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I open my eyes and I am pressed warmly against her soft skin. She still sleeps. Her sweet breath is a gentle tide across my mouth. I don't want to get up; I never do when she is with me. And we have been together since our marriage five years ago. Gloria and I were so young but I wanted her like I want my next breath. I do still. My love for her used to be terrifying when I imagined the possibility of not possessing her completely forever. And now, now we have a little daughter who looks like her and my love for our little girl is, is, is… excruciating. I never thought it was possible to love something, someone else as much as my Gloria. Is this much… really possible? Sometimes I think it is all the happiness that I can possibly bear.
Forgive me, dear Lord, when I honestly say that I don't care about the rest of Your foolish world. I mean, I would help someone truly in need, but Gloria has been my sun and my guiding star and, yes, dear Lord, my religion. I work so that she never shall want. My will on her behalf is unbending and it grows stronger. My career has been like a solid stairway, every step higher, more sure, more secure but always for her, never for myself. I am strong because I am so sure of my path. And my little girl is the finest gift I … we could ever bestow upon this foolish, undeserving world.
Today is Christmas Eve and we will be having our parents over for dinner and a very special surprise for Gloria as well. I have such a good relationship with my in-laws. All those in-law jokes have no meaning in this family. Tonight Gloria's parents will arrive in the new XL-Z that I bought for her. She will not believe her eyes, and she will be so happy which is all that matters to me.
I finally get up and I go to work. There will not be much work accomplished anywhere onsite but I have a report to finish as a favor to my boss. No problem, he is a really good boss and I greatly respect him. And I finish my report after 5PM. No problem, I just need to be home by 7PM. It is already very dark and cold outside and I look out my window to see that the parking lot is shiny with this afternoon's rain slick that captures the full moon light.
I log-off my computer from my Yahoo Home Page. A news brief catches my eye: Your teenager and the new designer drug dubbed "Éuphoranasia". What a world. It is not my world. But I should probably know something about it, so I click on the link. Instantly a message in red lettering against a black screen states "The side effects can be Hell". The message dissolves into an up-close visage of a grotesque upper face with malevolent glaring yellow eyes that seem to stare right at me. Oh, great. A virus. Well, I'll have to tell IT on Monday. I shut off my computer completely.
Outside, my car is the only one left in the moonlit parking lot. As I walk toward it I notice the alley-way across the street. Of all things, there is a dark and gleaming XL-Z parked there. Next to it is the silhouette of a man. He is standing still, but I have suddenly the sensation of ice-water in my chest as I believe he is watching me. I get into my car quickly and lock the doors. The man has not moved, but he still seems to be watching me. I step on the gas pedal and slide out of the parking lot into the main street. It is lucky there are no other cars coming.
It is starting to rain again. I look in my rear-view mirror and see no other car behind me. I focus forward and begin to think about tonight. Christmas Eve with everyone I love. The oncoming car headlights look like a string of bright ornaments. But there is one that has those really bright "phosphorous" headlights that young people think are so cool. I have to squint and turn my face sideways; the phosphorous headlights are so bright. Suddenly, Jesus! The phosphorous headlights swerve directly in front of me. My eyes are wide, my mouth is open to scream, I lean back, and then there is blackness.
I awaken. I am in unbelievable pain. It feels like every joint is broken. I am lying on the wet asphalt on my side. I see my car. It is crumpled and shredded into the front end of … of the XL-Z from the alley-way. The XL-Z is unscratched, but there is a furious inferno inside the vehicle.
I sit up in agony. Something softly bounces on my cheek. I reach up and touch it. It is my eyeball, with splinters of glass in it. I try to scream but I choke. My hand falls on my face. It is wet and ragged and I feel glass splinters. A thought hits me: I was thrown through my windshield. Help me. Help me, God!
Suddenly there are figures rushing around me that I can barely make out. I am grabbed under both arms and lifted screaming. I am conveyed toward the XL-Z that is so shiny and unscarred but with the boiling flames inside that seem to burn without consuming. The door to the back seat of the XL-Z is now pulled open. I am flung inside screaming. The unimaginable pain causes me to shrivel instantly. I faint.
I awaken on my back under a bright light. My skin shivers in pain from the merest breeze. There is a person in medical garb above me. I am paralyzed. I cannot speak. My one good eye is open but I can not move my field of vision. My sight is glazing over. I cannot blink. The medical person looks into my face and clicks his tongue. Suddenly he slits my torso from neck to crotch. I faint into the raging pain.
I awaken breathing hot sulfurous vapors. The smell is hideous. My head is tipped back staring at the ceiling of a stone cavern. I am straining on my tip-toes, gasping. Out of the corner of my one good eye I see the unthinkable. I am in a lake of feces. There are others mired as I am, wailing. I suddenly see a pack of hideous dog-like creatures patrolling the shoreline of this Hell. When they pass, one of the other poor mired people wades quickly to the shoreline and scrambles out, slippery with the nauseating feces covering him. Suddenly, there is heart-stopping howling from the pack of dog-creatures who race back to the individual who tries to run. He slips. The dog-creatures are upon him. They rip his guts out and gnaw off his limbs, shaking their heads viciously and with a final shake toss the gory remains back into the lake of feces.
I am paralyzed with terror. But a moment later a head breaks the surface and gasps, wailing. It is the mutilated fugitive, now apparently whole again. I turn to a woman beside me who has watched the same spectacle. I cry to her. What is happening?
She looks at me sadly and says it is near the End of Days. The Devil has been allowed his own "Rapture".
Do you mean the Devil is kidnapping innocent souls? I must be dreaming but there is too much pain and terror.
She tells me I have a chance, that I am lucky! She tells me, saying that she no longer cares that she will pay in more suffering for telling me this: my Free Will has not been consigned to the Devil.
She says to me in earnest that she will create a diversion and that I must flee. Down that tunnel. Before my mind can even sort the meaning, she wades to the edge of the lake and clambers out, gasping. A moment later the dog-creatures are upon her, but before she suffers the same fate as the man before, she screams to me to gather my Fee Will.
While the dog-creatures are slavering in their mutilation of her, I myself wade to the edge of the lake and slither out, covered in foul feces. The dog-creatures do not see me. I run, slipping and sliding away from the hideous lake and into the tunnel. But where is this going? God help me. God why is this happening to me? Help me.
I see a glow ahead and finally I am stopped against a perfectly smooth stone wall. The glow intensifies and I can suddenly see through the stone wall as if it were a huge pane of glass. There is a room beyond. It is illuminated only by the light stealing in from the window of a door on the opposite side. Oh, Jesus, Jesus… I am looking into the refrigeration room of a morgue! There are bunk shelves and gurneys with shrouded figures.
Suddenly, to my shock, one of the shrouded figures arises, casts of his sheet, gets off of the gurney and walks slowly towards me. When he encounters the other side of the wall, there is a halo of light around him and he passes through into the tunnel right beside me! "Help me!!", I cry. He never turns his head. He has a bewildered look upon his pale face and he proceeds down the tunnel as if hypnotized. I cry after him, but he is soon lost to me in the dark distance.
I turn back to the translucent wall and I pound upon it. Help! Help! I'm in here! Help!
But then, for some reason, I think of what the woman who saved me said. She said to gather my Fee Will. I lay my forehead against the translucent stone and I pray to God with all-consuming intensity and I feel my guts tensioning. Suddenly there is a flash of light and I am on the other side, in the refrigeration room of the morgue. The freezing air feels like a balm, but I race to the door opposite and emerge into the morgue examining room. Soon enough I find the employees shower and I run warm water to remove the slime of feces from myself. But when the warm water strikes my burned skin it becomes agony and I barely keep from screaming. I open the nearby hamper and I pull on some soiled scrubs. At the exit door of the morgue there are several white coats hanging. I grab one. I pull some paper booties over my bare feet and I exit into a hospital corridor. Basement Exit the sign informs me. None of the few people I pass take any notice of me. I am outside. I am free.
I recognize where I am. This hospital is only a few miles from my home. I shuffle rapidly as my paper booties shred into clinging fragments. I just cannot run! I wince in tiny agony with every step. I don't want to faint again.
After an hour of eternities I arrive at my street. It is still Christmas Eve. I am crying. But what is this?
My house is dark. There is police crime-scene tape around my entire property. On the sidewalk is an improvised memorial. I see a large framed picture surrounded by flowers, teddy-bears, and candles. I limp toward the picture. Oh, no, no, God. I fall to my knees in the gutter clutching my hair. It is a picture of my wife and child! No, no, please, God, no!
Then suddenly I remember.
I am not her husband. She is not my wife. That is not my child.
I killed them.
I was supposed to kill the family of a rival Éuphoranasia dealer. I went to the wrong house. I was caught. I was sentenced to Life Under The Influence Of Éuphoranasia.
The candles begin to glow brighter. Brighter. BRIGHTER! I cower in blindness, drooling in mental anguish. I feel weak. I am going to faint. Oh, God, no, no. Not again!
I open my eyes and I am pressed warmly against her soft skin. She still sleeps. And now, now we have a little daughter who looks like her and my love for our little girl is, is, is… excruciating. I never thought it was possible to love something, someone else as much as my Gloria.
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'Suits' Recap and Review: Heartburn
It's been a terrible week for TV drama fans. First Scandal bumped off a major character, then The Good Wife axed one of its most beloved players, and now Suits is putting the screws to one of its awesome ensemble. Seriously, we're just going to buy stock in tissues after this.
When Louis is smiling and talking about how today is his day, you know that's pretty much putting a target on his back. That's how TV tends to work. Next time we see him, he's late for court and overstressed, and by the time he gets to where he needs to be, he's so wound up that he collapses in the middle of his remarks. This is not a huge shocker – if you had to bet on which member of the Suits cast would have a heart attack, the smart money was on Louis Litt – but that's not the point. Neither is whether or not he'll make it; Jessica tells everyone else that he's going to be fine. It's not the what, it's the how everyone deals with it.
And everyone deals with it differently. Donna immediately goes to the hospital to be by Louis's bedside; Rachel dissolves into tears; Mike and Harvey are tasked with taking over Louis's caseload and keeping his health status a secret from his clients. That last part proves to be more difficult as one of said clients – Tony the Previously Mentioned Corporate Raider's right hand man Jonathan Sidwell – approaches Mike with an unsavory task: help him get out of his job in such a way that he's not trapped by his non-compete clause.
It's about thirty seconds before Jonathan's boss finds out about this idea and is infuriated. He was already visiting the firm to have another soon-to-be-ex-employee tossed aside. Harvey is not impressed by the resulting temper tantrum and says as much, which is one of the many reasons we love Harvey Specter. He doesn't take crap from even the most abrasive clients….even as he goes back to Mike and tells him that he's going to enforce Jonathan's non-compete whether he wants to or not.
By the halfway point, Louis – who has proposed marriage to Sheila (Rachael Harris) and wants Harvey to be his best man at their wedding – is back at the firm. Almost right away, he's approached by Rachel, who is upset that Jessica refuses to honor the verbal agreement she made with Louis that the firm would pay for her law school tuition. Since she presents it as a nameless hypothetical, he doesn't realize what she's referring to, and basically tells her that she doesn't legally have a leg to stand on. And as if upsetting Rachel isn't enough, he then infuriates his new fiancee with his expectation that she'll leave her job at Harvard in order to move to New York. But we all knew Louis isn't great with women. Or most people.
Jonathan confronts Mike, whose actions have caused him to lose the job offer that he had. This prompts Mike to confront Harvey, and declare that he wants to to go legit. He's not happy with the idea of being stuck in the same job his whole life, like Jonathan is apparently about to be. Harvey tells him the only way he'd ever be legitimate is to "go to a small town in Iowa where no one's ever heard of Harvey Specter or Jessica Pearson or anyone else," which of course isn't good enough for Mike. The next day, he switches sides again, and throws Jonathan a legal bone. When it works, he's rewarded with an offer to be in-house counsel at Jonathan's new company.
Rachel, meanwhile, pushes her issue all the way up the food chain to Jessica and Harvey. She wants to negotiate a new contract, again, by using Harvey – and the fact that Jessica paid for his law school – as an example. "Rachel's right, I'm pretty awesome," Harvey quips, which is the best part of this whole subplot.
You know what's not awesome? Although Louis finally persuades Sheila to move to New York by speaking about how his colleagues are his family, he's heartbroken when he learns that she's not interested in having children with him. And just like that, they go from being engaged, to being over. Swallow that at the end of the hour, world.
"Heartburn" is an interesting episode, because the advertised main point – Louis having a heart attack – is actually not that much of a story at all. It's only really a starting point to set up the real drama of the episode, because all of the situations that occur happen because Louis is not at Pearson Specter temporarily. It's the threat of Louis being fired that makes Mike overstep his bounds, and Louis's absence that makes Rachel have to bring her need to Jessica instead of him.
When you look at it that way, it's a not so subtle reminder that Louis has a real and vital function at the firm. Sometimes, we may forget that, given that he's often used for comic relief or as somebody else's adversary. There's not a lot of suspense here – it doesn't help that we've been subjected to truly nervewracking episodes of Scandal and The Good Wife that have rendered us shocked enough this week – but instead, we're almost reflecting on the character of Louis Litt.
Because admit it: for those two minutes or so of that first commercial break, when we didn't know if Louis was okay, you were honestly concerned for his welfare. You were probably worried about losing Louis, too. He's not going to win a favorite character poll or anything, but you would've missed him if he was gone.
The episode also continues to expose the weakness in Rachel's storyline, and to an extent, Rachel as a character. When the episode of her negotiating her return to the firm first aired, some of you commented that she came across as a bully. This episode probably won't help that perception, because she spends most of it pushing every button to try and get what she wants. On one hand, we have to remember that for her, the tuition money she's after makes or breaks her dream of being a lawyer, so of course in her opinion it's worth crying over and having confrontations over.
On the other hand, it's doubtful that a paralegal who talks to her boss in the way Rachel speaks to Jessica would still have a job right now. Rachel can sometimes come across as pushy, and this is one of those times (the teaser for next week's episode doesn't do her any favors either).
If there's one real quibble to be had, though, it's not necessarily with this episode as it is with the back half of Season 3 so far. Any writer will tell you that character arcs ebb and flow. Some characters have more screen time in one part of the season and less in another part. And after spending some time on her ill-fated relationship with Stephen Huntley in the front order, we are definitely seeing less of Donna in the back six. She has so far existed her to support everyone else in their stories. Which, as understandable as it is, we can never have enough Donna. Ever. We'll have to see if next week's episode changes that, while we brace ourselves for the final few episodes of the season.
Suits continues its third season next Thursday at 9 PM ET/PT on USA.
(c)2014 Brittany Frederick. Appears at Fanbolt with permission. All rights reserved. No reproduction permitted. Visit my official website and follow me on Twitter at @tvbrittanyf.

subset: commoncrawl


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Cremation Options
When choosing a crematory, it is important to find a provider you can trust. For 150 years, our funeral home has proven our commitment to excellence and professional care to Louisiana families.
Our state of the art, onsite crematory offers families peace of mind knowing their loved one never leaves our care. Many funeral homes outsource cremation to third party providers; at Rabenhorst, your loved one never leaves the shelter of our expert care. Our licensed funeral directors and certified cremation technicians handle every step of the cremation process with diligence and compassion.
Unlike many surrounding crematories, we offer witnessing. Our crematory contains a special viewing room for those who wish to be present at the beginning of the cremation process. You can also opt to have some private time with the deceased prior to the cremation.
Our crematory is conveniently located adjacent to our funeral home on Government Street. We invite you to visit and see for yourself, why Rabenhorst cremation quality is a cut above.
Cremation offers all the commemorative options available with traditional burial. Let us help create a meaningful tribute for your loved one.
Louisiana laws allow individuals the ability to authorize their own cremation. Simply complete and notarize the Affidavit For Self-Declaration For Cremation.
Whether you are preplanning or arranging a cremation service for a loved one, the professionals at Rabenhorst can help with all of your needs.


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The Early Show Sarah Silverman. (N) 7 a.m. KCBS
Today Ivanka Trump; Melissa Joan Hart; David Mizejewski. (N) 7 a.m. KNBC
Good Morning America Jaclyn Smith and Cheryl Ladd; Laura Bell Bundy; Richard A. Clarke; Nancy Makin. (N) 7 a.m. KABC
Regis and Kelly Jennifer Lopez; Sarah Silverman. (N) 9 a.m. KABC
The View Lily Tomlin; Leslie Jordan; Dr. Doris Day; Megyn Kelly; Alexandra Wentworth. (N) 10 a.m. KABC
The Doctors Menu mistakes; chefs who developed molecular gastronomy. (N) 11 a.m. KCAL
The Bonnie Hunt Show Tim Gunn; Ashley Jensen; Kathleen Madigan. (N) 3 p.m. KNBC
Oprah Winfrey Nadya Suleman. (N) 3 p.m. KABC
Dr. Phil Parenting mistakes. (N) 4 p.m. KCBS
The Ellen DeGeneres Show Lisa Kudrow ("Paper Man"); B.o.B. and Bruno Mars perform. (N) 4 p.m. KNBC
Larry King Live Craig Robinson. (N) 6 and 9 p.m. CNN
Tavis Smiley Producer Jerry Weintraub. (N) 7 and 11 p.m. KCET
Charlie Rose Edward O. Wilson, Harvard; Goldman Sachs developments. (N) 11:30 p.m. KCET
Late Show With David Letterman Amanda Peet; David Chang; Justin Nozuka performs. (N) 11:35 p.m. KCBS
The Tonight Show With Jay Leno Heidi Klum; Ken Jeong; Smashing Pumpkins. (N) 11:35 p.m. KNBC
Jimmy Kimmel Live Jenna Elfman; DEVO performs. (N) 12:06 a.m. KABC
The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson Emily Mortimer; David Simon. (N) 12:37 a.m. KCBS
Late Night With Jimmy Fallon Rosario Dawson; Tony Siragusa; New Kids on the Block. 12:37 a.m. KNBC
Last Call Nick Kroll; Circa Survive performs. 1:36 a.m. KNBC


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Loving Common Lisp, or the Savvy Programmer's Secret Weapon
This book is 100% complete
Completed on 2020-08-03
About the Book
This is the fifth edition (released September 2019) of my book "Loving Common Lisp, or the Savvy Programmer's Secret Weapon." I removed some of the older material from the earlier editions and added application examples for deep learning, back-propagation and Hopfield neural networks, using the CLML machine learning library, heuristic search, and using Common Lisp clients for: MongoDB, Solr, and relational databases. For the older 3rd edition I added a chapter using my Natural Language Processing (NLP) library and a short chapter on information gathering. For the 5th edition I added an example application for generating Knowledge Graph data (RDF and Cypher for Neo4j graph database), and hybrid examples for using Python deep learning libraires (using a web service interface).
The purpose of this book is to provide a quick introduction to Common Lisp and then provide the user with many fun and useful examples for using Common Lisp.
Before you buy this book you can first look at the programming examples at https://github.com/mark-watson/loving-common-lisp
The author has used Common Lisp professionally since 1982..
Table of Contents
- Cover Material, Copyright, and License
- Notes on the Sixth Edition Published June 2020
- Notes on the Fifth Edition Published September 2019
- Why Use Common Lisp?
- A Request from the Author
- Older Book Editions
- Acknowledgments
- Setting Up Your Common Lisp Development System and Quicklisp
- List of Quicklisp Projects and Small Examples in this Book
- Why Did I Write this Book?
- Free Software Tools for Common Lisp Programming
- How is Lisp Different from Languages like Java and C++?
- Advantages of Working in a Lisp Environment
Common Lisp Basics
- Getting Started with SBCL
- Making the repl Nicer using rlwrap
- The Basics of Lisp Programming
- Symbols
- Operations on Lists
- Using Arrays and Vectors
- Using Strings
- Using Hash Tables
- Using Eval to Evaluate Lisp Forms
- Using a Text Editor to Edit Lisp Source Files
- Recovering from Errors
- Garbage Collection
- Loading your Working Environment Quickly
- Functional Programming Concepts
- Using Quicklisp to Find Packages
- Using Quicklisp to Configure Emacs and Slime
Defining Lisp Functions
- Using Lambda Forms
- Using Recursion
- Closures
- Using the Function eval
Defining Common Lisp Macros
- Example Macro
- Using the Splicing Operator
- Using macroexpand-1
Using Common Lisp Loop Macros
- dolist
- dotimes
- do
- Using the loop Special Form to Iterate Over Vectors or Arrays
- Common Lisp Package System
Input and Output
- The Lisp read and read-line Functions
- Lisp Printing Functions
Plotting Data
- Implementing the Library
- Packaging as a Quicklisp Project
Common Lisp Object System - CLOS
- Example of Using a CLOS Class
- Implementation of the HTMLstream Class
- Using Defstruct or CLOS
- Heuristically Guided Search
Network Programming
- An introduction to Drakma
- An introduction to Hunchentoot
- Complete REST Client Server Example Using JSON for Data Serialization
- Network Programming Wrap Up
Using the Microsoft Bing Search APIs
- Getting an Access Key for Microsoft Bing Search APIs
- Example Search Script
- Wrap-up
Accessing Relational Databases
- Database Wrap Up
Using MongoDB, Solr NoSQL Data Stores
- MongoDB
- A Common Lisp Solr Client
- NoSQL Wrapup
Natural Language Processing
- Loading and Running the NLP Library
- Part of Speech Tagging
- Categorizing Text
- Detecting People's Names and Place Names
- Summarizing Text
- Text Mining
Information Gathering
- DBPedia Lookup Service
- Web Spiders
- Using Apache Nutch
- Wrap Up
Using The CL Machine-Learning Library
- Using the CLML Data Loading and Access APIs
- K-Means Clustering of Cancer Data Set
- SVM Classification of Cancer Data Set
- CLML Wrap Up
- Backpropagation Neural Networks
- Hopfield Neural Networks
Using Python Deep Learning Models In Common Lisp With a Web Services Interface
- Setting up the Python Web Services Used in this Chapter
- Installing the spaCY NLP Services
- Installing the Coreference NLP Services
- Common Lisp Client for the spaCy NLP Web Services
- Common Lisp Client for the Coreference NLP Web Services
- Trouble Shooting Possible Problems - Skip if this Example Works on Your System
- Python Interop Wrap-up
Using the PY4CL Library to Embed Python in Common Lisp
- Project Structure, Building the Python Wrapper, and Running an Example
- Implementation of spacy-py4cl
- Trouble Shooting Possible Problems - Skip if this Example Works on Your System
- Wrap-up for Using Py4CL
Automatically Generating Data for Knowledge Graphs
- Implementation Notes
- Generating RDF Data
- Generating Data for the Neo4j Graph Database
- Implementing the Top Level Application APIs
- Implementing The Web Interface
- Creating a Standalone Application Using SBCL
- KGCreator Wrap Up
Knowledge Graph Navigator
- Example Output
- Project Configuration and Running the Application
- Review of NLP Utilities Used in Application
- Developing Low-Level SPARQL Utilities
- Implementing the Caching Layer
- Utilities to Colorize SPARQL and Generated Output
- Text Utilities for Queries and Results
- Using LispWorks CAPI UI Toolkit
- Writing Utilities for the UI
- Writing the UI
- Wrap-up
- Book Wrapup
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Pension accumulation for employees in pension funds is a means companies all around the world often use to foster employee loyalty. It's a way not just to ensure a bigger pension in old age, but also to motivate those who work best.
A full 50% of Lithuanian residents would be motivated by employer contributions to a supplementary voluntary pension accumulation (3rd pillar) pension fund, according to a representative survey. Some companies in Lithuania already use this type of incentive, thus demonstrating concern not just for their employees' present, but also for their future.
A long-term and practical incentive
This type of employee incentive enables long-term motivation, since a contribution an employer makes to a pension fund adds to the employee's accumulating supplementary pension. It's also a practical way for companies to motivate employees.
Calculations show that, allocating the same amount of money for an employee incentive and considering all the costs, a pension fund contribution counting from 2019 could be as much as 68% bigger than the after-tax amount of a salary bonus. That's because a pension contribution, unlike a bonus, isn't taxed as long as it doesn't exceed a quarter of the employee's pre-tax salary for the year.
* The advantage arises because taxes levied when paying a wage bonus are not levied on pension fund contributions. These tax benefits apply when pension fund contributions do not exceed 25% of an employee's pretax employment-related income. Calculations assume no tax exempt amount ("NPD"). The calculations are based on the taxes, which came into force from 2019.
If an employer makes contributions to an employee's chosen 3rd pillar pension fund and they do not exceed 25% of the employee's annual employment-related income, according to the taxes system, which is in force until 2019, the employer is not required to pay the social security tax on that amount (31.18%) while the employee does not have to pay the personal income tax (15%) or the health and pension social insurance contributions (which total 9%). From 2019, if an employer makes contributions to an employee's pension fund, these contributions are exempt from the following taxes: personal income tax (20%), employer's social insurance contribution (1.47%) and employee's social insurance contribution (19.5%).
Thus contributing to a pension fund lets an employer allocate a much bigger incentive amount in terms of what they add to an employee's supplementary pension accumulation
All employees are eligible
Under the existing pension accumulation system, all residents of the country can accumulate in 3rd pillar pension funds regardless of whether they accumulate in the 2nd pillar or have insured income. There are no limits for this pillar on the number of pension funds or accumulation companies, and it is the individual who decides on the size, frequency and periodicity of contributions and the number of chosen funds.
Accumulation in 3rd pillar funds is recommended in order to approach 80% of one's previous income level during retirement, assuming accumulation in the 2nd pillar also.
If money is withdrawn from a 3rd pillar pension fund sooner than 5 years after the start of accumulation and before reaching the designated age, a 15% (from 2019 - 20 %) personal income tax applies. There are also fees that apply for accumulating in pension funds.
INVL loyalty programmes for employers
Detailed information about contributions to employees' 3rd pillar pension fund accounts
Companies can also transfer contributions into 3rd pillar pension accumulation accounts that their employees have already opened.
This allows companies to take advantage of tax benefits. In this case, INVL Asset Management and the company conclude a cooperation agreement foreseeing the size of contributions and their payment frequency. If the company runs into financial difficulties, contributions can be reduced, halted or delayed. Employees can also contribute to their pension accumulation accounts on their own.
Four pension accumulation approaches
"DE Pension"
Under the "DE Pension" German-model programme for promoting employee loyalty, the employer accumulates an equal amount for each employee.
"SE Pension"
Under the "SE Pension" Swedish-model programme for promoting employee loyalty, the employer accumulates a fixed percentage of each employee's salary. The standard practice in Lithuania is for employees to contribute 2-4 per cent of an employee's salary.
"IS Pension"
Under the "IS Pension" Icelandic-model programme for promoting employee loyalty, both the employer and the employee contribute to pension accumulation to ensure that the employee's pension will be at least 80 per cent of his or her salary. Usually in this case the company pays a percentage of the salary (2 per cent) and later adds a supplementary contribution if employees themselves also accumulate (e.g., 1 per cent + 1 per cent, 2 per cent + 2 per cent, 3 per cent + 3 per cent). Thus the contributions to 3rd pillar pension funds may total as much as 8 per cent.
"JP Pension"
Under the "JP Pension" Japanese-model programme for promoting employee loyalty, the employer contributes a fixed sum or salary percentage for each employee. The size of the contribution increases proportionally as an employee's length of service at the company increases.
The above-mentioned pension accumulation approaches can be combined or used to complement each other.
Benefit for employees:
- With their employer's help, employees can boost their future income to ensure their quality of life in retirement. By additionally accumulating in 3rd pillar pension funds together with accumulations in 2nd pillar, it's possible to achieve a pension that is 80 per cent or more of one's salary;
- The accumulated money is the property of the participant;
- If an employee dies, family members inherit the accumulated assets.
INVL Asset Management's help for companies wishing to contribute to their employees' 3rd pillar pensions:
- Short presentations or seminars for company managers and employees about the benefits of 3rd pillar pension accumulation;
- Assistance in the preparation of an agreement;
- Preparation of pension contribution plans that reflect employees' age, experience and length of employment.
How to open 3rd pillar pension fund accumulation agreement
We encourage you to invite your employees to conclude agreements with INVL Asset Management. After reviewing your employees' financial situation, we'll prepare a personal pension accumulation plan for each of them and help calculate the recommended contribution size. If you want to discuss these opportunities, call us at 8 700 55 959 or write to us at [email protected].
Occupational pension funds
Companies can also accumulate for employees in 3rd pillar pension funds establishing the occupational pension funds. In this case the company can itself select the fund manager and so play a role in managing the pension funds. Both when establishing occupational pension funds and when transferring contributions to employee accounts at private pension funds, companies can make use of personal income tax exemptions. According to calculations by INVL Asset Management, this can be relevant for companies with more than 2,000 employees.
More information about occupational pension funds
How can an occupational pension fund be established?
- First, an occupational pension association should be established. Its founders are the employer or employers, their employees and independently working persons.
- The financing entities – the employers or independently working persons – commit to pay pension contributions.
- An occupational pension association can start activities only after receiving permission from the regulating institution.
- An occupational pension association can establish or end the activities of pension funds into which the financing entities commit to pay pension contributions.
The bodies of an occupational pension association are:
- The general meeting of members;
- A collegial body – the board;
The board together with the administrator appointed by the board:
- Establish or conclude the activities of pension funds;
- Regularly monitor the pension funds' investment policy principles and, if needed, initiate changes to them;
- Select and conclude an agreement with a fund manager;
- Select a fund custodian (depository) and conclude an agreement on the custody of pension assets;
- Select an audit company.
An occupational pension association carries out pension accumulation activity in its pension funds in accord with the pension funds' rules, which must specify:
- The rights and obligations of persons having a right to become beneficiaries of pension fund contributions (participants).
- The financing entities, their rights and obligations.
- Types of pension disbursements, payment methods, disbursement conditions, etc.
- The period after which a participant in an occupational pension association acquires the right to the pension funds may also be specified, but may not be less than 2 years after participation began.
- A participant of an occupational pension association may switch to another pension fund managed by the association or to another occupational pension association.
How are disbursements from occupational pension funds received?
- Participants may get pension disbursements 5 years prior to pension;
- Money accumulated in the pension fund can be inherited;
Pension disbursements can be paid in the following ways:
- By purchasing a pension annuity from a life-insurance company (mandatory if the disbursement is larger than half the size of the base pension).
- Through a lump-sum disbursement or periodic pension payments.
The establishment of occupational pension funds is regulated by the Law on the Accumulation of Occupational Pensions of the Republic of Lithuania (X-745).
For what type of organization or group is the creation of an occupational pension association relevant?
- For companies with more than 2,000 employees. In this case, an occupational pension association could be established by just the company itself, as the financing entity, and its employees.
For several companies or institutions and their employees. This is relevant in Lithuania, which has few companies with more than 2,000 employees but many spheres of activity that bring together larger numbers of employees. In this case, an occupation pension association could be established jointly by several companies and their employees, for example:
- Civil servants, teachers, police, etc.;
- Small and mid-size business representatives;
- Agricultural workers;
- People working or active in the field of culture, artists, actors.
Why are occupational pension funds beneficial for employers?
- They are an opportunity to motivate employees and contribute to ensuring their welfare after retirement.
- They are a way to encourage employee loyalty, dedication and productivity.
- They offer a chance to motivate employees while saving taxes.
- They can help to strengthen a company's public image.
Why are occupational pension funds beneficial for employees?
- Accumulated money is the property of the participant.
- If an employee dies, family members inherit the accumulated assets.
- With their employer's help, employees can boost their future income to ensure their quality of life in retirement.
INVL Asset Management's help in developing an occupational pension accumulation service:
- Short presentations or seminars for interested parties regarding the establishment and benefits of occupational pension associations.
- Consulting and process management during the creation of an occupational pension association and pension funds.
- Professional pension asset management and investment services in accord with the occupational pension association's chosen strategy.
The personal income tax exemption for companies accumulating for employees in pension funds
Contributions to occupational pension funds and 3rd pillar pension funds are not subject to any taxes if the legal requirements are met. According to Lithuania's Law on Personal Income Tax (article 17 section 1 items 14-141), pension contributions paid by an employer on behalf of an employee into a pension account in a pension fund are regarded as untaxed income in kind, so long as during the tax period the contributions do not exceed 25 per cent of the employment compensation due to the employee for the period.
Following a 2010 change in the definition of 'income in kind', these contributions on behalf of employees are not subject to social insurance tax either (Law on Personal Income Tax article 2 section 15 item 9; Law on State Social Insurance article 11 section 1 item 19) and, at the same time, employers are granted a profit tax exemption (Law on Corporate Income Tax article 17 section 1; article 17 section 2 item 8).
More information
If you have questions or want to know more about pension funds, call us at +370 700 55959 or write to us at [email protected].
- For more information about INVL Asset Management's pension fund investing strategies, review our pension fund rules.
- You ca access periodic fund reports and read fund reviews.
Links to useful facts and more information about pension accumulation activities:
- Law on the Accumulation of Occupational Pensions.
- Law on Personal Income Tax.
- Law on the Accumulation of Pensions.
- Law on Reform of the Pension System.
- Law Amending Articles 1, 2, 3, 4, 7 and 8 of the Law on Reform of the Pension System.
- Law on the Supplementary Voluntary Accumulation of Pensions.
- Ministry of Social Security and Labour information on the pension system.
- Bank of Lithuania official information about pension funds.
- UAB "INVL Asset Management" important documents.
As a 3rd pillar pension fund participant, you will have to pay the fees specified in the rules of the selected pension fund. The money accumulated in a pension fund is invested on the basis of the investment strategy set out in the pension fund's rules. In accumulating in pension funds, you assume the investment and investment-related risk. The value of a pension fund unit may both rise and fall. You may recover less than you invested. A pension fund's past results do not guarantee the same results and profitability in the future. Results for a past period are not a reliable indicator of future results. When seven or fewer years remain before retirement, we recommend considering investing in a conservative investment pension fund (INVL STABILO III 58+ / INVL Stable).
Before making a decision to invest, you should individually or with the help of investment advisors assess all risks associated with investing and acquaint yourself with the pension fund's rules, which are an integral part of the supplementary voluntary pension accumulation agreement.
A participant of a fund can choose from among the following ways for receiving pension disbursements: a lump-sum pay-out (a one-time pension disbursement), partial periodic payments (conversion at regular intervals of a portion of fund units in the pension account into cash to be paid out), or the purchase of an annuity from an insurance company that provides life insurance (read more about annuities at: www.lb.lt/pensiju_anuitetas).
All the information provided is of a promotional nature and cannot be construed as a recommendation, offer or invitation to accumulate money in pension funds operated by INVL Asset Management UAB. The information provided here cannot be the basis for any subsequently concluded agreement. Although this information of a promotional nature is based on sources considered to be reliable, INVL Asset Management UAB shall not be responsible for inaccuracies or changes in the information, or for losses that may arise when investments are based on this information.


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Edible Paradise Adult Coloring Gift Pack
A delightful coloring book that celebrates the magnificent beauty of the edible plant kingdom. This beautiful, artfully illustrated coloring book is an enchanting journey of discovering the seasonal delicacies found in forests, fields, gardens, and urban farmer's markets. This charming, elegantly designed volume of illustrations—great for such mediums as colored pencil, pen and ink, and watercolor.
- Soft Shine Leather
- Rediscover the simple relaxation and joy of coloring
- Handmade
- Size: 9" x 10 1/8"


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It's ethical and right for city to fund legal aid
Before he recently voted to support a small dose of legal aid for the poor, District 6 City Councilman Greg Brockhouse expressed a concern. Would these funds help undocumented immigrants?
Brockhouse was clearly uncomfortable with this possibility, and expressed some uncertainty about how to explain this to his constituents. He had quite a testy exchange with District 4 City Councilman Rey Saldaña, who had pushed for the legal aid, which he said would help families.
In the end, the Council supported the legal aid unanimously. It's not much money. The city is providing $150,000 to Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, Catholic Charities and RAICES. The Vera Institute of Justice is kicking in another $100,000.
The legal services menu includes education, counseling and representation on veterans issues, landlord-tenant disputes, identification recovery, simple wills and immigration issues.
Since Brockhouse expressed anxiety about this vote, here are some points he can share with his constituents:
The city will provide $100,000 for immigration services (because of the match from Vera) and $50,000 for the other services. So, yes, funds will undoubtedly provide legal assistance to undocumented immigrants.
But even if a resident is here without documents, that person still has constitutional rights. Part of what is being offered is simply information. Know your rights.
Regardless of status, these are also city residents who pay sales tax and property taxes, often in the form of rent. And it's not the city's responsibility to vet immigration statuses of its residents.
It's also an ethical and moral service that will serve citizens. Consider this very real hypothetical: There is a mother who lives and works in San Antonio, but immigrated here without documents. Her children were born in San Antonio and are U.S. citizens. If the mother receives legal aid through the city, she benefits. But so do her citizen children.
In the end, a number of council members — District 5 Councilwoman Shirley Gonzales and District 1 Councilman Roberto Trevino, in particular — said they viewed these services as necessary after immigrant families, suddenly released from detention centers, overwhelmed the San Antonio Mennonite Church in December. It's the kind of resource that could provide clarity during a confusing and stressful situation.
With the state's pending sanctuary cities law and President Donald Trump's decision to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), there is no shortage of confusion and fear. Legal aid could help separate fact from fear.
This is our immigration reality. A small dose of city-funded legal aid for the poor is not the problem.


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Pad Thai (Fried Noodles): The Stuff of LifeKirsty Turner
I first tried Pad Thai several years ago in a restaurant in London. It was my first experience of Thai food and I had no idea what to expect. Shortly after ordering, I was presented with a plate of thin noodles, vegetables and tofu, topped with group peanuts and lime. The dish was beautifully presented and it seemed a shame to demolish it, but I was glad that I did. The food was delicious; full of rich flavours, interesting textures and just a little bit spicy. For me it was love at first bite.
When I first arrived in Thailand I was delighted to discover that the Pad Thai I had enjoyed in London for 5 pounds UK could be bought for as little as 20 Baht – 35 pence! Not only that, but the delicious dish can be sampled right on Khaosan Road, allowing you to soak up the atmosphere while you eat. Of course, the price varies according to the quality of ingredients and where you eat it, but a large serving of Pad Thai made with quality ingredients can be bought for 40 or 50 Baht, which is about 1 pound.
I quickly discovered that the ingredients, flavours and presentation of Pad Thai dishes vary significantly between restaurants and areas. Before long I had sampled the dish at most of the restaurants in my area of Bangkok and found my favourite places to eat.
I have found that the tastiest Pad Thai is located not in fancy restaurants but in small, traditional Thai restaurants or from carts on the street. Eating on the street also provides the opportunity for people watching, always a welcome diversion.
One of my favourite places to eat and watch the world go by is on Soi Rambhutri in the heart of Bangkok's Banglampu. Here, the blend of Thai people, seasoned travelers and hapless tourists makes interesting and often comical entertainment.
One of the very first people I met in Bangkok was Tip as I was wandering down Khao San Road looking for refreshment. The vibrant Thai woman drew me to her with her bright smile and the mouth-watering aroma coming from wok and told me to sit at one of her folding tables next to the curb. I watched as she tossed noodles, sauce, vegetables, tofu and dried shrimp into her wok, talking animatedly with a friend as she cooked.
Within minutes, Tip had produced a large plate of Pad Thai. It smelt great and was very tasty – slightly spicy with the deliciously contrasting textures of chewy noodles and crisp vegetables. Tip stood watching me eat, smiling broadly when I showed my appreciation.
When I finished eating, Tip told me that she had been cooking Pad Thai at her stall for over 15 years. The stall was given to her by her husband's parents as a marriage present. Tip gradually bought the tables and chairs from her profits and has gradually been adding little touches to personalise the stall.
"I don't make much money," Tip told me. "But I am very happy. I can talk to many foreign people and practice speaking English every day." Tip told me that the best part of her job is watching people enjoy her food. "Everybody likes to enjoy," she said with a broad smile.
Noodles were first brought to Thailand by Chinese immigrants. They also brought chopsticks and woks, essential equipment for enjoying Pad Thai. However, Thai people traditionally eat rice three times a day and noodles were overlooked for a long time.
The Prime Minister of Thailand, Luang Phibunsongkhram; introduced Pad Thai and made it a national dish during World War II. Thailand was faced with a rice shortage and budget crises at this time and the Prime Minister promoted the eating of Pad Thai to combat the problem.
Today, Pad Thai is enjoyed all over Thailand and indeed all over the world. It is loved by Westerners because it is not spicy like many other Thai dishes and can be eaten at any time of the day or night.
In Bangkok, many Westerners consume Pad Thai after a few beers. As veteran backpacker Dan states; "You can't beat Pad Thai. It's cheap, tasty, and the women who cook it are easy on the eye, too!"
About the author:
Kirsty Turner (Kay) is a freelance writer currently living in Bangkok. She has kindly agreed to write for KhaoSanRoad.com and share her love of all things Thai and, especially, all things Khao San Road!


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Security researchers were able to access default SAP accounts on enterprise systems worldwide by using default passwords.
The security snafu meant that SAP systems worldwide were potentially vulnerable to data theft, business process disruption and fraud, specialist security outfit ERP-SEC warned.
Joris van de Vis, researcher at ERP-SEC, demonstrated full compromises of the SAP Solution Manager and connected systems via three of these default accounts during a presentation at the recent Troopers Security Conference.
The issue only affects users of older versions of SAP's enterprise software. Van de Vis's research identifies some "very high risk" default accounts in affected installations, including one noted as a "hardcoded kernel user".
"The precise percentage of affected customers is unclear, but a quick check under some of our customers shows at least 50 per cent of them have one or more of these default users with a default password in their systems," van de Vis explained. "This only affects long-time SAP customers as new installations are not affected."
Customers need to change the passwords of these users. SAP has released a security note (login required) in order to support SAP customers with this process.
ERP-SEC's van de Vis explained that the security weakness originates from security weaknesses in SAP Solution manager 7.0 Enhancement Package 1. "As many customers never changed these accounts and upgraded to the recent version SAP Solution Manager 7.1 the issue is still there for many customers."
The root cause of the problems was a default password being used in wizards that created users. "These wizards created some accounts with the default password 'init1234'," van de Vis added.
ERP-SEC has released a free tool to help SAP customers to identity the presence of accounts with default passwords in their environment.
In response to queries from El Reg, SAP said it had fixed the problem:
SAP Product Security Response Team collaborates frequently with research companies to ensure a responsible disclosure of vulnerabilities. All vulnerabilities disclosed at the IT-security conference Troopers (March 14, 2016, Heidelberg/Germany) have been fixed, and security patches are available for download on the SAP Service Marketplace.
We strongly advise our customers to secure their SAP landscape by applying the available security patches from the SAP Service Marketplace immediately.


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Behringer's New Funds
- By
- May 26, 2015
Behringer Securities L.P. and Meritage Capital L.L.C. have entered into a strategic agreement "to develop, manage and distribute a series of specialized investment funds," the two companies announced late last week. The funds reportedly are intended to encompass multiple investment strategies, in response to current market volatility.
The agreement aims to leverage both companies' expertise. Behringer will lead as to raising capital for the funds, using its relationships with independent financial advisors. Meritage, a $1.2 billion boutique investment management firm specializing in differentiated hedge fund solutions and based in Austin, will lead the investment strategy for each fund.
"Meritage Capital is pleased to offer liquid alternative solutions to the investment community and feels fortunate to have found a partner with Behringer's expertise to collaborate with," Alex Smith, CEO of Meritage Capital, said in a release. "This relationship allows us to focus on our core strength, the investment process."
"Our agreement with Meritage Capital further enables us to evolve beyond our core competencies in commercial real estate to create platforms that meet investors' needs today and in the future, regardless of market conditions," Behringer COO Jason Mattox told Commercial Property Executive.
"We're pleased that this new venture brings together two senior management teams with a common philosophy for providing unique investment opportunities that support the critical objective of portfolio diversification," Frank Muller, CEO & president of Behringer Securities, said in the announcement.
"This agreement is an important part of Behringer's continued expansion of managers on our platform, and it further allows us to accomplish our goal of providing financial advisors with access to strategies and solutions that are highly relevant to today's evolving investment marketplace," added Bob Aisner, CEO of Behringer Investments.
In a January video interview with CPE, Mattox discussed the substantial flow of foreign capital into the United States and emphasized that one reason for the strong appetite for single-tenant, net-lease assets is investors' "pent-up demand for income."


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Frequent customers get additional discount for anything they buy at any quantity based on the following customer levels:
MaximumDiscount Rate
The higher customer level you are in, the more discount you will get. You are a regular customer when you create a new account. Your subsequent account level is determined by the average monthly purchases. You level up when you achieve the Minimum Monthly Purchase for that level in any 30 days (1 month) period. You will level down 1 step only when you miss the Minimum Monthly Purchase at current level for 3 consecutive months.
You get further discount by using selected payment methods, such as wire transfer (T/T) or direct money transfer and achieve up to 10% discount off any regular price at any quantity. Coupled with same-model quantity discount, you can get as much as 25% off any regular price.
The following example shows how higher customer levels give you more discount for a product.
For more information or questions about customer leveling, please contact us at
© Webpage copyright FUJIAN AUPLEX INVESTMENT CO., LTD 闽ICP备09050755号


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How – and Why – to Avoid Counteroffers
You've been offered a coveted position with another company—congratulations! However, if you are good at your job, and your current company is in reasonably good shape, there is a likely chance that your employer will try to convince you to stay. Bottom line: Your employer wants you to leave on their terms. Not your terms. Here is what your supervisor and current company might be thinking:
- "This is a bad time for this to be happening."
- "This person has in-depth knowledge of our system, and replacing this person will put our deadlines at risk."
- "This could ruin our budget!"
- "This is one of our best people. Others may leave too."
- "If I keep losing people, the company will fire me!"
- "How do I shift the workload?"
- "I may have to work longer hours or have to cancel my vacation, in order to cover things."
- "Maybe I can keep him/her until I find a replacement."
While a counteroffer can be intriguing and flattering here are some reasons that you should not accept a counteroffer:
- What type of company do you work for if you have to threaten to resign before they give you what you are worth?
- From where is the money for the counteroffer coming? Is it your next raise early? (All companies have strict wage and salary guidelines that must be followed).
- Your company will immediately start looking for a new person at a lower salary price.
- You have now made your employer aware that you are unhappy. From this day on, your loyalty will always be in question.
- When promotion time comes around, your employer will remember who was loyal, and who wasn't.
- When times get tough, your employer will begin the cutback with you.
- The same circumstances that now cause you to consider a change will repeat themselves in the future, even if you accept a counteroffer.
- Statistics show that if you accept a counteroffer, the probability of voluntarily leaving in six months or being let go within one year is extremely high.
- Accepting a counteroffer is an insult to your intelligence and a blow to your personal pride, knowing that you were bought.
- Once the word gets out, the relationship that you now enjoy with your co-workers will never be the same. You will lose the personal satisfaction of peer group acceptance.
Your FPC of Columbia recruiter has years of valuable experience dealing with counteroffers, and will work with you to make sure you know how to avoid the counteroffer.
Must read articles on the subject of counteroffers:
Road to Career Ruin: A Raise Won't Permanently Cushion Thorns in the Nest
Counteroffers – Resist Temptation: Don't let a quick fix or cold, hard cash blur your judgements


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Link Hylian Adult Ears
- Pair of Prosthetic Ears
- Molded vinyl ears fit over your own ears--no need for messy spirit gum
- Hat sold separately
- Officially licensed
Want to be a hero? One that saves, not only a princess but, the entire kingdom from the reign of terror under an evil pig wizard? A hero that loves wearing all green and who's age is constantly changing from story line to story line? Well, then you'll need a pair of these Hylian Adult Ears! Link is one of the most successful heroes throughout the ages. Sure, the young warrior always had aid from a medley of magical weaponry in order to take down Ganon and his underlings, but we strongly believe it was none of that which ensured each of his victories.
No, we think it might have more so to do with his ears inherited through his Hylian bloodline. With those pointy bad boys, Link could easily hear everything going on during his battles. No one, not even Ganon, is able to sneak up on the famous left-handed hero, not as long as he has his Hylian Ears on each side of his noggin. Once you add this set of ear covers to your Link Costume you'll be the ultimate hearo. Just don't let anyone diminish your royal Hylian heritage by asking if you're an elf... trust us, they are not worth your time. Just clear your surroundings of their insolence with a swift swing of your blade and a loud "HIYAH"!
Show us how you're creating unforgettable Halloween memories with #funcostumes.
Be the first to be featured! Follow @funcostumes and tag us with #funcostumes.
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Author(s): Raphael Gitau, Samuel Mburu, Mary K. Mathenge and Melinda Smale
The competitiveness of Kenya's production systems compared to those of our trading partners' remains a critical issue with regards to both economic development and food security. Self-sufficiency in major staples has remained elusive as Kenya continues to face structural deficits in both wheat and rice. The deficit is met through imports. Despite Kenya being a high cost producer of wheat and rice there are groups of farmers that are producing these crops competitively. Thus there is potential for growth of the wheat and rice sub-sector through replicating the success cases of competitive farmers and also addressing the inefficiencies that lies along the value chain. The inefficiencies identified in this research included low yields, high input costs, high operational costs, and poor infrastructure. To address these inefficiencies in the short run there is need to harmonize taxation across municipalities, reducing double taxation especially where commodities transcends municipal boundaries. Zero rating of agricultural machinery and removal of VAT on spare parts is recommended. Streamlining the importation, refinery and distribution of fuel to avoid the lag that creates artificial shortages is advised. Bulk importation of inputs would facilitate economies of scale. In the long-run, there is need to focus government expenditure on public investments such as improvement and rehabilitation of infrastructure (rail, road, ports markets and irrigation), alternative energy sources (wind,solar, nuclear) and increasing productivity (breeding high yielding seed, promoting variety turnover, extension services).
Trade and Agricultural Competitiveness: A Case of Wheat and Rice Production in Kenya


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Black Knight Games is excited to be hosting yet another Warmachine & Hordes Steamroller tournament!
When: Saturday, November 17th, 10:30am (Registration begins at 9:30am)
Entry Fee: $20.00 // 6 Hero's Rewards (Stronghold Members get a Hero's Reward for playing)
Format: 75pt Steamroller Tournament, 4 Rounds, Deathclock, Divide & Conquer 0
Lunch Provided: We will provide a pizza lunch (3 slices at least), including either 2 pops/water -or- 1 juice/energy drink
Prizes: We will put $20 per person, minus the overall cost of lunch, in to a prize pool. There will be a prize for the 'Best Painted' army (as voted on by the participants), and the 'Best Sportsmanship' (as voted on by your opponents). The remaining prize pool will be divided up among the top 3 players!
So bring your forces, preferably painted, to BKG and battle it out in our Steamroller Tournament!


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Northwest Arkansas has an extensive trail system, including 218 miles of soft-surface trails and more than 131 miles of paved trails that allow cyclists, runners and pedestrians to cover major distances if they wish from Bella Vista to Fayetteville.
The Razorback Regional Greenway is our area's longest urban, hard-surface trail, stretching more than 35 miles as it winds its way from Bella Vista to Fayetteville. The Greenway links together dozens of popular community hubs, seven cities, elementary schools and the University of Arkansas.
The Greenway makes it possible for many people to safely bike to work and school. Its path runs through the downtowns of Bentonville, Fayetteville and Springdale. It takes trail users near the work locations for J.B. Hunt, Procter & Gamble, Walmart and and a Tyson Foods technology hub in downtown Springdale.


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Team Building and Outdoor Events on the Uetliberg
Creativ and Activ
From the first idea to organization, planning and finally implementation.
We offer all services related to your event under one roof. Whether for business or pleasure, we can organize team building events such as the Uetliberg challenge, seasonal specials like our christmas game and culinary events like our BBQ Course.
Thanks to our collaboration with strong partners we organize our events in the most beautiful places on the Uetliberg mountain, the mountain of the people of Zurich: in the UTO KULM Hotel and Restaurant, in the Giardino Verde and in the Gmüetliberg restaurant.
Let us surprise you with our programs and contact us for individual and tailor-made events. Tell us what you would like and we will make it possible.
Have fun achieving more
Get to know a new side of your team and your colleagues. We specialize in team building events an know how to encourage team motivation, improve teamwork an increase the joy of your employees at work.


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Janine researches Hohokam rock art aided by the "Rock Band," a group of 15 volunteers she assembles and leads in recording rock art in Southern Arizona. The rich data sets produced by this group have led to many new discoveries about petroglyphs and their cultural context, as well as recognition from the State Historic Preservation Office. The Rock Band finished a seven-year recording of Sutherland Wash in 2012 and are now working at Cocoraque Butte on a project affiliated with the Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society.
She is retired from a career as an executive for the National Audubon Society. Her interests encompass not only activities in the outdoors, but also a broad spectrum of surface design methods and experiments on fabric.


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- Home
- Blog
- About
- Expeditions
- Resources
- Research
- Speaking
- Media + More
"I will continue to plant until my last breath"
It's a lesson in simplicity, persistence and dreams (it ought to be compulsory reading for conservationists!).Read More →
Three Species We Could Rewild Right Now (and barely cause a fuss)
Now of course, debate is good and essential, but lots of talking means not very much rewilding.Read More →
How Whales Change The Climate
Sometimes, an action or event in one place can have consequences you couldn't have imagined in another.Read More →
A Conservation Classic: How Wolves Change Rivers
I find myself repeating an abridged version quite often when I make the case for predator reintroduction to Scotland (or at least a higher rate of deer culling!).Read More →
To restore our natural world, conservation is the last thing we need
One interpretation of the term 'conservation', is to keep things the same as they are. This, I would argue, is precisely the last thing that we need to reach the lofty goal of a healthy and sustainable natural world.Read More →
Is Rewilding The UK Really A Good Idea?
There's nothing quite like mentioning rewilding to really put the cat among the pigeons (or the lynx among the grouse as it were).Read More →


text: Fixel Neave, P.A., provides legal services in the area of marital and family law. When family law matters must be decided by the legal system, the process can be complicated by heated emotions and financial turmoil. It is the goal of Fixel Neave, P.A., to guide you through the legal process and remove as much financial stress as possible. For a consultation, please call (954) 981-2200 or visit our website at FixelNeave.com.


text: Lifeshare's Art service addresses our service users' needs for expression through creativity, be that in the form of drawing, writing, collage or any other artistic activity. We believe in allowing people to have a creative experience of themselves and enabling a healthy way to express their personality and circumstance. The service provides an opportunity to build self-confidence and esteem, and engender feelings of empowerment and an air of reinvention.


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Heavy Weight is a condition that is spreading at quick pace. It can prompt numerous other wellness and fitness related conditions, which can be incapacitating. It can be said that there are bunch of wellness issues connected with stoutness. The looks into demonstrate that there are vast quantities of wellness issues connected with overweight condition.
Specialists say that it is must for each person, who is overweight by some % to lose some weight so as to live sound. On the off chance that they don't, they are at high danger of succumbing to any of the underneath said illnesses. The suggested Piracetam dosage of 4 grams can help you to keep your memory and body fit without any effect.
Some normal wellness issues:
• Hypertension – there are huge quantities of wellness issues connected with this condition. It can prompt stroke or some other significant issue, which can be unsafe for your body.
• Stroke or coronary illness – it is a savage malady, which can prompt heart assault or some other cardio vascular issue.
• Diabetes – it is one of the real well-being issues, which has conveyed much damages to people however it can be controlled with the safeguards and looked after eating routine.
• Osteoarthritis – it confine a man's development. It is a condition in which one needs to shoulder delayed torment in his joints and body members.
• Blood cluster -numerous heavy weight individuals ordinarily confront this issue. The blood coagulation can happen because of different reasons and can continuously spread in the whole body.
• Nerve bladder infections – it can bring about issue of kidney stone or nerve bladder stone. These are the difficult issues, which can cause some other well-being issues.
• Inhalation issues – this is one of the ailments under this heading. A man enduring frame this infection quits relaxing for a brief time while resting.
• Tumor -there are distinctive types of diseases and fat individuals are more prone to create them when contrasted with a solid person.
Aside from it, there are numerous more ailments, identified with corpulence. Your fat body is more defenseless to wellness dangers. It doesn't imply that you have to search for diverse measures to manage malady; you have confronted, however rather need to manage your body and its weight. There are lots of health supplements offered online by numerous reputed companies. These suggested Piracetam dosage of 4 grams may help you to boost your stamina and energy level in your body.
Despite the fact that everyone realizes that practice has its own favorable circumstances and recuperating cures, yet these large individuals are less likely to tail it in their every day plan. This is the thing that you have to work at! Yes, you have to work at your every day calendar to discover time and strict appropriation of the guideline of strolling and practicing to stay far from these issues.
Wellness and fitness specialists accept that a number of these ailments can be evaded with minor working. Cholesterol level can be lessened. Danger of coronary illness and stroke can be diminished. Hypertension can be brought down and same is the situation with numerous other wellness issues. Thus, strolling and activity should be the a vital part of our everyday life. Receive this brilliant manage in our life and oppose against heftiness, the reason for heap of ailments n your life.


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Dr. Schwartz – Voted Top Dentist By His Patients and Peers
Dr. Schwartz' dedication to maintaining a high standard of care for all of his patients earned him numerous awards and recognition. That dedication is also why our patients always leave confident in their smiles and in the quality of the care they've received. We know that everyone's smile is unique, which is why we tailor every treatment and service we provide to meet each individual's specific needs and preferences.


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Royal Central Hotel The Palm Offers the Ideal Beach Escape
Summer is finally on its way out ushering in cooler days and balmier evening. The Royal Central Hotel The Palm enjoys the perfect coastal setting on one of Dubai's most idyllic private beaches for the ultimate escape. Whether you are looking for a mid-week minibreak, a weekend retreat or a dream staycation, the Royal Central Hotel The Palm is the ideal choice for residents and visitors with unbeatable room rates.
Mohamed Hassan Youssef, General Manager of the Royal Central Hotel The Palm, said, "We offer the most stylish beachfront location overlooking the spectacular Palm Jumeirah with sweeping views of the world-famous architectural landmarks such as Atlantis The Palm and Burj Al Arab. Here guests can unwind and relax surrounded by peace and calm as they take in the beautiful scenery from their private beach cabanas or the sunbed lounges. At the Royal Central Hotel The Palm you wake up to serenity of the sea that glistens in the sun like a jewel and makes you forget you are in the middle of city."
The stunning Royal Central Hotel The Palm features 207 elegantly-appointed rooms and suites, each beautifully designed to intuitively meet the needs of discerning travelers. The resort offers an array of recreational facilities ranging from water sports to an outdoor infinity pool, state-of-the-art gym and health spa. All this together with exciting dining options, allow guests to relax in a truly tranquil setting.