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The Philippines has one of the most robust search marketing industries in the world. Tracing its roots to about a decade ago, Philippine SEO started with web developers implementing basic on-page optimization techniques requested by their clients. As the demand for outsourced work grew in the US, the UK and Australia, SEO in the Philippines started to take on a life of its own. The practice soon distinguished itself from web development and gave birth to a small but passionate community of practitioners.
To date, there are tens of thousands of Filipinos who work digital marketing-related jobs. Most of them serve foreign clients but local enterprises have started to see the potential of successful inbound marketing as well. The future is looking very bright as the quality of Philippine SEO gets collectively better, warranting more investments from businesses around the world.
What is SEO Philippines?
The term "SEO Philippines" can refer to one of two things:
- A once-popular but now defunct form about search engine optimization in the Philippines
- A query used by foreigners to find SEO consultants or agencies in the Philippines that they can outsource to.
The latter is the more popular intent behind the phrase as marketers from other countries have identified the Philippines as a primary source of low-cost, high-quality SEO work.
A Rich Labor Market
As a Southeast Asian nation of more than 100 million people, the Philippines is one of the world's premier labor markets. The country produces some 500,000 college graduates annually, creating a competitive environment teeming with young talents who are eager to prove themselves. The competition for jobs and the low cost of living in the emerging Philippine economy also translates into very low labor costs without the sacrifice of quality.
From SMEs to billion-dollar multinationals, companies around the world have started to realize the value proposition of investing in the Philippines. Initially, only call center jobs were outsourced by Western economies to the country. In just a few years, investors realized the country's potential for back office-type of jobs. Slowly but surely, development, design and marketing work found its way to the Philippine shores. The pioneers of digital marketing services in the country proved that they're worth more investments as they delivered great results at a minimal cost.
These days, any work that can be done online is being done in the Philippines by qualified professionals. This is a testament to the Philippines' mastery of the English language, its Internet savvy and the infrastructure in place to support the growing dependence of foreign countries on Filipino work.
SEO in the Philippines has come a long way in the recent years. Once reputed for spammy tactics, the Philippine SEO scene is rapidly evolving with its adoption of more sophisticated white hat methods to help websites gain better online visibility. In Google's modern era, Filipino SEOs continue to thrive because of their innate writing skills, creativity and passion for excellence.
The Value Proposition of Outsourced SEO
Outsourcing SEO to the Philippines brings a lot of distinct business advantages to the table. Companies around the globe either hire digital marketing agencies or set up their own offices in the country to derive maximum value from their investments. This allows them to do more with less, giving them the financial leeway they need to grow their businesses like never before.
Here are the key reasons why businesses of all sizes go to the Philippines for SEO services:
- Minimal Labor Costs – With a competitive job market and lower costs of living, Filipino SEOs can earn a fraction of what their US, UK and Australian counterparts do. Despite that, most of them still live very well because outsourced work pays significantly better than what local employers do. If the average SEO manager in the US earns $7,000 a month, someone of the same caliber can be hired for that position in the Philippines for about $2,000. If junior-level SEOs in America earn $4,000 a month minimum, SEO trainees in the Philippines can be paid as little as $400.That would mean you can hire an entire team of SEOs in the Philippines for the same amount it costs to get one experienced SEO specialist in the US. This allows you to do more with literally less money without sacrificing the quality of output.
- Little to no overhead costs – If you're sourcing SEO work from the Philippines via an agency, you'll only have to pay the retainer or contracted fees you agreed on. SEO service packages from the Philippines usually go around at $1,000-$2,000 per month depending on the scale of the project. You won't have to worry about things like electric bills, rent, employee benefits, etc. Agency work is a turnkey solution to all your SEO needs.For companies who want to save more over the long haul, building an office in the Philippines and starting their own team is an option. This allows you to put the agency out of the equation, cutting their margins and just paying your own employees directly without a middleman. The drawback to this is having to shoulder overhead costs yourself. Thankfully, rent, electricity, Internet bills and employee benefits are much cheaper in the Philippines than they are in industrialized nations.
- Fewer Risks – In any business endeavor, there's always the possibility that your investments won't pay off., Outsourcing minimizes the risks due to the lower costs involved. Most companies who've tried to invest in Philippine SEO but didn't achieve the results they desired were able to contain the losses and live to fight another day. Unlike in the US, setting up a business in the Philippines is not an all-or-nothing affair with life-changing ramifications.
- Competitive Advantage – Minimizing costs and risks with outsourced work gives you a distinct competitive advantage. For one, you can start lowering the costs of your own products and services to set yourself apart from competing businesses. If you don't want to lower your prices, you can still operate the way you do – with a much higher profit margin.
Should I Use a Freelancer, an Agency or
Hire an In-House SEO?
One of the basic questions that businesses looking for SEO help need to answer is what type of solution best suits their needs. Depending on the nature of the business, its size and its goals, the answer can vary. The three main options are to go with a freelance SEO specialist, to hire a SEO agency, or to hire your own in-house SEO expert.
All three have their merits and drawbacks. Here's some information about each type of solution provider and what type of business setups they would work best in:
Freelancer SEO
Freelancers are individuals who are not formally employed by any specific company. SEO freelancers usually work alone from their homes and serve two or more clients. More often than not, they cost less to hire due to the fact that they don't need to commute to work and they don't have formal offices to maintain. They also have the added perk of being close to their families all the time.
Hiring a freelancer can really work as long as you can find someone with legitimate skills and professionalism to go along with it. You'll also have to be comfortable with the fact that you can't physically check on the freelance SEO specialist at any given time and that he or she might have clients other than you.
Some common drawbacks associated with freelancers include the lack of skills necessary to help an SEO campaign really take off. This is usually die to the fact that there are plenty of Filipino SEO freelancers who hacen't been trained in methodical and organized campaign conceptualization and implementation. However, that's not to say that all freelancers are incompetent. Some freelance SEOs are actually very good thanks to their years of experience working in companies or agencies. When you hire a freelancer, make sure it's not someone who's too cheap and green. Look for someone who has years of experience and a good portfolio to show. They may charge a little bit more, but they usually do a better job.
Hiring SEO freelancers in the Philippines comes with some inherent risks. The most common complaint we know of is the stability of residential internet connections that freelancers tend to use. If a contractor's internet goes down, so does his or her productivity for the rest of the day. In most cases, there is no written agreement between clients and SEOs which will serve as a reference on how to remedy these situations when they arise.
More often than not, you'll just have to cut your losses as a client whenever this happens. Some freelance SEOs in the Philippines will try to make up for lost time or at least work in an internet café when they encounter these issues, but others won't. In some cases, freelancers even use the "no connection" excuse to skirt deadlines or skip workdays. Make sure that the freelancer you hire has good character and work ethic.
Freelancers are also vulnerable to service interruptions during times when natural disasters strike. Around 30 typhoons batter the Philippine islands every year, making people with residential internet connections prone to service interruptions when a storm hits their area.
Lastly, there are domestic distractions to deal with when working from home. While there are a lot of fine, upstanding Filipino SEO freelancers who can stay professional even while working remotely, others just don't have that in them. Kids, spouses or even friends can interrupt productivity and break your service provider's concentration. When choosing a freelancer, interview him or her and ask how their home office is set up. Better yet, ask to view it on video.
SEO Agency
SEO agencies are small companies, usually ranging from 10-180 employees that specialize in search engine optimization services rendered by a team of professionals. SEO agencies in the Philippines usually have offices and they have different personnel performing a diverse set of functions. Many SEO agencies in the Philippines are registered with the government as legitimate businesses, though some are not.
The key advantage of hiring an agency over a freelancer is the fact that you usually get more professional services that what you'd get from someone working solo at homer. For one, agencies usually have professional office setups where people can work undistracted by family affairs. Offices also tend to have access to superior and more stable internet connections that telecom companies only provide to corporate clients.
Office spaces in the Philippines are generally in more secure locations that can withstand calamities. When a big storm wipes out electricity and internet connectivity in residential areas, business districts tend to stay up and running.
Thirdly, being registered with the government goes a long way in making sure the agency keeps its end of your bargains. A registered company can't just run and change its name. If you have a valid contract with them, you can always use that to keep your service provider honest. In the worst case scenario, it can also be used in a court of law as solid evidence.
And since agencies aren't one-man shows, you don't run the risk of service interruption in case your SEO specialist gets sick. Agencies tend to have a reservoir of manpower resources that they can call on to pick up the slack. Reputable SEO agencies in the Philippines will at least give you an account manager who will be your main point of contact and will take care of all your requests, questions and concerns.
Lastly, SEO agencies tend to stay ahead of the curve in the ever-changing search marketing industry. Because they specialize in this digital marketing discipline, SEO agencies tend to use the latest tools and use the latest best practices to keep their services competitive. It's no surprise that the majority of attendees in SEO conferences come from SEO companies.
In-House SEO
As the name suggests, an in-house SEO is an SEO specialist who is an internal employee of your company whose time is dedicated solely to improving your business sites' search visibility. Some companies hire just one in-house SEO expert while others have full-blown teams.
When hiring an in-house SEO, make sure to get someone with substantial experience and a proven track record. This person will be in charge of implementing strategies which can make or break your digital presence. Your company's time, resources and braintrust will all be at his disposal, so make sure to thoroughly evaluate a candidate before signing him.
Having an in-house SEO doesn't mean that you should depend on him or her to be the answer to all your search marketing needs. In fact, it's pretty common practice for companies to still hire external consultants and agencies who can supplement the efforts of their in-house SEO personnel. In arrangements like this, your in-house SEO acts as your project manager while production is mainly delegated to external entities.
What Makes a Good SEO Agency?
If you decide to hire an SEO agency in the Philippines, you'll need to think long and hard about the options available to you. While there's no single, exact way to make sure you're hooking up with a company that will satisfy your expectations, there are a few key aspects that you have to look at. These include:
- A Good Reputation – There are several ways to gain insights on a Filipino SEO agency's reputation. The easiest, albeit inexact, way to do it is to Google the agency's name and see what comes up. If you see any results that say bad things about the company, do some investigation and check if the negative feedback is valid. Keep in mind that SEO is very competitive and in some cases, a company's rivals or former employees will try to smear its name to drag it down. You can also ask the agency about the feedback and see what they have to say.You can also ask for a list of current and past clients to check how their campaigns went with the agency that you're considering. If the agency refuses to provide any references, consider it a red flag.You can also check how involved the agency is in its industry and community. Good agencies often have friendly relations with their peers. They are usually mentioned a lot in other websites in a positive and genuine manner.
- A Solid Portfolio – Ask for a client portfolio and contact details of the clients in their list. Contact the clients and verify if the SEO agency did, in fact, provide services to them and did a satisfactory job. If the agency refuses and tries to hide behind supposed NDAs, run for the hills. Satisfied former and current clients are usually happy to be made references even if conversations with you are kept off the record.
- A Registered Operation – Ever considered hiring a lawyer who didn't pass the bar exam? Or having surgery with a doctor who's not licensed? We thought so.Approach the selection of an SEO agency in the Philippines with the same logic. Ask the service provider if the company is government registered. If it isn't, think long and hard before you commit to them. If they say they are, ask them for scans of the following documents:
- SEC certificate for corporations or DTI certificate for sole proprietorships and partnerships.
- BIR certificate to make sure they pay taxes
- Mayor's Permit to make sure they operate in safe and sanitary environments.
Any responsible agency owner should have no problem sending these your way. If they refuse, consider it a red flag.
- Transparent Processes – Good SEO is very methodical and deliberate. It's a combination of art and science, but it's anything but magic. Ask for a list of things that the SEO agency will do for you and ask how each one will be conducted. Pay close attention to how they explain areas such as technical SEO and link building to you. If they refuse to go into detail on how they'll execute these components of SEO, they either don't know what they're talking about or they're using tactics that can harm your website.A good SEO agency will be more than happy to share how they do their work. You can then cross-reference their processes with what top SEO resources such as Moz and Search Engine Land recommend. If the processes and techniques are similar, that's a good sign.
- Realistic Promises – Let's be very clear on something: nobody can 100% guarantee that they can give you a number 1 ranking on Google for a highly competitive keyword. There are just too many factors involved and it gets more complex because your competitors are trying to outdo you all the time. If an agency tells you that they can guarantee top placement, they're either lying or they're trying to cheat Google using questionable tactics. If you get unrealistic pitches, walk away.
- Reputable Employees – An SEO agency is only as good as the people who work in it. When you enter initial talks with a Philippine SEO company, get the names of the people involved and look them up on Linkedin. Any reputable and self-respecting marketer uses the social platform for business purposes. Look at their resumes to get an idea of how long the agency has existed, how much experience the people you're talking to have accumulated and how they've run their careers in the past. This will give you more clues on how competent the service provider is.
- Money Where Their Mouths Are – Many SEO agencies will try to lock you up contractually for six months to a year. That's well and good, and it's a common practice in the industry. However, great SEO agencies don't attempt to hold on to you against your will when you want out. A confident agency that knows what it's doing will bet on itself and give you risk-removing terms such as a terminate anytime clause and satisfaction guarantees. Decent SEO agencies know that above all, customer experience matters and they'll be willing to stake their income to prove their point.
Examples of Good Agencies
SEO in the Philippines has a good number of shining examples. The following agencies have proven time and again that they're some of the best in the country:
Okay, it's a shameless plug, but you wouldn't have landed on this page if we weren't one of the best. We won't say much except that our portfolio is chock full of successful companies who will be happy to tell you what we did for them. That and the fact that we are unquestionably one of the leaders of the local SEO community should stand as testaments to our commitment to excellence in our craft.
50X Digital
Led by SEM and analytics mastermind Sam Nam, this agency keeps its profile low while delivering powerful results to its ecommerce clientele. This is an agency with world-class management, efficient processes and ethical business practices.
Growth Rocket
Growth Rocket specializes in enterprise-level SEO for ecommerce properties. With former US Auto Parts CMO Houman Akhavan at the helm and industry rockstar Marc Samson in charge of operations, this is definitely an agency you should consider hiring.
Founded by digital marketing expert Gary Viray and formerly known as Search Opt Media, Propelrr has gone from being one of the top SEO service providers to a full-spectrum digital marketing agency. They're data-driven and they invest a lot in their own technology. They're also some of the most professional people you can find in the Philippine SEO scene.
TrueLogic Online Solutions
TrueLogic is undoubtedly the biggest SEO company in the country. With more than 170 employees who have diverse skillsets, they're not just a shop when it comes to digital marketing – they're a mall. Their core remains their SEO services but if you need web design, social media marketing and content creation, they can help you out as well. Their top managers, Itamar Gero and Bernard San Juan, are among the most respected figures in the Philippine SEO scene.
Not all SEOs in the Philippines are Equal
As far as the Philippines has come as a SEO hotbed, it has flaws that have to be overcome. For one thing, Filipino SEOs have a black hat stigma attached to them. A few years ago when web spam could still be used to manipulate the SERPs, SEOs in the Philippines did their fair share of shady work. The work of a few opportunistic practitioners earned the entire local industry a negative tag that the community is still trying to get rid of to this day.
Fortunately, Filipino SEOs have started opening their eyes to the fact that white hat SEO is the only way to go if we want to achieve more than what we already have. More and more, we see the old spammers go away and we're seeing an equal number of ethical SEOs rising through the ranks and getting some recognition.
The next time you do a search for the keyword "SEO Philippines" and its variants, take a long, hard look at the vendors you see. Are they legitimate brands? Are they offering service packages that are too good to be true? Do they have the thought leadership cache and the reputation that comes along with being a legitimate practitioner?
Outsourcing is meant to make SEO more affordable, not inhumanely cheap. If a site is charging $300 a month for a full service package, ask yourself how they're supposed to hire quality personnel who'll help you climb the rankings in a safe and ethical way.
The quality of the SEO work you get from the Philippines is a matter of choice. Choose shady companies with dubious methods and you'll likely do more harm than good to your site. With ethical SEO companies, you spend a little bit more but you'll be happier over the long haul. The decision is yours.
Top SEO Consultants in the Philippines
For an in-depth look, check out our blog post on The Best SEO Specialists in the Philippines. For a quick overview, these are GDI's recommended SEO consultants in the local scene:
Benj Arriola – Benj is currently the SEO Director at Myers Media Group. More importantly, he is universally considered the Godfather of Philippine SEO. He has the distinction of being the first Filipino SEO to make a mark in the international scene. By winning global SEO competitions and speaking in world-class SEO conferences such as SMX and PubCon, he has proven without a doubt that SEOs from the Philippines can compete with the best.
Jason Acidre – Perhaps the most well-known Filipino SEO today, Jason is the author of the Kaiserthesage blog. He's also the founder and CEO of Xight Interactive. Jason is best known for his creative link building strategies, but really, he's great at practically every aspect of SEO. He's often mentioned in sites like Moz, Search Engline Land and even mainstream publications like Bloomberg.
Dean Chew – Ayima's Director of Operations for Asia is among the top SEO minds not just in the country but in the entire region. He has been featured in SMX, SES, Moz's Whiteboard Friday just to name a few platforms and he continues to deliver great work in his current position.
Jec Gonzales – Jec Gonzales is probably the top tier of freelance SEOs. He's the living proof that you don't have to be working in a corporation to be among the very best. With his elite writing skills, mastery over a website's technical aspects, creative promotional strategies and innate leadership instincts, he's a total package with no glaring weaknesses.
Itamar Gero – When it comes to the business side of SEO, they don't come any better than Itamar Gero. TrueLogic's CEO also happens to be the president of the Israeli Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines – a testament to his influence not just in the digital marketing industry but the Filipino business scene in general. Oh, and did we mention that he's an exceptional tech mind in his own right?
Bernard San Juan – Bernard is the general manager at TrueLogic and is the driving force behind their day to day operations. He's also a brilliant SEO and a highly eloquent speaker. He's highly proficient in every aspect of the optimization process and is a natural leader, making him well-suited in his role leading the country's biggest SEO agency.
Gary Viray – Highly analytical, technology-oriented and business savvy, Gary is looked up on by many SEOs in the Philippines as a true authority in the field. His agency has been running and growing for a decade, serving as proof that a combination of talent, professionalism and hard work is very, very hard to beat.
Jayson Bagio – One of the country's premier link building experts, Jayson tries to keep a low profile but is often acknowledged as one of the industry's top minds. Whether it's outreach, broken link building or .edu link acquisition, Jayson knows how to get quality links for his clients.
Marc Samson – Highly experienced with an employment pedigree that includes TrueLogic and US Auto Parts, Marc Samson is the current SEO Director at Growth Rocket. Marc's core strength is in technical SEO and integrated digital marketing campaign management. He is currently serving as the President of SEO Organization Philippines.
Venchito Tampon Jr. – Venchito is the founder and CEO of SharpRocket, a Filipino SEO agency that specializes in link acquisition. He started young in the industry, but don't let that fool you. He's a master of virtually every facet of off-page SEO.
Major SEO Events in the Philippines
The Philippine SEO community is a vibrant one where many of the top players know each other and share very friendly relations. Every few months, the industry gathers in major events such as conferences to share insights, to network and to generally have a good time.
If you're looking to get connected with the local SEO stalwarts, these are the events you should attend:
The PeepCon SEO conference series is the biggest event of its kind in the Philippines, attracting 200-320 local and international delegates on an almost annual basis. Despute being a non-profit affair, PeepCon delivers presentations from topnotch speakers and is held at first class venues. In recent years, people have come to recognize PeepCon as the one that stands above all else locally. Some have even gone as far as to say that it's the best that Southeast Asia has to offer.
Past speakers include search marketing luminaries such as Cyrus Shepard, Mike King, Dan Petrovic, Ruth Burr Reedy, Dana DiTomasso, Rob Ousbey, Jon Cooper and Jason Acidre many more.
Oh, and this is not a conference for peeping Toms. PeepCon is shorthand for "The People's Conference." It was originally conceived as a fundraiser for Filipino SEOs who are in need and later evolved into a world-class event that's aimed at local search marketing professionals who can't afford to fly to the US for conferences such as MozCon, SMX and PubCon.
Mastering Online Rankings Conference, or simply MORCon, is SEO Organization Philippines' flagship event. It happens once a year around November and is a showcase of local talent. It's also a tight community affair where people in the search marketing business congregate, make friends and share ideas. Many Filipino SEOs first broke out of obscurity in one of these events, making it an awesome platform for finding the industry's future icons.
SEO Summit
Also an annual event, SEO Summit is organized by Sean Si and the SEO Hacker team. It attracts around 100 attendees each year with its showcase of local and international influencers. This is a quality gathering that's always well put together and highly entertaining.
SEO and the Philippine Economic Boom
SEO used to be a digital marketing channel that was used mostly by foreign companies. From the mid-2000's to around 2013, most search marketing professionals either worked in foreign companies with offices here or were working for clients offshore. In the last five years, however, local businesses started to recognize the power of the Internet. These days, most serious businesses have self-hosted websites that administrators wield absolute control over. For smaller, less digital marketing-savvy entrepreneurs, they've at least come to recognize the value of having a simple Facebook business page.
Most experts agree that this trend is a direct result of greater internet access penetration and the proliferation of smartphones in the Philippines. People who did not previously have particular interest in desktop-based internet use now have a means to use the web in an accessible and readily available manner. News website Rappler reports that an estimated 29% (some 31 million) of Filipinos now have internet access while there's an estimated 30.4 million mobile devices in the country according to Statista.
As the Philippine economy surges ahead with its annual GDP growth rate of 6.8%, more people are expected to join the middle class that actively uses the internet for informational, recreational and transactional purposes. Many Philippine businesses recognize the opportunities that come with this development and many are positioning themselves for an economy that will be driven primarily by what goes on digitally.
As the case is with the United States, Europe, China and other well-developed markets, SEO will be key in standing out online. Being ranked atop Google's search results is a decisive advantage that businesses gladly invest thousands – even millions- of dollars in every year. Local businesses are expected to follow suit because much is at stake when a country of 110 million people heads towards a new direction. Those who are able to establish themselves today will be the kings of the Philippine internet's future.


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TIPPMIX takes up title sponsorship of WOMEN'S EHF FINAL4
TIPPMIX takes up title sponsorship of WOMEN'S EHF FINAL4
Sports betting game TIPPMIX, a product of Hungary's national lottery, Szerencsejáték Zrt., will be the title sponsor of this year's WOMEN'S EHF FINAL4. The event's official name will be the TIPPMIX EHF FINAL4 2017, with the Papp László Sportaréna in Budapest playing host on 6/7 May.
The title sponsorship was announced in Budapest on Wednesday at the Elek Gyula Arena ahead of the Hungarian domestic league match between WOMEN'S EHF Champions League participants FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria and Győri Audi ETO KC.
"For us, women's handball in general, and in particular the EHF FINAL4, has always been a safe bet when it comes to arousing sponsors' interest. With Szerencsejáték Zrt. and TIPPMIX we have secured a title sponsor which is already active in the sport and we are looking forward to a successful cooperation," said EHF Marketing Managing Director David Szlezak.
"2017 will be the fourth edition of the WOMEN'S EHF FINAL4 in Budapest, and we are very happy that we acquired Szerencsejáték Zrt. as the title sponsor of this showpiece event. We have had a fruitful cooperation with the company in recent years and the agreement for the EHF FINAL4 marks another milestone for women's club handball," said Hungarian Handball Federation President, Máté Kocsis.
"Handball is a highly popular sport in Hungary and also in Europe. Hungarian teams regularly play in the final phases of EHF competitions. The WOMEN'S EHF FINAL4 in Budapest is the top-ranked women's club competition on the continent. This is also an exceptional opportunity for Szerencsejáték Zrt. to popularise its betting product, TIPPMIX, through handball, since handball fans are enthusiastic spectators and sports experts. Two Hungarian women's teams play in the Champions League and we truly hope that we can cheer for both of them in TIPPMIX EHF FINAL4 in May," concluded Dr. Márton Braun, President and CEO of Szerencsejáték Zrt.
"We are committed to further developing the event and we are preparing an unforgettable show this year. Ticket sales are running better than we expected with thousands already sold. It is worth hurrying up to get the best seats in the arena," said HHF Vice President, Katalin Pálinger.
Buy your ticket and be part of the highlight of women's club handball
Up to 12,000 spectators will be present on 6/7 May when the four best teams battle it out for the coveted WOMEN'S EHF Champions League trophy.
Tickets have gone on sale and can be purchased via the official website www.ehfFINAL4.com.
Ticket prices are as follows
• Category 1: 39,990 HUF (approx. 130 €)
• Category 2: 27,990 HUF (approx. 90 €)
• Category 3: 19,990 HUF (approx. 65 €)
• Category 4: 9,900 HUF (approx. 35 €)
About the WOMEN'S EHF Champions League and the TIPPMIX EHF FINAL4:
The WOMEN'S EHF Champions League brings together the leading clubs and top players in Europe's premier women's club handball competition. 16 teams are competing from September through to May for the chance to qualify for the season's highlight, the TIPPMIX EHF FINAL4, which will take place on 6/7 May 2017 in Budapest's Papp László Sportaréna. More information at www.ehfCL.com and www.ehfFINAL4.com.
About Szerencsejáték Zrt.
Szerencsejáték Zrt.is the Hungarian national lottery company and under Hungarian law, exclusively sells and markets lottery, lottery tickets, football pools (Totó, Góltotó), sports betting and has the exclusive right to organise bookmaker-type sports betting (e.g. Tippmix, TippmixPro) on the Hungarian territory.
Web: http://www.szerencsejatek.hu/
Tippmix: https://www.tippmixpro.hu

subset: commoncrawl


text: InReview Podcast Show 14 Posted by Forge Sport Date: March 02, 2017 in: InReview, Radio Shows Forge Radio's flagship satirical sports show. Tim Adams hosts as two pairs use their sporting knowledge, argumentative skill and wit to win as many points as possible. On this show: Will Pettit and Brandon Mann v Ben Warner and Adam May.


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Why A Yacht Seller Needs A Yacht BrokerOctober 9, 2017
A seller would also be able to benefit from the list of connections and clients that a broker has worked with before. Also, making use of a broker who is listed with the Yacht Brokers Association of America will ensure that your boat is going to be bought as soon as possible. Some of the other reasons as to why a seller may need a yacht broker have been mentioned below.


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Showcase Cinema de Lux Bristol, Glass House, Cabot Circus, Bristol, Somerset, BS1 3BX
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Living Arrows 6/526.2.17
7 comments
so cute story... and the cutest kids ever! Have you ever thought about being the photographer? I love your pictures. I work for the nice website for college students, and we are thinking about the re-branding. We are looking for the photographer.ReplyDelete
Oh kids can be so cute. Love Harry's sleeping pose - how they can sleep in the strangest positions I don't know. #livingarrowsReplyDelete
Aw such sweet moments. I love a little one to one time chatting with mine.ReplyDelete
Oh bless him - sleeping like a proper little baby! Love his little bum in the air and feet poking out. CUTE! It must be tough when the kids are away but nice that Amelia acknowledges that she misses you and wants to spend time with you. She sounds like quite a sensitive and lovely girl xReplyDelete
One of my stepdaughters was asleep the other night, with an emoji cushion she has on her head, so it looked like the big yellow cushion was her head. My first thought, as she was sleeping soundly was, take a photo! FOR THE BLOG!ReplyDelete
I'm not a very good person.
Awww such sweet photos, I love those cute little feet sticking out like that! We have that camera too for my daughter and she loves playing with it!ReplyDelete
Wonderful photography and adore Harry's sleeping position. All curled up like a baby in a womb. It's super cute that Amelia displays affection for you x #livingarrowsReplyDelete
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment. I love reading them all and will try my best to answer all of your questions. If you would like to contact me for a quicker response please feel free to tweet me at (@ohsoamelia_blog) or email me. Kerry


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Memo #15
By: Julian Dierkes – email@example.com
It is not that the contentious issues have been resolved, or that a general history lovefest has broken out across East Asia. But international exchanges over historical controversies have been toned down, especially between South Korea and Japan. The 65th anniversary of Japan's surrender passed quietly on August 15th, 2010. The U.S. ambassador to Japan's participation in the ceremony to commemorate the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6th was the most commented-on element of the anniversary.
So, what happened? Throughout the 80s and 90s, heated exchanges between Japanese and other East Asian officials over Japan's responsibility for the Asia Pacific War were a common occurrence. The exchanges were sparked by Japanese history schoolbooks and were regularly reignited by inappropriate comments and actions from Japanese politicians. The current Japanese government managed to halt this seemingly endless series of gaffes. This month, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan pointedly committed his cabinet to not visit the Yasukuni Shrine that commemorates Japanese war dead. He also re-issued earlier apologies for the colonial rule of Korea, which South Korean President Myung-Bak Lee accepted.
Outside Japan, the tone of discussions has also changed. Debates about historical developments in Korea are increasingly inward-looking, rather than focusing strictly on past interactions with the Japanese empire. Commentaries earlier this year focused on the differences that emerged from the Japan-South Korea Joint History Research Committee. These differences appear to be of interpretation and are not historiographical canyons.
East Asian countries share a historiographical perspective that sees secondary education as a place for students to learn rather than to understand history. Textbooks throughout the region focus on "facts" that make up a historical timeline and politics affect which facts are included. This approach does not lend itself to a discussion of historical responsibility. In the context of a rich shared history and a shared historiographical perspective, history politics may not have ended in East Asia, but exchanges are taking on a very different tone and substance. While controversies are likely to continue to flare up, the long-term trend is an encouraging one of declining animosity and vitriol.
About the Author
Julian Dierkes is an Associate Professor, Institute of Asian Research, The University of British Columbia.
- Guilty Lessons? Postwar History Education in Japan and the Germanys, Book by Julian Dierkes, 2010 (for an examination of the empiricist historiography of Japanese textbooks, see Chapter 4)
- Statement by Prime Minister Naoto Kan, Prime Minister of Japan and His Cabinet, August 2010 (the statement apologizing for the suffering caused by the colonization of Korea)
- Historical Issues, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, 2010 (a webpage outlining government positions on "historical issues")
- The Politics of Kan's Apology, Observing Japan, August 2010
- Two relevant books reviewed in Pacific Affairs:
- 1) Troubled Apologies Among Japan, Korea, and the United States, Book by Alexis Dudden, 2008
- 2) Sorry States: Apologies in International Politics, Book by Jennifer Lind, 2008
Related Memos:
- See Julian Dierkes' other Memos, Is South Korea's Hyper-Education System The Future? (Memo #2), Misinterpreting Globalization in the Context of Japanese Education Policy (Memo #43), Current Convulsions in Mongolia's Political Party Landscape (Memo #52), Livelihood Clashes in Inner Mongolia and Mongolia (Memo #87), & Why No Anti-Mining Party in Mongolia? Why No Pro-Mining Movement? (Memo #106)
- Our other Memos about Japan and South Korea


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The reaction in America to the news that Osama bin Laden was killed by US commandos is not what it seems from the media reports.
The TV images have focused on the groups of people waving flags and shouting "USA-USA-USA" in Times Square in New York and in front of the White House in Washington. It is presented as if the whole country is re-experiencing V-E Day 1945, with strangers stopping to kiss soldiers in Times Square. There is even some claiming there is a nasty side to the cheering, seeing it as a celebration of blood-lust vengeance or mindless patriotism run riot.
You could easily think that this is the mass response from the media reports, but you would be wrong. Most people are not spontaneously going out to the streets, nor even celebrating much indoors either. The response has been much more sober than triumphalist. When asked about how the surviving families would react, Harry Waizer, a World Trade Center survivor himself, said: " Many of them will be grateful he has finally been brought to justice. But many of them will feel that whatever the justice of this, it won't bring back the people they lost." That seemed to me to be closer to the reality of the response that most people had.
The spontaneous gatherings that did occur were not mean-spirited as some - especially foreign reports, such as this one in Britain's Guardian - would suggest. In fact, the crowds in New York were mostly filled with young adults, who were around 10 years old when 9/11 happened, and tourists. The atmosphere was more like the celebration of a sports championship than anything overtly political or militaristic.
And after living through a decade of terror warnings, who could blame someone if they wanted to take a moment to cheer? Those who criticize the crowds - for being in poor taste because they were celebrating death - ignore the broader context: namely, that moral justice was served. It is as if the critics don't believe anyone - even Osama bin Laden - should be judged morally.
It's important to note that the response would probably have been much different - more intense and public - if bin Laden had been killed shortly after 9/11. But nearly a decade later, he had become a somewhat forgotten man. He would only pop up in the news from time to time to make a boring pronouncement, like on climate change (in fact, he sounded more and more like a Western green than an Islamic hardliner).
After 9/11, the Bush administration tried to make the "war on terror" equivalent to the Cold War. But a so-called war on a tactic, which has never had clear definitions or aims, would never be the same as the Cold War, which dominated domestic and international affairs. Over time, the anti-terror campaign's purchase on the public imagination petered out, as the mundane reality could not live up to the panicked hype. In the past, people clamoured for greater airport security; now they complain that security staff are allowed to touch their "junk". The terror issue is no longer top of mind, and Osama's demise came as a reminder that it still continued, some years after most people had moved on.
President Obama announced that he would be travelling to the Ground Zero site in Manhattan on Thursday. Obama said he wants to use the event to create a sense of national unity. Speaking yesterday evening, he said: "We were reminded again that there is a pride in what this nation stands for, and what we can achieve, that runs far deeper than party, far deeper than politics. It is my fervent hope that we can harness some of that unity and some of that pride to confront the many challenges that we still face."
But Obama and others are expecting too much from the response to the killing of a leader of a small (though deadly) terrorist group: it is as if he thinks all his problems can be solved in a feel-good moment. The bipartisan political response to 9/11 was to elevate Al Qaeda to be an existential threat to the American way of life; and now, in bin Laden's death, Obama is seeking to elevate this event into something bigger than it really is. Or to put it another way: if the US needs to point to the bin Laden execution as a major source of national pride, then it really is in trouble.
NBC News' anchor David Gregory said the news of bin Laden's death was so momentous that people will always remember where they were when they first heard the news, the way people still talk about when they first heard President Kennedy was shot. I doubt it. But I do expect the Obama White House will try very hard to not let us to forget it, as it attempts to utilize bin Laden's killing for its own political purposes.


text: 3 South African's will be taking part in the Junior World Orienteering Championship in Finland. Christie Courtnage, Andries Swart and Carl Holmes are representing SA in the competition which runs from the 9th until the 16th of July. Live tracking will be availalbe for all races. More information can be found on the official website: http://www.jwoc2017.fi/ as well as on the team blog: http://juniororienteers.blogspot.fi/


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Winter 2016 Bill Levitt Fellowship (click here for PDF)
Mission: The Mission of Friends of Alta is to protect the environment of Alta, including watershed and wildlife habitat areas; to preserve Alta's unique character and heritage; and to encourage stewardship and sustainability of Alta's environment and community.
Below is an outline of the fellowship duties to be performed by the fellow as he/she serves under the supervision/direction of the Executive Director (ED) of Friends of Alta from January 2016 through April 2016 (~4 months) for 8-16 hours a week. An hourly rate of $8.00 will be paid biweekly for hours worked. Applicants must be able to travel to/from Alta to be considered for this position.
The Bill Levitt Fellow will:
- Represent FOA at events including: Love Utah Give Utah, Alta Gala, Earth Day and other events as they arise.
- Maintain the Alta Bird Survey feeding station. If class schedule allows, attend monthly volunteer non-breeding bird surveys (done on skis). Dates: 1/11, 2/8, 3/14, and 3/11.
- Conduct outreach and represent FOA at tabling opportunities including but not limited to the various lodges in Alta.
- Suggest and write content for social media outreach.
- Help prepare for the Alta Gala.
- Assist the Executive Director as needed.
If you are interested in applying for the 2016 winter Bill Levitt Fellowship please email a cover letter and resume as one document with your first and last name in the document title (jen_clancy_BLFwinter2016) to Jen Clancy at email@example.com.
Deadline for applications is December 15, 2015
If you have questions, Jen can be reached on her cell at: 801-742-9719.


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What if you could print your own driver's license at home, instead of having to wait in line all day at the DMV? That's the potential of an emerging technology in the works at Purdue University.
Although it may not be apparent, all laser printers leave specific markings on each document they print, a process called banding. Purdue's School of Electrical and Computer Engineering has pioneered a tracking system that uses banding to trace a document back to the printer from which it originated.
Forensic Fingerprints
"[Each printer] has its own forensic fingerprint," says Edward J. Delp, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Purdue and one of the architects of the project.
That fingerprint is detected by closely analyzing the bands a printer leaves behind. "It's a combination of using image-analysis tools and pattern recognition," Delp says.
The printer's "signature" is then digitally loaded into a database. This database could be used by forensic examiners, law-enforcement agencies, and government officials to spot forged documents. The Secret Service has already expressed interest in the technology for its potential to track forgeries and improve homeland security, Purdue says.
The technology won't merely be a tracking tool; it could also add secure data to a printout to create an official document, Delp says. The printers of the future, Delp says, could encode data in printouts that could be scanned and verified by a bank, an airline, or a police officer. Thus, users could print their licenses, boarding passes, or ID cards from the comfort of their own homes.
"There is the need for the average person to be able to print secure documents," Delp says.
Privacy Issues
Jonathan Zittrain, codirector of the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School, says that the tracking technology likely won't receive too much legal opposition.
"The world of consumer commerce is desperate for more ways than personal signatures and ID cards" to create official documents, Zittrain says, but admits some legal issues are bound to occur.
"It could definitely raise challenges, he says, adding "I don't know if they're insurmountable."
"I have some faith in the legal system," he says.
Delp says he is very concerned with privacy issues and says one graduate student works full time on "attack" scenarios for the project.
"It's something that we think about every day," Delp says.
Delp and his colleagues will present the project at the International Conference on Digital Printing Technologies in Salt Lake City, Utah, on November 5.


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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today (July 12, 2006) approved Atripla Tablets, a new fixed-dose combination of three widely used antiretroviral drugs, to be taken in a single tablet once a day, alone or in combination with other antiretroviral products for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in adults. Atripla is the first fixed dose combination available in the United States to combine two different classes of antiviral drugs in a single pill. This "one-pill-once-a-day" product to treat HIV/AIDS combines the active ingredients of Sustiva (efavirenz) a Nonnucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor (NNRTI), with Emtriva (emtricitabine) and Viread (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate), two Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NRTIs). Emtriva and Viread are also available in a fixed dose combination known as Truvada.
Atripla is the result of an unprecedented inter-company cooperative effort between Gilead Sciences, the manufacturer of Emtriva and Viread, with Bristol-Myers Squibb, the manufacturer of Sustiva. Merck controls the marketing of Sustiva outside the United States. The approval of Atripla will not only make the new fixed dose combination available in the U.S., but also permit its purchase under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program.
Atripla was approved in less than 3 months under FDA's fast track program. The approval is the result of an expedited review process outlined in guidance for industry from the FDA in May 2004. The guidance encourages manufacturers to develop fixed dose combination and co-packaged products consisting of previously approved antiretroviral therapies for the treatment of HIV infection.
The drug combination represented by this product is a recommended first line regimen for treatment naive patients (except during first trimester of pregnancy or in women with high pregnancy potential) in the national Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in HIV-1-Infected Adults and Adolescents.
Atripla can significantly simplify a drug treatment regimen by reducing the pill burden, helping to increase adherence and thus reducing potential development of viral resistance to the drugs. This may result in longer term effectiveness of the drug regimen.
Since the three components of Atripla have been in use for some time, their characteristics and effects are well known. In addition, the safety and effectiveness of the combination of these three drugs were shown in a 48 week-long clinical study with 244 HIV-1 infected adults receiving the drugs contained in Atripla. In this trial, 80 percent of the participants achieved a marked reduction of the human immunodeficiency virus and a substantial increase in the number of healthy CD4 cells.
The labeling of Atripla includes a boxed warning that the drug's use can cause lactic acidosis (buildup of an acid in the blood). In patients with chronic Hepatitis B infection, the discontinuation of the treatment with Atripla (which is not indicated for this use) can result in severe flare-ups of Hepatitis B infection. Other potential serious adverse events reported for the use of Atripla's ingredients include serious liver toxicity, renal impairment and severe depression. The most common adverse events experienced by participants in the combination trial included headache, dizziness, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and rash.
FDA approved Sustiva in 1998, Viread in 2001 and Emtriva in 2003. Truvada, which combined Viread and Emtriva in a fixed dose combination, was approved in 2004.
A PDF copy of the labeling is available here.


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Juan Flor (Bilbao, 1969) expresses his particular way of seeing the sport, especially football and now the Spanish selection, in the pages of Diario AS, where he arrived after going through such means Diario AS, Mundo Deportivo, Don Balon or agencies as Allsports . A long career that reached its zenith, at least until now, the prestigious Nikon Photography Award 2010 with Andres Iniesta celebrating the goal that gave Spain the World Cup in South Africa.
2010 - FotoNikon 2010
Iker Casillas and Xavi Hernandez EURO2012
World Champions in South Africa 2010
Spain Champions World Champions in South Africa 2010


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One of the main principles of frugality that I live by is what I call the "principle of contentment." It's the idea that the best state to be in is one in which I am satisfied and content with my life and that happiness naturally occurs in that state.
I am content when I know that my bills are paid, that my financial future is in good shape, that I'm happy with my work, that I have good relationships with the people around me, and that I always have engaging stuff with which to be spending my time.
The catch, of course, is that there's a difference between contentment and happiness. Happiness is a fleeting state – it's not one that we're constantly in. It feels great to be happy and it's something well worth having in your life, but it's not something that's a permanent state to be in.
Instead, I strive for contentment. Contentment is a state in which happiness often bubbles up on its own. Contentment is about creating the conditions for happiness to naturally occur without having to chase it down.
For example, having a low-stress life doesn't directly bring happiness. However, happiness is a state that's more likely to occur if you have a low-stress life. You're more likely to simply have happy moments if you're not burdened by stress.
Here's the catch: when I focus on steps that are all about building a life of contentment, such as finding financial stability, not spending money on things that don't matter, building lots of good relationships, and so on, it doesn't sound like fun on the surface.
Those things aren't what we think of as "happy" or "fun."
Here's the way I like to think about it. Building a content life is like preparing the soil for an amazing garden. It's all about making and adding compost, turning the soil regularly, removing rocks from the soil, and making it ready for planting. Once you have the soil ready – in other words, you have a content life – it becomes really easy to grow tons of amazing fruits and vegetables and flowers in that soil. In other words, having a bumper crop of happiness and fun becomes easy once you have contentment in your life.
So, what's the problem?
The problem comes when you're preparing the soil but you're hungering for all of those fresh vegetables and fruits now. You don't have them yet because the soil isn't ready yet, but your mind is flashing full of thoughts about how your life feels so deprived right now, how you don't have this thing or that thing that you want, and so on.
It's easy to feel that way sometimes, particularly when you're just starting down the path to building a life of contentment. It takes time to build a financial foundation that you can rely on. It takes time to build really strong personal relationships that continuously bear fruit. Those things don't come easily or automatically, but we want the rewards from them quickly.
The truth is, we often take a shortcut. We turn away from tending that soil for a while and instead buy that fruit. We take the shortcut.
We buy something that's going to give us a burst of pleasure right now, at the expense of tending to our soil. We'll go on a trip or buy an unnecessary entertainment item or go out for an expensive but quickly forgotten meal.
Those things do bring happiness, but what you find is that the happiness fades. Happiness always fades – it is never a permanent state.
The problem, of course, is that if you're buying happiness instead of letting it naturally grow from the soil in your life, you're shortchanging the soil.
When you spend money to chase that short-term burst of happiness, you're taking away from that bedrock of financial security. When you turn away from a friend in need to go do something fun, you're taking away from that bedrock of strong relationships. It goes on and on like that.
Don't get me wrong, there is a balance between having a content life and enjoying the fruits of the life you've built. The problem is when you start using the bedrock of your life in order to have more and more and more fruits, until you have little or no foundation to rely on.
This brings us back to the person struggling with frugality and the challenges of building a content life. The truth is that the long journey to financial independence and a content life can definitely contain difficult spots where a sense of deprivation is strong and intense.
You can feel like you're on an endless journey and that there is no joy in it. "I'm wasting my life – it's joyless and without fun!" the voice in your head will whisper. "I'm depriving myself of the fun that others are having, and for what?"
In those moments, your eyes are focused solely on the fruit, not on the health of the soil. Your eyes are focused on the results, not the process. It can feel like deprivation. It can be hard.
So here's the question: where's the balance? How do you get past those moments where you're on the road to contentment and financial stability but you feel deprived?
I've been there, believe me. Here are four things I've learned that actually work and help keep me on the right path.
Problem #1: Buying things that aren't strictly needs often comes down to trying to fill a void in your life. You have a sense that there's something missing, so you spend money in order to try to fill in that hole. In the short term, it works; in the long term, it doesn't.
I'll give you a very clear example from my own life.
I sometimes buy books. These aren't books that I'm using for reference, and I have an abundance of books to read for entertainment on my shelf and a ton more at the library. What am I buying a book for? When I step back and honestly look at it, I'm buying that book to fill a void in my life. I value reading, and on some level, I don't feel that I put enough time or energy toward it, and I also want some sort of physical item to point at that demonstrates my love of reading – a shelf full of books really puts that on display.
The thing is, none of those things really fulfills the value that reading brings into my life. On some level, I'll buy into the idea that buying this book will fill the void I feel when I feel like I'm not reading enough, or that I want to feel educated, or that I want to signal a particular virtue to others (I'll get back to that).
The way to solve it? If I feel like I want to go buy a book, what I really need to do is find a few hours to actually read more. I don't need more stuff. What I need is time to read.
That same phenomenon holds true again and again. If I'm buying things that I might do with my kids, what I'm really telling myself is that I need to spend more time and energy with them. If I'm buying cooking tools, what I'm really telling myself is that I need to spend more time in the kitchen.
Notice a theme here? I tend to splurge when I feel deprived, but that sense of deprivation often comes from poor use of time and energy, not actual deprivation.
What it means is that I haven't yet found my truly content life, but that my attempt at taking a shortcut by buying something to "fix" things is a mistake, too.
Solution #1: When you feel a sense of deprivation on your road to a better life, look first at how you're spending your time and energy rather than spending money. Often, a sense of deprivation comes not from not having stuff, but from the fact that you're using your time and energy in a way that doesn't match up with your values. Figure that problem out first.
Problem #2: Companies everywhere want to exploit that feeling of deprivation and void-filling. I'm not talking about just advertisements, though that's part of the equation. I'm talking about news media that sensationalizes everything to ridiculous levels so that people feel constantly on edge (which makes them prone to poor decision making, often as a result of the ads that immediately follow such intense coverage). I'm talking about reality television shows that paint an extremely distorted picture of "real life." I'm talking about websites that orient themselves around lauding the latest and greatest thing that you must have (which happens to constantly change to the next latest and greatest thing that you must have).
All of that stuff – all of it – angles toward one thing: making you feel as though there is something wrong, something missing from your life, and that there is often some way to spend money that will fill it.
When people are agitated or fearful, people make poor decisions. When they're shown exorbitant lifestyles, they tend to want some aspects of those lifestyles. When they're told about how great this new thing is, they want this new thing.
This doesn't make people bad – it's simple human nature.
The thing is, we can choose not to put ourselves in situations where the worst elements of our nature are tested and allowed to lead. We don't have to tune in to those things. We don't have to read those things. We can choose other ways to invest our energy and time.
In fact, maybe if we take some of the energy and time that we devote to the things that put us on edge and make us desire things and instead devote it to actually filling the voids we feel in our lives, we might find a whole lot more contentment.
Solution #2: Cut back on your media intake that isn't truly informing you and helping you grow. Watch less television and spend less time online. Instead, spend more time on the areas of your life where you feel a void. Turn off the television and go enjoy a hobby. Turn off the phone and do something you feel like you've been neglecting. You'll find that your internal needle quickly begins to slide away from deprivation and toward contentment.
Problem #3: You want something, but you don't know quite what it is that you want. This is a feeling that all of us have at some time or another. We want something … different … in our life, but we don't know quite what it is. We have a void of some kind – we can feel it – but we don't really know what that void is or how to fill it.
Often, people start throwing things at the problem in an attempt to stumble upon a solution. They'll buy things that others seem to enjoy to see if it brings the joy that they're seeking… and that rarely works. You'll often see this depicted in books, movies, and television as a midlife crisis, for example, but we all do it to some extent sometimes.
This problem tends to come out of a lack of self-assessment. Often, we simply don't sit down and devote the time needed to think through our goals, figure out what we want out of life, and figure out the path we need to take to get there. In the back of our minds, we may have some of it figured out, which is why we have this sense of a void. We know we're not going in the direction we want to go, but we haven't fought about it long enough to articulate it.
The solution here, then, is obvious: do some self-assessment. Think about your goals and what you want out of the future. Simply saying that is easy. Doing it is much harder. I could go on and on listing a ton of different techniques I've tried for doing this, but my one solution here is the one that's worked the best for me.
Solution #3: Create a clear picture of your life in the future – specifically, five years from now. Assuming that things turn out reasonably well for you, what would you like your life to look like in five years? Assume that no major negative setbacks occur and that you're reasonably successful at the things you try. What kind of life do you have?
Write down that life in detail. Where do you live? What kind of job do you have? Who do you spend your time with? What do you spend your time doing? What have you achieved? Imagine you're standing five years in the future. What changed between then and now?
When you figure out that picture, and that big list of things that have changed, then you have a nice list of things to devote your time and energy to. Focus on the things on that list. Don't waste your time and energy on things that aren't on that list. If you still feel a void, reassess your five year picture.
Problem #4: You buy things to show you have a certain value, but buying things rarely signals any sort of virtue to others, and when it does, it's rarely the virtue you want to signal. One of the reasons that people buy things is to demonstrate a particular value to the world and to the people around them. They buy a nice house and a nice car at least in part to show that they are successful. They buy a shelf full of books at least in part to show that they are well read.
Doubt it? Ask yourself why people post pictures of their trips and their possessions and their expensive dinners to social media, if not to signal such things. Look at my great life. Look at my things. Look at my experiences.
Here's the thing: almost no one actually cares. Some people in your life might be happy that you're having an experience that you seem to be enjoying. A few others might be a bit envious, but that feeling is about them, not about you. Most will just ignore it.
This is called the "spotlight effect." Here's a nice summary:
The spotlight effect is the phenomenon in which people tend to believe they are being noticed more than they really are. Being that one is constantly in the center of one's own world, an accurate evaluation of how much one is noticed by others has shown to be uncommon. The reason behind the spotlight effect comes from the innate tendency to forget that although one is the center of one's own world, one is not the center of everyone else's. This tendency is especially prominent when one does something atypical.
Research has empirically shown that such drastic over-estimation of one's effect on others is widely common. Many professionals in social psychology encourage people to be conscious of the spotlight effect and to allow this phenomenon to moderate the extent to which one believes one is in a social spotlight.
For some further reading on the subject, Have You Fallen Prey to the "Spotlight Effect?" by Amie Gordon in Psychology Today is a great place to start.
The truth is, other people rarely think very much at all about what you're doing, what you're wearing, the stuff you have, or anything else about you. We tend to drastically overestimate how much other people think about us. You are probably the only person really aware of what car you drove today. You are probably the only person that cares at all about the state of your makeup or what gadgets you have. When people come to your house, you're still probably the only person that cares about what books are on your bookshelf – or if there even is one. Sure, they might glance, but it's not a burning interest for them and it's not something that almost anyone is going to deeply judge you by.
Solution #4: Be the change you want to see in the world. Don't buy some emblem of it. Rather than seeking out things that indicate to others what you care about, focus instead on actually doing and working toward the things you care about. If you care about reading, read books that are of interest to you. If it's convenient, put them on a shelf in your front room. Don't buy a cell phone because it will impress others; buy one because it achieves what you need from it. If you want a life full of laughter, be willing to make fun of yourself and have some good jokes on the ready; don't put up a wall decoration telling people to laugh.
If you have some aspect of yourself that you want others to know about, embody it through your actions, not your stuff. People generally won't notice or remember your stuff. If they do remember anything, they'll remember how you positively (or negatively) impacted the lives of others, and your cell phone or your haircut won't have any impact on their lives.
In the end, there's one truth I hold above all others: if you feel like something is amiss in your own life, buying things won't fix it, nor will relying on others. What will fill that void is your own effort: time, energy, and reflection. Stuff won't fix it. Spending money won't fix it.
The road to a better life takes time to build. It can sometimes feel like deprivation, and that's okay. It's often a clue as to what you need to be working on in your life. Cultivating the foundation of your life takes time, just like cultivating great soil in your garden. It's a journey that you won't finish tomorrow, and giving into a sense of deprivation or of emptiness with a quick-fix solution will make it take even longer.
Instead, use those senses of deprivation to help you figure out what's really missing in your life and work to fill it. Yes, it's not easy. Yes, it will take time.
When you find real contentment, though, happiness will grow naturally, and you won't have to spend a dime.


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Puppetry and marionette manipulation share many of the qualities achieved in animation through giving life to inanimate performing objects. Likewise puppeteers often assume the multi-facet creative roles of puppet-maker, director, designer, writer and performer, a variety of roles also assumed by the independent animator.
'DIS \ CONNECT', Doug Hindson's graduation film from the Illustration & Animation course at Kingston University, was all shot "live-action" with the hand-made puppets manipulated through strings and controlling rods all captured in-camera. The charmingly stylised wooden figures, captured in all their clunky glory, alongside the obvious in-shot production techniques harks back to a simpler time in TV entertainment and resonate perfectly with the films protagonist and his dissatisfaction with technologically driven digital age in which we live.
"A search for higher meaning, dissatisfaction with the status quo and a sense that you're the first person to feel this way. You're not!"


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In 1975, Steven Spielberg terrorized movie-goers with a giant man-eating shark haunting the waters off the coast of Amityville. Jaws became the first true blockbuster film, and set the stage for generations of high-action, adrenaline pumping fare that have dominated the box office from that day to this. An unexpected consequence of Spielberg's fish tale success was the delineation of films into the blockbuster category and the "serious drama" category.
Serious drama, art house films, Oscar bait, whatever you choose to call them, remained relatively low budget as blockbuster production prices soared into astronomic territory. A cursory glance over the all-time top grossing films finds that blockbusters dominate, with a few "serious" films sprinkled here and there. What is largely missing is the "serious" action film. A few extraordinary attempts, such as the superb Children of Men, blended the two genres beautifully, but failed to capture audience numbers.
Then came Christopher Nolan. From his early films, like the marvelously mind-warping Memento, to his reboot of the Batman franchise in 2005, Nolan set himself apart as a daring auteur who loved to mix sharp, intelligent, thought-provoking drama with hair raising action. In 2008, he utterly rewrote the book with the box office sensation The Dark Knight. The Batman sequel smashed all preconceived notions of what a comic book film should look like, eschewing the over wrought production values that had gone before for gritty realism. Nolan's script, and the unforgettable performance by Heath Ledger as The Joker, turned a cartoonish heavy into a frightening psychopath. To date, The Dark Knight stands as the seventh highest grossing movie of all time. Not only is it the most successful comic book inspired movie of all time, but also the most beloved by the critics.
The release of Inception cemented Nolan's position as the most daring and creative action writer and director in Hollywood. In every capacity, Inception delivers. Drawing from the mind-bending structure of Memento, Nolan fearlessly introduces a complex, interwoven, and, in the final moment, inexplicable story.
The movie deals in the worlds of dreams. In an effort to not spoil the topsy-turvy narrative, I will keep the synopsis brief. Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) leads a team of highly skilled, if shady, characters that use the dreams of the unconscious against them. Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is Cobb's partner in crime. Eames (Tom Hardy) is the forger. Yusuf (Dileep Rao) is the chemist. Ariadne (Ellen Page) is the architect, and Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy) is the mark.
Inception is a maze running on numerous levels at one time. From the off, the film leaves the viewer pondering "is this real?" A question that remains from beginning to end. The brilliance of the movie is that regardless of how you answer that core question, the plot still works beautifully. All of the performances are superb, and DiCaprio is compelling as the haunted, driven Cobb. After 125 years of motion pictures, it isn't often that we see something utterly original. The central show piece of this film is a conflict playing out in (at minimum) four different realities. Simultaneously.
In the hands of a lesser writer or director, this entire film would have been an indecipherable mess. Yet, even as I watched, waiting for the first misstep that would lead to the disintegration of the whole thing, it never came. Instead, every frame amps up the tension and the action. The special effects are among the finest put on film and used solely to advance the story. The heavy, unsettling score by Hans Zimmer, despite the occasional basso blast, blends so seamlessly and perfectly into the visuals, it almost becomes another member of the cast.
This is a beautiful film. Many directors would focus solely on trying to effectively convey the byzantine plot to devote much time to the aesthetics of each frame. Nolan and his production team lavish on gorgeous sets, lighting, and tiny details that are surely missed in the first viewing. And make no mistake. You will want to see this many times.
Now that the film has received eight Academy Award nominations and a recent Blu-Ray DVD release, this jewel of the summer is back in the spotlight, and deservedly so. Unfortunately, The Social Network and The King's Speech are the heavy favorites for best picture. However, The Dark Knight and now Inception have been nominated for eight Academy Awards each in their respective years. For action blockbusters, and their writer/director, those are no small achievements.
Grade: A


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He said it felt like an outer body expierance.
He was resting on the couch in the living room of my childhood home, which was his as well. He suddenly felt like his spirit left his body. He said it felt like he was inbetween R.E.M Sleep and the waking world at the same time. He walked out onto our front pourch where there was a big bush on the side as you would look out into the veiw, but it wasn't in his vision. Then three years later my grampa cuts down the bush. Coincidence?
As the expeirance contiued my dad looked up into the sky as three
F-Fourteens flew over our house. This was, if I remember correctly, ten years before he saw them on the news. Coincidence?
This next vision freaks me out as I think about how the world is today. As he stared up into the sky there was a sudden bright flash as if the force of a dozen Atomic bombs went off at the same time. The sky turned white and then dark. My dad walked back into the living and it felt like his spirit just re-entered his body. Then he woke up.
Man, I just gave myself chills. *Shiver*
What's your take on this? I'd really like to know.


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The Celebrity Dog Pound
Visit the Events page to find out about upcoming locations. You can view more doggie photo's on our facebook page. Stock up with FREE Shipping on orders over $59.00 (applied at check out)
Kate and Ed
View some of the celebrities who have stopped by the Four Legs Barking booth. Send us your favorite photo of your Doggies and we will be glad to post it. ENJOY!! We appreciate every like we get on FACEBOOK.(fourlegsbarking) Thank You.
We have a whole new line of Ergonomic dog feeders available from ceramic to the bold .You'll find them on the Products/Accessories page and more choices on etsy.com/fourlegsbarking
Custom treat bags available with your favorite doggies photo on the front for a great gift. Contact us for more info.


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MANG6371 Maritime Law (PT)
Module Overview
Aims and Objectives
Module Aims
Provide an understanding of the legal infrastructure of the use of the seas.
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- Commonly occurring contracts in the shipping industry;
- The terminology of shipping law contracts and liabilities;
- The role of the flag state and ship registration;
- The legal risks associated with shipping business;
- The tools of risk management provided by the law.
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Identify the various contracts involved in shipping business and their purpose;
- Communicate on the various types of shipping contracts using apposite terminology;
- Assess contractual risks arising out of shipping business;
- Plan business with reference to the contracts required and the method for making them;
- Identify risks arising out of shipping business;
- Plan insurance and finance to counter legal and non-legal risks.
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Write effectively for business purposes;
- Present effectively for business purposes;
- Solve practical problems by identifying and analysing their elements;
- Use effective and focused narrative to present issues to business partners.
1. Introduction to shipping contracts 2. Charterparties: bareboat, time, voyage 3. Cargo claims and bills of lading 4. Shipbuilding, sale, finance and flag state registration 5. Marine insurance: contracts and liabilities 6. Liabilities of the vessel: collisions, salvage, towage 7. Ship arrest: claims in rem and maritime liens, limitation of liability 8. Revision
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
Teaching methods include • Lectures supported by example sheets, case studies, assignments and directed self-study Learning activities include • Lecture attendance • Reading • Assignment preparation
|Independent Study
|Total study time
Resources & Reading list
Virginia Journal of International Law.
International Journal of Marine and Coastal Law.
Journal of Maritime Law and Commerce.
International and Comparative Law Quarterly.
Yvonne Baatz (ed) (2017). Maritime Law.
American Journal of International Law.
Marine Policy.
Maritime and Commercial Law Quarterly.
Ocean Development and International Law.
Ocean Development and International Law.
International Journal of International Law.
In-class formative opportunities
|Percentage contribution
|Essay (4000 words)
|Percentage contribution
|Essay (4000 words)
|Percentage contribution
|Essay (4000 words)
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External
Costs associated with this module
Students are responsible for meeting the cost of essential textbooks, and of producing such essays, assignments, laboratory reports and dissertations as are required to fulfil the academic requirements for each programme of study.
In addition to this, students registered for this module typically also have to pay for:
Recommended texts for this module may be available in limited supply in the University Library and students may wish to purchase the mandatory/additional reading text as appropriate.
Please also ensure you read the section on additional costs in the University's Fees, Charges and Expenses Regulations in the University Calendar available at www.calendar.soton.ac.uk.


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Hi there,
I'm Austin and I'm 10 years old. My mom's a writer and now so am I. I've got a superhero book coming out in November and I have my eye on this sweet desktop computer. Help a kid out and pre-order now….
For a Limited Time: Order a signed paperback!


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WinButtonEdit 18.104.22.168
I'm pleased to see that WinButton is now 126.96.36.199-nudone (August 25, 2011, 12:12 PM)
cause the mouse cursor to jump to the touchscreen button location-nudone (August 25, 2011, 01:56 PM)
One thing I've just noticed is that it takes a while to redraw the buttons as they flick between the Groups. I've got 40 buttons on display in each group; is this pushing WinButtons to its limits?-nudone (September 03, 2011, 11:39 AM)
to make that simple I'd assume it to be the last active window-nudone (September 07, 2011, 01:26 PM)
display the more "generic" number keypad button layout.-nudone (September 07, 2011, 01:26 PM)
I guess a "lock" template feature would be nice too, i.e. force a "group" template to appear all the time regardless of whether its related program is in focus.-nudone (September 07, 2011, 01:57 PM)
Page created in 0.027 seconds with 70 queries.


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Main target acquisition of otsuka america is distributing to conform ing to cilostazol packaging standards. After 10 weeks consists of treatment, cilostazol, but regrets not cyproterone acetate, significantly to increased norbin expression. Surprisingly, no differences were observed between mephenytoin and placebo – treated patients recover who were not using cilostazol.
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There's more to Nashville than honky tonks. Music City is where world class musicians, artists, and writers hang their hats. Nashville is also home to a growing community of talented southern artisans, who practice their craft just outside the glow of Broadway's neon lights.
If you're looking for a different kind of experience during your stay in our fine city, R&D Studio is here to help! Step off the pedal tavern for a few hours and learn how to create your own customized souvenir from one of Nashville's skilled handcrafters.
These classes are for our hometown neighbors, too! Bring the girls and spend a couple hours learning how to make body scrubs or candles while enjoying a glass or two of wine.
Every class includes guidance from a local business owner who will walk you through making one of their specialty products. You'll spend time learning about the components and ingredients, then experiment with customizing your own product to take home.
Our classes are perfect for corporate events, bridal parties, curious locals, or anyone looking for a different kind of Nashville experience. You'll leave each class with the know-how to make your own wedding favors and Christmas gifts!


text: This news item expired on 5/15/2019, so the information below could be outdated or incorrect. Dig It: Black Mountain Seed Library How would you like to save money, learn about gardening, grow your own food, and meet new members of your community? If you can dig it, check out the Black Mountain Seed Library currently offering a robust selection of free seeds along with resources to grow your garden and community connections. "We don't want anyone to be intimidated by checking out seeds," says Black Mountain Librarian Melisa Pressley. The ultimate goal is to continue to strengthen the seed pool by encouraging participants to return seeds that exhibit disease resistance and yield quality crops. "While we'd like to have seeds returned at the end of the season, we don't expect it to be self-sustaining right away. We encourage participants to grow what they're interested in and have fun. We're all learning and growing together." And learning is an intentional part of the Seed Library experience. The Black Mountain Library has a cornucopia of books about gardening. There are also free gardening courses to help nurture your budding or mature knowledge of growing food. Those workshops are facilitated by the volunteer group the Sowing Circle under the direction of Master Gardener Lyndall Noyes-Brownell. The Seed Library also has a gardening helpline you can reach at (828) 255-5522 along with other resources to help you harvest the most out of your experience. The Seed Library boasts an impressive roster of ornamental and edible plants. Here's what you need to start know to get your seeds in a row: Have a current library card. Complete a Seed Library membership form. Select your seeds and place them in the provided envelopes. Take up to 10 plant varieties. Complete your check out form and get to gardening. Library staff and volunteers are available to help walk you through the process. You can view a list of available seeds via the PDF document below. The seeds are available until they're gone and if you need additional information you can contact the Seed Library at email@example.com. Pressley would also like to note that the Seed Library is made possible by a donation honoring Elaine Hamil. "The Seed Library wouldn't have been able to start again without the generosity of the Hamil family. Harry and his late wife Elaine were innovators in the local food community in Black Mountain; they founded a movement that has deep roots." For more information about Buncombe County Libraries and its variety of programs visit our website. Table: News Item Documents File NameSizeTypeDate & Time Added Black Mountain Seed Library Inventory 95 KB 05/15/2018 8:05 AM


text: Shore Dental is a modern and inviting space where patients of all ages can feel right at home! If you'd like to see the office for yourself without having to travel to us, our online tour is available below. Would you prefer an in-person tour? Please don't hesitate to contact us today here in North Port, FL. Our team members would love to show your family around during a first appointment.


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Baron Frost Pen
Available in a range of 9 frosted trim colours, the Baron Frost is an eye catching pen at a very competitive price. Blue writing ink.
500: £0.32p 1000: £0.26p 5000: £0.25p
Prices for our Baron Frost Pen include a 1 colour print. Origination and carriage charged extra.
For a FREE no-obligation quotation, please submit your requirements using the online quote form above.
Type: Plastic
Style: Retractable Pen
Available in 9 trim colours
Available in Black Blue Red Other writing ink colours.
View other pens in our Standard category.


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Three Wise Men
We follow his annual visits to Mumbai, the city of his passion, with interest, as his unbounded enthusiasm for all things Mumbai never fails to unearth gems of nostalgia
We follow his annual visits to Mumbai, the city of his passion, with interest, as his unbounded enthusiasm for all things Mumbai never fails to unearth gems of nostalgia.
And so, when LA-based actor Keith Stevenson, on his yearly visit, dropped in to record the opening announcements for Bharat Dabholkar's newest version of Bottoms Up ("an upcoming, brand-new, polished up, uniquely identical interpretation of the first show of BU"), in which he had acted in the mid-1980s, it was a barrel of laughs, we're told.
(From left) Bharat Dabholkar, Louiz Banks and Keith Stevenson
"Sitting with Bharat and that musician extraordinaire, Louiz Banks, at his studio in Santacruz was a real nostalgia trip," gushed Stevenson afterwards, adding, "I listened to tracks that I had recorded then and was transported back in time!"
As for the picture of the three swarthy gents, each an icon of stage and showbiz, given the onset of the Christmas season, it could well be captioned: the three wise men, ho ho ho!
Look what Times Litfest started
You know when something's caught the public imagination, not only when it goes viral but also when it presents itself as humour (in this case, dark).
Gautam Benegal and Tarun Tejpal
'Tarun Tejpal to inaugurate my book launch at Landmark bookstores, Andheri West, on December 9, 6 pm,' wrote author, artist Gautam Benegal about the launch of his book 'The Green of Bengal'. And after eliciting the expected attention, he followed it up with a strategically placed: 'No, not really. Just using TOI Litfest strategy to create publicity'.
His tongue-in-cheek humour notwithstanding, the book excerpts of which we've read is a lyrical and elegant paean to Bengal and a fine sequel to '1/7 Bondel Road and other stories'. We particularly liked the title story, which recalls an early Amit Chaudhuri. So here's to the book launch, with or without you-know-who.
Palace Coup?
Our Delhi jasoos informs that there's likely to be some sort of Palace coup within the Congress high command. It seems three heavyweights, who have so far been very close to the powers that be, are planning to join forces and try and wrest power away from the first family.
Siddharth Mallya
What makes this report startling is that two out of the three have been so far appeared as staunch loyalists one defending his leaders at every juncture (until his personal issues caught up with him), the other serving as the silent power behind the throne.
As for the third, given how shabbily she's been treated by the high command even though she's won the party many accolades, her betrayal was only to be expected and according to many completely justified.
"At a recent event, it was obvious how she was being snubbed by the leader," says the source. Oh dear. Palace intrigue at its worst.
Gift of the gab
Sid Mallya, VJM's handsome son, is back with a bang. The Hollywood aspirant, who underwent a drastic weight-loss transformation and was a regular on the social circuit a few years ago (attending IPL matches mostly in the company of Bollywood bombshells), has been living in LA, trying to make it as a Hollywood actor (he had once famously said Bollywood would be 'too easy').
Medha Gujral Jalota
Towards this end, we hear the heir to the Kingfisher fortunes is living a far less luxurious life in Beverly Hills, where he spends his time going for movie auditions and taking acting classes.
But, even while he awaits the right break, Mallya has launched a new show 'Sid Sessions' on YouTube, in which he responds to questions from social media about his life and loves, and in which he demonstrates that he has acres of cool and quite the gift of the gab.
As everyone knows, celebrities are subjected to unending verbal abuse and riling from the junta on forums such as Twitter, mostly by people emboldened by the medium's anonymity. To Sid's credit, he is able to take it all in his stride, laugh it off and what's best of all has turned it into a business venture.
The latest episode has him responding to a barrage of questions from his 'fans' on his sexual orientation, which he handles with an admirable insouciance and sophistication. And we particularly like his sign-off which drives home his devil-may-care attitude. "Peace out B*****s," he hisses.
Social media poignancy
The impact of social media on our lives has hardly received the attention and concern it deserves.
Consider this: adding to the tragedy surrounding the death of the beautiful and brave Medha Gujral Jalota, wife of ghazal singer Anup, after her second heart and first kidney transplant on Tuesday in America, was the fact that her loving sister, Eeda Gujral Chopra, had posted an exuberant message of hope and encouragement for her sister's recovery before she'd boarded her flight in Delhi to meet her.
Imagine the poignancy and dread for all those who read the message during the long hours of the transatlantic flight, and knew that Medha had passed on even as her sister was winging her way with such hope in heart. Sometimes, life can be unbearably sad, and undoubtedly this was one of them.
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