text:
Vintage Sapphire Wedding Bands
The 5 Secrets of Happy Couples
They could be 30, or 75. They come in all colors, shapes, sizes and income brackets. It doesn't matter how much time they've been together. Whatever the demographics, if you notice a cheerful couple, you only realize it!
How do these couples stay in love, in happy times as well as in bad? Fortunately, a better solution isn't through luck or chance. As a result of work and commitment, they discover the need for the next relationship "musts." Because few couples learn about all the musts, I think ones because relationship "secrets."
Here Happy Couples and Their Secrets
1. Develop a realistic look at committed relationships.
Recognize the crazy infatuation you experienced once your romance was new won't last. A deeper, richer relationship, and something which will still include romance, will replace it. A long-term relationship has good and the bad, and expecting it will be all sunny and roses constantly is unrealistic.
2. Work on the connection.
An untended garden develops weeds that may ultimately kill even heartiest plants. And so it is with relationships. It is important to address problems and misunderstandings immediately. Some people believe good relationships just happen naturally. The truth is that an excellent relationship, like anything you like to be successful in life, has to be labored on and tended to frequently. Neglect the connection, and it'll often go downhill.
3. Spend time together.
There isn't substitute for shared quality time. When you be certain to be together, without kids, pets and other interruptions, you may form a bond which get you through life's rough spots. Time spent together ought to be doing a shared activity, not merely viewing television.
4. Make the most of your differences.
Stop and think: What most attracted one to your spouse at the beginning? I'll almost guarantee which it was precisely the thing that drives you most insane today. Take a fresh examine these differences. Try to focus on their strengths and discover an appreciation for the people exact things that make couple completely different from one other. It's likely that the differences balance one other out consequently an excellent team.
5. Give Surprise
You may give surprise to your spouse, may be in the form of praise, or in the form of items for example Vintage Sapphire Wedding Bands
This Vintage Sapphire Wedding Bands wallpaper, is categorized within Sapphire Ring. Grab Vintage Sapphire Wedding Bands picture with specifications 827×827 pixels (52.58kb) for your laptop or computer wall picture or press on the foto above to look all fotos of "Vintage Sapphire Wedding Bands" by looking around through the thumbnails to view the whole foto's of "Vintage Sapphire Wedding Bands". You will find plenty of footage in excessive definition resolution which are offered only for you. So, it's good to see the way you discover this website with a view to change all the look of yours into one thing beautiful and wonderful. Take your time, learn each single post on this weblog and inform me what you discover later.


text:
Siemens adds Mark Farus as senior product manager
ATLANTA—Siemens on March 10 announced Mark Farus has joined Siemens as senior product manager, reporting directly to senior director of business development—Security Products Perry Levine. Farus has more than 25 years of experience in the security industry including operations, project management, customer service, sales, technical expertise and field support. Prior to Siemens, he was the product manager with Niscayah US where he was responsible for the technical and strategic relationships with vendors and field personnel. He also was director of operations for Wornall Secure Business Solutions in Kansas City where he managed all areas of business operations including service, installation, engineering, logistics and IT.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Asia Continental y Sudeste
Continental & Southeast Asia (CSEA) Regional Office
Serving: China, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philppines, Thailand, and Vietnam
The CSEA regional office provides leadership to assigned countries, and management and administrative services to all the countries in the region. SIM CSEA provides the infrastructure to enable country-level priority ministries to grow and function well.
Asia Continental y Sudeste
Continental & Southeast Asia (CSEA) Regional Office
Serving: China, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philppines, Thailand, and Vietnam
The CSEA regional office provides leadership to assigned countries, and management and administrative services to all the countries in the region. SIM CSEA provides the infrastructure to enable country-level priority ministries to grow and function well.
Ven y Sirve
Academia Bingham
Este ministerio provee educación cristiana de calidad para los hijos de los misioneros y de otros que buscan tener un impacto del reino en Etiopía.
Un campo misionero bien administrado permite a los misioneros de largo plazo alcanzar a los menos alcanzados.
Agencia Misionera ProVisión
Our desire it to send Chileans into the mission field. We would like to see hundreds of Chilean missionaries going to communities where Christ is least known worldwide.
Americas Leadership & Development Conference
This conference will bring together the SIM directors who serve in Latin America to provide leadership development and training.
Apurímac Church Planting and Discipleship
Under the Christian organization AIDIA, Peruvian believers and SIM missionaries seek to see churches planted and believers discipled into mature Christians in the rural villages of Apurímac. In this region only 8 percent of the villages have an evangelical church.
Asociaciones de Iglesias
Facilitar que más iglesias en Australia cumplan la misión global de Cristo y la misión transcultural localmente.
Asociaciones Ministeriales y Desarrollo
Este ministerio sirve la meta estratégica de movilizar a los obreros a través de todo el norte de África.
Asunción Guest House & Conference Centre
The aim of this Guest House & Conference Centre in Asunción is to provide a place where rural SIM missionaries may stay and rest when in the capital city as well as providing a large meeting place.
Building Peace & Reconciliation
BRiCC is a community centre in central Jos that aims to build peace and reconciliation through relationships.
Capacitando, Equipando y Conectando
Nuestro deseo es equipar a los cristianos nepalíes para que crezcan en su fe y tr4abajen para el mayor beneficio de todos los nepalíes.
Centro de Salud para Mujeres
The intent of Centro Evangélico de Medicina do Lubango (CEML) is to build and equip a Women's Health Centre on the hospital site.
Centro Juvenil Mongu
El centro juvenil alcanza a los jóvenes locales por medio de deportes, estudios bíblicos y reuniones, proveyendo un seguro ambiente.
Children's Outreach and Discipleship
Our aim is to express Christ's love to the children and youth of Guinea.
Christian Camping Ministry
This project will enable the SIM Paraguay camping ministries to expand. It will better train counselors and leaders, to offer more effective camps through use of a property that is designed for larger numbers of people for family or summer camps.
Christian Education
Our aim is to transform Christian education and worldview development by improving several Christian schools that already exist.
Christian Education
El ministerio de educación cristiana busca alcanzar a los niños, uno de los grupos más vulnerables, con las buenas nuevas de Jesucristo.
Christian School Ministry
Centro Educativo Internacional is a Christian school that shares the good news with Paraguayans through English language and other opportunities.
Church Leadership Training
Few of the church leaders in Mauritius have advanced biblical training. This ministry provides courses in biblical knowledge and evangelism for pastors and church leaders of various denominations.
Church Leadership Training
Train servant leaders who love the Lord Jesus and who are competent in various ministry skills.
Church Planting
The aim of this ministry is to grow and empower the Uruguayan church by planting and equipping church plants in a society where secularism is the dominant religion.
Communities where He is least known
Diaspora communities
Within Continental & Southeast Asia there are many diaspora communities that bring an interesting dynamic to local churches and mission outreach. The CSEA regional office is seeing the need to help these often marginalised or overlooked communities connect with local churches in and outside of the region. Since the ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) treaty opened the borders between 10 nations in the region, it is becoming more obvious that doors are opened to Southeast Asian churches for sending missionaries to serve within their own region.
Pray for more teammates to join the SIM CSEA team.
Pray for the capacity to provide excellent media and communication to supporters, teams, countries, and partners for mobilising prayer, people, and resources.
Pray for the CSEA office team to have listening hearts and skillful hands as they provide leadership services.
Pray for good ministry team leaders to emerge, so that they can lead new initiatives and provide leadership in the smaller countries.
Pray for good partnerships with host country believers and local churches, as together we reach the communities wher eChrist is least known.


text:
In conversation with Masterchef's Ollie Hunter
Ollie Hunter is a local celebrity after reaching the semi-finals of Masterchef 2013, a programme that attracts around 5 million viewers.
This down-to-earth local lad reveals all about The Masterchef experience, his thoughts on what makes a proper pub and why authenticity is the key to success.
Ollie is now the co-owner of The Wheatsheaf Chilton Foliat with his wife Lauren, where they champion wood fired pizza, live music talent and a sustainable business award!
What was it like taking part in Masterchef?
"It was a totally artificial environment. What you see on TV is exactly how it is on the day. You don't know what your next challenge is going to be which can be extremely stressful but the technical team and all the contestants are really nurturing. Everyone wants you to improve as a person."
Were you disappointed to not get through to the final round?
"Of course you don't enter a competition and not want to win but I always saw it as a launching pad for other things. It's just a shame that millions of people had to watch it!"
What did you learn from the programme?
"I think the main thing I learnt from the programme was that authenticity shines through. You must be true to yourself and your style of cooking. There were things I cooked on the programme because I wanted to impress, rather than show my own style, which is what I have been doing ever since."
What made you want to become a chef?
"I have to credit my family as I come from generations of foodie's. Our celebrations have always centered around food and the whole family gets involved, it isn't just the adults in the kitchen.
I've got fond memories of Cornish holidays: fishing for mackerel, gutting it and cooking it for dinner. I experimented a lot with food growing up and have always been passionate about cooking from scratch."
What are your cooking influences?
"Travelling has massively influenced my cooking – my wife and I spent 6 months travelling Europe and stopping in places like San Sebastian, the food capital of Spain. We loved the energy from the food, the culture and the buzz."
What makes a proper pub?
"A proper pub is a communal place to celebrate life, love and laughter but also a place to come together in sadness. Anyone is welcome: we have lords, tradesman, accountants – it should be a place that is felt open for all."
What's different about The Wheatsheaf?
"We want to make eating ethically and Organic easy for people. That means that 90% of what we serve is organic. Our meat is sourced from Hungerford Park farm and all our fish is delivered fresh from the Cornish coast. I will only buy crab from this fantastic little shop in Porthleven, they send it over fresh for us twice a week."
You can catch Ollie at his pub The Wheatsheaf Chilton Foliat for Saturday breakfast, wood fired pizzas and the finest of Cornish seafood Tuesday's to Sunday's or visit their website: www.thewheatsheafchiltonfoliat.co.uk.


text:
The Blue Lagoon geothermal spa located in the Grindavik lava field. The water is fed from a nearby geothermal plan.
Sun Voyager. A metal statue of a Viking ship.
Modern condos on the short in Reijavik.
The man playing the massive organ in the Hallgrimskirkja organ was quick to give me a dirty look for taking pictures.
The organ at the Hallgrimskirkja church is 15 meters tall and weighs 25 tons.
Leif Ericson is though to have landed in North America 500 years before Christopher Columbus.
Meeting the locals.
A much needed stop at a local tavern to try some local brew.
In addition we opted to try their local liquer which locals term "black death".
"Black Death" is really just a form of schnapps made from fermented potato mash and caraway seeds.
Suprisingly one thing Icelanders love is hot dogs known as the pylsur. There are from a place called Vikivaki.
Smoked eel
Baejarins Beztu Pylsur, literally translated as The Best Hotdog in Town. They weren't kidding.
One of the bartenders directed us to this out of the way pub mainly frequented by locals claiming they make the best burger in the city. And that it was.


text:
Template:Ammunition Championship
The Full Metal C-4 Division Championship is a professional e-wrestling championship in Full Metal Wrestling. It is contested for in FMW's Ammunition division.
The title is considered to be FMW's pure wrestling championship due to its association with its former home brand, Alchemy.
C-4 Division rulesEdit
C-4 Division matches are contested under strict rules. The three C-4 Division rules are:
- Each wrestler has only one rope break to stop submission holds and pinfalls during a match. After a wrestler exhausts his initial rope break, submission and pin attempts under the ropes by the opponent are considered legal.
- There are no closed-fist punches to the face allowed, only open-handed slaps or chops to the face are allowed. Punches to other parts of the body (save for low-blows) are permitted. The first use of a closed fist will get a warning, and the second will cause the wrestler to be penalized a rope break. If he has already exhausted his rope break, he will be disqualified.
- A wrestler is subject to a twenty count by the referee if the wrestler goes to the floor.
Since speed and technical wrestling is the attraction of the C-4 Division, matches are considered to be amazing feats of skill, pace, and athleticism.
Maximum C-4 matchEdit
The crowning glory of the C-4 Division is it's specialty match, the Maximum C-4 Match.The Maximum C-4 Match is a match where each opponent tries to climb onto the scaffold, shimmy across the cables and grab the title hanging in the middle of the crossed cables. To date, there have been three Maximum C-4 matches, all for the C-4 Championship.
Maximum C-4 Match HistoryEdit
|Dr. David Diabolical (c)
|Lethal Injection (2007)
|King Guiomar (c)
|Dalby Sound
|Ultimatum I
|Drew Michaels
|Hostyle (c)
Wanting to create a place to showcase explosive matches full of ticking time bomb action, Full Metal Wrestling introduced the C-4 Division to give its pure wrestling fans their adrenaline fix. The C-4 Division Championship was created to be the top title for the dynamic division.
The C-4 Division Championship was introduced at Full Metal 1.3 as the very first FMW championship on the line. In a fatal four-way match, Showstoppa was crowned as the inaugural C-4 Division Champion when he defeated CGS, Dr. David Diabolical, and Eclipse.
At the Death Row pay-per-view, Dr. David Diabolical defeated Showstoppa to win the title. The following night at Full Metal 2.1, FMW management announced that the roster would be split into distinct brands, FMW Alchemy and FMW Anarchy. Wanting to be the "pure wrestling brand", Alchemy drafted Diabolical with the first overall pick to bring Diabolical and the C-4 Division to the brand. Diabolical was also the first to be victorious in the title's signature Maximum C-4 match, defeating CGS at Alchemy 3.3.
Showstoppa eventually got a rematch against Diabolical and reclaimed the C-4 Division title. But once again, Showstoppa "showstopped" the title when he dropped the title to King Guiomar in a Kiss My Foot match. Guiomar went on to feud against Dalby Sound where they wrestled in two heated matches. In the opening bout of Ultimatum, King Guiomar successfully defended the C-4 title over Sound in the second Maximum C-4 match.
After the shocking Original Sin formation at Ultimatum, Original Sin's Hostyle constructed one of the most impressive winning streaks in FMW history, first collecting the C-4 Division Championship after defeating King Guiomar at Alchemy 5.1, and then taking the TNT Championship. After Jaro fired Celeste Rousseau as general manager, Hostyle was given the job. But Hostyle's actions made him several more enemies. An unwarranted attack on TNT Champion VanGuard gave new life to Hannibal Frost, a close and trusted friend of the fallen former champion. In addition, Dalby Sound was still itching for another chance to claim the championship he believed was rightfully his. Perhaps most surprising of all was Hostyle's disdain for former N.M.E. teammate, Neutron Star. Obsessed with becoming the greatest champion in FMW, Hostyle's greed overpowered his friendship with the Supernova Superstar. Knowing that Neutron Star valued the TNT Championship more than anything, Hostyle took pleasure in the manipulation of his own partner by taking the championship from under his nose, and then exploding the title belt in front of his eyes. In doing so, Hostyle has not only damaged the TNT Championship beyond any repair, but also his bond with Neutron Star. At Supremacy, Hostyle was shocked in defeat to the rookie Hannibal Frost. However, Hostyle defeated Frost in their Lethal Injection rematch, capturing his second C-4 Championship.
During the 2008 FMW Draft, Hostyle was drafted to Anarchy, bringing Alchemy's C-4 Division Championship to its rival brand. Alchemy GM RAMPAGE!, upset with losing his brand's top championship, announced a C-4 Sprint at Alchemy 7.3, where the man who won his match in the fastest time would be declared the number one contender and would face Hostyle at the upcoming PPV event, Catalyst. Drew Michaels won the Sprint by defeating Janus Flare in the time of eight minutes and forty seconds. Thus, at Catalyst, Michaels faced off against Hostyle in the match chosen by the fans, the Maximum C-4 Match. Michaels won this match and became the eighth C-4 Champion.
After FMW was restructured following Ultimatum II, the C-4 Division Championship found its home in Alchemy's technical division, Ammunition. Michaels, however, could not defend the title because of the beat-down he suffered at the hands of Jaro and Harlequin and was thus stripped of the C-4 title. By FMW 9.1, Celeste Rousseau had appointed a 4-man tournament to crown a new champion, which featured Leon Caprice, Chris Kelson, Chris Austin and former FMW World Champion, Eric Scorpio. After Scorpio and Austin defeated Kelson and Caprice respectively, the former World Champion pinned his opponent in the tournament finals to become the new C-4 Division Champion.
Scorpio went on to dominate Ammunition for the whole 9-cycle, retaining his championship against Kelson at Death Row. However, during the 10.1 show, Scorpio had to face long-time nemesis Drew Michaels in a "Pandora's Box" match, where whoever won the match had a chance to participate in a three way number one contender's match for the FMW Championship. After yet another classic match, Michaels defeated Scorpio and chose to become the C-4 Division champion, thus sacrificing his World title #1 contender opportunity.
Current championEdit
The current champion is Drew Michaels, who defeated Eric Scorpio in a Pandora's Box match at Ammunition 10.1, on January 28, 2009.
Championship HistoryEdit
As of April 28, 2010.
|Dr. David Diabolical, Eclipse, and CGS
|Full Metal 1.3
(November 2, 2006)
|• Fatal-four way match to crown first C-4 Division Champion
|• None
|Dr. David Diabolical
|Death Row (2006)
(December 5, 2006)
|• None
|• def. Alex O'Rion in an Ultimate Submission match at Alchemy 2.2
• def. CGS in a Maximum C-4 match at Lethal Injection (2007)
|Showstoppa (2)
|Dr. David Diabolical
|Alchemy 3.1
(April 27, 2007)
|• Won in a Lumberjack match
|• None
|King Guiomar
|Ground Zero
(July 17, 2007)
|• Won in a Kiss My Foot match
|• Draw vs. Dalby Sound at No Holds Barred (2007)
• def. Dalby Sound in a Maximum C-4 match at Ultimatum I
|King Guiomar
|Alchemy 5.1
(December 3, 2007)
|• Won in a Capture the Flag match
• Longest reigning C-4 Division Champion to date
|• def. Dalby Sound at Death Row (2008)
• def. King Guiomar and Mass Caesar at Alchemy 6.1
|Hannibal Frost
|Hostyle, Dalby Sound, and Neutron Star
|Supremacy (2008)
(July 21, 2008)
|• Four Corners Elimination match
|• None
|Hostyle (2)
|Hannibal Frost
|Lethal Injection (2008)
(August 10, 2008)
|• None
|• def. Chris Austin at Anarchy 7.1
|Drew Michaels
(February 9, 2009)
|• Maximum C-4 Match
|• def. Janus Flare at Alchemy 8.2
• def. Jaro & Harlequin at Ultimatum II (Ultraviolent Championship also on the line)
|On July 31, 2009, Drew Michaels was stripped of the title after he was deemed unable to defend the title within 30 days following Controlled Chaos' attack during Ultimatum II.
|Eric Scorpio
|Chris Austin
|Ammunition 9.2
(September 29, 2009)
|• This was the final of a four man tournament to crown a new C-4 Champion.
|• def. Chris Kelson at Death Row (2009)
|Drew Michaels (2)
|Eric Scorpio
|Ammunition 10.1
(January 28, 2010)
|• Pandora's Box match
|• def. Abel Steele at Ammunition 10.2
• vs. Gabriel Crow at Lethal Injection
List of Combined ReignsEdit
|# Of Reigns
|Combined Days
|Drew Michaels
|Dr. David Diabolical
|King Guiomar
|Eric Scorpio
|Hannibal Frost
List of Individual ReignsEdit
|# Of Days
|Drew Michaels
|Dr. David Diabolical
|King Guiomar
|Eric Scorpio
|Drew Michaels
|Hannibal Frost
External linksEdit


text:
Assets under management in European responsible investment funds have seen a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 25% between 2012 and 2014, growing from EUR 238 bn to EUR 372 bn, according to The European Responsible Investing Fund Survey 2015 commissioned by ALFI and produced by KPMG.
According to the survey, these assets can be split into a number of categories:
Commenting on the survey, Jane Wilkinson, partner and head of sustainability, KPMG Luxembourg, said: "We are pleased to see the results of this survey reflecting a growth and dynamism of this sector and that product innovation and a set of promising opportunities, for example the development of green and social bonds, have been identified. It is clear that asset managers today can no longer choose to ignore this market segment - they must be prepared to answer questions from their stakeholders around this topic. Failure to anticipate and act upon these questions is likely to result in chances missed and business lost."
"Whilst responsible investing tends to be niche and institutional, it is ahead of the rest of the market in many ways," concludes Anouk Agnes. "Responsible investing already focuses on simplicity, transparency, honesty and integrity. It should appeal to the investors of the future, who are already more environmentally and socially conscious. By 2030 responsible investing will move from being a niche product targeting mainly institutional investors to a mainstream investment product, and it's up to fund managers to seize this opportunity and build their brands on firm "responsible" foundations."
Download the press release in English, French or German.
Download the survey here.
Download the executive summary here.
Back to top
At the occasion of its annual Spring Conference, ALFI has launched its new Understanding Investing website, an online resource which aims to give people useful information they need about investing.
Commenting on the new initiative, Denise Voss, Chair of the ALFI Investor Forum, said: "It is increasingly important that people take responsibility for their long-term financial security, and the way to do that is to invest, whether directly or through funds and other financial products. This website gives people information to help them understand investing – why they should invest, what different types of investments there are, what the risks are and how to plan ahead."
The website www.understandinginvesting.org starts with the basics and looks at how to start investing and what a financial adviser is. It helps people analyse what sort of investor they are, and outlines different styles of investment. It also explains the structure of funds and how they are regulated.
On 27 March 2015 ALFI submitted its response to the ESMA Discussion Paper on share classes of UCITS. Issues addressed in this paper relate to the definition of a share class, the different types of existing share classes in the various Member States of the EU and the possible approaches to developing a common understanding on the share classes that should be permitted.
Click here to read the ALFI response.
On 23 February 2015, ALFI responded to the consultation on cross-border regulation which was published in November 2014 by IOSCO
The consultation report describes three cross-border regulatory tools:
Moreover, the report outlines challenges from a regulator's and stakeholders' perspective and lists suggestions on IOSCO's role regarding cross-border issues.
Based on the feedback received, IOSCO's task force on cross-border regulation is mandated to develop a cross-border regulatory toolkit containing common terminology, of regulatory options for use by IOSCO members and, where appropriate, to lay a foundation for the development of guidance on the coordinated use of the toolkit.
Read ALFI's response.
On 17 February 2015, ALFI responded to the discussion paper on key information documents (KIDs) for packaged retail and insurance-based investment products (PRIIPs), which was published in November 2014 by the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs).
The ESAs are mandated by the Regulation on Key Information Documents for Packaged Retail and Insurance-based Investment Products to develop draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) on the content and presentation of the KIDs for PRIIPs. The aim of the KIDs is to provide EU retail investors with consumer-friendly information about investment products with the ultimate aim of improving transparency in the investment market. In order to ensure that all views and options are taken into consideration when developing the RTS, the ESAs were seeking stakeholders' views on how these standardised KIDs should be developed. This discussion paper was a first step in the ESAs' joint work on the broad issues to be considered in developing the RTS.
ALFI has responded to the European Securities and Markets Authority's ("ESMA") consultation paper setting out proposals for possible guidelines regarding the asset segregation requirements in the case of delegation of safe-keeping duties by the appointed depositary of an AIF.
ALFI explicitly supports guidelines which will promote common interpretation across Europe as well as the consistent application of the provisions of the Directive and its implementing measures.
Read ALFI's responses to the ESMA questionnaire.
On 27 March 2015, the Luxembourg draft law on FATCA has been submitted to the Parliament. The law will ratify the execution of the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) signed between Luxembourg and the United States of America on 28 March 2014 as well as the related Appendices and Memorandum of Understanding.
The original version of the IGA as well as an unofficial translation of the agreement in French, which is adopting the terminology used by the OECD in the context of the Common Reporting System, are attached to this draft law. It is reminded that Luxembourg reporting financial institutions will need to file the first reporting relating to the year 2014 no later than by 30 June 2015. In addition, the draft law contains an important provision in its article 3 paragraph 4 on the duty of a reporting financial institution to inform any individual on behalf of whom it will report.
Click here for the text of the draft law.
The Luxembourg tax authorities have released Circular LIR 14/4 on the taxation of income realised by a Luxembourg common limited partnership ("société en commandite simple" - "SCS") or a special limited partnership ("société en commandite spéciale" – "SCSp"). Whilst the Circular is dealing with all types of limited partnerships, it specifically addresses the situation of SCS/SCSp which qualify as Alternative Investment Funds ("AIFs"), both in the form of regulated funds and unregulated vehicles.
SCS/SCSp are tax transparent entities and as such, they are not subject to Luxembourg corporate income tax in their own right. However, an SCS/SCSp is subject to municipal business tax ("impôt commercial communal") in the situation where it carries out a business activity or when the GP owns more than 5% of the interests of the SCS/SCSp.
In its Guidelines on Key Concepts of the AIFMD (ESMA/2013/611), the European Securities and Markets Authority stated that an AIF is deemed not to have any general commercial or industrial purpose. The Circular explicitly confirms that an SCS/SCSp which qualifies as an AIF does not carry out any business activity and, as a consequence, it is not subject to municipal business tax provided that the GP owns less than 5% of the interests in the SCS/SCSp. The Circular also reconfirms that AIFs established as part II funds, SIFs or SICARs as well as foreign domiciled AIFs that are managed by a Luxembourg AIFM are specifically exempt from any taxation.
Click here for the text of the Circular (French version).
On 27 March 2015, the CSSF issued Circular 15/609 reminding the financial sector of developments in the context of the automatic exchange of tax information and anti-money laundering in tax matters.
The CSSF has issued Circular 15/608 aimed at modifying point 187 of Circular 14/587 regarding the deadline to comply with this Circular 14/587 and at informing the recipients of this circular on subsequent modifications to be made to this circular.
The Circular (in French) can be accessed here.
On 27 March 2015 the CSSF issued a press release drawing the attention of issuers and holders of bearer shares targeted by the Law of 28 July 2014 on the immobilisation of bearer shares. In particular, this press release contains recommendations as to the next steps to be taken by issuers, whether they are issuers of UCI shares or of other types of shares, and gives clarifications as to the types of securities falling into the scope of the law.
The text of the press release (in French) can be accessed here.
CSSF has issued Circular 15/607 drawing the attention of all persons and entities under its supervision to the FATF statements on jurisdictions which have substantial and strategic AML/CFT deficiencies, jurisdictions not meeting sufficient progress and jurisdictions whose AML/CFT regime is not satisfactory.
This Circular cancels and replaces Circular 15/595 of 30 October 2014.
To access this Circular please click here.
On 18 March 2015, the European Commission officially adopted a proposal for repealing Council Directive 2003/48/EC on the taxation of savings income ("the European Savings Directive"). The repeal of this Directive had become necessary as a result of the decision to endorse the global standard on automatic exchange of information developed by the OECD and the adoption of Council Directive 2014/107/EU on 9 December 2014 amending Directive 2011/16/EU as regards mandatory automatic exchange of information in the field of taxation (the Amending Directive on Administrative Cooperation). Member States are required to transpose the Amending Directive by 31 December 2015 and to apply its provisions from 1 January 2016.
The proposal to repeal the European Savings Directive was adopted as part of a package of measures presented by the Commission to boost tax transparency.
Click here for the text of the proposal.
On 12 February 2015, the Luxembourg tax authorities released Circular L.G. – A. No 61 on the issuance of certificates of residency for Luxembourg investment funds. The Circular provides useful guidance on the eligibility of investment funds to double taxation treaties signed by Luxembourg with third countries and on the procedure to follow when requesting the issuance of a certificate. In addition to treaty access, investment funds may also, in some particular instances, avail themselves of statutory exemptions under domestic law and/or request refunds in other contexts (e.g. as a result of the so-called "Aberdeen" case of the Court of Justice of the European Union).
When requesting the Luxembourg tax authorities to issue a certificate, an investment fund or its representative must however specify in which context it needs any such certificate and provide the tax authorities with a detailed list of revenues in relation thereto, either at time of sending the request (in case of a refund) or no later than 6 months after the year during which it receives these revenues (in case the certificate is used for an at-source exemption).
The European Fund and Asset Management Association (EFAMA) has given a strong early welcome to the European Commission's Green Paper for a Capital Markets Union.
The industry body believes the EC's "Building a Capital Markets Union" consultation paper, launched in Brussels on 18 February, highlights the clear need for a Capital Markets Union which is primarily focused on investors.
EFAMA believes that investors are the cornerstone of the asset management industry and that an integrated capital market in the EU will help unlock capital, shift it towards investments in long-term projects, and ultimately reduce the cost of investment funds and pensions savings for investors. There is no doubt that the fund management industry and its investors can play a huge role together in the long term financing and rebuilding of the European economy.
At a time of important financing and saving challenges, it is clear that Europe needs to encourage the financing of its real economy via the capital markets. A more capital market based economy is one of the key solutions that will enable Europe to get back on the road towards growth recovery, and European asset managers have a crucial role to play in this changing landscape.
(Read more)
The European Fund and Asset Management Association (EFAMA) has published further recommendations for a new EU-wide pension product based on extensive research and feedback from the asset management industry.
EFAMA namely recommends that
The recommendations are published in a report entitled "Towards a Single Market for European Personal Pensions: building blocks for an EU framework" which lays out EFAMA's key arguments in favour of the creation and implementation of a standardised pension product.
The recommendations aim to contribute further to the work undertaken by the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) towards the creation of an EU-single market for personal pensions – and follow on from the September 2013 Report of EFAMA on the Officially Certified European Retirement Product (OCERP). To make this proposal and its objectives clearer and easily understandable for the wider European population, EFAMA has renamed the proposed product as the "European Personal Pension" (EPP).
On 26 March 2015, the European Securities and Market Authority (ESMA) updated its Q&A documents on the application of the AIFMD and of the Key Investor Information Document (KIID) for UCITS.
The AIFMD Q&A includes updated or new questions and answers on
The Q&A on the UCITS KIID includes a new question on the treatment of past performance information in case of fund mergers:
By adding this question ESMA has accepted the principle already foreseen in ALFI's Q&A document on KIID implementation.
On 27 March, the AIFMD delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/514 was published in the EU Official Journal. This Regulation is aimed solely at national supervisors and lays out the information to be provided to ESMA. The aim of this exercise is to allow ESMA to "enable it to evaluate the functioning of the passport for EU alternative investment fund managers (EU AIFMs) managing or marketing EU alternative investment funds (EU AIFs) in the Union, the operating conditions for AIFs and their managers and the potential impact of an extension of the passport."
ESMA has published its technical advice on the delegated acts of the European Social Entrepreneurship Funds (EuSEF) and European Venture Capital Funds (EuVECA) Regulations. The implementing measures address the following topics:
- the types of goods and services, methods of production for goods and services and financial support embodying a social objective;- conflicts of interest of EuSEF and EuVECA managers;- the methods for the measurement of the social impact and- the information that EuSEF managers should provide to investors.
Click here to access the document.
Networking Cocktail on 20th April 2015
ALFI London Conference 21st April 2015
Guildhall, London city centre
Registration open !
This year's annual conference in London will kick-off with a networking cocktail on the evening before! Last year over 1000 people registered to attend!
Conference sessions include :
Afternoon sessions:
Full programme and Registration: click here
Sponsorship & Exhibition opportunities for ALFI members! Click here.
Contact email@example.com
Is the creation of an environmental or social impact by a company or an organisation no more than a by-product that, at best, pays off indirectly through a positive corporate image? To what extent should asset managers encourage corporations they invest in to create social impact? Can a company actually generate additional income by directly marketing the social impact it is creating? Is the active marketing of social impact even a precondition for achieving a return on impact investing - and for making social impact investable? And if so, how can social impact be priced? What does really matter: generating measurable social and environmental impact or a financial return?
These are only a few of the questions that will be discussed at the 2015 Impact Investing and Microfinance Conference organised by the Association of the Luxembourg Fund Industry (ALFI) in collaboration with the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN), the European Microfinance Platform (e-MFP), and the Luxembourg Fund Labelling Agency LuxFLAG.
Register now ! click here
Sponsorship opportunities click here
Event webpage
Registration open! Click here.
The ALFI & ALRiM European Risk Management Conference has established itself as an important forum where risk managers, conducting officers and experts from all over Europe and beyond gather and exchange information and ideas about risk governance, measurement, management and reporting in the areas of both UCITS and Alternative Investment funds.
At our conference, industry experts will analyse amongst other topics operational risk in the global distribution process and the practice of risk management for alternative strategies.
A series of parallel interactive workshops offer the opportunity to discuss practical aspects.
The conference breaks, buffet lunch and cocktail provide plenty of time to mingle with industry peers and make new contacts.
For full programme, click here.For registration & fees, click here. Early bird deadline 17 April!Sponsorship opportunities: click here.
For an overview of all events scheduled or endorsed so far by ALFI in 2015, have a look at the ALFI events calendar.
Check out all upcoming events. Click on "Search Events" to filter by event type.
Note: the event calendar allows to have events listed either chronologically or by event category. Click on the name of the event for detailed information.
'Asset management moves centre stage' was the topic of ALFI's 2015 Spring Conference that brought together during two days more than 800 representatives from supervisory authorities and regulators, government bodies and supra-national organisations, fund promoters and distributors, consulting companies and law firms, financial institutions and asset management companies, custodians and service providers, trade bodies and specialised media at the New Conference Center in Luxembourg/Kirchberg. The topics discussed at this yearly event, where no less than 58 exhibitors showcased their products and services, were as diverse as the audience. The Gala Cocktail Reception at the prestigious Cercle Cité at the close of the first conference day offered participants a dignified setting for deepening existing and making new contacts.
Luxembourg for Finance is organizing a Financial Mission to Canada in April 2015. Destinations are Toronto and Montreal, two economic hotspots in Canada. The mission will be led by HE Pierre Gramegna, Minister of Finance. Valuable insights into various aspects of Luxembourg's financial services will be given at LFF events in Toronto (13 April) and Montreal (15 April).
Luxembourg for Finance is organising a financial mission to Stockholm on Monday, 4 May 2015, led by HE Pierre Gramegna, Minister of Finance. During panel discussions, where key experts will discuss cross-border solutions and opportunities for Swedish investors. Topics will cover Responsible Investment, fund distribution, Private Equity, Private Banking and insurance.


text:
Our mission at Baby Chick is to educate, inspire, and uplift mothers. We're an online pregnancy and motherhood resource for the modern mom that reaches over 6 million people a month through our website and social media pages. We touch on topics related to pregnancy tips, birth information, and postpartum support to parenting advice, product knowledge and so much more. The Baby Chick team is always open to adding new contributors to our publication. There are two ways that you can contribute to our site; being a one-time contributor or being a continuing contributor. We have a panel of experts who regularly contribute articles to our publication. As a reoccurring expert and contributor, we are looking for at least one to two posts per month. If you are an expert in your field and want to share your knowledge with our readers, contact us today.
How to apply:
Please email our editor to introduce yourself and briefly share how your knowledge would be a good fit for Baby Chick. Please also include your resume and writing samples.
Baby Chick is looking for an additional Sales Associate to join our team. The Sales Associate will work with our sales team to communicate with brands we love on branded content collaborations with Baby Chick.
Our ideal candidate possesses:
How to apply:
Please email our manager to introduce yourself and briefly share how your knowledge and qualifications would be a good fit for Baby Chick. Please also include your resume and cover letter.


text:
Poetry has been used for ages as a tool to critique the social anxieties du jour. Now, for the first time ever, a poem is being used as a physical remedy to one of modern society's biggest challenges – air pollution. The poem by Simon Armitage has been printed on a 10 meter by 20 meter piece of material coated with microscopic pollution-eating particles of titanium oxide. According to the University of Sheffield, the institution that invented it, the material is capable of absorbing pollution from 20 cars every day.
The titanium dioxide particles on the printed material uses sunlight and oxygen to react with nitrogen oxide pollutants to purify the air. Professor Tony Ryan, pro-vice-chancellor for science at Sheffield University says that this simple additive could actually help cut disease and save lives. "This poem alone will eradicate the nitrogen oxide pollution created by about 20 cars every day. If every banner, flag or advertising poster in the country did this, we'd have much better air quality."
Related: New Pollution-Fighting Billboards Can Purify 100,000 Cubic Meters of Air Every Day
The poem has been attached to the side of a building at the university, where it will be on display for one year. Armitage set out to write an accessible poem that could be easily enjoyed by people wandering by, but also one that was "robust and intricate enough to sustain deeper inquiries." Seeing his poem so huge on the side of a building has been an interesting experience for Armitage, who says that "poetry often comes out with the intimate and the personal, so it's strange to think of a piece in such an exposed place, written so large and so bold." The full poem reads:
In Praise of Air by Simon Armitage
I write in praise of air. I was six or five
when a conjurer opened my knotted fist
and I held in my palm the whole of the sky.
I've carried it with me ever since.
Let air be a major god, its being
and touch, its breast-milk always tilted
to the lips. Both dragonfly and Boeing
dangle in its see-through nothingness…
Among the jumbled bric-a-brac I keep
a padlocked treasure-chest of empty space,
and on days when thoughts are fuddled with smog
or civilization crosses the street
with a white handkerchief over its mouth
and cars blow kisses to our lips from theirs
I turn the key, throw back the lid, breathe deep.
My first word, everyone's first word, was air.
Via PSFK


text:
Dr. Bill Hall is a veteran evangelist of over 63 years, conducting hundreds of revival meetings in fundamental churches throughout the United States and several foreign countries. He is a graduate of Bethel College and Bob Jones University. Along with his evangelistic ministry, he has also planted two independent Baptist churches and now he and his wife, Shirley, are members of one of those churches.
Obeying the command of II Timothy 4:2 to "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine," Dr. Hall emphasizes the basics of salvation, dedication, separation, soul winning, family life, and sound doctrine.


text:
Hide Forgot
Description of Problem:
lsof puts different amount of spaces in output. Not sure if this is a bug, but it is strange behaviour.
Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable):
How Reproducible:
Repeat the command a couple of times, and see that the third column shifts one space occasionally.
I observed this behaviour when cutting for a certain byte range.
Steps to Reproduce:
Actual Results:
# lsof | grep www.interstad.nl/
repeated a couple of times. Here are two example lines from two consecutive runs:
httpd 11809 root cwd DIR 9,7 8192 3810092 /home/www.interstad.nl/HTML/pages
httpd 11809 root cwd DIR 9,7 8192 3810092 /home/www.interstad.nl/HTML/pages
Expected Results:
Same format in every run.
Additional Information:
lsof adjusts the field widths so that every printed field fits into its column,
thus it really depends on what other files are open at which point.
Normal lsof output is intended primarily for humans, so simply don't cut
on byte positions but on field positions instead.
Read the manual page about other modes of lsof operation which are meant for
parsing by other programs.


text:
1. What does annual tuition cost at Bishop McHugh?
Depending on the program, a child's tuition ranges from $2,500 to $5,430.
2. Is transportation provided?
Yes, transportation is available to students residing in townships that provide the service. All families are asked to complete the bus form, which you can access here.
3. What are the school's hours?
A full day of school is from 7:55 AM - 2:30 PM for K-8, and from 7:55 AM - 2:15 PM for the PreK 2, PreK 2.5, PreK 3, & PreK 4.
4. Do you have extended hours for parents that work?
Yes! We offer Before Care from 7:00 - 7:30 AM. We offer After Care from 2:30 - 5:30 PM. Both programs are open to all. Following are the Before & After Care rates:
Before Care Information
After Care Information
5. What extra-curricular activities are offered at Bishop McHugh?
Extra-curricular activities include Soccer, Cross Country, Basketball, Baseball/ Track, Cheerleading, Team Mercy, Yearbook, Lego, Theatre, and Chess, among others. Summer activities are offered, too. Our 2017 STREAM Summer Camp featured STREAM through the lens of Art, Horticulture, and Robotics, and our 2018 PreK Summer Camp expanded two-fold and enjoyed the spacious classrooms and outdoor playground.
6. What sets Bishop McHugh apart?
Ice Cream Social • Family Fun Night • Color Splash Fun Run • Grants Committee • "Green Thumbs" Gardening Committee • A Beautiful STREAM Garden • Halloween Tailgate • School Plays (for Grades K, 1 & 2 and Grades 3, 4, & 5) • High-Quality School Musical Production in the Spring for Grades 6/7/8 • 6th through 8th Grade Dances • Christmas Movie Day • Breakfast with Santa • Independent Consultant Showcase • Pep Rallies • Ongoing Community Outreach Programs, Including Food Drives & Team Mercy Outreach Activities • Catholic Schools Week • Monthly Liturgies • Polar Bear Walk for Autism • Dr. Seuss Day • STREAM Fair • Casino Night • Golf Outing • May Procession • Field Day • Strong Active PATH Organization (Parents, Administrators, Teachers working in Harmony) • Grandparents Guild/ Involvement • School Safety Team • Father Daughter Dance • Fruit of the Spirit Awards (Monthly) • Community Service • Smart Boards with Top-of-the-Line SMART Projectors in All Classrooms • Various, Innovative Curricular Initiatives • Highlights posted Daily (& Often Twice Daily) to Facebook!! • Scholarships & Award Presented to 8th Grade Students at Graduation


text: We are very excited to be part of this great Kensington tradition. Come and see us for pies and sausage rolls and a little bit of literary information on the great Australian and New Zealand authors and poets. We will be located on the corner of Howard and Amory Avenues.


text:
Quick Links: Tour Times | Directions | Events | Contact Us
I remember as a young child wondering about the impacts of our emissions. Ever since then, the people around me have, at some point or another, ended up in discussions relating to this topic.
So it might come as a bit of a surprise that when the idea of doing an exhibit on carbon was first suggested, I did not think we should do it. Even further, as I began the initial research and planning for the exhibit, I still did not believe this was what we should be doing.
The reason was simple - how could we? How could we manage to either do an exhibit which properly addressed carbon emissions or do an exhibit which did not talk about carbon emissions? What could we bring to the table which provided something new, something thought provoking, something worth doing?
Add to this the expectations, real or perceived, of colleagues, and the result was a feeling of 'doomed to fail'. For most of this exhibit's development cycle, I felt as if no matter how this exhibit unfolded, it was going to be a disaster.
About half way through the development cycle I stated that if I could I would scrap everything done to date and start over, but there was not enough time for that. Even at that point the exhibit's opening date already had to be shifted back a few weeks.
Yet not thought about through this entire process was how this exhibit was, in some small way, a culmination of those childhood thoughts regarding emissions, waste, and how we treat the planet. Building on top of this are the more the complex thoughts around our economic and social models.
Will this exhibit change the world? No. Will it stimulate people to think about our personal and societal relationships with the planet? Perhaps.
And perhaps that is why now, as we work on the installation of the exhibit, I am still haunted by the end product. It is in this I must remind myself to step back and allow the exhibit to be whatever it will be for our visitors. For if I do not, I will suffer the feeling that through this exhibit and everything associated with it, that I have not accomplished anything at all, and that is a bitter pill to swallow.
Trackbacks ( 0 ) | Permalink
Track Back Link: http://www.britanniaminemuseum.ca/BlogRetrieve.aspx?BlogID=11866&PostID=645256&A=Trackback
Track Backs: Post has no trackbacks.


text:
I&M Senior Writer
�Nantucket Memorial Airport is among more than 100 transportation hubs in the United States that could be brought to a standstill by the looming threat of the government�s so-called fiscal cliff: across-the-board cuts in federal spending known as sequestration.
The Federal Aviation Administration, which funds and staffs the airport control tower on the island, might be forced to slash more than $1 billion from its budget if Democrats and Republicans fail to compromise on a debt deal before Jan. 2, 2013, the deadline after which billions in automatic cuts and tax increases would kick in.
The Center for American Progress, a Democratic think tank, published a report last month that identified Nantucket Memorial Airport among 106 airports that could lose air-traffic control service if sequestration comes to pass. The report suggested the FAA cuts would fall largely on the shoulders of small to medium-sized aviation hubs like Nantucket�s airport.
To read the full story, check out the print edition of The Inquirer and Mirror, or register for the I&M's online edition by clicking here.
Reach Jason Graziadei at firstname.lastname@example.com
For up-to-the-minute information on Nantucket's breaking news, boat and plane cancellations, weather alerts, sports and entertainment news, deals and promotions at island businesses and more, Sign up for Inquirer and Mirror text alerts. Click Here.
Follow us on Facebook!��� Or Twitter!


text:
Our Services
See the range of services we provide below, please click on the title which will take you through to the page where you will get more information. If you have any queries, please click here to make contact with us, or call us on 01355 221428.
Eye Test
Everyone is entitled to a free eye examination, we offer appointments 6 days per week.
Contact Lens
We can fit both soft and hard lenses to cater for all types of prescriptions.
Home Visits
We can provide house visits for those unable to come to our practice.
Hearing Services
We arrange for a fully qualified audiologist to screen and assess your hearing.


text:
EXL120+, with its 9.5 gauge high E, is the ideal "step up" string set for players who are moving up from 9 to 10 gauge sets. Additionally, it's great for balancing tension between various scale length guitars. If you play 9s on a 25 1/2" scale guitar, try EXL120+ for your shorter scale length instruments to maintain more consistent feel and playability.
XL Nickel Wound, D'Addario's most popular electric guitar strings, are precision wound with nickelplated steel onto a carefully drawn, hexagonally shaped, high carbon steel core. The result, strings with long lasting, distinctive bright tone and excellent intonation, is ideal for the widest variety of guitars and musical styles.
D'Addario, the world's largest manufacturer of musical instrument strings, is known as The Players Choice with a reputation for unsurpassed quality and consistency. D'Addario's innovative, environmentally friendly packaging reduces waste and provides protection from corrosion. All D'Addario strings are manufactured in the U.S.A. using proprietary, digitally controlled, state-of-the-art machinery for unmatched performance, set after set.
- "Plus" gauge for improving hand strength, an alternate feel or balancing tension between guitars
- String Gauges: Plain Steel .0095, .0115, .016, Nickel Wound .024, .034, .044
- Round wound with nickelplated steel for distinctive bright tone
- Environmentally friendly, corrosion resistant packaging for strings that are always fresh
- Made in the U.S.A. for the highest quality and performance
See It In Action
Hear It In Action
Read About It
25 Years of Rock'n'Roll: The PMT TimelineSeptember 1, 2016Read Article
We constantly monitor our competitors' prices to ensure that we're the best. However if you do find it cheaper, you can request an instant price match during opening hours by completing the form below.
*Please note that Terms & Conditions apply to Price Match - Must be a UK-based seller with the item In Stock, and is not available in conjunction with Finance or other Offers*


text:
Commercial REITs – NEC
A blind person can listen to this lecture on playing the piano an derive some information that will help them to learn how to play piano by hearing and by feel. By being familiar and having a feel for the black keys on the piano, the blind person can then have an orientation to the white keys.
I have nine lessons for the blind on my website. If you have a text reader on your computer, then you can determine where the audio links are on this website. CLICK here for the LINK.


text:
Santa's Reindeer Throw (Woven), by Christmas. Fashioned by artisanal loom weavers, this cozy and soft throw will add instant warmth, color, and texture to any room. Features Santa riding in his sleigh, pulled by his reindeer in shimmery gold stenciling on white woven fabric.
Note: Special Order Item (not stocked in-house) - Ships in 1-2 weeks.


text:
Your 9 year old daughter is being bullied. You repeatedly tell the school it is happening. The school does nothing about it.
What do you do then?
Well, here, via Nicole Darrah's article at Fox News, is what Ms. Sarah Sims did…and what happened because of it:
A Virginia mother has reportedly been charged with a felony after putting a recording device in her daughter's backpack to catch alleged bullying.
Sarah Sims put a digital recorder into her 9-year-old daughter's backpack in September in an attempt to obtain proof that she was being bullied at Ocean View Elementary School in Norfolk and to show that no one was helping her daughter, WAVY-TV reported.
"If I'm not getting an answer from you what am I left to do?" Sims said of trying to take action on her own, noting the school didn't respond to her repeated calls and emails.
Sims' recorder was found, and her daughter was reportedly moved to another classroom. A month later, Sims was charged with felony use of device to intercept oral communication and misdemeanor contributing to the delinquency of a minor, according to WAVY. With the charge, Sims could face five years in prison.
Ocean View Elementary School nor the Norfolk School District were immediately available for comment. Ocean View, however, told WAVY that they couldn't comment on the pending investigation.
A preliminary hearing for Sims is reportedly scheduled for Jan. 18.
How dare they charge this woman, this concerned mother, with a crime for trying to protect her daughter?
How dare they do anything but apologize profusely for allowing the bullying to continue even after repeatedly being told about it? For looking the other way?
How dare they not come forward and explain themselves, instead of trying to punish the mother of a 9 year old who feared for her child's welfare. Isn't concern for children's welfare what the school is supposed to be worried about?
Personally, I hope the charges against Sarah Sims are summarily dismissed…and that the responsible parties at Ocean View Elementary School are forced to explain and defend their actions.
If they can show Ms. Sims is being dishonest or exaggerating the situation, so be it.
But common sense tells me that's not the case. She did not put a recorder in her child's backpack to chronicle bullying that wasn't taking place. Nor would the school finally, after this came to light, move her child to a different class for something that wasn't happening.
My expectation is that the faculty members involved here will do whatever they can to avoid having to answer for this. And, given the circumstances, I don't blame them a bit.
But Sarah Sims, and every other bullied child at Ocean View Elementary School who was, or will be, ignored this way (can anyone seriously believe she's the only one), deserve more.


text:
From Irish Pedigrees; or the Origin and Stem of the Irish Nation, by John O'Hart
DONOGH, the youngest brother of Dermod, who is No. 122 on the "O'Brien" (Marquis of Thomond) pedigree, was the ancestor of this branch of that family:
122. Donogh; the third son of Murrough, the first Earl of Thomond; d. 1582. His father assigned to him the Castles and lands of Dromoland, Leamanagh, Ballyconnelly, Corcumroe, etc.; m. Slaine, dau. of John MacNamara Fionn, of Crathloe, and had one son and two daughters:
I. Connor, of whom presently.
I. Margaret.
II. Finola, who m. Uaithne O'Loughlin, of Moyrin, in Clare.
123. Connor (who d. in 1603), of Leamanagh: son of Donogh; m. Slaine, dau. of Sir Turlogh O'Brien, of Dough Castle, and had a son:
124. Donogh (2), who was knighted by King Charles I, and who d. in 1634. This Donogh m. Honoria, dau. of Richard Wingfield, an ancestor of the Viscounts Powerscourt, and had three sons and one daughter:
I. Connor, of whom presently.
II. Donogh, of Tobbermaile.
III. Murrough, who m. Hannah, dau. of his kinsman Turlogh O'Brien of Cluonan, and had a son named Teige.
I. Margaret, who m. Turlogh, son of Teige O'Brien of Dromore.
125. Connor (2), of Leamanagh, who d. 1651: the eldest son of Donogh; m. Mary (Marie Rua), dau. of Sir Turlogh MacMahon, and had two sons and two daughters:
I. Sir Donogh, of whom presently.
II. Teige, who m. the dau. of Captain Edward Fitzgerald, of Carrigowrane.
I. Honoria, who married Donogh O'Brien, of Dough.
II. Mary, who m. Donogh MacNamara.
|Leamanagh Castle
|Marie Rua nee MacMahon
|Sir Donogh O'Brien 1st Baronet
126. Sir Donogh, of Leamanagh and Dromoland: son of Connor; d. 1717. Was created a Baronet on the 9th of Nov., 1686. He was twice married: first, to Lucia, dau. of Sir George Hamilton, by whom he had a son Lucius, of whom presently; and secondly, to Eliza, dau. of Major Deane, by whom he had:
II. Henry.
I. Honoria.
II. Elizabeth.
|Dromoland Castle
127. Lucius: son of Sir Donogh by his first marriage; d. (before his father) in 1717; m. Catherine, dau. of Thomas Keightley, of Hertfordshire, and had two sons and two daughters:
I. Sir Edward, of whom presently.
II. Thomas.
I. Anne.
II. Lucia.
|Sir Edward O'Brien, 2nd Baronet
128. Sir Edward, of Dromoland, M.P.: son of Lucius; was the second Baronet; d. 1765. Sir Edward m. Mary, dau. of Hugh Hickman, of Fenloe, and had:
I. Sir Lucius‑Henry, of whom presently.
II. Donogh.
III. Edward.
I. Henrietta.
II. Anne.
III. Mary.
IV. Catherine, who m. Charles MacDonnell, of New Hall, near Ennis.
V. Lucia.
|Sir Lucius O'Brien, 3rd Baronet
129. Sir Lucius‑Henry, of Dromoland, M.P., the third Baronet: son of Sir Edward; d. 1795; m., in 1768, Nichola, dau. of Robert French, of Monivea Castle, in the co. Galway, M.P., and had:
I. Sir Edward, of whom presently.
II. Lucius.
III. Robert.
IV. Donogh.
V. Henry.
I. Nichola.
II. Henrietta.
III. Catherine.
IV. Lucy.
V. Anna‑Maria.
VI. Charlotte.
|Sir Edward O'Brien, 4th Baronet
130. Sir Edward, of Dromoland, the fourth Baronet, who d. in 1837; son of Sir Lucius‑Henry; m. in 1799, Charlotte, dau. of William Smith, of Cahirmoyle, Newcastle West, in the county Limerick, and had:
I. Sir Lucius, of whom presently.
II. William Smith O'Brien, M.P. (b. 17th Oct., 1803; d. 18th June, 1864), heir to the estates of his maternal grandfather William Smith; the "Wallace" of his country, who, on the 19th Sept., 1832, m. Lucy‑Caroline (d. 13th June, 1861), eldest dau. of Joseph Gabbett, Esq., of Limerick, and, besides a daughter Charlotte‑Grace (living in 1887), the good and philanthropic Miss C. G. O'Brien, of Emigration fame in Ireland, had Edward‑William, J.P., (b. 23rd Jan., 1837, and living in 1887), of Cahirmoyle, co. Limerick. William Smith O'Brien d. in Wales, but his remains were brought to Ireland and interred at Rathronan, co. Limerick.
III. Edward.
IV. Robert.
V. Henry.
Sir Edward's daughters were:
I. Granna (or Grace).
II. Anne.
III. Harriet.
IV. Catherine.
V. Leney.
|Sir Lucius O'Brien, 5th Baronet
131. Sir Lucius, of Dromoland, the fifth Baronet, and thirteenth Baron of Inchiquin: son of Sir Edward; b. 1800, d. 1872; m. twice: first, Mary, dau. of William Fitzgerald, Esq., of Adelphi, co. Clare, by whom he had one son and three daughters:
I. Edward‑Donogh, of whom presently.
I. Juliana‑Cecilia, b. 1839.
II. Charlotte‑Anne, b. 1840.
III. Mary‑Grace, b. 1848.
Sir Lucius was secondly m. (on 25th Oct., 1854) to Louisa, dau. of James Finucane, Esq.
132. Edward Donogh O'Brien, of Dromoland, the sixth Baronet, and the fourteenth "Baron Inchiquin": son of Sir Lucius; b. 1837; living in 1887.
|Sir Edward O'Brien, 6th Baronet


text:
This section includes a collection of suicide prevention resources for people in the suicide prevention sector, as well as those working in mental health, government, business and community groups.
Resources listed are accessed at the user's discretion and are not endorsed by Life in Mind. Read the Life in Mind disclaimer.
A comparison of multi-component systems approaches to suicide prevention
The Journal of Australasian Psychiatry published work by Black Dog Institute researchers, comparing LifeSpan to other suicide prevention models internationally.
About the Black Dog Institute
ATSISPEP Publications
beyondblue online forums
Online forums providing space to ask questions, share experiences and support with other users.
beyondblue Support Services
A website with information linking to one-on-one confidential support services (via phone, online chat and email) with a trained mental health professional who provides information and advice and points participants in the right direction for further support.
BeyondNow – Your suicide safety planning app
The BeyondNow suicide safety planning app allows people to create a structured plan (ideally with the support form a health professional or someone whom is trusted), that participants can used when experiencing suicidal thoughts, feelings, distress or crisis.
BeyondNow videos
A series of videos about the BeyondNow- Your suicide safety planning app.
Black Dog Institute Fact Sheets
Black Dog Institute provides a range of free factsheets and resources to educate people about mental health research and treatments. These cover such topics as: depression, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, workplace mental health, adolescents and young people's mental health, suicide prevention, e-mental health, positive psychology and wellbeing.
blueVoices is a beyondblue reference group for people who have personal experience of anxiety, depression or suicide, or support someone who does. blueVoices is open to anyone over the age of 16 in Australia with this experience.
Care After a Suicide Attempt report
Researchers from Black Dog Institute prepared this report for the National Mental Health Commission. The report investigates the response of health services to people who had previously made a suicide attempt, aiming to provide a better understanding of what support people currently receive, how helpful or otherwise these services are, and the barriers to improvement.


text:
|Message view
|« Date » · « Thread »
|« Date » · « Thread »
|"Hairong Kuang (JIRA)" <j...@apache.org>
|[jira] Updated: (HDFS-543) Break FSDatasetInterface#writeToBlock() into writeToTemporary, writeToRBW, and append
|Mon, 24 Aug 2009 22:40:59 GMT
[ https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/HDFS-543?page=com.atlassian.jira.plugin.system.issuetabpanels:all-tabpanel ] Hairong Kuang updated HDFS-543: ------------------------------- Attachment: writeToReplica.patch This patch 1. replaces writeToBlock by append, writeToTemporary, and writeToRbw to FSDatasetInterface and implements these 3 APIs in both FSDataset and SimulatedFSDataset. 2. Changes ReplicaInPipeline to make sure that each replica has only one writer. 3. When DataNode starts, replicas under tmp are removed. 4. Starting from this patch, any replicas created by a client are initially placed under rbw sbudir and are loaded as RWR (ReplicaWaitingToBeRecovered) at DataNode startup time. RWR replicas are sent as part of block reports. Finalized & RWR are not distinguished in a block report for now. > Break FSDatasetInterface#writeToBlock() into writeToTemporary, writeToRBW, and append > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Key: HDFS-543 > URL: https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/HDFS-543 > Project: Hadoop HDFS > Issue Type: Sub-task > Components: data-node > Affects Versions: Append Branch > Reporter: Hairong Kuang > Assignee: Hairong Kuang > Fix For: Append Branch > > Attachments: writeToReplica.patch > > > FSDatasetInterface#writeToBlock() currently allows to create/recover a temporary replica, create/recover a RBW replica, or append to a replica. The implementation of the method in FSDataset is very complicated and error prone. I'd like to break this method into 3: > 1. writeToTemporary allows to create a Temporary replica or recover from a packet error for a Tempoary replica; > 2. writeToRBW allows to create a RBW replica or recover from a packet error for a RBW replica; > 3. append allows to append to an existing Finalized replica. -- This message is automatically generated by JIRA. - You can reply to this email to add a comment to the issue online.
|View raw message


text:
These couple years, persons have a tendency to use the wallpaper gallery home design with simple wooden and six black leather chairs also charming wooden floor and white floor lamps open-plan plan. It truly is fantastic furniture inspiring furniture ideas with glass top and six white leather chairs plus awesome beige carpet but with every place visible, modest error might be a problem. Designers come with more imaginative idea room decoration in colonial style design with striped wall room and white window also red curtain and wooden ellipse plus beautiful vase flower also awesome dining chair format inspirations using the several tournaments of small space planning tips recently. Below are a few in their discovery creations.
Instead of ideas rustic table set design with unique wooden natural also wooden bench and yellow vase flower with charming wooden floor utilizing stand rack as part or partition kitchen experiencing the living room, they have the bed over a restroom with excellent simple dining room ideas with and white leather chair also beautiful white pendant lamp plus wooden cabinet with three table lamps and frame mirror in wall and the staircase to the only-chair living of outfits drawer leads room. Browse more striking ideas elegant design with appealing round wooden and gorgeous green vase flower also six wooden chair with beige padded to sit and charming wooden floor at white room also beige carpet patterned on small condo design with us and flood yourselves with tips that are amazing!
Elegant Design For Dining Table Ideas not only contains an image like shown above, 20 more pictures also included such as interior design ideas style homes with simple charming wooden with metal and two wooden, wallpaper gallery home design with simple wooden and six black leather chairs also charming wooden floor and white floor lamps, and centerpiece ideas as best choice design with wooden round and beautiful vase flower also eight beige fabric chairs plus gray carpet in charming wooden floor.
Dining Room Room Interior And Decorating Ideas With White Leather Chairs And Wooden Table Captivating Also Beautiful Vase Flower And Beautiful White Pendant Lamp Also Circles Rug Motif Modern Image Data
File Name : dining-room-room-interior-and-decorating-ideas-with-white-leather-chairs-and-wooden-table-captivating-also-beautiful-vase-flower-and-beautiful-white-pendant-lamp-also-circles-rug-motif-modern
File Path : diningroom-dining-room-room-interior-and-decorating-ideas-with-white-leather-chairs-and-wooden-table-captivating-also-beautiful-vase-flower-and-beautiful-white-pendant-lamp-also-circles-rug-motif-mode.jpg
Resolution : 1164 x 900
Friday, 13th
categories : dining table ideas for a small table, decor ideas, dining table ideas for trailer, dining, table, ideas, for, a, small, table, decor, ideas, dining, table, ideas, for, trailer


text:
Macrovision Sells Off TV Guide Network For Up To $300 Million; Shocker: Also Sells Online — Macrovision (NSDQ: MVSN) is almost done with most of its dispositions, and after selling off its TV Guide magazine for $1 to OpenGate Capital, is getting considerably more for the namesake TV network and the online part: it has sold off TV Guide Network to Allen Shapiro and One Equity Partners for about $255 million, plus up to an additional $45 million earnout payable through 2012. The surprise part: after professing love for TVGuide.com network (which includes jumptheshark.com, tv-now.com, tvshowsondvd.com and fansofrealitytv.com) for the last couple of quarters, it is now washing its hands off it, and bundled it as part of this TV network sale. The deal is expected to close on April 1 next year. One Equity Partners is the $8 billion PE arm of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. Shapiro was most recently president of entertainment management firm Mosaic Media Group and CEO of Dick Clark Productions (DCP). Shapiro facilitated the leveraged buyout of DCP and became CEO of the company in 2004.
iB3 Networks Goes Social: Buys Entertainment Community And Online Dating Site — Web-hosting firm and online network iB3 Networks (OTC BB:IBNW) is adding a pair of social media properties to its roster: Plugmeister.com, an online community where entertainers can upload and sell their video and audio clips, and MadisonAvenueMatch.com, an online dating service slated to launch in early 2009. iB3 will acquire MGV Communications, parent company of Plugmeister, in an all-stock deal, though the price was undisclosed. According to Eric Schmidt, IB3's CEO, the site separates itself from other social nets because it gives artists a place to sell their content directly—not just promote it.


text:
It's no wonder why they start selling Halloween size packs of candy as early as August/September now. They are counting on people hoping to be organised and buy early. I am guilty as well. Buy a box of chocolate bars…
- Listen Live
- Information
- Personalities & Shows
- Music, News & Entertainment
- Connect


text:
1. Knowledge:The first reason to use a professional pest exterminator is that he will use the right product for the specific pest that's infesting your business or home. Half the battle is won by knowing exactly what pest is the culprit and what product to use. For example, ants aren't just ants, and different species need different products and different applications.
2. Risk: Pesticides can put your health at risk, as well as the health of your family and the health of the environment. Exterminators are not only trained how to use pesticides safely, but they are also regulated by national and state laws, which help protect non-targeted animals from being exposed to insecticides.
3. Identification: Maybe you are not sure exactly what pest is bothering you? A professional exterminator can quickly identify what it is – sometimes just by looking at the 'mysterious' bite.
4. Prevention: An exterminator will have a wealth of knowledge about the prevention of future infestations. He will give you valuable advice on what you can do to prevent roaches, ants, termites, bees, rodents, and more.
5. Other Services: These days, many pest control companies offer extra services that may be of interest to you. These often include lawn care, shrub care and weed control. This means that you can use one trustworthy company for all of these things without the hassle of having to interview other potential candidates.
At Total Pest Solutions, we offer the most technologically advanced and convenient residential and commercial services available today. Our treatments are odorless and pet-friendly. For a free estimate in the Lakeland, Florida area, please contact us.


text:
If Nintendo has proved anything in recent years, it's that they have the skill and talent to develop games for any genre. When the third person shooter Splatoon came out on the Wii U back in 2015, it seemed so left of field for Nintendo, but it blew me away with how ridiculously fun and replayable it was.
Two years later, Nintendo are trying their hand at the fighting genre with ARMS, a 3D fighter which takes boxing to a whole new level. Just like Splatoon, it has so much style, is as fun as it looks and replayability is at its core.


text:
Think Big - Sales and Marketing - Swiss Medica Inc.
Mirror the major players' marketing strategies to stay competitive
By JULIE CHANG I Sales and Maketing Management - October 2005
When Tom Quinn was hired by bioscience firm Swiss Medica Inc. last year to lead a marketing push for its natural, topical pain-relief product, O24 Pain Neutralizer, his goal was to get people to see it as an alternative to pain pills.
"Consumers know real efficacy is in the oral section [of drugstores], while topical is for minor relief," says Quinn, executive vice president in West Chester, Pennsylvania, for Toronto-based Swiss Medica. "So we said, 'Let's place it where people look for serious pain relief: the oral analgesic section.'"
Although Swiss Medica is dwarfed by its pharmaceutical competitors, the company knew it had to adapt their marketing techniques to grab mindshare, using clinical-trial data and feedback from sampling campaigns (to such groups as pharmacists, senior-citizen communities, and health-advocacy groups) to prove product strength.
"Virtually no other topical pain reliever has a sampling program," Quinn says. "It was an instant way to get our product out there, and it says a lot about your self-confidence." These efforts would help convince drugstore buyers to stock O24 in, or near, the pain-pill section.
The clinical data was a convincing part of the pitch, but Swiss Medica also used other strategies to win them over, such as packaging a version for fibromyalgia (a condition not commonly addressed by pain medication), and pitching to buyers near the time that they reset their aisles--which could aid their decision to change O24's placement.
The first large U.S. retailer to sell O24 is Rite Aid Corporation, which started in May; CVS followed in June. Quinn estimates that more than half of stores carrying O24 now place it in, or adjacent to, the oral pain-relief section. "We're going to monitor the results to see how much of a difference [placement] really makes," Quinn says. "But so far, we've received the support of the retailer, and proved our product really delivers." --Julia Chang


text:
A close friend of mine recently sent me a link of an epic fail on the Crystal Maze, something which was so catastrophic and hilarious that I never thought that I would see it repeated in the near future. It really is worth a look
Nonetheless, my doubts about seeing another embarrassment were banished almost instantaneously with the completely ridiculous capitulation by the Samba Boys against our European neighbours, those oh so canny Germans
I am sure that everyone has already trudged through the now obligatory post mortem and this apparently is the most tweeted about a sports match in Twitter history. Numbers of other jokes and comments have also been passed around the internet at an exponential rate so I will intersperse my favourites throughout my musings on the catastrophe in the Estadio Mineirao.
I was watching the game in a local pub with a couple of mates and we were commenting on how fierce and passionate the Brazilian players were had been in each game so far during the national anthem so much so that the players had often been reduced to tears. Expecting the same again, I looked up at the TV to see the same shenanigans going on, only this time I was astonished to see that Neymar had died! I thought the poor bastard had just broken his back but when I saw that Luiz and Cesar were holding his shirt aloft I realised that he must have passed away on the same day. I'm not entirely sure how this did not make bigger news. Either way, the home fans seemed to be in buoyant mood and ready to banish their memories of that World Cup Final defeat in 1950 to Uruguay (boy oh boy they probably wished they hadn't ask for that event to be forgotten).
- "The most embarrassing semi since I went to to see Brokeback mountain with my Dad"
The game started fairly slow paced with nothing really between the teams until a well worked set piece gave the Germans a lead via the irrepressible Thomas Muller, many people's outside bet for top scorer. Whatever people think of him, you cannot help but admire his talent. I for one, like the fact he doesn't "look" like a modern day footballer. He looks a little bit like Steve Claridge, with his unorthodox style and socks often around his ankles and I also find that he does not know how to celebrate either pretty amusing. I think its fair to say you won't be getting any choreographed celebrations from this chap
- "The clean up to this one is going to take longer than Chernobyl" (this one is mine, sorry for the self love)
However, what was to happen in the next 30 minute was staggering beyond belief. Being a WBA fan, I have seem some capitulations in my time but I have come to expect it. This on the other hand was pretty unforeseeable. A well worked goal allowed Miroslav Klose to double the lead before further calamitous defending from Luiz and Fernandinho allowed Kroos and Khedira to join the party and send the home fans into tears and the Germans into raptures
- "Even Oscar Pistorius has a better defence than the Brazilians"
At this point, I am pretty sure that no one was entirely sure what was going on although I would imagine that at this point Alan Hansen must have thought that all his Christmases had come at once. The guy was probably having a fit at half time. I can just imagine him now saying to Gary Lineker at half time "We've only got 15 minutes? I've got enough coverage here for a week!"
The way the Brazilians folded like a pack of cards was pretty unforgivable if you ask me. It's one thing to get beaten but to lose by just giving up is serving a major injustice to your fans and country alike. We've all been through a dry spell at various times but I think even the most inept of us could have scored against this set of players. No tracking back, jumping out of tackles, turning your back to the ball and wandering completely out of position are what this Brazlian team are to be known for.
Queue half time then. Never has the phrase "if this was a boxing match, it would have been stopped a long time ago" ever been more appropriate.
- "Last time I saw a Brazilian get f*cked by so many Germans was on Pornhub"
The 2nd half was slightly more respectable but by there were still further goals to follow including an absolutely fabulous strike from Schurrle which really put the icing on the cake. Oscar finally bagged a late consolation but by this time half the fans had probably already left to join the riots outside the stadium. In fact, the fans probably wished that the stadium had actually collapsed, much like a lot of people were anticipating prior to the World Cup
Now first things first, I would like to comment on some of the rather now spurious and lazy comments from pundits and such like that the Germans were devastatingly "efficient" in their execution. I'm surprised some people did not just add in that they were "just following orders to devastating effect". The truth is, this wasn't efficiency, this was world class football of the highest order and due credit should have been given. Admittedly, they were up against a compete and utter shambles but you can only admire the way they sliced through the Brazilian defence time after time with some brilliant passing and movement. If ever there was an archetypal Brazil-type performance then the Germans produced it. A far cry from their match up in the 2002 Final, the tables had well and truly turned last night which is a credit to the way the Germans have revamped their footballing style over the last 10 years or so. The heat map below confirms their dominance in yesterday's proceedings.
On a lighter note, I actually commented in the pub that they would have to put the word "seven" in brackets as per the old Videprinter days and then low and behold the BBC actually did this exact thing, great scenes! Not sure if they were they were themselves being serious or if they were taking the p*ss.
So what now for the Brazilians? With the memories of the 1950 World Cup final now possibly vanquished forever , this set of fans and players will be scarred for life almost certainly. One way forward could be for the players to change their kit again, and it would be argued that with the way they surrendered they should perhaps switch back to wearing all white although I would imagine its unlikely this will happen. It's likely that they may have sweeping reforms across the game in order to bring back the type of football that they were renowned for.
Anyway, it looks like the Argentina game is heading for penalties so I am going to focus my attentions on that. I will leave the final say on the Brazil Vs Germany to Mr Ron Burgundy


text:
I found that if microwaved the fresh tomatoes for about 5 minutes I got more juice from them.
Hook up your Squeezo Strainer to the counter/table and get to work!
Year ago, (20?) we were brave and hooked the drill to the crank and we've never gone back! It rocks!
You just hold the trigger down a little if you want the juice in the pan and not all over everywhere...
One bowl of tomatoes gave me 4 qts of juice.
I have three 2 qt jars that I used this year. I dusted off my math skills and was able to figure out (all by myself!) that if you use 2T of lemon juice in 1 qt jar, I should use 2T in 2 qt jar. YAY for my rockin' math skills!
To prevent splatter mess, put a big ol' sheet or drop cloth down to just cover your "stuff." Also, the drill drips a bit so just throw a rag down. If you do this before you begin, you don't have near the mess to clean up. Lesson learned...
Push the tomatoes down the funnel while pressing the trigger:
I canned 21 qts and 1 pint of tomato juice. It will separate and not look pretty when you are done canning. That's okay! IT'S NORMAL! If you want it to be together, just give it a shake when right before you open it. If you're adding it to a soup or stew, it doesn't matter.
So, be brave and hook up the drill and never hand crank again!


text:
His passion for EDM has been growing up for years and after a few months, after beginning to DJ, he started producing music using Fruity Loops Studio. He've been always organizing all the music, the networks and the people on Albino3 and after a year, he changed Albino's face naming it Chase and starting growing the dream of a professional Career. Right now Inertia is menaging and promoting the young group of chase and producing music. His genres are Dubstep, electro, glitch hop and Drum & Bass.
Click to go to his private Youtube Channel


text:
Area: 15,880 sq.km
Population: 249,000 inhabitants composed of numerous ethnic groups, including Thai Phuan, Hmong, Khmu and Tai Dam.
Topography: Xieng Khouang topography is largely mountainous, surrounded by mountain ranges. Apart from floodplains, the largest area of level land in the country is located in the province's Xiangkhouang Plateau. This area is characterized by rolling hills and grassland whose altitude averages 1,300 m. The country's highest peak, Phou Bia 2,820 m, rises at the southern side of the plateau, while the Plain of Jars is in the plateau's center.
Administrative organization: 8 districts
Climate: Xieng Khouang has humid subtropical climate mildened by its high altitude (1,100 m) with long, warm and wet summers and short, dry winters. Average June temperature is 23.60C, average December (the coldest month) temperature is 14.80C.
Sights of interest
Most of the province's landscape consists of steep mountains and green hills. Xiengkhouang Province offers the awesome beauty of high mountains and rugged karst formations.
Xieng Khouang is home to the Plain of Jars, the prehistoric stone megaliths which attract thousands of tourists to the province each year. The Lao government is currently finalising an application for the World Heritage Committee to consider listing the Plain of Jars as a World Heritage Monument. Until briefly after World War II, the French used Xieng Khouang Town, present-day Muang Khoun town, as their provincial capital. A few ruinous colonial public buildings remain to this day, such as the governor's residence, church and French school.
A total of 63 tourist sites were recorded in Xieng Khouang in 2010, consisting of 32 natural sites, 18 cultural sites and 13 historical sites.
+ Phonsavan, capital of Xieng Khouang province, has a population of 37,507 and the name Phonsavan roughly translates as 'hills of paradise'. Built during the 1970s, Phonsavan has picturesque countryside full of green hillsides and forests of pine trees. It replaced Muang Khoun which used to be known as Xieng Khoung which was ravaged during the Second War of Indochina. The colourful houses in the villages here are made from wood. Cattle raising provides a livelihood for the locals in this region. One can often see Hmong cowboys dressed in violet-and-brown attire complete with hats. New Year's Day here is celebrated with bullfighting.
Bull fight at New Year's Day at Muang Khuon
+ Mulberries Organic Silk Farm
Xieng Khouang province has always been synonymous with fine Laotian silk, the tradition of which dates back for centuries. Mulberries Organic Silk Farm, in the Phonsavan District of Xieng Khouang Province, is an establishment that aims to promote silk production as a way to generate income to families in surrounding areas while preserving the vanishing art of Laotian weaving.
This non-profit company grows their own chemical-free mulberry trees supplying leaves to raise silk worms for four months, after which their silk cocoon is collected and reeled. The dyeing process that follows makes use of indigenous plants (such as indigo, jackfruit, and tamarind), which produce deep and rich colours.
Once the thread is spun, village women take it home to weave in their spare time. The silk farm then buys back the finished products to sell in their gift shops here and in Vientiane. Prior to that, the women attend workshops and learn how to make and use natural dyes, and the complex art of incorporating traditional designs into their creations.
Visitors can view all the silk making process right here in the house. Mulberries gift shop features beautiful plain silk scarves in a variety of rich colours, patterned throws and cushion covers and fabrics by the metre. Some patterns and home furnishing fabrics can be ordered.
Mulberry tree Silk work cocoon
+ The Plain of Jars is considered the most famous and enigmatic site in Xieng Khouang province. The large area around Phonsavan is dotted with stone jars but no one has a clear idea as to why they are there.
The mysterious jars were carved from both sandstone and granite in various sizes from very small to about 3.5 metres high and are thought to be more than 2,000 years old. Legend has it that they were made to store rice wine while some believe they were for storing the dead. Until today the function of the jars is still disputed.
The three most popular jar sites to visit are Site 1, 2 and 3. The main reason is because they are safe from UXO (unexploded ordinance). Still, visitors are advised to walk only on the known routes as Laos is considered the most heavily bombed country in the world. During the Vietnam War this area got hit hard and some of the bombs did not go off.
• Site 1, about 8km southwest of Phonsavan, is where the biggest jar is located and has nearly 331 jars.
• Site 2, 20km south of Phonsavan, contains about 93 jars spread over two hills
• Site 3, made up of 8 groups and is located around the village of Ban Xieng Di, around 10 km further south of site 2.The main group with some 150 jars situated on top of a scenic hill offers great views of the surrounding plain and rice paddies.
Plain of Jars
+ Muang Khuon (Old Xieng Khouang), located 30 km southeast of Phonsavan, was once the Royal Capital and the centre of the Phuan Kingdom and was the provincial capital during French colonialism. This rural centre of faded glory was heavily bombed at the end of the 1960s and bears testimony to centuries of aggression. Once the town rivaled Luang Prabang in glory but today only few ruins remain, such as Wat Phia wat. The Phuan village of Ban Nasi is nearby and a good opportunity to cross a suspension bridge with a splendid view of lush fields and creeks. The villagers do basketry and weaving.
Ruins of Wat Phia Wat at Muang Khuon
+ Nong Tang lake, 48km from Phonsavan on Route 7 leading to Phou Khoun, is a large picturesque natural lake flanked by high limestone cliffs. Locals use it for fishing and it is a favorite picnic site. Around Nong Tang are several temple ruins of Wat Pong, Wat Xiengna and Mang Stupa dated from the Phuan Kingdom. The Tham Pa Buddha cave is also located nearby. Overnight stay is available in a guesthouse along the shore.
+ Kha Waterfall. Nestled in spectacular limestone karts this impressive waterfall run down in cascading step for more than 100 meters, alternating with sleep falls, and with abundant water flowing all year round.
+ Tad Lang Waterfall
Tad Lang is located near Jar site 3 just 700 meters off the road to Ban Nakang cascading down approximately 800 meters. To enjoy its whole beauty follow the trail down to the bottom of the valley. It's a good picnic spot, but because you must cross a river to reach it, access is difficult in the rainy season.
+ Hot springs
The big hot spring Baw Nyai, 67 km from Phonsavan, has been developed as a resort with bungalows and indoor bathing facilities. You can walk through the forest to the spring source, but swimming in the pool is not possible. The Jar Site of Ban Nam Hom is just a 2 km walk away. A little hot springs is located in Xang village, 3 km east of Muang Kham. It feeds into a stream just a few hundred meters off Route 7. In the village Tai Dam women sell their woven textiles; cross the river on a small bamboo bridge to visit the Phuan village and observe the women create the beautiful textiles. There is another hot spring nearby Nathong Village. Pass the village and follow the river for about 800 meters.
+ War Memorials
South of Phonsavan are two major war memorials set 1 km apart on separate hill tops. Both are set in the style of traditional Laos stupas (each containing the bones of the dead) although one is representative of the Vietnamese and the other the Laos lives lost. Inscribed on the Lao monument is the slogan "The nation remembers your sacrifice", erected in 1998 a nearby slab of granite has the names of all the soldiers lost inscribed on its surface. The Vietnamese war memorial has the inscription 'Lao-Vietnamese solidarity and generosity forever'. Both memorials enjoy sprawling views of the countryside and are especially attractive at sunset.
+ Ban Mixay paper umbrellas village
The village of Ban Mixay is famous for making the umbrellas (Khan Nyu) that were originally made by monks or novices at Buddhist temples. Men who were ordained into the monkhood often entered temples in villages others than those they has grown up. The umbrellas served as gift to those who come to visit. Sale of umbrellas can increase income and therefore reduce the need to carry out unsustainable farming practices or cutting down trees-practices that are destructive to the environment. Many materials used come from the forest conservation.
Mulberry paper umbrellas from Ban Mixay
+ Hmong Khaen at Ban Souamone
The mouth organ, which called qeei in Hmong language, is used for contact with spirits. It is played in the house only during funeral rite. The qeei is made up of six bamboo pieces of different lengths and diameters, passing through a wind chest made of reddish hardwood. The instrument has a long neck which tappers up from the wind chest to the brass mouthpiece.
+ Tai Dam culture Hall at Ban Xieng Kio
Ban Xieng Kio is a government-designated cultural village located about 48 km north of Phonsavan near Kham town on Route 7. The two-storey Tai Dam Culture Hall greets visitors to the village, and the traditional Tai Dam bedroom leads off the tour: a row of thin mattresses with patterned cotton sheets, square pillows, and decorated blankets on rattan mats with back mosquito nets knotted overhead.
The Hall also exhibits wooden farming tools, gadgets used for transforming raw silk and cotton in to loom-ready dyed threads, and a collection of basketry employed for different activities from cooking sticky rice to trapping fish. Items such as traditional skirts, wall hangings, table clothes, scarves, alongside baskets and shoulder bags-are sold in the village.