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Our current health insurance system, whereby most people get coverage through their employers, was not the result of careful design by certified experts but came about through something of an historical accident. During World War II the government instituted wage and price controls through much of the economy. Given that so many young people had been conscripted or had volunteered to go into the armed services, unemployment was relatively low, and companies had an interest in retaining or attracting employees.
Since companies could not attract or retain employees by offering higher wages, many of them, often prodded by labor unions, began to offer company-paid health insurance in lieu of higher wages. Thus began the system of offering health insurance as one of several employee benefits.
The system has advantages, especially for people employed steadily by relatively large corporations. Aside from the minor inconvenience of having to choose what level of insurance one wants or, in some instances, what company one prefers – less applicable lately as costs have risen and companies have sometimes cut back to offering a single plan – steadily employed people don't have much to worry about. They may gripe about the level of insurance, or of insurance company policies that don't cover pre-existing conditions, or cancellations just when insurance is needed the most. But for the most part it's fairly simple, and recent polls show that some 80 percent of Americans are reasonably satisfied with their own health care coverage.
There are problems, however. Obviously, most unemployed people lose health insurance just when having it might be most important. Many part-time and about 17 percent of full-time employees do not receive health insurance. Smaller businesses not only have smaller risk pools, which usually means higher premiums, but they may find the cost and hassle of providing health insurance for employees too much; indeed, the percentage of nonelderly Americans with employment-based coverage declined from about 70 percent in 1987 to 62 percent in 2005.
Insofar as treating health insurance and other fringe benefits as non-taxable under income tax laws amounts to an implicit subsidy, higher-income people with more generous health insurance (they tend to go together) get a larger subsidy than lower-income people, and people without employer-provided health insurance get no subsidy at all. That doesn't fit most peoples' idea of equitable.
People can lose their health insurance when they change jobs; even if there is no lapse between periods of employment, health benefits at a new job might not kick in for three months to a year. Workers with a medical problem may find themselves locked into their current job even though more attractive prospects beckon, if a new job's insurance doesn't cover pre-existing conditions. The percentage of self-employed people is probably less than it would be if employment were not the standard way to acquire health insurance. The current system weakens Americans' sense of security and decreases the flexibility and efficiency of the labor market.
In addition, having third parties, whether government or private insurance companies, pay medical costs, tends to increase demand for medical services. If services are effectively free or require only a small co-payment, most consumers will use them more than is absolutely necessary. This decreases the efficiency of the system.
All these problems make employee-provided insurance less than ideal, and certainly not a promising avenue for providing health insurance to every American.
If we were designing a system from scratch we probably wouldn't come up with this one. But we're not designing from scratch. Large, complex systems develop from particular circumstances. All European countries have some form of government-provided or "single-payer" health care, but they differ because they were instituted in different times and different circumstances. We have to build on or reform what we have, and large-scale changes in complex systems require a good deal of time and trouble – and are bound to have unintended consequences. Remember when all the experts thought HMOs would fix what ailed the health-care system?
Although President Barack Obama has not settled on a single reform proposal, in general he proposes to have more government involvement in health care through a variety of mechanisms, from requiring everyone purchase a government-approved insurance policy to mandates on all employers to provide insurance or pay a special tax to cover the government's costs of doing so, to a government-run "public option," to government-mandated policies to dictate what treatments and procedures – those deemed most effective by a government panel – will be covered.
This is curious, in that most European countries, deemed the model by most Obama-oriented reformers, are moving toward more market-oriented policies just as the U.S. is moving toward the model they are finding too expensive and inefficient. Richard Saltman and Josep Figueras of the World Health Organization say, "The presumption of public primacy is being reassessed." Pat Cox, former president of the European Parliament, said in a report to the European Commission, "We should start to explore the power of the market as a way of achieving much better value for the money."
Our own history should offer caveats about increasing government involvement in health care. As Michael Tanner of the libertarian-oriented Cato Institute has pointed out, when Medicare began in 1965 it was estimated that the annual cost of Medicare Part A would be $9 billion by 1990. It turned out to be $67 billion. "In 1987," Tanner writes, "Medicaid's special hospitals subsidy was projected to cost $100 million annually just five years later; it actually cost $11 billion, more than 100 times as much. And in 1988, when Medicare's home care benefit was established, the projected cost for 1993 was $4 billion, but the actual cost was $10 billion."
Economic theory and practice suggest that improving access to health care and moderating the costs can best be achieved not through centralized control but through competition. But how do we get there from here? It depends on how far you want to go.
Moving from almost complete reliance on employers for health care to having more individual, fully portable policies seems obviously desirable. Stuart Butler of the conservative Heritage Foundation has outlined a detailed plan for establishing insurance exchanges at the state level. Having a statewide exchange would increase the risk pool so individuals and employees of small businesses could participate in a range of programs. Over time employers would become facilitators rather than providers – arranging for deductions to cover premiums, etc., as they do now for taxes, but not directly providing the insurance.
Butler advocates a cap on exclusion of health insurance from taxable income and using that money to provide refundable tax credits for lower-income people. He doesn't mention allowing individuals to deduct money spent on health insurance from their taxable income, as corporations are now able to do, but that could be the single most important reform in the direction of insurance portability.
Robert Moffitt, Heritage's point person on health care, makes that case, and also advocates replacing Medicaid and SCHIP with a subsidy in the form of a voucher for lower-income people. Among the benefits would be emptying emergency rooms of people without insurance and returning them to their real purpose, saving hospitals considerable money.
Moffitt would also increase real competition, putting downward pressure on costs, through allowing people to buy health insurance across state lines, and allowing various trade associations, professional associations, unions, co-ops, civic and religious organizations to offer health insurance and get the same tax breaks that employers get. He would also impose transparency on the medical profession by mandating price disclosure (this could be done by insurance companies) for doctors and hospitals. "Americans know the price of gas from day to day but know almost nothing about the real cost of medical services," he told me.
Cato's Michael Cannon says the key problem in health care is that the wrong people control the money. The government controls about half of the money spent on health care, and insurance companies control about a quarter. The more that control is in the hands of patients/consumers the better the outcomes are likely to be.
Instead of Medicare, he would give seniors a voucher for health care – with larger vouchers for lower-income seniors and those with serious or expensive medical conditions. Initially it would be expenditure-neutral, but over time the growth in Medicare expenditures would decline, seniors would have more control over their health care, and the outcomes would be superior.
He would also enlarge the areas where Health Savings Accounts – high-deductible, lower-premium insurance with superior catastrophic coverage, which permit money saved over standard policies to go into a savings account that could be used for future medical expenses or retirement – are allowed. He would suggest (though not mandate) that employers, who now spend about $9,000 per year per employee on health care, simply give employees that $9,000 at the beginning of the year and let them spend it on their choice of insurance.
In addition to allowing consumers to purchase health insurance across state lines, Cannon would also have the federal government mandate that states recognize the clinicians' licenses of other states. This would make it easier for doctors and other practitioners to move to meet demand in other states, thus increasing competition and putting downward pressure on prices.
I would go further and liberalize scope-of-practice licensing restrictions so medical assistants, nurse practitioners and the like are permitted to perform a wider range of services that only MDs are allowed to perform now.
Finally, efforts to reduce the cost of medical services have to include lawsuit reform. It's been amusing-to-infuriating to hear various administration spokespeople carry on about unnecessary medical tests as proof of doctors' greed, when the main reason for them is "defensive medicine" designed to avoid lawsuits. Democrats can't say this because trial lawyers are such heavy contributors. Because of our federalist system this would have to be handled on a state-by-state basis. California, Texas and Indiana have taken some healthy steps and could provide models for other states.
There's a start.
Contact the writer: firstname.lastname@example.com or 714-796-7821


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6503 Tanque Verde Rd
Tucson, AZ 85715 Directions
If you want to scale it down on your romantic evening, why not take a swing at a round of miniature golf? Golf N' Stuff is the perfect place to tee off and enjoy a round or two of action on the challenging greens. Golf N' Stuff features two 18-hole miniature golf courses, go karts, bumper cars, laser tag and several batting cages, so if you and your honey are done with golf, there are always so many other possibilities to bring out the kid in both of you.
Tucson, AZ
If you're looking for a one-of-a-kind, romantic adventure, look no further than Gourmet Aire when planning your next date night. You two love birds will be flying high on an aerial tour of Tucson, sipping on champagne and stopping for a delicious meal at one of the city's top-rated restaurants along the way. Gourmet Aire also allows room for customization, so if you want to tweak their already-amazing packages for your date - just ask!
10300 Ski Run Rd
Mt Lemmon, AZ 85619 Directions
You should take that incredibly amazing and unforgettable person you're with to out on a romantic date that is just as incredible, amazing and unforgettable. Lead up to an unmatched dining experience at the Iron Door Restaurant with an equally awe-inspiring drive up Mt. Lemmon. The picturesque winding road will feature the season's foliage,and once you settle in at your table, it only gets that much better. The restaurant was once a mine, but you won't have to dig too deep to find a treasure trove of menu items like salads, steaks, burgers and delectable entrees. Also, the Grub Stake is an outdoor patio open on the weekends if you feel like taking your meal alfresco. Nature's beauty, some of the best food around, and that special someone all equal a moment that the both of you will never forget.
360 E 8th St
Tucson, AZ 85705 Directions
Instead of doing the usual, why not spend your day trekking around Tucson in an Old Pueblo Trolley? You and your sweetie can visit some of the city's most historical sites, stop and shop for a while, have a romantic lunch or dinner, and then get back on and ride for the rest of the evening. Purchasing an all day pass is the suggested way to go, but however you choose to spend your day with your main squeeze, let Old Pueblo Trolley take you to your destination in style.
5700 N Sabino Canyon Rd
Tucson, AZ 85750 Directions
Make a romantic getaway with your date and enjoy some of Tucson's natural beauty, head to the Rose Canyon Campground and Lake for a day of fishing. The campsites at Rose Canyon are spacious and are spread out and situated in the canyon so that even on hot days, the temperature stays relatively comfortable. Cast your line into the mirror-like 7-acre lake to see what you can reel in, or just take a leisurely stroll around the water and enjoy the scenery.
445 S Alvernon Way
Tucson, AZ 85711 Directions
Want to get up close and personal to an incredible illusion? How about an evening's worth of them? You and your date will be a part of a special audience of only 35 members per show and experience the Sarlot and Eye's Carnival of Illusion. To be that close to the action, you know that these magicians and illusionists have got to be good, and the show will give you and your date something to talk about long after the time spent together on your romantic date has disappeared!
2175 N 6th Ave
Tucson, AZ 85705 Directions
Getting dressed up for the night always seems to change your frame of mind from the usual routine, and to that end, why not take in an evening's worth of truly classic performances presented by the Tucson Symphony? It will be a romantic evening of dramatic crescendos and inviting melodies. The Tucson Symphony has the distinction of being the oldest continuing professional performing arts organization in the state of Arizona. From Bach to Bernstein and various guest performers scheduled regularly, you and your date will not only enjoy getting close to one another as the notes swell from the stage, you'll want to return for more before too long.

subset: commoncrawl


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How Treasury Can Help Identify Hidden FX Exposures
With the U.S. dollar's renewed strength against other major currencies, organizations are facing pressure to address related risks, such as foreign exchange (FX) exposure identification and visibility into those exposures. Without strong exposure identification capabilities, companies may have limited transparency into earnings volatility caused by FX movements or be left with inaccurate data that could impact risk management decisions.
"Identification and visibility of exposures continue to be one of the most significant challenges facing the treasury function," says Jade Shopp, Deloitte Advisory partner, Deloitte & Touche LLP, and leader of its Financial Services Industry practice. "Addressing such challenges may require more focus on improving the level of confidence treasurers have in forecasting mechanisms so they can more effectively identify risks along the supply chain that are not transparent," he adds. "That's one way identification of FX exposures can add value to risk management programs."
Sources of hidden FX exposures range from internal functions, such as treasury, trading and technology, to external forces, such as currency volatility or government-imposed cash restrictions. For example, mishedging or unintended speculation is an internal exposure that may not be transparent, stemming from an organization's treasury operation placing hedges without the knowledge of existing offsetting exposures. Transfer pricing exposures, a potential source of a nontransparent external risk, can come about when an organization forecasts exposures residing in a subsidiary that is in a currency other than the functional currency of the subsidiary.
"FX exposures can hide in plain sight on a company's balance sheet and within various intercompany transactions, which can complicate exposure identification," says William Fellows, Deloitte Advisory partner, Valuation practice, Deloitte & Touche LLP. Identifying FX risk requires organizations to drill down into the various on-balance sheet exposures, as well as forecast cash flows to pull out granular data about transactions that take place at the company and subsidiary level. "Beyond that, companies need a solid understanding of their various forecasts and drivers of those forecasts in terms of revenues and expenses so that they can identify where exposures may lie," adds Mr. Fellows.
Addressing Hidden FX Risks
Some organizations address transparent and nontransparent exposures by looking for alternative approaches to FX risk management, rather than using only pure derivative hedging. One approach is to set up a central hedge desk to net exposures. This type of desk aggregates FX exposures as part of the treasury function to take advantage of natural offsets before going to the market and hedging externally. The approach usually allows organizations to reduce total hedging costs, although to capture the benefits, it requires the company to configure the organization's systems for hedge accounting.
Another emerging trend is for organizations to standardize their FX and treasury processes for certain decentralized systems, such as those used in emerging markets. The goal is to improve transparency and allow for other hedging techniques when using more restricted and emerging currencies.
"To address FX exposures, organizations should consider connecting operations with the treasury function so there is a seamless integration between business activities and risk management activities that may be directed by treasury," notes Mr. Shopp. "An effective FX risk management program establishes an appropriate balance between protecting the company against market risks and satisfying the administrative requirements of hedge accounting," he notes.
Exposure Identification Themes
There are several common missteps in identifying FX exposure that, if not addressed properly, can lead to missed or incorrectly identified FX exposures; which in turn can handicap a company's ability to manage its FX exposure by creating siloed and slow decision-making.
—Multiple systems and handoffs. Disparate treasury systems can lead to more time spent on manual reconciliations and a limited global view and timeliness of risk reporting. For companies with multiple ERP systems or that have visibility into their FX risks only through ERP or planning systems, the challenges have been in reliably capturing FX exposure within the treasury processes so that they can be addressed.
—Inability to identify natural offsets. This may prompt the company to hedge its gross positions, leading to higher hedge costs and potentially leaving the company unaware of its true exposure.
—Big data and modelling analytics. Substandard systems or processes can lead to several challenges, including inadequate capacity to manage and respond to increased date flow, analytical systems that respond slowly or inaccurately to operational changes, and market events and FX analysis that are not effectively integrated into decision-making channels.
—Highly manual processes. An inefficient resource model can allow less time for analytics and potentially result in an adverse impact on FX operations and risk management. Additionally, manual processes can leave more room for error and hinder information flow across the enterprise. As a result, a disproportionate amount of time can be spent keeping systems afloat instead of strategically managing risks.
—Inconsistent FX accounting. Many FX exposures can be hedged naturally through non-derivative solutions by operationally managing FX gaps in the value chain and coordinating activities across enterprises. Yet companies often lack the bandwidth to identify these opportunities, or to produce accurate, complete and timely data, as well as robust analytics to quickly assess FX exposures and identify hotspots. In addition, tying up resources to research reconciliation items can make hedging ineffective.
—Policy and board alignment. Many boards are often unfamiliar with derivatives and the complexity of FX risks. Further, metrics and benchmarks that are developed from misaligned incentives and measurements can hinder an organization's comprehensive FX risk management program.
—Enterprise integration. A lack of standard processes throughout the enterprise often hampers an organization's ability to manage FX risk. For example, when multicurrency transaction processing is decentralized, especially in growing global organizations, the FX system set-up and the application of FX accounting rules may differ greatly across business units, creating challenges when a company seeks to optimize FX operational efficiency.
"An FX management policy can serve several important functions in addition to a critical control function around FX processes and multicurrency transactions," says Mr. Fellows. "And an effective policy can help assess treasury performance, provide a framework for analysis and involve treasury in broader corporate decision-making that could impact FX exposure," he adds.
Related Resources
Should FX Swings Affect Incentive Compensation?
Integrating Tax and Treasury Operations with Transfer Pricing
Gaining More Value from the Treasury and Tax Functions
China Spotlight: How CFOs Can Monitor and Mitigate Directional Shifts in China's Currency
The U.S. Debt Crisis—Testing the Ceiling Again: Weekend Reading
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Fittingly, it was a rainy cold February Monday afternoon when we stepped into the training room to embark upon a voyage into the unknown with our latest team event 'Cast Away' – a tabletop based strategy and communication challenge.
We endured the usual comments about our team – "they look like a scurvy crew, I don't fancy your chances of survival with that mangy bunch of pirates" however we gathered our courage and set to the task at hand. Apparently, the ship we were travelling on had been shipwrecked and we were washed up on an unknown shore with no map, no food or water and basically no clue. Each team member was given a written set of different thoughts and ideas about the situation and having memorised (or taken notes of) the pertinent facts, we had to navigate as a team through the unfolding terrain represented on the tabletop with colourful location squares. Planning, timescales and understanding priorities were key as each decision we made revealed more 'squares' of our location and either rewarded us with supplies, information or things that made us die. Apparently, there are a lot of things that can kill you when you're a cast away.
Gladly, after the 90 minutes we all made it out alive (sort of) with the following insights:
• Assumption is a dangerous business! Useless information may not be so unimportant after all.
• Sharing is important if you want to do well in life (my Mum would be proud)
• Not knowing all the answers when you have to make a decision is quite scary
• Clear communication is definitely an art
• Losing your crew in a poisonous swamp and dying is surprisingly heart breaking…
• But surviving a shipwreck and being rescued is surprisingly rewarding! In fact there were actually shouts of "We made it! Go KDM crew!"
Needless to say, we all thought this was a brilliant way to improve communication and team work within our group! Now that we are safely back on dry land please send us a message in a bottle (or an email if you prefer) to talk about this for your next team experience!


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When you're planning your storage project, some questions are undoubtedly going to come up. You're sure to have an item or two that isn't easy to pack - and you don't this item to be damaged while you're moving or even while you're storing it. Our storage tips can help.
The tips you'll find here cover a broad range of storage topics and will help you be well-prepared for your move. Take a look - you're sure to find something useful here.


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Grab your cup of coffee and a Chocolate Chip Teff Biscotti for a few moments of at-home bakery bliss! A gluten-free, nut-free, allergy-free, and vegan healthy recipe so you can enjoy this Italian classic once again without sacrificing flavor or crunch!
First off, is biscotti and cookie or a biscuit? According to Italian tradition, it's defined as a biscuit or cracker. That also leads me to question if it's considered a breakfast, brunch, dessert, or "tea time" item. I'm going to go with anytime where this is a hot cup of coffee or tea involved, a little crunchy biscotti is appropriate! It's a little nuisancey but as long as we have a dry, crunchy, oblong semi-sweet…"thing" and that warm drink in hand…we can have a biscotti break. (Calling biscotti a cracker sounds so wrong in American sense…)
Biscotti brings to mind weird feelings and memories for me. I'm not sure how many (very few) times I've even had biscotti. I would never go forth and grab one of those dry sticks for the heck of it off the Italian cookie platter. They remind me of wealthy old people…and elementary school. Before you call me crazy just hold on a second and let me explain.
When I was younger, the most "fun" thing my friends and I liked to do in school was "clean our classroom". Not even joking, when you are in the same classroom for those 6 hours with the same 20-35 kids and teacher, you find joy in the weirdest things. Your classroom becomes your "second home" so to speak. Whenever we had indoor recess or when we finished work/projects early, we could start organizing and cleaning the classroom. From books to shelves, the cubbies and color organizing the crayons, to even Windexing the windows and scrubbing down the desks.
All those markers, crayons, pencils, etc. were always stored in those old-school tin and metal butter cookie, or in this case "biscotti", containers. It never failed and every year, every classroom, grade school teachers would use those old metal cookie tins for storage (not like they were given much of a classroom budget as we all know!) The earliest memories I have and the thing that always pops into my mind first when I think about biscotti is those metal cookie tins and cleaning/organizing my elementary school classroom.
You know, we actually used to fight each other to get to see who could be the first to ask the teacher if we could use our free time to "tidy up"? I guess school was that boring that cleaning was better 😛 But, really, does it take that long to do a word search puzzle with our 10 spelling words? I don't think so! Those cookie tins, though….they were everywhere. Sadly, when you opened them, they were not filled with cookies, biscuits, or biscotti. They were filled with dried up Crayola markers and stubby crayons. So my dear biscotti memories come from 2nd grade, cookie tins filled with crayons, and my old teachers who supplied them (I mean really…who actually buys those tins of cookies anymore?)
I knew biscotti were not stubby crayons and wanted to make a gluten-free, vegan, and allergy-free version to finally try all these years later. Biscotti are meant to be dipped in a hot beverage due to the fact that they are "twice-baked" so they come out dry, crunchy, and crumbly, (like a cracker…but sweeter). In a sense, "stale sticks". But wait! They taste good! I used some lovely light and delicately flavored teff flour which also added a nice lightly brown color. Of course, we had to make these biscotti with some chocolate too! Using my favorite allergy-free chocolate chips from Enjoy Life Foods, of course! Enjoy Life dark chocolate chips, a hint of vanilla extract, the teff flour, and your choice or tea or coffee. These will be a perfect gluten-free and allergy-free "biscuit" to add to that brunch cookie platter! If you bake them and put them in an old metal cookie tin to give to a loved one this holiday season, I'll give you bonus points 😉
Chocolate Chip Teff BiscottiPrint
Chocolate Chip Teff Biscotti
Grab your cup of coffee and a Chocolate Chip Teff Biscotti for a few moments of at-home bakery bliss! A gluten-free, nut-free, allergy-free, and vegan healthy recipe so you can enjoy this Italian classic once again without sacrificing flavor or crunch!
- Yield: 10 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Italian
- 1 1/4 Cup Teff Flour
- 1/2 Cup Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour
- 1/4 Cup Arrowroot Starch
- 1 Tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce
- 1/4 Cup Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Chips
- 1/4 Cup Plain Stevia Syrup
- 1/2 Tsp Pure Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 Tsp Cinnamon
- Allergy-Free Chocolate Sprinkles (optional topping)
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix until it forms a dough. Knead the dough with your hands when you can no longer mix.
- Now, form an 8-inch long flattened log with the dough (about 1/2-inch thick).
- Place the long on a Silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool.
- Now, slice the log into about 10 biscotti slices and space them out a bit. Sprinkle with the chocolate sprinkles if desired.
- Place them back in the oven and bake for another 20 minutes. Remove and let cool completely before serving or storing in a closed tin.
- Remove
- Serving Size: 1
Double-baking them with periods of letting them cool off makes them perfectly crisp and crunchy as a biscotti should be! When dunked in a mug of coffee, I think you'll be quite pleased! A Chocolate Chip Teff Biscotti break after a long day of cleaning the classroom sounds rather rewarding to me, don't you think? I really do this gifting these up in a metal tin would make a perfect holiday treat, by the way. I was not joking about that suggestion!
So tell me:
+ Have you ever had biscotti?
+ Did you have a lot of free and down time in elementary school?
———————————————-Stay connected: Facebook: Strength and Sunshine Twitter: @RebeccaGF666 Instagram: rebeccagf666 Pinterest: RebeccaGF666 Bloglovin': Strength and Sunshine Google+: Rebecca Pytell
**Thank you Enjoy Life Foods for partnering with me on this "Free-From" holiday recipe so ALL can celebrate! Be sure to follow along on social media with the hashtag #BakeFreely for even more "Free-From" holiday inspiration all season long!**


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Business Magazine Touts Benefits of Jackfruit
Business Insider calls jackfruit the next "it thing" in cooking.
September 20, 2015
Business Insider recently highlighted jackfruit, calling it a miracle crop, and lauded not only its health benefits but also its overall utility. With flesh full of vitamin C, potassium, calcium, and iron and seeds that serve as a good source of protein, the publication detailed the fruit's culinary versatility as a subtly sweet, fruity snack when ripe or cooked into aromatic pulled pork-esque shreds when unripe. The article further stated that jackfruit is ready to become the next "it thing" in cooking. Besides being a popular protein source around the world, jackfruit trees produce a latex-like substance that's used as glue while its bark can be used to make dye. Furthemore, jackfruit tree wood is a valued source of timber, and one tree can produce up to 150 fruits twice a year (each weighing 10 to 100 pounds).
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The Global Launch of No More Epidemics
No More Epidemics® is an international campaign to prevent future epidemics of emerging infectious disease. No single player can solve this problem alone. The campaign addresses this urgent challenge by bringing together nongovernmental organizations, top experts in health systems and humanitarian relief, community organizations, academic institutions,epidemiologists, scientists, and the most innovative companies and philanthropies in collaboration with national governments and international agencies, to influence governments and multilateral institutions to increase their epidemic prevention and preparedness capabilities.
11:00 - 11:30: Welcome Reception
11:30 - 11:35: No More Epidemics® Video
11:35 - 11:45: Introduction to the No More Epidemics® Campaign – Dr. Frank Smith
11:45 - 11:55: Opening Remarks – Dr. Jonathan D. Quick
11:55 - 12:00: Remarks by Dr. David Nabarro, Special Envoy on Ebola, United Nations
12:00 - 12:55: Discussion and Q&A, moderated by Dr. Quick
Dr. Nancy Knight, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, South Africa
Dr. Brian Brink, Anglo American Group
Carl Manlan, Africa Against Ebola Solidarity Trust
Representative, National Department of Health, The Republic of South Africa
12:55 - 1:00: Closing Remarks by K. Riva Levinson, US Secretariat, Ebola Private Sector
Mobilization Group
1:00 - 1:30: Sign the Pledge. Light lunch served.


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Dalrymple notes that José Manuel Barroso, while head of the European Commission, on one occasion
let fall the true nature of the European Union. It was, he said, an empire, albeit an empire of an entirely new type. He said that for the first time in history nations had agreed to pool their sovereignty.
To what end, Barroso did not say.


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Apr 27, 2018
Even though I voted yesterday, I'm still getting propaganda mailers advising me on various ballot issues...
One of the mailers I got today had a "voting plan" that, when modified, works great as a "podcast subscriber plan." In this episode, I break it down and show you how to use it to get more subscribers for your podcast.
Don't Let Your Podcast Be Ignored - Download my free "Audience Attraction Cheat Sheet" to get 25 podcast episode (and segment) templates.


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There are two new bills that you should be aware of. The first bill is House Bill 599 which deals with Public Works Projects. The hyperlink to the bill, which was signed into law by the governor is found below:
The theory is that the amendment will provide a more competitive bid process for public construction projects where state dollars represent 50% or more of the funding. Prior to this bill, local governments could establish arbitrary pre-bid mandates on contractor's telling them who they must hire, where they must train and what benefit packages they must offer if they want to bid the job with that entity. For many small businesses, these mandates made it unaffordable to bid on many public projects. The premise is, increasing competition will benefit Florida taxpayers.
The second piece of legislation of consequence is House Bill 377 which deals with limitations on lawsuits other than for the recovery of real property. A hyperlink to the legislation is found below:
What this bill hopes to accomplish is to clarify when and how Florida's 10-year statute of repose begins to run on a completed project. The statute of repose defines the period in which an owner can sue for alleged construction defects. In a number of recent cases, a final payment was not made for construction costs. By making final payment late, the repose period was effectively extended beyond the 10 years envisioned by the Florida legislature.
The pertinent language now states:
Completion of the contract means the later of the date of final performance of all the contracted services or the date that final payment for such services becomes due without regard to the date final payment is made. This act applies to causes of action that accrue on or after July 1, 2017.
If you have any questions please feel free to give me a call.
Christopher Weiss Attorney at Law, P.A.
Board Certified Construction Attorney
17 N. Summerlin Avenue, Ste. 200
Orlando, FL 32801
(407) 928-6737


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Nearly every modern dental lab is involved in some form of CAD/CAM manufacturing. This change in the production process has been gradual over the last 10 years, however, many labs are reporting that designed restorations are now 80-85% of their total production.
This change has created a new dynamic in the industry. Experienced technicians have had to adapt to new methods, design software, scanning, milling and 3D printing to name a few. If that is not enough, there is a critical shortage of dental technicians, so owners are forced to hire computer-literate personnel and train them in dental technology.
Originally, it was thought, since computers did most of the work, it would be relatively easy to train inexperienced people in the dental fundamentals necessary to enable them to produce acceptable work, but history has shown that is not necessarily true. We have learned that while the CAD software does give certain advantages and shortcuts, it does not make the precise final decisions necessary for a quality restoration. Herein lies the fundamental problem for owners and managers. Ultimately, we are asking the computer technicians that have had basic training and little experience to refine the last 10-15% of each restoration, which is what we expect of our most experienced technicians. In most cases they just do not have the knowledge or experience to do that. We know it is this 10-15% that dentists look at when determining the quality of a restoration.
Unfortunately, a similar problem exists with experienced technicians, only it shows up in their inability to perceive, manipulate and create precise contours on a digital monitor. These problems are compounded when a lab has more than one designer. As was so common in the past, technicians that have not been trained in the same way with the same procedures, do not produce the same results.
To further complicate this digital transition, restorations that have not been accurately designed are now milled in zirconia, an extremely hard material. The task of re-contouring or adding to a restoration is now given to the contouring technicians. Their sometimes daunting job is to bring the "approximated" digital restoration to the last 15% of quality that represents the laboratory standard.
This scenario should sound very familiar to any experienced owner or manager. While many things have changed in the digital lab, what hasn't changed is the need for technical knowledge and a common technical policy.
A number of lab owners have told me that they had put PTC training on hold because they felt digital didn't require the traditional training procedures of the past. These owners are now experiencing growth and are coming to PTC for "emergency" training because not only have they not prepared to expand their technical personnel, they also realize they had neglected their existing technical foundation.
PTC has been the leader in training dental technicians in hands-on (analog) dental technology for nearly 40 years. It now is evident that the missing element in training excellent digital technicians is the same knowledge and experience gained in physically producing restorations. We have seen dramatic improvement in the quality of posterior CAD designers after training them in posterior dental anatomy and a modified course in Anatomical Waxing. The same results can be seen in anterior CAD designers and contouring technicians after training them in the PTC Porcelain Application and Contouring course.
The lesson to be learned here is that traditional methods of analog training, when modified to apply to digital design and contouring are as necessary today as they have ever been in the past. After all, it is always the precise application of knowledge that leads to high quality restorations.
We encourage any digital laboratory owner that has production or quality issues or difficulty finding trained technicians to consider either our PTC DVD modules or hands-on training as a solution.
Learn to be a Dental Lab Technician
PTC courses use our proven learning systems to help new and existing technicians quickly improve their technical ability to prepare for the demands of the new market place.


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BEST SELLER!! Oval Dexcom G4/G5 & G6 Patches - 10 Pack
or make 4 interest-free payments of $3.75 AUD fortnightly with More info
This package contains 10 x Oval Dexcom Patches.
The RockaDex Oval Dexcom patches are designed to help hold your Dexcom G4/G5 or Dexcom G6 in place. If you are in need of a more sturdy design, we now offer this same shape with an 'overtape' option, that will hold your Dexcom even more securely. Please click here to view this design.
Making sure your Dexcom G4/G5 or G6 stays in place can be a hard task regardless of whether you are a child or fully grown adult, so we have created a range of Dexcom patches perfect for either the G4/G5 or the latest G6 model for both children and adults.
We designed the oval shape as many of our loyal customers wanted an option without corners! So, using our unique cutting method, we have shaped this patch without any pointy edges.
Our oval patches are made from world leading kinesiology medical tape and will keep your CGM secure and help it stay stuck for longer. Our tape is hypoallergenic and latex oxide free, making these not only the toughest choice for every Dexcom user, but comfortable for those with sensitive skin.
Dexcom Sensors are designed to be replaced every 7-10 days and our tape is the best way to make this happen. You should replace your patch with each sensor, to ensure your Dexcom is safe and secure and our outrageous designs means you can mix and match or pick a colour that is perfect for you!
Our Dexcom patches are available in a range of colours (choose your colour option above).
Included in this package
- 10 x Dexcom G4/G5 or G6 Oval patches in any single colour
- Works with Dexcom G4/G5 or G6 CGM
- Secure your CGM for the full 7-10 day sensor life
- Designed for adults and children
- Oval tape shape
- Bling your skin with our outrageous or plain colour options
- Save the tears and time to re-secure CGMs to your diabetic champion
- Select H20 black tape, red or horse shoe options for stickier tape
Have a question? Email us by clicking here and please, share this with your Dexcom family by using our Social links below.
We Also Recommend


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Get your laundry done by Oxyzo Laundry And Dry Clean in Al Hidd and enjoy a hasslefree laundry experience. No need to worry about difficult stains or tough wrinkles, just enjoy your time, while Oxyzo Laundry And Dry Clean takes care of your laundry.
Oxyzo Laundry And Dry Clean is part of our 232 partners. This means that you can access a few awesome services.
A few benefits you have access to:
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One of the most important feature of justclean is that it works according to your convenience. You can choose the timings of pick-up and drop-off that suits you. You can even choose between entering the individual laundry items yourself or easy order and let us take care of it for you.
What ever you need, we are there for you (only when it comes to laundry though).
Oxyzo Laundry And Dry Clean is located in Al Hidd. Currently, we have 43 laundries in Al Hidd. Please note that when there is not enough laundries in Al Hidd, justclean gets another 4 laundries to pick up your clothes in Al Hidd. Thanks to our logistic solutions, we make sure that we can pick up and deliver your laundry in Al Hidd, whenever you need.
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There is a good number of laundries in Al Hidd. It is one of the best served laundry pickup & delivery in Muharraq. You should be able to find the right one for your cleaning services.
If you need any help to choose the right laundry, please do not hesitate to contact us. Our support agents are experts when it comes to choosing the right laundry for your clothes - regular or delicates.


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Quick: While it's still chilly outside, make this flavorful Moroccan stew. It's a vegan, gluten-free stew for cold—and busy—days. So much vegetable goodness will be swimming inside your Crock Pot: onions, carrots, potatoes, parsnips, butternut squash, spinach, and sweet potatoes. The hardest part of this recipe could be the time it takes to cut up those vegetables. The flavor will be amazing though, with ginger, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, cayenne, and saffron spices. You can add umami by making it not vegan, using chicken broth if you want. Either way, this is a colorful stew to warm you inside and out.
When slowly cooked, root vegetables morph into sweet deliciousness. Use vegetable (or mushroom) broth here, and you've got a hearty, vegan, and gluten-free dinner. This dish was featured as part of our Slow Cooker Recipes photo gallery.... Read More
View Recipe


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Skip to 0 minutes and 12 seconds LORI MCDOUGALL: Although the global maternal mortality ratio nearly halved between 1990 and 2015, progress was uneven between countries with some doing very well, and some making no progress, and some experiencing increased maternal mortality ratios. Marge Koblinsky and colleagues' paper in The Lancet Maternal Health Series presents a call to action with five key priorities to focus on in the next five years to instigate action towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goal of less than 70 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030 with no country exceeding 140.
Skip to 0 minutes and 47 seconds These priorities are around promoting equity and maternal health services, increasing resilience on a health systems level, guaranteeing sustainable financing for maternal and perinatal health, and improving the availability of use of evidence, each of which we will discuss more in this session. We have covered maternal health issues relating to this in weeks one and two, and those we haven't covered yet are coming up this week. Quality maternal care for every woman, everywhere requires health services that respond to local specificities of need and meet emerging challenges.
Skip to 1 minute and 20 seconds First, countries must ensure context appropriate implementation strategies at all stages in maternal health, from ensuring access to contraception and safe abortion for women who want to avoid childbearing, to providing quality care for pregnant women continuing to term. The focus of strategies to improve maternal health should be context specific and respond to local specific needs. The focus will vary according to the stage of obstetric transition. We will discuss this in more detail later this week. Secondly, countries must build linkages within and between maternal, perinatal, and other health care services to address the increasing burden of indirect causes of maternal morbidity and mortality and to prevent breakdown of care. The burden of indirect causes of maternal morbidity and mortality varies across settings.
Skip to 2 minutes and 10 seconds In sub-Saharan Africa infectious diseases such as malaria and HIV are more common, whereas in other settings, non-communicable diseases and mental health become more prominent, often in relation to older maternal age and obesity. The kinds of linkages to be built will therefore differ across settings. Finally, linkages between maternal health services is important, an example being effective linkages between antenatal care and hospital-based services for the reduction of maternal and perinatal deaths from eclampsia and pre-eclampsia. We talked about this in week one. The second priority focuses on equity. Women everywhere don't seek care or are unable to access it for many reasons. These include sociocultural factors, such as gender inequality; location, for example remoteness or conflict; and financial constraints.
Skip to 2 minutes and 59 seconds We discussed some of these issues in week one. Making equity a priority means addressing these barriers to accessing quality maternal care. Gender inequality is a complex sociocultural issue, but there are ways in which it is possible to reduce its impact on maternal health. These might include improving access to basic information about maternal health, addressing the influence of men and influential family members, and the use of messages shared through mass media. Ways to improve access to care for women living in rural areas include linking women to delivery services during antenatal care, providing maternity waiting homes, and improving and subsidising transport. During humanitarian crises even basic maternal health services, such as family planning and emergency obstetric care, are often non-existent.
Skip to 3 minutes and 47 seconds Ensuring access and availability of services is necessary everywhere. Schemes comprising large prepayment and risk pooling mechanisms, which reduce reliance on out-of-pocket spending could reduce catastrophic health expenses and reduce financial barriers to care. The resilience of health systems is a challenge in countries where staff are overstretched and where governance is weak. A key element, therefore, of increasing the strength and resilience of health systems is increasing and optimising the workforce and improving facility capability. In terms of workforce, this means both the actual numbers of skilled professionals and their composition, deployment, retention, and productivity. Estimates suggest that more than 18 million additional health workers will be needed by 2030 if global targets are to be met.
Skip to 4 minutes and 35 seconds This map shows the wide variation and the ratio of human resources for health per 1,000 pregnancies in Africa in 2012. Countries with the largest number of births have some of the lowest densities of midwives and obstetricians. The geographical distribution of providers also needs to be taken into account, making sure that provider density is sufficient for both rural and urban areas. Task shifting could play a part in expanding services, and access to some services. Improving the strength and resilience of health systems also means improving facility capability, which we talked about in week one. The case for investing in health is clear. Increasing investments in high maternal and child mortality countries would yield high rates of return. However, a resource gap remains.
Skip to 5 minutes and 20 seconds Where need cannot be met by government resources, continued donor support remains important. New initiatives, such as the Global Financing Facility aim to increase, coordinate, and better target donor and domestic financing for women's, children's, and adolescents' health. Also important is the optimal use of these resources. Strategic purchasing means identifying which models of care and interventions to invest in, determining how they should be purchased and for whom, and choosing the right health care providers to purchase services from. These should ideally be those that could provide the highest quality of care most efficiently. Finally as we have discussed in previous steps, universal health coverage has enormous potential for achieving greater equity.
Skip to 6 minutes and 3 seconds Universal health coverage initiatives should include a strong maternal health focus and ensure that it reaches every woman, every child, everywhere. The final priority set out in the call to action in this series is to improve the availability and use of local evidence to inform quality improvements. In order to guide intervention research, set implementation priorities, and improve quality of care, we need better measurement and coding of maternal mortality and improvements in vital registration systems to document births, still births, and deaths. This will provide a more accurate and comprehensive picture at both global and local levels. Better measurement also requires standardising definitions and methods of measurement. We will talk of the future of data in maternal health later this week.
Skip to 6 minutes and 49 seconds We also need more research to understand the changing patterns of sociodemographic, obstetric and medical risk factors, and maternal mortality and morbidity to increase our understanding of what, why, and how interventions work and to develop national and global tracking indicators. This is crucial in informing ways to effectively and equitably improve maternal health and quality of care, and monitoring change. Finally, this evidence must be translated into action through effective advocacy and accountability for maternal health, which we will discuss in detail later this week. These priorities are relevant on both a local and a global level. National and local stakeholders can identify and address the key elements needed to improve maternal care for all women.
Skip to 7 minutes and 35 seconds Regional and global stakeholders can advocate for increased attention to maternal health and ensure that women's rights and agency are acknowledged. Together local and global stakeholders can move forward to ensure that every woman, and every newborn, everywhere, reaches good quality health care.
Action plan (quality, equity, systems, financing, evidence)
What are the key priority actions needed to improve global maternal health?
In this step Lori McDougall (PMNCH) outlines the 5 priorities and priority actions for accelerated progress toward improved maternal health, proposed by The Lancet Maternal Health Series. The Call to Action highlights focusing on: 1) Quality; 2) Equity; 3) Systems; 4) Financing; and 5) Evidence, to ensure every woman, every newborn, everywhere has good quality care.
© The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine


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Ah, Timothy Geithner! Tim Geithner. Timmy. Li'l Tim, as comedian Bill Mahre calls him. Tiny Tim, we'll be calling him soon. The poor guy just lacks "gravitas," as they say. The problem with our current treasury secretary isn't his policies. Really — the Right is wrong about this. Nobody truly understands our policies to battle the Great Recession, at least not yet. It's still a hodgepodge. President Obama acknowledges this fact himself, saying we'll try one solution after another until something actually starts to work!
No, the problem with Timothy Geithner is the way he looks and sounds — like a kid. A fifteen-year-old high school sophomore who's nervously reciting his book report in front of the class. Afraid, more than anything, that his voice might crack and make his classmates laugh. That's why the stock market usually tumbles when he delivers a policy address. The stockbrokers are waiting for his voice to crack, and signs that he might look very afraid, or maybe even cry! Recently, the stock market went UP after Secretary Geithner spoke, but that's because cameras and microphones were banned from the room. He should do that more often — it might jumpstart the economy!
Looks are more important to leadership than you might think. After all, during these hard times, imagine if Barack Obama looked like…Urkel!
Take two of our most prominent treasury secretaries in recent memory — Henry Paulson and Robert Rubin. Both secretaries, we know now, screwed up royally, and we'll be paying for their mistakes, in terms of lost jobs and decimated wealth, for years to come. But EVERYBODY took them seriously at the time. Rubin was even taken seriously for years AFTER he left the Treasury Department, if you can believe it. One could imagine either former secretary on the face of currency: Really, if Ulysses S. Grant, who presided over one of the most corrupt administrations in American history, can grace the fifty-dollar bill, Rubin and Paulson wouldn't be out of place on, say, the two-dollar bill.
My guess? Put Rubin or Paulson back at Treasury, and the Dow Jones would jump 1,000 points in a week. Just for LOOKING like they were in charge. As for Tiny Tim, let's just hope and pray that he doesn't break out in pimples!
Well, thanks for stopping by. If you'd like to see more samples of my work, click here.


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Posted by Ruby on 5/4/2013, 8:01 pm, in reply to "Broken"User logged in as post
Susie, like Karen said this will pass with time. I still have numbness but I had to have mine redone in January so it's not been that long ago. Hugs, Ruby
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Read the entire article:
The Blasted News: Dry Ice Blasting
ice blasting is a relatively new form of blasting which
most have heard of though few are familiar with. The most
advantageous aspect of dry ice blasting is the savings to
you. In fact, the typical operator sees a dramatic increase
in productivity and an equally impressive drop in costs.
Halok Closure Safety SystemHow does Schmidt's Bulk Blasting Equipment HAOK Safety System compare to other manufacturers' "Lock out-Tag outs" (LOTO)?
The patented HALOK is a mechanism that res the operator follows the proper Standard Operating Procedure.
Click here to view the
Halok Safety youtube video
Read the entire article:
New Abrasive Metering Valve Shows What Matters
The days of open abrasive blasting, with minimally trained operators using loads of cheap abrasive are dwindling in the United States. Environmental, safety, and health regulations, combined with demanding surface profile requirements, mean that abrasive blasting is often being performed in containment by skilled operators using higher priced media. As contractors work to control their costs in this new work environment, they need to find ways to improve labor productivity. Carefully managing their abrasive consumption is one key to maximizing blasting productivity. Axxiom Manufacturing Inc. has introduced a new abrasive metering valve, a small piece of equipment designed to make a big difference in productivity.
OSHA Issues New Workplace Rule on Chromium
Labor Department reduced the acceptable levels of workplace
exposure Monday to a cancer-causing metal, hexavalent chromium,
but critics said the new standard still leaves thousands
of workers at risk.
the entire article:
(Adobe PDF file
and Fume Collector Equipment from Norton Sandblasting Equipment
Welders, health organizations and management
are all becoming increasingly concerned with the effects of
welding smoke and fumes in the work place. In addition, management
is becoming increasingly conscious of the costs of absenteeism
and reduced productivity
the entire article:
How to Create an Abrasive Blast Room
The design criteria required for a properly sized blast room system includes the size of the largest workpiece, the weight of the largest workpiece, the material handling method, the number of hours of blasting per day, and the base material of the workpiece. Each of these items needs to be addressed in order to finalize the configuration of the blast room.
The size of the largest piece will determine the dimensions of the blast room enclosure. The width of the room is determined by adding four to five feet on each side of the workpiece. This space is required for the blast operator to maneuver around the part and blast the part from various angles....


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A set of three animations depicting abstract 3D environments of houses for sale and being sold. Two of these are loop-ready (For Sale conveyor and Sold conveyor). The other animation shows properties changing from For Sale to Sold.
Ideal for a realtor depicting property real estate listings in the housing market.
Animations included :
1 x Houses For Sale Loop HD 1 x Houses Being Sold HD 1 x Houses Sold Loop HD
The files are shown in their entirety on the preview video.
Plastic3 has suggested his track : http://audiojungle.net/item/news-loop/112374 as great audio accompaniment to these animations.


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A fire in a garage of an Elk Grove home, caused heavy damage to the garage and two vehicles in the garage. The Cosumnes Fire Department was quickly on scene and got the fire under control to prevent any further spread into the home. No one was injured in the fire. No word on how the fire started or the extent of the damage. The fire started at 7:45 pm at 8761 Agave Way in Elk Grove.
Privacy Policy


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Don't just bath, bathe in the luxury! Enliven Luxury Shower Gel - 500ml- Refreshing is infused with essential oils from extracts of orange and fresh mint that will leave you feeling cleansed, rejuvenated and refreshed.
Enliven is a contemporary range of toiletries produced to satisfy the need for affordable health and beauty products that do not compromise on quality or care. Their product range has been carefully selected and formulated to meet the demands of the entire family.
Explore the entire range of Shower Gels & Body Wash available on Nykaa. Shop more Enliven products here.You can browse through the complete world of Enliven Shower Gels & Body Wash .
Expiry Date: 15 May 2022


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STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Telusion Inc., a pioneer in telephone number shielding services and operator of TossableDigits.com, announced the next generation of its service offering via its newly upgraded website. TossableDigits.com provides customers with additional phone numbers that are attached to their current numbers for increased security, flexibility and identity protection.
TossableDigits's new website includes a number of behind-the-scenes infrastructure enhancements designed to streamline the user experience and offer increased capacity. A newly shortened sign-up process enables users to sign up and receive their new phone number/s in under 5 minutes. The service now offers users the option to special order a number in those in-demand area codes.
"For many people, their mobile phone is their lifeline. Because our phones are so integral to our lives today, we often hesitate to give out that number to just anyone," commented Lars Kragh, Chief Technology Officer, Telusion. With TossableDigits.com, users obtain a new phone number instantly, which can be directed to ring on their mobile phone or landline, shielding their private number. Numbers can be maintained for as little as a few hours or indefinitely, providing a flexible service with no long term commitments or cancellation fees.
Business users are also putting TossableDigits to work for them. Corporate users can track marketing and advertising campaigns, establish a local or international presence through multiple numbers and lower their international to US mobile calling rates. "For instance, you could have a London number for all of your British clients that forwards to your cell or office. Your clients only pay a local call to contact you and you pay a reduced rate for those long distance calls. It's a win-win for everyone," added Kragh. TossableDigits.com will soon be offering corporate calling plans to provide an enterprise phone number management solution to corporations.
For individuals, a Tossable Digits phone number can provide desired privacy, creating an element of comfort by ensuring that the user no longer has to give out a home or mobile number. It is ideal for an eBay power seller, the chronic dater not wanting to give out their private number at bars or clubs, or anyone selling a car or a house using online classified ad sites like Craigslist.org where phone numbers are publicly published. Value-added features include "Do Not Disturb" time restrictions, and voicemail to email, among others.
TossableDigits was recently featured on FOX TV's Good Day NY program. Those interested in sampling the Tossable Digits service can do so by going to TossableDigits.com and signing up for a 30 day trial for just $1.00. Plans start at $6.99 per month with no cancellation fees or long term commitments.
About Telusion, Inc.
Telusion, Inc. is an innovative global communications company specializing in supplying phone numbers to individuals and businesses. Through its TossableDigits.com offering, users can obtain multiple phone numbers that forward to their cell phone or landline. Numbers are available in the US and 45 countries across the globe. Tossable Digits' easy to use web interface enables users to control their phone numbers online, including where calls are forwarded (home, cell, office, etc), and the hours when they would like to receive calls. The service also offers a number of value-added features including free voicemail and flexible programming options. For more information, please visit www.tossabledigits.com.


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Top 25 Skiers: Philippe Bélanger
SKIING's interview with Philippe Bélanger, one of the top 25 skiers in North America.
Name: Philippe Bélanger
Age: 19
Age you started skiing: Three
Home ski area: Le Relais, Quebec
Known for: Part of the next wave of jibbers spawned by the New Canadian Air Force, the "Three Philippes" (Bélanger, Larose, and Dion) shared the top prize at last year's Upright Big Air competition -- and as a unit became the ski-marketing gimmick of the year. Bélanger stands out from the troika for the difficulty of his tricks -- like the corkscrew 720 -- and the seemingly impossible length of his curving rail slides.
When did it hit you that you could be a pro skiers? "After a competition in Tremblant, Quebec. Dynstar said they would pay for all my expenses."
Do you have any pets? "A cat, female, named Capacne."
What's your favorite food? Spaghetti
What's your beverage of choice? Mountain Dew
What's your favorite band or musician? Wyclef Jean
What car do you drive? Honda Civic SE91
The last book you read? The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Do you have a ski hero? "Glen Plake because he was the first guy I saw in movies and magazines."
Movies you've been in: 13, The Realm, The Game, Further, Los Alamos
Pastimes off the hill: "Chillin' with friends."
Plans for the future: "Do my best in skiing -- hey, as long as I'm in the top 25, right? And possibly become a rep for Dynastar afterward."
Fat skis? "Yeah, good for powder."
Any words of wisdom? "Dream and believe."


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Zeenews Bureau
Gurgaon: In an apparent indication of growing rift in Anna Hazare's camp, Arvind Kejriwal, a close aide of the Gandhian activist, on Monday announced that Swami Agnivesh will no longer be a part of Team Anna.
Kejriwal, while briefing press reporters on Anna Hazare's health condition said, "We have cut off all relations with Swami Agnviesh and he will no longer be a part of the group led by the noted social activist."
Kejriwal further informed that after his recovery, Anna will straight away go to his model village Ralegaon Siddhi in Maharashtra, where team Anna will chalk out the future course of strategy on the Lokpal Bill.
The announcement has confirmed the reports of growing differences between key members of Team Anna. The cracks in Team Anna first appeared on Friday, when Justice Santosh Hegde and Swami Agnivesh demanded that the Gandhian activist should end his hunger strike.
Hegde, also member of the joint drafting committee on Lokpal Bill, strongly disapproved of Hazare`s insistence on "having his way" in Parliament, saying, "I feel I am not in Team Anna any more by the way things are going. These (telling Parliament what to do) are not democratic things."
Asking Hazare to call off his fast that entered the 11th day on Friday, Agnivesh also made it clear that any appearance of threats to Parliament is not becoming of a Gandhian.
"This is some sort of...seen as a threat to Parliament `you do it by tomorrow or day after`. This is not becoming of a Gandhian fast or a moment. So this was the right moment to call it off," Agnivesh said.


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I wouldn't dream of questioning your visual imagination. On the other hand…
- I see that you've created a business card in the middle of a letter-sized page. That's not what "use white space" means.
- You've created your 24-page brochure as 12 separate reader-spread Illustrator files. Bonus points for taking the extra time to convert all your text to outlines. Double points for doing that before spell-checking. We will enjoy billing you for the extra time it will take to correct the copy and break up the files for proper imposition.
- Thanks for creating your brochure in Microsoft Publisher. In prep, we call it something else: Digital Yard Sausage.
- How imaginative of you to create a white reverse heading and two body paragraphs on a black background with a black rectangle and three separate text frames. Is this a new thing—billing by the frame?
- Your template (clearly built by someone else) is full of well-built paragraph and character styles. However, every single paragraph is formatted "Normal+." You are such a rebel.
- How very efficient of you to crop all of your images to the trim size. How very sad that we will have to bill you for cloning background so the job will have bleed.
- Building your business card as a 52Mb Photoshop file with Smart Objects for the logos demonstrates, well, that you have Photoshop (or, as you always type it in emails, "PhotoShop"). Fun fact #1: Smart Objects render as pixels, regardless of how you save a Photoshop file. Fun fact #2: we could have built that in InDesign in 5 minutes, as opposed to the 6 hours it took you. Fun fact #3: we figured that if you were smart enough to built a business card in Photoshop, you'd be smart enough to build it the wrong size. We were right.
- You will be surprised to know that there is a much easier way to create tables than creating 20 separate text frames and drawing rules with the Pen tool. Maybe next time you'll at least align the text frames. Probably not.
- Look down at your keyboard. On the left side, there's a key labeled "tab." Press it. Now, isn't that easier than thumbing the spacebar 47 times? By the way, if pressing the tab key doesn't move text to the desired position, don't press it again. For the love of civilization, create a tab stop.
- Perhaps you're creating your artwork on an old IBM Selectric typewriter. That would explain why there are two spaces after every sentence. Just so you know, all the hip kids know to use a single space. But maybe you like that retro look.
More than anything, thanks for all the overtime we're going to be making this weekend, fixing your files!


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Is this Vanity Fair cover really necessary? Tom Ford, Kiera Knightley, and Scarlett Johansson look like weird, blue-toned mutants in this photo. They all look like they've been Photoshopped within an inch of their lives. Kiera and Scarlett look particularly pasty, and Scarlett's body looks kinda pear-shaped. And why the hell does Tom Ford get to be guest art director of Vanity Fair? And why the hell does he get to be on the cover? Oh yeah, I'm sure it was because Rachel McAdams backed out…
McAdams must be patting herself on the back for storming out of that photo shoot when she found out Tom Ford's pervy "vision" was to have everyone pose completely nude. As a woman of 29, she knew better than to bare it all with two questionably talented starlets. She was even so pissed off that she canned her publicist. Do not mess with McAdams–she will f-ck your sh-t UP!
In other gross story from this VF issue, it was reported that Ford insisted that the VF fashion department pull "really grown-up clothes†(aka: skin-baring dresses and platform high heels) for child star Dakota Fanning, currently 12 years old.
Looks like Tom Ford belongs in the offensive misogynistic gay guy club with Issac Mizrahi. I can't believe Scarlett fell for both their tricks!


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The Prince Fielder-Ian Kinsler trade kicked down the door on the MLB offseason, but there hasn't been another blockbuster deal since.
That could change in the near future, though, and maybe Masahiro Tanaka is to blame for the holdup.
It seems like all of the available marquee players in free agency or on the trading block are being affected by Tanaka's drawn-out bidding process that figures to involve several teams in a high-priced auction. Expect the other dominoes to fall once the righty finds a new home, meaning we should have some more offseason action to keep us busy until spring training.
There have been several high-profile pitchers and sluggers mentioned in trade rumors this winter, so let's take a look at the top five players available, in terms of trade value.


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6:17am PT by Gil Kaufman, Billboard
Melissa McCarthy Takes on DMX and 'Pocahontas' in Lip Sync Battle Against Jimmy Fallon
Who's The Boss? Melissa McCarthy, that's who.
The actress proved she's top dog on Monday night when she went head-to-head with Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon in an game of Lip Sync Battle.
"I don't get nervous a lot. I'm pretty freaked out about crushing you," McCarthy told Fallon just before she got ready to rumble.
Things started out pretty well for Fallon, who opened with a silly, pretending-to-stumble rendition of folkie Melanie's 1971 novelty hit "Brand New Key" (aka "The Rollerskate Song").
McCarthy, though, proved she was there to play, tossing the mic stand to Fallon, putting on a black baseball hat and busting endless moves during a fierce rendition of DMX's "X Gon' Give It to Ya."
The host put up a good fight, dropping to the floor to writhe around with a pillow for a goofy run through Zayn's "Pillowtalk" that had McCarthy smiling (and maybe a bit nervous).
She had nothing to fear, though, because her ace was a glitter-soaked, wind machine-assisted blowout of Alan Menken's 1995 Pocahontas hit "Colors of the Wind."
Watch the video below.
A version of this article appeared on Billboard.com.
Gil Kaufman, firstname.lastname@example.com @thr


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Economic justice is essential for securing basic human rights. Recognizing that workers' rights are human rights, UUSC is committed to defending and supporting living wages, fair trade, and workers' right to organize — and you are essential to these efforts. As a consumer, you have the power to make a difference in the lives of workers every day when you choose services and products that align with your values of justice and equality. UUSC's Choose Compassionate Consumption (CCC) initiative helps you figure out how to do that.
Use the resources below to organize your congregation or community in support of workers' rights.
Featured Resources
- Download the CCC Community Coordinator Tool Kit, designed specifically for congregational leaders. It has everything you need to organize educational discussions and advocacy activities for your congregation.
- Download the ROC National Diners' Guide and use it to talk with restaurant owners when you go out to eat. (There's also a supplemental document here about how to use the guide.)
For discussion groups:
Download the CCC Community Coordinator Tool Kit.
- Use Wage Justice, a four-session covenant group guide.
- Check out the covenant group module on pages 5-8 of UUSC's ROC National Diners' Guide tool-kit.
Check out reflection components on pages 4-5 of Just Desserts (PDF), a one-session resource about fair trade and small-farmer cooperatives.
Listen to a recording of UUSC's conversation with Saru Jayaraman, author of Behind the Kitchen Door. (This conversation was the 2013 Get-Together event, held as part of UUSC's Justice Sunday programming.)
Other education resources:
Utilize the learning materials in the human rights component of the UUA ethical eating study guide.
Read The Hands That Feed Us: Challenges and Opportunities for Workers Along the Food Chain. This comprehensive research report by the Food Chain Workers Alliance looks at wages and working conditions of workers across the entire food chain — a sector that employs 20 million people in the United States (one-sixth of the nation's workforce).
Read "Human Rights from Field to Fork," by Ariel Jacobson and Joann Lo, in Race/Ethnicity: Multidisciplinary Global Contexts, a publication of the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at Ohio State University. This article analyzes injustices in the U.S. food system and offers ideas for positive social change in ways that benefit workers, consumers, and the long-term interests of the nationwide business community.
Read Injustice on Our Plates: Immigrant Women in the U.S. Food Industry, a report from the Southern Poverty Law Center that the Northwest Arkansas Workers' Justice Center contributed to.
Determine your state's minimum wages compared to the federal minimum wage. Resources to consult:
- "Minimum Wage Laws in the States," by the United States Department of Labor
- "Minimum Wages for Tipped Employees," by the United States Department of Labor
- Explore research reports by the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United; topics include the tipped minimum wage, the lack of paid sick days, and gender inequity in the restaurant industry.
- View "If You Eat, You're Responsible," a talk by Eric Schlosser.
- Read "Facts and Figures on Florida Farmworkers," from the Alliance for Fair Food.
- Read "Slavery in the Fields and the Food We Eat," by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers.
- Listen to first-person accounts from Walmart warehouse workers (courtesy of Warehouse Workers United):
- Bring UUSC's Coffee Project to your congregation.
- Become an affiliate of the UUSC store.
- Participate in Guest at Your Table.
Invite a UUSC speaker to come to your congregation or community and raise awareness of workers' rights.
- Plan a worship service, using the following resources. These were prepared for UUSC's Justice Sunday 2013 program, which focused on economic justice.
Read quotes relating to poultry workers in northwest Arkansas.
- View and show the portrait series from the Welcome Table, a multimedia tool from ROC-United.
- Utilize resources from the UUA ethical eating worship supplement.
- Faith Moves Mountains resources in support of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers from Interfaith Action of Southwest Florida.


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This edition contains 10 of J.S. Bach's finest compositions scored in notation and tablature. Works include: Two Part Invention in C Major; Gavotte, from the 3rd Lute Suite; Prelude in D Minor; Bouree in E Minor, from the 1st Lute Suite; and others. The CD is a stereo listening CD and on it each selection is played at both a slow and performance tempo. All songs from the book are on the CD.
Difficulty: Beginning to Intermediate
Pages: 48
Format: Book/CD Set
Series: Editiones Classicae
Publisher: Mel Bay Publications, Inc.


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Caitlyn Jenner Kicks Off Pride Month With A Bang
"[O]ur journey is not complete until our lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law."
President Barack Obama's Pride Month Proclamation, 2015
One thing is for sure, the Jenner-Kardashian clan are synonymous with masters of the media. The former Olympian and Decathlon Champ in particular captured this when she said to Diane Sawyer during their superb interview two months ago (paraphrased), "All along, I've been the one in the family who actually had a story." Today, she appeared in a Vanity Fair magazine cover story; next month ESPN is awarding her the Arthur Ashe Courage Award during The ESPYs ceremony.
The number of trans people is reportedly low or not, depending on where you look, but these statistics may be grossly underestimated because of the reluctant to be counted. Trans people nonetheless have completely and rapidly captured the world's attention in what seems like a very short time. Today, trans peoples stand on the shoulders of long-ago activists and decades of tireless, ongoing education and advocacy which is now transforming the world's tableau and our own knowledge of sexuality, gender, and what it means to be human.
Less than a decade ago, the most dangerous place for a trans person was standing next to another trans person. For many, after transition, with or without sexual reassignment surgery, there had to be a bus or plane out of town to settle and start over in a place where no one knew their name, their history, or their story. If these people ever came out as trans the statistics could easily double or triple. Trans activists are breaking through this silence and bringing this history and their stories into the sunlight. Unafraid, and with grace.
VenusPlusX and its founders, myself and Dan Massey (1942-2012), have long held a two-pronged belief that still guides our family's activism. First, the T's in LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) are by nature our most vulnerable component, therefore their protection must be paramount in everything. Although we have a long way to go, we are finally taking steps to stamp out trans-phobia, starting with our so-called LGBT organizations and their boards of directors. This is providing more space for national trans advocacy and programs. All of this work benefits the rest of the world in rectifying society's shortcomings. Second, trans people, again by nature, are our leaders, (hu)mankind's leaders in teaching us about acceptance and love for they have gone to the edges of the grand universe in search of truth and peace of mind and they return with great knowledge about the safe conduct of human beings. For all their fear mongering, the right-wingnuts are most afraid of trans people, and this is (or should be) why. Trans leaders are destined to transform society and bring about, among other things, the end of the harmful gender binary and the beginning of the post-gender age, a much better place.
Barack Obama was the first U.S. President to speak of trans people, and his proclamation of Pride Month this year is the first time he has spoken of the barriers, discrimination, bullying, and the "unique challenges faced by sexual and gender minorities — especially transgender and gender non-conforming individuals." Many people have laid the foundation for Jenner's moment, such as Caitlyn Manning, Janet Mock, Laverne Cox, and Jill Soloway who is responsible for bringing us the groundbreaking Transparent, herself a daughter of a trans woman. But because of Jenner's well-crafted media roll-out of her own transition, we can expect a real quickening in how we conduct ourselves and get to that better world we all crave.
Near and dear to my heart, is Ruby Corado and the organization she founded, Casa Ruby. Here is someone who works seven days a week, unafraid and with so much grace. Casa Ruby thrives as a real-world example of strides equal to what Jenner has accomplished by becoming a national model of community service. Tomorrow, Casa Ruby celebrates its 3rd Anniversary Gala and awards ceremony. This year, its annual Dan Massey Ally Award went to Dr. Ted Eytan, and this year the honor goes to DC activist Lane Hudson.
Ruby says, it's "because of [Lane's] outstanding support as an ally, all year, non-stop. He has not only raised thousands of dollars for Casa Ruby by encouraging his friends and social networks [such as] the Stonewall Darts, to choose Casa Ruby as their charity but he has been instrumental in advocating for the needs of our clients by demanding answers from decision makers on why LGBT people face so many disparities in this city."
Congratulations, Lane, and I salute all of you for the important work you are doing. Now we have Caitlyn Jenner to help.
- ETC, New Education and Advocacy Organization for DC Trans Community - November 13, 2016
- Gender Yes. Binary No. - August 16, 2016
- The Only Use For Your Privilege Is To Give It To Someone Who Has None - August 15, 2016


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Mamallapuram – The Workshop of the Pallavas
Cave Temples
Tamilnadu is famous for its cave temples and these are strewn across its length and breadth. We can safely say that Tamilnadu has the largest concentration of such temples among all states of India. Though it may have the largest numbers, however the history of it in Tamilnadu, cannot go beyond the sixth century CE, the time by when the rock-cut architecture had attained its zenith in various other parts of India. Though Tamilnadu started its journey late, however it surpassed many of its predecessors by the end of the seventh century CE.
The credit of laying the foundation of the rock-cut architecture goes to the Pallavas. As per an inscription in Mandagapattu cave temple1, the Pallava king Mahendravarman I (571-630 CE)2 is taken as the founder of this style by many scholars. At this point, it would not be inappropriate to mention the cave temple named Orukal Mandapa at Tirukkalukkundram. The dating of the Orukal mandapa has not reached to a consensus. Few scholars assign it to Mahendravarman I and few to Narasimhavarman I (630-668 CE)3. Mention of a grant by the Pallava king Skandasisya, a predecessor of Mahendravarman I, in a later Chola record of Rajendra I, creates confusion about the authorship of this cave temple. The question arises whether the Orukal Mandapa was in existence during the time of Skandasisya or not, though in style and execution, it resembles other similar temples of Mahendra period.
The cave temples of Mahendravarman I were simple excavations having a front pillared portico with one or multiple cells on the back wall. In his time are also observed various advancements in decoration and relief sculptures. An image of Gangadhara in the Trichy cave temple shows the zenith of the plastic art during the Mahendra period. His cave temples were dedicated to various Hindu deities including Vishnu, Shiva and the Hindu Trinity.
Narasimhavarman I, the son and successor of Mahendravarman I, continued the tradition of the rock-cut temples. However, and surprisingly, Pallava cave temples of post-Mahendra period are only found in and near Mamallapuram but nowhere else in the whole Pallava dominion. Mamallapuram exhibits the zenith of the Pallava architecture in every sense. We find here cave temples of simple Mahendra type and also of much advanced types belonging to the later period of Narasimhavarman I and later Pallava kings.
The cave temples of Mamallapuram retained the basic thought of a rock-cut temple, as crystallized during Mahendra period, however, in addition, these also demonstrate various advancements suggesting gradual development. Due to this gradual development observed in these monuments, scholars have suggested multiple authorship. For the moment, we will skip the authorship topic as it is being addressed as a separate chapter in this series.
Within the category of the cave temples, Mamallapuram provides various examples of different designs and styles. We find here simple temples with a front portico and a central cell in the inner wall, a front portico and multiple cells in the inner wall, cave temple without a front portico, cave temple with two porticos comprising of mukha and ardha mandapas and various other elements of decorations and motifs. These temples are left in various state of completeness, few almost complete, few as work in progress and few barely started. Therefore, the town reflects the character of a workshop in its true sense. The topic of the degree of completeness with its reasons and impacts is addressed in a separate chapter of this series.
The incompleteness of these temples have been advantageous for the scholars, as it helps them understand the mode and technique utilized to excavate a cave temple. From the cave temples which barely started off, we come across the mode of excavation. It appears that to get a vertical and plain scarp of the rock, the rock was divided into small squares with deep markers incised in between. These square blocks were later chipped off to get a plainer façade. Joanna William4 explains that the square sections of the groves were soaked in oil and set on fire to soften the stone to carve out using chisels.
Whatever be the mode of excavation and further scooping, it is certain that it was a very tiresome and time consuming activity. Though I do not have a reference so to ascertain how much time it would have taken for a simple cave temple to be excavated in that period of time, however I may simply say that it would have easily taken 5-10 years depending on the design and sculptures. Without much ado, let us move forward and witness the beauty of cave temples of Mamallapuram in the next chapters.
1 Mahalingam, T V. Inscriptions of the Pallavas.
2 Hirsh, Marilyn. Mahendravarman I Pallava: Artist and Patron of Mamallapuram. Artibus Asiae vol 48, no ½ (1987) pp 109-123
3 Gopalakrishnan, K V (2005). Tirukkalkkunram and its Temples. Abhinav Publications. New Delhi. ISBN 8170173922. p 22
4 Joanna Williams. Unfinished Images. India International Centre Quarterly Vol. 13, No. 1, IMAGES (March 1986), pp 90-105


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The insulted Vatican and their leader have decided to cancel their spiritual trip to the UK.
The reason being that the Foreign Office foolishly leaked a memo to the press announcing that a new brand of condom was to be released coinciding with the Papal visit called "The Benedict Brand"!
UK Catholic Bishops are in uproar at the news and their spokesman, the Rt Rev Malcolm Bum-Slipin from Nottingham issued the following statement:
"This is awful Ducky, the world knows that Catholic priests don't need condoms whilst having sex with under-aged choir boys, they are virgins and cannot get pregnant!"
The Pope is also disappointed at the news and also issued the following statement:
"The UK are a bunch of Heathens, Atheists and Protestants, the Catholic church is being discriminated against just because of our sexual-orientations and as for the condom, Brother Benedict was as Gay as the rest of us and didn't need a condom either!"
The present heathen UK Prime Minister (under election stress, be warned) Gordon Brown said, "what a shame, but I don't give a shit anyway because those bastards Nick Clegg and Cameron are up my butt already and I might just need a Benedict condom!"


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Google is sometimes quite a controversial organisation. The amount of information it holds about us and our world across its various services is vast, and is correctly a cause for concern.
Google Street View has been one of these controversial services. This has been most keenly felt in Germany, where debate about the service has reached the highest echelons of government. Even in the UK, where people have been more receptive to the idea, there have been various stories of people caught in embarrassing situations by the 360 degree cameras on the Google cars. However, I discovered this weekend that I owe Google Street View a big thank you.
We got Gemini when I was 14, and she was my families's cat for 18 years. She had a nice and very simple life, enjoying going out to the garden and sitting on the front step sunning herself, as well as the occasional plate of tuna. In cat year terms, she was 88 years old, so it was hardly a surprise when she fell ill in November of last year and there was nothing the vets could do. But that does not mean she is not very missed. In fact, I was back at family home just this weekend, and it seemed very empty without her. No matter how old they are, losing a pet (especially the pet you grew up with) is sad.
And then we discovered something brilliant. Actually credit for this goes to my brother. He was browsing Google Street View and, as you do, started to look at addresses he knew. And then he noticed something.
It is perhaps more obvious on closer examination.
Needless to say, this made me very happy indeed.


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Seonaid Strachen
Account Executive
Seonaid is An English Literature and Politics graduate from the University of Reading. With experience in market research and politics, Seonaid moved into public relations following her communications role for a local government focused thinktank.
Seonaid's clients at Sapience Communications include HPD, GKRE, Globacap, astudio and Office Space in Town.


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Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | RSS
Issam Insights with Dr. Issam Nemeh – God's Weakness
"Oh how happy you have made me." The message this week comes from a happy God. The lyrics from a song by Shades of Blue, remind us that we are God's weakness. Continue reading


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Chris, David & Jon analyze Donald Trump's Most Excellent Adventure to Mexico and then back to the wilds of Arizona, seemingly unaware that what he said in one place would be heard in the other.
To listen, click here. To download, right click and "Save As..."
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Disaster Kleenup Specialists is seeking an individual who has a great attitude and the ability to
work efficiently in high demand situations and is computer wise. If you describe yourself as
dependable, a people person, energetic, and also are a strong, hard worker with a get-up-and-go
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want to speak with you. If you have experience in the construction or the restoration
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Education and Certification:
Minimum Education Requirements: High School Graduate
Skilled Labor – Key Responsibilities:
- Janitorial experience preferred
- Contests moving and packing experience preferred
- The Fire Skilled Labor Tech provides general cleaning and restoration under the supervision of the assigned management team.
- The Fire Skilled Labor Tech completes the process of preserving all structural components during the remediation process and protects all contents according to the Supervisor's instructions.
- The Fire Skilled Labor Tech informs the management team of the equipment and materials needed to complete their assignment, properly and on schedule.
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Aromas, Big Sur, Bradley, Carmel, Carmel Valley, Castroville, Chualar, Gonzales, Greenfield, Jolon, King City, Lockwood, Marina, Monterey, Moss Landing, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Salinas, San Ardo, Sand City, San Lucas, Seaside, Soledad, & Spreckels, CA.
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Aptos, Ben Lomond, Boulder Creek, Brookdale, Capitola, Davenport, Felton, Freedom, Los Gatos, Mount Hermon, Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley, Soquel, & Watsonville, CA.
San Benito County
Hollister, Paicines, San Juan Bautista, & Tres Pinos, CA.


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Each new item of news pertaining to the College Football Playoff is as confounding as the headline before it. The format for which many clamored is fast becoming more insulated, laying slabs of concrete over the glass ceiling that the BCS installed.
Thursday's news: the ACC will not count BYU toward the conference's power conference scheduling mandate. Not only does the ACC take away incentive for its members to play BYU–a program that routinely wins 10-plus games and cracks the Top 25–but the conference has actually turned scheduling the Cougars into a demerit.
The BYU news might be more acceptable, were it not reported earlier this week that ACC brass is considering allowing its member to schedule nonconference games against fellow ACC programs. Now seems like a good time to mention BYU swept a home-and-home series with Georgia Tech.
Let's pause for an Aspirin break.
In that suggested provision, we have the peak example of a power conference doing whatever it can to avoid spreading some of that massive, College Football Playoff-generating revenue elsewhere. This is the ACC insulating to a Mr. Burns-as-Howard Hughes level.
Presumably, teams scheduling conference opponents for nonconference dates will take the Spruce Moose to their destinations.
These various ACC scheduling edicts are the result of the conference following the SEC's lead, opting to remain with an eight-game conference schedule rather than join the Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12 in scheduling nine.
ACC commissioner John Swofford offered the following:
Swofford on 8 vs. 9 league games: "Just because you play 1 more conference game doesn't make your strength of schedule better"
— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) May 15, 2014
He's right–nine conference games doesn't necessarily make a team's schedule better. But it sure helps.
The 8+1 rule both the ACC and SEC are adopting mandates conference members just face an opponent from a power conference. Obviously this edict sees strength of schedule value in the Group of Five–of which the ACC and SEC obviously both are.
Working off the assumption that a team playing nine conference games will schedule only from the non-automatic qualifying conferences is provably false the majority of the time. To wit, eight Pac-12 members played at least one power-conference program. A ninth team, Utah, played BYU.
Arizona State and USC played two power opponents (USC did so in 13 games).
Of course, just because a team is from one of the five conferences deemed worthy of preferred College Football Playoff access doesn't mean it's a quality opponent. Washington played both Illinois and Boise State last season, and there's little doubt Boise State was the better opponent.
Likewise, Utah's game against rival BYU could reasonably be considered as much a quality opponent as Boston College was to USC. The Sagarin ratings scored BYU at 35 and Boston College at 64.
Strength of schedule is just the smokescreen for the real motivation of money. The power conferences are using the College Football Playoff to aggressively divide the sport into haves and have-nots–more so than it already was.
For those fans whose sole concern lies with power-conference programs, you might ask why should you care? The Group of Five becoming more exclusive would seemingly encourage more crossover, and thus more intriguing matchups.
However, by merely segregating from the non-automatic qualifier conferences, the Group of Five isn't coming closer together. Divisions within the Group of Five are slowly starting to settle. It's only a matter of time before Swofford goes Gretchen Weiner on Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany.


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