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I just read a post about not being able to make it without computers, and how being at the end of a dirt road would not be possible for them….
I am the opposite. take my phone, take the internet and all the business of society! I m good.
I would love to have the simple life I grew up having. With only a few exceptions. I would have a killer root cellar and a toilet inside the house.
But I could totally live without the internet and all that goes along with it. We do not need it to survive, no matter what people think. I mean take your phone away and you will not collapse and die. Turn the internet off and you wont stop breathing. Is it nice. yea it is. but necessary to live…no.
We lived at the end of a dirt road with no one around us. We moved into the house when it only had 1/4 of the floor/roof finished, a ladder leading downstairs, and no walls completed. It was motivation to get it done before the snow flew. 🙂 We got it done by tearing down old buildings in town that no one wanted and using wood from our property that was made into boards by a neighbor at the bottom of the road.
The well was the best water I still love to drink to this day. So cold and clean. You feel like you are part of the earth then you drink it. The well was paid for by selling logs from the land.
I grew up very simply and without a lot of "Luxury" items. I had to take baths in metal tubs outside, with water heated up on wood stoves and poured into it, even in the winter. Let me tell you, it was like being in a personal hot springs. Snow falling around you as you sat in boiling water on the covered back porch, and watching the birds at the bird feeder. It was quiet and peaceful. I wouldn't trade it for the world.
We chopped wood to stay warm, harvesting the wood ourselves throughout the summer from the forest land that backs the property. We had a generator for quite a few years before we got power brought up the hill. During that time, if we wanted black and white T.V. for a few hours a night we had to start it up ourselves. I still remember how it sounded.
I as so blessed to have a childhood where hard work was a norm. I wish my kids could grow up like that. These days kids don't know the meaning of hard work. I mean you get home, work on the house, or dig fence posts, chop wood, haul water, or fence in the horse pasture, all before starting your homework. We ate what was put in front of us without complaint, worked without grumbling, and never dreamed of talking back…unless you wanted your hair pulled or swatted with a spoon. I am grateful for my mother and her strength it took to raise me and my sister. It was tough for her. We did it on our own with no man, no money and at the beginning only a trailer that fit on the back of a truck to live in. God got us through it all.
The story is much longer than this. Our beginning on the property was not an ideal way to start. However, if it would have been easy…we wouldn't have learned all we did or had all the adventures we did. They are my fondest childhood memories. Thank you mom for always being our rock, and for pushing us to be the women we are today. I love and adore you for all you have done for me. God has made your daughters into two strong individuals who can say they had a good life with more love than they could ever imagine. Thank you for never giving up when it was hard…or when you felt hopeless. I know you pushed on because there was no other choice. I take all those lessons to heart. There is always a direction to go. If you don't move forward, you are only stuck in the misery around you.
I am not afraid of what the world can throw at me.
Thank you for showing me what it is to be a Woman.
~reflective and humbled~

subset: commoncrawl


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I have been meaning to see this movie for a little while now. I finally just got around to doing it this past Sunday with a couple buddies of mine. I saw Joseph Gordon-Levitt on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno a few weeks before and he discussed the movie a little bit and it made me only want to see it more.
What You'll Need to Know:
This movie is all about sex. Go into it expecting that. It will definitely push the boundaries between what is R and what may even be considered NC-17. With that being said, go into it with an open mind. I mind it quite funny actually.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt:
Ever since Inception I think he has been doing a great job in the movies he has played. He is a really good actor and I really like the character he plays in this movie. A character that: masturbates constantly, has anger issues (especially when in his car), works out constantly, is always on the hunt for someone new to have sex with, but still upholds good morals in going to church every Sunday and repenting his sins.
He is driven by the fact that his co-actor (or actress in this case), Scarlett Johanson, is the one girl who he can't hook up with on the first night. So he brings out his "long game" as it's said and eventually swooes her into sleeping with him but only after first getting into a serious relationship.
Now with any romance movie you can kind of smell the ending coming. Well, I could here especially when he randomly meets a new (but older) woman during class. There is a shift in Levitt's psychology when he realizes that Johannson is practically not really caring about him and just using him to get her ways.
I won't spoil the whole movie for you so I'll leave some of the things out but I think this movie really does a good job at sorting in the dichotomy of a male-female relationship. Men go into relationships with a more care-free attitude and woman want to be treated well and not lied to (which is definitely respectable). The issue this movie raises is when does that "lie" become something like Everest (near impossible) or a plausible idea. For Levitt the straw breaking the camels back (for lack of a better phrase) is something he can't live without–masturbation. In fact, this whole movie discusses the role that masturbation plays in mens' lives and shows how a female tends to view it (or at least Johansson who is a Catholic in the movie).
More over, it shows a man's growing and learning to know what is truly important in his life. What he is willing to fight for and what isn't. It shows that having the ideal model and trophy-life may not be necessary if, in doing so, you are giving up a part of who you truly are. I am sure this is an issue that many couples can relate to in America and actually all over the world and it goes back to "settling" or being "truly happy". In fact, this is symbolized by Levitt's character doing the exact same thing throughout the whole movie and walking into the gym the same way every single time until the very end where he doesn't go to the gym but, instead, goes to play basketball. Very clever by the directors.
I truly enjoyed this movie and thought it was pretty funny. I would give it 4 out of 5 stars. The actors and actresses was great. Analyzing this movie is so fresh and original, however, it loses that 1 of those 5 stars because I felt like the plane that took off when the movie started never quite landed on the runway.


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I have been very impressed with books published by Crossway that pertain to literature and its study. I have reviewed several Crossway books on related topics and Echoes of Eden: A Reflection on Christianity, Literature, and the Arts is another impressive literature-related book. Authored by Covenant Theological Seminary professor Jerram Barrs, Echoes of Eden is an intriguing and instructive reflection on literature and the arts, and the Christian's interaction with them.
The book is comprised of ten chapters, five of which deal with theoretical and doctrinal issues that pertain to literature and the arts. The last five chapters apply the ideas of the earlier chapters by analyzing world-renowned authors; Lewis, Tolkien, Rowling, Shakespeare, and Austen. My review will focus on the theoretical chapters and the consideration of the great authors I will leave to the reader. The chapters dealing with the great literature of the aforementioned authors are informative and convincing and will be gratifying to those who love these authors and enlightening to the unfamiliar or unimpressed.
The title of the first chapter is a good indication of what is covered: God and Humans as Creative Artists. However, before discussing God as creator and humans as sub-creators, Barrs indicates an overarching goal that he intends to pursue. He desires to help the reader answer the question, "How are Christians to think about the arts?" (11). To begin to answer that question, Barrs develops ideas about creation and creativity. He delineates four aspects of God's creative genius and five foundational doctrines on the richness of life on this planet. He discusses how humans are God's image bearers and therefore sub-creators and then introduces five callings humans have in being creative. This chapter sets a solid foundation on which Barrs builds his ideas around the appreciation of art.
The second chapter instructs Christians on how they should approach creativity, focusing on humility and the imitative nature of our creative process. Barrs encourages Christians to remember that we are dependent creatures and our creativity reflects that. The author endorses human creativity as both a means to enter into God's creation as well as a way to recognize and reinforce one's own individuality without getting lost in it. He finishes this section discussing Christian and Non-Christian art, the relationship between arts and crafts, and why we should pursue creativity.
The next chapter begins to narrow in its focus looking primarily at Christianity, Christians, and art. He purports a Christian understanding of the calling of the Christian artist and identifies what we often mean when we discus Christian art; art designed for worship, art with Christian content, art that teaches Christian principles, and art produced by Christians. Barrs significantly expands these popular notions of Christian art by declaring "there are no secular topics" (43) because all "creation is God's creation and therefore is proper material for artistic expression" (43). He concludes chapter three by examining the Biblical stance on representational art as well as his ideas on abstract art. This chapter would be particularly helpful for those who, as Christians, have reservation about art.
The fourth chapter instructs the reader on how one goes about judging art, discerning the good in art and holding fast to it. He presents eleven criteria by which we can judge art, whether it is literature, music, sculptures, paintings, or any other genre. Barrs never suggests that all art is awesome and edifying. Rather, he insists our appreciation of the arts is in need of "direction, encouragement, training, and practice" (54). This section identifies how we ought to approach art and what we should be looking for. His eleven criteria include thoughts such as the presence of giftedness from God, respect for tradition of a discipline, the presence of truth and goodness, and integrity of the artist to name but a few.
The final chapter I will discuss is the fifth chapter, the section in which Barrs discusses the namesake of the book; echoes of Eden. Barrs explains that literature and art appeal to us ultimately because in them we encounter the echoes of Eden. Barrs delays that conversation by initially presenting other ways in which God reveals himself to all people in general revelation. These means God uses to testify to himself and his truth include creation, humanity, providence, and his rule over nations. The final way God communicates to all humans is through the echoes of Eden. These echoes, "memories within the human race of the truth about our condition" (74), are to be found in religion, myths, legends, and in literature. Apprehending, appreciating, and applying these echoes is of utmost importance, and Barrs declares that "Christians today need to be prepared to utilize these echoes of Eden wherever they are found" (84). With this chapter Barrs has given us a good start to that end.
The following chapters that look into the writings and lives of some literary giants are inspiring. I found myself wanting to reread works that Barrs mentions as well as read for the first time others that receive his commendation. Despite not covering those chapters in this review, I can say they were very enjoyable to read and they are excellent examples of applying the information presented earlier in the book.
Echoes of Eden is a book for those who love literature and other forms of art. It will aid those who want to love and understand these wonderfully creative means of communication that god has given to humans. And for those who look disparagingly or doubtfully on art, this book will challenge your presuppositions and misconceptions alike. I highly recommend it.


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What should you know about cosmetic surgery before you go under the knife?
We are aware of the fact that cosmetic surgery can help you in enhancing your appearance but that doesn't mean that anyone can opt for this. Cosmetic surgery is a branch under plastic surgery and it entails several non-surgical and surgical procedures and it might seem like a rather easy task to shave off several years off your appearance to enhance and boost your looks and physique. However, there are several limitations and risks to cosmetic surgery which is better to know rather than remain unaware of.
If you're opting for BJ Cohen Plastic Surgery, you will come across some of the most trustworthy, experienced and reliable plastic surgeons who are experts in performing the different cosmetic surgeries. Read on to know about the factors that you should consider before going under the knife.
Different vital factors that you should consider
Cosmetic surgery alters your appearance by changing and reshaping the different parts of your body which function normally but which don't look the way you want them to. Before you decide to go under the knife, here are few things that you should know.
- Set realistic expectations
Make sure you predict improvement of your body part and not perfection. Don't expect that the cosmetic surgery will transform you into a celebrity and if you do this, you're going to be disappointed. If you're going through a poor relation, don't count that plastic surgery will save your relation from getting spoiled. So, your expectations should be realistic.
- Know about the risks
Dissatisfaction might occur with any kind of cosmetic surgery. There are surgical complications as well like internal bleeding or infection around the surgical site. You should know about these risks before opting for it.
- Be aware of the expenses
Cosmetic surgery is not covered by majority of the health insurance companies. The cost that the patient has to pay will depend on the process which might range from hundreds of dollars to thousands. Also keep in mind the cost of follow-up care and other corrective processes.
- Give enough time for recovery
Once your cosmetic surgery is done, you might require days, weeks and even months to recover properly. You have to remain aware of the physical impacts which can become a part of the recovery process and how the surgery can affect your professional and personal life.
Before you lie on the surgery table, make sure you know everything about plastic surgery so that you don't feel deprived of information later on.…


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What is Bibliometrics
Bibliometrics is the quantitative analysis of research publications, capturing data about publications primarily citation frequency.
Bibliometric measures: number of publications, number of cited publications, number of times a citation has been cited, H-index, Journal impact factors.
The underlying assumption of Bibliometrics is that the number of times a work is cited is a measure of the influence or impact of the research. There are limitations to any Bibliometric tool.
Bibliometrics and Impact
Researcher impact – The impact of a researcher is determined by the number of works they have published and the number of times those works have been cited. An H-index is an indicator of researcher impact.
Article/book impact – The impact of an article/book is determined by the number of times they have been cited. Citation information can be sourced at the article level, databases such as Web of Science and Scopus display article level metrics.
Journal impact – The impact of a journal can be determined by a number of factors including how many times the articles in the journal have been cited, the prestige of the journal, and the likelihood of citations within a field of research. Impact Factor (through Web of Science), SJR and SNIP (through Scopus), and Eigenfactor (freely available) are tools that can measure the impact of a journal.
Institutional impact: Measures the collective citation frequency (collective impact) of the institution or department within the institution. This allows benchmarking against other institutions or departments of similar size and/or prestige.
Other measures of impact
Alternative metrics or altmetrics is an emerging field in Bibliometrics and refers to analytics of online scholarly interactions to determine reach, particularly through social media.
What is impact and why is it important?
Publishing for impact is the process of publishing your own research in the most optimal journal for the intended audience. Often when people refer to impact they refer to the quality of the journal and its impact and reach. Journal quality is determined by a number of criteria that is specific to your discipline area, but popular Bibliometric measures of journal quality are journal Impact Factor™ (Thompson Reuters) and SCImago journal rank (Scopus data).
Impact also refers to the impact and reach of your own work. Impact can be determined through Bibliometrics such as citation counts or altmetrics. There are a number of different metrics that can be used to assess impact. These metrics and the Bibliometric tools used to discover them are covered in the section 'What's my impact?'
Disseminating your research as widely as possible helps the visibility of your work and increases the potential for your work to be cited. Increase the visibility of your research through open access. Flinders University supports open access through dissemination of research through the Institutional Repository, the Flinders Academic Commons (FAC).
This guide helps you determine the right journal for you and your discipline, how to increase your reach through Open Access, and how to assess the impact of your research.
Citation counts can be affected in a number of other ways:
- No single source is comprehensive.
- Publication dates may affect your results.
- Frequency of a journal may affect results.
- Highly cited articles don't always mean excellent research, esteem must also be taken in to account.
- Research measures differ across disciplines.


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May 17, 2011 | ISBN 9781601423825
"Life, In Spite of Me is a remarkable story of life beyond despair and hope that triumphs over tragedy."
—Louie Giglio, pastor, Passion City Church/The Passion Movement
"Suicide is a liar and a thief. It promises peace to those who are escaping but delivers unimaginable pain and rejection to those left behind. Kristen Jane Anderson's riveting story unmasks the thief and gives hope a face."
—Dr. Dennis Rainey, president, FamilyLife Ministries
"When I first met Kristen, I was overwhelmed with her smile, and then I saw her wheelchair. It was a defining moment for me. I had not heard her story or why she'd ended up at Moody. But it was her smile—and it is still her smile—that dismantles me. Kristen has something. It is something otherworldly. She had every reason to die, but now she has every reason to live. I hope you'll read her story, see her smile, and know why she lives."
—Michael Easley, former president, Moody Bible Institute


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Faut pleurer,
faut crier,
faut aimer,
faut chanter.
C'est ca, la vie !
Sentir, frémir.
Souffrir, sourire.
Prenons le défit !
All rights belong to its author. It was published on e-Stories.org by demand of Christa Katharina Dallinger.
Published on e-Stories.org on 04/25/2017.
Does this Poem/Story violate the law or the
Please let us know!
Author: Changes could be made in our members-area!
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Tarrel Woodland is a 25 year old Noble Fir conifer plantation which we are transforming into a diverse, mixed-use woodland, offering a range of products and services. In doing so, we are aiming to improve the woodland ecosystem and demonstrate that a viable lifestyle can be obtained from a small woodland through self-sufficiency and modest income-generation.
Discover more about the woodland here.
Read our story and plans for the woodland here.
Learn more about our current and planned products here.
Interested in cutting your own firewood at bargain prices? Find out about renting one of our wood-lots here.
Find out how you can join us as a volunteer for a week or more.
Check out our Eco-Camping and Photo-safaris here.
Last but not least, order one of our SUPER-LUXURY FRESH CHRISTMAS WREATHS here!
Noble Fir foliage - christmas wreaths - dried gourmet mushrooms - eco-camping - fresh eggs - bushcraft - photo-safaris


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Tech Specifications
This language pack makes your Magento 2 store ready for the German market! Included are frontend and backend translations.
Other Extensions by TechDivision GmbH
OverviewBack to top
If you are planning to enter the German market you definitely want to support the German language. This language pack makes it easy for you. The whole frontend and backend is translated. This makes it also easy for the German backend staff to navigate through the backend. This file is not simply translated by a translation bot. It got translated by humans which a native German speakers. This ensures the good quality of language and presentation of your store to the German speaking customers.
Features at a glance:
- German language file
- Frontend translated
- Backend translated
- Translated by humans, no bot translation
Documentation and user guide:
Here is an overview and documentation how to use the extension: http://doc.magenerds.com/german-language-pack/
Try the demo:
You can test the extension in a demo instance: http://demo-germanpackage.magenerds.com/
Installation process:
Check out this documentation for installing our extensions: http://doc.magenerds.com/extension-installation/
Release NotesBack to top
- Compatible with Open Source (CE) : 2.0 2.1
- Stability: Stable Build
- Fixed composer dependencies


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Stadium Induced Hearing Loss?
A battle is heating up between football fans in Seattle and Kansas City. The Seattle Seahawks, known for their enthusiastic fans and loud stadium, may have lost the loudest fan record to the Kansas City Chiefs. During a recent Monday Night Football contest, the crowd cheering at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City was measured at 142 .2 decibels, besting Seattle's record set in the previous season.
Comparatively speaking, a whisper registers at 20 dB, while sounds at 70 dB, such as a car passing close by at 65 mph, can become annoying or uncomfortable to the listener. The blender in your kitchen registers 80 dB, which is twice as loud as the passing car, can do lasting damage to hearing after prolonged exposure. The crowd noise in stadiums has now reached the loudness of the flight deck of an aircraft carrier! The notable difference is the crew on the flight deck is wearing hearing protection; fans, players and game officials most likely are not.
A study published in 2013 in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, shows that referees are much more likely to report symptoms of ringing in the ears and trouble hearing than people of the same age in the general population.
Almost half of the sports officials surveyed in the study reported ringing in the ears, known as tinnitus, after officiating games. The ringing sensation often goes away, but with additional noise exposure, it can become permanent. Ringing is also a sign of possible hearing loss, which typically goes undetected.
The whistles commonly used by referees reach volumes of 104-116 db at the ear. Combined with loud crowd noise, not just in NFL stadiums, but even the local high school volleyball contest can lead to lasting hearing damage. Whether you are a game official or a dedicated fan, consider wearing hearing protection.
If you have spent time as an official or coach or experience a ringing sensation in your ears after attending a sporting event, set an appointment to have your hearing thoroughly evaluated by one of our audiologists.
Read the full study report here


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Many of you have wanted an update on Zoë's progress.
For starters, she's made leaps and bounds in the cuteness department, which is hard to believe since she was already off the charts. They have started inventing new scales to measure cuteness with-- now that she has broken every record. I don't know what the next step is going to be once she shatters her current records.
But let's be honest--the increase in cuteness/adorableness/amazingness/squishiness is scientifically designed to increase so as to keep up with the amount of precariousness/amount of work/getting into everythingness. It is a self preservation method designed by evil babies who enjoy taunting their parents. But I shall not let it destroy me.
As far as the progress with her gross motor skills is going; she's a champ. It's been interesting, though. The physical therapist has only come TWO times. There is only one physical therapist for ALL OF Summit County and she only works ONE DAY a week. Or used to. She has decided to go full-time at Primary Children's so Summit County actually doesn't even have a therapist right now. Know anyone PTs or OTs looking for a job?
However, with our two sessions with the PT, we learned a lot of exercises to do with her and she's taken off. She still scoots like a drunken monkey at the race track (I need to post a video someday...you really won't believe it.), and will probably NEVER use crawling as her mode of transportation. But that's OK. She finally pulls herself to standing and cruises the furniture. She goes up and down the stairs. (She goes down the stairs in a forward position of course, and scoots down each step...not safe, I know. But what can ya do?). She has just started standing completely on her own from the downward dog position. She pushes her little walker and is on her way to being a full fledged toddler!
She's still so tiny. Size 2 diapers and 9 month clothes. So when I get my little email updates on her progress from Baby Center, or whatever that is I'm subscribed to, and it says, "Your toddler: 14 months and 1 week", I'm like, "What toddler are they talking about?" It's great. I get to cuddle her like a babe in arms.
That's the latest on our Zoë June. She's definitely at that age where you can't just plop her down on a blanket. She wants to be held. She doesn't want to be held. She wants to scoot on the dirt or the store floor and get the entire right side of her pants ripped and dirty. It's a hard age. But it's mostly wonderful.


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by Steven
(Nampa, ID)
I am relatively new to paintballing myself, having started last year. This is something that I truly enjoy and want everyone to have fun with and that is the key. HAVE FUN! no need for name calling, or bad sportsmanship. we are all out to have fun. Push yourself, you never know your own limit until you try. The more people have fun the greater the sport will be. Just like any sport people do it to have fun.
Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Subscriber Paintball Tips.


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Oh, The Humanities!:
Academics gather this week in Fredericton for the annual Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, presenting papers on everything from subjectivity in ultrasounds to performing gastronomy to the crisis in public education. Throughout the week, we showcase some of the most interesting research.
Walk down the streets of Calgary and you probably won't hear a lot of conversational French. Not a big surprise to most Canadians, but it sure comes as a shock to new immigrants who land there, a new study finds.
Recent immigrants expect Canadians to speak both English and French mostly because our nation boasts internationally about its two official languages, finds the study from the University of Calgary, to be presented this week at the 2011 Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences in Fredericton, New Brunswick.
Many of the immigrants interviewed by Albert Galiev believed all Canadians should be able to converse in either French or English in a matter of course and many admit to having been confused when told by Calgarians that they only speak English, said the doctoral student at the University of Calgary studying second-language teaching.Their understanding of Canada's language landscape boils down to personal bilingualism — that not only are public services and resources delivered in both languages, but that the languages are regularly used by individuals.
"They don't see bilingualism as something the federal government is supposed to do," Mr. Galiev said in a news release. The way Canada promotes itself abroad leaves these immigrants with the impression that everyone can speak both official languages, when in reality, only 17.4% of Canadians are bilingual, according to figures from the 2006 Census.
The survey included short interviews with recent immigrants. One such interviewee said "in Mexico, when somebody talks about Canada, we know everybody speaks French and English."
He said immigrants who arrive in Calgary are flummoxed by the lack of French-speaking there (the same Census data found only 0.7% of Albertans speak French fluently). Why, then, does Canada market itself as bilingual? they wonder.
New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual province in Canada incorporating French and English, and the "bilingual belt," which boasts the highest concentration of French and English speakers is far from Calgary — along the southernmost strip of Quebec and New Brunswick.
Despite their surprise at the lack of French speaking in the area (or perhaps in reaction to it), these recent immigrants still want their children to learn both official languages, Mr. Galiev said, and aspire to pick up the languages themselves.
"They want their children to learn French for reasons of employment," he said. They feel it will broaden their prospects across the country, especially eastward towards Ottawa and Quebec where it is a near-requirement to find work, especially in the government.
It is critical that future debates on bilingualism include recent immigrants, Mr. Galiev said, especially with the current Statistics Canada projection that by 2031, between 25% and 28% of the population could be foreign-born.


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(CNN) -- British Prime Minister Theresa May and Brexit secretary David Davis will meet European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels early Friday, according to Downing Street. Mina Andreeva, Juncker's deputy spokeswoman, said the meeting will likely happen around 7:00 a.m. local time (1:00 a.m. ET) and be followed by a press conference. London and Brussels have been engaged in intense negotiations over securing an agreement from the European Union that "sufficient progress" has been made on the UK's withdrawal ahead of an EU leaders summit on December 14. Parties came close to a deal earlier this week but it fell through after May's coalition partners, the far-right Democratic Unionist Party, rejected proposed arrangements for Northern Ireland.
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Let your teenager start their teen fitness program at ClubSport in Aliso Viejo
Fitness should be an important part of any teen's daily routine. Our fitness programs geared for kids 12-17 years old are a healthy outlet that sharpen their body and mind while directing them toward a positive lifestyle. After completing a free one-hour TeenFit certification class, teens can use the ClubSport fitness center without parental supervision.
TeenFit Certification
For teens 12-17 years old, we have the complimentary TeenFit certification program. TeenFit provides basic instruction on proper use of fitness equipment and gym etiquette. Once certified, teens will have the know-how necessary to get fit on their own or with other TeenFit-certified friends without parental supervision. Teens can sign up for TeenFit certification at the Activities Desk.
Appointment #1:
Overview, etiquette, and club policies
Appointment #2:
One-on-one personal training
Lead by Example
Try ClubSport with a free fitness resort pass.


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Those muffins are nutritious and very delicious :) what one want more?! It's perfect weekend breakfast or a treat for the lunch box. They are made with oil rather than butter so are quick to mix. If you don't like prunes I think you can change them for chopped apples, dried cherries etc.
How to make it...
- 1 egg
- 250 ml milk
- 50 ml vegetable oil
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons soft dark brown sugar
- 225 g plain flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon grated cinnamon
- 150 g ready-to-eat prunes, stones removed, chopped
Preheat the oven to 200 C. Beat egg with a fork and add oil and milk. Beat a little to mix well together. Stir in the sugars into egg mixture. In another bowl combine all the dry ingredients - flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon. make a well in the centre and pour in the egg mixture. Mix well together. Gently fold into the butter prunes, just until evenly distributed. Spoon into prepared muffin tins - this amount of butter will make 12 muffins.
Bake for about 20 minutes. Leave to stand for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Serve warm or cold :)


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I figured here we go with the oversensitivity and woke micro aggression, but the original movie version is kind of rapey ... heh
Baby it's cold outside
Topics without replies are pruned every 365 days. Not moderated.
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Baby it's cold outside
Don't believe everything you think.
- Turdacious
- Lifetime IGer
- Posts: 20805
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Re: Baby it's cold outside
Wait, you're offended by musicals?
"Liberalism is arbitrarily selective in its choice of whose dignity to champion." Adrian Vermeule
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Service updates
Got questions?
Speak to our support teamContact Support
Some members have been experiencing a certificate/security error when trying to log in via the website today. We have now identified that this was due to older browsers needing an intermediary certificate from the server, which we have now installed.
These warnings should now no longer appear when you log in via the homepage.
As always if you have any questions or are still having issues, please email firstname.lastname@example.com
Originally Written: 19-Feb-2015 18:41, Last Updated: 19-Feb-2015 18:56


text: On June 22, 1969, the polluted Cuyahoga River caught fire. The river didn't burn just in Cleveland — it burned in the nation's imagination. The country was beginning to pay attention to what was happening to its natural resources. The fire started a chain of events that hasn't stopped yet. These include the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, Earth Day, the creation of environmental protection agencies at the federal and state levels and a rapidly growing consciousness in America about the environment. The Cuyahoga is America's best example yet of a watery success story. The dead river came clean — and back to life again.


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I have been umming and ahhing about doing a USA makeup haul, given the poor Australian dollar compared to the US dollar. I also didn't really NEED any new makeup but my wishlist had been growing steadily. I was dying to make an order from ColourPop and after doing a dummy order and seeing that shipping was going to be $30 USD, I figured I would actually save money by using a mail forwarding service and creating a combined order from a few different US retailers. If you'd like to know more about what I picked up and the process for using a mail forwarding service, keep reading!
ColourPop was definitely the site that started my interest in doing a US order, because the shipping to Australia is just ridiculous considering the products themselves are quite affordable. The products I decided to purchase are outlined below. I managed to also catch a 20% off sale which threw me over the edge to finally decide to purchase these. Prices are after the discount has been applied.
Littlestitious (ultra satin) $4.80 USD
Echo Park (ultra satin) $4.80 USD
Frick n Frack (ultra satin) $4.80 USD
Chi (ultra matte) $4.80 USD
Rooch (ultra matte) $4.80 USD
Beeper (ultra matte) $4.80 USD
Bangin Brunette Brow Pomade 4.80 USD
Bangin Brunette Pencil $4 USD
Total: $37.60 USD and free shipping to my US address instead of paying over $30 USD for shipping to Australia.
|ColourPop Liquid Lipsticks, Top to Bottom: Frick n Frack, Echo Park, Littlestitious, Rooch, Chi and Beeper
My first impressions are that I am very happy with these liquid lipsticks. I seem to favor the formula of the satins over the mattes because they provide a lot more hydration, however the mattes have great staying power. I find them drying but if you wear a balm underneath they aren't too bad. My favourite shades so far are Echo Park and Littlestitious.
After hearing so much about the Ofra Cosmetics liquid lipstick trio from Manny MUA, I felt like I really wanted to try these liquid lipsticks. I really love watching Manny on Snapchat and I was convinced I needed these babies in my life.
The Manny MUA x Ofra Cosmetics Lip Set is $49.70 USD but with discount code MANNYMUA there was a discount of $14.91 USD so it came down to $34.79 USD with $4.95 USD shipping to my USA address. Total: 39.74 USD. The shades are hypno, charmed and aries. I can't tell you about my first impressions as I have not yet tried these out but I am super excited to use them!
Next up from Anastasia Beverly Hills, I was dying to order the Modern Renaissance Palette ever since I first saw pictures on instagram. It's quite a unique palette and a breath of fresh air from the overdone nude palettes we have seen do the rounds with every brand. I will be putting a full review of this one up on the blog so stay tuned. I also picked up two liquid lipsticks and a highlighter from the website.
Modern Renaissance Palette - $42 USD
Liquid Lipstick Catnip - $20 USD
Liquid Lipstick Stripped - $20 USD
Peach Nectar Illuminator - $28 USD
Total: $110 USD + Free Shipping to US address
So far I am really happy with all my purchases from ABH although I do feel like they are very overpriced so it is difficult to narrow down the items to just a few things. I am looking forward to playing around more with the Modern Renaissance palette to create some warm-toned looks.
Finally, for my birthday in May, I received a gift voucher for Sigma Beauty from my lovely sister-in-law who knows me so well. Sigma are based in the USA, and their international shipping is weight-based and can be quite expensive to Australia. I really wanted to make the most of my voucher so I decided to add this order to my US address
|Sigma Beauty Haul (L-R) F35 Tapered, F10 Powder/Blush, F40 Large Angle Contour, P84 Precision Angled, E80 Brow and Lash Brush and Brilliant and Spellbinding Eyeshadow Palette
E80 - Brow and Lash Brush - $14 USD
Brilliant & Spellbinding Eye Shadow Palette - $27.30 USD
Blush Affair Brush Set - $56 USD
Dry'n Shape Tower® Face & Eyes - $49 USD
Free Gift - P84 - Precision Angled™ (Full Size Brush) ($19 USD Value)
Total - $117.04 USD + Free US Shipping
Note: These are affiliate links, however all of these products were purchased with my own money.
I have always been a huge fan of Sigma Brushes and I feel that they are excellent quality. very comparable to Zoeva. My first ever professional brush set was the Mr. Bunny Essential Set and it is still going strong after 5 years of use. I have been loving the blush brush set that I purchased, especially the F35 Tapered Highlighter Brush.
I'm still deciding what I think of the Dry'n Shape Tower. It was easy to put together but I found that it was quite tedious to get the brushes to fit into the elastic bands to dry and it took me a long time of fiddling around with them to get mine in there. Once they were in there it's a great little device to dry your brushes and have them easily hanging upside down.
There are many services that allow you to register with them so you can obtain a free US address such as Shipitto, MyUS and ShopMate. My favourite service is comGateway and I have always had a good experience with them. I have used them about half a dozen times now. This is how the process works:
GET YOUR US ADDRESS - As soon as you register with comGateway, you'll be given a free, sales tax-exempted U.S. shipping address, and the fun can begin!
START SHOPPING - Shop U.S. online stores, ship packages to your new U.S. address. (The only sites that I have found that do not work are Sephora.com who block mail forwarding services and will cancel your order, and some sites that do not allow for an Australian credit card or paypal account to be used). If you want to use these sites you would have to use comGateway's Buy For Me Service which is a lot more expensive.
PACKAGES ARE SHIPPED TO YOUR U.S. ADDRESS comGateway will notify you as soon as your packages arrive via e-mail. When you log in, you'll have full control over what happens to your package next and you can view the packing slip to see who the package is from and that everything is in the box.
SHIP YOUR PACKAGES HOME - Make sure everything you ordered has arrived at your address. You have up to 30 days of free storage to wait for all of your packages to get to your address which is great. Then you can choose how you want the items to be packed, and give comGateway the OK to ship them to you. You'll be able to track the packages until they arrive in 3-8 business days.
I have found that many times, even when I have 4+ boxes, I don't have the option to repack the items when I log in online. However, if you send them an e-mail they can repackage the items for you into 1 box to reduce the volumetric weight and therefore save you on your final shipping fee. This costs $10 USD so it's only worth it if you have several boxes like I did. My initial quote from ComGateway was around $70 USD and with the repack it was reduce to $30 USD.
I hope you enjoyed seeing my USA haul and learning more about how you can get a free US address and use a mail forwarding service to save on expensive shipping to Australia. I feel like these services are only really worth using when you are ordering from a few different stores and doing a "bulk order" so you are saving a lot more on shipping at once. If you are only buying from one place it most likely will seem expensive and not worth your while.
Have you ever used a mail forwarding service? What was your experience?
*Disclaimer: This post was not sponsored by comGateway in any way. All opinions are 100% honest and my own. All products were purchased by me with my own money.


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0-4000 skyscrapers in three decades: no mean feat.
Timelapse of Shanghai's skyscrapers from that many angles and vantage points – no mean feat either.
That this was accomplished with local Shanghainese synergy – bonus feat!
A wonderful example of cross-pollination significant in painting the narrative that it's not all just us and them.
To understand the city, the team carried out rigorous urban exploration. In the words of JT "we walked, walked and walked, the Jane Jacobs way". Weibo, China's main social media platform was used to ask local Shanghainese people to share ideas of different vantage points and what they thought were the over-riding characteristics of the city. Stealth and curiosity were required to find and gain access to rooftops and locations. It became addictive for the team discovering breath-taking vantage points of the city. There was always an adrenaline rush upon reaching the top of a different building to see the vast urban jungle of Shanghai….
– – –
This is Shanghai
by Rob Whitworth
Source – Vimeo, published April 2013
In 1980 Shanghai had no skyscrapers. It now has at least 4,000 — more than twice as many as New York. 'This is Shanghai' explores the diversities and eccentricities of the metropolis that is Shanghai going beyond the famous skyline.
Photographer Rob Whitworth and urban identity expert JT Singh joined forces combining deep city exploration and pioneering filmmaking. 'This is Shanghai' is a roller coaster ride seamlessly weaving between the iconic, sparkling and mismatched buildings of the financial district travelling by boat and taxi touring Shanghai's impressive infrastructure whilst glimpsing some of the lesser-known aspects of Shanghai life such as the lower stratum areas or the stunning graffiti of Moganshan road. And of course there is the opportunity to try some of the vast variety of street food and Shanghai's most popular homegrown delicacy, the pan-fried pork dumplings, the shengjian bao. Read the rest of this entry »
Filed under: Beijing Consensus, Charm Offensive, Chinese Model, Civil Engineering, Climate Change, Communications, Culture, Domestic Growth, Economics, Finance, Infrastructure, Mapping Feelings, Migrant Workers, Nationalism, People, Population, Soft Power, Tao Guang Yang Hui (韬光养晦), The Chinese Identity, The construction of Chinese and Non-Chinese identities, Video


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The students and staff from Worcester Technical High School who helped artist and retired Army Staff Sgt. William Kleinedler�s vision come to life in a metal sculpture saw some of the physical and spiritual context for that sculpture yesterday, as the peace and the healing garden where it sits was dedicated at a home for veterans� families in West Roxbury.
Fisher House Boston, which is on the West Roxbury campus of the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, provides free housing to families of service members being treated next door. Mr Kleinedler, who now lives in New Braintree, was severely burned by an improvised explosive device in Iraq in 2006, and his family stayed in a Fisher House in San Antonio while he was undergoing months of treatment.
The sculpture is called �Integro,� which in Latin means to begin anew, Mr. Kleinedler said. �I certainly had to start anew,� he said in remarks that brought a standing ovation yesterday. �Other guys received worse than I. � They have to start anew, their families have to start anew.�
In a prepared statement about the sculpture, he wrote, �I am hopeful that the sculpture will bring inspiration to move forward in life and to know how beautiful change can be.�
Sundra Lam, one of the student welders who helped with the project, said after the ceremony yesterday, �The more we built, the more we understood why it was built that way.� The sculpture, made from steel donated by Doug Peterson of Peterson Steel in Worcester, has roots that twist around a stone that symbolizes an obstacle. Those roots grow into a strong trunk and then branches that reach to the sky.
The garden and sculpture are designed to be a quiet place for families to collect their thoughts. �The healing of the family is just as important as the healing of the veteran,� said retired Army Sgt. 1st Class Rick Haddad, a member of Fisher House Boston�s board of directors. �No family ever entered the Fisher House because they wanted to be here.�
The ceremony also included remarks from Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray and Worcester City Manager Michael V. O�Brien and the participation of four Medal of Honor winners from around the country. All four are retired Marines who served in Vietnam: Col. Barney Barnum, Col. Wes Fox, Capt. John McGinty and Sgt. Bob O�Malley.
The event drew a crowd, including Air Force Staff Sgt. Nicolas C. Van Landeghem, 29, of Rindge, N.H., who is a patient at the VA hospital and whose family once stayed at the Fisher House, and his mother, Cathleen A. Van Landeghem. �It�s beautiful,� he said of the sculpture.
Marine Lt. Col. Shane Tomko, who trained to be a concert pianist and who sang the national anthem yesterday, said that he has been impressed with the talents of people he serves alongside. �Even though these guys are warriors, we have incredible musicians (and) artists. � I think it brings a touch of humanity back to us.�


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Pod Cast Listings
Susan Robinson on "Resource Central"
Meet Susan Robinson - On this episode of "Resource Central," Joe Reinecker talks with Susan Robinson of Chanute. Susan is a SKIL customer who also serves on the organization's board. Here she talks about her day-to-day life, her disability, and what SKIL does for her and how it has enhanced her life. She also talks about working for the organization.


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I love talking about writing (because when you're talking about it, you can feel like you're writing without actually writing—procrastination, anyone?). But no, I also love it because it gives you insight into how other people battle the blocks, seek out their muse and get their jumbled thoughts into a coherent structure on the page (or screen).
So when Candice Walsh nominated me for this blog hop game, all with a focus on the writing process, I had to oblige. Not just because I like to talk about myself (I do), but also because I am a big fan of Candice's writing. I give her the utmost credit for being honest, for taking chances and for always putting herself into her work. She doesn't hide behind airs, and it's inspirational as hell.
So here goes, a dive into my writing world…
What am I working on/writing?
Right now, my writing is a little bit of everything. Lifestyle, business, finance, marketing—a mishmash of work that lands in my inbox. But I do try to put travel front and centre of all I do. For the past year, I've been primarily known in blogging circles for my role as web editor at Travel+Escape. It's a role I've cherished, as it thrust me into the centre of my favourite thing in the world, of course: travel. Being a travel editor and writer feels like something I can never, ever let go of.
I also have an idea for a novel floating in the back of my mind, and every now and then I think I'll have the courage to actually start it, but then decide I need to read "just one more" book for inspiration. Or that I need to check Facebook instead.
How does my work/writing differ from others of its genre?
There are far too many "Top 10 Things To Do In X" travel articles out there. And web headlines that swear if you click on it, what happens next will blow your mind, and vapid lists that really all just sound the same after a while. I love stories. And to me, travel is all about stories. Storytelling is what drew me to travel journalism in the first place—I started reading Bill Bryson and Paul Theroux and J. Maarten Troost not because they told me about 20 beaches I need to see before I die, but because they told me stories about the oddball people they met, and the dangerous situations they stumbled into, or the perfectly ordinary encounters that still made them sit back and think, "What the fuck am I doing here?"
I try to take that same approach to my travel writing. My motto has always been that the best memories come from the smallest of moments, and I try to capture that sense in what I write—times I've learned something or met someone, or felt uncomfortable or exuberant, even if it was just from a brief encounter. For me, there's nothing to write unless I can relate it to something that shifted, either in me, in another person or in my surroundings.
Admittedly, the online world makes it harder to build an audience with that style. Clickbait's not going anywhere—at least not yet. Would Bryson have been as successful if he tried to launch his long-form writing career today through a travel blog? Who knows? But I do know that the art and practice of storytelling has been passed down since ancient times—I'm not sure listicles will have the same lifespan.
Why do I write what I do?
Well, to be fair, some of my writing isn't as fun to produce as the content for this blog or other travel publications. I also write marketing materials, articles on HR and small business, and whatever other work lands my way because, hey, I've got bills to pay. But travel will always be my true "thing," and the reason I write it is simple—I can't not write it. I've kept a diary since I was 12 years old, writing my thoughts out whenever I've been happy, sad, excited, confused, whatever. And travel brings all those emotions bubbling out. I could chronicle it all in my journal just for my own eyes, but I like the added challenge of crafting it into something worth sharing publicly.
The other content I produce on this blog—posts about writing and editing and the travel journalism industry—are because I noticed how many bloggers were coming on the scene without any writing experience. Don't get me wrong, you don't need a BA in journalism to run a blog, but you do need to be aware of the media landscape. And you need to hone your craft, and dedicate yourself to improving your journalism skills: reporting, fact-checking, revising (and revising and revising). I've had a lot of people starting out in their career reach out to me for advice and asking how I got into editorial work. So I decided to lump that into my blog and offer a behind-the-scenes look at the life of a travel editor.
How does my writing process work?
I don't even know if I have a process. I basically sit down with a coffee and a computer and try to force something to come out of my fingers. Often, I'll get ideas for opening lines or specific scenes while I'm out walking, or in the shower or about to fall asleep at night (that is the total witching hour for writers, when your consciousness just starts to shut down). Once I have that line or scene, I can usually work forward or backward from there. It takes a lot of testing things out and shuffling paragraphs and "killing my darlings"—that famous phrase for eliminating the bits you love but that just really, really don't work if you'd only let yourself admit it.
Writers always talk about the "shitty first draft," which is that first purge of information onto the page. It's raw and usually reads terribly, but once you get that out, you can work from it and mould it into something that actually sounds okay. It takes a lot of practice—you have to really silence your inner critic—but if I can get that out, then half the battle is won.
Also, I have a very hard time writing at home. Coffee shops with good music and big windows are my office of choice. Pubs, too. For when the coffee has to switch to wine or beer.
Who's next?
Now it's my turn to pass on the blog hop love. I'm nominating the following three people to post their own answers to the above questions. You have one week from today to get your responses live!
Rachel Stuckey. Why? Because she's a fantastic writer, and one of the best editors I've ever worked with. She's also an awesome traveller—she and I just finished a two-week trek through Vietnam without wanting to kill each other (well, at least I don't think she wanted to kill me).
Amanda Lee. Why? Because she has talent oozing out her pores. Talent not just for writing a story, but for finding the right story to be written. Seeking out story angles is sometimes harder than the actual writing process, but she knows how to find and pursue them.
Stephanie Spencer. Why? Because she doesn't buy into stereotypical sightseeing—or travel writing. Her blog on all things "geektastic" covers weird finds and quirky experiences, all told with a genuine writer's voice. She's got her niche nailed down, which is so hard to do in this market.
And to anyone else reading this, let me know about your writing process in the comments below. What are you writing today and why?


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Our quarterly networking event is back. As usual, our principal trainer, Alan Koh, is giving important Google SEO update to our students and business partners so that their websites continue to be ranked on the 1st page of Google organic results.
Another fruitful session. See everyone in 2-3 months time again!


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Hall, Jon G.; Rapanotti, Lucia and Jackson, Michael
|DOI (Digital Object Identifier) Link:
|Google Scholar:
|Look up in Google Scholar
This paper presents a framework for understanding Problem Frames that locates them within the Requirements Engineering model of Zave and Jackson, and its subsequent formalization in the Reference Model of Gunter et al. It distinguishes between problem frames, context diagrams and problem diagrams, and allows us to formally define the relationship between them as assumed in the Problem Frames framework.
The semantics of a problem diagram is given in terms of `challenges', a notion that we also introduce. The notion of a challenge is interesting in its own right for two reasons: its proof theoretic derivation leads us to consider a challenge calculus that might underpin the Problem Frame operations of decomposition and recomposition; and it promises to extend the notion of formal refinement from software development to requirements engineering.
In addition, the semantics supports a textual representation of the diagrams in which Problem Frames capture problems and their relationship to solutions. This could open the way for graphical Problem Frames tools.
|Item Type:
|Journal Item
|Requirements engineering; Problem Frames; Semantics; Reference model; Framework
|Academic Unit/School:
|Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) > Computing and Communications
Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)
|Research Group:
|Centre for Research in Computing (CRC)
|Item ID:
|Depositing User:
|Lucia Rapanotti
|Date Deposited:
|23 Jun 2006
|Last Modified:
|07 Dec 2018 08:54
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Opening Times
Monday - Friday 7.30 am - 5.00pm
Saturdays 8.00am to 12.00 noon ( except Easter Saturday closed )
Stair Parts
Adhectic can supply a wide range of stair parts to order, including spindles, handrails, base rails, balusters, newels, newel bases, newel caps, handrail fittings.
All stair parts are available in Softwood Pine, Hemlock, Red hardwood, Ash, Oak beautifully finished to take paint, stain or varnish.
Pine We use superior quality pine for its beauty and adaptability. Over time the wood undergoes a natural maturing process, enhancing its rich colour and patina.
Hemlock Hemlock is a conifer belonging to the pine family, the timbers selected are free from knots with a uniform grain and suitable to take a variety of stain finishes.
Red Hardwood Our range of red hardwood stair parts introduces dark rich colours, which can be highlighted by a polished finish making an unmistakable statement of elegance and quality.
Ash This rich, creamy hardwood is one of the most versatile timbers available. Ash is tough and pliable, making it an excellent choice for a durable yet beautiful finish.
Oak This hardwood offers strength and durability with a beautiful grain and texture. Oak truly reflects the traditional and historical qualities of English craftsmanship.


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Centre consortia
A centre consortium is a partnership between centres to offer qualifications. Find out how to set up centre consortia for academic and vocational qualifications.
Candidates from different centres may be taught and assessed together, but entered through the centre at which they're enrolled. In such cases, you'll need to let us know that your centres wish to be treated as a consortium.
Responsibilities within a centre consortium
|Home centres
|Lead centre
|Centres that make entries and registrations within the consortium programme, and are responsible for all administrative processes.
|A centre that delivers the consortium programme.
How to apply for centre consortium approval
To tell us about your consortium:
- Nominate a consortium coordinator to liaise with us on behalf of your consortium
- Complete the Centre Consortium Arrangements Form
- Post your completed form to:
GQ Deployment
One90 High Holborn
Please note that:
- You'll need to complete a new application for each examination series
- The form must be submitted by 31 October for the following January series, or by 31 January for the following June series.
How the consortium will work
When you're set up as a consortium, your candidates will be treated as a single group for the purposes of coursework or controlled assessment moderation.
The consortium coordinator must ensure that internal standardisation is carried out by all the teachers involved in the subject in the consortium.
The same moderator will be allocated to every centre within the consortium for a particular component, with confirmation or adjustment of marks being applied to all centres within the consortium.


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"Do I need to talk to the bank at all?"
No. The brokers communicate with the bank directly and sort out the small details to save you time.
"How long does pre approval take?"
Its always hard to say however usually about 2-3 weeks. It is different case to case.
"I have heard of people buying properties through trusts – will this suit my needs?"
Everyone's situation is completely different, you really need to determine the best structure by speaking with a qualified accountant who specializes in these structures, then the broker can work this in to the finance.
What Is An LVR?
The LVR is the loan to value ratio, so a loan of $50,000 on a house valued at $100,000 would be a 50% LVR. A loan of $80,000 on the same $100,000 house would be 80% LVR.
"Should I go for interest only or principal and interest?"
This is very different for everyone and needs to be assessed case by case. Usually investment loans are interest only as to provide more tax deductions. Owner-occupier loans are generally principal and interest so it eventually get paid down.
"When do my loan repayments start?"
They will start on the day you select with your selected term, weekly fortnightly or monthly.
"Should I get pre-approval before making offers on property?"
YES! We think its crucial, you should know exactly how much you can borrow, at what rates, on what terms before even searching for property. Then you are going in one step more prepared.
"If I change jobs or even careers, will this affect my loans?"
This is a huge mistake people do not think about when it comes to obtaining finance. You should always speak with a broker before making big decisions concerning your ability to repay back a home loan. If you are thinking of switching jobs or even your career, this would play a huge part of which lender will then lend you money going forward.
If you have comments and questions hit the contact us page and let us know! We will help where we can, (We might even post your question here)!


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How good it is to sing to our God,
for praise is pleasant and lovely.
The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem;
He gathers Israel's exiled people.
He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
He counts the number of the stars;
He gives names to all of them.
Our Lord is great, vast in power;
His understanding is infinite.
The Lord helps the afflicted
but brings the wicked to the ground.
Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
play the lyre to our God,
who covers the sky with clouds,
prepares rain for the earth,
and causes grass to grow on the hills.
He provides the animals with their food,
and the young ravens, what they cry for.
He is not impressed by the strength of a horse;
He does not value the power of a man.
The Lord values those who fear Him,
those who put their hope in His faithful love.
Exalt the Lord, Jerusalem;
praise your God, Zion!
For He strengthens the bars of your gates
and blesses your children within you.
He endows your territory with prosperity;
He satisfies you with the finest wheat.
He sends His command throughout the earth;
His word runs swiftly.
He spreads snow like wool;
He scatters frost like ashes;
He throws His hailstones like crumbs.
Who can withstand His cold?
He sends His word and melts them;
He unleashes His winds, and the waters flow.
He declares His word to Jacob,
His statutes and judgments to Israel.
He has not done this for any nation;
they do not know His judgments.
Hallelujah!" (Psalm 147)
In times of discouragement and suffering it's important to remember a psalm like this one. It reminds us again of who God is and what He has done/is doing. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He is abundant in strength. He brings peace where peace is needed. He takes care of those who are His.
We have so much to be thankful for even in the midst of trials and tribulations. This week let us be reminded of this so that we can share with others the hope that we have.


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Sandia's scientists and engineers have a significant impact on national security and continually deliver results. Our areas of accomplishment for 2010 include:
Nuclear Weapons Engineering90-day Feasibility Study: Sandia researchers conducted a 90-day feasibility study for the Office of the Secretary of Defense in a common arming, fuzing, and firing (AF&F) system for the W78/Mk12A and W88/Mk5 warheads, with excursions of the AF&F for high-surety warheads and the W87/Mk21 systems. The study found that significant levels of AF&F commonality are possible with existing system architectures that support use in the Mk5, Mk12A, and Mk21 re-entry systems and enable modernization goals for the future stockpile.
Arming & Fuzing Subsystem Inspection: On July 23, 2010, the 500th Arming & Fuzing Subsystem (AFS) was accepted by the National Nuclear Security Administration through the Quality Assurance Inspection Procedure. Sandia's Radar Fuzing Department provides design and management support for this key component of the Navy's W76-1 arming, fuzing and firing system, manufactured by Honeywell's Kansas City Plant. The AFS is a highly integrated assembly that performs the missile interface, programmer, re-entry sensor, data multiplexer, and radar functions for the arming, fuzing and firing system.
Weapon SecurityNuclear Weapon Accident-Incident Exercise: Nuclear weapon accident-incident exercise-11 was conducted Nov. 6-9, 2010, at the U.S. Navy submarine base in Kings Bay, Ga., and naval air station in Jacksonville, Fla. The exercise focused on a response to "loss-of-control" involving U.S. nuclear weapons and subsequent recovery and render-safe operations. The exercise involved 1,800 participants from the Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration, Department of Defense, Department of Justice, and a variety of local, state, and federal agencies. Sandia deployed 18 responders to the field locations, 36 home-team personnel, and 10 exercise controllers.
Remote SensingNAP Ground Station: The Nuclear Detonation Detection System (NDS) Analysis Package (NAP) Ground System (NAPGS) completed a major step in transitioning to operational status under Air Force Space Command. NAPGS, located in Sandia Tech Area 4, was granted authority to connect to the existing Air Force operational NDS ground segment and began a period of rigorous Air Force testing. NAPGS is a unique, autonomous earth station capable of tracking and capturing telemetry data from multiple NAP-equipped GPS satellites simultaneously.
NUDET Sensor: For more than 45 years, the National Nuclear Security Administration and the U.S. Air Force have jointly provided satellite sensor systems designed to detect atmospheric and space nuclear detonations (NUDETs). On May 27, 2010, the first next-generation optical sensor was launched on a GPS satellite. This Sandia-developed sensor is the result of a decade-long development effort funded by NNSA/NA-22. Over the next 10 years, researchers will launch 19 more next-gen sensors. This constellation will greatly enhance the nation's ability to monitor worldwide nuclear treaty compliance.
Partnerships & AlliancesWater Disruptor: Seven thousand units of a life-saving water disruptor used to safely disable improvised explosive devices, were deployed to warfighters in Afghanistan just seven months after Team Technologies, a Sandia Science & Technology Park tenant, acquired a license for the technology from Sandia. Additionally, Entrepreneurial Spirit Week was initiated to emphasize the importance of innovation and entrepreneurial spirit in Sandia's culture. It featured two major events: the Innovation and Intellectual Property Celebration; and the Entrepreneurial Spirit Awards Luncheon.
Product RealizationNuclear Weapon Enterprise: A methodology was put in place to help the nuclear weapons enterprise better secure itself against modern nation-state threats, and has already yielded significant results. These results are enabling the nuclear enterprise to make strides toward a more robust security posture against modern supply chain and cyber threats.
Nuclear Weapons Quality Training Program: In-depth training was provided to 267 engineers (from 26 centers) involved in the development of nuclear weapons, satellites, and other custom products during fiscal year 2010. Classes covered best practices for preventing defects at each stage of product realization. The program allowed significant cost and schedule savings due to rework avoidance. Classes covered product acceptance, qualification, HALT/HASS, demonstrating reliability rapidly, mistake proofing, and preventing supplier quality problems.
MaterialsGraphene on Silicon Carbide Growth: Graphene is a promising advanced electronics device material. The development of large-area, high-mobility graphene on suitable substrates is a key challenge. Sandia researchers, Taisuke Ohta and Norm Bartelt used coordinated low-energy electron microscopy measurements and computational modeling to further the scientific understanding of graphene on silicon carbide growth. Their understanding of the role of atomic steps on silicon carbide led to an engineered step-flow growth route for producing large-area graphene films with improved domain size and mobility characteristics.
Computing & Information SciencesQuantum Information Science & Technology Challenge: The Quantum Information Science & Technology Grand Challenge Laboratory Directed Research & Development architecture team achieved its goals of designing an error-corrected "logical" qubit. This task used advanced mathematical and computing techniques to evaluate Si qubit systems from the atomic-scale modeling of the problems of quantum dots all the way to predictive simulations of error correction, which is considered one of the project's most impressive technical achievements. Sandia's published logical qubit design leveraged in-house expertise in optimization, scheduling, quantum information, and electronics.
Seismic Event Detection: Sandia's Ground-Based Nuclear Detonation Detection team has developed a 400-processor distributed computing system capable of processing more than 14 million seismic event signals. From this, researchers are able to realize a three-dimensional seismic-pressure-wave-velocity model of the entire earth. Sandia can then deliver to its customers a capability to more accurately compute the locations of new seismic events, especially those that might be due to clandestine underground nuclear test detonations.
Military ProgramsImprovised Explosive Device Disablement: TIME Magazine selected a device developed by Sandia researchers, which disables improvised explosive devices, as one of its "50 Best Inventions of 2010." As a measure to defeat roadside bombs and other IEDs, the disruptor shoots a thin blade of water capable of penetrating steel. The high-speed, precise blade penetrates the IED and is followed by a water slug that performs the general threat disruption. Sandia licensed the technology to TEAM Technologies, Inc., and so far, about 7,000 units have been shipped to warfighters in Afghanistan.
Precision Tracking Space System: The Precision Tracking Space System (PTSS) presents an opportunity for Sandia to apply more than 25 years of established space technologies and expertise to constellation-level challenges for detecting and tracking dim targets. Sandia is part of a national team developing an alternative approach to the challenging requirements levied on the Missile Defense Agency's space layer. Engaging the missile defense mission is part of the space strategy to increase Sandia's impact on national security and broaden the support base for our unique space competencies.
Aegis Readiness Assessment Vehicle: The Aegis Readiness Assessment Vehicle (ARAV) team was presented with the 2010 David Packard Excellence in Acquisition Award by Hon. Ashton Carter, undersecretary for Defense Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, recognized the team's innovative acquisition practices in building, integrating, and launching eight ballistic missile targets, including a new vehicle that allows the U.S. to test against complex, realistic countermeasures. The ARAV team sought to build and launch a cost-effective family of high fidelity ballistic missile targets. The resultant ARAV-As and Bs are more than 85 percent less costly than the targets they replaced.
Key Data Processor Verification: The key data processor (KDP) is a Sandia-designed cryptographic engine at the heart of each Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Module GPS receiver. The KDP-III and KDP-IV completed National Security Agency-witnessed cryptographic verification testing in summer 2010. The module decrypts GPS satellite transmission and grants access to military signals and data for increased precision and signal authentication. Completion of this cryptographic verification testing, and the approval letter from the NSA, allow the developers to load and execute classified Sandia-written and NSA-certified operational SW into the GPS receivers.
Microelectronics & MicrosystemsMEMS Acoustic Resonator: MESA researchers demonstrated the world's lowest-loss radio-frequency (RF) MEMS acoustic resonator. The resonant structure comprises a 1μm-thick film of silicon carbide (SiC) acoustically isolated above a silicon substrate. The measured quality factor, Q, is 117,300 at 2.93 GHz, yielding a record frequency times Q product (fQ) of 3.4x1014. This performance is a factor of 3.4 better than any previously reported. The high fQ, small size, and frequency diversity of SiC microresonators will improve the frequency selectivity of RF filters and oscillators for radios and radars.
Micro Power Source: The R&D 100 Award-winning Micro Power Source is a rechargeable, ultra-small power source for smart cards, environmental sensors, tags for material tracking, continuous medical monitors, and power for microsatellites. Sandia and partners integrated a lithium-ion-based solid electrolyte battery with an ultra-thin photovoltaic collector as an energy harvester. With a system volume of 1 liter, it has an energy density greater than 300 Wh/L and can handle 3,500 charge/discharge cycles. The device is based on existing manufacturing technologies that are amenable to volume manufacturing scale-up.
Global SecurityCUTLASS: Sandia is developing advanced Research & Development sensor technologies to address challenges faced by the nation in the area of nuclear material counter proliferation. Sandia's research in this area, termed Nonproliferation R&D, has yielded a next-generation sensor system – the Compact Uncooled Thermal Longwave Advanced Staring Spectrometer (CUTLASS). Recently, this multispectral sensor system was successfully deployed at the Nevada test Site in support of a NNSA NA-22 Test Campaign where it performed data collections in a realistic remote sensing operations scenario.
NetCAP: Designed and tested in close collaboration with the US National Data Center, Sandia's Network Capability Assessment Program (NetCAP) is a simulator that assesses the capability of the US ground-based nuclear explosion monitoring system to detect, locate, and identify nuclear explosions anywhere in the world. NetCAP, the first new simulator for ground-based monitoring developed since the 1990s, improves both the fidelity and extent of the simulations, incorporating important R & D concepts that have emerged from US monitoring researchers in recent years.
BioscienceAcoustic Wave Biosensor: Sandia's Acoustic Wave Biosensor, originally developed for environmental sensing applications, is being actively commercialized for medical diagnostic applications through collaboration among Sandia, the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, and Adaptive Methods, Inc., the technology licensee. Adaptive Methods was recently awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the 2010 Affordable Care Act, which supports small biotechnology companies developing cost-saving medical therapies. The Acoustic Wave Biosensor is the recipient of a 2010 R&D 100 Award.
Community Involvement, Customer Relations, & Institutional DevelopmentUSA Science and Engineering Festival: Eight Sandians took part in the USA Science and Engineering Festival on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., Oct. 23-24, 2010. Thousands of youth (ages ranging from toddlers to teenagers) assembled on the mall to interact with scientists and engineers from across the country. The festival's mission was to reinvigorate the interest of our nation's youth in science, technology, engineering, and math. The visitors got to see and touch some of the Sandia technologies that are helping keep their world peaceful and free, and the Sandians got a first-hand reminder of why the Labs' work is important.


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It's always tempting to wrap your arms around a host of interrelated marketing tasks and programs by assigning them to specialized workgroups where they can be closely managed and monitored. One of the best examples of this is creating an in-house PR team that works autonomously from the larger marketing organization. That might create some focus on PR and perceived efficiencies, but it is not always the best way to outwardly project a company and a product line with one cohesive voice.
When evaluating the quality of the customer experience, the messages and articles that travel through the media and PR channels are an important part of the marketing mix, and must be coordinated with other non-PR campaigns to promote clarity and avoid confusion.
If PR, marketing, and customer experience (CX) teams work in isolated silos, the same motivators that originally led a prospect to become a customer can get lost. This is especially true when there is pressure to cut costs, reduce headcount, and do more with less.
Bringing PR and Marketing Closer Together
PR teams execute programs and media campaigns that try to demonstrate a company's unique value to readers and consumers of media. Some of this might come across as more company-serving than customer serving.
Organizationally, perceptual disassociations arise between people in the PR and marketing organizations and customers – and between those organizations and their own companies. The resulting actions and campaigns, rather than being customer centric, are more likely to be perceived as attempts to rope in the customer.
How can PR teams and marketing organizations better concentrate their activities on customers? ClearAction™ Continuum, www.ClearAction.com, a Silicon Valley company created through the recent merger of Marketing Operations Partners and ClearActionCX, is tackling this challenge within a new category called the Customer Value Continuum™.
Addressing Customer Centricity Gaps
This vision of PR people, marketing teams, and CX professionals coming together is overdue. Research from Gartner and the CMO Council note that traditional voice of the customer and customer experience management programs fall short of expectations. Other findings from The Economist and Gartner identify trends where CMOs and marketing teams expect to own end-to-end customer experience in the near future.
What needs to change is the tendency for companies to try and get things from customers – their attention towards new product introductions, their response to PR campaigns and loyalty programs, and their feedback from customer research. The focus needs to be flipped to what customers need.
PR professionals and marketing people are skilled at creating compelling messaging, digital interactions, and live events – but these do not necessarily translate to customer centricity. Brand promise is hollow if the messages communicated through these campaigns are incongruent with the actual experience that customers receive or perceive.
In the quest to create effective PR and marketing machines, organizations tend to overvalue workflow, activity cadence, and output, above what is best for customers. Exceptions to this are scenarios where something is at risk – winning a deal, responding to a squeaky wheel, and last-ditch efforts to prevent defection.
In each of these cases, the company is forced to overcompensate for its initial self-centered behavior. Escalation is a way of life, and a symptom of not being in synch with customers in designing and executing products, processes, policies, business models, and daily decisions.
Improving Cross-Functional Interactions
Emphasis on siloed functional activities and hard skill development is the norm – and current PR and marketing spend reflect that. Soft skill development is not the only gap. In today's lean enterprise, virtually every marketing team member is valued for producing deliverables. "Glue" roles that used to manage the interfaces and handle the responsibilities that no one else owned have vanished in many companies.
This lack of glue often translates to performance gaps, lack of critical anticipatory thinking, and leaky operations – all which degrade customer experience. The vulnerabilities in the system surface at unexpected times, creating unintended consequences, including unnecessary customer hassles.
The ClearAction Continuum is designed to help people on PR and marketing teams to be more customer centric and do the whole job, rather than just the job they know. This is even more important as companies embrace agile PR and marketing where the standard operating unit is a team. Agile team members will not be successful if they are concerned only with their own responsibilities, points of view, or MBOs. The ClearAction Value Exchange enables PR people, customer experience teams, and marketing organizations to realize the promise of customer centricity by addressing how these groups interact with critical, cross-functional stakeholders.
Modern PR and Marketing Realities
With PR and marketing spend increasingly eclipsing that of most other enterprise functions, CMOs are under greater scrutiny to act as sound fiscal stewards. PR and marketing operations are only as good as the strategy, guidance, processes, data, metrics, and people behind them. Today's CMOs rely on marketing operations to ensure these foundational elements are in place before investing in technology solutions. In reality, the cart comes before the horse, with PR and marketing professionals forced to instill these capabilities during or even after deployment.
The ClearAction Value Exchange is purpose-built to get PR people and marketing teams out of that transactional work-flow mindset, break out of the silo trap, and be thoughtful in their due diligence as they scale operations. It helps teams advance from a narrow, lead- and pipeline-based view of success metrics and MBOs to a focus on delivery of customer lifetime value.


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(Twilight series, The Host)
Meyer is best known for her Twilight series, a supernatural romance centered on vampires, werewolves, and a young woman named Bella. Her work features very romantic male and female leads, light horror, and a certain "can't-put-it-down" readability. The most important aspect of the Twilight books, though, is the love story.
If you like Meyer's books, try:
P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast (the House of Night series is quite similar to Meyer's work in pacing, characters, and subject—though this series deals with a boarding school full of fledging vampires)
Anne Rice (if your favorite part of Twilight was the vampires and descriptions of vampire "life," try Rice's modern classic Interview with the Vampire)
Christopher Moore (if you'd like a vampire love story that's the opposite of Twilight, full of quirky characters, bawdy screwball humor, horror, and poignancy, try Bloodsucking Fiends)
Annette Curtis Klause (her Blood and Chocolate is about a teenage werewolf who falls in love with a boy at her school—it's filled with horror, suspense, and romance)
Charlaine Harris (fans of supernatural romance might like her funny Southern Vampire series. Start with Dead Until Dark)
Libba Bray (if you like Twilight mainly for Bella and Alice, you might enjoy A Great and Terrible Beauty, a fantasy set in a girls' school in Victorian England)


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This week, the ChicagoStyle Weddings team is taking on New York Bridal Fashion Week! Follow along as we discover the latest and greatest bridal trends of 2018 and get behind the scenes with designers, models and more.
Show #1: THEIA
After arriving in New York, the CSW team hit the ground running and attended the THEIA runway show. The gorgeous, size-inclusive line was the perfect way to start the trip. The collection paired ornate bodices with simple, structured silhouettes, and was infused with gentle blues and pinks in addition to traditional white. The intimate show was definitely one of our favorites from the entire day!
MUSE by BERTA Press Event
This exclusive editors-only event gave us the incredible chance to interview Berta Balilti, the visionary behind one of the world's most sought after bridal collections. She answered a few of our questions while models wearing her latest MUSE by BERTA collection showed off her fabulous new designs.
Berta, on the MUSE by BERTA Bride..
"The newest collection captures an effortless aesthetic. It was designed for the boho bride, a bride who's very confident about herself and her body. The gowns are very form fitting and when a bride puts them on, she looks like a top model. It's a playful, flirty, and modern line. It's a lower price point than the BERTA Couture line, but the focus is still on design. "
Show #2: Inbal Dror
In keeping with the fact that National Ballet Day was earlier this week, the Inbal Dror collection oozed effortless grace and ballerina charm. The models strolled down the runway wearing tiaras and messy buns, all the while accompanied by classical masterpieces such as the Theme from Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky.
Show #3: Anne Barge
After the MUSE by BERTA Press Event and Inbal Dror, the team made their way to the Anne Barge show. There, models walked the runway to the tune of "first dance" style songs that paired perfectly with the line's sweet, romantic gowns. The collection was timeless and breathtakingly elegant, and featured classy silhouettes.
Show #4: Reem Acra
Last but certainly not least, the team attended Reem Acra's runway show to cap off their first night in New York. After being shown to their seats each guest was given a tiara to wear, and the team soon discovered that the models were wearing beautiful crowns as well. From the ushers wearing top hats to the gorgeous architecture of the New York Public Library, the Reem Acra collection was regal, flawless, and one of our absolute favorites.
Tomorrow, the CSW team will take on Day #2 of New York Bridal Fashion Week! Stay tuned to see more images and exciting behind-the-scenes details from designers like Justin Alexander, Galia Lahav, Ines di Santo and more with the next installment of our New York Fashion Diaries.


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The Network Hub
July 2012
BlackBerry: The Lincoln Town Car of smartphones- Enterprise Management Associates 05 Jul 2012
NPR's Planet Money podcast recently did an episode on Ford's luxury car brand Lincoln, and how far it's fallen. "Can Lincoln be cool again?" Apparently there was a time when the Lincoln Town Car ...


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Bike Blast Performance Tee
This Bike Blast performance tee is perfect for training, practice, working out or just lounging around. It's a 100% polyester shirt, allowing for peak lightness, flexibility and comfort.
Cost is only $15 and we can have your shirt ready for you with you bike tour or rental!
We can also ship your shirt for an additional S+H fee.


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Source: press release:
Northwestern University research suggests why the inability to shut out competing sensory information while focusing on the creative project at hand might have been so acute for geniuses such as Franz Kafka, Charles Darwin, and many others.
The research provides the first physiological evidence that real-world creativity may be associated with a reduced ability to filter "irrelevant" sensory information.
real-world creativity may be associated with a reduced ability to filter "irrelevant" sensory information.
The research suggests that some people are more affected by the daily bombardment of sensory information — or have "leakier" sensory filters.
"Leaky" sensory gating, the propensity to filter out "irrelevant" sensory information, happens early, and involuntarily, in brain processing and may help people integrate ideas that are outside of the focus of attention, leading to creativity in the real world, said Darya Zabelina, lead author of the study, calling the finding "impressive."
The researchers investigated specific neural markers of a very early form of attention, namely sensory gating, indexed by P50 ERP, the neurophysiological response that occurs 50 ms (milliseconds) after stimulus onset, and how it relates to two measures of creativity: divergent thinking and real-world creative achievement.
In the study, approximately 100 participants reported their achievements in creative domains via Creative Achievement Questionnaire, as well as performed a test of divergent thinking, generally considered to be a laboratory test of creative cognition.
On this test participants were asked to provide as many answers as they could to several unlikely scenarios, within a limited amount of time. The number and the novelty of participants' responses comprised the divergent thinking score.
As a result, the researchers had two different measures of creativity: a number of peoples' real-world creative achievements and a laboratory measure of divergent thinking.
Divergent thinking tests are timed laboratory measures of creative cognition, in which participants produce numerous responses within a limited time. In the study, divergent thinking correlated with academic test scores and selective sensory gating — an increased ability to filter compared to lower divergent thinkers.
divergent thinking correlated with academic test scores and selective sensory gating — an increased ability to filter compared to lower divergent thinkers.
In direct contrast, real-world creative achievement was associated with leaky sensory processing — or a reduced ability to screen or inhibit stimuli from conscious awareness. This shows that these creativity measures are sensitive to different forms of sensory gating.
Divergent thinking does contribute to creativity, but appears to be separate from the process of creative thinking that is associated with the leaky sensory filter.
The study suggests that creative people with "leaky" sensory gating may have a propensity to deploy attention over a wider focus or a larger range of stimuli.
"If funneled in the right direction, these sensitivities can make life more rich and meaningful, giving experiences more subtlety," said Zabelina, a Ph.D. candidate in psychology at Northwestern.
The study, "Creativity and sensory gating indexed by the P50: Selective versus leaky sensory gating in divergent thinkers and creative achievers," was supported by the John Templeton Foundation Grant to co-author Mark Beeman and was published in Neuropsychologia. In addition to Zabelina and Beeman of Northwestern, co-authors include Daniel O'Leary, Narun Pornpattananangkul, Robin Nusslock also of Northwestern.


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To coincide with the Isle Skateboards "Isle in the D." article in the latest issue, Isle are kindly giving away a deck and a hat to one lucky winner. In order to win all you need to do is answer the below trivia question on the comments section below
Detroit was the destination for the third official Isle skateboards trip. Can you name one of the destinations of the other two trips?


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