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Online prediction methods are typically studied as serial algorithms running on a single processor. In this paper, we present the distributed mini-batch (DMB) framework, a method of converting a serial gradient-based online algorithm into a distributed algorithm, and prove an asymptotically optimal regret bound for smooth convex loss functions and stochastic examples. Our analysis explicitly takes into account communication latencies between computing nodes in a network. We also present robust variants, which are resilient to failures and node heterogeneity in an synchronous distributed environment. Our method can also be used for distributed stochastic optimization, attaining an asymptotically linear speedup. Finally, we empirically demonstrate the merits of our approach on large-scale online prediction problems.
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I've been having a desire to make a new website, but I haven't really been thinking about what I want from it. I took some time to brainstorm so ideas and broke it down into three things.
I want people to be able to read the site. I've had a couple scares where I thought something would happen to my vision. I want what I'm reading to be read by everyone.
Even if it's just me in the future.
Quick to Load
I want the page to load fast. I think I could break this into two smaller goals.
Reduce the number of calls to external libraries
Modern OSs have a lot of fairly good fonts and not every website need to have the entire library for css and/or javascript that you want. Although CDNs can help with that, I feel what I'm creating needs to make yet another http request for the end users.
Keep the syntax for the site to a minimum
I don't want to add extra code just for code sake. I want the person to get in and do what they want - which is read- and then move on.
I want people to be able to find out what I'm saying. It could be helpful for them. Maybe it's something technical or just a story that I choose to share.

subset: commoncrawl


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Chancen aus der Abwrackprämie nutzen
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In the past, there were very limited options as far as replacing missing teeth was concerned. All thanks to modern dentistry that has made lives easier. Dental implants is one of the techniques by modern dentistry that promises healthy smile and help in restoring patient's oral health as well. A dental implant is a synthetic tooth root in the shape of post that is surgically placed to the jawbone. The "root" is made of titanium. A replacement tooth is then fixed to the post. The tooth can either be permanently attached or removable.
We have been providing dental implants to our patients in the United States since several years. Our only objective is to make quality dental implant treatment available for every patient who is looking for a long-term solution to chronic oral health issues.
Individual Implants
For single missing or broken down teeth, our dentists will place an implant and top it with a crown.
Implant-Supported Bridges
This is done to replace two or more teeth in a row. Our dentists will place implants to support a dental bridge. They also place a series of implant-supported bridges to replace an entire arch of teeth.
Implant-Supported Fixed-In Dentures
Our dentists provide full-arch fixed-in new teeth with Teeth in One Day procedure. Implant-supported fixed-in new teeth offer nearly full chewing capability and functions just like natural teeth. The entire process can be completed in a single day and involves extractions.
Why You Might Need an Implant?
Your might need dental implants if you fit any of the following:
- You have one or more missing teeth owing to genetics, injury or gum disease.
- You have a dental bridge that needs to be replaced.
- To get rid of traditional dentures that slip, click or prevent you from eating your favorite food.
We understand that your smile matters and so does your oral health. We streamline our implant process so that the entire process is completed in fewer visits. We make sure that our services fit well to your schedule and your needs.
Contact us today to get an implant work that suits your needs and is entirely functional and natural-looking.


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Men's L.L.Bean ProStretch Fleece Jacket
Item #: XQ293889
Product Details
The fabric of our new men's ProStretch fleece jacket is four times more wind resistant – with supersoft brushed fleece that wicks away moisture for remarkable warmth and comfort.
Size & Fit
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- Chest pocket and two hand pockets.


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According to the Chinese, energy channels (or meridians) run in regular patterns throughout the body, and our overall well-being is dependent on a balanced and smooth flow of energy through these meridians. Deficiencies, blockages or imbalances in energy, blood or nervous impulses, may eventually lead to a decline in well-being or an assortment of illnesses. A variety of factors can disturb the flow of energy such as disease, stress, anxiety, fear, poor nutrition, infections or injury.
Acupuncture is the practice of piercing the body with thin, sterile needles at specific acupuncture sites throughout the body.
Inserting acupuncture needles in sites along these meridians can stimulate the nervous system and circulation, and re-establish a smooth and balanced flow through the meridians. The goal of acupuncture is to treat the whole person, restoring balance in the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of the individual.
Click Here to book with one of our skilled Physiotherapists.


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Capcom Files Darkstalkers Trademark
Back at last year's San Diego Comic Con, Capcom shocked fans by displaying a single, memorable image at the Street Fighter X Tekken panel.
The image boldly proclaimed that Darkstalkers, a beloved if cult 2D fighting game series, was in fact not dead. Not a single official word has been said about the image since that time, but we finally have another clue pointing to a new release.
Yesterday publisher Capcom filed a trademark for 'Darkstalkers'. While assuming that this means a new title is on the way is definitely jumping the gun, it is suspicious in conjunction with SDCC image. Series fans should officially cross their fingers, as the years of waiting for a new game may finally be over.


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Royal Wedding Guest List Revealed: Prince Harry And Meghan Markle Have Invited 2,640 People And It Includes 1,200 Members Of The Public
March 5, 2018
The upcoming royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle seems to be the most talked-over event for the past few months. So far we know it's scheduled for May 19. The event will be held at Kensington Palace. As to the dress, the bride will be wearing, it should be something special, but no one knows how it will look like yet.
READ ALSO: Did Michelle Obama Set Up Prince Harry And Meghan Markle? People Make Assumptions
However, one thing that we know so far is the guest list for the royal wedding. It's been revealed that it includes 1,200 members of the public and 2,640 on the whole. These 1,200 people will be nominated by regional Lord Lieutenant offices. What is more, 200 people will be from some charitable organizations, and there will also be 100 pupils from the Royal School, Great Park, Windsor and St George's School, Windsor Castle.


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MySharpCode 1.1
MySharpCode Details
ICT eBooks by Yeoh HSDeveloper :
1.1Version :
Windows 98/ME/NT/2000/XP Platform :
0.4 MbFile Size :
Free to try; $24.95 to buy License :
April 28, 2006 Date Added :
MySharpCode screenshotScreenshot :
Rating :
Keywords : sqlite, c#, c sharp, gui, visual, database, embedded. .net, ado, data provider
MySharpCode ReviewLearn how to use C# with ADO.NET Data Provider for SQLite to create a program that keeps a database of C# code snippets. The SQLite database included with the free program contains C# programming tips and techniques.
The registered version contains the step-by-step full example commented source codes for a complete Visual C# program that shows you how to create your own C# program and use an ADO.NET Data Provider to access SQLite databases.
Write your review
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THE DRIVE with Alan Taylor puts you in the driver's seat for a unique, fast paced look at today's automotive industry. Your pedal-to-the-metal, three-hour thrill ride devoted to the latest car news and test-drive results; how-to tips; auto show coverage; industry expert insights and behind the scenes action; as well as exclusive interviews with executives, athletes, celebrities and prominent newsmakers from around the world.
Find out what it's like to jump behind the wheel for a test drive of the Jag F-TYPE on one of Spain's most challenging stretches of hair pin winding roads. Go with Alan to Iceland for a zip around a track in subzero weather. Sit with some of the most powerful car execs, celebrities and car guys around to find out "What Drives You?"
THE DRIVE with Alan Taylor is also your source for fast paced news and insights from NASCAR, IMCA and ASA Sprint Car and Truck Racing, including Super Stock, Street Stock, Super Dirt, Modified and Late Model Racing. Get trackside insights and behind the scenes info from industry leaders, drivers, designers, crews and legendary racing figures. Listen in on chats with auto buffs and collectors like Jay Leno, Tim Allen, Mario Andretti, Ali Afshar, Micky Jones, Jesse James, Rich Evans, Billy Gibbons and thousands more.
Award winning host, Alan Taylor, is a 30-year broadcast veteran and a true automobile aficionado. For years, Alan has been a featured automotive expert to millions on ABC's Live with Kelly & Michael, CBS, CNN, FOX, NBC, the SPEED Channel and others.
Alan brings you his expertise on many car and truck related topics with Nationally Syndicated Radio, Podcast archive, videos and blog every week.
POPULAR TECHNOLOGY RADIO – provides you with the most authoritative insight and information on today's emerging technologies and products in a fast paced and entertaining one-hour weekly show.
Your weekly host Mike Etchart brings you a wide array of topics the latest news and information in home and hand-held technology, music, photography, entertainment, gaming and more. Get expert advice on stereo components, home recording equipment, smart phones, e-readers, digital imaging, dashboard apps, innovations, social networks, industry buzz, rumors and the cold hard facts.
Travel with us from our studio in downtown Los Angeles to national events and Music, Photo and Tech Industry trade shows. POP TECH RADIO helps you make sense of the barrage of choices available in the marketplace. Whether you need a new television, game console, camera or smart phone; or even if you just want the latest game or app to add to your device, Pop Tech Radio provides you with vital, comprehensive advice from leading experts.
For four decades, Entrepreneur has been the definitive guide to the diverse challenges of business ownership. Now, the collective voice of entrepreneurship around the world presents: Entrepreneur Weekly, hosted by award-winning broadcast professional, Alan Taylor. Connecting millions of business owners around the globe, Entrepreneur Weekly celebrates the ideas and innovations which impact us all.
Listeners will enjoy strategic guidance on the highly-varied facets of business management including marketing, new technology advances, finances, and more. Broadcast twice weekly on Saturday and Sunday, Entrepreneur Weekly equips fans with the critical information necessary to grow their business through practical advice and thought-provoking interviews. It's time to elevate your brand's influence, discover new growth opportunities, and sharpen your business skills – Entrepreneur Weekly is on the air!


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Frontier Airlines in January made big progress in improving its on-time arrival rates after trailing the pack last year. The carrier also logged fewer consumer complaints compared with December.
About 85.1 percent of the Denver-based ultra-low-cost carrier's flights arrived on time in January, up more than 10 percentage points from the 75 percent recorded in December, according to U.S. Department of Transportation data released Monday.
That rate placed Frontier No. 4 among U.S. carriers. Hawaii Airlines had the highest rate of on-time arrivals, at 91.7 percent, followed by Alaska Airlines, at 87 percent, and Delta Airlines, at 85.2 percent. The 12 reporting U.S. carriers averaged an 81.3 percent on-time rate.
Flights are considered late if they arrive more than 14 minutes past schedule.
Frontier's cancellation rate was among the lowest, at 1.1 percent of its 7,099 scheduled flights in January.
During Frontier's bumpy transition to becoming an ultra-low-cost carrier, the airline averaged an on-time performance of 73.2 percent for 2015, ranking it second-to-last among 13 reporting airlines. (American Airlines and US Airways merged in the middle of last year, taking the total number of reporting airlines to 12.)
Among airports, Denver International Airport in January had one of the highest on-time performance rates, at 87.2 percent. Frontier, Alaska and hub airlines Southwest and United all arrived on-time at DIA more than 87 percent of the time.
The tame Colorado winter probably helped, said DIA spokesman Heath Montgomery.
"When we don't have adverse weather, the airlines are able to operate more effectively," he said. "The airlines are responsible for managing their schedules, but the airport does a great job of keeping the facility open to make it as easy as possible for the airlines to operate."
The Department of Transportation also tracks consumer complaints in categories such as cancellations, oversales, lost baggage, misleading advertising and overcharges.
Frontier's complaint rate fell to 4.06 per 100,000 boardings in January from a rate of 5.09 per 100,000 boardings in December. In January 2015, Frontier's complaint rate of 8.61 per 100,000 boardings was the highest among reporting airlines.
Only fellow ultra-low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines had a higher complaint rate in January, with 12.03 per 100,000 boardings.
United, Denver's largest carrier, had a complaint rate of 3.6 per 100,000 boardings, compared with 3.17 in January 2015. Southwest had 0.58 per 100,000, compared with 0.61 in January 2015.
"There's been a companywide focus, across all departments, on on-time departures and also resolving customer issues," said Frontier spokesman Jim Faulkner. "We still have a daily morning meeting that looks at complaints that have come into the company, where we see trends, and we address those quickly. We have procedures to mitigate what we see as trends."
Alicia Wallace: 303-954-1939, email@example.com or @aliciawallace
U.s. airline on-time arrival rates in january
Hawaiian Airlines91.7%Alaska Airlines87%Delta Airlines85.2%Frontier Airlines85.1%Southwest Airlines83.8%United Airlines82.5%ExpressJet Airlines81.2%American Airlines79.8%Skywest Airlines77.6%Virgin America74.5%JetBlue Airways69.4%Spirit Airlines68.1%
Source: U.S. Dept. of Transportation


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Anvil EPS: Meeting the ever changing industry standards through quality and innovation.
Date: January 10, 2020
MegaWatt will be at booth 304 at AUGMUG
Date: October 4, 2019
National Manufacturing Day 2019
Today is National Manufacturing Day. Manufacturing supports good-paying jobs, drives innovation, and fosters economic growth. We must support keep supporting this vital sector of our economy. #MFGDay19 pic.twitter.com/3bHnetKvoW— Jim Langevin (@JimLangevin) October 4, 2019
Date: August 28, 2019
Anvil International to merge with Smith-Cooper
It's official! Today we announced the completion of our merger with Smith-Cooper International. Full Press Release: https://t.co/9FYBwtZYHa#buildingconnectionsthatlast #pipingsystems #pvf #smithcooperinternational #anvilinternational pic.twitter.com/TExLMec08n— Anvil International (@ANVILIntl) May 29, 2019
Full article can be read here: click here
Date: May 16, 2018
Anvil awarded 2017 Large Business Supplier of the Year from Bechtel
ICYMI: Our Engineered Pipe Support division (Anvil EPS) was recognized with a supplier award from Bechtel Corporation. https://t.co/YLnw8laNr2— Anvil International (@ANVILIntl) May 24, 2018
Date: October 2, 2014
New Upthrust Constant sizes available
Anvil EPS expands its line of upthrust constant supports. Read more here.


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Tag Archives: Governmental Relations Law
Your Skin Is A Canvas: Tattoo Parlors and the First Amendment
Earlier this year, I wrote about a unique land use issue and some very specific First Amendment free speech implications related to the regulation of charitable donation bins (The Right to Blight – Charitable Donation Bins, Freedom of Speech, and … Read Full Post
2019 Amendments to Florida's Riparian Rights Rules (otherwise known as Chapter 18-21, F.A.C.)
Waterfront property is something that has attracted millions of residents to Florida over the years. Whether it be a single-family home, a large homeowners association, a vibrant condo association or a busy commercial marina, the right to utilize the water … Read Full Post
House Bill No. 7103 – Affordable Housing, Development Review & Impact Fees, Oh My!
During the 2019 legislative session, State Representative Jason Fischer introduced and sponsored House Bill No. 7103. The proposed bill contained language that amended various state statutes, all dealing with development in Florida. On June 28, 2019, Governor Ron DeSantis signed … Read Full Post
The Public Procurement And Bidding Process In Florida
For many companies, the award of a single public contract can help cement long-lasting relationships that may result in years of continuing business. Therefore, it is important for companies of all sizes to know and understand the requirements and bidding … Read Full Post
Florida 2019 Legislative Update For Local Governments: Permit Fee Transparency
Over the past few years each legislative session in Florida seems to generate new laws that impose various requirements on local governments. Some are labeled "unfunded mandates" and others are described as an assault on "home rule". But as bad … Read Full Post
The Permitting And Pitfalls Of Coastal Armoring In Florida
According to NOAA, Florida has over 8,400 hundred miles of coastline. That is second only to Alaska. Since 2000, 79 tropical or subtropical storms have impacted the state of Florida. Many of us cringe when we hear the names Floyd, … Read Full Post
Challenging Quasi-Judicial Decisions Of A Local Government
If you own operate a business, rent to commercial tenants, develop real estate or even just own a parcel containing a single-family home, chances are, you are going to have to seek some sort of regulatory approval from a local … Read Full Post


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Cthulu started a topic Come join us on Discordin Off - Topic
Come join us on DiscordThe more the merrier!
Call chatIn top during war could there be a caller-chat so that call always is visible and members can chat freely as they please in current EC?
Wonderfrog started a topic Empire Chat Issues
Empire Chat IssuesI am having problems with empire chat, it only shows what i say but not what anyone else is saying. If there is a war on, I can go to the war chat through...
Cthulu started a topic TOS: Communication/Forum Posts/Threads/Chatin Off - Topic
TOS: Communication/Forum Posts/Threads/ChatI think this is the last one I thought was interesting. The terms of service aren't prohibitively long but are restrictively boring to me as a casual...
DowN4MinE started a topic Question regarding in game chat
Question regarding in game chatI was wondering if somebody could tell me why it is that my game freezes up every time I enter empire/war/world chat and if so, is there anything I can...
Allexx started a topic World Chat / PM - Crashing
World Chat / PM - CrashingIs everyone else getting this problem? I no I am and a few people in our empire are too, Basically when you click World Chat the game closes same goes...
Cumiskey started a topic World chat
World chatI'm fairly new to the game as I gave only been playing about a month, but I think the fact that you have to pay (use tokens) to talk in world chat is...
Robbie started a topic Scammer Alert!
Scammer Alert!Came across this guy in world chat, Quite a few people falling for his gimmick. Make sure you're not one of them!
(He's referring to in game money...
jenni started a topic Privacy / Facebook etc.
Privacy / Facebook etc.Two questions, sorry for the bother >.<
1) Is it possible to put in a block feature so I can block private chats from certain people?...
shewolf started a topic chat message cut short issue
chat message cut short issueI have noticed when sending chat messages very often the last word/words get cut off. The solve I came up with is pressing the space bar a few times and...


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Pandora Rose Tiara Wishbone Stud Earrings
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Express your regal nature with these Pandora Rose stud earrings, crafted from a unique blend of metals. Featuring round brilliant-cut stones and polished metal, these earrings combine the wishbone shape and the tiara look. Available in-store and online.
Pandora Rose
Cubic Zirconia
Product type
Depth: 1.9mm Height: 5.5mm Width: 7.7mm
Gift-giving made easy
Include a personalised message for your loved one at the checkout and add a gift bag for a special touch.
Free Standard Delivery on all orders over $120
Slight delays expected. View shipping options and estimated delivery times here.
Free and Easy Returns
Pandora Rose Tiara Wishbone Stud Earrings is rated out of 5 by 13.
Rated 5 out of 5 by SonnyCher from Perfect for a princess I bought this for my 7yr old daughter for her birthday and she loves them. She says that they are her Princess Crown earrings.
Date published: 2020-08-19
Rated 5 out of 5 by Yantoine from Love it!! So cute and perfect for a gift. I got it for a gift and she loved it.
Date published: 2020-04-07
Rated 5 out of 5 by Anonymous from Very pretty Very pretty ear rings. Perfect for my teenage niece
Date published: 2020-09-25
Rated 5 out of 5 by Anonymous from Loved the size just right I brought them for my niece it was her birthday last month she's enjoying them
Date published: 2020-08-18
Rated 4 out of 5 by Samantha 2237 from Great size I love them perfect for an everyday stud great size and color
Date published: 2020-05-03
Rated 5 out of 5 by Jeannie from Beautiful earrings Yes it's for my granddaughters birthday and you where very quick with delivery
Date published: 2020-04-27
Rated 5 out of 5 by FatCat from So so cute I got these for my 10 year old granddarling for her milestone birthday. She loved them; especially when I told her they were miniature tiaras!
Date published: 2020-04-06
Rated 5 out of 5 by Anita Hsu from Good experience As usual, the Pandora product keeps its high quality. I bought earrings for my new ear holes. As my ear holes are still very sensitive, I decided to buy from a reliable brand. The result is good. No any bad conditions. Highly recommend this elegant item.
Date published: 2020-03-18
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A man has been jailed for 20 months after a Boxing Day raid on a perfume shop in Huddersfield's Kingsgate Centre.
David Allen, 44, of Fernside Avenue, Almondbury, claimed he got the keys and alarm code from a relative and broke into The Perfume Shop stealing £9,000 cash from a safe. He then re-set the alarm and left.
Allen admitted burglary and handling stolen property when he appeared before Leeds Crown Court.
The court was told how Allen was implicated by his son Dominic, who had been quizzed over a separate burglary.
Dale Brook, prosecuting, told how a woman who was disturbed during the night looked out and saw her car being driven away by a burglar.
The victim who was in the house in Grenoside View, Highburton, with her husband and two children was woken by a car door shutting at around 3am.
She got up to investigate and saw her £6,000 Vauxhall Corsa had been moved further down the street and a man getting into it. She opened the window and shouted "Oi" but the vehicle drove off.
Her husband then discovered the burglary downstairs in which the television and other electrical items in addition to her handbag had been stolen.
Mr Brook said a mobile phone was also taken and calls were made on it soon after the raid to people associated with the burglar Dominic Allen.
He subsequently implicated his father David who admitted handling some of the other stolen property. At the time he was on bail for the shop raid.
Dominic Allen, 20, of Earls Avenue, Dalton, admitted burglary, possession of cannabis and an earlier common assault and was sent to a young offender institution for two years.
Mr Brook said David Allen had gone to The Perfume Shop and using a key code had deactivated the alarm and used keys to get into the safe.
He told the court Allen's sister Samantha was the store manager and he had spent the night at her home after getting drunk on Christmas Day.
He subsequently claimed she had provided the information and keys for the burglary which she denied and had not been charged.
Michael Sisson-Pell, representing David Allen, said he was a habitual drug user and on Christmas Day had too much to drink and went along with the idea of the burglary. He maintained he had shared the money with his sister and had offered to help police with a statement to that effect.
Since his remand in custody he had managed to become drug free and things looked more positive for the future.
Charles Blatchford, for Dominic Allen, said he had been exposed to drugs at a "tender age and now wanted to turn his life around."


text: syed_afraz_ali Report post Posted July 25, 2014 Hi I have downloaded the trial version of Fusion Charts and I want to use it with ASP.Net MVC. In the documentation everywhere it says that I can use the FusionCharts.dll file (contained in Download Package > Code > CS > Bin folder) but my download does not contain the Code folder. It only contains the Assets, JS and License folders. Did I miss something or is the documentation not updated? Also kindly point me to any documentation of consuming Fusion Charts in ASP.Net MVC if there are any. Regards, Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


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Colio Estate Winery Hosts The 14th Annual Festival of Ice
February 8, 2014 @ 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm$5
On February 8th, the Colio Winery will host the 14th annual Festival of Ice. Taking place at the winery, the event will go from approximately 12 noon to 5pm in the evening.
Canned or boxed donations accepted as charitable element for fun family event.


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Uncorking a good bottle of Chianti and sharing it with friends during a dinner, having a nice chat around a table – possibly outdoor, weather permitting! – is a wonderful tasting and social experience that many of our readers have experienced..
But have you ever thought of reusing the cork of that bottle? Here are some tips for a creative experience of Chianti!
If you have friends over dinner, for example it may happen that, especially at a certain point of the night, you do not know exactly which glass is whose. A cute and a little bit chic idea would be to use the cork to create little charms to hang around the stem of a wine glass, as Camilla Fabbri proposes. Just cut the cork in disks and impress on these the first initial with a beautiful magenta!
Another glam suggestion to decorate your table is to use wine corks to make a centerpiece-candleholder: insert in a transparent cylinder a beautiful candle, this also inserted in a jar, you can easily found it, and fill the space between the two cylinders with your corks – in the meantime you must have had a many dinners! – and you will have a special decorative object and a warming light!
If you really want to make a good impression over your guest, you can also make a cool trivet for your hot pots! Also in this case the crafting is quite easy: just buy a large pipe clamp (ask your hardware!), and fill the circle with corks and then screwed the clamp closed really tightly
And if there is still have some extra wine corks (that it means you are drinking a lot!).. you can create a fancy place holder for your guests!
And now, just prepare a nice dinner – or drop by the deli, defrost grandma's lasagne, depending on your talent – and above all.. choose a good bottle of Chianti and share it with your friends!


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Amazing build a giant dinosaur model, with the ability to build the dino inside out to reveal not only the dinosaur body but also its inner skeleton and bones !
An amazing reversible giant dinosaur model for kids and adults alike!
Build from 33 cardboard pieces easily and with a lot of fun involved !
Learn all about your T Rex, inside and out, with information about the dinosaur' internal workings including the name of some of the different bones.
Age 7- 107!
Contents: 33 x card pieces, 1 x activity sheet.
Made from recycled paper and cardboard
Product size: Width 71cm, Height 35cm, Depth 15cm
Packaging size: Width 26cm, Height 37.5cm, Depth 2cm
Although we hold the vast majority of items in stock, it is not always possible to hold every item in stock all of the time. If any item you are wishing to purchase is out of stock, we will contact you as soon as possible via email or telephone with an estimated date for delivery. We endeavour to excel in customer service and are happy to cancel or amend any order should the products not be available within your preferred time frame.
Coroanavirus : Please note, during these uncertain times, delivery may take a little longer than usual - if you are unsure, please call us on 01548 856779 and we will do our best to help you get your parcel when you want it.
FREE standard delivery on many smaller items to UK addresses and we always offer FREE standard delivery for all UK mainland orders over £50.00*
EXPRESS NEXT DAY delivery to UK Mainland addresses is available on many items for just £6.95, so long as you place your order before 2pm for next day delivery.
STANDARD delivery to UK Mainland address starts at just £2.95 for small parcels and £4.95 for larger parcels.
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When reading instructions on how to put your corset on correctly, many instructions go something like this:
"Untie the knot at center back and loosen the corset to its fullest capacity, without undoing the knot"
..? But, uh, I'm sorry, which knot am I not supposed to undo?
Sounds confusing, right? Well, it needn't be.
When the corset is fully laced in its package and you take it out, this is the knot or bow that we are asking you to unfasten:
And then, the knot that we are asking you not to undo, is this one here at the very bottom of the 2 back panels, which you will be able to see when you unclasp and open your corset:
You absolutely have to untie the bow at center back, otherwise no matter how svelte you are, you will never be able to wrap your corset around your waist and as for the knot at the very bottom of the 2 back panels (see 2nd picture), we recommend leaving it fastened to avoid having the corset's lacing unravel.
Stay laced, corset lovers! x
Leave a Reply.
Wife, mother workaholic & entrepreneur. I do my best to bring you regular content via this blog, but as you can see from my archives, it doesn't always work out that way (see above, where I mention the whole "mother" thing).
February 2016


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Welcome to Diss and District Bowls Club
The Diss & District Bowls Club is situated in the market town of Diss, on the Norfolk/Suffolk border, within the Waveney Valley.
Due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) Club Closure effective 18/3/20 until further notice
After careful consideration of all the issues and current Government advice, it is with great regret that a decision has been made to suspend all activities and close the club with immediate effect. This mirrors the action taken by other clubs in Norfolk and the Norfolk County Bowling Association. This decision has not been made lightly but the Committee believes that this is in the best interests of all of our members given the current situation.
E.mail: email@example.com
Diss and District Bowls Club Limited,
Company number 10138561
Registered address:
Denmark Street, Diss, United Kingdom, IP22 4BE
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So just who is this Mysterio guy in "Spider-Man: Far From Home"? Let's go the Sacred Texts of the Nerd Canon to find out!
Mysterio first appeared in "Amazing Spider-Man" in 1964, in the 13th issue. That proved to be anything but unlucky, as that was the launch of a long career for the master of illusions.
The issue opened with Spider-Man committing crimes, which kept Peter Parker up at nights, since he knew he didn't do them. Or did he? He'd only had his spider-powers for a year or so in comic book time, and what did he really know about them? Maybe a side effect was somnambulist bank robbing!
Naturally, Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson was as happy as a pig in mud, printing lots of gleeful "I told you so!" stories. Adding to this plot stew was the appearance in the Bugle offices of a fellow who claimed he could bring Spider-Man to justice. His name was right in the title: "The Menace of … Mysterio!"
And no finer example of Spider-artist/co-creator Steve Ditko's wondrous weirdness could be found than Mysterio's bonkers ensemble. He appeared to be wearing dark green, fishnet Spandex head to toe, with a huge purple cape that was attached by clasps that looked like giant eyes. His light green gloves and boots were adorned with arcane symbols and horns, and he was constantly obscured by a flowing mist. And, the topper, literally: He wore a translucent globe on his head, which only allowed the shadow of his face to be seen.
It was sublimely surreal. And bless Kevin Feige, because the costume has transitioned into the movies largely unchanged.
Back to "Amazing Spider-Man" #13: "I am Mysterio!" he announces to Jameson and crew, selling the heck out of that outfit with a dramatic entrance. "If you wish to end the menace of Spider-Man, follow the instructions in this envelope. … Remember, although Spider-Man has great powers, the power of Mysterio is even greater!"
Well! There are no flies on Jameson, who prints Mysterio's challenge straightaway, leading to a fight between Mysterio and the wall-crawler atop the majestic Brookyn Bridge. Which Spider-Man loses! Mysterio seems to have a counter for every one of Spidey's tricks, from acid that dissolves webbing to a spider-sense-jamming sonar. The ecstatic Jameson gives Mysterio still more positive publicity, and the man in the fishbowl hat even gets a parade thrown in his honor.
But there are no flies on Spider-Man, either, who figures out that Mysterio's "powers" are just tricks, and secretly plants a "spider tracer" on that big, purple cape (yes, they had tracking devices in 1964). Ambushing Mysterio, Spider-Man defeats him and gets him to spill that he did, in fact, impersonate Spider-Man and framed him by committing crimes. Spidey caught it all on a tape recorder (yes, they had those, too, in 1964), and Mysterio is arrested.
Jameson has egg on his face. Spidey even shows up at his office to rub his nose in it, and web the irascible publisher to his own ceiling. I swear, JJJ may be the true star of those early issues. He was certainly the most interesting character!
Mysterio reappears for some more "firsts" in Stan Lee's run as writer on "Amazing Spider-Man," that are important in Spider-history. For example, he was part of the first Spider-Man supervillain team-up in the first "Amazing Spider-Man Annual," the Sinister Six (Dr. Octopus, Electro, Kraven the Hunter, Mysterio, Sandman and The Vulture). He also managed to trick Spider-Man into thinking he was going crazy in 1965, and that he had been shrunk to six inches in 1968. These are significant not only as terrific early tales of the web-spinner, but because Mysterio would re-use these tricks in subsequent outings — and all good Spider-philes should know their origins!
And while some consider Mysterio a B-list villain — including, at one point, Mysterio himself — the facts would indicate otherwise. Sure, his "magic powers" are phony (he is a former Hollywood stunt man and special effects wizard). And yeah, Stan Lee didn't even bother to give him a civilian name (later writers christened him Quentin Beck).
But consider the implications of his many attacks on Spider-Man, which imply vast knowledge and sophistication as a physical combatant, actor, mechanical engineer, inventor and hypnotist. He displays facility with chemistry (especially hallucinogens), dimensional physics, applied psychiatry and robotics. As later stories began to fill in the blanks on Quentin Beck, we learned that he is a Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate, and therefore no dummy.
For example, when he discovers the parallel Earth that was the setting for Marvel's Ultimate line of comics, Beck creates a Mysterio android and sends it, somehow, from "our" dimension (616) to that one (1610) in order to create a crime empire. The heroes of that world are unaware that their foe isn't human for two years.
In his first foray with the Sinister Six, he creates robots of three 1964 X-Men whose Cyclops is almost as powerful as the real thing. In a 1965 team-up with a supervillain named The Wizard, Beck creates a giant, fireproof ape robot that almost kills the Human Torch. In more recent years he creates a robot "daughter" who thinks she was the real thing — all of this before he dies the first time.
Oh, right, I forgot to mention that Mysterio's been dead a few times. In fact, he is currently singing in the choir invisible. Don't worry — this being comics, death never sticks. But this is one character whose deaths, no matter how convincing, could plausibly be fake. With Mysterio, you never know what's real and what isn't.
He is also shockingly ruthless. Some of his schemes are as appalling as they are clever.
For example, in 1979 he convinces Peter Parker that his Aunt May is dead. It's all part of an elaborate scheme that's not worth recounting, and honestly, the old biddy's been on death's door since, like, forever. But still, that's just cold.
In "Webspinners: Tales of Spider-Man" #1-3 (1999), Beck convinces J. Jonah Jameson that the publisher is dead and in Hell. He uses an old movie studio to create the infernal environment, which includes Spider-Man imps who JJJ thought were going to torture him through eternity.
OK, that's brilliant. Despicable, but brilliant.
In 2009 his Ultimate Mysterio android murders Earth-1610's Kingpin by throwing him through a window, in order to facilitate taking over the New York underworld. And when Beck finds out who that world's Spider-Man is in his civilian identity, he sends a Spider-Slayer robot to his high school to kill him — not only coldly planning the murder of a teenager, but endangering hundreds of others.
Then there's the famous "Guardian Devil" story, written by movie director Kevin Smith ("Chasing Amy," "Clerks").
In that 1998 story, Beck is diagnosed with lung cancer and a brain tumor, thanks to breathing in his own hallucinogens and Mysterio's signature fog for so many years. Thinking himself a failure after so many beatings at the hands of Spider-Man, Beck decides to shuffle off the mortal coil with at least one big win — by driving a superhero crazy enough to kill him before he dies anyway.
This scheme may be Mysterio's boldest, finest and most elaborate scheme. It is also the most cold-blooded.
The hero Mysterio chooses is Daredevil, because Beck had become depressed and thought a B-list villain like himself should be killed by what he considered a B-list superhero. The real reason, probably, is that Kevin Smith was writing "Daredevil" and not "Amazing Spider-Man."
Anyway, Beck pays the Kingpin for Daredevil's secret identity and learns the nature of his powers, and of his deeply ingrained Catholicism. Then, through the use of drugs and hypnosis, gradually convinces DD over time that a baby has been born via virgin birth — and is the Antichrist. The slowly-driven-mad Daredevil is being coerced into murdering a baby.
Well, that doesn't happen. And Daredevil isn't driven to kill Beck, either. (When his scheme fails, Beck shoots himself in the head. Maybe.) But Mysterio convinces DD's girlfriend Karen Page that she has AIDS, and then has his hireling Bullseye kill her with one of Daredevil's own billy clubs.
Yeah, that's just downright evil. So maybe Mysterio is, by some standards, an also-ran. But his villainy is definitely top drawer.
Find Captain Comics by email (email@example.com), on his website (captaincomics.ning.com), on Facebook (Captain Comics Round Table) or on Twitter (@CaptainComics).


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To register for the exam you need to fill a profile and to send it to our mail ( ) .
More details : our phone
According to the new rules HSK candidates for the examination need to determine in advance what level they claim to. Registration takes place on the official resource www.chinesetest.cn, there you can take as well a simulation exam.
To prepare for the exam you can also use the following materials:
level 1level 2 level 3 level 4 level 5 level 6


text: Setting a custom white balance on the E1 is really easy, but its automatic white balance has been so good that I've hardly ever bothered. While photographing birds the other day with the E1 and Sigma 55-200mm lens, however, I noticed screwed up colours on a few photos. (The bird is a Noisy Miner, Manorina melanocephala.)


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Chairman Stephen Perry,
Professor Martin Albrow,
Chairman Geng Jinhai,
My Lords and MPs,
Ladies and Gentlemen:
A very warm welcome to all of you!
It is a real pleasure to have so many friends with us today to mark the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening up, and to look forward to a new journey where China joins hand with the rest of the world to march forward.
Please allow me to take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks to people from all walks of life who have supported China's cause of reform and opening up and committed themselves to enhancing friendly cooperation between China and the UK!
Forty years ago, Deng Xiaoming initiated China's reform and opening up. The third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China held in December 1978 marked the beginning of this historic journey.
These 40 years have been a glorious chapter in the history of China. It is written with the pioneering, relentless and united efforts and unswerving dedication of the Chinese people.
The past 40 years have many lessons for us. I think the following four lessons are most valuable.
The first thing we have learnt is that fortune favours the brave and hard working.
No pain, no gain. The people of China have made persistent and painful efforts over the past 40 years.
As a result of these efforts, poverty is being gradually replaced by moderate prosperity, per capita disposable income has risen by 22.8 times, and 740 million people have been lifted out of poverty.
Today we have with us a seamstress of the Miao ethnic group from the remote mountainous areas of Guizhou Province. She is a best illustration of China's achievements in poverty reduction and improvement of people's life. She and her fellow seamstresses have not only said goodbye to poverty but also traveled all the way form their remote mountain home to show the world the charm of China's ethnic culture.
As a result of the persistent efforts, China's GDP has been growing at an average annual rate of 9.5% and increasing by 33.5 times. It now stands at $12 trillion.
As a result of these efforts, China now accounts for 15% of the world GDP, compared to 2% forty years ago. It is the world's second largest economy, biggest industrial country and largest trader in goods with the biggest foreign exchange reserve.
These achievements are not a handout from others. They are the results of 40 years of hard efforts by the Chinese people. Therefore, when we assess the achievements of reform and opening up, we must not only look at how much the Chinese people have gained. It is also important to recognise the hard efforts they have made.
The second lesson is that we must follow the trend of the times and keep reforming the old and embracing the new.
Reform and innovation are the fundamental forces driving human society forward.
In the past 40 years, we have liberated our minds and sought truth from facts. Liberation of the mind has led to reform and opening up, and the reform and opening up has in turn further emancipated the mind. This has been a mutually reinforcing interaction between innovative ideas and trials and errors. In the process, the enthusiasm, initiative and creativeness of individuals have been greatly stimulated.
In the past 40 years, with undaunted courage and responsibility for self-perfection, we have kept improving socialism with Chinese characteristics and removing institutional and systemic obstacles hindering our development. These 40 years have seen China catching up and joining those in the forefront of the times.
So, when we observe China's reform and opening up, we must see it as the success of mutually reinforcing visionary ideas and concrete actions.
The third lesson is, to borrow a Chinese motto, "The ocean is vast because it admits all rivers".
Openness brings progress and isolation leads to backwardness.
In the past 40 years, China emphasized independent development as well as open and win-win cooperation. From establishing the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone to acceding to the WTO, from opening the coastal and border areas to developing the western inland region, from setting up pilot free trade zones to building the Belt and Road, China has taken a brave step into the world market.
In the past 40 years, China has welcomed foreign businesses with open arms and vigorously explored access to the world. We have enhanced mutual learning and connectivity with other countries in the world in an open and inclusive attitude. The once closed and semi-closed country became one that opens up on all fronts.
When we look at China's opening up, we must not only see it as a wise decision for China's economic development. It is also important to recognise China's inclusive attitude towards the civilisations of other nations and countries.
Let me quote Confucius to explain the fourth lesson we have learned from reform and opening up. That is, "To establish ourselves, we should help others establish themselves and deliver benefits to the whole world".
Reform and opening up is a great journey. On this journey, China and the rest of the world have achieved progress hand in hand.
In the past 40 years, China has always shouldered its responsibility as a big country.
In the past 40 years, China has always honoured its promises in its cooperation with other countries and acted in the interest of the world. Foreign companies have invested over $2 trillion in China, and China has become the largest trading partner of more than 120 countries and regions. The first-ever China International Import Expo held in Shanghai last month is yet another demonstration of China's sincerity and resolve to open its market wider to the world.
So when we assess the achievements of reform and opening up, we must not only look at China's domestic development but also its enormous contribution to the world.
Reform and opening up is an on-going process. China will not stop its steps. And China's comprehensive national strength will continue to grow. Many people in the world may wonder: How will reform and opening up change China in the future? And what will these changes mean to the world?
My answer is definite and clear: China will never seek hegemony as it grows stronger. Instead, China will remain committed to peaceful development, win-win cooperation and world peace, development and prosperity.
These are not rhetorics. China has taken concrete actions to live up to these words.
First, China has shared its visions with the world that reflect the trend of our times.
In a globalised world, countries are all in the same boat and need to come to each other's assistance instead of only minding one's own business. They need to share weal and woe instead of pursuing interests at the expense of their neighbours.
It is in this spirit that China has proposed
These visions are in line with the trend of safeguarding world peace and promoting common development. They highlight multilateralism, advocate fairness and justice in the world, and points to a future of greater human progress.
Second, China has built an international platform for open cooperation and connectivity.
China has proposed the Belt and Road Initiative. In the past five years, this Initiative has received warm response and enthusiastic participation.
Next year, China will host the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. We welcome people from all walks of life in the world to participate in the Forum.
I am confident that with the concerted efforts of all parties, the BRI will take root in more countries and bear more fruits.
Third, China has created more opportunities for equal-footed and mutually-beneficial cooperation.
Since the beginning of this year, China has announced a number of important measures of further opening up, including
In the coming 15 years, China plans to import $24 trillion of goods, open up a 2-trillion-dollar market to foreign investors and invest $2 trillion overseas. Chinese tourists will make more than 2 billion overseas visits.
Going forward, China will continue to deepen its integration with the world in order to achieve better development at home and at the same time share the benefits of its own development with other countries.
Fourth, China has displayed the courage to shoulder its responsibilities as a big country.
In a world with increasing instabilities and uncertainties, China will continue to do what a big country should do, namely, shoulder more responsibilities for regional and world peace and development.
A great cause calls for great actions. Over the past 40 years, the international community, including the UK, have given their support for China's reform and opening up and taken an active part in it. Their actions have been instrumental in the success of this great cause. China-UK relations, after 40 years of leaps-and-bounds, is a best illustration of China's deep integration with the world.
Going forward, China plans to deepen reform and open its market wider to the world. This matches well with the UK's goal of building a "global Britain". Such synergy will open up broader space and create more opportunities for the cooperation between our two countries in various areas. How to seize these opportunities and deepen China-UK cooperation is an important issue to be addressed by people from all walks of life in both countries. In my opinion, we should do the following.
First, China and the UK should view each other's development with a rational attitude.
Our two countries should always look at our bilateral relations from a long-term and strategic perspective. We should see each other's development as opportunities rather than challenges or threats. We should refrain from undermining each other's core interests or our strategic mutual trust.
The only way to keep our bilateral relations on the right track is to respect each other's core interests, major concerns, sovereignty and territorial integrity. We must bear the larger picture in mind, address differences properly and enhance political trust so as to ensure that the building of China-UK relations stands tall and firm.
Second, China and the UK should promote business cooperation in the spirit of partnership.
Our two countries should match our development strategies and enhance policy coordination. While deepening cooperation in traditional areas, we need to explore opportunities in new industries and new models. We should tap the potential in our cooperation in the areas of economy, trade, financial services, energy, science, technology, culture and people-to-people exchanges and translate our complementary advantages and development opportunities into concrete outcomes.
In Belt and Road cooperation, the UK is a "natural partner" of China, to quote Chancellor Philip Hammond who attended the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation as the personal envoy of the Prime Minister. The second Forum scheduled for next year will offer a great opportunity. Our two countries should seize this opportunity to expand and deepen our cooperation on the BRI and achieve new highlights in the business cooperation between our two countries.
Third, China and the UK should address global challenges with an open mind.
As important members of the UN, G20 and WTO, China and the UK shoulder special responsibilities for world peace and development. It is important that our two countries stand against protectionism and work together to build an open world economy.
In promoting reforms of the global governance system, we should strengthen rule-based global governance and oppose expediency and double standard. While promoting trade, investment, IPR protection and cooperation on digital economy, we should create more opportunities and space for the common development of all countries in order to provide strong impetus and a stable environment for world economic growth.
President Xi Jinping said, "The 21st century is a century for cooperation. The stage for cooperation will be as broad as the mind."
Looking back at our success over the past 40 years, we are convinced that the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation will come true as we press ahead on the new journey of reform and opening up.
Going forward, we will continue to advance in the spirit of reform and innovation, and with the courage to overcome all the difficulties ahead. And we are ready to join hands with the UK and other countries to seize the opportunities of cooperation and share development benefits. Working together, we can build a community with a shared future for mankind!
Thank you!


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The Mass Shooting in El Paso: What You Can Do!
Reading Time: 14 minutes
Quick Dip: 2 minutes
Shallow Dive: 4 minutes
Deep Dive: 12 minutes
With the shooting in El Paso, I've devoted the call your MoC post today to gun violence. In the quick dip, I give you information about contacting your MoC to demand that they support gun reform action. In the shallow dive, there is information about gun reform advocacy groups, events, and stuff. And in the deep dive, I've included resources on the arcane statistics and legal information about gun violence.


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AMA with Indi Young, author of Practical Empathy and Mental Models
Posted on
Join us on Slack for an "Ask Me Anything" with Indi Young, author of Practical Empathy and Mental Models. She'll be answering your questions live on Tuesday, December 1 from 2-2:45pm EDT in our #rm-chat channel. Join our Slack here.
Peak empathy? No, Practical Empathy!
Posted on
Given that Indi Young and I first began discussing her new book idea many, many years ago, Practical Empathy: For Collaboration and Creativity in Your Work was a marathon in the making. Even the last mile proved to be full of unexpected (and unpleasant) challenges.
So I'm thrilled (and relieved) that, as of today, Practical Empathy is finally available! And not just in paperback; like all of our books, it's also available in DRM-free PDF, MOBI, and ePUB formats. Learn more at the book's site, where you can sample the table of contents, illustrations, FAQ, and read testimonials like this one from Karen McGrane:
Your product design should be informed by a deep understanding of user goals. In Practical Empathy, Indi outlines a way of working that goes beyond data-driven research methods to deliver genuine empathy for the people who use the things we make.
By the way, I know what you're thinking: everyone's talking about "empathy" lately. Are we at the point of having reached peak empathy? The answer really depends on what we mean by the word.
And Indi's take on empathy is quite different than what you might assume:
This book is not about the kind of empathy where you feel the same emotions as another person. It's about understanding how another person thinks—what's going on inside her head and heart. And most importantly, it's about acknowledging her reasoning and emotions as valid, even if they differ from your own understanding. This acknowledgment has all sorts of practical applications, especially in your work. This book explores using empathy in your work, both in the way you make things and the way you interact with people.
Yes, we all could stand to be more empathetic in the ways we feel about others. But Indi's book focuses on cognitive empathy, which offers a huge and hugely practical payoff to anyone involved in just about any aspect of design. We hope you'll enjoy the payoff from reading from Practical Empathy.
Unanticipated delays on shipping Practical Empathy
Posted on
Sorry to bear bad news, but Practical Empathy—which was to ship today—is apparently the victim of a printing SNAFU. Here's the situation, and what we're doing to address it.
Becoming Person-Focused
Posted on
(08-Dec-2014 Author's note: The book is finally at the press! It will be out within weeks. In the interim, I decided I've been silent too long on this blog, so here's an empathy story to carry you along.)
Walking in someone else's shoes gives you understanding about where this other person comes from—what experiences he's had that shape the way he thinks and acts. Understanding several other people gives you insight into the vast spectrum of perspectives that exist out there. This kind of understanding is ambiguously referred to as "empathy." It works in understanding your customers, and it works in collaborating with your peers at work.
Here's an example story, with components stitched together from many realities.
Savi is the director of User Experience at a large insurance corporation. This is a new role at the organization, and she was hired 10 months ago to build and lead a new internal team providing customer research and strategy. How Savi makes her role into a success is based on carefully understanding the thinking of the people around her. For her internal work, she adopts the same philosophy she uses to understand customers. She stops focusing on her own goals and endeavors so that she can grasp her co-workers' goals. This is how empathy can be harnessed: deliberate understanding of all the kinds of people involved in your work: customers and co-workers. This kind of empathy is about making the space for new insights to emerge. The insights might be tiny things you already knew, but didn't pay attention to, or they might be significant revelations. These insights allow you to re-frame things so that you can support people better.
Savi & Her UX Team at BigInsuranceCompany
Pretend this is Savi and her team. (In reality it is a group of students from General Assembly SF, summer 2014. Some of them might become a Savi one day.
"As an organization, we're going to become more customer-centric." Saying that is one thing. Making it happen is quite another, as Savi knows oh-so-well. So far she feels like she hasn't made any difference.
In the first few weeks after coming on-board, Savi defined what she wants her group to provide to the organization: not only review, testing, and tweaking how customers are supported with current products, but also more strategic stuff. She wants to help the company understand what people are up against in their lives, and what their thinking is right before they turn to insurance. She knows there's more to understand, and better ways to support customers. It's just that, right now, upper management isn't listening to her. Even though they agree about the customer-centric goal, and they hired her and gave her a budget, they are reluctant to give her a seat at the table. Savi has tried to show them how her group will be able to make a difference. She has invited senior management to presentations about her goals, but if they even attend, they just nod and apologize for having to rush off to their next meeting. She asked her boss for time to make her presentation at two of the quarterly business meetings, but both her requests got denied. The message from the highest decision-makers seems to be, "What you aim to do sounds good. Go do it."
The problem is, without explicit instructions to do so from upper management, none of the other divisions in the organization think to include Savi in their work. So she attends their meetings and offers recommendations. She asks what areas people need to know more information about. All she has heard in return is empty praise of her goals, but no concrete requests for knowledge. Her recommendations are met with distrust, because she is new to the insurance field. Savi figures if she can get some kind of change made that results in measurable success, then the others will start reaching out to her. It's just getting that first success to happen which is hard.
Also, there is the problem of hiring people to work on her team. Within eight weeks of starting her new role at the insurance company, Savi had interviewed a few candidates and hired one. Luckily the company headquarters office is based in a popular area, so finding a few candidates wasn't as hard as it could have been. Just the same, Savi recently learned that competition for the good employees is strong. The person she hired resigned last week, citing better opportunities to actually engage with customers and get some research done at another organization. So now, Savi has to start the search for candidates again. It's just one more setback contributing to her sense that she hasn't accomplished anything.
Savi knows she needs to make the higher-ups pay more attention to customer strategy. But recently she read some articles and watched a few presentations which made her reassess her approach. The theme is about understanding other people at a deeper level. Usually the focus is on customers, but Savi is thinking she will turn her energy toward understanding the people around her at the insurance company. If she understands what's driving upper management, then perhaps she can support them better without clamoring for attention. If she understands where the distrust comes from in the other teams she's supposed to be collaborating with, then maybe she can provide them something that speaks to it. Perhaps her own words "make them pay more attention" need to change to "pay more attention to them, myself."
So, Savi embarks upon a fresh path, making room in her daily schedule to go listen to someone for 30 minutes or so. If she's going to be the person who coordinates the focus on customers, then she had better be in touch with all the other people involved. She had better understand what thinking is going on and how decisions have been made. She had better understand the people she hopes to coordinate. She listens to her boss, and to his boss and more of upper management. She listens to the leaders of various groups throughout the company, and some of the team members. Sure, the logistics of a 30-minute appointment with so many different people fails a lot of the time, but the sessions she does manage schedule turn out to be exactly the rich source she expected. She walks into each meeting simply with the intent of understanding what's been on this other person's mind recently. The conversation goes where it will, as the person grows accustomed to Savi and begins to describe the way he weighed a decision, or how he realized when he didn't know enough about something, and how he filled in the blanks. She goes into each meeting without a personal agenda. She doesn't try to explain anything or persuade—she simply listens to each person's concerns and digs into the details to understand more clearly.
Out of five days a week, Savi gets to listen to about three people, on average. After a month of this, she begins to see patterns in the ways some people think, and differences. One pattern is that the people who have been with the company a long time really understand the products, and the legal limitations of what the company will do for a customer. They are concerned that the customer wants to bend rules and make exceptions when filing a claim. So this is the first topic she pursues in her research—while also keeping up the 30-minutes-a-day scheduling. Those meetings she will never give up, since they are such a strong way to keep on top of what the people around her are thinking.
Savi's research gathers all the exceptions the company has made for a claim in the past, as well as all the exceptions that customers asked for (exceptions which were documented—many were not) but did not receive. She listens to a few customers tell her their reasoning process behind asking for an exception in their particular case. She synthesizes this data and finds patterns, which she then shares with people in a series of small working sessions. She doesn't come to these sessions recommending ideas—instead, she asks people what they see in the data, themselves. She asks if anyone has different interpretations. She asks if the ways things work now is sufficient for typical customers, or sufficient for particular sub-types. And always, invariably, someone in the room makes a suggestion. The suggestion may be a big idea or a small idea. Most likely it will get changed as people discuss it and poke holes in it. But Savi is pleased even if the idea dies entirely. The groups she is working with are willing to look at life from the context of a customer—they're able to shift their perspective enough to squeeze past the seemingly unsurmountable mind block of the legal restrictions. This way of building trust and collaborating in a way more supportive to people's concerns is working. Rather than the narrower domain of "customer-centric," Savi has broadened it to a "person-centered" approach which includes decision-makers and team members at the company, as well as customers.
Savi's success depends upon ongoing sessions with individuals, and upon bringing findings to small groups for discussion. It's a core part of her role. Now that people at the organization feel her support, they want more and more information from her. They know she's not going to force ideas upon them; they can trust her. They know she listens and prioritizes across the topics she hears. They reach out to her when they find a hole in their understanding about customers—and they're less reluctant to acknowledge that the hole exists. No one is to blame, and Savi always comes up with knowledge to help them make better decisions and move forward. No one apologizes about having to leave to get to another meeting, because these are the meetings that feel the most productive. People participate. In fact, it has gotten to the point where Savi has to regretfully put some requests on a waiting list; she has hired another person to help gather the knowledge, and now she realizes she's going to need to hire a second person to help out.
What Makes Savi's Story Different
The story demonstrates a shift in attitude away from fighting for internal attention and toward including people you work with in the same philosophy that you use to understand customers. This more outward-focused attitude is something you might call the empathetic mindset. It's a mindset that you can practice anywhere, taking short little forays into this style of finding out what the other person is thinking.
Why Get a Book Signed?
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Why Get a Book Signed?
When I was a new author, one of the more disorienting experiences was the first time someone came up to me with their copy of my book and asked me to sign it. I was happy to do it. I was also bemused–not that I wasn't familiar with the behavior, but why would a person ask me to sign their copy of my book? It seemed to be a habitual thing: people who have a hardcopy of the book with them when they encounter the author ask for a signature. I was curious about this decision. What was going on in that person's mind? My curiosity grew when another fellow said sadly, "Oh. I bought an electronic copy. I guess I can't have your signature." (This point is probably part of the ongoing discussion out there about digital rights and value.)
Recently, I had a chance to find out why. I was at a presentation by Malcolm Gladwell, for his David and Goliath book tour. Everyone who bought a ticket was given a copy of the book. The organizers, a local book store called The Book Passage, promised we could queue up after the talk and get our books signed. (All 400 of us!) The organizer even made a quip about how the value of a signed copy is better than an investment in the stock market.
So, after Malcolm told an illustrative story about a domineering rich lady, Alva Vanderbuilt, becoming a leader for the womens' right-to-vote movement, I had a whole theater-full of people to ask. "Why are you getting your copy of the book signed?"
(Note: The other related question is "Why get a copy of a signed book," but that didn't apply to this scenario, if you interpret that question to mean, "Why buy a signed copy?")
Here are some of the answers I heard. I tried to ask people of all ages and genders and physical appearance. I even asked people who looked like the didn't especially want to talk to me. I probably asked 12 people. Not a huge sample size, true. This subject deserves more in-depth attention. But here's some of what I remember:
- "I admire his ideas."
- "I want to thank him for writing about all the ideas he writes about."
- "I am a fan of his."
- "My father is a fan of his. So I'm getting my copy signed, too."
- "I want to say hello to him."
- "It's something different. I only own two signed books."
- "I don't own a copy of the book. I'm a student–a junior political science major–so they gave me a ticket but not a book. I can't afford to buy the book. I brought my copy of Outliers for him to sign because I admire his work." (I did try to offer this person my copy. Heh.)
- "I'm building a nice collection of signed books by authors I admire." (I should have asked why!)
- "When I loan a book to my friends, they're more likely to actually read it if it's signed." (Assumption: My friends say that authors who are asked to sign books must be good.)
- "I want to give him a copy of the book I wrote." (Assumption: I admire him and I think he'll see that admiration in my work. I should have asked him about his book!)
- "I'm not getting my copy signed. I'm in line because my husband wants to meet him."
- "I don't know–everyone is doing it, so I want to, too."
- "Why? Are you trying to decide?"
None of the people directly mentioned adding monetary value to their physical copy of the book. One of the comments obliquely reference it, as in "collection," but that could be a collection for personal reasons. There might have been people in that theater who would have told me about the monetary value a signature adds to the book, but I didn't happen to talk to them. So. This is not exhaustive research. It's simply practice at being curious about what's going on in other people's minds.
I was talking with my companion, Rainey Straus, and she told me she's gotten books signed in the past because:
- "My friend wrote the book, so it was in support of her."
- "My boyfriend got a copy of a book signed by an author I liked and gave it to me as a gift."
I tried to briefly get inside people's minds. I went back and forth with them for a minute or two. I didn't have enough time to really ask for details, though, so any sort of translation I do is precarious. And this list is certainly not complete.
Reasons Why People Get Their Book Signed By the Author
- mark solidarity with the ideas the author writes about
- express gratitude to the author directly
- make a personal connection to the author
- mark the ideas in this book as important, from all the books I own
- celebrate a person I have a relationship with, by giving a signed book (more so than an unsigned copy)
- encourage a friend's (or family member's) creativity
- go along with what everyone else is doing
And surprisingly, as I was wandering up and down the line of people, I found myself in line. So I went along, got in front of the table, and had my book signed by Malcolm Gladwell. I asked him how his hand was holding up. "It's getting there," was that I remember him saying, implying that he was starting to feel some fatigue. I don't think I could equal his endurance.
Thank you, Malcolm!
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It has been so much fun, so far, writing about empathy. So many more individuals and organizations than I imagined labor to spread the concept. They all recognize it as a tool for achieving, if not harmony, at least a broader perspective. Empathy has become the battle cry (irony intended) of those tired of battle, in areas from international politics to school bullying to product strategy. It's fascinating how much excitement has been building up about it, in all sorts of different applications.
What's also fascinating is that it's hard to pin down. There are almost as many different meanings for empathy as there are applications of it. Everyone earnestly tries to explain what they mean and how it helps, but there are few techniques and guidelines not hidden behind a paywall. So my book will lay out the practices you can incorporate into your life and work–achievable little tidbits that you can work on over the months and years of your career. For instance, I will teach you how to elevate the intelligence and expertise of the person you're trying to understand above your own level. You are not the expert in the way their reasoning flows, so I'll teach you how to quell your own instincts and absorb their narrative. That's one little tidbit.
And while this book is aimed at people working on a service or product, empathy really ends up affecting your personal philosophy, as well. As you get better and better at it, you'll find it spilling over into all sorts of arenas. And that has been the thing I've found most gratifying in my own life. Being an introvert, I feel like I'm woefully behind in my skills at understanding other people. The practice of empathy in my work has started to improve how I react to others. I'm finally able to defuse some of the arguments with my significant other, hallelujah!
It will be my great pleasure to share this book of concrete, everyday practices toward empathy.
Practical Empathy Blog
For Collaboration and Creativity in Your Work
Posts written by Indi Young


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A "balanced life". I keep hearing this term everywhere – at work, in books, from friends, in social media; it seems like it's something we've become obsessed with: "you need to have a balanced life". I think this is closely related the expression of "work-life balance" I guess. But what exactly is a "balanced life"? How do we measure balance? And more importantly, can we really have balance in life? Does it mean work for 8 hours a day for 5 days a week and then come home and disconnect from work? But then there are other "responsibilities" we have that require our time and attention like family, friends, hobbies, volunteer work, "me" time, and perhaps some other mundane things like organizing bills, cleaning the house, grocery shopping, exercise, etc.. Taking into account how many hours per day we need to (or should) be sleeping, how can we find the time to do it all and have a perfectly "balanced life"?
This has certainly been on my mind recently. Ever since we had Lucas (almost 3 months ago), I have been trying to figure out how to spend as much time as I can with him and Grace as I possibly can so that I don't miss out on things as he grows up. BUT this is incredibly difficult to do, especially when I take a look at my current situation and take into account work (plus add an hour each way for commuting), graduate school (twice a week for 4 hours each day – then add homework, studying, and group work), church volunteering, shopping for necessities, trying to hang out with friends and family…and the list can go on and on. Ok…I know school won't always be here and in about a year and a half I'll be done with my master's, but I'm sure life will fill up the vacancy right away! There are many things I've had to push to the side for now such as my guitars, and volunteering in the church band, exercise as much as I would like to, Netflix and all the shows I'd like to watch, events that aren't close or convenient for me to attend, video games, and many others!
It may not seem like it, but I'm not complaining about it. I'm simply writing about what I've noticed and how the idea of a balanced life really doesn't exist (at least in my opinion). I've come to the conclusion that no matter what we do, we are always making choices and tipping the balance one way over another, and hey I think that's okay. Life changes, and when we are in different stages in life, our priorities will also change. Grace and I recently visited our friends in Georgia (who all happen to have kids around the same age as Lucas – crazy!!), and as we flew back to Maryland, I shared with her how funny I thought life was – 3 years ago, that same group of friends was hanging out at bars in the Atlanta area, staying up late at bonfires, and the boys playing video games until the early hours of the morning (although I think this still happens), and now we were all hanging out at a friend's house for a BBQ, with what seemed like 100 kids running around, crying, eating, or laughing. Yet, none of the fun and joy we had before disappeared. Instead, we were enjoying life the same way we were 3 years ago, even if it looked completely different.
Obviously, I'd like to have more time to do all the things I think I'd like to do, but since I can't make my days longer, I have to be selective. I hope none of my friends have felt forgotten, and if they have I truly am sorry, definitely not my intention. But, as I always tell everyone, our door is always open for people to come visit and hang out with us! We can't always be on the road with Lucas! I'm sure life will continue to change as Lucas gets older, and our situation shifts. I certainly hope that I'm able to continue choosing what's really important in life and not feel pressured or stressed about the things I just can't focus on right now. It'd be interesting to see how others feel… Cheers!


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Grieving Courtney Stodden rocks a new platinum wig on night out with Farrah Abraham
Reality star recently shaved her head in tribute to baby she miscarried
COURTNEY Stodden continues to move forward after suffering a miscarriage earlier this year, stepping out with Farrah Abraham for a night on the town.
The reality star pals hit up The Abbey bar in Los Angeles in Wednesday, where they both showed off their figures in tight-fitting low-cut dresses.
Curvy Courtney sported a long platinum blonde wig after shaving her head recently in tribute to the baby she miscarried earlier this year.
The 22-year-old showed off her porcelain skin and ample bust in a tight-fitting red dress with lacing across the chest.
She complemented the frock with matching red lipstick and nail polish, and carried a classic brown Louis Vuitton bag.
A tanned Farrah, 25, flaunted her figure in a low-cut black bodycon mini-dress with a corset waist.
Courtney wore towering cork stilettos with clear straps, while mum of one Farrah, who stars on US reality show Teen Mom, opted for a far comfier-looking pair of black and gold flip flops.
The pair were joined by another busty blonde, as well as DJ pal Doris Carabetta.
Courtney shared a black-and-white snap of herself on Instagram before heading out, captioning it: "Rocking my new wiggie #blondelife".
The former CBB star celebrated her 22nd birthday on Monday, marking the occasion with an Instagram video of herself singing Happy Birthday.
Wrapped in a bed sheet and wearing a short, tousled blonde wig, the model channelled Marilyn Monroe's iconic performance for US president John F. Kennedy with her breathy delivery of the tune.
The onetime aspiring country singer has been sporting a variety of different wigs since she shaved her head.
She explained of her decision to get rid of her long blonde locks: "I recently suffered a miscarriage and it's had a huge impact on me emotionally.
"I've been thinking and I have decided that I want to give back to my angel with a symbolic gesture.
"And, that to me, is shaving my hair off, because I want to step into this new chapter into my life fresh and new."
Courtney, who famously married actor Doug Hutchison, 56, when she was 16, was around three months pregnant when she lost her child.
She recently purchased a special doll, called a "reborn doll", in a bid to come to terms with her loss.
The lifelike baby replica, complete with eyelashes and veins, was recommended to her by a therapist.
Courtney said of the doll: "He's so beautiful. It looks like a real baby."


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Taxes (8 posts found)
Tax Basics
How Taxpayers Can Make Amends with Canada Revenue Agency
How Taxpayers Can Make Amends with Canada Revenue Agency
Canada Revenue Agency offers voluntary disclosure program to those taxpayers who have provided erroneous information
Taxes and Investments
What's tax loss selling?
What's tax loss selling?
Tax loss selling can give you the gift of lower taxes this holiday season, but it only works if you have an actual loss - and you're ready to sell.
Top Dividend Tax Credit Questions
Top Dividend Tax Credit Questions
The dividend tax credit gives investors a tax break on eligible investment income, but it's most effective at certain tax brackets.


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Street Fighter V's First All-New Character Revealed
That's not Abel cosplaying as Finn Balor. That's Street Fighter V's first all-new character, the powerful and mysterious Necalli.
To help close out Evo 2015, Capcom unveiled its downloadable content plans for Street Fighter V as well as its first original character, Necalli. Capcom claims that having the original version of Street Fighter V is all you're going to need, as most of the game's post-release content can be earned via gameplay. This likely includes gameplay-related DLC, such as new characters, but we will probably have to pay for the inevitable ton of costumes on the way. Street Fighter V is going to launch with a total of 16 characters on its core roster, which includes four all-new fighters making their debuts. We should note that Street Fighter IV started off with a core roster of 19 combatants: Able, C. Viper, Rufus, El Fuerte, Seth, Gouken, Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, E. Honda, Blanka, Zangief, Guile, Dhalsim, Balrog, Vega, Sagat, M. Bison and Akuma. So far, the only fighters revealed for Street Fighter V include Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Birdie, Cammy, M. Bison, Nash and Necalli. This means we still have three new fighters to meet and five characters making their returns. For the returning fighters, our bets are on Blanka, Karen, R. Mika, Urien and some other character from Street Fighter II.
In terms of Necalli, he's unlike anything we've seen so far. His fighting style is quite feral, so expect a lot of dive kicks, swipes and claw attacks, but he's also filled with some kind of dark energy. Necalli's V-Trigger unleashes a demonic power within him that changes his hair and personality, making him much more ferocious than he already was. Unfortunately, Capcom has yet to reveal anything on Necalli's background and history (was that the Dark Hadou?).
Street Fighter V will launch for PC and PS4 in the spring of 2016 with cross-play functionality between both versions.
100 Video Game Facts You May Not Know


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Something to remember as you look at this one, 30 degC in sub arctic locations(!), is that it's not possible for climate change modelling to acquire sensible data or perform analysis about tipping point effects. So they're completely ignored. Such events have started, even covered by mainstream media, methane bubbling up from clathrates in Arctic Sea, also from tundra wetland around Arctic. The Arctic is warming more than most, with dark ocean displacing ice and absorbing more heat again. The worry is that this effect can multiply, out of control, like chain reaction in nuclear blast. For those of us who have doubted some claims about sea level rise of 20 metres and more, this is where it can come from, suddenly!
>more> Climate Crocks


text: RoboTask - Version 7.1 RoboTask allows you to automate any combination of tasks on your computer, ranging from simply launching web pages, to checking email, moving or backing up files to uploading or downloading, sending email and much more. The program allows you to easily create simple tasks, as well as highly complex automations, involving conditional IF/ELSE statements, loops, custom variables and other advanced options. It can accommodate just about any type of simple or complex automation, without the need to create batch files or write complicated scripts, as it uses a visual interface that allows you to simply select and combine actions to fit your needs. The extensive support for conditional actions allows you not only to create automated tasks, but to execute them automatically if certain conditions apply (e.g. if a file is moved, if your Internet connection cuts off, etc.). RoboTask can run as an NT Service, allowing you to have automated tasks take place, even if you are not logged on. Anyone can use RoboTask! Despite RoboTask's power and flexibility, it is very easy to use. No need to be a


text: Jess Lewis: Wondaful Slidey Twang on November 03, 2019 Get link Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Other Apps Not sure why I'm recording this. Practising+relearning for a reason of sorts & all its imperfections & such and so, I certainly don't tap anymore. Daddario 11s flatwounds - heavy as f*** so no bendy wendy. Guthrie is awesome though, what a guy. Wondaful Slidey Twang Jess Lewis Get link Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Other Apps Comments Post a comment