might have to work at it. I might have to learn something.
So off I went, in search of cake decorating classes. So far I've only had two quick classes, but I've got plans to take more. And recently I had a chance for my Spring obsession in food to meet my 2011 obsession in books: Game of Thrones Cupcakes.
This is probably where I should confess, up front, to being a total utter geek. I love all manner of truly geeky books. I am not someone at a cocktail party who professes only to like deeply esoteric French literature. I am someone who lights up for a discussion of old school Asimov. And right now, I am deeply obsessed with the Game of Thrones series. My husband and I read all the available books out loud to each other. They are well written with meaty characters and a political power struggle theme that all together is just a joy to read. So I was thrilled when the series was developed for television on HBO. Our family's geekery has met up with other families and we've agreed to get together for weekly viewing parties.
It so happened that this all coincided with a recent buttercream frosting cake decorating class. The result was inevitable: Game of Thrones cupcakes inspired by the sigils of the various houses.
The full pan: Lannister lions, Stark Direwolf, Greyjoy Kraken and more. (Right) A special cupcake with a unicorn sigil. There is a house with a unicorn sigil in the book, but mostly I made this for a little girl who loves unicorns.
My fierce Stark Direwolf is neither fierce nor terribly recognizable as a wolf.
This wolf thing is harder than I thought it would be.
In my head I would render a fierce and stoic Lannister lion. In reality it is too cute and cuddly.
The white rose of Highgarden turned out well enough (rosette really).
But Sincere apologies to Riverrun; a leaping trout on a field of blue and red seemed easy enough until I tried to do it.
Sorry Targaryans, no three headed dragon for you. Like the unicorn, the dragon was more inspired by a certain little boy who loves dragons and who will be in attendance tonight. That said, the dragon was not terribly difficult to make. It helps that wings plus fire makes a blob of icing look decently dragon-like.

subset: commoncrawl


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It's been over twenty-six years since a young ambitious director/producer named Robert Townsend would not take no for an answer, and broke the first rule of independent filmmaking: don't use your own money. Even before Mr. Rodriguez was crowned a rebel without a crew, it was Mr. Townsend who blazed brave new avenues in getting his movie made by any means necessary. And it is in that spirit, the indomitable spirit of the artistic vision that the credo of "filmmaking by any means necessary" persists even today, in projects like the Better Half film project.
The Internet Movie Database offers this piece of trivia for Hollywood Shuffle:
Producer/director/star Robert Townsend put US$40,000 of the film's US$100,000 budget on ten personal credit cards, and obtained free film stock by splicing together leftovers from the production of Odd Jobs and Ratboy, in which he had appeared. The 17 days of shooting were spread over two years, since he had to tour as a stand-up comedian whenever he could not afford to continue production.
"Actually the similarities are kind of startling," answered filmmaker Michelle Clay when we pointed that IMDB blurb out to her. "We are shooting on the Canon 7D, so we are not spending our weekends rounding up short ends. The challenge for us is always trying to round up a decent array of lenses. My credit was already maxed out when I started this project, so it's now a question of how many gigs and how many hours I can hustle up week to week. My goal is a 21-day shoot, filming 3 days a month for the rest of the year. So far, we're on schedule, but it gets tougher with each new set of shooting days."
Much like Mr. Townsend, in the mid 80s, and for that matter, many indie filmmakers today, writer/director Michelle Clay is not exactly connected in the film industry. Despite her two decades as a professional editor, folks who have the ear of legit producers and studio execs is still a very small group. She is part of a growing wave of content creators of web series and internet programming who are taking creative matters in their own hands.
"I wish I had forty grand all at once," Clay opines, laughing loudly. "We could knock this puppy out in two weeks easy! As it is, we have to nibble at it, bit by bit and shoot when I raise the cash."
Unlike the 20th century filmmaking, digital technology has give filmmakers and digital media artists lighter, faster, cheaper tools to tell their stories, eliminating the need for giant crews, 3 ton trucks filled with lights or even the post production cost of film developing. Better Half films with a skeleton crew of three – camera, make-up and sound. "On a good day we have a volunteer PA or someone to pull focus. But it's never a good idea to depend too heavily on the kindness of strangers, nor the indulgence of friends and family."
Mr. Townsend may not have known it at the time, but the project that he put on credit cards would be the springboard for a whole generation of young Black talent. Hollywood Shuffle was conceived as a satire illuminating stereotypes of African Americans in film and television. How could he have know he was helping to launch the career of Keenan Ivory Wayans and the entire Wayans clan. Michelle Clay is well aware of what an indie film that does well on the festival circuit can do for an actor's career. It's one of the reasons she's making this film, to make every one of these talented actors – a Star!
Better Half stars Jaimie Fauth (I Do, Rubdown) and Grant Landry (The Cavanaughs, Real Heroes) as Leo & Tony, a couple who adopt a baby, even though only one of them is sure he wants kids. This indie drama is the first leading role for both Fauth and Landry; an opportunity for each that Clay thinks is seriously overdue.
"The film is not even out yet and based on a few clips we've posted, I've already been accused of casting based on good looks. Can I just say right now; I'm tough. Dozens of really great actors auditioned for me. Dozens. I cast the leads in this film based on one thing: Chemistry. These guys are good."
Both Fauth and Landry signed on to do the film, knowing it would take a year to complete. Both actors cited the strength of the material as their reason for making the lengthy and unorthodox commitment.
"The scenes that I love the most just feel so honest and real and I think would resonate with anyone," Fauth answered. "The message of the movie is not like 'oh, it's so hard being gay.' It's more like 'oh, it's so hard being alive!' and the two characters just happen to be gay. The film is not about that."
Landry commented with, "I just formed a connection with the piece and with the amazing writer and director, Michelle Clay, who really made me believe in this story and this project and I've been working with it ever since."
The closest thing Hollywood saw to crowdfunding in the mid 1980s, was that dude who stood outside the Paramount Pictures lot on Melrose, with a sign asking for funding, one employee at a time (remember that?). But in the 21st century, thanks to crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter, artists now have the unprecedented ability to connect with their audience, the people who feel a connection with their work, even if they have never met before. Michelle Clay is hoping you are looking for a project like Better Half. "In lots of ways, filmmaking has gotten easier. But the fundraising, that will always be hard."
BETTER HALF is currently running its latest crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter and needs your support to keep going.
Visit their campaign listing and consider helping out.


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Australia's prime minister today urged the nation to cool off its hottest fad — planking — in the wake of a fatal plunge from a seventh-story balcony.
Planking is the act of lying facedown as stiff as a plank, toes pointed down and hands at the sides, in as unusual a place as possible and posting a photo of it on a social website. Plankers' venues have included fire hydrants, toilets, train tracks and even a police car (which got the planker arrested). Both Australia and Great Britain take credit for originating it, with the BBC saying it started as "the lying-down game" in Somerset in 2000.
Facebook has two planking pages, with one having more than 142,000 likes and new photos coming in almost every minute and the other not far behind.
It turned tragic on Sunday, however, when a 20-year-old man planking on a seventh-story balcony in Brisbane plunged to his death.
According to The Guardian, Prime Minister Julia Gillard urged plankers to consider the safety implications. "There's a difference between a harmless bit of fun done somewhere that's really safe and taking a risk with your life," she said.


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Buildertrend: Helping home builders with reliable, responsive software
About Buildertrend
Buildertrend develops cloud-based software and mobile apps for construction professionals, with tools for managing pre-sales, projects, customers, and financials. Founded in 2006, the Omaha, Nebraska-based company currently has more than 300 employees. Buildertrend has some 500,000 users in 40+ countries.
Frustrated by frequently slow performance, Buildertrend switched from a shared cloud infrastructure to Google Cloud Platform. The company now delivers faster, more reliable performance to customers.
Google Cloud Platform Results
- Experiences faster, more reliable performance, providing customers with record low response times
- Frees up time and money that would have been spent handling performance issues
- Saves money with committed-use and sustained-use discounts
Superb Uptime and fast speed for customers
At any given time, Buildertrend cloud-based software and mobile apps help construction professionals build about 65,000 residences in the United States. Its software played a role in the construction of nearly 13% of American homes last year.
Buildertrend is also growing rapidly. It's now available in more than 40 countries. The company is entering new verticals and revenue areas and achieving a 50% user increase year over year, with traffic on its system growing even faster.
Builders, general contractors, subcontractors, and specialty contractors rely on Buildertrend's software in real time to automatically clock employees' time spent on site, upload videos and images taken at a construction site, provide easy access to PDFs and other construction-related documents, and enable contractors to check completed items off checklists. Many of those tasks are interdependent. General contractors need correct information on subcontractors' time spent on site, for instance, in order to invoice accurately.
So, if the Buildertrend system slows or goes down, the whole chain breaks. "Anything that stops our apps from working right away affects not just us but our 500,000 users, too," says Thor Johnson, Senior Systems Engineer at Buildertrend.
"With Google Cloud Platform, our team is better able to keep up with the business demands of our infrastructure. We can look ahead at what technologies we can get into, as opposed to spending time reacting to issues that weren't our fault."—Phil Brammer, Senior Database Administrator, Buildertrend
Buildertrend has run its IT entirely in the cloud since its founding in 2006. Until earlier this year, its database-driven tools were hosted on a public cloud infrastructure as a managed service. But with the company's rapid user growth, along with the need to continually develop its platform and service offerings to fuel expansion, the shared infrastructure wasn't able to keep up. "We couldn't get the processing power we needed, nor the RAM to get the performance we needed. A lot of times we weren't even getting the overall performance we should have gotten from our systems," says Thor.
Buildertrend was looking to improve IT performance and eliminate problems that could arise from a server migration or maintenance performed by its hosting provider—or issues that might come up from another one of the provider's customers taking up too many CPU resources. "Adding an extra second or two across the board to all our service load times and application request times just wasn't something we were willing to accept," says Jeff Dugger, a Buildertrend Cofounder. "When you have customers trying to capture information at multiple jobsites per day with a mobile device, a one-second delay per request could add up to a lot of lost time and money for them. That's really at the heart of why we wanted to make sure we were fast."
As the contract with its hosting provider was set to expire, Buildertrend engineers and IT architects investigated their options. After evaluating numerous cloud platform service providers, they chose Google Cloud Platform for its performance, monitoring and metrics, transparency regarding outages, scalability, and ease in building new features and tools for customers.
"With Google Cloud Platform, our team is better able to keep up with the business demands of our infrastructure," says Phil Brammer, Senior Database Administrator at Buildertrend. "We can look ahead at what technologies we can get into, as opposed to spending time reacting to issues that weren't our fault."
"We couldn't get anything to compete with the performance of Google Compute Engine. The storage performance alone just blew everyone out of the water."—Phil Brammer, Senior Database Administrator, Buildertrend
Migration with only 6 minutes downtime
The team at Buildertrend ran performance tests on every cloud platform it considered and documented the results. To be safe, the team ran the tests a second time, to make sure the performance results were correct. And they performed the tests on local hardware, for comparison sake.
"We couldn't get anything to compete with the performance of Google Compute Engine," says Phil. "The storage performance alone just blew everyone out of the water." Backups ran so fast that "we actually hit our storage throughput limitations on Google Compute Engine," he adds. "It's nothing I've ever seen, hitting the top limit on disc throughput performance."
With Google Cloud Platform, the performance and easy user interface made it attractive for the company to do a lift-and-shift migration from its shared infrastructure provider to Google, "because we were going from virtual machines to virtual machines," says Phil.
Buildertrend's database management system contained about 79 million files at the time, including about 30 terabytes of image files. Nonetheless, the migration to Google Cloud Platform ran quickly and smoothly. The team built its own infrastructure of 32 virtual servers from scratch using the Google infrastructure. Buildertrend tested everything, migrated all the files, and switched over in one night, experiencing only about six minutes of downtime.
Committed to customer needs
The migration was completed in March 2017. Since then, "we've spent a lot less time and money chasing performance issues," says Rich Kalasky, Application Development Architect. "It's hard to put an exact number on it, but everything has been running much smoother."
The infrastructure transparency supported by Google Cloud Platform is a big benefit for the Buildertrend IT team. "We're always able to see if there's an issue, and what the issue is, so we can be proactive with it," says Thor. "Those insights have been huge for us."
"We haven't stood up separate copies of our application in different parts of the world yet, but it's on our roadmap. It's comforting to know that when we do, the underlying infrastructure won't be a bottleneck for that growth."—Jeff Dugger, Cofounder, Buildertrend
"Our uptime has been superb since we moved to Google Cloud Platform," adds Thor. "I can sleep at night, knowing we're running on it." The Buildertrend team feels comfortable knowing it has an infrastructure in place to support international growth. "We haven't stood up separate copies of our application in different parts of the world yet, but it's on our roadmap," says Jeff. "It's comforting to know that when we do, the underlying infrastructure won't be a bottleneck for that growth."
The security in Google Cloud Platform provides Buildertrend with further peace of mind. The company is PCI-compliant, though it isn't required to be because it doesn't store any customer credit card data. Nonetheless, third-party companies have audited the company's PCI-compliance because of the payment types that flow through its servers.
"With Google Cloud Platform, our customers are experiencing record low response times," Jeff says. As a result, the company can offer even more favorable Service Level Agreements to customers, which wasn't possible before.
Smart, cost-effective growth
Buildertrend uses Google BigQuery for analytics of its billing data. "It's so easy with cloud providers to spin up and start spending money on unnecessary resources," says Phil. "Google BigQuery enables us to look at the finer details of where we're spending our money and to trim that over time as needed."
Google support has been another benefit for Buildertrend. "Our collaboration with Google far surpasses anything we've had with other providers," says Thor. "We have a Google engineer available to us who we can talk to if we have a problem or if we're looking at doing something new. We're getting the benefit of a large cloud provider, but we also have the high-touch support we'd get from a smaller, local provider."
Buildertrend relies on Google Stackdriver for uptime and other monitoring. There are plans to leverage Google Stackdriver for operations monitoring to receive green/yellow/red light status of services and processes the company is using. The hope is to extend Google Stackdriver use into service level monitoring as well, so Buildertrend can measure its system performance.
By taking advantage of committed-use and sustained-use discounts from Google, Buildertrend also saves costs. At the same time, the company participates in beta programs for Google solutions, which helps its IT team prepare for new features before they go into production.
On its road map, Buildertrend is investigating Google Cloud Spanner for its database as well as running Windows containers via Google Kubernetes Engine.
Ultimately, the performance, reliability, security, monitoring, metrics, and transparency on system issues enables Buildertrend to focus on using Google Cloud Platform to meet customer needs, scalability, and future growth. Equally important, the company's busy IT team is freed up to explore new customer features to continue driving revenues. "It's nice to be in that position," says Phil. "Google Cloud Platform lets us cost-effectively scale to meet current service demands and quickly scale to take advantage of new opportunities."
About Buildertrend
Buildertrend develops cloud-based software and mobile apps for construction professionals, with tools for managing pre-sales, projects, customers, and financials. Founded in 2006, the Omaha, Nebraska-based company currently has more than 300 employees. Buildertrend has some 500,000 users in 40+ countries.


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Facing 9.1% unemployment, Iowa county helps itself
- Iowa county woos fertilizer plant to boost local economy
- Lee County fended off competing offers from other communities
- Plant will create as many as 3%2C500 construction jobs
WEVER, IOWA — Before last fall's announcement that this unincorporated town would be the site of a $1.4 billion fertilizer plant, good news was hard to come by here.
The last time Lee County residents had been so upbeat was "so long ago I can't remember," says Phil Hecht, a member of the county Economic Development Board.
The county unemployment rate was 9.1% in December, highest in the state. Manufacturing jobs have been leaving the area for years. The population fell from 44,207 in 1960 to 35,621 in 2011.
The state landed the fertilizer plant by the "skin of our teeth" against tough competition, Gov. Terry Branstad said when he made the announcement. Officials are counting on the project to revive the local economy.
"From a morale standpoint, this was incredibly important," says Dave Schwarz, chairman of the Lee County Economic Development Group's board.
Fending off competing offers from Illinois and other Iowa communities took a concerted, community-wide effort that required intense negotiations, creative thinking and persistence, says Larry Kruse, a member of the county Board of Supervisors during the process.
"We knew we needed this," he says. "We were ready to do whatever it took."
Steve Bisenius, executive director of the Lee County Economic Development Group, says the plant will employ at least 165 workers. Supporting employers, such as trucking and maintenance companies, could create 700 more permanent jobs.
There will be as many as 3,500 construction jobs, a prospect that's creating a rush to find housing for the people who will fill the jobs. Officials hope the project will help attract other industries.
"We're already getting nibbles," Kruse says.
"This project means investments, it means some form of notoriety for the area and it means jobs," says Mike Norris of the Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission.
Iowa Fertilizer, a subsidiary of Egypt's Orascom Construction Industries, plans to begin work next month on the natural gas-based plant, which will produce nitrogen fertilizer. It also will produce diesel exhaust fluid, which is used to reduce emissions in Diesel engines.
The plant should be completed by mid-2015.
Because most fertilizer used by U.S. farmers is imported, the Iowa Farm Bureau estimates that the availability of locally produced fertilizer will save the state's farmers $740 million a year.
Dozens of elected officials, economic development specialists and residents of Wever and the nearby towns of Fort Madison and Burlington worked to win the plant.
"The partnership and the teamwork were most important," Norris says.
Nobody maneuvered to take credit for making the deal work and there was no competition among the towns, says Daniel Fraise, a real estate broker who helped arrange the sale of the 310-acre site and a member of Fort Madison Economic Development.
"Everyone will really benefit from this," he says.
Merchants will have more customers and governments will collect more taxes to help hire more police and teachers, he says.
The deal included some incentives for Iowa Fertilizer. It will get investment tax credits and funding from Iowa Finance Authority bonds. The company will pay Lee County more than $16 million in lieu of 20 years of property taxes.
Some area residents objected to the project because of concerns about environmental safety, but the Iowa Department of Natural Resources signed off on the plant's air quality plans.
Brian Messer, president of Farmers Savings Bank in Wever, says some people in the village "don't like change," but he's sure the project will "help us all."
Fort Madison Mayor Brad Randolph says the collaboration is part of Midwest living.
"People here are more than willing to help their fellow men and women. That's been here for generations — the willingness to help somebody else," he says. "Make them better, and it makes you better."
Fraise says the community-wide effort to lure the fertilizer plant is the beginning of better times for this area because other companies will want to call southeast Iowa home, too.
"It's like that field of dreams," he says. "You build it, and they'll come."


text:
Dividend Clerk is very similar to another occupation for which we have
a full profile.
Check out our full profile for:
Brokerage Clerks
Perform clerical duties involving the purchase or sale of securities. Duties include writing orders for stock purchases and sales, computing transfer taxes, verifying stock transactions, accepting and delivering securities, tracking stock price fluctuations, computing equity, distributing dividends, and keeping records of daily transactions and holdings.
Account Administrator
Assistant, Broker
Assistant, Portfolio
Client Administrator
Client Service Associate
Coupon Clerk
Dividend Clerk
Information Clerk Brokerage
Margin Analyst
Margin Clerk
Operations Clerk
OTC Clerk (Over the Counter Clerk)
Quotation Checker
Quotation Clerk
Registered Account Administrator
Registered Sales Assistant
Sales Assistant
Securities Clerk
Stock Clerk
Telephone Quotation Clerk
Transfer Clerk


text:
There are many misconceptions surrounding what exactly Representational State Transfer (REST) is. The prime of which is the concept of hypermedia, or defined in full context, Hypermedia as the engine of application state (HATEOAS).
Jargon aside, hypermedia is actually a valuable idea that many self-touted "RESTful" web APIs do not adhere to. Read more


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Layered Summer Berry Pavlova
"Happy New Year to you all! May 2014 be your best year on this large gassy planet that is hurling it's way through space Let's start the year off with this triple decker pavlova that mated with a fruit shop."
Berries Cherry Desserts Gluten Free Jamie Oliver Pavlova Raspberry Summer
Layered Summer Berry Pavlova
Happy New Year to you all!
May 2014 be your best year on this large gassy planet that is hurling it's way through space
Let's start the year off with this triple decker pavlova that mated with a fruit shop.
I made a double decker version for Christmas Day, and it was well received by everyone. Sure it didn't beat my Santa pavlova from 2012 in terms of appearance (which I still need to blog), but it was the perfect way to end possibly our most pleasant Christmas ever.
I had liked the look of the double decker pavlova, and I had used a different recipe to the one I previously blogged, and found this one to be more stable. With plenty of eggs still in my fridge, I decided to
try overachieve with a triple decker one, with the inclusion of my new obsession; fresh mint. Trust me on this one, the fresh mint is awesome, and Thanh who was sitting next to me when we ate it, remarked how much he liked the fresh mint. It just really works well with the berries, cream and meringue.
I made this for a belated Christmas celebration with my flogging family; Thanh, Ms I-Hua & The Boy, Agnes & Al, Kat & family, graciously hosted by April & the Foodtrail family. She even got out her best silverware for us 😉
I hadn't shared a photo with the gang before hand so when I pulled it out of the fridge when dessert o'clock hit, there was a lot of "oooooo!" and "ahhhhh!" and "that is the prettiest pavlova ever!". There may also have been a "this is going to get sooo many likes on instragram" said by king of instagram; Toddy 😛
I felt all warm and fuzzy inside at this point. Then April's hubby Laik turned to me and said "That's a really good pavlova, I don't normally like pavlova, but that's a really good pavlova". In fact, he actually said that a few times, to everyone around the table 😛 … so yeah, it's a good recipe!
Double or triple decker, either way. Just make sure you load up the layers in between with their fair share of fruit, and definitely trust me with the fresh mint.
- 6 large free-range egg whites
- 300g caster sugar
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 600ml thickened cream
- 2 tablespoons caster sugar
- A selection of berries and cherries
- 3 sprigs, fresh mint
- Preheat the oven to 130°C fan-forced. Put your egg whites into a clean bowl and whisk them at a medium speed until they start to form nice firm peaks.
- With your mixer still running, gradually add the sugar and a pinch of salt. Turn the mixer up to the highest setting and whisk for 7-8 minutes more until the meringue is white, glossy and smooth. If it feels grainy, whisk for a little bit longer, being careful not to let the meringue collapse.
- Line three baking trays with baking paper. Divide the meringue mixture evenly between them and shape each blob into a circle about 20cm in diameter.
- Put all trays into the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Rotate the top and bottom trays and bake for another 15 minutes. Rotate the top and bottom trays once more and bake for a further 10 minutes until the meringues look slightly golden and are fluffy in the middle.
- Whip the cream with the sugar until it forms soft peaks. Spoon a third of the cream mixture on top of one of the meringue and smooth it out. Sprinkle a third of your berries evenly around the cream mixture and top with some torn mint leaves. Place the other meringue on top and press down gently to stick them together. Spread a third of the cream mixture on top and sprinkle with a third of the berries and a little more torn mint leaves. Place the final meringue on top, pressing down lightly to gently stick them together. Spread the remaining cream mixture over the top layer and sprinkle the remaining berries on top. Scatter over a few small mint leaves and enjoy!
- If you wish to crystallise some cherries: Combine one extra-large egg white (at room temperature) with a few drops of water and beat lightly until the white shows a few bubbles.
- Dip the cherries in the frothed egg white mixture and shake excess off. Roll in caster sugar. When dry, you can coat again in caster sugar if required.
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19 comments on "Layered Summer Berry Pavlova"
Loved this pavlova. Very delicious. I must pimp up my pav next time too.
Now that's how to make a pavlova!!!
Happy New Year to you Shellie!
such a simple pav recipe! i gotta try it, though my oven will never fit 3 trays to make this – i know what a tragedy. HAPPY NEW YAER SHELLIEEEEEEEEE! Looking forward to what your kitchen will bring for us this year 😀
Ok so I am def making this! I used NQN's mini pav recipe for the pavs I've made and found that to be dead easy. Shall try this one too. You cant beat a pav for being minimal effort and showstopping results. The white is a blank canvas for colourful fruit.
Really love the mint idea too. Its one of those 'of COURSE! Why didnt *I* think of that" things 😉
Happy new year and I cant wait to see what you post throughout 2014 😀
Thanks Esz! I'm so glad that you like the recipe! xxx
Absolutely gorgeous pav Shellie! I saw it on twitter and thought that it was so pretty! 😀
So superbly pretty, beautiful and amazing and tasted soooooooo good!!!
G'day Happy New year Shellie! Your photo looks GORGEOUS, true!
I have to admit, I have never made a pav, but your photo inspired me to do!
Cheers! Joanne
This looks so good!! Shellie, can I have a pocket sized version of you to make my food look pretty? 😉
What a glorious dessert, Shellie. I. want. some. (okay, honestly, I'd like it all)
Happy New Year!
Shellie – you never cease to impress – the whole post is just lovely, clean and beautiful, and I'm having some serious prop envy! Definitely trying the mint idea – I use it with berries by themselves but as a garnish and a hit of flavour with the sweetness of the meringue, it makes a great idea even better – here's to 2014!
Beautiful pav, Shellie!! I love all the different colours of the fruits against the white cream and meringue.
Happy new year!
This is the most beautiful pav I've ever seen!!! Not usually a fan of pav but tempted to make. And I've got exactly 6 egg whites sitting in my fridge. I think I know what I'm making next.
Stunning. Just stunning!!! Happy New Year lovely
I'll have to wait till summer with this recipe. But I'll make it one day. I just need all the fruits
SOOOOOOOOO pwetty your pav with LOADS of fruit and not just cream hahahahaha a naked pav like we know 😛
Ricky is still bugging me about making him one…..will do it soon I guess since he bought me 1.5 dozen of eggs again lol
Surely that's not you overachieving, that's you being normal.
(And it was the prettiest pavlova ever!)
I love this pavlova, Shellie! It's absolutely stunning! Gorgeous photography and styling!
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Shellie Froidevaux
All content on this site by Shellie Froidevaux, otherwise known as Iron Chef Shellie. Her skills include food styling in her kitchen studio, lifestyle and travel photography across Australia, restaurant photography on location, styling and shooting social media for her clients, recipe development with love and photography workshops for people with discerning tastes :)
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All images and content on this site are protected by copyright. Written permission is required from the author if you wish to use any material anywhere on this website. Please be nice, please respect my creative work and hard work.
© 2015 Shellie Froidevaux.


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Ferrari once maintained that to carry the Prancing Horse, a road car must also carry twelve cylinders. Less a stickler, the owner of today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe 1964 330 GT 2+2 says eight is enough.
In 1936, King Edward
the Inbred VIII abdicated the British throne so he could marry American Wallace and Gromit Wallis Simpson. That was a pretty bold move and, in contrast to yesterday's Jensen Interceptor that put a big Yank inside a Brit, it was obvious that Eddie wanted to put a little Brit inside an American. Badda-bing! What's also funny is that a fully 64% of you wouldn't have minded getting screwed too, in case that Jensen turned out to cost a whole lot more than its $3,500 asking price.
Wallis, bloody hell!
Thirty-five hundred is almost chump change – although that being said I haven't met too many chumps carrying around that kind of cheddar. Still, anything that you could potentially put on a credit card is within the realm of possibilities. Multiply that by ten however, and opinions change. In that kind of pricing stratosphere the car better be pretty special, and today's contender being a Ferrari establishes itself as special right off the bat.
However, batty is what you might think when you pop the rosso-painted bonnet and find not Gioacchino Colombo's glorious 3,967-cc V12 but something that's more typically described in terms of cubic inches. That's right, this 1964 four headlight 330 GT 2+2 has at some point in its life lost its mittens - it being a naughty kitten - and it seems along with those has gone the V12. Described as a
travesty before God 'barn find' it's been partially restored and now has the Heartbeat of America under its hood. The SBC may be as welcome a discovery here as an SBD would be in a crowded elevator, but lacking the original motor, what's a MacGyver to do? The 350 cid Chevy V8 does weigh in at over a litre more in displacement than the 330's original twelve, and unlike that lie that women tell about size not mattering, there's truthiness in the maxim about there being no substitute for cubic inches.
Alternatively, the guy who did this could just be a big dick.
The 330 GT 2+2 was Ferrari's grand touring car of the mid to late sixties, and as such it sported four seats and Luxury appointments wrapped in what could be generously described as one of Pininfarina's lesser efforts. The car itself is also generous, sitting on a 104.2-inch wheelbase and tipping the scales (with the alloy V12) at 3,189-lbs. A total quantity of 1,137 were built, in two versions, the first with the questionable four lamp set up, and a second with a smoother, sloping hood two-light clip. The chassis, while similar to the other 330 models, is actually unique to the 2+2, although the engine – a derivation of the 400 Superamerica's 4-litre mill – was shared across all the 330 models.
Not that it matters here.
The 330 came with a five speed stick and three pedals down where your feet do the work, but adding automatic to injury, this one has some sort of THM350 three speed. Gears are selected through a mullet-worthy shifter mounted on a bare aluminum tunnel. As a matter of fact, the whole floor is as bare as is Olivia Munn, and the seller claims that all it needs is carpet to fix that! He also doesn't want bids by anyone who has to get the okay of their wife or mom, indicating that either (a.) he's very serious about making this sale and has no time for poseurs, or (b.) he's a big dick.
Other issues are the lack of bumpers - replaced with thin nerf bars - and, well, did I mention that this thing has a Chevy motor? To its credit, it is painted an appropriate shade of red and it looks like it sits on a nice set of Borrani 90-spoke rims. Other than that, you could make some noise at the local Italian car show or Dairy Queen parking lot -save for opening the hood that is.
Now, 330 GT 2+2s are not the most desirable of Ferrari models- hell pretty much anything with a Prancing Horse and 4 seats gets a pass from interested parties as long as there's two-seaters to be had. Here, this seller is asking $39,995 to take on his
shame project in process. That's not a huge lump of cash for something with a Ferrari badge branded on its ass, but then this car has what's known as transvestite's syndrome, causing it to come across as something it's not. And no matter how far you tuck in its junk, every time you open that aluminum hood - expecting that Olivia Munn V12 goodness, you'll be greeted by the automotive equivalent of a big, fat dick.
But, maybe that works for you, perhaps what pisses you off about Ferraris is the number of carbs the engines have, or the 12 quarts of oil they require at each change. And maybe you look to the Gods and exclaim why, oh why can't I have an engine in my Ferrari that doesn't require metric bolts?! This would be your car.
And, then the question must be asked, is that $39,995 asking price also desirable? Or, is that a price that makes you think this seller is just a big dick?
You decide!
eBay or go here if the ad disappears. H/T to Party-vi for the hookup!
Help me out with NPOCP. Click here to send a me a tip, and remember to include your commenter handle.


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The facts are still coming in. All we know is what the media is reporting: a newborn is dead, a 14 year-old girl has been charged with first-degree murder, and a grand jury indictment means she will be tried as an adult.
According to a news release from the local sheriff's office, on Sept. 19, 2012, Cassidy Goodson went into labor in the bathroom of her family's mobile home in Lakeland, Florida. To hide her cries of pain, she placed a towel in her mouth and ran the water in the faucet. She used a pair of scissors to pry the nine and a half pound baby out of her womb and into the toilet, where she squeezed its neck until it stopped moving. Then she cleaned up the bathroom, showered with the dead baby, and placed the infant's body in a shoebox along with her soiled clothes and towels.
Three days later, after smelling a strong odor coming from Cassidy's room, her mother found the deceased newborn and placed a frantic call to the police. Upon questioning by homicide detectives, Cassidy confessed to choking the baby to stop him from breathing because she "didn't know what to do with it." Autopsy results have confirmed that the cause of death was asphyxia from strangulation and blunt force trauma. The ninth-grader is now being held at the county juvenile detention facility and ultimately could be sentenced to life in prison.
Of course, we've been down this road before. A teenage girl hides her pregnancy, gives birth in secret, and puts the infant in a trash bag or dumpster. The baby is discovered – sometimes alive, but more often than not, dead. The public responds with anger and disgust. The girl reports paralyzing fear and intense shame – for having sex, getting pregnant, not knowing what to do, and abandoning or smothering her own baby. The criminal justice system steps in, extracts a conviction, and imposes punishment – typically including a prison sentence.
In this instance, Cassidy Goodson, only 5'3" and 100 pounds, concealed her pregnancy with baggy clothing. Although family members suspected she might be pregnant, she produced home pregnancy tests that were negative. Some blame her mother for the infant's death, claiming that Teresa Goodson was "in denial." Others blame the girl, stunned by her seeming cruelty. "It's repulsive and it makes us all sick to our stomach," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd has publicly stated. He has also told journalists, "Her son was still connected to her by the umbilical cord when she choked him to death. I just can't get over that."
We are left with two central questions: how do we prevent these situations, and once they occur, how do we deal with them?
The answer on the front end seems easy, but in reality it is not. Although teen pregnancy has been on a long-term decline in the United States since the late 1950s, the teen birth rate remains one of the highest among industrialized countries. In 2010, more than 365,000 American teenagers bore children, with the highest rates for African-Americans and Latinas. Meanwhile, our government funds $50 million annually for the promotion of sexual abstinence outside of marriage and our schools teach about abstinence more frequently than methods of contraception – despite the lack of evidence that abstinence-only education is effective. Further, although most teens receive formal instruction about the prevention of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV, roughly nine million new STIs occur annually among U.S. teens and young adults, with particularly high rates of gonorrhea and chlamydia.
As for what happens after a mother has committed infanticide (the killing of a child under a year old) or neonaticide (the killing of a newborn), the legal history is revealing. In 17th century England, single women found to have concealed the death of their infants were criminally prosecuted for murder and punished by death. By the late 18th century, acquittals for these crimes increased, and by the late 19th century, prosecutions decreased.
In 1922, England passed the Infanticide Act, amended in 1938, providing that a woman who killed her child would be prosecuted for the lesser crime of manslaughter. Since that time, the majority of women charged under the Act have been presumed to be acting under postpartum hormonal imbalance or a dissociative state; most receive psychological counseling and community service instead of prison sentences. More than 20 countries, including Greece, India, Italy, Korea, New Zealand, and Turkey, follow this approach.
In the United States, however, not much has changed in the past 400 years. The media sensationalizes the crime, and the public responds with alarm. The legal system shames and punishes the mother, and the cycle continues. Infant safe haven laws have been enacted in many states as an incentive for mothers in crisis to relinquish their babies to designated locations, but pregnant teens are poorly positioned to take advantage of these programs. If we are to reconsider how we respond to these acts, we must take steps to understand the causes of infanticide and deal with its complexity.
It may be too late to change the ultimate outcome for Cassidy Goodson, but thousands of other young girls are currently hiding their pregnancies in our neighborhoods and communities. They feel panicked, confused, and alone.
They are children having children, and we must help them.


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Norway Freezes $33.2M Transfer to Brazil's Amazon Fund Amid Deforestation 'Surge'
By Sue Branford and Thais Borges
Ola Elvestrun, Norway's environment minister, announced Thursday that it is freezing its contributions to the Amazon Fund, and will no longer be transferring €300 million ($33.2 million) to Brazil. In a press release, the Norwegian embassy in Brazil stated:
Given the present circumstances, Norway does not have either the legal or the technical basis for making its annual contribution to the Amazon Fund.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro reacted with sarcasm to Norway's decision, which had been widely expected. After an official event, he commented: "Isn't Norway the country that kills whales at the North Pole? Doesn't it also produce oil? It has no basis for telling us what to do. It should give the money to Angela Merkel [the German Chancellor] to reforest Germany."
According to its website, the Amazon Fund is a "REDD+ mechanism created to raise donations for non-reimbursable investments in efforts to prevent, monitor and combat deforestation, as well as to promote the preservation and sustainable use in the Brazilian Amazon." The bulk of funding comes from Norway and Germany.
The annual transfer of funds from developed world donors to the Amazon Fund depends on a report from the Fund's technical committee. This committee meets after the National Institute of Space Research, which gathers official Amazon deforestation data, publishes its annual report with the definitive figures for deforestation in the previous year.
But this year the Amazon Fund's technical committee, along with its steering committee, COFA, were abolished by the Bolsonaro government on 11 April as part of a sweeping move to dissolve some 600 bodies, most of which had NGO involvement. The Bolsonaro government views NGO work in Brazil as a conspiracy to undermine Brazil's sovereignty.
The Brazilian government then demanded far-reaching changes in the way the fund is managed, as documented in a previous article. As a result, the Amazon Fund's technical committee has been unable to meet; Norway says it therefore cannot continue making donations without a favorable report from the committee.
Archer Daniels Midland soy silos in Mato Grosso along the BR-163 highway, where Amazon rainforest has largely been replaced by soy destined for the EU, UK, China and other international markets.
Thaís Borges.
An Uncertain Future
The Amazon Fund was announced during the 2007 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali, during a period when environmentalists were alarmed at the rocketing rate of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. It was created as a way of encouraging Brazil to continue bringing down the rate of forest conversion to pastures and croplands.
Government agencies, such as IBAMA, Brazil's environmental agency, and NGOs shared Amazon Fund donations. IBAMA used the money primarily to enforce deforestation laws, while the NGOs oversaw projects to support sustainable communities and livelihoods in the Amazon.
There has been some controversy as to whether the Fund has actually achieved its goals: in the three years before the deal, the rate of deforestation fell dramatically but, after money from the Fund started pouring into the Amazon, the rate remained fairly stationary until 2014, when it began to rise once again. But, in general, the international donors have been pleased with the Fund's performance, and until the Bolsonaro government came to office, the program was expected to continue indefinitely.
Norway has been the main donor (94 percent) to the Amazon Fund, followed by Germany (5 percent), and Brazil's state-owned oil company, Petrobrás (1 percent). Over the past 11 years, the Norwegians have made, by far, the biggest contribution: R$3.2 billion ($855 million) out of the total of R$3.4 billion ($903 million).
Up till now the Fund has approved 103 projects, with the dispersal of R$1.8 billion ($478 million). These projects will not be affected by Norway's funding freeze because the donors have already provided the funding and the Brazilian Development Bank is contractually obliged to disburse the money until the end of the projects. But there are another 54 projects, currently being analyzed, whose future is far less secure.
One of the projects left stranded by the dissolution of the Fund's committees is Projeto Frutificar, which should be a three-year project, with a budget of R$29 million ($7.3 million), for the production of açai and cacao by 1,000 small-scale farmers in the states of Amapá and Pará. The project was drawn up by the Brazilian NGO IPAM (Institute of Environmental research in Amazonia).
Paulo Moutinho, an IPAM researcher, told Globo newspaper: "Our program was ready to go when the [Brazilian] government asked for changes in the Fund. It's now stuck in the BNDES. Without funding from Norway, we don't know what will happen to it."
Norway is not the only European nation to be reconsidering the way it funds environmental projects in Brazil. Germany has many environmental projects in the Latin American country, apart from its small contribution to the Amazon Fund, and is deeply concerned about the way the rate of deforestation has been soaring this year.
The German environment ministry told Mongabay that its minister, Svenja Schulze, had decided to put financial support for forest and biodiversity projects in Brazil on hold, with €35 million ($39 million) for various projects now frozen.
The ministry explained why: "The Brazilian government's policy in the Amazon raises doubts whether a consistent reduction in deforestation rates is still being pursued. Only when clarity is restored, can project collaboration be continued."
Bauxite mines in Paragominas, Brazil. The Bolsonaro administration is urging new laws that would allow large-scale mining within Brazil's indigenous reserves.
Hydro / Halvor Molland / Flickr
Alternative Amazon Funding
Although there will certainly be disruption in the short-term as a result of the paralysis in the Amazon Fund, the governors of Brazil's Amazon states, which rely on international funding for their environmental projects, are already scrambling to create alternative channels.
In a press release issued yesterday Helder Barbalho, the governor of Pará, the state with the highest number of projects financed by the Fund, said that he will do all he can to maintain and increase his state partnership with Norway.
Barbalho had announced earlier that his state would be receiving €12.5 million ($11.1 million) to run deforestation monitoring centers in five regions of Pará. Barbalho said: "The state governments' monitoring systems are recording a high level of deforestation in Pará, as in the other Amazon states. The money will be made available to those who want to help [the Pará government reduce deforestation] without this being seen as international intervention."
Amazonas state has funding partnerships with Germany and is negotiating deals with France. "I am talking with countries, mainly European, that are interested in investing in projects in the Amazon," said Amazonas governor Wilson Miranda Lima. "It is important to look at Amazônia, not only from the point of view of conservation, but also — and this is even more important — from the point of view of its citizens. It's impossible to preserve Amazônia if its inhabitants are poor."
Signing of the EU-Mercusor Latin American trading agreement earlier this year. The pact still needs to be ratified.
Council of Hemispheric Affairs
Looming International Difficulties
The Bolsonaro government's perceived reluctance to take effective measures to curb deforestation may in the longer-term lead to a far more serious problem than the paralysis of the Amazon Fund.
In June, the European Union and Mercosur, the South American trade bloc, reached an agreement to create the largest trading bloc in the world. If all goes ahead as planned, the pact would account for a quarter of the world's economy, involving 780 million people, and remove import tariffs on 90 percent of the goods traded between the two blocs. The Brazilian government has predicted that the deal will lead to an increase of almost $100 billion in Brazilian exports, particularly agricultural products, by 2035.
But the huge surge this year in Amazon deforestation is leading some European countries to think twice about ratifying the deal. In an interview with Mongabay, the German environment ministry made it very clear that Germany is very worried about events in the Amazon: "We are deeply concerned given the pace of destruction in Brazil … The Amazon Forest is vital for the atmospheric circulation and considered as one of the tipping points of the climate system."
The ministry stated that, for the trade deal to go ahead, Brazil must carry out its commitment under the Paris Climate agreement to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 43 percent below the 2005 level by 2030. The German environment ministry said: If the trade deal is to go ahead, "It is necessary that Brazil is effectively implementing its climate change objectives adopted under the [Paris] Agreement. It is precisely this commitment that is expressly confirmed in the text of the EU-Mercosur Free Trade Agreement."
Blairo Maggi, Brazil agriculture minister under the Temer administration, and a major shareholder in Amaggi, the largest Brazilian-owned commodities trading company, has said very little in public since Bolsonaro came to power; he's been "in a voluntary retreat," as he puts it. But Maggi is so concerned about the damage Bolsonaro's off the cuff remarks and policies are doing to international relationships he decided to speak out earlier this week.
Former Brazil Agriculture Minister Blairo Maggi, who has broken a self-imposed silence to criticize the Bolsonaro government, saying that its rhetoric and policies could threaten Brazil's international commodities trade.
Senado Federal / Visualhunt / CC BY
Maggi, a ruralista who strongly supports agribusiness, told the newspaper, Valor Econômico, that, even if the European Union doesn't get to the point of tearing up a deal that has taken 20 years to negotiate, there could be long delays. "These environmental confusions could create a situation in which the EU says that Brazil isn't sticking to the rules." Maggi speculated. "France doesn't want the deal and perhaps it is taking advantage of the situation to tear it up. Or the deal could take much longer to ratify — three, five years."
Such a delay could have severe repercussions for Brazil's struggling economy which relies heavily on its commodities trade with the EU. Analysists say that Bolsonaro's fears over such an outcome could be one reason for his recently announced October meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, another key trading partner.
Maggi is worried about another, even more alarming, potential consequence of Bolsonaro's failure to stem illegal deforestation — Brazil could be hit by a boycott by its foreign customers. "I don't buy this idea that the world needs Brazil … We are only a player and, worse still, replaceable." Maggi warns, "As an exporter, I'm telling you: things are getting very difficult. Brazil has been saying for years that it is possible to produce and preserve, but with this [Bolsonaro administration] rhetoric, we are going back to square one … We could find markets closed to us."
Reposted with permission from our media associate Mongabay.
- Brazil's New President Could Spell Catastrophe for the Amazon ... ›
- Amazon Deforestation Increase Prompts Germany to Cut $39.5M in ... ›
EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
By Derrick Z. Jackson
As much as hurricanes Katrina and Maria upended African American and Latinx families, the landfall of the coronavirus brings a gale of another order. This Category 5 of infectious disease packs the power to level communities already battered from environmental, economic, and health injustice. If response and relief efforts fail to adequately factor in existing disparities, the current pandemic threatens a knockout punch to the American Dream.
'We Need People's Bailout, Not Polluters' Bailout': Climate Groups Move to Preempt Big Oil Giveaway Amid Pandemic
By Andrea Germanos
A coalition of climate organizations strongly criticized President Donald Trump's in-person Friday meeting with the chief executives of some of the biggest fossil fuel companies in the world, saying the industry that fueled climate disaster must not be allowed to profiteer from government giveaways by getting bailout funds or preferred treatment during the coronavirus pandemic.
By SaVanna Shoemaker, MS, RDN, LD
An Important Note
No supplement, diet, or lifestyle modification — aside from social distancing and practicing proper hygiene — can protect you from developing COVID-19.
The strategies outlined below may boost your immune health, but they don't protect specifically against COVID-19.
A Conservationist's Guide to "Tiger King": Keep Wildlife in the Wild
By Zak Smith
It is pretty amazing that in this moment when the COVID-19 outbreak has much of the country holed up in their homes binging Netflix, the most watched show in America over the last few weeks has been focused on wildlife trade — which scientists believe is the source of the COVID-19 pandemic. Make no mistake: Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness is about wildlife trade and other aspects of wildlife exploitation, just as surely as the appearance of Ebola, SARS, MERS, avian flu and probably COVID-19 in humans is a result of wildlife exploitation. As a conservationist, this is one of the things I've been thinking about while watching Tiger King. Here are five more:
Why Wear Face Masks in Public? Here's What the Research Shows
By Hector Chapa
With the coronavirus pandemic quickly spreading, U.S. health officials have changed their advice on face masks and now recommend people wear cloth masks in public areas where social distancing can be difficult, such as grocery stores.
But can these masks be effective?


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Chesterfield, Massachusetts
|This article is a stub. Help us to expand it by contributing your knowledge. For county and town page guidelines, visit U.S. County Page Content Suggestions.
Chesterfield is a town in Massachusetts. It was formed in 1762 and was previously called (New Hingham Plantation). It can be found in Hampshire county and is a part of the Northampton registry of deed district. For more information, contact the county at 422 Main St., Chesterfield 01012. On the attached map, Chesterfield is shown as 6 in Hampshire county.
For information about the state of Massachusetts see Massachusetts Family History Research.


text: There's nothing quite like events in England. Where else can you take a dip in a hot tub after dancing the night away at a masquerade ball, sing along with rock stars while dressed as an octopus and catch up with famous writers and chefs in a glorious seaside setting. Film, food, music, comedy, street art, theatre, literature, vintage lifestyle and even worm charming are all checked off at English events and festivals. Want to keep it traditional? England invented the social season and the summer calendar of events in the UK is peppered with opera in gardens and major sporting fixtures including horse racing and rowing.


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I am working on a project where I want to convert all the mdb files in a folder to xls files in C# or VB.
Here user will select folder and then all the mdb files in that folder should get converted to excel files having same name.
Also mdb file can contain many no. of tables and and I want each table in mdb file must be converted to different sheet having same name as that of table.
Please help me with some piece of code.


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Glass Eye Studio Green Sea Globe - Large - 6" diameter
Sea Globes from the Glass Eye Studio are made from recycled glass and contain a selection of beautiful non-endangered seashells. Give the globe a gentle shake and you'll have a whole new beach to explore!
Availability: In Stock
Price: $64.00


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Welcome to the "My PENTAX" site.
This site is dedicated to PENTAX and RICOH camera owners. It has been created to offer you the opportunity to keep up to date with latest developments, track of your products and to share your images with other Pentax and Ricoh users. Simply create a "My Pentax" community account, to receive a large range of benefits, such as;
- A newsletter to update you on new PENTAX and RICOH products, and more about the world of photography
- Opportunity to register your products for personal access and management. You will also receive information relevant to your purchase/s such as new firmware updates, accessories, lenses, warranty matters etc.,
- Access to our public photo gallery where you can share your photos with others
- NEW Explore the full capabilities of your camera and improve your knowledge thanks to our technical modules included into the "MyAcademy" section
So, jump in and register now!


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The government began shutting down for the first time in 17 years, as lawmakers were unable to reach an agreement late Monday night after an intense budget fight over changes to President Obama's health care law.
At 8:45 p.m. on Monday, the House voted 228-201 in favor of a third version of a short-term extension of government funding that was linked to a one-year delay in certain aspects of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, a measure that Obama has threatened to veto. About an hour later, the Senate rejected the most recent plan on a 54-46 vote, sending it back to the House.
The U.S. dollar and shares in Asian and European equity markets remained mostly steady on Tuesday, despite concerns that a shutdown would mean that 800,000 federal workers would be furloughed and more than a million others would be asked to work without pay, threatening the nation's economic growth.
In a speech at the White House late Monday afternoon, Obama said, "Should Congress choose to shut the people's government down" it would "throw a wrench into the gears of our economy."
Calling the House's actions "the height of irresponsibility," Obama said that "one faction of one party in one House of Congress in one branch of government doesn't get to shut down the entire government to refight the results of the last election."
Referring to Obamacare, of which the open enrollment process begins Tuesday, the president pointed out that "an important part of the Affordable Care Act takes effect tomorrow, regardless of what Congress does today—you can't shut it down." While Obama promised that he would be "willing to work with anyone to make the Affordable Care Act work better," he nevertheless argued that "you don't get to extract a ransom for doing your job or because there's a law you don't like."
The S&P 500 closed down by roughly 0.6%, to 1,682, on Monday, while gold prices slipped 0.5%, to $1,332 per ounce. Last week, the S&P hit 1,692, a trading level that's just 2% off its all-time highs. And current political concerns prompted market strategist Bob Doll of Nuveen Asset management to say the government is close to shutting down its nonessential operations.
"If we don't let this pass soon, we could have looked at the high for the S&P 500 at 1,729," Doll said on CNBC early Monday. "I don't want to say that yet. But there's enough noise around this, and the debt ceiling is still in front of us, the market won't like it."
"Growth wasn't strong enough. Inflation wasn't strong enough. Underneath the surface, I think [Fed Chairman Ben] Bernanke was saying, 'I smell shenanigans in Washington and it's not the right time to taper,'" Doll said of the recent Federal Reserve decision to continue its quantitative-easing policy.
Though he admits that a shutdown would most likely be short, the situation for the U.S. economy remains quite precarious. The Fed didn't "want to do any damage to an economy that's already not quite strong enough," Doll said.
In a note to clients mid-Monday, titled "On the Brink," Bank of America (BAC) economic analyst Ethan Harris warned about three "dangerous dynamics: (1) the shutdown lasts long enough to do serious damage to the economy (so the relief trade is weaker than the sell-off), (2) there is a technical default on the U.S. debt, and (3) a market correction is needed to convince Congress that it is making a serious mistake."
The large sell-off around the last debt ceiling fight, Harris points out, came several days after a deal was signed "when the S&P downgraded the U.S. debt, triggering a 6.7% one-day stock sell-off."
The debt-limit debacle of 2011, he adds, came hand in hand with a 19% drop in the equity markets.
Metals Weakness
The general economic fragility combined with the possibility of a shutdown affected how investors look at metals prices as well. They rejected gold as a safe haven and sought other sources of possible cash on Monday, experts said, noting that gold did rebound a bit last week.
According to ETF Securities, the precious metal ended the week down 0.6%. It's also down about 5.5% for September and 19% year to date.
Also on Monday, Guggenheim Investors released an investor survey showing that they remained very concerned about the current yield environment and the near-term uncertainty of the U.S. economy. Still, they seem upbeat about the future of fixed income, with the majority of respondents getting their fixed-income exposure through mutual funds (63%) and/or individual bonds (38%) and ETFs (21%).
The poll of 1,000 investors — conducted Sept. 9, well before the shutdown crisis — found nearly three-quarters of investors (72%) viewed fixed income as a source of stable, consistent income streams and protection for the principal value of their portfolio (49%).
These views differ from investor behavior in August, as tracked by Cerulli, which found mutual fund outflows, mainly in fixed income, hit nearly $8 billion. Mutual funds in nontraditional bond categories and bank-loan strategies topped the outflow list, losing $12.6 billion.
Checkout these related stories on ThinkAdvisor:


text:
{love stitched} Giveaway!
287 comments:
I would choose grey :)ReplyDelete
I like love stitched on FB.ReplyDelete
And I am new LS follower. Can you tell I really wanna win?!ReplyDelete
- Becky SAugust 30, 2010 at 4:27 PM
I NEED the GRACE - Red Rosette necklace. I wear a lot of black and have been wanting to get some kind of red necklace that makes a statement!ReplyDelete
Well hon these are fabulous and its so hard to pick just one but I do loveReplyDelete
PETITE KATE in cream - rhinestoned anthropologie inspired Rosette headband / hair piece, oh so pretty!
I'm a new Love Stitched blog follower!ReplyDelete
BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S - tiffany blue - spring collection is my fav!ReplyDelete
I liked Love Stitched on FB!ReplyDelete
Hey don't forget to stop on over to my blog for a fab giveaway also!
Follow love stitched blogReplyDelete
Like Love stitched on facebook!ReplyDelete
way cute! Mini Lu in pink made my litle heart piutter patter. And the zipper creations are just too fun!ReplyDelete
~Emily N. from "too Blessed to Stress"
Oh, and I am a follower of her blog... glad to have found her :)ReplyDelete
~Emily N. from "too Blessed to Stress"
I am LOVING the little miss sunshine necklace! Great giveaway by the way!ReplyDelete
I'm a follower!ReplyDelete
and I "like" her on facebook! Wow she has the most adorable things!ReplyDelete
I love the Lucy necklace!ReplyDelete
I became a blog follower!ReplyDelete
I became a follower!ReplyDelete
I am a LS follower! :)ReplyDelete
I also "like" LS on FB!ReplyDelete
Brittany does make fabulous items!ReplyDelete
I love her little rosette rings, the zipper flower pins, and the "grace" rosette necklaces! :)
Thanks so much for hosting!
I could really go for some Super Cute Necklaces or head bands. The Bobby Bins are Super cute also... I should get one just for being the first one to comment. :DReplyDelete
I follow {loved Stitched} on BloggerReplyDelete
Pick me i follow {love Stitched} on Facebook :DReplyDelete
So, I Followed Love Stitched on Blogger.ReplyDelete
She has some GORGEOUS stuff. Do I need anything? No. Does anyone NEED jewelery? No. However, since I have no necklaces to my name (my son destroyed them all), I would LOVE one of her necklaces. Especially the gray-pink one you have an image up there of. The Tatum II I believe it is called.
I also followed Love Stitched on Facebook. :o)ReplyDelete
And my previous statement stands: No one needs jewelry, but I'd LOVE the Tatum II.
LOVE everything! I'd probably have to pick the LUCY necklace! I love her etsy shop, thanks!ReplyDelete
I liked em on facebook! Thanks again!ReplyDelete
I am a follower of the Love Stitched blog (and yours!)ReplyDelete
I need the petite kate headband! Any color would do!ReplyDelete
I "Like" Love Stitched on Facebook!ReplyDelete
Ooh! I think I'm first! Well, I really "need" the Petite Kate headband in cream. Too pretty!ReplyDelete
Um...I am definitely in 'need' of the Petite Kate in cream. Simply divine!ReplyDelete
I know that i am jinxing myself with posting first, but I wanted to get in on this fab giveaway for sure!
I NEED one of her adorable headbands!ReplyDelete
I completely "liked it" on FB!ReplyDelete
I follow the Love Stitched blog-- love her crafty ideas!ReplyDelete
I like LS on fb!ReplyDelete
I heart "Little Miss Sunshine Cream & Yellow"!!!ReplyDelete
jennagilkes at gmail dot com
I absolutely LOVE the Petite Kate headband in Black. It's so cute!!ReplyDelete
I am now following the Love Stitched Blog!ReplyDelete
I also "liked" it on FB!ReplyDelete
I love everything in her shop! Those little onesies are adorable!!ReplyDelete
I follow love stitched! love it!ReplyDelete
I'm a FB fan!!ReplyDelete
Sweet giveaway! Everything in her shop is beautiful. I love all of the statement necklaces and barretts. But I think my favorite is the cream and yellow statement necklace! :)ReplyDelete
I am now a follower of Love Stitched! :)ReplyDelete
I 'like' Love Stitched on Facebook! :)ReplyDelete
I LOVE LOVE LOVE the TATUM II necklace!! It's beautiful! It's a must have!ReplyDelete
I am now a Love Stitched follower!!ReplyDelete
I am a Friend on Facebook!!ReplyDelete
Im an officaial Love Stitched Blog follower!!!ReplyDelete
I've liked on Facebook as Katelyn Carter!ReplyDelete
I "liked" her on Facebook.ReplyDelete
I'm following her blog. :)ReplyDelete
Oh wow am I in love with that Grace necklace, and don't even get me started on Breakfast at Tiffany's. Lovely stuff!ReplyDelete
I LOVE the simple yellow rosette hair pin! :)ReplyDelete
I'm a loved stitched blog follower!ReplyDelete
I like her on fb.ReplyDelete
OH. MY. GOSH. The Lulu clips certainly are adorable and I too have a little girl with hair constantly in her face! I NEED some!ReplyDelete
Ok.. so now I'm a facebook page liker :) (is liker a word?!!)ReplyDelete
I am now also a follower of her blog. Seriously some cute stuff! Thanks for sharing!ReplyDelete
OOH I love love LOVE the Grace- cream and yellow rosette necklace!! :D beeeauutimous!ReplyDelete
I'm such a follower... of Love Stitched blog!!!ReplyDelete
I NEED this necklace... BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S - tiffany blue - spring collection - designer favorite ((Rosette bib statment necklace)) It's adorable and I love the colors. :)ReplyDelete
I am a follower of her blog. :)ReplyDelete
Really BIG fan of the Little Miss Sunshine necklace!! So cute and perfect for summer!ReplyDelete
I liked her facebook page! :DReplyDelete
Ok, after over 30 min of trying to decide what would be the ONE item I would need the most, I have narrowed it down to the "MINI LOU - Brown and Yellow mini Rosette hair pin". I am telling you, I think I am going to have to just go buy a ton of these!! Between me and my 2 girls ages 5 and 3 this is something we really NEED. We all have long hair and it is always getting into our eyes so these are SOOOO cute and much better than those barettes you buy at Walmart and Target that are not as near as cute. THANK YOU for finding this great store and blog!!!! Now I am back to shopping, she just has too many cute things!ReplyDelete
I've 'followed' and 'liked' and I'd love the Breakfast at Tiffany's necklace or the June headband!ReplyDelete
i NEED the TATUM II - lushious lavender and mocha ((rosette bib statment necklace)). love it! and i'm a big fan of love stitched!ReplyDelete
Hi and thanks for a chance to win something from this great shop. I "NEED" the Sunshine necklace!ReplyDelete
Warmly, Michelle
i am a follower of love stitched blog!ReplyDelete
i'm a fan of love stitched on facebook!ReplyDelete
Oh my gosh, SO cute! Everything is so adorable, how do you choose?? Well, I really love the Breakfast at Tiffany's! Super cute!ReplyDelete
Silver Lining
I'm now following Love Stitched!ReplyDelete
Silver Lining
I 'like' Love Stitched on Facebook.ReplyDelete
Silver Lining
She has the cutest things - besides wanting one of everything, I would settle for the Colby flower and the little lou in yellow :)ReplyDelete
I am a follower :)ReplyDelete
I "like" her on facebook - thanks for the chance to win :)ReplyDelete
Hi...with two little girls at home, I really need EVERYTHING in her etsy store! But especially those rosette hair clips and the Grace necklace! :)ReplyDelete
Hi...I now officially LIKE Love Stitched on Facebook!ReplyDelete
Hi again....I am now a follower of the Love Stitched Blog!ReplyDelete
LOVE the LUCY - Beautiful cream and bronze pearl Rosette Bib Statement necklace! But all of it is AMAZING!!ReplyDelete
My daughter cannot live without this AMAZING buttery rosetteReplyDelete
I'm now a follower of this lovely site!ReplyDelete
Just "liked" her on FB too!! It's official! I've been STITCHED!!ReplyDelete
I love the Tatum II necklace!!! The purple and the grey looks great together.ReplyDelete
I am in love with all of it. I think the coral zip pin won my heart, though.ReplyDelete
I am now a follower of Loved Stitched.ReplyDelete
Posted on Love Stitched FB pageReplyDelete
the necklace actually is my fave- how convenient! i love the grays!ReplyDelete
i love the Mini Lu in pinkReplyDelete
im a follower of love stitched!ReplyDelete
I NEEEEEEEEEEEED that Tatum II necklace, it's gorgeous!!ReplyDelete
I like "Love Stitched" on FBReplyDelete
i love lovestitched on fb!ReplyDelete
I'm a Love stitched followerReplyDelete
I NEED that pink and gray onesie for my daughter! Cute!ReplyDelete
I'm a follower!ReplyDelete
Petite Kate in black. such good stuff! shansen20@hotmail dot comReplyDelete
- AnonymousAugust 30, 2010 at 9:11 PM
I follow her blogReplyDelete
- AnonymousAugust 30, 2010 at 9:12 PM
I liked on FBReplyDelete
- AnonymousAugust 30, 2010 at 9:14 PM
I would love to have some Rosetter hair pins for my girls. But I right now I would give them to a dear friends daughter, who might loose her momma to cancerReplyDelete
- AnonymousAugust 30, 2010 at 9:16 PM
I would love to have Rosette Hair pins for my girls, but right now would give them to a deserveing young lady whos mom is dying from cancerReplyDelete
hmm, so many things I love...I really do love the cute check your pockets for the laundry room, but I think I just LOVE the Grace rosette necklaces the best...so darn cute!ReplyDelete
and I "like" it on facebookReplyDelete
AND, I tried to follow, but it seems that option is down right now, but no doubt I'll be back and follow...on my own, until I can be a follower in real life! :) so fun!ReplyDelete
I NEEEEEED The Lauryn headband!ReplyDelete
I seriously need the pretty little black headband!ReplyDelete
I liked on FBReplyDelete
I think the tatum II is just the best. But the onesies would be a close second for my little girl! Too cute!ReplyDelete
I now follow her blog :)ReplyDelete
I love everything in her store!!!!!!!!!!!!! I want it all!ReplyDelete
I'd love for you to check out my giveaway at http://ragstostitchesboutique.blogspot.com
I'm a Love Stitched blog followerReplyDelete
I like LS on FbReplyDelete
I'd love a Grace necklace or Tatum 2 necklace. I love the zipper flowers, too. Everything is so cute!ReplyDelete
I've liked her fb page.ReplyDelete
I've become a follower, too.ReplyDelete
I love the Breakfast at Tiffany and the yellow and cream GRACE... She is so talented and I love it all.ReplyDelete
I like Tatum II!ReplyDelete
I NEED the penelope!! have you seen it??? FAB-u-lous!!!!ReplyDelete
ummm..... what DON'T i need??? it's all fabulous!!! necklackes, headbands, hair pins... what's not to love? :)ReplyDelete
I'm a follower on her blog!ReplyDelete
And now a fan on facebook!ReplyDelete
I love the breakfast at Tiffany's necklace! Darling stuff!ReplyDelete
im a follower!ReplyDelete
I love the little flowers on the bobby pins. I think that I would wear them in my hair, and I would put them in my 22 month old daughters hair! They are adorable! I actually would like everything on her site. Her stuff is way fabulous! Thanks for introducing me to her stuff. I have a birthday coming up, and am going to have to tell my hubby and mom about this site :)ReplyDelete
Ohhhh, the petite kate black headband HAS TO join my wardrobe! So simple...yet, so elegant!ReplyDelete
Following "love stitched" blog... :)ReplyDelete
"Liked" Loved Stitched on Facebook!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousAugust 31, 2010 at 6:37 AM
I became a follower and oh my goodness! I need one of everything!Connie BReplyDelete
- AnonymousAugust 31, 2010 at 6:49 AM
I love the breakfast at tiffany's necklace. The colours are great.ReplyDelete
I love the shark & tie onesies!! SOOOO CUTE!ReplyDelete
I LOVE the 'GRACE - soft cream - Rosette Statement Necklace'! Ah! Just gorgeous- it would be a perfect addition to my life :o)ReplyDelete
Also, I became a follower of the {Love Stiched} Blog!ReplyDelete
The TATUM II is a must have. Love the lavender and mocha together!!ReplyDelete
I follow the blog.ReplyDelete
I am now a follower of "love stitched"ReplyDelete
I "like" ls on facebook!ReplyDelete
I love it all! I'll take anything, I'm not picky!ReplyDelete
I would love the cream colored one!!ReplyDelete
i like love stitched on FB!ReplyDelete
i follow the love stitch blogReplyDelete
how do i choose one!! love the grace necklace in cream.ReplyDelete
love the grey as well!!
- AnonymousAugust 31, 2010 at 8:16 AM
I would love the cream one - gorgeous!!ReplyDelete
Ronda @ email@example.com
Ok so I MUST have the Penelope golden yellow necklace, just precious!ReplyDelete
I now follow the Love Stitched blogReplyDelete
I "like" Love Stiched on Facebook :DReplyDelete
I NEED the Petite Kate HeadbandReplyDelete
thecuttingetch1 at yahoo dot com
I follow her blogReplyDelete
thecuttingetch1 at yahoo dot com
I NEED the Petite Kate headband and some Little Lou's just to name a couple!ReplyDelete
Okay, the Brighton headband is BEAUTIFUL!! Definitely a "need". :PReplyDelete
I am now a Love Stitched Blog follower!ReplyDelete
Now following the blog!ReplyDelete
And, of course, I now like 'em on FB.ReplyDelete
Happy Day!
I love the hair clips and the Petite Kate in black headband! (I'm a new House of Smiths follower too).ReplyDelete
I now "like" Love Stitched on FB!ReplyDelete
I'm a Love Stitched blog follower!ReplyDelete
I am a Love Stitched Follower!!ReplyDelete
I am a FB follower of Love StitchedReplyDelete
I'm a new fan on facebook! I absolutely love ALL the necklaces... i can't pick just one!ReplyDelete
new follower of yours. Love the Little Lou for my daughter!!ReplyDelete
I am a follower of loved stitch.ReplyDelete
- Laura email@example.com 31, 2010 at 9:30 AM
Breakfast at Tiffany's!!!! Love the colors!! Beautiful!ReplyDelete
I love the TATUM II - lushious lavender and mocha ((rosette bib statment necklace)), so pretty!ReplyDelete
- Danielle
other-option AT hotmail DOT com
I became a Love Stitched Blog follower.ReplyDelete
- Danielle
other-option AT hotmail DOT com
I follower her blog!ReplyDelete
I'm a FB fan!ReplyDelete
I heart the Petite Kate is gawgeous!ReplyDelete
i really NEED the breakfast at tiffany's necklace! LOVE LOVE LOVE It!!!ReplyDelete
I am s Love Stitched Blog follower!ReplyDelete
FB Fan of Love StitchedReplyDelete
So many pretty things! But I think the one I want most is the Petite Kate in Cream. I would wear it every day, seriously.ReplyDelete
I am a long-time follower.ReplyDelete
And I like her on FB!ReplyDelete
I love the Breakfast at Tiffany's necklace.ReplyDelete
LS FB followerReplyDelete
LS google reader followerReplyDelete
I think I need this:ReplyDelete
PETITE KATE in cream - rhinestoned anthropologie inspired Rosette headband / hair piece
So cute! And it would look darling in my dark brown hair.
I'm a follower of lovestitched! :)ReplyDelete
Pick ONE?!! Not possible! These necklaces are gorgeous! Ok ok, maybe Penelope? Or Little Miss Sunshine? All beautiful!ReplyDelete
Also, I'm a Love Stiched Blog follower now! :)ReplyDelete
I choose Grace Soft Cream as THE item I NEED the most!ReplyDelete
I LIKED you on FB. Beautiful items!ReplyDelete
I am following you on my Google reader! Thanks for the giveaway!!!ReplyDelete
I liked Love Stitched on Facebook!ReplyDelete
I need the cute onsies for my granddaughter.ReplyDelete
I am a Lovestitched blog followerReplyDelete
I am a facebook fan/"liker"ReplyDelete
the Lucy necklace is my favorite!ReplyDelete
I am a follower on love stitched :)ReplyDelete
Oh, the Breakfast at Tiffany's necklace is just perfectly lovely!ReplyDelete
P.S. Just added you to my Google Reader. :)
I follow the Love Stitched blog!ReplyDelete
I absolutely NEED some of those hair clips. I've got two girls who have the same problem of hair in their faces all the time. Love those clips.ReplyDelete
I'm a follower of love stitched.ReplyDelete
I "liked" love stitched on FB.ReplyDelete
The dark grey Grace necklace is beautiful!!!ReplyDelete
I love the grace necklace... in any color really!!ReplyDelete
I "like" on facebook!ReplyDelete
Thank you for taking the time to leave your thoughts and comments. We truly love and appreciate each one!


text:
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- Gear Grab Special: Hoodman Lens Cleanse 12 Pack
Gear Grab Special: Hoodman Lens Cleanse 12 Pack
Gear Grab Special: Hoodman Lens Cleanse 12 Pack
Product Description
The Hoodman Lens Cleanse 12 Pack makes lens cleaning convenient and quick. This 12 pack saves 20% over the single pack price.
Specially formulated enzymes actually breakdown grime to super clean photographic lenses and filters, without harming delicate optical coatings or the environment.
Each LensCleanse packet contains a Step 1 Wet Cleaner and a Step 2 Dry Cloth. Store in your camera bag ready to tear open as needed. No need for bulky, leaking, caustic chemical bottles to clean your lenses.
Organic plant enzymes make up the powerful cleaning agent in Hoodmans Lens Cleanse natural lens cleaning kits, protecting the delicate optical coatings of your lenses and filters. Lens Cleanse towelettes are made up of super soft natural wood fibers that will not scratch lenses or filters. Hoodman Lens Cleanse natural lens cleaning kits are good for your lenses, filters and the environment too.
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text:
Hi Guys,
My Sisters Audi is not selecting any gears and so far a gearbox specialist said it could cost her between R25000 and R35000 to sort out. Does this at all seem accurate ? Do you perhaps know if it would be better to buy a reconditioned gearbox or is there a conversion that be done to manual. We essentially looking at the most cost effective way to solve the problem. If you also know of any reliable gearbox specialists that wont rip her off please feel free to recommend.
Please help
I didn't find the right solution from the internet.
Promo video production company


text:
OEM Symbol MC55, MC65, MC5590, MC55A0 High Capacity Extended Battery (3600 mAh) (82-111094-01,Used, B Stock)
Battery Type: Li-ion Battery
Capacity: 3600mAh (3.7V)
Connector Type: Gold Plated Contact
Country of Origin: China
Battery Code: 82-111094-01
Product Display:
1. Compatible Model: Symbol MC55, MC65, MC5590, MC55A0.
2. Warranty: 180 days.
3. Uses high impact ABS and Polycarbonate plastic housings for ruggedness.
4. Undergone comprehensive testing including high altitude performance, vibration, mechanical shock, thermal cycling, external short circuit and overcharge test simulations.
Quality Control:
Purchasing & Installation Notes
1. Please make sure that the code is 82-111094-01 before purchasing.
2. The new battery must be activated for the first time use with the method of full charging-use up-recharging, which will prolong the battery use life.
3. After activation, you can charge the battery at any time, even it doesn't use up, because excessive discharging will damage the battery. However, please do not charge over 24 hours.
4. Choose the right charger for Li-ion battery. Do not throw it in the fire or heat it.
5. Pay attention to the temperature and humidity of storage environment. The temperature should be -20~45℃ for one month storage, while it should be -20~35℃ for six months. It should be kept in the dark and dry environment and packed with hermetic bag in fear of the wafer gets rusty.
Customer also bought


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Carmen Electra Gossip
Carmen Electra gossip, latest news, photos, and video.
Any job. Because she really really needs one. Sorry to keep on the C list but Carmen Electra went to the beach the other day. You may have seen a few of the photos. But did you know she changed her bikini FOUR F&CKING TIMES??? Before you ask…it was not an "official" photo shoot. Full Story
Carmen Electra: Is She Poor?
Upon further reflection, I suppose this makes sense. Because Carmen isn't exactly a steady "actor". And she has no reality tv show. And unlike that skank whore Denise Richards, she hasn't stabbed her friend in the back just to live off a new rocker boyfriend… which means a girl's gotta make a living, right? But seriously… a living like this is scraping the bottom of the barrel. Full Story
Paris Pelted in Vienna
She's been invited to attend the city's annual Opera Ball. Every year, some rich ass dude invites a celebrity to be his date – past dates have included Pamela Anderson and Carmen Electra so clearly you can see where his taste runs foul. Shame really. Because Vienna is one of the world's finest, classiest cities. Full Story
Carmen & Dave rumour control
Gloat ahead. Skip the next if you can"t handle. In our world of gossip saturation, it can be a challenge to distinguish between the cream and the crap - especially when it comes to the weeklies. What you prefer is your business, but I would caution against putting too much stock on the consistently erroneous reports of several lower tier rags. Full Story
Carmen in Paris
Not that Carmen Electra is newsworthy even on the slowest of newsdays but she seems to be everywhere of late, promoting the latest installment of the Scary Movie franchise. Seeing her brings up a very important question: boob jobs and nipples - something I spend an inordinate amount of time obsessing about. Full Story
From Heidi M: Dave gives bad advice?
Any chance giving bad advice is Carmen Electra and Dave Navarro? Dear Heidi: No, but minus a few tattoos and I can see a very strong similarity. Full Story


text:
It Is All About BTC, LTC, ETH, ZEC mining as well as other alternative crypto currencies
The ccMiner Nvidia CUDA miner has just been updated to version 1.2 with the source code getting support for the community contributed X13 and Diamond Groestl support. We have compiled a windows binary version from the source that includes the recently released optimizations called "Killer Groestl" that improves the performance of Groestl and all coins that use the algorithm supported by ccMiner. If you are using tsiv's fork of ccMiner for mining X13 then it is recommended to download this new update as it will bring an extra performance improvement in x13 mining hashrate. Our tests show that on a GeForce GTX 750 Ti you can expect to get from about 1700 KHS to close to 2100 KHS mining X13 with the new ccMiner 1.2 as X13 does rely on Groestl as well.
Do note that the windows binary you can download below is compiled for Compute 3.0 and Compute 3.5-5.0 cards (32-bit version only), so it will not work on older cards. If you are unsure what version of Compute does your video card support check the included GPU Compute Capabilities List file. It is also compiled with Visual Studio 2012, so if you do not already have Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2012 you will have to download and install it, otherwise you may be getting error for a missing DLL library.
– To download the new ccMiner 1.2 beta with official x13 support for Windows OS…


text:
Dimensions: approximately 14cm wide x 6cm high
Due to the handmade process some variation in shape, glaze hue and size may occur from that pictured here. Every vessel is unique, featuring different curves and characteristics from the making and firing process. These irregularities in finish are part of the character of the piece and to be embraced as part of the aesthetic of handmade.


text:
opening(redirected from Aortic opening)
Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Medical, Financial, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
opening(Initial presentation of a case), noun beginning of a case, commencement of a case, counsel's initial statement, counsel's introductory statement, counsel's overview of a case, inception of litigation, initiation of a legal case, introduction of a case, introductory, start of a case
Associated concepts: litigation, opening statement
opening(Opportunity), noun availability, chance, means, moment, occasion, once-in-a-lifetime chance, place, possibility, presented with an opportunity
See also: access, admission, admittance, chance, egress, entrance, entry, first appearance, fortuity, hiatus, inception, initial, loophole, margin, occasion, onset, opportunity, original, origination, outlet, outset, portal, preamble, preface, preliminary, prelude, preparatory, rift, start
TO OPEN, OPENING. To open a case is to make a statement of the pleadings in
a case, which is called the opening.
2. The opening should be concise, very distinct and perspicuous. Its use is to enable the judge and jury to direct their attention to the real merits of the case, and the points in issue. 1 Stark. R. 439;S. C. 2 E. C. L. R. 462; 2 Stark. R. 31; S. C 3 Eng. C. L. R. 230.
3. The opening address or speech is that made immediately after the evidence has been closed; such address usually states, 1st. The full extent of the plaintiff's claims, and the circumstances under which they are made, to show that they are just and reasonable. 2d. At least an outline of the evidence by which those claims are to be established. 3d. The legal grounds and authorities in favor of the claim or of the proposed evidence. 4th. An anticipation of the expected defence, and statement of the grounds on which it is futile, "either in law or justice, and the reasons why it ought to fail. 3 Chit. Pr. 881; 3 Bouv. Inst. n. 3044, et seq. To open a judgment, is to set it aside.


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Home » Our Work » Research » Research Grants » Improving Clinical Evaluations of Suicide Risk and their Relationship to Care Planning
Improving Clinical Evaluations of Suicide Risk and their Relationship to Care Planning
Christopher Buckingham, Ph.D., Aston University, UK
2012 Standard Research Grant
Inside the Research
Bio: Dr. Buckingham received his doctorate at the University of Birmingham, UK, in 1992. He is currently a Senior Lecturer in Computer Science in the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Aston University, UK.
Research Categories: Clinical judgment, pattern recognition, and assessment of suicide risk.
Abstract: Mental health clinicians are often in the position of having to assess risk for suicidal behavior, yet we know little about how they make these judgments. By better understanding the factors that go into the clinical risk assessments, as well as the accuracy of these assessments, we can improve clinical education, assessment, and care management. Dr. Buckingham will use a unique database from the United Kingdom called the Galatean Risk and Safety Tool (GriST, www.egrist.org) to statistically examine the clinical judgments related to 30,000 detailed risk profiles that include clinical and general information. He will analyze the assessments in relation to information regarding later Serious Untoward Incidents (SUI) that involve suicide and suicidal behavior and will compare assessments of people with SUI with people who did not carry out any suicidal behavior. This is a unique opportunity to learn about how we can better assess suicide risk.
Impact: To help clinicians collect key risk data for different patient demographic groups, produce more accurate risk evaluations, and implement the most effective interventions to prevent suicides.