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What's that Statue in New York Called?1 Share Tweet
I have been driving past this particular wall for sometime and every time I drove past I would forget the golden rule of Lomo which is to take your camera everywhere. I would forget then want to kick myself as I would see some great grafitti which would be great to document. When looking back at these photos of the art work of the Statue of Liberty it reminded me of a funny story when I was teaching.
These pictures were taken on a Tuesday in Taichung City when I had a free day from work teaching Taiwanese children English as a second language. I was teaching my class one day and the subject of the class was holiday destinations, and cool places to go and visit, tourist attractions, and great things to see in that particular place. We started by talking about Taiwan and what people in Taiwan or tourists could go and see, after dismissing the local answers like, my house, my school, we got on to more serious matters like the famous night markets in Taiwan, Taipei 101 and some of the amazing mountains that Taiwan has been blessed with, all great answers.
We then started talking about others places around the world, that they may have seen on TV that they would like to go and visit, as an Englishman I was pushing for England and London, Big Ben and the London Eye it was falling on deaf ears. There were some shouts of "I want to go to America!". Okay, I said which places in America have you seen? "New York" Cool yes, "concrete jungle will make you fill brand new" "Yes it will" I replied. I asked them which places they would like to go to in New York, had they seen anything which had interested them? "Yankees teacher" I knew this would probably be one of the answers as Taiwan loves MLB. I asked if there was anything else they would like to see other than Baseball. And this is where they were trying to find the words, "The big lady teacher", "Okay, do we know what that is?" "Yes teacher, yes", "The tall lady", "No, she's not called the tall lady", they were getting very agitated as they knew exactly what they wanted to say, and they could picture it in their heads and this one particular boy was thinking so hard, you could see the clogs going round and round and he wanted to be the first student to get it right. The students are always in competition with each other to try and outdo one another, and with this in mind the boy blurted out, "THE LADY WITH THE ICE CREAM!!! his enthusiasm got the better of him, when I and the rest of the class had stopped laughing, I had to tell them the name which is The Statue of Liberty.
When taking these photos, it reminded me of this story and how much I love my life in Taiwan.
written by chappelow on 2012-01-31 #lifestyle #grafitti #street-art-wall-art-statue-of-liberty-wall-sidewalk-pavement


text: Amaseffer is a progressive metal band from Tel Aviv, Israel. The band also incorporates middle eastern, oriental and symphonic sounds, with lyrics in English and quotations from the Bible in Hebrew. In 2004, Erez Yohanan had an idea to bring the Exodus to life. After being joined by Yuval Kramer and Hanan Avramovich, Amaseffer was born and work began on the debut album, which is the first in a trilogy. The trio contacted Andy Kuntz (Vanden Plas

subset: commoncrawl


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Click the "Registries" link on the black banner near the top of the Kohl's homepage, then click the "Baby Registry" box on the Registry page. A prompt instructs users to sign in or create a new account.
Enter personal information and event details. Add gifts to the registry, along with quantities, colors and sizes. For gifts not available online, visit a Kohl's store to add in-store-only gifts to the registry. The registry gift list and user profile can be updated and managed online. Click "Registries," "Manage Registry," sign in and click "Edit Settings." Users can access the Kohl's website and registry via laptop or tablet, the Kohl's Mobile site, or the Kohl's App.


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The compulsory nature of electrical inspection for your business and regulatory audits means that in the event of a claim, your insurer can decline liability if these reports are not up to date. The labor inspector can also require them in the event of an accident at work. In the event that your installation is new or has undergone major modifications and is to be connected to the power supplier's network, it is necessary to provide the power supplier with a certificate of conformity beforehand.
An initial verification by an electrical contracting company is mandatory for businesses. In the case where the electrical network has undergone a structural change, a new initial inspection has to be carried out. An inspection also has to be renewed every year.
This also makes it possible to verify the maintenance of the conformity of installations. There are standards of electrical installations to which buildings intended to receive workers must adhere. These checks must be carried out by an accredited body, such as by a qualified person hired by the company, who meets the competency criteria.
These documents are not a substitute for mandatory, initial and periodic, regulatory electrical audits. They are complementary because they provide a more comprehensive approach to risk than the minimum requirements under the law. These audits are not limited to premises at risk of fire or explosion but extend to all the electrical installations of an establishment. The purpose of this framework is to facilitate the insurers' reading of a report and to give them a better insight into the level of risk.
A regulatory electrical audit certificate, for its part, is an infrared thermography check that detects abnormal heating in electrical installations that are not visible by other methods. The periodicity, often annual, is defined in consultation between the insurer and the insured depending on the activity taking place in the institution. These reports must be carried out by a certified operator.
Obviously, all these reports are not intended only to record the hazards identified but also to establish a plan of action to reduce the risks of fire and explosion related to the electricity grid. Employers are obliged to provide training on electrical risks and preventive measures to employees working in electrical installations or in their vicinity. Electricity is used in all establishments, and company managers must prevent electrical hazards by securing facilities and equipment and enabling the personnel involved in such installations.
Any company can be confronted with an electrical accident, even if there are few accidents at work. A good knowledge of the basic principles of electrical safety allows each employee to limit the risks. The most affected employees belonged to the construction and public works sector, the metallurgical sector, service and temporary work activities and the food sector.
The electrical lesions are a function of the nature of the current, the tension and physiological parameters. Most often, these lesions mainly affect the hand, the upper limbs, and the eyes. They are burns, concussions, bruises or sores. Employers must comply with the rules governing the use of permanent and temporary electrical installations. He must maintain these facilities in compliance with the regulations in force.


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Published bimonthly and distributed to more than 550,000 of the top IT managers, database administrators, and developers.
Oracle Magazine contains technology strategy articles, sample code, tips, Oracle and partner news, how to articles for developers and DBAs, and more. Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) is the world's largest enterprise software company.
For more information about Oracle, please visit their Web site at http://www.oracle.com. Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
To get your free subscription to this publication, click here.


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Black Friday has almost arrived! Start taking advantage of the best deals online! We've compiled a list of the best of the best online fashion deals. As of now we have { 21 deals } listed here containing popular retailers such as Shopbop, ASOS, Steve Madden, Nine West and many more. Deals range from 10% to 40% off clothing, shoes, jewelry and beauty products.
Feel free to come back to this page over the weekend as we will keep adding new deals. Happy shopping!


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Please visit our Open House at 3360 BENTINCK PL in Richmond.
Open House on Saturday, July 21, 2018 2:00PM - 4:00PM
Welcome to this Outstanding, Luxurious & Quality built 2-level European style residence in Quilchena, Richmond, neighbouring in 120-Acres Golf Country Club! Gorgeous curb appeal w/fresh exterior design & elevated solid foundation, over 16ft height ceilings for both living & family rooms w/trendy chandeliers! Amazing Brazil marble countertop & backsplash create extravagant decor w/high end Miele appliances! Well equipped media room w/advanced Yamaha 7.1 Stereo, one great size bdrm w/ensuite on main, 4 bdrms above, spa-inspired ensuite creates vacation retreat, Koehler & Hansgrohe vanities, solid hardwood floor, smart home system, enhanced cracking proof building! Inspirational elegance meets nature beauty! Call for your dream house! Open House Sat July 21 & Sun July 22, 2-4pm.


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This section contains 409 words
(approx. 2 pages at 400 words per page)
Chapters 11 and 12 Summary
Josh gets Katie to fly his kite with him. Josh mentions that his dad says Katie is his friend. Josh also tells Katie that his dad asked them if he minded Katie coming to the beach with them Josh tells Katie that everyone needs friends. Josh also ends up telling Katie, inadvertently, that his dad doesn't yell or get mad.
When Katie goes back to Alex, she asks if he always spends time with the kids on the weekends and after work. He says always because he thinks it's important. She asks him about this since he mentions his parents never spent much time with him. He says he spends time with his kids because he enjoys it.
Further into the conversation, Alex tells Katie he was a detective in the Army. This makes Katie uncomfortable and Alex notices. He asks...
(read more from the Chapters 11 and 12 Summary)
This section contains 409 words
(approx. 2 pages at 400 words per page)


text: It's apparent to every individual who decides to file for social security disability or SSI disability that an applicant must have an impairment of some kind, either physical or mental in nature, or a combination of impairments (that may be physical, mental, or both). Furthermore, the great majority of applicants for SSD and SSI benefits realize that the strength of an adult's claim will hinge on the extent to which their ability to engage in work activity will be affected. However, few disability claimants typically have any concrete idea as to how the social security administration, through its use of judges and claims examiners, actually makes the determination as to whether or not a claimant can work. The answer is actually fairly simple. Disability adjudicators, the individuals who make decisions on claims (judges and examiners) evaluate a claimant's medical records to ascertain if their impairment is severe. The records are also evaluated in an attempt to learn how the claimant's condition functionally limits them and interferes with their ability to perform work activity. By rating a person's current abilities and limitations, and then comparing this rating to what was required in the jobs previously held by the claimant, social security can determine whether or not a return to past work is possible. Social security also uses the claimant's work history information and their medical information to determine if the claimant might be found capable of performing some other type of work, assuming they cannot return to their past work. However, one overriding factor in this process is whether or not the claimant worked and received earnings (or is currently working and receiving earnings) at the substantial gainful activity level. As this segment explains, SGA is a monthly earnings limit that cannot be exceeded by anyone filing for disability or receiving disability benefits. The amount is indexed to the cost of living and, therefore, does change annually.


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This Puerto Rican came to get a bar tending job and got more then just the job.
Duration: 4min 00sec
Views: 11 614
Submitted: 3 years ago
Description: Young petite slut gets fucked in doggy style, cowgirl and the lover does blowjob.
Sponsored by: 8th Street Latinas
Categories: Latina Blowjob Big Dick Petite Cowgirl Doggystyle 1 on 1 Small Tits Young
Models: Jaye Summers
Submitted by: carlos


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DisclaimerArticles posted on this blog give the views of the author(s), and not necessarily the position of the Social Care Evidence in Practice project, its partners or the London School of Economics and Political Science.
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Jul 29 2013
Innovative use of direct payments with carers: A mini projectLeave a comment
The Social Care Evidence in Practice project recently put out a call to its social care practitioner network to submit proposals for a series of mini-projects with the aim of utilising current research evidence and applying it to key practice issues. Successful projects … Continue reading
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I have been slacking since we left cork, but I must finish it now.
I fell in love in Dunmanway! It was such a cute town but also the students in the 6th class were amazing. They taught me how to dance and make me laugh. They asked meaningful questions and funny ones that stood out from previous classes. Even though it was a short time in the school, i found why i teach. It is because of the students.
Later that evening, we were graciously welcomed into Aisling's home. Her family was too kind by feeding all of us a three course meal and then teaching us Irish sings, pretty much listening to our different tuned voices. Then we went out to bar for the first time a nd what an experience. We were extremely under dresed, everyone was dressed in the nicest, super attractive clotthign as we were all in jeans and a nice shirt. We still made the best of it by dancing and having a lot of fun singing to the 90's songs that played all night.
Lastly, was Gallway and Patrick's school. Just like everyone, how could i expect anything less but kindness. They had an entire assembly for us, telling u about the life in Ireland and their traditions. Especially their love of music and dance. We all go to hear them sing songs and one song even made some people cry. We then went to visit a classroom bu we spent the time answering questions about the U.S.A.
Now a bittersweet return home.


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There are several ways to walk your dog, in the walk, you can insert exercises such as: walking for exercise or simply, just enjoy yourself.
Be careful, walking his dog is not as easy as you think! There are rules to respect for the dog but also for the master, at first, it is important to make your 4-legged friend understand that you are in charge, not him.
This article is dedicated to helping dog owners to walk their dogs easily with the help of some tips …
Why walking his dog is important?
I'm sure you know that walking your dog is very important for his balance but also for a harmonious relationship between him and you. But there is also another reason why walking your dog is important: dogs need to exercise their energy too much and the walk is the best remedy.
Dogs need to release their energy each day.
When you walk your dog, know that you are his exercise for him. Yes, that's obvious, is not it? Unfortunately, many owners do not respect the daily exit cost. Walking a dog, is not "pee, poo" at the corner of the house and we return.
It is necessary to invest oneself, to know how to take on his time, if you are not ready to make this effort, your dog will react in a negative way, ex: destruction at the house, nuisance barking and so on …
If you neglect all these tips, then I strongly advise you to buy a goldfish, at least it will not bother you! Remember that some dogs are much more active than others.
5 tips to walk the dog
1 – Learning to walk on a leash
The sooner you start learning to walk on a leash to your dog, the better it will be to walk outside. The idea is to start from the acquisition of the puppy, you can at home, introduce your puppy to the port of the leash and collar, I explain all this in detail in my guide. The attention I do not speak of walking on foot but of walking on a leash without shooting.
If you adopt an adult dog, who has never been educated to walk on a leash, do not worry! Even adult dogs can learn. Just be aware that it may take a little longer to clear bad habits.
The key to successfully walking your dog serenely is to be consistent and hardworking. If you meet these two criteria, you will end up with a dog that will behave well in the walks.
2 – Choosing the right gear
The material has a huge influence on the leash. We will return to it below. When you walk your dog, try to never stretch the leash, the more you will stretch it, the more your companion will get ahead by pulling too on his side and walks with your dog will become a nightmare for you.
To avoid this, I strongly advise you not to take a short leash, the best tool is the retractable leash, we have already discussed in other articles of the blog.
3 -Be consistent
Be consistent with the orders! give your dog simple, short commands, in short speak dog! But the most important thing is to be consistent. If today you say A and tomorrow another member of the family says B, then you will get an opposite result.
While walking, if you want your dog to turn right like you, say "come" or "follow" … do you understand the principle? If your dog refuses to follow you, you have two methods, negative reinforcement, and positive reinforcement :
Let's start with the negative reinforcement that is the most practiced still today in our country: give the leash one or more dry pulls by giving the two orders mentioned above, attention, I specify that we do not pull the dog.
The second method is positive reinforcement by reward: you take out a candy or a toy from your pocket to invite him to follow.
These two methods can be repeated in any direction even for the half turn. Also remember that your dog will have no idea what you want him to understand at first. If you verbally say "come" or "follow", your dog will not be doing anything, so you will need to show him. When turning to the right, say "come" using one of two methods.
Over time your dog will understand that "come" or "follow" means: FOLLOW THE MASTER
4 – What to avoid when walking the dog
If you use a conventional lanyard to walk your dog, I do not recommend wrapping it around your hand, it could cause you injury, such as a fracture or others if your dog suddenly pulls in one direction. This board includes all members of the family.
5 – Diversify the walks
A walk or a walk should last about 20 minutes minimum, you do not have to go far if you don't want to. You can go to an indoor dog park, it is you who decides what you want to do.
Ex: if you live in the city center and the wood is a few hundred meters, then it is better for the safety of your pet to not go to an unfamilar park.


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Bugzilla – Internal Error
An unexpected error occurred. This could be a temporary problem, or some code is behaving incorrectly. If this problem persists, please email this page to firstname.lastname@example.com with details of what you were doing at the time this message appeared.
|Unable to open the chart datafile ./data/mining/-All-.
at reports.cgi line 119. main::get_data(...) called at reports.cgi line 49


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Interesting, thanks for the link...if indeed it works well, that'd really be all I need (or at least a large step in the right direction). Everything's a table in LUA, and table / dictionary are synonymous so if it works I might be able to just drop it in and let the threading solution I've already got do the restDinosawer wrote:Might or might not be useful, but there exists and implementation for shared memory dictionaries in LUA (which seems to support LuaJIT too):
https://github.com/openresty/lua-nginx- ... shareddict
Might wanna take a look in their source and see how they did it, and expand it for tables/whatever you need to share
Ah thank you thank you, it does look like the right LuaThread. And the source is small so even if it's not maintained, if it does what I need I should be able to learn pretty quickly how it does it.afasthorse wrote:Here's a github repository containing what I believe is The One True LuaThread: https://github.com/jjensen/luaplus51-al ... /luathread
Unfortunately it's no longer maintained and this repo is just holding the source of the original project, but maybe it gives you something to work from.
Alternatively you could try contacting the author directly, pretty sure this is him: http://w3.impa.br/~diego/
Good luck.
If that was the intentional pun I think it was, nicely-played sirFlatfingers wrote:Thank you for keeping us (so to speak) in the loop, Josh.
Very cute Good movie tooFreezin4aReason wrote:Turns out you aren't the only one to build a Threadpool:


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The Acer Aspire AS5742-6811 budget laptop delivers very good performance at a very reasonable price and come with a generous warranty.
Integrated graphics. No WiDi or WiMAX. No Blu-ray drive.
Bottom Line
The Acer Aspire AS5742-6811 budget laptop delivers very good performance at a very reasonable price and come with a generous warranty.
The Acer Aspire AS5742-6811 ($699.99 list at Costco) is a budget
Similar Products
The AS5742-6811 uses the same chassis design as the Acer Aspire AS5742-6475 ($599.99 list, 4 stars); its textured matte black finish does a good job of masking fingerprint smudges but the overall design is very plain looking. A polished silver Acer logo on the lid is the only touch of flash to be found on this model. At 4.9 pounds the AS5742-6811 is lighter than most 15-inch laptops, including the HP dv6-6013cl (5.6 pounds), Samsung RV511-A01 ($599.99 list, 4 stars) (5.2 pounds), and Gateway NV50A02u ($449.99 list, 4 stars) (5 pounds).
The 15.6-inch display has a resolution of 1,366 by 768, which is standard issue for a budget-class laptop. The screen is bright and delivers bold colors, but there is a hint of color shifting when viewed from a side angle. The full-size keyboard has large, island-style keys, and there's a dedicated number pad off to the right. There's lots of space between each key, which makes for a very comfortable typing experience but has the potential to collect dust and crumbs. The touchpad has a smooth finish and is responsive, while the mouse buttons, which are integrated into a single bar, are easily engaged and emit an audible click when depressed. There are no dedicated multimedia buttons here; a power button and two indicator lights (Wi-Fi and hard drive) sit alone at the top of the deck.
Features are typical for a budget laptop. You get three USB 2.0 ports, VGA and HDMI video ports, headphone and microphone jacks, an Ethernet port, a 1.3-megapixel webcam, and a multi-format card reader. Wireless 802.11n networking is built-in, but this model doesn't support Intel's WiDi (wireless Display) or have WiMAX broadband capabilities like the Samsung RV511-A01 does. Nor does it have an eSATA port. The AS5742-6811 comes with a tray-loading DVD multi drive and a roomy 640GB hard drive with Windows 7 Home Premium and a handful of Acer-branded applications, including a webcam utility and backup software. In addition to the usual Netflix and Ebay bloatware, you get Cyberlink's PowerDVD Suite and a trail version of McAfee Internet Security.
Acer covers the AS5742-6811 with a standard one-year warranty, and the folks at Costco add a second year of coverage for free. You can also take advantage of Costco's Concierge Service, which provides setup and troubleshooting support at no additional charge.
The Aspire AS5742-6811 uses an 2.67GHz Intel Core i5-480M processor paired with 6GB of RAM. While the CPU isn't based on the latest (Sandy Bridge) technology it is more powerful than the Intel Core i3 CPUs found in most laptops in this price range and delivers very good productivity performance. For example, the AS5742-6811's PCMark Vantage score of 6,161 was around 600 points higher than that of the HP Pavilion dv6-6013cl and more than 1,000 points higher than the Lenovo G560-0679AKU ($599 list, 3.5 stars). It blew the AMD-based Dell Inspiron M501R-1748MRB ($649.99 list, 3 stars) (4.534) clear out of the water. Multimedia performance was also impressive; the AS5742-6811's Handbrake (2:37), Cinebench R11.5 (2.36), and Photoshop CS5 (4:41) scores led the category across the board.
The AS5742-6811's 48WH battery gave us a nice long run. It lasted 5 hours 7 minutes on the MobileMark 2007 battery test, which is close to what we saw from the Acer 5742-6475 (5:01) and HP dm6-6013cl (5:17) and a good deal longer than the Dell Inspiron M501R-1748MRB (3:17).
With the Acer Aspire AS5742-6811 you don't have to sacrifice performance to save money at the register. Granted, you don't get as robust feature set and as many wireless features as you do with the HP Pavilion dv6-6013cl (which has both WiDi2 and WiMAX), and the AS5742-6811 uses first-generation Core i technology, whereas the HP dv6-6013cl touts the newer Sandy Bridge platform. That aside, when it comes to raw computing power the Acer Aspire AS5742-6811 offers the greatbang for your buck in a budget laptop.
Check out the test scores for the Acer Aspire AS5742-6811
Compare the Acer Aspire AS5742-6811 with several other laptops side by side.
More laptop reviews:
Razer Blade Stealth (2019)
LG gram 14 2-in-1
Dell Inspiron Chromebook 14 2-in-1 (7486)
Dell XPS 13 (9380)
Acer Chromebook Spin 13


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Sugar Highs and Lows
Sugar, an important agricultural crop, commodity, and food, is predominately derived from sugar cane and is grown by large and small scale farmers around the world. Though sugar is commonly recognized as a sweetener or cooking aid, it actually has many other uses. Sugar can be a source of energy, a medicinal aid, a fortifier, and, for many around the world, a source of income.[1] As sugar is processed in almost every food category, many people around the world are concerned with the price of sugar and its economic impact from the small holder farmer through production. The following post will look at the projected fluctuation of global sugar production and then take a deeper dive into India, the second largest producer of sugar in the world.
Global Sugar Production
In 2017, sugar production is projected to be 171 MMT, while consumption is projected to be 174 MMT.[2] This is the second year in a row that consumption has outweighed production on a global level.[3]
Typically, when demand (consumption) outweighs supply (production), the price of a commodity will increase. At aWhere, we monitor global production of sugar and project price, based on what we see in our weather data. We have been projecting and tracking price increases since the start of 2016. We anticipated increases from 11-12 cents per pound to as high as 23 cents per pound in October 2016, and at the price peak shown below, sugar prices were at 23.81 cents per pound.
Figure 1: The Bloomberg commodity chart for sugar over 2016 shows a staggered increase in futures prices until early October where prices began to decrease to today's price of 18.15 (12/14/16 11:45am MST).[4]
Sugar Production in India
As producers of sugar around the world try to keep up with increasing demands in consumption, India is particularly interesting, considering the country is the largest consumer and second largest producer of sugar. For the first time since 2010, sugar production in India will fall below consumption (See Figure 2). The country is projected to produce only 88% of the sugar that the country is projected to consume in 2017, as can be seen in Figure 3. Due to in country production exceeding internal consumption by 2% to 18% from 2010 to 2016, India was able to export more goods or increase storage stockpiles in previous years, but in 2017, the country is projected to end the year approximately 3,355 MMT below stock.[5] That figure takes into account projected production, consumption, imports, and exports.[6]
Figure 2: From the USDA FAS shows that India's sugar consumption will exceed its production for the first time since 2010.
Figure 3: Corresponding statistics to India's historical relationship with sugar
What caused this fall in India's supply? Production has been impacted by multiple months of significantly less rainfall than normal, coupled with much warmer temperatures. Figure 5 below details the particular areas of stress in the Maharashtra and near the Karnataka regions where the USDA FAS pointed out production was lower than expected. For India, the last couple of months have been unfavorable for sugar production with drought conditions prevailing over much of the sugarcane growing area.
Figure 4: P/PET is a crop stress indicator, and over the months of October and November, parts of India's sugar producing areas, outlined in black, experienced severe stress due to decreased rains and hotter temperatures.
Sugar Consumers in India
India is the world's largest consumer of sugar by over 8 MMT, and it interesting to note that while overall consumption is increasing, on a per person basis, India consumes little sugar. Research firm Euromonitor analyzed over fifty countries to understand which consume the most sugar at a per person level. As one can see in Figure 3, India is the overall lowest consumer, where people eat about 5 grams per day on average. By comparison, the United States comes in at number one, where people eat 126 grams per day on average.[7]
Figure 5: A graphic from Euromonitor suggests that India consumes little sugar on a per person basis.
According to the World Bank, there were 1.3 billion people in India in 2015, which is almost 18% of the world's total population.[8] This expansive population could explain why the overall consumption is high, while the per person consumption is low. If individual consumption were to rise, the sugar industry will become even more critical to the Indian economy.
In order for that market and industry to expand, however, the sugar crop needs a favorable environment to grow. In 2017 India is not anticipated to be able to cover their demand of sugar with their own supply, and from a global perspective, the world's sugar supply is expected to be lower than demand. At aWhere, where we monitor the agricultural earth's weather every day, we will continue to watch the world's sugar producers. aWhere's information serves to deliver unprecedented insight into supply side production estimates and all major agricultural commodities.
[1] http://www.wsro.org/AboutSugar/FactsaboutSugar.aspx
[2] https://www.statista.com/topics/1224/sugar/
[3] https://apps.fas.usda.gov/psdonline/psdQuery.aspx
[4] https://www.bloomberg.com/quote/SB1:COM
[5] https://apps.fas.usda.gov/psdonline/psdQuery.aspx
[6] https://apps.fas.usda.gov/psdonline/circulars/sugar.pdf
[7] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/02/05/where-people-around-the-world-eat-the-most-sugar-and-fat/?utm_term=.f5e7f4df0358
[8] http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL


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Fallenbaum CPA & Advisors LLC
Serving Sunrise, FL
Retirement & Financial Planning Services in Sunrise, FL
Planning for a comfortable retirement is about more than just saving money. You need the help of an advisor you can trust to offer valuable insight, sound recommendations, and a detailed financial plan. In Sunrise, FL, turn to Fallenbaum CPA & Advisors LLC.
Plan Now for Financial Security in the Future
At Fallenbaum CPA & Advisors LLC, financial planning is our specialty. In developing your financial plan, we'll work closely with you to ensure that we thoroughly understand your lifestyle goals and financial objectives, both short-term and long-term. Our highly experienced professionals believe in providing realistic, personalized solutions for each our clients. Whatever your goals for retirement, we'll work our hardest to help you reach them. And no matter your financial situation, you can rest assured that when you come to us, you'll get the attention and respect you deserve. Experience Peace of Mind when you have our firm on your side with the following services:
- Tax planning
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Let the professionals at Fallenbaum CPA & Advisors LLC help you plan for a comfortable retirement. Call us in Sunrise, FL today to schedule your consultation.
Don is one of the good guys on the planet in addition to being the best at what he does. His temperment exudes confidence and gives anyone who is in his company a strong sense of competency. Not much to say except, he's the best as a professional in his field, Accounting. I would trust his judgment and counsel without reservation. As I said, one of the Good Guys!
Don has been my CPA for many years and has done a great job Jeffrey Sodikoff
Fallenbaum CPA & Advisors LLC and staff have been amazing Don is the best there is they handle all my family's needs from financial planning to personal and corporate taxes they are simply the BEST! They are fast friendly courteous & take the time to go over everything with you as well as making recommendations for the furniture. I can't thank them enough for all they have done and all they continue to do highly recommended!
Two words for Don.... EXCELLENT, RECOMMENDED. A pleasure to work with for mom's annual 1040 return over the last decade+. He's accurate and quick to respond to any questions. Though our return is pretty straight forward Don makes life easier, tax-wise, for me, my mom's fiduciary. He gives great advice and handles our return efficiently, quickly and accurately. I have no doubt he's a great wealth manager as well. (He gets extra kudos for being a dog lover. :) )
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What was Alvin Brown's Role in Katrina Fund Controversy?
Four days before he'll be sworn in as our city's seventh mayor since consolidation, the citizens of Jacksonville still know relatively little about the man who will preside as chief executive of the River City for the next four years.
Brown Oversaw Controversial Katrina Fund
Partly because of a somnolent media and, to some degree, owing to his own low-key style in which he rarely speaks about himself, Mayor-elect Brown is still something of an unknown quantity — a man shrouded in mystery.
Unlike Jacksonville's previous mayors, men who were fairly well-known on the local level by the time they ran for the city's highest office, Brown hasn't been subjected to the sort of scrutiny other big city mayors regularly endure.
Many questions remain.
One such question involves his role with the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund.
Though he rarely, if ever, spoke about it during the recent mayoral campaign, Brown claims to have served as executive director of the Fund's Interfaith Advisory Committee, a program that granted charitable funds to congregations of all faiths across the Gulf region in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
The grants, doled out in amounts up to $35,000, were intended to help religious institutions rebuild their houses of worship. According to the fund's eligibility criteria, all of the repairs and rebuilding had to be performed in the three affected states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
A number of churches outside those three states eventually received funding.
The grant money was initially limited to capital repair and reconstruction of damaged churches, but allowed each congregation to use as much as $4,000 to cover rental costs for the temporary relocation of houses of worship damaged or destroyed in the hurricane. Clergy members were also entitled to use $5,000 of the total grant to oversee any repairs and construction.
Unexplained Checks and Mass Resignations
Almost immediately the Interfaith Fund was embroiled in a controversy when seven of its nine board members — including the Rev. William H. Gray III, former president of the United Negro College Fund, and Bishop T. D. Jakes, the prominent pastor of Potter's House in Dallas, a nondenominational mega-church — resigned from the Interfaith Fund's advisory committee.
Gray and Jakes had served as the committee's co-chairs.
Mary Ann Wyrsch, president of the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund, also quit following the multiple resignations of the faith leaders.
Wyrsch, a former United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees and ex-acting commissioner of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, declined a request for an interview with the Jacksonville Observer.
While the religious leaders already had numerous concerns about the way the Interfaith Fund had been operating, the final straw, they said, occurred when the fund disbursed checks of $35,000 each to 38 houses of worship — more than $1.2 million in all — without first investigating whether or not the churches even existed.
That embarrassing controversy took place in July 2006, shortly after the fund — created by former Presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton — had already raised more than $125 million, of which approximately $20 million had been earmarked for rebuilding faith-based institutions along the Gulf Coast.
Departing members of the Bush-Katrina ministerial advisory committee said that the fund's Washington staff disregarded their advice, cutting checks for Gulf Coast churches without properly investigating the institutions.
"I've been in ministry for 30 years and I don't think I've ever resigned from anything. I'm a loyalist to a fault. But what's happened is unacceptable," said Jakes.
Gray echoed the same thing. It was agreed beforehand, he told reporters at the time, that each of the churches or religious institutions receiving the charity's money would first be inspected.
"I've learned in life that if people say they want your advice and then they change it, ignore it, or undermine it, then they really don't want it," said a disappointed Gray.
A few years later, the Interfaith Fund unwittingly found itself in the news again when a minister with the Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church, which had been devastated by flood water during Hurricane Katrina, was sentenced to 17 months in prison for defrauding the church of the $35,000 Bush-Clinton grant for his personal benefit by having the check mailed to his home address and depositing it into an account that he created. He also devised a similar scheme to defraud the church of some of its $252,000 grant from the Small Business Administration.
According to court documents, he spent nearly $10,000 of the relief funds on a new Dodge Durango for himself.
By March 2007, the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund had distributed $25 million to more than 1,100 local faith-based groups throughout the region.
The Brown Connection
It remains unclear precisely what Alvin Brown's role in the 2006 controversy that led to the mass exodus might have been, if any.
We may never know.
There's little question, however, that he was involved with the fund during that period.
The Jacksonville Observer was able to ascertain that the Mayor-elect was one of the two contact persons for the Interfaith Fund's application process, which makes sense since — as he claims — he was the fund's executive director. In fact, his name and phone number were listed on the charity's original press release announcing the grants.
"As part of its work to help rebuild the Gulf after Hurricane Katrina, the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund focused a portion of its funding on faith based institutions," William A. Pierce, spokesman for the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund, told the Observer on Friday.
"Mr. Brown was involved in that work for a period of time in conjunction with the activities of the Interfaith Advisory Committee. When that committee's service ended, Mr. Brown's did as well," said Pierce, who did pro-bono public affairs and media work for the Fund.
Curiously, nobody in the media bothered to ask the new mayor about his experience with the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund during the campaign, and he rarely, if ever, brought it up himself — a fact that should have raised some red flags.
A Unique Lack of Experience
The soft-spoken Hans Tanzler, a reformer initially elected prior to consolidation in 1968 and who eventually served as mayor for 11 ½ years, had been a criminal court judge before running for mayor.
Jake Godbold, Tanzler's successor, served on the Jacksonville city council for a dozen years, including seven years as council president, before becoming mayor in 1979, while 42-year-old Tommy Hazouri, who served as mayor from 1987-1991, had spent a dozen years in the Florida legislature where he chaired the House Committee on Education. Prior to that, Hazouri — the son of Syrian-Lebanese parents — had worked briefly as a research assistant for pre-consolidation Mayor Louis Ritter and later served on the Jacksonville Community Relations Commission.
Ed Austin, likewise, was a known quantity when he was elected mayor in 1991. Having practiced law in the 1960s, including serving as assistant county solicitor and as a public defender, Austin was elected state attorney in 1969 — serving four terms as the region's lead prosecutor in the criminal justice system representing Clay, Duval and Nassau counties. During that period, he also served as general counsel for Mayor Tanzler for three years shortly after consolidation.
Austin's successor, John Delaney, had also established deep local roots before winning the mayoralty in 1995. Regarded by many as one of the most popular mayors in Jacksonville history, Delaney had served as a chief assistant state's attorney under Ed Austin and later as the mayor's general counsel and chief of staff.
Even Mayor Peyton, the youthful scion of Gate Petroleum whose mayoral opponents in 2003 decried his lack of government experience, had served on the board of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority for nearly seven years, including a two-year stint as JTA chairman from 1999-2001. Unlike Brown, Peyton, who served as vice president of Gate Petroleum — one of the region's largest employers — also brought considerable experience in the private sector to the mayor's office.
Those who preceded Brown as mayor had firmly established themselves in local government or industry. Their experience and qualifications weren't some sort of closely-guarded secret.
One would think a candidate for public office would be immensely proud of being involved in a humanitarian relief effort such as the one established by the former presidents, particularly after a disaster of the magnitude of Hurricane Katrina.
Most candidates would wear it as a badge of honor and probably talk about it endlessly.
Not Alvin Brown.
Maybe he's just modest.
15 Responses »
He came on the scene like Pres. Obama did. Unknown to the populace, and a puppet for some powerful people no one seems to know either. Will he be left to destroy this city like the Pres. is doing? Maybe. The press, the so-called watchdogs always seem to look away when liberals come into view. The local investigative reporters, who scrutinized his opponent like TSA agents, are nowhere to be seen. Why is that? Unbiased reporting? I don't think so.
Watch out for who gets what in the coming years. If it starts to smell downtown, let's see where the reporters are.
(If they were doing their jobs, these stories wouldn't be showing up after the fact. Right?)
Sparky, thanks for your piercing & probing comments.
I'm curious, of the 38 gulf coast churches who split-up the $1.2 million referred to in the article, how many of the churches had black congregations and how many had white? Did the mayor dole out any money to Muslim mosques, if so how many and how much? Also, was Mr. Brown paid a salary from Bush & Clinton's Katrina Fund, and if so, how much and for how long? Thank you.
This article has few glitches I would like to address.
First, if Alvin Brown's past is not well-known to voters, I believe the media is largely responsible for that. Jacksonville's media is not liberal, although the Times-Union seems to be repenting somewhat for the problems it has caused or ignored in this town for so long. I can't understand their endorsement of Brown, unless Hogan just failed to kiss up enough. Is it possible the Jacksonville Observer could have published more about Alvin Brown before the election?
Second, this article makes the point that the recipient churches were not verified as to their existence, but the actual abuse of the program mentioned is traced to a crooked pastor, not a non-existent church.
Third, the succession of mayors with local political ties has left in its wake an array of political, economic, and social problems. Non-profits have had a free ride, Corruption and Sunshine Law violations happen with regularity, and the perpetrators face little or no consequences. Police spray bullets and kill suspects, using any excuse to evade punishment. Gun violence, teenage pregnancy, infant mortality, suicide, are all way above average. City pensions are a royal mess.This could be why voters wanted someone with fewer local political connections!
So, even though working with some assumptions I do not accept, the article does raise the question or possibility of Brown's involvement in wrongdoing with this fund. It just doesn't provide enough information to support it.
Frankly, I believe churches have had it too easy in our society, and rarely do ministers and congregations stand up in opposition to the government which allows them tax-free status. But that's another issue.
The Jacksonville media isn't leftist? Hummm... They live and broadcast in a community that would throw them out if they exposed themselves for what they TRUELY are. Their LACK OF REPORTING about Mr Brown is the equivilent of the media's LACK OF REPORTING regarding Mr Obama's past. Jacksonville's reporters are hiding and who can call someone a leftist for simply "ignoring" a story?
Where there is smoke, there is fire. I'm afraid that Jacksonville has Barry Hussein Obama lite. God help us!
This is a classic example of lazy journalism, designed not to illuminate, but to smear someone with innuendo and guilt by association. If the Observer intends to raise legitimate questions, it should have investigated whether or not Mayor-elect Brown was involved or implicated in any questionable activities with the Katrina Fund, whether any of his actions led to the resignation of the referenced religious leaders, and whether he was implicated at all in the felony conviction of the guy who misappropriated funds. It is easy to criticize some of the allocation of Funds in retrospect, however, in real time, Katrina left behind such widespread destruction and urgent need that the Fund would have been more criticized if it was slow to distribute. It is remarkable that, with $125 million to distribute, the fraud and abuse was so relatively minor. To state that John Peyton was a well-known public entity prior to his election is untrue: to the contrary, he was virtually unknown to the populace as a whole, had been promoted within his Father's vast empire, and had kittle to no individual public achievement. Whether or not his tenure as Mayor was successful or not is open to debate. Let's give Mayor Brown a chance to lead our City without the taint of a contrived scandal that is, to date, devoid of facts to support it.
I'm glad that someone is looking into the background of our mayor-elect. It's a shame this didn't happen, you know, BEFORE the election. Granted, with the lousy campaign the GOP nominee ran, it probably wouldn't have made much of a difference, but where was the media scrutiny from our hard hitting local TV stations, radio, or the TU? It's like everyone turned a blind eye to the utter lack of back story on this guy for fear of being accused of something. And who suffers?
I especially love how they criticize the "somnolent media" of which they are a minor cog. Would have been nice to see a little digging before the election, guys 🙂 Like the other posters have pointed out, look what this level of journalism earned us in the Presidency.
"To state that John Peyton was a well-known public entity prior to his election is untrue: to the contrary, he was virtually unknown to the populace as a whole, had been promoted within his Father's vast empire, and had kittle to no individual public achievement."
What are you talking about? Before becoming Mayor he served on the Board of the JTA and also as it's Chairman, was Chairman of the Board of Directors for both the Jacksonville Symphony and Greenscape, served on innumerable "public" committees (Downtown Master Plan, etc) plus was fairly high profie senior executive at one of Jax's best known companies.
His "public" profile was higher than Delaney's prior to his run for office.
You guys are a little to the party. This is exactly the kind of story Hogan supporters were begging the media to report. The media knew about this any others but refused to report any of it. And this is just one one many questionable dealings in Brown's background - there are many more.
Chicago, why is it, most of time, when dealing in politics the connection runs back to Chicago ? Why was the DNC so interested in the election of the Mayor of Jacksonville? And, where did all that money come from for the last minute ads and commercials ? The answer is simple. The Obama Chicago Machine. There is great hope Mayor Brown will shore up the support for Obama in Northeast Florida in 2012. Also, by doing that, Mayor Brown can repay the favor debt of Obama in the area for his supporters. In the meantime, the citizens of Jacksonville, I believe, will suffer in the long run.
There are many, many problems that need immediate attention in the City and it does't have the luxury of time on it's side while it's Mayor runs around playing politics.
Read an article in one of Jacksonville's black publications of an interview with Alvin Brown, before he won the run-off. Mr. Brown stated that it was important for him to win the mayoral election because Fl was important for Obama to carry in the 2012 presidential election, and he wanted to help him win.
That sealed it for me. Brown aspires to the same things Barry does. He wants to change America as we know it into a socialist nation.
Hang onto your hats, Jacksonville is in for a rough ride.


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SCIAMACHY -SCanning Imaging Absorption spectroMeter for Atmospheric CHartographY
SCIAMACHY -SCanning Imaging Absorption spectroMeter for Atmospheric CHartographY- is a passive remote sensing spectrometer observing backscattered, reflected, transmitted or emitted radiation from the atmosphere and Earth's surface, in the wavelength range between 240 and 2380 nm. The instrument was launched on board ENVISAT which was operational from March 2002 to April 2012.
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Where are the world's toughest places?
June 26, 2014
Conflict. Hunger. Poverty. Disaster. These are just a few of the challenges threatening the lives of families living in the world's toughest places.
The Fragile States Index, released by the Fund for Peace this week, ranks the security of 178 countries according to their ability to withstand these types of pressures, including displacement, water and food scarcity, unemployment, ethnic violence and many more social, economic and political strains.
Mercy Corps is hard at work in 16 of this year's 20 most fragile countries. In these tough places we're striving to help families grow food, access clean water, earn a living and envision a future for themselves despite the tremendous obstacles they're up against.
Below, read about a few of the ongoing crises in these vulnerable countries, and learn what we're doing to help families survive and overcome them.
No. 1: South Sudan
Photo: Jacob Zocherman for Mercy Corps
Brutal violence erupted in the capital of Juba in December 2013, plunging the world's newest country into a massive humanitarian crisis. The ongoing conflict has forced over 1 million people out of their homes and put the entire country at risk of famine.
Hungry families are already trying to survive on roots and leaves, and as the rainy season heightens, increased risk of disease threatens to make the situation even more dire.
Mercy Corps is distributing food, tools and seeds so displaced families in Ganyiel can grow crops before heavy rains make it impossible to do so. And we're delivering clean water and building latrines at the U.N. base in Bentiu, where 25,000 people have sought refuge from the surrounding violence.
READ THE LATEST: "People are suffering everywhere": Millions now at risk of famine and disease ▸
No. 3: Central African Republic
Photo: Marie De Col/Mercy Corps
Families in the Central African Republic — one of the world's poorest countries — face chronic poverty, a lack of education, minimal health care and limited access to clean water. A violent coup d'etat in March 2013 triggered ongoing sectarian attacks that have crippled the country even further.
After more than a year of conflict, 550,000 people are internally displaced while more than 340,000 have fled the country altogether. Food insecurity, child malnutrition and risk of waterborne disease in crowded displacement sites, like the makeshift camp at the airport in Bangui, are rampant.
Mercy Corps is building latrines and delivering clean water and hygiene supplies to the airport site, where the need for water and sanitation is urgent. We also operate listening centers to provide emotional support, legal counseling and medical referrals for those who have suffered gender-based violence or sectarian attacks.
READ THE LATEST: Rainy season heightens risk of disease ▸
No. 7: Afghanistan
Photo: Toni Greaves for Mercy Corps
Decades of conflict and political instability have plundered educational, job and economic opportunities in Afghanistan, leaving it one of the world's poorest and most volatile nations.
Eighty-five percent of Afhans rely on agricultural livelihoods, which makes them particularly vulnerable to the unstable economy. More than half the population lives below the poverty line.
Mercy Corps is providing vocational training to provide men and women with education and alternative livelihoods, and we're working with communities to help women learn job skills and start small businesses in a culturally-appropriate way.
READ THE LATEST: Women breaking down barriers in southern Afghanistan ▸
No. 8: Yemen
Photo: Cassandra Nelson/Mercy Corps
Prolonged conflict and political instability have dismantled social services, limited job opportunities and sent food prices soaring. As a result, Yemen is the poorest country in the Middle East — and one of the hungriest and most malnourished in the world.
Mercy Corps is helping the most vulnerable communities improve their access to food and water, and learn how to recognize and cope with future food crises.
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No. 13: Iraq
Photo: Associated Press
Families in Iraq struggle to thrive amidst ongoing violence, displacement and political dysfunction.
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READ THE LATEST: Assessing urgent needs as 500,000 Iraqis flee violence ▸
No. 15: Syria
Photo: Sumaya Agha for Mercy Corps
After three years of civil war, the crisis in Syria has become the worst humanitarian disaster of our time. Over 9 million people are displaced, and more than half the country's pre-war population of 23 million is in desperate need of humanitarian assistance including food, water and medicine.
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READ THE LATEST: Voices of Syria's youth: What it's like to grow up as a refugee ▸
No. 19: Niger
Photo: Sean Sheridan for Mercy Corps
Recurring drought and erratic rains have wreaked havoc on families in Niger, who largely rely on agriculture for their food and income. Chronic poverty coupled with recent failed harvests have led to alarming food shortages in the region.
Around 2.5 million people in Niger face constant food insecurity, and over 40 percent of the country's children are malnourished.
Mercy Corps is working to help farmers keep their livestock healthy, learn more resilient farming techniques and develop new sources of income that aren't dependent on rainfall.
READ THE LATEST: Food crisis looming: Hawa's fight against hunger ▸
How you can help
Make a gift to support Mercy Corps' work in the world's toughest places. You'll help families survive conflict and disaster and give them the support they need to improve their lives. Donate today ▸


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Riddle me this, savvy investor: When is good news actually bad news?
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1. Strategic tenacity: Growth investing has been in the doldrums since the market melted down in early 2000. In this climate, we're especially interested in growth funds led by managers who have stuck to their guns during this downturn, snapping up the companies they like at substantial discounts to their earnings-growth potential. After all, when their area of the market falls out of favor, otherwise rock-solid companies can offer managers high-quality investments at discounted prices.
2. Healthy skepticism: Managers who fall in love with a stock's "story" don't make the cut. When it comes to growth investing in particular, it's too easy to become overly wowed and fall prey to "irrational exuberance." (See the late 1990s for the gory details.) With that in mind, we want growth managers to be as unemotional about their work as possible, and to have defined sell criteria. Yes, we should all be inclined to let our winners run -- but we shouldn't let them run away.
3. Intelligently placed bets: Risk is baked into growth investing, and because we want to beat the market and get a good night's sleep, we favor managers who run intelligently diversified portfolios. We're not averse to funds that pack considerable sums into individual names or certain areas of the market. But at the same time, you likely won't find us recommending, say, a tech-sector fund, either. There are smarter ways to get the growth job done.
Speaking of which ...
If you'd like to invest fearlessly in the market's "scariest" stocks, consider taking the Fool's Champion Funds service for a risk-free spin. Our overall list of recommendations is spanking the market as I type this. And yes, we do have a selection of terrific growth funds -- hand-picked go-getters that have what it takes to get the market-beating job done.
Click here to give Champion Funds a test-drive, and find out more about why top-notch mutual funds make the ideal safeguard for your money.
This is adapted from a Shannon Zimmerman article, originally published Jan. 16, 2007. It has been updated.
Fool analyst Adam J. Wiederman thinks of himself as a daredevil with brains. He owns no shares of the companies mentioned above. Akamai is a Rule Breakers recommendation. CarMax is an Inside Value choice. UPS is an Income Investor selection. You can check out the Fool's strict disclosure policy by clicking right here.


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product description page
Patterns of the Wheel : Coloring Art Based on Robert Jordan's the Wheel of Time (Paperback)
About this item
Let the Dragon be drawn again on the winds of time. Patterns of the Wheel is an adult coloring book suitable for all ages featuring original art drawn from The Wheel of Time ®.
Since its debut in 1990, The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan has captivated millions of readers around the globe with its scope, originality, and compelling characters. Over the course of fifteen books and millions of words, the world that Jordan created grew in depth and complexity.
Now for the very first time, fans of this astounding saga can color in the hues and vibrant shades of Robert Jordan's most beloved fantasy world. Adorn the symbols of the Ajah and the patterns on Gleeman's Cloak. Experience the peaks of Dragonmount, the depths of the Aryth Sea, and other parts of the realm. Fill in evocative mandalas, depictions of Old Tongue, and an array of the Wheel of Time's most well-known symbols and magical items.
Designed by officially-licensed Wheel of Time artist Amy Romanczuk, Patterns of the Wheel features 40 drawings inspired by pysanky, a traditional Ukrainian folkart, to provide hours of delight for The Wheel of Time's legions of fans.
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Shah Sight
Carole Foley Bellacera, Welcome. So pleased to have you with us today. What do you want us to know about you at the start of this live show please?
Carole Foley Bellacera Hi, Shah. I want people to know that I write because I have a passion for storytelling. I've been making up stories since I was a kid.
Shah Sight And when did you seriously start writing Carole, as you have many published books in your name?
Carole Foley Bellacera I began writing in 1985 (seriously to pursue publication.) I sold my first article after I met Princess Di at Andrews Air Force Base, so I guess you could say she's responsible for getting my career kicked off. :)
Shah Sight As said, you have many books, can we talk about Lily of the Springs for this interview, what should we know about this book?
Carole Foley Bellacera LILY OF THE SPRINGS is a very personal story inspired by the life of my mother. I guess you could say I gave her the "happy ending" she never received in life.
Shah Sight Do you want to tell us a bit in detailed about Lily of the Springs, we would love to hear as much as you can talk about it please?
Carole Foley Bellacera Here's a blurb: The 50's…Drive-in Movies, Doo-wop Music…and Love in the Back Seat of a '51 Plymouth
"LILY OF THE SPRINGS is like a slow dance to a Patsy Cline song in the arms of your one true love. From the very first page, it draws you back to another time and place and makes you want to stay there forever. Carole Bellacera is a master storyteller."...Teresa Medeiros, New York Times bestselling author of GOODNIGHT TWEETHEART
In 1952 Kentucky, 18-year-old Lily Foster, the daughter of strict Southern Baptist parents, becomes pregnant by the town "bad boy"—and just like that, she finds herself married to a man who doesn't want to be a husband. Jake has no intention of letting the inconvenience of marriage stop him from what he believes is his due. In actuality, Lily is the one who is trapped. She loves Jake—always has, since they were children playing in the woods on adjoining properties--and she's convinced she can eventually make him love her. All it will take is desire and patience. Once the baby arrives, they will be the perfect little family.
From Lily's home on Opal Springs Ridge to a four-year stint at an army base in New Boston, Texas, and finally, to life on their own in Bowling Green, Kentucky, Lily struggles to maintain a rocky marriage with a moody, immature husband while raising two daughters. Set during the "American Dream" period of the '50s and into the turbulent '60's, LILY OF THE SPRINGS is a story of a woman's indomitable spirit and her fight for independence and identity in an "Ozzie & Harriet" society.
Shah Sight Tell us a little bit about the rest of your books, in which genres they are, and maybe name each one of them? Is there any similarity between Lily of the Springs with any of your other books, in any way?
Carole Foley Bellacera
The only similarities between my books, I think, are that they are page-turners--or so reviewers and fans say. :) My first two novels, BORDER CROSSINGS and SPOTLIGHT, are probably the most similar because they are about the Irish Troubles.My third book, EAST OF THE SUN, WEST OF THE MOON, is an older woman/younger man love story. My fourth book, UNDERSTUDY, is a switched identify story, and my fifth book, CHOCOLATE ON A STICK, is an out-and-out comedy about an elderly couple on the run in a red Corvette. Book # 6, TANGO'S EDGE, is romantic suspense about a Russian Olympic ice dancer who asks his American counterpart to help him defect. All different books, but all pageturners.
Shah Sight Really amazing, will you read a few lines of Lily of the Spring for us please?
Carole Foley Bellacera
Sure. This is from a scene where Lily is reading a Good Housekeeping article about being a good wife. Remember--this is set in the 50's. It felt like a day that a miracle could well happen. I turned a page in the magazine and saw an article titled "The Good Wife's Guide." The picture showed a cheerful housewife in pearls and heels, stirring something on the stove, and a husband in a suit who'd obviously just arrived home, a newspaper under his arm, a smile on his face. At his feet were two well-scrubbed blond children, digging through Daddy's briefcase for the surprise he'd apparently brought them.
"Hmmmm…" I figured I was already a pretty good wife, but it wouldn't hurt to see if I could pick up a few new tips. Taking another sip of iced tea, I began to read the advice.
• Have dinner ready.
No problem there. I make Jake a big supper before he goes into work every day. But when he gets off at midnight and comes home, he's on his own. This wife is sleeping.
• Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking.
Well, with him working the second shift five blessed days out of the week, by the time he gets off work, I'm in bed fast asleep, and I ain't got a smidgen of make-up on, and I'm not about to wear a ribbon in my hair to bed.
Carole Foley Bellacera Do you want the whole scene?
Carole Foley Bellacera I smiled. And I might not be all that fresh-looking at one in the morning, but it didn't stop Jake from kissing me awake and having his way with me if he was in the mood, so I reckoned I was fresh-looking enough.
• Over the cooler months…light a fire for him to unwind by…catering for his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.
I frowned at this one. Now, that's interesting. I remember those days back in Texas, spit-shining his Army boots, laundering, starching and ironing his uniform and cooking three meals a day for him after being up all night, walking the floors with a screaming baby, and I never felt anything close to personal satisfaction.
I shook my head and read on.
• Listen to him...Let him talk first—remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.
I rolled my eyes. Huh? Who says?
• Don't complain if he's late home for dinner or even if he stays out all night.
Well…guess I just flunked this test.
• Don't ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.
Like hell I don't! I tried picturing Betty reading this, and what her reaction would be, but heck, I couldn't do it. Betty wouldn't be caught dead reading a magazine called Housekeeping Monthly.
But it was the last "rule" that really got my goat.
• A good wife always knows her place.
"Agggggghhhhh!" I threw the magazine halfway across the yard, which wasn't far, considering the lawn was only about ten feet long. "That's what I think about your idiotic 'good wife's guide!'"
Shah Sight Thanks. May I ask you if you self-publish your books or you have a publisher, in the first case, can you please tell us how is the experience, in the second case you may want to name us the publisher for this book?
Neal James Hey Carole. been on here and it's always good to get the perspective of another writer.
Carole Foley Bellacera
My first four novels were published by a major New York house--Forge, an imprint of Tom Doherty, Inc. CHOCOLATE ON A STICK came out by a small press, and when I couldn't sell TANGO'S EDGE (except as an E-book) I decided to publish it and LILY OF THE SPRINGS myself through CreateSpace. I love being in control of my own career, and not having to look to New York to decide whether or not to "make" me a success. Because they DO decide which authors to back, and which ones to let "sink or swim." I'm a happier writer now than I was when I was a "New York-published" author.
Neal James Keeps the pressure off as well, doesn't it?
Carole Foley Bellacera It sure does. I'm not saying I would've chosen to self-publish instead of being traditionally published...what idiot would turn down an advance? But things didn't work out for me quite like I'd expected, and I'm thrilled I decided to take back my control.
Carole Foley Bellacera You can also get my books atwww.smashwords.com. And I understand they are also available at BarnesandNoble.com.
Smashwords — Ebooks from independent authors and publisherswww.smashwords.com
Discover over 70,000 multi-format ebooks, readable on any e-reading device. Sample before you buy. Over 12,000 free books.
Shah Sight And http://shahsightshop.blogspot.de/2012/07/lily-of-springs-by-carole-foley.html
ShahSight Literary Book Shop: Lily of the Springs by Carole Foley Bellacerashahsightshop.blogspot.com
Carole Foley Bellacera Here's the links to my books at smashwords. https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/CaroleBellacera
Smashwords — About Carole Bellacera, author of 'Lily of the Springs', 'Understudy', 'Tango's Edge',.www.smashwords.com
This is the biography page for Carole Bellacera.
Shah Sight Do you have a message for us or any tip on publicity, or advice that we should know at the end of this show please?
Carole Foley Bellacera It's easy to stress out over publicity and promoting your books, but keep it in perspective. Remember--you're a writer, so you need to keep up the writing. I promote when I can, but for me, my priority is my work-in-progress.
Carole Foley Bellacera Bottom line--I think the best promotion a writer can do is garner book reviews. After a reviewer placed a 5-star review for LILY OF THE SPRINGS on Goodreads.com, I had over 40 readers put it on their to-be-read list--and that quickly translated into six more 5-star reviews.
Carole Foley Bellacera Thanks so much for hosting me, Shah. I really appreciate it. :)
Shah Sight We enjoyed your time, and your interview, it was a real joy for us. Thank you so much for being with us. Hope to see you soon.


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*Important Notices
Aug.2017 Buses & Start dates
Summer Boost Academy
Summer Boost Academy for 2017 will be a targeted literacy support program for select students entering grades 1-3. Through teacher recommendation and review of literacy assessments children who would benefit from participation in the six-week literacy program.
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To be accepted into the program families MUST commit to attend the full 6-week session and participate in a 2-hour orientation on Thursday, June 22 at 5:00pm.


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Pull Ups Coupons - September 2014
There are new Pull Ups printable coupons available. The links will take you directly to the coupon. You should be able to print two coupons per computer.
:: At CVS through September 27th
Huggies Pull Ups Jumbo Pack - $8.99
$2.25/1 Huggies Pull Ups Coupon ( need 2 computers)
$10 GC when you spend $30
= $4.24 each after coupon and GC wyb 4
This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please read my disclosure policy.


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Patience and Lessons From Chicago
July 29, 2011
Filed under: Growing Your Business,Marketing,Practice Management — @ 12:56 pm
I attended the WealthCounsel/Advisors Forum/ElderCounsel "Planning for the Generations" symposium in Chicago last week. This time I went in my new role as an Atticus Practice Advisor, rather than as a practicing attorney. Although I sat in on a couple of legal-technical presentations (I don't want to lose my edge!), my real job was to chat it up with everyone I met.
It was an interesting experience. I learned a lot about what the attendees are worried about. I also learned about new resources available to us through the various vendors there. I don't know if I generated any new business.
So, was it worthwhile for me to go? The answer is a resounding yes! Why?
I got a refresher course in an important marketing principal. I keep telling my clients that it takes seven touches to create a relationship. For some reason, I had forgotten this in connection with my own marketing activities. Actually meeting people I've previously spoken with only on the phone reminded me of this principle, and also gave me a chance to make one more touch. In other words, we need patience and persistence in all things — especially marketing.
I got some useful feedback. By talking to people, I learned what they are worried about nowadays. As usual, marketing seems to be near the top of the list, but the participants also expressed concerns about conquering new areas of the law — and new technology. It reminded me that change can be hard. Change requires commitment, persistence, and accountability. The conversation also reminded me that if we don't commit to change, we grow stagnant.
I learned it's not all gloom and doom. While chatting with my friends and colleagues, I also learned that many of them are doing well. Sometimes professional gatherings can turn into exercises in group paranoia, so it was great to hear people say they are happy. I also heard people — friends, colleagues, and clients — express gratitude for relationships the person and I have developed over time. If that isn't worth the price of a trip, I don't know what is!
Please let me know how this is helpful to you!


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Founder & CEO – MobileMoxie LLC
Cindy Krum is the CEO and Founder of MobileMoxie, where she has been doing mobile marketing long before the iPhone even existed (you remember WAP browsers, right?). Known for her unmistakable firey red hair and technical expertise, Cindy is a thought leader in the search industry and the author of "Mobile Marketing: Finding Your Customers No Matter Where They Are", which gets 4.5 stars on Amazon. When she's not traveling to conferences around the world or advising clients on mobile SEO, responsive design, mobile site migrations, and site-speed optimization, Cindy can be curled up on a couch with her dog, Ginger, and a good audio book!


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Gabriel Kahane, best known as an indie singer-songwriter, was his own charismatic singer-songwriter Saturday night in the West Coast premiere of his affecting "Crane Palimpsest" at the Alex Theatre.
As he does in a club, he used a microphone and wore jeans. He accompanied himself on guitar and piano. He also had the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra on hand, and he gratefully used everything at his disposal to merge pop and new music sensibilities naturally and unpretentiously.
Composer-performers who write orchestral pieces for themselves as soloists can these days be anything they like. Bringing an electric guitar on stage or even DJing along with an orchestra is hardly eccentric. As for mixing styles, that's been going on a lot longer than any of us have been around.
So what was perhaps most unusual about "Crane Palimpsest," part of the final program in Jeffrey Kahane's 15th season as LACO music director, is that the score was conducted by the composer's father. The circumstance, at least since Leopold Mozart exploited his protégé son, is typically the other way around. Siegfried Wagner conducted his old man's "Ring," and Maxim Shostakovich is an interpreter of his father's symphonies.


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The purpose of this blog is to share an unusual journey...
Our lifestyle has changed pretty drastically the past several years. I'm sure we're not alone. The 'Great Recession' has impacted many households. Our household is one of them. Providentially we've been forced into a situation which is taking every skill we've ever learned in stretching our income. We're learning new lessons daily.
This is our story..
Approximately four years ago our trucking business was booming. We were like many people.. we had lots of work and made a lot of money.. and unfortunately we spent a lot of money, too! As our business grew we slowly began outgrowing the property we lived on so we made a decision to move to a larger piece of land.
A year after we moved the price of fuel went up along with insurance rates. A few of the larger companies we worked for began to pay later and later. Then, as the housing market began to fall, work became less and less. Each month we went farther and farther into the hole. We tried to keep the business afloat but after 1 year we finally had to make the decision to close our doors.
My husband went to work for another company pulling their trailer and we started to sell off our equipment. Our income dropped considerably and we were not sure we'd be able to keep our home so we put it up for sale. Kevin worked long, long hours and we kept our head above water. We had multiple offers on our property but they all fell through. We finally were able to sell a year and a half later but by that time we had lost 3/4 of the equity from our previous home. We moved into town and purchased a lovely home nearly half the size of the previous one. We thought things were settling down.
A few months after moving my husband's job came to an end. There was just no work. Within a few weeks my son offered him a job where he worked. It would be another cut in pay. We were sure there was no way we would be able to make it financially on the new salary but we took the job knowing we were blessed to have work. By then the housing market had dropped even more and the unemployment rate was high. We cut every expense we could and made it through another year.
We had no way of knowing that this job would be the end of my husband's career and put a heavy toll on his health. Over the coming months the physical nature of the job began playing havoc with the arthritis in his back. He was in excruciating pain which effected every area of his life. Nearly a year later my husband was laid off from this job due to limitations caused by his health and it was then he decided to file for disability.
We sold our home and ended up losing our rental home (which we had hoped to help fund us through our retirement years) and moved into a studio apartment in my aunt's barn that was smaller than our previous garage.
So.. that's our story... but it doesn't really end there. It's only the beginning. We're learning many new lessons. Some lessons are hard... but many of these lessons are bringing new joys as we discover that the simple things in life really bring the greatest joy.
This blog is dedicated to those who are facing hard financial challenges. It may be the working mother who wants to be home with her children but sees no way she can obtain that goal.. or the couple who desperately wants to retire but don't believe they can live on social security... or it may be the couple who need to dig their way out of debt by finding ways to cut back on their monthly expenses. I hope that this blog will give you the encouragement and necessary tools you need to thrive on LIVING WITH LESS MONEY.