text:
Helping lay the foundation for future prosperity
Supporting Australian families
The 2015 Budget delivers on the Government's commitment to support families by making child care simpler, more affordable, accessible and flexible.
The future prosperity of working families depends on Australia responding to the changing demographics of our population and the economic challenges we all face.
The recent Intergenerational Report projected that the proportion of people working is expected to fall as the population ages – a lower proportion of Australians working will mean lower economic growth over this period.
Accordingly, boosting workforce participation is critical to driving higher levels of prosperity.
The Productivity Commission estimated there are up to 165,000 parents who would like to work, or work more hours, but are not able to do so because they are experiencing difficulties with the cost of, or access to, suitable child care.
The Government is delivering a $4.4 billion Families Package to give parents more choice and opportunity to work.
The Families Package will provide greater choice for more than 1.2 million families by delivering more affordable access to quality child care and early childhood learning, especially for low‑to‑middle income families.
Our future growth and prospects rely on having a sufficient workforce to fill the jobs of tomorrow.
The Government is delivering policies that encourage people who are not working to enter, or re‑enter the workforce, and support people to stay in work, where they choose to do so.
For some Australian families, the decision to go back to work after having a child is not a choice, but a necessity, if they are to continue to manage the demands of life and provide their children with opportunities.
The Government also recognises that we need an accessible child care system that focuses on helping those families who need our assistance the most.
This is why the Government is putting in place the Child Care Safety Net.
The Government's families policies are directed towards improving engagement in the workforce and providing choice for everyday Australian families, while helping the vulnerable.
There are clear opportunities to increase future prosperity by better supporting Australian families to get and keep jobs. The Government's families policies are focused on realising these opportunities.


text:
Hi everyone,
Wow, is already a week passed ?
It is Saturday, so I may give you
some inspiration with one of the
gorjuss stamps from the store.
This time I choosed a digi from Furry Friends
It is called Easy Rider:
Isn't this cat image the cutest ?
Just love these digis.
You can find this lovely fellow here:
I wanted the image and the papers to come out,
so kept my card very clean with embelishments
and did not even add a text.
Here is my card:
I wanted the cute one to ride in a romantic atmosphere.
I coloured the image with copics.
I am happy you visited this blog today.
Have a great weekend,
Happy Crafting and hugs,

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Winnie is having a siesta under the foliage after a lovely spa morning. Her nails and toes are all sparkly and she is all ready for her date later on tonight with Rocco! Here she is just waiting for the waiter to top up her Proscecco lol
Here I have made a hanging that was promptly stolen off me for my daughters bedroom wall lol,
My Sheri Crafts ~ Down at the Beach
Chocolate Coffee and Cards ~ Girls of Summer
Eclectic Ellapu ~ Lifes a Beach


text:
Angry brides outside Sparkle Boutique draw police response
Brides want to know about their gown orders after shop abruptly closed on Tuesday
Fredericton police were called today to a local bridal boutique to deal with a crowd of upset customers.
Sparkle Bridal Boutique shut its doors Tuesday and posted a sign in the window, apologizing for any inconvenience.
Melissa Rogers ordered a wedding dress in July for her August nuptials. It was scheduled to arrive in December, but she still doesn't have it.
"We're out about $2,000 for a dress and we're not sure if we're going to be able to receive the dress or have our money back," said Rogers. "As of right now, I have no dress and the wedding is less than three months away.
"I have no idea where I can purchase a dress, who is going to let me buy off the rack or what I'm going to do," she said. "I'm at wit's end.
"Some weddings are coming up quickly and we're all at wit's end. We have no idea what to do."
Const. David Beck of the Fredericton Police Force went into the boutique, spoke to its owners, and came outside to tell the group the boutique is going out of business.
The boutique owners were contacting the vendors who were to provide them with the ordered dresses, to give them the contact information of the customers, said Beck.
"They feel absolutely horrible about the situation they're in," he said. "They were back there in tears because they understand the situation you guys have been put in and they are desperately, desperately trying hard with the vendors right now to make sure you guys are taken care of.
"That's the best they can do at this point in time," said Beck.
An officer who was speaking to a woman inside the shop told the crowd the boutique is going out of business and that it is not a police matter.
Some brides have been complaining about the boutique in recent weeks through social media.
On April 26, Natalie Phillips posted on Facebook the top 10 reasons she "hates" Sparkle Bridal Boutique and "why they should not be in business."
Phillips says the boutique almost ruined her wedding.
A week before the big day, five of her bridesmaids still didn't have their dresses, Phillips wrote in the post, which has received nearly 200 shares to date.
"You assume that by ordering your dresses five to six months in advance, when you're told they'd take three to four months max, that you're in the clear! Wrong," she wrote.
"You never once said you were sorry. You never took any kind of ownership for [almost] ruining my special day," she wrote.
Her bridesmaids eventually demanded their money back and found dresses at a different store instead, according to the post.


text:
I've been given a huge load of part-painted 15mm ANZAC troops by Steve at the club. Once painted, we're going to share them as I want a platoon or so for Force on Force games and he is looking to add to his already extensive ANZAC collection. I thought I'd try out the scheme recommended by Battlefront using a Russian uniform base colour, highlighted with green grey. I opted for khaki backpacks and webbing, US dark green for grenades, black, highlighted basalt grey, and beige brown for FN rifles and flat fleshtone for skin. The whole lot was washed in Army Painter strong tone ink diluted 2:1 with water and varnished with matt clear varnish.
I had a pack of Peterpig Australians with FNs, plus some professional infantry with LAWs from their AK-47 range, wearing bush hats, so close enough to do service as Vietnam era ANZACs.
I like the look of these and think they will do fine for me to use in 15mm Vietnam games. So, just a hundred or so to work through and the jobs done.
Thanks for looking.


text:
The Rise and Fall of Tibetan Sectarianism
Although Tibet was briefly united under a monarchy in the 7th-8th centuries, for most of its history it has been more like a confederation of tribes under local chieftains. These chieftains, as chieftains will, battled each other for power and resources. This political structure was mirrored in the realm of Tibetan religion. For most of its history the schools of Tibetan Buddhism have battled each other for power and resources, sometimes masking these battles in arguments over legitimacy or doctrine but often times not. In the early 19th century an ecumenical, pluralist movement was born, chiefly under the leadership of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820-1892) and Jamgon Kongtrul the Great (1813-1899). This movement was not explicitly syncretic, but rather advocated simultaneously for the preservation of each of Tibet's distinct practice lineages and for their equal value. The masters of the Ri-me (Nonsectarian) movement, as it came to be called, traveled Tibet preserving as many teachings and texts as they could from destruction. Partially due to their efforts a greater amount of the Tibetan spiritual literature would ultimately survive the attempted Chinese Communist "reprogramming" of Tibet in the 20th century. In this essay I will examine the structure of sectarian rivalry in Tibet and the birth of the Ri-me movement. I will then discuss its continuing importance today, and the reasons for its apparent triumph as the official perspective of much of contemporary Tibetan Buddhism.
The Origins of Sectarianism (and its negation)
The Buddhism of India left a legacy to its inheritors of a rich feild of competing schools of thought. It also bequeathed philosophical justifications for a pluralistic attitude towards them. Indian Mahayana explained its own developments in doctrine and practice as successive "turnings of the wheel of the Dharma" by the Buddha- a progressive revelation of more and more complete teachings. Some streams of the Mahayana presented a particular doctrine as the highest, and some presented them all as equal parts of one teaching, dispensed by the Buddha according to the various sicknesses of sentient beings. This milieu, in which differing doctrinal standpoints both proliferated and competed on the one hand, and on the other hand were viewed as all being in some way valid, presented the Tibetan inheritors of Mahayana Buddhism with unique challenges. They needed to understand and make their own many differing and sometimes conflicting doctrines. The Mahayana pluralist streak made possible the integration of that plurality due to the view that the different doctrines were different skillful means of the Buddha. Within this general approach, however, there has always been a tendency for different Buddhist schools to rank themselves as the most skillful of the skillful means available, and even at times as the only skillful choice available given the circumstances of the age. In Indian Buddhism Tantra made the claim for itself that it was the most advanced Buddhist vehicle, tailor made for the age in which it was born. Tibet was the inheritor of this late Indian tradition, and it was accepted as axiomatic in all Tibetan schools that Tantra was authoritative. Within the Tantric paradigm, further debate was of course still possible and occurred continuously in Tibet. Different schools held allegiance to different Tantric cycles, to either sudden or gradual practice, or to differing interpretations of the doctrine of emptiness. Some schools adhered to the canon of texts introduced to Tibet in the 8th to 9th centuries, some to the texts introduced in the 10th-13th centuries. Some gave more emphasis to the Nalanda tradition of scholastic Tantricism, others to the direct, experiential teachings of the mahasiddhas.
The resolution of these issues of competition and pluralism took a unique form in Tibet due to its unique adoption of Tantric, or Vajrayana Buddhism as its dominant paradigm. All of the groups that developed in Tibet posited Tantra as the highest skillful means, and while they taught Hinayana and Mahayana doctrines to differing extents, all of them subordinated those levels of Buddhist teaching to Tantric views and practices.The rivalries that arose between the differing schools of Tibetan Buddhism arose largely out of the politics of Tibet. The Mahayana pluralist heritage was not forgotten, however, and would eventually re-arise in the Ri-Me movement. In order to understand how this happened, we will briefly survey the rise of sects and sectarianism in Tibet.
From The Royal Conversion to the Rise of The Sarmapas
The first rivalries to arise in the Tibetan Buddhist milieu arose as a result of the conversion of the royalty of Tibet to Buddhism begining in the 7th century. It is likely that there some degree of Buddhist presence in Tibet prior to the adoption of it by King Songtsen Gampo (c.618-650), but the royal conversion marked a new era for the priests active at court, who had served those in power for centuries with non-Buddhist rituals imbedded in non-Buddhist worldviews. These bonpos, as the priests were called, contested the adoption of Buddhism by the court. Another rivalry resulted from the presence in Tibet of both Chinese and Indian Buddhist monks. Trisong Detsen (Songten Gampo's grandson- c.740-798) reportedly called a debate between the Indian tradition, represented by Kamalashila, and the Chinese side, represented by the Chan monk Hvashang Mahayana. Detsen decided in favour of adopting Tantric Indian Buddhist doctrines as normative and rejected the Chan approach, a decision which likely reflects the political relationship of the three countries at the time more than it does philosophical considerations. After losing ground to Buddhism initially, a Bon counter attack resulted in a non-Buddhist King seizing power and halting Buddhism's officially backed expansion in Tibet. Thus in the first chapter of Buddhisms introduction into Tibet we can already see a pattern emerging which was to remain consistent: rivalry between different religious factions based on political rather than doctrinal considerations.
By the 11th century Buddhism had gained wide spread folk popularity and with the introduction of new translation efforts and a revivified monastic community, it began to flourish again and regain political power. The old Buddhism had lived on in Tibet in the form of folk traditions and lay Tantric practice. The new, reformed Buddhism of the 11th century would come to be dominated by scholars, translators and monastic orders. This led to the third major source of sectarian rivalry in Tibet, the rivalry between the Sarmapas (followers of the new translations) and Nyingmapas (followers of the old translations).
Sarmapas and Nyingmapas
In 978 surviving monks from Amdo and Kham far from the centres of power began returning to Central Tibet bringing Vinaya lineages with them. Others from Western Tibet saught and brought back new texts from India and Nepal (Laird 2006: 73). The prominent Indian pandita Atisha (982-1054) also visited Tibet at this time, and his Tibetan followers became known as the Kadampas. They were renowned for their asceticism, monastic discipline, and dedication to bodhicitta ( the altruistic mind). The Tibetan siddha Marpa (1012-1097) studied with Naropa (1016-1100), an Indian Tantric master who had left Nalanda to pursue a more radical lifestyle. His student, the yogin Milarepa (1040-1123), would in turn teach Gampopa (1079-1153), a monk who systematized the siddha Mahamudra teachings and founded the Kagyu school. The Sakya school can be dated to the founding of the Sakya ("Grey Earth") Monastery in Tsang, an area of South-Central Tibet. The monastery was founded by Gonchok Gyelpo (1034-1102), a member of the powerful Khon family. The Khon had roots in the old aristocracy of Tibet but were Nyingmapas. Reportedly they became Sarmapas due to the degeneration of the Tantric practices of the Nyingmapas into public ritual drama devoid of proper Buddhist motivations. Gonchok Gyelpo took monastic ordination and became a student of Drogmi, a prestigious member of the new translators. Gyelpo`s son, Gunga Nyingpo (1092-1158) the "Great Sakya" and his sons Lonbon Sonam Tsemo (1141-1182) and Jetsun Drakpa Gyeltsen (1147-1216) were scholars and practitioners who consolidated Sakya as a school. In 1249 Koden Khan, the rising Mongolian chieftain, summoned Gunga Gyeltsen sel Bangpo (1182-1251), known to posterity as Sakya Pandita, or "Sapan" to his court. Sapan, who was widely hailed as a miracle worker and genius scholar, convinced Tibet to submit peacefully to Koden and initiated a priest-patron relationship between Tibet and the Mongolians. In Tibet the Sakyapas created the model of a lama with regional temporal power as well as spiritual authority, a model which logically increased the likelihood of combative sectarianism.
By the end of the 13th century we thus see a situation where the two major Sarmapa schools have been founded, the Sakyapa and Kagyupa, and have gained widespread authority, popularity, and power. The Kadampa tradition, the first of the successful Sarmapa sects, was largely absorbed into the Sakyapa and Kagyupa schools. Starting from the 11th century, the followers of the old translations came to be known as Nyingmapas, and gained in vitality through stressing their allegiance to Padmasambhava and a tradition of rediscovered textual treasures (termas) from his time period, which gave them an ever expanding canon of works to draw from in response to the translation and scholastic works of the Sarmapas. The Nyingmapa treasure texts were criticized as spurious, and their highest practice, Dzogchen, a nondual meditative practice, criticized as being "chinese dharma" a la Hva Shang Mahayana (Reynolds 1996: 215-227). It is reasonable to imagine that these criticisms were based to some extent in an authentic concern to define and defend the true Dharma being brought in from India. It's not surprising that the Nyingmapa treasure texts would be regarded with suspicion, or that the Nyingmapas themselves, Tantric yogis who were generally neither scholars nor monks, would be regarded with suspicion by scholar monks. Previous to the spread of the Kadampas, Sakyapas, and Kagyupas, however, the people of Tibet would generally have given their support to the proto- Nyingmapas. The criticism of Nyingmapa in the 11th-13th centuries was likely a combination of concern for authentic Dharma and a competition over the limited and essential resource of public support. This was the case throughout much of Tibetan history.
Sakyapas and Kagyupas; Kagyupas and Gelugpas
In 1352 the Sakyapas were ousted from power by Gunchub Gyaltsen (d.1364), a local chieftain who declared himself the new viceroy of the Mongols and began re-establishing indigenous Tibetan political and legal customs.Sakyapas and Kagyupas struggled for power with the Sakyapas losing ground as China pushed back the Mongols and Tibet moved towards independence from Mongol rule. Meanwhile a new figure arrived on the scene. In 1357 Je Tsongkhapa (d.1419) was born, a figure whose life work would ultimately have a great impact on intersectarian politics in Tibet. Tsongkhapa was a monk inspired by the early Kadampas who reportedly studied with 45 masters of different lineages and after engaging in deep solitary practice set about clarifying the nature of the true Dharma through his teaching activities and in a series of brilliant philosophical treatises. Tsongkhapa's apolitical nature, charisma, and brilliance brought him many students, including one Gendun Drubpa (1391-1474/5). Drubpa would later be known as the first Dalai Lama. Tsongkhapa and his students quickly became very popular, founding several monasteries including the famous Ganden monastery. Genden Drubpa founded Tashi Lhunpo, which in later times became the seat of the Panchen Lamas. The rising popularity of the reformist Gelugpa (Virtuous Ones) order founded by Tsongkhapa's students caused a backlash and the Karma Kagyupas initiated a violent repression of the Gelugpas. Genden Drubpa wrote a poem where he sang,
These days in our remote mountains
There are many people who uphold their own lineages
While looking down upon other doctrine holders
Verily as their deepest enemies.
Watching how they think and act,
My heart fills with sadness (Mullin 2001: 62).
Thus we see a Ri-Me thought in line with pluralist Mahayana. Ironically, the Ri-Me movement itself would be largely inspired by the doctrinal triumphalism and political repression weilded by later Gelugpas.
The Rise of The Gelugpas
From this period on sectarian violence in Tibet appears to have intensified, as different rulers favoured one school over another. By 1565 the princes of Tsang province were ruling central Tibet, and since they supported the Kagyupas, the Gelugpas were "under constant attack"(Laird 138). The second Dalai Lama, who established the process for recognizing the tulkus in his lineage (Laird 139), moved his base of operations to south and central Tibet. The third Dalai Lama, Sonam Gyatso, was born in 1543 near Lhasa. He grew rapidly in power and influence. In 1577, in a replay of history, Altan Khan invited Sonam Gyatso to his court. The resulting relationship between them lead to an increased adoption of Buddhism among the Mongols and an increase in the power of the Gelug tulkus, now known as Dalai Lamas after their Mongol title. In 1589, the fourth Dalai Lama incarnated into the body of the great-grandson of Altan Khan, Yonten Gyatso. He survived only until 1617, dying at the age of 28 from unknown causes. His reincarnation, known to the Tibetans as the Great Fifth, was the true architect of Gelug supremacy in Tibet. Ngawang Lozsang Gyatso (1617-1682) became ruler of the Tibetan nation, sitting on a thrown beside the Manchu emperor and welcomed in Beijing as an equal (Laird 152).
The Fifths relationship with other Buddhist orders is a matter of some controversy. Some contend that he was on friendly terms with the other schools, particularly the Nyingmapa (his father was a Nyingmapa yogin). Although he ordered some monasteries of the other orders to join the Gelugpas, this view argues that this was part of a plan aimed at fostering unity and quelling sectarian rivalries and political instability, and not motivated by sectarian chauvinism or hunger for power. Others contend that under his rule Nyingmapa, Kagyupa, and Sakyapa orders were forcibly converted to become Gelugpas, fostering longstanding resentments which still exist today. Some Gelugpas, Sakyapas, and Nyingmapas do in fact judge the Fifth as being a precursor of the Ri-Me in terms of his spiritual beliefs, but apparently this view is rejected by some Kagyupas (Laird 2006: 165-168). It is interesting to note, as Mullin points out, that it is the Karma Kagyus, the sect that the supported the 5th's rival the King of Tsang who were the Kagyus that were suppressed. The Drikung Kagyupas, on the other hand, were supported by the Fifth and speak kindly of him in their annals. The Fifth also kept a Bonpo lama in his entourage to advise him on Bon interests, protected the rights of Muslims in Tibet, and passed laws outlawing sectarianism. It would thus seem that the Fifth was indeed acting from political rather than religious motivations in his suppression of the Karma Kagyupas (Mullin 2001: 70-77). This also appears to be the case with his suppression of the Jonangpa sect, which we will have to examine in order to understand the background that would determine the shape of the Ri-Me movement.
The now little known Jonang school of Tibet originated with Yumo Mikyo Dorje (b.1027), a Tibetan student of the Kasmiri pandit Somanatha, who taught him the traditions of the Kalacakra Tantra. Dorje was also one of the earliest Tibetan articulators of the approach to Madhyamaka known as shentong, or "emptiness of other". This view, in brief, holds that the primordial mind of clear light can be established as truly existing, but not any of its contents. In other words, all phenomena are empty of self except the most primordial basis of the mind, which is fundamentally "empty of other", yet possesses its own nature (Tulku 2006: 193-236). Kunpang Tukje Tsondro (1243-1313), a lineal descendant of Dorje, founded a monastery in South-Central Tibet in the Jomonang area, from which his tradition came to be known as Jonangpa. The Jonangpas continued to grow in popularity and importance, peaking with the Jonangpa scholar Jetsun Taranatha (1575-1635). The Jonangpas, like the Karma Kagyupas, were connected to the King of Tsang, and when the Fifth Dalai Lama came to power he converted their monasteries to the Geluk sect, banned their writings, and sealed their libraries. Some believe the reason for not only disempowering but silencing the Jonangpa sect was their teaching of shentong. The Gelukpas believed this to be a heretical doctrine, and were proponents of rangtong, "empty of self", by which they held that even the fundamental mind of clear light is empty of self-nature. Many scholars have questioned whether the Fifth's motivations were doctrinal or political. It is hard to believe his motivations were solely based on an aversion to shentong, since explicitly shentong and analogously shentong views occur in the Nyingmapa school, with which the Fifth was on good terms. Thus the facts remin unclear. In any case, the Jonangpa school never regained its prominence in Tibet.
At the turn of the 17th century Lhazang Khan, grandson of the Fifth's political ally and King of Central Tibet Gushri Khan, killed the 6th Dalai Lama and made Tibet a protectorate of the Manchus (Laird 191). The Dzungar Mongols invaded to "liberate" Tibet shortly after, but unleashed such a reign of terror that when the Manchus made a counter-move in 1717 the Tibetans welcomed them. This was facilitated by the Manchus support of the young 7th Dalai Lama. Over the next couple of centuries the Manchus ruled Tibet as a "loose protectorate" and buffer between them and the Mongols while Tibet was rife with internal battles.The institution of the Dalai Lamas was weakened, and a kind of shaky status quo seems to have developed among the different schools. The Jonangpa Kalacakra teachings were absorbed in to the Gelug school through the monasteries they took over, while the Jonangpa contemplative tradition fled to the edges of Gelug influence in Kham and Amdo, where they mixed with Nyingmapas, Kagyupas and Bonpos, influencing their outlooks. According to Ringu Tulku, a modern proponent of Ri-Me, by the time of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820-1892), the four schools had very little contact with eachother and ignorance of eachother's doctrines flourished. Although individual lamas may have had nonsectarian orientations, the schools in general had became insular and triumphalist. Against this background Khyentse and his student, Jamgon Kongtrul the Great (1813-1899), launched the Ri-Me movement. As Kongtrul wrote,
These days even the well-known lamas and geshes concentrate on their own traditions. Other than knowing a few texts, their pure perception of the impartial teachings of the Buddha is very small...They talk a lot about whether a particular tradition is good or bad, or a particular lineage is pure or impure. Many of them denigrate others' traditions in favor of their own school. Like a one-eyed yak who startles himself, they become unsteady, and without any reason they are full of doubts and lack pure vision, even of their own tradition.
When I was younger, although I had a deep longing for the dharma, I lacked strength in my convictions and was too timid to accomplish my wishes. But gradually the lotus of devotion has opened in me toward all the doctrines and the doctrine holders of the unbiased teachings of the Buddha, and my understanding of dharma has increased. It is due to the kindness of my precious guru, Khyentse Rinpoche, that I have not accumulated the serious karmic consequence of rejecting the dharma (2006: 23).
As Kongtrul writes here, it was his guru Khyentse Rinpoche who transmitted to him traditions from eight practice lineages including all the major schools and repeatedly encouraged him to compile his nonsectarian encyclopaedic collections of Buddhist teachings. These became the basis of the Ri-Me movement. Khyentse was a Sakya lama and Kongtrul a Kagyu, but both of them had a strong base in the Nyingmapa traditions, and discovered, compiled and practiced many Treasure teachings (45). Interestingly Kongtrul also collected Bon teachings and was himself an initiate in Bon lineages. As he wrote,
For the benefit of ordinary persons who harbor conceptual partiality toward specific schools of spiritual philosophy, such as theist or non-theist, Buddhist or Bon, the Buddhas compassion is impartial and immeasurable. For example, [buddhas] manifest to guide theists as gods with forms and attributes that correspond to their religions. In fact, in the three worlds, the victors enlightened activity is present in even the most minor form of virtous spiritual paths (Zangpo 2002: 189).
Jamgon Kongtrul completely rejected sectarianism, equating it with partiality, blindness and cognitive limitation. He wrote: Just as a king overpowered by self-interest/Is not worthy of being the protector of the kingdom,/A sectarian person is not worthy of being a holder of the dharma./ Not only that, he is unworthy of upholding even his own tradition (Tulku 4). One of the most interesting features of the Ri-Me tradition is that it is not syncretic, but rather pluralist (Tulku 2006: 3). The Ri-Me masters took care to accurately preserve the tenets and practices of differing traditions, and set out to show the different practice traditions as free of contradictions, but not equivalent. Kongtrul wrote:
Some people are very fussy about the refutations and affirmations of various tenets, becoming particularly attached to their own versions, such as Shentong or Rangtong Madhyamaka. There are many who try to pull others over to their own side, to the point of practically breaking their necks. When Jamyang Khyentse teaches the different tenet sytems, he does not mix up their terminology or ideas, yet he makes them easy to understand and suitable for the students.
Kongtrul then makes a point key to the Ri-Me view:
In general, the main point to be established by all the tenets is the ultimate nature of phenomena. As the Prajnaparamita Sutra states:
The Dharmata is not an object of knowledge;
It cannot be understood by the conceptual mind.
Kongtrul concludes:
So, the ultimate nature cannot be established by the samsaric mind, no matter how deep that mind may be.
The scholars and siddhas of the various schools make their own individual presentations of the dharma. Each one is full of strong points and supported by valid reasoning...In summary, one must see all the teachings as without contradiction, and consider all scriptures as instructions. This will cause the root of sectarianism to dry up, and give you the firm foundation in the Buddha's teachings. At that point, hundreds of doors to the eighty-four thousand teachings of the dharma will simultaneously be open up to you. (4)
Kongtrul argued that shentong and rangtong differed only over how to best describe the ultimate nature of phenomena (10). He also argued that Nyingmapas texts were as authentic as Sarmapa, and that the four major schools all converged in their description of the ultimate stages of attainment (11-13). Kongtrul's approach proved remarkably appealing, and the literature he created spread widely. Ringu Tulku writes that the compilation and transmission of his Five Great Treasuries as well as the Compendium of Tantras and Compendium of Sadhanas, "broke the isolation of single lineage teachings in the majority of Tibetan schools"(12).
Ri-Me Today
During Kongtrul's life, he transmitted his complete teachings many times to many people, including both yogins and important lamas. He also managed to have them printed on wooden blocks and published during his lifetime. Because of his efforts a large amount of Tibetan teachings from all schools were compiled in one place. In 1959, when Tibetans began fleeing the Chinese invasion, Kongtrul's teachings were available. HH The Karmapa (the head of the Karma Kagyu lineage) and HH Dudjom Rinpoche (the head of the Nyingmapas) gave transmissions of these teachings in India. When Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche came to England in the early 60's, the only Tibetan books he bought were the volumes of Jamgon Kongtrul's Treasury of Knowledge (Tulku 13). Perhaps most interestingly, and most portentiously for the development of modern Tibetan Buddhism, has been the influence of Ri-Me on HH The 14th Dalai Lama. His Holiness has been strongly influenced by several great Ri-Me teachers, including Dilgo Khentse Rinpoche, the great Nyingmapa yogin. Due to the efforts of these teachers and the support of His Holiness, there has been more interchange between different schools of Tibetan Buddhism than ever before. The Dalai Lama has adopted the Ri-Me model and has been receiving and giving the teachings of all schools in their respective traditions and lineages. He has gone on record with the view that the highest Gelug teaching is identical in import to the view of Dzogchen, which is in turn in harmony with the highest realizations of all Tibetan schools. Further, in recent years it has come to light that, much to the surprise of many, Jonangpa traditions had survived intact in eastern Tibet. His Holiness has officially recognized the Jonang as a legitimate school and composed a prayer for the long life of the Jonang school. His Holiness also stresses the legitimacy of the Bon tradition and has come out in support of its teachers and institutions. Clearly then The Dalai Lama should be accounted a great modern Ri-Me.
Closing Reflections
The historical circumstances surrounding the birth of the Ri-Me movement need more study. Khyentse and Kongtrul appear to have acted out of a sense of Buddhist idealism and a love for the traditions which fell outside the net of Gelug dogmatics. Their own unique focus combined shentong, Jonang, Bon, Nyingma and Kagyu traditions. This list is conspicuous for its championing of traditions which were endangered by the historical momentum of Buddhism in general, and in particular by Gelug orthodoxy. After many great lamas fled Tibet in the 1950's and 60's they found themselves living in refugee camps in India where all facets of daily life were a struggle. Unity would have been a paramount concern, and it is to their credit that the leading teachers of all the schools, including HH The Dalai Lama (Gelug), HH Sakya Trizin (Sakya), HH Dudjom Rinpoche (Nyingma), HH Penor Rinpoche (Nyingma), HH the Karmapa (Kagyu), HH Khalka Jetsun Dhampa (Jonang) and HH Lungtok Tenpai Nyima (Bon) have adopted a Ri-Me perspective. In the early years of the Tibetan diaspora, it was apparently largely due to the leadership of these lamas that sectarian rivalry did not tear apart the impoverished and traumatised refugee communities (Tulku 1992: 162-189). It is understandable then why the groundwork laid by Khyentse and Kongtrul has blossomed in the work of the 14th Dalai Lama and other contemporary Tibetan exiles as a unifying ideology.
Throughout Tibetan history, as shown above, the different schools of Tibetan Buddhism have competed with words and sometimes with weapons for resources and power. This appears to have ocurred largely at the institutional level. It is ironic, for instance, that Je Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelugpas, lived like a Ri-Me master, seeking teachings from every lineage. Nevertheless, at an institutional level, the ideology of competition and dominance has held sway. The Ri-Me movement provided a counter ideology of pluralism and ecumenicism, an "all for one and one for all" approach. This proved to be exactly what is needed in the Tibetan diaspora, and so has become the prevailing ideology of modern, global Tibetan Buddhism.
Davidson, Ronald M. Tibetan Renaissance. NY: Columbia University Press 2005.
Gyatso, H.H. The Dalai Lama Tenzin. Dzogchen: The Heart Essence of The Great Perfection. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion 2004.
Laird, Thomas. The Story of Tibet: Conversations with the Dalai Lama. NY: Grove Press 2006.
Mullin, Glenn H. The Fourteen Dalai Lamas: A Sacred Legacy of Reincarnation. Santa Fe: Clear Light Publishers 2001.
Powers, John. Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion 2007.
Rinpoche, Chagdud Tulku. Lord of The Dance: The Spiritual Autobiography of a Tibetan Lama. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion 1992.
Sheehy, Michael R. A Brief History of The Jonang. http://www.jonangfoundation.org/essays Accessed April 3 2008.
Tulku, Ringu. The Ri-Me Philosophy of Jamgon Kongtrul the Great. Boston: Shambhala Publications 2006.
Williams, Paul. Mahayana Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations. Great Britain: Routledge 2007.
Zangpo, Ngawang. Guru Rinpoche: His Life and Times. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications 2002.


text:
For the second "issue" of War Comics, I'm presenting stories from War at Sea #24, The World Around Us #9, War Heroes #2, Spectacular Features #12, and Fightin' Five #28!
First up, it's "Pressure"!
Next, from The World Around Us #9, it's Part 1 of "The Illustrated Story of the Army"!
We will revisit this comic in a future issue of War Comics, as it's not so much a multi-part story as individual chapters of history!
And now, it's "John F. Kennedy, Hero of the Pacific"!
Next, it's "Iwo Jima" from Spectacular Features #12!
And our last feature this time around is "Introducing the Fightin' Five, America's Super Squad"!
Next: Western Comics #2!


text:
Tabasco due for a change of direction
RE: "Tabasco Up for Review After 24 Years at TracyLocke," (AdAge.com, Sept. 1)
Wow, what a fantastic opportunity. I'll bet there are hundreds of agencies that would jump at the opportunity to work with Tabasco, an iconic brand and a household name.
I will always remember Tabasco's marketing for the excellently written print campaigns utilizing the iconic label style, and of course the exploding mosquito spot from several years back. But, while it may be great to be nostalgic, consumers these days are changing their media habits faster than Lady GaGa changes her outfits. The Tabasco brand needs a jolt into the 21st century. For example, their Twitter page has 2,049 followers. For a brand of that stature, that's shameful. Can they be out of things to say? Why are so few people listening?
Look at what an entertaining ad campaign tied in with social media did for the Old Spice brand. It not only revitalized the brand, it grew the entire category.
With that in mind, I think Tabasco could be due for a change of direction. They need to get with the times, and with relatively low budgets for a national campaign, they are probably better off to find a "hot shop" that will eat, sleep and live their brand.
Sounding off about the chief listening officer
RE: "'Chief Listeners' Use Technology to Track, Sort Company Mentions" (AdAge.com, Aug. 30)
I've been recently pondering, "How many companies are 'really' listening to their consumers on social media vs. saying that they do?"
The term "brand monitoring on SM" has become so widespread nowadays that it's become a cliche. It's just something that a brand says to seem like they're tech savvy, hip, accessible, etc. Even if they do monitor, they do it more from a quantitative perspective (how many mentions, how many followers, how many positive or negative reactions are we getting, etc). This article is dealing with the qualitative aspect of listening. It may be time-consuming and costly, but it's vital.
What should be noted, too, is that the fact that this is unstructured data makes the data-mining different as well. Traditional data-mining is more focused on quantitative, while this falls on the more quantitative analytical area because of its unstructured nature.
Many companies forget the value of just listening to social media. When we train ad agencies on social-media marketing, one of the things that we always encourage is to start with listening.
Some companies are hesitant to jump into social media (especially those in highly regulated industries), but even just listening can be a great start.
Even some of the most active companies on social media have not yet mastered the art of listening -- taking comments and mentions, interpreting them and channeling them through the organization effectively.
Fantastic post and a great area to bring attention to!
Sorry, I just think this is another dumb idea that will get some attention for awhile and then it will fade away. Really, a chief listening officer? Isn't this a sign of how far off the mark businesses are, that we're getting excited because companies are listening? Shouldn't good companies always have been listening? And shouldn't everyone listen?
And what the hell is the marketing department doing if they're not listening to customers? No wonder CMOs have an 18-month tenure. Lastly, don't these companies have customer service departments who listen to customers day long?
I'm not buying this as a new, deep change to how businesses conduct themselves.
Kodak's Beth LaPierre states that "We don't censor the comments or videos people create about our company," yet she determines what to do with the multitude of data ... what's important, who it goes to, what weight it's given, etc. This involves some sort of subjectivity, which is a de facto form of censorship. Given that a "chief listener" would fall somewhere under the marketing umbrella, this could lead to some conflicts of interest. After all, you don't have to look far to see two different conclusions drawn from the same set of data.
Perhaps of more use would be a "chief aggregator" whose role is not to interpret (or even sort) the data, but just make it available to whomever would like to see it. Then each department could overlay the data to their specific initiatives and adjust accordingly.
Heartbreak over Harley break-upRE: "Why Carmichael Lynch Resigned Harley After 31 Years" (AdAge.com, Aug. 30)
Harley seems to be lost and floundering. Stolen or not, the "Screw it" campaign was brilliant. Harley's questionable sponsorship of the UFC is less so. Also, for too many years Harley has ignored the popularity of their bikes among African Americans and Latinos. ... Bikers don't all come in one color. Then, too, Harley's missed the opportunity to promote motorcycles as alternative transportation, which is baffling. Sure, they're expensive, but I'd rather ride a V-Rod than drive a Nissan Leaf.
Sometimes you have to jump ship and fire the client before you get blamed for the brand going under. I had to do that once. It's hard when it runs counter to what we do, which is to help a brand move forward. But you can't fix a bad client, only bad marketing.
I'm from Milwaukee. Harley is part of our blood. It's sad to see Harley's future die. There is a lot more than an agency story here.
Spending in the category has been insignificant for years. Honda, Suzuki and BMW all care more about their cars -- and Yamaha about pianos.
Motorcycles and scooters should be as big a growth market as alternative energy vehicles for the next ten years as gas prices continue to rise, but no one is paying attention -- esp. Harley, which has the least fuel-efficient bikes on the planet.
Carmichael Lynch did amazing work -- and understood the Harley brand better than the manufacturer did at times.
Best of luck to them.
As to HD -- there will be agencies galore to take the account, but the advertising won't be the problem.


text:
California is known for it's sandy beaches, it's ~laid back vibes~it's HOT citizens and it's even hotter climate! E!'s Chloe Wilde recently went on the ultimate California trip where she hung out with bees, went on a wine safari (sign us up??) and visited sculptures in the desert.
5 Moisturizing Products To Pack For A Hot Destination
5 Things Alayna Fender Taught Us About Just Saying Yes To New Experiences
Anyone familiar with Much Digital Studios Creator MissFenderr (aka Alayna Fender) knows that the goofy vlogger is definitely a go-getter. But you might be surprised to learn that she used to feel afraid to seize opportunities that were right in front of her—her default was to always say "no."
That all changed on her recent Contiki trip to Europe. She adopted a new attitude of just saying yes, and had the adventure of a lifetime thanks to it. Check out five things we learned from Alayna's newfound stance on saying yes under the cut.
What's Inside Karina V.'s Bag?
As a self-proclaimed ~free spirited adventure seeking wanderer~ Instagram star and Contiki ambassador Karina Volstad knows a thing or two about travelling (and how to look good while doing it).
With summer road trips and vacation planning right around the corner, we asked Karina what some of her packing essentials are. Scroll through for a special travel edition of 'What's in my Bag' featuring Karina's faves.
Chloe Wilde's Top 5 Packing Essentials
When it comes to packing, we can be so indecisive. E!'s Chloe Wilde recently went on a trip to California, where she ~*dreamed big*~ but only packed a *little*.
How'd she do it? Scroll through to see Chloe's major tips on how to pack for that long road trip or insufferable flight. So before planning your next getaway, take some inspo from Chloe's five must-haves inside her suitcase, and why!
Airplane Beauty Hacks: In-Flight Essentials
Travel can be a killer on your beauty routine. Airplanes, buses and trains are all extremely stuffy and can dry out your skin (and let's be honest—you always feel super gross after a few hours stuck in a seat surrounded by strangers).
That's why when you travel you have to switch up your products and find ones that will keep you *shining bright* even in the dullest airport lighting. So before you head out the door on your next adventure, check out our list of the best beauty products for travelling!
read more…
FORA x FERIA: Festival Packing With Mila Victoria
Coachella has come and gone, so it's time to dig up your flash tats and cut-offs because ~Festival Season~ has officially arrived! Everyone knows that packing to go to a festival is an art difficult to master, but once those bags are packed and you've reached your final destination, you're faced with another daunting task- what to pack for your DAY on the festival grounds.
FORA and L'Oréal FERIA teamed up this season to bring you some ~pastel inspired~ festival inspo. Watch the video below to see what Mila Victoria can't go without during her festival days.
Celeb Homes That We'd Totally Live In
We all know that celebs are ~just like us~… except when it comes to their massive homes and even more massive bank accounts.
Just because it's Friday and ~TGIF~ etc etc. we decided to research some some luxurious celeb homes that had us daydreaming about mahogany floors and marble countertops and showers with five nozzles.
FEED YOUR FEED: Wanderlust
Not all those who wander are lost, especially if you find yourself wandering through these traveller's feeds. From snowy mountain top selfies to sandy hot dog legs, we guarantee you'll be booking that spontaneous plane ticket before you even get through your feed.
'It's going down, I'm yelling TIMBERR'…as we all hit the pillows hard after our week off. There is no denying the fun that has been had at the beaches, the pools, the parties, the beaches, the pools, the parties ( yes, you deserve a gold medal for the rallying) but our bodies can take a hit, leaving us struggling to get back to the real world. BOOOO.
'Reset, Refresh, Rejuvenate' is what we need to be chanting for the next week and here is how you do it:
#EtsyRoadTrip: Last Stop!
Crusin' down the fast line towards the last stop of the #EtsyRoadTrip seemed like an appropriate time to reminisce on every 90s girl's favourite road trip flick: Crossroads. In retrospect, our adventures with Team Etsy are (v. loosely) comparable to my teenage guilty pleasure; all roads leading to adventure, good tunes, and most of all ~friendship~. Obviously this makes me the Britney Spears of our off-screen excursion. Not so obviously our hometown proved the perfect backdrop to our tourist-for-a-day foray into all things handmade. Armed with all the tech gear two fashion girls can carry (see above video) we loaded our instax mini, packing extra film for good measure. In the true spirit of FORA, no cookie, cactus, or cuddly pup would go unphotographed. read more…


text:
Free eGuide: Make the most of your website with 4 tips from party planners
Handy guidance for your new or refreshed website.
You're on the web, but are you giving your site regular check-ups for brand relevance and efficacy with your audience? We can help.
Consider this:
Your website talks to way more people than your average salesperson does every day. (
60% of North American marketers say dynamic, personalized content is important for their website. Only 5% say it's of low importance. (
Marketing Charts
87% of buyers say online content has a major or moderate impact on vendor preference and selection; but 43% say "blatantly self-promotional" content is a major turn off. (
B2B Marketing Insider
48% of users say that if they arrive on a business site that isn't working well on mobile, they take it as an indication of the business simply not caring. (
What you'll learn:
How to keep your site ship-shape for attracting new visitors while converting loyal visitors into new leads.
How to create a site map that guides visitors to the content they want, while you capture their attention and information.
Ways to put the best platform to work for you while directing audiences to what they're looking for now.
How to encourage visitors with powerful and informative content, implement SEO best practices, and more.
Get your download now!


text:
Oh heyy, my first favorites post! Here are some products I loved throughout the month of October. Last month was a big month! Every weekend had something going on, I was pretty sick for most of the month, and the weather started getting colder and dryer.
Bastiste Dry Shampoo – Clean & Class Orginal: I've mentioned this dry shampoo on my blog before, so for all the details on Dry Shampoo, check out this post! With the weather changing, it drives my desire to shower down to about a 2. Every time it starts to get dry out, I turn into one giant rash. So anything that can help me avoid the shower, I love. Just remember to really rub this product into your roots or it will leave you looking a little dusty.
Simple Moisturizing Facial Wash: After going through my first bottle of Purity, I decided I wanted to switch it up and try something different. What I really like about this product is how soft it leaves your skin feeling after you wash. It bubbles up a bit more than Purity, which just makes me feel like I'm somehow becoming more clean. It also has almost no smell to it. I have noticed my skin is more dry, but as I mentioned before, that probably has a lot to do with the weather.
Earth Therapeutics Soft Touch Tweezers: I picked these up in the little bins by the checkout at Kohls. I had exchanged some tights from Christmas and was yet to use the few dollars on a gift card I got when I returned them. Several months ago I lost my holy grail tweezers (RIP), so being myself, I just stopped plucking my eyebrows. Well I got over the 'natural' look, and decided I really needed a pair of tweezers. I like these because, they are pink, and because despite not being as amazing as my tweezers I'd had since 8th grade, they are pretty accurate.
Soap & Glory The Righteous Butter Body Moisturizer: I got this little tub of lotion around the holidays last year. Now that it's close to the Holiday's again, I decided I could finally stop hoarding every little dip into the jar. All of the Soap & Glory lotions are moisturizing, and never leave your skin feeling greasy or oily. This one smells like.. well, just read the description on the Sephora website for that.
Josie Maran Argan Color Stick in Spice: This is another product I got around the Holiday's last year. I love Josie Maran! Argan oil is so good for your skin, and the formula in these products is perfect. You can use this color stick on your lips or your cheeks. I mostly use it on my cheeks because I don't really like the taste of it. It has really good color payoff, it is easily bendable, and it's not glitter-y. I am suddenly anti-glitter, at least on my face. The color is sort of coral nude. I love using this color in the colder months.
Next are my food favorites! I have been drinking a bunch of hot chocolate since it got cold out. At home I love to put a big spoonful of malt in to my cup too! A little splash of milk, and it's perfect! Also with being so sick I've been drinking a lot of tea. My favorite right now is Lemon Zinger, but I also really love peppermint. I heard the other day there is a butter mint tea that tastes just like those little pastel mints. That imma need that.
Lastly are a few of my favorite homeware items. I had a fun little .gif for this image as well, but for some reason it wouldn't upload. Anyway, I bought the Dairy jug at Michael's. I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do with the jug, but it was just so cute. If you're looking for decorations for your house, Michael's has a bunch of cute stuff
The candle is from Menards. It was only $3.00 or so dollar. This one is the scent Apple Ale. I don't really like sweet scents during the fall, I save those for winter, so I was happy to find an apple scent that I like. This candle is also in my favorites because the scent is really fills the air, but it isn't overpowering.
The little blue moon planter was something I picked up from an estate sale a few weeks ago. It doesn't have a way to drain, so I probably won't put a real plant in it. Right now I have this little painted pine cone sitting in it as a part of my fall decorations. I've been thinking about taking pictures of my decorations, along with a home tour. I've also been DIY'ing a few little autumn things that I wouldn't mind sharing.
Well those are my October favorites! I will be back tomorrow with my Weekend Wrap-Up!
Sweet Hannah Pea


text:
IGrow Chartered Accountants
IGrow Chartered Accountants specialises in Trust Accounting and offers a variety of services including property tax, business accounting & personal tax.
At IGrow we are confident about the future and are dedicated to the success of our national and international clients through providing excellent opportunities, while at the same time ensuring tax, accounting and regulatory compliance for all, based on professional excellence.
The following key professionals joined IGrow Chartered Accountants:
Johan van Vuuren BComHons, CA(SA), CIA, ACMA, PgDTL, LLM
Johan van Vuuren is a Chartered Accountant holding qualifications in law and tax. He also completed the LLM degree in Tax Law, including a dissertation on discretionary trusts.
Naomi van Reizig CA(SA), BCompt Hons
Naomi is a Chartered Accountant whose main focus is to provide accounting services, financial statements and tax advice to IGrow Chartered Accountants' accounting clients.
For your personal, trust or company accounting, tax and related requirements IGrow Chartered Accountants offer the following to our valued clients, property investors, business owners and entrepreneurs:
- Initial recognition of all properties and assets purchased in trusts or companies;
- Initial recognition of transferring of assets;
- General bookkeeping of all entities;
- Accounting for annual donations from individuals;
- Advice on the most tax efficient ways of transferring funds;
- Compilation of annual financial statements for individuals, companies and trusts;
- Tax calculations as well as completion and submission of tax returns for individuals, companies and trusts;
- Obtaining SARS assessments and handling of SARS queries and objections, where necessary;
- Maintaining asset registers for trust properties and other assets as required by Section 11 of the Trust Property Control Act;
- Ad hoc accounting duties as required;
- Personal income tax advice;
- Tax planning and structuring of entities; and
- The most comprehensive and strategic advice for property investors in South Africa.
When you are investing your own capital and making financial commitments to use property investments to grow your wealth, it is vital to obtain the very best tax advice in order to maximise your allowances. For advice and guidance, look to specialists who have the right team of professionals working with them and which gives them the necessary track record of success, integrity and security that you want.
In the property investment business this is no exception. Contact us at IGrow Wealth – our team of tax specialists are ready to help you on the road to achieving the success you deserve.
IGrow Chartered Accountants
- Barinor's Vineyard North, Vineyards Office Estate, 99 Jip de Jager Drive, Welgemoed, Cape Town, 7530.
- Tel: +27 (0) 21 979 2501
- Fax: +27 (0) 21 979 2505
- Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Create, Protect &
Grow your Wealth
Latest Buy-to-Let
Property Investment Opportunities
Get Started with
Property Investment


text:
Absolute shock stepping off of the airplane and into a Midwestern American Airport; it seems that each time I come back to America, the people get bigger and bigger. Fast forward 3 or 4 days – I went to the … Continue reading
Category Archives: 3 year Russian Visa
Passports and Visas
If you decide to date an Eastern European Woman, sooner or later you are going to have to deal with passports and visas. Good news for American Men as visa-free travel to the Ukraine is possible since 2007. This is … Continue reading
Russian and Ukrainian beauties
Seems I've neglected my blog during the Christmas season. As I sort through some photos I thought I'd bring a little Christmas cheer to the internet by posting a pair of beauties. The photo above is a Russian Woman I … Continue reading


text:
I have finally finished my mom's Christmas wrap!!! I am so relieved and excited to have it done this early. I was seriously dreading even starting it, thinking it would be the only project I would work on for Christmas and every thing else I had planned wouldn't get done. It was lace and I am not a huge lace fan. But thankfully, out of the 4 patterns I was considering, it seems I picked the simplest and it was done in a flash! It is blocking now, so pictures will be forthcoming.
Since I finished the wrap, I decided to move forward. I had set my Susie Hoodie aside to work on the wrap. It is finally starting to cool off here and I am finally able to even think about knitting with that large pile of wool in my lap again. So, I picked it up two days ago. I just finished the hood increases. I now have 10″ of solid, straight knitting to go (stockinette, thankfully with a cable on each end to save my sanity!) and then the decreases, and it will be finished.
But I am running into a problem. My yarn ball is getting smaller and smaller with every row. It is looking woefully small, in fact. I am quite concerned that I won't be able to finish the hood with the remaining yarn. I can shorten the hood slightly – I never plan to actually wear it, so a slightly short hood won't be a huge deal – but I am worried that even that won't work. I thought I had a small skein left of the yarn (it was a cone of yarn that I wound into skeins) but it appears I have already used that up. The place I bought it – Webs – no longer has it in stock because I bought it as a closeout. I see several people on Ravelry that have it in their stashes, but none have it for sale. My other option would be to contact the three or four people that have used the yarn and completed projects to see if they have any remnants they would be willing to sell me. I run the huge risk of getting a totally different dye lot, and that could be a noticable problem, but not finishing a cable repeat because of not having the yarn would also be a huge problem! I have a swatch somewhere that I can also possible frog, if I can locate it, so I must locate that. Otherwise, I am knitting on a wing and a prayer! Stay tuned to see how this turns out!


text:
40.6 Miles (65.34 km)
- Distance: 40.6 Miles (65.34 km)
- Rating: 3-B, Scenic, historic route that follows the meanderings of the John Day River Ratings Explained »
- Travel: Either direction for best results
- Start: Intersection of OR7 and OR26 - Bates State Park
- End: OR395 - Pendleton Highway
- Fuel: Long Creek, Oregon
If crossing Oregon, this road is a delightful distraction from the faster and more direct routes in the area. Middle Fork Road narrows and slows down to follow the meanderings of the John Day River. Riding east to west, the road starts off mostly straight, but the farther north-west you travel, the more the road will start to wind and wander it's way through the natural terrain features of the area.
As the road climbs, the terrain stays mostly the same with scrubby pines and ruddy red soil. Occasionally, the narrow canyon you are riding through will open up to stunning, peaceful meadows where wildlife is common. The road will begin to descent gently as you pass through the small community of Galena, Oregon, which appears to be a very peaceful existence for the residents of the area. Even though people still live in this former gold mining camp, it is official listed as a ghost town. The original name of the town was Susanville, after one of the earliest inhabitants, Susan Ward, but was eventually renamed after Galena Ore, which was eventually found in the area.
Leaving the National Forest behind you, the road will begin following the river in earnest and you'll be treated with more regular sweeping corners as you make your way to the terminus of the route where it intersects with OR395. Turn left (south) to head into Long Creek, Oregon where food, fuel and lodging are all available.


text:
FAHRENHEIT Endurance Add-On Furnace
Fahrenheit Endurance Add-On Multi-Fuel Furnace
40"H x 20"W x 36"D 380 lbs
Truly innovative self-cleaning furnace. Through the use of an automated, self-cleaning fire pot, the clinkers are removed while maintaining a continuous burning operation.
Corn hopper holds a two full bushels 112 pounds. An optional side hopper adds additional storage.
The lighted control panel allows all setting to be easily adjusted for personal preference. Can be ran in either manual or thermostat mode.
50,000 BTU Variable Rate
Stainless Burn Pot and Heat Exchanger Tubes
Heavy Duty Construction
Textured Powder Coat Finish
Direct Vent
Optional In-Room Grill
Two Speed Blower 600/800
Baldwin, MI 49304
(231) 745-6110


text:
Your browser does not support iframes.
Tennis Results
Alex Spalding (MC) def. Preston Howell (LC), 6-1, 6-0
Ryker Cassidy (MC) def. Alex Best (LC), 6-0, 6-0
Colby Hood (MC) def. Cole Constant (LC), 6-1, 6-0
Michael Spalding/Trevor Hood (MC) def. Kyler Hart/Trevor Sanders (LC), 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-4)
Bryce Spalding/Hank Hardin (MC) def. Michael Brey/John Michael Lawler (LC), 6-3, 4-6, 10-7
Juniors Koy Lindsey and Turner Cottrell, freshman Briar Holt and eighth-grader Brandon Cecil combined for six hits and four RBIs as the visiting LaRue County Hawks snapped a four-game losing streak with a 6-2 win over Thomas Nelson on Tuesday.
Lindsey went 3-for-4, while Cottrell and Cecil combined to go 3-for-6. Sophomore Colby Skaggs went 2-for-3 with two doubles and two runs for LaRue County (4-9), which won for the first time since March 26.
Peyton Gardner enjoys the rare occasions she gets to see left-handed pitching, and she took full advantage Tuesday evening against visiting 5th Region rival John Hardin.
The left-handed hitting Gardner fell a home run short of the cycle and drove in four runs to lead the LaRue County Lady Hawks past the Lady Bulldogs, 15-0 in four innings.
Gardner, a senior center fielder, laced a three-run double to left-center field in the fourth to enforce the mercy rule.
Track meets
LaRue County High School's next home track meet is April 19. The team competes April 21 at Bardstown; April 25 at Elizabethtown; April 29 at Thomas Nelson; May 2 at Green County; May 6 at Elizabethtown (conference meet). The region meet is May 12-15 at Bardstown. The state track meet is May 23 in Lexington.
Michelle McKamey, a freshman on the McCracken County High School Tennis team, won the prestigious Chattanooga, Tenn., Rotary High School Team Tournament, A Division number one singles position, during spring break.
She was unseeded and defeated the number four seed, Gracie Donoghue of Hutchison School of Memphis 6-4, 6-4 in the quarterfinals.
In spite of a pittance of practice time due the long, harsh winter, LaRue County High School's girls' track team is showing some bright spots in some events, according to Coach Laura Kudrna.
The Hawks' 4x800 relay team of juniors Kristina Durbin, Amanda Brewer, and sophomores Nicole Thomas and Natalie Mullins took first place at a meet in Grayson County in March. Freshman Hattie Ward is an alternate on that team.
Soccer: Meet the coaches
LaRue County High School Boys Soccer is having a "Meet the Coaches and Fellow Players" meeting 6:30 p.m. April 7 in the high school library. JV and varsity players from seventh grade to incoming seniors are invited. This is a chance to learn about the training schedule and expectations. For more information, contact Coach Derek Bell at email@example.com.
Track meets
March 24
Joel Nason (CH) def. Preston Howell (LC), 6-0, 6-2
Kevin Britt (CH) def. Alex Best (LC), 6-2, 6-3
Gabe Gonzalez (CH) def. Holden Blair (LC), 6-0, 6-0
Kyler Hart/Trevor Sanders (LC) def. Kyle Compton/Jacob Kerr (CH), 6-2, 6-3
Josh Kerr/Conner Wright (CH) def. Michael Brey/John Michael Lawler (LC), 6-4, 6-1
Singles Exhibitions
Chase Barnes (CH) def. Cole Constant (LC), 8-3
Doubles Exhibitions
Lady Hawks' softball coach Aaron Howell predicted a strong offense this season, and his LaRue County 18th District, Fifth Region team is responding.
Senior Peyton Gardner has led the charge with a .550 batting average, powering a home run, double, nine singles and has seven RBI's.
Courtney Johnson is batting .333 with two home runs and seven RBI's in the last two games.
The LaRue County Hawks got off to a slow start, but once they warmed up, the Caverna Colonels couldn't stop them.
The Hawks collected 19 hits, including six for extra bases, on their way to a 20-1 pounding of the visiting Colonels on March 25 in an 18th District game.
Caverna took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first before LaRue County tied it in the bottom half of the inning. The Hawks erupted for eight runs in the second and 11 more in the third.
Copyright © 2019
The LaRue County Herald is your source for local news, sports, events and information in LaRue County, KY, and the surrounding area.


text:
by Dr. Boyce Watkins
Sharon Tirabassi was living the dream. She won the $10.5 million dollar lottery in her home country of Canada, earning her a consistent residence on cloud nine. All the things that she'd always wanted were wide open to her: Expensive cars, fancy houses, designer clothes and expensive vacations. Her financial freedom was right in front of her eyes, and it was time to live the lifestyle she'd always deserved.
But years later, Sharon rides the bus to work. When she doesn't feel like riding the bus, she rides her bike. She's not doing it for exercise. Instead, it's because she can't afford to fix the car that sits in the family's driveway. All the relatives who were quick to borrow money from her when she won the lottery are nowhere to be found. She's now finding herself getting reaccustomed to the lifestyle to which she'd become accustomed so many years ago. The fall has not been easy.
I feel bad for Sharon, the same way I feel bad for every NBA or NFL athlete who goes through the same experience. They say that it's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. But this isn't true when it comes to money: It's usually better to have never had the money in the first place than to have it and see it all slip between your fingers.
As a Finance Professor, I think about money a lot. Also, my grandmother, who was my first finance professor (with no college degree) taught me a few things about money that I hold onto till this day. In spite of being a single mother who never made more than $25,000 per year, my grandmother always had money, maintained perfect credit, and never had to borrow a dime from anyone. Here are a few things that my grandmother taught me, that were later confirmed when I got my PhD:
1) Money is behavioral: My grandmother used to tell me that if you think like a saver, you'll always have money. If you think like a spender, you'll always be broke. So, the truth is that, no matter how much expertise you have, you must choose to have financial discipline the same way that you choose to eat the right food. Knowledge means nothing if its not applied, which can effectively turn you into the chubby gym teacher.
2) Always invest and spread your money out: One big investment is rarely a good one, so that means that putting all of your money into Billy's Liquor Store or Tiffany's line of doll houses is usually not a very good idea. Most NBA athletes who go broke do so largely because they've put a bunch of their money into private equity investments that fail, rather than investing in a diverse portfolio consisting of a variety of asset classes. If that last sentence didn't make sense, just talk to your financial adviser and let them handle it for you. The key here is to not put all your eggs into one basket.
3) Never forget Uncle Sam: I hope that Sharon, upon winning the lottery, didn't visualize herself as having $10.5 million to spend. This is big mistake from the beginning, because we all know that the IRS loves to take your money. Most athletes and entertainers who end up broke usually do so because of some kind of ill-advised tax situation that they knew nothing about.
No one is perfect when it comes to money. But the fact is that, in the age of information, there is no excuse for being financially illiterate. As my grandmother taught me, a good dose of common sense and moderation can go a long way when it comes to managing your money. In fact, I'll go get some advice from her right now.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and author of the book, "Black American Money". To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.


text:
The development of Muay Thai saw the transformation of the human body into a multifaceted weapon inspired by the weapons common to the time. The shin became the staff of the pike, used to block and strike. The arms became the raised twin swords of defense. The fist functioned as the jabbing tip of the spear. The elbow developed into the battle axe, used to smash and to crush. The knee, too, axed its way through enemy's defenses. Finally, there was the transformation of the flashing foot into pike, arrow, and knife. As each part of the body became a weapon unto itself, a new close-combat fighting skill was born: Muay Thai. Since its initial development, Muay Thai has changed in many ways. It is now a modern sport, rather than a battlefield skill. But in its heart are carried old traditions and an ancient fighting spirit.
Muay Thai is part of the cultural heritage of the Thai people. Their histories are intertwined. But their historical development is difficult to discern clearly. When the Burmese sacked the Thai capital of Ayutthaya, the archives of Thai history were, for the most part, lost. Along with them were lost the historical accounts of the development of Muay Thai. What little we do know comes primarily from the writings of Burmese, Cambodian, and early European visitors to Thailand, as well as chronicles from the Lanna Kingdom in Chiang Mai. All these sources agree that Muay Thai originated to be used on the battlefield in person to person combat. As to the specific origins, however, these sources are unclear and often contradict each other.
There are, however, two main theories. The first suggests that the art of Muay Thai developed as the Thai people migrated from China to what is now Thailand. It would have been an essential tool in the migrants' struggle for land. The second theory contends that the Thai people were already settled in Thailand and developed Muay Thai as a means of self defense against invasion. Whichever account is correct, what is indisputable is that Muay Thai was an essential part of Thai culture from its very beginnings.
The first great upsurge in interest in Muay Thai as a sport and not just a military skill occurred in the Ayutthaya period during the rule of King Naresuan in 1584 CE. At that time, every soldier as well as the King himself, trained in Muay Thai. Muay Thai slowly evolved from its roots in the Chupasart – a warfare manual – and new techniques were developed. This development continued under the reign of King Prachao Sua, the Tiger King, who so loved Muay Thai that he often fought incognito in village contests. Thailand was at peace during his reign, so soldiers were ordered to train Muay Thai. Interest in the sport subsequently took off. Muay Thai became the favorite pastime and sport of the Thai people, who flocked from all walks of life to Muay Thai training camps. Every village staged prize fights and had its own champion.
While Muay Thai has always been popular, there have been times when it has been especially popular. The reign of King Rama V was one such golden age for the sport. Many boxing camps were set up and talent scouts, under royal command, recruited fighters from around the country to fight for the King. Match makers arranged grand bouts, which were fought for large prizes and honour. At that time, the matches were not staged in a ring as they are now. Any available space – a courtyard or village clearing, for instance – would be used. It was not until the reign of King Rama VI that the standard ring surrounded by ropes came into use, as did time keeping by the clock. Before that time, time keeping was done by floating a pierced coconut shell in a tank of water. When the shell sank, a drum signaled the end of the round.
Muay Thai has always been a sport for the people as well as a military fighting skill. Regardless of social position, the Thai people have always practiced Muay Thai. It was part of the school curriculum until the 1920s, when it was withdrawn because it was thought that the injury rate was too high. Thai people, however, have continued to practice Muay Thai in gyms and clubs. The people have always followed the sport and have been instrumental in moving it from the battlefield to the stadium ring.
Thai Kings, of course, have been powerful forces in the development of the sport. One such prime mover was King Prachao Sua, or the Tiger King. He not only influenced fighting styles, but also the equipment that was used. At the beginning of his reign, the hands and forearms of fighters were bound with strips of horse hair. This both protected the fighter and inflicted more damage on the opponent. Horse hair strips were later replaced by hemp ropes or starched strips of cotton. For particular challenge matches, and with the fighters' agreement, ground glass was mixed with glue and spread on the strips. Changes in the sport since that time have primarily been changes in equipment rather than radical changes. For example, while Thai fighters have always worn groin guards to protect against kicks or knees to the groin (which were legal moves until the 1930s), these guards have evolved from tree bark or sea shells held in place with a piece of cloth to triangular shaped pillows tied in place, which have subsequently been replaced by the modern groin protector which was brought back from Malaysia by a Thai boxer who traveled there.
The most radical changes in the sport occurred in the 1930s. It was then that the sport was codified and today's rules and regulations were introduced. Rope bindings of the arms and hands were replaced by boxing gloves, a change that can be attributed to the growing success of Thai boxers in international boxing. The introduction of weight classes was also inspired by international boxing. These and other innovations – such as the organization of fights into five rounds – substantially altered the fighting techniques employed by fighters. Some techniques have disappeared.
The establishment of stadiums, instead of makeshift rings, began during the reign of King Rama VII before World War Two. During the war, they gradually disappeared only to return with a strong presence afterwards. Boxers from up-country once again headed toward fame and fortune in Bangkok. Glory could be found at stadiums such as Rajdamnern and Lumpini. With the introduction of television coverage, the popularity of the sport was enhanced. Channel 7 began broadcasting fights in colour over twenty years ago. Today four Thai television stations broadcast fights free to millions of Muay Thai enthusiasts throughout Thailand.
Muay Thai truly has evolved from a battlefield art into a popular sport. It has recently been accepted as an official sport in Asian Games competition and the push is on to have it accepted as an official Olympic sport. It is becoming increasingly popular outside of Thailand and has enthusiasts and practitioners in the Americas, Australia, Africa, Japan, and Europe. The fighting tradition continues to be passed on and is spreading wide and far. The illustrious history of Muay Thai is on a path to greater recognition and international popularity.


text:
A cache of stolen high explosives was recovered from a Milford Township field Saturday.
According to state police, three adult males and one juvenile male have been identified as suspects. The names will become public when charges are filed, most likely in the next several days.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms has taken possession of the explosives pending a physical inventory, but preliminary results indicate the majority or possibly all of the explosives were recovered.
The explosives disappeared from a storage facility owned by D.C. Guelich Explosives sometime Thursday or Friday. The building is located along Stouffer Hill Road near Friedens in Somerset Township.


text:
Get digital vernier caliper price in india stanley at 70% discount from Flipkart. This offer is valid on various popular brands. You can avail this offer by following these simple steps as described below.
Steps to get this deal :
- Click Here to go to Flipkart.
- Select the product variant of your choice.
- Add the product to your cart.
- Discount is auto applied in the cart.
Popular products under this offer :
Click Here to visit Flipkart.


text:
USC Annenberg
USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism is undergoing a complete redesign of their dated, static website. The scale of design for the project is massive, with requirements including a completely new style guide. From buttons, to textures, to headings, and responsive interfaces, this is an ongoing project.
USC Annenberg
October 22, 2015
- Web Design


text:
…and it isn't cooperating?
I sympathize.
I recently fought my way through the process of automating a test to reproduce a bug on a legacy(*) web application that had no IDs on any of the elements that I wanted to address. And I thought it might be helpful to capture some of my lessons learned here in case they help someone else. Also, I'm putting this here so I remember what I did.
Lesson 1: SeleniumRC Rocks!
I've been extolling the virtues of SeleniumRC for quite a while. This project gave me the perfect opportunity to refresh my Selenium skills. And I'm delighted to report that SeleniumRC is even better than I remember it being. First, I can write my tests in my programming language of choice (Ruby). Second, it has a wide variety of ways to locate these pesky non-ID'd elements. Third, every time I ran up against a road block, I discovered that the smart folks who make Selenium had already anticipated the problem and found a solution.
Lesson 2: Selenium Server Flags can Solve Common Execution Problems
In my particular case, the app I was testing didn't play nicely in IFrames. This is a problem: by default Selenium runs the web app in an IFrame in the same browser window where it displays its own status. Fortunately, it turns out that there is a -multiWindow flag to solve exactly this problem. I solved the IFrame problem by running the Selenium Server like so:
java -jar selenium-server.jar -multiWindow
There are a variety of other Selenium Server flags that address other common problems. See the Server Command Line Options documentation for a full list.
Lesson 3: 'Permission Denied' Errors Probably Mean the App Violates the 'Same Origin Policy'
Once I'd gotten to the point where I could launch the app, I started encountering very puzzling Permission Denied errors. I vaguely recalled that such errors probably meant there was some problem with the domain names changing and browser security and cross-site scripting something-or-other.
So I checked the domains. Sure enough, the home page was at "www.example.com." From there, when you log in, it goes to "app.example.com." Bingo! The domain was changing in the middle of my test. I experimented a little and discovered there was no way around it: the app was going to redirect to a different domain no matter what.
It turns out I'm not the first person to have this problem. Fortunately, Selenium has a strategy for addressing the issue: experimental browsers. I tried the chrome browser for testing on FireFox and it worked perfectly.
Lesson 4: Firefox Rocks!
At this point I could launch the app and log in, but now I had another problem. After the login page, all the things I needed to click, check, or otherwise manipulate were buried deep in convoluted HTML. I realized that figuring out how to address these things was going to be non-trivial.
The most basic strategy for discovering the locator for an element is to view the HTML source. You can view the source for the whole page, but Firefox has a great feature that allows you to see just the source for just a selection. To use it: highlight a selection on the page, then right-click. One of the available menu options is View Selection Source. Choose it, and you get a window with just the relevant HTML.
However, if you're dealing with something complex, viewing the source isn't enough. You really need to look at the Document Object Model (DOM). The best way I know to do that is with the DOM Viewer included with the Web Developer plugin by Chris Pederick.
Web Developer also includes a feature that lets you see all the attributes for a given element. From the Information menu, choose "Display Element Information." Now you can get the attributes for any element just by clicking on it. I love that feature.
Finally, the XPath Checker plugin by Brian Slesinsky is a very helpful tool for figuring out how to address those pesky non-ID'd elements. More on xpath in the next section.
Lesson 5: xpath Is Now My Good Friend
One of the hallmarks of legacy web apps is the annoying lack of IDs on important elements. Of course, web apps aren't the first place where a lack of IDs is problematical. I recall struggling with Windows apps that lacked field IDs back in the 1990s.
The good news is that this is a much more tractable problem in web apps than in Windows apps. Xpath to the rescue!
Let's take just one example. I needed to verify the text associated with a particular image. The image served as a kind of custom bullet in a bulleted list, so there were several identical ones. The text itself did not appear in the DOM immediately next to the graphic. Rather, its parent was a peer to the parent element of the image. (Got that straight? Yeah, me either. Seriously, this one took me a while.) In brief, the HTML around this thing looked kinda like this:

item 1

item 2
Mind you, the HTML didn't look that clean. There was a lot of other random stuff in there, and every tag had a gazillion attributes, and there were hard-coded styles everywhere. But I digress. And I'm probably whining. I'll stop that now.
So it turns out the only way I could grab the text associated with the second bullet in the list was with the following Selenium command:
Let's all say it as a group: "EWWWWW!"
But let's also appreciate that doing such a thing is actually possible. Selenium has a wide range of locator styles, and even allows you to add your own locator strategies. (I haven't needed to do that yet, so I'm not quite sure how to use the feature, but I noticed from the documentation that it's there.)
(For more on using xpaths with Selenium, I found the Help with XPath article on the openqa.org site useful. It's hard not to like an article with headings like "How the $%^@$ do I locate an element?")
Mind you, the world might be a better place if we couldn't write such code. Every time I figure out how to automate tests against an untestable application, I feel a twinge of guilt. By automating tests against an untestable interface, I become an enabler of more untestable interfaces. For the sake of improved collaboration and more testable applications, perhaps it's better if those of us who automate tests avoid resorting to using our xpath superpowers except in the service of wrapping legacy apps with tests so they can be refactored for testability.
But once again, I digress.
The point I really want to make is that SeleniumRC gives us the power to automate tests even against icky hard-to-test legacy apps, and to do it with real programming languages (pick your favorite: C#, VB.Net, Perl, PHP, Ruby, Java). And that means we can write maintainable automated tests using good programming practices. And *that* means we can automate regression tests for faster feedback. And ultimately, *that* means we can make changes to the legacy app to improve testability and maintainability.
So rock on, SeleniumRC. And huge thanks to everyone who's ever worked on SeleniumRC or Selenium. Also, huge thanks to the Selenium community as a whole. When I went looking for answers to my questions I found numerous blog posts and forum messages with tips and tricks. This post would not have been possible without such a community that's so open about sharing knowledge.
* Here I mean "Legacy" as Michael Feathers defines it: code that lacks automated unit tests. Web developers, please take note: if you write good unit tests for your web app, including JSUnit tests for the JavaScript bits, the application will be MUCH more testable and the QA people will stop whining at you so much. return to footnote reference


text:
Sign In
CLEARANCE SALE 2019 50% OFF! click here...
All Rugs
Modern Rugs
Traditional Rugs
Shaggy Rugs
Flatweave Rugs
Rug Colours
Black Rugs
Grey/Silver Rugs
White/Cream Rugs
Beige Rugs
Brown Rugs
Blue Rugs
Purple Rugs
Red/Orange/Pink Rugs
Gold/Yellow Rugs
Green/Lime Rugs
Multicolour Rugs
Sign In
Forgotten Password
Create Account
Advanced Search
Your Cart
Modern Rugs
Traditional Rugs
Shaggy Rugs
Flatweave Rugs
Wool Rugs by Collection
Modern Fibre Rugs by Collection
Traditional Rugs by Collection
Other Rug Products
Rug Sale!
Your cart is empty.
View Cart
Ives Chocolate Brown Rug
click to enlarge
Model: AS IVES_CHOC
Current delivery estimate: 4-5 days
Price starts at: £39.00
From the new Ives Rug Collection, the Ives Chocolate Brown features the collection's classic herringbone collection in a rich brown colour. The materials blend the super softness of cotton chenille with the durable texture of natural jute.
Pile: 60% Cotton / 40% Jute | Made in India
Delivery estimate 4-5 days
click here for more information
Current delivery estimate: 4-5 days
Please Choose:
Rug Size
100 x 150cm ~ 3ft4 x 5ft ( £44.00 )
120 x 170 cm ~ 4ft x 5ft8 ( £64.00 )
160 x 230 cm ~ 5ft4 x 7ft8 ( £119.00 )
Runner 66 x 200 cm ~ 2ft2 x 6ft8 ( £39.00 )
With Anti-Slip?
No Thanks
YES, suitable for rugs around 100x150cm ( £12.00 )
YES, suitable for rugs around 120x170cm ( £16.00 )
YES, suitable for rugs around 160x230cm ( £24.00 )
YES, suitable for runner 60x200cm ( £16.00 )
Additional Images
click to enlarge
click to enlarge
All the rugs from this collection...
Ives Natural Rug
More details
Ives Black and White Rug
More details
Ives Chocolate Brown Rug
More details
Ives Silver Rug
More details
We accept
Social Media
Address: 4b Upper Gardner Street
Brighton BN1 4AN
Office only no deliveries
Tel: 01273 358021
e-mail: email@example.com
Contact Us
Site Map
Shipping & Returns
Privacy Notice
Conditions of Use
My Account
Sale Rugs
Facebook page
Our blog and news
Desktop view click here
4B Upper Gardner Street Brighton BN1 4ET (office only, no deliveries) Tel: 01273 358021 e-mail: email@example.com
Free Delivery* | Returns
Contact Us
Copyright © 2019
Apple Rugs


text:
This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies.
Stay ahead of developments in federal and state health care law, regulation and transactions with timely, expert news and analysis.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said April 4 that Medicare Advantage plans will receive an average payment increase of 0.4 percent, a decrease from the agency's earlier estimate of 1.6 percent.
Jonathan Blum, director of the Center for Medicare, told reporters that the change stems not from policy changes on the part of CMS but from new economic assumptions. He said he expects the plans to remain "very stable and very attractive."
The MA payments will vary based on location and a plan's quality rating, Blum said during a discussion of the agency's final rate announcement and Call Letter for 2012. CMS released a preliminary version of the notices Feb. 18.
Robert Zirkelbach, a spokesman for America's Health Insurance Plans, a trade group for private insurers, said in a statement that CMS had taken a reasonable approach to payment rates but that MA rate reductions called for in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act continue to be of concern.
"While damaging cuts passed by Congress are scheduled to go into effect in the years ahead, the agency is taking a balanced approach toward payment methodology in 2012," he said.
Blum said the biggest difference from the preliminary notice is a change in the Medicare Advantage growth rate factor, which measures the estimated growth in per capita expenditures for beneficiaries and is a key factor in determining capitation rates. CMS had estimated a factor of 0.7 percent for 2012 but in the final notice revised that figure to negative 0.16 percent, due to lower 2010 Part B physician outlays, Blum said.
Blum also said that CMS had finalized as proposed the percentages for the quality bonus demonstration program and coding adjustment.
In addition, CMS released the annual updates to the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit parameters. CMS is required to update the statutory parameters for the defined standard Part D benefit by the annual percentage increase in the average per capita Part D spending.
The final updates are unchanged from the agency's estimate: The Part D deductible will increase from $310 to $320, the initial coverage limit from $2,840 to $2,930, and the out-of-pocket threshold from $4,550 to $4,700.
By Sarah Barr
The rate announcement and Call Letter are available at http://www.cms.gov/MedicareAdvtgSpecRateStats/Downloads/Announcement2012.pdf.
All Bloomberg BNA treatises are available on standing order, which ensures you will always receive the most current edition of the book or supplement of the title you have ordered from Bloomberg BNA's book division. As soon as a new supplement or edition is published (usually annually) for a title you've previously purchased and requested to be placed on standing order, we'll ship it to you to review for 30 days without any obligation. During this period, you can either (a) honor the invoice and receive a 5% discount (in addition to any other discounts you may qualify for) off the then-current price of the update, plus shipping and handling or (b) return the book(s), in which case, your invoice will be cancelled upon receipt of the book(s). Call us for a prepaid UPS label for your return. It's as simple and easy as that. Most importantly, standing orders mean you will never have to worry about the timeliness of the information you're relying on. And, you may discontinue standing orders at any time by contacting us at 1.800.960.1220 or by sending an email to firstname.lastname@example.com.
Put me on standing order at a 5% discount off list price of all future updates, in addition to any other discounts I may quality for. (Returnable within 30 days.)
Notify me when updates are available (No standing order will be created).
This Bloomberg BNA report is available on standing order, which ensures you will all receive the latest edition. This report is updated annually and we will send you the latest edition once it has been published. By signing up for standing order you will never have to worry about the timeliness of the information you need. And, you may discontinue standing orders at any time by contacting us at 1.800.372.1033, option 5, or by sending us an email to firstname.lastname@example.com.
Put me on standing order
Notify me when new releases are available (no standing order will be created)


text:
This website contains about Field Guide to Insects (Peterson Field Guides) six thousand ebooks from numerous authors. The variety of these publications come in the following different types: fictions/novels, short reports, poems, essays, performs, nonfictions. Many of the books are basic works of U . s . Literature, English Books, and Irish Novels from well-known authors such as William Shakespeare, Draw Twain, Charles Dickens, Oscar Wilde, Robert Ice, Edgar Allan Poe, Alexander Pope, Arthur Conan Doyle, Anne Austen. and more authors' works will likely be added to the web collection. Inside these special websites, you will uncover Field Guide to Insects (Peterson Field Guides) many merit winning publications for your online reading. Get pleasure from and please tell a buddy, thanks.
Description : Title: A Field Guide to Insects( America North of Mexico) Binding: Paperback Author: DonaldJ.Borror Publisher: HoughtonMifflin


text:
Graduation Information
Information will be updated for 2019 as it becomes available
When: June 10, 2018
Location: Ultimate Soccer Arena
867 South Blvd. • Pontiac, MI 48341 • (248) 648-7000
Time: The ceremony begins at 3 p.m. and will last approximately 2 ½ hours.
Each graduate will receive six (6) tickets. THERE ARE NO ADDITIONAL TICKETS. Students who do not need all six tickets may distribute them to other families or turn them in to the main office.
PARKING: The parking lot opens at 1:30 p.m. Parking passes are not required. Parents/guests may park in the main lot or adjacent lots. Shuttles will be available to transport guests to the arena, as needed.
Note: There are no special parking passes for handicapped parking.
Senior Parent Meeting/Graduation Information
April 11, 2019 at 6:30 p.m. in the Dakota auditorium
Meeting PowerPoint
Graduation Information Handout
Handicap Request Form
Cap & Gown & Announcement Information
Cap and gowns and graduation announcements for Dakota High School are ordered through Jostens.
Jostens Website:
Cap and Gown Distribution: June 5 from 12-1:30 p.m. in the Community Room.


text:
International law is an extremely popular branch nowadays. That is why it might be challenging to get a place at the law school you have chosen. However, nothing is impossible if desired, thus, our writers from Law School Personal Statement writing service are sure that if you will try to do the best you can while writing your law school personal statement you will have all chances to win. Moreover, you will have another joker in your sleeve if you use our tips and assistance.
How to Make an International Law Personal Statement Shine?
To begin with, you should start thinking as a lawyer when writing your international law personals statement. Our service advises you considering the admission committee as a jury who you are to convince that you are the right candidate for this program. In order to do that, make sure to address the initial questions of your personal statement adding details about why you have decided to study international law in particular.
Law School Personal Statement writing service wants you to know that it is not really necessary to have traveled around half of the world to write a good international law personals statement. The lack of experience may also do you good if you say that you would love to see the how the judicial system is working in different countries and the program you have chosen will help you implement your dream. Naturally, describing your travel experience is a good topic for your paper, but not the only one though. In your international law personals statement, you may also underline the racial aspect of the matter (especially if you belong to some exotic race), proving that you are extremely interested and already knowledgeable in this field to the admission board.
Order International Law Personal Statement Writing Assistance from Us
In any case, you may need some support during international law personals statement writing process. The easiest and most reliable way to get it is to turn to Law School Personal Statement writing service which can help you create an outstanding paper for a moderate price. Place an order as soon as possible and our writers will create a personalized and unique personal statement which will certainly win the favor of the committee!


text:
It is with great pleasure that I take part in the Traitor Angel book tour. H. David Blalock is the only Seventh Star Press author yet to be featured on Jess resides here so when the chance to take part in the tour presented itself I jumped at the chance.
Angelkiller was a book I loved. What a brilliant and original idea. I highly recommend trying out the series. A talented author and great read should be on every book lovers must read list.
Seventh Star Press has a weekend long Black Friday event going where all SSP products are on sale. Get your fix now!
In Traitor Angel, the second book of the Angelkiller Triad, the war between The Army of Light and The Enemy continues behind the scenes. Unknown to the general population, the battle for control of humanity is heating up.
Jonah Mason, called Angelkiller, faces more than one decision. His Army resistance cell is wounded physically and emotionally, on the brink of falling apart. The mysterious allies calling themselves Knights are pressuring him to abandon his people. Meanwhile, the world outside draws closer to Armageddon.
As Mason and his friends pursue their campaign against Dorian Azrael's global megacorporation, Andlat Enterprises, the stakes get higher with each desperate foray into the enemy's computers. They are fated to lose one of their number and gain an unlikely ally, but any advantage they gain could be fleeting at best.
If they fail, it could mean the end of The Army and all resistance to the forces of Darkness.
About the Author:
H. David Blalock has been writing speculative fiction for nearly 40 years. His work has appeared in print and online in over three dozen publications, spanning every format from short stories to novels, non-fiction articles to screenplays. He is also editor of _parABnormal Digest_ for Sam's Dot Publishing. To find out more visit his website at www.thrankeep.com.