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After volunteering to work on a remote island in HCM City, Doctor Luan Thanh Truong has faced numerous difficulties, but being able to help the most needy people makes up for everything. Hoang Tuyet and Trung Hieu talk to the doctor and some of his grateful patients.
Graduating from the Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine, Dr Truong, whose home is in Go Vap District of HCM City, had volunteered to work in Can Gio, a remote district on the outskirts of the city.
He volunteered to work on the island commune of Thanh An after hearing that a doctor had left the island because he could not stand the hard work and difficult life on the island.
During the more than seven years he has lived on the commune, Truong has examined and treated many of the local residents. Therefore, the people trust and love him exceedingly.
During a visit to the island, we travelled along a main concrete road to the commune's health station, after getting off on the wharf of the island commune.
We had earlier assumed that for a commune with a lot of social problems, the clinic must be bad. However, we were surprised to encounter a clinic as spacious and clean and one that looked like a small hospital.
It was clear that the motto of "clinics of national health standards" was followed on this island.
This clinic has various professional rooms with personnel and modern equipment in keeping with the national standards for communes' health care.
The clinic had six members, including a doctor, a physician, a nurse, a midwife, a druggist, a laboratory technician, in addition to 12 medical collaborators, who reside in hamlets.
All of them are dedicated to medical care, which is totally free, and implementing national health programmes for the approximately 4,500 residents of the 1,165 households on the island.
Le Thanh Van, vice chairman of Thanh An Commune People's Committee, said: "The staff of the clinic is dedicated to their job. They impart public health care, especially for the poor, very well. At the same time, the clinic also prevents and repels diseases in time and does not let epidemics break out in the area. Therefore, communal leaders and the local people are very excited and trust them with their hearts."
Being the chief of the clinic, Dr Truong undertake all cases, from orthopaedics, eye, ear, nose or throat and even helps pregnant women deliver when the midwife is absent, as she also attends a medical school.
"Due to the considerable distance between the mainland and the island, many doctors are afraid to work here. However, because of my affection for the people, I had volunteered to work though I knew that the commune has so many social difficulties. Even now, we still face many difficulties in professional work, such as difficult cases that need urgent referrals to high level hospitals. If we were on the mainland, we could easily transfer patients to high level hospitals in case of serious emergency, but on the island, referral is very hard, especially during bad weather."
"However, as we have to cope with these difficulties, we feel more sympathetic and want to share the burden of the poor people," said Dr Truong.
Dedicated to healing
Born and brought up in a family of six brothers and sisters, Truong decided to pursue the medical profession after he fell seriously ill during childhood and had been saved by a physician.
However, it was not easy to pursue the job, because he had to patiently retake the exam six times before he could enrol in the Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine.
As he volunteered to work in communes with special geographical conditions, from the Ly Nhan isle commune (in the middle of a river) to the Thanh An Island on the sea, his first priority was to always care for the sick.
"While I was working at Ly Nhan commune's health care station, a patient with urinary retention due to prostate fibroids called me for help one night in the middle of a heavy downpour. The patient's house was located next to a river bank and had no electricity. Even though the rainfall was heavy and the river water kept rising, I went there, and could barely see the river or its shore."
"However, because the patient was in need, I followed the trees and fences that had remained above the water, trying to clutch my way to his house. After catheterizing, the patient was able to urinate and burst into tears and started thanking me," Dr Truong recalled.
"In another instance that took place on the island commune of Thanh An, when we had to transfer a patient to the district hospital, a female colleague was shocked to see a pregnant woman being taken to the district hospital, who managed to stay alive after struggling on the boat in a thunderstorm for more than an hour, and braving the rain and wind on the voyage to the mainland. These images are still etched in my mind and only strengthen my resolve to not leave this land."
The reason Dr Truong is loved so much is that he always cares for people, whatever the circumstances.
Nguyen Thi Muoi, a woman who has lived on the island for more than four decades, expressed her appreciation for the doctor.
"We have rarely seen a doctor who is so devoted and cares for patients as wholeheartedly as Dr Truong. Whenever we go to the clinic for examination, he always advises us very carefully and enthusiastically."
"Even if we call him outside his working hours, the doctor does not charge us."
"Those who do not have money sometimes give the doctor a chicken, some eggs, or dried fish. He does not ask for it. It is just their way of expressing their gratitude." — VNS


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Become a student member of the American Academy of Family Physicians, and find out if family medicine is right for you. No obligations.
As a student member of the third largest medical association, you gain membership-only access to resources such as:
Join for FREE and discover what it takes to be a family physician.
The mission of the Medical Student Education of the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine of the UAMS College of Medicine is to provide high quality educational opportunities in Family Medicine for undergraduate students. This includes the education of students in the principles of Family Medicine with emphasis on preventive medicine, health promotion, and continuing health care delivery.
Considering Family Medicine? Is this seat for you, click here.
Medical students interested in the specialty of family medicine are cordially invited to attend meetings held on campus at UAMS periodically to learn more about family medicine. Lunch is available and speakers are Family Practice Physicians in practice in different settings; Family Medicine Residents; Family Medicine Physicians in academia and other speakers of interest to the students. Workshops are also held periodically.
The Family Medicine Interest Group is sponsored by the residency programs and any medical student who is a member of the AAFP is automatically a member of the FMIG.
Jera Boman is the Student Representative to the AR AFP Board and by virtue of this position she is Chairperson of the Family Medicine Interest Group.

subset: commoncrawl


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I just started a little project to make my life easier when starting little projects. It's called quickproject and it creates the skeleton of a project for me. Here's an example of how I might use it:
* (quickproject:make-project "~/src/sitescraper/" :depends-on '(drakma cxml cl-ppcre)) #p"/Users/xach/src/sitescraper/"
That function call creates a bunch of files with the appropriate contents:
- README.txt has a note to write more about the project
- sitescraper.asd defines the system and includes whatever :depends-on bits I passed to make-project
- package.lisp defines a package named "SITESCRAPER"
- sitescraper.lisp has the beginning of my project. Hacks and glory await!
It also extends the ASDF registry so I can immediately use (asdf:load-system 'sitescraper) to get started.
There are other projects that do similar things, like clbuild's make-project command. This is my take on the idea. (I haven't made a proper release for it, yet, sorry, so you'll have to get it from git.)


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It all starts with the milk. The key is freshness, quality and the care Oregon cows receive. Because of that, the state's dairy processors earn honors for milk, rich ice creams, flavor-packed cheeses, cottage cheeses and yogurts.
"All of our farmer-owners and contract suppliers know that healthy cows produce the highest quality milk, which allows us to produce the high-quality Tillamook dairy products that our fans have come to love," says Mark Wustenberg, Tillamook County Creamery Association's (TCCA ) vice president of quality and operations, who is also a veterinarian. "Our farmers' commitment to quality means they take animal care very seriously, which includes working closely with veterinarians and nutritionists to keep their cows healthy and comfortable, and ensuring the cows get the nutrition in their diets that they need."
In Tillamook County, there are more cows than people. TCCA is made up of nearly 100 dairy families that have been farming in the region for generations. "
The fact that Tillamook is a farmer-owned cooperative gives additional value to the work we do here," says Patrick Criteser, TCCA president and CEO . "This is truly a farmerowned and farmer-driven business, and the values of these dairy farmers really do translate into the way we make cheese every day and the way we run our company."
Nearly 70 percent of Oregon dairy farmers belong to a co-op. With TCCA , Farmers Cooperative Creamery and Northwest Dairy Association are Oregon's major co-ops.
Managing a dairy and a processing plant often runs in the family. In Oregon, Alpenrose, Eberhard's Dairy, Lochmead Dairy, Springfield Creamery and Umpqua Dairy are all operated by multi-generational families.
Caring for Cows
Oregon dairies of all sizes and types pamper Oregon's dairy cows with excellent nutrition, which is key for cows to stay healthy and give high-quality, wholesome milk. Cows eat 75 to 100 pounds of food and drink about 25 to 50 gallons of water each day. Many of Oregon's dairy farmers feed cows from their own lands.
Cows at Sar-Ben Dairy graze on ryegrass, white clover, orchardgrass and some chicory, and in the summer on the leaves of young radish and turnip plants. "It's becoming what we describe as a salad bar for the cows," says Sar-Ben Dairy's Steve Pierson.
Sar-Ben uses an intensive rotational grazing system, which means the cows graze on specific portions of pasture for short periods of time, moving every 12 hours. Cows complete the rotation through the pastures every 18 days.
"This method keeps the grass at an optimum level," Pierson says. "It's always vegetative, always growing new leaves and offers the cows the highest energy and protein."
In addition to nutrition, Oregon dairy farmers know herd health is also tied to comfort and care. Veterinarians regularly visit dairy farms for preventative medicine, check-ups and prompt treatment of illness. Farmers also work in concert with the environment, with most living on the land where they have their dairies. Protecting land and water quality, and implementing sustainable practices are ways of life for Oregon dairy farmers.
Good Stewardship
Coupled with high-quality products in the dairy case, Oregon's dairy processors get kudos for award-winning community and global solutions like methane digesters making electricity, zero-waste processing plants and Prevention Magazine's Cleanest Packaged Food Award.
In turn, the cows reward Oregon's farmers with milk unmatched in quality. The average Oregon cow produces 56 pounds of milk a day on an average farm size of 300 acres. Dairy farms in the state produce roughly 2.5 billion pounds of milk annually. That milk is processed into cheese, yogurt, ice cream, butter, and other specialty products including lactose and whey protein, which are used in protein sports drinks and energy bars.
Award-winning and innovating describe Oregon dairy farmers and processors.


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The cornea, the transparent structure of the front of the mammalian eye, is accountable for approximately two-thirds of the eye's total optical power; it is essential for vision. In a study led by Professor Nick Di Girolamo, the dynamics and destiny of epithelial stem cells was observed in real-time in live animals using minimally invasive microscopy platforms, significantly improving our understanding of corneal development in humans.
Professor Nick Di Girolamo is the Director of Ocular Diseases Research and the head of Head, Mechanisms of Disease and Translational Research at the University of New South Wales. The paper, titled "Keratin-14-Positive Precursor Cells Spawn a Population of Migratory Corneal Epithelia that Maintain Tissue Mass throughout Life" was the cover article for the October edition of Stem Cell Reports.
Visualizing the generation and maintenance of the corneal epithelium in a living organism, especially in real-time, is a challenging endeavour. The cornea forms during the last major event of eye genesis. In mammals, the pre-corneal epithelium forms from surface ectoderm and comprises a dual layer of elongated, undifferentiated cells that are protected by the enveloping eyelids. Following eyelid opening, the corneal epithelium is exposed to external stimuli, including oxygen, particulate matter and microbes and mechanical forces from blinking. The combination of stimuli trigger cellular expansion from two to six layers as required to protect the eye. The development is incredibly specialised and ensures the cornea remains transparent and curved such that vision is not affected. How epithelial stem cells contribute to this formation and maintenance of the cornea is explored in this study.
Using transgenic mice, the fate or destiny of epithelial stem cells was followed in real-time. Using intra-vital microscopy, the formation of fluorescent radial stripes that emerged from the peripheral structure called the limbus, and migrated toward the central cornea was observed, demonstrating that the progenitor cells are designated early and widely distributed in the embryonic cornea.
The mechanism for both age-related clonal expansion and the formation of a central mid-line was established, thereby providing new insights into the basic biology of the mammalian corneal epithelium. The investigations also verified the concept that the corneal epithelium is immature at birth and develops progressively during post-natal life.
This study is also the first to report in a mammalian system, the biphasic (two-phase) nature of corneal epithelial development.
These findings are significant on three levels. Firstly, they deliver an accurate visual fate-map of corneo-limbal stem cells and their life-long clonal activity. Secondly, they provide mechanistic explanations for age-related patterns within the epithelium over time, using both in vivo and in silico investigations.
Lastly, these results provide the foundations of a model that can be used to interrogate perturbations of the cornea, including wound-healing, infection, and transplantation. Future studies will have profound implications for understanding the basic biology of the cornea and for devising new strategies to treat corneal diseases.
Congratulations Nick and the team.
Stem Cell Reports is the official journal of the ISSCR and is published by Cell Press. The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) is a non-profit, scientific membership organization providing a platform for professional and public education and the promotion of rigorous scientific and ethical standards in stem cell research and regenerative medicine.
For more information:
Read the journal article.


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Enhancing the mobile UX
Releasing the power to mobile and let it fly.
Mobile eCommerce Solutions
High Performance
Are you taking responsibilities for the nationwide business expansion of your company? Staying in touch with your customers does not only mean tweeting. When they are in need of a solution, is your company ready to solve their problem instantly on mobile devices? Our team, made up of the area's top web designers, is skilled at crafting effective web solutions to give your business the high performance advantage.
Solutions Discovered
The technology having the largest impact currently within the mobile industry is mobile e-commerce. It has paved it's way to take a very large market share away from retail enterprise.
Get Started
Millions of users are looking for a solution to their issues, on their mobile devices. Are your services mobile e-commerce ready to take their requests? Contact us to find out how mobile e-commerce can help create a corporate brand that your market can always rely on.


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Media at the Summit
Free media registration for the 2014 Summit.
Contact information for media:
Tel: (33-1) 45 24 95 96
Tour the 2013 Summit in photos and videos
Media Travel Programme
Every year, the International Transport Forum, through its Media Travel Programme, invites up to 35 non-European journalists to attend the Annual Summit. For the participants, the Media Travel Programme provides deep immersion into the issues that drive mobility policy for the 21st century. It is a unique opportunity to listen to, meet and interact with key decision-makers from government, business and academia.
Download the brochure (pdf)
If you are interested in coming to Leipzig to cover the 2014 Summit on the Media Travel Programme, please contact our handling agency:
Supported by:


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Paris, Tennessee - You've gotta love Paris in the fall when the most festive of the year's holidays draw near Paris, Tennessee, that is.
It seems that Mom-to-be Brittany Selph went into labor five days early recently and when she arrived at the hospital she was greeted by her obstetrician, Dr. Paul Locus, was right there to greet Bethany and her husband, Justin. You couldn't miss him, says the Association of Mature American Citizens [AMAC]. He was the doctor all decked out as Batman's nemesis, Joker. It was Halloween, after all. The expectant mother was not fazed and allowed the good doctor to proceed with the delivery in costume. Mom and baby Oaklyn are doing fine. And, so is new dad Justin who has a great story to tell his son when he grows up.


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Posted on February 16, 2018 in Countdown
Click here to subscribe to Countdown, AAI's weekly take on news from Washington, around the country, and abroad.DREAMers Countdown: It's been 164 days since President Trump moved to end DACA, and Congress has yet to save it. TWEET THIS
First is worst, second is best, third might be elected to office
Picture this: you're an Independent (humor us, for a moment). You're in the voting booth for the 2018 mid-term elections, reviewing the candidates for governor. You want to vote for the Independent candidate who speaks to your heart but are worried your vote will be lost on the Democrat and Republican who dominate our two-party system. If only you could vote for her as your first choice, then rank the other candidates by preference. But, WAIT, in Maine you might be able to do just that! Last week, supporters of ranked-choice voting (RCV) submitted over 80,000 signatures for a statewide referendum to get the RCV measure on the ballot in June. In November 2016, voters approved a ballot initiative to make Maine the first state to institute ranked-choice voting. After lawmakers delayed and then repealed the decision, local RCV supporters launched a "People's Veto" campaign to gather the signatures – often in sub-zero degree weather – to get the measure on the ballot. Talk about grassroots organizing! But, wait, what's RCV again? Here's a breakdown: under RCV, voters could rank multiple candidates in order of preference. Voters' first choices are tallied in the first round. If nobody has a majority, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and votes cast for that candidate automatically go to those voters' second choice. This multi-round, instant-runoff process continues until a candidate has the majority of votes and is declared the winner. RCV supporters say this system would help improve candidate civility, increase voter turnout, and enhance representation as more Americans identify as Independents over the years (but would it stop candidates like Dan Helmer from producing the cheesiest campaign ad of all time? Sorry, Dan). Perhaps this is the beginning of the end of your "you must vote for the lesser of two evils" fight with your uncle at thanksgiving dinner. Only time will tell, so keep your eyes on this Maine referendum in June.TWEET THIS
Free Ahed Tamimi
The military trial of 17-year-old Palestinian hero Ahed Tamimi started on Tuesday, but the judge defied Ahed's wishes for a public trial, and ordered journalists to leave the courtroom. Ahed faces serious charges of "assault" and "incitement" over slapping an Israeli occupation soldier who had invaded her yard, shortly after her cousin was shot by soldiers as well. Her father emotionally yelled to her in court to stay strong. Joining the United Nations and human rights organizations calling on Israel to free the Palestinian teen were dozens of celebrities who signed the Dream Defenders' letter, from Danny Glover to Rosario Dawson. And just yesterday, popular comedian Sarah Silverman (12 million followers on Twitter, no big deal!) tweeted in support of the campaign to free Ahed, and we hope this campaign continues to pick up steam. To help those who don't know the issue of life under occupation get a better sense of how the Israeli military regularly uses unlawful violence against civilians, including Palestinian children, we created this new video. Please share it on Facebook and Twitter.TWEET THIS
Indentured servitude and general turpitude
A piece in Politico made a splash this week advocating for a system of quasi-indentured servitude as a solution to the current immigration debate. Published on Tuesday and originally titled "What if you could get your own immigrant?", the article was soundly panned, to say the least. But while the proposal just might be too nutty to be entertained as a legitimate policy option, we know some members of the legislative and the executive branch (including Stephen Miller and John Kelly, and whoever at the Department of Homeland Security wrote this absurd report, just to name a few) have a penchant for antiquated, draconian, nonsensical immigration measures. We should also consider the current state of affairs in the Senate, squirming as the administration continues to stonewall and stymie any clean solution to DACA and immigrant youth, an issue that Trump himself created! And by clean solution we mean a path to citizenship for DREAMers without threatening family reunification or the diversity visa program and without funding for a border wall. Human beings aren't a bargaining chip.TWEET THIS
SucSESSIONS of civil rights setbacks
The White House released its Fiscal Year 2019 Budget this week, and while many consider the proposal dead-on-arrival, the ins and outs show us what the administration is prioritizing this coming year. So what's in? Debt, plenty of debt, along with fossil fuels, defense, and border enforcement. What's out? A lot, with most of the cuts reducing federal assistance to low income families. While there is no shortage of things to talk about in this budget, we are going to focus on a cut to the Justice Department with significant implications for civil rights. Under the FY '19 budget proposal, the Community Relations Service (CRS) would be eliminated and transferred to the Civil Rights Division, which centers on criminal matters. Created by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to assist communities facing issues of discrimination and other bias-related tensions, the CRS is effective because it is neither an investigative nor prosecutorial component of the Justice Department, which facilitates constructive relationships between CRS officers and community members. As the "peacemaker" agency of the DOJ, the elimination of the CRS would present yet another setback to civil rights enforcement, and that is something we simply cannot accept. Let's add it to the growing pile of unacceptables.TWEET THIS
Nothing Worth Hearing
The administration's dumpster fire of a policy is apparently a "peace plan," at least according to the House subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa recent hearing on "Israel, the Palestinians, and the Administration's Peace Plan." There was a sharp partisan split between Republicans on the Committee who thought Trump was doing awesome and bringing us closer to peace, and Democrats who mocked the administration's incoherent policy that's making things worse. But that was the only difference as Republicans and Democrats on the subcommittee quickly came together in their adoration for peace-loving Israel, and disgust for the terror-loving Palestinians (watch them unite here). Oh, wait, sorry, that last link is actually an SNL skit mocking congressional pandering on Israel. It really is hard to tell parody from reality on this, here is the real hearing (sorry for the error). As for the witnesses at the hearing, they were SO diverse! They ranged from the pro-Israel think tank WINEP all the way to the pro-Israel think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). At the center of this great witness spectrum was Ambassador Dan Shapiro, who said this: "While I've had many, many profound disagreements with the Trump Administration on a wide range of issues, the issue that concerns me the least is their effort to advance Israeli-Palestinian peace." Yes, Trump's extreme decisions on this issue, from Jerusalem to settlements, and cutting UNRWA funding, are just not that concerning in the big scheme of things. They're all at the expense of Palestinians after all, and those people's rights simply don't count when it comes to peace. Like we said, not worth hearing.


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- Home
- Information
- Recipe Of The Month - November - Rich Fruit Cake
Recipe Of The Month - November - Rich Fruit Cake
Recipe Of The Month - November
Rich Fruit Cake
This is my favourite Christmas Cake recipe. It has a traditional flavour and I've been making it for several years now and it has never let me down. There is still time to bake your Christmas Cake over the next three weeks and give it a good feed. I use brandy to feed my cake but if I haven't got any in Cream Sherry works just as well. It gives a sweeter, less alcoholic flavour.
This recipe makes a deep 8" ( cm) round or a deep 7" (. cm) square cake.
Baking success is all in the preparation so before you start line the base and sides of the baking tin with grease proof paper. Next set out the required ingredients and do any grating or chopping that may be necessary.
its easy to miss out an ingredient if they are not all laid out ready.
Pre-heat the overt to 170/180°C or gas mark 3
10 oz (283g) butter
10 oz brown sugar
1 level tablespoon black treacle
grated rind of 2 lemons
5 large eggs
2 tablespoons of brandy or sherry
12 oz (340g) plain flour
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1.5 lb (680g) currents
0.75 lb (340g) sultannas
0.75 lb (340g) raisins
4 oz (113g) blanched chopped almonds - I like to chop the almonds myself for a coarse texture rather than using pre-chopped almonds that tend to be a cut very finely
3 oz (85g) whole candied lemon peel
1 oz (28g) chopped angelica
4 oz (113g) whole and broken cherries
Baking Instructions
- Place the dried fruit, cherries, angelica and peel in a bowl and stir through the brandy or sherry
- Cream the softened butter together with the brown sugar and black treacle until pale, light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs, one by one, add a little of the sieved flour if the mixture shows signs of curdling.
- Whe all of the eggs have been added stir in the nuts and fruit mixture until evenly distributed and lastly mix through the flour.
- Pack the cake atter into the prepared tin ensuring that it is well patted down. Level the top and make a well in the centre to give a level top when baked.
- Put two layers of grease proof paper, which has a small hole cut out in the middle to let the steam out, over the top and tie a strip of brown paper round the outside of the tin to protect the sides and top of the cake. If you don't have brown papaer a thick wad of newspaper works too although it does smell a little odd when it first goes in the oven
- Bake at 170/180°C or gas mark 3 for 90 - 120 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 150°C or gas mark 1 - 2 for a further 2.5 to 3 hours.
- When the cake is cooked remove it from the oven and leave it to cool before removing it from the tin.
- Remove the greaseproof paper and wrap in fresh greaseproof paper followed by tin foil. You can give the cake an initial 'feed' with sherry or brandy before wrapping the cake for storage.
- Feed the cake 3 or 4 times over the same number of weeks by pricking the top with a skewer to help the brandy or sherry soak in.
- Ensure you re-wrap the cake thoroughly after each feed.


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HP-DVE102 Intelligent Hybrid Encoder
Works in collaboration with TTVC Series Bi -spectrum Fire Alarm Thermal Camera.This self-developed software is capable of displaying both thermal and HD visual images and receiving alarm and orientation info simultaneously.
HP-DVE102 Intelligent Hybrid Encoder Main Specification
1, 2 analog video, 2 HD IP video, H.264, adjustable kbps;
2, 4 switch alarm input, 2 alarm output;
3, 1 audio input and output; 4,1*RS485/RS422,1*RS232
5, 1*RJ45, 10/100M self-adaptation
6, AC220V power supply;
7, working temp.:-25°~55°


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Last Updated: 1 day ago
288 TrustBuilder Reviews in Dallas, TX Area
15272 Viburnum Road, Frisco TX 75035
From $722,990 Why 'From' pricing?
New homes can be personalized to your needs and taste.
Builders pricing can vary greatly. Builders display base pricing because you have not selected your options and upgrades yet and some homes may indicate that the land cost is not included.
Elevation D 1/37Previous Next
Plan 297 (3665 sq. ft.) is a home with 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and 3-car garage. Features include dining room, living room and master bed downstairs.
Builder Community Sales Office
15272 Viburnum Road, Frisco, TX 75035
Sales Agent Todd Gheisar
Hours Mon - Sat: 10:00am - 6:00pm, Sun: 12:00pm - 6:00pm
Please be aware that current conditions may impact hours of operation.
Valued Partners
The Grove Frisco
The Grove Frisco is conveniently located in the highly accessible "Four Corners" area, where the popular cities of Plano, Frisco, McKinney and Allen come together. The 735-acre community offers amenities such as The Orchard House amenity center with a bakery and caf, a fitness center, an open lawn area and pavilion for events and entertaining, and a "water oasis" with two resort-style pools and a children's splash pad. The Grove Frisco is part of the highly-rated Frisco ISD.Visit the website Free brochure
Actual schools may vary. Contact the builder for more information.
The Grove Frisco
15272 Viburnum Road
Frisco, Texas 75035
Todd Gheisar


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As we anticipated yesterday, the European Parliament has voted by an overwhelming majority to call on the European Commission to establish a Virtual Currency Taskforce.
If the Taskforce is established, and it's used in the way that Parliament envisages, it will develop the knowledge, skills, experience and tools required for the European Institutions to able to:
- Properly understand and monitor the development and use of virtual, digital and crypto-currencies, and distributed ledger technology; and
- Intervene in an appropriate way, if and when it makes sense to do so, (for example) to try to (a) stop these currencies being used for money-laundering and terrorist financing purposes; and (b) enhance consumer protection when these currencies are used to buy and sell goods and services, without – in either case – unnecessarily stifling innovation.
There is no current reason to think the European institutions are planning a more ambitious legislative program than the one they've already described (*). But that's bound to change in time.
The Parliament has issued two press releases about today's developments (here and here).
Our previous blog posts about this story (and related issues) are here.
(* We are expecting the Commission to publish proposals before the end of June 2016, which (if made and brought into force) will lead to the amendment and early implementation of the 4th Anti-money Laundering Directive. It seems almost inevitable that these changes will include extending the scope of that Directive so that it applies to virtual, digital and crypto-currency to fiat-currency exchanges. The Commission is also considering whether (for example) the E-Money Directive and/or PSD2 should be amended as well.)


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This card gave me a laugh. Sent by Cookie (my boyfriend's dog) who has recently learned how to type and send cards via an iPhone app (it seems) she's sent me this adorable selfie of her in the garden enjoying a scraggy piece of rope. Who would know this dog is such an old lady when she acts like a playful puppy? Lovely surprise!
Guernsey Gâche!
This surprise arrived on my doorstep the other day – from my boyfriend! Of course, we both live in Guernsey but he said he wanted to send me a card as it's unlikely I'll receive another from the country! So, here you can see a less-than-attractive view of Castle Cornet, in Saint Peter Port. However, let me draw your attention to the recipe for "Guernsey Gâche". What, you may well ask, is Guernsey Gâche? Well, apart from sounding like some kind of bizarre euphemism, it is actually a fruit-bread which is quite tasty when eaten with butter and/or toasted. Is the giving of this recipe card some sort of hint that I should branch out on my cooking skill? Well, he denies it… But who knows! Maybe I'll give it a go!


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The Adventures of Caraway Kim Right Wing
SPG Book Picks, April 2010
Set in the dead of a 1960's Alberta winter, The Adventures of Caraway Kim … Right Wing is the story of eleven-year-old Kim and his race to become Top Scorer of the Caraway hockey team. To win, he has to beat Brad Rooks, the local troublemaker. The boys' rivalry continues off-ice, forcing Kim to confront his own sense of right and wrong, as well as stand up for himself against Brad's overbearing ways. In Kim, Truckey has created a likeable young hero who makes realistic choices.
Truckey's clear rendering of a time he calls "before now" makes life in the 1960's come alive. Young hockey fans interested in the old days of the Original Six will be thrilled with the detailed descriptions of the difficulties players faced back in those days: the rough ice; the biting cold; and the thin, not-so-protective equipment that left heads, knees and throats vulnerable to injury. The play-by-play action of the hockey games will keep young readers engaged and interested.
The Adventures of Caraway Kim … Right Wing is more than just a sentimental journey back to "the good old days" before indoor rinks and Zambonis. Truckey weaves the weightier issues of bullying and shoplifting into the story, challenges that are still relevant to today's youth. He does not whitewash Kim's struggles with Brad, but allows him to work through and resolve them in a way that is both satisfying and believable. — Kim McCullough


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Autumn Bay
Autumn Bay Extra Edition
All the extras and glimpses of things to come in Autumn Bay - click the "Autumn Bay" link at the top of the page to visit the main comic! :)
Comic 51 - Fashion Montage Outtake #23
8th Jan 2015, 1:14 PM
Autumn Bay Fanart
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Marie-Ange, by Van Husk I
Marie-Ange, Andrew, and Future!Dr. Deacon
Future!Dr. Deacon, by professordethorn
Magical Girls?
Nesariel Predicts
Princess of Autumn Bay
The Grand Conjuration
Nesariel vs. Nyarlathotep
Autumn Bay, a J,J. Abrams film
Bishop's First Tea Party
Webcomics Underdogs Halloween Party 2014
Autumn Bay by QuietClayton
Nesariel and Bishop
Nesariel vs. Sam Christianos
Call Me Tom
Spelledeg 2
the rouge hummingbird
Lieutenant Bishop in Data Chasers
Sheriff Andrew Chapel in Silver
Althea North in The Shadows Over Innsmouth
Dr. Deacon in The Airship Legacy
GlitchVerse - Marie-Ange Lebeau
Glitchverse - Althea North
GlitchVerse - Special Agent Thomas Johnson
Marie-Ange's Snowball
Ryae Hijacks Autumn Bay
Marie-Ange Meets Jen and Miss J
Marie-Ange, by Apocalyptic Night
Nesariel and Friend
Nesariel's New Tricks, by argylefox
Totally Not an Unattainable Fantasy
Althea and Her Team, by Allan Dotson
When It Rains, by F.T.Benjamins
The Inquisitive, 16 December 2014
The Nesariel That Stole Christmas
Webcomics Underdogs Secret Santa
100 Palette Marie-Ange, by argylefox
Happy Holidays
Aren't You a Little Too Young For That?
Marie-Ange and Andrew meet Aryanna and Avi
Get You Down, by Spelledeg
Fashion Montage Outtake #23
Marie-Ange by Kyte114
The Lost Bet
The Pocky Game, by Albino
Magical Girl Marie-Ange
Autumn Bay meets When Taken
Deacon meets Fodd, by argylefox
Marie-Ange by William Leighton
Kenji and Falchionne
UR Security SUX, by Spelledeg
Quit Complaining, by Spelledeg
Dr. Deacon, by keiiii
Marie-Ange vs. Crystal Zephyr
Autumn Bay, Dimension 63 #1
Felicia Kingsley by toherrys (aka rosythorns)
1970s Shoujou Manga Marie-Ange
Dr. Jamie Deacon (Dimension 63)
Andrew Chapel by Amalockh I
Falchionne by Rinkel
Marie-Ange, by Taily
Ghoul by argylefox
Jackie Bishop by Shirokuro
Andrew x Lilith
Jackie Bishop (Headshot) by toherrys
Lab Partners by lirvilas (NSFW)
Dr. Deacon in Back to Action
Evangeline by heckos
Evangeline by Call Me Tom
Evangeline by HeSerpenty
Stereotypes by lirvilas
Friendship is Magic by lirvilas
Althea by argylefox
Falchionne, Althea, Andrew, and Marie-Ange by BONESOFRUIN
Let It Ride X Autumn Bay by MadJak91
Happy Mother's Day 2015
Jackie Bishop by BONESOFRUINS
Nesariel by Alicia
Pirate Crossover Prom - Autumn Bay x Critters, by Alan Dotson
Crossover Prom - Inferno x Autumn Bay
Pirate Nesariel by Seabiscuit
Bubble Power by HeSerpenty
Nesariel by Keltyzoid
Dr. Deacon by Keltyzoid
Mo-rie-Ange Lebeau and Andrew ChApple by argylefox
Shippin' by lirvilas
Jackie Bishop by Spelledeg
Vincent Whateley by Ninabird
The New Autumn Bay? (by argylefox
Autumn Babes by lirvilas
Reboot by argylefox
Clint Ghoulwood
A Picnic with Falling Into Place by MazitDynasty
Autumn Bay vs. The Feloran Chronicles
Old vs. New by argylefox
Mercy Black, by lirvilas
Dinosariel by Dory H
Meddling Kids and the Boogeyman by Call Me Tom
Valerie O'Donnell
Andrew and Marie-Ange Cosplay Messenger by Alicia the Bard
~Spooky Cosplay~ Exchange by RyoshiMicchi
Falchionne Knight by lirvilas
Callie by argylefox
Ghoul and the Transgender Day of Remembrance by lirvilas
Spoiler Patrol by lirvilas
Sophie by argylefox
Ghoul bypastutopia
Stephen, Callie, and Adam by Marius Hjelseth
Nesariel and... Santa Claus?
Cookie Black
Stephen, Adam, and Callie by Joshua Yu
Doc and June
A Couple of Misfits by Waffles597
Mercy is Just a Name by argylefox
Mercy is Just a Name by lirvilas
Princess Mercy by JammyTheWerewolf
Ghoul and Callie by MoonLotus-Hime
Ghoul Sketch by MistakeNPotatoes
Mercy With Glasses
Mercy SOFT?!?!?
Stephen and Callie by Eggie
Word Bubble Switcharoo by
Ghoul is Not Just a Name by argylefox
Mercy Black by Shirokuro
Mercy Black by azureXtwilight
A Friendly Round of Golf by lirvilas
Women's Busts by Call Me Tom
(Naughty) Mercy is Still Just a Name by argylefox
Eric Macdonald vs. Mercy Black
Mexican Standoff by lirvilas
Mercy Black headshot by HeSerpenty
Mercy Black by Van Husk I
Techno-mage Sophie by argylefox
Sophie Peterson by lirvilas
Mercy Black sketch by zartala
Mercy Black and Mark North by Call Me Tom
Eric "Ghoul" Forrest by Amalockh1
"Annie Armalite", starring April Anne Price by lirvilas
Battle Mercy by argylefox
Jennifer Burton by Call Me Tom
Ghoul Headshot by azureXtwilight
What Are They Using It For? by lirvilas
Mercy Black by junoro
Mercy Black by CiciEnixa
Mercy Black by MoonLotus-Hime
Mercy Black by MST3KFan
Ghoul by Zanreo
Mercy at the Pool by thewotartmonkey
A Righteous Ride by lirvilas
Mercy Black by Neil Kapit
Ghoul by azureXtwilight
Mercy Black by Past Utopia
Believe in Fire by lirvilas
Mercy Black by Spelledeg
Muckraking by lirvilas
Connect the Dots by Microraptor
Old School Cloak and Dagger (alternate take) by lirvilas
Girl's Night by Microraptor
An Example Must Be Made by lirvilas
Tona and Mercy
Run, Felicia, Run! by Microraptor
Felicia Kingsley vs. Timothy Timmy III by Microraptor
Enemy of the People by lirvilas
Save My Place
Load My Place
Author Notes:
8th Jan 2015, 1:14 PM
This was given to me by
, autuhor of
Eternity Complex
as part of the
Comic Fury 2014 Secret Santa
. She also worked with a limited palette, hence the "funky coloring" (her words, not mine).
I can definitely see this outfit being one of the ones that Falchionne gave Jackie to try out as part of
this montage
A hearty thank you to zartala, and to all of my wonderful readers.
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Courtfield Gardens
Client: Private
Location: Kensington, London
Project Conception: 02/11/2011
Project Status: Complete
Area: 220m/2
Project Value: £210,000
Robert Maxwell was appointed to carry out the refurbishment of a 220 m/2 private house in Kensington, London. The client had acquired the apartment above the existing property and wished to incorporate the two. A new staircase with innovative glass handrail was designed so as to have a minimal impact on the existing living room whilst allowing access to the upper floor. The additional floor allowed for the creation of a master suite consisting of a master bathroom, walk in wardrobe, study and bathroom. This in turn allowed the lower ground floor to be converted to accommodate three bedrooms and an additional family bathroom. Externally, the façade of the property was reconditioned to return it to its original state.


text:
Category: J. G. Ballard
Thoughts at the halfway point of Rushing to Paradise
There is a pace about Ballard that grabs you by the eyeballs and leads you into places that you fear to look at. You know that the relationship between the passionate but unhinged Dr Barbara and the young lonely animal rights campaigner Neil is going to go to dark places.
She is determined to save the albatross nesting on an island being used by the French for nuclear experiments but he is following his primeval dreams of visiting and witnessing the nuclear destruction that destroyed his father who was exposed to tests.
The two set sail for the island and face the French, bullets and madness resulting in Neil being shot and becoming some sort of pin-up hero for the cause which rapidly starts snowballing into much more of a determined effort to return to the island and stay fighting off the French permanently to create some sort of paradise.
But with the knowledge of Dr Barbara's murderous past as a doctor happy to kill her elderly patients off and as a witness to her obsessive madness the question mark hovers over just exactly how far Neil is prepared to go with the Dr.
A review will be posted soon…
book review – The Crystal World – JG Ballard
Science is not one of my strong points so I'm not going to pretend by using long words that the causes of the crystallisation that sweeps the African jungle and Florida swamps is terribly clear to me.
However, the lack of complete understanding didn't detract from the enjoyment of the book because this is tapping into the usual Ballardian themes of society breaking down and the reaction of intelligent people to that collapse in social order.
As the jungle crystallises a former leper colony doctor heads back into the jungle not just to see the crystallisation process first-hand but also to reconnect with an old flame. On the boat up the river, a very Conradeque moment, the main character Dr Sanders notices another passenger, Ventress, who it becomes clear later on is on a similar mission to fight with a mine-owner for possession of his dying ex-wife.
The army is holding the line against expanding shimmering jewelled jungle but the main focus to start with is not to enter the jewelled zone but to work out just how the people on the edges of it can be liberated.
In a classic Ballardian way the choice then moves into a more crucial stage which is for the individuals to decide how they want to react to the prospect of life or death. A primeval urge seems to be driving some characters into the jungle into a world where death comes as the skin turns to crystals shimmering and glittering as the very breath it shut up inside the victim.
In a very graphical moment Sanders tries to save the life of an army officer who is crystallising by clearing his mouth by pulling off the crystals. Later on the edge of the affected zone he realises with horror his handiwork has maimed the officer ripping off his skin.
The choice for Sanders is to run, follow the example of his leprosy suffering former girlfriend and embrace the change or crystallisation. The army pulls out and the spread of the crystals continues to gather pace covering the trees and grasses in a shimmering blanket of sparkling frost.
For Sanders the pull back to the crystals and that sense of deciding to embrace the crystals is something that takes time. As a reader you are left sharing that indecision until the very end.
As you come to expect from Ballard the writing is tight, the cast selective and the attention to detail, making the whole thing plausible, is there in abundance. Personally I would run. But facing the pull of the strange lights and the impact on the mind who knows?
Just as with the Drowned World the actions of the main character cannot be logically explained. In a world that has been turned upside down perhaps the primeval instinct is over powering? Brilliantly described and Ballardian with a capital B this along with High Rise and Drowned World has to be one the books by him that is highly recommendable.
book review – The Drought – JG Ballard
"…he now felt that the white deck of the river was carrying them all in the opposite direction, forward into zones of time future where the unresolved residues of the past would appear smoothed and rounded, muffled by the detritus of time, like images in a clouded mirror. Perhaps these residues were the sole elements contained in the future, and would have the bizarre and fragmented quality of the debris through which he was now walking. None the less they would all be merged and resolved in the soft dust of the drained bed."
There is something very clever about describing a world without location and time because your imagination fills in the blanks. This could be America and it could be in ten years time. What really matters is that underneath the apocalyptic drought there is the ability to chart how human beings in a great position of stress react to the calamity.
Some seem to go into denial, the majority scramble to the coast and to the sea in search of water and others take an observational position, like the main character Dr Charles Ransom, waiting to see how things develop and waiting to see how they will react personally to those changes.
The breakdown of society is one of Ballard's big themes but cast that on top of a world in acute stress caused by a lack of water and it brings out the extremes in people.
The basic premise is that industrial waste has been pumped into the oceans and turned into some sort of plastic film that prevents evaporation and the usual formation of rain clouds.
Ransom is living aptly in a house boat beached on the banks of an ever dwindling lake with the cars going across the highway heading towards the coast and the fisherman and pleasure boats slowly grinding to a halt. His ex-wife works in the town for the police and it is a journey to his former marital home that spreads out the canvas and introduces some more characters including the strange but rich character who lives in a hou8se with constant beaming lights at the top of the hill.
Just like the architect figure Royal in High Rise the rich maverick refuses to leave the town and sits in his white house making plans and hoarding the water in his swimming pool. Assisted by his unhinged sister and the village idiot he remains even as the fishermen start to hunt down people and the religious leader gives up and heads to the coast.
Ransom is finally driven out himself and travelling with an odd collection of characters that represent some of the varying degrees of possible reactions to the drought he heads for the coast. Once there a sort of hell with barbed wire, guns and the army between the masses and the sea awaits. Tensions rise and finally the tide of human anger and desperation washes away the barriers.
Skip forward and Ransom has been reunited with his wide and is living a hand to mouth existence in a world dominated by religious groups that have settled on the salt covered shoreline.
Going back to the town of the past Ransom faces up to a world where madness reigns. The lack of authority has provided the owner of the white house with a chance to rule in a town where the main enemies are the roaming fishermen. Ransom seems to have given up and becomes part of the court of the water king until it falls apart.
The reader is challenged to think about how they would react in a similar situation. Do you run for the coast, do you stay? And regardless of what you do how long could you keep sane in a world where all the perspectives are changing.
The Crystal World – post II
Not only does Ballard manage to describe so effectively a change in the landscape that is gently apocalyptic but takes his lead character into a position of deciding how to react.
Having seen the forest crystalise in front of his eyes and those caught in it suffer a metamorphisis where their skin becomes encrusted in jewels Ransom still feels drawn to the forest. With the discovery that his former mistress has leprosy, which is of course a theme, and then chooses to take her own life by embracing the other deadly form of transformation.
As he stumbles through the private war between the mine owner and the architect Ventress the army withdraws and the individuals left in the affected zone have to make a decision for themselves about fleeing or embracing death. The priest opts for the later and so do some of the locals. But for the main character the pull back to the crystals and that sense of deciding to embrace the crystals is something that takes time. As a reader you are left sharing that indecision until the very end.
As you come to expect from Ballard the writing is tight, the cast selective and the attention to detail, making the whole thing plausible, is there in abundance. Personally I would run. But facing the pull of the strange lights and the impact on the mind who knows?
A review will follow soon…
The Crystal World – post I
In some respects this book reminds you of both Conrad's Journey into the Heart of Darkness and Greene's novels set in colonial jungles. But this has a more sinister edge. You know that not all is as it seems and as Sanders gets closer to meeting his former mistress in the jungles of a former French colony the silence, mistrust and strange behaviour starts to creep into the narrative.
What is happening finally becomes clear as the jungle starts to demonstrate the effects of crystallisation. Sanders is a leprosy specialist and in turn nature seems diseased and suffering from the impact of some strange process. The natural conclusion to draw is that the local diamond mines have somehow infected the landscape but as Sanders gets closer to the source of the outbreak something different is happening and it has the ability to change everything in its path.
Crystal skinned crocodiles try to break through crystallised streams past glittering trees. Plus this is also happening in the swamps of Florida and somewhere in Russia. Sitting on Sanders shoulder you go into the heart of the jungle and some of the mysteries start to unfold.
More soon…
The Drought – post IV
The book jumps on again and it has been a decade since the drought began. Ransom is holed up with his ex wife and in conflict with the main camp of survivors. He knows that staying by the sea is a doomed enterprise and he manages to reassemble the original party and head back the 100 miles to the city.
On the way they are greeted with fires, destruction and dust. As they get closer the small cast of freakish characters that Ballard had left in the town are still there fighting and squabbling over water.
Ransom seems happy to slide into an existence of doing nothing but waiting for the end as the days and weeks drift by. Even when the people he is staying with start to fight with themselves he seems unable to take decisive action.
It is only close to presumably the end, with all water gone, that he decides to leave, walk off and head out on his own. It is at that point of course at the moment when he faces the biggest challenge of finding himself, or at least rediscovering himself, that the drought ends.
A review will follow soon…
The Drought – post III
The book flips forward to bring the reader into a world post the break down of law and order. The army has gone and the majority of people have died and disappeared as the drought takes hold.
The salt that is produced when the sea is treated blocks the beach and drives the water miles away from the coast.
The party of original escapees lead by Ransom breaks up and heads in different directions all obsessed with the single ambition to find water and survive.
Ransom, like most of Ballard's leading characters, seems to be in a daze struggling to really recalibrate to changed circumstances. You always sense that he is superior in intellect to most of those around him but in sense of surviving he seems to be doing no better.
More tomorrow…


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learn how to set up an email address, use the internet and how to set up and use MyAccount (online account for Barking & Dagenham Council).
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I found out my friend Bill Walpole died today.
What I loved about Bill Walpole is that I could say pretty much anything to him. I spent ten minutes one evening at the Double Door explaining to Bill in a callous and tasteless way why Wendell Black was behaving strangely that night. He said to me, "You ain't right." I took it as the compliment it was.
The photo below was taken at the Double Door in December 2004. It's my favorite photo that I took of him because he wasn't out front much. Bill only had one vocal part during the Federal Bureau of Rock and Roll reunion shows. After the line, "The shit has hit the fan" during the song Lawyers, Guns and Money, Bill would step up to the microphone and holler, "Hell, yeah!" I tried to catch that moment several times and I got it this once.
He was also a great musician. He played an amazing slide guitar. Lenny Federal said he liked playing with Bill because, "Bill listens." Rob Tavaliogne once described Bill's playing by saying that Bill invented chords, meaning that Bill knew how to insert himself into the middle of a song and not distract from but add to it. The word genius gets tossed around easily but it applies to his playing.
I'm trying not to feel too sad because I was lucky to spend the little time I did around him. I think anyone who ever had a private moment with Bill is feeling that right now. He was just fun and he probably enjoyed laughing more than anyone I have ever met. In 1998 when Christopher McComb, Wendell and I traveled to Cleveland to see R.L. Burnisde, I had a chance to talk to Bob Log III, who was touring with Burnside. He said that Burnside had several phrases and jokes that he would say over and over again and they would get funnier the more he said them. Bill was like that. He loved to yell, "Woah! Woah! Woah!" while someone was backing up their car. When they slammed on their brakes in a panic he would laugh and laugh. And it got funnier every time he did it. You waited for it.
Everybody that knew him has a story to tell and if you live on through stories then Bill will have a rich afterlife.


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Alberta is one of the wealthiest provinces in Canada; however, rising inequality, expensive childcare, and high unemployment have created a climate where poverty is a pressing concern for many. Before the economic downturn, Vibrant Communities Calgary estimated that poverty cost Alberta $7.1-9.5 billion per year in 2013. Since this estimate was calculated, measurements show an increase of 4,670 economic families in poverty from 2013 to 2014. Additionally, other indicators such as the 17.6% rise in food bank usage since 2015,2 demonstrate that poverty rates in the province have increased since the cost of poverty was determined.
In June 2013, the government announced the release of a discussion paper entitled, Together We Raise Tomorrow: Alberta's poverty reduction strategy. Since the release of the discussion paper, progress on the poverty strategy has been slow to hit the ground. However, a recent re-commitment in the province's 2016 budget marked that the strategy was in development.
Municipal plans to reduce poverty and eliminate homelessness in Alberta have seen more activity. The city of Calgary, for example, intends to cut the poverty rate by 50% by 2023. Currently, 1 in 10 people in Calgary live in poverty, 1 in 5 are concerned about food security, and 1 in 3 are concerned about being able to afford housing.3 Similarly, 12% of people in Edmonton live in poverty, including 33,000 children.


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This post about how to survive a long distance road trip has been sponsored by Poise and Social Stars. All opinions expressed here are my own. #PoisewithSAM
Posts feature partner companies & may be sponsored. Post contains affiliate links & I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on links.
My husband and I are in the midst of planning a long distance road trip. We will be taking 2 weeks to visit an assortment of friends and family that are scattered between 5 different states. Needless to say, a road trip of this size requires a significant amount of planning. Think along the lines of a military invasion of an enemy country! It is a bit hectic but we have made similar trips almost every year since the kids were babies. Living far from family means that a road trip is often the only way you get to see anyone! So, throughout the years I have come to realize that there are certain things that every mom needs to bring with her in order to stay happy, healthy, and relaxed during her road trip. And let me assure you that a mom that is NOT happy, healthy and relaxed is not a woman you want to be stuck in a car with for 2 weeks! So, if you are planning your own road trip (or military invasion!) here are a few things I recommend that you pack:
10 Things You Need to Survive a Long Distance Road Trip
1. Herbal tea. I honestly don't go anywhere without it! I have tea to help me relax, tea to help me deal with allergies, and tea to help easy the upset stomach that I ALWAYS get when I travel. I take a handful of each variety and put it in a large Ziploc bag. Tea is easy to make at a hotel or even at a roadside gas station. Just take a travel mug, fill with hot water and toss in your tea bag. Your car companions will be happy to have you feeling better!
2. Food. You will want food for your road trip. If you are traveling with teens like I am you will want large quantities of food. Low blood sugar makes for a cranky mommy and irritable teens. Pack not only food for your car ride but also food for your hotel room, your trip to the amusement park, and wherever else you might need sustenance. You will save a ton of money and eat healthier if you don't rely on fast food, vending machines and gas station snacks.
3. A Swiss army knife. Okay, my backwoods training is showing here but I have never traveled anywhere (except by plane) without my Swiss army knife. There are scissors for opening packages so you don't rip out a tooth. There are tweezers for that splinter you get walking barefoot on the boardwalk. There are many other useful tools on a Swiss army knife that will come in handy on your next road trip! Buy one. Stick it in your purse. It may very well save your life or at least help you snip off that annoying hangnail.
4. A backpack. I hate purses that keep falling off my shoulder while I am sightseeing. You do not have to be a fashionista on your road trip. Get a sturdy and comfortable backpack with lots of pockets and room for your water bottle. (see number 5 below!)
5. Reusable water bottle: Skip the sodas and plastic bottles full of various flavored drinks. Bring a reusable water bottle and stay hydrated on your road trip. Don't spend $4 for a bottle of water at the snack stand at the museum. Bottled water is a waste of money AND bad for the environment!
6. Entertainment: I have found that between the car ride and waiting in lines at museums, restaurants, etc it is important to have something to entertain both you and your kids. Whether you choose to pack books, crayons, electronics, or silly putty just don't go anywhere without something to do in case of down time. Ever stand in a line for something with a 4 year old? Not fun, is it? Time passes much more quickly if that 4 year old has a few My Little Pet Shop critters to play with. And a car ride with a book goes much faster for mom as long as she isn't the one driving of course! Load your ipod with a few good podcasts if you are the driver to pass the time and help keep you awake.
7. First aid kit: Inevitably you will need a first aid kit on your next road trip. We have had skinned knees on hikes, jelly fish stings at the beach, headaches in line for the next amusement park ride and an assortment of other ailments. (remember that upset stomach I mentioned at the beginning of the post?) Pack a first aid kit, make sure your items are not expired from the last time you used it, and pray you don't need it. Better safe than sorry!
8. Pillows: From personal experience I can tell you that car windows do not make good rest places for your head. Hotel pillows are often so high that you end up with a crick in your neck. Friends and family often don't have enough pillows to go around. Toss your pillow in the car on your next road trip just in case you want somewhere comfortable to lay your head. If you are short on space there are many travel pillows on the market today that are incredibly comfortable.
9. Patience and a sense of humor: Obviously these are not really things you can 'pack' but they are definitely things you should not leave home without. Understand that no matter how much planning you did, something will go wrong. Babies will pee through several layers of clothing. Toddlers will vomit. Preschoolers will cry. Mommy and daddy will probably argue. Frequently! Vacations are stressful but try to remain patient, flexible and calm. You will look back on this road trip one day and laugh at the flat tire you had in the middle of rural Alabama. It might not be funny when the Texas police officer pulls you over in the middle of the night to search your car for drugs (yes…that happened!) but you will look back on it in a few years and laugh hysterically! And no, he did not actually FIND drugs. Apparently just driving a truck at 3 AM through rural Texas is suspicious enough to warrant a thorough search!
10. Poise Microliners: You may be wondering why you would need Poise microliners on your next road trip, right? Ever travel long distance with damp panties because you coughed before you could make it to the nearest rest stop in 47 miles? Ever go to visit family in another state and realize your immune system has never been exposed to Kentucky Bluegrass before and your allergies make you sneeze every 30 seconds? Ever go on a roller coaster and hit that dip a little more abruptly than you though you would? Light bladder leakage can happen to anyone for a number of different reasons. Don't be caught unprepared! It is simple enough to change a tiny little liner and wouldn't you rather do that than walk around in damp underwear all day? Even if you DON'T suffer from light bladder leakage, just sweating in the heat of summer all day leaves underwear damp and unpleasant. A few Poise microliners in your purse will make your road trip much more enjoyable! They are so incredibly thin and comfortable you honestly won't even realize you are wearing it!
Get a FREE Poise Microliner Sample and give them a try for yourself!
I am really looking forward to our road trip and can't wait to see a few sites, hang out with family, and enjoy some regional cuisine. If you have a road trip coming up I suggest you do a little planning ahead of time and pack a few of these road trip essentials to help you stay sane on the road!
What do YOU never leave home without for a road trip?
Diane has a Bachelor's degree in Microbiology with a Minor in Health Management and Policy. She spent many years working in cancer research, academics, and biotechnology. Concern over the growing incidence of human disease and the birth of her children led her to begin living a more natural life. She quickly realized that the information she was learning along the way could be beneficial to many others and started blogging as a way to share this knowledge with others. While passionate about health and the environment she can't quite give up her favorite Cheetos and Diet Coke! Learn more about her HERE.


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Classic Blend
per item
Our Classic blend is an essential oil blend of patchouli, tea tree , lavender, rose & vanilla. Our shaving brushes will whip up a great froth of velvety lather to lift your stubble and to insure you a really nice smooth shave thanks to the Kaolin clay we add to each of the shaving soaps. Ladies a shaving brush is a blast to use when you are looking for a really close shave ~ Be watching as I add a section about the Art of Shaving.


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Safeer started his first business when he was 16 years old and ended up selling $100,000 worth of iPhones.
He currently works at Amazon Web Services building Database, AI and Analytics products.
Safeer is also a Managing Partner at Cordoba Funds - a series of rental income real estate funds. Cordoba Fund currently manages $8M+ of real estate assets across the country backed by 80+ investors.
Safeer volunteers his time serving on the endowment board of a few non-profits.


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There's a new wrinkle to the 2017 Woodford Reserve Manhattan Experience. The regional winners aren't just traveling to Kentucky to experience Woodford Reserve's iconic distillery: The 39 bartenders also came to compete for six spots in the finals in New York.
Things kicked off at Lola, a refined bar above Butchertown Grocery, where bartending luminaries Charles Joly and Jacques Bezuidenhout welcomed the competitors with some delicious, innovative cocktails. The regional winners were great company, and the looming semifinals didn't diminish the camaraderie among the bartenders, making the evening a highlight of the trip.
The bartenders didn't have to wait long to start making cocktails. The brand-new semifinals were the following day, with half the bartenders competing at 21c Hotel in the morning while the others went to Bean for a coffee-roasting seminar and a hands-on learning experience. The two groups swapped places after lunch.
The semifinal competition pushed the bartenders beyond the cocktails that got them there, challenging them to create a standout Old Fashioned and Mint Julep. They could make one in the classic style and put their own personal spin on the other. This, along with the Manhattan and original cocktail they already submitted, showed who had a firm grasp on the classics and the improvisational ability to create their version.
But the bartenders themselves were under just as much scrutiny as their cocktails. Anyone hoping to reach the finals would have to pair high-quality cocktails with some serious poise and personality behind the bar.
The winners wouldn't be announced until the following evening, but the bartenders had a lot to do before then. They got a hosted tour of one of the few functional cooperages left in the US. It was a rare look at barrels being made and charred, and gave the bartenders a vivid look at the craftsmanship that goes into each barrel and bottle of Woodford Reserve.
Naturally, the next stop was the Woodford Reserve distillery. But this tour wasn't just a walkthrough of the production process. Bartenders engaged with Woodford with a flavor wheel sensory tasting. The regional winners each blended their own batch of Woodford barrels in the rickhouse with Master Distiller Chris Morris. They even toasted a barrel, had a blind taste test and—keeping with the competitive atmosphere of the trip—had a rubber ducky race down the natural aquifer. The day was equal parts informative and playful for the 39 bartenders.
The trip culminated in an exceptional dinner at the Holly Hill Inn, a charming and family-owned restaurant offering fine dining in the heart of horse country. When the finalists were announced following dinner, it became clear that the semifinals weren't the only new development in the 2017 competition. The quality of talent assembled made it impossible to choose just six finalists, so the judges sent seven bartenders to the finals in New York, as opposed to the usual six.
It was a lot to pack into three days, but the bartenders all took home a deeper understanding and appreciation of whiskey—and had a lot of fun in the process. It's hard to imagine that the stakes will be even higher as the seven top bartenders arrive in New York to compete for the title of Master of the Manhattan.


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Legislators aren't honest.
Or maybe in Colorado and Oregon they just don't understand the meaning of words . . . like "safety" and "emergency." (Heck, there was once a politician unsure of what the meaning of the word "is" is.)
"The state constitution gives Coloradans the power to challenge news laws through citizen initiative," explains the Independence Institute's Mike Krause in a recent Freedom Minute video.
In order to force a popular vote, the referendum process requires citizens to submit petitions before the "effective date" of the new law. If a law is deemed truly "vital to public peace, health and safety," however, the legislature may add what's known as a "safety clause." That puts the law into immediate effect . . . thereby blocking the people's referendum power to petition that new law to the ballot.
Krause discloses that a majority of 2015 bills passed in Colorado contained so-called safety clauses — 68 percent in the Senate and 55 percent in the House.
In Oregon, the tactic is referred to as an "emergency clause." There, too, most bills are passed as emergencies to block any citizen response.
Tired of legislators using fake emergencies to disenfranchise voters, attorney Eric Winters drafted an initiative mandating a two-thirds vote of both House and Senate for legislation with an emergency clause. Now a grassroots coalition has formed to petition his "No More Fake Emergencies Act" onto the ballot.
Last year, The Oregonian warned that by "abusing the emergency clause" and "attacking the prerogatives of voters," legislators were inviting "a backlash."
Taking the initiative, citizens will stop fake emergencies with genuine democracy.
This is Common Sense. I'm Paul Jacob.


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San Jose
ClientSide Realty Offers San Jose Buyers and Sellers Unique Savings
San Jose is known across the world as the hub of the Silicon Valley, and for good reason. This dynamic California city is home to more than 6,600 technology companies, making it the center of all things ground breaking.
San Jose, in addition to being a business-friendly city (it employs more than 250,000 people in the technology sector alone), is a popular destination for tourists seeking the warm weather, blue skies and the area's seemingly endless cultural and recreational fair. The revitalized downtown area, in fact, has become a popular destination for individuals seeking world-class shopping and dining.
In addition to its business and employment opportunities, and of course it's amazing surroundings, San Jose has become a popular place to call home because of its ethnically diverse population and its low crime rate. In fact, San Jose has the nation's best public safety record of any metropolitan area.
Discount Real Estate Brokers
If you are looking to buy or sell in San Jose, and you want to save money along the way, it may be time to discover the beauty of ClientSide Realty, San Jose's discount real estate brokerage. ClientSide Realty, the discount arm of VIP Realty, is committed to saving both buyers and sellers money throughout the home buying process.
Its two wildly popular programs, the Flat Fee MLS Listing program and the Cash Back Rebate program, have changed the way people think about the real estate industry, and the standards which we have all assumed are unchanging. In fact, you could say that ClientSide Realty has turned real estate standards on their heads.
Flat Fee MLS Listings
If you are selling your home, you no doubt have discovered the reality that you could end up paying thousands of dollars in realtor commissions. ClientSide Realty, however, has changed the way of doing business; instead allowing you, the seller, to sell your home yourself and eliminate shelling out thousands of dollars in process.
The Flat Fee MLS Listing program is quite simple, as it allows sellers to sell their San Jose homes on their own, yet still receive the same exposure they would have received using the services of a realtor. Because most sellers pay out a whopping six percent of the purchase price of their home in realtor commissions (half to the buyer's agent and half to the seller's agent), it is possible to eliminate the need to pay a seller's agent commission and save yourself thousands of dollars in the process.!
Real Estate Buyer Rebates
Buyers seeking to purchase San Jose real estate can also benefit from the services of ClientSide Realty through the Cash Back Rebate program. This program, which is aimed at sellers who want to find their next San Jose home on their own, is designed to put cash back into their pockets. The cash back rebate program works like this: you find the San Jose home of your dreams on your own, list ClientSide Realty as the exclusive buyer agent, and receive one-and-a-half percent cash back on the purchase price of your home! What better way to see a little cash return to your pocket when buying a home!


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In addition to the standard information fields included for all companies, Custom Fields are fields you create specifically for your organization.
You can use these to help employees to engage in your company's culture, share specific details about themselves with their coworkers (or just with their Admins), keep track of specific skills, or see what projects people are working on.
You can add any Custom Fields you'd like for your organization, across multiple types (text, choice, date, checkbox, etc). To get you started with some ideas, here's a list of the top 10 most popular custom fields on Pingboard:
- Personal Email
- Hometown
- Ask Me About...
- Favorite Food
- Certifications
- Favorite Drink
- Favorite Color
- Fluent Languages
- Favorite Sports Team
- Pets
Still need help? Let us know.


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Who loves green bean casserole? If you answered 'Me!', this recipe is for you!
When you have a fabulous main course roasting in the oven, this recipe is a perfect accompaniment. It's made on the stove top and can be timed so it's ready when your main course is ready.
I found this recipe while looking for vegetarian dishes to serve our guests that we invited to dinner. It was well received, and our guests asked for a copy of the recipe. So here it is!
'Braised' means cooked or steamed with a flavorful broth or cream. This recipe uses all fresh ingredients, nothing canned. So it's a bit of a departure if you're used to the canned green beans and cream of mushroom soup topped with french fried onions. This is definitely a recipe in which you must prepare/measure out all ingredients before you begin. If not, you may end up with burnt or over cooked elements (or both).
It's fairly simple in that you make your own french fried shallots~ a nice change from the traditional onion. They are mellow and more sweet in flavor, especially when fried in this manner.
After setting aside your garnish of shallots, you'll cook/steam the green beans and mushrooms in cream, a little lemon juice, minced thyme, salt and pepper. The beauty of this recipe really is the simplicity of it all :0)
I hope you enjoy Green Beans and Mushrooms Braised in Cream as much as my family and I do.
Yields 6
Green Beans and Mushrooms Braised in Cream is a lovely side dish to any meal. Playing off the flavors of classic Green Bean casserole, it's a modern take that is both delicious and easy.
25 minPrep Time
35 minCook Time
1 hrTotal Time
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 medium shallots, peeled and sliced thin crosswise
- 1/2 pound domestic mushrooms, wiped clean, sliced thin
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh minced thyme
- Heat butter and olive oil over medium heat in a large saute pan. When the oil and butter is hot, add in the shallots and saute until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate with a slotted spoon.
- In the same pan, add mushrooms, green beans, cream, lemon juice and thyme. Bring to a boil and cover; reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the cover, and simmer for a few minutes to thicken the cream if necessary. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with the fried shallots. Serve warm.
Free ebook for all Subscribers!
What will you stuff in your sopapillas? Subscribe now to receive your free copy of Sopapilla Fiesta! today with six recipe combinations of stuffings and chili sauces. Bonus dessert recipe included!


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. . . . . six o'clock, in the a.m. i wake from my deep relaxing slumber. the dawns light slowly meets the twilight sky of the evening and grows brighter, i wipe my eyes. the rooms cool feel surrounds, as i unwrap myself from the comfort warmth of the flannel sheets. i rest my feet upon the carpet, still reluctant to remove myself from the comfort of sleep. the fibers of the carpet surround my toes. i give myself a long stretch, arms above my head, torso stretched. i walk myself on over to the kitchen, where the comfort of the carpet turns to a cooler touch of wooden floor. i turn to the coffee maker, and glance out the window. eyes adjusting, seeing the overcast sky through a light frosted window pane. and the longing for summer formed in my head, and i chuckled. outside the window, the maple tree leaves rustle, as the morning breeze quickly blows through. thankful that i am inside, i grab a mug off of the hook, and set it in the holder, and the coffee starts brewing for my cup. saturday morning, seven a.m. starting the day. // i let you sleep in for a while. i head for the shower. pulling back the brown and mint curtain and pulling the knob out and over to the hottest position. as i wait for the hot water to commence, i brush my teeth, shave my face and count the grey hairs that snuck in the night prior. after i started to lose count, a heavy steam starts rolling through, covering the mirror, and i head to the shower. after all is done, i dry myself off with the soft cotton, matching mint, towel and dress myself for a cool autumn day. // i open the side door to the garage, and flip the switch. the fluorescent flickers, buzzes and turns on. tripping over all the left over summer garage sale junk, that is piled up in stalemate, i stumble over to my local hardware store's , fall special rake. i grab it from off the wall's hook, and lift open the heavy garage door panel. i walk out on the driveway and look over the yard. i pick out my starting point which is the lower left portion of the property. it's where the mighty oak lives. fifty years, to be exact. and it's where the most leaves had fallen. start with the hardest and end with the easiest. there are other trees in the yard, but none that added up to this elder of trees. the cool autumn breeze had turned cooler, and i pull the jacket together to zip it up. i continue. as i am half way through the front yard's project, i notice that you are up and awake. standing there on the front porch, in your p.j.'s covered by a thick cotton robe, waiting for me to notice you. i look up, and see you sip on your coffee. and behind your cup, you give me a distant good morning smile. motioning me to come join you, you hand me a newly brewed cup of coffee. the cool air draws massive steam to the java. kiss you good morning, hug me love. i take another sip and head back to the project at hand. you head back in quickly, because you hate the cold, but love it from the comfort of the warm window inside. i smirk, and rake till i'm done. leaves headed to their new home, in the compost pile, where they will contribute to the springs renewal. i look around and take note of all the other pre-winter chores i have to get done. i write them down, tuck the list in my back pocket and save them for another day.// lunchtime. i head in, and see that you are already ten steps ahead of me, and have it ready for me. i freshen up with some water to the face and up to the elbows, i clean up. i look in the mirror, still bothered by the grey hair count. you laugh, and tell me that you like it, and that it makes me look distinguished. a quiet sigh and an unseen roll of the eye, we both laugh. we both eat and relax on the couch and make plans for the rest of the day, grocery store, movie madness afternoon. lazy saturday afternoon. never leaving the house, never leaving the comfort of each other's arms, under the afghan blanket. and within the first fifteen minutes of the first movie, one autumn saturday we shared, we fell asleep . . . . . .
you are: more than these words
. . . . sometimes curly, sometimes straight. light to dark and dark to light. her hair changes upon season and mood. eyes shine, glimmer like diamonds. she's a springtime song, thawing out the winter's chill. her face, smooth and delicate. her silence says a thousand words, her tone soft and angelic. her presence, like soft falling snow, graceful and quiet. the elegance, the beauty, outshines the sun on any given day. when her smiles make an appearance, my heart becomes weak, and falls again. her skin, creamy; glowing. her heart, caring and giving. a dedicated humanitarian, her modesty might say otherwise. a seeker of truth, dwelling within the words. a wonderful mother, a juggling between life's acts and little wonders. a wife that only a man can dream of. wishful thinking to my reality. she is a symphony in life. a rock upon which i can lean on. a friend no one can be. the best. you are. you are more than these words, more than what my painting can say. you are the essence of my desire. oh, my love!, my heart longs when you are away!, and when you are within these arms, i beg for forever!
c.2013 BGW
somewhere warm (part one)
the palm trees sway softly, as the warm coastal breeze travels lazily in the air. baby blue skies and the bright glowing sun, beaming down upon us all. crystal aqua-blue waters, the soft grains of white sand surround the island. the rushing of the waves crashing ashore, the distant laughter of children playing, people relaxing. about sixty yards off the water's edge, nestled in the sands, are a row businesses. a mix of beach bum dugouts, tourist trap shoppes and local cafes. and that's where i am. in the open air cafe, sitting here waiting, trying to complete this sentence. this is where the locals come and go to hang out, and to get away from the circus of the season. tourists wouldn't dare coming in here, because here, they are the foreigners, and the beach bums know that their lying tales wouldn't stand tall. this is as real as real can get, island living. the cafe is like a throwback to the early nine-teen forties and fifties. island yellow walls, white wooden trim. dark grey cast iron and dark wood tables and chairs and four heavily worn, red pleather booths that were in the back of the dinning area. ceiling fans circulate the sea salt air. smaller indoor palms lined the perimeter, where the walls retracted. bottles fill the shelves behind the counter, where the barkeeper cleans the glass. i set my pen down, and stretch out my hands, cracking my knuckles in the process. and while i try to figure where this story was going, a bead of condensation runs down my glass. i pick up my pen again and start where i left off. the black ink rolls onto the parchment smoothly, as my thoughts become words. it's getting on to be noontime, and the small cafe starts filling in with the lunchtime crowd. dressed in a white coastal shirt and a black skirt that compliments, the waitress tames her long hair, pulling it into a pony-tail. her spanish tanned skin brightens the whiteness of her shirt. she quickly tries to serve all fifteen tables, and does it with grace. a pro. and the smell of fried plantains and grilled chicken quickly fills the air. taking the last sip of drink, i glance up to see where she is, and she sees me eyeing her. not doing so in a perverted way, like i'm sure she's use to, but just to let her know that i was ready for another glass. she delivers me a glass and a smile and i return it with a thanks. on the corked coaster, my glass rolls another bead of condensation. the diminishing crowd of hungry locals allow me to get back to the concentration that eluded me, passing forty-five minutes of people watching. each table and booth carrying their own personal story. and if you ever took a moment to think about it, each and every single individual, has their own personal book. to some, a novel, and to others, a short story. now getting to be half pass two, i look back at what i have written, the ink still not dry, is smeared by my thumb. i set the paper down, and take another sip from my cooled glass. slowly i look up at the beauty of the landscape that sits afront of me. the breeze crawling through the cafe. i stand, and gather all my papers and file them inside my folder. i reach in my pocket and leave the money for tab and tip on the table. i grab the glass for the last time, and take my last swallow. i push in my seat, and thank the camarera. and as i walk away, i glance at the second seat that was at my table. knowing that i wished she was here. and i am directed back to the memory of her. the face, the name. but that is in a whole other story in itself…………c.2012 BGW
the walk home (evening edition)
five p.m. walking home from a hard days work. the concrete sidewalks, counting the blocks. each step quicker than the last, hurry home. and as i walk, the greyish skies above open up. i pull the collar from my warm pea coat up around my cooling neck, and i slide the umbrella open for my shelter in motion. the lamplight forms a glow as the english mist looms. the sounds of the wet pavement streets grow louder as the cars speed by, also on their way home. i continue until i meet the wooden gate, the point where the past of the day is behind me and greats the rest of the world that is me, i am. as i open the creaking gate, i jump over a growing rain puddle, and i land on the mossy covered cobblestone path that leads me to my castle. i climb the few steps to the porch, closing my portable shelter, brushing the wetness off my jacket, meeting the door ahead. i reach in my pocket and grab the cold keys and picked out the silver metal cut skeleton key and slid it into its home and turned the knob. the very first thing i see is my son playing blocks in the front parlour. as a big smile comes across his smooth baby face, he gets up and walks shakily over to where i am standing and hugs my leg. my daughter sitting at her mothers desk, working diligently on her homework. and without disruption or looking up softly says "hey". i pick my son up to hug. i take in a breath and smell the aroma of dinner basking in the surrounding. drying her hands on her white apron that she quickly unties and slips off, my wife. coming up to me, she gives me a loving smile, kiss me welcome, hug me love. i set my canvas satchel down, along with my son, and place the umbrella in the corner, where the last of the raindrops fall upon the green slated floor below. i hang up my dampened coat on the coat rack in the other corner of the entryway. i start untying my tie as i head up stars for my shower. i wash the off the days work, and scrub off the workdays burden. my wife knocks at the door and opens it. and with her soft voice reminds me that i forgot my towel. i see through the steamed glass as she tries to place the cotton towel on the hook beside the shower door. i quickly open the glass door and gently grab her elbow, wet laughter met by a warm embrace of the love that often goes without or forgotten. busy schedules, conflicting times. quickly and quietly, the passion brews. we both laugh as we dry off and change into our evening attire of comfortable clothing of soft flannel pants and a dryer sheet scented t-shirt. we head down to the dinner table, i gather the kids as she makes the final preparations to the dinner meal. we all sit, all in our proper seating place, and i smile. i smile just watching my wife placing the bib on our youngest. she catches a glimpse of me watching her, and replies with a crooked smile. we all bow are heads and grace is spoken. and as my daughter speaks of thanksgiving, i sneak a peek of my family. and in that quick moment, i saw in slow motion, a panoramic view of my family. and at that moment, i felt it. simultaneously in my heart, body and mind, that this is it. this is what i live for, this is what every single aspect of my life lives for. this family, this house, our lives we share together. working to live, never living to work. this is me. i am. after dinner, homework done and the children are all worn out, we put them to bed. we follow suit. there, we listen to the silence, peaceful and relaxing. child-free for the moment, soak it in. i hold you until you fall asleep, i quietly turn over and turn out the light. the day is complete. c.2012 BGW


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Earning press both online and offline can add a huge boost to your health It marketing efforts. PR can increase the awareness of your firm and create interest about what you do. It adds credibility since it's someone else talking about you.
PR is no accident. A skilled PR agency can help orchestrate press for your health IT firm using the following techniques:
1. They read dozens of business publications. PR agencies understand what topics are newsworthy and which journalist writes about what topic. Journalists are always under tight deadlines, have specific topics they cover, and are looking to inform their readers of the latest trends and explain their meaning. PR agencies reach out to these journalists and present insights about your business.
2. Know how to focus on the needs of the journalist and not your agenda. Lots of businesses trying to do PR on their own get this wrong. No one is interested in your product. Stick to the questions the journalist asks. Don't obsess with getting your product covered. This approach builds a relationship over time. More often than not, it ultimately gets you the coverage you're looking for to help promote your business in the best light.
3. Have a knack for putting your announcements in the context of a "news hook". PR agencies craft messages that are timely and relevant to what is happening in the industry or the world.
4. Tap small or regional publications. Yes, you may want to be in The Wall Street Journal, but it is not likely to cover you until you have built great credibility. Your best starting point is small, industry-oriented or regional publications. They are a lot easier to approach and will likely be interested in breaking your story.
5. Are available to speak for you—even when you are busy. Journalists on tight deadlines need sources to quote as fast as they can get them. The first to respond usually get featured.
6. Honest. Journalists have excellent "bullshit detectors". If you mislead them even once, not only will they never write about you in a positive way; they're likely to tell their associates about their experience.
7. Prepare you to be yourself, and express strong opinions. PR agencies help to coach you on how to respond when the press knocks on your door. A strong opinion you can back up gets noticed. Hedging your bets and being "politically correct" tends to get lost in the media noise.
Yes, you can tell your own story and earn press on your own.
But, keep these above techniques in mind when doing it yourself.
Or, if you're too busy building your business, hire a PR pro to help you.


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The National Anzac Centre offer several volunteering opportunities and always welcomes expressions of interest from those wishing to become part of our tight knit volunteer team. Volunteers form a very important part of the experience we offer our visitors. We have opportunities for everyone including school aged children, university students, people currently in the workforce and retirees!
Some of the benefits of volunteering at the National Anzac Centre include:
- Being part of one of Australia's most significant cultural experiences
- Meeting new people and gaining new skills and expertise
- Meet visitors from all over Australia and the World
- Free tea/coffee and light refreshments when on shift
- Work alongside the skilled National Anzac Centre team in delivering a visitor experience of international standard
Some of the roles volunteers undertake within the precinct include:
- Visitor information and assistance
- Curatorial projects
- Events and special occasions
- Gun firing crew
- Tour guiding
- Visitor transfers
- Cruise ship greetings
Volunteer recruitment will begin in May 2020. Expressions of Interest are most welcome and will be responded to at this time.