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You have what you believe to be a brilliant, unique idea for a product that has the potential to revolutionize the marketplace. While you are confident in your innovative concept, you are also debating whether or not to take the next step and launch your business. What if you quit your job and spend all your hard-earned money on a startup just to watch the business fail?
Given that 50 percent of new businesses in the United States fail in their first five years, your apprehension is not unwarranted. It's a good idea, then, to do some research before you start a business. Take the initiative and educate yourself about the relevant best practices. Learn from those who have successfully and unsuccessfully navigated the startup terrain by reading these seven business books, as suggested by MBA@UNC, the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School's online MBA program.
1. Reality Check: The Irreverent Guide to Outsmarting, Outmanaging, and Outmarketing Your Competition by Guy Kawasaki
Kawasaki, who has worked at Apple and advised at Google, uses his vast experiences in the startup world to provide a funny and informative guide about how to create a community, how to learn the art of schmoozing, and much, much more.
2. Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
Two software entrepreneurs with more than 10 years of sustained company profitability penned this guide to share how they generated millions of customers with only 16 employees and no marketing department.
3. The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses by Eric Ries
If you want to eliminate uncertainty, just ask the right questions. Ries provides a scientific method for creating and running a startup. Rather than ask, "Can this product be built?" you should instead ask "Should this product be built?" and "Can we build a sustainable business around this product or service?"
4. The Startup Owner's Manual: The Step-By-Step Guide for Building a Great Company by Steve Blank and Bob Dorf
Want to know how to develop your own reliable customer base? Blank and Dorf will help you out. Their book provides a step-by-step process for customer development, along with a business-model canvas to monitor progress.
5. Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies by Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras
Learn about the inner-workings of 18 incredible companies and discover what sets them apart from their competitors. You will be able to follow these companies from the startup stages to success, providing you with helpful tips you can apply to your own business.
6. The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future by Chris Guillebeau
An ideal book for those who want to leave the traditional employment environment and pursue their passions while earning a living. Guillebeau believes you can pursue your passions while also earning a living — these things don't have to be mutually exclusive! Guillebeau interviews ordinary people who were able to turn investments of $100 or less into businesses making $50,000 or more per year.
7. The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber
This book addresses two fallacies: most people who start a small business are entrepreneurs, and someone who understands the technical side of a business can successfully operate a technical company. If you want practical business advice, this is the book for you.


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About my work
In my work, whilst playing with fiction and truth, I search for ambiguity.
Using reconstruction and deconstruction I transform objects and situations
Shared experiences and the meeting of the other play a role and
physics, chemistry, cooking and sound are elements that reoccur in my actions.
back to table of contents

subset: commoncrawl


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The investigation by the National Basketball Players Association into whether monetary gifts were provided by a sports agency to NBA draft prospect O.J. Mayo has taken an unexpected turn.
Sources are telling CNBC that the top legal counsel for the NBPA, Gary Hall, was paid to work for Bill Duffy Associates--the agency that represents Mayo that is under investigation--at least twice.
Several agents, who are looking to clean up the industry, said that they were concerned that an unbiased investigation could be conducted without Hall taking himself out of the mix for the case.
That will no longer be an issue.
"Gary Hall is going to recuse himself from any involvement in any investigations that occur regarding BDA," union spokesman Dan Wasserman told CNBC. "In that instance, our director of security and agent administration Robert Gadson will report directly to our executive director Billy Hunter."
Hall stepping away could be a net loss for the case, since it means one less staff member to monitor these developments. Agents who spoke anonymously to CNBC said they had hoped that this case—and the union's response—would help clean up the sketchy industry.
Many have argued that the already small staff within the union's office, and its lack of subpoena power, make it virtually impossible to adequately monitor the roughly 400 agents registered with the union.
The investigation was brought about by an ESPN report earlier this month in which Louis Johnson, who was said to be a former member of Mayo's "inner circle," said the 20-year-old who played one year with University of Southern California accepted $30,000 in cash and gifts from event promoter Rodney Guillory.
Johnson, who provided receipts to the sports network, alleged that Guillory received the money from Bill Duffy Associates, to ensure that Mayo signed with the firm. Mayo denied the claims and BDA refuted the connection.
Hall, who worked with Hunter when Hunter was a prosecutor in northern California, first worked with the NBPA as outside counsel while working at the law firm he helped start, Nevin & Hall. In 2001, Hall moved to Syracuse to work for a firm called Blitman & King, where sources say he was paid by BDA to represent the firm in at least two cases.
Hall was hired by the union in Nov. 2005 as general counsel and he now heads up the union's legal department, which includes Hall and two other in-house lawyers.
Hall represented the sports agency in the high profile case of former Chicago Bulls player Mario Austin, which lasted from Sept. 2003 to June 2004. When Austin fired Duffy after claiming Duffy misled him into signing with a team in Russia, it got very public. The case was eventually settled. He also worked for BDA in an arbitration case that involved a player asking a team for an injury settlement.
There are rumors circulating that O.J. Mayo is contemplating firing BDA. But Mayo's BDA agent Calvin Andrews told CNBC this afternoon that is not the case.
"There are obviously a lot of things going on right now," Andrews told CNBC. "If this is too big and the kid feels like it's really a strain on his family, we told him we would step away."
Andrews just returned from Chicago where Mayo is working out with trainer Tim Grover in preparation for the NBA Draft workouts. Sources said Mayo's mother is now involved in the agent race and was with O.J. in Chicago.
If Mayo fired BDA, he would have to inform the NBPA of his decision. He could hire a new agent as soon as 15 days later. If Mayo drops BDA, agent Andy Miller is rumored to be the leader.
Questions? Comments? firstname.lastname@example.com


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Tell me a little bit about your background – how did you get to where you are today?
I have always been interested in the arts and throughout my educational and early career, I was always focused in the creative field. My decision to make art as my profession was a natural progression within my creative development.
Instagram | @natisajones_studio
Facebook | natisajonesstudio
Website | www.natisajones.com
What is the most exciting thing you are working on right now?
I just wrapped up a Solo Exhibition at Salihara Art Center in Jakarta. It was an experience and opportunity that I would never take for granted. I am a part of 3 other exhibitions that are also coming up soon and ongoing at the currently (which are taking place in Ruci Art Space, Art Jakarta and Ciputra Artpreneur)
What is the most important lessons you have learned from your business life?
Knowing and respecting your own worth as much as the people you work with.
What is one big financial goal you still have for yourself? What are your strategies to pursue it?
Bigger budgets in art obviously creates more opportunities and creative freedoms. I would like to continue to sustain from my art practice and hope to expand financially to be able to finance and accomplish bigger projects. I plan to continue the growth and development of my practice and continue to build the team around me. With the right people to help with the vision, the easier and more manageable it is to pursue.
The role fear plays in our daily lives. How do you keep motivated to overcome your fear?
I remind myself that fear usually comes from the unknown, and there is equal chances of things going in my favor as much as it doesn't as it has yet to happen. So I try to focus all my energy on things I can control and actively try to let go of things that I can not.
What comes next to your world?
More projects, in more countries outside of Indonesia hopefully. Married life and relocation.
I believe
In quality over quantity
Daily must have
A proper lunch break that does not involve work
Things I love
Art and almost anything related to creativity, proper sidewalks and sesame seeds


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Economic Worry Grips Teens, Too; Parental Concern is a Strong Factor
Nearly six in 10 teens worried economic problems may hurt their families.
Nov. 26, 2008 -- Economic anxiety is more than just a grown-up thing: Nearly six in 10 teenagers are worried that the country's economic problems may hurt their own families – and as many say their parents already have cut back on things like clothes, gifts or family travel.
Sixty-seven percent of 12- to 17-year-olds in this ABC News poll say their parents seem worried about the economy. Sixty-eight percent have talked with their parents about what it might mean for their families. And 58 percent of teens are themselves worried.
Click here for PDF with charts and questions.
That worry seems contagious. Teens who say their parents are worried about the economy are far more apt to be worried about it themselves – the single biggest predictor of teens' own economic worries, even when controlling for income and other factors.
Worry also is higher among teens who've talked with their parents about the economy than it is among those who haven't. It's only slightly higher, though, among less well-off teens – indicating that economic worries are cutting across socioeconomic lines.
Some of this, at the same time, is based in reality, not just the perception of parental concern. Worry rises sharply among teens whose parents have cut back on buying them things because of the economy. And parents who've cut back are more likely to seem worried to their children, and to have discussed the situation with them.
TEEN CONCERN – While 58 percent of all teenagers are worried about the economy hurting their families, that spikes to 65 percent of teens who've talked about it with their parents, vs. 44 percent of those who haven't; and 68 percent of those whose parents have trimmed their spending, vs. 41 percent of teens whose parents haven't cut back.
But the biggest apparent effect, as noted, is parental worry. Among teens who say their parents seem worried about the economy, 75 percent are themselves worried. By contrast, among the three in 10 teens who say their parents do not seem especially worried, far fewer, 22 percent, are worried themselves. There's an especially high correlation between children seeing their parents as worried, and being worried themselves.
Perhaps surprisingly, household income is not a strong factor in these views. Teens in middle- to lower-income families (earning less than $50,000 a year) are modestly more apt than better-off children to be worried about the economy themselves. But they're no more likely to say their parents seem worried or to say their parents have cut back on buying them things.
In a regression equation measuring the strength of these factors in predicting economic worry among teens, all of them – parents' worry, having discussed it, spending cuts and being in the lower-income group – are independently significant. But parental worry is the most powerful predictor by far.
There's room, moreover, for these views to worsen. Only about one in six teens say their parents seem "very" worried, are "very" worried themselves, or say their parents have cut back "a great deal" on buying them things. Each of these, again, is correlated.
GROUPS – There are relatively few differences among groups. Younger (12-14) and older teens are equally likely to have talked with their parents about the economy's impact on their families, to say their parents seem worried and to be worried themselves.
Girls are perhaps slightly more apt than boys to say their parents seem worried. And older boys are less likely than other teens to say their parents have cut back on buying them things; that may be because they're more likely to be earning money of their own.
METHODOLOGY: This ABC News poll was conducted by telephone Nov. 19-23, 2008, among a random national sample of 506 12- to 17-year-olds. The results have a 4.5-point error margin. Field work by ICR-International Communications Research of Media, Pa.


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Retirement Villages
Catholic Homes has four beautiful retirement villages located in Duncraig, Joondanna, Wilson and Bunbury.
Each village is unique, offering you the opportunity to live independently in a small caring community. They offer an environment of trust and respect – a place you can truly call home.
The four retirement villages are located alongside an aged care residence, giving you access to a wide range of additional services and support.
Catholic Homes believes in ageing well and keeping active and healthy in your own home. Each village has a lively social calendar with plenty of activities you are free to join in with.
Find out more about our available properties by visiting our Properties for Sale page.


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Telecom service provider SureWest Communications (SURW) has completed a new data center in Lenexa, Kansas to provide colocation services to support company's midwest expansion. Based in Northern California for more than 90 years, SureWest expanded into the Kansas City region in February 2008 with the acquisition of Everest Broadband.
The new facility in Lenexa complement two data centers in its home base of Sacramento, Calif. and offers expanded disaster recovery options for businesses in both markets. SureWest converted existing space in its Lenexa facility for data center use.
"The new Kansas City data center helps address the existing demand among local
businesses for disaster recovery and business continuity efforts," said Ed
Butler, SureWest's executive director of commercial sales. "Our customers will
now be able to take advantage of, and protect their networks with the very
same infrastructure and environmental protections that we have in place to
secure our own enterprise network."


text: Crunching one trillion bytes of data used to take four hours, but with the new Intel® Distribution for Apache Hadoop software in combination with Intel hardware, it can now take as little as seven minutes. Announced today, the Intel Distribution is built from the silicon up to deliver industry-leading performance and security that will serve as the company's first step toward helping businesses maximize the full potential of their data. With support of the launch from more than 20 partners, including Cisco, SAP, Savvis and Red Hat, the Intel Distribution will help enable big data to deliver on its promise to enable new scientific discoveries, business models and consumer experiences. Get more information on Intel Distribution.


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Fixing Leaks: The Most Common Reason You Would Need Roof Repair Savage MN!
Leak is the most common problem in roofs. It is debatable whether flat roofs leak less or sloped roofs and which material is more vulnerable to leaks but what cannot be disputed is that you will have to deal with leaks, sooner than later. There are some preventive measures you can take to prevent leaks which we shall talk about in another post. In here, we discuss a few tips and tricks that can help you with leaky roof repair in Savage MN.
- The very first thing you should do is hire a credible roofer. Don't hire a random roofer and certainly don't try to attempt repairing the leak yourself. You must get professional help. Hiring a professional would not only ensure that the leak is fixed properly but you would also get the assurance that the leak would not recur. That is the eventual objective of leaky roof repair in Savage MN. You will be surprised to know how common it is for a roof to leak again in the exact same spot. If the repair is not good enough, if proper care is not taken, then the roof will leak again. You can be sure of that.
- Always get your roofer to look for more leaks, other than the obvious one. The secret to holistic leaky roof repair in Savage MN is to ensure that there are no further leaks. Leaks are not always obvious. You may be only concerned with the leak that is visible and thus concerning. There could be underlying damage or some signs of potential leaks which the roofer must look out for and should attend to. Else, you will have to hire the roofer again sometime soon for the same roof repair in Savage MN.
- Get a weather guard after fixing the leak. Your roof may or may not have any coatings. Having weather shields or additional coatings for protection is imperative. When a roofer caters to roof repair in Savage MN, the coatings will either be damaged already or they would have to be removed to allow the repair. In both cases, you must get new coatings. If your roofer cannot get this done, then hire someone who can do the repair and install the coatings.
- Ensure regular cleaning and maintenance. After attending to your roof repair in Savage MN, you should have a cleaning and maintenance schedule to be always aware and proactive.
Contact The Roof Repair Savage MN Contractor
For free inspection, contact us today at (763)-271-8700 or visit our website Perfectexteriorsmn.com to know more about roof repair Savage MN.


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Last week China's National People's Congress (NPC) adopted far-reaching amendments to China's basic Environmental Law. The amendments incorporate many of the recommendations I made when testifying before the Standing Committee of the NPC on March 19 (see March 25, 2014 blog post). A prominent Chinese environmentalists emailed me that "we are all so incredibly excited, over the moon, really" about the new provisions, which are the product of years of advocacy by Chinese environmentalists. Here are some of the specifics of the new amendments, as described by NRDC's Beijing office:
(1) Daily penalties. The new law has established a "blacklist" system, which records environmental law violation information in a new record system and a list of violators will be released to the public. More importantly, the new law has adopted daily penalties, providing that from the next date when a competent administrative agency ordered a violator to correct its illegal behavior but the violator fails to, the agency may order continuous penalties on a daily basis, according to the original amount of penalty. The new law also provides local governments with more discretion to increase the types of activities may incur daily penalties.
(2) Environmental public interest litigation. The law establishes the environmental public litigation provision and grants the standing of plaintiffs in environmental public interest litigation to social organizations which have registered with the governmental civil affair departments above city level, have specialized in environmental public interest activities for more than 5 years, and do not have any law-breaking record. To tackle difficulties in having cases accepted by courts, the new law also clearly provides that courts must accept cases filed by qualified social organizations in accordance with the law. This breakthrough is a strong supplement to the public interest litigation clause in the Civil Procedure Law.
(3) Basic concept of the Environmental Protection Law. The new EPL elevates the importance of environmental protection; "the work of environmental protection must be coordinated with economic construction and social development" has been changed to "the work of economic and social development must be coordinated with environmental protection."
(4) Environmental information disclosure and public participation. The new EPL dedicates an entire chapter to provisions for environmental information disclosure and public participation. It makes specific provisions for the disclosure of environmental supervision information, monitoring information, corporate environmental information, and also for citizens' access to environmental information and participation and supervision of environmental protection.
(5) Permitting system. The new law establishes the pollutant discharge permit system and clearly stipulates that enterprises, institutions, and other production operators under the pollution discharge permit management system must discharge pollutants within the stated range of emissions on their permits. Without obtaining emission permits, an operator is not allowed to emit any pollutant.
(6) Ecological red lines. The new law provides that the nation sets ecological bottom lines ("red lines" as referred to in the law) and implements strict protection for key ecological function zones and ecologically sensitive or vulnerable zones. Also, according to the law, governments above provincial level are obliged to organize investigation and evaluation of environmental conditions, and to establish early warning mechanisms to detect environmental problems. The new law requires that environmental protection departments must suspend approval of construction projects' EIA documents in areas where pollutants exceed national total emission control targets for major pollutants or in areas that fail to accomplish national environmental quality objectives.
(7) Strengthened enforcement authority. The new EPL clearly strengthens the authority of environmental protection departments to strengthen the deterrent effect of environmental law:
* It clarifies the administrative enforcement measures environmental protection departments can take. For the illegal discharge of pollutants causing or likely to cause severe pollution, environmental protection departments above the county level and other departments responsible for environmental supervision or management can close down or seize facilities and equipment causing the pollution.
* it clarifies the legal status of environmental monitoring institutions entrusted by the competent departments of environmental protection administration, empowering them to make on-site inspections of enterprises and other producers that discharge pollutants.
* it provides for four types of serious cases of environmental violations where responsible persons could face administrative detention, including: if their company didn't undertake an EIA and refused to suspend production after being issued a ban, discharged pollutants without a pollutant discharge permit, falsified monitoring data, or continued to use pesticides banned by the state after being ordered to make corrections."
On Saturday April 26 I flew from Washington to Dubai to give a lecture on "Environmental Law in an Era of Globalization" at the American University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Professors Mohamed Abouleish and Gary Gold, who served as my hosts, are co-teaching what is believed to be the only environmental law course offered in the UAE. As I pointed out in my lecture, which was given on April 28, the UAE has the second highest per capita emissions of greenhouse gases in the world, second only to Qatar. The country uses oil to provide for virtually all of its energy needs and its water is provided by energy-intensive desalination plants. An experiment with solar power apparently was abandoned after it was determined that desert dust storms made it too expensive to clean the panels frequently. Fortunately I was in the UAE for what the locals called a "cool spell." The temperatures, which can range from 120 to 130 degrees Fahrenheit in summer months, were only approximately 100 degrees. The sheik who rules Sharjah has placed a particular emphasis on education and the American University of Sharjah is one of seven schools located in a beautiful "University City" complex. I arrived back in the U.S. on the morning of April 29. Photos that I took while in the UAE have been posted in the "Photo Albums" portion of my parallel website at: http://www.globalenvironmentallaw.com. This was my first visit to the UAE, the 83rd country I have visited.
On April 29 the U.S. Supreme Court delivered an important victory to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency by reversing the D.C. Circuit's decision that had struck down the EPA's interstate air pollution rule. (See the December 16, 2013 blog post concerning the oral argument before the Supreme Court). The D.C. Circuit's decision had represented a new height of judicial activism by the D.C. Circuit, which imposed such demanding requirements on EPA that it would have been extremely difficult for the agency to implement the interstate air pollution provisions of the Clean Air Act (CAA). The Supreme Court reversed the D.C. Circuit, reinstating EPA's rule, in a 6-2 decision with Justice Alito recusing himself. What seems particulary significant is that both Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Kennedy joined Justices Breyer, Sotomayor and Kagan in embracing in full Justice Ginsburg's majority opinion. Justice Ginsburg has been the Justice who in the past has been the most sympathetic toward environmental concerns. The case turned in large part over whether EPA had violated the CAA by basing states' obligations to control transboundary pollution on what measures can be undertaken most cost-effectively. EPA's rule thus avoided penalizing states that already have done the most to control interstate air pollution.
Justice Scalia dissented, in an opinion joined by Justice Thomas. He even read his dissent from the bench to emphasize how strongly he rejected EPA's arguments. However, Justice Scalia made a major blunder in his slip opinion. He accused EPA of having previously tried to incorporate costs into the Clean Air Act, citing the 2001 American Trucking decision. However, it was industry groups and not EPA who had made this argument in American Trucking, a decision authored by Justice Scalia. Apparently Scalia was sufficiently embarrassed by his mistake to change this portion of his dissent because a new sentence and subheading were substituted on the Court's website this morning. Not since 1983 when Justice Rehnquist's slip opinion in Ruckelshaus v. Sierra Club inadvertently disclosed that the Justices originally had voted the other way (see my article "Environmental Law in the Supreme Court: Highlights from the Marshall Papers," 23 ELR 10606, 10621 (1993)) has such an embarrassing mistake been made by a Justice in an environmental case.
Tens of thousands of protesters have succeeded in temporarily halting the construction of two nuclear reactors at a site outside of Taipei. Protesters overwhelmed police and took over control of an eight-lane highway. Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou has pledged to call a referendum to determine whether to complete construction of the plants whose proximity to earthquake faults has raised public concern.


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This figural box represents a power animal - a totem for our individual ambitions. Its simple and gestural depiction is intentional, allowing the symbolism of the animal to be maintained. With the addition of hinges, it has the ability to guard important small objects. On the shelf, it is sculpture. On the side table, it's a totem. On the counter, it offers a hiding spot.
animal nature
a familiar totem
keeps my secrets safe
6.5" x 3.5" x 3"
Karl Zahn is a freelance product and furniture designer in Greenpoint Brooklyn. His work examines contemporary materials and historical technologies in an attempt to create modern hybrids that are more applicable, beautiful and sustainable. His designs express a pared-down simplicity and stark aesthetic as a blend of modernist hard lines and surfaces with a Danish sensitivity to materials and joinery. Each piece is designed to withstand the passing of trends and foster complex relationships that grow more endearing over time. Born and raised in rural Vermont, his work with wood and natural materials is an extension of the teachings from his home and time spent playing in forests and woodshops. After earning a degree in product design from the Rhode Island School of Design (2003), he traveled to San Francisco where he immersed himself in the creative and complicated metalworking culture that thrives there. In 2007, he moved to New York to begin working on his own. He has since had the opportunity to work with such established companies as Artecnica, Areaware, Teroforma, Lindsey Adelman Studio and Roll & Hill, as well as continuing collaborations with up and coming designers.


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Photographer Mark Johnson has created some amazing composites in the last few years and today he is sharing some education on how to make composites look so nice. In this video, Mark illustrates exactly how to light a subject if you intend to composite them. This video is one of eleven included in Mark's "Dramatic Portrait Compositing: From Capture to Completion"
Here is a finished composite that Mark recently completed .
Camera Settings:
Nikon D300, 24 – 70 mm lens at 58 mm, f/9, 1/20 of a second, ISO 800, tripod
Lighting Setup:
Three Westcott Spiderlite TD6 units (Main Light: 36″ x 48″ Shallow Softbox containing no diffusion, Edge Lights: 2 12″ x 36″ Stripbanks with Egg Crates and no diffusion)
Capturing the intensity of a firefighter at work is nearly impossible, but thanks to the brilliance of Westcott studio lighting, Photoshop, and Filter Forge, Mark S. Johnson was able to craft a composite where you can practically feel the heat. For the sake of authenticity, Mark smeared the subject's face (a real firefighter) with charcoal and spritzed him with water.
All of the smoke and flame effects were added during post. To produce the apocalyptic background, Mark employed a Filter Forge generated background called Volcanic Ash. The foreground sparks and flames were created using free images from the CGTextures.com website. The entire composite was tied together with a warming Color Balance adjustment layer.
To learn more about many of the special effects techniques that Mark uses to create his stunning composites, visit www.msjphotography.com and check out his free Photoshop Workbench video tutorials.
Note: Filter Forge offers a fully functional free 30-day trial. If you decide to buy, click through the Filter Forge graphic on the Discounts page of www.msjphotography.com and enter the associated code to receive a 40% discount during checkout.
Click here to purchase the complete Dramatic Portrait Compositing video tutorial series for $24.95? (Dramatic Portrait Compositing)
Westcott Lighting Gear in Action
Spiderlite TD6 2-Light Bundle6222
Spiderlite TD6 2-Light Bundle6222
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Apr 27, 2012
Our natural systems are the foundation of our economy. We can roughly estimate how much it will cost to reforest the earth, protect topsoil, restore rangelands and fisheries, stabilize water tables, and protect biological diversity. The goal is not to offer a set of precise numbers but rather to provide a set of reasonable estimates for an earth restoration budget.


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The days of the mini-sites and blog networks are long gone. If you want to really experience success online, you need to build an authority site. You can build authority on any subject from cleaning equipment to weight loss. Some will require more content than others, but there are ways to quickly create the necessary content to help your site become an authority site.
It all starts with your structure and the content you originally put on your blog/website. If you make sure every sentence of content is high quality and engages the reader, you will easily find the authority you are looking for. The center or any great website is great content, so make sure you get this part down first.
User-Generated Content
Once your site has high quality content, you will start to receive user-generated content. This comes in the form of comments on your blog posts, and it can be very powerful. You want to moderate all comments because there are still many spammers out there trying to post a comment that doesn't fit, just so they can get a link to their website.
You also want to make sure you respond to relevant comments. This can start to create a buzz and will give others the opportunity to add their two cents. If you remain engaged in conversations with those commenting on your posts, you will gain subscribers and start to see the benefits. More than anything, your site will start to gain authority.
Another way you can get user-generated content is with a social site. If you add a plugin or a tool to your site that allows subscribers to create profiles, share information and post on their own profiles, you will start to see authority very fast. This is a very powerful strategy very similar to Facebook, but on a smaller scale.
With this user-generated content, you will be able to build your authority much faster. It could be as easy as creating a community of people to support each other through a weight loss plan or anything else. The key is to remain active and engage your community as much as you possibly can. This will get people coming back and posting more content.
The Power of an Authority Site
Creating authority for your site will help you gain better ranking in the search engines, which will create more traffic. If you want to make money online, an authority site is the best way to do so. These types of websites have ranked well in Google for many years, but are more important as SEO becomes more of a black and white world.
The grey hat techniques that used to work for mini sites don't work the same way they used to. Exact match domain names don't rank as well as they used to, and you will find an authority site offers many benefits you simply can't get from mini sites.
Post by guest blogger Michelle Deaven, a writer who enjoys blogging about many things, from the technology behind cleaning equipment to marketing online.


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"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion … "
This so-called Establishment Clause is the very first written provision of the Bill of Rights found in the First Amendment of the ten original amendments to the United States Constitution.
The founders of this nation, some of whom were religious, and some not, all plainly desired that the new government be secular, i.e. concerned with temporal worldly matters not relating to religion. These wise men understood the danger of mixing government with religion and that is the reason they took pains in the Constitution to keep the two separate.
Most religious Americans understand and appreciate the sound reasons for the Establishment Clause. They know that the second written provision of the Bill of Rights, the very next phrase found in the same First Amendment, is the Free Exercise Clause which guarantees their right to worship as they choose without interference from the government. Thus, the two clauses fit perfectly together as one concept to protect the rights of all Americans in matters of personal conscience.
John F. Kennedy, in 1960, when he was a candidate for President of the United States, was obliged to reassure a skeptical public at the time that, as the first Catholic president, he would steadfastly adhere to his oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America, especially the First Amendment Establishment Clause.
Many people were worried then, and rightly so, about whether Mr. Kennedy might possibly be controlled by the Pope in Rome instead of by his secular duties as president of a wholly secular United States government. Right wing socially conservative evangelical Protestant Christians were big believers in the Establishment Clause then. They understood and appreciated the reasons for it then.
Mr. Kennedy assured the nation that such fears were unfounded.
On Sept. 12, 1960, he declared: "I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute; where no Catholic prelate would tell the president — should he be Catholic — how to act, and no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote; where no church or church school is granted any public funds or political preference, and where no man is denied public office merely because his religion differs from the president who might appoint him, or the people who might elect him."
"I would not look with favor upon a president working to subvert the First Amendment's guarantees of religious liberty; nor would our system of checks and balances permit him to do so. I want a chief executive whose public acts are responsible to all and obligated to none, who can attend any ceremony, service, or dinner his office may appropriately require of him to fulfill; and whose fulfillment of his presidential office is not limited or conditioned by any religious oath, ritual, or obligation," Mr. Kennedy continued.
"If my church attempted to influence me in a way which was improper, or which affected adversely my responsibility as a public servant sworn to uphold the Constitution, then I would reply to them this was an improper action on their part; it was one to which I could not subscribe; that I was opposed to it. It would be an unfortunate breach of, an interference with the American political system," candidate Kennedy concluded.
We know the rest of the story. JFK was elected as the first Catholic president and never once during his administration did he fail to abide by his promise.
Too bad the same can't be said for the second possible Catholic president: Rick Santorum. Of President Kennedy's faithful secular promise to the American people 52 years ago, Mr. Santorum declared recently that it makes him "want to throw up."
Rick Santorum and the right-wingers of today hate the Establishment Clause. They've completely forgotten why they so ardently believed in it a half century ago when their own religious liberty, in their small minds, was apparently threatened by a Catholic who might have become a puppet of the Pope.
Mr. Santorum, a Catholic, has no intention of making such a promise. The very idea makes him nauseous. He doesn't believe in a secular government. He'll rip the Establishment Clause to shreds if elected president.
So would Newt Gingrich. Just last Sunday, in fact, Mr. Gingrich was warning members of First Redeemer Church in Cumming Georgia, that the "secular left" is trying to undermine American principles established by the Founding Fathers. Americans have faced a "50-year assault" by those trying to alienate people of faith, whined Gingrich.
"The forces of the secular left believe passionately and deeply, and with frankly a religious fervor, in their world view and they will regard what I am saying as a horrifying assault on what they think is the truth," said Gingrich; "Because their version of the truth is to have a totally neutral government that has no meaning."
Huh? Since when is abiding by our secular Constitution akin to his irrational religious fervor? What principles is he talking about? And what in the name of reason and logic is wrong with a government which is neutral in matters of religion?
The meaning of the secular government conceived by our founding fathers has totally escaped the pea brain of Newt Gingrich. He just doesn't understand the Establishment Clause. He hates it as though it were the Devil talking.
Todd Starnes, the in house right-wing religious pundit at Fox News, just can't understand why public school teachers and administrators aren't allowed daily to lead students in prayer. Regarding the Chardon, Ohio, High School shooting on Monday, in which a deranged student opened fire on fellow students in the school cafeteria, he wonders why the school superintendent was allowed to call on people to pray -- "It was a wise decision"-- but can't do it during normal times.
"But perhaps lost in the chaos is the irony that in American public schools – people are not allowed to pray… Liberals have successfully banished God from the classroom, replacing Him with the manmade god of secularism." He laments.
Nonsense! People have always been allowed to pray. Students have always been allowed to pray. Mr. Starnes is deliberately distorting the facts as right-wing religious Establishment Clause haters always do. That school superintendent made a poor decision. No one will call him on it under the circumstances, but school superintendent's are not authorized to call people to prayer, regardless of the situation, period.
People are allowed to pray anywhere, anytime, anyhow. But the government must remain neutral. The government must not be involved. The government is secular. That was the intent of the founders.
God of secularism; what's that? I've never heard of him.


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Ransomware Attacks
Posted on: Thu 29 Jun 2017
Following on from attacks last month, another ransomware attack originating in Ukraine has effected at least 2,000 people and organisations, including the Cadbury factory in Tasmania.
Dr Suelette Dreyfus, Lecturer in the Department of Computing and Information Systems at the University of Melbourne spoke with Jennie Lenman about these attacks and how you can protect your computer's safety.
Produced by Tom Jordan


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Derrick Houston - REALTOR®
- NameDerrick Houston
- Cell214-385-1221
- E-mail Me
About Derrick
Derrick has been in real estate for ten years. Before embarking on a career in real estate, Derrick served his country honorably for nine years in the United States Navy supervising young aviation electronics technicians. After transitioning from the military to civilian life, Derrick brought his advanced electronic, supervisory and management skills to various supervisory and management roles.
Most recently, Derrick managed over 500 properties via a third-party property manager network covering 13 states for a national asset & property management company. In this role, Derrick learned the ins/outs of the property management industry interacting with many different property managers small and large. Prior to that experience, Derrick worked in the Caribbean as the assistant construction manager for a single family and multi-family construction company in Trinidad & Tobago building in three developments on three islands.
Derrick's knowledge encompasses residential construction, real estate sales (both single family and multi-family), property management, and land acquisition for redevelopment. When you're ready to work with a true professional that can work with you through the entire life cycle of your real estate purchase, Derrick is your guy!


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MOD Ventures offers CFO Services in Tucson and Phoenix, AZ
Delegate the Responsibility. Keep the Control.
Competing in a global marketplace isn't easy. It takes expertise and in-depth analysis to ensure you're making the most of every opportunity. Wearing the hat of a CFO can quickly take you out of your leadership role.
That's why here at MOD Ventures, you can benefit from our part-time or virtual CFO Services. Our trusted professionals will take an active interest in your business, whether you are a small or mid-sized business.
By bundling CFO Services into a monthly package or as stand-alone consulting services, you can get the help you need, when you need it.
Accountability. Reliability. Availability.
it's the answer you've been looking for
Listed below are the various CFO Services you can choose from. Each are designed specifically with your business in mind.
Here's the truth
Long term projects… higher revenues. It's the perfect storm for creating more complex matters than you have the time or the energy to handle. Sometimes, caffeine just isn't the solution. Frankly, you need someone else to worry about it for you.
Here's the good news
You don't have to give up control. At MOD Ventures, you get the help you need coupled with the transparency and control you want. Our cloud-based systems make it easy to log in remotely to monitor financial statements in real time, any time.
Enjoy the benefits of having a C-Level executive without the added payroll costs, giving you the feedback and guidance you need on your terms. From coaching on key processes to in-depth analysis, MOD Ventures is here to guide you and your growing business.
Ready to get started?


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Michel de Champlain
Holding a PhD in IT engineering from École Polytechnique de Montréal, Michel de Champlain has over 40 years of experience in programming—mainly acquired since the creation of the C++, Java and C# languages—both in industrial and educational contexts. For almost 30 years, he has been making presentations and hosting seminars on embedded systems. He also developed the Object-oriented B# language to facilitate development in this field through his specialized coaching and training firm, DeepObjectKnowledge. Michel has always worked in close collaboration with the industry to help build a critical mass of object technology, Agile method and embedded systems.
Michel has been teaching object technologies since 1988. He has always strived to create favourable conditions that allow participants to learn and quickly apply best practices in software engineering. Truly passionate about his work, he has trained thousands of people in Québec, Canada, the United States, Europe and New Zealand.
Michel is constantly on the lookout for better approaches and solutions in object technology and software engineering. Through his actions and involvement in different projects he is forever innovative in his teaching techniques, is constantly in mentoring mode and strives to facilitate the learning process for his clients in training.
Trainings offered by Michel de Champlain
- Conception avancée avec les patrons essentiels (Design Patterns)
- Conception objet de haut-niveau avec UML 2
- Gestion essentielle des dépendances dans le code (Principes SOLID)
- Introduction to object-oriented development
- Nettoyage régulier du code (Clean Code)
- Programmation C#
- Restructuration et amélioration incrémentale du code (Refactoring)
- Rédaction efficace d'un document d'analyse


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Time Management
Using a diary and to-do-list effectively
Working from home or anywhere
When you work for yourself it is very important to take time management seriously. In my second blog I talked about the kinds of distractions you might experience when working from home. These are the things that will prevent you from achieving your goals. So, how do you manage these distractions? It is going to take more than one blog post to cover all this so I aim to do a few of these to help you out.
Make sure you have a diary in which you set up some core hours you will dedicate to your business.
Get a diary. It will be up to you to decide if this is an electronic diary or physical one. If you don't have a diary you will always feel torn when you are asked by friends to join them for coffee, exercise, lunches etc. An electronic diary is more portable and lighter. You can set up your to-do-lists in there too. Check out our website for ideas for diaries and to-do-lists.
Set your core business hours. The distractions -Groceries still need to be bought, cleaning, washing, school drop offs, after school activities and lunches and dinners need to be made. All this needs to be considered when you are planning your working week from home.
Consider working longer some days so you have days available for the odd lunch or coffee date. Or start later so you can start the day doing exercise or catching up with friends. Working for yourself often means we can fit in work after hours when the kids are in bed or on the weekends when your partner is home or you know the kids will play happily for an hour.
When you look at the core hours you have to work with, ask yourself if that is enough time to get all you need to get done, done. If not, you may have to change some of your social time hours. We think it will be easy to fit all our friends in for coffees but in reality it's still often better to leave our social time to after school or the weekends. Until you do this exercise you won't know what is possible. Your week might look like this:
Let family, friends and clients know your core hours. It is useful for your clients too to know when they can easily get hold of you. The sooner people who know you know your "work hours" the less they will ask you to join them during those times. Less distractions.
In summary:
- Have a diary
- Decide on your core hours each day
- Let family, friends and clients know what your core hours are
What if something comes up and you need to do something personal in your business hours? I will discuss that in my next blog post. The following blog will be on setting up a dedicated space for your home business.
Kerri Bainbridge
Anywhere Business Team


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Online wealth manager MoneyFarm has named two new senior executives drawn from investment manager PIMCO and private equity fund Cabot Square Capital.
Richard Flax is joining the startup as chief investment officer. He joins from $1.5 trillion investment manager PIMCO, where he was a portfolio manager. He held the same role at Goldman Sachs prior to working at PIMCO.
Paolo Savini Nicci is also joining MoneyFarm as the company's CFO. Savini Nicci is a veteran of Cabot Square Capital, a private equity fund that has invested in MoneyFarm, and most recently led a turnaround of a Cabot Square portfolio company.
Savini Nicci told Business Insider: "What has been delivered [at MoneyFarm] until now has been extremely interesting. That is what brought me here. I've known the team for quite a while, since my Cabot Square Capital days."
MoneyFarm, founded in Milan in 2011, gives people access to low-cost wealth management services online. It is one of a number of so-called "robo advisors" — digital services to help people invest and manage their money.
The company launched in the UK at the start of the year and both Savini Nicci and Flax will be based in MoneyFarm's London office.
Flax told Business Insider: "The value proposition that MoneyFarm offers is a very compelling one for the consumer."
He adds he was enticed to leave financial giant PIMCO to join a startup by "the opportunity to come into something at a relatively early stage and hopefully make a real positive contribution."
He adds: "There's an underlying thesis here which is that advances in technology will allow relatively small businesses, in terms of numbers of people and infrastructure, to actually compete very well with much larger and established organisations."
Customers have grown by 60% so far this year, according to the company. MoneyFarm currently has 80,000 customers but does not disclose assets under management.
Respected business columnist Anthony Hilton wrote in a recent piece for the Evening Standard that: "Some hard-bitten investment professionals have serious doubts about whether the business model for robo-advisers actually makes sense."
He pointed to portfolio manager Alan Miller, who argued in blog posts earlier this year that startups would have to spend too much money on customer acquisition to ever really make much money. This margin mean it takes years to recoup the amount spent on actually getting customers to invest.
Savini Ricci says: "Intellectually, it is an argument. We obviously have a different view. We underwrite clients profitably right now so the relationship between customer acquisition and lifetime value is already positive to this day.
"Secondly, in a world in which interest rates are so low and market volatility is substantially higher than it was in the past, a digital wealth management proposition with low cost products becomes significantly more attractive to the customer."
Flax adds: "When you think about the size of the overall investment market, that's obviously very big. There's a big opportunity, a big space, and there's a lot of different solutions that exist. I don't think the market is going to go into any one single direction."
MoneyFarm has raised over $30 million to date, with German insurer Allianz recently taking an undisclosed stake in the business.
Learn more:
- Credit Card Industry and Market
- Mobile Payment Technologies
- Mobile Payments Industry
- Mobile Payment Market, Trends and Adoption
- Credit Card Processing Industry
- List of Credit Card Processing Companies
- List of Credit Card Processing Networks
- List of Payment Gateway Providers
- M-Commerce: Mobile Shopping Trends
- E-Commerce Payment Technologies and Trends
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Questions About You Must Know the Answers To
What to Consider When Looking for a Small Engine and Equipment Parts Dealer
Do you need to get the right engine and various small equipment? Finding the right dealer is exactly what you need to do. The following are some effective tips, which can help you when it comes to identifying the right person that can offer you the type of equipment that you are looking for.
Know Your Options
The first thing that you need to do when choosing such a service and product provider is knowing what you have to work with as an alternative. There may be numerous people selling such products near you without your knowledge. However, it is important that you find out which options are available to you so that you at least have a list that you can compile and come up with. Using the Google search engine, you should be able to find out what your different options are with ease.
Consider the Cost of Products
Next, when you want to find a small engine and equipment parts dealer, it is also important for you to know how much they will charge you for the products you are thinking about buying. Take your time to shop around a little before you end up settling for any service provider that is selling the products you are looking for. It is always a good idea to compare the cost of different dealers so that you can at least be able to go with the one that offers you the best deal. However, you also need to make sure that the products they are selling you are in excellent condition.
Consider the Location
Another important thing that you will need to take into consideration when choosing a small engine and parts dealer is the location of the seller. Location is important since for you to get what you are looking for as quickly as you may like, it is best to work with a local dealer. This makes it easy for you to go out and buy what you need swiftly. But, it also allows the dealer to deliver the items you want just as fast if you are ordering them from home.
Consider Buying Online
The next important thing that you need to have in mind when buying such items is to look at what your options are as far as where you can make your purchase. Buying the items online is a great idea as it has many advantages that you will need to consider. It enables you to have numerous shop options, it allows you to know the cost of the product and compare them, it allows you also to make the purchase of what you want from anywhere you are, which is excellent.
Consider the Reviews
Finally, before you pick someone to sell you these products, you should make time to look at the people's experiences with the dealer in an online review so that you know exactly what you are dealing with. This allows you to make informed choices.


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MEMPHISAlthough he continued to use a walking boot for precautionary measures, it seemed as if Bulls point guard Derrick Rose would be able to soldier through his sprained left big-toe injury, suffered last week. Even when Tom Thibodeau said before Mondays afternoon-matinee game against the Grizzlies that Rose would be a game-time decision, it just appeared to be a typical case of the Bulls head coach not wanting to divulge more information than necessary.
However, the glum look on Roses face after he received treatment for the injury and before he took the FedEx Forum court for pregame warm-ups told the story.
Ill have to go out there and see. See how it goes, said a dejected Rose, who played his college basketball in the same arena. Still hurts a little bit, but Ive still got to go out there and play.
Well see, but you know the way I am, where Ive got that old-school mentality, where I dont want to miss a game and it hurts missing games, especially when it comes to me. I will have to see, though. Trainers told me to come back in and tell them how it is when I go out there and after I shoot, so thats just what Im waiting on, he continued. You really cant move, so probably once again go out there and see how it goes, and see from there.
Rose, who was officially named one of 20 finalists for USA Basketball's 2012 Olympic team Saturday, apparently re-aggravated the injury in Saturdays home win over the Raptors.
But thats almost every game, where you jam it, by the way that I play, the way that I push off, he said. Rose was very surprised. Kind of irritating. You want it to go away, but it always finds its way back.
Adding to his disappointment is the fact that he wont be able to play in front a supportive fanbase in Memphis, where Rose -- whos also suffering from a sinus infection -- is beloved for leading the John Calipari-coached Tigers to the NCAA national-championship game.
Coming back here -- Im only going to be here one time -- for me to be hurt almost every time I come here, he said. Its messed up.
John Lucas III will start in Rose's place for today's game.


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30 November-3 December 2018, Nuuk, Greenland
Economies work differently in microstates and island territories than in larger jurisdictions. Small population size and/or land area, often coupled with remoteness, affect how economies function and encourage potentially problematic governance forms and practices (including conflicts of interest, anti-competitive policies, and dependency on the public sector). Microstates and islands are frequently said to suffer from skills shortages, lack of economies of scale, extreme industrial specialisation and dependence on a small number of external markets (thereby increasing vulnerability), high transport costs, and poor balances of trade.
Nevertheless, many microstates and subnational island jurisdictions (nonsovereign island territories) have achieved economic success and/or stability, in part through their engaging – consciously or otherwise – in strategies that 'make the most of smallness'. Political and/or economic integration with one or more larger states provide some territories with a steady flow of resources, even in the absence of strong domestic production. Some subnational island jurisdictions (SNIJs) staunchly defend their nonsovereignty and reap the benefits of political affiliation with a metropolitan state, while some microstates successfully deploy their sovereign status in pursuit of strategic goals. Around the world, both microstates and SNIJs frequently engage in niche, specialised, or innovative economic practices, literally trading upon their apparent insignificance. Such strategies often run counter to generally held development goals, which have typically been designed from a large-state perspective.
Arctic regions, with their small populations, transport difficulties, and remoteness from centres of political and economic power possess many of the same challenges and opportunities.
This interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral, international conference considers the economic and developmental advantages and disadvantages faced by microstates, island territories, and arctic regions, exploring theory, empirically grounded best practice, and political-economic strategy. The conference welcomes contributions from government representatives, NGOs, business actors, and academic researchers (from economics, human geography, anthropology, development studies, business studies, and other disciplines).
What can theoretical models of microstate, island, and arctic development tell us about the functioning of small economies in small polities? What are (and were) the relative benefits of industrial focus on tourism, extractive industries, the knowledge economy, import substitution, 'selling sovereignty' or trading in 'strategic services', and other strategies in small territories? How does sovereign or nonsovereign political status affect a territory's economic potentials? Can economic and political objectives be reconciled in territories that have experienced colonialism or are home to Indigenous peoples? Are mainstream economic 'laws' at all applicable to small societies? Is 'development' always worthwhile, or might other economic goals make more sense for some territories? The conference will consider these questions and more.
About Nuuk, Greenland.
Greenland is a highly autonomous subnational island jurisdiction of Denmark. Although Greenland's government and administration are modelled after those of Denmark, the territory is confronted by apparently intractable economic, political, and social problems. Greenland is economically dependent on an annual block grant from Denmark, saddled with exceptionally high costs due to its remoteness and arctic environment, struggling to provide services to a population of just 57,000 spread out across many dozens of towns and villages with no fixed transport links, largely dependent on skilled labour imported from Denmark. The Greenlandic public nevertheless overwhelmingly desires eventual political independence from Denmark, seeking to escape a difficult relationship that remains coloured by a history of colonial paternalism. Recent years, however, have seen a dwindling of hopes that a growth in extractive industries will allow Greenland to pay its own way. The nation stands at a political and economic crossroads.
Nuuk (population 17,500) is Greenland's capital and largest town, a centre for government, services, business, and culture. Greenland's rapid urbanisation since the 1950s has seen Nuuk transform into a town of massive apartment blocks and residential skyscrapers, challenging local conceptions of what it means to be a Greenlander in the modern world.
About the conference.
On 30 November-1 December, academic presentations will be held at Ilisimatusarfik/University of Greenland. On 2 December, delegates will take a boat trip out into fjords beyond Nuuk, seeing the stunning nature and visiting a small, remote settlement. On 3 December, delegates will explore Nuuk, speaking with local government representatives, business people, and other community members to learn about how Greenland's economy functions. Delegates will have a good chance of witnessing the northern lights. If you have any questions, please e-mail convenors Adam Grydehøj (email@example.com).
How to make attend and make a presentation.
Presentations are welcome on all aspects of economics and development in microstates, islands, and arctic regions. Presentations last 15 minutes and will be followed by around 5 minutes' question time.
The deadline for abstracts is 28 February 2018. You can submit your abstract here: http://www.islanddynamics.org/economicsdevelopment/cfp.html. The deadline for early registration is 31 March 2018.
Participants will be invited to submit expanded versions of their papers to a special thematic section of Island Studies Journal (http://www.islandstudies.ca) on the topic of 'Island Economics and Development', to be published in May 2019. Island Studies Journal is an open access journal published by the University of Prince Edward Island's Institute of Island Studies. The deadline for paper submission is 31 May 2018. All submissions will be subject to peer review. Please direct all publication enquiries to both Adam Grydehøj (email@example.com) and special thematic section editor Javier L. Arnaut (email@example.com).
This conference is a collaboration of: Island Dynamics & Ilisimatusarfik/University of Greenland's Department of Economics and Business.


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Esteemed Customers
Your Good selves will be pleased to know that we are rated as a most suitable service agency for your thermal equipment's solutions because we have our own standards which being strictly to your choice.
Sir, we seek liberty to give brief introduction of our setup. Ours is a pioneer small sector unit. We have approved under act of Pakistani boiler regulation act. And we are blessed with lots of esteemed customers with about more than 37 years' experience and have the credit of leading a consortium of around fifteen associates. All of our associates are specialized in respective fields. Details of same are attached with as profile.
IBL has great expertise in thermal field. Associated manufacturing and supply products. we are basically servicing renowned company provide servicing in complete FUEL CHANGE ON BOILER PETCOKE, replacements of boiler tubes, super heaters, economizers, air heaters, prefabricated pipelines, pipe lines fittings such as PRDS, strainers, separators, headers, flow indicators, thermometer pockets, pipe hangers etc., complete project execution, erection and commissioning of boilers, annual maintenance of boilers .we worked under legal agency named as Indian Boiler Regulation
Certainly justify ours pride. Over the period we increase in volume of ours business. Because we are very authentic and timely service provider in this field.
Well, your valuable inquiries for services and equipment's as mentioned, we assure your good selves that our association will last very long because of our dedication to servicing quality, standard workmanship and result oriented work culture.


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Rent and service charges explained
Rent charges
All tenancies are subject to a rent charge. Rents are used by landlords to cover the landlord's costs relating to the property, including the costs of housing management, repairs, maintenance and insurance. This is described as the NET rent.
In addition to the NET rent some tenancies have a charge for services in connection with the property, not covered by the rent; this is called service charge. Alongside this residents may also pay other charges (usually water rates).
Your service charge explained
A service charge is a payment made by a resident for services received in connection with the occupation of his or her home.
We calculate service charges separately to rent and they are not affected by the Government's rules on rent.
Tenancies used by Johnnie Johnson Housing have fixed service charges.
This means that:
- The charge is set on an annual basis (at the time rents are reviewed)
- If the service charges are more than the costs incurred, Johnnie Johnson Housing will fund the shortfall, but
- If the service charges are less than the costs incurred, Johnnie Johnson Housing will keep any surplus
We endeavour to set services to minimise the level of shortfall or surplus.
If a resident is unhappy with their rent and/ or service charges, they can contact the FirstTier Tribunal (Property Chamber - Residential Property).
For further information follow this link: www.gov.uk/housing-tribunals/apply-to-the-tribunal
The tribunal will determine if the calculation has been carried out correctly and legislation has been followed in relation to the increase. Please note that the tribunal also has the power to increase rents as well as lower them.
Common services provided
Below are typical examples of services provided to Independent Living properties (these examples are for illustration and services will vary from scheme to scheme).
- Cleaning of common areas
- Gardening and maintenance of grounds
- Provision for depreciation, repairs and renewal of door entry system
- Provision for depreciation repairs and renewal of TV aerial installation
- Lighting to common areas
- Fire alarm and fire detection, smoke dispersal system and fire fighting equipment
- Landlord's management charge
- Value Added Tax incurred in the provision of services (where it is not recoverable from H.M. Revenue and Customs)
Below are typical examples of services provided to properties (these examples are for illustration and services will vary from scheme to scheme).
- Intensive housing management - this is the Independent Living Coordinator (ILC) service provided
- Link to central control
- Cleaning of common areas including window cleaning
- Gardening and maintenance of grounds
- Heating, hot water and lighting to common parts
- Provision of cookers and fridges
Provision of maintenance/renewal and day to day repairs of:
- Lift equipment, alarm monitoring/call, door entry system, fire alarm and fire detection, smoke dispersal system and firefighting equipment, gardening equipment, cleaning and laundry equipment, refuse containers, communal room and guest bedroom furniture and equipment, Independent Living Coordinators (ILC), office furniture and equipment, TV aerial installation, cookers and refrigerators, grit
- Insurance: common room and guest bedroom furniture, laundry equipment, lift
- Central heating and hot water to individual flats
- Management charge for provision of services
- Rates and water charges for common areas
- Value Added Tax incurred in the provision of services (in so far as not recoverable from H.M. Revenue and Customs)
Why do we depreciate some service charge items
Some items have a life of more than five years and these items are depreciated over the assessed life of the item. An example is carpets or floor coverings in common areas. We might assess the carpets as having a life of 10 years. So, for example, let us say the cost of the carpets is £10,000, by spreading the cost over 10 years residents pay £1,000 per year (this £1,000 may then be apportioned by number of properties in the scheme, to allow distribution of costs where an item benefits all residents)
Further examples of service charge items that are depreciated include:
- Carpets and furnishings
- Furniture
- Alarm monitoring/door entry systems
- White goods (cookers and fridges)
By spreading the cost over the life of the item the costs to residents are reasonable and fair.
Apportionment: How are service charges shared out between properties
The sharing out of costs is known as apportionment. For example where we have a scheme receiving gardening services for communal areas which benefit all residents, we will normally apportion the cost between each property, depending on type, i.e. number of bedrooms.
Services charges which are not eligible for Housing Benefit and Universal Credit
Some service charges do not qualify for Housing Benefit Payments (or Universal Credit) these include:
- Heating costs relating to an individual property
- Alarm monitoring costs
- Alarm equipment (where the equipment does not have housing management functionality)
Other charges
In some instances there are other charges included within the gross rent which are not included for the purposes of rent review. The most common example is water charges - these charges are set by local water companies and we have no control over the costs, so this element is variable.
In our general let properties most properties have individual water meters and residents will pay water and sewerage costs directly to the supplier and not as part of 'other charges'.
In Independent Living Schemes there are normally two ways costs are levied:
- By rateable value - when the property was built it was assigned a rateable value by the water company and this rateable value determines the water and sewerage cost charged by the water company.
- Where there is no rateable value, water companies levy a sewerage charge and the water charge is based on usage from a water meter. The water meter will usually serve the whole scheme and costs of water used are apportioned between communal areas and flats. The levied sewerage charge will also be apportioned between the properties and the communal area.
Sharing your home with others
Your tenancy agreement explains your rights and responsibilities about other people living in your home.
By law you must not allow too many people to live in your home. Your agreement will give you the permitted or maximum number. Johnnie Johnson Housing has the right to take legal action if your home is overcrowded. However, if you remain within the permitted number you have the right to take lodgers or to sub-let part of your home, without any increase to your rent.


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Moments subpages are Spoilers Off pages. You Have Been Warned.
- "Guitar Hero":When I'm in a rock band, I'm gonna do a cool, mellow song. Then in the middle I'll stop, announce "this part is just to be an asshole to people playing Guitar Hero," and then flail wildly on the strings for 30 seconds.
- Though the comic itself is not funny, the mouseover text for "Back To The Future" is."He's kind of an asshole, when you think about it"
- Centrifugal Force. The very image of James Bond and Auric Goldfinger having that conversation is just hilarious.
- And the Black Hat Guy is Goldfinger.
- The pretty clever song parody "50 Ways To Learn To Hover".
- The mouse rollover text. Oh, good god, the mouse rollover text.
- It gets better (or worse) when you get the alternate image of Taft in lesbian erotica.
- Would not buy again.
- Note particularly the title on that one.
- "And I hope you've learned to sanitize your database inputs."
- Only for it to resurface thrice more in later comics.
- remember to read the Alt Text of all four
- Only for it to resurface thrice more in later comics.
- "Go go Power Rangers!"
- "P.P.S. I can kill you with my brain."
- "Wait a second. Are you asking me to show her a mediocre time?"
- Know Your Vines.
- The directions on Google Maps.
- And who could forget the voting machine gem.
- Harrison Ford's less successful ad-libs as Han Solo.
- "You refuse to quarter troops in your house?" "I have few principles, but I stick to them."
- That entire arc. "However, on review of your qualifications, we've decided to sentence you to death. An unorthodox move, sure. But the vote was unanimous."
- Even funnier for us biology majors.
- ... Are you doing anything later?
- Provided you get the reference, Alternative Energy Revolution.
- Double Genius Bonus here because the stick figure version of Don Quixote is a very close match for a famous sketch of the character done by Picasso.
- In their spoof of The Matrix, when given the Red Pill, Blue Pill choice, Neo takes both pills, grinds them to a fine dust, then snorts the resulting purple dust. It causes reality to fracture.Morpheus: Now look what you've done...
Neo: Where are we?
Morpheus: I have no idea.
- The entirety of the "Race" arc.Cueball: So, wait. Summer's actually weird, Jewel's actually a mechanical whiz...Will Morena Baccarin be here? Is she really a—?
Nathan and Jewel: No.
Jewel Staite: She says, "Plan Gamma acknowledged. The meerkats are in the bag." ... So we're good?
Nathan Fillion: Hard to tell with her. Did you see an actual bag of meerkats?
Jewel Staite: No.
Nathan Fillion: Then we're probably good.
Nathan Fillion: No, use my space name!
Summer Glau: I'm part of the floor now.
- "Could not reproduce." (Alt Text: Can't and shouldn't.)
- "Daddy? I wanna be a scientist!"
- "Aw, crap."
- Did you know you can just buy lab coats?
- "I...fondle the castle guard? That doesn't seem right."
- "It did do six damage, though."
- Alt Text: "You roll for initiative, and ... [roll] ... wow, do you ever take it."
- The Five-Minute Comics series has sad circumstances, but the comics themselves are very funny. The "hotness rating" one in the first part is darkly hilarious.
- The Alt Text for "Core": If you're a geologist or geophysicist and you don't introduce yourself by saying your name, then gesturing downwards and say "...and I study that", I don't know what you're doing with your life.
- "Are you sure you're a doctor?" "Almost definitely."
- For anyone who's read The Wealth Of Nations ...
- Alt Text: 'Rating 1/5. Room filled to brim with semen, and when front desk clerk opened mouth to talk, bedbugs poured out.'
- "Can anyone tell me what's wrong with this picture?"
- We overthought this.
- Late-Night PBS. Who knew there was a darker version of Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego? on the air?
- The Alt Text to Compare and Contrast.
- "The trick was fuckin'." (imgur link because "Umwelt" changes by location/browser/referrer)
- "...And this is the future if you give up the fight over the word 'literally'."
- "Click and Drag" is big enough to have individual moments within it:
- Just over the mountain from the start, a birder looks left through her binoculars and exclaims, "Ooh, a yellow warbler!" Her friend replies, "Cool"—not needing binoculars to see the giant flying jellyfish immediately to their right.
- In a deep, deep dark cave, two poor souls trapped at the bottom of a pit call out:
- Wishbone does Fifty Shades of Grey.
- In a disturbing way, "Rubber and Glue".
- Nothing To Offer.
- Conditioning. Just imagine what would happen if you tried to pull it off.
- Imagine a giant bowling ball on a rubber sheet...
- "Every change breaks someone's workflow." Even repairing a bug that makes the computer overheat when you hold the space bar, apparently.
- Einstein.
- 10-Day Forecast
- Randall's take on the 2013 US government shutdown. "Are you okay? Do you need help?"
- 20th-Century headlines rewritten to get more clicks.
- The ongoing war between two spaces after a period, one space after a period and Cueball's third option.
- Have you read James Joyce's Love Letters? The phrases "my little fuckbird" and "arse full of farts" appear. If we want to write the next Ulysses, our generation may not be sexting enough.
- Randall Munroe shows the downside of having immense troubleshooting powers.
- Beret Guy continues to inexplicably succeed in business in utter defiance of common sense and possibly the laws of causality.
- Literally shaking what your mama gave you.
- The ending of Jealousy is a hilarious Mood Whiplash from the otherwise heartwarming tale.
- "You need to get out either more or less. I can't decide."
- The phrase "Not even in your dreams" takes an unexpected turn.
- Neil deGrasse Tyson should be ashamed of all the pain he caused.
- "What exactly is in the painkillers they gave you?"Megan: ...You made the entire continent perfectly flat?Cueball: And sorted it into layers.Megan: ...Cueball: I feel good about things. This is a good game.
"I heard general anesthesia drugs can cause amnesia, so when I woke up mid-extraction, I started taking notes on my hand so I'd remember things later. I managed 'AWAKE BUT EVERYTHING OK' before the dental assistant managed to find and confiscate all my pens."
- Even better is the Alt Text (and the paranoia and Crazy-Prepared-ness within).
- Scheduling is important. Even if you're lazy."8:00 AM - Whenever: Fuck around."
- What happens when you combine overthinking and recycling.
- Xkcd's comic 1732 is a timeline detailing changes in the Earth's average temperature across time (to illustrate the point about man-made global warming even further), with a few funny bits added to make what is essentially an alarming fact less depressing (see NightmareFuel.XKCD).
"As prehistoric Megan states, this is not a real fact. (...) Since [Pokémon GO] was released Pokémon began to thrive throughout the entire world, and are now most commonly found near affluent first world neighborhoods."
- One highlight is at 9000 BCE about North American Pokémon going extinct. It's made even better in the explanation:
- A Star Wars linguistics lesson.Emperor Palpatine: It me. I allowed it.Darth Vader: My master, please never say that again.
- The "Hoverboard" strip is mostly awesome, but there are some funny moments:
Beret Guy: Horsey!
- On the Star Destroyer, Darth Vader can be found explaining Steven Universe to a subordinate. The mental image of a Sith Lord watching Steven Universe is priceless.
- Beret Guy can be found doing his best Slim Pickens impression on one of the torpedoes, but what clinches it is what he shouts as he does it:
Megan: This is an okay sea. 2 1/2 stars.
- Apparently Elon Musk has a secret lair beneath Mount Doom. Who knew?
- While we're on the subject of Mount Doom, Cueball describes the volcano's fumes as, and I quote, "Earth vaping."
- At a gas station, an X-wing has stopped for a fill-up.
- Megan rates the sea.


text:
How to find a Facebook User Location
Here are the few tips to find Facebook user or email sender Location.
How to find a Facebook User Location :-
1)Once you have spotted the fake facebook user account,Send a friend request to him in fb such a way that he will definatly accept it,If the fake account holder is already friend in fb then its ok.
2)Now ask him to contact you in your Gmail in such away that he can't able to refuse it,and send him a message to his gmail account from your gmail account.
3)Patiently wait for his message replay.As soon as the reply message comes open the the message and click on more button beside the Reply button,and select show original .
4) After gowing to the show original page search for "Received: from".In that line you can see a number {( 220.127.116.11 )} which is the IP address of the sender.
5) Now goto any of the IP address locator websites such as ( www.iplocation .net ) or ( www.whatismyipaddress.com ) and Copy and paste the ip address in the website.
6)The ip address locator site will give you the location details of the ip address location Details such as the ip address country,region,location,city,ISP,longitude and latitude of the ip adress,you can also locate it in the map.
Just Go to www.Bit.do and add a url to track him like Video or picture link.and shorten it.And send the Link to Him.
As soon as he clicks on the link his Ip Address is Tracked if your Shorten link is www.bit.do/fun123 just go to www.bit.do/fun123- to tracks the Ip address and go to www.iplocation .net and search for it


text:
Rarely has the English language seemed as inadequate is it does when it comes to describing the various shades and textures of human relationships. One term – love – is easily used to describe a whole range of feelings. Hence a mother loves her child, a husband loves his wife, a lover loves his beloved, a friend loves her best friend and sister loves her brother. What is lost here are the nuances. Just one word falls woefully short in describing the complexities of each bond. The vernaculars, on the other hand, have a treasure trove of vocabulary to vividly describe the pleasure and pain, the beauty and brutality of human relationships. Hence the rationality of muhabbat is exquisitely distinguished from the irrationality of 'ishq.
Adroitly charting its path, between that which can between controlled and that which refuses to be tamed, Sannata is an exposition of the various shades of love that exist within us and around us. Be it Pari's dangerous obsession with Ruqqaiya, Ruqqaiya's complex bond with Pari, Salma's problematic relationship with her daughter, Bi Apa's reluctant affection for her granddaughters, Naseeban's fascination with her mysterious suitor, that unnamed yearning which brings Shauki to the dargah, all are manifold expressions of that which we simplistically refer to as love.
This latest episode drew us deeper into the complicated lives of the inhabitants of Bi Amma's dilapidated haveli. Azam and Pari's growing relationship has disturbed Ruqqaiya in more ways than one. Not only is she forced to confront the undeniable fact that Pari is no longer a child, but she also has been compelled to take stock of her relationship with Pari. It is easy to claim to be a mother, but when push comes to shove can she find it within herself to make a choice – who would she choose if she had to pick one: Azam or Pari? Difficult and painful as this situation may be, it is not without a silver lining. It is easy to be judgmental, as she had been for all these years, but one stumble and Ruqqaiya is forced to reevaluate her feelings for her mother. For the first time in a long time Ruqqaiya seeks comfort in her mother's all forgiving embrace.
Pari, on the other hand, though all grown up in one sense is still very much a child in other ways. Unable to make sense of Ruqqaiya's quicksilver mood changes and very much enamored by Azam's charm and warmth, Pari is unable to make sense of her rapidly changing world. The visit to the psychologist's office underlines Pari's confusions very clearly. There is no one else in the world more real to her than Ruqqaiya and Azam. But where Ruqqaiya had initially represented a safe haven, now for Pari, all complicated and unfathomable pictures represent Apai.
Azam on the other hand, represents a knight in shining armor in Pari's flights of fancy. From what we've seen of Azam so far, it seems highly unlikely that he had deliberately set out to star in Pari's young fantasies. All he had wanted to do was to make Ruqqaiya and Pari aware of Pari as a person in her own right, not just an inanimate shadow that had no individual existence. Now that his well-intentioned plans seem to have backfired, I am eagerly waiting to see where this track leads.
And yes, speaking of interesting tracks, Naseeban's story has to be one of the most intriguing ones I have sen in recent times. Whether her mysterious suitor is human or an other worldly being or merely a figment of her imagination, in the final analysis what matters is what he represents for Naseeban – someone who gives voice to all of Naseeban's inner most thoughts. Needless to say, woh jo bhi hai he/it has my full attention.
Maintaining his grasp on the pacing of the story, director Kashif Nisar is doing justice to Saji Gul's beautifully layered story. Once again the air of mystery around the tree scene was really nicely done, the sepia tones added much to the overall feel. DOP Rashid Abbas is to be commended for his camerawork. The look of this serial adds so much depth to the spoken words. The scenes, where the camera retreats as Naseeban's story smoothly segueways into the present, or the manner in which we are drawn into the narrative with shots from the top, making it seen like along with Pari we too are looking down on the middle aged zamindar trying to make case for a third marriage, were beautifully done. The actors all deserve a pat on their back for making Sannata a standout.
In a serial with a lot of attention to detailing, the get ups and accents of those around the young Naseeban do not jive with the time and place of the story. In terms of make up, poor Nadia Afgan deserved much better than the perfectly painted raccoon eyes she was wearing throughout today's episode. I was glad to see Sajjal sans her usual makeup in the scene with the psychologist. Rarely have I seen her look so vulnerable and young, and she nailed that scene. Among the actors, all made their presence felt, Nargis Rashid's shiny silver wig notwithstanding. Lost among all these stalwarts is Ambar Wajid, Azam's mom. The scene where she was screaming away at Azam was the one sore spot in an otherwise engrossing episode. I sincerely hope we do not have to put up with her for too long.
Overall this was anther happening episode as the pace continues to pick up with each new installment. Here's to hoping that Sannata continues to build momentum and not stray off course – fingers crossed!
Written by SZ~
Categories: Ary Digital, Entertainment, Pakistani Dramas, Sannata


text:
Open Office hours of the Student Guidance and Counseling Service
- Do you have questions about studying at the Europa-Universität Flensburg
- Do you need advice in finding the best study program for you?
- Are you a student having doubts if you have chosen the right subjects?
- Are you a student in a difficult situation and would like counsel and support?
With these or other concerns please contact us!
During our open office hours we offer
- information in person and by phone
- brief consultations
without the need for an appointment. Our Open office hours are staffed by specially trained students. All matters will be confidential.
If you seek more in-depth counsel and support, we will be happy to arrange an appointment for a detailed one-on-one consultation with our full-time Counsellor.


text:
Geauga Public Alerts
Sign up for Geauga Public Alerts!
In the event of an emergency or severe weather condition, an alert will be sent to the phone number provided by voice, text and/or email. This is a free service provided by Geauga County, OH, however, normal message fees may apply.
To sign up, or for more information, click here


text:
Got a little overwhelmed with things this week, so, I'm ready for the weekend.
I'm finally ready to list the medium walnut bread boards that so many of you have been requesting. I happen to love this size and I have 6 available this week, but will have more.
Click here to order my medium walnut bread board. Many thanks to you all!


text:
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Beware the Cash Wolf"
By David Orlinoff
David Orlinoff
Nonprofit organizations generally know that cash is vital to their operations (no money, no mission"), but they often dont realize theyre in jeopardy from the cash wolf."
Wolf" is flow" spelled backwards, and cash wolf" is shorthand for a handful of factors that can eat up the organizations cash while nobodys looking.
Briefly, here are five ways the wolf can take a bite out of your cash, even if you are experiencing positive results from a profit-and-loss perspective:
The accounts receivable bite
. Nonprofits mostly report their revenues based on invoices issued and possibly pledges recorded, not on cash collections. It is often the case that organizations do not devote enough time to following up on outstanding billings and pledges. Therefore, your revenue as reported may exceed your expenses, but the cash coming in might be significantly short of reported income. Your organization should have a procedure in place to review accounts and pledge receivable agings to ensure that timely and effective follow-up is applied.
The accounts payable bite
. Nonprofits often do not manage their accounts payable in an organized fashion. The typical organization operates on a see the bill; pay the bill" process rather than planning its payments in accordance with vendors terms and expectations. Your organization should develop procedures that will enable the conservation of cash while maintaining a top credit rating.
The capital spending bite
. This is potentially the largest exposure that you may be facing. Most nonprofits dont create and monitor a capital budget with the same degree of attention they put into their operating budgets. Therefore, you may be spending large chunks of cash on purchasing new assets (equipment, real estate, vehicles, etc.), which will not show up on your budget-to-actual reports for revenue and expenses. Your organization should be monitoring capital expenditures against an appropriate spending plan to ensure that such investments are disbursed only from available funds.
The seasonality bite
. Often, the majority of a nonprofits expense items have a relatively consistent pattern. For example, salaries, occupancy costs, and fringe benefits usually get paid on a periodic basis, either monthly or on a shorter payroll cycle. Revenues, however, may not follow as predictable a pattern. Many organizations with a lot of private fundraising income get a spike in contributions around the end of each calendar year, while those who depend more on state grants and contracts can experience very low receipts in the summer months. Even some expenses can have a seasonality factor, especially those related to special events. Your organization should be careful about making significant commitments for outlays during typically low cash seasons.
The uh-oh" bite
. Its not just nonprofit organizations that are subject to unpleasant, expensive surprises, but it is frequently the case that nonprofits dont have a rainy day fund to fall back on. The conventional wisdom is that a nonprofit should have a cash reserve of six months of expenses, but realistically, how many organizations can afford to maintain that level of unused cash, especially in a post-financial-crisis world? Your organization should have a disaster recovery and business continuity plan in place, and an element of the plan should be identification of a short-term source of cash such as a bank line of credit. By the way, lines of credit are good for seasonality issues, as well.
In the fable of the three little pigs, its the third pigs brick house that saves the day. Make sure you strengthen your organizations defenses against the cash wolf, using these three important techniques:
Monitor your cash regularly. There is no substitute for a daily report of cash receipts, expenditures, and balances. Know where you stand,
Forecast your cash effectively. Make sure you plan correctly for recurring cash expenditures and receipts (such as payroll or rent) on their actual due dates, and use best available estimates for non-recurring inflows and outflows. Dont forget to take planned capital purchases into account.
If you dont already have a line of credit, get one. The best time to borrow money (or at least to arrange to borrow it) is when you dont need it, so dont wait until seasonality, business reversals, or unforeseen events happen.
David Orlinoff is the founder and principal of Concord Financial Organization, which provides interim financial management and related consulting services to nonprofits throughout New England. Contact him at
or 978 828-6100.
August 2013
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text:
Álvaro double helps Spain cruise to finals
Tuesday 16 October 2012
Article summary
Denmark 1-3 Spain (agg: 1-8)
Two goals from Álvaro Vázquez helped to confirm the defending champions' passage to the finals at the expense of Denmark.
Article top media content
Article body
Defending champions Spain completed a comfortable play-off victory against Denmark as Álvaro Vázquez struck twice in the second half in Aalborg to confirm progress to the UEFA European Under-21 Championship finals.
Despite the absence of Rodrigo, who scored four for Julen Lopetegui's side in Thursday's 5-0 first-leg triumph, Denmark enjoyed no respite and their slim hopes were well and truly dashed when Iker Muniain extended Spain's advantage in the 24th minute. It was a tough break for the hosts, who had controlled most of the play during the opening quarter, but they could do nothing as Isco's superb ball split the defence, allowing Martín Montoya to burst into the box and lay off unselfishly for Muniain.
With the tie as good as won, Spain slowed the pace down after the interval yet retained the efficiency in front of goal which characterised their performance over the two legs. Just after the hour, Christian Tello conjured the perfect pass for Álvaro and the Getafe CF forward showed no mercy in bringing the aggregate score to 7-0.
Their chances may have vanished, but Denmark refused to go quietly and David de Gea was forced into two excellent second-half saves, while Viktor Fischer and Daniel Høegh both struck the woodwork. A consolation finally came in added time when Anders Christiansen turned past the goalkeeper, yet there was still time for Álvaro to round off proceedings in the 92nd minute and emphatically rubber-stamp Spain's ticket to Israel.


text:
Last night, the FBI searched the offices of a West Palm Beach eye doctor who, together with his family, has donated more than $200,000 to Democratic candidates. He also has served as a fundraiser for Senator Robert Menendez.
FBI agents were seen carrying out boxes of materials from the offices of eye doctor Salomon Melgen. Law enforcement officials told NBC News there is an investigation underway, but declined to detail its focus.
Last fall, New Jersey Republicans filed a complaint with the U.S. Senate Ethics Committee against Senator Menendez alleging he accepted free flights to the Dominican Republic on a private jet and stays at Melgen's villa there at the Casa de Campo resort in violation of Senate rules. The ethics complaint also questions whether some laws might have been broken.
A spokesman for Senator Menendez denies any wrongdoing. Today, Senator Menendez' office issued the following statement:
"Dr. Melgen has been a friend and political supporter of Senator Menendez for many years. Senator Menendez has traveled on Dr. Melgen's plane on three occasions, all of which have been paid for and reported appropriately. Any allegations of engaging with prostitutes are manufactured by a politically-motivated right-wing blog and are false."
The reference to allegations involving prostitution was prompted by unconfirmed reports on a conservative website that Dr. Melgen had procured young prostitutes for Senator Menendez in the Dominican Republic.
Calls to Dr. Melgen over the last couple of weeks have not been returned.
The FBI is not saying why it searched the doctor's offices and whether the investigation is connected to his fundraising or his alleged travels with Menendez.
Separately, the IRS has filed an $11 million tax lien against Dr. Melgen and his wife.