text:
Secure Private Vagrant Boxes and More with a Binary Repository Manager
The importance of a uniform development environment among team members can't be understated. Bugs stemming from differences in environment variables, versions of infrastructure and other causes that are extraneous to the code itself, are often the most difficult to track down and resolve. Any developer who has ever heard another developer say, "…but it works on my machine" understands this. But setting up a machine to be just like others can be a complex process. Configuring operating systems, databases, development workspaces and a host of cloud services can sometimes drag on for a hair-pulling week or more.
These are exactly the issues that Vagrant solves.
Since Vagrant joined the virtualization scene, these are problems of the past. Now, all a developer has to do is type vagrant up with the right box, and start coding within minutes. But the question remains, what is the right box? A development organization may need many different boxes.
Teams may have different requirements for the environment on which their project is
being developed, and frequently, a version of the team's source code may reside in a Vagrant box together with the infrastructure. Consequently, an organization needs to maintain and manage hundreds of boxes at a time. Vagrant does offer private boxes on Atlas, Vagrant's repository in the cloud, but enterprises typically require a more secure environment for boxes in which the company's source code may end up.
Artifactory's support for Vagrant means you can easily setup local repositories for Vagrant boxes. This white paper presents the benefits of pointing your Vagrant client at Artifactory to replace Atlas as a source and target for Vagrant boxes in an enterprise software development organization.
1. Distribute and share boxes across your organization
To maximize reuse of your codebase, and to ensure your developers work under the same environment, you want an easy way to share Vagrant Boxes within your team and across your organization.
Using local repositories, Artifactory gives you a central location to deploy and store software artifacts – effectively,
a secure, private repository for your Vagrant boxes. When all teams know that any box can be accessed from a single URL, managing access to boxes between the different teams becomes very easy. But this may not be enough for global enterprises in which development teams may be spread out around the world.
To enable sharing boxes between geographically remote sites of an organization, you can replicate your repositories to another instance of Artifactory which is outside of your local network. Replicated repositories are automatically synchronized with their source periodically, so your boxes can be made available to different teams wherever they may be located.
Local Repositories
Local repositories are physical, locally managed repositories that are typically used to deploy internal and external releases as well as development builds. By storing all your images in local repositories, they can be made available from a single access point across your organization from one common URL.
2. Security and Access Control
Every organization needs to implement security policies so that developers can only store boxes in authorized locations, and access boxes that they are authorized to use.
Artifactory uses a set of permissions you can configure to provide security and access control for Vagrant boxes. By defining appropriate users and groups, you can control where developers can access or deploy boxes, whether they can annotate metadata, or delete boxes and more. Artifactory also provides control over access to your servers through full integration with the most common access protocols such as LDAP, SAML, Crowd and others. By providing comprehensive security and access control capabilities, Artifactory helps you manage your development process ensuring that developers can only access repositories which they are authorized to. For example, you can configure Artifactory to authorize your DevOps team to upload or remove specific boxes into a development team's Vagrant repository, while developers are only authorized to download boxes from the repository.
This fine-grained security and access control that Artifactory provides for local repositories is far greater than that currently offered by private boxes on Atlas. Artifactory effectively replaces Atlas to let you manage any number of secure and private boxes within your organization.
3. Full Support for Docker
As Docker technology continues to evolve, its usage continues to grow. If you are not yet using Docker in your organization, it is likely you will do so soon. So now, in addition to managing Vagrant boxes, you also need to manage Docker images. But there's no need to onboard and maintain another tool. Artifactory is a fully-fledged Docker repository supporting all Docker Registry APIs. This allows the Docker client to work with Artifactory directly, presenting several benefits for enterprise Docker users.
Using local repositories, you can distribute and share images within your organization to make managing images between different teams easy. You can even replicate your Artifactory Docker repositories to remote instances of Artifactory to share images with colleagues in geographically distant sites.
Artifactory offers fine-grained access control to your organization's images with secure "docker push" and "docker pull" effectively providing secure, private Docker repositories that exceed the security offered by Docker Trusted Registry.
Using Artifactory, instead of private repositories on Docker Hub, removes any issues related to internet connectivity resulting in reliable and consistent access to images. And with Artifactory running in a High Availability configuration you get system stability and availability of your Docker images that is unmatched in the industry.
Artifactory's smart search makes it easy to find any Docker image stored in your system. Full support for the Docker Registry API supports basic search with the Docker client, but Artifactory offers much more. Built in searches answer common needs with single-click operations, custom properties provide the flexibility to meet a variety of specific needs, and Artifactory Query Language offers a simple way to formulate complex queries letting you find images based on any set of criteria.
Whether you're already on board with Docker or just evaluating how to introduce it to your organization, once you're using Artifactory to manage your Vagrant boxes, you're already covered for Docker images.
4. Full integration with your build ecosystem
While it's important to make it easy and efficient for your developers to access binary artifacts, it's even more important for your build systems which may be running builds many times a day.
Through a set of plugins, Artifactory provides tight integration with popular CI systems available today such as Jenkins, Bamboo and TeamCity. These systems use Artifactory to supply artifacts and resolve dependencies when creating a build, and also as a target to deploy build output to the corresponding local repository.
One of the main benefits of running builds through Artifactory is fully reproducible builds. Artifactory stores exhaustive build information including specific artifact versions, modules, dependencies, system properties, environment variables, user information, timestamps and more. With this information, it is easy to faithfully reproduce a build at any time. Moreover, with built-in "Diff" tools you can compare builds and therefore know exactly what changes were introduced from one version to another. These capabilities can be invaluable when trying to track down bugs that were reported in specific versions released.
Artifactory also simplifies release management. A series of simple settings configure things like staging, build promotion, VCS tagging and more, essentially automating the release management process.
But what happens if your are using cloud-based CI systems where you can't apply plug-ins? In that case, Artifactory provides plug-ins directly for the build tools themselves (such as Maven and Gradle), which ultimately provides the same level of build information. Essentially, since Artifactory is platform agnostic it can be integrated with generic tools across all the build ecosystems within your organization. Finally, once your builds are automated, Artifactory will keep your system free of clutter by cleaning up old builds according to your organization's maintenance policies.
5. Smart search for boxes using custom properties and AQL
Given the multitude of boxes in your system, finding something specific can sometimes get quite complex.
Artifactory provides you with flexible search capabilities both through the UI, and using the extensive REST API. You can find boxes based on any combination of inherent attributes such as name, version, timestamp, checksum and more. For convenience, common searches come builtin with Artifactory. For example, you can ask for the "latest" version of any box without having to specify a particular build number. Artifactory knows how to compare all the different versions of a box in any of its repositories and provide the latest one available.
To provide more flexibility, Artifactory lets you define custom properties that you can assign to your boxes, and then use in your searches. For example, you could define a property to differentiate boxes used in your development, QA and production environments.
Checksum-based search
Searching for a box by its checksum is a powerful feature supported by Artifactory thanks to its unique checksum-based storage. Even if an image has been renamed, moved or deployed outside of your organization, you can trace it back to the original version. Simply run the image through a checksum tool (both MD5 and SHA1 are supported) and run a "Checksum" search in Artifactory to retrieve the original version.
But the full power of smart search comes with Artifactory Query Language (AQL). AQL gives you unprecedented flexibility in how you search for artifacts. It offers a simple way to formulate complex queries that specify any number of search criteria, filters, sorting options and output fields. This allows you to dig into the far reaches of your repositories and extract a gold-mine of information that could otherwise never be found.
Artifactory Query Language (AQL)
AQL is a flexible query language that gives you unprecedented flexibility to search for artifacts with any number of search criteria, filters, sorting options and output fields. As a RESTful API which streams output data, AQL is extremely fast and efficient with unbeatable response time and low memory consumption. AQL gives you unlimited degrees of freedom to formulate exactly the right query to find very specific artifacts you are searching for. Based on the database underlying Artifactory's unique architecture, AQL is something no other Binary Repository Manager can offer.
6. User Plugins
While Artifactory provides an extensive set of features to manage boxes, it's impossible to accommodate all the requirements that different organizations may have. Enter user plugins.
User plugins present a long list of entry points, which effectively extend the Artifactory REST API, providing a simple way to implement complex behavior. This gives you enormous freedom to support virtually any custom requirement in your workflow including scheduling tasks, managing security and authentication, deployment, maintenance and cleanup and more. For example, you could write a user plugin to scan every Vagrant box for viruses before it is uploaded to your repositories. To keep things simple, user plugins are written as Groovy scripts and have a simple DSL to wrap them as closures within the extension points. The plugins can be changed and redeployed on-the-fly, and can even be debugged – all from within your favorite IDE.
Playing such a central role in the management of boxes, your Binary Repository Manager can become a missioncritical component of your organization. Any downtime can have severe consequences to your productivity, and you need to ensure developers can access your Vagrant boxes at all times.
Artifactory supports a High Availability network configuration with a cluster of 2 or more Artifactory servers on the same Local Area Network. A redundant network architecture means that there is no single-point-of-failure, and your system can continue to operate as long as at least one of the Artifactory nodes is operational. This maximizes your uptime and can take it to levels of up to "five nines" availability. Moreover, your system can accommodate larger load bursts with no compromise to performance. With horizontal server scalability, you can easily increase your capacity to meet any load requirements as your organization grows. Finally, by using an architecture with multiple servers, Artifactory HA lets you perform most maintenance tasks with no system downtime.
High Availability Systems
Systems that are considered mission-critical to an organization can be deployed in a High Availability configuration to increase stability and reliability. This is done by replicating nodes in the system and deploying them as a redundant cluster to remove the complete reliability on any single node. In a High Availability configuration there is no single-point-offailure. If any specific node goes down the system continues to operate seamlessly and transparently to its users through the remaining, redundant nodes with no down time or degradation of system performance as a whole.
7. License compliance and open source governance
Ever been held up because someone suddenly realized that there are a bunch of licensing requirements to which you must comply?
Artifactory can help prevent such a scenario. Upon deployment of any binary to your repositories Artifactory performs a license check on your artifact and on all ensuing dependencies, and provides immediate feedback on all license requirements. This lets you prepare ahead of time to ensure you comply early on in the development cycle avoiding unnecessary delays at "crunch time" when you want to release. And by integrating with BlackDuck Code Center, you can take advantage of a full range of license compliance and open source governance features while managing all of your binary uploads through Artifactory.
8. Maintenance and Monitoring
With the growth of automated software delivery systems, the number of boxes you generate can grow very quickly. Without proper management, your systems can quickly get clogged with old and irrelevant boxes.
Artifactory keeps your system organized and free of clutter with automatic, timed cleanup processes. With a few simple settings, you can schedule tasks to clean up old builds and unused boxes. You can set restrictions on and monitor disk space usage, or define "watches" to receive an alert whenever there is a change to your most critical boxes. And with an extensive REST API, Artifactory can support virtually any rule-based cleanup protocol you would want to implement in your organization's scripts.
9. A Universal, End-to-End Solution For All Binaries
No single tool or technology is enough to support development in a modern organization. There is a multitude of packaging formats, a variety of build tools, different continuous integration systems and other technologies that go into building a flexible and maintainable software development ecosystem. Managing binaries for all the different packaging formats and integrating with all the moving parts of the ecosystem can become a maintenance nightmare.
Artifactory was designed from the ground up to fit in with any development ecosystem. Uniquely built on checksum-based storage, Artifactory supports any repository layout and can, therefore, provide native-level support for any packaging format. Essentially, regardless of the packaging format you are using, Artifactory can store and manage your binaries, and is transparent to the corresponding packaging client. The client works with Artifactory in exactly the same way it would work with its native repository. For example, if you are working with Docker, Artifactory proxies Docker Hub (or any other public Docker registry), lets you store and manage your own images in local Docker repositories, and works transparently with the Docker client. If you are working with Vagrant, Artifactory proxies Atlas (or any other public Vagrant repository), lets you store your own boxes in local Vagrant repositories, and works transparently with the Vagrant client. Similarly for Npm NuGet, Ruby, Debian, YUM, Bower, Python and more.
But development is only one end of the software delivery pipeline. Before a package makes it into a product, it needs to go through processes of build and integration. There are many build and integration tools on the market, but there is only one product that works with them all. Through a set of plugins, Artifactory provides tight integration with popular CI systems available today such as Jenkins, Bamboo and TeamCity. These systems use Artifactory to supply artifacts and resolve dependencies when creating a build, and also as a target to deploy build output. And to support cloud-based CI systems on which you are not able to apply plugins, Artifactory provides plugins for the build tools you use (such as Maven and Gradle) which ultimately provides the same level of build automation. That takes care of development and deployment, but what about distributing your software once it's ready for consumption. That's where Bintray comes in.
Bintray is JFrog's download center in the cloud offering rapid downloads, fine-grained access control, detailed stats and logs and an extensive REST API. Promoting releases for distribution from Artifactory is a matter of a single-click or API call. Like Artifactory, Bintray is package-agnostic and works seamlessly with all the different package clients, so it can be fully integrated into any continuous integration/continuous delivery ecosystem.
Artifactory is a universal repository. It is the single tool that sits in the center of your development ecosystem and "talks" to all the different technologies, increasing productivity, reducing maintenance efforts and promoting automated integration between the different parts. Together, Artifactory and Bintray are the central components of a fully-automated software distribution pipeline.
This paper has shown how a Binary Repository Manager such as Artifactory can boost productivity of your organization's development and DevOps teams by managing and optimizing access to Vagrant boxes. Through local repositories with security and access control, Artifactory can replace Vagrant's Atlas and provide a facility where organizations can manage secure, private boxes. And since Artifactory is agnostic to the binary types that it manages, it can work with Linux packages, RubyGems, NuGet Gallery and virtually any binary package format to support the different platforms used by your organization, and provide central control over all binaries, both when uploading builds and when downloading artifacts.


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What Does a Lake Stevens Real Estate Broker Actually Do?
October 14, 2016
If you are new to the world of real estate, then you likely have heard of a real estate agent or a real estate broker working with buyers and sellers in the process. But other than showing a buyer a few homes or taking a few pictures of a home that will be listed on the market, what does a Lake Stevens real estate broker actually do?
Read on to learn more about how a Lake Stevens real estate broker can help buyers find their dream homes, as well as some key differences between a real estate broker and a real estate agent.
Lake Stevens Real Estate Agent vs. Lake Stevens Real Estate Broker
A Lake Stevens real estate agent is a licensed professional who is a legitimate and certified real estate professional according to the state. Lake Stevens real estate agents are also referred to as real estate associates. A professional real estate agent can also do the following:
- Show homes and set up showing appointments
- Perform property analyses on behalf of seller clients
- List properties for sale on MLS listings and other available property websites
- Knowledgeable of the nuances of the real estate processes and all local, state, and federal laws
A Lake Stevens real estate broker also obtains a real estate broker license, but has the ability to work independently and even own their own practice with other agents working for them. A real estate broker can also perform all the same functions and responsibilities as a real estate agent, but with his or her own practice or firm.
How Can New House Match Help
At New House Match, we provide our users and clients with access to a number of real estate professionals, including Lake Stevens real estate agents and Lake Stevens real estate brokers. Our teams are knowledgeable, experienced, and go above and beyond to help both buyers and sellers find their dream homes. Contact New House Match today at (425)268-0347 to get started with a Lake Stevens real estate broker.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
5 things about guys most women wont accept as true
5 things about guys most women wont accept as true
1.They do think THAT way about friend zoned guys:
Ever heard—you are just a friend. That may be true but that doesn't really mean things cant happen. Well if boys are boys so are girls are girls.Why cant they think of a friend as something more
When you say its hard to get out of friend zone,the truth of matter is the girl doesn't want you to get out of it . Reasons might be different varying from she doesn't like you or she you didn't fit that BF criteria or you are her backup plan 😉 but yes if shes single, she has evaluated you
2.You want it if you don't have it:
Accept it girls, you like what you cant have. You want the guy who doesnt pay attention, who seems not to care and maybe is already engaged;). Rest all guys are Friend Zoned.
3.There are moments to propose :
Yes you got it right. Most girls don't have seasons are times to propose but a moments. You want to propose to someone , propose her when shes really In to you(not literally). The moment you see that shine in her eye when you gave her a flower,thats when you need to pop the question. Any other time you might hear a BIG NO , mostly because either she is confused or again you are to be friendzoned
4.Nice guys do finish last:
OH yeaaah .Most girls seem to want a guy who is caring,charming and understanding but still run after the opposite. The nicest guys are always friendzoned while they run after the fruit they cant have. They tend to stick around with guys who treat them bad, disrespect them and yes generally make their lives miserable way longer than natural while the friendzoned guy is waiting in the wings
5.Most women will be furious till they reach this point 😛 .
Submitted by:<Name with held>
Image: photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net


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Eden Burford
The Burford is a 6' wide Greenhouse with a single sliding door, featuring Eden's new Zero Threshold™ door system, large roof vents and built in wide gutters with downpipes supplied as standard. The Burford is supplied with a strong integral base providing faster installation and cost reduction over a separate base. The high eaves give a spacious airy feel and ensures a great atmosphere for you and your plants. Choose from 3mm horticultural glass, 3mm long pane toughened safety glass or 6mm polycarbonate glazing options. The Burford is available in three attractive frame finishes; mill silver, green and black.
United Kingdom Patent Application No. 1415430.6 / Community Design No. 002546390-001-002
100% designed and manufactured by British craftsmen
Key features
Width: 6'5" / 1.942 m.
Length: 6'5" / 1.942 m.
Eaves: 5'3" / 1.6 m.
Ridge: 7'7" / 2.3 m.
Roof prepared for decorations: Yes
Door handles with lock: Yes
Smooth running sliding door: Yes
Number of windows: 2 pcs.
Number of downspouts: 2 pcs.


text:
This website uses cookies to improve user experience and analyze web traffic. By clicking "Allow Cookies" you consent to store on your device all the technologies as described in our Cookie Policy. Learn more.
product specs
|High quality wood cleaner, polish
|Color Description
|Boston Interiors strives to accurately reproduce screen images of fabric and wood samples. However, due to manufacturing variances, limitations of monitor resolution and the variation in natural interior lighting, actual colors may vary from the images you see online. For this reason, it is important to see a sample of the products at your local showroom whenever possible.
|Eco Friendly
|Constructed of sustainably harvested solid hardwoods
|Finish on hardware is antique bronze
|Feathered White / Rich Charcoal. Wood is finished in an oil based lacquer.
|Constructed of solid hardwoods, split-cathedral ash veneer on tops and paint-grade veneer on bases
|Made in Vietnam
|1 year manufacturers warranty
|Due to unavoidable variations in materials and human craftsmanship, there is a minimal, but measurable, difference in weights and measurements from piece to piece. The stated weights and dimensions on the specification sheet and web site are the manufacturer standards. Each handmade piece will vary slightly from those standard numbers. Any measurement could be open to interpretation based on the methodology of the person taking the measurements.
Charleston Bachelors Chest
In stock
Dimensions: 42"w x 19"d x 33"h
sku: 0122285
sku: 0122285
Price $899.95
Featuring graceful curves and planked wood...read more »
Featuring graceful curves and planked wood detailing, the Charleston Bedroom blends elegant design with a rustic feel to create a master suite that it truly timeless. The Bachelors Chest is stocked in a classic, feathered white finish with a rich charcoal top. Exclusive to Boston Interiors. May not be shown in all locations.
product specs


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In yesterday's article on The Telegraph, journalist Oliver Pickup writes: "Chief executives must be acutely aware of how to harness the power of AI to transform their human capital if they are to avoid a future of failure." He cites Gerd Leonhard, who was a session leader at the recent Tata Communications' fourth CEO summit, thinks businesses of all sizes need to transform their approach and culture from the top down. Quotes:
"Mr Leonhard, offering advice to laggard business leaders, says: 'It starts with a progressive attitude. Companies should look at the rolling AI improvements that can be realised now. Creating efficiencies through AI – such as a smart meeting system that saves time and money – is good, but you need to not be shortsighted.'"
"'AI is not a gimmick like social media or big data. Think of it as an ecosystem. To make that work, people have to understand this must be a holistic environment considering efficiency, profit, growth and also humanity.'"
"'If you empty out most of the human elements of your company it will eventually backfire. This is not about efficiency, it's about long-term value.'"
Click here to read full article
Related topics:
Gerd Leonhard: Slides on Digital Transformation by 2020
Gerd Leonhard: The Future of Business
Rohit Talwar: AI – 10 questions CEO's should be asking


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Sheree Fitch
$19.95 $19.95
I will be in stock soon
Toes in My Nose
And Other PoemsAuthor: Sheree Fitch
Artist : Sydney Smith
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing
I stuck my toes
In my nose
And I couldn't get them out.
Silly, funny, and outrageous, Toes in My Nose is the book that launched Sheree Fitch's career as Canada's premiere nonsense poet. From Popcorn Pete and Mabel Murple to Zelba Zinnamon, these are some of the best-loved poems and characters in Canadian children's literature.In this twenty-fifth anniversary edition, award-winning illustrator Sydney Smith's new illustrations hilariously portray a neighbourhood of kids flying to the moon, playing banjo with orangutans, and bathing with submarines. Toes in My Nose will introduce a whole new generation to Sheree Fitch's magnificent feat of imagination.
|ISBN associated with this title:
|Nimbus Publishing
|Nimbus Publishing
|Published on
|October 5 2012
|10.25(in) x 8.25(in)
|Shipping weight
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Sydney Smith has been drawing from an early age. Since graduating NSCAD University, he has illustrated numerous children's books, including Mabel Murple, Toes in my Nose, and There Were Monkeys in my Kitchen. In 2015, he was awarded the Governor General's Award among various other accolades. Originally from Nova Scotia, he now lives in Toronto with his wife and son.
April 12 2017
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- Dread Crew
October 30 2009$16.95 $16.95Read more
- Music is for Everyone
May 25 2017$12.95 – $19.95Read more
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June 14 2016$15.95 $15.95Read more
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May 7 2014$19.95 $19.95Read more
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- There Were Monkeys in My Kitchen (pb)
April 26 2013$12.95 $12.95Read more
- Toes in My Nose
October 5 2012$19.95 $19.95Read more
- Mabel Murple (pb)
September 15 2011$13.95 $13.95Read more
- Dread Crew
April 20 2010$12.95 $12.95Read more
Award Winners & Nominees
Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Awards (English Fiction)
Shortlisted Red cedar Award
- Lightning and Blackberries Joanne JeffersonJoe Howe to the Rescue Michael BawtreeGhost At Mahone Bay Tom Schwarzkopf
Check out other great titles
- Kiss the Joy as it Flies Sheree FitchThe Town That Died Michael J BirdBud The Spud Stompin Tom Connors
Brenda JonesAva Comes Home Lesley CreweMy Goat Gertrude Starr Dobson
Dayle Dodwell
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text:
Current Affairs, Politics, News History, Satire, Sports and Entertainment From a Liberal Democratic Perspective
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Heartland Kicks Off Climate Change Denial: An Energy Policy would be the best Climate Policy
I don't believe anyone in their right mind believes that there's no such thing as Climate Change. Of course I'm not a mind reader but thats my feeling. All you have to look at the weather to see that, with longer summers and colder winters and with ice melting in areas with Frigid Weather. The question is at least from the United States point of view is, what should we do on our part about it to fix it. Should we pass Cap and Trade and force American Business's to live under regulations and taxes that Foreign Business's don't live under. Or should we do something that would make us more competitive in the Energy Industry both at home and globally, that would also benefit our economy. As a liberal who believes in Free Markets and capitalism, I lean towards making us more competitive, economically but that would also make us more competitive when it comes to Energy Policy as well as our Foreign Policy. A National Energy Policy for America, that moves us towards Energy Independence and finally off of Foreign Oil, would accomplish three things by doing one thing. First it would benefit our economy in multiple ways, because we would open up new Energy Industry's which would create good jobs. It would get us off of Foreign Oil, because would be relying on Domestic Energy instead, which would create jobs. But it would also create more competition in the Energy Sector. Because of just oil, gas and electricity which are the three main Energy Industry's right now. With a comprehensive National Energy Policy, there would also be a Solar Industry, Wind Industry, Natural Gas would be bigger in America, Nuclear would be bigger in America and so would Clean Coal. We will need to still drill for oil and gas in America for at least ten years after we create an Energy Policy. But at least we would be drilling for American Oil and Gas and no longer importing it.
A comprehensive National Energy Policy would benefit our economy because of the good jobs it would create. It would benefit our Foreign Policy because countries that we are currently importing oil from. We would no longer have to do that, giving them lest leverage over us. And it would benefit our Environmental Policy because we would be finally using cleaner sources of energy. If we are going to have some Climate Change Policy, it should be a Global Treaty. So that everyone is operating under the same rules.
Click on the link of the blog to see a video with Mike Papantonio on Climate Change
Posted by Derik Schneider at 11:23 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: Energy Policy
Why Does Cenk Criticize Obama?: Because Leaders should Lead
President Obama said in his Press Conference on Wednesday Afternoon that leaders should lead. My response to the President would've been that starts with you buddy! Now perhaps I wouldn't of called him buddy, don't know that for a fact, perhaps I would've said that starts with you Mr President! We'll never know no point in discussing it. But my point is the same leaders have to lead or nothing gets done, successful Presidents don't sit on the sidelines and let others work it out and then weigh in later to see what the people who actually did the work came up with. Leaders don't look to compromise right off the bat, like the President's sorry excuse for a budget back in January. What leaders do when they know they have to compromise in the end to get anything done. Which is what President Obama obviously has to do with a Divided Congress. Is put on the table what they want to do, this is my plan, if you don't like, come up with your own plan. Then the other side puts down a counteroffer and lays out what they want to do if they had all the power. And then both sides come together at the end of the day and work out a Final Agreement. This is what lawyers do and this is what skillful negotiators do and this is why successful Presidents are successful. This is what President Clinton, President Reagan, President Eisenhower, President Truman, President FDR did and why they were able to accomplish so much in their Presidency's. You don't sit on the sidelines laying out goals with no plan to accomplish it. Which is what the President has been doing on the Deficit Reduction and other issues since he's been President, Health Care Reform would be another one.
Presidents have to be President, Leaders have to Lead or nothing gets done. They are the Chief Executives for a reason because the buck actually does stop with them, its not just an expression. And that means taking a stand once in a while and taking heat for it to do what's right for the country at the end. And then they get rewarded for their right decisions.
Click on the link of the Blog to see Cenk what's his last name editorial on the President
Posted by Derik Schneider at 3:43 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: Politics
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text:
We offer an unrivalled learning environment for a career in humanitarian aid or research.
We offer a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses, with online options available.
Discover more about our courses at the Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute with our comprehensive brochures.
Our influential researchers are also accomplished practitioners and have a global impact far beyond the Institute.
Read more
Read our disseminations on the latest thinking and developments in the global humanitarian field.
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PhD students
View the profiles and thesis topics of some of our current postgraduate researchers.
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text: BoMar Heating & Cooling was started in 1974 as a family owned business offering heating and cooling services. We have steadily grown over the years and continue to add more services to care for our customer's needs. We service all brands and install new high efficiency heating/cooling systems. We also offer gas/wood fireplaces, whole house air cleaner and humidifiers, air duct cleaning and whole house generators. We provide true 24 hour service and employ NATE certified technicians. Simply put, give us a call to get the prompt and professional service you deserve.


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The most valuable marketing metric — and, overall business metric — is Customer Lifetime Value (CLV). Some marketers refer to CLV as Lifetime Value (LTV), which might give away their background. Followers of the Fader Hardie marketing science methods from the Wharton School of Business tend to say CLV. CLV uses predictive analytics to identify your most valuable customers.
When it is clear who is a good customer and who is not, then your marketing can truly be customer-centric and as a result, the basis of all your other metrics should change. Re-frame paid search by CLV and you'll likely save millions. Re frame surveys, product improvements, and customer service by CLV and your business will generate better insights faster with more financial impact. Here are six reasons why CLV is such a powerful metric.
Knowing the future value of each of your individual customers is at the heart of Customer Centricity. It is easy to think any business school graduate can calculate CLV but this sensitive instrument is prone to failure. Using the right approach to calculate CLV is critical. This podcast with Allison Hartsoe and Artem Mariychin of Zodiac Metrics, discusses the proper way to calculate CLV.
Note: Our former partner, Zodiac has since been acquired by NIKE and their CLV calculation product is no longer available to the public. However, we can quickly calculate CLV for you.
With the identification of your best customers, then you are ready to move into CLV-driven Marketing. Although marketing is often the easiest area to apply CLV strategies, it is not the only area. Some companies prioritize sales calls or otherwise arm the front lines.
Understanding the value of each customer opens the door to analyzing where they came from and creates an opportunity to prospect for more customers who are likely to bring high value to your organization. Here's one infographic that shows the impact of CLV-driven marketing to an email campaign.
Customer equity, the total predicted CLV of an organization's customers, plays an increasingly important role on the overall valuation of companies. Usually this is the domain of venture capital and private equity investors, so when this power is translated to marketers it allows more powerful and precise use of marketing technology tools as well as AI and Machine Learning such as this example from Publisher's Clearinghouse. Knowing the predictive future value of your customer base and understanding whether it is growing, shrinking or stagnant can help whether you are pitching for funding, reassuring your board of directors or asking your CFO for more budget.
Many organizations stand up a set of key metrics, but too often these metrics are not aligned or are too soft to be significant performance-drivers. When CLV takes hold of an organization, then every team is pulling in the same direction. By obsessively aligning the entire organization as Electronic Arts around customer data, companies can realize significant competitive advantages. This is not a small project, but the outcome from many years of data-driven change. Here is an overview of the complete 5-7 year process which begins with digital marketing, transformation marketing and ends with significant competitive advantage.


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Credit: Photos by Louise Lister. Styling by Emma Bowen.
Credit: Photos by Louise Lister. Styling by Emma Bowen.
Credit: Photos by Louise Lister. Styling by Emma Bowen.
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You'd have to have been living under a rock to not know that Teflon surfaces are all kinds of bad for our health to cook on. Non-stick pans such as Teflon can offgas toxic fumes and chemicals into food.
Watch out for PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) and PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), which have been proven carcinogenic. To help you stock your kitchen, whether with new or secondhand items, here's a guide to the safety of the variety of cookware materials available.
Looking lovely on the table isn't the only benefit of earthenware. Made from completely natural clay materials, there's nothing nasty that can leach into your food. Choose glazed to avoid bacteria thriving in the big pores.
Other ceramics
The all-natural, non-reactive smooth surface of ceramics is almost as hard as diamonds. Good for lengthy roasting or baking, just remember that ceramics can break easily.
Durable and non-reactive, heat-retaining enamel-coated pots (such as Le Creuset) are worth the price for their performance and lifespan – enamel coated cast iron is particularly durable. Beware of cheaper brands that chip easily. When using thinner enamelware (such as the pie tins pictured) avoid acidic liquids which can shorten their life.
Cast iron
Cast iron can last a lifetime but needs to be cared for and seasoned regularly to avoid rusting. The jury is out on if the iron-enriched food from cooking in iron pots is a bonus for your health; in any case, it is not believed to be harmful. However acidic foods can leach excessive amounts of harsh-tasting iron into the food, so avoid these in cast iron.
Carbon steel
Many woks are made from carbon steel, which is pretty similar to cast iron, but lighter and better for searing at high temperatures. It can react with acidic foods and needs to be dried immediately after washing otherwise it will rust.
Bamboo & paper
Bamboo baskets are perfect for steaming vegies or dumplings as they are naturally antibacterial. Utensils made from bamboo are better than plastic and even wood, which is often treated with harmful chemicals. Baking paper and muffin cups should be unbleached, or not used at all.
Glass dishes are affordable and inert. Some older low-quality glassware may contain lead, so opt for high grade, food-quality glass, which is perfectly safe for cooking.
Silicone is a synthetic rubber and it's said to be the only completely non-reactive, non-stick material that doesn't offgas. The bendy bakeware muffin cups are a good reusable alternative to paper. But the manufacturing is under proprietary, so little is known about the impact of production or the possibility of chemical leaching.
Stainless steel
As the least reactive metal, stainless steel is an acceptable option for a set of pans. Once damaged it can release very low levels of heavy metals into food, including molybdenum, titanium, nickel and aluminium. Scratches cause the toxins to release, so wash with a soft cloth, not a scourer.
This PFOA- and PTFE-free non-stick ceramic coating is used by brands such as GreenPan and Neoflam, and contains silicone, aluminium and titanium, which is only released at very high temperatures that you're unlikely to get up to in the home kitchen. To lengthen their less-than-ideal lifespan use oils that have a high smoke point, such as coconut oil.
Copper has natural antibacterial qualities to rival most cookware, however when used with high-acid foods (such as tomatoes) or vinegar, toxic heavy metals are released. As with most metal pots, don't scour.
This metal is moderately-reactive so it can get into your food and has been linked to Alzheimer's. Many pots are titanium-coated aluminium, and while titanium is OK on its own, when scratched or dented, the aluminium in these pots is still reactive and so they're not great overall.


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Chris Green, a Microsoft employee has placed information about the release dates of Microsoft's next products including Windows 8, Windows Server 2012 (Windows 8 Server) and Office 2012 on his MSDN blogs.
A few days ago Google has rolled out Google Chrome 4.0 a stable version of web browser and now Google Chrome 5.0.307.1 developer build is available for download. Both versions of Google Chrome 5.0.307.1 build for Windows and Mac includes many improvements and fixes which are written below.
Google has announced that it will phasing out the support for Internet Explorer 6 from 1 March 2010 whereas this decision is taken after the cyber attacks on Google search engine.
Microsoft has placed a range of free templates for Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 users on Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 web page. These templates are beautiful and facilitates to create attractive, eye-catching and stunning PowerPoint presentation slides.
Today we are going to share a list of image hosting and photo sharing sites with you which are absolutely free and allows to upload a bulk amount of images and videos online and you may also share that uploaded media stuff with others.
Another Pakistani Urdu News channel. Watch Waqt News Live Online.
Yesterday, Apple's CEO Steve Jobs has announced Apple's tablet iPad and according to him "Apple iPad is an incredible experience." So, here we bring a collection of iPad photos and videos which is grabbed from different resources. Watch out these all to know further about iPad and Enjoy. See also: Steve Jobs Announced Apple's Latest […]
Apple has released iPhone OS 3.2 SDK for the developers who want to create applications for iPad even Apple itself brings a bunch of applications for this recently announced smart device.
Apple also announced optional accessories for iPad to enhance its capabilities. For example there was a question in our minds that how we have to do typing on Apple's tablet. To resolve this typing issue Dock Keyboard is announced for iPad whereas this smart device is also capable to work with other bluetooth keyboards.
On Apple's official site Apple tablet iPad's web page is live now which is just announced by Steve Jobs at Apple's Media Event in San Francisco.


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Ellsworth Kelly has been a widely influential force in the post-war art world redefining abstraction in art, and evading critical attempts to classify him as a Color Field, hard-edge, or Minimalist painter.
Born in 1923 in Newburgh, New York, Kelly studied at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the École des beaux-arts, Paris, France. He first rose to critical acclaim in the 1950s with his bright, multi-paneled, largely monochromatic and often irregularly shaped canvases. His drawings, paintings, sculptures, and prints, maintain a persistent focus on the dynamic relationships between shape, form and color and challenge viewers' conceptions of space. Through observation and abstraction of the world around him he developed his visual vocabulary — shapes and colors found in plants, architecture, shadows — which he employed in drawing, paintings, and sculptures to show an interest in the spaces between places and objects, and between his work and its viewers: "In my work I don't want you to look at the surface; I want you to look at the form, the relationships." His shaped-wood reliefs and collages were arranged according to the laws of chance and his multi panel painting could be recombined to produce alternate compositions.
He has executed many public commissions, including a mural for UNESCO in Paris (1969), a sculpture for the city of Barcelona (1978), and a memorial for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, D.C. (1993). Kelly's extensive work has been recognized in numerous retrospectives, including a sculpture exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (1982); an exhibition of works on paper and a show of his print works that traveled extensively in the United States and Canada (1987–88); and a career retrospective organized by the Guggenheim Museum (1996), which traveled to the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; Tate Gallery, London; and Haus der Kunst, Munich. Since then, solo exhibitions of Kelly's work have been mounted at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (1998); Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, Massachusetts (1999); San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (2002); Philadelphia Museum of Art (2007); and MoMA (2007).
Kelly moved out of Manhattan in 1970 and set up a studio in Chatham and a home in nearby Spencertown, New York; he lived and worked there until his death in 2015.


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Forget Yesterday…Live For Today! – Week 18
If you knew today would be your last day on earth, would you dwell on the happenings of the past?
One of our assignments this past week has been to pick up a newspaper everyday, select an obituary, read it and ask ourselves 3 questions when finished.
Question #1 – What would that person give to change places with me and have one more day?
Question #2 – Who can I let know how grateful I am for their presence today if it is my last?
Question #3 – How will I behave today to finish the masterpiece of my life elegantly?
This is some pretty heavy stuff….seriously. Can you imagine knowing today would be the last day of your life? The past would mean absolutely nothing. Zip. Zero. Nada.
"I will live this day as if it is my last." As Og Mandino writes in "The Greatest Salesman in the World". "Can I take back the evil that was spoken, the blows that were struck, the pain that was caused? No. Yesterday is buried forever and I will think of it no more."
Our teachers have suggested that us Master Key "students" give thanks for our past, even the parts of it that we perceive as negative. Gratitude is a cause not an effect.
What does that mean?
It means we can choose to give thanks for what we have and everything that has happened to us in our lives…..OR, we wrongfully believe once we have that new car, big fancy house, or millions in the bank that will we be happy and grateful.
Tom Shadyac has a lot to say on this subject of happiness. Tom was the creator of the popular Jim Carrey movies such as Ace Ventura, Liar Liar, and Bruce Almighty. Tom is widely known for his success in Hollywood, but his take on happiness may surprise you.
Continue to pursue your dreams daily as if today is your last and give thanks along the way!
Thanks for reading,


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Secession has been in the news lately. Well, not the mainstream news, for the most part, but local, Internet and alternative news outlets have been reporting a growing number of signatures added to secession petitions submitted to Washington (one has it at over 750,000 signatures). This began almost immediately after President Obama's reelection, and while no one really expects this particular movement to go anywhere, people on both sides of our political divide take it somewhat seriously as a sign of how polarized and unstable our situation has become.
I'm going to tell you what I think about secession, and my hope is that readers will find it somewhat reasonable. In short, I reject the absolutely hysterical and frothing narrative that comes from some leftist quarters about the evil of secession. I don't much appreciate the haughty dismissal and contempt that comes from some on both the left and the right, as if only a mental patient would want to secede from what America has become. Lastly, I don't agree with the secessionists, but it has nothing to do with any sort of moral or philosophical objection to the principle of secession (I don't think it is racist or crazy, in other words). Now to the meat and bones.
First, the whole idea of a "petition to secede" sounds a little strange and I must say, absurd. Revolutionary governments founded upon an overthrow of an unpopular regime have sometimes formally recognized a "right of revolution" reserved by the people in case a future generation finds it necessary to form a new government. Some communist literature I used to peruse, for instance, would praise Castro's Cuba because the right of the people to rebel was (so they said) enshrined in the Cuban constitution. No one believes for a moment, though, that revolutions depend upon whether or not the ruling regime permits them. It really shouldn't need to be said that revolutions occur in spite of what ruling regimes want, and that official recognition of a "right to rebel" is often little more than window dressing, when it can even be located in clear and precise language.
Even so, modern-day secessionists believe that the founders intended for there to be some kind of "right to secede." I think some of the founders believed that, including Thomas Jefferson, while others did not. But neither Jefferson nor anyone else, at least to my knowledge, was thinking of a legal right to secede. Rather they were thinking of a natural right to cast off oppressive or failed regimes and establish new governments in their place. This is what is articulated in the Declaration of Independence, which was, as we hopefully all understand, not a note begging King George III for permission to secede from Great Britain. It was a declaration of fact, a notice of what would have already been accomplished by the time the message reached its addressees.
I recognize this natural right. The founding fathers recognized it, unanimously in their own case, and who knows in what divisions when it comes to the hypothetical rights of individual states. The Catholic Church recognizes it. Cardinal Bellarmine noted in his own writings, and Pope Leo XIII summed it up with the following words:
Lawful power is from God, "and whosoever resisteth authority resisteth the ordinance of God' ;(6) wherefore, obedience is greatly ennobled when subjected to an authority which is the most just and supreme of all. But where the power to command is wanting, or where a law is enacted contrary to reason, or to the eternal law, or to some ordinance of God, obedience is unlawful, lest, while obeying man, we become disobedient to God. — Libertas, 13
In light of such considerations, I am forced to say that petitions asking for permission to secede look more like pathetic half-measures and childish complaining than anything else. If people are not prepared to lay it all on the line, as the Southern states were in 1860, then this sort of talk just invites ridicule. Those who are so prepared don't ask; they do. There is no legal right to secede, just as there was no legal right for the American colonies to declare independence and form a new nation. There doesn't need to be. Contrary to Reverend Lovejoy (ctrl+f to find the hilarious quotation from The Simpsons), legal and moral are not synonyms.
Maybe the purpose of the petitions is so that those who are prepared to secede can say "well, look, we tried doing this peacefully – but you wanted to fight." If that's the general orientation, well, there are much better ways to go about it. The best way to draw the federal government into a confrontation in which it will have no moral authority and little popular sympathy or support is to continue to pass perfectly reasonable laws at the state level that conflict with onerous, unjust, mean-spirited and irrational federal laws. Drug laws are a good place to start. If the people of Colorado want to be able to legally buy, sell and consume marijuana, they should have that right under the 10th amendment of the Constitution. If the federal government wants to impose its own contrary prohibition on the states, it will do so at the cost of legitimacy in the eyes of the long-lost forgotten man, hitherto uninterested in politics as a no-win situation for him and who reserves judgement largely for actions, not rhetoric. The forgotten men, collectively, might be called a "Silent Majority." They might also account for the 7 million whites who stayed home instead of voting for Moderate Mitt.
A confrontation in which the states have the will of the people as their primary justification, having passed laws by popular vote or through representative legislatures, and in which the federal government has nothing but what amounts to a "might makes right" argument to brandish, will go well for the former and very badly for the latter. Liberty-minded conservatives as well as at least some on the left who distrust the federal government and would opt for localism over nationalism can even work together. There are leftists who want to smoke pot legally, and there are conservatives who should, by heaven, support them in this confrontation with the federal government. We aren't talking about intrinsic evil here, as we would be in the case of abortion or contraception, both of which the feds can't shove enough of down our throats. Hippies and rednecks, unite and fight!
Only when, in the popular mind, the situation is clearly understood as one in which the federal government refuses – effectively if not officially – to recognize the legitimacy of local democracy and republican institutions will any sort of secession or rebellion movement have the slightest bit of credibility. That moment has not come. It is also not too far off. But between here and there stand a number of tests to which the federal government ought to be subjected, tests which will be difficult for that arrogant and corrupt establishment to pass. Enough with the secession petitions, then. Collect signatures for petitions that really matter: to establish or disestablish laws and institutions that, respectively, oppose or favor the power of the federal government within your state.
Another issue that needs to be addressed is "secession = racism." There is nothing remotely "racist" about secession. But I have to say, if the leftist establishment didn't plan on having a black man espouse policies and ideas radically inimical to the American founding and effect the transformation of the United States into a European-style social democracy, it sure lucked out. Every criticism and all resistance can be explained in terms of racial paranoia, and no intellectual engagement is necessary. With Stalin's chief prosecutor during the Moscow show trials, Andrey Vyshinsky, they can scream "shoot the mad dogs, every single one of them!" And that is more or less what they are doing right now.
Those of us on the right who find secession to be far too premature and imprudent (as I do) or just foolish no matter what happens will score no points with anyone who matters by joining in the chorus of rabid, unflinching condemnation. Those on the left who play the race card hate us all and nothing anyone says will change this. Moderate Mitt was deemed an extremist and a radical by these people, for heaven's sake. We should articulate the reasons why we disagree with the movement, which may well have over a million names put to it by now, we may even distance ourselves from its actions. That said, I personally reject anyone who thinks it is either racist or "crazy/kooky" to be so fed up with the federal government and the degeneration of our culture that they would seriously consider secession. The parasitism of federal employees alone is enough to make me want to raise the Stars and Bars and start whistlin' Dixie.
That doesn't include ruinous wars both foreign and domestic ("War on Drugs"), the laying to waste of civil liberties, the assassination of U.S. citizens without trial or sentence, the mass transfers of wealth from productive workers and business owners to a class of permanent dependents who produce little if any wealth at all, the complete and total failure of the federal government to secure the southern border, the federal government's official promotion of abortion, infanticide, subsidized birth control, "gay marriage" and every other moral abomination and cultural atrocity, and the debt we will never be able to repay to the Chinese. You'd have to be a little nuts not to consider secession under these conditions, at least as nuts as those who really think it can succeed without the requisites I outlined above.


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Just days after dropping her new EP, Dreams, Cady Groves has laced up her retro roller skates and gathered her pals in the music video for the single "Dreams," which Fuse.tv exclusively premieres today (October 8). Check it out in the video player above.
If the clip for the Oklahoma singer's sunny pop confection looks like fun, it's no accident. "I've always taken my music so seriously, but the best moments in life are when you let go," Groves explains. "In this video, I had the chance to quite literally wake up inside my own dream."
Cady released the Dreams EP, which landed on October 2 on Vel Records, in honor of her fans.


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Apply to use Launch Space
Apply for a free 12-month residency in Launch Space for your start-up.
Application criteria
You need to:
- have graduated in the last three years from a UK university
- have a business idea or pre-commercial start-up enterprise
- be able to register your business (to get a company number) or register as a sole trader with HMRC
- be committed to working on the growth of your business in the Launch Space facility (for physical residents) or to utilising the support available virtually if you're a virtual resident
- be aware that virtual residents' businesses must be registered in the West of England region
- have a high-tech and innovative business proposition
- be looking to undertake Research and Development (R&D) of some kind.
Apply using the online application form
What if I have an idea but not a formal business yet?
We recognise that you may have a business idea without having got to the stage of formally setting up the business itself. We can support you through the process of setting up a business, so for more information please email the Launch Space Team at firstname.lastname@example.com or call +44 (0)117 32 81043.
Application process
Step one - apply
Submit your application online for 2019 entry. We will be recruiting throughout the year, with inductions in June and September 2019.
Apply using the online application form
Step two - interview
If your application is successful, you'll be invited to an interview. Interview dates will be confirmed.
Step three - induction
If your interview is successful, you'll need to attend an induction programme at Frenchay Campus.
We will contact you to confirm details of your induction nearer the time.
Step four - grow
Your 12-month Launch Space residency starts once you have completed your induction.


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Welcome to Chronic Malpractice where the comics are wrong but they still make you laugh.
Whoops, I just realized this comic should not have gone up yet.
It was colored with real watercolor.
Comments are closed.
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Real Sex Contacts is strictly for consenting adults only. This website contains material of a sexual nature so you must be 18 years old or older to enter and use the site.
PRESS:"Brits are having more casual sex and one-night-stands than ever before thanks to sex dating apps"
members currently online
new members today
photos uploaded
A recent sex & dating survey has highlighted society's sexual activity, preferences and desires.
48% of responders were single. 80% identified as straight. 48% had one-night-stands and 15% regularly have one-night-stands. 85% would love to have sex with a stranger. An amazing 62% of those asked in our sex survey are already currently having an affair. I think it's fair to say British people love to shag! No wonder sex dating and casual sex sites like Real Sex Contacts have grown in popularity.
Real sex contacts is the UK's longest running and most popular casual sex and adult dating network in 2020. For the last 10 years we have been building our trusted network of British members looking for free sex and casual but discreet encounters with other local members. We have thousands of satisfied members and members who have been using our service for years! If you dont believe us, try us out. It's free!
Sex dating and no-string dating has been growing in popularity in the UK thanks to British sex contacts websites making it easier for like-minded people to find each other. Our priority at Real Sex Contacts is to provide a safe and discreet environment for members to find each other.
Whether you're looking for a fuck-buddy, a friend-with-benefits, a random hook-up for one night or something a little more serious we are here to help you find what and who you want.
Many online dating websites and casual sex sites cover the entire world but we have chosen to concentrate purely on the UK so we can provide a more focused and dedicated service to our members. We cover all major UK villages, towns and counties so we still have plenty to look after!
Active now: Women seeking men for casual sex. Click here for latest live list of women looking for men near you right now.


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Melville Senior High School is one of only four schools endorsed by Netball WA. Our Specialist Program in Netball offers your child the opportunity to excel at their chosen sport.
Applications for 2021 are now open. Please note – Applications are due on May 1st 2020.
Committed netball teachers and coaches teach all aspects of the game. Our netball coaches have all had substantial coaching and playing experience both at a state and national level. This representative experience will assist your child to understand the level of commitment required to achieve success.
A comprehensive match schedule is in place to ensure the students are constantly putting their newly acquired skills and experience into competitive practice. The students' performances are tracked and their outcomes recorded in order for individual programs to be developed and refined as their schooling continues.
Our coaching staff regularly take teams from the program on tour. These tours introduce a range of new and exciting experiences for the students. Tours in the past have included: the annual South West tour, a tour to the Gold Coast in Queensland and a Singapore tour for a select group of students from our High Performance Program (Years 7 to 10 students).
Through our association with Netball WA we have access to exclusive high performance coaching clinics held at various times throughout the year. An exciting feature of this course is the coaching clinics conducted by renowned international coaches along with current Australian players.
Students learn to manage, coach and umpire throughout the program and will be expected to put their experience and knowledge into practice within their club. Components of the course require students to demonstrate their management, coaching and umpiring abilities, and include:


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[please login to make this ad block disappear]
News Watch
The Playak News Watch continously finds the world"s new paddling headlines. From the huge number of headlines it finds, Playak editors hand-pick and present the best ones (yes, that is very subjective, but they do their best to please our readers) every day, and those that then get the most reader views are sent out in the daily News Flash. Each Friday, we send out the Weekly Digest (instead of the daily News Flash), containing the top headlines of the past 7 days, as well as the most popular videos and forum topics, and a list of upcoming paddling events.


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Does your workplace have an AED?
We're ready when injuries happen with our First Aid kits. We're even ready for fires with our fire extinguishers. But when someone falls into cardiac arrest are we ready?
Cardiac arrest kills 30,000 of our loved ones every year in Australia, even though we have AEDs that can save them. The problem is that there's not enough of them. According to St John research, only one in five NSW workplaces have one. That's why your workplace, along with every other one, needs an AED. Without them, cardiac arrest victims' survival rates drop 10% every minute. But with one on them in 3 min it shocks their survival rate to above 75%.
Get cardiac-arrest ready today by buying an AED. Making everyone's life (including yours) top priority. So every employee, customer, bystander or anyone walking by your workplace can be saved.


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Product Out of Stock.
KillboX TM .45
5mm Killbox Necklace sold separately.
Approximate size dimensions: 1.5" x 1.5"
Posted by Andy Altman on 16th Jan 2017
Hello All! I wanted to take a moment to share with everyone my feelings regarding Steel Flame and The Killbox Pendant. I have been a fan of Steel Flame for a long time; but just recently purchased my first Killbox. The Killbox is Unique for many reasons. First; like people..No two are exactly alike. But most importantly; Is what it stands for to the many people who have one. Its a tangible representation of something that someone has Overcome In Their Life! Maybe It Was Cancer....Maybe It Was Addiction. Maybe it was Overcoming The Demons Brought Back From War Like So Many of Our Nations Warriors! At any rate....If you or someone in your life has battled and overcome something....Along With Your Love and Respect; The Gift Of A Killbox Is As Honorable As Anything I Can Imagine!! Kindest Thanks To Derrick and the Crew at Steel Flame For Their Passion and Commitment!!
Posted by Rick on 20th Aug 2013
Blown away by the quality of this item. Unique design, nice weight, and beautifully finished. I've been getting great comments on it from the moment I put it on. Shooting is my passion and this piece of jewelry represents that.
Posted by Unknown on 30th May 2013
It has been tough for me to find something aesthetically appealing that's not effeminate or overly showy, not ridiculously expensive, but also unique, and the KillboX easily has all of those qualities. I have been buying my jewelry from high-ish end clothing retailers like Saks Fifth, John Varvatos and Neiman Marcus over the last couple of years and found myself looking for something new every 4-8 months or so, because the styles for jewelry in places like those (and everywhere else I've looked) seem to be either the same old designs redone over and over or designs just as transient as clothing trends. One of the bigger annoyances for me was seeing either the same jewelry on other dudes or jewelry like it. Like most others I'm sure, I want to be stylish without looking like every other guy on the planet. Another plus for me is that people seem to really like the story of how they're made. Even if the necklace becomes wildly more popular, I can always know that mine is unique because every gun shot is. This one's a keeper. Add to cart; you won't be disappointed!
Posted by ExperimentJon on 14th Apr 2013
My first KillboX was the .45 version. It was awesome to know that I had Derrick's signature piece and that it was made with a real bullet shot through a sheet of silver. But I ended up selling it after I got the 9mm version because to my eye, the bullet hole/pendant ratio on the .45 was a bit too high. For my personal taste, I found the 9mm hole size to be more aesthetically pleasing. With the 9mm, you have more silver on the front, which draws more attention to the hole, and you get a bit more curvature to the silver plate because the bullet impact is at a lower velocity, and drags the silver along just for a millisecond longer. For me, the 9mm version is the better KillboX.


text: New Search Back to Search Results 13377 Share Profile Jason Shou, MD Specialty Diagnostic Radiology (Board Certified) Additional Language Spoken English Medical Groups & Affiliations St. Jude Medical Center Phone (858) 546-3800 Address 13280 Evening Creek Drive South Suite 110 San Diego, CA 92128 Get Directions Primary Office Address 13280 Evening Creek Drive South Suite 110 San Diego, CA 92128 Get Directions Phone (858) 546-3800 Fax (858) 546-3900 More Information The patient rating score is based on responses and comments from Press Ganey. Responses are measured on a 10 point scale, with 10 being the best score. These scores are then translated to a 5 point scale in order to display results in a 5 Star rating. Comments are also gathered from the same survey and displayed in their entirety with the exception of any language that may be considered libel, or may contain private health information, or is unrelated to the provider being reviewed. Learn more about Press Ganey star rating calculations Meet The Doctor Specialties & Education Primary Specialties Diagnostic Radiology (Board Certified) Education & Training Medical School Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Internship Cooper Hospital University Medical Center Residency Rochester General Hospital Fellowship Rochester General Hospital Back to Search Results


text: Cone bags Wednesday, August 17, 2011 Try our Clear Cone Bags! Add one of our twist ties for a cute and easy closer! Share This Story Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Pin this Post Tags: Cone Bags, Food Newer Post Older Post ClearBags You Might Also Like 0 comments


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Waupaca County trail highlights include Hartman Creek State Park, a hike-in cabin for trail users, the Waupaca River, and some of the best examples of glacial drumlins along the trail.
Foley Rd. south of Hwy 10 has been reopened to road traffic.
The trail north of the cabin to Foley Road has now been reopened. Trail users following Foley Rd from the north should watch closely for the Carsonite post at the trail head on the top of the new road grade. As always, parking is available at the Foley Road lot to the south.
The trail segment north of Hwy 10 to Grenlie Road has been reopened. This is private property so please stay on the trail and follow the markers. Segment is closed during gun-deer season.
Additional Segment Maps
We have additional segment maps available that also have mileages:
- Waupaca River, Hartman Creek & Emmons Creek [PDF]
- Skunk & Foster Lakes, New Hope Iola Ski Hill [PDF]
Contact Us
For more information on chapter activities and/or hiking the Ice Age Trail in this region, contact our volunteer chapter coordinator:
Debbie Krogwold
715-677-4974 (home)
715-321-2254 (cell)


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Feed a giant spider and avoid being eaten. This table is alright, but it suffers from one thing: There is hardly any way to get any points unless you unlock a 'tower' by lighting up some targets first. Once you've done that, the millions suddenly begin pouring in. Since nothing outside of the tower is really worth going for, playing the table is feels fairly limited and linear.
Win big money in a casino. Play Roulette, simple card games or feed the one-armed bandit. There isn't much of a 'story' here, but the table is fun due to its well-crafted layout and the relatively clear and balanced structure points are awarded. There are no targets which are clearly better than others, allowing for varied yet successful gameplay.
My personal pick: Jailbreak, obviously. That table is probably my favourite of all the 21st Century pinball games.


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If you follow me on Instagram, this is old news. I went to California with le boyfriend and we road-tripped the coast for 10 days. We had an AMAZING time, seriously!
I'm proud about the fact that I planned every single detail of the trip using only Google Maps and Pinterest…and it turned out to be perfectly timed and fun. This is why I decided to share bits of our experience so that you can find this helpful if you ever decide to do a similar trip (which I totally recommend!)
Day 1:
-What we did: we left Montreal in the evening and arrived in LA at about 10:30pm (local time).
-Motel: we slept in a motel near the airport called "Lotus Motel LAX". We didn't really like this place since it was very old and bit dirty. It was fine for a single quick night but I would never consider staying there longer than that.
-Food: airport food, nothing special
Day 2:
-What we did: we woke up early, ate breakfast at IHOP and headed south to San Diego. We visited Old Town and a little bit of the city. The sky and the sunset were AMAZING.
-Motel: no motel for that night! We stayed at my mom's best friend (since high school!) and her family's house.
-Food: we had delicious Mexican food in Old Town!
Day 3:
-What we did: we woke up early again and left to visit Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach and Long Beach.
-Motel: Days Inn Motel. We really liked this motel, it was clean and spacious. Nothing fancy since it's still a Motel but perfect for one night. I wouldn't mind staying there longer if I had to!
-Food: we ate at Duke's Barefoot Bar in Huntington Beach and I had the Veggie Mango BBQ Burger. It was DELICIOUS!
Day 4:
-What we did: we went to Disney! Specifically, Disney California Adventure. We loved it and are already thinking about going to Orlando some day!
-Motel: we slept at Hollywood Travelodge that night and we also loved that stay. Clean, well equipped and spacious. Plus, it's located in Hollywood and very close to most touristic places.
-Food: we ate in an italian restaurant in Disney. The food was good but the price? Super expensive! If you're planing on going to disney make sure you bring your sandwich and snacks! I also had a Mickey Mouse ice cream sandwich because it was just a must.
Day 5:
-What we did: we were tourists in LA! We saw the Hollywood sign from The Griffith Observatory and from Lake Hollywood Park (the latter was even better, a lot closer!). We also went to the Walk of Fame and thought it was nothing special, there are people trying to sell you stuff everywhere and the street is just a plain normal street you can see anywhere else in the world. We also met with some friends who were also visiting the area and went together to Rodeo Drive, it was a nice walk. We wanted to go to the Getty Center but it was too far and expensive, we didn't think it was worth it.
-Motel: same as the previous night, Hollywood Travelodge!
-Food: nothing special, a random rest somewhere in Melrose Avenue.
Day 6:
-What we did: we woke up early and continued our roadtrip! We stopped at Venice Canals, Venice Beach, Santa Monica, Malibu, Santa Barbara, Lompoc, Avila Beach, Montana de Oro State Park and arrived late in the evening to San Simeon. We loved this day but if we had to re do it, we would probably do it in 2 days instead of 1. Each of our stops were of about 20 minutes each, so we didn't really have time to go in the sea or chill in the sand.
-Motel: San Breeze Inn San Simeon. It was a very nice motel, just as the previous ones. Plus, the breakfast included waffles!
-Food: we basically snacked during the entire roadtrip since we didn't want to waste time sitting at a place (I know, I know…not a good thing to do!). We ended up having a big meal when we got to San Simeon in a (rather expensive) restaurant near the motel.
Day 7:
-What we did: road-tripped and enjoyed the views very much this day. We stopped every time we saw a beautiful landscape (ever 2 minutes!). Some of the places in which we were include McWay Falls, Point Sur, Bixby Creek Bridge, Point Lobos, Carmel and arrived to Monterey in the evening. Apart from the beautiful landscapes on this day, we also enjoyed very much seeing animals in their natural habitat (like, literally just 10m away from us, happily swimming in the sea). We saw sea lions, elephant seals, whales, dolphins, otters and deers!
-Motel: that night we slept at Discovery Inn Monterey Bay, it was a very nice motel but the breakfast the next day was just sad…it was like 1/4 of a muffin and coffee.
-Food: same as the day before! (insert a embarrassed face here!)
Day 8:
-What we did: we woke up early and headed straight to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We adored the jelly fish and seeing the animals get fed. We were only there for about 3 hours and then left to San Jose. Le boyfriend's sister was visiting her boyfriend in San Jose so we did a quick stop there to have coffee with them. Later that night we arrived near San Francisco to my dad's lovely cousin's house.
-Motel: so for the rest of the trip we stayed at her house! BTW, she has grapes growing in her backyard, isn't that awesome?
-Food: my dad's cousin received us with a delicious pasta, salad and some red wine.
Day 9:
-What we did: we woke up early and took the BART to San Francisco. When we got there we met again with le boyfriend's sister and her boyfriend and rented bikes! We biked along the coast and then through the Golden Gate Bridge all the way to Sausalito. We then took a ferry back to the city and returned the bikes. We had to be at 3pm near the piers since we had scheduled a visit to Alcatraz! (If you're interested in doing that, make sure you reserve at least 1 to 2 months in advance!)
-Food: we had lunch at a decent restaurant near the piers. I don't remember the name but it was nothing super special.
Day 10:
-What we did: we visited Muir Woods to see the redwoods and sequoias! It was very nice and we enjoyed it. Later that day we visited Lombard Street which is kind of amazing itself but you don't really see the street as the pictures you see online…I mean, those pictures must have been taken from the top of a building or a helicopter.
-Food: after walking around, we decided to eat at Hard Rock Cafe. We only ordered entrees and they took ages to bring the food, therefore they gave us everything for free! So that was nice to our wallets :)
Day 11:
-What we did: we spent the entire day driving back to LA to get on a plane before midnight.
-We bought plane tickets and rented a car through Cheaptickets. We found an incredible deal and so we went for it. The bad news for us was that when we got to the place where we rented the car, they charged us a 600$ fee that they hadn't mentioned before (including things like liability and under 25-driver fee). That was unexpected but we got over it a few minutes after.
-The only thing I wish I had done on this trip is visiting Yosemite Park. But you know, I now have an excuse to go back :)


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Business Search
Children's Playland & Café Franchise - Chipmunks - $450,000 with attractive Developer incentive
- ID Ref 8013
- Suburb Coffs Harbour
- State NSW
- Status For Sale
Business DescriptionChildren's Playland & Café Franchise - Chipmunks - $450,000
Join the largest Franchised indoor children's adventure playground and cafe in Australia.
Profitable business model; a proven system, backed with experienced staff, excellent training and dedicated support.
Locations recording turnover $1-2Mill with $250,00 - $300,000 Owners Earnings
Children's Play and Party Centres - Multiple income opportunities in one Business – Pay for play, Cafe, Birthdays Parties and Functions – target age groups toddlers to 8/9 Year Olds
Great lifestyle business - Ideal family friendly hours – no late night shopping centre hours – attractive returns for Owner Operators or Multi Unit Operators to run under Management
Premium Locations available now in former Masters Hardware stores as (now Home Consortium) well as other independent homemaker locations – stores filling quickly.
80+ Chipmunks Playcentres already open across Australia, New Zealand and Asia
Turnkey Franchise with all set up and training provided. Bank Funding Available to qualified applicants.
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Register for a Full Information Pack and Extensive Financial Details – full disclosure for qualified applicants
Check out www.Chipmunks.com.au for further information
Locations available in Sydney / NSW
Chullora - Penrith - Paramatta – Gosford – Marsden Park - Menai – Harrington Park – St Mary's – Ryde - Terrey Hills
Coffs Harbour - Wollongong - Wagga Wagga - Canberra - Dubbo
Business Features / Snapshot
Your Business Broker
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- Phone: 1300 227 227
- Mobile: 0430 802 508
- Enquiry: send email
- Profile: view profile
Business Links / Tools
Business Location
Coffs Harbour, New South Wales 2450


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Sometime before the announcement of the closure of Border's Books, my youngest daughter and I spent some time there, and enjoyed a chocoholic's feast at the in-store coffee shop, Seattle's Best Coffee. Now that Border's is closed, I suppose these treats can be found at any Seattle's Best Coffee location…
Location: 811 SE 160th Avenue, Vancouver, WA
Order: Chocolate Javakula, Hot Chocolate (for my daughter) and a Chocolate Chunk Brownie (I told you this was a chocoholic's feast, didn't I?)
What I Think:
Being a lover of tea, I had ordered a chai latte before I noticed that at the register, they had the cutest samples of their Chocolate Javakula. Asking first if they had coffee in them (coffee doesn't agree with me), I was assured that there was not and I tried this heavenly chocolate drink. I changed my order after the first sip! YUM!
The Chocolate Javakula is an ice-blended drink that was perfect for this very warm afternoon. It is sweet, rich and chocolate-y; not to mention incredibly cooling because of the ice. Imagine your favorite hot chocolate turned into an ice slush! That's what this tastes like. Now imagine it topped with whipped cream and a chocolate drizzle. (commence drooling!) It was perfect liquid refreshment for this chocoholic.
My daughter had a rich, creamy hot chocolate which was also topped with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle, plus a little bite of chocolate on the side.
But of course, this wasn't enough chocolate for us… we had to go for it, and go big! We also ordered their Chocolate Chunk Brownie. They warmed it up for us, which made the huge chocolate chunks in the brownie melt slightly. It was fudge-y and gooey. It was heavenly!
My Final Thoughts:
We don't get out like that very often, but, it sure was a nice treat. I'm sad that Border's has closed… it was my favorite book store. Not just for the eats, but I love the casual atmosphere, and they had a great spot for kids there where they could browse through books to find just what they wanted. I will miss Borders!


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Everyone must stay at home to help stop the spread of coronavirus.
You should only leave the house for very limited purposes:
Important - These reasons are exceptions – even when doing these activities, you should be minimising time spent outside of the home and ensuring you are 2 metres apart from anyone outside of your household.
There is separate advice about staying at home if:
Do not leave your home if you have either:
To protect others, do not go to places like a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital. Stay at home.
Use the 111 online coronavirus service to find out what to do.
Only call 111 if you cannot get help online.
Read general information such as:
Wootton Medical Centre36-38 High StreetWoottonNorthampton, NN4 6LWTel: 01604 709922
The only number to contact the surgery is 01604 709922, any previous numbers are no longer in use.
We are offering DoctorLink at the surgery, please see below and section - Appointments & Clinics - for more details. You may be directed to this when asking for an on the day appointment.
142 patients have booked but failed to attend or cancel their appointment. In February 2020, 78 patients failed to attend or cancel their appointment at Wootton Medical Centre, please help us to help you by cancelling if you no longer need this appointment as these can then be offered to another patient. See Appointments & Clinics section for more details.
If eligible book your flu vaccine now with Reception.
The flu vaccination is free and available every year on the NHS to help protect adults and children at risk of flu and its complications. Flu can be unpleasant, but if you are otherwise healthy, it will usually clear up on its own within a week.
Each year, the viruses that are most likely to cause flu are identified in advance and the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends which type of flu virus strains to include in the virus.
This year the surgery is offering two different vaccinations, based on the latest guidance from NHS England. Fluad (new vaccine) is being given to patients 65 years and older, quadrivalent being given to those eligible aged 18 to 64 years old with a nasal spray being given to children and young people aged 2 to 17 years old.
The sole supplier of the new vaccine has already reported issues affecting delivery this coming autumn and advised of a delivery date towards the end of September, hence our delay in offering this vaccination this year.
Wootton Medical Centre have already purchased and reserved flu vaccines for all our eligible patients and appreciates your patience and support in this delay. NHS England have however, confirmed that the best time to have a flu vaccination is from the beginning of October to the end of November.
Eligible patients:
The flu vaccine is recommended yearly for those most at risk of flu. This includes:
Vaccinations at Wootton Medical Centre are available from 3rd October and these can be booked 28 days in advance (from 5th September).
How effective is the flu vaccine?
The flu vaccine is the best protection we have against an unpredicted virus that can cause unpleasant illness in children and severe illness and death among at-risk groups, including older people, pregnant women and those with an underlying medical health condition.
Studies have shown that the flu vaccine will help prevent you getting the flu. It won't stop all flu viruses and the level of protection may vary, so it's not a 100% guarantee that you'll be flu-free, but if you do get flu after vaccination it's likely to be milder and shorter-lived than it would otherwise have been.
Flu vaccine side effects:
Serious side effects of the injected flu vaccine are very rare. You may have a mild fever and aching muscles for a couple of days after the vaccine and your arm may be a bit sore where you were injected.
Side effects of the nasal spray vaccine may commonly include a runny or blocked nose, headache, tiredness and some loss of appetite.
For further details, please see https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/flu-influenza-vaccine/.
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This week is busy. For the first time in several months I have two hospital appointments in the space of a couple of days. Yesterday's appointment was the mammogram. Thirteen months have passed since the mammogram that couldn't find a 2cm lump just 2mm away from breaking through my skin. Eighteen months have elapsed since the regular mammogram that gave the initial false-negative result at the beginning of 2012. My experience means I have little faith in mammograms; I think I'm still much more likely to detect any future anomalies myself but after so much treatment I hope the eventuality never arises.
I thought I might be apprehensive about yesterday's hospital visit but I wasn't. Dispassionate might be a better description of my thoughts and feelings on the subject. I've moved beyond the pointless worrying that accompanies any form of diagnostic imaging because it's wholly futile. Things will either be OK or they won't. If they're OK I continue to live a reasonably normal life. If they're not OK I already know what happens next. The radiographer told me she couldn't see anything that looked to be of concern but the formal result will be with Miss M in a few weeks. Waiting is something else I've become accustomed to – the result will either be OK or it won't and whatever it is, I have no power to change it. This is the reality people who've been diagnosed with breast cancer live with for the rest of their lives; the carpet can be pulled from under their feet again at any point in time. The experience has altered my perception of many things, made me much clearer about how I lead my life and where I spend my time.
Tomorrow is the final blast of herceptin, the wonder drug for people with Her2 positive cancer. Prior to herceptin disease free and overall survival rates for this kind of cancer were some of the worst; few people made it beyond the 5 year follow-up period. Herceptin is a breeze for many but that hasn't been my experience and no-one can tell me how long the side effects will last or if they'll completely resolve over time. The joint pain and immobility have been of greatest concern because these side effects impinge on day-to-day life. Weight gain and the inability to lose even a pound when sticking rigidly to 1200 calories a day is frustrating. Overall though herceptin is a good thing for those whose cancers are Her2 positive, it has proven survival benefits.
There are a few remnants of what happened last year scattered throughout my body. The scars and fakery are the most obvious as well as my shorter than pixie-cut hair which is still thinner at the front than I'd like. The early menopause that has, as far as I can tell, gone through the hormone deprivation stage and all it entails leaving few after-effects except the future potential for osteoporosis. Two toes on my right foot have subungual haematomas, one is painful the other isn't, and all of my fingernails have onycholysis (detachment of the nail from the nail bed). At some point I expect all the affected nails to part company with me but for now they're hanging on. An irritable gut that now appears to have a mind of its own irrespective of what I eat, fluid retention and inflexible joints that make me move like a 90-year-old. Surviving cancer is not without consequences but surviving is still the preferred outcome.
After tomorrow I'll be in the ultimate waiting room, the one that takes 5 years to get out of. Hospital visits will be the exception rather than the norm (I hope) during that period, aside from the additional surgeries I've elected to have. Shortly the evidence of my skirmish with cancer will be barely noticeable, with luck my stamina and fitness will return to their pre-treatment levels and my clothes will fit again! Being back in the waiting room has no hold over me anymore. Life is beckoning and I don't intend to waste it on things I have little opportunity to influence.