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Foster Admits there are Artists He Can't Produce
9/9/2019 by Karen Bliss, Billboard.com
'David Foster: Off the Record' premieres at TIFF.
"My goal when I go in the studio with a singer is I believe in my head that I'm going to get a better vocal out of this singer than he or she has ever done before or ever will do again," says producer/songwriter David Foster in the new documentary, David Foster: Off The Record, directed by fellow Canadian Barry Avrich.
The film, which has its world premiere Monday (Sept. 9) at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), is mostly filled with glowing testimonials from the likes of Michael Bublé, Barbra Streisand, Josh Groban, Celine Dion, Lionel Richie, Quincy Jones and more. What it doesn't show properly is his humor or explore what he reveals in his interview with Billboard — his failures, of which he says he's had many.
Still, they haven't hurt his incredible global success. He has 16 Grammy Awards, an Emmy and Golden Globe, and has been nominated for three Oscars for best original song. His C.V. also includes soundtracks for films such as Urban Cowboy (1980), St. Elmo's Fire (1985) and The Bodyguard (1992).
In 1986, he started the David Foster Foundation to provide financial support to Canadian families with children in need of life-saving organ transplants; it has raised an astounding $30 million dollars to date and helped more than 1100 families.
David Foster: Off The Record is still locking down U.S. distribution but gets a theatrical release in Canada Oct. 16, then airs on production partner Bell Media's CTV Nov. 28 and streams on Crave Nov. 29.
Billboard sat down with Foster for an engaging conversation about a range of topics — including if he could have produced a Kurt Cobain or Bob Dylan, if he considers great art a success even if it doesn't sell, and how it feels to give up (some) control on his current project, a Broadway musical.
In the film, you've got all these amazing people saying amazing things — and you yourself saying great things about yourself — and then at the end you're like "On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays I wake up and I think that I'm the greatest thing ever. On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, I think I suck…and on Sundays, I don't think about it at all." We don't hear that until much later.
It's true. It's true. Don't you find that a common thread with successful people or not?
I mainly come across two different kinds of artists, the self-deprecating kind that will go, 'Here's my music, but…,' giving an excuse for why it's not great, or the 'how come they're signed; our music is way better.'


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This story is part of Holiday Gift Guide 2021, our list of ideas, by topic, by recipient and by price, to help you discover the perfect gift.
Apple's venerable iPad dominates the tablet scene. And while many buyers continue to zig toward an iPad, there are a few reasons why you might zag and choose an Android or Windows tablet instead. Perhaps you're looking for an affordable tablet to wrap and put under the tree this year for your kid. If you use an Android phone, getting a tablet on the same platform makes a lot of sense. And don't forget about Windows tablets, which are good fits for bridging the divide between work and home.
Here are the top tablet deals this holiday season from Amazon, Best Buy, Target and Walmart.
Best tablet deals right now
Ready to stretch your tablet-buying dollar? You'll find a number of Amazon Fire tablets deeply discounted at Amazon right now. Discounts are few and far between for Apple's iPads, but Android tablets from Lenovo and Samsung are on sale, along with Microsoft's Surface Pro tablets.
Fire HD 8: $55
Save $35
César Salza/CNET
Normally $90, Amazon's Fire HD 8 is selling for only $55 at Amazon right now. That doesn't quite match the lowest price we've seen for it when it was half off for Black Friday, but that's still a great price. The 8-inch tablet was updated in 2020 with a faster processor, USB-C charging, better Wi-Fi performance, 2GB of RAM (up from 1.5GB) and a bump from 16GB to 32GB of storage in the base model. Its HD screen is sharper than the entry-level Fire 7, but it's still not nearly as sharp as iPad displays. The HD 8 Plus adds wireless charging and slightly better performance, thanks to 3GB of RAM.
Read our Amazon Fire HD 8 (2020) review.
$55 at Amazon
Fire HD 8 Plus: $65
Save $45
David Carnoy/CNET
The Fire HD 8 Plus adds wireless charging and more RAM (3GB instead of 2GB), with performance that improves on the standard Fire HD 8. It should charge just fine on most wireless charging pads and is currently $45 off.
Read our Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus review.
$65 at Amazon
Fire HD 10: $100
Save $50
David Carnoy/CNET
Amazon's Fire HD 10 is the biggest and most powerful tablet that the company offers, and it recently got better. The 2021 revision launched in April with more RAM, a 10% brighter screen and a slightly updated design. Like its 2019 predecessor, the new HD 10 starts at $150 but is currently selling for $100.
The Fire HD 10 comes packed with benefits for Prime subscribers, making it easy for members to stream and download movies, TV shows and games. The Fire tablets don't use a pure version of Android: Instead, they use Amazon's Android-based Fire operating system, pulling apps from the Amazon App Store. You can still get apps from Google Play, even though you'll have to install the store yourself — meaning gaming enthusiasts have access to all of their favorite mobile games for an excellent gaming tablet experience.
$100 at Amazon
Fire HD 8 Kids Edition: $90
Save $50
Sarah Tew/CNET
The Fire HD Kids Edition is a child-friendly version of the Fire HD 8 tablet that adds a padded case, parental controls, a two-year warranty and a one-year subscription to Kids Plus (formerly known as FreeTime Unlimited) — which normally costs $3 a month and gives you access to a bunch of kid-friendly content. It's not really suitable for remote learning, but it's a much more affordable option than giving a young child a full-on iPad, especially at its current discounted price.
$90 at Amazon
Samsung Galaxy Tab S7: $499
Save $151
Juan Garzon/CNET
Samsung's premium 11-inch tablet is currently discounted by $151 at Amazon. It can operate as a high-powered Android tablet or can act more like a PC in DeX mode — a boon for both getting work done and gaming. The discount applies only to the 128GB model in black, and the keyboard cover is sold separately.
Read our Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 review.
$499 at Amazon
Lenovo Tab P11 Pro: $443
Save $56
Lenovo's premium Android tablet boasts an 11.5-inch OLED display. Its aluminum-alloy body packs in four JBL speakers optimized for Dolby Atmos sound. Inside, you get a Qualcomm SnapDragon 730G that's made for enhanced gaming performance compared to the standard 730 chip. Like the Samsung tablet above, you'll need to buy the keyboard separately for the Tab P11 Pro.
$443 at Walmart
Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite: $120
Save $30
At its discounted price, this budget Android tablet is a good pick as an affordable entertainment tablet for kids. It features a small (read: kid-friendly) 8.7-inch display with a 1,340×800-pixel resolution protected by a sturdy, metal (read: kid-resistant) enclosure. Note the keyboard case is not included.
$120 at Target
Microsoft Surface Pro 7: $680
Save $219
It's a generation behind the Surface Pro 8 that arrived alongside Windows 11 last month, but the Surface Pro 7 remains a stellar two-in-one tablet. This Surface Pro 7 model is $199 off at Amazon and runs on a 10th-gen Core i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. The 12.3-inch touchscreen has a crisp 2,736×1,824-pixel resolution. This discounted model does not include the clip-on keyboard.
Read our Microsoft Surface Pro 7 review.
$680 at Amazon
Apple iPad Pro (11-inch, 128GB): $749
Save $50
Scott Stein/CNET
The latest 11-inch iPad Pro features Apple's M1 chip and comes with storage capacities ranging from 128GB to 2TB. The baseline 128GB model costs $799 and is currently $50 off at Amazon. Read our iPad Pro 2021 review.
$749 at Amazon
Expired deals we expect to return
We will be keeping an eye out for Amazon's $50 discount on the iPad Air to return as well as its $100 discount on Microsoft's latest Surface Pro tablet.
Apple iPad Air: Was $549, now $600
Save up to $50
Karisa Langlo/CNET
Apple's 10.9-inch iPad Air with 64GB of storage can frequently be found for $50 off at Amazon. The discount is not on offer right now but could return soon.
Read our iPad Air review.
$600 at Amazon
Microsoft Surface Pro 8: was $1,100, now $1,200
Save up to $100
Dan Ackerman/CNET
Microsoft released the latest version of its flagship two-in-one tablet when it launched Windows 11 last month. It boasts a larger, 13-inch display from the Surface Pro 7 and a slimmer pen while adding a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports. Inside, this model features an 11th-gen Core i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. Annoyingly, the clip-on keyboard costs extra. The $100 discount we saw last month is gone but could return in time for Christmas.
Read our Microsoft Surface Pro 8 review.
$1,024 at Amazon
$1,078 at Best Buy
$1,200 at Target
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subset: commoncrawl


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If you love your best friends and enjoy telling them loving words, you will definitely love these best friends quotes. The following quotes have conveyed beautifully the role of friends in our lives.
With our friends, we experience the best and the worst. And thanks to them, all of them become beautiful and memorable because we have their friendship.
So, let's cherish our life companions with these beautiful best friends texts, and spend a moment to thank each of them for their existence in our life.
Favorite best friend quotes
- "A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out." – Walter Winchell
- "Some people go to priests. Others to poetry. I to my friends." – Virginia Woolf
- "Anything is possible when you have the right people there to support you." – Misty Copeland
- "True friends are like diamonds — bright, beautiful, valuable, and always in style." – Nicole Richie
- "A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same." – Elbert Hubbard
- "A single rose can be my garden… a single friend, my world." – Leo Buscaglia
- "In my friend, I find a second self." – Isabel Norton
- "True friends are those rare people who come to find you in dark places and lead you back to the light."
- "Real friendship, like real poetry, is extremely rare and precious as a pearl." – Tahar Ben Jelloun
- "A good friend is like a four-leaf clover; hard to find and lucky to have." – Irish Proverb
"A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out." – Walter Winchell
During our life journey, we will come across many people from all walks of life. We can have fun and chat with most of them, but not many people will stay with you when things get hard.
We all know life will have its ebb and flow, and bests friends are the ones who stay through it all.
This best friend quote with no metaphorical image has directly conveyed the value of true friends.
"Some people go to priests. Others to poetry. I to my friends." – Virginia Woolf
Best friends are ones who we can confess our sins, celebrate our victory, and share our most intimate things in life. You don't have to go to priests or to depend on poems to feel better. Just find your friends!
This quote of the notable English writer Virginia Woolf has expressed exactly what best friends are for.
"Anything is possible when you have the right people there to support you." – Misty Copeland
It is true indeed when you have someone who is there for you. A best friend is who we come to when we need support.
With all the empathy and compassion, they listen to all of our troubles, give a hand to lift us up. And from there, we rise from the dark.
This is a quotable saying from Misty Copeland – a famous ballerina who has gone through all the challenges of a ballet dancer and become the first African American woman to be promoted to principal dancer in ABT's 75-year history.
And one of her secrets is, the right people to help her make everything possible.
"True friends are like diamonds — bright, beautiful, valuable, and always in style." – Nicole Richie
When we are with the right people, we'll always feel right. They are the source of joy, the space to turn to when things get hard.
And when we are with them, everything becomes easier. That's the reason why Nicole Richie – a television personality called her true friend diamonds. Because they are rare, take time to form, and definitely one of a kind.
"A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same." – Elbert Hubbard
We may encounter many people in life, but having a friend who will go with us through time requires a healthy and mutually balanced friendship.
It is when you two share the same spiritual space, the same outlook on life, and love to share things with each other. That's how we have our friends through ups and downs.
This quote encourages us to build a friendship where we have mutual respect, trust, and understanding. But remember that a friendship is not the same as a friendzone.
"A single rose can be my garden… a single friend, my world." – Leo Buscaglia
A rose in a field of green grass, a splash of red pop against a green background. Just as that, a real friend can really turn our life from dark, grey loneliness into a bright and colorful picture.
With that understanding, Leo Buscaglia had studied love between humans and spread it throughout his life. His words have inspired many people around the world and surely, this quote has planted a rose in our garden.
- "When the world is so complicated, the simple gift of friendship is within all of our hands." – Maria Shriver
- "Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you; spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life." – Amy Poehler
- "You find out who your real friends are when you're involved in a scandal." – Elizabeth Taylor
- "Friendship is a wildly underrated medication." – Anna Deavere Smith
"In my friend, I find a second self." – Isabel Norton
Real friends who we trust are ones we feel connected with. When we first meet somebody, the things that draw us to them are how we align.
And as your friendship grows, you together create a mutual space where you see yourself in one another. That is how we keep our relationship healthy, our life balanced and fulfilled.
- "Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend." – Albert Camus
- "If you live to be a hundred, I hope I live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you." – Winnie the Pooh
- "Friendship's the wine of life." – Edward Young
- "In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit." – Albert Schweitzer
"True friends are those rare people who come to find you in dark places and lead you back to the light."
The only time to know who is your true friend and who is the opportunity seeker is when you face hardship in life.
Those who are willing to dive in the dark – where you are at with all the bruising and swelling are your true friends. The ones who have such courage to do so for you, are limited edition.
- "The greatest gift in life is the gift of friendship, and I have received it; the greatest healing therapy is friendship." – Hubert Humphrey
- "Never leave a friend behind. Friends are all we have to get us through this life—and they are the only things from this world that we could hope to see in the next." – Dean Koontz
- "Your friends will know you better in the first minute you meet than your acquaintances will know you in a thousand years." – Richard Bach
- "And what is a friend? More than a father, more than a brother: a traveling companion, with him, you can conquer the impossible, even if you must lose it later. Friendship marks a life even more deeply than love. Love risks degenerating into obsession, friendship is never anything but sharing." – Elie Wiesel
"Real friendship, like real poetry, is extremely rare — and precious as a pearl." – Tahar Ben Jelloun
When reading poetry, we hardly find poems that deeply connect to our souls and have the ability to move us. The same thing happens with our friends.
We may meet and make acquaintances with many people in life, but those who have the ability to understand us, to accept who we are, and to have the ability to speak to our hearts are extremely rare. So, cherish them if you have met one such person, they're so rare!
- "A good friend is a connection to life — a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world." – Lois Wyse
- "Don't make friends who are comfortable to be with. Make friends who will force you to lever yourself up." – Thomas J. Watson
- "Best friend: the one that you can be mad at only for a short period of time because you have important stuff to tell them." –
- "A true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be going down." – Arnold H. Glasgow
"A good friend is like a four-leaf clover; hard to find and lucky to have"
The most difficult thing in life for us as a human might be loneliness. On our journey looking for happiness, it is also the journey to find the right people to be with.
With the right people in your life, things become easier and you will find life beautiful and worth living as it is. And is this a kind of luckiness we are all craving in life?
Friends have an important role in our lives and without them, our lives are just colorless canvases, unlively and dull. It is not easy to build and nurture a harmonious relationship throughout our lives, because it requires time, attention, and compassion.
However, it is worthwhile and, in the end, all we need are friends who stay and be there for us.
- "Things are never quite as scary when you've got a best friend." – Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes
- "Real friendship is when your friend comes over to your house and then you both just take a nap."
- "Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one."
- "One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives." – Euripides
Check out more best friend quotes
- "Friendship marks a life even more deeply than love. Love risks degenerating into obsession, friendship is never anything but sharing." – Elie Wiesel
- "Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It's not something you learn in school. But if you haven't learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven't learned anything." – Muhammad Ali
- "Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down." – Oprah Winfrey
- "There are three things that grow more precious with age; old wood to burn, old books to read, and old friends to enjoy." – Henry Ford
- "The love that comes from friendship is the underlying facet of a happy life." – Chelsea Handler
- "The only way to have a friend is to be one." – Ralph Waldo Emerson
- "For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone." – Audrey Hepburn
- "One's friends are that part of the human race with which one can be human." – George Santayana
- "I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen." – Ernest Hemingway
- "Growing apart doesn't change the fact that for a long time we grew side by side; our roots will always be tangled. I'm glad for that." – Ally Condie
- "There's not a word yet for old friends who've just met." – Jim Henson
- "Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It's not something you learn in school. But if you haven't learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven't learned anything." – Muhammad Ali
Final thought
These beautiful quotes about friendship from great people around the world have told us about the value of friends in life. Take one of these best friends quotes and send it to your beloved ones, it will surely make their day!
You may also like these posts:
Favorite Good Morning Quotes For Friends
50+ Awesome Traveling With Friends Quotes
- "A friend is one who overlooks your broken fence and admires the flowers in your garden." –
- "Friendship isn't about who you've known the longest. It's about who walked into your life, said, "I'm here for you", and proved it." –
- "One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood." – Lucius Annaeus Seneca
- "If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together… there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart… I'll always be with you." – Winnie the Pooh
- "That's when I realized what a true friend was. Someone who would always love you – the imperfect you, the confused you, the wrong you – because that is what people are supposed to do." – R. J. L.
- "The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing… not healing, not curing… that is a friend who cares." – Henri Nouwen
- "Friendship is the source of the greatest pleasures, and without friends even the most agreeable pursuits become tedious." – Thomas Aquinas
- "Every friendship goes through ups and downs. Dysfunctional patterns set in; external situations cause internal friction; you grow apart and then bounce back together." – Mariella Frostrup
- "Friendship is a strong and habitual inclination in two persons to promote the good and happiness of one another." – Eustace Budgell.


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Utopia refers to nowhere, or to the ideal fantasy place; it is a word used by many wise men and philosophers as a description of their perceptions of a world they dream of, or the world that they think should be, because, in their view, it is the ideal world that human society must continue, so thereby be full and proper, one to reach and be throughout history.
Many of these concepts emerged, most notably in the work "The Republic" by Plato", in Aristotle's "Politics", then the book by Al-Farabi "The Views of the People of the Utopia", the "Book of The City of God" by Saint Augustine; then John Milton's "Paradise Lost", "The City of the Sun" by Tommaso Campanella, and "Utopia" by Thomas More.
The importance of these works is not only that they are literary works, as some might imagine, but because they are the complete philosophical, social, political, and economic visions of their authors, ones which revolve in the orbit of what an ideal society should be, as well as its systems, government, and a way of life in detail; they are the writer's artistic, moral, political, social, and economic system, customs, traditions, and other activities in social life. Nonetheless, all of these 'YouTubes' have not been able to materialize, and, fundamentally in the meantime, it has not been possible to make them.
Today, in the digital world, we observe the emissions of some of those philosophical visions and utopian concepts of the Muse of philosophers, those that stand out on the surface in a conflict with the concepts and values of evil, and what is interesting is that all of this happens within a purely economic cover.
Perhaps more clarity is needed: the utopian features of the digital world are reflected in those practices, initiatives and activities in all areas, whose aim is to promote society, whether scientific, humanitarian, or ethical, through the dissemination of contributions that benefit and promote society.
As well as in the virtual honouring of influential and creative figures in society; as well as in attempts to spread tranquillity by promoting a culture of love, tolerance, and peace among people, and so on, and in what we see every day in this digital world, the tools, means and vessels through which these practices are carried out to promote societies, both scientifically and creatively, are commercial tools and means, which are exploited freely and are widely accepted in social circles, and have a public advantage to exercise in return their advertising-based economic investments for companies and institutions of all kinds, forms and sizes, and works to promote their products through these tools and digital means, so the popularity advocated by Utopia and its prosperity, becomes conditional on these economies, and the existence of these digital means.
The effectiveness of the digital world is only a reflection of reality and social, political, and economic life, in which the impure, the innocent and the criminal are mixed with the bad, the good with the malicious, the good with evil, and the more flexible individuals who can achieve in this event.
To the extent that the effectiveness of the digital world eliminates the hierarchy of society, the centralities and barriers that characterize real-life – social life; to the more that it affects a society free of class diseases that have prevailed so much in past times, this society is no different from the old perceptions of utopia, which have only been attained in meaning. And to talk the rest.
Author : Manahel Thabet
Published February 05, 2021
Al Bayan Newspaper


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Project Management Kick-off Meeting Template
Project Management Kick-off Meeting Template
Before the meeting: pre-work
Kick-off meeting template
Project Management Kick-off Meeting Template
Project Management Kick-off Meeting Template
Get your project off to a good start from pre-work to action items with this comprehensive project kick-off meeting template.
Get your project off to a good start from pre-work to action items with this comprehensive project kick-off meeting template.
Laila Robinson
This template was built with Coda, the all-in-one doc that brings words, data, and teams together. Play with the template below or copy the doc to save your edits.
Contact us
Copy this doc
Add topic
Clear agenda topics
Topic to discuss
Topic to discuss
Launch video asset timeline
What blockers can we tackle this week?
How easily can we shift promotional efforts if we need to go with plan B?
There are no rows in this table
Love'em or hate'em, meetings are a big part of project management. A lot of times you can sit there thinking, "This could have been an email," and you'd be right. They probably didn't need to align the schedules of six different people for
yet another meeting
But there are some meetings and brainstorming sessions that you just can't avoid, especially as a project manager. Sitting pretty close to the top of the list is the project kick-off meeting.
This meeting is a critical part of starting (and running a project). It helps your project team understand what they're doing, why they're doing it, and what the desired outcome should be. Not having a project management kick-off meeting would be like trying to win
The Amazing Race
without a map (trying to simply walk into Mordor). You might get there, but it'll take you longer and you'll struggle the entire way.
Of course, we want to try and make your life easier, so we put together a project management kick-off meeting template to help you along.
What is a project kick-off meeting template?
A project kick-off meeting template is a project management template that helps you navigate all the important details of a new project in the kick-off meeting. It gives you a guide to follow, so you don't miss anything critical when you're planning your project.
These templates give you a clear path to follow as you set up your next project, ensure that you don't forget anyone or any of the key tasks, and also act as a way to support teamwork and bring team members together to make sure any questions are answered.
Key elements of a project kick-off meeting agenda
Since the whole point of the kick-off meeting is to cover all the important details of your project, the agenda for this meeting should be to cover all the important details of your project. This includes things like deliverables, project schedule, milestones, who's responsible for what, and what your budget looks like. Don't be afraid to include as much information as you need about the project. Those people who've worked with you before may not need to hear it, but if you've got anyone on your team who is either new to the company or at least new to working with you, they're going to appreciate the extra detail (in fact, it might save you a world of trouble down the road).
Ultimately, what you end up with is pretty similar to a
project plan
, only in meeting format (you can create a physical plan using
this template
Project background and project purpose
It can help to provide context on why you're doing a project and what the point of it is. This is a good way to help people who are sitting there and wondering, "Why I am here for this?" because the explanation often provides that information. You should also include information about the key stakeholders for the project.
If you're not sure what to include here, we've got a project summary template that can help you capture all the information you need to get started (you can find it
Statement of work
The statement of work is a document that defines the key points of a project. These key points are things like project scope, timelines, deliverables, budget, and any other relevant information about the actual work that needs to be done. The goal of the statement of work is to make sure that everyone is on the same page and that people have a reference guide to follow and refer back to should they have any questions.
Since we never miss an opportunity to use a template, we've got just the thing to help make sure that you include everything you need to in the statement of it (check it out
Scope of the project
The scope of a project is basically everything that needs to be done for a project, as agreed upon by those running the project (usually the project manager and the client). One of the main reasons for having this clearly outlined is to prevent projects from growing too far beyond what was originally agreed upon (the dreaded scope creep). It's fine to adapt the scope of a project (
this doc
can help with that), but you don't want things to get out of hand and the scope helps with that.
To help properly define the scope of a project, try
this project scoping template
Project milestones and deliverables
What are the important moments in the project and what do the project deliverables look like at each step? These need to be as crystal clear as possible to avoid confusion and missed deadlines. If you can include who's responsible for the various deliverables at each milestone, even better. As always, provide more information in the project kick-off template than you think is necessary because it eliminates the risk of issues when you're mid-project.
And, if you need a template to help define the key milestones, we can help (it's right
Project timeline and action items
Similar to milestones and deliverables, the timeline and action items helps the team get a clear understanding of what the workflow should look like for the project. The difference between the two, though, is that this is a more high-level look at everything. It contains specific points and action items, but it goes beyond the milestones to include everything.
Roles and responsibilities
In the meeting, be sure to outline project roles so that everyone knows who's responsible for what. Again, it's important to be clear here, so you don't have people waiting on someone else to complete a task they're responsible for. You should take this one step further in the meeting and highlight the first few steps for each person on your team to really eliminate the confusion. Even if someone isn't involved until the first two milestones have been met, say that out loud so that everyone is on the same page (and confirm it by writing it down in the project kick-off template).
List of collaboration and project management tools
This list likely isn't going to change much from project to project, but you need to include it anyway. The last thing you want is for someone to spend even a small amount of time working with the wrong tools (say they're using Illustrator when they should be using Figma, they're trying to ask questions in Slack when you're using Microsoft Teams, or they are using Google Docs when they can rely on Coda). It can also help to list who's supposed to be using which tools in the document to really avoid confusion.
👉 Get started with this project management kick-off meeting template.
Copy this template
After you copy this template, you can start utilizing this free project management kick-off meeting template for your projects and business.
Start on the right foot with Coda's project kick-off meeting template doc
Step 1: Send pre-work to meeting attendees
To ensure meeting attendees come to the project kick-off meeting prepared, they should go through the
Before the meeting: pre-work
page. After you copy and share this project kick-off template with your teammates, direct them to this page in the template. You should add any pre-reading material (documents, presentations, designs) in the
Pre-read material
table. Send out the pre-work a day or week before the actual date of the kick-off meeting.
Meeting attendees can also add potential agenda topics to the
Agenda topics
table. As your teammates add agenda items, other people can upvote their favorite topics so that when the project kick-off meeting occurs, only the most important topics are discussed.
Step 2: Conduct the kick-off meeting
Kick-off meeting template
contains all the main parts of the meeting you should go through sequentially. The meeting starts with a "pulse check" to get everyone's sentiment about the project. The meeting leader or project manager then goes through the main aspects of the project and the project timeline. The fourth header on the template is all the extra agenda topics that meeting attendees upvoted in the
Before the meeting: pre-work
page. It's important to save time for these extra agenda topics as these are questions and issues the team has about the project ranked by importance.
Step 3: Follow up on action items
As the meeting progresses, you can add action items to the
Action items
table on the
Kick-off meeting template
page. After the meeting, you can send out project kick-off template and direct meeting attendees to the
Action items
table to follow up on action items.
The last part of the
Kick-off meeting template
is an open-ended Q&A. These are questions that popped up during the kick-off meeting that were not addressed during the meeting and weren't brought up during the extra agenda topics.
Project kick-off meeting template FAQs
What is a project kick-off meeting?
A project kick-off meeting is the first meeting you have about a project with as much of the team present as possible. The point is to set expectations and discuss the project, the deliverables, the timelines, stakeholders, desired outcomes, and all that fun stuff. This meeting is important because it brings everyone together to ask questions, understand their role in the project, and learn what project success looks like.
What are the benefits of a project kick-off meeting?
The big benefit here is that it makes sure that everyone is on the same page. The last thing you need in a project is people wandering off in different directions and doing the project as they think it should be done. Without these meetings, you'll probably run a successful project (especially if you have a project plan), but you increase the chances of something going wrong.
Kick-off meetings remove any doubt from your team's minds about their role in the project, help reduce confusion, and give people a chance to say "Hi" to each other before going off to do their work.
What should be included in a project kick-off meeting?
We've touched on this a little bit already, but you want to include as much information about the project as you have. Ideally, you don't want there to be any unanswered questions at the end of the meeting. Start with an icebreaker to help everyone relax, then get into the project details.
Be sure to include:
The project goal and other key project objectives
Timeline and due dates
Roles and responsibilities
You should leave time to answer questions from the team and have a designated meeting note taker to make sure you capture everything that was said at the meeting.
How do you lead a project kick-off meeting?
Walk through the project kick-off template thoroughly. It might seem like a boring way to run a meeting, but you have to be careful you don't miss anything. There are a lot of little details that can be missed if you don't run a thorough meeting. If you work with a certain team enough, you'll probably find that you don't have to include some details. But, for the most part, you should cover everything related to the project.
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Weather is fine and I did not go to work today. I went to return the faulty disk and then went to Baya. Woke her up. Sort of. We ended up getting up at two o`clock in the afternoon. Very sporty, indeed.
Going to the theather tonight, to see the movie. THE movie. I`ve been seriously disappointed with the second part and I guess the new trilogy does not have the same effect on me than the old ones. Guess I am getting old. However, it will be fun to see the "old friends" again, who were kind enough to buy an extra ticket for me but forgot to tell me that in advance. Ah ya. Still, everything came out pretty well in the end. And I guess this blog will be richer with another movie review by the end of the day. Thanks to Baya.
The slovenian candidate in Eurosong was sent home. No surprise there. As Michael remarked, "It's quite interesting to note that despite being such a homogenous society, Slovenia has sent a wide variety of representatives, from transvestites to blondes to the mentally handicapped. It's definitely to the country's credit." The thing is, I am certain that our country will never win the Eurosong competition. Let me back that up. First of all, our country does not know what eurosong is all about. They think it`s about meaningful lyrics. In reality, eurosong could be renamed into a "political tits show". Quite literaly. Second of all, nobody knows where Slovenia is. Seriously. People are probably going "hm! Slovakia had two contestants. Fire the dentist! Third, our english pronunciation sucks. And nobody understands a word of Slovene. And fourth, nobody wants Slovenia to win, because Slovenia has not got the capacities to stage the Eurosong.
However, I think that since we have no chance in hell of winning it, we should boycot it. We should send some schmuck who would then tell everybody to fuck off and to kiss his/her ass. I mean seriously…what are they going to do? Send him home? Like Omar and everybody else? And it would be cost effective too. No Ema, no expensive calls, we`d just go "Send in the schmuck!" and everything would be taken care of. And people would have fun too. How many times did a person on television told the viewers to go fuck themselves? Name three if u can. And another thing…did they really think they are going to get anywhere with the song which has "la la la" written in the official lyrics? I mean…come fucking on! La la la??? And for fucks sake…why on earth do they keep hiring the same person to write the eurosong lyrics??? How many cocks did she had to blow to get that honour? And what will it take to get some real deal songwriter into the equation? Someone who understands that Eurosong is not about "la la la"?
The rest is silence.
Oh, just this…my choice beside the schmuck? Magnifico and Silvija.


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A big thank you to Marcia for originating Mailbox Monday. In this weekly meme you share books which came into your home during the week. Here are the books I picked up this week: Tying the Knot by E.C. Bell – Marie Jenner just wants a Vegas holiday.When psychic Crystal Demoines tells James Lavall that… Continue reading Mailbox Monday – April 19th
Tag: Kevin Hearne
Ink & Sigil by Kevin Hearne
Title: Ink & SigilAuthor: Kevin HearnePublisher: Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine Del Ray BooksSource: NetGalley in exchange for an honest review Al MacBharrais is both blessed and cursed. He is blessed with an extraordinary white moustache, an appreciation for craft cocktails—and a most unique magical talent. He can cast spells with magically enchanted ink… Continue reading Ink & Sigil by Kevin Hearne
Ink & Sigil by Kevin Hearne
New York Times bestselling author Kevin Hearne returns to the world of his beloved Iron Druid Chronicles in a spin-off series about an eccentric master of rare magic solving an uncanny mystery in Scotland. "Ink & Sigil is escape reading, and I loved every word.â€â€"Charlaine Harris, New York Times bestselling author of A Longer Fall Al MacBharrais is both blessed… Continue reading Ink & Sigil by Kevin Hearne


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The RR Youth crew went live today with our friends from XR Youth Solidarity and chatted our stuff about the need for Radical Youth Identity! We talked education, intergenerational conflict, challenges and more - have and watch and let us know what you think in the comments here on on Youtube - enjoy!
We are super excited about bringing this project to the world and encourage you to explore the site and get involved!
Radical Restart Crew!


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Prior to last night's episode of RAW, WWE taped matches for this week's edition of Main Event.
Featured below are quick-match spoiler results of the pair of matches that were taped inside the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio last night.
* The Revival def. Titus Worldwide in tag-team action to kick off the evening inside the Quicken Loans Arena. The crowd was pretty hot for this match.
* Kalisto, Lince Dorado & Gran Metalik def. Ariya Daivari, Tony Nese & Jack Gallagher in six man tag-team action. This match was fast-paced and featured some high spots that got the fans out of their seats and warmed up for the RAW taping that followed.


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The Houston City Council on Wednesday approved a pension reform plan for the city's three pension funds, said a spokeswoman for the mayor's office in an e-mail.
The plan, proposed by Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner in September and agreed upon by all three pension funds on Monday, includes benefit reductions in the three pension funds that would reduce total liabilities by $2.5 billion. The benefit changes include scaled back cost-of-living adjustments, higher employee contributions and phasing out the deferred retirement option plan.
The pension reform package also adopts a 30-year closed amortization schedule to pay off the remaining $5.3 billion in unfunded liabilities across the $3.8 billion Houston Firefighters' Relief and Retirement Fund, $4.6 billion Houston Police Officers' Pension System and $2.5 billion Houston Municipal Employees Pension System, and calls for the issuance of $1 billion in pension obligation bonds ($750 million for police officers' plan and $250 million for the municipal employees' plan) to further reduce liabilities.
The plan further requires Houston to make the full annual required contributions to all three pension funds, introduces a cost management mechanism to control rising future costs, and reduces the pension funds' assumed rates of return to 7% from the current rates, which range between 8% and 8.5%.
The plan still requires state legislative approval. Bills for the 2017 legislative session can be filed starting in mid-November.


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Notes on a geological reconnaissance of Mt. Anne and the Weld River valley, south-western Tasmania
lewis-geologica...pdf | Download (2MB) Available under University of Tasmania Standard License. |
Major L. F. Giblin, D.S.O.. and Mr. A. V. Giblin during
the Christmas holidays of 1920, 1921, and 1922, organised
and led three successive trips into the little-known country
that surrounds Mt. Anne. The parties met with considerable
difficulties, and most of the available time was used up
in the endeavour to reach Mt. Anne, so the opportunities
for an investiqation of geology were few, but these fragmentary notes may be of assistance to future investigators.
The area reviewed in this paper extends from the
vicinity of Fitzgerald on the Russell Falls River on the
north, to the junction of the Huon and Weld rivers, on the
south. These points are approximately the end of cultivation
in this part of Tasmania. The area is bounded on
the west by the Huon River.
Item Type: | Article |
Authors/Creators: | Lewis, Arndell Neil |
Keywords: | Royal Society of Tasmania, Van Diemens Land, VDL, Hobart Town, natural sciences, proceedings, records, Weld River valley, geology |
Journal or Publication Title: | Papers & Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania |
Collections: | Royal Society Collection > Papers & Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania |
Additional Information: | In 1843 the Horticultural and Botanical Society of Van Diemen's Land was founded and became the Royal Society of Van Diemen's Land for Horticulture, Botany, and the Advancement of Science in 1844. In 1855 its name changed to Royal Society of Tasmania for Horticulture, Botany, and the Advancement of Science. In 1911 the name was shortened to Royal Society of Tasmania. |
Item Statistics: | View statistics for this item |
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What comes to mind when you think about employee benefits? Perks such as paid gym memberships, discounts on healthy food, mental health days, commuter assistance programs… and sustainability initiatives? Companies taking their role seriously in climate change are also taking their first steps in engaging one of their greatest assets (and critics) when it comes to sustainability - their employees.
We've been (rightly) so caught up in the planetary need for sustainability that we've typically missed the potential for sustainability as a tool to attract and retain some of the world's top talent. So how do employees feel about sustainability as a workplace benefit?
Employees want to work for planet-friendly companies
Studies show that working for a planet-friendly company or organisation is incredibly important to the majority of employees! Sustainability has been on employees' minds for a few years, but the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated 'climate-conscious' attitudes. In a recent study of 14,000 people in nine countries by IBM Institute for Business Value, 9 out of 10 consumers said that news coverage of the pandemic affected their views on environmental sustainability more than weather-related events.
Sustainability-minded views are now playing in the workplace. 71% of employees and people seeking employment in the same IBM survey stated that environmentally sustainable companies are more attractive employers. Moreover, over 2/3 of the potential workforce are more likely to apply and accept jobs with environmentally sustainable companies, with about half of them even going as far as being open to taking a pay cut for a job with an environmentally sustainable company!
Workplace sustainability boosts engagement and company reputation
Sustainability benefits (which we classify as sustainability engagement activities, environmentally friendly perks, learning and action portals), and a strong corporate sustainability plan isn't just a positive for prospective employees. There's a strong business case that can be made here too.
Just as having a competitive benefits plan helps employees feel connected to their workplace and boosts retention, a company with a clear sustainability plan reaps the same benefits. In a recent HP Workforce survey, 40% of responders said that they would look for new jobs if their current workplace did not engage in sustainable business practices and 39% said they would warn others of their companies' poor sustainability practices.
Taking on tangible sustainability goals has been shown to provide workers with a sense of community, a collective 'we can make a difference' attitude which in turn boosts worker engagement. People want their employer to reflect their personal values and for their workplace to be an expression of their values when it comes to climate action and sustainability.
Plus, sustainability measures mean reduced costs
Another bonus that comes with taking on climate action as a workplace is reduced costs or even profits! Cutting waste, reducing unnecessary travel, or boosting supply chain efficiency is generally linked to cost savings. Marks and Spencer famously reported that their Plan A sustainability program had a net benefit of £160 million in 2014 through 2015.
Indiana University's School of Public & Environmental Affairs studied manufacturing companies who underwent processes to make their businesses more sustainable - unsurprisingly perhaps, they found that in most cases, sustainable changes were associated with reduced costs. One company in the study reported almost $200 million in savings thanks to the new energy-efficient initiatives they had undertaken.
Where should your company start?
Research shows that aside from sustainability benefits for the planet, companies that choose to take on sustainability or climate action initiatives generally have overwhelmingly positive results themselves, including reduced costs, happier employees, and a better reputation. So where or how should a company or an organisation begin to implement sustainability initiatives?
Start with small, tangible goals: Even a little change makes a big difference! Consumers and employees are getting smarter at telling when nebulous, unachievable goals have been set to give off a good impression rather than effect real and immediate change.
Involve your employees in the process: This is the time to have everyone on board and contributing ideas. Having your employees understand how your company works and how they can use their voice to change it for the better will lead to good ideas you might not have considered otherwise! For those companies wanting to go one step further, Capture for Teams is a great platform to get your employees involved in sustainability challenges and CO2 tracking.
Have regular and public check-ins: Have your company report and update your goals every quarter, invite comments and collaboration across your industry if you can. People like to see the changes and it can be a great benchmark to show stakeholders, employees, and prospective employees that what your company or organisation is doing really is making a difference.
Looking for a simple tool to help you mobilise a sustainable workforce? We know there's a huge amount of work on the plates of those in sustainability - and we want to help make engaging a planet-friendly community a walk in the park. Learn more about Capture Teams and join the conversation via our LinkedIn.


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Earlier this year I licensed a few of my photos to be used in this TV show. I finally got word that it will be airing this Sunday (June 17) on H2 (History 2) at 10:00pm ET. It looks like it will be on here in Grand Junction at 8pm (mountain time). Unfortunately I do not get the H2 channel, but they are supposed to be sending me a copy of the show on DVD.
Keep an eye out for these images if you watch it.
Vicious Snake by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Behold! The Comet by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
Yellow Comet Panel by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr


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Those little marshmallow chicks that appear every year before Easter are peeps, while the complex optical sensors in your head are known as peepers. Just in case there's any doubt, it's the peepers that need protection and care, especially when you're at work.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology estimates that 90 percent of workplace eye injuries could be prevented by having workers wear eye protection. The group said that as many as 2,000 workers per day suffer on-the-job eye injuries that require medical attention.
The AAO said that about 40 percent of those at-work eye injuries are sustained by workers in construction, manufacturing and mining. It adds that the injuries come at a steep financial price: more than $300 million annually in worker pay, treatment costs and lost production.
An ophthalmologist and clinical spokesperson for AAO said there are several simple precautions workers and employers can take to reduce the risks of eye injuries, including "simply adjusting the setting on your computer monitor or wearing appropriate protection."
The organization urges workers to consider the following eye safety tips:
For those who suffer an on-the-job injury, life can become even more complicated when a workers' compensation claim is denied. You can speak with a Charlotte work comp attorney experienced in fighting for full compensation in workers' comp appeals.


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Our foodie goddess @cleaneastbykarl created this AMAZING recipe.
What you will need for today's dough recipe:
1 C plant milk
3 TBSP vegan butter
1 packet instant yeast or 2 1/4 tsp
1 TBSP cane sugar
1/4 TSP salt
1/2 C mashed ripe banana
3 – 3 1/4 C all-purpose flour
How To:
- Heat the plant milk in 30-seconds increments in the microwave to bathwater temperature.
- Add the butter and mix until it is melted.
- Add the sugar stir to mix and sprinkle the yeast on top. Set aside to become a form for 10 minutes.
- Mash the banana and add it to the yeast mixture.
- Add the yeast mixture to the flour and salt and stir together until a ball forms. Knead adding flour if needed for 5ish minutes.
- Remove from bowl and spray bowl w/ cooking spray or oil then put back in.
- Cover w/ plastic and allow to rise in a warm spot for at least an hour.
Filling Recipe:
3 TBSP melted Coconut oil
3 TBSP unsweetened Apple sauce
1/4 C Cane sugar (or half cane, half coconut)
1 TBSP Cinnamon
Banana slices
Fresh Raspberries
How To:
- After an hour, roll out your dough on a floured surface into a large rectangle.
- Spread your filling mixture to the edges and add your Banana slices and Raspberries.
- Roll up and cut w/ serrated knife or floss.
- Place in your greased baking tin and set on top of the stove with plastic on top again and turn oven to 350°.
- They will rise again while it heats. Bake for 30—35 mins!
(This made an obscene amount)
1 C cashews
1 C hot water
1 large can of pears in syrup
2 TSP vanilla extract
Dash of salt
How To:
- Soak cashews overnight or quick soak in a cup of hot/boiling water while the buns bake!
- Blend all the ingredients together in a high-speed blender for eternity until smoothy smooth.
- Crush up AURA Freeze-Dried Raspberries on top of all the cinnamon buns to finish it off.
- Eat everything until it's gone!
TAG @yourAURAnutrition IN YOUR BAKING/RECIPES!
We would love to share your success and inspire bakers everywhere!" to any/all of our baking recipes. In addition, we can add this to all our recipes and just change the word "baking" to "smoothie bowl creation/to inspire smoothie bowl creators everywhere!


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Yanga vs Zalan FC Live Updates | CAF Champions League 2022/2023
Yanga vs Zalan FC Live Updates | CAF Champions League 2022/2023 Yanga vs Zalan Fc leo 2022 | Kikosi cha yanga (Yanga Lineup Against Zalan Fc 2021/2022,March 2022 | Yanga vs Zalan FC Live Updates | CAF Champions League 2022/2023The Yanga team is one of the biggest and best performing teams in Tanzania's leading NBC Premier League . Young african sports Club (yanga) team is leading with 42 points while their rivals simba sc are second only to 34 points. kikosi cha yanga 2022
Founded in 1965, the period became known as the "National League". The name was changed to "First Division League" and was renamed "Premier League"
About kikosi cha Yanga leo 2021/2022 | Yanga ft Zalan Fc
Towards the Zalan Fc Yanga Club has Digital membership registration continues to flare up also officials, technical bench and players accompanied by Deputy Minister of Livestock and Fisheries Hon: Abdallah Ulega with GSM sponsorship They had the opportunity to visit Bugando hospital as is the custom of Young African.
yanga vs Geita Gold 2022 Match will be played on 6 March 2022 whereas team will provide the squad (kikosi cha yanga leo dhidi ya Zalan Fc) one hour before the match to start.
About Zalan Fc On CAF League 2022:
Zalatan is a football team from South Sudan, in the city of Rumbek, participating in the Sudanese league. It is not a very long time team that managed to win the Sudanese championship for the first time in the 2021/2022 season but they also won the Sudan Confederation Cup in 2018. These are the opponents of Yanga KLABU BINGWA AFRICA 2022/2023
After the South Sudan Football Championship, the next level up on the football pyramid in South Sudan is the South Sudan Premier League. This level is directly below the South Sudan Cup. After South Sudan attained its independence in 2013, the first season of the show premiered.
The highest level of competition offered by the South Sudan Football Association is known as the South Sudan Football Championship. After South Sudan achieved its independence in 2011, production on the first season of the show began.
Wau Salaam was able to take home the trophy at the maiden tournament in 2011, which featured competition from seven other provincial champions. After that, they competed in the CECAFA Kagame Interclub Cup in 2012 as representatives of South Sudan.
Atlabara was victorious for the second time in 2013, taking home the championship trophy; as a result, the team qualified for the CAF Champions League in 2014.


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Take your blooming buds down the Wild Atlantic Way, where sun-buttered fields of lovely lowing cows stretch from Mizen to Malin Head. Hares hop and flit through forests, blue as the rolling sea, which beats on the stony shore and whispers its lost love language to the proud verdant cliffs above. Home of saints and scholars, and the finest whiskeys in the world.
80 Proof (ABV 40%)
Kinsale Spirit Company characterises what is best about Kinsale, one of Ireland's most vibrant and beautiful coastal towns.
A working port, renowned for its food, drink and active leisure pursuits, Kinsale has proactivity and sense of community that inspires our products. Founder and resident of Kinsale, Tom O Riordan, drew on this to establish the Kinsale Spirit Company and begin work on our award-winning brands. He bought a small still and began making small batches of gin with his sister, Clodagh, in his kitchen.
Using various botanicals, some traditional, some foraged from the local area, 60+ batches, and many sampling sessions with friends and family later, they hit on the unique recipe that is now Kinsale Gin. Licences were obtained, the first batch of 100 bottles was made up, production was contracted and the rest, as they say, is history. Tom realised he had a potential hit on his hands, so he partnered up with two local food and beverage entrepreneurs, Ernest Cantillon and Colin Ross, to help him best achieve this. Kinsale Spirit Company is now exporting its award-winning brands to China, the USA and a number of other markets.
We have launched our first foray into the exciting Irish Whiskey market with a smooth and mellow range of Irish Whiskeys, The Battle of Kinsale Series, beginning with Red Earl Irish Whiskey, now complemented by Great Earl Single Grain Irish Whiskey and Spanish Earl Single Malt Irish Whiskey. The future plans for the Company include the development of its core brands and the construction of a distillery in Kinsale, Co. Cork.
Light and fruity, with a lightly floral scent and hints vanilla with a hoppy finish.
*SHIPPING NOTICE- If possible, please use a business address for shipping. All shipments require an adult signature which is much more reliable at a place of business.
All orders usually ship within 24-48 hours unless noted otherwise


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More materials are added after this section.
The Story of Finnish Education
Education and know-howOne of the main principles of Finnish education is that everyone must have equal learning opportunities and access to high-quality education and training. Learning environments should encourage innovation, make room for creativity and allow every individual to flourish. Learn more about the story of Finnish education.
Edited: 28.1.2021