text:
Star Date: March 2007
Hello Dear Family & Friends!
Co khoe khong?
(How are you? Vietnamese Kinh)
"I will never be an old man. To me, old age is always fifteen years older than I am."
(Bernard Mannes Baruch, 1870 - 1965
Tet Nguyen Dan, Festival of the First Day, marks the beginning of the Vietnamese Lunar New Year (February 18th in 2007). Families unite under one roof, inviting the spirits of ancestors to join them in the week's celebration. Ceremonies, house cleaning, painting and decorating of family temples with lighted blossoming trees and colorful fruit; climaxes with a noisy midnight cacophony scaring away bad spirits. New Year's itself is a quiet family day, when everyone collapses in heaps around the room, resting up from the whirlwind of activity. It's also everyone's birthday, and surrounded by family and friends, special foods and sweets, lights and music, people of all ages become a year older.
Another year added on to my spirited 82 year old mother, LaVerne, didn't seem to set her back a bit. An inspiration to us both, we hope that we have such kindness and a positive attitude at her age. Arriving after over 20 hours of travel on a flight from Central Wisconsin via Hong Kong to Saigon found her tired but excited about the adventure before her. Following a good night's sleep we went off to explore the bustling center of Saigon, or officially Ho Chi Minh City.
Notre Dame Cathedral, with its twin 40 m. square spires dominating the central skyline, was built in the late 1800's. A cool, quiet place to visit we noticed that some of the stained glass windows have now been replaced, as all were damaged during the war. Walking the shady tree lined boulevards it is hard to imagine that following over a century of French colonialism, Saigon was the scene of many battles during the American War. Ancient Buddhist pagodas filled with praying monks and wafting incense play a game of chess with newly emerging skyscrapers and gaudy department stores blasting music. Parks are filled with elderly watching the world go by from a bench or exercising sore joints and as children play in the grass their older teenage counterparts are doing their best to meld couples into a single entity on their blankets or benches. Actually it's fun to 'play park bench'. With the lure of an improved life in this big modern city, many country folk end up here without the support of their village and some are forced into begging. Saigon is a city of contrasts, old and new, rich and poor, modern and ancient, for better or for worse.
Across the street from Notre Dame is the largest post office in Vietnam; architecturally exquisite, this grand building constructed in 1868 oozes with history. Ho Chi Minh, or 'Uncle Ho' gazes down from the far wall, watching that the mail is sorted correctly or that proper change is given. School girls on bikes gracefully coast by in traditional colorful silk 'au dai' outfits that show off their slight frames and street vendors selling everything from coca cola to jumping paper snakes hope you will be the next customer.
There is a battle of customs and traditions raging between the modern western lifestyle touted on television and in advertisements and the olden ways. Keep in mind that many customs are still observed such as always removing your shoes before entering a temple or home. The traditional Vietnamese greeting is to fold your hands in front of you and bow but nowadays shaking hands is more the norm. Don't leave your chopsticks sitting vertically in your rice bowl because they mimic incense sticks burned for the dead. Don't point your feet towards any sacred images such as Buddha or pat anyone on the head - the highest sacred point of a person.
Some modern ideals are sorely lacking such as women's rights. Women in Vietnam are still often treated as second class citizens and are seen doing back breaking work, lifting loads of 60 kgs, something many western men couldn't begin to do. A new 2-child policy is now enforced in the urban areas (actually the government only pays for the education of the first two children, which has proven effective). This is allowing women to enter the work place and a small emerging class of professional women, mostly involved in foreign business, may be seen charging into battle armed with tailored suits, cell phones and brief cases. With a population of close to 85 million, Vietnam is definitely entering the modern age and this once mainly agricultural society has seen a shift from rural areas into the big cities such as Saigon. Everyone hopes for a shot at a new prosperous life but some end up surviving in poverty situations or reverting to prostitution to stay alive. Daughters are still sold or tricked into sex slavery and a steady parade of older western men with their mini skirted, high heeled 'girlfriends', 20 to 40 years younger, is a common sight. Otherwise respectable Vietnamese women throw themselves at foreign men in hopes of marriage and an 'out' of their current difficult life. Not a day goes by that Joseph doesn't have to inform an interested woman that he and his WIFE are traveling through the country together. Many Vietnamese women do luck out as large numbers become brides to westerners or husbands in other Asian countries. On the flip side a funny newspaper article pointed out that there are a growing number of overweight Taiwanese women, who have been marrying slender Vietnamese men. Why? Matchmakers are prospering and rolling in the dough or should we say in the fat as the marriage deals are based on the actual poundage of the prospective bride. Current price paid to the families of the grooms is 1.2 to 1.8 million VND ($75 to $112 USD) per kilo (2.2 pounds)! Such a deal!
Life in the tiny alleys of Saigon is a subculture worth exploring. We stayed back in a maze of tiny stone alleyways, a quiet haven rich in Vietnamese family life and culture, hiding away from the buzz of traffic on the larger fringe streets. During dinner at our favorite Bodhi Tree Restaurant my Mom was treated to 3 young boys spinning basketballs, then swallowing swords, fire and even a snake. Bicycles rode by piled 8 feet high with festive toys and balloons along with book vendors balancing 6 ft high piles of knock off novels, beggars with babies selling gum and an inconspicuous tiny old woman making her way down the busy lane by sliding from one little footstool to the next, inch by inch. With our table out on the sidewalk, we never knew what would go by next. We even observed several funeral processions with brightly colored hearses taking the departed, and scores of friends and family, for the final ride in style. Near Tet there were thousands of people milling around amid the bright lights, red lanterns, street entertainers and music. Luckily a ban on firecrackers has made the festivities in the big cities less nerve-wracking. You're not in Kansas (or Mellen) anymore Dorothy!
After over 5 months in Vietnam, we are getting to understand the culture and language a little better. With six different tones in Vietnamese Kinh we soon realized that it was mere luck to be understood. The word 'ma' for instance means: ghost, mother, which, rice seedling, tomb, or horse depending on its pronunciation and intonation. Cho Cu Market in Saigon, if not pronounced correctly means penis, and will certainly bring a chuckle to your 'cyclo' driver when you state your destination. When traveling be prepared to be a constant source of entertainment to those around you. Lighten up and laugh at yourself. Life is too short to do otherwise.
We caught our breath as we rode the 4 hour bus to the coast at Mui Ne. A new Vietnamese tourist destination with the usual strip of fancy hotels and restaurants, it reminded Joseph of Waikiki in the 60's. Instead of hanging out with westerners Joseph found us a simply wonderful guesthouse down at the local end of the beach, near the fishing village. Right on the sandy beach, with shady palm trees rustling in the breeze we spent nearly a month soaking up the peace and strength of the ocean. We would walk down the beach or along the sand lane to the local market a mile away and by the time we left everyone knew us, smiling and waving a genuine greeting. People were fascinated by "Mama" and the fact that LaVerne is still open minded, traveling and going strong. We were invited to a wedding across the road complete with large shrimp cooked in beer at our table plus endless drinks and rounds of "Yo, Yo Yo" (cheers and down the hatch!) amid karaoke and lively dancing. Our new friend from Australia got up and sang an ad lib wedding song repeating "Happy, Happy Wedding." As long as it was in English the crowd went wild.
Our merrymaking was in direct competition to the nightly background Karaoke droning on until 10 pm. We would just plug in one of our hundreds of movies (most on 8 in 1 DVDs) and forget that mainly people encouraged by a few beers, who don't have particularly soothing voices, hang out and perform this current ear shattering fad. Have fun and sing, just turn down the volume, please!!
Several times a week we would don our finery and go off for lunch or shopping in the tourist area. The classy hotels with restaurants right on the beach were a great place to watch the kite surfing or beachgoers of all shapes and physiques, from wiry Vietnamese vendors to rotund pink Russians in bulging spandex.
Wrapped up in the middle of all this relaxation, like mint in a spring roll, was a bout with a 5 day flu for LaVerne and a crazy week of dengue fever for me. I just started getting weaker and weaker and by the time Joseph took me to the hospital my fever was close to 102 degrees. Several doctors proclaimed that I in fact had dengue fever and that I should stay in the hospital overnight and go to the International Hospital in Saigon in the morning. Upset at the change of events but writhing in pain with nausea and "broken bone fever"; insult was added to injury when after being prodded, shot and tested I was brought into a room with open windows (the fever is spread by mosquitoes) and a blazing fluorescent light guiding the little beasties in. I was laid out on a sheet less maroon 'nagahide' and chrome cot for the night, with a gaggle of curious on lookers gathered at the door. They sent me for an ultrasound thinking my previously removed appendix was born again and in need of immediate removal. When trying to put a drip in my arm, it swelled up twice it's size and at the 3rd attempt I said, "Sorry sweetheart, you are awfully nice but practice on someone else." The staff called Joseph to come back to the hospital (he had gone home to check on LaVerne) as all patients are required to have a family member stay and take care of their needs. These small town hospitals are strictly bare bones operations, with no English spoken at all. Once disconnected from my I.V. I staggered down the hall and hung on to the desk full of nurses. They laughed as I stated that I wanted to call my husband to come pick me up. They shooed me back to bed. Five minutes later I decided that I would never get any sleep, partly because I felt I needed to keep one eye open for what twist they would throw at me next and partly because of the uncomfortable surroundings and noise. I asked where a phone was and the nurses laughed again. I must have been quite a comical sight to them! A real floundering foreign fish out of water. Someone pointed down a long staircase to the 'cantin'. Three flights down, shakily grasping the railing I found a public phone and cajoled the operator to dial the number of our guesthouse. No luck getting through and he laughed. Wrong answer. I had one nerve left and he got on it! I spied the large entry way in the distance and just started walking out the front door amongst yells of "You can't leave!" "Oh yah, just watch me??" A half hour taxi ride later I walked into our room at the guesthouse greeted by the shocked but relieved looks of Joseph and my Mom. Home Sweet Home. Something is to be said for sleep and loving company.
What a perfect place to rest and recover - lulled to sleep by the lapping waves and gentle breezes. We even treated ourselves to a massage to sooth those aching bones. We started each day out on the lanai with a mouth watering fresh fruit salad prepared by Joseph while listening to a chapter of the thought provoking metaphysical book, The Alchemist, read out loud. Days were filled painting with water colors, writing, looking at photos on my new little laptop (Christmas present) and reminiscing, buying fresh vegetables at the market and getting a refreshing coconut from a friendly family down the road. When we didn't go out to our local little restaurant we would cook in the guesthouse's Spartan kitchen. We prepared an array of tasty international flavors such as ginger stir fried veggies and rice, Tom Ka Thai coconut & lime soup, spaghetti with fresh basil sauce, 'Everest eggplant' and mashed potatoes, or Indian curry to name a few. Late afternoon was time for a walk down the beach, visiting and the nightly ritual of watching the sunset extravaganza; with the village kids swinging and dropping into the water from their rope swing, amid squeals and giggles. Living in the middle of a fishing village there was always something to observe as the fishermen repaired their nets, set them and collected fish, rowed out in their little round hand-woven dinghies to their larger wooden boats or painted and preened their beloved vessels in preparation for Tet. Our favorite event was the daily return of up to 15 little round dinghies or 'duckies' in a row being towed from beyond the horizon into shore. We spent time focusing on our health and we are sure that not having to go to Saigon was due in part from trying to keep a strong immune system, to fight off an occasional bug that gets through. My first major problem in 3.5 years of hard travel. Whatever we are doing it's working. Knock on wood.
Vi and his kind family told us the week we left that they "loved our family". Such great memories. We are thankful daily for good health, for good friends, loving family and our many, many blessings! (and for fast taxis away from well intentioned hospitals!)
And so it goes...........................................................Next the Mekong Delta. Hope all is well with you. The good news is that we will never be old! Just think of it. Simply add 15 years onto your age now and be happy! Take care and Keep Smiling.
Love, xoxoox Nancy & Joseph
Travel notes:
1 kilo = 2.2 pounds
Thuan Duc Guesthouse, 219/26 Pham Ngu Lao St., District 1, Ho Chi Minh City; Telephone: (84-8) 837 4219. Quiet, safe, new, run by an extremely helpful family. Try for a room in the back, 3rd floor, $8 a night.
Mui Ne Beach:
Lang Cat Guesthouse, 02/2
Huynh Thuc Khang - Ham Tien Ward, Phan Thiet City.
Skip the costly tours to the Red Canyon and the sand dunes. Just hop on the local bus that goes by every 20 minutes and get off when you want, only 3000 VND. The local Xe Bus from the tourist strip will drop you off at the sandy lane to the hotel - 4 km south of the Swiss Inn - show them the name and watch for the Catholic Church on the ocean side & jump off. If you are coming from noisy Saigon prepare to enter paradise!


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Well, you are right there Andy - no way I would have ever attempted something like this with an X-acto knife and a ruler and you are right, if I had, I would be heart-broken if I had to do it over. Patience is not one of my "virtues" I am afraid and yesterday I was just having issues trying to do those tiny small lines that make up so many of the "folds" that I decided to walk away. DH is quite a patient fellow and very good with things that take time and patience (I always give him my chains to unknot - I just make them worse) so maybe I should make a deal with him - I will cut them and he can fold them!Andy said:. . . Imagine cutting this by hand with an x-acto knife and a ruler. It'd be heart-breaking to have to start over.
Di-lite said:@MeFlick I'm chuckling - poor DH you put him through so much....
Every card you make is wonderful
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Author: Blue Gold
E-mail: email@example.com
Pairings: Elrond/Glorfindel, Elrond/Celebrian, Haldir/Melpomean , Celebrian/OFC
Rating: R Summary: Melpomean is the first to show more than indifference to Erestor. But After a lifetime of such treatment can Erestor change the elf he was made into.
Disclaimer: I *sniff* do not any of the characters in this story. They are owned by Tolkien/Jackson Warnings: AU, Angst, child abuse, mentions of rape
Elrond watched as Erestor dropped the stack of scrolls in his hands, fell to his knees clutching his head and screamed. Physically Erestor was fine, emotionally he was far from it, he was tormented by not only nightmares in his sleep but waking nightmares.
He rarely had a few hours peace. As it was Erestor barely ate and he barely slept. The signs showed on the elf, who was little more than sharp bones jutting out from his woolen robes, the constant bags under his eyes and the steady decline in his quality of work.
It was why he had done what he did. It was clear Erestor was content to stay here and make a slow trip to Mando's halls. Elves went out of their way to avoid him. Council meetings were spent with elves watching nervously to see if this would be the moment Erestor collapsed or got lost in another waking nightmare.
Elrond approached Erestor reaching for his shoulder and his ring flared violently. "Lost, lost, dark, cold, but it shines…"
Elrond pulled back as Erestor looked at him his eyes empty, "He lost his, lost finger…always lose the finger."
"He sees me, I have to be good, he'll put me outside again. Always watching."
"Erestor!" Elrond exclaimed sharply. The elf blinked and began to gather the parchment, his eyes downcast he stood shakily, dizziness claiming as he fell again scattering the scrolls.
Elrond let out a sigh. Looking at the elves who had gathered for the council meeting he carried Erestor into the adjoining room and set him on the chaise. After that he sent a servant to collect Glorfindel who did not usually attend council though he had a seat at all times.
"We have an urgent matter to discuss," Elrond said as Glorfindel entered the room. Taking a seat he nodded. "Erestor is clearly deteriorating before our very eyes. Normally I would not even think to do this against an elf's will but to do nothing would be nothing short of a kinslaying."
"So what are you suggesting?" Lindir asked.
"I am suggesting we send Erestor west."
"And be rid of that terror."
"To aid him, there is little that we can do to mend his spirit," Elrond corrected though he could not help be somewhat happy about the additional bonus of not having to deal with Erestor ever again.
"Maybe we should speak to Gandalf," Glorfindel interjected remembering when the wizard had given him the child.
"No one knows where he is. He may be visiting with the other Istari, it may be weeks or years before he surfaces. Erestor does not have that kind of time. I have sent word to Cirdan he has passage prepared for Erestor."
"But should we not…" Erestor's scream drowned out whatever it was that Glorfindel was going to say and with a sigh fell silent.
"So it is agreed? Erestor will sail west?" Elrond asked.
All sounded their agreement, not noticing that Erestor was standing in the doorway awakened by his own screams.
"I do not want to sail," Erestor whispered.
"Erestor do you eat?" Elrond asked.
"Do you sleep?"
"Not recently."
"And are food and sleep not necessary for survival?"
"I suppose."
"And you want us to leave you here to die?" Elrond asked.
"I will not die."
"Erestor, a breeze could knock you over, you have no peace here."
"I do not deserve peace. I am fine here," Erestor stated.
"You would ask us to leave you here to die?" Lindir exclaimed, enraged, "you are asking us to be kinslayers."
"Erestor go pack your belongings you leave tonight," Elrond said tired of stalling. He did not want Erestor to die like this. Erestor looked as if he was going to protest and Elrond stopped any such thoughts. "Now Erestor."
"Yes my lord," Erestor said softly leaving the room.
Elrond rubbed his temples sure that he was indeed doing the right thing for the elf. Erestor was not healing emotionally. An elf could only live like that for so long without falling apart. Taking a seat he wondered what needed to be done now.
"Do you think he will get well?" Lindir asked suddenly remembering the child he once was.
"If the valar can't help him then there is nothing to aid Erestor save oblivion itself."
"Oblivion indeed."
"Let us prepare to welcome the dear prodigal son home."


text:
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2. Copy the code from the CSS file provided with your WebFontKit.
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@font-face rule. Simply follow these steps:
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@font-face rule. Simply follow these steps:
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2. Move the CSS file from your WebFontKit to the assets folder.
3. Re-zip your theme and upload it to your site.
4. Add this code to the head element of theme.liquid:
{{ "Coma-Regular.css" | asset_url | stylesheet_tag }}
Please note, the reference
Coma-Regular.css should be replaced with the correct CSS filename as it appears in your kit.
For more information about editing your Shopify theme, visit the Shopify Help Centre and Shopify Blog.


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« London Looks for Mattie |
| His and Her Coat Check »
she sees a shrink in her future.
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It's Monday the start of another work week.
You look at your to do list, you take a peek.
Does your heart sink or do you smile?
Be honest, take your time and think a while.
We all look for ways to fulfill our lives.
We look to jobs, husbands and wives.
But if we listen to our heart.
We know that internally is where we should start.
Can Tai Chi quench your thirst?
The only real way to know is to sip it first.
Could Tai Chi be more than just an exercise; will it help?
Experience it for yourself and not by reading reviews on Yelp.


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Показать все книги автора/авторов: Rowling J. K.
«Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets», J. Rowling
For Sean P. F. Harris,
Getaway driver and foul-weather friend
Not for the first time, an argument had broken out over breakfast at number four, Privet Drive. Mr. Vernon Dursley had been woken in the early hours of the morning by a loud, hooting noise from his nephew Harry's room.
"Third time this week!" he roared across the table. "If you can't control that owl, it'll have to go!"
Harry tried, yet again, to explain.
"She's bored," he said. "She's used to flying around outside. If I could just let her out at night—"
"Do I look stupid?" snarled Uncle Vernon, a bit of fried egg dangling from his bushy mustache. "I know what'll happen if that owl's let out." He exchanged dark looks with his wife, Petunia.
Harry tried to argue back but his words were drowned by a long, loud belch from the Dursleys' son, Dudley.
"I want more bacon."
"There's more in the frying pan, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia, turning misty eyes on her massive son. "We must build you up while we've got the chance… I don't like the sound of that school food…"
"Nonsense, Petunia, I never went hungry when I was at Smeltings," said Uncle Vernon heartily. "Dudley gets enough, don't you, son?"
Dudley, who was so large his bottom drooped over either side of the kitchen chair, grinned and turned to Harry.
"Pass the frying pan."
"You've forgotten the magic word," said Harry irritably.
The effect of this simple sentence on the rest of the family was incredible: Dudley gasped and fell off his chair with a crash that shook the whole kitchen; Mrs. Dursley gave a small scream and clapped her hands to her mouth; Mr. Dursley jumped to his feet, veins throbbing in his temples.
"I meant 'please'!" said Harry quickly. "I didn't mean—"
"WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU," thundered his uncle, spraying spit over the table, "ABOUT SAYING THE 'M' WORD IN OUR HOUSE?"
"But I—"
"HOW DARE YOU THREATEN DUDLEY!" roared Uncle Vernon, pounding the table with his fist.
"I just—"
Harry stared from his purple faced uncle to his pale aunt, who was trying to heave Dudley to his feet.
"All right," said Harry, "all right…"
Uncle Vernon sat back down, breathing like a winded rhinoceros and watching Harry closely out of the corners of his small, sharp eyes.
Ever since Harry had come home for the summer holidays, Uncle Vernon had been treating him like a bomb that might go off at any moment, because Harry Potter wasn't a normal boy. As a matter of fact, he was as not normal as it is possible to be.
Harry Potter was a wizard—a wizard fresh from his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And if the Dursleys were unhappy to have him back for the holidays, it was nothing to how Harry felt.
He missed Hogwarts so much it was like having a constant stomachache. He missed the castle, with its secret passageways and ghosts, his classes (though perhaps not Snape, the Potions master), the mail arriving by owl, eating banquets in the Great Hall, sleeping in his four-poster bed in the tower dormitory, visiting the gamekeeper, Hagrid, in his cabin next to the Forbidden Forest in the grounds, and, especially, Quidditch, the most popular sport in the wizarding world (six tall goal posts, four flying balls, and fourteen players on broomsticks).
All Harry's spellbooks, his wand, robes, cauldron, and top of the line Nimbus Two Thousand broomstick had been locked in a cupboard under the stairs by Uncle Vernon the instant Harry had come home. What did the Dursleys care if Harry lost his place on the House Quidditch team because he hadn't practiced all summer? What was it to the Dursleys if Harry went back to school without any of his homework done? The Dursleys were what wizards called Muggles (not a drop of magical blood in their veins), and as far as they were concerned, having a wizard in the family was a matter of deepest shame. Uncle Vernon had even padlocked Harry's owl, Hedwig, inside her cage, to stop her from carrying messages to anyone in the wizarding world.
Harry looked nothing like the rest of the family. Uncle Vernon was large and neckless, with an enormous black mustache; Aunt Petunia was horse faced and bony; Dudley was blond, pink, and porky. Harry, on the other hand, was small and skinny, with brilliant green eyes and jet black hair that was always untidy. He wore round glasses, and on his forehead was a thin, lightning shaped scar.
It was this scar that made Harry so particularly unusual, even for a wizard. This scar was the only hint of Harry's very mysterious past, of the reason he had been left on the Dursleys' doorstep eleven years before.
At the age of one year old, Harry had somehow survived a curse from the greatest Dark sorcerer of all time, Lord Voldemort, whose name most witches and wizards still feared to speak. Harry's parents had died in Voldemort's attack, but Harry had escaped with his lightning scar, and somehow—nobody understood why Voldemort's powers had been destroyed the instant he had failed to kill Harry.


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In 2011, President Barack Obama predicted there would be 1 million EVs sold in the U.S. by 2015. He would have been correct if only he had expanded the scope a bit … to the world.
More than just a call to action as part of that year's State of the Union speech, the administration implemented several federal policies aimed at trying to make that happen, including a $7,500 tax credit toward the purchase of an EV.
In total, the government will spend $7.9 billion through 2019 trying to bolster the appeal of and raise the purchase numbers of battery electrics, plug-in hybrids, etc. Critics have been quick to call the effort a failure, and if one only takes a cursory look at the numbers, they would be correct.
However, a deeper examination shows that despite remarkably low gas prices – the biggest disincentive to EV purchases – EV sales are continuing to ramp up in the U.S. and globally. The global number just surpassed 1 million units last month.
As of August 2015 about 985,000 units had been sold worldwide, not including Japanese sales numbers which were not reported yet. That number jumped to an estimated 1,004,000 PEVs though the middle of this month, according to HybridCars.com. The breakdown is about 62% battery electric and 38% plug-in hybrids.
(Volkswagen, Audi announce plans to "electrify" entire line-up. For more, Click Here.)
The U.S. accounts for more than a third of those sales, while China and Japan make up about 15% and 12%, respectively. The surprising country holding down the fourth spot? Norway. The Scandinavian country boasts 66,000 plug-in vehicles sold there. The Netherlands rounds out the top five, according to the site.
The top 10 selling EVs globally, which account for more than 93% of the sales, include:
- Nissan Leaf (200,00)
- Chevy Volt (100,000)
- Tesla Model S (85,000)
- Toyota Prius (74,000)
- Mitsubishi Outland PHV (70,000)
- Mitsubishi i-MIEV (50,000)
- BYD Qin (38,900)
- BMW i3 (31,600)
- Renault Zoe (31,400)
- Ford Fusion Energi (24,100)
(Click Here for details about Ghosn's commitment to electric, autonomous vehicles at Nissan.)
However, the biggest thing to note is not the total number, but the number sold in the last 14 months, which is about half of the total. Driven by growing sales of the Nissan Leaf and the Chevrolet Volt, which account for 20% and 10% of the 500,000 units sold during that time, sales of EVs got to 1 million faster than hybrids (the non-plug variety).
It helps that there are a growing number of options across the pricing spectrum ranging from the Tesla Model S, which can top $100,000, to the Kia Soul, which can be had for under $20,000. Additionally, the segment is growing.
(To see more about how GM plans to bolster EV sales, Click Here.)
During the recent Frankfurt Motor Show, BMW, Audi and Volkswagen all introduced new EV versions popular models and the latter two committed to producing electric versions of all the models in their line-ups at some point in the future.
Tags: 1 million EV sales, EVs hit 1 million globally, TheDetroitBureau.com., U.S. EV sales, auto news, electric vehicle news, electric vehicle sales, ev news, global EV sales, michael strong, plug-in hybrid sales, rising EV sales, thedetroitbureau, worldwide EV sales


text: This Blade Zone paper craft is the car named "Deckard's Sedan", it is designed by Karasa. There are other two versions for this paper car: "Blade Runner – Deckard's Sedan Grund Spinner" and "Blade Runner – Deckard's Sedan". You can download this car paper model from here: Blade Runner - Deckard's Sedan Simple Paper Car Free Download


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In the vineyards, respect of nature..
The duet father and son Hubert and Laurent Lignier manage 9 hectares and make 24 wines (Bourgogne, Village, Premier and Grand Cru appellations).
The vineyards are ploughed sinced 1990s, excluding weedkiller and insecticides. Our "climates" and great terroirs' soils are firmly respected in order to
favour microorganism and therefore the essential balance for the vine's growth. Since 2011, we use organic protective treatments.
For vinification and ageing, our methods are little interventionist. The fruit's quality is essential to craft 24 great wines. They make fresh, fine and elegant
wines which are also full bodied with a long lasting and mouth-watering finish. Each of our terroirs (Clos de la Roche Morey, Gevrey Chambertin, ...) expresses itself through the wines ; ageing in barrels (20 to 30% new oak) is rather long (20 or 22 months), on lees and without racking after malolactic fermentation. The wines are bottled using gravity, without fining in order to keep the wine's freshness and its ageing potential.
© Copyright 2012 - 2019 Wine5 .co.th


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A while back, I was working in my office when I broke focus, leaned back and reached up for a quick stretch. As I sat back, something on my desk caught my attention and in what seemed like less than a minute, I had a life changing "AHA MOMENT"! An Interesting side bar here; this idea of "breaking focus" is WAY rare for me. Thus, I consider this day's revelation to be nothing less than by Divine appointment! My husband and I have both decided that we consider him more than a little bit 'Attention Deficit Disordered', I on the other hand seem to have a freaky kind of ' Attention Ferocity Disorder' (my terminology of course). I'm not bragging here, trust me... I'm not really so sure if it's a good thing. I mean it's intense. So, Attention Ferocity Disorder...or HYPER FOCUSED...I don't know what you want to call it, maybe just plain old WIERD but really, check this out. One time, I decided to take a moment and figure out how long I'd worked in one sitting without moving. I did the math and realized I had started at 6:30 AM and hadn't broke focus until about 11:15. That's almost 5 hours that I hadn't moved. My bladder was about to burst but I really hadn't recognized it till I was shaken out of this odd "hyper-focused fog" and looked up from my computer. By that time I had to go so bad that I had a hard time standing up to get there, if know what I mean. SO, I guess
if you are the object in front of me that's a good thing for you but if you expect me to notice the periphery, your hair better be on fire cause the one in front of me HAS MY UNDIVIDED ATTENTION! It's a case of down right all out TUNNEL VISION! Well good or bad, I have it. NOW...In Candace like fashion, "I said all of that to say this"…. So, when I broke focus to stretch that day, the sun caught the edge of what had been my favorite pewter desk plaque with these words inscribed; "WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU KNEW YOU COULDN'T FAIL" ? Oh, how I had
loved that saying, how powerful. At least that's what I HAD THOUGHT. But this day, it made my head twist a side, like a dog hearing a high pitched sound. "What would I do if I thought I couldn't fail"? I said it quietly over and over again. I was literally dumbstruck, I was staring
at it like I'd been hypnotized by the thought. Then, out of no where it hit me and it wasn't subtle. It felt like a freight train crashing through my brain ...( it often does when I feel the Divine getting MY ATTENTION). "WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU THOUGHT YOU COULDN'T FAIL? WELL YOU WOULD DO THE SAME THINGS YOU WOULD IF YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD! You see ya'll, I learned long ago, control is an absolute illusion. ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN. SO YOU CAN ALWAYS POSSIBLY FAIL!
No matter how much confidence you have about a certain matter, we are not ultimately in control. For example, I was convinced that I'd be finished with a specific project today by 2:00. So, I scheduled another adventurous goal right after because I was convinced that I couldn't fail. However, I was working in a Local Starbucks when a storm came up and knocked the power out. I was the last to leave as I had offered to help a few folks who needed assistance ...why? Well, because we were told to evacuate. Guess what...my timeline? I failed. Storms that knock out power are not within my control. Get it? Thus, failure is always an option, so chew on this. If you've been one who's rather afraid of failure you've also unknowingly then, been afraid of success! That one will keep you up tonight. So, what now? Now how would you answer the question? Well I'd suggest my answer for you too, "I'll do the same darn things I'd do if I thought I could fail cause no matter what, failure is always possible. SO, not if, but When I DO FAIL, at least I know I have tried and after I have dusted myself off, I'll get up and go after it stronger and more "Ferocious", all over again. THIS IS HOW ONE LIVES AN ABUNDANT LIFE; GO FOR IT AND HAVE NO FEAR!
Think on that…
Until tomorrow,
Be fearless,
The author of this blog (and founder of this association),is working to; Build Bridges of Opportunity for the ASD Community; The author is also the proud Grandmother of an INCREDIBLE child dealing with ASD! Our Purpose; Create events for our kids... Offer support for families dealing with ASD... Share the latest research - including promising new interventions, etc.! I will say that this blog is no doubt an opinionated but truthful, honest take on Autism Spectrum Disorder... as I see it!
Monday, July 25, 2011
MONDAY'S MOTIVATIONAL MINUTE - "What Would You DO If You Thought You Couldn't Fail"?
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I find myself in a far different place than a week ago. Yet, even as I type these words, not much has changed. The pitch contest is over. The conference is done. The lessons are laid bare at my feet and now I must make a critical decision as to where to go next. With query letters out for the finished manuscript, I must turn the page, and move on to the next project.
I've already received a round of rejections. Most are simple form responses. If you've been where I am, then you've undoubtedly seen form rejections. I doubt very highly any of them actually read what I sent. Some may have looked at the word count, the name, the fact I've never been traditionally published before, the structure of the query letter itself – and said no. This is what I signed up for. When you send your work out into the world, it's more likely you'll receive rejections than acceptance. Obviously, there are exceptions to this rule, especially for veteran writers who've sold things before, or come by a direct referral form other agents.
This process is tough.
If anyone out there tells you that querying is easy and you should be picked up quickly, you're being lied to. Even the greatest writers of the 20th century got denied, and denied again, and then denied some more. One thing that separates the signed from the dejected is persistence. There's a lot of eyeballs out there and thus a lot of ways you can deliver your work to the world. I've already had agents I follow on Twitter, and have the occasional back and forth with, turn me down. Agents I researched and matched up with what they had on their list. Agents I thought would be perfect for this project, because of what they already represent. They still said no. The challenge we writers have, is not conflate our own perceptions of what we've written with some data on Querytracker or Manuscript Wish List. There's a difference between our perceptions, and those of a professional agent who works every day at building their own stable.
It is easy to be blinded by our own passion for a project. We want so badly to have someone else feel that same heat. I'll readily admit when my first rejection reply came in a mere 5 hours after I sent the query I felt a bit annoyed. I felt like they hadn't read it, hadn't cared, and just pushed me away. In truth, that's probably exactly what happened, but it's not personal on their end. It's a business decision. As writers, we draw on emotions to move a reader, and those emotions work against us in this process. We are invested. We are the ones who believe. We must make the agent feel those emotions – sometimes through a cold online fill form – and connect with what we've created.
It's tough, but it's the path ahead.
Addendum: The craziness of SFFPit this past week was fun. I enjoyed watching what others were submitting for review. I got a lot of support from close friends, twitter peeps, and even got some love from Bruno Gunn. Truth is though, I got a single request from the contest, and even though the agent gave me some feedback, she also has passed on the manuscript. It was nice to get a request, but I guess I was hoping for more. This upcoming week is the July 4th holiday and I'm going to do some more fleshing out on a different project. I'm trying to stay positive about the whole thing and keep my head up. I'm reminded it's a marathon, not a sprint, but that doesn't mean the race itself gets any easier.


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Brown deserves
Brown deserves
praise, not scorn
I generally throw praise of the Standard-Times editorials or editorial policy around like manhole covers, so you may want to frame this letter! Your editorial ("Independence a rocky road," Feb. 25) was pretty much spot on.
My only criticism is the last couple of sentences. (The little barb about the Tea Party bloggers was cutely worded but unnecessary.) Nonetheless, your basic premise and your analysis about the difficulty of being truly independent was objective and accurate. It takes a certain amount of courage for any legislator to go against the party grain in a vote on a bill or a stand on an issue, especially a newcomer like Brown. He deserves praise, not scorn.
I spent a little time over the last couple of days listening to talk radio about Brown's vote on the jobs bill and was very surprised by some callers who voted for him but condemned this vote which went against the majority in his party and along with most of the Democrats.
Those who were disappointed by Sen. Brown's vote despite the fact that they voted for him in January apparently weren't listening to his campaign speeches. He did say he would reach across the aisle whenever he felt it was in the best interests of the people of Massachusetts.
Agree with his vote or not, that is obviously how he felt, and therefore what he did. Why should people get upset when politicians do what they say they will do? That should be cause for celebration!
Robert E. Comeau


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"Candy House" will begin after the advertisement.
Candy House
Candy, Decorating, Decoration, Fun
Some candy and lollipops are the things that can make a day wonderful! If you could have a chance to create a house made of colorful candies, how would you decorate it? Well, this game is a chance for you to design the entire house with candies you have been dreamed of. Bedroom, living room, kitchen and garden, all places are up to your imagination!
Penguin House The best place to live for a penguin family would be an…
Ari's Tree House I know the right thing to…
Snowman House While creating your playground, you can also try…
House of Love Time to fill the house with the romantic spirit of love


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What you need to know about us is creating a good dining experience is personal to us. There are lots of good restaurant choices on long Island. It is a mecca for all types of food. We separate Margarita's Café from the rest of the pack because of our attention to detail.
From the opening of our first restaurant, we worked to create an atmosphere that takes you away from the mundane. We have spared no expense in acquiring one of a kind decor to surround our customers as they dine.
Every choice of silverware, item on the menu or drinks we create are designed to give our customers the illusion of dining while on vacation. The only thing missing is the warm summer breezes & ocean waves.


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Melisa Troha
Kinder High
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Food Exchange
Where food entrepreneurs of every possible flavour come together to create, innovate and collaborate.
January 2018
Front of the
The Food Exchange is a workspace, kitchen space and food culture venue. A bold new home for everyone and everything to do with food.
Across three floors, it brings together food entrepreneurs of all types and sizes under one roof. It's where delicious food is made, written about, learned, photographed and talked about. If you work in food, there's a home for you here.
Head over to the Food Exchange website to find out more and book a viewing.
Floors 2 and 3: Private Studios
On the top two floors are our light-filled, contemporary private studios. These are ready to rent now for teams of all sizes working in food. Energise your team with an inspiring workplace and surround yourselves with other food innovators and thinkers.
To book a viewing and enquire, please go here.
Floor 1: Mission Kitchen
On the first floor will be Mission Kitchen at the Food Exchange. We've partnered with Mission Kitchen to bring a new kind of kitchen to life in London, creating much needed workspace for London's small and ambitious food makers. We're working together to create a totally unique shared kitchen and coworking space. It's somewhere flexible and affordable where food startups can come to make and discover amazing food: a place to bake, brew, smoke, temper, cure, pickle, prep, eat, learn and work.
It will include top of the range production kitchens equipped with all the tools, equipment and support small businesses need; a collaborative community of London's most exciting entrepreneurs and cooks; as well as events, exhibitions, cooking classes, talks and tastings that celebrate London's food culture and help all of us learn new skills.
Find out more about Mission Kitchen on their website.
A food culture destination
The Food Exchange will be a place for Londoners to cook, learn and eat together. A venue that celebrates food culture, history and education.
With Mission Kitchen you'll find London's most exciting cookery school for home-cooks and professionals. Drop in for classes, workshops, talks, tastings and exhibitions. We'll also be home to the world's largest recipe book library, sourdough starts from the world's most iconic restaurants and an evolving food museum.
Technical Drawings
Flexible and creative office spaces on the second and third floors.
Rooftop gardens adorn the wings of the building, creating a place to learn about growing.
The Academy on the first floor. Our new food and flower education centre.
Retail on the ground floor, including the Post Office and bank, as well as independent food and flower retailers.


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Last Saturday August 10th, the Small World Foundation volunteers once again joined forces to raise funds for the planned new kindergarden in San Martin de Amacayacu in the Colombian Amazon. It was at the yearly Farmers Day in Alphen that the team kept the public toilets spotless (literally..!!) in exchange for 0.50 eurocents a visit. The 16-hour shift was full of fun, laughter, information sharing and team building. The total count of 1510 euro made it even more worth it!
In two weeks, the team will repeat this exercise at the Tractor Pulling weekend. Thanks STTA for the opportunity! Check out the project Facebook site for more information, pictures and videos!


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Prior to the deployment of SAP Solution, Ciena was using a variety of mainframe legacy systems and stand alone applications to automate financial and manufacturing processes.
To achieve their process automation goals, Ciena chose to implement the following SAP modules: Financial Accounting (FI), Controlling (CO), Sales and Distribution (SD), Materials Management (MM), Warehouse Management (WM), Production Planning (PP), and Quality Management (QM).
At the Ciena's America HQs in Hanover, MD; the SAP project was completed in eight months.
"Key to the project's success and speed of implementation was that fact that we didn't have to reinvent the wheel, because of Principle InfoTech's experience in Germany,"
said Petrik, CIO of Ciena
However, project success isn't solely predicated by technology or consultant expertise. Employee involvement can make or break the outcome. One challenge Ciena faced in this initial implementation was employees' relative unfamiliarity with the SAP Business Platform. This was a completely new experience for Ciena employees affected by this change – so training and motivation were critical.
While early and intensive management of key users was important, we were fortunate that a lot of enthusiasm was generated at every level of the organization. Principle Info-Tech and Ciena worked to achieve a very open level of communication. The president gave several presentations to employees on the importance of this project. We hosted "open door days" where employees could drop in and discuss their challenges, frustrations and goals, or simply ask questions. Playback sessions were held where every employee could watch the key users performing the key business processes. This helped convey a level of comfort to the user community and also helped them understand their impact in a highly integrated system – and that all steps of a business process are linked and thus affected by each other. Everyone really got into the spirit of this project. Ciena produced t-shirts and coffee mugs and at project's end we had several celebrations to acknowledge a job well done.
Benefits from this initial implementation of SAP quickly began to accrue. "We realized success across the board – from finance to production. Because of SAP Solution we know exactly where we stand, no surprises. A standardized reporting system also enabled us to gain the most from our investment, by providing real-time decision support." Petrik said.
An year after, Ciena upgraded their SAP Business Platform. A critical component of this project was Principle InfoTech's application of Continuous Business Improvement, a tool-based analysis of a productive SAP Solution.
CBI theory states that the lifecycle of an ERP system does not come to an end after it has been implemented. CBI pinpoints potential trouble spots, redundancies and under or over-utilizations in business processes and system configuration. Collected data is then used to map out improvements and then, if necessary, reconfigure business processes. It's a process of fine-tuning that helps companies maximize return on their Technology Investments.
What did Principle Info-Tech and Ciena learn as a result? "We discovered a lot of processes no one ever used – such as reports that they had urgently requested but hardly ever used because they learned to efficiently use standard SAP reports. We were able to trim our consultant costs significantly, and really identify trouble spots," Petrik said. Ciena is presently undergoing its second CBI project and, according to Petrik, "it's something we will continually revisit in order to make sure our investment in SAP Business Aplication Platform is working for us."
Petrik expects the greatest challenges to encompass the data conversion and ironing out systems duplication. "Conflicts are expected (such as document number duplications) that need to be resolved and converted. During the decision making process three options were presented to Ciena. Option one was the 'Neighborhood' concept, entailing moving the system physically to Mannheim without merging into one system. Option two was basically the concept of "living in the same house" moving into the same technical system landscape but running two separate instances or clients. Option three is "marriage" which is the ultimate solution offering the highest level of integration and harmonization with all its pros and cons. Ciena made the decision for the marriage concept based on their requirements.
Evaluating the relationship after several years and multiple projects, Petrik says:
"Principle InfoTech's expertise in the chemical industry is excellent and they provide a high level of assistance to our employees.
They believe in empowering our organization and opening our eyes to the many possibilities technology holds, not encumbering us with restrictive consulting contracts."
Ciena Corporation is a United States-based global supplier of telecommunications networking equipment, software and services that support the delivery and transport of voice, video and data service. Its products are used in telecommunications networks operated by telecommunications service providers, cable operators, governments and enterprises. The company was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Hanover, Maryland.
Ciena sells products and services across four segments: Converged Packet Optical, Packet Networking, Optical Transport, and Software & Services. Key current platforms include the 6500 Packet-Optical Platform, 5430 Reconfigurable Switching System, CoreDirector Multiservice Optical Switch, 3000 family of service delivery switches, and the 4200 Advanced Services Platform. It also offers the Ciena One integrated network and service management software suite, consulting and support services, deployment services, maintenance and support services, spares and logistics management.


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Jordan Turner is back at O'Brien Kia in Bloomington, Ill., after collapsing on the job in October.
Oct. 19, 2017, was a scary day for O'Brien Kia of Bloomington, Ill.
Jordan Turner, a porter at the dealership, was getting a car ready for delivery when he went into cardiac arrest and collapsed.
Employees, one a volunteer firefighter and the other a former Mayo Clinic worker, began performing CPR on the 20-year-old after not being able to find a pulse. Paramedics from the Bloomington Fire Department arrived soon after. Still no pulse.
The paramedics continued to perform CPR along with using an automated external defibrillator. Turner still had no pulse when he was taken away in the ambulance. On the way to the hospital, Turner's pulse came back and doctors continued to work on him when he arrived.
Fortunately, Turner made it through and was admitted to the intensive care unit. Physicians embedded an internal defibrillator in Turner afterward.
The near-tragedy made an impact on Ryan Gremore, president of the O'Brien Auto Team. Gremore decided that if another medical emergency ever took place at one of his stores, staffers would have the tools and training to address it.
The incident taught him that "anything can happen."
Gremore: Could make big impact
So the company's four stores in Illinois teamed with the American Red Cross to provide CPR and AED training. Gremore said the group has installed four AEDs at its stores, which cost about $1,500 apiece. Gremore said his goal is to have 75 percent of his 135 full-time employees CPR-trained and certified.
"We made that investment," Gremore told Automotive News. "We're going to cover the costs of training for our people."
The first wave of training took place this year, with 60 percent of staffers now CPR- and AED-certified. One of those staffers was Turner. After his harrowing experience, Turner now has the ability to step up during a medical emergency and possibly save a life one day.
Turner wasn't out of commission for long after his ordeal. He was allowed to handle limited work after 31 days.
He couldn't drive cars early in his recovery as a precaution, so he moved into a sales role, where Gremore said he's excelling.
Turner, now 21, said his goal is "to become a better salesperson and make a career out of it, become really good at it, financially stable." Turner added that he'd love to own a dealership one day.
Gremore said the first-aid training is something that could make an impact outside of his stores.
"It's like having first responders on site," said Gremore, who was a lifeguard in his teenage years.
"Having those people in your organization trained and prepared is going to do nothing but make the work environment even better. Having an employee get trained at a dealership for first aid response can save the life of somebody outside the office."
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Wimbledon men's final: Djokovic and Federer face-off again
Punters and tennis fans have a repeat of last year's Wimbledon men's singles final to look forward to, as another chapter in the rivalry between ATP world number one Novak Djokovic and all-time Grand Slam great Roger Federer is set to unfold.
What can you write about these two that hasn't already been said? These players have similarly cool temperaments, but different approaches to tennis.
A clash of styles means there are pros and cons to backing both Djokovic and Federer. Siding with the powerful Serbian results in an odds-on 5/6 price, but Djokovic is only a very narrow favourite.
Edging Federer in five sets last year, Djokovic levelled his Grand Slam record up against the Swiss sensation at six wins apiece. There is so little to choose between them.
It's even deadlocked at 1-1 in Wimbledon meetings, which doesn't help shed much light on the matter. Federer's victory over Djokovic at SW19 came in 2012 and took four sets.
On both occasions, Federer has taken the first set, so he's worth a punt at 10/11 to get his nose in front in what everyone expects to be another classic Wimbledon final.
For silky, skillful Federer to secure a historic eighth SW19 success outright, better odds of even-money are available. Recent ATP Tour wins in Shanghai and Dubai suggest he can still rise to the occasion, as does a fairly straightforward progress to this grass Grand Slam final.
Djokovic came through a stern test of character against Kevin Anderson in the last 16, but that recovery from two sets down apart he has crushed all other opposition. That being said, both men have only lost in tiebreaks during respective rampant runs to yet another Wimbledon final.
Federer made light work of British number one and 2013 Wimbledon winner Andy Murray, winning breaks of serve at decisive moments to secure a straight sets victory, replicating what Djokovic did earlier on Friday against surprise semi-finalist Richard Gasquet.
Expect the unexpected with twists and turns aplenty, and backing your chosen champion to win in five sets is the only definitive betting advice that's worth listening to. Federer is a fantastic 5/1 to win 3-2, while Djokovic is a nifty 9/2 for victory by that margin.
For punters who want to sit on the fence, Coral also cater for you as we offer a sensational special on this Wimbledon final. A 5/2 price says this will go to five sets (max stake £20), and you don't have to name the winner. There's up to £50 profit riding on that, then, and it looks a great bet.
Coral's best bets: Call it romanticism if you must, but who among us wouldn't want to see Federer reign at Wimbledon for an unprecedented eighth time in the Open Era? Odds of 11/10 to be champion, and 5/1 to take the title in five sets are well worth investing in from a close contest to call.


text: Westeros #1 Posted November 13, 2017 Ahead of the release of the Game of Thrones Season 7 box set (which includes one of the more elaborate set of extras to date, as previously reported), HBO UK and London's Prince Charles Cinema have teamed up for an ambitious marathon of the entire Game of Thrones series, non-stop save for evening dinner breaks which will feature food from MOD Pizza. For those in London, this sounds like it could be an excellent opportunity to see some of the best episodes of the show on the big screen with an audience. Here's the full details below: read on >>> View the full article Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


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data entry for English books
Budget €250-750 EUR
We are looking for date entry freelancers for our project. We are designing a new system and so we need data entry freelancers. You know English and the speed of typing is very fast. If you are, please call [login to view URL] promise we can pay for the best.
27 freelancers are bidding on average €325 for this job
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Las Vegas is the world's playground with lots of exciting sightseeing venues, entertainment, and things to do. If you are planning your very first trip to Las Vegas, there are things that you should know before you go.
Las Vegas hotels, restaurants, shows and clubs are not cheap, but if you know about some tips that can save you money and get freebies, you have an advantage.
- Bring at least one pair of comfortable walking shoes. There are many things to see in Las Vegas, and the majority of the hot spots are located on the Strip – Las Vegas Boulevard. The hotels are far apart, let alone they are so big that walking from one end of a single hotel to the other takes a long time. Of course, there is cab service, but if you want to hop from one hotel to the next, it can eat a lot of your spending budget.
Don't forget to tip the driver. Las Vegas drivers are very protective about their tips and they expect good tips. Some players tip hundred dollar bills after they win big.
There is a bus that runs from the Downtown Las Vegas and Fremont St. all the way to the South end of strip. The fare is $2 for one ride or $5 for all day pass. The bus is a great way to move around Las Vegas, but it gets extremely crowded and if you are not wearing comfortable shoes, even getting on and off the bus gets difficult.
If you get on the bus in the middle of the strip during the day, chances are you will be standing jammed amongst other bus riders. Even though it is a two-story bus, it gets packed all year round.
As an alternative, you may want to check out MonoRail. It is a tram that runs on the back side of the stip. It has only few stops and runs from MGM Grand to Sahara with the following stops
Sahara Station
Las Vegas Hilton Station
Las Vegas Convention Center Station
Harrah's / Imperial Palace Station
Flamingo / Caesars Palace Station
Bally's & Paris Las Vegas Station
MGM Grand Station
MonoRail operates from 7 AM to 2 AM Monday through Thursday and 7 AM to 3 AM Friday through Sunday.
The fare is as follows:
One Ride Ticket $5
Two Ride Ticket $9
6-Ride Party Pack
One Day Pass
Three Day Pass $40
Children 5 and Under Free
- Always carry a small bills on you. You will need them to buy a bus ticket, pay for the cab, tip waitresses and more. Taxi cab drivers sometimes ask you if you have cash for the ride and if you don't, they won't serve you. They decline to acceps credit cards. The bus driver does not carry change, so you need to make sure you have enough to pay the bus fare withough having to break large bills.
If you are driving, you can always park for free at hotels and casinos. Just pull up to the vallet partking stand at any casino and park your car free as long as you want. If you have luggage, you can leave it for as long as you need at the bell desk at any casino, and if you are taking a cab afterwards, the bellman will even get you a cab ahead of the line of other people waiting for a cab as well.
If you are going to a mall, park at the nearest hotel for free and walk to your destination.


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Special donation for SpecialEffect
We have given a donations totalling £2,600 to SpecialEffect, a Charlbury based charity that helps people of all ages with physical disabilities to use technology. This ranges from the creation and loan of modified video game controllers, to the provision of eye-controlled computers for people who are completely paralysed and often unable to speak.
SpecialEffect put the Oxford Round Table donations to very good use, purchasing equipment for their National Accessible Games Room. Thanks to donations, the Games Room is now a bigger, brighter, more uplifting, engaging and accessible high tech play environment for the severely disabled visitors and a place where SpecialEffect find a way for children and young adults to play, when often they can't play in any other way. By expanding this facility, SpecialEffect has created a play environment far removed from hospital surroundings where many of their visitors spend too much of their time, making each visit to the Games Room a complete 'escape'.
Working with the SpecialEffect team, each visitor, together with their family, finds a way to play, no matter what or how long it takes and no matter how profound or complex their disabilities. SpecialEffect finds a way for them to join in and be included in computer games, often for the very first time, providing the tools to build relationships and engage with family and friends.
Nick Streeter of SpecialEffect said, "Donations such as the Oxford Round Table's help us to continue to support many severely disabled people and bring some very real benefits to their everyday life, not least an element of freedom and control - not to mention FUN - in their otherwise completely dependent lives. This can have the most profound and positive impact on their mental wellbeing and overall quality of life. The Oxford Round Table has played an important part in us being able to do this and we are extremely grateful."
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Website donated by Get Support IT Services


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27 Oct 2014
by Martin Shaw
Mansfield Town were the first ball out of the hat in the draw for Round 1 of the FA Cup. They were drawn at home to Concord Rangers of Conference South.
Concord knocked out St Albans in the Fourth Qualifying Round, the team who the Stags beat last season of course.
Concord have won 4, drawn 4 and lost 4 in Conference South this season.
Concord Rangers are nicknamed The Beach Boys and are named after the nearby Concord Beach on Canvey Island seafront in Essex. They were promoted from the Ryman Premier two years ago and are in their second season in Conference South, having finished 9th in their first season.
They have never reached the FA Cup first round before, and hence this will be the first time they have played a Football League club in a competitive game.
Stags' injured centre half Ryan Tafazolli played for Concord when they played in the Ryman Premier.
date of FA Cup Round 1: Sat Nov 8 or Sun Nov 9: http://www.stagsnet.net/match/Fixtures.html
website: http://www.concordrangersfc.com/
Stags boss Cox happy with Concord Cup draw
chad.co.uk, 28 October 2014
Stags manager Paul Cox said this morning that he was delighted to draw Conference South side Concord Rangers at home in the FA Cup first round.
But he also warned his side would have to work extremely hard to avoid joining that weekend's inevitable giantkillings.
Stags were the first team out of the hat in last night's draw and the game will be played over the weekend of Saturday, 8th November.
"It's what we'd hoped for in terms of a home fixture," said Cox. "I think everyone waiting for the draw will look at that first and foremost. It was a positive outcome.
"But we have still got to go and win a football match and we won't approach it any differently to usual.
"I have been in Concord's position at previous clubs and it's a massive day for everyone and an important date on the calendar.
"We have to go out and earn the right to win a football match as we do every week. You must have the right mindset.
"There will be numerous giantkillings that day and you'll see the cameras turn up at clubs where they think it will happen - and it will happen.
"Ask our supporters about the year we won the championship and watched Liverpool play here in the third round.
"Not many will remember the two previous rounds, drawing at home to Slough, the frustration in the ground that day, the anxiety of travelling to Slough on a Tuesday night, a dressing room not big enough to hold our squad and ultimately winning it on penalties. But that's beauty of the FA Cup.
"I won't be arrogant in any way. We will approach the game properly."
Cox may have to go cap in hand to clubs from which he has loaned players to see if they will let them become cup-tied if the current glut of injuries continues.
Also, Stags will await a decision when the game will be played with Stags, Forest and Notts County all possibly at home on the same afternoon.
sportinessex.com, October 30, 2014
MANSFIELD TOWN'S giant defender Ryan Tafazolli is targeting a return from injury to face his former club Concord Rangers in the FA Cup.
The 6ft 5in centre-back was a regular for the Stags at the start of the season but has been sidelined since pulling his hamstring in a 1-0 home defeat to League Two rivals Accrington on October 4.
The 23-year-old former Southampton trainee joined Mansfield in the summer of 2012 after a brief - but fondly recalled - loan spell with the Beachboys in the non league.
Monday's FA Cup first round proper draw handed Concord a trip to Field Mill on November 8, and Tafazolli said: "I'm looking forward to that game massively.
"When that draw came out and I saw we had Concord at home my mum texted me straight away and said 'can you believe who you have been drawn against?'
"It will be decent to see some old faces. I still speak to Kingy (Concord defender Steve King) on the odd occasion and a few of the other lads on Twitter sometimes. It will be nice to see them again."
Tafazolli played in Concord's defence alongside King in the Ryman Premier and he admits he is not looking forward to possibly having to pick up his aerially dominant ex-team-mate from set-pieces.
He said: "Kingy is good from corners - and I know that!
"But to be fair we have got our own 'head-on-a-stick' in Matt Rhead, our striker, who is 6ft 4in and not many people can cope with him in the air.
"He's an absolute handful so I'm sure he will prove a handful for Kingy as well and it will be an interesting battle between them at set-pieces."
The Concord game will be the second time in a week that the Stags entertain visitors from Essex. Phil Brown's Southend United are the guests this weekend.
But Tafazolli, who trained with the Shrimpers and played in a reserve game for them in March 2012, says Saturday's visit from the Blues will come too early for him.
He said: "I won't be available for this weekend, there is no chance. But I should be back for the Concord game if I have a good week."
THE Football Association have announced the three FA Cup first round ties that will be shown live on TV.
- See more at: http://www.thenonleaguefootballpaper.com/latest-news/fa-cup-and-competitions/11519/televised-fa-cup-first-round-games-announced/#sthash.AuDYpFF3.dpuf
Each club will receive £67,500 in FA live broadcast fees.
Televised FA Cup first round ties:
FRIDAY 7 NOVEMBER 2014 - 7.55pm Warrington Town v Exeter City - Live on BBC2
SUNDAY 9 NOVEMBER 2014 - 12.00pm FC Halifax Town v Bradford City - Live on BT Sports
MONDAY 10 NOVEMBER 2014 - 8.00pm Havant & Waterlooville v Preston North End - Live on BT Sports
The FA have also released the list of games move to Sunday, November 9 to feature in the BBC's FA Cup Final Score as well as those selected for highlights.
SATURDAY 8 NOVEMBER 2014 - 3.00pm
Weston Super Mare v Doncaster Rovers
Barnet v Wycombe Wanderers
The FA fee for the above is £6,750 per club.
SUNDAY 9 NOVEMBER 2014 - 2.00pm
The ties that will feature in the BBC's FA Cup Final Score with Jason Mohammed on Sunday 9 November will be:
Gosport Borough v Colchester United
Braintree Town v Chesterfield
Portsmouth v Aldershot Town
Stevenage v Maidstone United
Coventry City v Worcester City
Blyth Spartans v Altrincham
Forest Green Rovers v Scunthorpe United
Norton United v Gateshead
The FA fee for the above is £12,500 per club.
Latest | October 2014


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POLICE spokeswoman Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba yesterday appeared at the Harare Magistrates' Court to testify against her subordinate who allegedly called her an "idiot" on a Whatsapp group.
However, the presiding magistrate, Ms Nomsa Sabarauta, postponed the matter to October
18, citing an overwhelming workload at the court. On September 20, the matter was removed from remand after Snr Ass Comm Charamba, who was busy attending to national duty, failed to turn up at court.
The court heard that the complainant, Snr Ass Comm Charamba, is the police national spokeswoman and heads the press and public relations department.
Mabasa, who is on suspension, was based at the Police General Headquarters (PGHQ) traffic section.
Prosecuting, Mr Oscar Madhume alleged that on May 15 this year detectives from CID Homicide, Harare, received a Whatsapp message denigrating the press department and Snr Ass Comm Charamba.
It is alleged that one of the messages sent through mobile number 0772 859 434 on April 16 this year read: "The police used to hold meetings with magistrates and other law enforcement stakeholders to map a way of reducing lawlessness but now it's the other way round. "The public has meetings with lawyers on ways to disregard the police. The public relations office is headed by an idiot who does not know that she has to encourage the public to be compliant to the police."
Investigations revealed that the number belonged to Mabasa.
It is alleged that while being questioned Mabasa grabbed the Techno tablet and smashed it to the ground, shattering its screen. herald


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China Enhanced Super Deduction for R&D Expenses
Tax Newsflash:November 13, 2015/China
On 3 November 2015, China's Ministry of Finance, the State Administration of Taxation and the Ministry of Science and Technology jointly issued new guidance (Caishui [2015] No.119 (Circular 119)) that expands the scope of the super deduction for research and development (R&D) expenses incurred by domestic enterprises and streamlines the related administrative procedures relating to the super deduction. (Tax Newsflash:November 13, 2015/China)
Explore content
Circular 119, which is designed to encourage more businesses to invest in R&D, will enter into effect on 1 January 2016, and replace the current rules (i.e. Guoshuifa [2008] No.116 and Caishui [2013] No.70).
This newsletter explains the following topics;
(1) Background
(2) Major changes made by Circular 119
(3) Deloitte's comments
Related services
The China Tax Desk offers a wide range of advisory and other services tailored to suit each client's needs to resolve various tax issues faced in its Chinese business. We work in close collaboration with Deloitte China to support Japanese companies operating in China.


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Functional public sector routine health information systems are essential for monitoring health situation in all countries, and Haiti is no exception. Until 2000, however, Haiti had a rudimentary system that did not meet the needs of the health managers.
At that time, USAID was familiar with routine health information system (RHIS) work that had been developed in Morocco by the Ministry of Health, JSI's Morocco Family Planning/Maternal and Child Health Project, Tulane University, and the EVALUATION Project. So in 2000 USAID asked JSI, through MEASURE Evaluation, to help the Haitian government develop a similar system.
We were asked to provide technical assistance to help the Haitian Ministry of Health and Population to develop and strengthen its national health management information system (HMIS). The initial goal was to improve the management and analysis of information needed to manage health services at the department and district (Unité Communité de Santé) levels through increased use of appropriate software (système HSIS) and information technology.
There were many challenges to building a health information system in Haiti. The Ministry of Health and Population (Ministère de la Santé Publique et de la Population – MSPP), while recognizing that it needed a health information system to monitor activities in the country, moved slowly. At first, no one wanted to accept responsibility for managing the HMIS until told to do so by the director general, who was replaced every time a new government came into power. Furthermore, communication and electrical infrastructure in the country were not reliable.
When the project was launched, the workplan included training to enable public and semi-public institutions to use the national HIS registers and monthly reporting forms, the production and distribution of registers and forms, conduct a baseline survey, and support the national système HSIS consensus-building workshop.
At the same time, we adapted the computer application that was developed under previous projects in Morocco and elsewhere for Haiti. Système HSIS's interface can easily be learned and used by local district staff. Système HSIS enables departmental health managers to collect, process, and analyze the monthly reports that are designed for use in the health facilities.
An important feature of système HSIS is a robust decision support system (DSS) that enables decision makers to interactively visualize health indicators and data elements collected by the system in tabular, graphical, and geographical presentations and dynamic multidimensional analyses capabilities (data triangulation). The process involves choosing the level of analysis, health program, program-specific indicator, and graphical display. These displays include line graphs for time trends, histograms and thematic maps for geographic comparisons, as well as pie charts and summary tables. The DSS is widely appreciated by departmental health officers as a planning and programming tool for health activities.
Throughout the rest of the decade, JSI, through MEASURE Evaluation, continued to provide support to the Ministry of Health and Population for system strengthening activities and further development/updates to système HSIS.
In 2009, the project conducted a PRISM assessment to make sure the system was meeting the Haitian health system needs/goals. PRISM is a tool developed by MEASURE Evaluation to determine the strengths and weaknesses of routine health information systems by quantifying the technical, behavioral, and environmental/organizational determinants for the system.
The Haiti assessment showed that departmental health officers recognize the value of the user-friendliness of système HSIS, but that there was a need for improved supervision. We responded by integrating data quality assurance into the supervision by department teams and through training on RHIS at the departmental level and training for the MSPP Planning and Epidemiology Units to manage the HSIS application and data.
On January 10, 2010, Haiti was struck by an earthquake that registered more than 7 on the Richter scale. The epicenter was near the capital of Port-au-Prince and caused massive damage. The toll of human deaths and suffering was extensive and is ongoing.
The international community quickly provided disaster relief. One of the most pressing issues was to know where health facilities were located. The MSPP building, however, was flattened and all its computer equipment destroyed. Fortunately, in the month prior to the earthquake, MSPP and the MEASURE Evaluation/JSI team had conducted their annual Master Health Facility List update, and this information was available on the système HSIS website. The list showed where facilities had existed before the earthquake, and as information from Haiti was received, this list was updated to show where functional and temporary health facilities were setup during the disaster relief effort. A multinational group led by U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) was formed to manage the development of this evolving master facility list. MEASURE Evaluation played a key role in the updating and verification processes of this list.
In the months following the earthquake, MEASURE Evaluation assisted the MSPP with a health facility census to determine the post-earthquake status and amount of damage to the country's health facilities. The information helped prioritize and identify which structures were still functional and the extent of the damage. Although MEASURE Evaluation activities in Haiti ended last year, the MSPP has continued to use système HSIS. The data collection, analysis, and decision support system are greatly appreciated by both national and departmental health managers, and the graphs and maps generated by users of the system are proudly displayed on departmental health office bulletin boards.
What led to this accomplishment? I think two things, primarily. First, the system is easy to use—district health personnel can now use the information collected for their own decision-making, rather than simply passing it up to the national level. Second and most importantly, the system was successful because of the ministry's support and recognition that système HSIS was theirs and they needed devote attention and resources if it was to be useful.
While MEASURE Evaluation is longer implementing the activity, it's clear that the system has enabled the Haiti MSPP to make decisions based on facts and thus better plan their health service interventions. We hope this system will continue to help Haiti in its long recovery from the earthquake.