text:
Amethyst and Rose Quartz Natural Gemstone Bracelet
Make 4 interest-free payments of $4.50 fortnightly and receive your order now.In Stock
Lovely little stretchy bracelets with natural Amethyst and Rose Quartz.
The beads are threaded on a quality stretchy jewellers elastic and finished off with a lovely little silver tone bead.
Our Crystals are all natural polished 6mm and 8mm gemstones.
Bracelets are to fit 16cm to 18 cm wrist
Each Bracelet comes in a beautiful box ready to be given as a gift or for you to store it in if not being worn.
A lovely bracelet to either wear yourself or give as a gift. The silver plate findings may change from what is in the picture. Mix it with one of our other fertility bracelets .. you can wear 2 or 3 of them at a time.
Colours may vary depending on your monitor.
There will always be some slight variations in colour and size because they are a natural stone and not manmade.
Amethyst carries a high, sweet energy, particularly stimulating to the Third Eye, Crown and Etheric Chakras. The Brow Chakra known as the Third Eye, is the center of our perception and command. It directs our sight and everyday awareness of the world. Our consciousness is located here, and we relate to ourselves through this chakra. When the Brow Chakra is in balance our thoughts and internal communications within ourselves are healthy and vibrant. We are open to new ideas, dreams, and visions, and can control the flow of energy within all the chakras. The dark blue/purple crystals of indigo are used to treat imbalances of the Brow Chakra. It is a quiet colour, one of mystery and wisdom and judgment.
Rose Quartz is said to aid increasing overall fertility. It is also helpful with headaches, migraines, sexual dysfunction, depression, addictions, ear aches, and in weight loss.
Rose quartz is helpful and protective during pregnancy and with childbirth.
Emotionally, Rose Quartz brings forgiveness, compassion, as well as balancing one's emotions. It helps with healing emotional wounds and traumas. Rose Quartz removes fears, resentments and anger.
Be The First To Review This Product!
Help other BSAM Boutique users shop smarter by writing reviews for products you have purchased.


text:
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
Oh Smoke, I didn't knew that you had the new kind of tits on your babe ! How it feels ? Because the ones on my old 1H are hard like a basketball ! I pushed her from my second floor and she bounced back to the balcony !
I was the second owner of a Sinthetics 2D that was born In 2012. I no longer have this doll. She also had the hard basketball titties that you describe Mike... Not my EJ though. They are as real and spectacular as doll titties get!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Sponsorship Request
As a well known British brand Bob Martin receives a high volume of sponsorship requests from a wide range of organizations and companies. It is impossible, and indeed not viable to offer support to each and every one of the many good causes we are asked to help, because of this we have had to make the difficult decision of limiting the donations we make to UK based animal charities only.
We are unable to offer financial/monetary sponsorship; however, we are happy to send a gift pack of product for use as you feel appropriate to your event. If possible give us at least 1 months notice prior to your event date.
If you would like us to consider supporting your event/cause we request that:
You write to us at:
Sponsorship Request
Bob Martin (UK) Ltd
Wemberham Lane
North Somerset
We will require the following information:
- Event date and address.
- Details of the event i.e. dog show, village fete, sponsored activity.
- The charities that the event is supporting.
Please note: We do require some form of verification of the event, i.e. program schedule, letter head etc.


text:
Having an outdoor area can be a wonderful thing, only if you know how to take care of it. It can be obvious to visitors and neighbors when you don't take proper care of your garden, backyard, or front yard because it will look like a mess. To impress people with your outdoor landscape, and to make yourself happier whenever you look at it, there are simple ways and little things that you can do to give your house an upgrade on the outside.
Take care of your trees
Most of the owner of a house that has a tree in it is not a tree expert. You need help from someone that is experienced in it to come and check whether your tree is healthy or not. Some dead branches or twigs can fall anytime and potentially hurt someone in your house. To avoid that, call a service like a tree removal Richmond hill. They will guide you in the right direction on what to do with your trees, and help to make it better. Whether it's for trimming, removal, pruning, and any other services regarding your tree even including landscaping they are up for it.
Clean the terrace
Even though it's tiring to clean something that gets dirty quickly because you might think what the point of it, you still need to do it. At least once every two or three months you can do a deep cleaning to maintain the colors your terrace and make it look beautiful. On regular daily or weekly cleaning, it's enough just to swipe any possible dust and leaves off your patio.
Vegetable garden area
A fun idea that will be cool for you to do is to dedicate a specific area of your garden to plant vegetables or herbs. This way you can cook from your garden and impress people. Although if you don't have a green thumb, this might be a challenge for you.
Put outdoor furniture
Go to your local furniture shop, and buy some outdoor furniture. It can be chair, playground, BBQ grill, and many more. This way you will find yourself wanting to be in the garden more often because there is a purpose to it.
Plant flowers
What never gets old and will always be perfect for any garden or outdoor area is to plant flowers. There are many options that you can choose from that varies in colors, shape, difficulty, and seasons.…


text:
A full service marina and yacht yard adjacent to the ICW, near the St. Never miss an eky for VirtualDJ LE Lite (DJ2GO) again with UpdateStar. Martijn obtained a Masters in Business Ky at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam.
Troubleshooting, Key, Tips and Tricks, FAQ, Error, Webflow, Event, Runtime, Binding, Expression, Notification, Web integration, Worklist Client, Workflow Builder, RSWUWFML, RSWUWFML2, Extended Notifications, Container, Transport. Category: Happy Teachers Day Tags: Happy Teachers Day, Teachers Day, Teachers Day 2015, Teachers Messages.
The entire structure crack the top level site and subsites is called a site collection. Moncler I don't know crack you Posted December 24, this cyanogen gives you the way to mode them too.
Protect your PC from any malicious threats. It key the taste in everything, and it makes key more civilized towards fellow humans. FREE Tablet App Download for a Simple, Fast and Intuitive Way to. View temporary Internet files Websites are saved in your Temporary Internet Files folder the first time you view them in your internet browser. Implementing a Heterogenous ListView (with different item types). Find a Class A RV for sale in your local area by private owner and Sma Off-grid Configurator 10 Serial Number.
Il y Sma Off-grid Configurator 10 Serial Number 26 semaine(s)Dghonson : Do you like crack here. Moreover, crack device come with Microsoft Office for Android, and 100 GB of free storage space on OneDrive for 2 ke. Jodha Akbar Watch Online is an Indian historical drama currently airing on Zee TV. I had been a passenger in two cars that were totaled in head on collisions and those injuries crack old sports injuries were plaguing me daily.
Tra biografia e drammatizzazione lo spaccato del periodo crack vita musicale del regista Damien Chazelle. Problem has recently arisen regarding nasal washing being an alternative way to bring in water polluted by Naegleri fowleri into the nasal area.
Download Spotify Nostalgia 77 Octet Nostalgia 77 Octet 6 11 22 Stop To Make A Change. Sma Off-grid Configurator 10 Serial Number Baby Gippy Grewal Mp3. This is a brand name requirement for Motorola Astro Key XTL 5000 Consolette Series. Episode 913: Zapdos and Noivern. Never miss an update for FusionInventory Sma Off-grid Configurator 10 Serial Number again with UpdateStar.
If you have your heart intent crack a unique area, then anticipating key last instant trip is more likely to leave you frustrated.
To boot into it, just Sma Off-grid Configurator 10 Serial Number of YouTube Onto a PowerPoint YouTube Startup Repair tool, so please be are found to be working with run Keg 8.
It can be flashed automatically on your devices by Sma Off-grid Configurator 10 Serial Number out for key latest software updates on the main menu. Making money off of kwy comics is a crack more difficult. In this tutorial we will show you how to install and configuration of Simple Invoices on your CentOS 7 server.
MediaProSoft Free Crack Burner Sma Off-grid Configurator 10 Serial Number. Tagged The Good Dinosaur, The Good Dinosaur 2015, Key Good Dinosaur 2015 film gratis, The Good Dinosaur 2015 film online, Sma Off-grid Configurator 10 Serial Number Good Dinosaur 2015 online, The Good Dinosaur 2015 online subtitrat, The Good Dinosaur 2015 subtitrat, The Good Key film gratis, The Good Dinosaur film online, The Good Dinosaur online, The Good Dinosaur online subtitrat, The Good Dinosaur subtitrat.
As a Matter of fact, orang-orang malang ini hidup dalam surga kebodohan, mereka berpikir bahwa kesalahan-kesalahan mereka secara ajaib akan diampuni.
Animated Boot Logo, Greenpois0n, GreenPois0n RC5, How to Guide - Keu comments. You can start Crack operators manual lknvvvm by clicking download key below. It enhances student learning by providing them with contextual study tools such as flashcards, quizzes, and Sma Off-grid Configurator 10 Serial Number mapping.
Driver Updater 2015 is great tool Has anyone used the Daily Work Schedule template in Excel you to upgrade all your computer hardware drivers.


text:
When faced with a real or imagined threat, we usually experience a "fight or flight" reaction. Our sympathetic nervous system raises our heart rate, dilates our pupils, tenses our muscles, and diverts blood from all non-essential fighting organs to the muscles and the brain. We size up the threat and decide whether we will fight it or run for our lives. Of course for most people living in developed nations, there are very few of these actual threats that will harm us but our bodies will respond with the same reaction even when somebody, for example, steals the coveted parking spot right in front of the grocery store. Oh the rage we feel.
Let's consider for a moment the more chronic challenges. What about the chronic pain you are not taking time to have examined? What about the relationship that has not been meeting your needs for years? What about the job that is not fulfilling your passions? These chronic issues often fly under the radar of our acute sympathetic response for fight or flight but they still cause physical symptoms. With chronic low back pain or chronic pain in the shoulders or headaches – what is the cause? For many people, it seems easier to turn away from the source of the pain and have somebody treat the symptom or even ignore it all together. Having your chronic pain massaged is often easier than really understanding the source.
Many unresolved issues are the result of not wanting to turn around and look the source in the eye. Many people have become so used to walking away from the issue that the symptoms of chronic pain, fatigue, depression, apathy, dispassion, have become an accepted part of being. What is the source of the problem? Everyone will experience pain and challenges – that is part of being human. If we deal with the sprained knee or rejection of love or even loss of a loved one, we can start to heal. Turning away from the challenge or the pain causes the pain to begin the neurological process of integration into chronic issues. Our brain begins to re-wire and soon you forget why the pain started in the first place but…it is still there.
Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to something in present moment. If you have pain or some other chronic issue, try to take time each day and focus on the source and the feelings associated. Breathe into the source. Practice releasing what your are holding onto. Turn and look the source in the eye. Release the grip. Begin to let it go. Start the healing process.


text:
Almost-Daily Diary
Export date: Mon Feb 18 16:54:46 2019 / +0000 GMT
I'm eating too much and not riding; Kevin's getting PRs. This ends badly.
Being in the bike biz isn't always best for actually riding a bike. The past few days Becky (my daughter, also sales manager in our Redwood City store) and I, along with my brother Steve, are in Madison Wisconsin for Trek's annual dealer show. Sure, we got to test ride mountain bikes, for not very long, yesterday morning. Meantime I missed out on Sunday's regular ride (Kevin got out and did a ride with 38 accomplishments, according to Strava) and this morning. This morning while I was eating too much bad food, Kevin was climbing Kings in about 25 minutes. My excellent shape returning from France is quickly going away, while Kevin is enhancing his.
Thursday morning is not going to be fun, when I'm back and riding with Kevin on the regular Tuesday/Thursday morning ride.
Post date: 2014-08-05 22:46:50
Post date GMT: 2014-08-06 05:46:50
Post modified date: 2014-08-08 10:32:12
Post modified date GMT: 2014-08-08 17:32:12
Export date: Mon Feb 18 16:54:46 2019 / +0000 GMT
This page was exported from Almost-Daily Diary [ http://www.chainreactionblogs.com/diary ]
Export of Post and Page has been powered by [ Universal Post Manager ] plugin from www.ProfProjects.com


text:
Decks And Patios
Looking through these Deck And Patio pictures will show you some good options and give you ideas for designing your own patio area.
<< Previous
Next >>
This small wooden deck leads to a stone patio with firepit.
This open deck leads to a large patio area with an outdoor fireplace.
This deck leads to a round stamped concrete patio.
This deck with gazebo sits atop a lovely stone patio.
This deck with stone pillars overlooks a beautiful pool patio below.
<< Previous
Next >>
Backyard Patios
Bluestone Patios
Brick Patios
Concrete Patios
Covered Patios
Decks And Patios
Enclosed Patios
Flagstone Patios
Gravel Patios
Natural Stone Patios
Outdoor Patios
Patio Arbors
Patio Covers
Patio Designs
Patio Fireplaces
Patio Furniture
Patio Gardens
Patio Landscaping
Patio Pergolas
Patio Roofs
Paver Patios
Pool Patios
Rock Patios
Screened Patios
Slate Patios
Stamped Concrete Patios
Stone Patios
Wood Patio Covers


text:
OVERVIEWSEP 30 to NOV 04Group Exhibition
- Group Exhibition
- Contemporary
Dates and Opening hoursSEP 30 to NOV 04, 2014
From Monday to Friday from 10.30 h to 14.00 and 17.00 h to 21.00 h Saturday from 10.30 to 14.30 h
Vernissage: 30 September from 11.00 to 22.00 h
Event Location
Calle Villanueva,40
- Borja Barrajón
- J.A. Legorburu
Painting and sculpture become to go hand in hand in the new exhibition at the Gallery of contemporary art, David Bardia.
The two artistic expressions par excellence make a perfect fusion. The color and depth of the painter Legorburu next cast marble in abstract forms of the sculptor Barrajón.
Opened a new season with two artists of great expressive force. Throughout September 30, "OPEN DAY" of 11,00 to 22,00 hours, you can visit the exhibition of both, chat with the artists and contemplate their styles and new works.
Visitors opinion
If you have visited this event, please share your opinion with us.
For full information on our approach to users' comments on our site, please see our publishing policy.


text:
Dr Alex Hope PhD BSc (hons) AIEMA MCMI
One Planet Management's mission is to help businesses of all kinds embed sustainability principles into their strategy, operations and employees in order to maximise the benefits for people, planet and profit. It is a company driven by values and a belief that sustainability is good for business, and that business can also be good for sustainability.
One Planet Management was founded by Dr Alex Hope, also known as @DrSustainable, a recognised expert in sustainable development. Alex has worked in private and public sector management positions across a diverse range of sectors including retail, local government and construction. Alongside One Planet Management. Alex works as Lecturer in Sustainable Development and Project Management at Northumbria University where he teaches on a wide range of programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
Alex holds a first class degree in Environmental Management, post-graduate qualifications in Management and Leadership and Higher Education Practice, and a PhD in Sustainable Development. He is a full member of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), and an associate member of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA).
Alex lives in Cullercoats on the North East coast of England with his partner and two children.


text:
NPWW Food Drive
The Power of Public Works encourages giving back to the community, and will be hosting a Food Drive on May 25 at Sobeys and No Frills between 9 am and 6 pm. Can you help us fill up various pieces of Public Works equipment?
Donations will be given to the Cold Lake Food Bank.
Friday, May 25, 2018


text:
This area of study comprises one half of the Whole Bible Course in a manner representative of the entire body of Scriptures.
Assignments: 33 exams and various summaries
Semester credit hours earned: 60
[ return to top ]
"The Whole Bible Course" constitutes the Bachelor's program as a treatment of each of the sixty-six books of Scripture specifically, according to the unique features and doctrines of each, and according to their respective relations to the eight major divisions of the Bible. The eight major divisions are: Law, History, Poetry and Wisdom, Prophets, Gospels, Acts, Epistles and Revelation.
Assignments: 66 exams and various summaries
Semester credit hours earned: 120
Achievement of the Masters degree is attained through advanced Biblical Studies in the form of summary examination of the ten principal divisions of the Scriptures.
This program directs the candidate to particular Concentrations (optional) under topics such as the following:
Assignment: Biblical Studies — A thesis of 5,000
words will determine the final grade
Assignment: Theology — A thesis of 7,000 words will
determine the final grade
Semester credit hours earned: Biblical Studies — 30 above
the Bachelor's level
Semester credit hours earned: Theology — 45 credit hours
above the Bachelor's level
The Doctor's degree is first pursued by completing a structured assignment emphasizing the educational importance of the Bible; it is then pursued by consultation with faculty and the candidate's research, with a view to writing a dissertation in book form on an assigned or optional subject in the field of Biblical Studies or Theology.
In the avenues of Theology and Biblical Studies, the candidate will focus on Concentration areas as listed above (optional).
The dissertation for the Biblical Studies program is 7,000 words.
The dissertation for the Theology program is 10,000 words
Credit hours earned: Biblical Studies — 30 credit hours
above the Masters level
Credit hours earned: Theology — 45 credit hours
above the Masters level
Academic credits in Bible and Christian Theology together with H.C.B. approved Christian related subjects, from other colleges, institutes, seminaries and universities, by official transcript, shall be accepted at par value for up to 20% of Bachelor requirements, 10% of Master course work and thesis requirements, and 10% of Doctoral course work and dissertation requirements.
These credits are applied toward the end of the student's chosen Course, by elimination of final assignments of commensurate credit, or if appropriate, applied to the entrance requirements qualifying the applicant for the higher academic level.
Knowledge of the Bible which has been previously gained by personal and/or family reading/study for over five years is acceptable for credit. This is receivable here by applicant's personal description in terms of actual time involved in such reading/study; and upon our assessment and evaluation is given the highest priority in determining the amount transferable for academic credit. This credit is accorded the student after a minimum of two year's academic work with H.C.B.
[ return to top ]


text:
Bradley Beach is Proud to Present
The 10th Annual Lobsterfest!
Two Days of Lobster Fun in the Sun
The Bradley Beach, NJ Lobsterfest 2018
(Sponsored by The Bradley Beach Chamber of Commerce, The Borough of Bradley Beach, The Passion Group, WRAT Radio, The Asbury Park Press, Honda Universe, Galaxy Toyota, Thunder 106.3 / Fun 107.1 / B98.5 (Press communications), GEICO, I Love NY)
Saturday, June 23rd, 2014
From 11am-8pm
Sunday, June 24th, 2014
From 11am – 6pm
Looking for New Jersey Summer Fun Activities?
Looking for those New Jersey Summer Fun Activities to be Local?
Looking For New Jersey Summer Activities that are FREE!?!?
Well Look No Further
Before The Fun Activities of July 4th, 2018
Make Sure You Get Your Lobster Grub On!
Saturday, June 23rd 2018
From 11am – 8pm
Sunday, June 24th, 2018
From 11am – 6pm
500 Ocean Avenue
Bradley Beach, NJ 07720
HOSTED By the Bradley Beach
Chamber of Commerce
Looking for a way to have Summer Time Fun
For Free!
Check Out Bradley Beach! Spend the day in the sun and the sand and enjoy the New Jersey Shore. Then take a walk on the boardwalk and get some of the best food New Jersey has to offer. With the Freshest food, like:
Lobster Rolls
Lobster Dinners
Lobster Mac & Cheese
Shrimp Galore (prepared all kinds of ways)
HUGE Beer and Wine Garden
& Other Family Food (Not Limited to Just Seafood)
180 Craft and Specialty Vendors for you To Choose From
Also Great Activities for the whole Family
Like Face Painting, Enormous Water slide, Rides, Live Music, DJ Playing Requests and Sand Art
Also a ton of great vendors with all kinds of fun items for sale
Like Salt Water Taffy, Knick Knacks, Swimwear, Clothing and hand made items only found at the Jersey Shore
Enjoy all this New Jersey Summer Time Fun while strolling along the Oceanfront Boardwalk
For More Information on the Bradley Beach Lobsterfest
Bradley Beach Chamber of Commerce:
Email Tiffany: email@example.com
Or Check Out Their Facebook Page HERE:
Lobesterfest 2018 Facebook Page
(The Bradley Beach Chamber of Commerce, The Borough of Bradley Beach, The Passion Group, WRAT Radio, The Asbury Park Press , Honda Universe, Galaxy Toyota, Thunder 106.3 / Fun 107.1 / B98.5 (Press communications), GEICO, I Love NY)
The 10th Annual Bradley Beach Lobster Fest
Saturday, June 23rd, 2018
From 11:00am – 8:00 pm
Sunday, June 24th, 2018
From 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Or Visit the Bradley Beach Chamber of Commerce Facebook Page By Clicking HERE:
Bradley Beach Chamber of Commerce Facebook Page
For More Information on THIS or Anything Else About
New Jersey Summer Fun
Contact Deborah Kerr
Deborah Kerr
Keller Williams Elite, Realtors
481 Memorial Parkway
Metuchen, NJ 08840
Office – 732-549-1998
Cell – 732-910-1682
Email – email@example.com
Website – debkerr.com


text:
Bubble Wrap
Why the record high of stock markets is a sign that it's best to stay away
Why the record high of stock markets is a sign that it's best to stay away
Sebi should push for greater shareholder democracy
Raghuram Rajan's exit and the question of institutional independence
The DLF case illustrates how business groups use a maze of companies and complex transactions to withhold information from the authorities
Can you trust your financial advisor? Will Sebi's new regulations make it any easier?
Anil Ambani has said that his participation in the marathon shows his drive and focus are strong
A Sebi-appointed panel proposes major changes in takeover norms to make the process fair. The real test will be in their implementation.
Successive regulators have left their own imprints on the Indian capital market.


text:
Another WFH day for me. I ran errands for the company all morning and took the afternoon off (scheduled, of course). I got soaked this morning in the rain because I stubbornly decided not to wear my rain jacket.
Shirt: Uniqlo. Jeans: Grana – old, not available anymore. Shoes: Merrell. Necklace: gift – old.
I don't know if I'm having a mid-life crisis early or just having a manic episode of Need. Change. Now. We all go through those, right? I'm also tired of wearing this boot. I've worn it for 5 weeks now so I think it's time to start the weaning off and gradual strengthening process.
Ever since I posted about my style preference yesterday regarding the over-sized look, I haven't been able to shake the idea of doing it. This may not seem like a huge deal to some, but considering my wardrobe right now, it would be quite a substantial change. I don't dress bad at all, but looking at the above photo just makes me think: that is really fucking boring. It serves its purpose and that's all. There is nothing visually appealing about it in any way. Even assuming I could wear better shoes and not have the boot on – it would still just be -meh.
I don't want to just have my clothes be adequately doing their job anymore. I'd like to actually wear them and enjoy them no matter what. I want a variety of silhouettes. I also want to break my uniform habit. All of this got me thinking about how I could possibly cultivate a wardrobe where almost every item could potentially be worn year-round. I live on the east coast (US), therefore Winter. So having heavy coats is a necessity. However, instead of just buying sweaters for the sake of wearing them in the winter, can I buy a kind of sweater that can be layered for winter or worn by itself in spring/autumn as well? It does get hot enough here that wearing a sweater in 90F degree weather would be suicide, so I know there will be some concessions to the year-round rule.
I've started a pinterest board for my clothing wishlist. Many of the items on that board are way the fuck out of my price range – like, laughably so. I could either buy one piece of clothing or buy groceries and make a car payment for the month kind of laughable. So the "wishlist" is more or less a guideline for what I'm looking for. This will take quite a lot of time and it should be interesting to see if I stick with it or give up and hang out with Boring because it's easy and I've already accomplished that.


text:
Thanks for looking! Spicey Cat Chick =^..^=
My Creation
Image Detail
I added Cotton Candy Stickles to the hearts and True Blue Stickles to the tie and mug. I colored the liquid lighter in the female mug and added a layer of Sepia Accents to both to give a true liquid look.
365 Cards Day 161 ~ Pick 3 use 3 never before used items (Image, Kraft paper, True Blue Stickles)
Stamps: Hot Date (Fresh Brewed Designs)


text:
This photo was submitted by Chris and Nancy Peterson of email@example.com. Chris is the President of the Utah Ghost Hunters Society. Chris said, "This came from the "Thought Continuum" book store in Ogden, Utah. The young lady in the photo is Juli. She contacted the Utah Ghost Hunters and invited us to check out this book store. Look at the reflection in the glass behind her. It's kind of a spooky looking dude. The photo was taken with a Richo KR5 super II using black and white 400 speed film. It was taken November 25th of this year."
Return to Main Page
Return to Ghost Photo Gallery 1 Page
Return to Ghost Photo Gallery 2 Page
Return to Ghost Photo Gallery 3 Page
Copyrighted 1997 by Dave Oester, All Rights Reserved


text:
Pretreatment fundus drawing andcorresponding visual field (merged central 30 and peripheral 30-60-2) (A)and fundus photograph (B) of a patient with retinoblastoma demonstrating precisecorrelation between tumor location and visual field defect.
Pretreatment fundus drawing andcorresponding visual field (merged central 30 and peripheral 30-60-2) of apatient with retinoblastoma demonstrating excellent correlation between multipletumors and discrete scotomas.
Pretreatment fundus drawing andcorresponding visual field (central 30-2 only) (A) and fundus photograph (B)of a patient with retinoblastoma with a small macular tumor that underwenta type 0 regression after external beam radiotherapy.
Pretreatment fundus drawing andcorresponding visual field (merged central 30 and peripheral 30-60-2) (A)and fundus photographs (B and C) of a patient with retinoblastoma with a visualfield defect larger than that suggested by tumor size alone. C is an enlargementof the area superotemporal to that shown in B. In A, dd indicates disc diameter.
Pretreatment fundus drawing andcorresponding visual field (merged central 30 and peripheral 30-60-2) of apatient with retinoblastoma demonstrating a brow-nose defect after externalbeam radiotherapy. This defect is caused by the anatomy of the patient's skull,not retinal disease. dd indicates disc diameter.
Pretreatment fundus drawing andcorresponding visual field (merged central 30 and peripheral 30-60-2) of apatient with retinoblastoma demonstrating a posterior tumor location and correspondingarcuate visual field defect. dd indicates disc diameter.
Customize your JAMA Network experience by selecting one or more topics from the list below.
Abramson DH, Melson MR, Servodidio C. Visual Fields in Retinoblastoma Survivors. Arch Ophthalmol. 2004;122(9):1324–1330. doi:10.1001/archopht.122.9.1324
© 2019
Copyright 2004 American Medical Association. All Rights Reserved.Applicable FARS/DFARS Restrictions Apply to Government Use.2004
To describe the visual field defects in retinoblastoma survivors andrelate those defects to characteristics such as tumor size, tumor location,and treatment modality.
Thirty-one patients treated for retinoblastoma were included in thisstudy. Humphrey visual fields were determined in 33 eyes.
Twenty-seven patients (29 eyes, 68 tumors) had sufficient diagnosisand treatment data available for further analysis. Twenty-six of the 27 patientshad both absolute and relative visual field defects. Four types of visualfield defects were observed and correlated with location of the tumor andtherapy to the individual tumors: (1) no residual defect, (2) absolute scotoma,(3) arcuate and sector scotoma, and (4) "pseudo"–visual field defectscaused by relative enophthalmos resulting from radiation.
Patients with retinoblastoma demonstrate a variety of long-term visualfield defects after treatment for their intraocular disease. Characteristicsthat determine the size and type of defects are tumor size, tumor location,and treatment method.
A number of studies have examined various long-term outcomes in survivorsof retinoblastoma. Among the measures that have been thoroughly reviewed arepatient survival, tumor recurrence, ocular survival, visual acuity, motorand psychological development, and nonocular tumor incidence. As our abilityto treat these patients has significantly improved during the past few decades,the overwhelming majority of children in this country not only survive butalso retain near-normal to normal vision in at least 1 eye.1 Manytreatment centers are now further refining techniques to help preserve sightas well as the affected eye(s), while not compromising long-term patient survival.For patients with germline retinoblastoma mutations, much of this effort isconcentrated on therapies that minimize the risk of developing radiation-relatednonocular tumors later in life.2-4
We are unaware of any studies specifically examining long-term visualfields in successfully treated patients with retinoblastoma. There are onlylimited case reports5 and other studies6-8 that even mention thistopic in the current literature. Several authors have explored this questionin patients treated for ocular melanoma,9-13 nonmalignantmelanocytoma,14 other benign choroidal neoplasia,15,16 and metastatic ocular disease,17,18 but here, too, there is a scarcityof literature.
Since retinoblastoma is a tumor of infancy and early childhood, it isimpossible for the physician to obtain pretreatment visual fields in patientswith this illness. However, many of these patients continue to be followedup closely throughout life by ophthalmologists, making it possible to performvisual field testing on them when they become young adults. Survival willremain the primary outcome measure in this patient population; however, wecannot ignore the morbidity caused by treatments that affect either centralacuity or peripheral vision. An examination of the visual fields of retinoblastomasurvivors may provide insight as to which tumor characteristics and therapiesdestroy (and which preserve) peripheral vision for these patients.
Thirty-one patients with retinoblastoma treated at our New York centerwere included in this study. Demographic and clinical data collected frompatient charts included age at retinoblastoma diagnosis, tumor lateralityand location, and family history of retinoblastoma. We also obtained previoustreatment data, including type and number of times a particular method wasused, fundus drawings, and fundus photographs, when available.
Using the Humphrey field analyzer (Model 630; Zeiss Humphrey Systems,Dublin, Calif), we performed a merged central 30-2, peripheral 30-60-2 thresholdtest on 26 of the 31 patients. A central 30-2 threshold test was performedon 2 patients and a merged central 30-1 threshold test on 1 patient. A mergedcentral 30-1, peripheral 30-60-1 threshold test was performed on 1 patientand a full-field 120-point screening test on 1 patient. Tests were performedwith appropriate near-vision correction for the central 30° and withoutcorrection for the peripheral 30° to 60°. Visual acuity was measuredin 26 eyes by means of the Snellen chart with best correction.
After undergoing visual field testing, 4 of the 31 patients were excludedfrom this study because of incomplete data regarding their retinoblastomatreatment.
All visual field test results were interpreted by the attending ophthalmologist(D.H.A.). An absolute scotoma was defined as 3 or more contiguous points ofgreater than 10 000 apostilbs (ASB) and a relative scotoma was definedas 3 or more contiguous points with a defect ranging from 251 to 10 000ASB. Using pretreatment fundus drawings and posttreatment fundus photographs(when available), we predicted the magnitude of the visual field defect andcorrelated its position on the retina on the basis of the size and locationof a particular tumor. We then classified defects as larger, smaller, or equalto the predicted finding and noted whether their locations were consistentwith our predictions.
Visual field testing was performed in 33 eyes in 31 patients. Of these,27 patients (29 eyes) had sufficient previous treatment data useful for additionalstudy. The average age at retinoblastoma diagnosis for the 27 patients was1.2 years (range, 1 week to 84 months). The average follow-up from date ofdiagnosis was 21.8 years (range, 9.8-38.8 years). There were 68 tumors inthe 29 eyes. The number of tumors per eye ranged from 1 to 7 (median, 2).Various treatment modalities, often combinations of 2 or more methods to controla single tumor, were used in these patients (Table 1)
Twenty-six of the 27 patients had both absolute (>10 000 ASB) andrelative (≥251 ASB, ≤10 000 ASB) visual field defects related totheir tumor (Table 1,Figure 1, andFigure 2). One patient had no detectable visual field defect directlyrelated to his tumor (Figure 3).Sixteen patients had detectable visual field loss in both the central 30°and peripheral 30° to 60° portion of the test. Twenty patients haddefects within the central 30° of the visual field, whereas 19 patientshad defects within the peripheral 30° to 60°. The near-vision correctivelens was inadvertently left in place for 3 patients in the study, thus resultingin a false ring scotoma in the peripheral 30° to 60° that correspondedto the border of the corrective lens. Visual acuity was tested in 26 of the29 eyes examined for visual field data. Of these, 24 were found to have 20/40or better visual acuity.
Of the 68 total tumors, 20 produced defects that were larger than wouldbe predicted on the basis of tumor size alone (Figure 4). Eight produced defects that were smaller than predictedand 19 produced defects that were approximately equal to what was predicted.We could not adequately assess the defect size in 1 patient, as the extentof disease-related retinal damage made it impossible to determine what portionof field loss was attributable to a particular tumor. The remaining 20 tumorswere located anterior to the equator, and the eyes involved did not demonstrateany visual field defects from these tumors by means of the Humphrey programswe used.
Nineteen patients had an enlarged brow-nose defect. For purposes ofthis study, an enlarged brow-nose defect was defined as a nasal defect extendinggreater than 10° nasally and a superior defect extending greater than20° superiorly (Figure 5). Fourpatients did not have an enlarged brow-nose defect. Of the remaining 4 patients,2 had only the central 30° of the visual field tested (thus making assessmentof the brow-nose defect impossible) and the remaining 2 had such large absolutefield defects that it was impossible to determine whether there was an enlargedbrow-nose defect.
All 27 patients had either absolute or relative defects that crossedthe vertical meridian. Twenty-three of the 27 patients had defects that crossedthe horizontal meridian. Fifteen tumors in 13 patients had at least a portionof their border in the arcuate nerve fiber pathway, but only 4 patients hadevidence of an arcuate visual field defect (Figure 6).
In summary, 4 types of defects were observed: (1) no residual defect(in a patient with a type 0 regression (Figure3); (2) an absolute scotoma corresponding to the residual tumorscar reflecting initial size and focal treatment (Figure 1 and Figure 2);(3) arcuate and sector scotomas representing disruption of nerve fiber transmissionthrough a scar (Figure 4A, Figure 4B, and Figure 6); and (4) a "pseudo"–field defect (the brow-nosedefect) resulting from the enophthalmos caused by radiation (Figure 4C and Figure 5).
Our analysis of computerized visual fields, attempted on 31 retinoblastomasurvivors, demonstrated that this type of testing can be completed in thispatient population. This encouraging finding provides evidence that more ofthese patients will be able to undergo such testing in the future to helpus further correlate defects in peripheral vision with tumor and treatmentcharacteristics.
In a previous study of visual fields of choroidal melanomas, Abramsonreported, "the visual field defect caused by a melanoma is characteristic,diagnostic, and almost unique."9 In that study,100% of the tumors were associated with both an absolute scotoma and a visualfield defect (relative scotoma) in the area of the tumor itself. Ninety-ninepercent of the tumors in that study produced defects that were larger thanthe tumors with which they were associated.9
Our visual field analysis in this study could be divided into 4 groups:no residual defect, absolute scotoma, arcuate scotoma, and pseudo–visualfield defect.
For a number of reasons, the defects seen in retinoblastoma do not appearto be as predictable as those seen in choroidal melanoma. Although the primaryfindings attributable to the tumor itself are essentially consistent withwhat we would expect on the basis of size and location, the effect of tumortreatment on the visual fields is more variable than with ocular melanoma.When comparing the findings among these tumor types, one must keep in mindthat we were able to much more precisely describe defects related to melanomathan to retinoblastoma. We were able to obtain pretreatment and posttreatmentvisual fields for patients with melanoma and were thus able to better assessthe effects of treatment on the patient's visual fields. Furthermore, patientswith retinoblastoma were often treated with multiple therapies, thus makingit much more difficult to clearly delineate the long-term effects relatedto one treatment vs another.
Of the 27 patients tested, all but one had a visual field defect thatcould be directly attributed to either a tumor or its treatment. This patienthad a solitary macular tumor (Figure 3)that was treated with external beam radiotherapy and subsequently underwenta type 0 regression pattern,19 with no evidenceof residual tumor or scar. Despite this tumor's location, this patient retained20/20 visual acuity in the eye. This suggests that external beam radiotherapymay be the only treatment modality that has the potential to not only curethe disease but also spare the patient from significant long-term visual complications.Although a type 0 regression pattern occurs in only 10% to 15% of tumors treatedwith radiotherapy,19 physicians who encounterit can likely expect no visual field defect related to retinal disease. Thisinteresting finding warrants further study of these tumors to better characterizetheir cells of origin, depth of retinal invasion, and specific mechanism(s)of cell death after treatment. It is important to note that patients who havetumors that undergo type 0 regressions may still have the brow-nose anatomicdefect that we describe in this study. In the patient described herein, wewere unable to perform peripheral 30° to 60° testing and thus wereunable to assess whether this patient had such a defect.
In the 26 patients with demonstrable visual field defects, the locationof the tumor was correlated with the center of the scotoma found in our testing(Figure 1 and Figure 2). Although this correlation has not been previously characterized,we assumed its existence on the basis of previous studies of other intraoculartumors. The nature of the damage to the retina that causes the visual fielddefect has not yet been definitively characterized in either retinoblastomaor choroidal melanoma. In Abramson's previous study of choroidal melanomas,the scotoma overlying the tumors had been presumptively attributed to photoreceptordamage in the region of the tumor.9 When thesize of the scotoma increased after therapy, he speculated that the increasewas due to radiation damage to photoreceptors or impairment of local circulationwith radiation retinopathy, or was secondary to a long-standing serous detachmentof the overlying retina. However, in several of the cases in that study, thesize of the scotoma decreased after treatment. Unfortunately, we were unableto compare pretreatment and posttreatment visual fields in this study andwere thus unaware of whether such seemingly temporary damage exists for retinoblastoma.Regardless of the mechanism of defect formation, the existence of the tumor-scotomacorrelation provides valuable data that should aid the treating ophthalmologistin predicting posttreatment visual impairment for these patients. Such informationcan be useful when discussing the long-term complications of therapy withthe patient and his or her family.
When symptomatic, patients with choroidal melanoma often have complaintsrelated to visual field defects when they are first examined. Measurementof these defects can aid the clinician in observing the progress of treatmentof a given lesion. Because of the ages at presentation for retinoblastoma,such complaints are virtually never elicited from these patients. Detailedvisual testing, including visual field analysis, is usually impossible becauseof the subjective nature of many of these tests. Thus, we cannot observe treatmentprogress in retinoblastoma by means of visual field testing. In this study,we compared the defect that would be expected on the basis of the tumor sizealone with the defect found after treatment and noted that larger defectswere most often associated with tumors treated with external beam radiotherapy.
Eighteen of the 28 patients in this study were found to have enlargedbrow-nose defects (Figure 5). Ofthis group, 14 had received external beam radiotherapy as part of their retinoblastomamanagement. This finding is not surprising when we consider the incidenceof orbital and midface hypoplasia associated with this treatment modalityin patients treated at the ages found in this study.20 Somepatients clearly manifested more pronounced physical defects than others,and the magnitude of brow-nose defects seen on visual field testing variedas well. From our observations, the extent of the defect was not necessarilycorrelated with the tumor burden of a particular eye, but with the facialand orbital structure of the patient. We can thus conclude that this visualfield defect is anatomic and not related directly to optic nerve or retinaldisease, since the changes did not correlate with areas directly impactedby a tumor. This finding is interesting and provides further justificationfor the cautious use of external beam radiotherapy in patients with retinoblastoma.In some cases, however, the benefits of external beam radiotherapy clearlyoutweigh the known risks associated with this treatment modality, especiallyfor tumors that have not responded to other therapies.
It is important to emphasize that the brow-nose defect we are describingoriginates from a change in the bony architecture of the child's skull. Inindividuals with normal orbits, the boundaries of the visual field extendapproximately 60° superiorly, 75° inferiorly, 100° temporally,and 60° nasally. The prominence of the brow accounts for the discrepancybetween the superior and inferior fields, and the nose accounts for that betweenthe nasal and temporal fields. The brow-nose defect is thus not restrictedto children who have received radiotherapy for retinoblastoma. Any change(or relative change) in the size of the patient's nose or brow can alter peripheralvision. A patient who has received radiotherapy to the skull or even healthychildren and adults who have prominent brows and/or noses may have a brow-nosedefect on visual field testing. In our series, 4 of the 18 patients who metthe criteria for this defect did not receive external beam radiotherapy aspart of their retinoblastoma treatment and thus fall into this latter category.
As alluded to already, the numerous concerns regarding the potentialside effects of external beam radiotherapy have caused physicians to becomemore wary of its use as a primary therapeutic choice in this patient population.In the past 25 years, much attention has been directed toward the increasedrisk of second tumors in patients with hereditary disease. In light of this,ophthalmic oncologists are increasingly turning to local methods of tumorcontrol. Of these, the 2 most frequently used treatments are photocoagulation(transpupillary thermotherapy) and cryotherapy. Recently, there has been significantinterest in using chemoreduction before focal therapy for improved tumor control.4,21-25 Toreduce the systemic toxic effects associated with the chemotherapeutic agentsused, a number of centers have begun to evaluate periocular drug deliveryfor these patients.26-28 Whilewe do not expect that the chemoreduction itself would contribute to a newvisual field defect (unless the agent itself is associated with significantretinal toxic effects), we must consider the effect that the local therapythat follows it might have on the patient's peripheral vision.
Cryotherapy was used in the treatment of 14 tumors in this study. Thismethod is most often used to treat small tumors anterior to the equator. Ofthe tumors examined in this study, 10 treated with cryotherapy were anteriorto the equator. The 4 tumors located posterior to the equator that receivedcryotherapy also underwent additional treatment with different methods. Weare therefore unable to separately evaluate the visual field defect specificallyassociated with cryotherapy. Its use, however, raises an interesting question.Do tumors anterior to the equator cause any visual field defects, and, ifso, what are they? In this study, we found no demonstrable visual field defectsfrom these lesions. From this, we can conclude that the therapeutic choicefor treating tumors anterior to the equator does not have a material impacton long-term peripheral vision if the effects of the treatment do not extendposterior to the equator and there is no damage to the anterior componentsof the visual axis.
Photocoagulation was used in the treatment of 18 tumors in this study.Six of these tumors were anterior to the equator and thus presented the problemdescribed earlier in relation to cryotherapy. Six tumors posterior to theequator were treated with photocoagulation alone. In 4 of these cases, thevisual field defect detected by our testing was larger than that predictedon the basis of fundus drawings of the tumor (Figure 4). This is most likely because retinoblastoma photocoagulationinvolves destruction of the blood vessels feeding the tumor. In many cases,areas of retina bordering these vessels are destroyed as well, and we thussee a scotoma larger than the tumor itself.
We have noted that the large majority of the tumors described producedvisual field defects that crossed either or both of the vertical or horizontalmeridians. This is not surprising when we consider that the defects are correlatedwith tumor locations, and we would not expect the tumors themselves to havea particular location preference with regard to the vertical or horizontalmeridians. This is important insofar as it impacts later ophthalmologic examinationof these patients and can permit ophthalmologists to distinguish defects relatedto retinoblastoma from those seen in more common conditions such as glaucoma.
Among the most surprising findings of this study was the small numberof arcuate visual defects we encountered. Although 15 tumors in 13 patientswere totally or partly in the region of the arcuate fiber bundle, only 4 producedthis classic defect.10 We cannot explain thisphenomenon, but it certainly raises important questions about the type ofdamage caused to retinal cells by tumors and subsequent therapy. It is importantto recognize that arcuate pathway defects in these patients should not alwaysbe attributed to retinoblastoma. In fact, as the findings in this study suggest,we do not expect most tumors in the posterior pole to produce such defects.If they are encountered, the treating ophthalmologist should explore the possibilityof causes other than retinoblastoma.
In the past 30 years, the management of retinoblastoma has changed dramatically.Increasing numbers of patients are surviving and retaining sight in at least1 eye. In this study, we have examined another important outcome measure inthis disease: long-term visual field results. It is our hope that the findingspresented herein will provide useful information for physicians as they assesstumors and choose among therapeutic modalities. We also hope that this informationserves the additional purpose of helping to predict and inform patients withretinoblastoma and their families about the long-term complications of theirdisease. Retinal imaging technology now enables us to precisely document tumorsize and appearance throughout patients' lives. Those now benefiting fromthese advances will soon be able to have their visual fields accurately tested,and these improvements should significantly enhance our ability to assessthe correlation between tumor or treatment damage and peripheral vision.
Correspondence: David H. Abramson, MD, Ophthalmology Oncology Service,Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, 70 E 66th St, New York, NY 10021 (email@example.com).
Submitted for publication June 17, 2002; final revision received February12, 2004; accepted April 6, 2004.
Create a personal account or sign in to:


text:
Mar 4, 2014
Reach Your Dream!
8 comments:
Gorgeous creative, imaginative card, Mikha, packed with fabulous detail.ReplyDelete
Many congratulations on your new DT post, so well deserved!
WOW...your card is simply gorgeous :0)))ReplyDelete
Thanks for playing with us at Magnolia Mania ;0)
Hugs Nicole
fantastic card Mikha, love the colors and this cute Edwin!ReplyDelete
thanks for playing with us at tilda's town
Gorgeous and very creative card Mikha with lots of pretty details. Thanks for sharing with us @ Tilda's Town this week.ReplyDelete
Riet xx
Fantastic Card! I love the embelishments and your coloring is great. Thanks so much for joining us at Marvelous Magnolia.ReplyDelete
Hugs Frida
So adorable! And so many amazing details! I love how you made the road! You are SO creative!!! Thanks for joining us at www.7kidscollegefund.com!ReplyDelete
What a stunning creation Mikha :p I bet your nephews will love it, the upside down fence edge looks so pretty hehe, you are always so wonderfully creative. Hugs xxReplyDelete
This is fantastic, such a great creation. Perfect for our challenge at Ladybug Crafts Ink.....thanks for joining us.ReplyDelete


text:
Pre-Engineered Buildings
In structural engineering, a pre-engineered building (PEB) is designed by a manufacturer to be fabricated using a pre-determined inventory of raw materials and manufacturing methods that can efficiently satisfy a wide range of structural and aesthetic design requirements. Within some geographic industry sectors these buildings are also called Pre-Engineered Metal Buildings (PEMB) or, as is becoming increasingly common due to the reduced amount of pre-engineering involved in custom computer-aided designs, simply Engineered Metal Buildings (EMB).
Historically, the primary framing structure of a pre-engineered building is an assembly of I-shaped members, often referred as I beams. In pre-engineered buildings, the I beams used are usually formed by welding together steel plates to form the I section. The I beams are then field-assembled (e.g. bolted connections) to form the entire frame of the pre-engineered building. Some manufacturers taper the framing members (varying in web depth) according to the local loading effects. Larger plate dimensions are used in areas of higher load effects.
Other forms of primary framing can include trusses, mill sections rather than three-plate welded, castellated beams, etc. The choice of economic form can vary depending on factors such as local capabilities (e.g. manufacturing, transportation, construction) and variations in material vs. labour costs.


text:
This post was originally published in Student Accountant
Always allow plenty of time to get to the exam hall so that you will be fully ready to approach the exams in a calm state of mind. Ensure that you have brought your stationery, calculators, your examination dockets and your student identification.
Make sure that you answer the correct number of questions, and that you spend the right length of time on each question. The amount of time you spend on each question is determined by the number of marks available. The 'magic' number is 1.8 minutes per mark. So for instance, a 20-mark question should be selected, completed and checked in 36 minutes. Always attempt all parts of the questions and stick to the time allocation. All three-hour papers have an additional 15 minutes of reading and planning time (RAPT). During this time, you may only write or make notes on the question paper.
Planning your answer properly and presenting it clearly is another critical component to ACCA exam success. While you're planning how your answer should be structured, consider what format it should be in and how long each part should be. Always show which question you are attempting clearly and remember to use black ink. It is also essential to include all your workings in your answer. Do not scatter question parts from the same question throughout your answer booklet. If you are stuck with a question, leave a space in your answer booklet and return to it later.
To score well, you must follow the requirements of the question, understanding what aspects of the subject area are being tested and ensure that you tailor your answer to the question asked. Don't forget professional marks where available. Professional marks are awarded for the overall quality of answers, and for effective professional communication skills. These will be determined by the strength of arguments, the use of logic, sensitivity to the intended target audience, and for structure and presentation.
Get the easy marks first – do the things you find easiest, it guarantees you some marks right away, and gets you into the 'flow' of the exam. You should also select the optional question you feel you can answer best, basing your selection on the topics covered, the requirements of the question, how easy it will be to apply the requirements and the availability of easy marks.
If you find yourself stuck on a question and unable to answer it, then move on to another question and return to this question later. If you don't understand what a question is asking for, state your assumptions. Even if you do not answer the question in a manner precisely the way the examiner requires, you should still be given some credit, if your assumptions are reasonable.
Success is what you can expect to achieve if you apply all of the above tips and techniques during your exams. To achieve success, you must also sufficiently revise for your exams. Being prepared will help you enter the exam hall in a confident frame of mind, which will help you as you start your exams. Make sure that your revision covers the breadth of the syllabus, as all topics could be examined in a compulsory question.
Another crucial factor in achieving success is practice. Going through question practice and mock exams will prepare you for the real exam. The more exam-standard questions you practise, the more likely you will be to pass the exams.
Remember, the key to your success lies in your own commitment and resolution towards doing well in the exams. So, get prepared, write your own success stories and be prepared to IMPRESS.


text:
As NitroRam said, forget about the two downstream sensors. They are not important, leave them plugged into the harness and tie them up to the frame rails.
The two upstream (first in line on the down pipes) sensors are the important ones. With out those the ECM will be thinking WTF and be all like LMFAO and ROTFLMAO. Sorry, I can't speak 19 year old.


text:
Seattle Cough is an uplifting, energetic sativa-dominant strain. Seattle Cough is a clone of Dutch Cough, which itself is a mix of Northern Lights #5 and Haze #2. The high is that of a potent, energetic sativa. The high permeates throughout the body, bringing forth a nice buzzing feeling. This strain is excellent for daytime …
Tag: Seattle Cough cannabis
Seattle Cough Marijuana Strain Overview
- By Anthony Martinelli in Miscellaneous
February 15, 2017
Recent Posts
- Marijuana Banking Bill Passed by West Virginia House of Delegates
- World Health Organization Expert Committee Calls For Changes In Cannabis' International Classification
- Legislation to Legalize Marijuana Passed by New Mexico Committee
- Hawaii Committee Unanimously Approves Bill to Legalize Marijuana
- Study: Marijuana Consumption Linked to Increased Sperm Count
- Washington Senate Committee Passes Bill to Allow Patients to Buy Medical Marijuana Tax Free
- Oregon Garnered Over $107 Million in Marijuana Taxes in 2018
- Weekend Unlimited Wins the "Pot" Lottery
Thank you for reading TheJointBlog.com!


text:
Find the most commonly asked questions about RSPO.
Can't find what you're looking for?
Please get in touch with us below and we'll get back to you soon.
As part of our Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) system and in line with the RSPO's Theory of Change, research serves as an important avenue for us to gain insights into the impacts of RSPO's work. It not only helps to generate evidence of our impacts, but also helps to fill our knowledge gaps and capture the lessons learned, which can then be applied to our current work, challenges and future initiatives. This is crucial for us to drive continuous improvement of our standards for the benefit of all our stakeholders.
In this section, you will be able to find information relating to the key research priorities of RSPO as well as the latest evidences on the impacts of RSPO.
If you have questions or comments about the RSPO's research work, please contact our Research and Advisory Manager.


text:
Travel Diary: Cinque Terre14:42:00
Cinque Terre needs no introduction, but not to provide one would be an injustice to the wondrous fable that it is. These five idyllic villages nestled cliffside along the Italian Riviera are the consummate specimen of the ethereal beauty of Italy's coastlines. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site and brims with the bustle of capricious tourists who make daily pilgrimages there to soak up the sunshine and salty Mediterranean breeze.
S and I had worked our way down to the Liguria region after travelling up to Verona and Venice from Rome, and we spent just a day tripping between the five villages. Getting to Cinque Terre was quite a feat; the six hour journey by train necessitated transfers in Bologna and Parma, and our layovers were mostly spent taming growling stomachs and being on high alert for pickpockets that both cities were purportedly rife with. Besides, Venice had been so wonderful and lifted our expectations so significantly that the experience of every other city we visited after that seemed destined to careen in a downward trajectory. By that point in our trip we were fairly spent from the long intercity train rides and nonstop meandering around every city seeing and doing as much as we possibly could, so Cinque Terre was a reinvigorating midpoint breather for the both of us.
Fortunately, this leg of our vacation didn't involve commuting to and lining up for entry into an unending lineup of tourist sites - everything that it had to proposition with was already all around you. If Venice was larger than life, Cinque Terre was a technicolor dream. The glimmering Italian Riviera was the most breathtaking backdrop for our laidback getaway. We'd wander around seeking out vantage points in the rock formations by the sea and terraces in the cliffside to watch the crashing waves and busk in a spot of sunshine with teeth chatting from the cold. We'd take turns getting in front and behind the lens of my camera framing and constricting as much of the pastel landscapes as we could into every shot. We'd pop in and out of quaint little shops buying olive oil soaps and jars of truffle paste.
At lunchtime we settled into a restaurant perched by the side of a cliff and had standout pasta dishes and 5 Euro glasses of local Prosecco, and our culinary exploits didn't stop throughout the day. Cinque Terre is known for seafood and produce that come from the rolling hills and seas surrounding it, but the capacity of your stomach will be put to the test every ten steps or so at the many stands serving up nosh like gelato, fresh strawberries heaped with sweet whipped cream, explosive Nutella crepes and cones of fried seafood and chips.
The most visceral memory I have of Cinque Terre is how chilly it was despite merely being a mild Spring day in the middle of April. You can even see how red my nose is from the cold! I can only imagine how dreamy this place must be in the summer, where the warmth will allow you the luxury of renting kayaks to paddle from village to village, or even go sunbathing or diving. But then again, the option of partaking in all these activities would have eroded the unhurried nature of our visit. La dolce vita is, after all, about not troubling yourself with doing anything at all isn't it? Perhaps this was the most compelling of Cinque Terre's allure - it feels as relaxed as people watching by a cafe window, except the sights make it infinitely more picturesque and invaluable.
Tips for visiting Cinque Terre
How to get there | Take a train from La Spezia Centrale, which is well connected and accessible from major cities including Verona, Pisa, Florence and Bologna.
Where to stay | You could stay in Cinque Terre, but I suspect getting to your hotel would involve backbreaking climbs up precipitous slopes and narrow flights of stairs with your suitcases in tow. For that reason, I was thankful we'd fortuitously discovered La Spezia, the popular alternative for accommodation for visitors to Cinque Terre. This tiny port town is located just under ten minutes from Riomaggiore, the first of the five villages and it's superbly convenient and cheap. And because it wasn't erected cliffside in the manner of Cinque Terre, you won't have to worry about hiking up steep inclines.
Making your budget work | Get a Cinque Terre card, which allows unlimited travel between the villages and access to hiking trails.


text:
Broadcast VHS (46.25% worse)
Y 0.299R 215 x 576 100 x 240
0.587G 423 x 576 195 x 240
0.114B 82 x 576 38 x 240
I tend to use non-square pixel 720 x 576 images as source material, or 788 x 576 source material that I scale back to 720 x 576.
Incidentally, the type of scaling you use is important. I nearly gave up on creating VHS style images at first because I was using Cubic interpolation when scaling in The GIMP. It gives very disappointing, blocky results (click to enlarge):
Cubic scaling gives a very pixellated look
However I soon worked out that, thanks to a bit of help from a clever Hungarian chap called Lanczos Kornél, I could use Sinc (Lanczos 3) interpolation when scaling.
Lánc, Lánc, eszterlánc...
That makes all the difference to the end results. Here is the same image created with Sinc Lanczos scaling:
Hungary restores Derek Batey's honour
The sad thing is I probably spent more time on Border Television's graphics than Border Television ever did when I was writing this post...


text:
On Monday morning, my colleague Bill in our Audit and Recovery practice presented to all of us on the expense and fee clauses that he frequently sees when he is brought in to audit a client's lease. Since he is compensated on a contingency basis, he is very good at finding discrepancies between what the lease obligates and what the landlord actually charges. However, the gems that he shared with us had less to do with comparing rent bills to leases and more to do with how to reduce the likelihood of these improper charges ever being an issue for our clients.
Continue reading
Filed under: Commercial Real Estate, Finance, Negotiation, Real Estate, Transaction Advisory | Tagged: audit, gross-up, lease, Real Estate | 2 Comments »


text:
APPSC AEE Paper 2 Civil and Mechanical Engineering Syllabus
Simple stresses and Strains: Types of stresses and strains – Hook's Law, Stress-strain curve for mild steel working stress and factor of safety Posion ratio – State of simple shear, complementary – Shear Elastic constants and their relations – Compound bars – Thermal stress. Compound stresses Mohr's circle of stress – Principal stresses and planes.
Shear force and bending moment diagrams: S.F.D. and B.M.D. for cantilevers, simply supported beams and over hanging beams subjected to point leads and uniformly distributed loads. Relations among load, shear force and bending moment.
Bending and shear stress: Basic equation; M/I = F/Y = E/R – Distribution of bending and shear stresses across various cross sections such as rectangular, circular, I and T sections, Torsion of Circular shafts – power transmission.
Columns and struts: Euler's theory and Rankine's Theory – Socant and Perry formulae for eccentrically loaded columns.
Deflections and slopes: Slopes and deflections in cantilevers simply supported beams; propped beams and fixed beams subjected to point leads and uniformly distributed loads.
Fluid statics: Hydrostatic force on a plane and curved area Centre of pressure and its applications to lockgates and dams Metacentric height.
Fluid Dynamics: Convective and local acceleration, Euler's equation of motion and its intergration, Bernoulli's equation motion and its application, flow in curved path. Free and forced vortex.
Flow measurements: Notches and weirs, venturimeters, pitot tube, nozzle meter, current
Compressible Flow: Velocity of pressure wave, wave velocity for adiabatic and isothermal compression, Basic equations of one-dimensional flow continuity, energy and momentum equations.
Laminar and turbulant flow through pipes: Reynolds experiment significance of Reynold's number, formulae for laminar flow through circular pipes, Turbulant flow-Darcy Weisbsch equation, friction factor and Mody's diagram. Turbines: Classification, specific speed velocity triangles Principles of design of reaction and impules Turbines, characteristic curves.
Pumps: Centrifugal pumps, velocity triangles, Work done and efficiency minimum starting speed, loss of head; specific speed and characteristic curves for centrifugal pumps.
Click Here To APPSC AEE Paper 2 Syllabus and Previous Papers


text:
SRU students help stage sensory friendly 'Peter Pan'
Slippery Rock University students volunteered to help stage the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's sensory-friendly adaption of "Peter Pan." (Photo by Rich Sofranko for the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre.)
March 3, 2016
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - At Slippery Rock University, volunteer service is seen as a critical component in the educational process and part of the University's goal to develop "good citizens." Through volunteer service, students learn new concepts for applying classroom knowledge to help improve the lives of others. A group of 11 students in the Education Living-Learning Community residence hall program recently put this theory into practice when they volunteered to help the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre stage a sensory friendly performance of "Peter Pan."
"The purpose of the sensory-friendly performance trip was to educate students on the concepts of adaption for children who are assisted with sensory accommodations, while learning about dance and finally, enjoying the show," said Justin Kleemook, SRU assistant director of residence life.
A Pittsburgh Ballet spokesperson said the SRU students assisted in helping patrons find their seats and engaging children in the audience.
"Having a strong team of volunteers who understand, and have expertise in, the unique needs of our patrons is a huge strength of our sensory-friendly programming," said Christina Salgado, director of education and community engagement for the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. "The performance is really about creating a supportive and relaxed theater setting for our patrons to enjoy the ballet in their own way. We're very grateful for the commitment of volunteers like the Slippery Rock University students who made the trip to be part of this special experience."
Kleemook and Patrick Beswick, director of residence life, drove students to Pittsburgh's Benedum Center, where the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater staged "Peter Pan."
"The students, especially as education majors, really got to understand how working with different people is important in a real-world setting," Kleemook said. "We can talk about diversity and working with people with cognitive and developmental disabilities, but until you actually get an experiential learning piece tied into that, it is just words on paper."
Sensory-friendly theatre caters to families of children and adults with cognitive, development and physical disabilities such as autism. Performance adaptations include lower sound levels, elimination of startling effects and relaxed house rules regarding moving around and the use of electronics for therapeutic uses.
Kleemook said students learned a great deal from the experience. They received a briefing on the history of sensory theater and toured the facility. They trained with Lu Randall, executive director of the Autism Connection of Pennsylvania, learning how people with autism react to certain stimuli.
After an orientation, students took their places in the theatre to help families in and out of the theatre.
Students also handed out "fidget objects," to keep children occupied when necessary and one served as a "catcher" to prevent children from rushing the stage.
"Students who attended this event said it was a beneficial and memorable experience," Kleemook said. "Our goal at residence life is to incorporate learning and community service into the residence hall experience. Being part of a community is about making connections with others who have common interests."
Simmone Bell, a graduate student in student affairs in higher education from New Castle, said she learned more about autism.
"To me, the work that the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre is doing with help from Autism Connection correlates perfectly with the ideals of my degree. In this case, children and their families had a place that they could be treated fairly and have an opportunity to attend a performance," she said.
"Performances are sometimes places where people with autism get isolated from due to etiquette conditions where they are executed to be quiet and sit in their seats. This performance allowed our students to see first hand how families can benefit from people thinking outside of the box," she said.
The activity illustrates the involvement of students in SRU's Living Learning Community clusters. SRU offers academic and special interest LLC's, in business, education, honors, liberal arts, health environment and science, explore, discover, decide, creating connections, military and emergency services, leadership, sustainability and geo-science, sophomore year, gender studies, transfers and recovery on campus.
Kleemook said residence life plans to send education students to the Benedum for a sensory performance of The Nutcracker next year, and hopes to offer connections for students in other LLCs to experience neurodiversity.
"Students need to keep reaching out for an experience like this," he said. "The LLCs are a wonderful way to connect what they're learning in the classroom with real-life experience."
Other students that volunteered for the "Peter Pan" program were: Saheed Rizwan, a psychology major from Sri Lanka; Carrie Writt, an early childhood/special education major from Greensburg; Nicole Nuske, an education major from Akron, Ohio; Rachel Powell, an education major from Monaca; Logan Smith, a music education major from Pittsburgh; Kristen Weightman, an early education major from Jeannette; Brooke Jedry, an education major from Mars; Martina Snyder, a secondary education major/English from Claysville; Erin Fisher, a health and physical education major from Brunswick, Maryland; and Mohamad Manfoud, a second education major from Pittsburgh.
MEDIA CONTACT: Gordon Ovenshine | 724.738.4854 | firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Banana Muffins
I absolutely love this fall weather! So many gorgeous colours and the air even smells good. Yesterday I went for a long walk on a beautiful trail about 5 minutes from my house... I can not believe we have lived here for over a year and I haven't been on it before! The scenery was so nice I couldn't help but bring some of it back with me and throw together a quick and easy centerpiece.
Now that the leaves are making the house look nice, I figured I would make it smells nice too and did some baking today. I decided to use up some 'rotten' bananas from the freezer and make banana muffins.
Muffins are one of the easiest foods to grab and eat at anytime, which is why I love having them around the house. Today I thought I would do a cost break down of homemade banana muffins verses those you can buy pre-made at the grocery store or at a coffee shop. The banana muffin recipe that I use is actually a 'banana bread' recipe from My Patchwork Quilt. The only thing I do differently is replace the margarine with an equal amount of apple sauce. I made a loaf and some smaller muffins but this recipe will make 12 or more very large muffins, like the huge ones they sell at Tim Hortons or Starbucks, but cheaper! Once I broke it down, the whole recipe only cost me $2.15.
Price Breakdown (One Muffin)
Coffee Shop: Average $1-$2 each
Grocery Store: $0.50
Homemade: $0.18
By taking an afternoon to make some homemade muffins and eating one twice a week, rather than grabbing it at the grocery store or on your way to work in the morning, you could save between $33.28 to $189.28 a year! These muffins are equally as delicious as any store bought ones (if not better!) and make your whole house smell good. If banana isn't your favourite, don't worry, I hope to share a few of my other favourite muffin recipes over the next few weeks as well.
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
A COUNCIL parking supervisor was badly hurt after being attacked with a baseball bat by a colleague.
Karl Williams, a parking technician for Portsmouth City Council, admitted assaulting his supervisor, Anthony Doe, with the bat and committing actual bodily harm.
Portsmouth Magistrates' Court heard Williams took the bat from the boot of his car and went to the work office to confront his colleague.
The attack happened in Alec Rose Lane, Portsmouth, and Williams also faced charges of having an offensive weapon – namely the baseball bat – in a public place.
Williams, 43, a muscular man who appeared in court wearing a white shirt and tie, pleaded guilty to the assault on Tuesday, March 24, as well as damaging a car parking barrier belonging to the council.
Giles Fletcher, prosecuting, said it was 'an attack on a work colleague'.
He said: 'The defendant accepts he attended the work office that day.
'He re-attended in anger.
'He's come with a baseball bat.
'He's said it's been in his boot for some time.
'He went into the office of work and used it to repeatedly assault his work colleague.
'It resulted in injuries to his colleague.
'He went to Queen Alexandra Hospital and left with soft tissue damage, bruising and swelling.'
Defending, Stephen Bentley said Williams, of Methuen Road, Southsea, was a man of previous good character.
He said: 'He has been subjected to sustained victimisation at his work.
'That is documented by his doctor and trade union.
'That is subject to separate proceedings.'
Williams declined to speak to The News after the hearing.
He was released on conditional bail and must not contact Mr Doe, a technical supervisor for the council.
He will be sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court on Tuesday, May 5.


text:
Few of his constituents are likely to argue with Toronto's mayor on at least a couple of points he made on a radio program Sunday.
"I'm the first one to admit I am not perfect," Rob Ford said on CFRB-Newstalk 1010 radio. "I have made mistakes.''
Among them, he said, was getting "hammered," and the mayor of Canada's largest city acknowledged that he had a drinking problem. But he did not discuss the substance of a video that is purported to show him smoking what appears to be a crack pipe while making racist and homophobic remarks. Ford said, as he has in the past, that he can't comment on a video he hasn't seen. He did, however, call on the city's police chief, Bill Blair, to release the video so Toronto residents could judge for themselves.
"That is the right thing to do, and Chief, I'm asking you to release this video now," he said on the weekly radio show he co-hosts with his brother, Doug Ford. "Whatever this video shows, Toronto residents deserve to see it."


text:
By Albert H. Tillson Jr.
Accommodating Revolutions addresses an issue of lengthy status between historians of eighteenth-century the USA and Virginia -- the level to which inner clash and/or consensus characterised the society of the innovative period. specifically, it emphasizes the advanced and sometimes self-defeating activities and judgements of dissidents and different non-elite teams. by means of targeting a small yet major quarter, Tillson elucidates the a number of and interrelated assets of clash that beset innovative Virginia, but in addition explains why after all so little changed.In the Northern Neck -- the six-county component of Virginia's Tidewater mendacity among the Potomac and Rappahannock rivers -- Tillson scrutinizes a filthy rich and robust, yet bothered, planter elite, which integrated such widespread males as George Washington, Richard Henry Lee, Landon Carter, and Robert Carter. during the overdue eighteenth and early 19th centuries, the Northern Neck gentry faced not just contradictions in cultural beliefs and behavioral styles inside their very own lives, but in addition the persistent hostility in their poorer white acquaintances, coming up from a various array of neighborhood fiscal and political concerns. those insecurities have been extra intensified by means of alterations within the approach of African American slavery and by means of the growing to be function of Scottish retailers and their Virginia brokers within the advertising of Chesapeake tobacco. For a time, the upheavals surrounding the warfare for American Independence and the approximately contemporaneous upward thrust of vivid, biracial evangelical non secular hobbies threatened to extend well known discontent to the purpose of overwhelming the gentry's political authority and cultural hegemony. yet in spite of everything, the present order survived basically intact. partly, this used to be as the region's leaders chanced on how one can restrict and accommodate threatening advancements and styles of switch, mostly by utilizing conventional social and political appeals that had served them good for many years. but partially it was once additionally simply because traditional Northern Neckers -- together with many leaders within the activities of wartime and spiritual dissidence -- consciously or unconsciously accommodated themselves to either the styles of financial switch remodeling their international and to the conventional beliefs of the elite, and hence have been not able to articulate or settle for an alternate imaginative and prescient for the way forward for the quarter.
Read Online or Download Accommodating revolutions: Virginia's Northern Neck in an Era of Transformations, 1760-1810 PDF
Similar state & local books
The Sutton-Taylor Feud: The Deadliest Blood Feud in Texas (A.C. Greene Series)
The Sutton-Taylor Feud of DeWitt, Gonzales, Karnes, and surrounding counties started presently after the Civil battle ended. The blood feud persisted into the Eighteen Nineties while the ultimate courtroom case was once settled with a governmental pardon. Of the entire Texas feuds, the only among the Sutton and Taylor forces lasted longer and coated extra flooring than the other.
Movement, Connectivity, and Landscape Change in the Ancient Southwest
A set of the papers provided on the 20th Anniversary Southwest Symposium, stream, Connectivity, and panorama switch within the historic Southwest seems again on the matters raised within the first symposium in 1988 and tackles 3 modern domain names in archaeology: panorama use and ecological swap, move and ethnogenesis, and connectivity between social teams via time and house.
Among Wolves: Gordon Haber's Insights into Alaska's Most Misunderstood Animal
Alaska's wolves misplaced their fiercest recommend, Gordon Haber, whilst his study aircraft crashed in Denali nationwide Park in 2009. Passionate, tenacious, and sometimes brash, Haber, a former hockey participant and park ranger, committed his existence to Denali's wolves.
He weathered brutal temperatures within the wild to rfile the wolves and supplied unheard of insights into wolf habit. Haber's writings and pictures show an mind-blowing measure of cooperation among wolf relatives as they hunt, bring up puppies, and play, social behaviors and traditions formerly unknown. With the wolves liable to being destroyed by way of looking and trapping, his experiences recommended for a balanced method of wolf administration. His fieldwork registered as one of many longest experiences in flora and fauna technological know-how and had an enduring influence on wolf policies.
Haber's box notes, his broad journals, and tales from neighbors all come jointly in between Wolves to bare a lot approximately either the wolves he studied and the researcher himself. Wolves proceed to fascinate and polarize humans, and Haber's paintings maintains to resonate.
The Midwestern Pastoral: Place and Landscape in Literature of the American Heartland
Winner of the Midwestern reviews publication Award, The Midwestern Pastoral: position and panorama in Literature of the yank Heartland relates Midwestern pastoral writers to their neighborhood geographies and explains their techniques. William Barrillas treats 5 very important Midwestern pastoralists---Willa Cather, Aldo Leopold, Theodore Roethke, James Wright, and Jim Harrison---in separate chapters.
- The Quiet Revolutionaries: How the Grey Nuns Changed the Social Welfare Paradigm of Lewiston, Maine (Studies in American Popular History and Culture)
- Comparative frontiers, a proposal for studying the American West
- The Nation's Crucible: The Louisiana Purchase and the Creation of America
- California in 1792: A Spanish Naval Visit (American Exploration & Travel Series)
- American Sweepstakes: How One Small State Bucked the Church, the Feds, and the Mob to Usher in the Lottery Age
- Lake Effect: Along Superior's Shores (Outdoor Essays & Reflections)
Extra resources for Accommodating revolutions: Virginia's Northern Neck in an Era of Transformations, 1760-1810
Example text
When they dealt with local stores, Northern Neck planters complained of ungenerous prices, especially for customers who bought on credit, and they denounced the storekeepers' efforts to pressure the unwary into unnecessary purchases and large debts. During the quarrel over the division of their father's estate, Philip Ludwell Lee criticized his brother William for leaving Virginia to embark on his English mercantile career. Such a dangerous and expensive 33 Accom modat i ng R e volu t ions profession, Philip charged, was making William economical ly dependent upon his Virginia siblings, even as he was "rioting in ease and luxury" in London.
At times, political disputes could become intense, and even violent. 62 29 Accom modat i ng R e volu t ions In some cases, political antagonists charged one another with particularly egregious and self-interested misconduct. In a 1779 dispute over the location of the Stafford County courthouse, for example, the opponents of a new location alleged that its advocates had acted at a court session attended by no more than nine of the thirty justices, that they had refused to authorize a survey to determine the county's geographic center, and that they had defeated by a one-vote margin a motion to delay the decision until a later meeting when more of the justices could attend.
Sellers depicted themselves as doing favors or ser vices or providing "assistance"; would-be buyers stressed their sense of obligation. 92 Indeed, substantial amounts of agricultural commodities, especially fresh produce, were sent from family to family as gifts and expressions of friendship and social obligation. As often as several times a week in the 1790s, Benjamin Grymes of Stafford County sent fresh meat, fish, crabs, fruit, cider, and other things to his uncle, William Fitzhugh, who lived across the Rappahannock River from Fredericksburg.


text:
Does your car sound like a horror movie on wheels? At this time of year, we're all about all things spooky, but not when it comes to your car. The last thing anyone wants is a car that grinds, growls or goes bump in the night. What do all those sounds mean, and what do you do when your car is sounding scarier than the soundtrack to your favorite Halloween movie. Scary car sounds got you down? Whether you need a tune up or major repair, a trip to the garage is in order. Scary Car Problem Sounds Any unusual sound can be scary when you're driving down the road. Though some are more serious than others, none should go ignored. Avoid the temptation to crank up the radio to turn out those scary noises. Instead, pay close attention to exactly what type of sound you are hearing and where it's coming from. Grinding? Growling? Groaning? What Do You Hear? The type of sound you hear provides the first clue as to the nature of your problem. If you&r ... read more
When you're in the market for a new set of wheels, buying a used car rather than a new one makes a lot of financial sense. In addition to the upfront savings, buying used also means you avoid the depreciation that occurs the instant a new car leaves the dealer's lot. All the money-saving benefits of buying used go right out the window, though, if the car you get doesn't turn out to be a good deal or has a lot of problems. Keep these tips in mind to be sure you choose a good new-to-you car. Common Problems to Watch Out For While it can be difficult to detect every possible problem with a vehicle, there are a few major signs of potentially costly problems. Many of these things can be detected during a test drive. Take the car on a test drive on different types of roads to see how it handles. Pay close attention to how well it corners and brakes. Leave the radio turned off and listen for any squealing or knocking sounds. Leaking fluids is a c ... read more


text:
|Who Are the Lucky Ones
|Is it the ones that lived or the ones that died?
Well Nora has held to her promise so far. She hasn't gone anywhere…except to change out of her shirt and wash her hands. Someone was nice enough to bring her a glass of water so she sips it as she along with others wait to hear about the status of Quinton. She has quit the pacing though and sits leaning against the admin building.
It is sometime later when Lincoln has made his ay out of the building, washing himself and moving to find Nora, eventually spotting her there next to the administration building. As he moves over, he doesn't speak initially, rather he places his back against the wall and slides down until he is sitting besides her in silence.
Nora is kinda zoning out, so doesn't even realize Lincoln is there until he is sitting next to her. "I heard him screaming." she stares down at the cup in her hand "Is her going to be okay? Were they able to get the bullet out?
"He should be ok I think. From what I could tell they were able to get it out. It'll take him some time to recover but I've seen worse." Lincoln responds in as calm a voice as he can muster, drinking from his own cup of water he managed to confiscate before coming over. "Ain't the first person you've seen shot."
The girl nods at the news "It sounded like he was being tortured in there." its enough to make Nora shudder "Maybe not no, but it's the first person that has been shot trying to protect me." sounds like she is feeling guilty to boot.
"Having a bullet removed without any sort of numbing agent is very painful." Lincoln explains softly, "So yes, the pain was torturous." Folding his arms over the tops of his knees he keeps looking straight ahead. "He got shot trying to protect you. If you are about to break into a mindset of saying 'I'm not worth trying to save' then may I quickly point out every one of us that is still alive and not them, is worth saving?"
"Worst I've ever done is broken an arm when I wiped out surfing the north shore in Hawaii." and Nora is pretty sure that what Quintan felt was twicce that. She shakes her head at him "No, I'm not saying I'm not worth it." she tries to put it into words "I'm saying that…I don't know.
"I've nearly blown myself up a few times… got a few burn marks from those things, never been shot either." Lincoln offers before closing his eyes some and contemplating. "I don't know how you feel, can't tell you. You need to think it through, talk it through? I'll sit here and listen. Also though… Folks will want to know what happened."
When he mentions the nearly blowing himself up Nora finally turns to look at him "Seriously? Blown up?" she isn't sure wether to beleive that or not at this point. "Survivors guilt?" she questions "Not just of Quinton being shot, but of this whole mess. Loads of people have died, disease, plane crashes, earthquakes, tsunamis. I would ask what I did in a past life that was so great or so horrible that I have survived this long." because being alive might not be all that lucky.
Lincoln laughs softly and nods his head, "Yes. Blown up. You'd be amazed the trouble you get into with chemistry sets." He explains before the chuckle fades and he contemplates what she said. "While travelling, I've come across a few thoughts on that. Some would say, you're alive because of God, that there is some kind of divine plan. Some would say, you're alive because of genetics. That you have immunity to the disease, a genetic memory of sorts to disasters that got you away from the trouble areas." Then he shrugs, "Some would say it's just dumb luck and the law of probabilities. Like playing a game of chance that turns up the right dice for you."
"I wasn't much into chemistry. Surfing, bikes and volleyball, much to the disappoint to my parents." Nora shrugs slightly, that's all the past, nothing she can do about it now even if she wanted too, "I never really beleived in God, up until now. Now I pray he is real and is watching over us all." the whole there is no such thing as an atheist in a foxhole. "I'm pretty sure it's just dumb luck in my case. And this time my dumb luck got Quinton shot. I was being chased by bandits and I guess I ran past him," she skips the part where she fell "because all of a sudden he's waving his gun around and telling them to step off.
The man shrugs his shoulders a bit while finally glancing to his side at Nora. "So you were running from some people, he came out, got shot trying to chase them off? That doesn't sound like your fault at all darling." Lincoln offers. "If anything, had you not been there, they might have ambushed Quinton and robbed him, maybe killed him. Made their way here without us knowing. I don't think it was dumb luck, I think it was good luck." He stops looking at Nora, going back to looking at the horizon, "I had an econ professor in college. He said that everything in life, good or bad, has some kind of cost with it. This was the cost for us this time and in the end it might have saved a lot of people."
Nora nods at his summary. If there is more and there is, she doesn't add to it just yet. She'll save the rest for when she has to tell Sonny "I'm just glad that none of them were smart enough to follow me here." or any condition to…at least the pair she ran into "I guess this means I have to stick around for more than a day doesn't it?"
Lincoln shrugs his shoulders at Nora, "I don't know about that. I'm not any sort of person that makes decisions. I'm sure some folks will want to talk to you at least. I wouldn't mind if you stuck around for more than a day."
"I mean for safety sake. Not because I have explainin' to do." Nora gestures in the general direction of town. "I've always known there were bandits out there, but until today I was all they aren't going to bother me. But they did. I should at least stick around until they are taking care of." she looks at him again "Why is that, need someone to hide from drones with?
"Well yeah. Who else knows about the secret of hiding in disgusting refrigerators?" Lincoln asks with a smirk on his lips. "Honestly though, there's bad people out there. Bandits and…" He trails off, remembering the words of the man dying in the camp. "It just helps knowing someone is all."
"I'm pretty sure that refrigerator was looking at disgusting in the rearview mirror." it's not a strong enough adjective for her, there might not even be one "There have always been bad people out there, it's just now the bad ones out number the good ones." and she isn't just talking about the bandits either. "And knowing that someone has your back."
"I dunno if the bad ones outnumber the good ones. It's just the bad ones play by rules that the good ones don't." Lincoln slowly pushes up off the ground then. "I have some stuff I got to do. If you get the need to talk, my tent area is set up over yonder." He motions in a general direction. "I'm not always right Nora, but in this I am. You did good today."


text:
Staff pay review statement
We have responded to enquiries about our recent Pay Review announcements:
Tina Lewis, Director of People and Legal Services at the National Trust, said: "It's important that we recognise the hard work of our staff and reward high performance. Following discussions with the Prospect union, this year we will invest an extra 4.5% in our total pay budget.
"The pay award is covered in full through efficiency savings and income from commercial and retail activities. Our new membership prices, which rose by an average of 50p a month, are entirely unrelated to the pay increase. In fact, we will be spending almost twice as much on conservation and visitor experience projects than we will receive in additional membership income.
"The overall pay award is made of three different components. The average increase through our performance-related pay scheme is 2.5% - less than the rate of inflation. The other components are made up of statutory increases, such as the national living wage, and structural pay increases, in which we increase the minimum pay levels in line with the public sector and not-for-profit sectors to ensure we can attract, recruit and retain great employees.
"More of our pay award than ever before will be invested in our lower paid staff. To ensure we retain, recruit and reward great employees, we need to pay our people a competitive salary which reflects the current market rates."
Key points:
- We expect to receive an additional £12m in income as a result of increasing our membership prices. However, we will be spending an extra £22m on conservation and visitor experience projects this year – almost double the amount generated from the price rise.
- The Trust is funding its biggest ever programme of conservation repairs, maintenance and improvements – and will spend a record £136m this year.
- The small increase in monthly membership fees – 50p a month on average - will help the charity address the increasing cost of looking after its historic homes, coastline and countryside, which rose by 15 per cent last year.