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Future Imperfect is a main quest in Fallout 3. For completing this quest, you will get The G.O.A.T. Whisperer which is an achievement on the Xbox 360 and PC; and a bronze trophy on the PlayStation 3.
Quick walkthrough
|Main Quest: Future Imperfect
|Get to class and talk to Mr. Brotch about the G.O.A.T.
|Take the G.O.A.T.
|Turn in the G.O.A.T.
|Exit the classroom.
|Reward: Tag skills
|Leads to: Escape!
Detailed walkthrough
The quest starts after a talk with your dad, during which you're told you have to go to class and take the G.O.A.T. test. Bobblehead - Medicine is on his desk; this is one of only four opportunities to take it. Exiting your dad's office, you run into Jonas. You also see Stanley who is suffering of severe headaches and insomnia. Just outside the classroom, Amata is being harassed by Butch DeLoria and his gang, the Tunnel Snakes. There are a variety of choices that can be taken here:
- The player may pass a speech check warning Butch that the Overseer will come down on the Tunnel Snakes if he continues his actions. This will earn good Karma.
- Also for good Karma, Wally Mack may be convinced that he is being used by Butch as a lackey, which causes him and Paul Hannon to leave the group.
- An even better karmic option here is fighting Butch and his gang. Once either the player or Butch is reduced to 50% health, the fight will stop (alternatively you can start the fight and run into the class room or to James' office. This will stop the fight and still give you good Karma).
- The only evil karmic option here is telling Butch that Amata is sensitive about her weight, giving him and his friends more ideas to make fun of her.
- Alternatively, the player may ignore the incident completely for no change in Karma.
- Another option that results in neutral karma, but without ignoring the problem, is to encourage Butch to insult Amata, then proceed to beat him up. This will result in both karma effects.
Keep in mind that the path you take here will determine your initial Karma levels in the game, and it will be very difficult to change your alignment afterwards (the Karma shift is quite high).
Mr. Brotch will approach the player as they enter. If asked whether you really have to take the test, he will allow you to skip it, and select your Tag skills directly. The player may also ask Mr. Brotch to fill out the G.O.A.T., whereupon he will ask what the player likes and will assign Tag skills accordingly. This won't earn the achievement, though. Otherwise, the player is to sit down at a desk, after which the G.O.A.T. will begin. See the G.O.A.T. article for information on the questions and how the answers given influence the results. If the Tag skills given are undesired, they may be changed by speaking with Mr. Brotch after the test.
Walking out of the classroom after setting your Tag skills will progress to the next quest, Escape! (the first main quest), which occurs after a three year transition.
Quest stages
- Looking at the Pip-Boy during the quest shows the date as August 3rd, 2274.
- If you do not sit down for the test but bypass it through dialogue options with Mr. Brotch, you will not get the achievement "The G.O.A.T. Whisperer".
- If you wait and stand back you can listen to what everyone else got as they approach.
- Butch DeLoria is slated to be a hairdresser. To this, he says he wanted to be a barber, which he claims is very different from a hairdresser. And indeed, during the return in the mission Trouble on the Homefront, he can give the player a haircut.
- Paul Hannon Jr. is slated for the Engineering Track.
- Christine Kendall is slated to go into Maintenance. She and her mother wanted her to go into Science or Home Economics.
- Susie Mack is slated to go into teaching due to, according to Brotch, her gift of communication.
- Wally Mack walks out of the room, without hearing the results of his G.O.A.T, saying over his shoulder how he knew which answers would lead to his ideal job, thus 'cheating' on the G.O.A.T. Mr. Brotch is heard to remark: "Well I'll be damned, that little so and so, wish I'd thought of that when I was sixteen."
- Freddie Gomez is struggling with the test and stays behind to try to figure it out. He never finishes the test.
- If you activate the terminal in the office you start off in, you can read about an experiment that your dad and Jonas have done, foreshadowing Project Purity.
- Since you can change your Tag skills after taking the G.O.A.T.—and you can once again manually change these right before leaving Vault 101—it could be worthwhile for some players to Tag skills useful during Escape! and then select different skills right before leaving the vault. For example, players could select melee weapons as a Tag skill, relying on the baseball bat in dealing with any guards during the escape, and then drop melee weapons in exchange for a ranged weapon skill right before opening the outer door.
- Freddie Gomez has one particularly humorous line when speaking to him after the G.O.A.T. He may ask, "I was going to go with The Overseer for Question 10. What did you put?"
- A stimpak can be found on the doctor's tray when you leave the door to James' office; it is removed from your inventory once you turn 19 but two more can be found next to the same tray upon return during the next mission, Escape!.
Transition quotes
- "Boys and girls have different parts. Right? And when a boy and a girl love each other…"Dad
- "What is their problem, anyway? So I'm the Overseer's daughter? So what? Like I get any kind of special treatment!"Amata
- "No, Mister DeLoria, that is not correct. Tell me. Are you really that stupid?"Mr. Brotch
- "Revelation, 21:6. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end…"
- Playstation 3 The test may fail to begin after the player sits in a desk. Some students may be scribbling some answers on their papers but nothing else will happen, requiring a reload. This commonly happens after fighting the Tunnel Snakes gang outside the door. If you wish to get the good Karma, talk to them instead. A workaround for this on the PS3 version is to save the game after Butch laughs and nothing else happens. When you reload, the test will continue normally. [verified]
- Playstation 3 Mr. Brotch may not address the player after entering the classroom. This may happen if you have knocked out more than one of the Tunnel Snakes in the hallway when they were teasing Amata. [verified]
- Xbox 360 After the blinding light appears right before the quest begins, you can see your father examining you, but he has stretched and bent fingers. [verified]
- Xbox 360 If you knock out all the Tunnel Snakes and sit in the last seat on the right and right when the test starts you can get up and leave the room to skip the test. [verified]
- PC There is a rare occasion where one of the NPCs will not take a seat and thus the test would not begin. This can be easily fixed by reloading a previous save.[verified]
See also


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Export 185 results:Author Title Type [ Year]
Filters: Author is Carlos Alberola López [Clear All Filters]
"Computation of exact g-factor maps in 3D GRAPPA reconstructions", Magnetic resonance in medicine, vol. 81, pp. 1353–1367, 2019.,
"OpenCLIPER: An OpenCL-Based C++ Framework for Overhead-Reduced Medical Image Processing and Reconstruction on Heterogeneous Devices", IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics, vol. 23, pp. 1702-1709, July, 2019.,
"A Second Order Multi-Stencil Fast Marching Method With a Non-Constant Local Cost Model", IEEE Transactions on Image Processing, vol. 28, issue 4, pp. 1967–1979, 04/2019.,
"Space-time variant weighted regularization in compressed sensing cardiac cine MRI", Magnetic Resonance Imaging, vol. 58, pp. 44 - 55, 2019.,
"On the Construction of Non Linear Adjoint Operators: Application to L1-Penalty Dynamic Image Reconstruction", Congreso Anual de Sociedad Española de Ingeniería Biomédica (CASEIB), Ciudad Real, España, 11/2018.,
"Exact Calculation of Noise Maps and g-Factor in GRAPPA using a k-space Analysis", IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging, vol. 37, issue 2, pp. 480-490, 2018.,
"Joint Groupwise Registration and ADC Estimation in the Liver using a B-Value Weighted Metric", Magnetic Resonance Imaging, vol. 46, pp. 1-8, 2018.,
"Joint Image Reconstruction and Phase Corruption Maps Estimation in Multi-Shot Echo Planar Imaging", MICCAI, Granada, MICCAI, 09/2018.,
"Mapping Raw Acceleration Data on ActiGraph Counts: A Machine Learning Approach", Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Technological Ecosystems for Enhancing Multiculturality, New York, NY, USA, ACM, 2018.,
"Robust Estimation of the Apparent Diffusion Coefficient Invariant to Acquisition Noise and Physiological Motion", Magnetic Resonance Imaging, vol. 53, pp. 123-133, 2018.,
"Robust Windowed Harmonic Phase Analysis with a Single Acquisition", MICCAI , Granada, MICCAI, 2018.,
"Vortical Features for Myocardial Rotation Assessment in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy using Cardiac Tagged Magnetic Resonance", Medical Image Analysis, vol. In Press, 04/2018.,
"ADC-Weighted Joint Registration-Estimation for Cardiac Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging", Congreso Anual de la Sociedad Española de Ingeniería Biomédica, 12/2017.,
"Groupwise Non-Rigid Registration on Multiparametric Abdominal DWI Acquisitions for Robust ADC Estimation: Comparison with Pairwise Approaches and Different Multimodal Metrics", International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging: From Nano to Macro (ISBI2017), Melbourne, Australia, 2017.,
"Libstable: Fast, parallel, and high-precision computation of α-stable distributions in R, C/C++, and MATLAB", Journal of Statistical Software, vol. 78, issue 1, pp. 1-25, 2017.,
"An Automated Tensorial Classification Procedure for Left Ventricular Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy", IWBBIO 2016 (4th International Work-Conference on Bioinformatics and Biomedical Engineering), LNBI 9656, vol. 1, Granada, Spain, pp. 1-12, 2016.,
"Cardio-respiratory motion estimation for compressed sensing reconstruction of free-breathing 2D cine MRI", Modulated/Incomplete Data 2016, SFB Workshop., Graz, Austria, Mathematical Optimization and Applications in Biomedical Sciences (MOBIS), SFB Research Center, 2016.,
"Harmonic Auto-Regularization for Non Rigid Groupwise Registration in Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging.", Congreso Anual de la Sociedad Española de Ingeniería Biomédica 2016, Valencia, Spain, 11/2016.,
"Jacobian weighted temporal total variation for motion compensated compressed sensing reconstruction of dynamic MRI", Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, 2016.,
"Multi-oriented windowed harmonic phase reconstruction for robust cardiac strain imaging", Medical Image Analysis, vol. 29, pp. 1-11, 2016.,
"Multiresolution Reconstruction of Real-Time MRI with Motion Compensated Compressed Sensing: Application to 2D Free-Breathing Cardiac MRI", International Symposium on Biomedical Engineering: From Nano to Macro, Prague, Check Republic, IEEE Signal Processing Society, 2016.,
"Spatial and Spectral Anisotropy in HARP Images: An Automated Approach", International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging: From Nano to Macro (ISBI2016), Prague, Czech Republic, 2016.,
"Whole-heart single breath-hold cardiac cine: A robust motion-compensated compressed sensing reconstruction method", International Workshop on Reconstruction and Analysis of Moving Body Organs (RAMBO/MICCAI) , Athens, Greece, 2016.,
"Anisotropic Diffusion Filter with Memory based on Speckle Statistics for Ultrasound Images", IEEE Transactions on image processing, vol. 24, issue 1, 2015.,
"Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Medication with Stimulants in Young Children: A DTI Study", Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, vol. 57: Elsevier, 2015.,

subset: commoncrawl


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Cross Stitch Gold
March2020 : Page 1
In this issue of Cross Stitch Gold : Cross Stitch Gold magazine is the ultimate collection of cross stitch designs for experienced stitchers that will keep you stitching for weeks. Every issue showcases the projects of the highest quality from the best designers around the world, as well as inspiring reader stories, fantastic competitions and luxury stitching buys.
www.cross-stitching.c... /magazines/cross-stit...


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Sound written in
stone plastic!
I just shared the memory of my favorite record-hunting find in a piece for MTV Hive, on the occasion of the 4th annual Brooklyn Flea 'Superstar DJ Record Fair'.
Here's an excerpt:
…I used my time off in Istanbul to simply wander the streets, ending up in one of those dusty record shops where the entropy is turned up really high. There I rescued a Cymande LP that was being slowly asphyxiated under sleeveless 45s. The Fugees had sampled the Caribbean-British funk band to great effect, now I could, too. But that was a digger find. It's value was obvious, external; a truly special record is one you create your own value for. Ebay of the heart. I don't care for mint-condition first-editions (Recording my "Gold Teeth Thief" mix, I accidentally stepped on one of my most valuable records, an original pressing of the Winstons' single "Amen, Brother", whose fierce rhythm break has been sampled by precisely nine million drum & bass songs).
I don't have a rip of the Houssein LP I discuss later in the article, but here's a 1-2 of Cymande and the Fugees, plus $400,000 copyright lawsuit backstory.


text:
I'm tempted to buy my first DSLR camera. Local store here is selling the Canon EOS 1100D with EF-S 18-55mm F/3.5-5.6 DC III lens for 300 Euros. Price is the main factor for me, but new technology would be better than old.
What i need is a short list of the low-budget level cameras on the market now, so that i could avoid wasting time in reading old reviews of old cameras that are no longer for sale or out-dated technically. I buy one camera and may shoot 10 years with it, so i would like to have a camera that is not outdated even before i start.


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When Bill McKibben drew a line in the sand over the State Department's plans to approve a permit for the climate-mangling Keystone XL pipeline, I rallied to the flag right away.
I was immediately smitten with McKibben's strategic argument. He drew a line in the sand over Keystone XL in part because the decision to approve the permit was clearly President Obama's. It wasn't a question of getting 218 votes in the House or 60 votes in the Senate.
We have a similar dilemma on Iran policy as on climate change. On the one hand, it's obvious that the administration is constrained by pro-war forces in Congress, the media, and interest groups. On the other hand, it's obvious that the administration has not done and is not doing everything it could despite these obstacles to move forward the diplomacy agenda it promised the American people in 2008.
President Obama's decision not to approve the Keystone XL pipeline, as well as his recent decision to nominate global health superhero Dr. Jim Yong Kim to lead the World Bank, show that despite the dead-end kvetching of the demoralized, Barack Obama's presidency can still yield fruit for the majority interest when the forces of progress shake the tree.
How could we get a clean shot at what the administration is not doing to move the ball forward on Iran diplomacy? We can demand the reversal of the "no contact" policy for U.S. diplomats.
The current policy of the State Department -- as it has been for the last 30 years -- is that State Department officials are prohibited from making direct contact with Iranian government officials without express prior authorization from the Secretary of State.
This is an anti-diplomacy policy. It means that American diplomats are prevented from effectively doing their jobs, because every opportunity to move forward diplomatic engagement with Iran isn't knowable in advance. Imagine a lobbying firm that said to its employees: you can't have contact with any government employee without prior approval from the head of the firm. Would anyone do that? You never know when you might be in an elevator with a Member of Congress, when you might have an opportunity to slip in one sentence that would help move forward your agenda. "Thank you for your advocacy against the war." You just moved the ball forward three yards.
The same is true for U.S. diplomats. Recall the widely reported "cordial exchange" that took place between U.S. envoy to Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke and Iran's deputy foreign minister Mohammad Mehdi Akhoondzadeh on the sidelines of a meeting to discuss Afghanistan in March 2009. The widespread reports of the "cordial exchange" helped ease tensions between the U.S. and Iran, increasing the potential for cooperation on Afghanistan. But diplomacy isn't just about people whose names you know. It's about people at lower levels, building relationships, exploring opportunities for common ground. "I wanted to express my government's condolences for the recent calamity in Iran." You just moved the ball forward three yards.
And the "no contact" policy -- like the Keystone XL permit -- is totally under the control of the administration. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton can reverse this anti-diplomacy policy right now. They don't need a hechsher from Joe Lieberman or Lindsay Graham.
Representative Barbara Lee has introduced a bill which would reverse the "no contact" policy. Because the administration can reverse the policy without Congressional approval, in order to help reverse the policy, Rep. Lee doesn't need 217 Members to sign her bill. She just needs to reach a critical mass that will compel the State Department to address the question of why it would maintain the "no contact" policy when the policy totally contradicts its stated commitment to diplomacy.
And there is a plausible case that this critical mass can be achieved.
First of all, the task is pushing the administration to implement its own stated and promised policy of diplomatic engagement.
Second, there are impeccably credentialed "validators" for the shift. For example, former Bush administration envoy to Afghanistan James Dobbins has called for President Obama to reverse the "no contact" policy.
Third, J Street is on the bus:
Also on the J Street legislative agenda is a bill initiated last week by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) that would direct the president to appoint a special envoy "for the purpose of ensuring that the United States pursues all diplomatic avenues to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, to avoid a war with Iran, and for other purposes.
Many people were very jazzed when J Street came on the scene. "At long last, an alternative to AIPAC!" Some of these folks appear to be very disappointed with J Street now. "Why hasn't J Street vanquished AIPAC already?" But this misses a crucial point. A key reason that AIPAC is so powerful is that there are thousands of Americans across the country -- Jewish and Christian -- who are poised to answer its bugle call and follow its banner into Washington battle. What would make J Street more powerful is if thousands of Americans across the country -- Jewish, Christian, Muslim, atheist, Wiccan, whatever -- would answer its bugle call when it chooses a strategic battle. Now J Street has chosen a strategic battle: to lift the "no contact" policy. How will the forces of progress respond?
Just Foreign Policy is answering the bugle call for the Barbara Lee bill to lift the "no contact" policy. You can join us here.
How to vote
Register by: Varies by state
Your vote is your voice! It is your right and your responsibility. For your voice to be heard, in most states you must register before you can vote. Visit the state elections siteRegister to Vote
Vote-by-mail ballot request deadline: Varies by state
For the Nov 3 election: States are making it easier for citizens to vote absentee by mail this year due to the coronavirus. Each state has its own rules for mail-in absentee voting. Visit your state election office website to find out if you can vote by mail.Get more information
In-person early voting dates: Varies by state
Sometimes circumstances make it hard or impossible for you to vote on Election Day. But your state may let you vote during a designated early voting period. You don't need an excuse to vote early. Visit your state election office website to find out whether they offer early voting.My Election Office
General Election: Nov 3, 2020
Polling hours on Election Day: Varies by state/localityMy Polling Place


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The Mapleson Cylinders - Program Notes
|Donizetti: LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR
This favorite romantic tragedy and coloratura showpiece received but two performances during the Mapleson seasons, both in 1900-01, both with Nellie Melba in the title role, and both billed as "ending with the Mad Scene"--a custom of the day that precluded any possibility of the tenor (on both occasions, Albert Salťza) garnering more applause with his death scene than the soprano with her tour de force. We have two cylinders from the second of those two performances, on March 2, when the audience got a Cavalleria with Ternina and Cremonini in lieu of the Lucia Tomb Scene. In addition, on March 18, La BohŤme also "ended with the Mad Scene," for Melba occasionally offered an encore to the Puccini opera, not yet the popular favorite it has since become (she had sung the Met premiere earlier the same season). From this unstaged performance of the "Mad Scene," Mapleson recorded two excerpts (the passage from the slow part of the scene--nearly inaudible--is on Side 12/Band 4).
Act I, Scene 2: Verranno a te excerpt : "[i miei sospiri ar]denti" ... "su questo pegno allor, ah! su [quel pegno allor!]"
Nellie Melba (s), Lucia
Albert Salťza (t), Edgardo
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra--Luigi Mancinelli
March 2, 1901
[Dated snake; Glackens 93 undated.]
Lucia of Lammermoor and Edgardo of
Ravenswood are children of feuding Scottish families. Before he leaves for
France, Edgardo gives Lucia a ring as token of his love. (If there is any doubt
about the location from which
[Verranno a te sull'aure
i miei sospiri ar] denti,
udrai nel mar che mormora,
l'eco de' miei lamenti.
Pensando ch'io di gemiti
mi pasco e di dolor,
spargi un' amara lagrima
su questo pegno allor,
ah! su questo pegno allor,
ah! su questo pegno allor,
ah! su quel pegno allor!
Verranno a te sull'aure, ecc.
Ah! Verranno a me sull'aure
i tuoi sospiri ar]denti,
udrÚ nel mar che mormora,
l'eco de' miei lamenti.
Pensando ch'io di gemiti
mi pasco e di dolor...
Spargi un' amara lagrima...
su questo pegno allor,
ah! su questo pegno allor,
ah! [su quel pegno allor!]
On the breezes to you will fly
my ardent sighs and vows;
over the murmuring sea you'll hear
the echoes of my plaints.
As you think of me, nourished
by weeping and grief,
then spare a bitter tear
for this token of our love,
ah, for this token,
ah, for this token
ah, for this token!
On the breezes to you will fly, etc.
Ah! On the breezes to me will fly
your ardent sighs and vows,
over the murmuring sea I'll hear
the echoes of my plaints.
As you think of me, nourished
by weeping and grief...
then spare a bitter tear...
for this token,
ah, for this token,
ah, for this token!
Act III, Scene 1: Mad Scene cabaletta excerpt : "Spargi d'amaro pianto" ... to end of scene
Nellie Melba (s), Lucia
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra--Luigi Mancinelli
March 18, 1901
[Dated snake with Mapleson notation: "Connection imperfect hence faintness, otherwise lovely"; Glackens 113.]
Act III, Scene 1: Mad Scene cabaletta excerpt : "[Spargi d'amaro] pianto" ... to end of scene
Nellie Melba (s), Lucia
Metropolitan Opera Chorus & Orchestra--Luigi
March 2, 1901
[Snake: on container, Mapleson notation: "Mad scene slow," evidently referring to the very slow recording speed, not the tempo; Glackens 88.]
[These two cylinders cover the same ground, the cabaletta of Lucia's "Mad Scene"--a passage Melba did not record commercially. We have placed first the slightly clearer concert version, without chorus; this begins with the orchestral introduction. The second comes from the same staged performance of Lucia as the preceding duet, and begins right with Melba's first line. Curiously, although this passage is written out twice in the score--and, even on early recordings, is almost invariably sung twice, the second time with embellishments--it appears that Melba sang it only once through at these performances, and with hardly any embellishments (there is one quite spectacular flourish just before the coda). In both tracks, applause is clearly heard at the end.]
Led to believe that Edgardo is unfaithful, Lucia has agreed to a politically advantageous marriage, but when Edgardo breaks into the wedding festivities and denounces her, she loses her reason. On her wedding night, the demented girl has murdered her husband, and appears in the great hall of the castle, horrifying the wedding guests with her appearance and her hallucinations. This is the last part of Lucia's scena.
Spargi d'amaro pianto
il mio terrestre velo,
mentre lassý nel cielo
io pregherÚ, pregherÚ per te.
Al giunger tuo soltanto
fia bello il ciel per me!
Ah sž, ah sž, ah sž, per me,
fia bello il ciel, il ciel per me!
Ah sž, ah sž, ah sž, per me,
sž, per me, per me, per me, per me! Ah sž!
Ah sž, ah sž, per me, ah sž, ah sž!
CHORUS (in Band 7 only)
No, no, non Ť,
no, no, non Ť,
no, non Ť!
Spread bitter tears
over my earthly remains,
while up there in heaven
I will pray, will pray for you.
Not until you join me
will heaven be beautiful for me!
Ah, yes, ah yes, ah yes, for me,
will heaven be beautiful for me!
Ah yes, ah yes, ah yes, for me,
yes, for me, for me, for me, for me! Ah yes!
Ah yes, ah yes, for me, ah yes, ah yes!
CHORUS (in Band 7 only)
No, no, it is not [possible
to restrain our tears!]


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- Written by Michael Bahati
- Comments::DISQUS_COMMENTS
- font size decrease font size increase font size
How I got my Carte Vitale: Bienvenue to Life in the Land of Bureaucracy! Part II
If you've just joined the conversation, I'd recommend that you read the first part of this story to get a full understanding of where it all started. This is the second part of my carte vitale's journey in the land of bureaucracy.
In February, as I anticipate Valentine's Day, my second application is rejected. I feel like pulling my hair out. The reason given this time is that my birth certificate is unacceptable. It has to come from my place of birth—isn't that what I've done?—and then translated into French.
Oh.Well I didn't know that part.
So, again, I have a setback. I take deep breaths, step outside and contemplate the wonder of Paris to remind myself that I love being here, despite bureaucratic shenanigans. Apparently in France, official documents that are not already in French must be translated by a court-certified translator in France. And as much as I would like to, I can't have my newfound best friend who works at the patisserie down the street do it for free. No, that will not do.
Thus, in March, I call home to ask for another one. My family is able to procure a copy and send it to me, but when I finally receive it, I notice that the way my name is written on the document is incorrect.
Let me explain. I have two family names that are supposed to be in capital letters like this: BAHATI KASEKE, and my first name has the first letter capitalized: Michael. But the birth certificate I received from home has it like this: BAHATI Kaseke Michael. So this is an added complication. I won't go into Uganda's own bureaucracy.
This process is becoming a nightmare.
Now I have to figure out where to get the document translated so it will be acceptable to the lovely, frustrating bureaucrats. Foreign birth certificates used for the purpose of social security number applications must to be legalized, unless your home country has an exemption agreement in place with France. And Uganda does not have such.
In May, after getting the certificate translated by the appropriate authority, I apply a third time, hopeful that everything is in order. It is spring in Paris, and despite the stress, time and money spent, as well as the increasing complexity of the process—do the French even know what they're doing? It's as if one hand doesn't know how to shake the other—I am swept away by my surroundings.
The culture shock is still with me. There are things that continue to be unfamiliar and strange but I am hopeful that will fade in time.
Three months later, a letter arrives with my carte vitale. I might have danced around the kitchen while screaming in a manly fashion, naturally. A glass of wine in one hand, a sheet of paper in the other. I'm trying to remember if I was in my underwear, at the time.
So you know, it is possible to receive a paper record in the mail that can be used until you receive the actual green plastic card. It will have an expiration date which you can renew.
The social security number itself has thirteen digits, plus a two-digit clé de contrôle (control key). The numbers indicate gender, whether you are foreign-born, the year, month and place of birth, and so forth.
I am absolutely ecstatic, after innumerable weeks of red tape, until I realize that my name is incorrect. Instead of all three names, the card only shows the following: BAHATI Kaseke. My cheers almost become tears. What a blow!
It is May, now as I write back to CPAM, anger carefully controlled and fortified with lots of coffee to ask them to change the name on the card to either BAHATI Michael or Michael BAHATI. I'm still happy to have the card in my hand, but that smile on my face dims drastically as the days warm to summer when I receive yet another letter close to the start of October.
It states that CPAM agrees to change my name, but on the condition that I provide another birth certificate—are you kidding me?—where these names are written per my request.
This is the last straw. I give up!
The thought of having to deal with this process a fourth time makes my brain cells congeal into a black mass of despair. Another session with CPAM would end me, and wine would not help. Though I would definitely feel better.
I decide not to waste my time fighting for something I already have: my carte vitale. That prized possession that makes grown men weep with joy. It's just a little bit of plastic, but it has the power to make your life a living heaven or hell.
After all, I've gotten what I wanted after much toil and strain! I could now get insurance, and also get reimbursed for my expenses. I am practically French! Despite the pain, it is still very exciting!
I think about that time even now, six years later. Eight months of back and forth with the system; more than four visits to the Securité Sociale office in my département to follow-up with the case; numerous stamps for letters; approximately one hundred Euros for administrative costs to get my birth certificate released back home; around fifty Euros for its translation and DHL transfer fees of about ninety US Dollars. All this just to get a piece of plastic.
I've made many friends since my arrival here through the expat community in Paris and heard some horror stories. I may have thought that eight months is a long time, but some have had to wait over a year, and others practically live in the CPAM offices, bleeding their hearts out while dealing with French workers seemingly as confused as they are themselves, and spending tons of money, all to get the Holy Grail of numbers: a carte vitale.
What have I learned from all this?
Nothing happens quickly in France. It gets done when it gets done. Businesses close at irregular hours, and people take long breaks in the afternoon, so shop with an eye for delay. Even vacation time, compared to places like America is much longer than expected. Taking your time and a laissez-faire attitude seem to be a way of life and all you can do is be very patient. No hair-pulling!
I don't really mind the fact that the system is overly complicated. But I had no idea going in, what I would encounter. Perhaps I should have done more research, not assumed that knowing the language was enough to get by. Who knows? Maybe I was blinded by the bliss of just being in the country, thinking that my rose-colored glasses would make everything okay.
Whatever the case, I still love it here. Nothing will change that. But I have come to the conclusion that the system is so complex that even the French themselves don't understand it.
That's okay. I eat a croissant, drink a tasse of hot chocolate and chat with my friends at a tiny table on a sidewalk in the city.
C'est la vie, n'est-ce pas?
Over To you.
Thanks for reading and, you know what? I'd love to hear your experience related to Ameli, Sécu and the carte vitale down in the comment.
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Tools for tracking the status of a long operation.
Written by John Goerzen, email@example.com
See also Data.Progress.Meter
ProgressTracker is a module for tracking the progress on long-running operations. It can be thought of as the back end engine behind a status bar. ProgressTracker can do things such as track how far along a task is, provide an estimated time of completion, estimated time remaining, current speed, etc. It is designed to be as generic as possible; it can even base its speed calculations on something other than the system clock.
ProgressTracker also supports a notion of a parent tracker. This is used when a large task is composed of several individual tasks which may also be long-running. Downloading many large files over the Internet is a common example of this.
Any given ProgressTracker can be told about one or more parent trackers. When the child tracker's status is updated, the parent tracker's status is also updated in the same manner. Therefore, the progress on each individual component, as well as the overall progress, can all be kept in sync automatically.
Finally, you can register callbacks. Callbacks are functions that are called whenever the status of a tracker changes. They'll be passed the old and new status and are intended to do things like update on-screen status displays.
The cousin module Meter can be used to nicely render these trackers on a console.
|newProgress' :: ProgressStatus -> [ProgressCallback] -> IO Progress
|Create a new Progress object initialized with the given status and callbacks. No adjustment to the startTime will be made. If you want to use the system clock, you can initialize startTime with the return value of defaultTimeSource and also pass defaultTimeSource as the timing source.
|addCallback :: Progress -> ProgressCallback -> IO ()
Adds an new callback to an existing Progress. The callback will be called whenever the object's status is updated, except by the call to finishP.
Please note that the Progress object will be locked while the callback is running, so the callback will not be able to make any modifications to it.
|incrP :: Progress -> Integer -> IO ()
Increment the completed unit count in the Progress object by the amount given. If the value as given exceeds the total, then the total will also be raised to match this value so that the completed count never exceeds the total.
You can decrease the completed unit count by supplying a negative number here.
|incrP' :: Progress -> Integer -> IO ()
|Like incrP, but never modify the total.
|setP :: Progress -> Integer -> IO ()
|Set the completed unit count in the Progress object to the specified value. Unlike incrP, this function sets the count to a specific value, rather than adding to the existing value. If this value exceeds the total, then the total will also be raised to match this value so that the completed count never exceeds teh total.
|setP' :: Progress -> Integer -> IO ()
|Like setP, but never modify the total.
|incrTotal :: Progress -> Integer -> IO ()
|Increment the total unit count in the Progress object by the amount given. This would rarely be needed, but could be needed in some special cases when the total number of units is not known in advance.
|setTotal :: Progress -> Integer -> IO ()
|Set the total unit count in the Progress object to the specified value. Like incrTotal, this would rarely be needed.
|finishP :: Progress -> IO ()
Call this when you are finished with the object. It is especially important to do this when parent objects are involved.
This will simply set the totalUnits to the current completedUnits count, but will not call the callbacks. It will additionally propogate any adjustment in totalUnits to the parents, whose callbacks will be called.
This ensures that the total expected counts on the parent are always correct. Without doing this, if, say, a transfer ended earlier than expected, ETA values on the parent would be off since it would be expecting more data than actually arrived.
|Reading and Processing
|getSpeed :: (ProgressStatuses a (IO b), Fractional b) => a -> IO b
Returns the speed in units processed per time unit. (If you are using the default time source, this would be units processed per second). This obtains the current speed solely from analyzing the Progress object.
If no time has elapsed yet, returns 0.
You can use this against either a Progress object or a ProgressStatus object. This is in the IO monad because the speed is based on the current time.
getSpeed progressobj >>= print
Don't let the type of this function confuse you. It is a fancy way of saying that it can take either a Progress or a ProgressStatus object, and returns a number that is valid as any Fractional type, such as a Double, Float, or Rational.
|withStatus :: ProgressStatuses a b => a -> (ProgressStatus -> b) -> b
|Lets you examine the ProgressStatus that is contained within a Progress object. You can simply pass a Progress object and a function to withStatus, and withStatus will lock the Progress object (blocking any modifications while you are reading it), then pass the object to your function. If you happen to already have a ProgressStatus object, withStatus will also accept it and simply pass it unmodified to the function.
|getETR :: (ProgressStatuses a (IO Integer), ProgressStatuses a (IO Rational)) => a -> IO Integer
Returns the estimated time remaining, in standard time units.
Returns 0 whenever getSpeed would return 0.
See the comments under getSpeed for information about this function's type and result.
|getETA :: (ProgressStatuses a (IO Integer), ProgressStatuses a (IO Rational)) => a -> IO Integer
Returns the estimated system clock time of completion, in standard time units. Returns the current time whenever getETR would return 0.
See the comments under getSpeed for information about this function's type and result.
|data ProgressStatus
|data Progress
|type ProgressTimeSource = IO Integer
|A function that, when called, yields the current time. The default is defaultTimeSource.
|type ProgressCallback = ProgressStatus -> ProgressStatus -> IO ()
The type for a callback function for the progress tracker. When given at creation time to newProgress or when added via addCallback, these functions get called every time the status of the tracker changes.
This function is passed two ProgressStatus records: the first reflects the status prior to the update, and the second reflects the status after the update.
Please note that the owning Progress object will be locked while the callback is running, so the callback will not be able to make changes to it.
|class ProgressStatuses a b where
|defaultTimeSource :: ProgressTimeSource
The default time source for the system. This is defined as:
getClockTime >>= (return . clockTimeToEpoch)
|Produced by Haddock version 0.8


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October 2, 2010 at 6pm to December 4, 2012 at 7pm – EUROPE, ASIA AND AFRICAN FOOTBALL TRIALS Opportunity for football players looking for new contracts, engagement or simple favorable occasion to be know by professional team scouts, coach, clubs and agent. Are you searching… Organized by james blessing erim | Type: football, trials
August 25, 2012 at 8pm to September 7, 2012 at 4pm – CALABAR FOOTBALL SUMMER CAMP IN CALABAR TEMPBOL SOCCER ACADEMY OFFER TRIAL OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY IN UK FOOTBALL ACADEMY,US MSL LEAGUE where video match will be sent to our chief Scout and Agent Advisor over th… Organized by TEMPBOL SOCCER ACADEMY | Type: summer, camp
© 2020 Created by Tim McGuinness. Powered by


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Journal Article
© Dec 2005 Volume 4 Issue 1, Editor: Charles Despres, pp1 - 90
Look inside Download PDF (free)
Practical experiences in developing and introducing performance measurements systems for measuring and managing knowledge capital have shown that these instruments do not sufficiently fulfil the expectations of their users. Some authors even point out that the fundamental understanding of methodological and conceptual issues is inade‑quate. Therefore, we suggest that instead of creating further new instruments, an explanation of how and when Perform‑ance Measurement Systems (PMS) become effective is necessary. We argue that highlighting their potential production of "blind spots" and comprehending the use of PMS more reflexively will bring more sustainable effects. As a result, the concept of First and Second Order Reflection of PMS is introduced.
Keywords: Knowledge capital, performance measurement systems, organisational practices, first and second order reflection
Journal Issue
Volume 4 Issue 1 / Jan 2006 pp1‑90
View Contents Download PDF (free)
Keywords: Active learning, Africa, Business intelligence, Case study, Cognitive diversity, CommonKADS], Communication, Complexity, Complexity representation , Complexity theory, Complexity thinking, Cross-functional teams, e-Commerce, Enterprise semantic web, First order reflection, Group dynamics, Human capital, Intellectual capital, Knowledge acquisition, Knowledge acquisition, Knowledge capital, Knowledge cooperation, Knowledge co-production, Knowledge creation, Knowledge flows, Knowledge learning, Knowledge sharing, Knowledge transfer, Knowledge transfer cycle, Lightweight ontologies, Organisational practices, Performance measurement, Predictive maintenance, Relational capital, Second order reflection, Semantic information retrieval, Semantic interoperability, Social networks, Social Software, Software development, Structural capital, Tourism, Value creation, Weblog, Wiki


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Vargas, Shields impress Yost in live batting practice
SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Newcomer Jason Vargas joined James Shields in sharing the mound on Friday morning for a round of batting practice, and both impressed manager Ned Yost.
"It was a good workday, they threw all their pitches and were in good shape," Yost said.
Each pitcher threw against Mike Moustakas, Eric Hosmer and Justin Maxwell for the equivalent of two innings. The batters all looked at a lot of pitches, swung at and missed a few and hit a few fly balls and grounders.
"Vargas is going to be a big pickup for us, I think," Yost said. "He's a guy that throws strikes, changes speeds, is a great competitor, knows how to pitch. He looked great today, it was impressive to watch him work at 9:30 in the morning."
The Royals reeled through their second full-squad workout with no injuries reported.


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The 26 states that have rejected Medicaid expansion are less laboratories of democracy than fiefs of despair. This bloc of states, largely with Republican governors and Republican-controlled Legislatures, is denying health coverage to 8 million people living in poverty. Their reasoning is the same as Republicans in Congress have for cutting food stamps: Refusing a helping hand, a.k.a. causing suffering, discourages government dependency.
Here's a news flash: Many of the people who would qualify for expanded Medicaid already work hard as the nation's cashiers, retail clerks and janitors. Leaving them without medical coverage is unjustified and cruel.
Republicans tout a fly-from-the-nest-or-die model of governance - for the poor, that is. If you're a corporate agri-business that wants farm subsidies, that's another story.
But let's back up a bit. There is another place to lay blame for turning the country into a patchwork of backward versus compassionate states: U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. Yes, he saved the day for the Affordable Care Act by joining the court's liberal members to uphold it. This so shocked Fox News and CNN they initially reported the wrong result. But his ruling in National Federation of Independent Business vs. Sebelius also gave states the right to opt out of Medicaid expansion and that has been a disaster.
Roberts not only threw a wrench into the architecture of the new health reform law - which relied on Medicaid for the very poor and private insurance with federal subsidies for the middle classwhose employers don't offer insurance - he injected uncertainty into the entire experiment in joint federal-state programs known as cooperative federalism.
Medicaid, a part of Lyndon Johnson's Great Society, has been in existence since 1965. It was voluntary for states, but eventually every state joined the program. The federal government pays between 50 and 83 percent of the cost of health care for the poor and states pay the rest. Over the years, Congress has made changes, including expanding coverage to new beneficiaries that states had to accept or drop out of the program entirely. The Affordable Care Act followed this same approach, but to sweeten the deal, the federal government would pay 100 percent of the expansion's cost for the first three years and no less than 90 percent in later years.
"Coercion," cried 26 states -- including Florida - that sued. States would have no real choice but to go along with expansion. This argument didn't create much chatter among legal commentators. It looked like a slam-dunk loser. Coercion claims had never before overturned a federal statute. Even when Congress conditioned a portion of federal highway funds on states raising the minimum legal drinking age to 21, the U.S. Supreme Court approved. Congress has the power to spend money for the general welfare and fix the terms for receipt of it, said the court.
When a lower federal court in Florida and the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the individual mandate as unconstitutional, it left alone Medicaid expansion as a valid exercise of congressional power. But Roberts bought the states' rights argument and brought along six fellow justices in one facet of the court's ruling. He said the pressure to expand Medicaid was really "compulsion" because the stakes are so high.
What Roberts did not say was where the line sits between acceptable conditions on federal funds and unconstitutional state coercion. He offered almost no guidance except to say, in effect, "I know it when I see it," to borrow Justice Potter Stewart's famously cryptic formulation for identifying what constitutes illegal obscenity.
The uncertainty created by Roberts' ruling has huge potential implications. In education, infrastructure and a myriad of other ways, the federal government partners with the states and affixes regulations and restrictions on the use of funds. But now that states have a basis to sue when rules change, Congress may simply choose to cut states out entirely. Roberts' ruling appears to be a victory for conservatives and states' rights, but it might actually lead to a bigger federal government.
In the meantime, for poor Americans in states rejecting Medicaid expansion, it's just cruel.
- email@example.com


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Emily and Maggie are twins and Maggie knows almost...
- by thozeawkwardfang!rls
- Rating:
- Published: 10 Feb 2014
- Updated: 6 Mar 2014
- Status: In Progress
Okay! Well this is the story of me going to magcon in Nashville. If u don't know what that is it is where famous viners go to meet fans. But they r all boys. But this time jc brings all of o2l. What happens when I find out kian is my bro? Read to find out.
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WE SUPPORT: Utah Avalanche CenterWednesday, September 7, 2016
Long recognized as one of the best avalanche forecasting centers in North America, the Utah Avalanche Center (UAC) has always held a special spot in the collective heart of Black Diamond. From calling in to the avalanche hotline in the early 1990s to receiving text updates on snow conditions and road closures today, Black Diamond employees (as well as backcountry skiers around the state) rely on the UAC for up-to-the-minute information on avalanche safety and snow conditions in Utah's mountain ranges, most notably in the central Wasatch. We recently sat down with UAC director Bruce Tremper to find out some of the history of the organization and what kind of issues they are up against in the face of one of the worst avalanche-prone snowpacks Utah has seen in decades.
BD: Bruce, can you give us a quick history of the UAC? How did it come to be and how has it evolved in the recent past?
Bruce Tremper: The Utah Avalanche Center started with a telephone recording at Alta in the late 1970s and it became a fully funded Forest Service program in 1980. Since I came from Alaska to take over as the director in 1986, the program has grown from three forecasters to eight and has expanded outside the Wasatch Range to Logan, the Uinta Mountains, the Manti Skyline and Moab. The budget has grown from $60,000 annually to over $500,000.
In the beginning, the forecast was just a paragraph typed onto the National Weather Service computer and a 30-second recording with one phone line. By the 1990s even 16 telephone lines could not handle the traffic, and nowadays it takes the Internet to handle the full spectrum of demand with 2.5 million page views per year. Each year demand for our services far outstrips what we can provide.
We started off this season with one of the lowest snowpacks that Utah has seen in decades and now it has morphed into one of the most touchy snowpacks, in regards to avalanches, we've seen in decades. How important is the UAC in times like these?
We have not experienced a year like this in the 26 winters I have been forecasting. In fact, you have to go back to 1976-77 to find a season with less snow. Thin snow means weak snow (because of temperature gradient metamorphism) and this season we have an astoundingly fragile and deep layer of weak snow at the bottom of our snowpack. Not surprisingly, this past storm that slammed a heavy brick on top of the tortilla chips created the most widespread avalanche cycle I have seen in Utah. And it's not over. These are called "persistent" weak layers for a reason. They will continue to produce avalanches for many days after they are loaded with weight.
People in Colorado are used to this kind of snowpack, but Utah has not seen these kinds of conditions in many years. Unfortunately, many people are habituated to the very stable snow we had last season and they will just have to learn the hard way that steep slopes are just no-go terrain, most likely for the rest of the season.
During our last avalanche warning, we were very psyched that very few people ventured into steep backcountry terrain. The Utah Avalanche Center clearly saves lives during times of high avalanche hazard. Unfortunately, most fatalities occur when the hazard starts creeping down and backcountry travelers start creeping into progressively more extreme terrain. Persistent weak layers have to be matched by equally persistent patience. Starved powder hounds don't do patience very well.
How much does the UAC rely on outside support? How important is it for companies like Black Diamond to support the UAC?
The UAC is a partnership between the Forest Service and the non-profit group the Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center. Only 17 percent of the total funding comes from the Forest Service. Over half the funding comes from private fundraising through the Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center and the rest from various state and county governments including Utah State Parks, Utah Public Safety, Salt Lake County and Salt County United Fire Authority.
The fundraiser party each September put on by Black Diamond is by far the largest fundraising event for the UAC, which raises over $60,000. It has the reputation as the best party of the year. Black Diamond has been a major financial supporter of the UAC for the past 15 years and we-and the backcountry community-are eternally grateful.
We're grateful for the UAC and what you do, Bruce. Anything else you want to throw out there to our readers?
We find that people have an insatiable appetite for good avalanche information and education. But despite our best efforts, we just can't keep up. The equipment keeps getting better, allowing more and more people to easily access the backcountry and it seems like every five years, there are twice as many people venturing into dangerous backcountry avalanche terrain. We need help and lots of it.
We find that we don't have a forecasting problem; we have a marketing problem. We've had to learn the tools of marketing, social media, advertising, risk communication and videos production. We're avalanche forecasters so we've had to quickly reinvent ourselves. We need help to navigate this unfamiliar terrain. We're looking for help from advertising agencies, marketing departments, television stations, video production companies and communication experts.
To learn more about the Utah Avalanche Center, what they offer, and how you can get involved, please visit utahavalanchecenter.org


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On May 30, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report regarding the Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) oversight of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). Among other things, the GAO noted that FINRA does not have in place a mechanism to retroactively review its rules. According to the report, absent such a system, "FINRA may be missing an opportunity to systematically assess whether its rules are achieving their intended purpose and take appropriate action, such as maintaining rules that are effective and modifying or repealing rules that are ineffective or burdensome."
Historically, FINRA has reacted to market events by providing guidance and rules to the industry. By revisiting existing rules and their real-life implications, particularly those rules that no longer work as intended, or have effectively been replaced by other rules or guidance, FINRA will be able to proactively help the U.S. capital markets retain their pre-eminent position.
In response to the GAO recommendation, we propose that FINRA consider revisiting the following rules and making the following changes:
1. FINRA should update and streamline the registration forms and guidance for firms and associated persons relating to arbitrations.
Over time, some of the questions on Forms U4 and U5, and certain corresponding questions on Form BD have required increasing analysis and judgment to answer. For example, under FINRA guidance, a broker-dealer must determine whether an arbitration claim raises sales practice violations not only against the representative(s) named in the caption of the action but also against other representatives. Prior guidance, which required Form U4 and U5 filings only for representatives named in the caption of a statement of claim or complaint, was easy to follow. Requiring legal or compliance personnel to read and analyze each claim or complaint to ascertain whether the action should be reported on filings for additional personnel imposes an unnecessary burden.
2. FINRA should coordinate Form U4 amendments with Rule 4530 filings to reduce duplicative paperwork.
FINRA Rule 4530 requires member firms to report, within 30 calendar days, a number of events, disciplinary actions or conclusions regarding the firm or associated persons. Firms do not have to report certain information about an associated person if that information has already been reported on the associated person's Form U5, which is the form for reporting information on terminated or former associated personnel. However, because there is no similar exception for information reported on Form U4, firms must report virtually the same information under Rule 4530 as is reported on Form U4. The duplicative reporting does not appear to add to FINRA's enforcement or other programs, and the disparity in Rule 4530 in reporting requirements between current and former associated persons is confusing. 3. FINRA should clarify when firms need to self-report under FINRA Rule 4530.
Rule 4530, which became effective in July 2011, requires firms to report to FINRA conduct that:
- has widespread or potential widespread impact to the member, its customers or the markets, or
- arises from a material failure of the member's systems, policies or practices involving numerous customers, multiple errors or significant dollar amounts.
The terms contained in the rule are vague and relatively new to the regulatory vocabulary. For example, in the first bullet, FINRA should explain what "widespread" means. With regard to "customers" in the first bullet, does "widespread" mean a certain percentage of customers (say, over 10%) or does it mean a certain number of customers, regardless of the percentage (say, over 1,000)? With regard to the second bullet, is "numerous" customers different from or the same as "customers" affected by a "widespread impact"? Similarly, is "significant dollars" measured as a percentage (of what, we don't know) or as an absolute number? If FINRA expects meaningful and consistent reporting, it should clarify the terms in the rule so that firms will know when to report certain conduct to FINRA.
4. FINRA should issue updated cooperation guidelines in light of the new self-reporting requirements.
It is unclear what effect, if any, FINRA intends Rule 4530 to have on the issue of awarding credit for extraordinary cooperation. For example, will FINRA give credit to firms for reporting matters of limited impact? Or has Rule 4530 effectively removed self-reporting as one of the criteria for cooperation credit? Updated guidance with respect to receiving credit for cooperation would be useful for the industry.
5. If FINRA wants to receive non-securities information and documents from broker-dealers, it should undertake to amend FINRA Rule 8210.
FINRA Rule 8210 authorizes FINRA to: (1) require a member or an associated person to provide requested information; and (2) "inspect and copy the books, records, and accounts" of members and persons.
Although the rule refers to books, records and accounts (which sound to us like broker-dealer required books and records) and FINRA's mission is to "protect America's investors by making sure the securities industry operates fairly and honestly," FINRA has taken the position that it has the right to obtain non-broker-dealer documents if the member or person can obtain them for FINRA. Thus, FINRA has been known to request bank, insurance and investment adviser documents (and obtain them because few parties want to litigate against FINRA on a failure to produce charge). If FINRA truly believes it is entitled to such documents to regulate the securities industry, it should request that authority from the SEC. 6. FINRA should reconsider whether documents and information produced to it by firms and representatives should be protected from disclosure.
Currently, FINRA provides no confidentiality or privacy protections for documents and information produced pursuant to Rule 8210. Similarly, it has no Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process or protections. Rather, FINRA's existing policy, as set forth in production request letters, is that it will not:
- entertain requests for confidential treatment of any information or documents you produce in response to this request;
- give you notice of any subpoena or access request we receive that encompasses any such information or documents; or
- undertake to return documents when this investigation is completed.
Firms and individuals often produce documents and information that should receive procedural or substantive protection from third parties because FINRA often requests nonpublic, confidential information such as customer personal information and firm trade secrets or commercial or financial information. To protect investors, member firms and registered representatives, FINRA should revisit this issue.
7. FINRA should articulate a coherent standard of supervisory requirements for registered personnel.
While many FINRA pronouncements concern supervision of registered personnel, the guidance often fails to distinguish whether all associated persons (that is, those who are required to be registered and those with "permissive registrations") are subject to the same supervisory regimen. FINRA should review, against the backdrop of NASD Rule 3010, the issue of whether associated persons with permissive registrations under NASD Rule 1031(a) need to be supervised with respect to their activities, and if so, by whom and how, and for what activities.
8. FINRA should eliminate the annual compliance meeting requirement.
NASD Rule 3010(a)(7) requires that registered persons participate at least annually in an interview or meeting on "compliance matters relevant to the activities" of those registered persons. FINRA Rule 1250 requires that member firms maintain "a continuing and current education program" for their registered persons that, among other things, address sales practice considerations and applicable regulatory requirements concerning the securities products, services and strategies offered. As a practical matter, continuing education programs cover the same content and considerations as are required for annual compliance meetings. Yet, firms are required to document separately their compliance with two very similar rules (including making sure that a particular program is labeled as the annual compliance meeting and attendance at the meeting is separately tracked). Firms would welcome a consolidation of these requirements into a single program. 9. FINRA should clarify what internal communications may say.
NASD Rule 2210 is titled "Communications with the Public." Despite this clear title, for the past several years, FINRA has brought enforcement actions applying the content standards of NASD Rule 2210 against firms relating to internal communications, such as firms' intranet and sales material marked as "internal use only." FINRA appears to have changed its mind—somewhat—on this issue. FINRA amended NASD Rule 2210 and related rules, with the changes to take place next year. In Regulatory Notice 12-29, FINRA stated that Rule 2210 "will not apply to a firm's internal communications."
Nonetheless, under NASD Rule 3010, firms must now supervise these internal communications, including communications that "train or educate registered representatives," to ensure that they are "fair, balanced and accurate"—a reference to standards for communications with the public.
Because of the way FINRA's interpretations have developed in this area, member firms are now without adequate guidance as to what FINRA requires with respect to internal communications. For example, if a principal describes a product in an email to a representative, "educating" the representative, must that email contain multiple disclosures about risks? FINRA needs to clarify its expectations. If FINRA wants to treat all internal communications as, in effect, advertisements subject to the advertising rules' "fair and balanced" requirements, it should make explicit how supervisors are expected to review such communications. The industry (and particularly supervisors) could then better implement the steps FINRA thinks should be employed.
10. FINRA should consider repealing rules that duplicate SEC rules.
There are numerous FINRA rules that substantially overlap with SEC rules without adding any meaningful regulatory requirements. Examples include FINRA Rules 2262 (Disclosure of Control Relationship with Issuer), 2230 (Customer Account Statements and Confirmations), 2261 (Disclosure of Financial Condition) and 2269 (Disclosure of Participation or Interest in Primary or Secondary Distribution), all of which overlap with SEC rules. Eliminating overlap between regulatory schemes enhances clarity and reduces waste of regulatory resources.
Sutherland Asbill & Brennan is a national law firm with approximately 425 attorneys. Its seven major practice areas are financial services, corporate, energy and environmental, intellectual property, litigation, real estate and tax. Heilizer, Krawczyk and Rubin regularly represent broker-dealers and investment advisors.


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I knew I had to write about this just because of the picture. I'm talking about Apple's plans to open an Apple store at the Louvre in Paris, France of course. Gizmodo explains:
"The Gioconda will be surrounded by fanboys with white earbuds soon, as Apple gets ready to open an Apple Store in the Louvre following the official approval of the project.
Like the Regent Street store in London or the Fifth Avenue store in NYC, the Louvre store will be located in one of the busiest tourism spots in the planet, with 8.3 million visitors each year.
"We are delighted that our project of opening a store at the Carrousel du Louvre was approved by the CDEC. Our stores have an enormous success in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Italy."
According to French site Nanoblog, the Louvre Apple Store will use 7,696-square-feet on two floors, using the space that was previously occupied by Résonnance and Lalique. [Nanoblog via Textually]"
Got to love how Apple makes a tourist attraction out of a retail store, and puts it at one of the biggest tourist attractions in the world.


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So it's as if the presence of an Auria MIDI track causes CPU bursts, which result in RF interference when connected to the dock. Weird. What does @Rim say about the CPU bursts?Untilted wrote:...Out of curiosity, what have been your observations of the built-in speaker/mic processing function?
To answer your question, yes, the pulsing does occur when I created a new empty project and then add a MIDI track. CPU meter then shows usage, moving from 0%-1% as the pulsing occurs.
The reason I asked about the speaker/mic processing status is just that, when OFF, it seems to make the inbuilt mic much more sensitive, especially to ambient/background mush (like removing a high-cut filter). I wondered if that might somehow be affecting the USB inputs and altering your perception of noise. I do wonder if plugging headphones into the iPad when it's connected to the iTrack Dock (instead of to the dock's headphone socket only), is a good idea and might activate the inbuilt mic somehow.
But I'm way out of my comfort/knowledge zone now. Perhaps Focusrite might have something to say about RF issues?


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Please select your meditation time
Start Meditating
Conclude Meditation
Looking at my New Year schedule I reflected on how St Benedict doesn't approve of his monks going outside the monastery. He even restricts them from eating on a trip without special permission. Nevertheless, he knows it happens, just as he knew monks would drink wine.
There is something, I suppose, that we all seek even if we can't recognise or acknowledge it. Call it empathy. Not the best word as it suggests we are looking for people to empathise with us, whereas it is more mutual, a spontaneous acceptance of equality and common destiny. A kind of falling in love without the desire to possess, or even having to get through the stage of idealised infatuation. I don't know the exact word – the easy 'simpatico' maybe, or even the untranslatable 'saudades'.
You'd never mistake it for a gentleman farmer's showpiece or a dude ranch. Two parked trailers, tumble down barn, a farmyard methodically littered with pipes, crates, tools, sacks of things and piles of the rushes she uses for her weaving – a place of daily industry. It is home and workplace for a remarkably gifted basket weaver and her partner, eccentric if you met them in a city or suburb but manifesting rare sanity here, in a small island community.
I always found it hard to shake off the feeling that canon lawyers were like traffic wardens or security guards. Necessary for the law, no doubt, but somewhat bent towards the letter rather than the spirit. A canon lawyer- theologian shook me out of this demonstrating how, in the right hands, canon law is a tool for freedom and innovation.
Sometimes it's better not to know everything. As our small boat ploughed an impermanent furrow through the waves to Skellig an English pilgrim, uncertain what pilgrimage was, asked 'what on earth made them come out here?' She meant the Celtic monks, who between the sixth and thirteenth centuries, prayed on top of this seven hundred foot sea-battered rock island soaring up out of the sea thirteen miles off the coast of Kerry.
On my way home I was swept up in a great football liturgy. Thousands of Barcelona FS fans poured onto the streets of their beloved home city to celebrate their victory. Liturgy (leitourgia) originally meant the public celebration of a duty. But on the streets that night, as I fought my way through the crowd and eventually surrendered to its brute force duty did not seem the best word to describe it.
Aisling (pronounced Ashlin) is an Irish name meaning beautiful dream or vision. That she was, for her parents Jack and Anne Sullivan, her four brothers and all who knew her. She was a blonde-haired sprite, perfect, filled with an infectious love of life and adventure and innocently certain of her irresistible charm. She loved pink. She loved to dance, to make candy floss, to meditate, to have her favourite stories re-read to her, to tumble with her four adoring brothers.
Just before I rose to leave, idly like a two year old, I reached to pick up an attractive ornament on the shelf beside me. It was one of those shiny polished stone balls that are not even much use as paperweights because they roll around so easily. I held it for a moment and admired the beauty of the stone and then, making to replace it, it slipped. I tried to catch it with my other hand but dropped it as it hit my little finger. After a short pang of pain I noticed that my finger was in an interesting new shape.
"We need prayers - and more soldiers!" Most of us will never know a situation of social infrastructure collapse that will make us cry out like this on Facebook, our last remaining means of communication with the outside world. A world that has suddenly become terrifyingly exterior to the tragedy that has suddenly closed in and isolated us.
It was a breakfast talk on the global economy on a wintry morning in London. The weather forecast was bad. But a warm and elegant room in a centre for foreign affairs in St James Square London welcomed an elite group of people who try to see further into the future. Apart from me the audience was made up of those with insights through journalism, economics, finance or business into where the world was going.


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Explore Mountain Wedding Venues in Florida
Re-do search in this area
Camp Ithiel
Gotha, FL
Rustic & Barn, Park/Garden, Mountain, Outdoor
Starting from $2,660 to $7,609 for 50 guests
Are you searching for the perfect rustic wedding venue in the woods? Camp Ithiel is one of the best choices in the Orlando area for your entire wedding day celebration. As soon as you drive through the entryway, you know you have found your dream spot and inspiration. This special retreat site makes...
Audubon Park Exchange Ballroom at East E...
Orlando, FL
Vintage, Event Center, Mountain, Outdoor
Starting from $3,467 to $5,345 for 50 guests
Natural reclaimed barn wood, antiques and a beautiful rustic cozy style create a trendy and unique space at The Audubon Park Exchange Ballroom at East End Market. Located in the award winning ecodistrict known as The Audubon Park Garden District in Orlando, Florida, the East End Market is a hub for ...
Showing other similar Wedding Venues Venues in Florida
Key Largo Lighthouse
Key West, FL
Private Estate, Ocean/Waterfront View, Beach, Outdoor, Modern
12-300 Guests. All-Inclusive. Destination weddings. Looking for something different? Something more private? Simpler? Throw away the wedding rule book. Feel inspired. Personalize a totally private wedding. Host a 4-day/3-night all-inclusive celebration for about the same price as a one-night hotel o...
The Betsy - South Beach
Miami Beach, FL
Park/Garden, Historic/Landmark Building, Hotel/Resort, Ocean/Waterfront View, Beach, City/Skyline Vi...
Starting from $10,258 to $18,888 for 50 guests
One of Brides Magazine 10 Best Beach Wedding Venues in Miami, The Betsy – South Beach is a luxurious beachside haven that pairs unique indoor and outdoor venues with world-class catering by celebrated Chef Laurent Tourondel. The Betsys dedicated team of event specialists has left countless couples w...
Grand Plaza Beach Resort
St. Pete Beach, FL
Ocean/Waterfront View, Hotel/Resort, Event Center, Beach, Outdoor
Starting from $10,614 to $11,543 for 50 guests
Get destination wedding vibes without ever leaving Florida! Located in Saint Petersburg, Grand Plaza Beach Resort overlooks the sandy white beaches and blue waters of your tropical dreams! As it sits along the Gulf of Mexico, it boasts indoor ballrooms that are within steps of the pristine beaches s...
Barbary Beach House Key West
Key West, FL
Ocean/Waterfront View, Hotel/Resort, Event Center, Outdoor
Starting from $7,836 to $12,998 for 50 guests
Take your wedding festivities to new heights with Barbary Beach House Key West setting the perfect romantic getaway backdrop and accommodations! Surrounded by sand, water and palm trees, you'll be treated to the ambiance, privacy, and luxury of a destination wedding while embracing endless natural b...
Isla Bella Beach Resort
Marathon, FL
Ocean/Waterfront View, Banquet Hall/Restaurant, Hotel/Resort, Beach, Ballrooms, Outdoor
Say "I do" on a dreamy white-sand beach as palm trees sway gently, and sapphire-blue waves lap the shore. Isla Bella Beach Resort is redefining luxury on the Florida Keys with a resort that exudes contemporary glamour — from the pristine beaches to the playful, tasteful décor. You and your guests wi...
Oceans Edge Key West Resort & Marina
Key West, FL
Ocean/Waterfront View, Hotel/Resort, Event Center, Outdoor, Modern
Starting from $10,952 to $11,348 for 50 guests
Gather your family and friends for a wedding weekend in the Florida Keys. Oceans Edge Resort is a secluded tropical paradise where you can unwind and relax with beautiful views. You'll wake up every morning looking out onto the clear, tranquil waters, and the suites are comfortable and spacious — pe...
The Event Factory
Tampa, FL
Banquet Hall/Restaurant, Event Center, Ballrooms
Starting from $4,832 to $6,313 for 50 guests
Host a fairytale wedding at The Event Factory, a one-of-a-kind venue located in Tampa, Florida. Offering customizable wedding packages and event spaces that are both elegant and unique, this spectacular venue has everything you need to plan the wedding of your dreams. Begin your special event with a...
Club Lake
Apopka, FL
Private Estate, Rustic & Barn, Park/Garden, Manor, Vintage, Outdoor
Starting from $13,099 to $13,597 for 50 guests
*ALL INCLUSIVE PACKAGES* Club Lake is a 43 acre ranch located in Apopka, Florida. This lush estate is a fabulous site to host your wedding celebration. The Club Lake features grounds that are bright green with old graceful oak trees hanging overhead. Imagine a stunning outdoor wedding under a gazebo...
The Sunset Deck at The Beach House
Bradenton Beach, FL
Ocean/Waterfront View, Banquet Hall/Restaurant, Beach, Outdoor
Starting from $13,641 to $17,769 for 50 guests
The Sunset Deck at The Beach House is the top-rated wedding venue on Bradenton Beach, Florida, and for good reason. Located on the world-famous Anna Maria Island, this beachfront location offers stress-free planning in an incredible environment surrounded by natural beauty. With upscale dining in a...
Havana Cabana
Key West, FL
Park/Garden, Ocean/Waterfront View, Ballrooms, Modern
Starting from $9,836 to $12,157 for 50 guests
Havana Cabana brings nostalgic Cuban charm, warmth, and flair to Key West, an idyllic oasis named the third-best hotel in Florida by Travel and Leisure. It brings together the playful island vibe with the atmosphere of Old Havana, giving your destination wedding an international, tropical twist. Rol...
Sunquest Cruises | SOLARIS Yacht
Destin, FL
Ocean/Waterfront View, Cruise Ship/Yacht, Outdoor
Starting from $5,200 to $7,400 for 50 guests
Your wedding is not an ordinary day, so why settle for an ordinary venue? Sunquest Cruises | Solaris Yacht offers a truly unique experience in Miramar Beach, Florida. Accommodating up to 150 guests, imagine boarding a luxury yacht that features three decks and a total area of 5,300 square feet with ...
Lakeside Terrace
Boca Raton, FL
Ocean/Waterfront View, Event Center, Ballrooms, Modern
Starting from $8,632 to $12,255 for 50 guests
In your dreams, your wedding is perfect, the reception amazing, and the food exquisite. It is your moment to celebrate. We invite you to begin your new life together at the Lakeside Terrace Boca Raton. Original, elegant, contemporary and all yours, with a beautiful Terrace for your ceremony followed...
B Ocean Resort Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Ocean/Waterfront View, Historic/Landmark Building, Hotel/Resort, Beach, Ballrooms, Outdoor
Starting from $6,659 to $10,937 for 50 guests
Nestled against the white sand beaches on the east side of A1A in Fort Lauderdale, the B Ocean Resort Fort Lauderdale provides a sleek wedding venue that channels the sophistication of contemporary design and the breezy feel of the ocean. Imagine saying your "I do's" on a scenic beach beneath Florid...
The Grand Pavilion at The Sandbar
Anna Maria, FL
Banquet Hall/Restaurant, Event Center, Ocean/Waterfront View, Beach
Starting from $10,580 to $16,291 for 50 guests
The Grand Pavilion at The Sandbar is a slice of paradise on world-famous Anna Maria Island, Florida. This beachfront venue is an idyllic spot for a waterside wedding, complete with Gulf of Mexico views and the sugar sands for which Florida's west coast is famous. The open-air, canopied space can hol...
B Resort & Spa in the Disney Springs® Re...
Lake Buena Vista, FL
Hotel/Resort, Ballrooms, Modern
Starting from $6,150 to $7,100 for 50 guests
Nestled in the Happiest Place on Earth, the B Resort & Spa, located in the Disney Springs Resort Area is the ideal location for a magical wedding day. Known as one of the finest settings for saying your "I do's" in the Orlando-Disney Springs area, soon-to-be-wed couples can choose from one of the ma...
Seafair Mega Yacht
Miami, FL
Cruise Ship/Yacht, Ocean/Waterfront View, Outdoor, Modern
Starting from $33,219 to $38,636 for 50 guests
Want the #BESTDAYEVER ? The most unique and unconventional Wedding celebration venue SEAFAIR Miami Mega Yacht, docked in Miami's Bayfront Park. Designed by Luiz de Basto, acclaimed yacht designer, the SEAFAIR is grand and glamorous, making it the ideal venue for a chic soirée on the water. The Sky ...
Embassy Suites Deerfield Beach Resort an...
Deerfield Beach, FL
Ocean/Waterfront View, Hotel/Resort, Beach, Ballrooms
Starting from $6,201 to $6,984 for 50 guests
The Embassy Suites Deerfield Beach Resort and Spa is the perfect oceanfront setting for your wedding celebration. Blue skies and rolling waves of the Atlantic Ocean provide you with breathtaking oceanfront views for ceremonies, and cocktail receptions. Our tropical setting offers you, your friends a...
Margaritaville Resort Orlando
Kissimmee, FL
Park/Garden, Hotel/Resort, Event Center, Ocean/Waterfront View, Ballrooms, Outdoor
Starting from $9,331 to $12,464 for 50 guests
Margaritaville Resort Orlando is a brand new, one-of-a-kind wedding venue in Orlando, Florida. This incredible resort features Margaritaville-inspired guest rooms and cottages, offering the perfect tropical oasis for a wedding. The resort's experienced on-site event planners will make sure everythi...
Hyatt Regency Coconut Point
Bonita Springs, FL
Park/Garden, Hotel/Resort, Ocean/Waterfront View, Beach, Ballrooms, Outdoor
Starting from $14,376 to $18,100 for 50 guests
At Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa, everything you need for your wedding celebration will be right at your fingertips. Host your wedding celebration here and experience this beautiful tropical resort, which will include a seamless service experiences and several spectacular venues. Have t...
Vista Lago Ballroom
Miami, FL
Event Center, Ballrooms
Starting from $4,461 to $6,269 for 50 guests
Vista Lago Ballroom is an elegant stand alone building that boasts 24-foot high ceilings, five exquisite crystal chandeliers, wood floors, natural lighting, a 20-foot high illuminated lake fountain and a spectacular view to Hidden lake. The lush lawn surrounding the cream colored, red tile roofed bu...
Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate
ChampionsGate, FL
Golf Course, Hotel/Resort, Event Center, Ballrooms, Outdoor
Starting from $10,159 to $14,222 for 50 guests
Celebrate the most important day of your life at Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate! Located within a beautiful community in Orlando, Florida, this luxurious venue has everything you need to plan the wedding you've always dreamed of. Its numerous event spaces include various stunning ballrooms ide...
Aqua Reception Hall
Miami, FL
Outdoor, Banquet Hall/Restaurant, Event Center, Ballrooms, Modern
Starting from $4,041 to $6,313 for 50 guests
Experience elegance and class as you celebrate the most romantic day of your life. Aqua Reception Hall offers personalized menus, all-inclusive packages, and event coordination. We make your dream wedding become a reality! Located in beautiful Miami, FL, this venue has everything you'll need for ...
Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace
Orlando, FL
Starting from $17,719 to $24,007 for 50 guests
A DREAM WEDDING DESTINATION Our breathtaking location - bathed in sun - and choice of romantic venues helps bring your dream wedding from imagination to reality. We set the scene for the greatest day of your life - from beautiful ceremony locations to adventures for your guests. - Intimate outdo...
The Addison
Boca Raton, FL
Mansion, Historic/Landmark Building, Private Estate, Ballrooms, Vintage, Outdoor
Starting from $12,279 to $23,071 for 50 guests
Say "I do" under the 100-year-old banyan trees in the courtyard of this picturesque 1920s estate. The Addison is a Five Star Diamond Award-winning caterer, event venue, and historical landmark located in Boca Raton, Florida. Built by famed architect Addison Mizner in 1926 as an example of his archit...
Clearwater Yacht Club
Clearwater, FL
Ocean/Waterfront View
Starting from $1,950 to $3,600 for 50 guests
Nestled along the sparkling waterfront of beautiful Clearwater Beach, the Clearwater Yacht Club offers a classically beautiful coastal venue for your big day! Originally established in 1911 when Clearwater was just a charming little town in Hillsborough County, this picturesque club has since grown ...
Lake Lodge Wedding
Thonotosassa, FL
Event Center
Starting from $3,212 to $4,608 for 50 guests
The Lake Lodge is a 1500sqft event space located across from Lake Thonotosassa. It can be booked for day of events or in conjunction with the adjacent luxury home. The space is suitable for a variety of seating configurations that can accommodate 100 guests. Call (813) 400-0628 for more information...
Cafe Gabbiano
Sarasota, FL
Winery/Vineyard/Brewery, Banquet Hall/Restaurant, Event Center, Beach, Vintage, Outdoor
Starting from $2,280 to $7,103 for 50 guests
Just a short walk from the beautiful beaches of Sarasota, Café Gabbiano brings Italy to Siesta Key. Its serene, casual ambiance imitates that of the paradise surrounding it. With plenty of space and an inviting atmosphere, Café Gabbiano offers the perfect setting for your big day. Collections of win...
Crowne Plaza Orlando Universal
Orlando, FL
Outdoor, Banquet Hall/Restaurant, Hotel/Resort, Event Center, Ballrooms
Starting from $4,025 to $8,233 for 50 guests
Your Wedding Celebration will be an unforgettable occasion for you, your family and your guests at Crowne Plaza Orlando Universal. Whether you dream of an intimate ceremony in their secluded courtyard, a cocktail hour in the Grand Staircase Atrium, a rehearsal dinner spent under the stars, or a lavi...
Amara Cay Resort
Islamorada, FL
Ocean/Waterfront View, Hotel/Resort, Event Center, Outdoor
Starting from $11,197 to $16,735 for 50 guests
It's hard to imagine a lovelier setting for an island wedding ceremony and reception than Amara Cay Resort. Dotted with palm trees swaying in a gentle breeze, the resort's coastline and beautifully landscaped event lawn are an exquisite backdrop for your dream wedding celebration. Imagine sand betwe...
Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront
Cocoa Beach, FL
Ocean/Waterfront View, Hotel/Resort, Beach, Outdoor, Modern
Starting from $7,787 to $10,738 for 50 guests
Say 'I do' among the soft sand, rolling waves, and endless sky at Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront, the perfect location for your dream beach wedding! Discover scenic indoor and outdoor space equipped to bring your wedding dreams to life. From an elegant wedding affair to an intimate celebration, the H...
The Secret Garden at Paradise Spring
Lithia, FL
Mansion, Private Club, Private Estate, Park/Garden, Outdoor, Modern
Starting from $6,785 to $8,041 for 50 guests
The Secret Garden at Paradise Spring is Tampa Bay's premier wedding venue. Nestled on a 32-acre estate in Lithia Florida you'll find a place where memories are made and dreams come true. Just off Lithia Pinecrest Rd. a winding gravel road gives way to an open meadow surrounded by natural forests...
Hyatt Centric Las Olas Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Outdoor, Hotel/Resort, Event Center, City/Skyline View, Ballrooms, Modern
Starting from $14,130 to $31,578 for 50 guests
As the tallest building in the city, the Hyatt Centric in the Las Olas neighborhood of Fort Lauderdale offers an imposing, impressive venue for a wedding weekend. Its terraces overlook the skyline, and make it an exciting space for a cocktail hour or rehearsal dinner. You can enjoy drinks and sharea...
CWS Bar & Kitchen
Lake Worth Beach, FL
Banquet Hall/Restaurant, Park/Garden, Vintage, Modern
Starting from $3,210 to $7,961 for 50 guests
Named one of the best bourbon bars in America, CWS Bar & Kitchen is a hidden gem in downtown Lake Worth that puts a modern and unique twist on your wedding festivities! The 1920's-inspired whiskey den and open naturalism beer garden coupled with exposed brick and wood design set a relaxed ambiance a...


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Anastasia Soare can be called a brow maven; for years she has shaped the brows of Hollywood's elite in her Beverly Hills Salon. Over the years she has achieved iconic status in the beauty industry for her unique way of shaping the eyebrows and enhancing the eye area. Brows are often overlooked or not cared for (believe me, I'm guilty) but brows frame the not only the eyes but can bring attention to the whole face. I used to get my brows done at the Anastasia bar at Nordstrom, but they discontinued the service to make space for more makeup brands. My dream is to go to Anastasia's Beverly Hills store and have a consultation with her; I think my brows are lopsided and I don't know what to do about it other than permanently tilt my head. Thanks be to the makeup gods for Anastasia's signature line to help me achieve symmetry.
The Anastasia Beauty Express Kit ($38) – has everything you need to create the Anastasia look at home. The kit includes:
- Brow Wax Cream
- Eyeshadow Duo
- 2 Brow Powders
- 5 brow stencils
- Angled brush
Using the kit is easy–just 5 steps:
1. SELECT THE STENCIL that fits the most of your natural brow hair through the cutout. Align stencil with points "A" and "B", making sure the top burgundy line rests parallel on the forehead. A is the point through the center of the nostril directly up to where it intersects the end point of the stencil cutout. B is the point through the edge of the nose diagonally to the opposite end of the stencil cutout. The Medium Arch stencil was the one that matched my natural arch the best. If the stencil doesn't match exactly, you'll know where to fill in or pluck.
2. APPLY THE BROW WAX CREAM using the brow brush first to help the brow powder adhere. Clean brush of any excess wax.
3. ALIGN THE STENCIL TO BROW and apply brow powder to the open area using the brow brush.
4. REMOVE THE STENCIL and tweeze hair outside the powdered area. I didn't do this step in these pictures.
5. APPLY SHADOW to enhance brow bone, lids and inner corners of eyes. The kit comes with both matte and shimmery champagne eyeshadows. I used the matte as a base and then applied the shimmer shade from lash line all the way up to the eyebrow.
The stencils are a fabulous idea, especially for women over 40 who may have overplucked or are experiencing thinning brows. I've never had my brows professionally shaped and I like said, they have always felt lopsided to me, so the stencils are a very useful tool for me. After trying them out, the Medium Arch stencil is the one that mimics my natural brow line the best. The brush is fantastic! The angle is perfection, it's stiff enough to stand up to coarse brow hair but not so stiff it's uncomfortable. I finished my eyes with the Stila Smudge Stick eyeliner in Blue Ribbon and Chanel Inimitable Intense mascara in black.
Beauties, wouldn't you like an Anastasia Beauty Express Kit of your very own? Of course you would! One lucky Prime Beauty reader will win this kit, just follow the directions in the Rafflecopter widget below–it may take a few minutes to load.
"Beauty Express" brow-kit instructional video from Anastasia Beverly Hills on Vimeo.


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Well-Being Q&A: Jackie Gaston, Healer
September 15, 2008 in Abundance, Balance, Healing, Health, Law of Attraction, Metaphysics, New Age, Prosperity, Self discovery, Spirituality, Well-being Q&A | Tags: Abraham-Hicks, Acupuncture, craniosacral, eastern medicine, Eat Pray Love, energy work, Jackie Gaston, Massage Therapy, Reiki, Touch of the Hills | by currentliving | Leave a comment
Jackie Gaston is a healer and teacher based in Austin, TX. I recently asked Jackie about her work, and its connection to creating balance and well-being in all areas of our lives.
CL: For people who are wondering why they are "stuck" in certain emotional or mental patterns, is there any physical explanation for that? If so, what can be done about that?
JG: This is a good question in that it seems to start with the assumption that there is a division between the mental, the emotional and the physical. This is a view that has been held in western thought since Descartes hypothezied that thought equals being. William Blake said that the body is the soul as perceived by the senses and I feel this is more accurate. The question also addresses a state that we all experience from time to time. The feeling of being "stuck" seems to be an unavoidable part of the human experience. I think it is more useful to look at this state in terms of what it may be telling us rather than as something that we need to do something about. Why are we feeling stuck? What is going on in life that is allowing this feeling to be present at this time? After these factors are identified, we can begin to take action to either change or accept them. Doing this usually results in an awareness of the choices we are making and a feeling of more control in life. Stuckness can't stay around when we feel we are in control.
CL: What are some of the more powerful modalities that can assist people in attaining a greater sense of well-being?
JG: Sometimes old conditions set up shop in the body and are little bit slow to leave. A simplified example is a period of time after a sore foot has healed when you still find yourself limping from time to time out of habit. The cells in your body that reproduced during the time of the injury reproduced exact replicas of themselves. The replicas contained the information that the foot was sore and limping took the pressure off of it. Nerve patterns transferred this information to the brain and back to the muscles that moved the foot establishing patterns that told the muscles how to behave. It takes a little while for all of those cells to get the message that the limping is no longer useful. Energy work can help repattern these kinds of messages. My preferred modalities for this are craniosacral therapy and Reiki combined with specific massage movements for each part of the body. I also like acupuncture and chiropractic care.
CL: Explain what a typical Reiki or energy work session involves. What are some of the positive results?
JG: A Reiki session is done with the client fully clothed and looks like a 'laying on of hands' for lack of a better description. I prefer to use my massage table for this but I have been known to work on people on their sofas, easy chairs or beds, folding chairs or whatever happens to be around. The intent is to send energy to any place that needs it and/or clear energy blockages that may be causing problems. The first result is usually a deep relaxation. Some people can feel the energy moving through them while others report not really feeling anything. I have never heard of anyone having a negative reaction to Reiki. However, I have known of people who were disappointed because they expected some big emotional or physical release. While this can and sometimes does happen, it can be a much more subtle modality and the experience is different for each person.
CL: Do you recommend having ongoing energy work done in order to help with chronic conditions, or can some conditions be resolved in one session?
JG: Yes and yes. There are some conditions that can be and are resolved in one session while others, especially chronic ones, benefit from ongoing sessions.
CL: What motivated you to become a healer and choose these modalities for your work?
JG: I have never had a job in which I did not feel that I was helping others. In fact, the only criteria that I have ever had for work is that it allowed me to help others. I have worked for a major insurance company, taught special education classes, worked with blind people and with developmentally handicapped people and worked for the Texas Rehabilitation Commission before becoming a body/energy worker so I guess the progression was logical. I first began hearing about Reiki in the early 90s when I was working the first aid crew at a music festival. I asked questions about it but nobody really wanted to tell me very much. Then, in 1996, a friend of mine left this time/space reality via running her car into a tree. I traveled from San Angelo to Kerrville to her memorial service and she decided to accompany me home. She literally pestered me into taking my first Reiki classes. (I could go on and on about how weird this all seemed in San Angelo, TX but I'll spare you that discourse.) I had a craniosacral session in 1998 and felt my jaw unlock while the practitioner's hand was under my sacrum. I just had to find out how to do that. Since then, I just have not been able to stop exploring different modalities. I feel that I could spend the rest of my life studying ways that the body manifests the spirit and the ways in which it can be addressed.
CL: Are types of energy work ever combined to create some new form of healing?
JG: Certainly. I seldom use just one modality. Sometimes I don't even have a name for what happens in a session. Each person has different needs and responds to different combinations of modalities.
CL: People have ideas about what kinds of therapies they need to help with certain physical issues. Do you ever counsel against using certain methodologies?
JG: This is a fairly common occurrence. A lot of times people think they want a deep tissue massage and it is often not what their body will accept, especially if they don't get bodywork on a regular basis. They have just heard the term a lot and think is sounds exotic or something. I won't do deep work or use much pressure at all on recent injuries. There are other contraindications for bodywork such as illness, fever, and etc. But almost anyone can have energy work at anytime.
CL: In the greater mind-body-spirit-heart connection, how does your work to influence all of these areas of life?
JG: My intent is to help the client integrate the mental/emotional experience with the physical one and to set things up so that he/she is open to healing themselves. Yeah, I said 'healing themselves' because I can only facilitate the healing by creating and holding the space for it to happen.
CL: What are you reading?
JG: Just finished Eat, Pray, Love, a book I did not expect to like based on reviews that I had read but I had heard so much about it that I gave in and read it. Loved it. I am also reading Marriage of the Spirit by Leslie Temple-Thurston and an autobiography of Judy Collins. I am forever picking up the Abraham-Hicks books and reading a page or two. I keep some of those cds in my car and usually listen to one while I drive around. I am studying the work of Sanaya Roman and Duane Packer as well.
For more information on Jackie's work and range of services, please visit www.jackiegaston.com.