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Tour Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival at Cochin
After arriving Cochin airport, meet our representative who'll arrange a smooth transfer for you to one of our listed hotels. Check-in at the hotel. Rest and relax for a while. Then proceed to visit the major tourist attractions like Jewish Synagogue, Dutch Palace, Portuguese architecture, St. Francis Church and Boghatty Palace. While exploring the place have a sight of Chinese fishing net swaying in the breeze over backwaters. These fishing net exhibit the mechanical method of catching fishes by the local fishermen in high tide conditions. Return to the hotel and spend the rest of the day at leisure. Overnight stay at the hotel.
Day 2: Cochin - Munnar
After a sumptuous breakfast at the hotel, drive straight to Munnar. On arrival at Munnar, get transferred to one of our listed hotels. Check-in at the hotel. The rest of the day is to be spent relaxing in your room. Munnar is an idyllic tourist destination offering an unending expanse of tea plantation. The presence of lush green surroundings, lakes, reservoirs and forests are there to enthrall you. The place is visited by many adventures-seeking traveler, who have a keen interest in Paragliding. In the evening get down from your hotel for a leisurely walk to explore the nearby areas. Enjoy a comfortable night stay at the hotel.
Day 3: Munnar
Next day wake up early in the morning and after breakfast, proceed to the sightseeing tour of Munnar. The major tourist hotspots to be covered include the Atukkad Waterfalls, Chithirapuram, Blossom Park and Pothamedu View Point. Also enjoy an excursion to Eravikulam national park, another major tourist attraction, where one can find the endangered species of NilgiriTahr. In the evening pay a visit to explore the Rajamala Hills. Return to the hotel for an overnight stay.
Day 4: Munnar - Thekkady
On the 4th day of the tour post breakfast, leave for a four hour long drive to Thekkady. While on drive to Thekkady enjoy the drive as the road winds through the thick jungles and rich plantation. Upon arrival, check in at one of our enlisted hotels in the city. In the afternoon proceed to Periyar Wildlife Tiger Reserve to enjoy the jeep safari. Periyar is a veritable paradise of elephants. Scores of them can be witnessed bathing and swimming here. Later in the evening you may enjoy boat ride at Periyar Lake. Overnight stay at the hotel.
Day 5: Thekkady - Kumarakom
In the morning after breakfast, head straight to Kumarakom. The place proves to be a paradise for bird watchers. On reaching Kumarakom pay a visit to bird sanctuary. After bird watching head to one of our enlisted hotel for check-in and breakfast. Spend the rest of the day at leisure. You may indulge in water sports like water skiing and wind sailing. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 6: Kumarakom - Houseboat- Alleppey
Post breakfast leave for Alleppey in a houseboat for an overnight cruise. The Kerala backwaters have been known for their mesmerizing and alluring charms spread across the whole area. While cruising along the backwater feast your eyes with lush green padded fields, palm fringed costal lines and enjoy the majestic scenery. Enjoy an overnight stay on the houseboat.
Day 7: Alleppey - Kovalam
In the morning drive towards Kovalam. Check-in at one of our listed hotels, on arrival. After relaxing for a while move out for an excursion to Kovalam Beach. The beach is ideal for various kind of water sports like Kayaking, surfing , skiing and swimming. You may pamper yourself with a body toning massage at any of the centers of your choice. Overnight stay at the hotel near the beach.
Day 8: Kovalam
Full day at leisure. Relax on the Beach. Overnight stay.
Day 9: Departure Trivandrum
After breakfast, get transferred to the Trivandrum airport to board a flight for your onward destination.
Tour Detail
Inclusions :
Terms & Conditions :* Some Advance Percentage of total booking amount * Airfare/Transport fare to be paid full at one time in advance.~^#^~* Upon cancellation, refund will be made after deducting the Retention Amount. * Retention Amount varies as per the number of days left before your package start date. ~^#^~


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Ilyach Ouattara Coaching
Head Coach Ilyach Ouattara (give him a follow in his instagram @ilyachouattara) offers the following more individually customized coaching services.
Contact Ilyach at the following e-mail address: email@example.com
Online Guidance
Online guidance is a way of working with us for those who are unable to train at our facility frequently. You get a custom-made program based on an initial questionnaire including your goals, past injuries and needs. The program will be made taking in consideration your available equipment/space to train and move.
This training includes 1 session per month to train together, or a Skype call to go over the program. Every week there is a check-up to go over concerns, questions and as a continuous guidance to keep you progressing.
Further, a nutrition guideline is added as an extra within our online service.
- €150 for one month
- €420 instead of €450 for three months (paid in full)
- Extra 1-on-1 sessions for online members can be booked for €30
Personal Coaching
Personal coaching (LIMITED SPOTS) are one-to-one sessions with your coach based on an inital intake conversation to get to know each other and what you want to train for. Personal coaching includes a tailored program that changes every month (or more frequent if necessary), nutrition guidance and a weekly check-up with your coach.
- €360 for 4 weeks
- €900 voor 12 weeks
- €50 for 1 session
- 10 session card €400

subset: commoncrawl


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The Bri-Bet Group Hires Dale Tasker for Bri-Bet Police Supply
Baltimore, MD. (December 1, 2014) – Bri-Bet Police Supply, a division of woman-owned, Baltimore, Maryland based the Bri-Bet Group, is pleased to announce it has hired Dale Tasker to serve as Sales Development Assistant for Bri-Bet Police Supply.
The Bri-Bet Group is proud to announce the recent hiring of Dale Tasker to Sales Development Assistant for Bri-Bet Police Supply. Mr. Tasker has studied graphic arts at the Baltimore County Community College and brings to Bri-Bet youthful enthusiasm needed to bring a new edge to Bri-Bet's new Police Supply website.
"Bri-Bet is very excited to bring Mr. Tasker to Bri-Bet Police Supply. Mr. Tasker is young and full of energy and his creative abilities are exactly what Police Supply needs during its major transition from its antiquated E-commerce platform," stated Brian Kunkel, President and CEO of the Bri-Bet Group. "Mr. Tasker is now positioned to utilize his creative talents to help Police Supply's website continue to grow in popularity and gain a larger customer following on social media. He will definitely play a vital role in Police Supply's reemergence and I'm very excited for him and for Bri-Bet."
About Bri-Bet Police Supply:
Founded in early 2010 and based in Baltimore, Maryland, Bri-Bet Police Supply is a rapidly growing Woman-Owned and Law Enforcement Officer owned company, whose mission is to be a leader in the provision of public safety, corrections and security, EMS and fire apparel and equipment. For more information about this and other news concerning Bri-Bet Police Supply, please visit www.bri-bet.com.


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HCM CITY (VNS) — A project to improve meals at primary schools that began in HCM City in 2012 will be expanded to two schools in Hà Nội.
The project standardises menus and creates tools for schools to educate students about nutrition, according to Takaaki Nishii, president and CEO of Ajinomoto Company Inc in Japan.
Speaking at a press meeting held on Tuesday in HCM City, Takaaki said the project was part of Ajinomoto Việt Nam's corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities, which focus on education in Việt Nam.
The project developers have also donated menu development software and a standard model of a kitchen to the primary schools.
As of last year, the project had served 213 primary schools in HCM City, 72 in Đà Nẵng and 100 in Hải Phing.
The company has also co-operated with the National Nutrition Institute and medical universities in HCM City and Hà Nội to set up training programmes for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in nutrition. — VNS


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Dear Santa, I want you to have these cookies because I love you. Adam
Jesus then came into Galilee announcing the good news from God. All the preliminaries have been taken care of, and the rule of God is now accessible to everyone. Review your plans for living and base your life on this remarkable new opportunity. Dallas Willard's paraphrase of Mark 1:15.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Adam's Letter to Santa
Merry Christmas!!!
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Jesus and His Stories
2009 Top Ten Lists: Books
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
NC & AC in the CA
Ginger Spickler, who lives in Midtown with her husband, Josh, and their two boys (Walt, 4, and Patrick, 3 months), participates in "Advent Conspiracy" with her church and family. The tenets are "Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More, Love All" and are about restoring the focus of Christmas on Christ.
The Spicklers are raising money for global clean-water initiatives. "Americans spend about $450 billion every year on Christmas and it's estimated that it would take only about $10 billion per year to solve the global water crisis," Ginger Spickler said. The Spicklers "spend less" on things like Christmas cards, opting to e-mail a slide show to family and friends. The money they save is sent to Living Water International, which covers the "love all."
She said they "give more" by focusing on relational gifts. "Last year, we gave Josh's sister and her husband, who live in Nashville, a weekend in Memphis -- we took them to a Grizzlies game, out to dinner, and just basically spent time with them," she said. She has asked several groups in which she traditionally exchanged presents, like coworkers, if they'd prefer to take the money and donate it to a good cause instead.
As a family, the Spicklers spend a lot of time talking about why they really celebrate Christmas, which is where the "worship fully" part comes in. "Walt understands that the Advent calendar isn't counting down the days until he gets presents, but rather the days until we celebrate Jesus' birthday," Spickler said. "He's still looking forward to the presents, but he knows that's not all there is to it."
Monday, December 21, 2009
2009 Top Ten Lists: Music
1. Bon Iver
I discovered Bon Iver at the end of 2008 and was instantly hooked. Both of his albums are great.
2. Sojourn Church's "Over the Grave"
The song "Warrior" has got to be one of the greatest songs I've heard in a long time. I couldn't find a video for it, so check out this link from Grooveshark (if you haven't signed up for your grooveshark account, check it out).
3. Mumford & Sons
Just heard about these guys through Steve McCoy's blog. Loved it immediately! Some free downloads to get you going can be found here.
4. Derek Webb's "Stockholm Syndrome"
Perhaps you've heard that this album is controversial. Webb has always been controversial because of his message, but now he's gone off the deep end by including two curse words in his song. Here's a good article about the new album, and enjoy the video.
5. The Fray
I know they've been around for a little while, but this year I've listened to them a lot.
6. Fiction Family
Jon Foreman of Switchfoot plus Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek = Awesome.
7. Brooke Fraser
I first heard Brooke Fraser on a Hillsong United album. Such a great voice. Her album Albertine came out a couple of years ago, but I came across it this year. So many great tracks.
In my opinion, you can't have a top 10 list of music for 2009 and not include U2's newest album.
9. The Avett Brothers
It took me awhile to get into these guys, but then I heard this song...
10. Kings of Leon
I loved these guys when they first came out, but haven't listened to them in awhile. Then I heard this song awhile back and was instantly happy.
Weekly Links
2. When Helping Hurts - I heard Steve Corbett speak at CCDA and then purchased the book. Here is an article by the co-author, Brian Fikkert. I have to say that I had never heard anyone say these things, yet something resounded within me that these guys are speaking truth.
Update on our Education Journey
We moved to Midtown Memphis almost four years ago from the SF Bay Area. We had a six-month old at the time. We learned right away that most young families don't stay in Midtown long because of the school system. We felt called here to start a church, and believed that we needed to live here long-term in order to be effective.
We also learned that our neighborhood has a public elementary school, but the families in the neighborhood don't send their kids there. So we began our research. I should point out that my wife is an educator and taught in a Memphis City school our first two years here. This helped immensely. In April, 2007 we hosted a forum at our neighborhood school to determine if this was a quality issue or something else (racial, economic, safety, etc...). There was a large turnout, and the consensus at the end was that it's a great school. So something else is keeping families from sending their kids there. After the discussion, my wife was asked to be the Community Representative on the school's Leadership Team. Other parents (of not-yet-school-age children) have already begun to take leadership roles in school events as well. The principal is working closely with neighborhood families to see the school bridge the racial, economic, and academic gap.
Throughout the last few years, we have encountered dozens of people with the same heart cry as ours - for this to become a neighborhood school once again. Some of these we knew to be followers of Christ, but many would not identify themselves as such. Yet a community has begun to form, full of families with a common vision and mission.
Next fall our oldest will be attending Kindergarten at our local elementary school, along with several other children from this group, with dozens more planning on attending in the coming years. Over the last few years we have held this very loosely. We have prayed a lot. We do not want to sacrifice our child, and what we're doing is actually far from that. This is an excellent school, and he's going to have an excellent education, even beyond the academics. He will learn diversity, both racially and economically, and our prayer is that he learns to love others as God loves him.
At the same time, though, what we are doing is extremely intentional and strategic, and I know that it is a big part of why we're here. We never would have set out to integrate our local elementary school or attempt to change the school district, but when we pray, "God, do only what you can do" be ready to walk through the doors He opens!
We could have been called to a different neighborhood in the city, and though our process would have been similar, I recognize that the result may have been different. There are multiple bottom lines, but they all have to be prayed through and considered.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Anniversary Trip
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Hitler Finds Out About Robert's Birthday
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Surprise, Surprise
Advent Conspiracy in TIME Magazine
If it's December, then there must be frost in the air, gingerbread in the oven, and ... right on time, Bill O'Reilly and the other defenders of Christmas bemoaning the prevalence of "Happy Holidays" - rather than "Merry Christmas" - greetings.
There's a war on Christmas, O'Reilly recently reminded viewers, driven by those who "loathe the baby Jesus." This season, a holiday-dÉcor company is marketing the CHRIST-mas Tree, a bushy artificial tree with a giant cross where the trunk should be. And the Colorado-basedFocus on the Family is continuing its Stand for Christmas campaign to highlight the offenses of Christmas-denying retailers. The campaign was launched, according to its website, because "citizens across the nation were growing dissatisfied with the tendency of corporations to omit references to Christmas from holiday promotions."
But to a growing group of Christians, this focus on the commercial aspect of Christmas is itself the greatest threat to one of Christianity's holiest days. "It's the shopping, the going into debt, the worrying that if I don't spend enough money, someone will think I don't love them," says Portland pastor Rick McKinley. "Christians get all bent out of shape over the fact that someone didn't say 'Merry Christmas' when I walked into the store. But why are we expecting the store to tell our story? That's just ridiculous."
Read the rest of the article here.
Advent Conspiracy Press Release
The following article was in Saturday's Commercial Appeal. Unfortunately, it's not online, so I decided to post it here.
Neighborhood Church believes that Christmas can [still] change the world and has partnered with the Advent Conspiracy (www.AdventConspiracy.org) to celebrate Christmas by spending less, giving more, worshiping fully and loving all this season.
Neighborhood Church (NC) has partnered with Advent Conspiracy (AC) to help Memphis experience what Christmas is really about (celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ and peace and love for each other), and away from what it has become (consumerism).
NC Pastor Robert Grisham says "We're encouraging one another to get creative and give meaningful, relational gifts this year. Then, the money we save we're going to give away to those who really need it.
NC is holding events like the "Think Globally, Party Locally" party, where, instead of toasting to our own good health, we're asking all of our friends to toast to the world's good health at a rockin' good party to raise money for global clean water initiatives through Living Water International.
The Advent Conspiracy is a grassroots movement with more than 1,000 churches in 17 countries participating as co-conspirators- with projects as varied as drilling a water well for those who lack access to clean water or simply encouraging congregations to think of meaningful acts of kindness as meaningful gift options to replace traditional gifts.
Last year, through Advent Conspiracy, $3 Million was raised for relief projects which included providing clean water and medical attention in communities around the world.
This year, Advent Conspiracy anticipates that individuals and churches will match last year's commitment to charitable gifts and will make a lasting impact in communities around the world.
For more information about Advent Conspiracy, please visit: www.adventconspiracy.org.
For more information about Neighborhood Church, please visit www.ncmidtown.com.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
The Voice
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Generous...for a 4-yr old
Friday, November 27, 2009
A Christmas Set List - Pt. 2
Amen, Amen, Sojourn
Christmas Time is Here, Vince Guaraldi Trio
O Magnum Mysterium, Morten Lauridsen, conductor
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
A Christmas Set List
O Come O Come Emmanuel, Sufjan Stevens
Joseph's Lullaby, MercyMe
Winter Snow, Audrey Assad & Chris Tomlin
Male Model in the House
Church Buildings For Sale
A Night Away for Study and Prayer
Last night I arrived around 5:00, armed with my Bible, notebook, laptop, some books, some leftover Chinese food, and some coffee. My goal was to come away with a week by week outline of the series. Last night I read through Luke again, and jotted down more notes. This morning I began the process of compiling those notes. I am thankful that as I prepare to leave this morning, I have an outline of 21 sermons.
The theme for this study is "Christianity: Religion or Revolution?" Jake Fasano has once again designed a visual for us to use.
The series begins next Sunday and will run a few weeks past Easter. I'll continue to post on the study as we go along, but here are some of the resources I'm using.
- The Prodigal God, Tim Keller
- Luke for Everyone, NT Wright
- Jesus in the Margins, Rick McKinley
- This Beautiful Mess, Rick McKinley
- The Myth of a Christian Religion, Greg Boyd
- Money, Possessions & Eternity, Randy Alcorn
- The Politics of Jesus, John Yoder
- ReJesus, Michael Frost & Allen Hirsch
- The Barbarian Way, Erwin McManus
Monday, November 23, 2009
Weekly Links
Luke 7
Need a Christmas Gift Idea?
Here's the description from the Neiman Marcus catalog:
Put on your matching hat, slip under the muffin top of your Cupcake Car, and let the world figure itself out for awhile. Get (or give) the sheer, joyful chaos of a gift that is mind-blowing, triple-dog-dare, double-infinity forever cool. Make the kids or grandkids literally squeal with joy. Bring it to work and buzz the breakroom. Crash parades! Putter about the 'hood. Ever had a crowd of kids chasing after you just for the crazy gleeful heck of it? (No worries, the top speed is a comfy-safe 7 mph.) What's it made of? A 24-volt electric motor, a heavy-duty battery, sheet metal, wire, fabric, wood…and mad genius.
Be sure to get yours while they last. Only $25,000!
Monday, November 16, 2009
Getting to Know Josh Pastner
Saturday, November 14, 2009
The Bible & Money: Giving Money
Friday, November 13, 2009
The Bible & Money: Saving Money
Thursday, November 12, 2009
The Bible & Money: Spending Money
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
The Bible & Money: Making Money
Deuteronomy 8:18 (ESV) You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 (NIV) Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
2 Thessalonians 3:11-12 (ESV) For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.
Proverbs 6:10-11 (ESV) A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.Proverbs 20:4 (NLT) Those too lazy to plow in the right season will have no food at the harvest.
Exodus 20:8-11 (NIV) "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
- Working hard is good.
- Being lazy is bad
- Putting work ahead of everything else in your life will destroy your soul. Learn to Sabbath well.
The Benefits of a Small Church
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Advent Conspiracy
My Pretty Wife's Blog
Kindle for PC
Thursday, November 05, 2009
More Links
Wondering about Google Wave? Here's Lifehack's first look and best uses, as well as The Complete Guide to Google Wave.
The trailer for my friend Joe's new movie Hitting the Nuts is live.
Five tips for utilizing RSS feeds. I use Google Reader for this task and love it.
Ten ways to cut your energy bills this winter...and not freeze
Free Kindle Book
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Catching Up on Some Links
150 of Tim Keller's sermons available for free
Summaries from some of the talks at Catalyst this year
Free ebook on discipleship from Winfield Bevins. I'm printing it out right now and am looking forward to reading it.
Videos from The Nines
Video/audio from the Lead09 Conference featuring Tim Chester and Jonathan Dodson
Monday, October 26, 2009
Luke 6
Why I Quit Blogging through Luke
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Oreos and Government Spending
Sunday, October 18, 2009
A Mom and Her Boys
Monday, October 05, 2009
Koinonia - A Deeper Meaning
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
The Mississippi Delta
Sunday, September 27, 2009
5 Years of Blogging
Friday, September 25, 2009
Luke 5
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Luke 4
Hwy 61 - Here I Come
Monday, September 21, 2009
Luke 3


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Essential oils has been in the market for years. But recently, a lot of people use alternative medicine like Aromatherapy to replaced pharmaceutical drugs because of the dangerous side effect. Because of the healing benefits of essential oils, we compiled the best oils that we can use in our bathroom to help us combat stress and feel more relax.
Add a few drops of lavender oil to your bath after a hard day, to calm frayed nerves and to help you get a better night's sleep. If you have a headache, just rub a bit of the oil onto your temples and forehead while breathing deeply to help relieve it.
Tea tree is another one of the most beneficial essential oils you can have in your medicine cabinet, as it can be used topically to help remedy practically any common ailment due to its antibacterial and antifungal properties. Use it for acne, cold sores, athlete's foot, nail fungus, insect bites and dermatitis. Add a few drops to your shampoo to help alleviate dandruff.
Peppermint essential oil is analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial. You can massage a few drops of this oil onto your abdomen to help relieve stomach cramps or nausea. Adding a drop or two to cool water can make a great foot soak to soothe tired, aching feet.
If you tend to have dental issues, clove essential oil is an absolutely must to have on hand. It's been used for centuries for dental problems, and studies have shown it to have analgesic as well as antibacterial properties. It's considered by many to be one of the best treatments for a toothache and gum disease. Clove oil can also be used to help treat a cold sore or canker sore.
Credits to: The Alternative Daily


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Advance Prime
Thanks to the new, advanced Progressive Technology, the mattresses of this range recognise the heaviest areas of each body and provide the appropriate support. They also have embedded Topper Inside mattress toppers, that ideally envelop each different body type, containing the most innovative Hyper Active Fill materials and the top Aegis Shield treatment that protects the fabric.
The fabric's clean lines, its simple yet dynamic design in violet shades, highlight its unsurpassed Italian finesse.
Discover the 4 outstanding choices, with 2 different support technologies, exclusively by Media Strom.
After a good night's sleep your body recovers its energy, with every cell revitalised, in order to face the demands of the coming day. That is why it is important to offer customised support to every part of the spine while we sleep. The Advance Prime collection owes its creation to this ideal point of balance between comfort and support.
• Go-Up Springs, higher springs for excellent support and unequalled durability.
• Side Support Plus, peripheral support zone for safety and functionality.
• Total Health Protection, integrated health system for a clean and healthy sleeping environment.
• Pumping Effect, keeping the materials fresh and hygienic.
• Progressive Function, for rested and relaxed muscles. Back
Topper Inside
2 in 1 mattress and topper together, for comfort and continuous invigoration.
Enjoy the comfort that suits your body best, choosing from the different toppers embedded in the mattresses, giving them a different feeling. The advanced toppers, designed to enhance the smart support technology, embrace every contour of the body, providing constant revitalisation. As a result your tissues are rested and you memory regrouped, ensuring your mental clarity.
Aegis Shield
An invincible shield of health and hygiene for the ultimate degree of protection.
The antimicrobial, antifungal and antibacterial Aegis treatment of the fabric protects you as you sleep, with the continuous circulation of fresh air, since it can mechanically neutralise any form of microscopic uninvited "guest" on your bed.
Progressive Technology
The smart support technology that "reads" each body type.
For the first time in Greece, the smart customised progressive support technology, that helps the mattress recognise and instantly respond to each movement of the body. Thanks to this technology, the hardness of the mattresses increases as long as a weight is applied on them, without increasing the response to it! Thus, different body types or areas of the body with a different weight in men and women, enjoy the same high degree of support.
Hyper Active Fill
The most innovative materials for comfort and inimitable enjoyment.
The noblest natural and manufactured materials offer comfort and a unique sensation, far above their category. The materials included in the mattresses of this range, for example the Memory Breeze, Memory VE and Latex Ultra, will envelop every curve of your body in a comfortable snuggle, enhancing the point progressive support action. Their improved ventilation properties also ensure high standards of hygiene.


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Find out what is taking up space on your Mac
In this age of terabyte flash drives and cloud storage, it's easy to forget that storage space is finite. But it is, and as software gets more sophisticated and must-have apps become more plentiful, you can eat through a 1TB SSD in no time at all.
Sure, in theory, if your Mac hard drive gets full you can just upgrade, but at around $800 for a 2TB iMac SSD and $2800 for a 4TB SSD neither option is exactly affordable. Plus, it's not just room for files that you get from a hard drive, it directly affects performance too. Let your hard drive get full and see how sluggish your Mac runs. Actually, don't do that you'll drive yourself crazy.
For optimum performance, you should continually monitor Mac hard drive space to make sure there's always room for your next big download and as a prompt to rid your system of unnecessary junk files that accumulate over time. Both of these things are easy to do: checking storage from the Apple menu and removing files using the Trash or a tool like CleanMyMac X.
How to see storage on your Mac?
The simplest way to check Mac hard drive space is by accessing About This Mac.
- Click on the Apple icon and choose About This Mac.
- Click on Storage.
Note: If you're running an older version of OS X, you may need to click More Info to find the Storage option.
The Storage tab will show you how much space is being taken up by the System, Documents, Apps, and more. It will also display available space.
What to do when your hard drive is full?
If your Mac hard drive is nearing capacity, your system will let you know with a 'disk almost full' warning prompting you to free up some space.
If you see this warning it's best to act on it. To free up space on your startup disk you'll need to do one or all of these three things:
- Delete files.
- Move files over to cloud storage or an external hard drive.
- Install a second hard drive or add a larger startup disk.
Options 1 and 2 are the easiest, but if you're thinking of upgrading your existing disk, check out our guide.
If you're running macOS Sierra or higher, when the "Your disk is almost full" warning appears, it will pop up with the option to "Manage" storage. This allows you to move files iCloud, optimize storage by removing iTunes movies and TV shows that you've already watched, automatically erasing trash, and removing clutter.
This is a quick and easy way to free up space but it's not ideal. You see, when files are moved to iCloud, junk and useless files are moved too. This means you max out your iCloud storage quicker and end up having to pay for more. For this reason, we recommend using CleanMyMac X to detect junk files and completely remove them from your system.
How to free up Mac hard drive space manually
Deleting files manually is a simple task, but it can also be time-consuming. The best way to go about it is to find old documents, downloads, music, and applications you no longer need and drag them to the Trash.
When you do this you'll need to remember to empty the Trash, otherwise, files will just sit there and free up no space at all.
- Ctrl+click on Trash in the Dock.
- Select Empty Trash.
- Click Empty Trash.
You can also remove old iTunes Library backups, iOS backups and updates, and clear cached files using the Finder.
- Open a Finder window and select Go in the menu bar.
- Click on Go to Folder and enter one of the following commands:
- Caches: ~/Library/Caches
- iTunes Library backups: ~/Music/iTunes/Previous iTunes Libraries
- iOS backups: ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/
- iOS software updates iPad: ~/Library/iTunes/iPad Software Updates
- iOS software updates iPhone: ~/Library/iTunes/iPhone Software Updates
3. Browse each of the folders and delete any files you no longer need.
As said, clearing files manually is easy but it comes with one rather sizeable caveat: moving things to Trash leaves behind residue — leftover pieces of files that serve no purpose other than to take up hard drive space. There you are doing your best to remove files only for Mac to be incapable of fully deleting whatever you want to get rid of.
So, what can you do about that? Yep… CleanMyMac X.
Freeing up Mac hard drive space with CleanMyMac X
CleanMyMac X scours your system for all old, outdated, and broken files and completely, 100% removes them from your system. It's the quickest and easiest way to free up a lot of space at once.
If you need to optimize disk space in a hurry, download CleanMyMac X and select the option to clean up System Junk. This will remove old cache files and logs, broken app data, unused languages, and excessive versions of documents in a couple of clicks.
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Here are some suggestions:
- If you typed the page address in the Address bar, make sure that it is spelled correctly and case correct.
- Try using the search at the top of this page to help find what you're looking for.
- Visit the University of Utah home page or A-Z Index to locate the page you were looking for.
- If you followed a link from somewhere on our new website, please let us know at firstname.lastname@example.com. Be sure to tell us where you came from and what you were looking for, and we'll do our best to fix it.


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SELF Empowerment program makes improving memory a labor of love
When he was a child in grade school, Howard Bell was told at least three times that his intellectual capacity would be limited and that it was useless to expect him to be successful.
Growing up in the civil rights era, Bell experienced racial discrimination throughout his educational career but was fortunate to have a mother and father who wouldn't listen to his detractors.
Thanks to the efforts of his parents and teachers, Bell, now 67, earned his undergraduate degree in engineering at Princeton. Bell also has a Master's in Public Policy from Harvard and a Master's in Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Bell went on to successful careers in banking, real estate development and educational administration but his passion and labor of love has been to provide opportunities for students whom the education system is failing.
To that end, Bell created the SELF Empowerment program, a summer math and science course that helps struggling, at-risk middle school students. Currently, the program focuses on 7th and 8th grade students with math skills at the 3rd to 5th grade level but Bell is hoping to expand.
SELF is an acronym that stands for Surpassing Expectations for a Limitless Future. The motto alludes to Bell's own past and the current reality for many students of color.
"Quite honestly if we don't deal with the achievement gap that we have between people of color and whites and asians in this country, it's not only a personal tragedy it's a national calamity," Bell said.
The empowerment program focuses on building students' confidence by first telling them what they should be able to accomplish and then giving them the tools to do it.
Bell is not alone is his quest to provide struggling students an opportunity, he is joined by his wife Sheila, 65, who attended Harvard Law school despite being told many of the same things Bell was told while she was growing up.
Through decades of research and looking at programs designed to help children succeed, Bell developed the SELF Empowerment Program over a span of more than 40 years. Bell came across a program taught by a professor at New York University that emphasized teaching middle school students about their brains, their mindsets and achievement. Though the program lasted about four weeks, it closed the achievement gap between white students and students of color by up to 50 percent, Bell said.
With the help of Dr. Ryan Ross of the Community College of Denver and teacher assistant Taylor Finley-Ponds, the Bells ran the SELF Empowerment Program for the first time at the Omar D. Blair school in Denver last June.
The program is broken into two parts. First the science module teaches students about the human brain and the skills and mindset they need to be successful. Bell said that he and staff show students what their brains can do in this unit.
In the math segment that follows, students apply what they have learned in the science unit and prove to themselves that they can accomplish exactly what they set out to do. Students master math techniques and skills in order to build confidence and get comfortable with the subject.
The SELF Memory tips are a section of the science unit that Bell has extracted and put online for all to use. The tips focus on helping people improve their memory skills by focusing on another acronym called PER which stands for Pay attention, Eight seconds and Repeat to remember.
The online course is broken into segments which people can access and progress at their own pace. The segments are structured to mimic a classroom. There's a brief lecture and then quizzes that help students learn the concepts being taught. These quizzes are scored to add a competitive aspect to program.
Something that stands out about the tips is how comprehensive the exercises are. For instance, during the pay attention section, students are taken through a variety of exercises that emphasize the importance of noting details. One exercise is a picture quiz, another focuses on reading comprehension, yet another highlights spelling.
The tips are available for $24 for three months of access and the money goes to the Project Future Institute –the Bells' nonprofit– and the SELF Empowerment program which Sheila and Howard will be running again in June.
Joan Katrina Mann-Boykin knows first hand the power of the program. Her adopted son, Terry, struggled with math and science inside the classroom and struggled with confidence outside of it. During his short time with SELF Empowerment program, Mann-Boykin has seen a big change in the way her son approaches life.
Terry fell behind in his math courses during his elementary years because he didn't fully grasp the concepts and was afraid to ask for help. Now, he has the confidence to ask for assistance.
"Allowing children to feel empowered that they can get and receive the necessary help at academic levels as well as social and emotional level," Mann-Boykin said. "They're people out there, aside from parents, that are willing to help our youth to do well in life."
Terry hasn't changed overnight, and his grades are still improving. His mother knows it will take time. For now, she is most proud of the change that has happened. She described the way she witnessed her son speak to the Bells during a meeting they had after he had gone through the program. Mimicking a job interview, Terry spoke up in full, complete sentences, made eye contact and sat up straight. It was an exciting moment for a mother and her son.
"It was just a transformation that every parent hopes to see in their child but I got to see it that night at that time and I was very proud of him at that moment," she said.
Moving forward, the goal of the program isn't just to instill understanding of academic concepts or even confidence in each child, but to provide students with a community of individuals they can connect and network with.
Sheila said building the foundation of a lasting community that students will come back to is the only way the program will be successful.
"It's a small pilot but we can build upon that for the future and that's what we want to do, reach as many young people as possible," she said.
For more information on the SELF Empowerment Program and the SELF Memory Tips or to donate to the program go to Project Future Institute.


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Shelter helps millions of people every year struggling with bad housing or homelessness through our advice, support and legal services. There are still 124,000 children homeless in Britain. With this in mind, Shelter looks to schools to help with their fundraising efforts.
We work alongside education consultants to design and produce educational resources for schools. These include tailored lesson plans, posters and activities to help children develop new skills and have fun, whilst addressing the issue of housing or homelessness.
"Digital Storm are the perfect design partner! They can take a brief and deliver creatively and on time. Plus they are a great team to work with."
Sam Taylor – Education Consultant ShelterShelter
Your Creative Partner
We work with companies just like yours to develop brands and deliver market presence.Contact Us


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We are most fortunate to have Morgan's Grove Park available to us but it is expensive to maintain the walking trails and other features that make this place so special in our community. Any donations are gratefully received and put to good use. You may make a donation online –just click the the donate button below. We are a 501 c(3) non-profit company so your contribution may be tax- deductible.
Donations may also be sent to:
Shepherdstown Community Club
Post Office Box 463
Shepherdstown, WV 25443


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Cute Chipmunk coloring page
Chipmunk Eating Nut Chipmunk Eating Nut on Tree Stump
Click the Cute Chipmunk coloring pages to view printable version or color it online (compatible with iPad and Android tablets).
You might also be interested in coloring pages from Chipmunks, Squirrels categories.
This Coloring page was posted on Friday, January 25, 2013 - 14:52 by painter.


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And millennials are moving in with the 'rents:
According to Census data, 5.9 million Americans between 25 and 34 years of age—nearly a quarter of whom have bachelor's degrees—live with their parents, a significant increase from 4.7 million before the recession.
But many parents can't afford the extra expense. A full 26% of those polled by the nonprofit group took on more debt to help their offspring, 13% delayed a planned life event such as a home purchase, and 7% postponed retirement.
Compounding the problem is the fact that certain parents are crowding the younger generation out of the job market because their support of their grown kids means they can't afford to retire.It's potluck around the table. That pricey turkey economy.
P.S. Retirement wars. The growing "wealth gap" between old and young could get ugly as it dawns on the latter that they won't have anything to retire on. #OccupyReality Some of their parents won't either.
...Time for a classic


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|Jiaozhou Imperial Court
Maxim's Building
Marquis Hotel
German Drugstore
German Police Station
Deutshe Asiatische Bank
Old Observatory
Prince Henry Road (GuangXi Lu)
Miweisiji Library
Jiao'ao Post Office
Lutheren Hotel
|Ruxin Hospital
Taigu Bank Manager's House
First German Primary School
Lutheran Church (aka Protestant Church)
Old American Consulate
Bizmarck Barracks
Residence of Princess Duoluouote
No. 2 German Navy Headquarters
Shandong Railway & Mineral Company
Old German Consulate
Iltis Barracks
|Shen Ying Hospital
Education Committee Building
St. Michaels Cathedral
Qingdao International Club
Naval Hotel/Restaurant
Jiao'ao Customs Building
Catholic Mission
Residence of the German Bishop
European Prison
Dehua Bank
Seashore Hotel
|Bathing Beach No. 1
Bathing Beach No. 2
Bathing Beach No. 3
Polar Ocean World
|Golden Sand Beach
Silver Beach
ShiLaoRen (Old Stone Man) Beach
Underwater World
|LiuQinHe Beach
Yangkou Beach
Seaside Pathway
ZhanQiao Pier
|ZhongShan Park
Botanical Park
Forest Fun Park
Garden of Sea Billows
Garden of Sea Wind
Garden of The Joyous Sea
|Sculpture Park
ShiLaoRen Sightseeing Garden
Taping Cape Park
Xiao Qingdao Park
XiaoYuShan Park (Little Fish Hill)
XinHaoShan Park (Signal Hill Park)
|Mount Lao Scenic Area
LuXun Park
Qingdao Hill Forts Park
Rain Forest Ecological Garden
Daze Mountain Scenic Area
TianHeng Island
|Qingdao Municipal Museum
HuaShi Villa
May Fourth Square
Qingdao Guest House
Olympic Sailing Museum
|Qingdao Naval Museum
Qingdao Sculpture Museum
TianHou Palace
Underground World Chinese Mythology
Qingdao Music Square
|Tsingtao Brewery Museum
Qingdao Marine Products Museum
Haier Science Museum
Qingdao Shell-Carving Art Gallery
|HuiQuan Square
Qingdao Concert Hall
Qingdao Huadong Winery
Qingdao International Beer City
|Qingdao Municipal Public Library
Qingdao People's Auditorium
Qingdao International Convention Center
TianTai Stadium
|Qingdao Municipal Art Gallery
Qingdao TV Tower
GuoXin Stadium - The Diamond
DengZhou Road (Beer Street)


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A rough-looking, open textured olive loaf, ideal to serve with thick soups, antipasti and dips like hummous and guacamole.
Combine the flour, yeast and salt in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a large electric food mixer. Gradually work in the water using your hand or the dough hook attachment of the mixer (use low speed) to make a soft but not sticky dough. If there are dry crumbs or the dough feels stiff and hard to work add a little more water.
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured worksurface and knead thoroughly for 10 minutes until very elastic and pliable. The dough can also be kneaded in the mixer using the lowest speed for 4 minutes. Chop the olives, by hand with a large sharp knife, or in a food processor; they work best when they are neither too fine or too coarse. Work into the dough and knead for a minute more so they are evenly distributed. Return the olives to the bowl and cover with a snap-on lid or slip the bowl in to a large plastic bag and leave to rise in a warm spot until doubled in size – 1 to 1/2 hours depending on the room temperature.
Gently turn out the risen dough onto a lightly floured worksurface – do not punch down to deflate (as usual) but gently knead to dough into neat ball shape; with this dough you want to keep the irregular air holes to give an open texture to the baked loaf. Transfer to the prepared baking tray and slip the tray into a large plastic bag and leave to rise as before until doubled in size. Towards the end of the rising time heat the oven to 230C/450F/Gas 8. Put an empty metal baking dish in the oven to heat.
Uncover the loaf and put into the heated oven. Quickly pour cold water in to the hot metal dish to create steam in the oven then bake the loaf for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 200C/400F/Gas 6 and cook for a further 20 minutes or until a good golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped underneath. Cool on a wire rack.


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atl hiphop blog atlanta hiphop blog
Papalee releases dope new album "Just a Matter of Time"4:09 PMUSA Blog Network
Listen closely to the lyrics of Papalee, and you will feel as if he is narrating your life. That is how relatable his slick rhymes, over arcade-esque melodies, and easy delivery, over throbbing 808s comes off. To say the least, this Philadelphia artist is stylistically tasteful whilst remaining tranquilly visceral; qualities that make "Just A Matter Of Time" the album-of-the-summer contender that it is. For, it is undeniable that this album is teeming with hits. Every record within the scope of this ten track release— which sees features from Datslucy, ROLLO, SZN, Jacquie Joshua, Hooligan the Demigod, and Har— is radiating with starpower. They highlight not only Papalee's versatility; but, likewise, the rapper's ability to create surefire bangers in any form he pleases. From the heart-rending, melancholic ballad of an intro, "Stuck In My Ways", to the party-ready thumpers "Know The Game", "The Woahh", and "Come From"; as well as the trap romance of "Queen" and "On Ur Mind"; each song brings a fresher and more exhilarating sound than the last to the overall body of work. All the while giving us a glimpse into a young man's life, unfolding night by night, in The City of Brotherly Love. While the instrumentals of this extended-play will make it unfathomably trendy; the lyrics of Papalee himself will set it far apart from its contemporaries. This artist does not make music for the sake of making music. He views the microphone as a tool for bearing his soul; and it is "Just A Matter Of Time" before that artistry is spread across the globe. Press play, and watch the glow of Philadelphia's new hope.
"Just a Matter of Time" on Spotify


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Awesome Lawyer
Dan helped me with a child support modification, proposed parenting plan and represented my daughter in a domestic violence issue with my ex. Dan was very knowledgeable and made the difficult process a lot easier on our family. He also helped my husband adopt my kids. For that, I am forever grateful.
- a client
Highly recommended
I highly recommend Daniel for family matters cases since he handled my case professionally, in a timely manner and clearly indicating pricing upfront.
- Malvina
Thank you!
Mr McCormick guided me through a very challenging divorce proceeding. He was there every single step explaining all available options and suggesting best strategy to win my case. He came highly recommended and I am greatful that I chose to hire Mr McCormick. Thank you!
- Matt
Great communication and explanation of the process
Daniel has been a great source of help for me and my friends, he is very detailed and will find the best option for your case, he helped me in a car accident case that required him to be on top of the situation against the at fault driver and fought for my case in a very efficient way,I have referred Dan to all my family and friends and they all have been very satisfied with his services.
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Dedication leads to success
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If there's one downside, I would have appreciated a bit more updates occasionally as my case worked through. However, under the circumstances, I think Dan pretty well.
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Daniel Jeffrey McCormick
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His greatest strengths are his knowledge and awareness of the law and what your needs might be. He can also make the complex come across as simple and easy to understand. You won't find a better lawyer or a better person to represent your interests.
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When my ex-wife continued to file false police reports and petitions, Dan moved quickly to quash these criminal acts and return to the task of getting me time with my children. Dan gives me and my partner confidence without hype or false expectations. I am forever thankful and will retain Dan until my children are adults.
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current client
As we go forward in the pursuit of reuniting a very worthy father with his children, who are being kept away by a vindictive mother, we have found Dan to be very forth-coming and knowledgeable in his work, advice and strategy. He is going above and beyond what is expected of a lawyer by helping us navigate through a ridiculous police report that tries to make a crime out of nothing. We are very happy with his work so far and his demeanor is comforting to us. We highly recommend him. He came highly recommended by a couple of different lawyers.
- Paula
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Mr. McCormick helped me with a custody-related issue. I consulted several attorneys over the last couple of years and they all told me that my ex would have the upper hand. Well, that turned out to be wrong. Thank you Dan!
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Thank you for your help, Dan.
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Great lawyer with the upmost regard for work ethic and quickness with flawless work
Daniel is a very attentive attorney. He takes a lot of time to carefully listen to his client and reflects in a very detailed and focused manner with impeccable precision to the requirements. He is very approachable and is always reachable. Daniel was able to get to root of what we were looking for and than was able to transform that into the appropriate documents.. Working with him is pleasurable and personal – very unlike a typical corporate law firm experience.
- Alexander


text: Hard Drives are another fragile component inside a laptop. They are often damaged when they experience shocks, such as the laptop is knocked. Sometimes they develop bad sectors (the area of the disk starts to physically fail), and sometimes they just fail from general electronic component failure. Whilst in an ideal world everyone would always regularly backup their data, we know that often isnt the case. The good news is we can normally recover the data back for you. We use specialist tools and recovery software in our workshops and have a very high success rate. This is covered by our fixed fee £49.95. We have a dedicated website you can visit for this at www.datarecoveryportsmouth.co.uk


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I've been following the dust-ups on the blogosphere around the various issues to do with 'New Atheists' and accommodationism, and trying to make some sense of it.
Recent 'anti-neo-atheists' include Terry Eagleton, Chris Mooney, Karen Armstrong, Madeleine Bunting and H.E. Baber. These include theists and 'faitheists'.
The targets of/responders to the attacks include Jerry Coyne, P.Z. Myers, Ophelia Benson and Russell Blackford.
The anti-neo-atheists seem a little taken aback by some of the responses to their criticism, and think the New Atheists are being a little thin-skinned, a little hypocritical; it's just the rough and tumble of debate - you dish it out, so don't complain when you get some criticism yourself.
This isn't quite the situation as I see it; the New Atheist complaint is not the criticism, per se, it's the *type* of criticism. The New Atheists are attacking accommodationism with various arguments that may or not be correct (I happen to be anti-accommodationist myself, so I agree with them). But the criticisms thrown at the New Atheists aren't about their arguments; they're about the actual act of criticism. Consider Chris Mooney's comments about Jerry Coyne; he's talking about what Barbara Forrest said about science v religion:
Coyne took on Kenneth Miller and Karl Giberson, two scientists who reconcile science and religion in their own lives. Basically, Forrest's point was that while Coyne may be right that there's no good reason to believe in the supernatural, he's very misguided about strategy.And he goes on to give three reasons why atheists should not alienate religious moderates (a question-begging assertion itself): Etiquette, diversity and humility. An astonishing claim! In what other area of honest debate would these points be cited? The clarification for 'etiquette' simply places religious belief beyond criticism; 'diversity' argues that moderates shouldn't be argued out of existence as long as there are fundamentalists around, I think; 'humility' exhorts us to acknowledge our inability to disprove god. Well, one does, but does one have to *keep* acknowledging it?
So Mooney apparently agrees with Coyne's argument, but doesn't want him to press it home with moderate theists, in case they are alienated, and, er, what? Become fundamentalists, I guess. I cannot think of any other way to summarise Mooney's blog.
Now consider some quotes from H.E Baber's article in the Guardian:
Most people I know are atheists. But they're atheists of the old kind who have no particular interest in proselytising because they do not believe that anything of importance hangs on whether or not people believe in God and because they recognise that theological claims are controversial. Unlike the New Atheists they don't think they have discovered, or invented, something new and interesting.A straight forward snide ad hom, and, of course, New Atheists don't think that anyway. From what I can deduce, they admire Hume, Russell and Mackie.
New Atheists believe in unbelief. For some reason they think it important to assure their followers in the village that religious belief is not merely false but uncontroversially false and that educated people who profess to be religious believers or claim that theism is compatible with science are out to dupe them.Note the patronising 'in the village'; why can't the arguments be addressed in a grown-up manner? New Atheists *cannot* think that religious belief is *uncontroversially false* otherwise they wouldn't be applying so much time to arguing their case. They think that religious belief has not shown it is reasonable to think it true - at least the religions they are familiar with. It's possible there are true religious beliefs floating around somewhere.
I would be very interested in hearing why the New Atheists and their followers believe, with such manifest conviction, in unbelief.
So rather than address the anti-accommodationist argument, pretend the New Atheist 'believes in unbelief'. It's a real shame. One of my least favourite tactics - argument dodging.
For me the New Atheists attack on religion is more an attack on the religious way of thinking; their motives are to ensure that public policies are determined with full possession of the facts of each matter. Many religions have survived by privileging their dogma and punishing dissent. The motives of many religious leaders are, and have been, to maintain control over a constituency, and to direct public policies according to their dogma of choice. Now this may not, by chance, be a bad thing - they may have dogma that happens to be good. But if there is bad dogma it's difficult to change it through reason, because of the privileges and punishments which have developed to *protect* the dogma. So the very reason the religions have survived successfully is the reason we must deny them privilege in the public arena.
Anti-accommodationists point out that moderate theists subscribe to this *religious way of thinking* just as fundamentalists do. Thankfully the moderates don't make the errors that the fundamentalists do, and they should be applauded for that. I prefer a moderate to a fundamentalist. I'd encourage fundamentalists to be moderates and moderates to be agnostics, and so on. But too often the anti-neo-atheists cry wolf at atheists pointing out faulty thinking, as if we should not do it when the believer is 'moderate'. That is simply *not good enough*, and indefensible.
Finally, Jerry Coyne has 'coyned' (see what I did there) a new term for atheist-butters - 'faitheist'. More complaints of hypocrisy have flown from faitheists, suggesting that this is pejorative, in the same way as 'New Atheist' has been denounced as pejorative by the New Atheists. There may be an element of truth in this, but I *think* there is a clear difference. The purpose of 'New Atheist' seems to be to differentiate a certain type of modern, vocal atheist from those nice, 'umble atheists of the past, who knew their place - witness Habel's comment above "Unlike the New Atheists they don't think they have discovered, or invented, something new and interesting." There's an agenda, and it is to define the New Atheists as something they're not. 'Faitheist' actually defines the target group accurately; they are atheists who *do* demand respect for faith. Any pejorative in 'New Atheist' is based on a false attribution of what they think. If 'faitheist' becomes pejorative it will simply be because folk come to find atheists who demand respect for faith objectionable. At least, that is how it should be. If things turn out differently, I'll amend my view.


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Years of reading through and listening to debates on the internet and in other spaces is enough to make me yearn for mandatory courses in basic logic. In particular, it seems most people do not have even a remedial understanding of the difference between correlation and causation.
Enter President Barack Obama, who delivered remarks today at the National Prayer Breakfast. Meandering and condescending are but two of the words that come to mind after listening to this address. At one point the president lectures the audience on humility. Yes, Barack Obama was prodding his audience to be more humble. I'm just going to let that sink in for a minute and have you pause and reflect. Maybe you'll even think about another concept: irony.
And no doubt many of you will need to take blood pressure medication after reading this part of the speech:
And this is the loving message of His Holiness, Pope Francis. And like so many people around the world, I've been touched by his call to relieve suffering, and to show justice and mercy and compassion to the most vulnerable; to walk with The Lord and ask "Who am I to judge?"
But that's not what caught my attention, nor is it the part of the speech that has gotten or will get the most attention. After some discussion of the events taking place in the Middle East and in Paris, and the dangers of theocracy, he intones:
Humanity has been grappling with these questions throughout human history. And lest we get on our high horse and think this is unique to some other place, remember that during the Crusades and the Inquisition, people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ. In our home country, slavery and Jim Crow all too often was justified in the name of Christ.
Yes, of course he went there, would you expect anything less? Now many will rightfully complain that he is dredging up events that occurred centuries ago in order to morally equivocate, and that is indeed happening. We've all heard this song before, and we have naturally become somewhat inured to it.
Without jumping into the Crusades and Inquisition and why using even these centuries-old examples is flawed, let's look at the more recent American examples, and let's talk a bit about cause and effect.
President Obama is, essentially, comparing Christians justifying slavery to Islamic terrorists burning people alive. He is saying, "You see, Christians did some terrible things in the name of religion, just like these people." Again, let's ignore that we're talking about something that took place two centuries ago rather than two minutes ago, and explore the inadequacy of this analogy.
The thugs in ISIL, the theocrats in Iran, the butchers in France: all of these groups are comprised of individuals acting in the name of their interpretation of Islam. Granting for the sake of argument that they are all acting in a way that is contrary to the true meaning of Islam, however that is supposed to be defined, they are clearly and unmistakably acting in accordance with their religious dictates. Put more bluntly: their interpretation of their religion is causing them to behave in a specific manner.
Now let's look at slavery and Jim Crow. Yes, it's true that some defenders of each would use the Bible to defend these practices; however, did anyone ever pick up a Bible and, "Gee whiz, God is really talking to me, I'm gonna go buy me a slave." To put it another way, slave holders and, subsequently, practitioners of Jim Crow acted on purely, dare I say, secular reasoning to engage in their behavior. Christianity did not cause them to own slaves, nor did it cause southern politicians to enact Jim Crow laws. The Bible was used as an ex post fact rationalization for what they did.
Some may try to argue that this is a distinction without a difference, and to them I'd suggest that they still do not understand the difference between correlation and causation. Take away the Bible and you'd still have slavery in the southern parts of the United States. Christian beliefs did not inspire slaveholding – economic self-interest did that, and the latter also largely explains Jim Crow (plus a whole lot of irrational racism that didn't have a whole lot to do with the Bible and Christianity).
Take away the religious motivation and do we have gunmen killing members of the press? Do we have the beheadings? Contra the ramblings of certain atheists, not all or even most violence throughout history has been "inspired" by religion, but the maniacs in ISIL are undoubtedly acting upon religious motivations. It isn't some ex post fact rationalization for their behavior; no, it is the primary cause of the behavior.
Much of President Obama's address is an exercise in moral equivalency with some vague platitudes thrown in, so about what one would expect from him. Failures in logic are just a little bit of icing on the cake.
Incidentally, Noah Rothman at Hot Air makes a good point:
It's strange that so few see the contradiction inherent in this assertion. The president, and many of his allies on the left, frequently trip over themselves to emphasize – correctly, as it happens – that ISIS's acts of brutality are not archetypical Islamic behavior. The insurgency's most recent atrocity, the immolation of a captured Jordanian pilot, is apparently a violation of Islamic norms according to even Koranic scholars in the Middle East.
But to assert this and in the same breath suggest that Christianity was also a violent, expansionist religion a mere 800 years ago is a contradiction. Why make this comparison if ISIS is not representative of Islam? Isn't the concession in this claim that those who commit acts of violence in the name of their religion, regardless of whether those acts are supported by a majority of coreligionists, are representative of their faith? Therefore, by perfunctorily nodding in the direction of a moral equivalency between Christian and Islamic violence, isn't the president invalidating his own claim that ISIS, Boko Haram, Ansar al-Sharia, al-Qaeda, Jemaah Islamiah, Abu Sayyaf, and a host of other fundamentalist Islamic terror groups are agents of a violent strain of the Islamic faith?


text: The perfect companions to your home entertainment system, LG TV accessories are smart, sleek, innovative, easy-to-use and intuitive. Now you have everything you need to enhance your cinematic viewing experience. Intuitive Control of Your Entertainment. All you need to effortlessly navigate your entertainment is in the palm of your hand. LG Magic Remotes let you click or scroll to control multiple media devices.


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Today marks Day 10 of 31 Days of #BookLove. Rather than review all 300 books I've read this year, I decided to share one of my favorites each day this month.
HER BEST WORST MISTAKE by Sarah Mayberry
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Indie – Small Cow Productions
Synopsis (from Goodreads):
She thinks he's stuffy. He thinks she's spoilt.
Then the gloves come off and so do their clothes!
For six years Violet Sutcliffe has known that Martin St Clair is the wrong man for her best friend. He's stuffy, old before his time, conservative. He drives Violet nuts – and the feeling is entirely mutual. Then, out of nowhere, her friend walks out just weeks before her wedding to Martin, flying to Australia on a mission of self-discovery. Back in London, Violet finds herself feeling sorry for suddenly-single Martin. At least, she tells herself it's pity she feels. Then he comes calling one dark, stormy night and they discover that beneath their mutual dislike there lies a fiery sexual chemistry.
It's crazy and all-consuming – and utterly wrong. Because not only are they chalk and cheese, oil and water, but Martin once belonged to her best friend. A friend Violet is terrified of losing. What future can there be for a relationship with so many strikes against it?
This book is a spin off from Sarah Mayberry's Blaze novel, Hot Island Nights. Both stories can be read in isolation and still make perfect sense.
What I Liked:
HER BEST WORST MISTAKE made me a huge fan of Sarah Mayberry, and I spent days discovering her backlist. This is an adult romance with oh, so much steam. It's also my favorite enemies-to-lovers stories of the year. Violet and Martin hate each other, but they put each up with each other – with the barest hint of civility – because of the person they love in common – her best friend/his fiancee. When that relationship is gone, and the civility is stripped away, Violet and Martin are left with a roaring attraction that neither of them knows what to do with. At first it's purely physical, but then we discover that these two may have feelings for each other. I loved, loved the development of their relationship. Mayberry has a way of writing romance with layers of emotion that get under your skin, and this is my favorite of all of her stories.
Like the sound of HER BEST WORST MISTAKE? Give the author a little #BookLove. Sarah Mayberry tweets @MayberrySarah.
The 31 Days of #BookLove
Day 1: BULLY by Penelope Douglas
Day 2: THE SEA OF TRANQUILITY by Katja Millay
Day 3: TANGLED by Emma Chase
Day 4: UNSPOKEN by Jen Frederick
Day 5: PLAYING FOR KEEPS by R.L. Mathewson
Day 6: ONE WEEK GIRLFRIEND by Monica Murphy
Day 7: WAIT FOR YOU by J. Lynn
Day 8: SIGNIFICANCE by Shelly Crane
Day 9: FALLEN CREST HIGH by Tijan


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Film clip taken from History of Budo: Part Two. Professor Uozumi explains how Budo expanded internationally and what led to the sportification of Budo.
Category: Travel. Japan
The Zen Mind and Stress Disorder
Dr Gregory Peck of Heartwood Recovery clinic in Australia is now using The Zen Mind as part of a treatment program for his patients which helps them engage in mindful practice.
History of Budo Part One: The Samurai
A two part series on the history of Budo and the culture of the martial arts. This is a long unabridged interview with professor Takashi Uozumi which took place in his office and library.
Kendo World Magazine Interview
An in-depth interview with our director, Jon Braeley by Kendo World Magazine.
Shorinji Kempo World Taikai 2017
Empty Mind Films were very humbled to recieve a kind invitation to film at the 2017 World Shorinji Kempo Organization Taikai which also marked the 70th anniversary of the founding of Shorinji Kempo in 1947. This is a brief summary of this exciting event which took place this July.
History of Budo. Part Two Artwork
A two part series on the history of budo by Professor Takashi Uozumi. You can download the artwork covers here.
Trailer: History of Budo
A two part series on the history of Budo and the culture of the martial arts. This is a long unabridged interview with professor Takashi Uozumi.
Trailer Episode Six. Warriors of Budo
From the Samurai weapon of 12th century Japan, the Naginata, to the weapon that evoked the coming of modern warfare, the bayonet or Jukendo and ending with almost a weaponless art… the short stick or Jodo.


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Peer Mediation Program
The aim of the Peer Mediation program is to encourage the development of pastoral care and leadership skills in our Year 6 student body.
At the end of Year 5 students nominate themselves to undertake peer mediation training under the guidance of our school counsellor, Ms. Paula Morelli. After participating in a short training program, designed to enhance the development and use of mediation techniques, as well as an apprenticeship period, these students commence the following year as Year 6 peer mediators.
The primary responsibilities of a peer mediator is to interact with Junior Primary students experiencing friendship issues in the playground under the supervision of a teacher at all times. Peer mediators work in pairs and are flexibly timetabled on a recess or lunch duty every day. At the end of each playground session peer mediators have the opportunity to debrief with one of the teachers monitoring the program. Regular informal meetings with all peer mediators and the Safe School Committee occur to ensure that any issues encountered are dealt with promptly and effectively.


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We are a craft-oriented educational technology consulting practice, founded by Michael Feldstein and Phil Hill and now run by Phil, consisting of experts who have both broad educational and industry perspective and experience getting the work done.
We follow several basic principles in our approach to our work.
Whether your organization is a school, an education company, an educational policy maker, or an investor in education companies, you come to the table with an enduring vision of the value that your organization provides. You have a mission. But maybe you're not sure how the increasing number of free online courses changes the value of what you provide. Or maybe you're worried about new competitors or cost pressures. We start by focusing on first principles and identifying the key, mission-related strengths your organization already has that can continue to serve as the foundation for its future.
Strategic but Practical
Some consulting shops primarily provide high-level strategic advice while others are mainly operations-oriented. We think it is important to combine both elements in our practice. While our clients usually come to us for advice about what they should be doing, we aren't satisfied until we are able to see them achieve their goals. For that reason, we often provide coaching, process consulting, or even operational support as part of our engagements.
Prospective clients who know us from blogging often ask us, "What does MindWires do?" Our answer is, "What do you need?" This isn't just sales talk. We enjoy solving problems that we haven't seen before. We don't just follow a cookie-cutter recipe book for engagements. Instead, we apply the experience we have to each client's unique situation. We also maintain a broad network of consulting specialists and partners so that we can bring in the right people for each job.
We work with educators, vendors, and policy-makers alike. These different stakeholders are often interested in the same educational issues from complementary angles. By working with clients across the spectrum of stakeholders, we gain the benefit of a wide range of perspectives on any given issue. We try to bring those different perspectives to every conversation we have with our clients.
Open and Honest
We're proud of the fact that much of our work comes from people who know us from PhilOnEdTech and elsewhere on the open web. We strive to make the company reflect the values of the blog rather than the other way around.


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Amsterdam has long been on our list of adventures, and after moving to London, we were finally able to make the dream a reality. Ready on to see our top 5 things that you can't miss out on while in Amsterdam.
Getting there
We wanted to take the train to Amsterdam from London but also make the most of our last day in Amsterdam, so decided to take the Eurostar there and fly back to London City Airport.
From London, St Pancras International, we took the Eurostar to Amsterdam via Brussels. I cannot recommend this option enough, especially with the great news that Eurostar will be launching direct routes to Amsterdam within the next few months (estimated start December). Our train left at 10:58, which gave us ample time to take it easy in the morning and make quick commute to one of London's most beautiful train stations, St Pancras International. A pleasant change of scenery from the long journey to the airport. Our one-way tickets were £52 per person (booked 3 months in advance of our journey).
It's a quick trip through security and customs (who were all very friendly) and a short wait in the seating area before jumping on board the Eurostar and leaving promptly on time.
Our train arrived in Amsterdam at 18:25 and off we went (no going through customs or waiting for you luggage). The journey included a short transfer in Brussels, perfect for a quick lunch at the station that has plenty of restaurants to choose from.
On our way back we flew with British Airways into London City Airport (18:20 departure arriving 18:25, winning time zones) at £87 per person (booked 3 months in advance of our journey).
When to go
If flowers (specifically tulips) are your thing then you have to go during mid-March to early May when the tulips are in full bloom. A word of warning, make sure you book Keukenhof in advance to avoid disappointment of missing the flowers.
To spend time drinking beers on the canals then you'll want to go mid-May to late September to get long Summer days.
Looking for leaves and warms colours? Visit Amsterdam from late September – early November to see the city transform and quite down.
Winters can get very cold in Amsterdam, but the city has lots of cosy nooks and restaurants to warm up in and not to mention great Dutch snacks like Bitterballen. As with any destination, this will also mean lower rates in Hotels, Flights, etc.
Our stay
As this was a special holiday we decided to treat ourselves to a big room, in a central location. Introducing Empiric Boutique Suites, Prinsengracht. We stayed in the Superior King Room for 5 nights and when we left it felt like saying good bye to our home.
This accommodation in Amsterdam was perfect. The location, the décor, the friendly host and extra-large bathroom made our trip really special. The team was very good with responding to any questions we had before hand and during our trip.
The hotel is in Central Amsterdam, but just a outside the main tourist hub, so it's extremely quiet with access to gorgeous coffee shops and restaurants, nearby in the well-known Utrechtsestraat just around the corner (read more about Utrechtsestraat here). After a long day walking around we loved coming home to our peaceful room and soft bed.
Things to do in (and around) Amsterdam
Needless to say, with a first world city like this, there is no shortage of things to do in Amsterdam. We were lucky enough to spend 5 days in Amsterdam so managed to include a day trip to Keukenhof and Rotterdam. Here is a list of our top 5 things to do in Amsterdam over 5 days:
- Rjiksmuseum, Amsterdam: This museum has a coffee shop that will make any design lover's heart skip a beat. Make sure to visit before, after or during your visit to this museum. The museum has a large display of artwork so there will be something for everyone to enjoy. We booked through Tiqets and certainly appreciated being able to Skip the Line and work in a second coffee right here:
- Keukenhof: We planned our trip during Spring as we knew that this was the best time to visit Keukenhof (only open late March – mid May), and it did not disappoint. Words really don't do justice to the beauty that is Keukenhof and the millions of tulips in every single colour that you can imagine. It's a simply train (and short bus) ride from Amsterdam, but to make the most of this trip we recommend that you set aside a day for your journey. You want to get a moment to sit down and take in all the colours. It's a must do to book your ticket in advance. I can recommend Tiqets again: The Skip the Line and Public transport ticket is a good deal and will make your trip as easy as possible.
- Rotterdam: Our return journey to Rotterdam via fast train was 35 Euro (we bought the tickets at the train station, so you might be able to get them cheaper when buying in advance). Rotterdam is a unique city as most of the city was destroyed in WWII, so the design of the city is very different to that of Amsterdam. The city has great food, art, and a few roof top spots that will make you feel as though you've stepped into New York like, Op Het Dak. It's fitting as back in the day thousands of emigrants left for North America from Rotterdam. If this part of history interests you then make sure to visit the Hotel New York in Rotterdam for lunch.
- Shopping: If you are even slightly taller than average then Amsterdam is made for you. The men on our trip found themselves very pleasantly surprised and unexpectedly in shopping mode. The modern and simple style of clothes coupled with the great quality is hard to find nowadays. Most of the stores are a treat just for their great design, layout, and not to mention the flowers and plants. Our favourite shopping areas were De 9 Straatjies and in Utrechtsestraat.
- Eating and drinking in Amsterdam: We spent much of our 5 days in Amsterdam eating and enjoying coffee and cocktails. The restaurant we can recommend the most is De Luwte (make sure to book in advance). You can't leave Amsterdam without enjoying a gin like no other at Kanarie Club , it's in the Food Hallen ticking another attraction off your list.
Overall this was one of our best holidays yet, and Amsterdam and the Netherlands will certainly see us again. Next time we'll aim for summer.
If you have any Amsterdam related questions feel free to contact us at email@example.com and follow us to see more updates like this one.


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I wrote this in May 2016 so some of the information may be a little out of date.
Executive Summary
Drone startups have garnered increasing investor attention over the past five years, with an all-time high investment of $450M across 74 deals in 2015. 67% of those deals were at the Seed/Series A stage, implying the industry is still nascent and could grow significantly as the market matures.
This is relatively small compared to the $2.65B[1] in funding a new category, such as Insurance Tech, has secured during the same period or the $30B Internet Software companies have raised. While drone investing lags more established players today, the release of FAA regulations could cause the sector to grow faster.
However, the market overall is fairly small at ~$3B with defense drones accounting for close to 100%. In addition, it's hard to argue that drones are a 10x improvement over an existing service/product rather than a nice-to-have. The other frontier spaces such as space and virtual reality hold more promises for investors and investing in drones would certainly incur an opportunity cost.
If investors choose to invest, they should focus on energy density, security, and avionics sectors. There is a limited competitive set given the current absence of regulations and a previous focus on hardware, and it makes sense to invest before the space is crowded.
Brief Drone History
Nikola Tesla first introduced unmanned vehicles in 1898 at an exhibition in Madison Square Garden. Throughout the 1900s, and especially during World War I and II, drones have gained popularity amongst military minds. Whether it was using drones for training anti-aircraft gunners or forcing enemy forces to reveal their locations without sacrificing human pilots, applications tended to center around combat situations. The drone that most are familiar with, the Predator, entered service in 1995 and was used heavily in the post-9/11 era to fight terrorism. Its use became the subject of media and public scrutiny, eliciting fears of disassociation from mass human casualties.[2]
Improvements in the size and cost of battery technology, motors, transistors, and GPS over the past 20 years have enabled the hobbyist and consumer drone markets to emerge. It wasn't until 2010 when Parrot unveiled its AR drone at the Consumer Electronics Show that consumers had access to unmanned areal vehicles (UAVs). Since then, companies like DJI, Parrot, and 3DR have capitalized on the confluence of technology improvement and consumer interest by developing a number of drone models priced in the sub-$2,000 range. Tech companies have also unveiled drone plans – in 2013 Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos indicated a future service called Prime Air, where drones would deliver customer purchases within 30 minutes.
Drone Market
The market for defense-focused drones, such as the Predator, remains active and significant. In 2015, it was $3.2B out of the $3.3B drone market in the U.S., with Northrop Grumman, General Atomics (Predator manufacturer), and Textron owning 83.5% of the market[3]. The defense market currently accounts for 96% of drone revenue.
Defense disruption was demonstrated by Elon Musk with SpaceX in the aerospace field: he showed that a startup can compete with established industry players and leverage drive, ambition, absence of a bureaucracy, and technology to hold its own. This is possible, and likely, in other defense fields such as drones, but the disruption is still 10+ years away (largely due to the challenges described below), which is more than the life of a typical venture fund.
The consumer market includes hobbyists and general consumers buying drones for personal use – whether it's taking photos (e.g., Lily Robotics' throwable drone camera), racing (e.g., The Drone Racing League; though this straddles consumer and enterprise with advertising), or purely for fun. The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) projects this segment to reach $300M globally by 2018[4]. This is likely too small a market for venture funds to invest in due to the returns required to return their limited partners' (LP's) money. It is worth noting that products like Lily could take off similar to GoPro and be a worthwhile investment.
According to Gartner, the personal drone market is early in the hype cycle and consumers are only beginning to adopt the technology. This implies that as consumers gain an appreciation and educate themselves on drones, there are likely to be new drone manufacturers who take advantage of increased demand, as well as a further segmentation of the consumer market as manufacturers tailor their offerings to appeal to different demographics.
The commercial segment is where investors should focus their attention if they choose to invest in this sector. The market size is expected to be $2.07B globally by 2022[5], growing faster than both the consumer and defense markets.
Similar to personal drones, Gartner predicts in its 2015 Smart Machines analysis, that commercial UAVs are approaching the top of the hype cycle but have more than 10 years before they plateau. It isn't clear that venture investors could put in money and exit prior to the market correction associated with disillusionment.
Commercial drones currently target industries where drones can replace humans. There are several that have economic incentives to adopt drones in order to reduce headcount and improve efficiency, but drones are not necessarily the game-changer that will disrupt them.
- Agriculture: drones could survey as well as treat acres of land in a matter of minutes rather than hours or days it would take a human. Another take on this is minimizing replanting costs, where companies such as Droneseed are installing pneumatic seed injectors on drones that enable nearly instantaneous planting of trees
- Oil: examining miles of pipelines, providing supplies to oil rigs or tankers, surveying potential drill sites
- Search and Rescue: whether it's flying into a burning building or locating an earthquake survivor under a collapsed structure, drones could improve the speed of help
- Real Estate: surveying potential and existing sites
- Law enforcement: help police avoid risking their lives in hostage situations or locate wanted persons of interest; can equip drone with infrared/night vision for night operations. Another take on this is using drones to catch poachers
- News: send in drones instead of helicopters and/or personnel to get coverage of a story
- Medical: delivering vaccines or medication in situations where seconds are the difference between life and death
- Delivery: imagine receiving your Loubotins or groceries from a drone outside your door or window
Challenges and Opportunities
The industry faces a number of challenges and therein lie potential investment areas. Astute investors in this market should look for scalable companies that can address one or more of these problems. Odds are, the hardware will become increasingly commoditized, so investing in software and services that enable future drone operations will be the key to generating returns.
There are currently no governing rules for operating drones commercially, which has potentially impeded an explosion of drone technology. The FAA has missed their 2015 deadline for releasing commercial drone guidelines, and the new expected date is June 2016. Recently, they received a recommendation from an internal committee to classify drones based on their proximity and length of flight over crowds. It remains to be seen whether they implement the recommendation in their official report.
The FAA has allowed certain drone companies to operate under a Section 333 exemption, which it currently grants on a case-by-case basis. By the end of 2015, the FAA has granted over 1,000 exemptions, with the majority going to real estate, photos/filming, and utilities/energy[6].
Recently, the three largest drone manufacturers, Parrot, 3DR, and DJI, along with GoPro have formed the Drone Manufacturer Coalition, leaving the likes of Google, Intel, and others in the Small UAVs group. If the first group focuses on consumer drone lobbying while the latter on commercial use, it could be what the market needs to hasten the FAA to release regulations.
The current top-of-the-line (rotor-based) drones have a flight time of less than 30 minutes. As consumers become increasingly untethered (mobile phones, wearables, drones), the technology will need to keep up. Facebook's Aquila drone, which has fixed wings covered in solar panels, is one take on addressing this challenge. The drone intends to cruise at high altitude and user lasers to enable wireless connectivity in remote areas of the planet.
Companies to watch:
- Pellion Technologies: magnesium ion battery technology development; funded by ARPA and Khosla Ventures
- Enevate: has raised $60M+ to develop new high-density energy source
There has been somewhat negative portrayal by the media in the drone arena. Starting with scrutiny of the Predator drones wreaking havoc on foreign soil to arrests of drone operators due to flying one too close to the Empire State building. This can have the unintended side effect of turning public sentiment against drone technology, which in turn can slow the FAA ruling. In addition, drone companies have to spend a significant amount of time educating the industries they are approaching, such as oil, about drones and how they could be beneficial. While the millennial consumer will grasp the concept quickly, established large corporations may be slower to adopt.
Companies to watch:
- Drone Racing League: the entertainment angle relating to drones could balance the negative media portrayal and prevent public sentiment from turning too negative; $8M raised
- TravelByDrone: capture the world through drone photography; This can help consumers discover new places and drive tourism
As regulations get developed, it will be critical for drones to be aware of no-fly and restricted zones lest they impact consumer psychology as noted above. Technology should also enable authorities to take over or disable drones that "misbehave".
Startups to watch:
- SkySafe: disables or takes over drones remotely; $3M raised
- AirMap: manages no-fly zones for drones; $17M raised
Once a drone is airborne, it must be able to adjust to unforeseen conditions, from weather to humans to planes. AI, not all too dissimilar from that used in self-driving cars, could be adapted to drones to enable intelligent self-navigation.
Startups to watch:
- Skydio: develops drones that will fly autonomously; has a team of experts in computer vision, consumer electronics, and robotics. Raised $28M
- Airware: operating system for commercial drones; has raised $70M+ from venture companies
Competitive Landscape
There are currently only 58 companies that have raised over $1M in funding, potentially due to investors awaiting official commercial regulations prior to committing serious capital to the technology[7].
Most of the focus in startups has been on Hardware, but for venture businesses, software-focused businesses will be more attractive. They require less capital and are more easily scalable.
In addition to these startups, companies like Tesla, Facebook, and Google play the role of potential purchasers as well as direct competitors.
Though drones have been around for decades, only recently have technology advancements in consumer electronics enabled consumer exposure. With drones ranging from $50-$2,000+, the consumer has plenty of options to choose from. To date, investor attention has focused on drone manufacturers, but as the FAA decision nears and hardware becomes commoditized, software and services enabling security/avionics along with developments in energy density technology should command the venture dollar. However, because investors have to choose the best companies, not simply good ones, their attention should focus on other sectors such as space and virtual reality where the business disruption factor is at least 10x. At this stage, the drone market is too small, business case not sufficiently robust or scalable to be a venture business, and the technology is feels more like an augmentation of existing businesses than a 10x improvement.
[1] CB Insights
[2] http://fortune.com/2014/10/09/a-brief-history-of-drones/
[3] IBISWorld
[4] https://www.cta.tech/News/News-Releases/Press-Releases/2014/Let-Them-Fly-CEA-Applauds-FAA%E2%80%99s-Ruling-on-Drones.aspx
[5] http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/commercial-uav-market-size-to-reach-207-billion-by-2022-grand-view-research-inc-540720371.html
[6] http://www.uasvision.com/2015/09/07/analysis-of-faa-section-333-exemptions/
[7] CB Insights