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One of my least favourite writing exercises asks the author to make a list of everything their character carries in his or her pockets. This is supposed to help you get to know your character better. But what if your character is a Bronze Age boy, with no pockets? Or an alien with no concept of pocket? Or someone who carries a bag instead? Okay, you could get around it by saying 'make a list of your character's favourite portable belongings.' But it's only in books that people are forever poring over old photos or lockets left them by their grandma. I doubt I could learn much about any of you by going through your pockets. What do people carry, anyway? Bank cards, keys, semi-used tissues, spare change, a phone.
I don't much like the exercise because it limits you to contemporary settings, and adults, and it all ends up feeling like a Sherlock Holmes short story, where the band on a cigar (anyone carry cigars with them?) tells you everything from the murderer's blood type to his relationship with his estranged dog.
Character is supposedly the holy grail of writing. Plot should develop through character, books are supposed to be about the development of character. A character-driven book is supposedly a Good Book, as opposed to a plot driven book, which is Dan Brown. For children's books, though, I think character is over-rated. Sure, there are lots of excellent children's books that star unforgettably original characters – Jack Gantos' Joey Pigza, the ADHD human pin-ball with a sad story behind him, or anarchic Pippi Longstocking. But for every crazy, plot driving character, you find another, just as unforgettable, about whom you know nothing.
Lucy, from the Narnia books, for example. What does she carry in her pockets when she's at school? Who's her best friend? Does she get on better with her mother or her father? What's her favourite book? You don't know and it doesn't matter.
She is a cipher, a character designed to step back so that the reader can take her place. Lucy comes alive purely through the reader identifying with her wonder and excitement at the world of Narnia. In adult books identifying with the main character is seen as rather an immature thing to want to do – you're not meant to identify with the character, you're meant to sit back, stroke your chin and go "Ah, a fascinating analysis of society as seen through the tragic yet incisive eyes of Olaf the one-legged Lithuanian plumber, such well drawn characters, didn't you think?" What fun. Pass the Tintin.
But children's books are often about identifying with the main character, and if that main character is too strongly drawn, too 'loud', they get in the way of the story. Of the four main Narnia children, Susan is grown-up, Peter is brave and Edmund is sly. They have characters, but Lucy, the main character, has little or none. If she had, it would limit the number of children who could identify with her. Harry Potter, too, is quite average – he isn't a swot like Hermione or an ogre like Hagrid. He's simple and open and easy to identify with, and that's why he's the hero. That's why boring Luke Skywalker is the hero. Sexy Han Solo would overpower the story.
Someone recently said to me that books could be divided into two categories: character driven and plot driven. It's not that simple, the interplay of character and plot is subtle, and sometimes it means consciously greying out your main character to allow the reader to be the most important person in the story.


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Drop-In Visits
Dog Walking
Traveling Preferences
Additional Preferences
Dogs Over 1 Year Old
- Available
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Veronica is a life saver and takes really good care of our puppy. My husband and I are able to go to work and not have to worry about our boy being locked up all day because Veronica keeps him and dogsits himwhile we work. She sticks to our schedule and gives him the love and attention he deserves. Highly recommend her for your dog sitting needs.
About Veronica
Reliable, loving care for your pet
My name is Veronica and I am a dog lover. I will love and care for your dog as if he or she was my very own. I have had dogs my whole life and also have worked at devoted time to animal shelters taking care of animals and fostering them as well. I am 49 years old Military spouse. I am very reliable and honest and trustworthy. Your dog will be loved and cared ...

subset: commoncrawl


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In my latest iHerb haul I bought a few Honeybee Gardens products, one being the Honeybee Gardens Pressed Mineral Powder in Supernatural. Supernatural is the second lightest shade in the range of 5 and is described as a 'neutral light shade', it suits my skin tone perfectly. The compact is purchased seperatey and has a magnet in the botton to hold the powder in, a mirror, and it also comes with the little powder puff pictured.
The powder looks so perfect on and the company is true to it's word when it say's that this powder 'evens out skin tone leaving a natural silky finish', I could not have described it any better. The powders are talc free, paraben free, fragrance free and oil free, and if you smell them up close, you can subtly smell the aloe, chamomile and cucumber extracts.
As far as the little powder puff goes, I don't really use it. It is a little bit stiff, so it sort of digs into the soft powder, grabing too much, I just use the EcoTools powder brush and that works great with this powder. I do love the little bee imprinted on the puff though.
Ingredients: Mica, Kaolin, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch, Magnesium Carbonate, Zinc Stearate, Boron Nitride, Squalane, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Potassium Sorbate, Chlorphenesin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract. May Contain: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, 77492, 77499).
Powder $7.49
Compact $8.99


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Bill Clinton's State of the Union Address Immigration Portion (January 24, 1995)
"All Americans, not only in the states most heavily affected but in every place in this country, are rightly disturbed by the large numbers of illegal aliens entering our country. The jobs they hold might otherwise be held by citizens or legal immigrants. The public service they use impose burdens on our taxpayers. That's why our administration has moved aggressively to secure our borders more by hiring a record number of new border guards, by deporting twice as many criminal aliens as ever before, by cracking down on illegal hiring, by barring welfare benefits to illegal aliens. In the budget I will present to you, we will try to do more to speed the deportation of illegal aliens who are arrested for crimes, to better identify illegal aliens in the workplace as recommended by the commission headed by former Congresswoman Barbara Jordan. We are a nation of immigrants. But we are also a nation of laws. It is wrong and ultimately self-defeating for a nation of immigrants to permit the kind of abuse of our immigration laws we have seen in recent years, and we must do more to stop it."
About People, Places and Pastimes
People, Places and Pastimes attempts to offer differing opinions on all kinds of subjects from all types of people in a way that will challenge our perceptions and help us to better understand our differences, while drawing us closer together as responsible individuals.


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666 Beast Calculator
For an explaination of the workings scroll to the bottom of the page.
This tool is for "Eschatology" / "End Times" research purposes only.
The Calculator
Trust No One -- Do your own research
There are many numerology systems which assign numerical value to the letters of an alphabet. The calculator uses 2 possible interpretations, using the Enlglish Latin Alphabet. The Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most widely used alphabetic writing system in the world today. It was initially developed by the ancient Romans to write the Latin language.
The Number of Man method
This method translates the english latin alphabet, adding 6 for the number of man to each letter. So A=6, B=12, C=18 and then produces a total.
For test data try KISSINGER
The Pagan Reduction method
This method translates the english latin alphabet, so A=1, B=2, until I=9. At which point the next letter J=1 and K=2 until R=9 so the next jump is S=1. These numbers are added up, and if the answer is say 13, then this is reduced by adding the 1+3 to get an answer of 4.
The original Roman Latin alphabet did not have 26 characters. The alphabet changed during the Romans, and latter on during the Middle Ages.
For test data try KARL VON HABSBURG
See Also
|07:58:52 up 22 days, 17:21, 1 user, load average: 0.03, 0.01, 0.00 XHTML 1.0 Strict


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Whenever my late husband Ted left on a ministry trip out of town or out of the country, those were his parting words. He claimed that each time he returned, if at night, he'd have to put on all the lights so he wouldn't stumble over my latest urge to change-around the furniture.
They say that opposites attract. My husband was a "Just leave it where it is!" person. I'm a changer at heart. I love change—any kind of change. I always did.
"That chair might look better over there." or "Why not put the table by the window?" Or "Let's try the sofa against the other wall." "Let's drive a different route home." "Wait till you taste this new recipe." Anything for something different. I thrive on it.
My family knows my idiosyncrasy well. They got together and presented me with a surprise gift when I moved into my current house—a box of dozens of plastic cylinders of various sizes that have one shiny, slippery side and one sort of spongy side. They are meant to put under the legs of furniture so you can shove it around on the carpeting with hardly a push no matter how heavy the pieces may be. I am delighted! I've tried about every arrangement of furniture imaginable…oh, not quite. "Let's try the recliner over there…."
I guess God knew what He was doing when He added the love of change to my DNA. I've traveled and lived and ministered in many places in the world; I've had to constantly adapt to new cultures and situations and people. Mt flexibility was an asset. Late in life I made the most major faith change imaginable by becoming Catholic and compounding the changes in every aspect of my life and my relationships—and the lives of others, too. That change, however, was not for variety but for fullness and stability and my integrity.
Whether we like change or not, all of us will encounter changes throughout our lives. Changes are inevitable, continuous, and lifelong—whether physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, geographical, or circumstantial. There is nothing as certain as change. It often hits us like a ton of bricks when we least expect it.
As much as I like material change-arounds, something within me is apprehensive of life's intangible changes because of their very uncertainty. The future is a vast unknown that seems to hold nothing but "what ifs." In the last chapter of the book of Proverbs, the ultra-capable, super-faith woman who is described there is said to "smile at the future." Help me, Lord; I'd like to do that. It requires Saint Faustina's solid affirmation and continual aspiration, "Jesus, I trust in You!"
Changes are part of God's maturing process to shape us into greater conformity to Jesus Christ. We miss blessings if we resist changes. We gain and progress when we accept them as new challenges. At the same time, we need to remain anchored in the Unchanging One, our Lord, who is "the same yesterday, today, and forever." (Hebrews 13:8)
Why am I surprised to know that I grow through the unpredictable? Although I struggle through the disenchantments of change, they bring me to new reality and joy. It seems that through changes God deliberately sloughs off the old and familiar and underneath the crust I discover the fresh and new that has been waiting for me. In the shattering of a dream, I awaken to new visions.
Well then, I'm wrong to resist change since it is my friend. It is God's instrument to teach me to bend with the wind and lean in another direction that He has planned for me. The wind will always blow, the storms will be inescapable. They will beat upon my life as in the parable that Jesus told about the two houses built on different foundations. Settled in Him, we will not be shaken or moved—we are built upon The Rock, not sand. Our infrastructure, our eternal spirit, is reinforced by the indwelling Holy Spirit to withstand life's shifting earthquake changes.
The changes of life are opportunities for me to bloom transplanted. Lord, help me welcome change as a clean slate, a fresh breath, a cool breeze, an untried path, and a stimulus to renewal!


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Best 3D Games for Android
Hello friends. Welcome to Shoutmytricks.
Today here we are going to share list of Top 10 3D android games. These days Android has become the most popular and used platform. It is used by billions of people. One thing, which most android users love is games. Yes!! Every android user loves to play games on his phone. There are several sites and stores, from where you can find several top most popular games. Indeed, Play Store is the best place for apps nd games. There are thousands of 3d and other games available at Play Store. But what everyone wants, you too, best and latest 3D games and its very difficult to search the best game from such a big heap of games at play store. In this article you will get the collection of Top 10 3d games shortlisted by us.
Most of the android users like to play top quality games on their phone, so they choose HD game to play but these days, the trend has changed and these games are taken up by 3D games which are awesome to play. There are unlimited games present on the web the most popular of which are Play Store, one such is Mobomarket etc. Games of every category could be found like adventure, arcade, action, etc. So there is a whole ocean to choose from. But this creates problem as it becomes very difficult to choose the best 3D game for your phone. But, stop, now you don't need to lookup anywhere as today we are going to share the Best 3D games. These games are the most popular games of year and hope after reading this article, you don't need to lookup anywhere for the best games for android.
Must read:-
Top 10 3D Games for Android
1)San Andreas Real Gangsters
In my opinion, this game is one of the best 3D games by GTA. It is just an awesome game and it provides realistic 3D graphics. In the game game, you have to play as a real gangster and complete several and various types of missions in the game. You can do a lot of things in the game like you can steal bikes and cars. You can ride awesome looking bikes and fast moving sports cars. You can also earn a lot of cash by completing various missions, killing rival gangsters, droping packages and stealing cars and bikes. The game had an overall rating of 3.7 on the Play Store. It is already downloaded by millions of people. So isn't it a great game with awesome features, of course yes. So what are you looking for, go get it from below:
2) 3D Chess Game - Best Game for Minded people
This is another game in the list. As stated above, this game is the best game for intelligent people who love to play games that require intelligency. This game makes you think before you do your move. This game also provide realistic 3D graphics and is amazing. It requires amazing mind skills to play amd is very interesting. This game has received 4.1 ratings out of 5. The ratings of the game shows that how good is the game. So just download it from below and use your mind and make the back and forth move:
3) Moto Racer 3D
This game is the best racing game in my opinion. This is best game for racing games lovers. This game provides with realistic 3D graphics and offers just amazing and super bikes. You can use any bike in the game. The best part of game is it provides real looking traffic. You can also compete with other players online and check you global rank. This game has a user rating of 3.8 out of 5 and has been downloaded by about 50 million people. Get it from below
4) City Racing 3D
This is another top level racing game in the list. If you are a real and true lover 😍 of racing games, then indeed this game is made for you. This game also offers realistic 3D graphics. It provides several racings like Career, elimination, 1vs 1, endless racing etc. It also provides LAN multiplayer real time racing on mobile. You can also upgrade your cars and choose from lot of cars available and also use them for trial. You can race with others. It has 4.5 ratings.
5) Tennis 3D
If you are a true sports lover, especially, tennis, then this game is for you. It offers realistic 3D offers. There are several players to choose from. You can choose your player and play various tournaments. It has got 4.2 ratings out of 5. It is the best game for tennis lovers. It has been already downloaded by 50 million people.
6) Space Racing 3D
This is another racing game but it is space racing. This is the most popular game in space racing games. This game is awesome to play and is best match for space adventure lovers. It provides 40 different aur tracks. You can choose from 6 aircrafts and easily customize it. This game offers realistic graphics. It is very popular game and has millions of downloads. This game has received 4.0 ratings out of 5. Go, get it from below:
7) Truck Driver 3D
This game is a perfect match for uers who love to play adventurous as well as racing games as this game is a combination of both. This game offers best 3D graphics. There are 5 trucks from which you can choose and too can upgrade and customize truck. It is one of the best games on Play Store. It has been downloaded by about 5 million people h and has 3.8 user ratings out of 5.
8) 3D Bowling
This game is one of the best and popular games available at play store. It is available for free. It also provides realistic 3D feature. We can easily flick the ball using finger and can become best player in the game by successive striking. This game has been downloaded by millions of users. The best thinh which this game has is it is a light weight android game and can be downloaded and used on android phone with version 2.0 or higher. So it can be used on small phone on too. You can download it from below.
9) Archery Master 3D
This game is a perfect match for the shooting game lovers as it is the most popular shooting game available at play store. In the game there are more than 20 archery equipments which you can use to shoot the target. You can also chose different distances of your target to make game difficult and to get more points. Plus, you can also upgrade arrow, bow etc. It also offers difficult challenges which make it interrsting. It has been downloaded by millions of users. You can download from below:
10) Real Racing 3D
This game is overloaded with features. It is the No. 1 game in more than 100 countries. It is award winning game and is no. 1 since 2013. It has more than 200 million downloads. It provides very realistic graphics. You can choose from hundreds of cars available like Ferrari, Renault, Lamborgini, Aston Martin etc. But the thing it losses is you need to have atleast 1.5 gb space available in your phone to play this game normally. This game has received 4.4 ratings out of 5. So just download it from below, it is the best game:
So friends this was our today's article on Best 3D games. Here we mentioned all tyoes of games of all categories i.e. adventure, shooting, racing etc. If you are a real game lover, this article is for you. If you are interested in more games, let us know in comments. Stay tuned and updated with us.


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Luise Estelle, creator of Estelle Natural, is also the business manager and owner of Astoria Laser Clinic and Med Spa. She is a skilled Spa and Beauty Industry veteran with more than 20 years in the field. Her successful track record includes working for the high end Fashion House Neiman Marcus, Dior and her own personal lines.
These experiences have taught her the importance of providing the best service and making the impossible possible to every client.
Luise's passion is skin care, and she is always looking for the newest cutting edge technology to offer the best treatment options for all. She understands how important it is to personalize the treatments to each client's needs. Listening to these needs is how she has become the best in the industry.


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Save Darfur Coalition
The Save Darfur Coalition was an advocacy group that called "to raise public awareness and mobilize a massive response to the atrocities in Sudan's western region of Darfur." [1] Headquartered in Washington, D.C., it was a coalition of more than 190 religious, political and human rights organizations designed to campaign for a response to the atrocities of the War in Darfur. The result has become a global humanitarian crisis. Today, reports indicate that the conflict has claimed approximately 300,000 lives as a result of ethnic cleansing, disease and starvation and has displaced over 2.5 million people.[2][3]
The war began when two rebel groups, the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), attacked government installations in Darfur in response to the Khartoum government's increasing economic and political marginalization of the non-Arab population. The Sudanese government retaliated and recruited local Arab militias known as the Janjaweed ("devils on horseback") to systematically rape and murder all minority populations.[3]
In 2011, in order to create a more effective and collective voice dedicated to preventing and eliminating genocidal violence, the Genocide Intervention Network and the Save Darfur Coalition merged to establish United to End Genocide. The merger created the largest anti-genocide campaign that encompasses a membership base of over 800,000 global activists, a mass student movement and a network of institutional investors with over $700 billion in assets.[4]
- 1 History
- 2 Advocacy programs
- 3 Endorsers/partners
- 4 See also
- 5 Notes and references
- 6 External links
The Save Darfur Coalition was founded at the "Darfur Emergency Summit in New York City" on July 14, 2004. The Coalition began when the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and American Jewish World Service organized this event at the CUNY Graduate Center in Manhattan featuring Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize-winner Elie Wiesel.
The coalition has grown into an alliance of more than 180 religious, political and human rights organizations committed to ending the alleged genocide in Darfur. Save Darfur is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with a staff of 30 professional organizers, policy advisors and communications specialists.[5]
The coalition's members have signed on to the following unity statement:
- "We stand together and unite our voices to raise public awareness and mobilize a massive response to the atrocities in Sudan's western region of Darfur. Responding to a rebellion in 2003, the regime of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and its allied militia, known as the Janjaweed, launched a campaign of destruction against the civilian population of ethnic groups identified with the rebels. They wiped out entire villages, destroyed food and water supplies, stole livestock and systematically murdered, tortured and raped civilians. The Sudanese government's genocidal, scorched earth campaign has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives through direct violence, disease and starvation, and continues to destabilize the region. Millions have fled their homes and live in dangerous camps in Darfur, and hundreds of thousands are refugees in neighboring Chad. Violence continues today. Ultimately, the fate of the Darfuri people depends on establishing a lasting and just peace in all of Sudan and in the region.
- "We are committed to the goals that the Save Darfur Coalition advocates for, including:
- Ending the violence against civilians;
- Facilitating adequate and unhindered humanitarian aid;
- Establishing conditions for the safe and voluntary return of displaced people to their homes;
- Promoting the long-term sustainable development of Darfur; and
- Holding the perpetrators accountable.
- "We call on the United States, other governments, the United Nations and regional organizations to focus their efforts on ending this crisis."[1]
Dream for Darfur[edit]
As the official Olympic torch made its way around the world prior to the beginning of the 2008 Summer Olympics, the Olympic Dream for Darfur team, a campaign to bring mass attention to the conflict in Darfur, began its own symbolic relay. The Dream for Darfur team had one and only goal: to convince China that the continuation of the Olympic Games in Beijing was at risk unless it withdrew support for Sudan's regime. Eight genocide survivors joined the relay led by Mia Farrow and traveled to Rwanda, Armenia, Germany, Bosnia, Herzegovina and Cambodia.[6]
This led to the formation of a U.S.-based relay in September 2007. Jill Savitt and Mia Farrow organized and led the event, supported by GI-Net, the Save Darfur Coalition and the Enough Project.[7]
The mission of the Dream for Darfur team was to break down the foreign policy information into digestible form, so that citizens, without the background to understand the complexities of the international policy-making process, could become involved in the anti-genocide campaign.[6]
The Dream for Darfur team encouraged the major sponsors of the Olympic Games, such as McDonald's, Anheuser-Busch, Microsoft and Volkswagen to privately meet with Chinese officials to raise concern over affairs in Darfur. Eventually, the team encouraged Steven Spielberg to resign as creative consultant for the opening ceremonies.
Advocacy programs[edit]
Million Voices for Darfur[edit]
On January 22, 2006, the 55th anniversary of the ratification of the U.N.'s Convention on Genocide, the Save Darfur Coalition launched the campaign, Million Voices for Darfur, which involved the collation of uniformly worded postcards from citizen advocates across the country. The postcards insisted that President Bush support "a stronger multinational force to protect the civilians of Darfur."[6]
On June 29, 2006, just six months after the start of the campaign, Bill Frist, the Senate Majority Leader at the time, and Senator Hillary Clinton, signed the 1,000,000th and 1,000,001st postcards.[8]
The Million Voices program was the first example of the Save Darfur Coalition's attempt to influence the executive branch of the U.S. government to enact change.[6]
Divest for Darfur[edit]
In order to exert financial pressure on the government of Sudan to change its policies and bring peace to its people, Save Darfur launched a divestment campaign, Divest for Darfur. The campaign was similar to Genocide Intervention Network's divestment project, The Sudan Divestment Task Force.
Divest for Darfur focused on using print and broadcast advertisements to target the "highest offending" companies that conducted business in Sudan, such as Fidelity Investments and Berkshire-Hathaway. Both companies heavily invested in PetroChina, whose revenue supported the Sudanese military and allowed them to continue committing crimes against humanity.[9]
Divest for Darfur's broadcast advertisements aired on CNN and were featured in such publications as The Hill, Roll Call and the Washington Times. Besides creating general ads encouraging companies to divest in Sudan, the Save Darfur Coalition also directly called on the United States Senate to pass the best version of the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act as possible.[10]
Save Darfur: Rally to Stop Genocide[edit]
On April 30, 2006, the Save Darfur Coalition organized the "Save Darfur: Rally to Stop Genocide" to occur on the National Mall in Washington, D.C and encouraged other national communities to hold rallies of their own. Over 50,000 people gathered among prominent speakers, such as Barack Obama, Elie Wiesel, Nancy Pelosi, George Clooney, Paul Rusesabagina and Brian Steidle, to demand for withdrawal of any objection to a UN peacekeeping force, better humanitarian access to refugees, adhesion to existing treaties and ceasefire agreements and a commitment to a lasting peace agreement in the Abuja peace talks.[8]
Tour for Darfur - Eyewitness to Genocide[edit]
Brian Steidle, former Marine Captain and observer to the African Union peacekeeping forces stationed in the Darfur region, toured the United States in 2006 to be the voice for the voiceless in Darfur. Through words and pictures, he expressed the importance of addressing the security and humanitarian needs in Darfur and guided Americans how to become involved. The tour covered 21,000 miles and 20 different locations. It continued to promote the messages of other campaigns of the Save Darfur Coalition, such as the Million Voices for Darfur and the Save Darfur: Rally to Stop Genocide.[8]
1-800-GENOCIDE was a toll-free number that allowed individuals to voice their concerns about genocides and mass atrocities to their elected public officials. 1-800-GENOCIDE created a streamlined mechanism for anti-genocide activists around the country to make their voices heard with elected officials. The hotline was a powerful tool that directly enabled constituents to build the political will needed to prevent and stop genocide and mass atrocities.[6]
1-800-GENOCIDE played a vital role to help pass the 2007 Sudan Divestment and Accountability Act, helped ensure adequate funding for the peacekeeping mission in Darfur and encouraged the appointment of a Special Envoy for Sudan. To date, over 25,000 calls have been made.[11]
DarfurScores.org was a unique scorecard grading system that allowed individuals to learn how the United States Congress and their respective representatives have, or haven't, addressed problems in Darfur. DarfurScores.org made affairs in Darfur more transparent and was the model for scorecards for several other countries. Concerned constituents, by learning their representatives' stance on genocidal issues, were not only able to place more direct pressure on governmental officials to inspire change, but societal members were also able to hold policy-makers accountable for their actions.[11]
porDarfur Portuguese Campaign[edit]
In 2007, on the occasion of the 2nd EU-Africa Conference (sponsored by the European Union in Lisbon, Portugal), Save Darfur Coalition supported the Portuguese campaign "porDarfur" (for Darfur). This campaign began in May 2007 from the union of several Portuguese organizations, some of them with catholic missionaries working in Darfur. Shortly thereafter, several non-confessional organizations such as the Portuguese Red Cross and the Portuguese section of Amnesty International join them in solidarity with the intention to sensitize the Portuguese public opinion. The campaign started with the support of many Portuguese public figures and various communication and advertising agencies but it was with the financial support of Darfur Coalition that the campaign can realize its huge media impact. One petition with more than 20,000 subscriptions asked the host of the summit, the then prime-minister Jose Socrates, for personal involvement in the issue. This was delivered in September 2007 by former first lady Maria Barroso Soares. António Guterres, a former Portuguese prime minister and the height High Commissioner of UNHCR, was another figure who supported this initiative. A tribute "Artists for Darfur" brought together 37 bands and artists who done a common theme, "Fragile" (adapted from the original theme sung in Portuguese by Sting) and a collection "FRAGILE - Portuguese Artists for Darfur", sold as a double CD (whose revenues reverted to maintain four schools open and maintained by Catholic missionaries in the dangerous environment of Darfur refugee camps). The "porDarfur" alliance mobilized the Portuguese media for coverage of many national and international initiatives on September 16, 2007, desigando the Global Day of Action porDarfur. A few days later and during the Summit Europe Africa, there was a parallel meeting between the host Portuguese prime minister and several European counterparts and the President of Sudan, Omar Al-Bashir, specifically to address the issue of human rights in Darfur.
Participating agencies; Justice and Peace Commission of the Portuguese Religious, Comboni Missionaries, Church in Need Help Foundation, Portuguese branch of Amnesty International, Caritas Portuguese, Gonçalo da Silveira Foundation, among others.
The Save Darfur Coalition had over 190 national and regional organizational supporters including Amnesty International, Genocide Intervention Network, NAACP, United to End Genocide and Physicians for Human Rights.[12]
See also[edit]
Notes and references[edit]
- ^ a b "Unity Statement". Retrieved 25 March 2013.
- ^ "Genocide in Darfur". Armenian Youth Federation - Western United States. Retrieved 25 March 2013.
- ^ a b "The Darfur Conflict". A&E Television Networks. Retrieved 25 March 2013.
- ^ Brown, Anne. "Advocacy Groups Save Darfur Coalition and Genocide Intervention Network Announce Merger to Create Powerful Constituency Focused on Preventing Genocide and Mass Atrocities". Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 25 March 2013.
- ^ "2008 SDC Annual Report". The Save Darfur Coalition. Retrieved 25 March 2013.
- ^ a b c d e Hamilton, Rebecca (2011). Fighting for Darfur. New York: Palgrave Macmillian. ISBN 0230100228.
- ^ Greenberg, Ilan. "Changing the Rules of the Games". New York Times. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
- ^ a b c "Previous Initiatives". The Save Darfur Coalition. Retrieved 25 March 2013.
- ^ Brown, Ann. "Save Darfur Coalition joins call for Sudan divestment with 'Divest for Darfur' initiative, national ad campaign". Save Darfur Coalition. Retrieved 25 March 2013.
- ^ Brown, Ann. "Advocates Launch On-the-ground Phase of 'Divest for Darfur' Efforts in Boston". Save Darfur Coalition. Retrieved 25 March 2013.
- ^ a b "Annual Report: 2008". Genocide Intervention Network. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
- ^ "Organizational Members". Save Darfur Coalition. Retrieved 25 March 2013.


text: A Powerful Texas Hold'em Poker Odds Calculator App. Use this app with your smartphone to calculate the odds you need when you play some poker. A powerful tool when skillfully used: Improve in poker and be the winner.Pros:(+) Get Texas Hold'em Poker odds wherever you go with your smart phone. ( I.e. break even odds, pot odds, the probabilities for you to win, loose and tie in each round... ).(+) Designed for: Easy and rapid input. Rapid and accurate poker odds.(+) The poker odds are directly adjusted for the number of players you input: From 2 up to 10 players, (you included).(+) The simulation process, is displayed and runs until you choose to stop it. When stopped, you can choose to continue the simulation, or restart it from scratch again, (depends on the input you choose to do after each stop). In other words: You have full control.(+) Optionally add your bet size and the pot size to your input, and this app will add the following to the displayed output: () A rough advice in how you should act next in the game: 'Fold', 'call' or 'raise', (i.e. based on the displayed break even odds, the pot odds, and adjusted for the number of players). () A rough estimated maximum bet size you may choose to bet, (i.e based on your actual probability to win the pot, adjusted for the actual number of players, and the actual pot size).


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Lacking some of the major tentpoles of other studios, Sony Pictures co-chairman Amy Pascal confirms the company is doubling down on its "Spider-Man" franchise. The aim? An annual Spidey-related release.
"We are expanding the 'Spider-Man' universe into 'The Sinister Six' and 'Venom,' so that we have 'Spider-Man' movies every year" says Pascal.
Alex Kurtzman is slated to direct and co-write "Venom" while Drew Goddard will write and potentially direct "The Sinister Six". While both films are in development, neither has set a date yet.
Pascal has also confirmed that Marc Webb is returning to direct "The Amazing Spider-Man 3" which is due for release in June 2016.
Source: Variety


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The Senate on Thursday backed a measure to help bolster the housing market by making it easier for people to afford a home in wealthier neighborhoods.
The Senate voted 60-38 to attach the proposal to a spending bill that the chamber will consider later this year. It would restore the size of the loans the government buys or insures to a maximum of $729,500 from the previous cap of $625,500.
The cap, known as the "conforming loan limit," determines the maximum size of loans the Federal Housing Administration and the government's mortgage buyers, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, can buy or guarantee.
The higher loan limit expired at the end of Click Here for Full Video/Article (Members Only)


text: Sun Lakes, Ariz. - Janice Ann (Oxenrider) Larson, 68, of Sun Lakes, Ariz., passed away Jan. 30, 2007. She was preceded in death by her mother, Sophia, sister, Donna, and brother, Kenneth. She is survived by her husband, Richard, sisters Betty Wiltfang (Arlo) of Tucson and Kathryn Kolden (Rob) of Houston, Texas; four stepchildren, 11 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. Janice was born on Jan. 19, 1939, in Ellendale, N.D. She attended and graduated in May 1957 from Aberdeen Central High School in Aberdeen, S.D. She also graduated from Mesa Community College and Arizona State University in 1981 where she earned her bachelor's degree in business management while she worked for the United Way of Tempe, Ariz., for eight years. After 20 years of service as Chief Financial Officer for the Boy Scouts of America, she retired in 2004. Her greatest passions were spending time with her cats and sitting on the beach in San Diego listening to the sounds of the peaceful ocean. She loved to sit by the lake at home on her patio sipping her wine and enjoying the ducks. Janice greatly enjoyed her time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, teaching them the ways of life. We are all grateful for the time we had with her and she will be missed immensely. A visitation will be held 6-8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2, 2007, at Bueler Mortuary, 14 W. Hulet Dr., Chandler, Ariz. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 3, 2007, at Bueler Mortuary. A chapel service and interment will follow at 1 p.m. at Evergreen Mortuary and Cemetery in Tucson, Ariz. In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred in her name to the Arizona Animal Welfare League, 30 North 40th Place, Phoenix, AZ 85034-1802. Arrangements by Bueler Mortuary.


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- Code: ENG/7203
- Dimensions (mm): 960(L) x 280(W) x 356(H)
- Weight: Approx 7KG
This medium sized leather seal makes an unusual low level footrest or can be used as an occasional seat.
The leather seal was first made in the 1960's by Mr Omersa. For a picture of an old piece, please refer to "Owners Club" on our website, and select "Old Friends".


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Write about different topics dealt with in Beginner's course 1 and 2. Practice your writing skills at a beginner's level of language learning.
Introducing yourself
Briefly introduce yourself
Which languages do you speak?
Write about which languages you speak.
Where do you come from?
Briefly describe where you are from and ask someone where he or she comes from.
How is it going?
Say how you feel and ask someone else how he or she feels.
An appointment
Here you'll learn: Write an email to a friend asking him or her to meet.


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I can't believe it's already September. Even though we say it's spring here in Australia (cause calendar months is far less confusing), I don't normally get into the spirit of the thing until October when you can actually leave the house of a night without stockings (and without the inevitable cold that always strikes me this time of year). Of course, the Sydney weather has decided that it's down with being spring before I even am. Spring has sprung, throw away your hoisery, shave those legs! You've seen this dress before, but I decided a nice rose print was what I was in the mood for.
What I really want to point out about this outfit is my earrings. They're from Mamoru Jewellery. Aren't they divine? They've got wattle in them. I couldn't resist driving to a little spot with some wattle growing to grab these shots. Don't worry, I don't actually walk around the bush normally in heels. That'd be just plain silly...
VictrolaVictrola 1950s rose print dress, Modcloth cropped cardigan, Miss L Fire heels, Mimco bag, Mamoru Jewellery wattle earrings, Linda Farrow x Prabal Gurung sunglasses


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Smart Grid & Spectrum – Setting the Record Straight
One of the key policy debates now ongoing in Washington DC is whether to set aside spectrum for use in the smart grid – spectrum that the utilities could themselves use for their own deployments.
In a recent filing at the FCC, Cisco provided its thoughts on how the FCC might evaluate policies to promote and accelerate the use of smart grid technologies across the country. As it turns out, a portion of our filing was misrepresented in a blog and elsewhere on the internet, stating that we do not support additional spectrum allocations for utilities. In fact, we believe this is a critical issue at the FCC that goes beyond the boundaries of technology and should be evaluated based on business models and the need to accelerate smart grid deployments.
In our filing, we shared our technical knowledge and our vision for smart grid, making it clear that the decision about whether to award spectrum need not be driven by technology, but rather a framework to assess business models. Cisco has not taken a position on which models the FCC should prefer in determining whether additional spectrum is warranted. However, we would emphasize – as we did in our filing that "one size does not fit all." When it comes to the types of networks that are necessary to build a robust, secure, reliable smart grid – diversity and redundancy are essential.
We hope the FCC will resolve the question by evaluating the business models and use cases made by the utilities. The utilities have been well-represented in this proceeding, and have made a strong case to the FCC. Cisco is looking forward to the FCC's upcoming recommendation expected in March. We are optimistic that their plan will be both a comprehensive and forward-looking blueprint for the future of smart grid.
For more information, please read our filing at http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/view?id=7020385090
In an effort to keep conversations fresh, Cisco Blogs closes comments after 60 days. Please visit the Cisco Blogs hub page for the latest content.
4 Comments
Very interesting components to discuss.Great point and prospective.


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The Writing Is On The Wall At Bett 2015 And Learning Analytics
The madness and the post madness of BETT 2015 finally finished and it is time for me to reflect on what I had seen this year. The Impero stand was a massive success and we had some good comments from people both over the stand and also the software.
It Is All About Learning Analytics
I always try and look at what the emerging theme is among the stands. This year it was learning analytics and adaptive learning. While Capita have had Sims Discovery and SISRA has had its range of products for a while. It seems a number of other people are entering this market. Such as Education4Sight based out of Germany (who were in the BETT Futures zone), EduClever based in Franze and CCKFs RealizeIT based out of Dublin. Even giants like Intel are getting in on the act with its Kno platform.
Even the recent Horizon reports have highlighted that learning analytics and adaptive learning is going to be a significant area. Sadly working on a stand at BETT you don't get to see much of the show. One seminar I would have liked to attend was a session by Doug Clow on introducing learning analytics if like me you missed it there is a good run down here on the LACE website.
The Writing Is On The Wall For Education
The BETT Arena wall once again hosted a graffiti whiteboard that had artists designing visitor comments on it based on questions around education. I love idea of whiteboard walls and if I ever created a new a classroom the walls would be painted with whiteboard paint. I took this photo on Friday morning before the show opened however the BETT Show website has the completed board from the end of the show on Saturday.
The one thing impressed me about the content of the wall was the lack of discussion about technology and the focus on 'bigger picture' ideas. This different 'blue sky' approach to technology is something myself and others have said for many years.It shows that we have finally moved away from this focus on what technology can do but instead looking at how the technology is used. It shows that we have finally moved away from this focus on what technology can do but instead looking at how the technology is used.


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Introducing Host The Docs
Introducing Host The Docs
Join the DZone community and get the full member experience.Join For Free
A month or so ago I created Host the Docs, and it's been quietly running at work some success, so I figure it's time to talk about it. The code is on GitHub at https://github.com/rgalanakis/hostthedocs, and here's a description from the readme:
Host the Docs is a simple way to host static code documentation. Its main use is as a self-hosted server for your organization's private documentation. Better alternatives are available for open source projects, such as Read the Docs or Github Pages.
Host the Docs was created after a long day of banging my head against the wall trying to get Read the Docs set up with private GitHub repositories, and having helped develop a plugin to get it to work with Perforce previously. What the world needed was a way to easily host documentation from several projects, from any source or language or SCM.
Seriously, let other people generate their own docs, I just want to Host the Docs!
It's super easy to get set up, and requires no database. You can even just serve everything through Flask, if you don't want to set up a webserver like Apache or nginx. It's pretty well tested and configurable and thoroughly documented. We had it running on a new Linux VM in just a few minutes, and use it to host HTML documentation for Python and C# projects (we used Sphinx to generate the Python docs and Doxygen for C#).
I encourage you to try it out if you are interested in painless documentation hosting! I'm also very open to fixes/changes/pull requests, as long as it doesn't overcomplicate things.
Published at DZone with permission of Rob Galanakis , DZone MVB. See the original article here.
Opinions expressed by DZone contributors are their own.


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Blog Archives
A mother's heartbreak…
Ok so any of you that have read my blog know that I have one teenage son with aspergers. You may also know that I have 9 angel babies that I never got to hold. You may also have occasion to know that that is all I will ever have because I had a hysterectomy last year after battling PCOS for many years and finally not being able to stand it any longer. For those who don't know, please read up on my blogs.
Last night I called my son while leaving work, like I do every single day. A call in the morning, a call after work and a call to say goodnight. Last night he informed me that he was going to spend this next weekend hanging out with his friend instead of coming home. He has not been home for the past two weekends. This generally would hurt my feelings but not reduce me to tears. Generally. This coming weekend is Mother's Day. This coming weekend should be a time for him to come home and say thanks for being his mom, for us to spend the day together doing fun stuff that we both enjoy. But no. No mother's day for me this year.
He had informed me that Mother's Day is just another day to him. That it doesn't mean anything really. This, of course, was after he informed me that since I only saw him every other weekend I was barely a parent. This was also after he informed me that my husband, the guy who he told me he loved like a dad, was annoying and that he didn't think of anyone as a dad.
This breaks my heart. But I know it is not his fault. These are the things that go along with him being an aspie. He lacks that empathy that typical minded folks have. But living with his grandmother, instead of being taught to look for these moments and learn how to behave so as not to hurt others, he is being taught that "This is how I am, take it or leave it." Now generally this would be what I would want for him, but not to the point where he doesn't care who he hurts or how badly.
And she told me that she was ok with him not coming home to me on mother's day because "He is home". Last night I did not call my son to tell him goodnight. I prayed that he would call me. He did not. I guess she is going to keep on until she finds a way to cut me out of his life completely. I just wish that I knew what I could possibly have done to make her hate me so much that she has to harm him to hurt me.


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A Maine teenager ended up dying after he contracting a flesh-eating bacteria disease just a few days after he had underwent routine dental surgery, explained the Maine Chief Medical Examiner. Benjamin LaMontagne, age 18, passed away on February 22, three days after he had the procedure to have two of his wisdom teeth, which had become impacted, removed.
He died because of complications of cervical necrotizing fasciitis which is more commonly known as a flesh-eating bacterium. It devastates body fat, skin tissue and muscles and most usually enters the human body through some sort of break in the skin, such as a scrape or cut. The disease can be caused by numerous types of bacteria living inside in the throat, but the infection is extremely rare.
Dr. John Molinari, who works as an infection control professional for the American Dental Association, spoke to the media and said that he had never of anything like what happened to LaMontagne, with necrotizing fasciitis ending up as a result of normal oral surgery tooth removals.
The teenager man was known to be a dedicated student who played the clarinet, loved to sail and enjoyed to go out fishing for lobster. He died back in February of this year. Benjamin reported having pain and swelling after he had the oral surgery but this increased rapidly. When it became so intense that Benjamin stopped breathing, his mother rushed to call 911. However he ended up dying at his home about 1 a.m. His father reportedly told the media that if anyone was able to say he or she had lived a full life after 18 short years, it was Benjamin. The father added that fact made it even more painful to have had his son taken from their family so soon.
The disease is frequently caused by different types of bacteria, most usually being group A Streptococcus. This can be typically treated, but in many cases the infection creates toxins that destroy the tissue they poison. Dentists and oral surgeons follow well established procedures in order to limit the exposure to infection, including sterilizing the instruments they use with high heat and also by wearing masks, gloves and eye wear. These precautions usually take care of the vast majority of what could possibly happen, explained Dr. Molinari.
Dr. Thomas Dodson, who works in the Department of Oral Surgery at the University of Washington, explained that in over two decades of working at a Massachusetts hospital, there was not a single death ever recorded in any of the patients who came in to have their wisdom teeth removed.
The dentist had not examined Benjamin's case but had decades of personal experience. He stated that he had been trained as an epidemiologist, and that he said he had never read about a death anywhere that he could recall due to this type of event.
Benjamin ended up dying after he contracting a flesh-eating bacteria disease just a few days after he underwent routine dental surgery. The teenager passed away on February 22, three days after he had the procedure to have two of his wisdom teeth, which had become impacted, removed.
By Kimberly Ruble


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|Matt Connolly
Half of Northampton County is now represented by Matt Cartwright, a prominent attorney from the Scranton area. A Democrat, he can rely on heavy support from urban centers like Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Easton and the one Bethlehem precinct that he now represents.
Cartwright was successful two years ago in a re-election bid in which he was challenged by David "Doc" Moylan, a physician and Schuylkill County coroner who billed himself as "the cure for Congress." In Northampton County, Cartwright walked away with 52% of the vote.
Can a Republican beat him? Matt Connolly and Glenn Geissinger think so. Both are running for the Republican nomination. They were the headline event at a debate hosted by the Lehigh Valley Tea Party at a packed Se-Wy-Co Banquet Hall in Lower Saucon Township on April 7. .
Connolly, a retired race car driver who is now in the auto repair business, is no stranger to politics. Since 2010, he's run unsuccessfully for the state senate and Northampton County Council. He also ran for this seat two years ago, but was defeated in the primary by Doc Moylan. He lives in Bethlehem Township with his daughter and is on the Bethlehem Township Athletic Association's board.
Connolly claimed he's been involved in the tea party since 2009, and "it's been wonderful." He said this country is "under the thumb or boot of this Obama guy." He charged that President Obama was able to get Obamacare through Congress because he had a big SuperPAC behind him - "the mainstream media."
Geissinger was elected to Northampton County Council two years in a Republican sweep of all at-large seats Though he grew up in Whitehall, he now lives in Plainfield Township with his wife and two children. He
runs his own advertising business and served as a captain in a combat unit with the 82nd Airborne. He is also a Republican State Committee member.
According to Geissinger, government's primary role is to provide security. "People need to know they are safe," he said. He advocates rolling back government regulation that he claims is "absolutely killing us." He portrayed himself as a Congressman who will be "accountable to you."
|Glenn Geissinger
Connolly referred to several fundraisers and said he will have the money needed because he will "inspire voters." He slammed Cartwirght. "He is not pro life. He is not pro Second Amendment. He claims to be pro family and pro worker, yet he is for Obama's amnesty. This is not a guy who inspires anyone."
Term Limits. Geissinger vowed he would serve no more than five terms. Connolly signed a pledge to "cosponsor and vote" for a U.S. Term Limits Amendment limiting a Congressman to three terms and Senator to two. But he is "not going to term limit myself," and until something that applies to everyone is adopted, refuses to bind himself individually.
Repeal 17th Amendment. - The 17th Amendment was adopted to ensure that U.S. Senators are elected by popular vote instead of by state legislatures. This proposal to repeal it has the support of Presidential candidate Ted Cruz and the Utah State Senate.
According to Connolly, one of the reasons this Amendment was adopted is because "the wannabe senators were bribing the state legislators in order to elect them." But he said Senators today "bribe every voter out there. And they do it with promises they can't keep, and they know they can't keep, and they buy votes by spending our grandchildren's money." He said that having state legislators pick U.S. Senators would bring back "another level of accountability to the people."
Geissinger agreed, saying that the 17th Amendment "destroyed the balance."
|Joanne Jackson (former Allentown School Board) and her husband
Geissinger noted that elected local officials like himself "cannot escape your constituents. You go to the store with them. You go to soccer with them. You are everywhere with them because they are the people who voted for you, they are the people who are with you 24 hours a day." Geissinger said he'd be responsive because "I'm going to be in the district." He said he'd be "looking people in the eye and answering the hard questions."
Getting rid of Obamacare. - Geissinger noted that the repeal of Obamacare has already passed in the House, and that conservative Republicans are now fashioning a replacement bill. "I would be behind that in a heartbeat," said Geissinger. House Speaker Paul Ryan has yet to release the details of his alternative plan.
"You don't replace it with anything," complained Connolly. "You replace it with the free market principles that allow competition to eliminate the government overreach." He condemned any law "from the same federal government that was part of the problem in the first place."
The only thing that works is the government out of our health care, we need the government out of the relationship between the patient and the doctor. We need tort reform to lower the cost of health care, to lower the cost of drugs ... Healthcare, education and marriage are three words never mentioned in the Constitution or the Bill of Rights and we need to keep it that way."According to Connolly, the genesis of our health care problem is wage caps imposed during WWII, to which employers responded by offering benefits to make jobs more attractive. "That became the norm," he claimed, and the health insurance resulted in lawsuits by lawyers looking for insurance money.
Pro life stances. - Both candidates are solidly pro-life.
"I believe the child is innocent, regardless of the sins of the father or the irresponsibility of the mother," said Connolly His position with Project VoteSmart is that abortion should only be considered "when the women did not consent or if the mother's life is in danger." At the debate, he said that "I have yet to see a true medical situation where the baby must be aborted to save the life of the mother. If it exists, that's not going to be part of the legal system. That's going to be part of the medical system. That life issue will soon become the lifestyle of the mother."
Connolly added he won't allow his personal philosophy to be swayed. He claimed the true test for him will come when
"my party's leadership puts their arm around me and says, 'Matt, I know you probably don't want to vote for this because you're one of those conservative tea party guys, but this is how we get things done. You gotta' go along to get along.' No. I'm not going to work as hard as I've worked to get elected to become one of those guys who goes along to get along. I'm not going to be comfortable. I'm not even going to be popular. I don't even want to be popular with those people. I want my country and I want to get my country back."Geissinger said he spent five years of his life as an unpaid member of the clergy for his church. Both of his children were adopted as a result of teen pregnancies. "I-get-the-issue," he announced. But unlike Connolly, he does make exceptions because 64,000 women annually suffer from ectopic pregnancy "There are issues in which the life of the mother is in danger" He also pointed to pregnancies that result from rape. "Are you going to ask a 13 year-old girl who's been raped by her uncle to take the child to full term? Are you gonna' do that? I can't do that responsibly as a legislator."
Geissinger Defends NorCo Tax Hike
Prior to the debate, the audience was cautioned to ask only questions that both candidates could answer and avoid questions that single out any one candidate. But that's precisely what one person, festooned in a Donald Trump sweatshirt and a very tiny pistol, did. She disguised her question as a concern over the federal deficit, but then slammed Geissinger "for voting for a tax hike in your first year as a County councilman to beef up the surplus." She wondered whether there would be "more of the same" in Washington.
Geissinger had an answer.
"Here's what happened. We came in with a $19 million structural deficit. We only had $20 million in the bank. We had a choice. Violate an ordinance and not vote for the tax increase and get in the back with the Democrats and say, 'We hope it works out.' Or, get together with other good tea party members like Hayden Phillips and come up with a bill that put that money in a lock box. We asked each family in Northampton County to contribute, on the average, $1 per week to solidify our financial position, to save our credit rating and to give us time that we needed to turn things around. We did it. We turned things around. Thirty-seven million dollars returned to the general fund in two years, and the second year, I voted against the tax increase. We needed to find a way to cut expenses, and that's what I did here and that's what I'll do there."Balancing the Budget. - Connolly said he'd start by nixing the automatic increases in programs that go on year after year. Geissinger added that a family is unable to last long if it spends $50,000 every year but only takes in $40,000, and must look to cut expenses He pointed to Lou Barletta, who in Congress has pressured the General Services Administration to negotiate leases that potentially could save billions over the long term. For example, people with 1500 sq ft would see that space reduced to 150 sq ft.
Cutting Federal Agencies - Geissinger said he'd reform the Veterans Administration, which employs 270,000 people.Connolly would eliminate the Department of Education and slammed the EPA as a collection of "unelected bureaucrats with no accountability."


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Prednisone For DogsPrednisone is a corticosteroid used to treat various prednisonne and allergy conditions as well as other diseases. Prednisone is sold per tablet and requires a prescription from your veterinarian. Prednisone prednisone dosage for dogs itching a corticosteroid, which suppresses the inflammatory response to a variety of agents. Prednisone can also be used as an immunosuppressive drug for organ transplants and in cases of adrenal insufficiency Addison's disease. Without first talking to your veterinarian, don't give your pet any over-the-counter or other prescription medications while buy keifei steroids Prednisone.
Itchy Dog Needs Prednisone - Petcha
Prednisone is a corticosteroid used to treat various inflammatory and allergy conditions as well as other diseases. Prednisone is sold per tablet and requires a prescription from your veterinarian. Prednisone is a corticosteroid, which suppresses the inflammatory response to a variety of agents. Prednisone can also be used as an immunosuppressive drug for organ transplants and in cases of adrenal insufficiency Addison's disease.
Without first talking to your veterinarian, don't give your pet any over-the-counter or other prescription medications while giving Prednisone. There are possible side effects, including insomnia, nausea, vomiting, upset stomach, and fatigue.
Tell your veterinarian if your pet has kidney or liver disease, heart disease, stomach ulcers, hypothyroidism, diabetes mellitus, or any other medical conditions.
Keep this medication away from children and pets. Prednisone is a prescription medication that is used in dogs and cats. Prednisone is available as 1 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg, 20 mg, and 50 mg scored tablets.
The usual dose for dogs and cats is determined based on the condition being treated and the pet's response to treatment. Prednisone should not be stopped suddenly. There should be a gradual reduction in dosage before stopping. Prednisone should be taken with food to lessen stomach upset. Do not give Prednisone to your pet if the pet has a serious bacterial, viral or fungal infection.
Prednisone weakens the pet's immune response and its ability to fight infections. Tell your veterinarian if your pet has kidney or liver disease, heart disease, stomach ulcers, hypothyroidism, diabetes mellitus or any other medical conditions. Also tell your veterinarian if your pet is pregnant or lactating. Give this medication exactly as directed by your veterinarian. Do not give more or less than is prescribed by the veterinarian.
If you do not understand the directions, ask your pharmacist or veterinarian to explain them to you. Keep plenty of water available for your pet.
Prednisone should be given with food. If any of the following serious side effects occur, stop giving Prednisone and seek emergency veterinary medical attention; an allergic reaction difficulty breathing; swelling of the lips, tongue or face; hives , increased blood pressure or sudden weight gain.
Other less serious side effects may occur. Continue giving Prednisone and talk to your veterinarian if your pet experiences insomnia, nausea, vomiting or stomach upset, fatigue, muscle weakness or joint pain, problems with diabetes control or increased hunger or thirst.
Other side effects that occur rarely, usually with high doses of Prednisone include thinning of the skin, cataracts, glaucoma, behavior changes.
Other side effects may also occur. Talk to your veterinarian about any side effect that seems unusual or bothersome to your pet. If you give one dose daily, give the missed dose as soon as remembered.
However, if you don't remember until the next day, skip the missed dose and give only the regular daily dose. If you give more than one dose daily, either give the missed dose as soon as remembered, or give two doses the next dose time. If you give one dose every other day, give the missed dose as soon as remembered, then go back to the regular every other day schedule.
Do not give any other over-the-counter or prescription medications, including herbal products, during treatment with Prednisone without first talking to your veterinarian. Many other medications can interact with Prednisone resulting in side effects or altered effectiveness. Store Prednisone at room temperature away from moisture and heat.
We'll ask for your vet's info during checkout. We verify your prescription and ship your order! Cats and Dogs Benefits: Treats a wide range of inflammatory and autoimmune conditions Relieves itchy skin and swelling caused by allergies Reduces redness, itching, and allergic reactions affecting the eyes Sold per tablet How does Prednisone work?
Prednisone pred'-ni-zone What is the most important thing I should know about Prednisone: What should I discuss with my veterinarian before giving Prednisone to my pet? How should Prednisone be given?
What are the potential side effects of Prednisone? What happens if I miss giving a dose of Prednisone? What happens if I overdose my pet on Prednisone? Seek emergency veterinary medical treatment if an overdose is suspected. What should I avoid while giving Prednisone to my pet? Avoid sources of infection. Do not use any vaccines without checking with the veterinarian. What other drugs will affect Prednisone? Prednisone is a prescription corticosteroid used in dogs and cats to treat various conditions such as Addison's disease, inflammation from arthritis, allergies, and certain autoimmune diseases.
Give prednisone exactly as directed by your veterinarian. The usual dose is determined based on the condition being treated and the pet's response to treatment.
Prednisone should be given with food to lessen stomach upset, and with plenty of water. Prednisone 1 mg tablets:. Prednisone is rated 4. Rated 5 out of 5 by Punkin from Dog was not able to walk This is an extremely effective treatment Rated 5 out of 5 by Terry from Always satisfied.
I have always been very satisfied with all aspects of ordering from this web site. I would not recommend this product to a friend because it's a prescription from a vet for my dog. Otherwise I would highly recommend this site to a friend.
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Plus there is always a little "treat" for him included in the package. Rated 5 out of 5 by pup pup from my dog is much better.
When my dog is happy, my family is happy Date published: He would scratch, itch and lick constantly. He wound up being bare skinned from he back feet all the way up to his backside. After the first dose, he finally slept the whole night without any issues. And after a couple days, his fur started growing back. He once again is a happy dog.
How much of a dose should be given to a Maltese that is 12 lbs. Thanks for your question. Do i need a prescription to buy prednisone for my dog. Yes, prednisone requires a prescription from a licensed veterinarian.
Is this prednisone different than human prednisone. I take prednisone everyday for an inflammation and was wondering the difference. I have 1 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg and 20 mg.
Prednisone is a human drug that is also prescribed for pets. There is no difference. Are these tablets able to be split in half? Is the medication scored equally? My dog needs 2. Yes, prednisone tablets are scored and can be split in half. I actually have two questions.


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dynamic similarity(redirected from Similitude (model))
Also found in: Wikipedia.
Dynamic similarity
A relationship existing between two fluid flows when they have identical types of forces that are parallel at all corresponding points, with magnitudes related by a constant scale factor. Dynamic similarity makes it possible to scale results from model tests to predict corresponding results for the full-scale prototype.
Dynamic similarity requires faithful reproduction of detail on the model (geometric similarity); the same flow pattern, including boundary shapes (kinematic similarity); and test conditions that match relevant dimensionless ratios between model and prototype. Dynamically similar flows are said to be homologous. It may not be possible in a practical test to match all dimensionless parameters. It is most important to match parameters that represent the dominant physical effects. Thus, correct simulation of viscous effects requires that Reynolds number be matched; Mach number may be ignored if compressibility effects are not important. In ship model tests, Froude number must be matched to duplicate wave patterns; the effect of Reynolds number on viscous drag may be predicted analytically. See Dimensional analysis, Dimensionless groups, Fluid mechanics, Froude number, Mach number, Reynolds number


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As we previously reported U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a new version of Form I-9 on July 17, 2017. That new form is required to be used as of today, September 18, 2017. Although the changes to the new Form are minor, it's critical that you have started or are now using the correct version to protect your organization.
Employers can expect increased attention to Form I-9 compliance and worksite enforcement as:
- Homeland Security calls to add 10,000 new US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials
- ICE audits expected to triple
How do I know if my organization is using the correct version of Form I-9?
All employers must now be using the latest version of Form I-9 with a revision date 07/17/17 N – you will find it in mouse print in the bottom left hand corner. Be sure you are looking at the revision date printed on the bottom left corner of the form, and not the expiration date printed at the top of the form.
To accompany the new Form USCIS also made changes to the Handbook for Employers: Guidance for Completing Form I-9 (M-274).
Employers who use the I-9 Management solution from Equifax Workforce Solutions do not need to take any action. Our teams and technology had the new Form I-9 and requirements in place ahead of today's deadline.
Contact us today to learn how Equifax Workforce Solutions can help you simplify and stay on top of Form I-9 compliance.
The post New Form I-9 Must be in Use TODAY (September 18) appeared first on Insights.


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I recently decided to move from Stockholm to Singapore to challenge myself and seize the Asian emerging market opportunity.
Since October last year I have been extensively mapping Southeast Asia and more specifically Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, comparing it with the experience I have doing business in China since August 2009.
On a macro level the first thing that comes to my mind is that we are seeing similar trends that happened when China pulled part of its population out of poverty, strengthening the middle class, especially in terms of purchasing power.
It is happening in Southeast Asia, in Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia.
It may not be at the same 10% growth year-on-year as the statistics show in China but when you look at the real economy and what you see with your own eyes, you can touch, feel and see that the opportunity is real. Payments is an interesting area. We recently saw MOL, based out of Malaysia, doing an IPO on NASDAQ just after Alibaba IPO'd.
The Singaporean government just invested in Square. Americans thinks it's crazy, but maybe there is a reason why they invested that we do not see clearly.
Strong Smartphone Growth
And a large telco based out of the Philippines just invested $353 million in Rocket Internet to develop payments for emerging markets.
The smartphone growth is much stronger than the credit and debit card growth which gives room for innovation not only in payments but also other areas.
On the micro level what surprises me is the number of European entrepreneurs who have made it by building up their own great companies in the region.
Jani Rautiainen founded PropertyGuru in May 2007 and today his company is the number one Internet classifieds real estate site in the region. It is likely to be the first company to IPO out of Singapore in a decade. Certainly local Nordic stars like Rovio and Supercell deserve lots of credit but what about Rautiainen, who has built a regional market leader in Southeast Asia, which is not his home turf?
He is not alone. Another example is Jakob Lykkegaard Pedersen, a serial entrepreneur from Denmark who founded Pocket PlayLab out of Bangkok; it's one of the fasting-growing companies in the gaming sector in the region.
Magnus Grimeland and Fredrik Næss Thomassen, two Norwegians, are running Zalora, a fashion e-commerce site and the most successful Rocket Internet company in Indonesia, out of Jakarta.
European Countries Have A History In The Region
This is not just another copycat. Grimeland and Thomassen realized that delivery was not possible the way they originally conceived, so they built their own delivery channel with thousands of moped drivers.
What about other Europeans? Serial entrepreneurs Simone Ranucci Brandimarte, an Italian, and Etienne Van den Bogaert, a Belgian, are running as CEO and COO a great emerging-market payments company called goSwiff, which is already present in 25 countries, most of them emerging markets.
There are many more other examples of Europeans, Aussies, Americans and other nationalities who are finding success in Southeast Asia.
Why is it so? I do not have a scientific argument but I see that many of the Southeast Asian communities are melting pots already with strong Chinese as well as strong Indian communities and many others.
Also European countries have a history in the region, from the Dutch in Indonesia to the Spanish in the Philippines.
I believe the emerging connections between Europe and Southeast Asia give rise to two distinct opportunities. On the one hand those who have been around since the dot.com bubble days and survived and really understand e-commerce can leverage that knowledge to set up businesses in Southeast Asia as entrepreneurs, invest in the region or expand their current Western European operations there.
What About Establishing A Corridor Between Emerging Europe And Southeast Asia?
The other opportunity focuses on leveraging expertise in Southeast Asia and applying that in Europe. There is loads of leapfrogging innovation happening in Southeast Asia, places where fixed telephone lines never existed, people do not use mobiles for voice (messaging services like WhatsApp and Line are used); a whole generation has gone from cash to using mobiles for payments without the steps in between.
We might see Southeast Asian entrepreneurs, investors or existing companies expand into Western Europe with leapfrogging innovation.
A more likely alternative is that as an intermediate step Southeast Asian companies, entrepreneurs and investors will first enter "emerging Europe" — that is, parts of Central and Eastern Europe as well as Russia and Turkey. Bringing payments services in particular to "emerging Europe" from Southeast Asia makes sense. Having "Emerging Europe" companies going to Southeast Asia for very much the same reasons could be a scenario as well.
Until now the emphasis has always been on increasing ties between the tech communities in the U.S. and Europe. But what about establishing a corridor between Emerging Europe and Southeast Asia?
Who is up for that?


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Magicians doing magic tricks for kids put in a LOT of time and effort into creating a fun and magical show. They carefully choose a persona, select just the right magic tricks, and build an act that flows and entertains. But what happens at the end of the show? Do you view your act as having a set start and finish time? As soon as the show ends, do you switch out of character, pack up and leave?
How you arrive and leave a kids magic show does make a big difference.
Professional Magician Roy Charles, is one of the most popular children's magicians in the UK as Charlie the Clown. He took a few moments before starting one of his children's magic shows, to record this valuable tip for you:
In the theatre, the stage doors are positioned at the back or side of the building. Partly it's to stop crowds pestering the actors, but it's also designed that way so that the audience won't see the actors arriving and leaving whilst out of character. Seeing an actor as themselves, just after you have enjoyed them as 'someone else', breaks the image of that person being the character you have connected with.
When you arrive at a gig to perform magic tricks for kids, you are probably setting up before the party or event has started. However, there's a good chance that some children will already be at the event.
Rather than arriving as your normal self, then transforming into your 'character' when the show formally starts, why not arrive already in character. Set up and do the show, then pack up and leave whilst still in your character.
You don't need to continue performing magic tricks for the kids, playing games, and interacting when you should be packing up, but you don't just change back into normal clothes whilst your audience is still there. Doing magic tricks for kids professionally is all about the little details.
Arriving and leaving in character creates a little bit more work for you. It may mean that you have to change in the car if you are on your way to your next booking. However, it's a small professional detail that can make a huge impression on your clients, the children and the probability of getting repeat bookings.


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Welcome to the Mid-West's #1 source for outdoor clothing and gear. First opened in 1972, Erehwon Mountain Supply had its humble beginnings in an 800 square foot store on Chicago's North Side. read more


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In order to keep things orderly, I haven't mentioned anything about availability for over a week now. The macarons have still been available at Liaison (thankfully!) but we had to keep it low key. So why am I writing this little note? Because there definitely won't be any macarons at Liaison on Friday this week (13th) or Tuesday next (17th Aug) (the café is closed Fri and Mon while Danny and Siâny have a break).
The macarons will be back on Friday 20th, but don't worry, there'll also be regular supplies on Tuesdays and Fridays in weeks to come. I'll be updating you all soonish about what's happening more broadly.


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midVentures Group necesitaba un nuevo diseño de botón o icono y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 44 diseños de 19 diseñadores freelance.
We need a icon for an iPhone application, and a loading/landing page. They should have a similar theme and could possibly share graphics.
We are launching an iPhone application, and need the icon that the user selects to run the application, and a loading page that the user will see while the application loads. This application relates to location of the user, and things that surround him/her. The theme should be travel and academia based. The icon and the loading page should share the same theme, and perhaps even the same graphic.
- Contrasting colors and an engaging layout. It should be eye catching, and instantly recognizable. Both graphics should be made to standard iPhone specifications.
- The icon can be simple, but not cheap looking. Browse iPhone application libraries to get an idea of what these icons look like. They all have the same "Cocoa" feel.
- Anything profane; this is a consumer application, so it needs to stay clean.


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Spring has made a welcome return now! The orchard's full of primroses, and bluebells are coming out in the woodland. Every year it's a surprise how beautiful it looks. Some of our guests over the Easter break enjoyed badger watching and all have been lucky with the weather, many heading to the beaches and coastlines where the sun seems to have been out almost every day.
There are ewes and their lambs in the field in front of Luggs Barn, and our younger guests have loved watching them from the garden. Monty and Ted remain a huge hit with visitors and have adored all their new playmates over the Easter holidays! The hens and ducks are laying well and behaving beautifully, but the geese are still in the last chance saloon (the top field behind the farmhouse). Their attitude isn't improving with age, so their days may be numbered!
We had a few days away recently at Saunton Sands in North Devon - our girls' first ever holiday and they adored being able to stay at the beach rather than visiting for day trips! Wetsuits were needed but we all had great fun bodyboarding - except Willow, who decided she was happier playing on the sand dunes with her friends.
Back home, we've sown some grass seed to try to repair the builders' legacy, but as yet it hasn't germinated. We've had several April showers now, so fingers crossed for some more warm sunshine to get things started! We've also had confirmation that our plants for Luggs Barn's garden have arrived, many from Holland. Dan our gardening guru has arranged to come and help us plant up the beds in about 10 days' time. He assures us it'll all look fabulous in no time, so watch this space for photos!
I've taken several video tours of Luggs Barn but can't seem to get them uploaded either on here or YouTube - if any readers are technically minded, I'd be grateful for any advice!
Check back soon for more photos and details of the great planting scheme! We'll also be announcing some great deals in May very soon...


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Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. Unfortunately, even with a recent dusting of fluffy white flakes, it remains extremely dry in most of the winter wheat grazing areas of the southern Great Plains.
Dry conditions last fall made it difficult to establish wheat pasture in many areas and limited growth for winter grazing, leading to a number of current beef producer and industry concerns.
With high feeder prices and limited feeder supplies, there is a lot of interest in how many wheat pasture cattle are out this winter, especially relative to the timing of those cattle into the market, said Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension livestock marketing specialist.
"Wheat pasture conditions vary considerably in different regions, making it difficult to develop an overall assessment," he said. "Most wheat pasture was planted late and developed late, delaying placement of wheat pasture cattle."
High wheat prices may have limited grazing interest somewhat but attractive wheat grazing prospects remained much of the fall. However, emerging dry conditions curtailed grazing prospects prior to Christmas so the overall window for placing wheat pasture cattle was fairly narrow.
Given those situations, Peel believes that the number of cattle on wheat is probably no greater than it was last year and may be somewhat less.
"I traveled some over the holiday season and noticed a wide range of wheat pasture conditions at the time," he said. "Most notable were several sets of cattle grazing extremely short or limited wheat. Those cattle will have to move very soon to other pasture or be marketed."
The cold weather currently in place has shut down or at least severely limited plant growth, depending on the exact location of a producer's operation.
"Given that the amount of wheat pasture available is quite limited and cattle prices are attractive and may go higher still, producers will want to minimize risk to grain yield," Peel said.
There seems to be little incentive to hold onto cattle, particularly if forage is short. Peel said he would not be surprised to begin seeing wheat pasture cattle trickling into the market in the coming weeks. However, he does not expect to see any sizable bunching of cattle or a noticeable "run" of any size going into early March.


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Leica Summicron-C 35mm T2.0 Lens for Rent in Los Angeles
Leica Summicron-C 35mm T2.0 Lens $175 day / $525 week / $1750 per month
The Summicron-C lenses offer authentic color rendition, natural focus transitions and fall off, and a creamy sharpness that captures everything from actresses to architecture with a humane and true representation. Skin tones remain soft and smooth while hard edges and fine details retain their resolution, which makes these one of the most versatile sets of cine lenses available.
The Leica Summicron-C lenses were designed with larger sensors in mind. Their massive image circle (minimum 36mm diameter) easily covers ARRI Alexa Open Gate and RED 6K formats without vignetteing, corner shading, or loss of focus.
Lens Specifications:
- T2.0 - T22 - fully closed
- Close Focus 14"
- Front Diameter 95mm / 3.7"
- Weight 2.9lb
- Iris Rotation 180 Degrees
- Focus Rotation 300 Degrees
- Image Circle 36mm
One Day Rental Rate:


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Hey My Fashion Geeks!
It's always good to find stuff on web which is totally in my favor, the certain trends which are into my head. I was predicting few trends from mid 90's this year 2013. There are loads of strips are ready to hit this Spring 2013. I'm super excited to wear these most wearable trends this spring. These fashion trends are retro and chic on the same way. So get a first look at these super wearable Spring 2013 fashion trends.
Sporty Dresses
Spring's sporty dresses—with their flirty A-line skirts and shoulder-showcasing bodices—are going to distract quite a few dudes next season, I guarantee it. I love them because they work just as easily with wedges and high-heel sandals as they do with comfy canvas sneakers. Go all Saved by the Bell with the addition of a collegiate cardigan or letter man jacket.
|Spring 2013 Trend: Sporty Dresses
DKNY, Rag & Bone, Victoria Beckham, spring 2013
Flats and Low Heels
Sexy '90s pointy heels are back and have been modernized with everything from dainty ankle straps to cylindrical heels. There will always be a moment for four-inch pumps (and that moment is date night), but these ladylike heels are such a nice option to have on hand. Extra cool points if you wear them with slouchy boyfriend jeans or Bermuda shorts to brunch with the girls.
|Spring 2013 Trend: Flats and Low Heels
Peter Som, Marc Jacobs, spring 2013
Statement Sunglasses
Want to add a runway feel to your everyday basics? Pick up a pair of spring's OMG-worthy sunglasses. They hit the runway in every shape and size, each pair louder and more fabulous than the next. (Case in point: Google's augmented reality glasses even took a turn on the catwalk.)
|Spring 2013 Trend: Statement Sunglasses
Anna Sui, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Diane von Furstenberg, spring 2013
Luxe Leather
Time-honored and fashionista-approved, a luxe leather piece is more than worth adding to your spring shopping list. Minimalistic shapes, rich colors, and a no-fuss approach to the hair, makeup, and accessories that complete the look make these investment items seem like they're from 2013, not 1983. (And with spring clothes hitting stores in February, there's no need to stress about the sweat factor.)
|Spring 2013 Trend: Luxe Leather
Derek Lam, Monique Lhuillier, Proenza Schouler, spring 2013
Peekaboo Pieces
Speaking of date night, this spring you'll have zero problem finding something sexy to wear: Daring cutouts, midriff-baring separates, up-to-there splits, and sheer fabrics were all over the runway. The beauty of this trend? There's a peekaboo option for every body shape (and level of modesty) up for grabs.
|Spring 2013 Trend: Peekaboo Pieces
BCBG, Cushnie et Ochs, Diane von Furstenberg, spring 2013
Bermuda Shorts
The slouchy, cool-girl shorts that were all over the New York runways this season are perfect for every girl who never felt like she could pull off those cheek-baring cutoffs so beloved on Instagram (i.e., most of us). They're ultra chic, fam-friendly, and flattering; seriously, what's not to love?
|Spring 2013 Trend: Bermuda Shorts
Peter Som, Rag & Bone, DKNY, spring 2013
Black and White
"Spring trends" might typically call to mind Easter-egg colors and happy-go-lucky floral prints, but this season, designers put the emphasis on strong black-and-white looks (OK, there were a few floral prints, too). Appropriate to wear year-round, easy to pull off at every budget, and sleek enough to work at the office or on date night, this trend is the definition of wearable.
|Spring 2013 Trend: Black and White
Alexander Wang, Jason Wu, Marc Jacobs, spring 2013
Beautiful Beading
After fall 2012's whirlwind of brocade, fur, and embellishment, it was no surprise to see a little razzle-dazzle on the spring catwalks. You could see influences everywhere from India and the Middle East to Russia, and it made for some seriously stunning evening wear. Push that itchy, too shiny sequined mini dress to the back of your closet, gals. You won't be needing it for a while.
|Spring 2013 Trend: Beautiful Beading
Oscar de la Renta, Altuzarra, Marchesa, spring 2013
Bold Stripes
If those Rorschach-esque digital prints are too OTT for your style, take spring's big, bold, uncomplicated stripes for a spin instead. With denim, they're all-American; with navy, they're nautical-chic; and worn head-to-toe, they're just plain cool. Bonus: You'll definitely be able to wear them for seasons—even years—to come.
|Spring 2013 Trend: Bold Stripes
Tommy Hilfiger, Michael Kors, Marc Jacobs, spring 2013
Short Suits
|Spring 2013 Trend: Short Suits


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Contact Sephra
Sephra has offices in the United States and in the United Kingdom. Listed below are the areas of the world which each office serves. Please contact the office which is responsible for the area in which you live in order to receive the most efficient service. We greatly appreciate your support and the opportunity to serve you.
United States Corporate Offices
Areas of the world served by Sephra USA: North America, Mexico, Central and South America, Caribbean, South Pacific, All of Asia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia.
Customer satisfaction is our top priority! If you have any questions about our chocolate fountains, fondue chocolate, or chocolate fountain accessories, please contact us! We are dedicated to providing you with the best and friendliest support, and can assist you with fountain prices, discounts, rentals, and business ideas. We know your time is valuable and we will do everything we can to help you get started or improve your chocolate fountain rental business - or simply enjoy your fondue fountain at home. We look forward to hearing from you!
View Sephra Chocolate Fountains in a larger map
United Kingdom Corporate Offices
Areas of the world served: United Kingdom, West and Eastern European Countries, Middle East, India, African Continent.
|Office Hours:
|Monday to Thursday 9.00am - 5.30pm
Friday 9.00am - 3.30pm (Greenwich Mean Time)
|+44 (0) 1592 656737 +44 (0) 1592 656737
|+44 (0) 1592 653535
|Street Address:
Sephra Europe Ltd
|Closed National Public Holidays


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Imagine, just for a moment, an outfield consisting of Bryce Harper, Jayson Werth, and Andrew McCutchen, all wearing a Nationals uniform.
Keep thinking. Keep salivating. Now stop.
First, we salivate. Then, we think.
In any deal that the brings Andrew McCutchen to D.C., the Pirates have made it excruciatingly clear that they demand a whole slew of blue-chip prospects in return.
Now let's think about Andrew McCutchen. Even when coming off of a season that is among the worst in his career, McCutchen is a star — there's no disputing that. However, the Pirates, in desperate need of a shake-up, are ready to deal their centerfielder away, and they aren't taking any discounts. But, although Bryce Harper had the worst season in his career last season, he's still Bryce Harper, and any team wanting to acquire him is going to have to empty the farm to even have a remote chance of getting Mike Rizzo's ear. The same goes for Andrew McCutchen: he's still Andrew McCutchen, and if the Nats want to get him, they'll have to give up a lot of talent.
One player the Pirates are eager to get their hands on is one of the Nats' young outfield prospects, Victor Robles. Robles, if you've never heard of him, is pretty good — he's the Nats' second-best prospect, the 10th-best prospect in baseball, and is ranked second out of all prospects for his raw tools. Baseball America has called the young (19 years old, to be exact) Dominican "one of the most dynamic prospects in the game," with "the potential to be a true five-tool player." So yeah, pretty good.
That's not where it ends, though. Neal Huntington, the Pirates' GM, isn't just going to take Robles 1-for-1 for McCutchen — he'll demand some major league talent, and will also likely be interested in some of the young, nearly majors-ready pitchers the Nats have available not named Lucas Giolito (think Reynaldo Lopez or Austin Voth).
In summary: Robles, a major-leaguer, and Reynaldo Lopez or Austin Voth. That's a lot of talent. Is McCutchen worth it? Almost certainly not — no player that isn't named Mike Trout is really worth that haul.
For that reason alone, the Nats should be skeptical of this deal. But that's not where it ends — there's another, much more practical reason for Mike Rizzo to not make this deal.
In two years, when McCutchen reaches free-agency and signs a lucrative deal, which will likely not be with the Nationals, Bryce Harper will also reach the open market, and Jayson Werth will likely be long-gone (Werth is a free-agent after the 2017 season). That means the Nationals' outfield will be completely empty by Opening Day of 2019, assuming Bryce Harper departs. Right around that time, the baseball world will have its eyes focused not on Washington, but instead on Pittsburgh, as they eagerly await the major-league debut of Victor Robles, a player who is expected to eventually replace Bryce Harper (if he were to remain a National).
That empty outfield will have to be replenished somehow — either with current minor-leaguers, none of whom outside of Robles look particularly inspiring as Bryce Harper's replacements — or with outside deals, which will require either further emptying the farm system, or signing two or more outfielders to new, expensive contracts. Neither of those scnenarios sound particularly enticing.
Either way, the Nats' run of consistently being in contention would be in jeopardy — most teams that give away the farm generally don't succeed, immediately or afterwards. (Generally, it's difficult to win when you need to fill two to three outfield spots and have given away the majority of your pitching talent.)
There's a much easier solution here: signing a free-agent outfielder such as Dexter Fowler.
Trading for McCutchen is not a necessity. Let us not forget that offense is not what killed the Nationals during the playoffs last season — the Nationals scored 24 runs to the Dodgers' 15 during the 2016 NLDS — nor are the Nationals particularly struggling out of the leadoff spot, with Trea Turner poised to hold it down for the forseeable future.
If Rizzo (or the Lerner family) is absolutely insistent on going into win-now mode and making a showy move that pushes the team to the NLCS or beyond, acquiring Chris Sale from the Chicago White Sox for the same package featuring Robles would be much more prudent — the value of a starting pitcher like Sale still in his prime far outweighs the potential value McCutchen could add. Plus, the Nats could add another centerfielder through free-agency and not deal with an empty outfield come 2019.
Next July, if the Nationals are still desperate for a centerfielder, it's quite possible that the Pirates will continue to struggle but still have McCutchen on their roster — meaning that Pittsburgh would be willing to deal him away for a much lower price.
Ideally, Rizzo pulls of a deal for either McCutchen or Sale without giving away Robles or any blue-chip prospects — but for now, if it comes down to either giving away Robles for McCutchen or having to move on and look elsewhere, there is absolutely no question that Mike Rizzo should pass on McCutchen.