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MASERU, Sept 1 (Reuters) - South Africa's President Jacob Zuma was due to meet Lesotho's Prime Minister Thomas Thabane on Monday to try to resolve a political crisis in the small mountain kingdom after an apparent coup there over the weekend, a government spokesman said.
Thabane fled Lesotho for South Africa early on Saturday, hours before the army surrounded his residence and overran police stations in the capital Maseru, in what the prime minister called a coup by the military.
Lesotho's army denied seeking to oust Thabane, saying it moved against police suspected of planning to arm a political faction in the southern African nation. One policeman was shot dead and four others wounded.
The unrest stems from a power struggle between Thabane, who is supported by the police, and Deputy Prime Minister Mothetjoa Metsing, who has the loyalty of the army, diplomats said.
Tension had risen since Thabane suspended parliament in June amid feuding in the two-year-old governing coalition.
In Maseru, the atmosphere was quiet but tense on Monday after the police commissioner said soldiers had carried out further raids on police installations and even officers' homes, taking away weapons and uniforms.
Commissioner Khothatso Ts'ooana told Public Choice FM radio station that this meant police would not be able to carry out their normal duties. Police stations were deserted and some officers had fled over the border into South Africa.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) defence and security troika, which includes officials from South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe, met Thabane through the night to try to find a peaceful settlement to the crisis.
Talks were due to resume on Monday but it was not clear if Metsing, who Thabane says orchestrated the coup, would be in Pretoria to take part.
"President Zuma will meet the Lesotho prime minister this morning. It is part of the decision taken by the SADC troika on Sunday," said Nelson Kgwete, a spokesman for South Africa's Department for International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO).
"It was resolved that all parties should be consulted to find a peaceful solution," Kgwete added.
Thabane told Reuters on Saturday he had fired the army commander, Lieutenant-General Kennedy Tlali Kamoli, and appointed Brigadier Maaparankoe Mahao to replace him. But on Sunday Kamoli said he was still in charge of the military.
Lesotho, a mountainous state of two million people encircled by South Africa, has suffered a several coups since independence from Britain in 1966. At least 58 locals and eight South African soldiers died during a political stand-off and subsequent fighting in 1998, when Pretoria sent in troops.
Besides textile exports and a slice of regional customs receipts, Lesotho's other big earner is hydropower and water, both of which it supplies to neighbour South Africa.
Lesotho's massive mountain ranges that have made it a favourite of trivia fans as "the world's highest country" - its lowest point is 1,380 metres (4,528 feet) above sea level. (Additional reporting by Peroshni Govender, Pascal Fletcher and Ed Stoddard in Johannesburg; Writing by Joe Brock; Editing by Pascal Fletcher and Andrew Heavens) | {
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6 Highly Dangerous “Life Hacks” From 100 Years Ago
People these days love shortcuts. The world moves at a terrifying pace, and you can either cheat your way to the top or get left behind with the "it's not the destination, it's the journey" crowd. No one wants that. Even a century ago, our ancestors were struggling with the very same problem. And their trusty neighbourhood cigarette supplier—Gallaher's Cigarettes—was ready to answer the call.
Mental Floss recently collected ten of Gallaher's little tricks and tips, which were tucked inside packs for several years during the 1910s. Each card touted its own hack for a highly modern, highly dangerous life. Because if everyone dies from electrocution and wild dogs, who's left to keep smoking? We picked our six favourite below, but you can see the full list here. [Mental Floss via Design Taxi]
Before refrigerators, nothing kept your eggs fresh quite like a tasty salt bath. Want to spice things up? Replace the salt bath with bath salts. Last one to cannibalise their neighbour is on dish duty!
Wild dog attack? Just grab the nearest ten-foot bamboo pole. The dog in front will be distracted by the disguise while the dog in back will be distracted by your vulnerable, delicious friend. Run fast! Dogs eat quickly.
The ol' palm hickey trick. Great for getting out splinters, even better for making sure that your lady or gentleman caller knows you hold good hand.
Need to light a match in the wind? blocking with your hand is only mildly effective; it's best to increase surface area and make sure the whole thing catches fire. Bonus life hack: third degree burns are great for garnering sympathy.
Whenever you pass by a middle-aged man-about-town grabbing onto rogue telephone wires just so he can feel alive again, make sure to sneak up on him with your blanket/burlap sack from behind. Everyone loves surprises.
Make sure you filter any questionable drinking water thoroughly. Wouldn't want anything to contaminate that pure, Ogden's Cigarettes-flavored mouth we've worked so very hard to create. | {
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Tag «cleanse»
The lungs, being a major organ of the body, is responsible for oxygen intake into the body and carbon dioxide release from the body. Lung cleansing and detoxifying would help clean and flush out toxins from the respiratory linings of the lungs and bronchi. Lung cleansing and detoxifying are even more important if you just …
Nowadays, we eat a lot of processed and unhealthy foods increasing the workload of our liver. To maintain a healthy lifestyle, we should endeavor to reduce the processed food we consume and eat healthy natural foods. Here are some tips and good practices, to consider, if you want to clean and protect the liver; Include …
Below are 12 really great foods that help in naturally cleansing your lungs. Many people smoke cigarettes or are susceptible to secondary smoking. This can introduce toxins to the lungs, blacken them and make one prone to various diseases of the lungs. Here are some tips and good practices, to consider, when cleansing your lungs; …
All tips, recommendations and home remedies presented on this website are for informational purposes only and they are not meant to replace medical treatment. Consult your healthcare professional before trying any of these remedies. | {
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AuthorTopic: Anyone starting Stetson in the Spring? (Read 3831 times)
I sent my deposit today--can't wait for Jan to come around. So now the debate is do I move across the bay (I'm in Tampa now)?
Any Stetson students out there? What do you think about living near campus? Is there a huge benefit? Also just a general question--I understand that as a 1L a lot of your schedule is planned out for you but if you start in the Spring 'must' you take courses your first summer?
Werbz, I actually just started this semester as a 1L, Congrats on your acceptance. I live directly across from campus and it seems to be a very nice benefit. However, Stetson has two campuses - one in Gulfport and then the Tampa campus where a large part of the part time classes seem to be. With my schedule, at least, you are on campus for most of the day - so I dont think you would be in a position where you are communting back and forth more than once. Also, the tampa campus also has a law librairy which might benefit you since you're closer.
If you are interested in living very close to campus - the Golfview Condominium complex is directly across the street. I live there now and there are tons of FOR RENT and FOR SALE signs up. You might want to look into it.
I saw the Golfview complex and it looked pretty nice... There are lots of houses around the campus--are most of them rented by law students? That's really the only thing that was strange to me about the campus (that it seams to be located in a residential area).
The Tampa campus will be nice for me if I can get classes there. Do you know how many courses as a 1L you can take there? I heard the offerings there were not as numerous as Gulfport (understandably so). I didn't even know there was a library in Tampa. Bonus.
A friend of mine here lives in N.Tampa and is hating the drive. She is moving next week a bit closer, but still in Tampa. Somewhere near Gandy (I am not from here). I know it is right across the bridge. She thinks that will be perfect for her since most of her friends,etc. are in Tampa. I live about 3 miles from campus right in St. Pete. which is about 10min drive. So it is close enough for me. I am there pretty much all day. If you are one of those who needs the library at night, then closer would probably be better. The houses are for students, but they have a waiting list. Stetson also has dorms. I don't know how they are, but I haven't heard anything bad about them yet.
Congrats on your acceptance, I remember reading your posts on the other side of LSD. | {
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You can follow us on our Hot Babes Twitter feed, and you can follow more babes on Twitter @bullzeyedotcom. Models can submit photos to us at . Also, check out our Model Mayhem profile page if you’d like to schedule a shoot.
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Take a look at this photo of Jennifer Dark from Twistys. She could be a hot secretary or an anchorwoman on television with her pretty face a sweet attitude. She could also be cast for the role of a politician’s wife. | {
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Magician Pet Taxi Jordan
One of the greatest things in life is the companionship of a dog – but as the saying goes, the price of greatness is responsibility. You may not always have time to groom, feed or walk your dog, especially if you’re preoccupied with the demands of a hectic life. We, at Tip n’ Tag, know how that can be challenging. We’ve gathered a few places around Amman to make your life easier, and to give you the pleasure of pampering your … | {
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Pentagon: Furloughed civilians ordered back
October 6, 2013
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Pentagon is bringing back to work at least 90 percent of the estimated 350,000 defense civilian employees who were furloughed in the partial government shutdown. The move takes a big bite out of the impact of the political impasse in Washington that has left the government without a budget.
The decision announced Saturday by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is based on a Pentagon interpretation of a law called the Pay Our Military Act. That measure was passed by Congress and signed by President Barack Obama shortly before the partial government shutdown began Tuesday.
Republican lawmakers had complained in recent days that the Obama administration was slow to bring back those workers even though the law allowed it.
In a written statement explaining his action, Hagel said the Justice Department advised that the law does not permit a blanket recall of all Pentagon civilians. | {
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The inevitable decline of the US Republican party
With the election bandwagon in full swing, it becomes apparent that the number of complete religious nutters contained within the US Republican party appears to have grown. More examples have arisen, we have now had Richard Mourdock, the Republican Senate candidate in Indiana, who explained “even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to happen.”. He is not alone and is in competition with the many other daft things being pronounced by other leading lights, for example congressman Paul Broun (R-Ga.) who said the week before that evolution and the big bang theory are “lies straight from the pit of Hell.”
What are we to make of such gibberish except to simply label those making such claims as complete kooks, yet the thing that is more interesting is to ponder over is how the electorate will respond. The deeply religious love it, but there is quite clearly a growing tide of rationalism firmly rooted in the younger generation, so if the Republicans stick to their religious-driven agenda, then they face being completely wiped out … perhaps not in this coming election, but certainly in the decades to come as the older more religious pass, and a younger more rational generation rises up.
Some might wonder if a political policy that is founded on a religious basis is such a bad thing because many do equate religion with decency and morality. As a response to such thinking there is a rather good article at Religion Dispatches by Sarah Posner where she basically nails it and explains why faith-based policy-making is destructive to democracy and humanity:
We’ve become far too tolerant of religious explanations and religious excuses for public policy decisions…. But really we should be questioning why politicians are given a pass when they undergird their policy positions with God’s will.
Does God intend climate change, and the global catastrophe that will ensue if it’s left unchecked? Does God intend that some hardworking people will make a lot of money, while the slothful will stay poor, and deserve it? Does God say taxes are wrong? Does God say women should be submissive to their husbands? Does God say slavery is sometimes justified? Does God say we should all own guns? Just because some people answer “yes” to these questions doesn’t mean their interpretation of God’s intentions should dictate law and policy.
The core flaw in any backing for faith-based policies is that when you vote for those that truly believe that they know what a God wants them to do for you, you are voting for a theocratic dictatorship, and that quite frankly will never end well, history is littered with examples. Perhaps it is time to remind the US voters that their secular republic was founded by people whose ancestors fled from religious persecution, and that creating their very own variation of the same might not be such a great idea.
Personally, I have confidence that the US voters are not all daft and that a majority do not have an appetite to keep on voting for a party that is rapidly degenerating into huddle of wingnuts, and so if the current trends continue within the US Republican party, then their slow slide into the dustbin of history truly is inevitable. | {
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NCAA denies appeal of 1-year suspension for Florida's Grier
The Associated Press
Nov. 21, 2015
No. 8 Florida says the NCAA has denied quarterback Will Grier's appeal of a one-year suspension for failing a drug test.
Grier was suspended in mid-October, six games into the season, for testing positive for a banned performance-enhancing drug. The suspension is one calendar year and Grier was hoping to have it reduced. He will be suspended for the first six games of next season, including four SEC games. The earliest he would be able to return is Oct. 15 against Missouri.
Grier said he took an over-the-counter supplement without getting approval from the Florida athletic training staff.
The redshirt freshman threw for 1,204 yards and 10 touchdowns in helping the Gators get out to an undefeated start. Treon Harris has started for Florida (9-1) since Grier's suspension. | {
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Pages
Friday, April 9, 2010
20 Days of Tinted Moisturizers: Day 4
Bobbi Brown spf15 Tinted Moisturizer
This is my favorite one so far!!
image courtesy of bobbibrowncosmetics.com
I got the color is light to medium and it gives me just the right amount of color. This tm comes 8 well spaced out shades, which means there are no giant gaps between the shades. The consistency is pretty thin and liquidy but not hard to work with in the least. It blends in really easily with just my finger!
This shade does have quite a bit of yellow in it. Here it is a little more sheered out.
The coverage is light to medium. It is slightly glowy but not too much in the least. I like that it has spf, allowing me to skip sunscreen. I do set this with powder in my t-zone, which tends to be oilier. It does have an herbal scent which kind of reminds me of Dermalogica skincare. It is recommended for Normal to dry skin types but my normal to combo skintype did just fine with it.
Search This Blog
About Me
My name is Christina and I am a self proclaimed beauty addict. I am a senior in college studying psychology with a minor in biology. I am working towards becoming an occupational therapist. I am also quite obsessed with dogs :) | {
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BLOG: Advertising and music - the record industry's latest 'saviour'
Has the music industry finally got the right idea?
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The record industry - forward thinking?
Over the last five years, the record industry has undergone a huge transformation. Higher internet speeds and wide bandwidth mobile services have made digital music accessible on demand, legally or illegally, and these trends show no sign of slowing down. This should be a good thing.
However, despite how ubiquitous music is becoming, label bosses are sweating due to the ever-increasing threat of online piracy. Industry trade body IFPI's most recent report estimated a figure of 20 unlicensed downloads for every one licensed track purchased, and with CD sales declining year on year, even the most hardcore proponents of free intellectual property can't deny that illegal downloads are costing the record industry money.
It's not as if this is through no fault of its own though. The major labels have been accused of having a rather dinosaur-like attitude to online distribution, choosing to try and protect their music with irritating-yet-ultimately-futile DRM technology, rather than embracing the internet and tackling piracy head on.
However, with the death of DRM on the horizon and more and more ways of acquiring legal music online emerging, it seems that the industry is finally starting to make an effort.
A digital revolution
In 2003, digital downloads accounted for roughly 0% of the music market. In 2007, they accounted for 15%. Revenue increased a staggering 40% on 2006. While these figures may not be evidence of a turning of the tide, they perhaps show that the record industry is becoming more forward thinking. Perhaps.
At a conference in Cannes this week, a company called Qtrax announced that it has signed deals with all four major labels, and will offer 25 million tracks online, completely free and legal, paying its way via money from 'targeted ads' that will appear alongside music downloads. While the labels instantly denied this (according to Guardian Unlimited), it seems some sort of deal is in the pipeline. Similarly, social music network we7.com offers free music downloads (albeit mainly from independents) that come with a 10 second ad at the start of the track, and there are numerous other services going down the same route.
Advertising, and no longer DRM, is now the record industry's knight in shining armour, although I have my doubts as to how popular it will be.
Social networks such as Facebook are already displaying often scarily appropriate targeted adverts, but the concept is likely to ring alarm bells for some in the music world. The estate of Johnny Cash famously turned down a request to have the Man In Black's song Ring Of Fire feature on an ad for haemorrhoid cream, and it's likely that other artists will have similar reservations about distributing their music next to adverts over which they have no control. It's not my intention to criticise advertising in its online forms (the free content on this website doesn't pay for itself you know), but I find it hard to imagine bands such as Radiohead and the Beatles, who have traditionally resisted commercial affiliation, signing up to have their music peddled alongside ads for the latest Ford Focus.
The bigger picture
It seems to me that Qtrax, and the countless services that will inevitably follow, are a case of too little, too late. It's not that Qtrax and its ilk are a bad idea - I certainly don't have a better one - it's just that one can see history repeating itself, with the labels pinning all their hopes on advertising as they once did with DRM. While the wider music industry revels in the opportunities the internet provides for marketing and creativity, the ailing record industry struggles to find its place in this new, intangible medium.
And it does undoubtedly have a place. Despite high-profile acts such as Radiohead going it alone, I can't imagine Avril Lavigne complained when her single Girlfriend racked up 7.3 million legal downloads (the highest of 2007).
I just think that when the record industry does figure out what it's supposed to be, and starts doing things online because it wants to, not because it feels it's forced to, then things will be more fruitful for everyone; labels, artists and fans.
By Chris Wickett
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rek.mobi is worth $ 179,200.00
rek.mobi was registered 2 years 7 months ago. It has an alexa rank of #102,312 in the world. It is a domain having .mobi extension. Current estimated worth of $ 179,200.00 and have a daily income of around $ 112.00. As no active threats were reported recently, rek.mobi is SAFE to browse. | {
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} |
"Stealing is not right. It hurts people's feelings too, especially when it was something special from your family. – Tegan
"Some thieves broke in to my grandma's house and stole two DVD players." – Elizabeth
Stealing other people's ideas is wrong.Taking other people's stuff.Everyone who steals should be punished.Anyone who steals loses friends.Lying about taking things is bad.– Louis
Stealing is wrong, stealing is bad,Stealing is something that makes me mad.Stealing a present, a book,Or someone's bag hook.Stealing is bad and we all know it.But people in jail might not show it.– Andrea
"If you are old enough to read this topic then you know that stealing is not okay.
If people didn't steal from others, then what a different place the world would be. Prices in shops would be cheaper, the price that mum and dad have to pay to insure their cars and houses would be a lot less, and we would not need to be locked into our houses at night, or feel worried that someone might take something that is precious to us. Jails would not have so many prisoners and…
The list goes on! I think you could probably think of lots more things to put on that list.
People like Ned Kelly, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, even Robin Hood may seem like heroes, thanks to movies and stories about them, but what about all the people who lost their lives or their property or their money because of them? I bet they didn't think they were heroes!"
If you have been caught stealing then you may have to talk to the store manager, store detective or police officer.
Give your name, address and age. You can be charged with a criminal offence from the age of 10. Check out this site to find out what the laws are in your state Lawstuff http://www.lawstuff.org.au/
Be polite.
You should have a parent, caregiver or some other independent adult with you before being questioned.
Stealing
He stole from everyoneEven from a friend.Then his stealing daysCame to a sudden end.Locked away in a prison cell.Jail stole away his life as well.
BH
We've provided this information to help you to understand important things about staying healthy and happy. However, if you feel sick or unhappy, it is important to tell your mum or dad, a teacher or another grown-up. | {
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These Aston Villa flops are in spotlight after Xia calls them out
Aston Villa have suffered yet another humiliating defeat, words which have echoed around the 1982 European Champions for more than a few years now.
The Championship side were beaten 3-1 at the hands of League Two Luton in the EFL cup on Wednesday night as manager Roberto Di Matteo was left shellshocked by his sides performance.
It meant the five-time League cup winners were knocked out of the first round of the competition for the first time in their history, as yet another unwanted record is broken by the club following relegation last season.
Villa owner Tony Xia could not hide his anger at the aftermath of the club’s defeat to the fourth tier side as the Chinese Tycoon claimed “some players are not worth being given [a] chance.”
Who are the players Xia may be talking about? And which players underperformed for the club on Wednesday night?
One player supporters will lambast is ex-captain Micah Richards, who continually failed to control the ball and was out of position on numerous occasions.
Richards has a reported £5million release clause in his contract, and was one of a number of players criticised last term, but Di Matteo has revealed he is part of his plans for the upcoming campaign.
Centre-back Jores Okore produced the most calamitous performance of the night after a comical own goal gifted Luton their desisive third.
Okore, along with Richards was playing his first competitive game under Di Matteo, and many fans will be now hoping it will be their last game for the club.
Left-back Jordan Amavi was another who underperformed on the night, as he was to blame for his side’s first goal with the Frenchman out of position as Jake Gray equalised.
However, he will more than likely be forgiven by fans as he made his first competitive start since returning from a long-term knee injury.
Academy graduate Gary Gardner misplaced passes and was unable to gain control of the midfield, the same issues he had during the 1-0 Championship defeat at Sheffield Wednesday.
However, the issue stems from many years before Luton, with players such as Leandro Bacuna, Joleon Lescott, Gabby Agbonlahor, Ally Cissokho and Ashley Westwood all either underperforming or not showing enough fight, as supporters hope they head for the exit door.
Di Matteo now faces a bigger task than he first imagined as the club now face the Villa Park crowd on Saturday afternoon against Rotherham. | {
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The Great House Chase
Two Austin Monthly editors are on a quest to find their dream homes. Will they both succeed? Follow their emotional journeys as they navigate Austin’s ultracompetitive housing market.
By Gene Menez and Sarah Thurmond
Published: June 27, 2013
Illustration by Darren Gygi
Rocky Road
After living in New York City for 18 years, UT alum Sarah Thurmond moved back to Austin in 2010 and got a senior editor job at Austin Monthly. Three years later, the single native Texan is looking for her first house.
As I type this, I’m dealing with the emotions that follow the news that once again my offer on a house was not accepted. This is the fourth time a seller has gone with someone else. This time really stings, though, because this time I was being considered. In the other cases, I wasn’t even close to being in contention. Now, all sorts of thoughts are running through my mind: Will I ever find a house? Is this the universe’s way of telling me I’m not cut out to be a homeowner? Am I not ready to grow up?
That is, after all, one of the reasons why I wanted to buy a house. After living my adulthood in apartments, I made a decision last summer to become a responsible human being. I figured it would be easier than having a baby, but after nine months of hunting, looking at nearly 50 homes, I’m starting to rethink my decision.
So, with the money I inherited from a family member, I could make an investment in my future and put it toward a down payment on a home. But unbeknownst to me, I’ve hit one of the worst housing market periods for a buyer in recent history. With an estimated 150 people moving to Austin every day, plus an unusually low house inventory, it’s no wonder it’s been such a struggle.
My hopes that I would find something fairly quickly were raised upon meeting Brandi Weber, a realtor at Turner Residential. I met her at a party thrown by a coworker who used Brandi as her realtor. She found a really cute, move-in-ready South Austin “ranchette”-style home on the very first day of her house hunt. Surely the same luck would fall on me.
After conducting some preliminary research online, my hunt officially kicked off last July, when I sent an email to Brandi. She told me my first step was to talk with a lender. “This will give you a ballpark range for what you can spend, and it will also give you an idea of what kind of loan you will qualify for (rate, terms, etc...),” she said in her response.
I scheduled an appointment with one of her recommended lenders and learned that my credit was great and that I could go as high as $250,000. He advised me to start with prices lower than that in case I needed some negotiating wiggle room. Then he sent me on my way, telling me to have fun looking at houses.
Brandi went through the home-buying process in great detail and gave me a folder containing, among other things, information about property insurance and a glossary of realtor terminology. Then we got into the fun part: What was I looking for? I wanted a three-bedroom, two-bathroom house in South or East Austin that was move-in ready (no fixer-upper for me). Of course, after a few too many hours watching HGTV, my dream house also would have hardwood floors, stainless steel appliances and an open concept. But, realistically speaking, I knew that not every item on my wish list would be handed to me in a pretty package.
Soon thereafter, my inbox began receiving automatic emails from the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). This is a daily status report of homes for sale in my neighborhoods of interest. I could browse through the listings, look at photos of the interiors and pick homes that looked promising.
On the first few outings with Brandi, I went in with low expectations and an open mind. I wanted to get a sense of what was out there and see how houses compared in my price range of $180,000 to $230,000. I also needed to get acquainted with unfamiliar neighborhoods. (Who knew there were so many streets in South Austin named after Civil War battle sites?) But most importantly, I needed to gauge what I liked and disliked.
I began noticing patterns. Homes built in the 1980s and ’90s seemed to be all about stone-tiled flooring, ornate fixtures and vaulted ceilings, while older homes had smaller rooms and quirky features. (Is that a built-in hamper? Neat!) I found myself adoring older, fully revamped homes and dismissing the ones with “good bones” because of the dreaded renovation project I would have on my hands.
Shortly into my search, I fell in love with a fully renovated ranch-style house on Stone Gate Drive. It also happened to be on the far edge of the East Side—a nightmare commute for me (Austin Monthly’s offices are in Westlake), plus the neighborhood didn’t feel safe. I decided not to put an offer on it, but that house—and a few others—has lingered on my mind ever since. Could that have been the one?
After a few months and seeing all kinds of homes (even one that had a Jacuzzi in the middle of the living room), my hopeful outlook began to dissipate. I couldn’t see potential behind the popcorn walls and ceilings. My picky nature was in full force, and so was my concern about what I was getting myself into.
At one point, Brandi and I had a serious heart-to-heart talk. I told her I was starting to question this whole homeownership business. She said that was a very common feeling and one I should really contemplate. I sensed that she was starting to feel frustrated with me—or maybe I was projecting my own frustration with myself. I think part of my dilemma was due to the fact that I was doing this all on my own. I’ve never been very good at making big decisions. Even though Brandi was holding my hand throughout this process, in the end, it’s my choice to make. It’s a scary place to be.
By February, I was feeling pressure to find something because I noticed there weren’t as many pages to flip through on the MLS emails. Brandi said the housing stock was lower than she’s ever seen it during this time of year. Home prices also seemed to be creeping up. Then, suddenly, a house on Blarwood Drive showed up that was perfect for me—and about a dozen other buyers who also put offers on it. It went to someone else, fast.
By spring, the situation was getting worse. I extended my apartment lease for another six months, and Brandi told me about a house with 20 offers on it that sold for $50,000 above the listing price. I can’t compete with that! I started thinking strategically and putting offers on a couple of houses that didn’t give me that loving feeling, but that I could fall into deep like with eventually. Both were dismissed.
Finally, in May, I found a house on Emerald Forest Drive that had almost everything on my checklist and only a handful of offers on it. It felt like the odds were turning in my favor. This time I got serious and offered about $15,000 more than the listing price.
The next day, Brandi called to say the sellers were considering me, but there was a similar offer from another buyer. The seller was wondering if I would pay the difference up front if the appraisal came in lower than the listed price. After discussing it with Brandi, we decided I would pay up to $10,000.
The next morning, I got an email from Brandi: “Just got the call, and they have decided to work with another offer.” I was crushed, but all I could do was keep looking.
If you think this has been like dating for me, you’re right. And, like dating, I’m determined to not get too discouraged by rejection. When Brandi and I had our serious talk, I told her that with each house I saw, I felt like I was getting closer to the home of my dreams. Until I find it, I’m going to settle into my apartment, spruce it up a little and wait for the right house to come along eventually.
Editor’s Note: Just before this issue went to press, Sarah had a fifth offer on a home get rejected. Finally, her bid on a sixth house was accepted, and almost a year after starting her search, Sarah is scheduled to move into her new home this month.
Family Matters
Like Thurmond, Gene Menez is a UT grad who moved to NYC after a few years in Arlington. He returned to ATX in October, and now the new Austin HOME editor and his wife are searching for a house for their growing family.
We had seen more than 30 houses—old and new, big and small, from North Austin to South Austin—in search of the perfect house. My wife, Karen, and I believed we were this close to finding our home. But on the morning of March 15, after visiting another house that “wasn’t just right,” the man we had taken along on this hectic house hunt, realtor Tomas Corzo, told us that we weren’t close at all.
“The two of you need to sit down and determine what you really want,” he said. It was the real estate equivalent of the father-son talk, but he was right: How did we get here?
Rewind 112 days, to when this process began, in November 2012. Karen and I knew that buying a house would test our marriage because of the different ways we approach major purchases. I am an uber-researcher who will log onto Consumer Reports and spend hours investigating the best products before doing a Google search to find the lowest price—all to save $5. Karen, on the other hand, is an impulse shopper who two years ago bought a pair of $300-plus Lucchese boots. They’ve been worn only once since.
Further clouding matters was that Karen was pregnant with our firstborn. She had set a quasi deadline for us to be moved out of our apartment and into a house long before her due date of June 25.
Karen and I met Tomas through a friend. We learned that in 2012 he ranked in the top 8 percent of Keller Williams realtors in the region that includes Austin and was a UT grad, avid cyclist and triathlete. Being a UT grad, avid cyclist and (failed) triathlete myself, I figured we were a perfect match. (In hindsight, this was not the way to select a realtor, but we lucked out with Tomas.)
Then we gave him our criteria: We wanted a house in a family-friendly neighborhood with great schools. It needed to be move-in ready and have an open floor plan. With our budget of less than $425,000, West Lake Hills and its great schools were out of the question, so we focused on three areas: Circle C, Steiner Ranch and Northwest Austin.
Our hunt began by attending open houses without Tomas, just to get a sense of the market. The first was a one-story in Circle C with mirrored walls in the dining room. The best part of the house was the free cookies. That same weekend we visited a new master-planned community on Highway 71. We loved the idea of new construction and being able to choose the floors, countertops, etc., but there was no neighborhood there yet, one of our biggest criteria.
The first house we saw with Tomas was one that Karen found in the Canyon Creek subdivision in Northwest Austin. We loved the neighborhood—a quiet, tree-lined slice of peace with parks and great schools that Karen called “Pleasantville”—and she would’ve made an offer on the house, but it needed too many upgrades. When we learned the following week that there was a contract on the house, I reassured her, “It wasn’t perfect.”
A few days later, we found a four-bedroom in the Cuernavaca area of Austin. We knew nothing of the neighborhood, except that it was zoned to the great Eanes ISD, so we asked Tomas to show it to us. The house was great, but, because there are few restrictions on homeowners, we saw some unusual things: a neighboring house with multiple boats parked in the front yard and another house featuring a totem pole. It was the epitome of Keep Austin Weird, which is great—just not for our boring suburban sensibility.
We continued to visit open houses. The best was a renovated ranch-style home in an area zoned to the excellent Anderson High. The house looked as if it had been redone by HGTV, and the snotty realtor knew it. She said, “We have received a lot of interest so if you want the house, you’ll have to make an offer by noon tomorrow.” She didn’t hear from us.
There was the “Pilates house,” the mirrored upstairs living area was perfect for a Pilates studio; the “bowling alley house,” the formal living room was long and narrow; and the “bathroom break house,” the listing agent wasn’t there to open it on time, and when we walked in later, he came out of the bathroom. No, no and definitely no.
The month of March arrived, but still no home. The pressure was building. Then Tomas showed us the “wine cellar house,” a 3,400-square-foot, four-bedroom in Steiner Ranch that was way more home than we needed. Karen, who loves to have a glass of wine when she’s not pregnant, saw the huge wine cellar and said, “My heart may have skipped a beat.”
All I could think about was how much the electric bill would be to keep the cellar cool and dry.
This was the best house we had seen in our three-plus months of hunting, but it wasn’t perfect to me. Karen, on the other hand, was tired of looking at houses. With the quasi deadline in her mind quickly approaching, she was ready to make an offer.
Luckily, after some discussion, I convinced her that this wasn’t the home for us. We asked Tomas to show us another house in Steiner. Once again, the house was close but just wasn’t right. The downstairs living area was too small, and the upstairs living areas were too big. It was after this visit that Tomas gave us the wake-up-call talk.
More than 30 houses in 112 days. We felt as if we were close to finding a house, but Tomas’s talk made us think otherwise.
The following morning we awoke and checked the new listings online. And there it was: a four-bedroom house in “Pleasantville” with an open floor plan, a large kitchen and—best of all—a screened porch that served as an amazing indoor-outdoor living area. There was even a pool.
Tomas got us into the house that afternoon, and we immediately knew we wanted it. The details that we couldn’t see online were all impeccably done. We told Tomas we wanted to make an offer, and he learned that the homeowners, who had only listed the house the previous day, already had an offer and two more were coming in. In addition, the owners wanted all the offers by 7 p.m. so that they could make a decision that night.
The next five hours were a blur of digital paperwork as Tomas assembled our bid. The key was deciding how much to offer. With three other bids, we felt almost certain that the winning bid would be more than the list price. So we offered $2,500 over list … and then a little more … and then a little more.
To complete our bid, we included a letter to the homeowners. In it, we complimented them on their beautiful home, told them a little about ourselves and spelled out how, if chosen, we planned to stay there for 20-plus years to raise our family. And then we waited.
After a few hours, the phone rang. It was Tomas, who started hemming and hawing: “I just heard from the seller’s agent … he said the decision came down to you and one other offer … it was very close … but … you got the house!”
At that moment, I jumped off the sofa and screamed so loud that I could be heard down the halls of our apartment building. That feeling was probably as close to the feeling of winning an Academy Award as Karen and I will ever get.
The closing process was as smooth as one could have. The funding (which we had done well in advance), the inspection and the appraisal all sailed through without any hold-up. We were homeowners at last. Turns out, we knew what we wanted after all—it was just a matter of finding it. | {
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Overview
Most programming languages have a built-in array data type, although what is called an array in the language documentation is sometimes really an associative array. Conversely, the contiguous storage kind of array discussed here may alternatively be called a vector, list, or table.
Some programming languages support array programming (e.g., APL, newer versions of Fortran) which generalises operations and functions to work transparently over arrays as they do with scalars, instead of requiring looping over array members.
Multi-dimensional arrays are accessed using more than one index: one for each dimension. Multidimensional indexing reduced to a lesser number of dimensions, for example, a two-dimensional array with consisting of 6 and 5 elements respectively could be represented using a one-dimensional array of 30 elements.
Arrays can be classified as fixed-sized arrays (sometimes known as static arrays) whose size cannot change once their storage has been allocated, or dynamic arrays, which can be resized.
Properties
Arrays permit constant time (O(1)) random access to individual elements, which is optimal, but moving elements requires time proportional to the number of elements moved.
On actual hardware, the presence of e.g. caches can make sequential iteration over an array noticeably faster than random access — a consequence of arrays having good locality of reference because their elements occupy contiguous memory locations — but this does not change the asymptotic complexity of access. Likewise, there are often facilities (such as memcpy) which can be used to move contiguous blocks of array elements faster than one can do through individual element access, but that does not change the asymptotic complexity either.
Memory-wise, arrays are compact data structures with no per-element overhead. There may be a per-array overhead, e.g. to store index bounds, but this is language-dependent. It can also happen that elements stored in an array require less memory than the same elements stored in individual variables, because several array elements can be stored in a single word; such arrays are often called packed arrays.
Properties in comparison
Dynamic arrays have similar characteristics to arrays, but can grow. The price for this is a memory overhead, due to elements being allocated but not used. With a constant per-element bound on the memory overhead, dynamic arrays can grow in constant amortized time per element.
Associative arrays provide a mechanism for array-like functionality without huge storage overheads when the index values are sparse. Specialized associative arrays with integer keys include Patricia tries and Judy arrays.
Balanced trees require O(log n) time for index access, but also permit inserting or deleting elements in Θ(log n) time.
Arrays require O(n) time for insertion and deletion of elements.
Applications
Arrays are used to implement mathematical vectors and matrices, as well as other kinds of rectangular tables. In early programming languages, these were often the applications that motivated having arrays.
One or more large arrays are sometimes used to emulate in-program dynamic memory allocation, particularly memory pool allocation. Historically, this has sometimes been the only way to allocate "dynamic memory" portably.
Array accesses with statically predictable access patterns are a major source of data parallelism.
Some algorithms store a variable number of elements in part of a fixed-size array, which is equivalent to using dynamic array with a fixed capacity; the so-called Pascal strings are examples of this.
Indexing
The valid index values of each dimension of an array are a bounded set of integers. Programming environments that check indexes for validity are said to perform bounds checking.
Index of the first element
The index of the first element (sometimes called the "origin") varies by language. There are three main implementations: zero-based, one-based, and n-based arrays, for which the first element has an index of zero, one, or a programmer-specified value. The zero-based array is more natural in the root machine language and was popularized by the C programming language, in which the abstraction of array is very weak, and an index n of a one-dimensional array is simply the offset of the element accessed from the address of the first (or "zeroth") element (scaled by the size of the element). One-based arrays are based on traditional mathematics notation for matrices and most, but not all, mathematical sequences. n-based is made available so the programmer is free to choose the lower bound, which may even be negative, which is most naturally suited for the problem at hand.
Supporters of zero-based indexing sometimes criticize one-based and n-based arrays for being slower. Often this criticism is mistaken when one-based or n-based array accesses are optimized with common subexpression elimination (for single dimensioned arrays) and/or with well-defined dope vectors (for multi-dimensioned arrays). However, in multidimensional arrays where the net offset into linear memory is computed from all of the indices, zero-based indexing is more natural, simpler, and faster. Edsger W. Dijkstra expressed an opinion in this debate: Why numbering should start at zero
The 0-based/1-based debate is not limited to just programming languages. For example, the ground-floor of a building is elevator button "0" in France, but elevator button "1" in the USA.
Index of the last element
The relation between numbers appearing in an array declaration and the index of that array's last element also varies by language. In some languages (e.g. C) the number of elements contained in the arrays must be specified, whereas in others (e.g. Visual Basic .NET) the numeric value of the index of the last element must be specified.
Indexing methods
When an array is implemented as continuous storage, the index-based access, e.g. to element n, is simply done (for zero-based indexing) by using the address of the first element and adding n · sizeof(one element). So this is a Θ(1) operation.
Multi-dimensional arrays
Ordinary arrays are indexed by a single integer. Also useful, particularly in numerical and graphics applications, is the concept of a multi-dimensional array, in which we index into the array using an ordered list of integers, such as in a[3,1,5]. The number of integers in the list used to index into the multi-dimensional array is always the same and is referred to as the array's dimensionality, and the bounds on each of these are called the array's dimensions. An array with dimensionality k is often called k-dimensional. One-dimensional arrays correspond to the simple arrays discussed thus far; two-dimensional arrays are a particularly common representation for matrices. In practice, the dimensionality of an array rarely exceeds three.
Mapping a one-dimensional array into memory is obvious, since memory is logically itself a (very large) one-dimensional array. When we reach higher-dimensional arrays, however, the problem is no longer obvious. Suppose we want to represent this simple two-dimensional array:
mathbf{A} =
begin{bmatrix}
1 & 2 & 3
4 & 5 & 6
7 & 8 & 9
end{bmatrix}.
It is most common to index this array using the RC-convention, where elements are referred in row, column fashion or A_{row,col},, such as:
A_{1,1}=1, A_{1,2}=2, ldots, A_{3,2}=8, A_{3,3}=9.,
Common ways to index into multi-dimensional arrays include:
Row-major order. Used most notably by statically-declared arrays in C. The elements of each row are stored in order.
Arrays of arrays. Multi-dimensional arrays are typically represented by one-dimensional arrays of references (Iliffe vectors) to other one-dimensional arrays. The subarrays can be either the rows or columns.
The first two forms are more compact and have potentially better locality of reference, but are also more limiting; the arrays must be rectangular, meaning that no row can contain more elements than any other. Arrays of arrays, on the other hand, allow the creation of ragged arrays, also called jagged arrays, in which the valid range of one index depends on the value of another, or in this case, simply that different rows can be different sizes. Arrays of arrays are also of value in programming languages that only supply one-dimensional arrays as primitives.
In many applications, such as numerical applications working with matrices, we iterate over rectangular two-dimensional arrays in predictable ways. For example, computing an element of the matrix product AB involves iterating over a row of A and a column of B simultaneously. In mapping the individual array indexes into memory, we wish to exploit locality of reference as much as we can. A compiler can sometimes automatically choose the layout for an array so that sequentially accessed elements are stored sequentially in memory; in our example, it might choose row-major order for A, and column-major order for B. Even more exotic orderings can be used, for example if we iterate over the main diagonal of a matrix. | {
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Question of the Week
Town Caught Napping Again
By: Rob Sedgwick
Date: 15/08/2012
LATE goals cost Town points again this season in a disappointing game. Town looked to be heading for a win after Pond put them 1-0 up with a spectacular volley. However the Hatters came back with goals from Danny Rowe and Danny Whitehead, the winner in injury time.
In a poor first half Stockport's Danny Hattersley had the best chance on 11 minutes but headed Andy Halls's cross wide of the post. Town's Pearson then caught the 'keeper napping while taking a goal kick and stole the ball from him, but was unable to get a shot on target. Cook flashed a shot wide from a Colbeck cross.
The game sparked into life when Town on-loan midfielder Nathan Pond send a spectacular volley into the top corner in the 69th minute from a free kick. The lead was just about deserved on the balance of play at that stage.
But Stockport came back into the game when Town failed to clear a ball in their box and Danny Rowe fired in a low strike from 18 yards. Then poor marking from a corner allowed Danny Whitehead the time and space to pick his spot for a late winner.
This site is by the fans, for the fans, and we will consider articles on any subject relating to the Mariners whether it be related to current news, a nostalgic look back in the past, a story about a player, a game or games in the past, something about Blundell Park or football in general. Click here to submit your article! | {
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This year, when it came to festive door decor, Rachel says that, “I wanted simple. I wanted a little rustic. But most of all, I wanted free!” She came up with something lovely using the branches her sister trimmed off of her live Christmas tree, and shared the project at Architecture of a Mom. | {
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Testimonials
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The staff is very professional and friendly. The dental hygienist was very thorough. I left the office with sparkling clean teeth. | {
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Friday, September 28, 2012
The End of International Environmentalism
Twenty years ago, the first Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro marked the arrival of environmentalism as a potent force in international affairs. That 1992 conference produced the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which aims to set limits on global emissions of greenhouse gases, and the Convention on Biological Diversity, which promotes ecosystem conservation. At the time, Chris Flavin of the Worldwatch Institute crowed, “You cannot go to any corner of the globe and not find some degree of environmental awareness and some amount of environmental politics.” With socialism in disrepute, Flavin said, environmentalism had become the “most powerful political ideal today.”
Two decades later, that ideal is in disarray. A 20th anniversary conference in Brazil last June, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development—nicknamed Rio +20—was an undisguised flop. Greenpeace spokesperson Kumi Naidoo judged Rio +20 a “failure,” while Oxfam Chief Executive Barbara Stocking called it a “hoax.” More than 1,000 environmentalist and leftist groups signed a post-conference petition entitled “The Future We Don’t Want,” a play on The Future We Want, the platitudinous document that diplomats from 188 nations agreed on there. Naidoo lamely vowed that disappointed environmentalists would engage in acts of civil disobedience.Should the people of the world share the greens’ despair over the “failure” of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development? No. To Read More…
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About Me
Green is a mixture of blue and yellow. That is the only factual definition of green that will stand the test of time. After that; any other definition is a corruption of a perfectly nice color. I have been an exterminator for 35 years. I have served as a trustee on industry association boards representing pesticide and fertilizer applicators actively for almost 25 years. I believe that what we do isn't just a job; it's a mission! We are that thin gray line that mans the wall telling the world; "no one will harm you on my watch". I also believe that to be green is to be irrational, misanthropic and morally defective. They are the barbarians at the gate we have to stand against. Our greatest worry is those within who support and facilitate their misanthropic goals. | {
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The probes are understood to be looking at election expenses of ten sitting MPs, so far.
The investigations centre on whether costs to transport and accommodate bus-loads of Tory activists to marginal seats should have been declared by candidates.
It follows a four month investigation by Channel 4 News into campaign spending by the Conservative Party in last year’s General Election and three key by-elections.
One force, Greater Manchester Police, confirmed it had already been granted an extensions by the courts to extend the one-year time limit for prosecutions under election law.
A further three forces said they would be doing the same in coming weeks.
Last night legal experts said it is the first time in British history that extensions had been sought to time limits for prosecutions under election law, and showed the scale of the operation.
One of Britain’s leading election lawyers Gavin Millar QC, of Matrix Chambers said: “We haven’t seen a case like this before – where a group of police forces have used this power.
“I don’t know of a case where it’s been used even in a single case.
“But the idea of a group of police forces coming together to coordinate an investigation – and each one getting the extension of time to look into the election in their area is unheard of.
“And it means that they are taking seriously as police service the issues that were raised by the original Channel 4 News report, and the issues that people like me have been worried about for a long time about malpractice in marginal seats involving the major political parties in terms of how they spend and what they’re prepared to admit having spent.”
The forces that have confirmed they are investigating are Devon and Cornwall, Cheshire, West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester Police, Gloucestershire, Northamptonshire, and Staffordshire.
The MPs we understand are being looked at are Amanda Milling, for Cannock Chase; Michael Ellis for Northampton North; Stuart Andrew for Pudsey, Horsforth & Aireborough; David Nuttall for Bury North; North Cornwall for Scott Mann; George Eustace for Cambourne and Redruth; Kevin Foster for Torbay; Oliver Colville for Plymouth Sutton and Devenport; and Graham Evans for Weaver Vale.
Gloucestershire Police has not said whether their investigation is looking at Cheltenham MP Alex Chalk or Stroud MP Neil Carmichael.
So far, the Channel 4 News investigation has found almost £200,000 of seemingly undeclared election expenses in 33 constituency elections carried out in 2014 and 2015.
SOUTH THANET
In January, Channel 4 News revealed £19,151 WAS spent by the Conservatives in the South Thanet constituency during the 2015 General Election when the party fought to defeat UKIP leader Nigel Farage.
More than £17,000 of these hotel costs WERE declared as ‘national’ campaign expenses even though the Conservative workers who used the accommodation appeared to be involved in local campaigning for candidate Craig Mackinlay.
Election law says any money spent campaigning for a specific local candidate MUST be declared on the local spending return.
A smaller hotel bill for party workers in Thanet South – for £715 – appears not to have been declared at all.
However, if all these costs were local and had to be declared on the Conservative’s Thanet South spending return, the candidate would HAVE spent more than twice the £15,016 legal campaign spending limit.
THREE BY-ELECTIONS
In February, Channel 4 New revealed at least £99,112 worth of hotel receipts from three key by-elections in 2014 – Newark, Clacton and Rochester & Strood – that were seemingly never declared.
The hotel bookings included more than 1,200 nights of accommodation in hotels, with 770 bookings using the name or address of a single Conservative Party campaign worker.
If the costs had TO be declared on the local returns, all three Conservative candidates in each of the three key by-election contests against UKIP would have exceeded their £100,000 spending limits.
THE BATTLEBUS TOUR
In April, Channel 4 News revealed £64,127 was spent by the Tories to transport busloads of activists to campaign in marginal seats in the South West, North and Midlands.
The so-called Battlebus2015 tour sent four buses to 29 key marginals in the last ten days of the campaign, 26 of which were ultimately won by Conservative candidates.
The costs included £38,201 for hotel bills to accommodate the activists in regional ‘hub’ hotels during the tour, which were not declared by the Conservatives on either national or local spending returns.
In response to questions from Channel 4 News, the party stated that the omission was an “administrative error”.
The remaining costs, which covered the buses and additional staff costs, were declared as party spending on the Conservative’s national return.
However, evidence from documents and social media, appeared to show the activists on the Battlebuses ALSO campaigned for local candidates, and costs should have been declared on candidate returns.
Spending limits are legally set around £15,000 depending on the number of electors in the seats.
Once the costs for accommodation and transport are divided by each constituency visited, it could mean THAT additional costs would need to be included in the spending returns of each candidate – an extra £2,460 for the seats visited in the South West, an additional £2,045 for the seats in the Midlands, and an extra £2,154 for the seats in the North.
The additional costs could have pushed many over the legal spending limits. | {
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Australian Art in Paris
Lena Nyadbi with Harold Mitchell, whose foundation has made the Paris commission happen
An indigenous Australian painting representing the shimmering scales of the barramundi fish is being transferred on to the 700 sq. m rooftop of the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris. The seven million people who every year ascend the nearby Eiffel Tower will be able to see the work, which is due to be unveiled on 6 June.
The original painting, Dayiwul Lirlmim (barramundi scales), was painted last year by Lena Nyadbi, a Gija woman whose ancestral country extends in a 100km radius from the tiny Western Australian settlement of Warmun.“It’s the first time a museum has commissioned a piece that will not be visible from the museum,” said Stéphane Martin, the president of Musée du Quai Branly, on 29 April, when the project was formally announced at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra. “You have to be outside the museum to appreciate it,” he said.
The Paris museum dispatched senior staff to Warmun to work with Nyadbi on selecting a section of Dayiwul Lirlmim to be transferred to the rooftop with the use of digitised stencils. | {
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Depth Charts
Jonathan Toews has decided against playing for Team Canada in the 2017 World Championships.
Toews feels it would be better for his preparations for 2017-18 if he passed on the tournament. "At this point of my career, going through the last couple of years the way things have played out, there are some little changes here and there with how I approach my preparation, especially the last summer being a long offseason and coming in feeling I was as prepared as I could be and still not getting to the level of play I wanted to this season," Toews said. "There are some things I have to re-evaluate and think about this offseason. There's no satisfaction there but definitely take a different approach with how I prepare for next season. I didn't get to the level I needed to be to help our team survive a little bit longer in this last series, so I have to be responsible for that as well." Toews got off to a slow start in 2016-17, but he heated up in the second half of the campaign. He finished with 21 goals and 58 points in 72 regular season contests.
Artem Anisimov (lower body) is expected to be back in the lineup for Game 1 against Nashville.
"I don't know if [there is any] doubt at all," coach Joel Quenneville said. "He's good to go." Anisimov has been out of action since Mar. 14 due to a lower-body injury. He recorded 22 goals and 45 points in 64 games during the 2016-17 campaign. Look for Anisimov to be back between Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin on Thursday night.
Tanner Kero produced a goal and an assist in Wednesday's 5-1 win over Pittsburgh.
He picked up a helper on a marker by Artemi Panarin and scored his sixth goal of the season during the third period. Kero has generated 15 points this season, but he has three in the last two games since being moved to a line with Panarin and Patrick Kane.
Marcus Kruger isn't paying attention to the speculation that he might be done with the Chicago Blackhawks.
"We all know what happens in the summer, and there's going to be a new team coming in and all of that stuff," Kruger said. "We have a history, too, of not being able to keep players. That's part of the business side of things, but I don't put too many thoughts into that. Right now I'm here, so I'm focused on [this], but it's going to be interesting to see what happens in the summer." He will likely be exposed in the expansion draft and could be traded if the Golden Knights don't take him.
Vince Hinostroza, John Hayden, Tomas Jurco and Jordin Tootoo are each expected to be scratched against Nashville for Game 4 on Thursday.
Unfortunately, there hasn't been much production from this group in the series thus far. Tootoo has averaged 6:13 of ice time, with two shots on net in two games. Both Hinostroza and Hayden have played just once and less than seven minutes each.
John Hayden is completely focused on hockey now that he has earned a degree in political science.
He had to juggle his studies and playing for the Blackhawks after he signed a two-year deal in March. "Now that everything is officially settled down it's a relief not to have any summer classes," Hayden said. "Now it's the first time in my life I officially have just hockey on my menu." He skated in 12 games with Chicago in 2016-17 and posted four points. Hayden also dressed in one playoff match. The 22-year-old forward is hungry for more NHL action in 2017-18, but he will have to earn his spot at training camp.
Artemi Panarin has arguably been the best player at the IIHF World Hockey Championships.
Panarin leads all players in scoring with 16 points in eight games and has been the best player on the ice in most of those contests. He will try to lead Russia to a bronze medal Sunday in a game against Finland.
Ryan Hartman will start Game 2 on Chicago's top line with Jonathan Toews and Richard Panik.
Rookie Nick Schmaltz was on the line at the start of Game 1, but a tough period led to him being demoted. Schmaltz's loss is Hartman's gain. Hartman finished the regular season with 19 goals and 31 points in 76 games. The promotion will definitely increase his fantasy value.
Dennis Rasmussen ended Chicago's goalless drought in the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at 141:05 in Game 3 on Monday night.
He gave the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead and Patrick Kane put them up 2-0 going into the third, but Nashville came back for a 3-2 win in overtime. The Predators have the Blackhawks on the brink of elimination with a 3-0 series lead.
Motte isn't expected to play in Chicago's series against Nashville. He registered 16 points in 43 games with Rockford this campaign and he had seven points in 33 NHL appearances during the regular season.
Richard Panik made it sound like there wasn't much of a negotiating process before he inked his two-year, $5.6 million extension with Chicago on Thursday.
"I was waiting for the first offer to come in, and the first offer they gave me surprised me," Panik said. "There wasn't much thinking involved. I was really happy to get the first offer [because] it was a good one." It's good that Panik was happy with Chicago's offer because, if anything, he might have been able to hold out for more if he really wanted to. He's coming off a strong season where he recorded 22 goals and 44 points in 82 games. He'll be eligible to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this deal, so if he has another couple solid seasons during this contract then his next signing should be fairly lucrative.
After being shut out in Game 1, the Blackhawks know they have to find a way to make life more difficult for Preds goalie Pekka Rinne.
"That's no secret in playoff hockey, that it's always going to be those greasy goals that aren't always pretty plays," defenseman Duncan Keith said. "It comes down to having a little more determination and, like (Quenneville) said, that desperation — pick it up a bit. Maybe that'll be the difference." The Blackhawks will look to even up the best-of-seven series at home on Saturday night.
Brent Seabrook has declined an invite to play for Team Canada at the World Hockey Championships.
Seabrook has represented Canada at the Olympics, but with his wife scheduled to give birth in a few weeks, it's only normal that he won't be heading to Paris and Cologne for the tournament. He had three goals and 36 assists in 79 games this season.
Brian Campbell got his first game-winning goal of the season Saturday versus Nashville.
He broke a 3-3 tie at the 18:55 mark of the third period with his fifth goal of 2016-17. Campbell had produced just three assists over his previous 20 contests. He has 16 points and a plus-21 rating in 63 matches.
That's based on Wednesday's practice where Michal Kempny was paired with Brent Seabrook instead of Oduya. Given that Chicago is trailing Nashville 3-0 in the series, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Blackhawks make some changes. Oduya has no points and a minus-three rating in three playoff contests this year. He's been averaging 21:01 minutes per game.
Trevor van Riemsdyk will represent the U.S. at the 2017 IIHF World Championships.
He set new career highs with five goals, 16 points and a plus-17 rating in 58 games during the 2016-17 campaign. Van Riemsdyk will join a defense group that includes Danny DeKeyser, Noah Hanifin, Charlie McAvoy, Connor Murphy and Jacob Trouba.
Corey Crawford allowed three goals on 25 shots in Thursday's 4-1 loss to the Nashville Predators.
Many picked the Hawks to make a long playoff run, but that doesn't matter anymore because they've officially been eliminated from the postseason. Crawford gave up three goals or more in Games 2, 3 and 4. He finishes the playoffs with a 2.84 goals-against-average and a .902 save percentage. Crawford wasn't spectacular in the series, but the fact that his team only managed to score three goals in four games certainly didn't help.
We and our partners use cookies on this site to improve our service, perform analytics, personalize advertising, measure advertising performance, and remember website preferences. By using the site, you consent to these cookies. for more information on cookies including how to manage your consent visit our cookie policy. | {
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Free Comic PDF
Raven is ready to set out on her quest for revenge against her brothers. They’ve stolen everything that should be hers and now she’s going to get it back. But first, she needs a crew. Share the laughs, action, and adventure as Raven assembles the fearless crew of awesome ladies who will help her get her revenge. | {
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Model Evaluation
Pathological Results
Cytokines Level
Statistical Analysis
SPSS software is used for statistical analysis, measurement data to mean ± standard deviation (x ±ｓ), using t test and single factor analysis of variance for group comparison, P<0.05 indicates there was a significant difference, P<0.01 indicates there are very significant differences. | {
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New Divine Mercy parish and school for Perth
New Divine Mercy parish and school for Perth
Fr Paul Fox
Fund raising is in full swing in Chittering, WA, as the parish priest, parishioners and Divine Mercy devotees from far and wide prepare this year for construction of the new Divine Mercy church and complex. It will truly be a place for people to encounter the Mercy of God. The message of Divine Mercy as given by Jesus through St Faustina will be actively promoted at the church. This will be the first church dedicated to the Divine Mercy in the Perth Archdiocese and State of Western Australia.
The parish priest has a First Class relic of St Faustina, which was brought from Poland before Christmas and a beautiful two metre oil painting of the Divine Mercy which will be visible to all who enter the church. It will form part of the reredos above the tabernacle in the centre.
The Church will be constructed at Maryville Downs Estate, Lower Chittering, a very picturesque setting on the outskirts of the city of Perth. It will be a place of pilgrimage for the Archdiocese, with daily Mass, Adoration and devotions.
There are already many pilgrimages to other churches in the parish, which include St Anne's Church in Bindoon, St Catherine of Siena Church at Gingin and Our Lady's Shrine at Bullsbrook. Often people come from parishes in the city on pilgrimages and visit all three churches in the one day, with the local community providing hospitality to the pilgrims.
Traditional architecture
The new church will be built in a traditional style of architecture and be surmounted by a beautiful octagonal copper dome over the transept. The facade will include two bell towers with imported bells which will chime for the Angelus three times a day and provide various other religious melodies.
Parishioners have been working hard over the past year collecting local rock for the church. The stone is found on paddocks around Bindoon and part of the charm is that it is all unquarried, but perfect for construction and about 200-300mm in size. This same stone was used on St Anne's, Bindoon, which was built by myself and the parish community in 2004.
Adjacent to the Divine Mercy church there will be a presbytery, administration building and parish centre.
Archbishop Hickey has also recently approved the construction of Immaculate Heart College on the adjoining site to the church. This will be an independent school with the Missionary Congregation of Mary MCM, a congregation of religious sisters, to be involved in administering the college.
It will start initially with Kindergarten to Year Two in 2012 and build up gradually each year, ensuring a strong Catholic and academic formation for the students. The college will be very loyal to Church teaching.
There is already a good deal of local support with many families committed to enrolling their children. It will provide diversity and a real option for parents who are looking for something more in terms of faith formation. It will teach the virtues and introduce a tutorial system. If any families would like to know more about the college they may contact Doris on (08) 9317-4019 or 0411-167-015.
Prayers as well as any donations towards our fundraising efforts (which Archbishop Hickey has endorsed) for the new Divine Mercy Church would be appreciated. For more details please check the website: www.ginginchitteringparish.org. au
Donations can be sent to:Divine Mercy Church Building Fund
39 Brearley Street, Bullsbrook, Western Australia 6084
Phone: +61-8-9571-1839; Fax: +61-8-9571-2189 | {
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The promise of genetic science for the future
By Helga Nowotny
These developments — and the questions that they raise — underscore the need to redraw the map of the sciences. A more integrated research agenda that includes the social sciences is crucial to ensuring that the promise of genetic research benefits all.
In fact, such research is integral to improving upon the factors that contribute most to a society’s wealth: health, education and ethics. Indeed, more encompassing knowledge of personal genomics can engender a new sense of commonality. With a better understanding of people’s relationships to each other — from the impact that one’s lifestyle could have on the health of future generations to the corrosive effects of existing inequalities and the concomitant risk of a new genetic divide — a healthier, more equal society could be created.
However, realizing this vision requires accounting for the different choices that people make within a pluralistic society. To this end, the collaboration of social and scientific institutions would help to break down language and cultural barriers, ensuring that the genomic revolution aids, rather than alienates, the public, and thereby passes the true test of any scientific advancement: relevance to everyday experience. In a world characterized by multiple, overlapping crises, people need to see, understand and identify with what genetics has to offer.
When asked what should keep us awake at night, the economist Amartya Sen answered: “The tragedies that we can prevent, the injustice that we can repair.”
Applying scientific advances to the prevention of tragedy and the redress of injustice fulfills science’s core promise. Strengthening the real-world role of genetics is an essential step in that direction. | {
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A new national study shows that while Canada’s transgender youth face significant physical and mental health issues, strong family, school and community connections are helping many of them navigate these challenges.
The study is the first and largest of its kind in Canada, with 923 individuals participating between the ages 14-25. They answered a range of questions in English or French on their home and school life, physical and mental health, access to health care, and gender identity.
“We found high numbers of youth had experienced discrimination, harassment, and cyberbullying in the past year,” said Elizabeth Saewyc, the study’s principal investigator and a nursing professor at the University of British Columbia. “For example, two-thirds of those surveyed reported discrimination because of their gender identity. “
Elizabeth Saewyc
Not surprisingly, many participants also experienced mental health challenges. Nearly two-thirds reported self-harming in the past year, and more than one in three had attempted suicide.
Health care was also problematic, as only 15 per cent of youth with a family doctor felt “very comfortable” discussing their trans-specific health care needs.
But the report also uncovered positive sources of support for trans youth — parents, family members, schools, and community adults, especially when these adults supported the youth in living in their preferred gender.
“If someone had a supportive adult in the family, they were about four times less likely to have self-harmed in the past 12 months,” Saewyc said. “If they felt more connected to school, they were almost twice as likely to report good or excellent mental health as those with lower levels of school connectedness.”
The report calls for measures to improve the well-being of trans youth, including: improved support for families, so they can better understand and support their transgender children; developing safer, more inclusive schools; retooling health care to provide gender-affirming services for trans youth; and reducing health care disparities between provinces.
“Caring adults at home, at school and in the community are just as essential for our trans youth as they are for all youth. By reinventing our societal supports, we pave the way for their healthy development,” Saewyc said.
The study, Being Safe, Being Me, was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and completed in collaboration with universities and health researchers across Canada. Copies of the report in English or French are available at www.saravyc.ubc.ca
The researchers are available for interviews in English and French. Contact Tracy Tang at 778-888-6848 or [email protected]
The Trans Youth Health Survey took place between October 2013 and May 2014. The survey was anonymous, although participants were asked to provide their postal code and province of residence. Responses were received from every province and territory except Nunavut and the Yukon.
This survey was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Institute for Gender and Health. CIHR is Canada’s health research investment agency.
Key findings:
Eighty-three per cent of participants lived in their “felt gender” at least part-time; half lived in their felt gender full-time. Those who lived in their felt gender all the time were almost 50 per cent more likely to report good or excellent mental health.
Nearly two-thirds of youth reported self-harm within the past year. More than one in three had attempted suicide.
Seventy per cent of participants reported sexual harassment. Two-thirds reported discrimination because of their gender identity.
More than one in three, or 36 per cent, of the younger participants (ages 14-18) had been physically threatened or injured in the past year.
One in three youth did not have an adult in their family they could talk to about problems, and seven in 10 felt their family did not understand them. When they felt cared about and supported by family, they reported better health.
Only 15 per cent of youth with a family doctor report feeling comfortable discussing their transgender-specific health care needs. | {
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Amazon Store
Tag: security
Crypto-coin Display Maintains
Here is a query that comes up regularly, how do I select which crypto-coin to invest in – aren’t they all the equal? There isn’t any doubt that Bitcoin has captured the lion’s percentage of the crypto currency (CC) market, and that is essential because of its FAME.
This phenomenon is much like what’s taking place in national politics round the world, in which a candidate captures most votes based on FAME, in preference to any tested talents or qualifications to govern a country.
Bitcoin is the pioneer on this market area and continues to garner almost all the marketplace headlines. This FAME does now not suggest that it is perfect for the task, and it is within reason widely recognized that Bitcoin has boundaries and issues that need to resolve, however, there may be a confrontation in the Bitcoin world on how fine to clear up the troubles.
As the problems fester, there is an ongoing possibility for developers to start new coins that address specific conditions, and as a result distinguish themselves from the approximately 1300 different coins in this market space. Let’s have a look at two Bitcoin rivals and discover how they range from Bitcoin, and from each other:
Crypto-coin Ethereum Smart Contracts
Ethereum (ETH) – The Ethereum crypto-coin, called ETHER. The most important distinction from Bitcoin is that Ethereum uses “smart contracts” which might be account protecting items at the Ethereum blockchain. It describes smart Contracts through their creators and they could have interaction with other contracts, decide, store records, and ship ETHER to others.
The execution and services they provide by the Ethereum network, all of which is beyond what the Bitcoin or every other blockchain network can do.
Smart Contracts can act as your autonomous agent, obeying your instructions and regulations for spending forex and starting other transactions on the Ethereum network.
Ripple (XRP) – This crypto-coin and the Ripple network also have unique features that make it a lot of extras than only a virtual forex like Bitcoin. Ripple has developed the Ripple Transaction Protocol (RTXP), a powerful economic device that permits exchanges on the Ripple community to switch finances fast and efficiently.
The primary concept is to place money in “gateways” in which best those who recognize the password can release the funds. For monetary establishments this opens up big opportunities, as it simplifies cross-border payments, reduces prices, and affords transparency and security. This is all achieved with innovative and sensible use of blockchain technology.
The mainstream media is masking this marketplace with breaking news tales nearly each day, however, there’s little depth to their testimonies… They’re typically just dramatic headlines.
The Wild West Crypto-coin Show Maintains..
The five shares crypto/blockchain selections are up a median of 109% considering that December 11/17. The wild swings keep with day by day gyrations. Yesterday we had South Korea and China the contemporary to shoot down the growth in cryptocurrencies.
On Thursday, South Korea’s justice minister, Park Sang-ki, despatched global bitcoin expenses temporarily plummeting and digital coin markets into turmoil while he reportedly said regulators had been preparing legislation to ban cryptocurrency trading.
Later that identical day, the South Korea Ministry of Strategy and Finance, one of the major member corporations of the South Korean government’s cryptocurrency law undertaking force, got here out and stated that their branch does now not consider the premature declaration of the Ministry of Justice about a capability cryptocurrency buying and selling ban.
While the South Korean authorities says cryptocurrency trading is not anything extra than playing, and they’re worried that the enterprise will depart many residents within the poorhouse, their actual difficulty is a lack of tax revenue. This is the same concern every government has.
China has grown into one of the global’s biggest assets of cryptocurrency mining, but now the authorities rumoured to be searching into regulating the electrical strength used by the mining computer systems. Over 80% of the electric electricity to mine Bitcoin today comes from China.
By shutting down miners, the government might make it harder for Bitcoin customers to verify transactions. Mining operations will circulate to other places, however China is especially appealing due very low electricity and land costs.
If China follows via with this chance, there might be a brief lack of mining capacity, which could cause Bitcoin customers seeing longer timers and better costs for transaction verification.
This wild ride will keep, and just like the net increase, we can see some big winners, and a few large losers. Also, similar to the internet boom, or the uranium increase, it’s miles individuals who get in early who will prosper, even as the mass traders constantly display up at the cease, buying in on the pinnacle.
Bitcoin Mixing Service
If you’re studying this article, chances are which you already recognise about Bitcoin, and possible approximately Bitcoin mixing service. This platform converted the whole global into a digital one in only three years. Today, people from all around the international are the use of this service without sharing their non-public information with the arena.
However, in case you think you could avail the provider at once from the platform Bitcoin itself, you want to trade your mind. For anonymity, you need to apply a reliable Bitcoin mixing service.
If this looks as if something new to you, we will let you apprehend it. Through this newsletter, we’re going that will help you be familiar with the service.
You will also recognize the reason there is a lot of hype about it at the Internet. We will also shed some light on the blessings of the provider. Read on.
Benefits Of Bitcoin Mixing Service
With the help of Bitcoin, you could live anonymous while doing all your transactions on the internet. Traditionally, when you make bills online, you need to pay heavy charges.
For example, if you pay the use of your credit card, the bank will fee you for providing the carrier. No, counted what medium you select to use, you will should pay prices.Not all and sundry can pay for paying those prices.
Bitcoin Mixing Service For The Anonymity
On the alternative hand, if you pay the use of virtual currency, you won’t must pay any expenses.
Plus, it may not share your identification with all of us. Basically, it is critical to notice that those transactions aren’t nameless. It records your activities and are to have to absolutely everyone via blockchain.
This is a huge database of these transactions, this means it shares your facts with the character you are managing.
All of your information together with your name, cope with and other statistics shared. Now, in case you want to revel in actual anonymity, use a blending provider.
The purpose of the provider is to facilitate the proprietors. Therefore, if you use this provider, you need not sign in via providing your personal facts.
If you’re a primary time person, you could select from a diffusion of services that may not price you something.
In the identical manner, they might not require the PGP key verification. Actually, the reason of the offerings is to ensure that you enjoy actual anonymity when making those transactions.
Since there are lots of call for those mixing services, scammers are taking gain of the device to make money.
Therefore, it’s vital which you do your homework earlier than deciding on a great blending service. Finding an honest provider is of real significance.
What you need to do is lease a mixing service that may not ask for your name, e-mail or other personal statistics. Also, the service company shouldn’t hold data of transactions their customers make every day.
In quick, we endorse that you pick a Bitcoin mixing carrier accurately. Choosing the right service is vital if you want to enjoy the blessings defined in this article. Just be cautious and make a knowledgeable choice. | {
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I was at SFE last night and somebody told me that there were two ground teams that came and dominated the course with no problem. My best run was (still not around the building without help) achieved when I turned all the obstacle avoidance off. Noisy sensors are making the car doge phantoms.
User mini profile
Last few nights were late ones... the nav is working better... I keep writing bugs into my code. Need to stop doing that No obstacle avoidance implemented. Just too many issues to wade through.
I did a test run at a nearby parking lot... it wasn't great, but ... gotta run what ya brung, right? So hoping to at least make it around the first corner... anything else is a bonus. Maybe will try a couple tweaks tomorrow. We'll see.
Focused on packing tools etc tonight. No more coding or tinkering. I've pretty much done all I can. Can barely keep my eyes open and I need to be awake for the hour drive up north...
User mini profile
let me say congrats to everyone that participated! I didn't make it out this year, but I watched the first heat on video so I was there in spirit!. But I will be there next year and hope to give tobor and the other great teams a challenger!
Nice! You got my blue blaze car crash in there too.
We had really bad luck that day.
Run 1 we forgot to turn the power on to a board that runs the gyros so we crashed into the curb.
Run 2 we got tangled up with another car. It bent our steering a bit.
Run 3 we were driving near the curb and the wet leaves balled up under the car and it got stuck.
Free-for-all we crashed into another car as seen in scotts video. but we flipped it back over and it completed the race. I think it was the first to cross the finish line on the free-for-all. | {
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Warning! There’s been an increase scams lately. Many of them are internet scams, but there’s also been an increase in locksmith scams. To help, your local commercial locksmith (that’s us!) has decided to share some of the best ways to prevent being taken advantage of.
Tips from a Commercial Locksmith: 12 Ways to Protect Yourself from Locksmith Scams
Utilizing these 12 tips will help you protect your property and your pocketbook from scammers.
1. Do Your Research
Before you call a locksmith, do some research to see if they’re reputable. Check their address to make sure it’s an actual place and that a locksmith company does, in fact, operate there.
2. Be Observant
“Technicians” who work for a proper locksmith company will arrive to your property with a commercial van. Those who work for a scam company will often arrive in an unmarked vehicle.
3. If They Demand Money Up Front, Tell Them to Leave
An honest-to-goodness commercial locksmith will charge you for services rendered. A scam artist will demand the money up front. If you’re told you have to pay up front, tell the “technician” to hit the road.
4. Do Your Research – Part II
Take some time to research the reviews on Yelp, Google, and other review websites. When you do this, compare the address and phone number of the company you’re researching with the companies in the reviews.
5. Don’t Trust Someone Who Quotes You One Price over the Phone but Demands Another
Scam artists will quote a perfectly reasonable fee over the phone. Once they get to the property, they demand a higher fee for other services or because the service is going to be more difficult than expected.
One woman who dealt with a scam artist was quoted $40 to unlock her door. When he arrived, he told her he’d have to break the door down. Or, he could save the door by using a special tool, but that would cost an additional $60. When he finished, he told the woman she owed him $250 because of other fees and labor costs.
This is not how the locksmith business works. A real “technician” does not quote three different fees.
6. Listen Closely to How They Answer the Phone
If the person on the other end of the phone uses a generic term like “call center,” “service center,” or “locksmith,” you might want to call another number. A real locksmith company will answer their phone using the company name. Scam numbers are re-routed to an out of the area call center.
7. Ask if They Accept Credit Cards
Scammers typically don’t like to deal with credit cards because they can be easily traced. They’ll ask for cash or debit cards instead.
8. The “Technician” Shows Up Without a Uniform or Identification
Like their vehicle, a reputable locksmith will arrive in clothes that identify them. They generally have a uniform with the company name and logo. At the very least, they will present some identification, like a state license number.
9. Find a Locksmith Before You Actually Need One
One of the worst things you can do is wait until you’re in a bind to contact a locksmith. Do your homework ahead of time. Then you know you’re working with a legitimate company.
10. Be Leary of a Locksmith Who Tells You That You Have Special Locks
Some scammers tell customers they have special locks that need to be drilled off. Once the locks are off, they’re replaced with cheaper replicas. The price the customer has to pay, however, is anything but cheap.
11. Get a Written Estimate
Get a written estimate before any work is done. This will help you see what they’re charging you for and protect you legally.
12. If At All Possible, Don’t Meet the Locksmith Alone
Scammers tend to get what they want through intimidation. You’ll be less likely to be a victim if you have someone backing you up.
Protect Yourself by Choosing a Trustworthy Local Commercial Locksmith
Are you looking for a trustworthy commercial locksmith? Then you’ve come to the right place. Whether you need a lock repair, lock change, or keyless entry locks – we can provide it.
We’re committed to providing our customers with the best service around. And our reputation proves that we’re a company you can trust.
The next time you need a commercial locksmith, make sure you call us.
Would you like to learn more about how to protect yourself? Fill out our contact form and we’ll be in touch to give you more helpful tips. | {
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This is the lobby of the building where the Topaz offices are located. I shared the Adjustment Stack I used on this image as a preset named "Portrait of a Lobby". I used a gradient mask for the Impression Adjustment, and brushed the effect out of the leaves a bit. The Sharpen Adjustment used at the end of the process was there to make the plaque with our name on it stand out a bit. | {
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HAZEL M. BRUSO
FAIRFAX — Hazel M. Bruso, 92, a resident of Brick Church Road died on Saturday, May 28, 2016 at Northwestern Medical Center, surrounded by her family.
Hazel was born in Westminster on July 9, 1923, the daughter of C. Fred and Bernadette (Boudreau) Burnor. On Dec. 18, 1942, she married Alton Bruso with whom she spent the next 71 years, until his death in October of 2014.
Hazel was a homemaker who enjoyed cooking, making cookies, cakes and ‘special fudge’. You were always welcome at Hazel’s table. She enjoyed her flowers in the wheelbarrow and the ‘tub’ across the road. One of her other enjoyments was going with Alton to card parties of ‘500’ and having friends over for a game or two, hoping to have the Joker in her hand. She also enjoyed being around her grandchildren whether climbing in the trees or reading a book.
Hazel is survived by her three children; Alton Jr. and Lorraine of Alburgh, Donna and Dick Wood of Bennington and Beverly Bruso of Fairfax and her friend Harley Rushford. She is also survived by her grandchildren; Michael and Michele Bruso of Fairfax, Tammy and Aaron Boissoneault of Johnson, Lori and Jeff Spooner of Essex and Todd and Jen and Corey and Ben all of Bennington; 10 great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.
In addition to her husband, Alton, her parents and her three siblings; her brother, Leon and two sisters, Helen and Leona, predeceased Hazel.
Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, June 7, 2016 at 4 p.m. at the Heald Funeral Home, 87 South Main Street in St. Albans with Rev. Elizabeth Griffin officiating. Interment will follow in the Bruso Family lot at Greenwood Cemetery in St. Albans. Friends are invited to call at the funeral home on Tuesday from 3 p.m. until the time of the service.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Franklin County Home Health Agency, 3 Home Health Circle, St. Albans, VT 05478. Messages of condolence may be sent to Hazel’s family at www.healdfuneralhome.com. | {
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2014 Programming Preview
We’re in the final planning stages for our 2014 panels–figuring out panelists, choosing moderators, writing up outlines–so we can’t reveal the full schedule details, but we CAN share some teaser information with you! Here are just some of the awesome things we’ll be doing this year: | {
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lead singer of the band from first to last. is notouriously short (5'4) and has a slight nose problem, but he's still dead sexy. every (girl or gay) fan of fftl would like to have his children; unfortunately, he's legal (turned 18 in January.) has snakebites and wears more make-up than almost any other girl.
The lead singer of the band From First to Last, also known as FFTL. He has a large set of lungs on him for being 17, and also being a midget. If I didn't know who he was, I would've thought he was a cookie elf. Yes, he is that short. He's also known for wearing chick pants and massive amounts of eyeliner. All in all, it seems to pay off since almost every teenage girl is swooning over him since he's not legal yet and they can bang him without it looking like another Jilary scandal.
Sonny Moore is the lead vocals from the awesome scream-o band From First To Last, that originates from Florida and California. And all I can say is that he owns your ass. And he looks like my best friend.
Lead Singer of the band From First to Last who came from both Florida and cali. Makes the sounds of a love song-Emily- and homicide-Ride the Wings of Pestilence- sound totally awesome. and yet he is totally hott.
Sonny Moore is hotter than you'll ever be in your whole life so face it.
Sonny Moore is the lead singer from the band 'FromFirstToLast'. He has amazing vocals and is GEORGEOUS ! Sonny Moore and Everyone else in From First To Last rock !
They are one of the greatest bands I have ever HEARD !
Sonny Moore is the lead singer of the screamo band From First To Last. He's only 5'4" but is 18 years old. (YES, it's 18 now for all you idiots!) He was born on January 15th, 1988. He has an AMAZING set of lungs and there's allways tons of girls swooning over him. (But he's legal now, so you better watch it with him!) Sonny = God.
Lead singer of From First To Last which is also known as FFTL. He is 17 and 5'4". His birthday is January 15 and he is from California. He has long black hair, snake bites, usually wears eye makeup, and wears tight pants. He is obsessed with Aphex Twin and usually doesnt shower. Every single hormonally crazed girl / gay boy on this planet thinks they have the chance to get in his pants since he isnt 18 yet. | {
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Men Haircuts For Thick Hair along with Mens Hairstyles
Names Of Men Hairstyles together with The Top Mens Hairstyles for 2017 29 Images Mens Haircuts plus Brad Pitt Fury Hairstyle Haircuts For White Men along with Mohawk Hairstyle for Black Men Best Mens Hairstyle 2015 plus Platinum Hair Color for Guys Mens Blended Haircut together with barbersofbt45 and separated textures cool hairstyles men Mens Latest Hairstyles and Low Fade with Side Part Hair | {
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Sunday - July 5
Swim
50m
2600.00 yards
01m 55s /100 yards
Bike
2h 34m 56s
36.24 miles
14.03 Mi/hr
I ended up swimming a Shadow Cliffs doing the inner loop after four laps in the lap section. Then I biked to Del Valle and back with a side trip up 84. It was howling windy. Good practice. I'm not good at descending in the wind. I felt great on the hills. I felt like I was biking under control.
Friday - July 3
Bike
4h 39m 20s
65.14 miles
13.99 Mi/hr
I biked with the Shadow team today. I ended up starting at home with Lulu and heading up to the Skyline Blvd and then meeting everyone else there. We headed down in to Berkeley via Grissley Peak and then connected with Wildcat road. Once we hit Camino Pablo we did the clockwise bear ride. Finally we headed back to Moraga before heading back home. I felt like I stayed in my power zones until we hit the bears--which was my game plan. My max 20 was 251 normalized watts. 11K climbing | {
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Introducing NSX-T 2.4 – A Landmark Release in the History of NSX
In February 2017, we introduced VMware NSX-T Data Center to the world. For years, VMware NSX for vSphere had been spearheading a network transformation journey with a software-defined, application-first approach. In the meantime, as the application landscape was changing with the arrival of public clouds and containers, NSX-T was being designed to address the evolving needs of organizations to support cloud-native applications, bare metal workloads, multi-hypervisor environments, public clouds, and now, even multiple clouds.
Today, we are excited to announce an important milestone in this journey – the NSX-T 2.4 release, expected to post tomorrow. This fifth release of NSX-T delivers advancements in networking, security, automation, and operational simplicity for everyone involved – from IT admins to DevOps-style teams to developers. Today, NSX-T has emerged as the clear choice for customers embracing cloud-native application development, expanding use of public cloud, and mandating automation to drive agility.
Let’s take a look at some of the new features in NSX-T 2.4:
Operational Simplicity: Easy to Install, Configure, Operate
What if delivering new networks and network services was as easy as spinning up a workload in AWS? In keeping with the ethos that networking can be made easier, over the past few releases, we have focused on improving the user experience at every level – UI, dashboards, APIs, systems. In today’s app-centric, multi-cloud world, networking and security aren’t solely the responsibility of network architects and admins with control, visibility and automation being shared across DevOps teams. VMware NSX serves this need by delivering a centralized and consistent operational tool for everyone to work together. This release brings a number of operational enhancements that makes it easy to install, upgrade, and operate consistently, accelerating Day 0 installation to Day 1 provisioning from days to minutes, and significantly simplifying Day 2 operations for administrators.
Day 0: Installation
The 2.4 release introduces a new converged NSX manager appliance with 3-node clustering support which merges policy, management and central control services on a cluster of nodes, bringing high availability and a scale-out architecture to the management plane. In addition, due to the convergence of management and control plane nodes, fewer VMs are needed which means less management overhead. NSX-T now also includes installation enhancements such as Ansible modules that enable automation of installation workflows.
Day 2: Ongoing Operations
NSX-T enables customers to provision new networks and services with a single API call or a few clicks in a new simplified UI, making NSX the industry’s simplest way to manage an application-centric, software-defined network.
Simplified UI – Overview Tab
Networking Configuration Overview – Centralized View
Here’s a 3-part deep dive demo series to see how NSX-T drastically simplifies networking services:
Infrastructure as Code: A New Declarative Policy Model
Automation-driven fast and agile IT environments is becoming a necessity for every enterprise and service provider in the world. By implementing networking completely in software, NSX makes networks programmable, agile, and dynamic, squarely addressing the many challenges with physical network automation. Consuming NSX through configuration frameworks like Ansible or scripting languages such as Python or PowerShell goes a step beyond the simple usage of the GUI and allows for greater agility, consistency, and scale.
Taking a page from iterative automation in cloud-native environments using NSX-T, we are introducing in this release, a new declarative policy model to enable a one-step approach to configuring networking and security for applications. It drastically simplifies network automation by allowing users to specify what the connectivity and security needs of applications are as opposed to how networking and security should be configured step-by-step. Unlike the imperative-based model where detailed tasks need to be explicitly called out, this new way of provisioning infrastructure gives operators a one-shot, application-focused approach to automating configuration of the network.
This approach eliminates the need for a tedious set of sequential commands to configure networking and security services which is time-consuming and error-prone. The declarative interface takes in simple, user-defined terms the connectivity and security requirements for the application environment specified in a JSON file. These policies are platform-agnostic and easily replicable, simplifying operations and allowing IT teams to scale to new levels.
New Declarative Policy Vs Imperative Model Based Automation
Expanding Security Features, Delivered Intrinsically
Today’s aggressive threats require proactive, modern defense approaches. Micro-segmentation with NSX not only delivers on this promise but takes it one step further with seamless operations and optimized user experience. Not surprisingly, thousands of customers across the globe use NSX for micro-segmentation to protect their data centers and cloud environments from sophisticated attacks.
With every release, NSX-T continues to bolster its ability to deliver consistent, pervasive connectivity and intrinsic security for applications and data across any environment to drastically shrink the application attack surface and reduce business risk. NSX-T delivers security to diverse endpoints such as VMs, containers, and bare metal, as well as to various cloud platforms.
NSX-T 2.4 introduces support for advanced security capabilities such as Layer 7 application context-based firewalling, identity-based firewalling, FQDN/URL whitelisting, guest introspection, and E-W service insertion. The FQDN/URL whitelisting feature applies to E-W traffic in the distributed firewall and it enables customers to allow/whitelist specific traffic going from a VM to a specific FQDN or URL. Benefits of this feature include support for communication to a different system/application in a multi-site environment, support for applications that use native cloud services, and support for URL domain on the internet.
NSX-T 2.4 also brings a new level of analytics and visualization with a new simplified management dashboard and UI for security, as well as support for Splunk app and VMware vRealize Log Insight.
FQDN/URL Whitelisting Enforced at DFW Level
Layer 7 Application Context-Aware Firewalling
Watch the latest Networking Field Day demo video for an in-depth view of the new security capabilities in NSX-T 2.4. And keep an eye out on the Security section of the NSX blog over the next few weeks for technical deep-dives on the security capabilities supported in NSX-T 2.4.
Higher Levels of Scale, Resiliency, Performance
NSX-T was designed from the ground-up to enable a modular, resilient, and distributed architecture that is flexible and scalable to the demands of cloud-scale and multi-cloud environments.
NSX-T 2.4 now supports greater scale, resiliency and performance, with near line-rate speed using a DPDK-based hardware-accelerated data plane.
As global IPv4 address space shortage continues with the explosion of IoT and mobile devices and governments mandate the transition to IPv6, the support for IPv6 in NSX-T 2.4 addresses a critical global problem and a key requirement of cloud-scale networks.
The NSX-T 2.4 release brings support for a converged NSX manager appliance design with 3-node clustering support that merges policy, management and central control services on a cluster of nodes. This brings the benefits of high availability and scale to the management plane.
NSX-T can scale to hundreds of thousands of routes, over a thousand hosts per NSX domain, and enables high-scale multi-tenancy. The higher levels of scale, resiliency, and performance positions NSX to deliver even greater capabilities in a multi-cloud world.
Customer Momentum, Partnerships, and New Opportunities
2018 was an outstanding year for NSX-T in terms of customer momentum. For a peek into the wide breadth of NSX-T customers and VMworld 2018 sessions on NSX-T, check out the blog post here.
NSX-T has been a key enabler of our customers’ multi-cloud and hybrid cloud initiatives as well as cloud-native projects using Kubernetes, VMware PKS, Pivotal Application Service (PAS), and Red Hat OpenShift. It is driving value inside the data center today and expanding across datacenters and to the cloud via our VMware Cloud Provider partnerships, and to VMware Cloud on AWS and native public cloud workloads via VMware NSX Cloud. The network virtualization platform is embedded throughout the VMware portfolio, including VMware Cloud Foundation, VMware vCloud NFV, and in the future AWS Outposts and VMware Cloud Foundation for EC2.
Summary
Our relentless focus on the development cycle of NSX-T continues with the primary goal of uniting and helping secure different clouds and making it easy to use for everyone. With every release, NSX-T continues to gain new capabilities that address emerging customer use-cases, spurring new avenues for organizations to innovate and thrive in the market.
Now is the time to assess how NSX-T can help your organization transform your journey forward – from scaling and securing networks and embracing new clouds to adopting latest practices in automation and new application frameworks – NSX-T delivers on every count.
For customers using NSX for vSphere, VMware will continue to support you throughout your ongoing transformation journey: from investment protection, to continuing to support NSX for vSphere, to giving customers multiple different choices to migrate to NSX-T – stay tuned for more blogs on this topic.
Watch this space for a series of technical deep-dive blogs on some of the key capabilities supported in this release of NSX-T 2.4.
NSX has become the bridge that enables customers to unify networking and security across their private and public clouds, bringing VMware closer to fulfilling its Virtual Cloud Network vision. | {
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Kickoff fans can save time, money with advance tickets
Conway and Myrtle Beach High football fans can do more to support their teams than cheering for them in Saturday night’s Derrick Law Firm Kickoff Classic.
They can also save themselves a couple of bucks, a long wait in line and make a donation to their respective team’s booster clubs by buying tickets in advance.
Formerly known as the Surf and Turf Kickoff Classic, the inaugural high school football showcase will be held at Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium and features Conway vs. Northwestern at 5 p.m., followed by Myrtle Beach vs. Irmo at 8 p.m.
Tickets for both games are $12 at the gate, but Tiger and Seahawk fans can get them for $10 by buying them in advance at www.derricklawfirmkickoff.com. Clcik on the school you support and $5 will go directly to its booster club. Purchases must be made before 5 p.m. Wednesday to take advantage of the offer.
By buying online, fans also cut out what is expected to be a big walk-up crowd for tickets to the doubleheader. Those who buy in advance also earn the right to be first to buy tickets to the 2013 edition, which features four NC schools vs. four SC schools. | {
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Gucci Mane added to Flosstradamus’ HDYFEST 420
April 20, 2017 at Red Rocks in Morrison, Colorado
Gucci Mane will join Flosstradamus at the annual HDYFEST this month at Red Rocks Ampitheater. After a sold out event last year, Flosstradamus is ready to celebrate yet another epic holiday alongside the famed rapped as well as What So Not, Gryffin, and Branchez.
HDYFEST has become the ultimate destination for the HDYNATION – a devout group of fans that have adopted a HDY-lifestyle cultivated by Flosstradamus and their music over the last decade. Colorado has become the new home for this annual event after its inception at Stubbs in Austin, TX on April 20, 2015. | {
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Marathon unity talks continued late into Tuesday night after Netanyahu and Herzog met until late into the night the previous evening.
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Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi could follow in the traditions of the mother and sister of Moses, who were midwives in ancient Egypt, by helping give birth to a national unity government in Israel, sources in the Likud and Labor said Tuesday.
Likud and Labor officials were thankful to Sisi for aiding the effort to build a new government, both behind the scenes and in a speech he made Tuesday in which he stated his commitment to contributing toward the Israeli-Palestinian peace effort. The officials confirmed a Channel 10 report that if a unity government is formed, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Labor Party head Isaac Herzog could go to Egypt to launch a new peace initiative under Sisi’s guidance.
“His statement signals a possibility of dramatic progress, and highlights the will of the moderate Arab world,” Herzog said. “It is crucial that we listen to the Egyptian president, and examine the opportunity seriously and responsibly.”
A senior source in Labor stressed that there are still very significant gaps in the coalition talks. The source, who is very close to Herzog, said he was unaware that a joint visit to Egypt had been raised in the talks.
“At the moment there is no peace between Bibi and Buji [the nicknames of the two leaders], and the statement by Sisi didn’t affect that,” the source said.
Nevertheless, sources close to Herzog said Sisi’s efforts are among many diplomatic efforts taking place that could only come to fruition if he joined the government.
Herzog slammed MK Shelly Yacimovich and other critics in Labor for rejecting a potential unity deal before its details are known.
“We expect Shelly to wait until the final results are known and learn the facts before she scolds for political reasons,” a source close to Herzog said. “Until then she should stop issuing threats and statements with violent connotations.”
Yacimovich vowed on Facebook to lead a struggle for “justice, clean government, ideology and the party’s self respect.” In an interview with Israel Radio, she called the potential Netanyahu-Herzog partnership “a wedding of blood.”
Herzog critic MK Erel Margalit said “the political spin of the Sisi initiative is an insult to the intelligence coming from those crawling on all fours into the government.”
But Labor MK Hilik Bar, who also opposes joining the coalition, welcomed Sisi’s statement and expressed hope it would lead to a renewed peace process with the Palestinians.
Marathon unity talks continued late into Tuesday night after Netanyahu and Herzog met until late into the night the previous evening.
Netanyahu and Herzog also continued efforts to draft support for the initiative within their own parties.
Herzog intends to bring a unity proposal for approval at the Labor Party’s convention next week if a deal is reached. But a coalition deal had still not been reached Tuesday night.
A source close to Netanyahu said large gaps remain in the coalition talks. Netanyahu’s associates lamented that Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman had rejected overtures from Netanyahu to join the government.
Channel 10 reported that Liberman was promised the defense portfolio and support for a Yisrael Beytenu- sponsored bill that would mandate the death penalty for terrorists.
They slammed Liberman for blocking the establishment of a right-wing government.
Liberman’s associates responded that Netanyahu is trying to whitewash over his breaking of his campaign promises by forming a broad government with Labor.
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Who is Robert Mueller, the man named special counsel to oversee the investigation into Russian interference?
Related
FILE - In this Sept. 4, 2013, file photo, then-incoming FBI Director James Comey talks with outgoing FBI Director Robert Mueller before Comey was officially sworn in at the Justice Department in Washington. On May 17, 2017, the Justice Department said is appointing Mueller as special counsel to oversee investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
By
Debbie Lord
Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Former FBI Director Robert Mueller has been named to "oversee the previously-confirmed FBI investigation of Russian government efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election, and related matters."
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein made the announcement Wednesday of the appointment saying, "My decision is not a finding that crimes have been committed or that any prosecution is warranted. I have made no such determination. What I have determined is that based upon the unique circumstances, the public interest requires me to place this investigation under the authority of a person who exercises a degree of independence from the normal chain of command."
Who is Mueller? Here’s a quick look at the man named to lead the investigation.
Mueller was appointed FBI director in 2001 and led the FBI through the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terror attacks. He retired in 2013.
He was the second-longest FBI director in history.
Mueller, along with then Deputy Attorney General James B. Comey, offered to resign from office in March 2004 if the White House overruled a Department of Justice finding that domestic wiretapping without a court warrant was unconstitutional.
Mueller was replaced as FBI director by James Comey.
He worked for 12 years in the US attorney's offices, in the Northern District of California in San Francisco, and also working as an assistant US attorney in Boston.
He was an assistant to the U.S. attorney general in 1989.
He is a Vietnam War veteran. As a Marine in the 3rd Marine Division, he was awarded the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and the Gallantry Cross.
After leaving the FBI, Mueller joined private law firm WilmerHale.
The Justice Department said Mueller has resigned from his job at a private law firm to take the job of special counsel. | {
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Gluten-free Bacon Mashed Potato Stuffed Meatloaf #Recipe
We do enjoy meatloaf around here. I have different variations of it because it’s one of my favorite things to experiment with. Mashed potatoes are a favorite here, especially for me. I sometimes don’t want to make them from scratch, so if you open my fridge you’ll often find some containers of pre-packaged if I’ve found a decent sale. I had a container and didn’t want to just use it as a side. I decided it would be fun to make a stuffed meatloaf with an open top filled with mashed potatoes. because cheese goes so well with potatoes and meatloaf and is another thing I love, I decided to incorporate that too. I didn’t use bread crumbs in this meatloaf (as is often the case), so the meatloaf is gluten-free. It was a big hit with everyone and was gone in one meal. Here’s how I made it.
Gluten-free Bacon Mashed Potato Stuffed Meatloaf
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From Val’s Kitchen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. | {
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New-car market slips 3.5 per cent
Hyundai up 76.2 per cent as Australian car market cuts its losses in September
THE Australian new-car market declined 3.5 per cent in September, proving recovery will not happen overnight.
However, the September result of 78,131 cars is an improvement over the year-to-date run of the market which is down by 13.1 per cent after three quarters for a running total of 681,974.
VFACTS figures show the September market held up relatively well given that the government business tax incentive stimulus, which pulled sales forward to the peak month of June, has lost some of its steam.
FCAI Chief Executive Andrew McKellar said the September figure demonstrate signs of consolidation in the new vehicle market.
“Some areas of buyer confidence remain fragile and an interest rate rise is premature,” he said.
“Economic stimulus has resulted in positive business sales but private buyers need the confidence to return to showrooms in larger numbers.”
While most car-makers lost ground in September, Hyundai again defied gravity by growing a massive 76.2 per cent compared with September of 2008.
The price-conscious brand appears to be capitalising in a positive exchange rate with South Korea, combined with successful marketing, selling 5484 cars in September compared with 3113 in the same month of 2008.
While last month’s result was particularly strong, Hyundai has done consistently well in the first three quarters of the year with sales growing 36.4 per cent year to date.
Its i30 small car achieved 1818 sales in September – a 136 per cent increase over its 769 sales tally in September 2008.
Other September highlights for Hyundai included the Getz light car with 1650 sales – up 54 per cent – and the Tucson compact SUV, with 1168 (up 352 per cent).
It wasn’t quite enough for the up-and-coming brand to beat Mazda in September, which it did in August, but Hyundai cemented its place as the fifth best-selling brand in Australia and the second strongest full import line behind Mazda.
Hyundai has sold 47,625 cars for the first nine months of the year, representing a seven per cent market share, which is 7533 more than Mitsubishi (5.9 per cent) and 10,070 fewer than Mazda (8.5 per cent).
Toyota was again the best-selling brand in Australia in September with 16,007 sales for the month, representing an 11.3 per cent drop year-on-year. While its board of directors is hardly going to be popping the champagne, this is at least better than its year-to-date performance which is down 40,908 cars, or 22.3 per cent, on the same period in 2008.
The Holden Commodore was the best selling car in September with 3858 sales, ahead of the Toyota Corolla with 3553 units and the Mazda3 in third with 3307 sales.
The passenger vehicle market was down 3.2 per cent in September, the light commercial segment was down 4.3 per cent, heavy commercials tumbled 26.5 per cent, but SUVs lifted 1.7 per cent.
Almost 300 more people bought light cars in September, representing an increase of three per cent, but small cars sales slipped by 965 or 5.2 per cent.
The medium car segment continued to show little movement, with an increase of just 1.2 per cent, or 91 more cars for the month.
Other winners included compact SUVs – up 312 cars, or five per cent – and luxury SUVs (up 405 vehicles or 30.9 per cent).
Vans bucked the negative light commercial trend with an increase of 102 vehicles, or 4.9 per cent, while 4x4 pick-up and cab-chassis sales increased by 99 for a rise of 1.5 per cent.
The large-car segment shed another 1035 sales for the month, slipping 10.6 per cent, upper large was down 18.8 per cent (75 cars) and people movers dropped off by 12.2 per cent (133 cars).
Medium SUVs were down by seven per cent (394 cars), large SUVs dipped 8.6 per cent (87) and 4x4 pick up and cab-chassis sales were down 13.2 per cent (742 vehicles).
Sales to business customers increased 1.1 per cent in September but remain 9.6 per cent down for the nine months to the end of September.
Private sales also held up well in September, down just 0.5 per cent on the same month last year, but remain 11.9 per cent down so far this year.
Government sales fell 19.7 per cent in September, which is worse than the year-to-date average decline of 14.2 per cent.
Rental sales are staging a recovery, and even though they were down 16.3 per cent in September, this is significantly better than the 41.6 per cent fall year to date.
The Hyundai Getz was a clear winner in the light-car class, selling 1650 cars, in front of Honda's Jazz with 1439, Toyota's Yaris with (1280), the Mazda2 (1270) and Suzuki's Swift with 1028.
Year to date, Getz leads with 15,191 sales, ahead of the Yaris (14,377 sales) and the Mazda2 (9974).
Above $25,000 in the light class, the Alfa Romeo MiTo was the best seller with 41 sales, in front of the Peugeot 207 (39) and Fiat 500 (19).
In the small-car class, Toyota’s Corolla, with 3353 sales and a share of 19.6 per cent, pipped the Mazda3 with 3307 sales and a share of 19.3 per cent. The Mitsubishi Lancer came third with 2033 sales and a share of 11.9 per cent.
Kia’s new Cerato notched up 1818 sales, while Holden’s Cruze small car lost momentum after a blazing start, with 1318 sales for the month.
With one quarter of the year left, the Corolla leads the class with 28,476 sales to the Mazda3 (27,186), Hyundai i30 (15,872) and Lancer (15,005).
In small cars above $40,000, the Mini Cooper topped the charts with 178 sales, from the BMW 1-Series (162) and the Audi A3 (145).
Toyota’s Camry continued to dominate the medium-car class with 2360 sales and a huge share of 41.7 per cent as buyers responded to the recent update. This represents an 11.6 per cent increase for the month and runs contrary to the 15.2 per cent decrease year to date.
The Mazda6 came a distant second with 879 sales and a share of 15.5 per cent, in front of the Subaru Liberty (556 sales/9.8 per cent share) and the Honda Accord Euro (467/8.2 per cent).
So far this year, Camry sales stand at 14,712, in front of the Mazda6 (6662) and the Subaru Liberty (3467).
Above $60,000, the Mercedes Benz C-class took the medium-class honours with 646 sales and a share of 34.7 per cent. The BMW 3 Series came second with 504 sales and a share of 27.1 per cent, with the Audi A4 a distant third on 344 units and 18.4 per cent share.
So far this year, the C-class has 4402 sales, in front of the 1 Series with 2892 and the A4 with 2870 sales.
The Holden Commodore continues to hold down the number-one spot in the large car class.
Its result of 3858 sales and a share of 45.9 per cent gave it a clear lead over the Ford Falcon’s 2794 sales and 33.2 per cent share. Commodore sales were down 13.5 per cent for the month, while Falcon sales were down 10.5 per cent.
Toyota’s Aurion continued to struggle, recording just 1037 sales for the month and a share of 12.3 per cent, which represents 16.4 per cent decrease on September 2008.
So far this year, Holden has sold 32,630 Commodores, Ford 22,570 Falcons and Toyota 15,091 Aurions.
In the large-car niche above $70,000, Mercedes-Benz recorded another win, this time with the new E-class which recorded 105 sales, in front of the BMW 5 Series (68 sales) and Audi A6 (55). So far this year, Mercedes has sold 1077 E-classes, BMW 621 5 Series cars and Audi 430 A6s.
Holden’s Caprice dominated the upper-large segment with 112 sales in September, in front of its stablemate, the Holden Statesman, with 61 units, and the Chrysler 300C, with 59 sales.
The exclusive upper-large segment above $100,000 also went to Mercedes-Benz whose S-class edged out the BMW 7 Series, 33 sales to 32, with the new Porsche Panamera registering 10 sales.
People-mover sales were dominated by the Kia Rondo with 303 units and a share of 33.1 per cent, in front of the Toyota Tarago (213, 23.3 per cent) and Honda’s Odyssey (88 sales, 9.6 per cent).
Above $55,000, only one people-mover made double figures in September – the Chrysler Voyager, which hit 30 sales and an 81.1 per cent share.
The BMW 1 Series coupe and convertible took out the honours in the sportscar class below $80,000, with 176 sales and share of 17. 4 per cent for the month.
Second was the Volkswagen Eos (158, 15.6 per cent) and Mercedes C-class Sports Coupe ( 84, 8.3 per cent).
After three quarters of 2009, the BMW 1 Series has a clear lead with 1631 sales to the C-class Sports Coupe (975) and Eos (880).
At the top end of sports car, above $80,000, the 3 Series Coupe and Convertible sold a combined 154 units for a 25.4 per cent share. Second was the Audi A5 which notched 127 sales and a share of 21 per cent, while the Mercedes Benz E-class Coupe had 93 sales and a share of 15.3 per cent.
So far this year, the 3 Series has sold 1308 units, in front of A5 with 757 sales and the Mercedes CLK (which has been replaced by the C-class Coupe) with 661 sales.
Above $200,000, Jaguar and Porsche tied for the honours, with the XK and 911 both netting 13 sales for the month. Maserati sold 10 cars, one more than Ferrari, while Mercedes sold nine SLs.
The Hyundai Tucson was the top-selling compact SUV with 1168 sales and a share of 17.7 per cent in September, ahead of the Subaru Forester (1131 and 17.1 per cent share). Toyota’s RAV4 slipped to third place with 1004 sales and 15.2 per cent share.
Year to date, the Forester still leads the class, with 10,779 sales, just holding out the RAV4 with 9246, while the hard-charging Tucson is third (8438).
Toyota’s Kluger continues to run at the front of the medium SUV segment, recording 958 sales and a share of 18.4 per cent in September, in front of fellow Toyota entrant Prado (904, 17.8 per cent), the Ford Territory (890, 17.1 per cent) and Holden Captiva (880, 16.9 per cent).
After the first three quarters of the year, the Prado holds a narrow lead with 9422 sales over Kluger with 9162, with Captiva third (7878) and Territory fourth (7746).
Toyota’s LandCruiser dominated the large SUV class in September with 692 sales and 74.6 per cent share. The Nissan Patrol wagon recorded 209 sales and a share of 22.5 per cent and the Jeep Commander managed 27 sales and share of 2.9 per cent.
BMW was a clear winner in the luxury SUV class, shifting 465 X5s in September for a share of 27.1 per cent, while the new Lexus RX hit 202 and a share of 11.8 per cent and the Mercedes ML managed 103 and a share of six per cent.
The X5 is a clear winner year to date, with a tally of 2349 in front of the RX (1910) and ML (1361).
The Toyota is a clear winner so far this year with 6172 sales from the Mitsubishi Express (2742), Transit (1723) and iLoad (1547).
Ford had a rare win by taking out the 4x2 ute with its Falcon Ute which snared 932 sales and a share of 19.1 per cent, just edging out Toyota’s Hilux with 931 sales and a share of 19.1 per cent. Holden’s Commodore-based Ute did 743 sales for a share of 15.2 per cent, in front of the Mazda BT-50 with 571 sales and an 11.7 per cent share, while the Ford Ranger hit 499 sales and a segment share of 10.2 per cent.
So far this year the Hilux retains the upper hand with 13,211 sales, while the Falcon Ute has 9995 sales, with the Holden Ute a close third (9946).
The 4x4 Hilux topped the charts in the 4x4 utes class with 1455 sales and a share of 21.8 per cent, edging out the Nissan Navara (1319, 19.7 per cent) and Holden Colorado (1065, 15.9 per cent).
The Hilux has a clear lead year to date, having shifted 15,742 to the Navara with 12,473 and the Mitsubishi Triton with 7173 sales. | {
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A Philadelphia food blog.
Main Menu
Previously, they were buying their bread from a bakery in New York and giving it out for free. If they were going to start charging $5 for it, they knew they needed to make it more enticing.
“It was how do I bake bread and make it interesting or relevant or distinct to the area. I guess any bread is distinct to this area. Just something to tie it to the beach. And then the sea salt was the easiest choice. I played with using salt water [in baking], but it messed up the science, the chemical nature of the bread,” he says.
Grounding every menu item in their locality is something they’re always pushing to do more of at Black- Eyed Susans, Miller says.
“It’s just learning about [what’s around] the location and the people. Right now, we’re growing as much as we can. Obviously for a booming restaurant, you would need a full farm. We have a guy who supplies 100% of our tomatoes throughout the summer. We don’t buy them in cans or anything. When he has tomatoes, he literally sends us hundreds and hundreds of pounds and those are grown I guess two miles up the road. We’re currently growing our first batch of tomatoes. Herbs are clipped in the garden [abutting the parking lot]. The flowers that end up on plates are right from the garden. My parent’s house is being converted into a small farm. Beach View Farms is right across the bay and Chris [Adams, the farm manager and founder] is killing it. He’s done incredible things to start that movement locally. You do as much as you can,” he says.
Not to mention they also have one of the biggest commercial fisheries in the country nearby.
“We live and die by Viking Village. Our menu is just whatever they have at any given time. They’re one of the biggest fishing ports on the east coast. It’s just right up the road close to the lighthouse where I get my sea salt,” he says.
And with no middlemen—as with say, Samuels & Sons who brings seafood to many restaurants in Philly—Miller says they have 24 hours on every other person getting fish.
“My chef, part of his daily routine is to go to the fishing docks. We follow the same sort of cycle going through the seasons. In the beginning, it’s Monkfish or Tilefish, scallops, clams, oysters and as the summer progresses, you start getting some fun things: your tunas, wahoo added. And they’re all our friends. Chris knows every guy down there, every fisherman. We always have people blowing up his cell phone telling him that they have this, that, or the other thing. It’s a great situation. It’s like paradise for a chef.”
Miller stresses the push for constant improvement in sourcing. With their customers being reflective of the trend of ever more open-minded diners, they can push whatever Viking Village has at a given time, he says. For instance, he says the still-underappreciated tilefish is one of their highest selling dishes.
“We serve 50 pounds of it in a weekend,” he says.
The sourcing for the menu’s lamb dish, however, presents a conundrum, with the only domestic lamb meeting their standards coming from Elysian Fields Farm—a purveyor who has partnered with Thomas Keller’s Pure Bred Lamb project—that’s more on the pricey side.
“It’s a product that I’d have to charge $60-$70 a plate for in order to get a return. But if we took it off, people would probably want to stab us. So, we have this lamb that’s not local, not even domestic actually. So you play those games with yourself and your moral code and you pick and choose,” Miller says.
Livestock, he says, is their last frontier.
“Pigs are easy in NJ because a lot of farmers will just have pigs around to clean up. Beef is tough,” he says given how, with their proximity to the ocean—right over the sand dune behind the restaurant—they’ve built their reputation as a seafood restaurant.
“We can get grass fed local which we do, but it’s tough because we only sell a single steak. What I would prefer to do is get a quarter of beef, get a half of beef, get a cow. We’re still not there yet,” he says.
But when you get it right by going hyper local, the results can be beautiful he insists.
“With the fish coming right off the boat and being seasoned in the same salt it was swimming in, it all just made sense. And we did side-by-side comparisons. And there’s a very distinctive difference. To a seared piece of fish, you get a little bit of seaweed particulate matter in there, an ocean funk,” he says.
“A lot of times, people will homogenize or flash pasteurize their sea salt to get it the same. But my sea salt is irregular as hell,” he says proudly.
In looking to expand his product offering while building The Salty Shoreman as a brand, he hopes to bring Black-Eyed Susans owners Chris Sanchez and Alshley Pellegrino on board as partners.
“I not only respect the hell out of him and Ashley professionally and personally, but they’re also friends—it’s as perfect as a working relationship could possibly get. It’s very like-minded individuals, everyone is there for the same reason. It’s just thinking how we can do better food constantly, which is awesome,” Miller says. | {
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I Cry When I Feel___, & It Makes Me Feel___.
Certain emotions trigger tears, the tears also trigger other emotions due to your feelings of crying. I am just wondering about the scope of emotions that make others cry--and how it makes them feel when they cry.
For example: When I get enraged, I cry. This makes me feel very angry and I get even more enraged at what I deem an inappropriate reaction to what I am feeling so--I cry even harder. Which even makes me madder....yeah, vicious circle, working on it but not succeeding too well.
--Multiple choice--Private voting--Explanations appreciated!
Reply
Answers (private voting - your screen name will NOT appear in the results):
Sorry about the shortened poll--damn computer clicked the wrong options and published an incomplete poll. Please feel free to finish the emotions and how you feel when you do cry due to the emotion.....
Certain emotions trigger tears, the tears also trigger other emotions due to your feelings of crying. I am just wondering about the scope of emotions that make others cry--and how it makes them feel when they cry.
For example: When I get
...
Certain emotions trigger tears, the tears also trigger other emotions due to your feelings of crying. I am just wondering about the scope of emotions that make others cry--and how it makes them feel when they cry.
For example: When I get enraged, I cry. This makes me feel very angry and I get even more enraged at what I deem an inappropriate reaction to what I am feeling so--I cry even harder. Which even makes me madder....yeah, vicious circle, working on it but not succeeding too well.
--Multiple choice--Private voting--Explanations appreciated!
I cry when I'm happy, sad, grieving, or frustrated! I would consider myself an emotional person, and though I can't help but cry, it is a cathartic way of getting them out.
I get mad, for awhile, if its worth getting over or forgiving it will come in time but until then no mercy on what a bitch ill become. I'm a very sweet person, so getting upset or anything negative will ultimately be a shock to the world. Yes it's true the quiet ones are the ones to be feared hah
I have not cried in a long time but I do get frustrated and tear up. I used to cry like a baby about everything I think I toughened up and it is not so bad. It will take something really tragic to break me now.
Certain emotions trigger tears, the tears also trigger other emotions due to your feelings of crying. I am just wondering about the scope of emotions that make others cry--and how it makes them feel when they cry.
For example: When I get
...
Certain emotions trigger tears, the tears also trigger other emotions due to your feelings of crying. I am just wondering about the scope of emotions that make others cry--and how it makes them feel when they cry.
For example: When I get enraged, I cry. This makes me feel very angry and I get even more enraged at what I deem an inappropriate reaction to what I am feeling so--I cry even harder. Which even makes me madder....yeah, vicious circle, working on it but not succeeding too well.
--Multiple choice--Private voting--Explanations appreciated!
I have the same vicious cycle as you, both with anger and sadness-or-frustration -turned-to-anger. I always get angry at myself for crying, and there have been times when I've wished that it weren't harmful to have my tearducts removed!
Certain emotions trigger tears, the tears also trigger other emotions due to your feelings of crying. I am just wondering about the scope of emotions that make others cry--and how it makes them feel when they cry.
For example: When I get
...
Certain emotions trigger tears, the tears also trigger other emotions due to your feelings of crying. I am just wondering about the scope of emotions that make others cry--and how it makes them feel when they cry.
For example: When I get enraged, I cry. This makes me feel very angry and I get even more enraged at what I deem an inappropriate reaction to what I am feeling so--I cry even harder. Which even makes me madder....yeah, vicious circle, working on it but not succeeding too well.
--Multiple choice--Private voting--Explanations appreciated!
I cry when I'm sad or hopeless. Or when a character dies in movies and tv shows. Like season 3 of the Walking Dead ugh no. Crying also triggers migraines so it's like adding injury to insult lmao. I don't feel bad about crying usually. Sometimes I will get a lil happy tear when I'm really happy about random things though.
Last time I cried: I was taking beta blockers and was like a zombie and my blood pressure was really low. I couldn't pick stuff out at the grocery store and I felt like a royal dumbass and I knew how different I was but I couldn't do anything about it. Also PMS. I dropped a glass bottle of my favorite salad dressing on the floor and it shattered everywhere and salad dressing was all over my groceries and floor and I just started sobbing uncontrollably. Like not just crying over spilled salad dressing but crying over EVERYTHING going on and that was the straw that broke the camels back. Just hysterical crying. I took a Valium and fell asleep. Afterwards I was like "that was really ridiculous" but idk.
I cry when I'm sad, feeling grief, frustrated, overwhelmed, confused to the extreme, hurt, the list goes on in that direction. Mainly when I'm overwhelmed and I can't pin point what's wrong. Why I feel the way I feel. I hate when someone makes me feel guilty for feeling a certain way. It hurts. | {
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Quick Details
Material:
Plastic
Plastic Type:
PE
Feature:
Eco-Friendly
Brand Name:
DIASAP
Model Number:
SKY07
Specifications
This bag material is usually composed of four layers that are BOPP/AL/PA/PE, and can be made into ESD vacuum type to well protect inside products from static, electromagnetic interference, moisture and direct sunlight. The important is that we can design the material structure as customers' required. The bag is normally applied to large machines, electronic components, vacuum packing, telecommunication...The product has superior puncture resistance and anti-static inner and outer layers with a surface resistance of 108 - 1011ohm. All sizes are available in open flat, zip-lock, and kinds of tri-dimensional Styles. | {
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} |
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T O P I C R E V I E W
craigerocksngemz
Hey there, just letting you all know I am auctioning off a Neil Armstrong full name signature on eBay to the highest bidder with no reserve. Very rare to see this style of signature from Neil. He signed more often this way later on in his life making it a very rare item. Check my other auctions for a Buzz Aldrin signed photo. Thanks
eBay item #300854688599.
Dougin SoCA
OK guys, I've been waiting to see who might post a comment on this. Certainly looks like no NEIL Armstrong I've ever seem, but the seller is stating it is from his later style of writing. I thought it might be his wife at the time signing for him, but couldn't find any examples of her signature online.
I'm certainly not a Neil Armstrong expert, so how does it look to others here?
mjanovec
This is the signature style that Neil used when signing legal documents. A couple other examples of this style can be found in the Neil Armstrong Signature Exemplars section here at collectSPACE. Also, a more hurried version of this style was used by Armstrong in 2010 on the customs form that was stolen. While this signature style is less common (on the marketplace) than the one he usually provided to collectors, it's hard to say just how "rare" it is.
My biggest concern with the item up for auction is that it's a cut signature. It would likely be more valuable if the document had been left intact.
garyd2831
From what I have seen its pretty legit looking and looks similar to the one that the Customs agent tried selling a couple of years ago.
craigerocksngemz
I see there are questions in regards to this autograph style. I looked at some other references from my Neil Armstrong file that show this style being used on his personal checks, and its definitely not Janet, as in one, her signature is next to his. She does the Armstrong very different then Neil. Unquestionably authentic and rare!
craigerocksngemz
Auction ends tonight, No Reserve!!
Dougin SoCA
Boy, this one ended up WAY lower than you would have expected (under $800). I wonder why?
Robert Pearlman
The final bid is well within what I would expect a cut signature to sell for, regardless of the style of autograph. The market for cut signatures is much more narrow as compared to photos and even books (though, regarding the latter, much depends on what book it is that was signed). | {
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Minnie Mouse Milk Glass Pedestal Cup Walt Disney Productions Coffee Mug.
Up for sale is a gently used 1970s Minnie Mouse Milk Glass pedestal mug from Walt Disney Productions. Mug has no cracks,chips or crazing and inside is clean. Colors are not faded but nice and bright. What makes this mug unique is that it has facory off center color.
I did notice a few light scratches around the shoes----only detected when held up to a light at close range.
Bottom is stamped USA...
Fenton bottom for the milkglass hobnail epergne. This does not include the horns, and is just for the base.Dimensions 8 1/2" wide x 3 1/2" high - ruffled top edge with 3 separate holes for the vases. This is the smaller base (the large one being 10") This is in perfect condition with no damages or repairs.
Anchor Hocking Milk Glass Small Open Lace Edge Compote or Candy Dish. The top measures approximately 5 1/4" in diameter, the base measures approx 3" in diameter and it is approx 3" tall. This one still has the original sticker.
Indiana Glass Colony Harvest ( grapes pattern) milk glass cup and saucer set is in excellent condition. Cup is 2 3/8 inches high and 3 5/8 inches in diameter, saucer is 6 1/4 inches in diameter. I have 4 perfect sets available. Price is for 1 cup with its saucer.
Popular harvest pattern, of grapes vines and leaves. Pretty white milk glass. Tray measures 10 1/4" x 8 1/4" and has a saucer well. Cup is footed and has matching pattern. I have 8 sets, and all pieces are perfect. Price is for one tray with its cup. Add to your set today. I combine shipping.
Pretty vintage milk glass pitcher with diamond pattern. Applied handblown glass handle and star pattern on the underside of the bottom. Measures 6 1/4" tall. Owner thought it was Westmoreland but I dont see their mark on it, Perfect condition though and heavy weight.
Indiana Glass Colony Harvest footed goblet is 5 1/4" tall and 3 1/2" in diameter at the top rim. It has a grapes and leaves design. The goblet is in great with no chips or cracks. (c. 1950-1960's). I have 12 available. Price is for each, and all are nice.
Milk Glass footed goblet made by Hazel Atlas and Anchor Hocking, grape design, or harvest with grapes leaves and vines with stippled background. Stands 5 3/4" and measures 3 1/8" across the rim. No chips or cracks. I have 10 available, price is for each.
Milk Glass Tumbler made by Hazel Atlas and Anchor Hocking, grape design, or harvest with grapes leaves and vines with stippled background. Tumbler stands 4 9/16" and measures 3" across the rim. No chips or cracks. I have 4 available, price is for each.
Fabulous Pyrex cup with in the Flamingo pattern, milk glass trimmed in flamingo pink/red (coral) with a touch of gold. 4 available, These are in great vintage condition with no visible wear, and no chips or cracks. Price is per cup. All are nice. All Four of them have a gold Pyrex stamp.
Vintage Westmoreland English Hobnail Milk Glass Pair of Single Light
Candle Holders. They each measure 4" tall
with a 3-3/4" base diameter and
a 2-1/8" top diameter.
No chips, cracks, or scratches.
Excellent condition. Sold as a pair.
Very nice Anchor Hocking Milk Glass or Milk White Beverage Pitcher in the Hobnail pattern. The vertical column of horizontal ribs on all pieces of this Anchor Hocking Hobnail pattern distinguishes it from other Hobnail patterns. This shows on the front of the pitcher and on the back of the pitcher. A very pretty and unusual design. This pattern was made by Anchor Hocking between the years 1959 and 1979.
It measures about 8 inches at the tallest point next to spout...
English Hobnail ivy ball vase has a crimped top and stands on a pedestal with a square foot. It stands 6.5" tall and 4.5" wide. It is in excellent condition. Could be used as a ferner or rose bowl, I have 2 available, price is for each. | {
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The division title up for grabs, a high seed there for the taking, a physical affair amidst powerful winds.
It was the ultimate letdown, the match ending with nothing settled.
Columbus and Lehman played to a 1-1 tie Wednesday at Bronx State Park, each side blowing its share of scoring chances. Instead of the two clubs deciding Bronx A, the division crown will go to the team that handles its business down the stretch.
The Lions, courtesy of their 2-0 victory over the Explorers back on Sept. 13, have the inside track. They trail Columbus by two points, but have a game in hand. If they win out, Bronx A is theirs. They would win a tie-breaker, too.
“It was in the back of their minds that a tie would help us, but they wanted the win,” Lehman coach Pat Straw said.
For the second time against Lehman, Columbus left shaking its head in disbelief, unable to finish off a myriad of scoring chances. The gusty winds affected the skilled Explorers, the ball blowing from one side to the other, off their feet and away from their bodies.
“With the conditions, I don’t think it was indicative of how both teams play,” Columbus coach Jason Renick said.
The Lions got on the board first, when center midfielder Maxi Berterame beat Explorers keeper Besim Berisha from the top of the box. Sophomore Armand Dadaj got the game even in the 25th minute when he skipped a shot past Mendim Gashi.
“We’re a little upset,” Berterame said. “We’ve got the game except for one mistake.”
Columbus carried play from that point until midway through the second half, owning play at midfield, led by Frank Osei, Alhoussain Bah and Jorge Palacios. They, however, couldn’t finish. Bah had a few chances he sent too high and a breakaway broken up by fullback Ardit Gocaj. Osei got behind the defense, with an open net, but couldn’t connect. Palacios had a free kick that got by Gashi, but Osei couldn’t tap it home.
“We should’ve won 4-1,” Columbus coach Jason Renick said. “Missed opportunities and being unable to play with the conditions was tough. … We got the better of play in the first game and, quite frankly, we had better of the play today until the final 20 minutes. But games like this will make us better.”
Lehman had its chances down the stretch, but failed to execute several openings. The best chance came in the 70th minute, when sophomore midfielder Oscar Sosa’s chip nearly found the back corner off of Berisha’s fingertips.
All Columbus can do the rest of the way is take care of its own business, by beating three-win Evander Childs and two-win Truman. The Explorers have played particularly well of late, winning six in a row by a 16-2 aggregate before Wednesday’s draw.
“We have to hope and go out and win all our games,” said sweeper Lamin Janneh, who did his part by shutting down Lehman striker Simon Kim (division-leading 10 goals and two in the first meeting). “It’s soccer; anything can happen.”
Lehman doesn’t have a simple path to the Bronx A crown. Of the three games remaining, one is against tough-minded Bronx Science (5-3-0). Straw, who led the Lions to the Class A title game three years ago, said he won’t even mention the ramifications of the tie to his players. He already told them prior to Monday’s 3-1 win over Truman every match, from that point on, should be treated like a playoff game.
The team goals they set before the season – an undefeated campaign, double-digit regular-season victories, and high seed – are on the line.
“If we lose one of these games, it becomes out of our grasp,” the coach said. | {
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General Genetics/The Discovery of the DNA Molecule
This page concerns the discovery of the DNA molecule and the discovery of its structure.
The DNA molecule was discovered by Friedrich Miescher in 1869. He accomplished this by mixing alcohol and pig's stomach juice over bandages containing pus (these were given to Miescher from the local hospital). However, people paid little attention to the molecule until 1952, when its biological role was discovered. In this year, Linus Pauling attempted to determine the structure of the DNA molecule, but was unable to find a structure that could exist. The next year, in 1953, the scientists James Watson and Francis Crick discovered a plausible double-helix configuration using X-ray crystallography. | {
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Sunday, 19 March 2017
American light cruiser USS Memphis (CL-13) 1920-1947
Omaha-class
USS Omaha
Building ordered on 1 July 1918, laid down by William Cramp&Sons, Philadelphia, USA on 14 October 1920, launched by Miss Elizabeth R. Paine on 17 April 1924, commissioned on 4 February 1925, decommissioned on 17 December 1945, stricken on 8 January 1946 and sold to the Patapsco Scrap Company, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA to be broken up on 18 December 1946 and handed over on 10 January 1947. Call sign NISS.
Part of the Omaha-class light cruisers consisting of the Omaha (CL-4). Milwaukee (CL-5). Cincinnati (CL-6), Raleigh (CL-7). Detroit (CL-8), Richmond (CL-9). Concord (CL-10), Trenton (CL-11), Marblehead (CL-11) and Memphis (CL-13), preceded by the Chester-class and succeeded by the Brooklyn-class. The Omaha-class was the American answer on the British Centaur-class which was in fact a subclass of the C-class cruisers. Despite the fact that both countries were not in war, both were rivals in controlling the Atlantic Ocean. Designed as a scout cruiser used in the interbellum as flagships for anti destroyer fleet flotillas. The Omaha-class was despite their seagoing qualities not an overall success. There was a modified design made with a rearranged gun armament which was to consisted of 4x2-15,2cm/6” guns (2 turrets fore and 2 aft). Further more was one design in which the cruiser was in fact converted into a monitor with as main armament 2x1-35,56cm/14” guns and one design with a main armament of 2x2-20,3cm/8” guns. This last design was used by designing the Pensacola-class heavy cruisers.
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About Me
My father (Ron) and I (Alexander) are doing research in the topic navies and trading companies in the period 1500-present. My mother Karin helped my father early 1980's with research and nowadays she is almost daily photographing the ships passing on the river Schelde.
My father started his research more as 40 years ago. First he was interested in the Dutch navy and the navies in the Second World War , later in the period 19th century-present and about 20 years he started his research in the topic navies 1500-1860, in fact the era of the sailing warships including the galleys and the trading companies like the Dutch E.I.C. and the W.I.C.
My self, I’m interested in the topic navies 1860-present especially Russian built warships and Dutch warships and further more sailing ships over the whole period.
Together we are busy with photographing, drawing and doing research in archives, literature and on the web trying to collect every kind of information and sharing that with others without commercial thoughts just because we are ship lovers and fond of naval history. | {
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Abstract
In the present study, we assessed the treatment effects of PBDE-209 administration on the immune function in rats during pregnancy and lactation. We harvested the blood and organs for flow cytometry, viability assay, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and histological evaluation. The results of this study were the PBDE-209 exposure during pregnancy and lactation impairs immune function in rats. The results may contribute to understanding the mechanism of PBDE-209 in immune function.
1. Introduction
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are a group of bromide-containing compounds that has been wildly applied to many dairy products as flame retardants for several decades. The PBDEs have been proven to be life saving by allowing longer escape time and reduced overall damage during fire [1]. But there is really no evidence to support this claim that PBDEs have been used in house wiring, electrical appliances, TV, computers and mobile phones, building materials, and numerous plastic products [2–4]. While there are potentially 209 PBDE congeners, there are only 3 major commercial mixtures which contain a limited number, present in penta-, octa-, or decabrominated forms. PBDE-209 is not lipophilic—it accumulates in the blood and liver, bound to proteins. Many of the lower brominated congeners are lipophilic and can be accumulated in fatty tissue and pass into food chain. High concentration of PBDEs has been detected in tropical fish or lipid-rich oils. Therefore, PBDEs have become a constant environmental pollutant [5].
In recent years, increasing concerns have focused on the potential adverse effects of PBDEs in humans. Numerous studies have shown that PBDEs exert a wide range of toxic effects in many organ systems, such as disruption of thyroid function and neurotoxicity during development [6–8]. Further, mice exposed to isomer PBDE 47 suppress lymphocytes proliferation and antibodies production [9]. These findings suggest that exposure to PBDE may modulate the functions and structure of immune system. Among PBDEs, the polybrominated diphenyl ether-209 (PBDE-209, a deca-BDE) is a highly brominated PBDE with 10 bromine atoms and receives a lot of attentions. The PBDE-209 can be released into the environment by a variety of processes, such as emissions during manufacture of decaBDE-containing products or/and from the products themselves. The PBDE-209 has showed toxic effects during development of central nerve system in neonatal rats, especially in large doses [8]. Even though there have been multiple human studies on PBDEs, there is limited information regarding the adverse effects of PBDE-209 in the immune functions in animals and humans during pregnancy and lactation. Based on our previous findings that there is a decrease in immune function after the PBDE-209 exposure in vivo in pups [10], the present study is designed to further characterize the immune function impairment following PBDE-209 exposure in vivo during pregnancy and lactation in dams. Changes in immune function after PBDE-209 exposure in vivo is evaluated by measuring serum cytokines and immunoglobulin, as well as other specific biological markers and lymphocyte differentiation, and correlated with histopathological findings. We demonstrated a profound toxicity in immune system in rats during pregnancy and lactation following PBDE-209 exposure in vivo. Our findings indicate that exposure to PBDE-209 in vivo produces immunosuppressive effects in rats during pregnancy and lactation.
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Animals
Female Sprague-Dawley rats, age of postnatal day (PND) 21, were purchased from the Experimental Animal Centre of Southern Medical University, China, then randomly divided into control and experimental groups. No significantly difference was observed between control and experimental group for their initial body weight. Rats were housed with 12-hour light/dark cycle in the pathogen-free unit and were provided with animal food and water. All behavioural studies were conducted between 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM. The rats were accustomed in SPF standards animal laboratory, and they were mated at 4:00 PM–7:00 AM. The animal care and experimental practice at Southern Medical University are regularly inspected by the University Animal Care and Use Committee and by governmental agencies to ensure compliance with international regulations and guidelines.
2.3. Experimental Groups
The rats were randomly divided into two groups: experimental and control. The experimental group () were intragastrically administered PBDE-209 in 2 mL arachis oil (0.3 g/kg/day) from postnatal day 21 until their offsprings 3 weeks. The animals dosed from PND21 until their offspring were weaned were more than 14 weeks. The control group was given 2 mL purified arachis oil.
2.4. Experimental Protocol
After PBDE-209 administration, rats were anesthetised with intraperitoneal injection of pentobarbital (20 mg/kg) and scarified. The venous blood was collected in a 10 mL sterile tube from each rat without adding anticoagulant and stored at −20°C. Liver, spleen, thymus, and ovaries were dissected and weighed immediately after dissection. The dissected organs/tissues were fixed in 10% formalin for further histological processing. Prior to assay, blood samples were thawed out to room temperature by gentle swirling and inversion. All sera separated from blood at 3000 P/m for 15 minutes were stored at −20°C for further assay. All sera were assayed on the same day to avoid interassay variation.
2.5. Flow Cytometry
The lymphocytes were extracted as previously described [11]. Briefly, the thymus tissues were dissociated into a single cell suspension by passing through a 100/47 gauge nylon mesh (Tetko, Depew, NY). The lymphocytes are collected and cultured in 6-well plates with approximately 1 × 106 cells/well. The cells were then centrifuged for 5 min at 1000 rpm and incubated with 10 μL mouse anti-rat monoclonal antibodies in 300 μL PBS as follows: FITC-conjugated monoclonal antibodies (Mab) against CD3, PE-conjugated anti-CD4, PE-conjugated anti-CD8. The cells were allowed to incubate without light source at 37°C for 20 min. After another 5 min centrifugation at 1000 rpm, the cells were resuspended with PBS and 300 μL HBSS buffer solution and the lymphocytes were analysed by flow cytometry (excitation at 488 nm and emission at 525 nm, Becton Dickinson, USA) to detect T lymphocyte surface antigens.
2.6. Viability Assay by CCK-8
Previous experiment has showed that CCK-8 method was sensitive to detect lymphocyte cell viability at 5 μg/mL phytohemagglutinin or lipopolysaccharide buffer with approximately 5 × 106 T or B lymphocyte cells/mL. In present experiment, the aliquots were distributed into a 96-well plate and incubated for 72 h at 37°C. After the incubation period, CCK-8 solution was added to the culture medium and the cells were further incubated for 6 h. With adding DMSO, the absorbance at a wavelength of 450 nm with a referenced wavelength of 630 nm was measured.
2.7. Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
The concentrations of interferon-γ, IgM, and interleukin-4 in sera harvested from PBDE-209-treated rats were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in accordance with previously described protocol. Briefly, 96-well microtiter plates (NUNC-Immunok Plate) were coated with immunoaffinity-purified polyclonal antibodies against the respective cytokines overnight at 4°C. After blocking the nonspecific binding with 1% albumin for 1 h, cytokine standards and experimental samples were loaded together and incubated for 90 min at 37°C. Biotin-conjugated antibody was added, followed by an additional incubation for 1 h at 37°C. Finally, 100 μL of avidin-conjugated horseradish peroxidase (1 : 100 dilution; Jingmei, China) was added into each well. After 30 min incubation, the plates were washed and the colour reagent TMB (100 μL/well) was added and allowed to react for 15 min, then reaction was stopped by 1 M H2SO4 and the OD was measured at 450 nm. The cytokine concentration was expressed as pg mL−1.
2.8. Histological Methods and Evaluation
For histological examination of organs, rats exposed to PBDE-209 were sacrificed on offspring postnatal day 21, and the liver, spleen, thymus, and ovaries were removed and placed in buffered formalin for a minimum of 24 h. After 10% formalin fixation, organs sampled for histology were dehydrated and paraffinized and embedded according to standard sampling and trimming procedures. 3 μm sections were prepared and stained with haematoxylin and eosin within an automated machine. An observer who had no knowledge of the research intent and was blind to the origin of the sample performed the tissue analysis. The observer scored the severity of organs in the tissue sections. We made all evaluations on five fields per section and five sections per organ.
2.9. Statistical Analysis
All data were expressed as mean ± standard deviation (SD). Statistical analyses were performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 13.0 for Windows. Comparisons of serum interferon-γ and interleukin-4, body and organ weights, T lymphocyte subset markers, lymphocyte viability, serum IgM, serum IgG, and NK cell surface markers between control and experimental groups were carried out using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by a post hoc test (Bonferroni’s method). We analyzed histological scored using the Kruskal-Wallis test followed by the Mann-Whitney U-test. A value of less than 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.
3. Results
3.1. Effects of PBDE-209 Exposure on Body and Organ Weight
The body weight of experimental group was significantly lighter than control group (t = 2.55, ) (Table 1). Spleen and spleen index were heavier in experimental rats in comparison to control group (t = −4.90, −5.71, resp., ). The thymus weight and thymus index of experimental rats were not significantly different from control group (t = 1.05, −0.98, resp., ).
Using flow cytometric analysis technique, the percentage of T lymphocytes in blood was measured in Sprague-Dawley rats exposed to PBDE-209 (Figure 1). The percentage of lymphocytes stained with CD3+, CD4+, CD3+CD8+, CD3+CD4+, and the ratio CD4+/CD8+ were decreased significantly in experimental group (t = 3.56, 5.09, 3.12, 4.0, and 3.77, resp.; ). The percentage of CD4−CD8− lymphocytes was significantly increased (t = −2.15, ) in experimental group. No significant changes were observed in the percentage of CD8+, CD4+CD8+, CD4−CD8+, and CD4+CD8− lymphocytes after exposure to PBDE-209 (t = 0.85, 0.98, −0.91, −0.08, resp., ). There is significant decrease in surface CD161 expression on NK cells in experimental group when compared to control group (t = 9.27, ) (Table 3).
Figure 1: We measured the percentage of T lymphocytes in blood of exposed Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats using flow cytometric analysis. Values are expressed as mean ± standard deviation, and are representative of two separate experiments with twenty rats per group in each experiment. compared to control group.
3.3. Effects of PBDE-209 Exposure on Lymphocyte Viability
The CCK-8 method was applied in the present study to measure the viability of T and B lymphocytes from blood sample taken from PBDE-209-exposed Sprague-Dawley rats. The OD decreased in experimental group in applying with phytohemagglutinin stimulus, and increased in experimental group without phytohemagglutinin stimulus. OD decreased in experimental group in applying with lipopolysaccharide stimulus, decreased in experimental group without lipopolysaccharide stimulus. Stimulus index is stimulated index = OD value in stimulate hole/OD value in controlled hole. T lymphocyte stimulus index decreased in the experimental group in applying with phytohemagglutinin stimulus, B lymphocyte stimulus index increased in the experimental group in applying with lipopolysaccharide stimulus (Table 2).
Serum level of IgM, IgG, interferon-γ, and interleukin-4 was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The serum levels of IgM of experimental rats were significantly lower than those in the control rats (t = 2.54, ) (Table 3). Serum level of IgG was also significantly decreased in experimental group (t = 2.60, ) (Table 3). No significant differences were detected in serum level of interleukin-4 or interferon-γ between experimental group and control group (t = 0.29, 1.29, resp., ) (Table 3).
3.5. Histopathological Changes after PBDE-209 Exposure
The thymus, spleen, liver, and ovaries were sectioned, stained with H&E, and the slides were evaluated by pathologist. The experimental group showed an obvious change in morphology following PBDE-209 exposure (Figures 2(a)–2(p)). Histological scoring of thymus, spleen, ovaries, and liver injury increased in the experimental group (Table 4). The morphologic changes in thymus in experimental group include the following: thickened thymus capsule, decreased lymphoid tissue in cortex with adipose tissue replacement, and increased the size of medulla. The corticomedullary junction was obscure. Plenty reticular epithelial cells but scarce corpuscles are seen.
The sections of spleen in experimental group showed a decrease in size and number of lymphoid nodules, thinner lymphatic sheath around arteries with less lymphocytes. In other hand, marked increase in fibrotic tissue with many macrophages is observed in spleen medulla.
The liver structure and the central vein structure in experimental group were changed dramatically. The hepatocyte sinusoids were compressed by the swelling hepatocytes with balloon degeneration. Eosinophilic changes and eosinophilic bodies were identified in hepatocytes.
Ovarian from experimental group showed atrophic changes with decrease in number of follicles and increase amount of fibrotic tissue.
4. Discussion
The PBDE-209 is a very popular brominated flame retardant. However, adverse effects of PBDE-209 use on public health, especially its immunotoxicity, remain obscure due to a paucity of toxicological and epidemiological data regarding long-term PBDE-209 exposure. A large body of studies indicate that PBDE-209 can be sustained in environment and accumulated in terrestrial biota, causing liver and thyroid damage and retardation of nerve system [12, 13]. Immunotoxicity of PBDEs has been previously reported in the Great Lakes ecosystem [14, 15]. However, immunotoxicity caused by PBDE-209 in dams following long-term exposure has not yet been reported. To our best knowledge, this is the first paper regarding immunotoxicity in dams after long term PBDE-209 exposure. After long-term exposure to PBDE or DE71, a mixture of PBDE, no change in body weight gain in perinatal or adult rat has been reported. In addition, no damage to human body is found below toxic levels of PBDEs [16–18]. In present study, dams exposed to PBDE-209 for more than 14 weeks (0.3 g/kg/day) showed decrease in body and spleen weight (Table 1).
In previous study, we demonstrated that maternal PBDE-209 exposure during pregnancy decreases the ability of learning and memory in mice. After long-term exposure to PBDE-209, determination of the level of Th1/Th2 polarising cytokines, such as interleukin-4 and interferon-γ, is very important to evaluate the immunotoxicity of PBDE-209 since the initial encounter with the bacteria, parasites, yeasts, and viruses is crucial for the developing harmful autoimmune response postnatal in two aspects [19]. On one hand, a Th1 is responsible for producing of complement-fixing IgG2a isotype antibodies and the activation of natural killer (NK) cells as well as cytotoxic CD8+ T cells that is releasing interferon-γ and perforin. On other hand, the Th2 cells produce the cytokine interleukin-4 and can activate mast cells and eosinophils to eradicate helminths and other extracellular parasites. Together, Th1- and Th2-specific cytokines promote growth and differentiation of a specific T-cell subset. In the present study, we observed no significant differences in levels of interferon-γ and interleukin-4 in rats exposed to PBDE-209, although Watanabe reported that a significant elevation in level of interferon-γ in animal treated with 1000 ppm DBDE [20]. The possible underlying causes for this may be related to the duration of PBDE-209 exposure or the dosing of PBDE-209 used in present study that was not sufficient to induce these effects.
T lymphocytes play a pivotal role in immune defence. Therefore, T lymphocytes are good candidates for studying immunotoxicity and risk assessment. T lymphocytes play roles in cellular immune regulation and immune surveillance. A variety of subsets of T lymphocytes can be identified by their cell surface markers, such as CD3 and CD4. B lymphocytes involve humoral immune regulation. The third type of immune cells, the NK cells, participates in cellular immune regulation and immune surveillance. We demonstrated a decreased proportion of CD3+, CD4+, CD3+CD8+, CD3+CD4+, CD161+, and CD4+/CD8+ T cells (Figure 1) in the thymus of PBDE-209-exposed dams. The percentage of CD161+ NK cells (Table 3) was also decreased. However, the proportions of CD8+, CD4+CD8+, CD4−CD8+ and CD4+CD8− were changed following PBDE-209 treatment. We measured the proliferation of T and B lymphocytes (Table 2) from exposed rats by using CCK-8 method. The CCK-8 method is similar to the MTT method in technique. Previous experiments have showed that CCK-8 method was more sensitive than other methods in detecting lymphocyte proliferation in response to 5 μg/mL phytohemagglutinin or lipopolysaccharide. By CCK-8, the T and B lymphocyte multiplication was suppressed after PBDE-209 treatment. Interactions between innate immune system and adaptive immune reactions are now widely viewed as essential for a normal immune response [21]. Most pathogens elicit a humoral immune response that is characterised by an early rise in antigen-specific IgM followed by affinity maturation, isotype switching, and the ensuing rise in antigen-specific IgG, IgA, and IgE antibodies. Therefore, we measured change in level of IgM and IgG in PBDE-treated rats in present study. The levels of serum IgG and IgM (Table 3) were significantly decreased. This finding suggests that the interaction between innate immune mechanisms and adaptive immune reactions could be interrupted in PBDE-209-exposed dams.
Perinatal PBDE exposure has been shown histopathologically to exacerbate pneumonia in the lungs of offspring mice given RSV infection. As Watanabe et al. reported, histopathological analysis of lungs of several offspring mice born to dams exposed to PBDE at 100 ppm, typical features of pneumonia with RSV infection, including hypertrophy of the bronchial epithelium and infiltration of lymphocytes, were apparent [20]. In a follow-up study, Leo et al. have reported that exposure to a commercial penta-PBDE mixture, PBDE-71, caused obvious histopathological changes in the adrenal glands, liver, and ileum [22]. In present histopathological analysis, our findings indicate that PBDE-209 exposure induced histopathological changes in thymus, spleen, liver and ovaries due to PBDE-209 exposure (Figures 2(a)–2(p)). Thickened thymus capsule decreases lymphoid tissue in cortex with adipose tissue replacement and increases the size of medulla in thymus. The corticomedullary junction was obscure. Plenty reticular epithelial cells but scarce corpuscles are seen. The sections of spleen showed a decrease in size and number of lymphoid nodules, thinner lymphatic sheath around arteries with less lymphocytes. In other hand, marked increase in fibrotic tissue with many macrophages is observed in spleen medulla. The liver structure and the central vein structure were changed dramatically. The hepatocyte sinusoids were compressed by the swelling hepatocytes with balloon degeneration. Eosinophilic changes and eosinophilic bodies were identified in hepatocytes. Atrophic changes with decrease in number of follicles and increase amount of fibrotic tissue in ovarian.
In conclusion, the findings in present study demonstrate, for the first time, that PBDE-209 exposure induced immunotoxicity. Exposure to large doses of PBDE-209 not only inhibits immune function but also alters the structure of immune organs. Rats exposure to PBDE-209 showed a suppression of lymphocyte proliferation and antibody production. The evidence regarding immunotoxicity induced by PBDE-209 in animal from present study may be useful for dealing with the potential risk of PBDE-209 exposure in public health. These findings also emphasize the importance of avoiding immune toxic contaminants in environment, such as PBDEs, particularly PBDE-209 in pregnant women. As such, the mechanism of immunotoxicity of PBDE-209 in present study should be elucidated as soon as possible.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank Jun Zhou for assistance. This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China, Grant no. 40590392, and the Natural Science Foundation of GuangDong Province, China, Grant no. 9151802003000001. | {
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Microaggressions in the Workplace
On behalf of Ricotta & Marks, P.C. posted in In The News on Thursday, January 24th, 2019
What you are saying to others while at work may be bothering them a lot and you may not even know it. Many of us make comments that seem well-intentioned but are actually microaggressions attacking a person’s race, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.
First of all, you may be wondering, “What is a microaggression?” Microaggressions are verbal, nonverbal, and environmental insults that target people based on their marginalized group membership. What exactly does this mean? It means making a statement that may seem flattering but actually degrades a person. You make assumptions based on a co-worker’s appearance or skills, and these statements make for a toxic work environment. They can lead to harassment and discrimination claims.
Microaggressions can be hard to spot, so it is important for managers and employers to identify them and avoid them. Read on for some examples of microaggressions and what to do if you are the recipient.
Examples of Microaggressions in the Workplace
An example of a microaggression would be your employer telling an employee of color that he or she is “so articulate.” While this could be seen as a compliment, it is actually implying that a person of color would not usually be articulate.
Telling someone that they do not look gay or transgender is also out of line, as it implies that being either of these is undesirable. Calling a female boss hysterical or crazy is also unacceptable since it implies that women are illogical and unfit in management roles.
Asking a person of a different race where they are from can also be misconstrued. While you may simply be curious, it assumes that a person does not belong here in America simply because they are a different color from you. If you work with a person with a disability, telling them they are an inspiration, while it may seem like a compliment, can be degrading. It shows that you have low expectations of them, which can be hurtful.
What You can do About Microaggressions
Acting out with rage is not the right way to end microaggressions in the workplace. First, try to be empathetic of the situation. In many cases, the person making the comment is unaware that he or she is out of line. You can also let the person know that you took offense to the statement and explain why. In many cases, this will clear things up and prevent future incidents. If the comments continue, however, it may be time to let your manager know, especially if the microaggressions are now becoming more overt and bordering on discrimination or harassment. If no actions are being taken, consider seeking legal help. Do not quit your job before getting legal advice.
Contact a New York Employee Discrimination Lawyer
Microaggressions are common in workplaces, but the recipient does not have the suffer in silence. While it is important to have a sense of humor and not take every slight so seriously, working in a toxic environment can be stressful. Over time, it can lead to emotional and physical problems.
If you have informed the offender and your manager without remedy, it is time to escalate the matter. Seek legal help from the experienced New York employment discrimination lawyers at Ricotta & Marks, P.C. We can assess your case and alleviate your stress. To schedule a free consultation, call our office at (347) 464-8694. | {
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All the Lou hate is hilarious I love how people are sucking his dick one moment, then ready to divorce him the second he doesn't do exactly what they want.
Is anyone actually looking at the activity today? It was light and low this year LEAGUE-WIDE. It's a buyers market, and if you scan any other teams you'll see people saying the exact same thing. Players weren't getting big returns, so it's no surprise to see that guys we wanted moved (Salvador, Volchenkov) weren't moved. We also don't have a lot to give up right now, because if we wanted a Moulson or Vanek teams would've no doubt wanted Henrique or Larsson, and people would've really sh!t a brick to see his name mentioned.
OK -- see the thing is -- is Larsson really all that good? i mean that's really the thing there. He might just be a bust - because he sure was no great shakes in the NHL. Our d all interchangeably sucks pretty much. All kinds of potential - that's kind of coming to nothing anyhow -- so how can you screw up nothing? Everything out there sucks just as much when seen through the Devils lens. No one would have added to this team. We need some BRAINS. Where is that lazy sh!t Niedermayer when you need him? fvckin' around out West -- as usual.
All the Lou hate is hilarious I love how people are sucking his dick one moment, then ready to divorce him the second he doesn't do exactly what they want.
Is anyone actually looking at the activity today? It was light and low this year LEAGUE-WIDE. It's a buyers market, and if you scan any other teams you'll see people saying the exact same thing. Players weren't getting big returns, so it's no surprise to see that guys we wanted moved (Salvador, Volchenkov) weren't moved. We also don't have a lot to give up right now, because if we wanted a Moulson or Vanek teams would've no doubt wanted Henrique or Larsson, and people would've really sh!t a brick to see his name mentioned.
Vanek to Montreal in exchange for a 2nd round pick and a prospect- lebrun
You say no doubt would've wanted larsson or Henrique?? What part of that Vanek return says larsson or henrique?
Some people on this board need to really get a grip. Although it is amusing reading some the apocolyptic reactions in this thread. Even though I don't like the trade we did make, the world isn't ending because we picked up Ruutu and didn't trade Brodeur or Sal. Glad we didn't give up any of the prospects for a rental like Vanek or Moulson. Sometimes the best moves are the ones you don't make. This is especially true for a team in transition like the Devils.
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“They’re the ones that makes it happen,” Lemaire said. “It’s not us. It’s not me. It’s not the other guy. It’s not the guy before. It’s not the guy after. It’s them. And they have to take care of business.”
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"I guess I just miss my friend" (#28)
Some people on this board need to really get a grip. Although it is amusing reading some the apocolyptic reactions in this thread. Even though I don't like the trade we did make, the world isn't ending because we picked up Ruutu and didn't trade Brodeur or Sal. Glad we didn't give up any of the prospects for a rental like Vanek or Moulson. Sometimes the best moves are the ones you don't make. This is especially true for a team in transition like the Devils.
that's what i wanted today - instead we burdened ourselves with another roster player that has to play that is extraneous and not necessary.
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“They’re the ones that makes it happen,” Lemaire said. “It’s not us. It’s not me. It’s not the other guy. It’s not the guy before. It’s not the guy after. It’s them. And they have to take care of business.”
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"I guess I just miss my friend" (#28)
Oh shut up, a lot of us have praised Lou and defended the moves that he's made in the past (including the ones that he made that didn't work out, but still made a lot of sense). Like I and others have said, if Lou had done NOTHING, we would've been OK with that. I don't care what other teams are doing...the grass will always be greener if you look hard enough.
But this one is a REAL tough one to defend. Yes, there is a chance that this move works out wonderfully and we're all eating crow. I'll happily load up my plate if that's the case. But jeez, it's hard to spin this day into being a good one for Lou, and I'm usually one of the fans defending him.
Home run! Pretty sure this one actually left the stadium. Bravo!
Hard to defend? It's ONE fvcking move lol. Jesus Christ. I think Ruutu for Loktionov straight up was fair, so I am a little disappointed that we had to throw in a 3rd rounder, but holy sh!t everyone needs to reach far up into their twats and try to untwist those panties. I don't know how some of you make it through life.
Some people on this board need to really get a grip. Although it is amusing reading some the apocolyptic reactions in this thread. Even though I don't like the trade we did make, the world isn't ending because we picked up Ruutu and didn't trade Brodeur or Sal. Glad we didn't give up any of the prospects for a rental like Vanek or Moulson. Sometimes the best moves are the ones you don't make. This is especially true for a team in transition like the Devils.
well then we're just wasting resources with larsson in the AHL and another dman scratched every game
Agreed and agreed. Finally some sensible posts. The overreaction by everyone here is enough to drive you insane.
I've come to realize that after every loss you need to give the board a few hours to get the bitching out of its system. The same can be said now, It's just inevitable. That's not to say that some people can't rationally disagree or be down on the team or particular move, but it's just best to ignore posts that say "zomg Lou need to be fired!"
Welcome to the board, hope you stick around cuz we need more levelheadedness around here.
Oh shut up, a lot of us have praised Lou and defended the moves that he's made in the past (including the ones that he made that didn't work out, but still made a lot of sense). Like I and others have said, if Lou had done NOTHING, we would've been OK with that. I don't care what other teams are doing...the grass will always be greener if you look hard enough.
But this one is a REAL tough one to defend. Yes, there is a chance that this move works out wonderfully and we're all eating crow. I'll happily load up my plate if that's the case. But jeez, it's hard to spin this day into being a good one for Lou, and I'm usually one of the fans defending hi
Point is there was nothign to be done today. Lou coudl have traded the whole fvckin' team and it woudl have made zero difference. Status quo is fine because the whole vision is gone. tell me how it is that's defending Lou?
Some people on this board need to really get a grip. Although it is amusing reading some the apocolyptic reactions in this thread. Even though I don't like the trade we did make, the world isn't ending because we picked up Ruutu and didn't trade Brodeur or Sal. Glad we didn't give up any of the prospects for a rental like Vanek or Moulson. Sometimes the best moves are the ones you don't make. This is especially true for a team in transition like the Devils.
This.. I'm not ecstatic about the Ruutu move, but I don't think the Devils have the pieces right now for a rental. Our 2nd this year is our top pick this year. It'd be a lot to give up if Vanek heads out in July. Plus I don't know if we have a Collberg type prospect. The Isles may have been looking for Boucher and a 2nd if they had talked with the Devils.
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Official NJDevs.com Keeper of Gory Corey Schwab, Mike Peluso, Troy Crowder, Jeff Frazee, and Rich Shulmistra."The Devils are that zombie that takes an ax to the skull, a bullet to the temple and is set on fire … and yet keeps lumbering along to the annoyance of all the other zombies." - Puck Daddy
All the Lou hate is hilarious I love how people are sucking his dick one moment, then ready to divorce him the second he doesn't do exactly what they want.
Is anyone actually looking at the activity today? It was light and low this year LEAGUE-WIDE. It's a buyers market, and if you scan any other teams you'll see people saying the exact same thing. Players weren't getting big returns, so it's no surprise to see that guys we wanted moved (Salvador, Volchenkov) weren't moved. We also don't have a lot to give up right now, because if we wanted a Moulson or Vanek teams would've no doubt wanted Henrique or Larsson, and people would've really sh!t a brick to see his name mentioned.
You're missing what most people are saying. No one is really lamenting not getting Vanek or Moulson, and I think most people would've been OK with nothing at all, because you are right, we don't want to see those prospects traded for rentals. No one was really looking for big returns for Sal or Volch types either.
But this move is a hard one to digest, and I usually look for reasons to defend Lou's moves (I can usually at least see and understand his "why"s). It's really hard to make a case for how this is going to improve the team. At least now it's been revealed that the Devils aren't on the full hook for Ruutu's salary.
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THE NHL MUST LOVE THE DEVILS - from who else? A RANGER fan![Mark Messier]: A big, bald attention whore with a stupid Easter Island-lookin face. - from who else? DaneykoIsGod!
Even when Marty comes back maybe Larry should put Clemmensen to be on the goal during the shootouts.Can the coach do that ? Switch the goalies 5 seconds to go in overtime? - Most priceless quote ever posted on a message board.
Martin Brodeur: THE MOST ALL-TIME WINS!, 12 straight seasons of 30+ wins, 3 Stanley Cups, 4 Vezina Trophies, and zero respect from too many so-called Devils "fans" who are either too young or too bandwagon to remember the much darker days of Sean Burke, Craig Billington, Bob Sauve, Alain Chevrier, and the talented but overwhelmed Chico Resch, among many others.
It's easy to support a great player when he's playing at his very best. It takes a true fan to support that same player during those rare moments and stretches when he's not. Babe Ruth went 0-4 some games, and sometimes Wayne Gretzky was held pointless. There may be such a thing as greatness, but no such thing as absolute perfection every single night.
#30 FOREVER!
20 out of 1,946 njdevs.com members agree: CR1976 is the Most Knowledgable Poster of 2008! Victory is mine...oh yes, victory is mine!
again, it doesn't matter if ruutu is a 40 goal scorer. the odds are that very strong that he will be nothing more than zubrus, if that, and that is just not something the devils need, at all.
misallocation of resources - this is the lou lamoriello of the last 5 years.
Except when he got Schneider, except when he gave up virtually nothing of value for Kovy (the penalty is another issue), except when he got a useful piece in Poni for nothing, except when he got Zidlicky for not too much, except when he let Clarkson be the Leafs problem and got a pretty useful player in Clowe instead.
I don't love the Rutuu deal, but it isn't a calamity. The much bigger problem is that Sal and Volchenkov are still here. But even that isn't so horrible. As much as it stinks to have Larsson in the minors, at this stage in his career, he is likely not the difference between a playoff spot.
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I collect spores, molds and fungus.Hello fellow American. This you should vote me. I leave power. Good. Thank you, thank you. If you vote me, I'm hot. What? Taxes, they'll be lower... son. The Democratic vote is the right thing to do Philadelphia, so do.How do you spot risk? How do you avoid risk? And what makes it so risky?
All the Lou hate is hilarious I love how people are sucking his dick one moment, then ready to divorce him the second he doesn't do exactly what they want.
Is anyone actually looking at the activity today? It was light and low this year LEAGUE-WIDE. It's a buyers market, and if you scan any other teams you'll see people saying the exact same thing. Players weren't getting big returns, so it's no surprise to see that guys we wanted moved (Salvador, Volchenkov) weren't moved. We also don't have a lot to give up right now, because if we wanted a Moulson or Vanek teams would've no doubt wanted Henrique or Larsson, and people would've really sh!t a brick to see his name mentioned.
Admit it you just wanted to write about how everyone sucks lou's dick as if it was clever of funny. It wasn't. at least amusing terms like "fellating" a la ^7^
Hard to defend? It's ONE fvcking move lol. Jesus Christ. I think Ruutu for Loktionov straight up was fair, so I am a little disappointed that we had to throw in a 3rd rounder, but holy sh!t everyone needs to reach far up into their twats and try to untwist those panties. I don't know how some of you make it through life.
I assume the third rounder (conditional) kicks in only if they don't re-sign him.
If you don't like the trade as a whole, I can understand that. But if you look specifically at the player we picked up, it's a guy we could really use. Moulson and Vanek got piss poor returns, but there's also 28 other teams that missed out on those opportunities as well.
Vanek to Montreal in exchange for a 2nd round pick and a prospect- lebrun
You say no doubt would've wanted larsson or Henrique?? What part of that Vanek return says larsson or henrique?
Because that's all we have and there's such a huge drop-off from those types of guys compared to the rest of our roster which is basically littered with 35+ guys and/or 3rd line journeymen. Is anyone going to be interested in Zubrus? Or Clowe with a glass head? Or Brunner who is unproven and injury prone too? Or Jagr who is a bull this year but can't deny that he's 42. So yeah, while the Vanek return wasn't a lot, if they were talking to us, those names would have come up. | {
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Burning anger in the land of Nye Bevan: why a Labour heartland is backing Brexit
Watch the politicians, and you’d think the EU referendum hangs on forecasts and calculation. Listen to the phone-ins, and you might believe that it’s about an insatiable appetite for more facts.
Only when you get out to somewhere like south Wales do you realise that it’s also fuelled by rage – a burning anger that spits in all directions.
This is Nye Bevan-land, birthplace of the most eloquent and effective socialist ever produced in Britain. And yet in one of the most dramatic yet under-reported shifts in British politics, south Wales is slowly falling for Nigel Farage. Labour-red is changing to Ukip-purple.
Since 1922, Labour has won every single election in Wales bar one. From the day the Welsh assembly opened in 1999, it has been dominated by Labour. But last month, Ukip came from nowhere to scoop seven seats. And the constituencies where it scored highest were the southern heartlands – Islwyn, Neil Kinnock’s former stomping ground, Caerphilly, Torfaen.
The swing of half a country to the only party that wants Britain to leave the EU has huge implications for the referendum less than three weeks away.
“South Wales will be among the most pro-leave places in all of the UK,” said Roger Scully, professor of politics at Cardiff University. “Across Wales as a whole it will be very split between those who want to stay in the EU and those who want to go. But Newport and the southern Welsh valleys are pretty damned likely to come out as an outright majority to go.”
If this is a protest vote, then there’s plenty here to protest about. Look up from Newport’s Commercial Street, and the honeyed architecture reminds you just how wealthy this city was a century ago, when it exported coal to the rest of the world. The swankiest hotel in town, complete with ballroom, has turned into a pound shop. Where there was once a jewellers now stands a vaping den. The M&S has left, to be replaced with a Sports Direct.
In the temp agency’s window the magic number is 7.20: the national minimum wage on most of the cards for would-be warehouse operatives, security guards, forklift drivers. Peer down the street and you’ll see the transporter bridge dating back to 1906, its gondola still lifting cars from one bank to the other.
When that bridge was built over a century ago, south Wales was one of the big-earning regions of the UK. Now the coal and steel industries have either died or moved, and it’s among the poorest parts of Europe. For every £100 made by a Londoner, a resident of Wales makes £42, going by the calculations of gross value added. Whether under Thatcher or Blair or Cameron, Wales keeps falling further and further behind.
“The folk memory of Thatcher destroying our communities is fading,” said Iestyn Davies, formerly of the Federation of Small Businesses in Wales. “Now it’s Labour that’s blamed for economic failure.”
In Newport’s Victorian covered market, far more people were behind the counters than buying anything. The majority of the stall-holders said they were going to vote leave. Did they consider themselves to be winning or losing under “the current system”, I asked, without providing any definition – and yet with no hesitation the leavers replied, “Losers”.
On the comics stand, Terry reeled off what made him angry: benefits claimants in designer clothes, immigrants taking all the housing, and “Romanian gypsies”. He concluded: “I’m definitely a loser, because I’m financing other people’s lives.”
The medicine usually prescribed for such post-industrial malaise is devolution, whether that be a “northern powerhouse” or an English parliament. But in Wales they’ve had devolution since 1999. A government with as much autonomy as a teenager in a loftroom, its presence has turned Cardiff Bay into a government enclave, complete with jobs and infrastructure and expense-account restaurants. Wales has its own equivalent to the Westminster bubble, observes Roger Scully: a Cardiff Bay bubble.
Wales is where trickle-down economics and trickle-down politics meet – and driving out from Newport you see the lack of results. Instead, the hills that were black with coalwaste in the 80s have now reverted to green. Where once there was mass employment there are now abandoned buildings and warehouse units for one- and two-man bands.
At the village green of Cwmcarn, Kate and Casey were chatting while their boys played football. Again came the worries about immigrants. “They’re not even here two minutes before getting benefits and operations on the NHS,” said Casey. No, she’d never come across this personally. But it was a worry.
By local standards, a lot more immigrants have been coming to the Welsh countryside from Poland and the rest of eastern Europe. But there were so few here to begin with that the numbers are still tiny. In Merthyr Tydfil – which in all of Wales has seen the highest percentage increase in immigration over the past decade – you are still five times more likely to meet a working-age adult on benefits than someone without a UK passport.
However invisible the immigrants, they were mentioned by every leaver, in language that I once thought had been dropped in the 80s. “I don’t want to offend you.” Or: “I’m not racist.” Or: “I’ve got mates from Ghana.” Always followed by “but”. But we let too many in. But we need to look after our own. But I hear eastern Europeans turning up at the jobcentre are handed a grand.
“I can’t help thinking that 23rd June is really a vote on whether it’s OK to be racist or not,” said Iestyn Davies.
As in Donald Trump’s America, the collapse of the economy and the distrust of politicians has re-licensed opinions that would have been considered unacceptable until recently. And it has led to a new round of the age-old game of ferociously defending meagre prospects and entitlements.
The very landscape of south Wales is littered with broken promises. The mining communities were offered high-tech “industrial villages” by Labour. They never came. On the outskirts of Newport stands a giant white plant that was meant to be an LG factory. Millions in subsidies were poured in, the politicians prostrated themselves – and the Korean firm still bolted, leaving the site empty for a decade.
Up the road, in the old steeltown Ebbw Vale, residents were promised a Donington-style racetrack, along with an unlikely-sounding 6,000 jobs. The Welsh government pulled the project in April. But still, more wheezes are dreamed up. Better road links. A new shopping mall for Newport, despite a population without enough cash to spend in it.
Do all this often enough and badly enough, as has happened in south Wales, and the age-old contract between the governing parties and the governed breaks.
“If you don’t have an economic stake, what’s your engagement with society or with politics? And if you’re not earning to do the basic things you need to do in life, you’re more inclined to question the establishment,” said social economist Mark Lang.
The result is that a community that has been left behind now wants to leave. Not because they think it will help, but because it can’t hurt much more.
In the village of Llanhilleth, the Mining Institute towers over the houses like a cathedral – and a symbol of how much Wales has changed. Miners’ subs built it in 1906, but when it fell into dereliction, the EU was one of those that stepped in with public funds. As is common across this region, one window displayed a sticker in Brussels-blue – a reminder of how Europe gives Wales £79 per person per year.
Inside, Gareth Meek pointed to a case containing the trowel that helped lay the foundations of the institute. He too wanted to vote leave – although his ire wasn’t really directed at Brussels. “I’m angry at the British government. They sold the country out. There’s nothing we own anymore.”
So how would exiting the EU help? A shrug. “I don’t think it would make a great deal of difference. But the damage is already done. You ain’t going to pull that back now.” | {
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Children are not allowed to be on church property, however, because Gilyard can not have “unsupervised contact” with minors. Gilyard’s attorneys recently withdrew a motion to change his probation status to allow minors in the sanctuary while he preaches, but they are also trying to determine if “supervised contact” is appropriate.
The state’s department of corrections ruled, according to the article, Gilyard does not violate his probation if children are not present while he preaches. He also cannot perform any pastoral duties, which includes counseling members.
Gilyard was convicted for committing sex crimes against two teenage girls at megachurch Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla., in 2008. While in prison, he admitted to fathering a child with a woman who accused him of rape during a counseling session. He was released from prison after three years in December.
Strangely enough, Gilyard’s new church has seen an increase in membership. The Times-Union article says the church’s average attendance was around 10 before he arrived as preacher, and it has since shot up to 150-200 people each Sunday.
“Somehow I will prove that life isn’t over when one has committed a crime for which he receives this heinous label. You don’t have to languish on the fringes of society,” Gilyard said in a text message to the newspaper. | {
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3 things that will change the world today
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However, he argues that they should think twice as there are other options that make staying in the expat haven viable despite Brexit.
British expats leaving Spain over Brexit fears
Spain hosts more British expats than any other country in the EU, with an estimated 760,000 British living in the nation, according to the BBC.
However, it is thought tens of thousands have left in the last few years – 157,107 over the last five, according to Spain’s National Statistics Institute – and observers are reporting that the exodus is increasing as the Brexit deadline nears.
“As Brexit fears, uncertainty and doubt begin to bite deeper, a growing number of British expats in Spain are reluctantly considering moving back to the UK,” said Green.
This, he said, is despite Spain still having the same qualities that initially lured them there.
“The ‘pull factors’ that attracted them to Spain in the first place – such as the more relaxed, family-orientated, more outdoors lifestyle, the weather, great schools, and work opportunities – remain intact,” he explained.
“As do the ‘push factors – such as UK’s cost of living, high taxes, low interest rates, the scrapping of some age-related benefits, quality of life, crime concerns and the weather – that encouraged them to relocate.
“This is why it’s so sad. Brexit concerns are potentially forcing them to give up their dreams of living in Spain.”
Why Brits are leaving Spain
Financially, however, there are very realistic reasons for making the return to Britain.
“It’s our experience that most of those who are reluctantly considering such a drastic step are flagging up fears about further devaluations of the pound,” explained Green.
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“Of the 300,000 UK nationals officially living in Spain, almost half are over 65. A further drop in the pound – which has received a monumental bloody nose since the Brexit vote – would be a serious issue for those who receive UK pensions or income in pounds as the cost of living would be considerably more expensive.
“Then there’s the risk that existing payments from British companies, including pension and insurance companies, to those living within the European Economic Area (EEA) could be disrupted. Of course, this would be a major inconvenience to many UK expats.
“In addition, they are highlighting worries about healthcare and residency rights, potential increases in flight costs, and issues about loved ones being easily and cheaply able to visit.”
Financial solutions to living in Spain after Brexit
Despite the factors that make living in Spain after Brexit a challenge, Green argued that there are ways expats can make staying in the country work for them.
“I would suggest that people consider all the options available to them in the first instance, such as the bona fide solutions which offer tax efficiency, peace of mind and low administration issues,” he said.
“In recent months, many expats who were seriously contemplating a move back to the UK have been able to successfully restructure their financial planning to, in fact, capitalise on their expat status to take advantage of the tax privileges and investor protection legislation which exists.”
For expats considering a return to the UK, then, the first step should be to review their financial options to see if living in Spain after Brexit is an option.
“Instead of allowing Brexit concerns now forcing you to quit Spain and the amazing quality of life it offers you and your family, it would be worth first seeing if a revision of your financial affairs is the answer.” | {
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Why don’t most people’s New Year’s resolutions lead to lasting change? The underlying message in most of our New Year’s resolutions is that there is something wrong and we better fix it or else…. We are bombarded with the message that we should be better – not just that we could be happier or more effective if we chose to make a change – but that we must be better or else we are inferior, inadequate, and bad. How much time and energy do you spend fighting yourself and/or the universe? I shouldn’t be feeling this way. I should have gotten that contract. My spouse should do what I ask of him. Most of us are so steeped in our own rigid perceptions of what is acceptable that we refuse to see the world as it really is. And then we wonder why it is so hard to make a change.
Can you imagine how much easier and more pleasant life would be if you could accept that you are completely fine exactly the way you are? Nothing needs to be altered. Nothing needs to be fixed. Really. This is hard for most of us to believe since we are usually so focused on trying to improve in some way. What most of us “need” more than anything is to practice acceptance of our own humanity, to recognize that nothing we do is ever going to reach our definition of perfection, and acknowledge that the universe is a wacky, unpredictable place. Yes, this definitely takes it practice.
You may be thinking, “but I want to make more money” or “but I want to lose five pounds” or “but my sister really is an intolerable witch.” Sometimes we think we have to reject our current situation or else we will be sentencing ourselves to a life of resignation and misery. Consider that the opposite may be true. It is only by accepting a situation as it is that we have any real possibility of changing it. We don’t have to reject the past (or the present) to embrace the future. It is possible to be okay with the current situation AND look for ways to move forward.
Consider the classic New Year’s resolution, how can you both accept yourself the way you are now AND proactively try to get into better shape? Look for aspects of your body that you can appreciate. Do you have nice hair, or attractive feet, or strong arms that allow you to pick up your child? Focusing on the positive helps us to feel accepting about where we are, and when we are feeling okay about ourselves it is much easier to make a change.
Or look at a scenario where you want more clients. Say you made 50% of your sales goal for last year. On one hand you could see that as a failure, and on the other hand you could interpret it to mean that a lot of your actions and policies ARE working AND there is room for expansion and improvement. When our energy is focused on the negative it is impossible for us to get a clear and realistic view of the situation. Without a clear understanding of both what is working and what is not working, any changes could actually be counterproductive.
Like so many things in life, this is simple but not easy. That is why people hire coaches to support them through the process of transformation. | {
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Audience Rating1 very hottttt0 hottttt0 meh0 not feeling it0 make it stop
Give Free Bricks (Hosted by DJ Scream) a spin - it's the latest tape from Gucci Mane & Future, having dropped on Saturday, July 30th, 2011. Gucci Mane & Future's musical situation is improving with every new release, and Free Bricks (Hosted by DJ Scream) will most definitely help the cause. It's a fine addition to the growing body of work Gucci Mane & Future has been developing since stepping foot in the game. We're looking forward to what Gucci Mane & Future has in store.
These artists contributed to the mixtape: Rocko Prod By Zaytoven, Scooter Prod By Will A Fool, 2 Chainz Prod By Mike Will. | {
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Super handy dungarees for the better outdoor work or of course during carnival. All dungarees are available in various colours in sizes 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 62 64 and 66.
All dungarees are available in various colours and from size 34 to 66. This dungaree is great to put on when it’s to hot to wear the boiler suit. The dungaree has a loose fit and is easy to take off.
Printing
The dungarees can be provided with a fun text or image in our own workshop. The texts can be printed on the chest in various colours.
Model
The entire chest part on the front is a big pocket that closes with push buttons. Furthermore, the dungaree has two slit pockets and two open pockets which make it easy to reach a pocket in the pants you wear under the dungaree. The pants also have a ruler pocket and a back pocket. The shoulder straps are fully adjustable. The dungaree can take a beating because it is made from a mix of 65% cotton and 35% polyester. This also ensures that the pants keep their beautiful colour.
Sizes
The available sizes are men’s sizes. Ladies should add ten sizes to their regular size en then choose the nearest men’s size. For example: if your regular size is size 40, then you should choose men’s size 50. Don’t buy a too big dungaree, they have a very loose fit because they’re designed to be worn over your own clothing.
Super handy dungarees for the better outdoor work or of course during carnival. All dungarees are available in various colours in sizes 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 62 64 and 66.
All dungarees are available in various colours and from size 34 to 66. This dungaree is great to put on when it’s to hot to wear the boiler suit. The dungaree has a loose fit and is easy to take off.
Printing
The dungarees can be provided with a fun text or image in our own workshop. The texts can be printed on the chest in various colours.
Model
The entire chest part on the front is a big pocket that closes with push buttons. Furthermore, the dungaree has two slit pockets and two open pockets which make it easy to reach a pocket in the pants you wear under the dungaree. The pants also have a ruler pocket and a back pocket. The shoulder straps are fully adjustable. The dungaree can take a beating because it is made from a mix of 65% cotton and 35% polyester. This also ensures that the pants keep their beautiful colour.
Sizes
The available sizes are men’s sizes. Ladies should add ten sizes to their regular size en then choose the nearest men’s size. For example: if your regular size is size 40, then you should choose men’s size 50. Don’t buy a too big dungaree, they have a very loose fit because they’re designed to be worn over your own clothing. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
GETTING BACK TO BUSINESS!!!
As markets start opening back up, it’s the right time to focus on good communications and cleanliness to prepare for returning guests. Even as guests begin to travel again, many new COVID-19 guidelines must be followed and communicated.
As the health crisis was unfolding, GraceSoft has been working to provide a new Email editor to help you communicate effectively with your guests! In this webinar we will provide a preview, and tips on using the new templates and editor!
For the safety of your guests and employees, new cleaning protocols must be established. A vendor in the cleaning industry will be sharing some guidelines and tips on how to implement new sanitizing processes.
On May 14th, Thursday 2020 at 12.00 PM CST, the Getting Back to Business webinar includes: | {
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Hardware Design with MATLAB and Simulink
Design digital FPGA, SoC FPGA, or ASIC hardware
Hardware design often begins with system and algorithm design in Simulink® and MATLAB®, followed by manually writing a detailed hardware description language (HDL) representation that is used to implement FPGA or ASIC hardware.
Manually writing low-level HDL limits how broadly the hardware design team can explore different architectures, increases the amount of bugs introduced, and limits the ability to reuse the algorithm for other projects.
HDL Coder™ automatically generates synthesizable Verilog or VHDL code from Simulink and MATLAB for implementing hardware designs. In this approach, system algorithm and hardware design engineers can collaborate to explore a broader solution space and eliminate the error-prone task of manually writing HDL. As a result, new applications gain the performance and power consumption benefits of implementing algorithms in digital hardware. In addition, automatic HDL code generation from a high-level model makes it much easier to reuse code for other projects.
See below for a typical workflow displaying algorithm to hardware design. | {
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Cracks in the dry bed of the Stevens Creek Reservoir in Cupertino, Calif. (AP/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
A new report from the World Bank has determined that warming of around 1.5°C (around 2.7° Fahrenheit) by mid-century is already locked into the atmosphere but that further warming beyond 2°C — and some of the worst projected impacts — is avoidable with immediate action. The report also warns that without coordinated efforts to transition to low-carbon energy sources, there is an increasing likelihood that temperatures could rise by 4°C or more “by the time today’s teenagers are in their 80s.” This would have drastic consequences on many of the developing countries where the World Bank operates — many of which have very young populations.
“The good news is that we can take action that reduces the rate of climate change and promotes economic growth, ultimately stopping our journey down this dangerous path,” said Jim Yong Kim, president of the World Bank. “World leaders and policy makers should embrace affordable solutions like carbon pricing and policy choices that shift investment to clean public transport, cleaner energy and more energy efficient factories, buildings and appliances.”
Prepared for the World Bank Group by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and Climate Analytics, this is the third such report focusing on climate impacts in areas where the Bank operates, including Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa, and Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Called “Turn Down The Heat,” the report warns of a “new climate normal” that will create a world of increased risks and instability. This will add substantially to the already daunting challenges of global development and poverty reduction, as crop yields would decline, water resources dwindle or shift, ocean acidification accelerate, and sea levels continue to rise and disrupt heavily-populated coastal regions.
In Latin America and the Caribbean, these heat extremes and changing rain patterns could lead to a 70 percent fall in soybean crop yields and up to 50 percent for wheat by 2050 without further adaption efforts. In the Caribbean, tropical storms and sea level rise will impact everything from tourism to security.
Across the Middle East and North Africa, scarce water resources will be further stressed, which could increase the outbreak of conflicts in the already fraught region. Similar challenges with water availability and food production are expected in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
“The report makes crystal clear that we cannot continue down the current path of unchecked, growing emissions,” said Rachel Kyte, World Bank Group Vice President and Special Envoy for Climate Change.
The Bank is backing up these statements with a policy that avoids funding coal-fired power plants except in circumstances where no other baseload power sources are economically viable.
“It will only be in circumstances of extreme need that we would contemplate doing coal again,” said Kyte. She went on to say that the Bank’s focus is on accelerating lending for all forms of renewable energy, including “everything from all sizes of hydro through to wind, to solar, to concentrated solar, to geothermal.”
The Bank is encouraging country leaders to do away with fossil fuel subsidies that create unnaturally low prices for oil, gas and coal.
A major global report in September found that governments can grow their economies and reduce their GHG emissions at the same time. This is especially true in developing economies where energy systems are not locked-in and infrastructure investments are rapidly growing. The New Climate Economy report found that by 2030, about $90 trillion will be invested in cities, agriculture, and energy systems across the world. If this financing is directed toward low-carbon projects, it could mark a major turning point in climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts.
World leaders will gather in Lima, Peru next month for a major round of negotiating sessions before next year’s U.N. climate summit in Paris where hopes for a new global agreement to reduce carbon emissions are high. There have been several promising developments in recent weeks, including a U.S.-China pledge to limit emissions and a G20 communique demanding efforts to reduce GHGs and fund clean energy. | {
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According to the latest Worldwide Home Audio Market report from Futuresource Consulting, the home audio market (wireless speakers, soundbars, Hi-Fi systems, A/V receivers and speaker docks) grew by 22% to ship 71 million units. Trade value also grew by 22%, generating just under $10 billion worth of revenue in 2014. Read More
Bowers & Wilkins brought its knowledge and experience in electro-acoustics to the headphone category for the first time with the highly regarded P5 headphones. Now the British loudspeaker company has launched the P5 Wireless, promising convenience without the compromise in audio quality.Read More
Knowles Completes Acquisition of Audience
Knowles completed its acquisition of Audience, following an updated offer for a mix of cash and shares of Knowles common stock. The acquisition and merger of the two companies was already approved by Korean regulators and should enable the world leader in MEMS devices and transducers for mobile devices to access Audience's advanced voice and audio processing technologies.Read More
Outdoor speakers, autosound, Bluetooth speakers... these days everything must meet IPXX environmental robustness standards. SOTA is a high-tech coating company that has treatments for paper cones and foam surrounds, to corrosion resistance for steel speaker frames, treatments for outdoor speakers, and more. Read More
New Pascal T-PRO Series Amplifier Modules Now Feature Unique Asymmetrical Power Ratings
Pascal has just announced the release of two new Pascal T-PRO Series amplifier modules: an asymmetrically rated 500 + 150 W RMS solution for self-powered two-way speakers and a 500 W RMS module ideal for subwoofer or low profile applications. Both feature universal mains power supply with PFC, integrated auto standby/wake-up on signal feature. Read More
Plan Now for the Upcoming AES 139th International Convention in New York City
This year's Audio Engineering Society's 139th AES International Convention will once again take over the professional audio landscape of New York City, from October 29 to November 1, 2015, at the Jacob Javits Center. From the Special Events and Exhibition Floor presentations offered by the free Exhibits-Plus badge, to the four days of in-depth Tech Programs available to holders of the premium All Access badge, the 139th AES Convention will offer a range of topics and technologies with points of interest for every aspect of the audio industry. Read More
Jan Didden
Editor Linear Audio
Guest Editorial
The Pleasure of Playing Vinyl
I sold my trusted Philips record player and my records somewhere in the mid-1990s, if I remember correctly. Not because it didn't work well anymore, but I was buying all my music on CDs and my record collection just sat there taking up valuable space. Or so I thought.
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A few years ago, audio designer Joachim Gerhard called me and said he would be passing through my town and offered to stop by to demo his latest phono preamp. When I told him that I didn't own a player or any records, he said, no problem, I'll bring those too! Long story short, we had a very pleasant evening listening to vinyl, having a few drinks and in general the sort of discussions audio geeks have when they have a chance.
I asked Joachim what he found so attractive in vinyl; I mean, it's a real hassle, first of all to get your arm and cartridge aligned and to maintain that alignment, then to clean the record every time before a play, and change the record every 10 to 20 minutes! How primitive compared to just queuing up your favorite playlist on the tablet and have music for the rest of the day.
Boy, did I miss the point!
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With records, listening to music that moves you is important, but (as I found out) at least as important is the ritual of all those things you need to do to get it to play and play well. Reading those liner notes, admiring the album cover art, and maybe even the soothing effect of the rotating record plateau. In other words, I was sold. I now have a nice mid-class record payer that I chose (I admit it) as much for its design appearance as for its hard technical specs. Listening to records means you have to make a conscious decision to take out time from what you are doing and go through the ritual, relax, and really let the music get into you. Yes, there's pops and ticks, and yes, sometimes a record is so eccentric that you can even hear the wow, but so what? Listening to music this way is very rewarding and pure enjoyment.
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There is another perspective to this - ownership. When you listen to music from, say Spotify, you don't "own" the music in any sense. There's no downloading a "music piece" that you can put somewhere and take out when you feel like listening to it again. And that's a non-issue of course because when you want to listen to it again you just stream it from somewhere in the cloud. That is different from buying a physical medium such as a CD or a LP, and especially with vinyl, there is a largish "thing" that you can touch, turn over in your hands; in a sense an album is a piece of art containing another piece of art; not only that, it actually is a "possession." Just recently, several investigators have been finding out that these aspects are important factors in the revival of vinyl; and that there's more to it than just the music.
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It turns out I am not the only one wondering what it is that attracts people to vinyl. Gary Galo, a contributor to both audioXpress and Linear Audio, is reviewing a book for me written by two philosophers cum music lovers, who studied the cultural aspects of music on vinyl - a worthwhile read.
Mike Uwins, whom I met at a recent AES convention, approached the question from the typical audio engineer's perspective. He developed a test where he could decouple the ritual of playing vinyl from the actual sound reproduced, which could be either the sound off the record or a digital rendition. He devised an ingenious procedure to keep the test double blind. His findings: even when the test subjects heard a digital rendition of the LP contents when playing it, they still commented, "No doubt in my mind [vinyl] sounded better... It seemed to be softer in the uppermids, so less harsh, just more pleasing in that area but certainly more warmth in the bottom end. The way things sit in the mix seems to be more preferable on that kind of record."
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I can only conclude that vinyl as a music medium has a very special place, and plays an important role in many people's lives. And, as that place and role is not solely based on technical parameters as such, one can expect that vinyl is here to stay for a long time to come, independent of the technical progress and developments in things such as streaming music distribution and whatever else the Apples and Googles of this world will invent.
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Maybe it is a bit like cars. Classic vintage cars are no technical match for the movers that roll off today's assembly lines, and very few people would even think of doing the daily commute in a 30-plus year old vehicle. Yet, for pleasure, nothing beats digging that old vehicle out from under the tarpaulin and leisurely taking a swing through some quiet country roads. For that enjoyment, people are willing to pay much more than the cost of a new car -just as people are willing to pay top dollar for a restored Thorens or Garrard player.
The Loudspeaker Industry Sourcebook 2015
is now available online
The Loudspeaker Industry Sourcebook, an annual publication that lists speaker-related companies and their products and services, provides a comprehensive guide throughout the year for your loudspeaker needs. You can also access the information online. Go to www.gotomylis.com to see the 2015 edition or visit www.audioxpress.com/lis to view the most up-to-date vendor listings.
The user-friendly resource includes lists that identify products and services from approximately 250 companies. To contact a manufacturer, distributor, or consultant directly, refer to the extensive address list, which includes each company's information.
If you're curious about where the industry is headed in 2015 and beyond, the sourcebook also contains several interesting and informative articles. Go to www.gotomylis.com
This review of The Bottle Builder, Volume 1: A Compendium of Tube Amplifier Designs discusses Johan Basse Bergqvist's hands-on collection of his amplifier designs. A book illustrated with more than 400 figures and photographs to help readers understand audio-no engineering degree necessary. Published on audioXpress July 2015. Read the review online
Voice Coil Spotlight
Digmoda DSP Amplifier Line
By Dean Rivera, KSC Industries
Digmoda is a series of modular OEM platforms consisting of digital amplifiers, DSPs, and power supplies designed specifically for audio applications. The Digital Power (DP) line consists of two new software programmable amplifiers, the DPSW300 and DPSW1000, along with newly developed DSP software for these units. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, January 2013.Read the Full Article
audioxpress features great articles, projects, tips and techniques for producing the best in quality audio. It connects manufacturers and distributors with audio engineers and enthusiasts eager for innovative solutions in sound, acoustic and electronics.
Voice Coil, the periodical for the loudspeaker industry, delivers product reviews, company profiles, industry news, and design tips straight to professional audio engineers and manufacturers who have the authority to make powerful purchasing decisions.
The Loudspeaker Industry Sourcebook is the most comprehensive collection of listings on loudspeaker material in the industry. Purchasers and decision makers refer to the guide for an entire year when making selections on drivers, finished systems, adhesives, domes, crossovers, voice coils, and everything in between. | {
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NewsOK Log In
Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook dunks the ball during the NBA game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Chicago Bulls, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City. Photo by Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman | {
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Sponsored: Winning Sports Betting and Casino for Gamblers In the modern world, platforms, on which you can make bets on sports, impress with their design but the requirements for them are rapidly rising. On the website of the reliable bookmaker 1xBet, there is not... | {
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Ocean acidification may be impacting coral reefs in the Florida Keys
Researchers say reefs are dissolving sooner than previously thought
2 May 2016
Joint Release
WASHINGTON, DC—Limestone that forms the foundation of coral reefs along the Florida Reef Tract is dissolving during the fall and winter months on many reefs in the Florida Keys, according to a new study. The research showed that the upper Florida Keys were the most impacted by the annual loss of reef.
The extensive thickets of staghorn corals at Carysfort Reef, approximately six nautical miles east of Key Largo, Florida, are gone today and replaced by a structure-less bottom littered with the decaying skeletons of staghorn coral.Credit: Chris Langdon.
Each year the oceans absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and become more acidic, a process called ocean acidification. Projections, based largely on laboratory studies, led scientists to predict that ocean pH would not fall low enough to cause reefs to start dissolving until 2050-2060.
For two years, the researchers collected water samples along the 200-kilometer (124-mile) stretch of the Florida Reef Tract north of Biscayne National Park to the Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary. The data provide a snapshot on the health of the reefs and establish a baseline from which future changes can be judged.
The results showed reef dissolution is a significant problem on reefs in the upper Keys with the loss of limestone exceeding the amount the corals are able to produce on an annual basis. As a result, these reefs are expected to begin wasting away, leaving less habitat for commercially- and recreationally-important fish species. Florida Keys’ reefs have an estimated asset value of $7.6 billion. The study was accepted for publication today in the journal Global Biogeochemical Cycles, a journal of the American Geophysical Union.
In the natural scheme of things in the spring and summer months, environmental conditions in the ocean such as water temperature, light and seagrass growth are favorable for the growth of coral limestone. During the fall and winter, low light and temperature conditions along with the annual decomposition of seagrass result in a slowing, or small-scale loss of reef growth.
However, as atmospheric carbon dioxide is absorbed by seawater, ocean pH declines. The result is that the natural summer growth cycle of coral is no longer large enough to offset the effects of dissolution from ocean acidification.
“We don’t have as much time as we previously thought,” said Chris Langdon, professor of marine biology and ecology at the University of Miami Rosensteil School of Marine & Atmospheric Science and a senior author of the study. “The reefs are beginning to dissolve away.”
“This is one more reason why we need to get serious about reducing carbon dioxide emission sooner rather than later,” Langdon said.
The data for the study were collected in 2009-2010. The researchers suggest that a more recent analysis should be conducted to see how the reefs are faring today.
“The worst bleaching years on record in the Florida Keys were 2014-2015, so there’s a chance the reefs could be worse now,” Langdon said.
###
The American Geophysical Unionis dedicated to advancing the Earth and space sciences for the benefit of humanity through its scholarly publications, conferences, and outreach programs. AGU is a not-for-profit, professional, scientific organization representing more than 60,000 members in 139 countries. Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and our other social media channels.
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IFPrograms™
IFPrograms™ is a suite of analytic tools designed specifically for market researchers, sensory scientists and product developers that provides advanced analytical capabilities for a wide variety of sensory and consumer testing procedures. A brief description of its capabilities can be found on this site. Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. Current customers in need of technical assistance, please submit an online support ticket.
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With so many available these days, it is good to have a brand you can trust. The Fotga Mini GSM Two-way Audio Voice Monitor Surveillance Detect SIM Card Spy Ear Bug N9 is certainly that and will be a great acquisition.
For this reduced price, the Fotga Mini GSM Two-way Audio Voice Monitor Surveillance Detect SIM Card Spy Ear Bug N9 comes widely respected and is a regular choice for most people. Fotga have added some excellent touches and this results in good value for money.
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"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
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How to Make a Cardboard Wedding Card Holder
Written by kristie lorette
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Learn how to build a wedding card holder from cardboard. (Luxury handmade wedding card image by Andrejs Pidjass from Fotolia.com)
It is important to provide a place on the gift table where wedding guests can deposit a card. Today's couples are paying for beautiful baskets, bowls, vases, bird cages or other ornate card holders. It is quite easy to make your own, personal card holders out of cardboard and wrapping paper.
Skill level:
Easy
Other People Are Reading
Things you need
Large sheet of cardboard or several smaller pieces
Packing tape
Box cutter or razor blade
Yardstick
Pencil or marker
Tape and/or craft glue
Scissors
Decorative wrapping paper or fabric
Large decorative bow
Show MoreHide
Instructions
1
Lay out your sheet of cardboard. Measure and mark a strip of cardboard 10 inches by 40 inches. Cut out this strip as straight as possible.
2
Measure and make a mark every 10 inches on the long side of the cardboard strip. Return to the marks and draw straight lines using a yardstick. You should now have a strip of cardboard with three lines drawn.
3
Place your yardstick right next to the first line and lightly score the line with your razor blade. This cut should not go through the cardboard; it should only cut the first layer of paper to score or create a crease in the paper, which makes it easier to fold later. Repeat with the other two lines.
4
Fold along the scored lines, making a box shape with two open ends. Use tape to securely hold the edges together.
5
Place one of the open box ends on the remaining cardboard and trace around the open edge. Cut out the traced square. Place on one end of the box and tape securely to hold.
6
Repeat Step 5 for the top piece of the box. Before taping to the box, cut a slit in the piece about 5 inches long and 1/2-inch wide; avoid the centre of the box so that the bow will not inhibit the slit. This slit must accommodate a large greeting card. After cutting the slit, tape onto the box securely.
7
Cut a piece of decorative wrapping paper large enough to wrap the box. Wrap as you would an ordinary present, being aware of the location of the slit. When the box is wrapped, return to the slot; you should be able to feel it with your fingers. Using a box cutter or razor blade, cut the paper by carefully following the shape of the slit in the box. Wrap a large bow around the box, careful to avoid the slit opening.
Tips and warnings
These instructions build a 10x10x10-inch box. For a larger or smaller box, simply alter the measurements to fit your needs.
To make your gift card box stand out from the other wrapped wedding gifts, wrap it brightly in your wedding colours and/or place a simple sign on top reading, "Please insert cards here."
You can turn the box so the slit faces out or up.
To open the box after the wedding, simply unwrap the box and cut the tape.
To further decorate the box, add flower petals, stringed pearls or large monograms for the bride and groom. | {
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8/4/2006
Oh and speaking of James Dobson, now that we have a baby, I often find myself browsing the baby and parenting section of the library. There is a book in the section by the aformentioned asshole person. There is something wrong with that particular book, well, many things actually, but the thing that stands out the most is just how accident prone it is. Everytime I go to pull out a book I’m interested in, the James Dobson book falls behind the shelves. | {
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Stephen Slaughter 1697-1765
Three-quarter length portrait of Francis Whyte of Redhills, County Cavan, sitting on a carved giltwood chair, leaning on his elbow on a consol table draped with a blue-grey curtain, dressed in a blue coat and richly embroidered waistcoat.
Provenance: By descent from the sitter (died 1778) to his youngest sister Anne who married John White (sic) of Rathgonan; her son Frances Whyte; his son Francis Melville Whyte (1801-1833) who devised his entire estate to his niece Georgiana Enderby, daughter of his younger sister Mary, who married Captain Samuel Enderby of the 5th Dragoons; she assumed the surname and arms of Whyte and married (1847) the Rev. Edmund Burke Whyte-Venables (1822-1894) and died 1904, devising her estate to her nephew Rev. Arthur Whyte-Venables of Redhills (1851-1929) and thence by descent, more recently in Sussex.
Stephen Slaughter was baptised on 13 January 1697 at St Paul's, Covent Garden, London, one of the five children of Stephen and Judith Slaughter. He is first recorded in autumn 1712 studying at Sir Godfrey Kneller's academy in Great Queen Street, London. Soon afterwards he departed for the continent, where he lived for seventeen years, first in Paris and then in Flanders. By 1733 he was back in London but promptly left for Dublin, where he painted Nathaniel Kane, lord mayor of Dublin, a portrait known from an engraving by John Brooks of 1734. Having returned to London he lived in Bloomsbury Square and set up a successful portrait practice, which attracted many notable patrons, such as Sir Hans Sloane (portrait, 1736, NPG). Slaughter's style is meticulous and exacting, with a particular attention to the detail of dress; Vertue praised him for painting this himself rather than using a costume painter (Vertue, Note books, 3. 111). He painted and copied a number of oils and pastels in the late 1730s for the Spencer family at Althorp, Northamptonshire, including The Hon. John Spencer (1736; priv. coll.) and two of his most ambitious works, The Hon. John Spencer and Lady Georgiana Spencer (1737; priv. coll.). In 1742 he painted Sir Robert Walpole (priv. coll.) and in 1747 the latter's son, Edward, and grandchildren (Minneapolis Institute of Arts). He is known to have bought a number of old masters at the sale of Walpole's collection in 1751.
In 1742 a malicious spoof appeared in the London Evening-Post (21–3 October), possibly by an envious Hogarth, stating that Slaughter, then living in Rathbone Place, had received a knighthood from the king for a painting of his son Frederick, prince of Wales. Slaughter did, however, go on to achieve high office in 1745, when he succeeded Parry Walton as surveyor and keeper of the king's pictures, a post that he held until his death, with a salary of £300 per annum.
In the 1740s he returned to Dublin, where he had ‘great business’ (Vertue, Note books, 3.123), examples of which survive in many Irish country houses. John Hoadley, Bishop of Armagh (1744; NG Ire.) is a fine example of his work in Ireland at this period. During this decade he is the finest portrait painter working in Ireland, rivalled only – and occasionally – by James Latham.
By the 1750s Slaughter was again in London, but there are few recorded works during this period, Sir George Lee (1753; Tate collection) being an exception. He retired to Kensington and lived with his brother, Edward, and three sisters, Catherine, Judith, and Mary, at Church Court. He died there, apparently unmarried, on 15 May 1765 and was buried on 22 May at the church of St Mary Abbots, Kensington. Judith Lewis had married the portrait- and scene-painter John Lewis, and was herself a distinguished painter of equestrian conversation-pieces and trompe-l'oeil still-lives.
Francis Whyte was descended from an old Bedfordshire family whose property was at Tuddington. He was the great-grandson of Francis Whyte who had been Secretary of State to Lord Deputy Grandison temp. Elizabeth I. He was appointed Sheriff of County Cavan on 3rd February 1741, a post which was the judicial representative of the Crown in the County. His family seat in Ireland was at Redhills (Irish: An Cnoc Rua) in the most northerly part of the county, in the parish of Annagh, and about two miles from Belturbet. He died unmarried in 1778 (will of 1775 proved 1779) and devised his property and estate at Redhills to his nephew, only son of his sister Ann by John White Esq. of Rathgonan and Loughgill, Co. Limerick, son of John White of Rathgonan by Ellen his wife, fifth daughter of Major Gerald FitzGerald, MP., Knight of Glin. Francis Whyte is buried in the family vault at Redhills church, where there is a memorial inscription.1
It is possible that Francis Whyte was introduced to Stephen Slaughter by Samuel Madden DD (1686-1765), a patron of the artist and Whyte's near neighbour at Hilton Park, Clones, a few miles from Redhills.
Redhills House2. Standing inside the demesne walls, near the village, the rubble remains of a near square fortified house of indeterminate date but generally accepted as the 17th century house of the Whytes, which has been ruined since it burned c. 1820. The walls are much repaired and rebuilt, revealing no architectural characteristics other than evidence for external roughcast, so applied as to suggest blocked quoins and window surrounds. The succeeding house, a substantial Regency block, enlarged by James E. Rogers for the Rev. Arthur Whyte-Venables in 1867, was burnt in 1922 and modestly rebuilt in 1934 and c. 1990. All that now remains of the c19 house is a heraldic roundel,elaborately carved with the Venables crest of a wyvern devouring a child, set in a blank wall beside the present house. The antiquity of the adjoining demesne is still attested by a broad yew avenue and traces of rectangular fishponds in a broad flat expanse north-east of the fortified house ruins.
To the south, the demesne is marked by a fine Georgian entrance, with square stone piers topped by big sculpted pinecones. Inside was a small Italianate gate lodge, richly stuccoed with a canted
1Recorded in the Journal for the preservation of the memorials of the dead in Ireland, 1890, Vol. 1, no.3 pp.153-4. A copy of this entry is pasted to the stretcher of the painting.
2The note and picture of Redhills were kindly supplied by the architectural historian Kevin Mulligan, author of the forthcoming volume of the Pevsner architectural guide to the buildings of Ireland for South Ulster | {
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Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Monday, October 29, 2012
Spent the weekend preparing for the hurricane that is about to hit our little state. I hope the power remains on. Last year when Irene hit we were lucky enough to have power. To anyone in the path of Sandy, I hope you remain safe.
Friday, October 26, 2012
October is domestic violence awareness month. I’ve been
blogging about domestic abuse all month long on my personal blog. In the
beginning of October I had a dream about my ex coming back after me and telling
me I wasn’t safe. The dream prompted me to start the blog. Writing it has been therapeutic.
It’s also jarring memories both good and bad. Overall it’s been the best thing I’ve
done in a long time. I’m not sure if a lot of people are reading it, but if I can
help one woman in an abusive situation it would make me happy. I’ve detailed
the good, bad and ugly. I’ll end the month telling how I planned my escape and
how I finally broke free of the abuse.
On the home front things are chaos. The baby is teething and
suffering from a runny nose. So needless to say she’s cranky. My day job is so
stressful I feel like I’m at a breaking point. The day care situation needs to
be revisited yet again.
I took October off from writing to regroup and the sad thing
is I’ve done just the opposite. On the bright side I’m not working this weekend
and I asked my boss if I could leave a few hours early for mental health
reasons. She felt that was a great idea. :o)
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Nick has fought his attraction to Emily
since the summer. Work and other commitments have kept him from pursuing a
relationship. Christmas is upon them and Nick finds he has free time on his
hands. He sets in motion a little plan to get her sexy body prepared for what
he hopes will be a night of passion she’ll never forget.
Someone is sending Emily erotic toys. The naughty notes attached are charging
her dormant body to life with promises of red hot sex. She’s not sure who her
secret Santa is, but if he’s truly following the Twelve Days of Christmas she’s
about to find out.
Will Emily succumb to this Naughty St. Nick?
Excerpt:
Emily pattered over to the front door. She
peered through the peephole.
"Hmmm, I swear I heard the doorbell." She threw opened the door
against the bitter cold of the winter storm brewing outside. Shivering, she
bent over the threshold and glanced in both directions. Her skin pebbled from
the snowflakes landing on her bare arms.
"Strange, I know the doorbell rang." She was about to close the door
when she noticed a small brown box, sitting off to the right.
Intrigued, she placed a sock covered foot into the icy snow and retrieved the
box. She quickly slammed the door and hurried back to her blanket on the couch.
She nestled under the red fuzzy blanket. Turning the box in her hands she
looked for an addressee.
"Nothing." She couldn’t help but wonder if it were meant for her or
if someone left it on her doorstep mistakenly. She shook the box. Something
bounced around inside.
Unable to fight her curiosity any longer she tore open the package. There
inside was a mistletoe-colored finger butt plug, with little white snowmen on
it. Tingling sensations warmed her body straight down to her core. Thoughts of
teasing the rim of her ass with the humming vibrator tantalized her.
She needed to know who sent it. Digging deeper into the box she searched for a
card or anything cluing her in to who the sender was. She found a tiny note
card that read:
On the first day of Christmas my true
love gave me to, one butt plug a hummin’.
Emily thought she’d explode into orgasm right then and there. The idea of
someone wanting to charge her ass to life enthralled her. Filled with an
arousal that ran deep, Emily knew she had to pleasure herself.
Heat from the flames crackling in the fireplace warmed her chilled body,
smoothing her skin. The television blared in the background, but Emily tuned it
out. She’d been watching a movie about a money heist on a train or something
crazy. It hadn’t held her attention. Turning the plug over in her hands, she
found something that gripped her total attention. She couldn’t imagine who
would send her something so erotic.
Settling into the pillow she closed her eyes and pictured the guy from Six A,
as the bearer of her gift. His wavy blond hair and those piercing green eyes
charged her body. She’d fantasized about him a few times. Oh who was she
kidding she masturbated to the image of his shit eating grin too many times to
count.
Emily longed to run her hand over his taunt abs. She wanted to trace a finger
along the vee that disappeared below the trim of his pants to see if it went
down to his cock, which she knew would be large and bulging. It seemed hard to
believe she’d been drooling over him since summer.
After she witnessed his body in scant clothing she wanted a piece of him.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Yesterday we took a day trip to Salem MA. I love the town in
October. It’s a like the entire town comes alive with Halloween. All four
children, my mom and our grandchildren went. What fun. Little T loved the
Merry-Go-Round. She’d bounce up and down and squealed with delight. It was
quite the sight to see. The kids rode twisty dragons, went for a train ride and
jumped in the bouncy bounce.
We ate cotton candy, pizza and candy apples. We walked all
over the town. My older children were able to see the memorial dedicated to our
eleventh generation great grandmother. We had to add a little history to the
trip. :o)
I planned to do more during the trip, but it turned into a
day for the kids and well, that was just fine! Maybe the DH and I will return
for a day by ourselves.
I’m busy today with final edits on one book and first edits
on another.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Tired of their ho-hum sex life, Jack decides to spice things up by planning a surprise for his wife. After sending the children off for an overnight with their aunt, Jack handcuffs Beth to their bed.
Beth awakes naked, blindfolded and at the mercy of her husband. The day starts off with being fed by Jack and quickly turns into hot and heavy sex. She soon learns that a slip of the tongue can lead to stinging ass cheeks.
This rainy day will be spent pushing their sexual limits. Whether in bed or out, Jack will leave Beth begging for more—until she says something unforgiveable.
“Rise and shine, sleepyhead.”Beth opened her eyes to total darkness. She attempted to move, but found her arms were pulled above her head. Around her wrists was soft fur. She tugged and the rattling sound of chains filled her ears. She was restrained. Fear spread throughout her body and into her throat.“Why am I handcuffed?” As she tried to sit up she realized she was also blindfolded. Never in their fifteen years of marriage had she woken to find herself trussed like a slave or prisoner.The smell of bacon wafted closer, assaulting her nostrils.“I’m going to fuck that pussy all day long.”Beth moved her head to the left where Jack’s voice echoed through the room. She shivered. The thought of him fucking her all day sent chills down her spine, until reality came crashing back.“What about the kids? Surely they’ll want Mom to cook them breakfast and drive them all over God’s creation.”“All taken care of. I just sent them packing with Auntie. They’ll be home tomorrow bright and early.”How long had she’d slept? She knew she was exhausted when she fell into bed the night before, but to sleep through the kids waking and Jack shackling her to the bed wasn’t like her.“Did you spike my drink last night, Jack?”A full belly laugh filled the room. “I’d hardly do something so sinister.”He had a point. In all their marriage he’d never even spoken an ill word against her. Why should she accuse him of something so hideous?“How did you manage to handcuff me to the bed?”“You were snoring peacefully. I moved your arms without getting a peep out of you. You barely stirred.”Beth racked her brains trying to remember any feeling of being moved around, but nothing came to mind.“Clever, Jack, now uncuff me please.”“No can do.”“Huh? Please, Jack. My arms can only take so much of being stretched like this. I’d like you to release me, now.”“Remember your prisoner fantasy?”How could she forget? She’d told him about the fantasy eons ago. They’d been enjoying a glass of white wine on a cold winter’s night. They’d nestled all cozy in front of the fireplace. As they gazed into the glowing embers, she had shared her deepest darkest desires. Beth had told him how she wanted to feel as if she’d been kidnapped, taken away and tortured in every delicious way imaginable. Jack had listened quietly and nodded at the appropriate times. She’d explained that she pictured herself in the shower after a long day. A stranger would appear and pull her soaking wet from the streaming water. He’d carry her to her bedroom where he’d take what he wanted. He’d ignore her pleas for him to stop. He’d fuck her until they were both sated.She’d thought he’d forgotten by now. Obviously he had been biding his time.“Is this what is happening today? You’re living out my fantasy?” A slight shiver passed through her body. Jack had listened. He’d taken her seriously and decided to give her what she needed.“We are and I’m in control. You will do as I say or suffer the consequences.”Beth shook as a chill of delight filled her. Jack’s voice was deep and demanding. He was using his dominant tone.“Got it.” A secret smile filled her soul.
Monday, October 15, 2012
I'm excited to have my friend Destiny here today. Check out her new book...looks HOT.
The
wild side is an interesting stretch of territory where only the courageous
survive.
Joe
Kramer is a simple-minded young man tending farm with his father. When a
neighbor needs a lift, his father sends him out to give the woman a ride. Soon,
a Moonlight Clan Council member has her claws in Joe, leaving him a changed
man.
Accepting
his fate, Joe joins a wolf pack steeped in history and tradition, but someone
among them is threatening to tear their pack apart. To make matters worse, as
the pack master, Joe rebukes the traditions of the past while ignoring the
mandated placement of two mates.
As he
leads his pack to a position of strength, Joe will stand out as the clear Alpha
destined to protect the East Tennessee Moonlight Clan Council, but will his lack
of experience and immaturity cost the clan what they cherish most? And who, if
anyone, will stand beside him when he fights to protect those closest to home?
“What
is it?” he asked, now longing to feel that spurt of heat, the end result one
finally reached when pleasure sought became pleasure gained.
“You’re
beautiful,” she rasped, cupping his cheek. “More handsome than I ever
imagined.”
Her
words drove him. Her praise consoled him. Through her, he was transformed and
now he was larger than life. He bracketed his arm around her waist and drew her
against him, noting the tightly drawn muscles as he gathered her small form and
brought her to him.
A loud
noise whipped around them like tornado winds. The truck window split in two,
shattering into bits and pieces right before his very eyes. Animalistic
instincts drove him as he thrust inside her, unable to stop and acknowledge the
happenings around him.
His
arousal heightened, reaching a peak he’d never expected. And something else
occurred, too. The need to guard and protect, love and cherish, came over him
like a breaking tide, leaving him torn between what he knew he’d felt before he
took Rebecca and the feelings practically suffocating him now.
A
deep-rooted howl fell from his chest. Canines jabbed through his gums, dropping
over his bottom lip without warning. Elongated nails were the first inclination
his fingers were no longer attached to hands, but to claws.
“What’s
happening to me?” he asked, his senses sharper, far more profound.
“You
were determined to resist me. You wanted to be difficult,” Rebecca told him,
sliding away from his lap. “You should’ve let me get you off, lover. I would’ve
bitten you at the right time and you wouldn’t have had to deal with him.” She
pointed to the window.
Joe
immediately recognized the man Rebecca fingered in an effort to place blame. Jacob.
Friday, October 12, 2012
So it’s been a helluva week. Yesterday I had some dental
work done and let’s just say they didn’t fix it properly. I can’t eat without
being in pain. My right side is sensitive to hot and cold and my jaw is in
agony. I’m going back today to have it fixed – hopefully properly.
If that wasn’t enough…I was at my desk and talking to the
hubby, who was upstairs. I’m yelling up and he’s yelling back down. I had to go
into our daughter’s room, which is right next t to my office and I come out
still talking to him. He wasn’t answering so I go to the living room and what
do I find? Him, on the floor, his teeth clenched and holding his leg, his knee
to be exact. The baby gate is on top of him…this was kinda funny to me, but I tried
not to laugh. He’s hurt.
First I must explain…there’s something about people falling
and hurting themselves that all the women get into a fit of laughter over. I don’t
know why…I inherited that gene. So, pinching my lips together I rush over and
try to casually ask if he’s okay. I’m trying not to laugh. I know he’s in pain
because he’s wincing and the man doesn’t complain ever.
It took all my might, but I managed to keep my composure and
find out what happened. It appears he missed a step on the way down the stairs
and fell…oh, and he had his laptop in his hand. Guess what he says…I saved the laptop.
Great!!!! And busted up his knee in the process. It’s badly
bruised, nothing was broken. When the doctor asked if he wanted the morphine he
declined. I offered to take his share but they weren’t willing to give it to
me. Bastards!
And so that’s how my week has been. I have to work overnight
tonight and all day tomorrow. Let’s hope he can hobble around enough to take
care of the baby for me.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Nikaya is celebrating her birthday with a new mustang. As she’s climbing the mountain in her new car a police officer comes out of no where. He pulls her over and treats her to a birthday spanking. With a sore bum and a burning need to orgasm she’s whisked away to a cabin.
Before the night is over Braden hopes to make all her fantasies reality and his best friend Hank is ready to help.
Three bodies, sex toys and a spanking machine is only the beginning for Nikaya.
Excerpt:
“Step out of the car, ma’am.”
“Huh?”
“I said, step out of the car.”
“What is this all about?” Surely this could be handled from the safety of her car.
“Now.”
His stern voice prompted her out of the car.
“Hands against the car. Legs spread.”
“You’re joking right?” She looked at his face and he didn’t appear to be kidding. He looked stone-cold serious.
Shaking his head he pointed to the hood of the car.
Nikaya did as she was instructed, cursing under her breath.
“Excuse me?” He placed a hand on the small of her back.
Heat coursed through her body from his touch.
“Nothing,” she spat. Then added. “Sir.”
He snickered behind her.
Condescending bastard.
His hand roamed south resting on her bare leg. As he pushed his body against hers she felt his hardness rub against her. He whispered in her ear. “Spread ’em.”
This definitely was not the norm, she thought swallowing back the urge to cry. His touch felt hot against her cool skin. Nikaya spread her legs.
“I see from your license it’s your birthday today.” His hand crawled up her leg and under her skirt. “Ummm, no panties.”
“I have no use for them. They’re cumbersome,” she admitted.
“Oh, so wet,” he whispered, grazing his finger along the folds of her pussy.
Nikaya bit her lip, she would not moan. Just because the touch of his finger along her slit set her soul on fire. She would not allow him to know how he affected her.
“Did I do something wrong officer?”
“You were racing up the mountain at a pretty high speed. Do you know the dangers of these winding roads?” He patted her down.
“I’m not armed.”
Ignoring her, he continued his search. Both hands caressed her legs before he lifted her skirt up over her ass.
“I don’t believe this is protocol, Sir.” Her legs grew wobbly under his touch.
“Are you questioning my authority?” He stood, gently guiding her body onto the hood of the car.
“No, it’s just—”
She was quieted by his hand swooping down smacking her across her bare ass.
“Ouch! What was that for?” She attempted to cover her sore cheek.
He quickly grabbed her hand and pinned it over her head.
“For getting obstinate with a police officer.”
“I find it hard to believe you’re a police officer.”
“You don’t believe I’m an officer? I guess I’ll have to convince you.”
Monday, October 8, 2012
I’m stopping by today to
share an excerpt from A Killer’s Field, a new fictional novella motivated by
the senseless I-45 Texas killings, most of which remain unsolved
today.
A few years ago, I became
aware of the overwhelming number of unsolved murders along the I-45 corridor
located south of Houston. In an area known as the Texas killing fields, this
property has become a dumping ground for some of the country’s most horrific crimes.
Since the early 70s, bodies
have been abandoned in these Texas swamps. Many young lives ended too soon and
families were devastated as bodies were recovered but never truly laid to rest.
Killers seemingly committed the perfect crimes and thanks to the mysteries
surrounding so many of the murders, questions were forever left
unanswered.
A
Killer’s Field is a
short young adult Halloween story available in e-format. Published by Devine
Destinies, the novella is fictional but the inspiration behind the story was
developed over time by researching some of the true, and quite brutal, unsolved
Texas killings.
A Killer’s Field isn’t a true story. However, when I
wrote the novella, I tried to write a short story that would appeal to young
people and in some small way let the victims’ families know their loved one
hasn’t been forgotten. At the same time, this short story includes a warning
for all readers with an underlying message in regards to social networks,
a tool often used when criminals make their first connection with their future
victims.
I’d like to invite readers to
check out A Killer’s Field, on sale now at Devine Destinies.
Readers, please leave your comments about the cover, short story, or any aspect
of A Killer’s Field. I’ll stop by
again today and choose one random winner for a free copy of A Killer’s Field. If you’re posting a
comment, please include an email address or check back to see how you can claim
your prize.
Kristen McMurray is flabbergasted when her boyfriend decides to
take her to the Texas Killing Fields for Halloween. She’s not at all
impressed with his plans for a romantic evening, let alone the idea
of frolicking on the very grounds known to harbor the deadliest of secrets.
Picturing a moonlit sky high above them and a murderer lurking in
the shadows, Kristen is convinced her boyfriend has either lost his mind or
worse. Perhaps he’s become a quiet lunatic waiting to emerge.
Reluctantly, Kristen agrees to spend Halloween in the fields.
Unbeknownst to her, they enter the heart of a huge Halloween hunt, an organized
event and obvious trap used to entice unsuspecting victims to the very place
where dozens of bodies have been previously dumped.
One brush with death leads to another, but Kristen keeps her wits
about her as her boyfriend turns their Halloween night into an evening she’ll
never forget. While the fields live up to their harrowing name, Kristen faces
the horrors of the past. Somewhere along the way, she discovers an inner strength
and a will to survive, realizing determination and the desire to live
are the only elements ensuring she’ll leave the fields alive!
Excerpt:
“Where to?” I ask, giving
the door a quick tug and taking my seat. I’m still irked by his lack of
manners. Perhaps I’ll find a Texas gentleman while we’re hunting killers. Oh
sure, there’s a plan. Like eligible bachelors frequent those fields. There’s an
old adage about tempting fate. Right now, I feel as if I’m setting a determined
appointment with death.
Denny starts the truck.
“You’re in a mood.”
I glance to my left.
“Aren’t we all?”
“You are,” he grumbles.
“I am,” I agree. “People
everywhere are always in a mood. Some
folks are in a good mood. Still others are…”
“Are?”
“Terrified,” I deadpan.
“You’re in a terrified
mood?” he asks, turning up the radio a notch.
“Turn that off,” I say,
reaching over his outstretched arm and hitting the volume knob.
Denny drops his
semi-muscular limb like it is weighted down with barbells. He steps on the
brake. “What is wrong with you?”
“I don’t feel like
listening to scary movie music.” I look straight ahead. I can’t help but blink
repetitively. In the face of danger, this always happens. It’s as if I’m not
quite able to fathom what is directly in front of me. “How do I get myself in
these situations?”
“What are you babbling
about?”
“My life.”
“It’s Halloween,” he says,
scanning stations.
The notation isn’t
necessary. As we enter the New Orleans French Quarter, the holiday is well
understood. Already in costume, business owners are unlocking their
storefronts. Festive skeletons hang from hotel balconies while elaborate
jack-o-lanterns line private patios.
“But of course it is. And
I can’t think of anything more appropriate than listening to doomsday hymns.”
“Would you rather hear
some bluegrass?”
“No.”
“Those are your choices.”
“What a nice variety you
offer. Behind door number one, we have an arrangement of instruments leaving
the listener to believe terror has begun its inevitable march. Behind door
number two, an artist with the kind of dreadful voice that makes me want to
step into a shallow grave.”
Denny grunts, returns both
hands to the wheel and accelerates. “You’re strange. You know that, right?”
“Yes, and you’re the most
normal guy in the world.”
He reaches under his seat
and retrieves a white plastic mask. “Speaking of which, what do you think?”
I wrinkle my nose as the
aroma of Heinz 57 fills the truck. “I think you were out of ketchup.”
“So?”
“So you smell like a
steak.”
“I needed to splatter
something thick and dark on my mask. I wanted to go in costume.”
“Thanks for telling me. I
would’ve dressed up as mustard had I known you wanted to travel as condiments.”
Friday, October 5, 2012
I’ve wanted to post all week, but I was in deadline hell. It’s
over and Thursday I spent reading. God, I love reading. I spent two days trying
to avoid the internet. The hubby and I went away last weekend. I wanted to blog
about the beautiful leaves on Monday, but when I returned on Sunday night I came
home to find out that Caveman Angelo had been killed.
For those who spent any time in his company knew he was a
beautiful person on the inside and out. He knew how to make you feel good about
yourself and livened up the room. He’ll be sadly missed. Angelo was larger than
life and he left behind a son and family who loved and cherished him. My heart
goes out to them.
The other reason this struck me so hard was I have a son who
is only two years younger than him. It’s just another reminder that life is
short and someone you love can be taken from you when you least expect it.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Tool belt? Check. Rope? Check. Lube? Check. Violet wand? Check.
A simple text leads to a case of mistaken communication and before long Riley Anderson finds herself tied to her bed and being driven to distraction. Beckett Manning, host of Room Makeovers, knows how to tease and torture every inch of her skin. He also knows his way around an orgasm, which keeps Riley wanting more. And more. And more.
Beckett is ready to give Riley more than a remodeled kitchen. He’s about to bring her to the edge of ecstasy and back. Whether it’s hot sex in the bathtub or Riley hog-tied to the bed, he’s determined to show this brazen beauty how desirable she really is.
Excerpt:
Riley thought she’d hyperventilate when Beckett sent her off on her own. So much had taken place in the last hour. Her head spun with information overload. Now she had a list of things to get and a cameraman recording her every move.
She looked around to see what aisle she was in.
Seventeen.
She scanned the sheet to see if there were any parts she needed in this aisle. Nothing, but she was close. There were items she could get in twenty. With renewed confidence she headed in the direction of aisle twenty. She wasn’t going to let fear rule her. She was about to get a new kitchen, and she owed a great deal of thanks to Room Makeovers.
Her phone beeped, signaling a text message had arrived.
She cringed, remembering the day Terry sent the breakup message. Hopefully one day she wouldn’t flinch whenever she received a text message.
Riley dug into her pocket for her phone. She pressed the touch screen and read the text.
We need superlube for our male and female universal fittings.
Were her eyes playing tricks on her or was Beckett sexting with her? She turned to see where the cameraman was and what he was doing.
He stood a few feet behind her, clearly not too interested in why she’d stopped or the message she’d received.
How should she answer him? Should she sext him back or act innocent? She mulled the choices over in her mind. She couldn’t remember a time she’d sexted with anyone, and Beckett wasn’t anyone. He was the host of a famous cable show, and he was interested in her.
Without a second thought she decided to give it right back to him.
Don’t think you can get me wet enough? Tingling sensations coursed through her. A feeling of giddiness consumed her, and she giggled as she went back to the task at hand.
Flirting was something new to her. She hadn’t felt desirable in a long, long time.
Riley entered aisle twenty and used the directions on her paper to find the first of the required materials. She located the handles for the cabinet doors.
As she looked over the array of handles, the feeling of being overwhelmed took over again. She looked at the paper for guidance, but it wasn’t specific. The choice would be hers and hers alone. She decided on a brushed nickel design.
She turned to the camera guy.
“I think I’m going to need a cart or something to hold all this stuff.”
He nodded, and as if someone had heard her from beyond, a woman appeared with a shopping cart.
“I think you might find this helpful while you’re shopping.”
Riley laughed nervously. Had she entered the twilight zone? Was she wired and didn’t know it?
“How’d you... Never mind.” She’d ask Beckett after.
Her phone beeped again.
Ummm, I don’t have any doubt I could get u plenty wet w/o lube.
He wasn’t kidding.
Her pussy grew moist. Her heart raced. She fanned her face with the paper. Oh my God. Oh my God. What do I say?
“Is there a problem?” Patrick asked.
Her head whipped to the side. He’d startled her.
“Umm, no. Just need to answer this. Everything’s fine.”
Was that a smirk on his face? Did he know something she didn’t?
Riley decided not to answer the text right away. She’d let it sit while she thought about her response.
She filled the cart with all the handles and knobs she’d need. She pushed the cart, satisfied she could check the first item off the list. The next aisle on her list was not too far. Aisle twenty-three was where the cabinets were. The sheet said to just pick out the style and the crew would do the rest. That would be easy.
As she walked to her next destination, an idea popped into her mind. She pulled out her phone and texted Beckett again.
Do u want me to pick out the hose extender?
“Let’s see what you think about that,” she said quietly.
“Are you talking to me?”
Shit. She’d have to remember she was on camera. Everything she said and did was being filmed.
“Nope. I have a bad habit of talking to myself.” It wasn’t a lie. Sometimes she had full-fledged conversations with herself. It was a terrible habit that had started when she was a child and continued into adulthood. People likely thought she was crazy, and she even thought so from time to time. “Okay, but you need to focus on the fact that we’re filming. You need to be aware.”
She wanted to jump up and down and show everyone her excitement. This was her first time ever being on television.
“Sorry. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“I think we should have Beckett join us. You both can search for stuff together.”
“No!” As soon as the word left her mouth, she regretted it. She’d be working side by side with Beckett for as long as it took to finish her kitchen. She couldn’t refuse to shop with him.
“I mean, yes, but I’d like to do some of the shopping on my own first, okay?”
“How about I go film Beckett and leave you to pick out the cabinets. We’ll come back in about fifteen minutes.”
“I think that’s a great idea.”
Patrick walked away, and she sighed in relief. Would she get used to the cameras watching her every move? Maybe she could turn the tables on Beckett and see how he liked getting sexual innuendos while on camera. But first she had to figure out what style wood she wanted.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Leah Wolfe, federal agent for the Supernatural
Investigations of Non-Human Species—SINS—is determined to put the pieces of her
personal life back together. Her relationship with Ian Nightwalker, her vampire
lover and a Marquis in the vampire ruling council, has heated up and is going
further than she’d ever thought possible.
When her ex-fiancé, Joaquin Wildhorse calls Leah in the
middle of the night and asks her to come to the home of Louis Deveraux, Alpha
of the largest wolf pack in the country, her first instinct is to hang up.
Until he asks her to bring Ian. Lewis has been gruesomely murdered, leaving
behind a daughter and a decree that Joaquin is to be the new pack Alpha.
Now as the slain bodies of more shape-shifters start turning
up closer to home, Leah’s personal and professional lives collide. She knows
who the killer is but legally can’t touch him. She'll need the help of Ian and
Joaquin to step outside of the law and stop a killer to protect the lives of
those she loves the most. If she can manage that, things just might get
interesting.
EXCERPT:
“Mmm.” I moaned against his stomach. “I think we should
initiate this house properly.” I unbuttoned his pants a slid his zipper down,
freeing his erection.
Ian lost patience and ripped my shirt open, buttons flying.
I laughed and then closed my mouth over his, still teasing him as I rocked over
his erection. Ian’s hands grasped both of my breasts, kneading deliciously as
his thumbs caressed my nipples. He took one in his mouth and sucked, causing
warmth to pool in the lower part of my body and raising goose bumps of pleasure
along my skin. I scissored his hair in my fingers as my body arched back to
give him more access. The other nipple got the same treatment before I scooted
down and took him into my mouth, my tongue playing along the hard ridge of the
head, swirling and suckling until I pulled a groan of pleasure from Ian.
I opened my eyes and looked up at him. His head lay back
against the chaise, his hair tousled and sexy as hell. His eyes were closed,
mouth slightly open and I could see just the tips of his fangs as his breath
came from him in short, quick rasps. | {
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C/C++ Certification Program
C++ Institute is recognized as the world’s leading organization offering a high-stakes C/C++ certification program, allowing candidates to test at thousands of accessible and secure Pearson VUE testing centres worldwide. C++ Institute is committed to the development of a global standard in C/C++ certification, which will allow programming specialists, software developers and IT professionals from all over the world to assess and document their programming skills objectively and to gain recognition for their expertise.
Cooperation with Pearson VUE
In 2012, C++ Institute and Pearson VUE, the leader in computer-based testing, established cooperation for the exclusive delivery of a certification program created for the C and C++ programming languages. On the foundations of this cooperation, C++ Institute and Pearson VUE have begun to provide the first globally available C/C++ testing and certification program.
C++ Institute and Pearson VUE are committed to providing the whole IT community with test and certification programs of the highest quality. We are proud to offer professional certifications designed to provide industry recognition of your knowledge, skills and proficiency in C and C++ programming.
Two independent certification paths
C++ Institute has built two paths of testing and certification. The first path covers the C++ programming language and the second the C programming language. Each programming path offers three levels of qualification: associate, professional and senior.
Associate – the foundation level
The holder of a certificate at the associate level possesses knowledge of the basics of programming in the C (CLA) or C++ (CPA) language, and demonstrates fundamental programming techniques, customs, vocabulary and the most common library functions.
The CLA and CPA certification will not only help you gain confidence in the knowledge that you possess fundamental C/C++ skills, but it will also give you a chance to stand out in the job market. It will let you complement your education and will give you a head start on preparing for and advancing to the professional level.
Professional – the advanced level
The holder of a certificate at the advanced level possesses knowledge of advanced programming in the C (CLP) or C++ (CPP) language, and demonstrates advanced programming techniques, customs, and vocabulary as well as advanced library functions. He or she is capable of using and creating complex algorithms and is able to deal with complex coding problems.
The CLP and CPP certification shows that you are passionate about C and C++. It proves that you take your career development seriously and it lets you stand out with a globally-recognized credential. Professional certification reflects your wide programming skills and experience.
Senior – the expert level
The holder of a certificate at the senior level possesses knowledge of very advanced programming in the C (CLS) or C++ (CPS) language, demonstrates remarkably advanced programming techniques and is able to deal with highly complex coding problems. He or she is capable of creating and implementing extremely complex algorithms.
The CLS and CPS certification proves your highest C and C++ skills. It also shows that you have great experience in programming. Certification at the senior level translates into the most demanding job positions and, at the same time, greater income and greater respect. It is a sign that you have reached the top certification level.
Please note that the C and C++ exams at the senior level are currently not available. The expected date of publishing the CPS and CLS exams is December 2017. The highest level of certification currently offered to test candidates is the professional level. | {
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News Story
Ed Boon on why Freddy Krueger for Mortal Kombat
Ed Boon, the creator of Mortal Kombat, has explained why A Nightmare on Elm Street's Freddy Krueger was chosen as the fourth DLC for Mortal Kombat instead of other slasher film icons.
In an interview with the PlayStation US Blog, Boon stated, "It's kind of hard to choose a character who would fit well into the Mortal Kombat universe, with the blood and violence that's so associated with it. Kratos from God of War is a brutal, bloody character, so he makes sense."
The villains of Friday the 13th and Halloween were considered, but Freddy was pegged as the most interesting, "A number of names were run by us: Jason, Michael Myers and all those guys. Freddy Kreuger, we felt, was the most instantly recognisable and he fits in with Mortal Kombat with his claws. It just seemed like the best fit."
It wasn't the first time someone like Freddy was looked at.
"Over the years, we've certainly had a number of conversations about guest characters. At one point, we had a conversation about having a group — imagine Freddy, Jason, Michael Myers, Leatherface from Texas Chainsaw Massacre — of all these killers from the '80s and '90s flicks come in as a group of characters," Boon continued. "We never got a grip on how we would do it, whether they'd be DLC characters or what. But yes, we've had lots of conversations over the years.
"We also wanted to introduce a character who was unexpected. This DLC thing opens the doors to realising these ideas." | {
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Senior Care
Sussex Healthcare is a premier provider of healthcare for the seniors who have Alzheimer’s and dementia in Sussex and beyond. Sussex Healthcare has set apart from the competitors by providing high-quality care services for over three decades in Sussex. Dr. Shafik Sachedina has played a vital role in the growth of Sussex Healthcare. He enrolled for a degree in dental surgery at the University of London where he graduated in 1975. He immediately began practicing in England where he has been worked in various institutions for close to ten years.
In 1985, Dr. Shafik alongside his colleague Mr. Shiraz Boghani and other investors joined hands to establish Sussex Healthcare. Dr. Shafik has been doing an excellent job at the facility where he heads a team of highly qualified personnel who attend to the patients.
Sussex Healthcare was established with the main aim of providing exemplary care services for the seniors. They offer a variety of services such as caring for patients with dementia, neurological problems and even individuals who have learning difficulties.
At Sussex Healthcare, it is a home away from home. Residents get various services that include hydrotherapy, physiotherapy, reflexology, and aromatherapy services that are provided by highly qualified personnel. Besides the typical care services, Sussex Healthcare also provides the residents with other amenities that include a fully equipped gym and other amenities that provide all the comfort of a home.
Sussex Healthcare hires experts in various fields whose work is to ensure that the residents get the best services. Besides, they also offer 24/7 support to the residents where they can ask for help if they are in need of anything. At Sussex Healthcare, they understand that the patients who need specialized care need to have some level of independence. Dr. Shafik and his team ensure that this is made possible at the care facility.
Leisure and entertainment facilities at Sussex Healthcare
Recreation and entertain are essential for everyone’s growth and development. At Sussex Healthcare, they believe that entertainment and social interactions are part and parcel of the treatment process. Besides offering the conventional entertainment facilities, nurses and doctors at Sussex work with patients to understand which activities suit their current needs and abilities. | {
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Project management
Our project: Animal markets and transports in Tansania
As a country, Tanzania is strongly agricultural. More than 70 percent of the population lives and works in rural areas. Still today, the major part of the agricultural production serves self-sufficiency, whereas accumulated surpluses are sold. The government of Tanzania follows a market-based reform policy which aims at increasing agricultural production and strengthening private business. The increasing industrialization of Tanzania also affects the way 'farm' animals are kept and transported.
There are only few reliable data on the current number of 'farm' animals in Tanzania. According to UN-figures, in 2002, it has been more than 63 million animals consisting of 17,4m cattle, 15,8m sheep and goats, 460,000 pigs and 30,03m poultry.
In rural areas, the animals mostly live out in the open field. Cattle and goats are looked after by shepherds. In the daytime the animals graze outside the villages and at night, they are placed in stables or small paddocks. In the North and West of Tanzania, several Masai-tribes are keeping goats and cattle. But animals are also kept in cities. In Dar es Salaam for example we see 'dairy' cows being kept tethered inside small shacks.
In Tanzania, the purchase and sale of animals follows patterns similar to those in Europe. Animal markets are held throughout the country. According to their size, they are referred to as primary (small, rural), secondary (middle-sized, regional) and tertiary markets (large, transregional). The animals are herded to the markets on foot or are transported on trucks. These transports can take several days. The largest animal markets are located in cities and serve as transshipment points for middlemen and vendors to sell the animals they have bought up throughout the country to the highest bidding slaughterhouse.
Tanzania’s animal welfare law is closely related to EU-legislation. Adopted in 2008, the animal welfare act states specific regulations on animal transport and husbandry. Besides, for some years, there is also a specially built infrastructure for the trade and transport of 'farm' animals and some of the markets were fitted with a basic infrastructure as well. In addition, there are several supply posts along the interstate roads where, for a fee, animal transports can take a rest, unload, feed, and water their animals. However, the drivers are to decide for themselves whether they make use of these supply posts or not. We notice that many transports just pass by, driving for long distances without resting the animals at all.
Missing implementation & severe animal welfare problems
Animals‘ Angels documented the loading of animals at markets and their unloading at slaughterhouses. Thereby we note that despite the strict legislation, serious animal welfare problems prevail:
brutal and chaotic loading and unloading
no provisions for injured animals
shackled animals
animals lifted and carried by their legs or fleece
exhausted and dehydrated animals
no water or food
no shade
brutal and medieval slaughter methods
insufficient transport vehicles
insufficient or missing infrastructure
A potential for more respect
In Tanzania, on government level as well as in local animal welfare organizations, there is an increasing awareness on welfare problems concerning 'farm' animals and the corresponding demand for action. With its experience and expertise, Animals’ Angels has the possibility to help increasing the respect and empathy towards animals in Tanzania and to improve the way they are handled.
What we want to achieve in Tanzania:
Establish more respect and empathy towards 'farm' animals
Application and implementation of the existing animal welfare legislation | {
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nest in the hills bookkeeping
bookkeeping company
As a bookkeeper, you have a lot of clients that seek your guidance in times of financial distress. After they receive help, you are showered with praise and appreciation. This year, you want to show your clients the same affection with gifts. Presents show customer appreciation and help build brand loyalty. A thoughtful gift […]
Bookkeeper is an individual or an organization that is in charge of keeping financial records of other organizations or individuals. There are many bookkeepers in this competitive economy, that offer booking services that ranges from, accounting management, bookkeeping, payroll services and organization of financial statistics. A good example of bookkeeping organization is bookkeepers Melbourne, an […]
Businesses in the world are trying to work in a more effective manner. That means great a decline in staff in order to minimize the overhead expenses. Outsourcing has been in fashion for a long time for parts necessary for machines and industrial products.Learn more detailed information at http://www.hawksnestinthehills.com/bookkeeping-jobs-ideal-profession/ In industry all over and immediate […] | {
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Description
Silver coin dedicated to 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Gino Bartali, Brilliant Uncirculated.
Gino Bartali, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMR was a champion road cyclist. He was the most renowned Italian cyclist before the Second World War, having won the Giro d'Italia three times (1936, 1937, 1946) and the Tour de France twice, in 1938 and 1948. His second and last Tour de France victory in 1948 gave him the largest gap between victories in the race. In September 2013, 13 years after his death, Bartali was recognised as a "Righteous Among the Nations" for his efforts to aid Jews during World War II. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Systematic analysis of funding awarded for antimicrobial resistance research to institutions in the UK, 1997-2010
Systematic analysis of funding awarded for antimicrobial resistance research to institutions in the UK, 1997-2010
Systematic analysis of funding awarded for antimicrobial resistance research to institutions in the UK, 1997-2010
Objectives: To assess the level of research funding awarded to UK institutions specifically for antimicrobial resistance-related research and how closely the topics funded relate to the clinical and public health burden of resistance.
Methods: Databases and web sites were systematically searched for information on how infectious disease research studies were funded for the period 1997–2010. Studies specifically related to antimicrobial resistance, including bacteriology, virology, mycology and parasitology research, were identified and categorized in terms of funding by pathogen and disease and by a research and development value chain describing the type of science.
Results: The overall dataset included 6165 studies receiving a total investment of £2.6 billion, of which £102 million was directed towards antimicrobial resistance research (5.5% of total studies, 3.9% of total spend). Of 337 resistance-related projects, 175 studies focused on bacteriology (40.2% of total resistance-related spending), 42 focused on antiviral resistance (17.2% of funding) and 51 focused on parasitology (27.4% of funding). Mean annual funding ranged from £1.9 million in 1997 to £22.1 million in 2009.
Conclusions: Despite the fact that the emergence of antimicrobial resistance threatens our future ability to treat many infections, the proportion of the UK infection-research spend targeting this important area is small. There are encouraging signs of increased investment in this area, but it is important that this is sustained and targeted at areas of projected greatest burden. Two areas of particular concern requiring more investment are tuberculosis and multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria.
Abstract
Objectives: To assess the level of research funding awarded to UK institutions specifically for antimicrobial resistance-related research and how closely the topics funded relate to the clinical and public health burden of resistance.
Methods: Databases and web sites were systematically searched for information on how infectious disease research studies were funded for the period 1997–2010. Studies specifically related to antimicrobial resistance, including bacteriology, virology, mycology and parasitology research, were identified and categorized in terms of funding by pathogen and disease and by a research and development value chain describing the type of science.
Results: The overall dataset included 6165 studies receiving a total investment of £2.6 billion, of which £102 million was directed towards antimicrobial resistance research (5.5% of total studies, 3.9% of total spend). Of 337 resistance-related projects, 175 studies focused on bacteriology (40.2% of total resistance-related spending), 42 focused on antiviral resistance (17.2% of funding) and 51 focused on parasitology (27.4% of funding). Mean annual funding ranged from £1.9 million in 1997 to £22.1 million in 2009.
Conclusions: Despite the fact that the emergence of antimicrobial resistance threatens our future ability to treat many infections, the proportion of the UK infection-research spend targeting this important area is small. There are encouraging signs of increased investment in this area, but it is important that this is sustained and targeted at areas of projected greatest burden. Two areas of particular concern requiring more investment are tuberculosis and multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Real-life zombies that are stranger than fiction
Bassettia pallida is a parasite that infests oak trees and is itself infested by another newly discovered wasp (Credit: Andrew Forbes/University of Iowa)
“Real-life zombies that are stranger than fiction” is the title of an article that was published by BBC News on March 13, 2017.
The article states that “some fungi, viruses and bacteria have evolved….”
They start from this position that they had to “evolve.” They could not have been “created.” That is not a possibility.
“Perhaps the most famous fungus, Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, prompts its hosts to end their days perched under a leaf. Those that have succumbed to Ophiocordyceps australis, meanwhile, will die in the forest litter below.”
“Fossils showing evidence of zombie ants… have been found dating back 48 millions years.”
This goes back at least “48 million years.” Hmm… where is evolution? It is assumed to be a fact. But no evidence has come forth. If something has been going on for 48 million years, it sounds like they are reproducing “according to their kinds,” over and over, for many millions of years just like all other creatures do. (Genesis 1:11-12; Genesis 1:21; Genesis 1:24-25)
“It is not immediately apparent how a fungus has this surprisingly specific effect on an organism so much more complex than itself… have evolved to match the different lifecycles of whichever species of host and they take as their victim… a stunning example of coevolution.” Or “a stunning example” of “your works, Yahweh, all of them you made so wisely!” (Psalm 104:24 NJB) | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
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No FDI in multi-brand retail yet, says Nirmala Sitharaman
India is not considering allowing foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail trading in the current circumstances, the government said on Wednesday.
Although the current FDI policy permits foreign players to hold 51 pc stake in an Indian company, BJP had opposed foreign investment in this segment in its election manifesto
“At the moment, India can create several Walmarts of its own. We welcome anybody. But if some way this dialogue is moving towards, why not in multi-brand retail in India? My answer is – Not yet,” Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said at The Economist magazine’s ‘India Summit’ here.
Elaborating on the rationale behind government policy, the minister said there is an issue of last-mile connectivity, adequate infrastructure and financial inclusion of segments like farmers and small traders.
“If only that happens, and if they (farmers and small traders) are adequately empowered to tackle the market themselves. But today we are trying to bridge those gaps. We are still not ready to have them and face a competition where there would not be a level playing field,” Sitharaman said.
India currently permits 51 per cent foreign investment in multi-brand retail. The Bharatiya Janata Party, the largest constituent of the ruling NDA, is opposed to FDI in this sector.
To a query on the absence of big supermarkets in India, Sitharaman said that “our supermarkets are friendlier than the faceless supermarkets I have been in the West.” | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
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Search form
Hammock Beach condo sells for $490,000
A condo in Hammock Beach tops the list of all real estate transactions for the week of Dec. 6 to Dec. 10. Hammock Beach III LLC sold Unit 342-E at 200 Oceancrest Drive to Thomas and Margrit Salcito, of Brookfield, Conn., for $490,000. Built in 2007, it has three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and 2,246 square feet of living area.
BEVERLY BEACHOceanside
Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. sold Unit 219 at 2450 Oceanshore Blvd. N. to Patricia and George Elles, of Crosby, Texas, for $229,000. Built in 2007, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 1,919 square feet of living area.
PALM COASTBelle Terre
Josephine Kummer, of Palm Coast, sold the home at 56 Putter Drive to Amy Wolfe and James Diddle, both of Ravenswood, W. Va., for $169,500. Built in 2000, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,953 square feet of living area.
Grand Haven
Edwin and Barbara Holtz, of Orange City, sold the home at 26 Front St. to Judith Crossan, of Denver, Pa., for $338,000. Built in 2001, it has four bedrooms, two baths, a pool, a spa and 2,433 square feet of living area.
Peter Stirrup sold the home at 32 Lagare St. to John and Elizabeth Fitterman, of Green Cove Springs, for $300,000. Built in 2001, it has four bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,514 square feet of living area. It previously sold for $344,900 in 2004.
Suntrust Mortgage Inc. sold Unit D303 at 200 Riverfront Drive to Donald and Franciska Ledford, of Seneca, S.C., for $114,900. Built in 2006, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 1,762 square feet of living area. It previously sold for $486,100 in 2006.
Indian Trails
Gloria Haney and Carmen Starring sold the home at 41 Bracken Lane to Keith Kilty and Christina Loyola-Kilty, of Dublin, Ohio, for $100,000. Built in 2003, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 2,088 square feet of living area. It previously sold for $180,000 in 2004.
Patrice Carter, of Jacksonville, sold the home at 34 Beth Lane to Erol and Sheila Grant, of Brooklyn, N.Y., for $125,500. Built in 1992, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,935 square feet of living area. It previously sold for $100,000 in 1998.
Karl and Linda Groves sold the home at 40 Banner Lane to Thomas Palowitch and Luong T. Ha, of Palm Coast, for $216,500. Built in 2003, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,062 square feet of living area.
Marineland Acres
Nita Conte, Elena Stetson and Joseph Conte Jr., all of Ann Arbor, Mich., sold the home at 59 Atlantic Drive to Margaret Briggs, of Philadelphia, for $330,000. Built in 1987, it has three bedrooms, thee baths, a pool and 2,560 square feet of living area.
Palm Harbor
Joseph Gottwald, of Palm Coast, sold the home at 76 Fieldstone Lane to Brett Lopez and Monica Blood, both of Palm Coast, for $86,500. Built in 1986, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,435 square feet of living area.
John Dimsey, of Glenn Dale, Md., sold the home at 2 Fleetwood Drive to Charles and Elizabeth Rush, of St. Augustine, for $82,000. Built in 1975, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,591 square feet of living area.
Paula Benham, of Palm Coast, sold the home at 27 Farragut Drive to Robert Franz and George Grusden, both of Palm Coast, for $98,500. Built in 1973, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,548 square feet of living area. It previously sold for $59,900 in 1981.
Pine Lakes
Nancy Small, of Palm Coast, sold the home at 5 White Wing Place to Shirley Hescott, of Brooklyn, N.Y., for $112,000. Built in 1998, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,441 square feet of living area. It previously sold for $104,500 in 2002.
Quail Hollow
Lasalle Bank National Association sold the home at 40 Zebulahs Trail to Meredith Edwards, of Flagler Beach, for $79,900. Built in 1995, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,248 square feet of living area.
Seminole Woods
Brian Khamidov and Irina Khlamova, both of Staten Island, N.Y., sold the home at 51 Slipper Trail to Emad Akef Lulu and Jo Ann Ramos, of Palm Coast, for $108,000. Built in 2006, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,847 square feet of living area. It previously sold for $182,400 in 2005.
Waterside
Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. sold Unit 410 at 104 Club House Drive to Elleen Farley, of Montclair, N.J., for $225,000. Built in 2005, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,414 square feet of living area.
Toby Tobin, of www.GoToby.com, contributed to this report. | {
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Boost Productivity This Weekend Without Feeling Like You’re Working
By Jameson Doris
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As a successful agent, time likely isn’t on your side. For even the most veteran real estate professionals, managing time can be a struggle. That’s why it’s time to take advantage of a resource that you may be underutilizing: the weekend.
Sure, you’re likely taking care of some real estate tasks on the weekend, as very few in the industry get to enjoy the standard 9-5 work week; however, there are some things you can take care of over the course of Saturdays and Sundays during lulls that don’t take too much brain power and will ultimately make the rest of your week run more smoothly.
Here are just a couple of ways to boost your productivity over the week without feeling like you’re really doing work:
Content Square 1.
Organize your emails. Chances are, you’re going through some of your personal emails on the weekend already. Why not take care of some of your work emails, as well? You don’t have to spend an hour on it; just 5-10 minutes will reduce the clutter you’ll have to face Monday morning.
Schedule out your week. This is another task you can tackle head-on and it won’t exactly feel like working. You’re actually planning out when you’ll do your work, rather than doing the work. Again, this should take less than an hour, and it’ll only serve to ease you into your week first thing on Monday.
Some of your weekend time may be spent showing homes or holding open houses, but some of your time should also be reserved for relaxing or enjoying a little of your own time, if possible. In real estate, it’s often difficult to avoid work-related activities altogether on the weekends; however, if you’re able to wade through some emails or get a bit of planning for the week done during some downtime, you’ll be thanking yourself when the week really starts to pick up.
Content Square 2.
Agents, how are you utilizing your weekends to handle some real estate-related jobs? Comment below! | {
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Mon, Jul. 2nd, 2007, 12:22 pm On Vox: 90s Music Monday
I have two very strong interconnected memories related to this. I was sitting in Imperial College's library revising for exams and listening to this over and over and over on MiniDisc (so Retro!). Over and over. It was something about the line "Your fingers like fuses, your eyes were cinnamon". I don't even like cinnamon that much, but there you go.
Then Dom Joly ran through with a giant phone clamped to his head shouting "I'M ON MY MOBILE". Of course we had no who he was at the time - this being a experimental pilot for Comedy Lab that later got turned into Trigger Happy TV. | {
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Random Thoughts: An Interesting Historical Juncture in Finance
While the market movements are somewhat muted, the motion under the surface is pretty amazing.
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One of the more interesting junctures in financial history continues to continue as we edge through the minxy meander. While the market movements are somewhat muted, the motion under the surface is pretty amazing.
We've talked about many of these dynamics of late--the dollar as the lens, foreigners holding the trump card, the importance of Europe (thanks Minyan Peter)-but that doesn't make the day-to-day any easier.
In fact, while I've traded through 17 years of market environments, I'm not sure I've ever seen such a massive confluence of cumulative crosscurrents.
Word on the Street is that the massive injections (ECB, Fed) are a function of providing liquidity into quarter-end.It also jibes with the redemption window, which closes this week, although I'm not quite sure how these moving parts fit together.
If I've learned anything, it's to respect and adapt to the market. For me, at present, that means trading a bit smaller and paring some risk as I adjust my bearings. Old school Minyans know that I like to swing the risk bat when I see the set-up but, given the performance anxiety into October, there's no shame in watching a few innings as we ready for the pay-off pitch.
China is launching its China Investment Corp (CIC) this weekend with a cool $200 bln divied up into three arms: domestic, strategic sectors (commodities) and overseas investment.
Whataya say, Vuja De? The dollar? Lower. Asset classes--from gold to crude to equities--higher. We know the Stateside M.O. THE question remains how long international investors will hang tough.
More from Tellsville? Market internals continue to act buff and buffer, beta feels dry, energy and metals are back in vogue and the all-important financials are mixed, with Bear and Merrill laggy against a firm granny Goldman and some Mother Morgan moxie.
I always like to give the market---and by extension, my positions--a half hour at the start of the trading session to shake off da noise and shake out da funk.
Oh sure, like he went to Harvard! The Yale Endowment, which has led the academic world in investment performance over the last decade, posted a 28% return yesterday for the fiscal year ended June 30, bringing its total value to $22.5 bln.
Snaps to the Yanks for securing their post-season spot. Let's go Mets--and let's get that subway thang going! | {
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Just days after it came under fire for engaging with a member of Egypt's Nazi Party, Georgetown University hosted an event with a 9/11 Truther who has claimed that Osama bin Laden was not involved in the 2001 attacks on the Twin Towers.
A Thursday afternoon panel sponsored by Georgetown was chaired by Boston College Professor Natana DeLong-Bas, who has defended Islamic fundamentalism and maintained that bin Laden played no role in the most deadly terror attack on American soil.
DeLong-Bas was scheduled to be joined on the panel by Rep. Keith Ellison (D., Minn.) and former White House advisor Dalia Mogahed. The event, which focused on the future of Muslim-Christian relations, was organized by Georgetown's Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding.
The controversial panel took place just days after the Washington Free Beaconreported that Georgetown was slated to host a December 5 event with Muslim Brotherhood sympathizer Ramy Jan, who also is a key member of the country's Nazi Party.
DeLong-Bas is known to be an outspoken critic of the official 9/11 narrative and has implied that Islamic terrorism is a product of Western intervention in the Muslim world.
"I think that the Western media and the world have given Osama bin Laden more weight [than he has in reality] and exaggerated in depicting the danger he poses," DeLong-Bas said in a now infamous 2006 interview with the Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper.
"Likewise, I do not find any evidence that would make me agree that Osama bin Laden was behind the attack on the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center," she said, according to a reproduction of the interview supplied by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI). "All we heard from him was praise and acclaim for those who carried out the operation."
She also claimed that America's support for Israel is justifiably enraging Arab youths.
"American government's tying [the hands of] the U.N. [and preventing it] from adopting any resolution against Israel, have definitely added to the Muslim youth's state of frustration, which then pushes them to—as they understand it—help their brothers do away with the aggression against them, in the various Islamic countries," DeLong-Bas said.
These things, she added, are happening "at a time in which all political options have been closed off. That is why I believe that religion has nothing to do with this."
In addition to downplaying the influence of extremist Islamic scholars, DeLong-Bas praised supposed democracy efforts undertaken by terror groups such as Hamas.
"The U.S. made an effort to implement democracy in the Middle East—efforts that did not rise to the level of what Hamas has achieved, for example—we need to give them more time," she said. "Also, I believe that the Islamic groups have clearly demonstrated their agendas in their political and reformist activities in the fields of medical care and education."
Islam does not promote violence against the West, DeLong said in a 2011 interview on the 2001 terror attacks.
The "biggest misconception" about Islam and Wahabism, a particular extremist strand of Islam, is that "violence does not have to be part of the picture," she said in an interview.
Another keynote speaker at Tuesday's Georgetown event, Karen Armstrong, also blamed the West for the 9/11 attacks, according to those who attended the event.
Armstrong reportedly said that "9/11 was the Brits' fault," according to one person in the room who was tweeting the event.
Experts say that it is not surprising to see DeLong-Bas and other who share her views heading up an event organized by Georgetown's Alwaleed Center.
DeLong-Bas is a known disciple of Alwaleed Center founder John Esposito, who has come under fire in the past from some critics for being an "Islamist apologist."
The center has additionally received major funding from Saudi sources.
DeLong-Bas "was a mere research assistant at Georgetown, completing a dissertation on Wahhabism and co-authoring a second edition of Esposito's volume Women in Muslim Family Law," according to an article by terrorism expert Stephen Schwartz.
"When the fact that 15 out of 19 of the 9/11 suicide squad were Saudis came to America's attention, and scrutiny of Saudi Wahhabism began, Esposito introduced DeLong-Bas to the media as an 'expert' to counter suspicion about the Wahhabi danger," Schwartz wrote in 2007.
"DeLong-Bas argued in the Boston Globe as early as 2003 that the writings of Ibn Abd al-Wahhab, founder of the eponymous sect, were moderate and unthreatening and treated other Muslims, as well as non-Muslims, tolerantly and fairly," he wrote.
National security and terrorism reporter Patrick Poole said that it is particularly shocking to see a former Obama adviser and Rep. Ellison participating in the panel alongside DeLong-Bas.
"It's hardly surprising that a known Wahhabi apologist would be invited by Georgetown to speak given the millions given by the Saudis to the center and John Esposito's long-time love affair with the extreme side of the Islamic world," Poole said.
"But that they would unashamedly have her chair a panel with a sitting member of Congress and one of Obama's top 'faith' advisers is startling," he said. "It raises serious questions about whether the now-rescinded inclusion of a founder of the Egyptian Nazi Party for their upcoming Egypt event was truly accidental."
After the Free Beacon reported on Tuesday about Georgetown's inclusion of Nazi Party member Jan, his name was quietly scrubbed from the event.
Georgetown officials later admitted that Jan had been disinvited from the event.
The Center's Associate Director, Christine Kidwell, did not respond to a Free Beacon request for comment on DeLong-Bas's controversial views.
UPDATE: An earlier version of this article stated that Ellison had participated on the panel. Ellison was invited but did not attend, according to his spokesperson Mike Casca. | {
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As provided in Chapter 13, Section 13.4.1 of the BCSR2012, the authority to approve promotion within broad banded positions up to P2 level is delegated to Agencies. However, the existing practice as per the Civil Service Information System the final verification and endorsement for this category of promotion are still executed by the RCSC Read More
The position of Dzongda is an appointment under the Constitution and therefore, an important position in the Royal Government. Among others, the Dzongda is the representative of His Majesty the King in the Dzongkhag, Read more..
The Royal Civil Service Commission during its 10th and 12th Commission Meeting held on August 26,2014 and September 9,2014 respectively,reviewed the current monitoring system of civil servants pursuing long term-training and decided the following to be incorporated with immediate effectRead More | {
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Photo
Green Card Lottery Photo Requirements
All Diversity Green Card Lottery applicants are required to provide a recent photograph of themselves and all co-applicants (spouse and children). You will need a digital photo file of your self and any co-applicant, which you can upload to your account online in the member’s area.
Photographs that do not comply with all specifications, including but not limited to recency of the photos, composition of the photos, and unacceptable backgrounds are grounds for disqualification of the entire Diversity Visa Lottery registration. Any manipulation of photographs that alters the facial characteristics is also grounds for disqualification of the entire application as well.
The applicant or co-applicants (spouse and children) must face the camera directly and both ears and eyes must be 100% visible, unless head coverings are worn for religious reasons in which case both eyes must be 100% visible. In addition, the person being photographed must not look up, down or to the side.
The height of the head in the photo must be between 50-69% of the complete photo height, see photo template above. The height of the eyes, measured from the bottom of the photo to the level of the eyes, must be between 56-69% of the total photos height.
Photos where the applicant is wearing sunglasses or other decorative items are not acceptable and ground for disqualification.
Photos where the applicant is wearing head coverings are only acceptable if worn for religious reasons, i.e. if you are wearing a hat for no religious reason your photo is unacceptable and your application will be disqualified of the same reason. In the case of head coverings for religious reasons, the applicants face must be completely visible, i.e. no part of the face must be hidden by the head covering.
Photos submitted by the applicant must be in 24 bits per pixel color, i.e. black and white photographs are not acceptable and ground for disqualification. The minimum acceptable dimensions are 600 x 600 as shown in the photo template above. It is always better to upload a larger photo and have the Image experts at USA Diversity Lottery adjust your photo to the exact specifications.
All photos submitted by the applicant must be in JPG or JPEG format. We allow you to upload GIF, PNG, JPG, JPEG and BMP images and we will convert any photo that you upload to your account to the required JPG format to ensure your photos meet this requirement too.
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We realize that it may be difficult for most people to provide correct digital photos for the Diversity Visa Lottery, or have them adjusted to the appropriate specifications detailed above. It may be quite difficult to adjust them correctly so that the photos meet the exact requirements outlined above. Photos that do not meet the exact requirements are ground for disqualification of the entire DV-Lottery application, so make sure that your photo meet the exact specifications as shown in the photo above. In order to address this potential issue and make it easier for every applicant, Diversity-Lottery accepts photos in all formats (digital or paper) and through all forms of delivery (mail, e-mail and digital upload). Once we receive your photos here at Diversity-Lottery or you upload them online to your account, we digitize and adjust them to the exact specifications to ensure your application is valid and that your photos do not jeopardize your entire application. After we have adjusted your photos to the exact US Department of State specifications, we upload them to your account in the member’s area so that you can see your complete and error free application. If there is a problem with your photo that we can not correct, we contact you via the e-mail address you provided us during registration, and ask that you send/upload a replacement photo for your USA Diversity Visa Green Card Lottery registration.
Important: Before you try to submit your photos, you should register. After you have signed up with Diversity-Lottery and paid the administrative fee, you may submit your photos to your account by uploading them directly or mailing them to us via regular mail. If you already have registered with Diversity-Lottery and paid the administrative fee, please go to www.diversity-lottery.com and login to 1) access your account, 2) enter your application data and 3) submit/upload your photos. | {
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Scientists use CRISPR/Cas9 to flip DNA methylation states in vivo
According to Shawn Liu and Hao Wu, postdoctoral researchers in Whitehead Institute Founding Member Rudolf Jaenisch's lab, their modified CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing system that changes genes' methylation state is akin to three dimensional epigenome printing. By adding raw materials, such as cells, into the hopper of the gene editing system fused with enzymes that add (Dnmt3a) or remove methyl groups (Tet1), the scientists are able to change skin cells into muscle cells (left), activate specific genes in neurons (center), and alter the three dimensional structure of a cell's DNA (right).
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Whitehead Institute scientists have deciphered how to use a modified CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing system to change genes’ methylation state, thereby activating or silencing those genes. Proper methylation is critical for normal cellular operations and altered methylation has been linked to many diseases, including neurological disorders and cancer.
“I think this is an important tool for looking at the epigenetic state—the methylation state—of the regulatory sequences that control gene expression,” says Whitehead Founding Member Rudolf Jaenisch, who is also a professor of biology at MIT. “Epigenetics is very important for disease states. Therefore, being able to change a gene or a regulatory sequence’s methylation state in vivo is significant.”
Although all cells in an organism contain the same recipes for proteins, the cell’s type determines which recipes, or genes, are used. One mode for controlling gene expression is methylation—the addition or removal of molecules called methyl groups. When methyl groups are attached to DNA, that segment is usually turned off, whereas DNA without methyl groups is generally active and available for transcription. Proper methylation is critical during development and for normal cellular operations; incorrect methylation can cause disease, including fragile X syndrome and cancer.
To target and alter the methylation of specific genes, researchers in the Jaenisch lab used a modified form of the CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing system in which a catalytically inactive Cas9 (dCas9) is fused with enzymes that add (Dnmt3a) or remove methyl groups (Tet1). Their work is described this week in the journal Cell.
After a successful test run in mouse cells, the team put the system through its paces. They demethylated regulatory sequences of a key gene in mouse neurons that is usually turned on by neuronal activity, and facilitated the conversion of mouse skin cells to muscle cells by demethylating the enhancer of a master regulator for myogenesis called MyoD.
Changing DNA’s methylation state can also alter the greater three-dimensional architecture of DNA, called CTCF-mediated loops, which are essential for the proper expression of many critical genes. These loops act as “insulated neighborhoods” that bring genes and their super-enhancers in close enough proximity for the super-enhancers to promote the genes’ expression. By methylating the spot on the DNA where CTCF proteins bind to form a loop, the team can disrupt the loop’s construction and alter the target genes’ expression.
In the future, changing genes’ methylation state could be used to treat diseases caused by abnormal methylation. To test the system’s capabilities in vivo, the team used it to activate a gene in the hippocampal neurons of transgenic mice by demethylating the gene’s promoter.
“This system is very versatile,” says Shawn Liu, a postdoctoral researcher in the Jaenisch lab and co-author of the Cell paper. “It can be used to demethylate or methylate many targeted regions in the mammalian genome so we can study their biological or pathological significances.”
Co-author Hao Wu shares Liu’s enthusiasm.
“We think that this system might be a game changer—to study the DNA methylation in the genome and also to control gene expression in a targeted fashion,” says Wu, who is a postdoctoral researcher in the Jaenisch lab. “And we think that this might be a good tool for therapeutic approaches in the future.”
This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH grants HD045022 and HG002668), Damon Runyon Cancer Foundation, the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, Helen Hay Whitney Foundation, National Science Centre in Poland (HARMONIA grant No. UMO-2014/14/M/NZ1/00010), and the Human Frontier Science Program. Rudolf Jaenisch is co-founder of Fate Therapeutics and Fulcrum Therapeutics and an adviser to Stemgent, and Richard Young is a founder of Syros Pharmaceuticals.
Written by Nicole Giese Rura
* * *
Rudolf Jaenisch's primary affiliation is with Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, where his laboratory is located and all his research is conducted. He is also a professor of biology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Whitehead Institute is a world-renowned non-profit research institution dedicated to improving human health through basic biomedical research. Wholly independent in its governance, finances, and research programs, Whitehead shares a close affiliation with Massachusetts Institute of Technologythrough its faculty, who hold joint MIT appointments. | {
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The Common Core Mathematics Companion: The Standards Decoded, Grades K-2
4.11 - 1251 ratings - Source
Modelled after Jim Burkeas successful Common Core Companion Series, this book includes a clear explanation of the mathematics within each domain, cluster, and standard and suggested grade level appropriate visual models and representations.Modelled after Jim Burkeas successful Common Core Companion Series, this book includes a clear explanation of the mathematics within each domain, cluster, and standard and suggested grade level appropriate visual models and ...
Title
:
The Common Core Mathematics Companion: The Standards Decoded, Grades K-2
Author
:
Linda M. Gojak, Ruth Harbin Miles
Publisher
:
Corwin Press - 2015-04-14
ISBN-13
:
You must register with us as either a Registered User before you can Download this Book. You'll be greeted by a simple sign-up page.
Once you have finished the sign-up process, you will be redirected to your download Book page. | {
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History Teacher needed in a very Academic school, achieving 92.5% A* to C in 2016 and up to 99.6% in previous years. This is a full-time, permanent position to commence in September. Full Induction support will be offered for NQTs. The position will involve teaching History across the age range to GCSE & A Level ideally.
Company Information
REESON Education is London's Premier Recruitment Agency. Established in 2006 by experienced teachers, education professionals and recruitment specialists, we have built our business and reputation on the cores values of honesty, integrity and excellence.
School Information
This is an academic mixed school which prides itself on delivering an exceptional standard of education. They have been recognised as "an outstanding school" by Ofsted and recorded as one of the country's top performing specialist Humanities Colleges.
Ofsted: "The school provides an inspirational climate for learning within a safe environment. Exceptional leadership and a dedicated staff have secured key improvements since the last inspection, such that it is now an outstanding school".
Required Skills and expertise
Ability to teach History up to GCSE
QTS or equivalent
Salary
The salary will be dependent on experience, in line with the main and upper pay scale.
Every person - and every organisation - is unique. We all have different goals at work. At Guardian Jobs, we bring together like-minded job seekers and employers to create a happier world of work for everyone. | {
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I think basically you either got a big chest with genetics or not. No matter what I do I can't grow my chest. On the other hand I don't ever work out arms and they are my best feature. It is just my genetics. My brother is the complete opposite. He has a good chest but no arms. He hardly ever works out chests and has tried everything he can to grow his arms but can't. I think we are all just stuck with our genetics (unless you get some roids probably)
You can try doing shrugs with a barbell and an underhand grip - go with the feeling, adjust the widness of the grip in such a way that it suits you. Just try to feel it in the upper pecs as you are lifting the weight, simple as that. | {
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The Strange Death of the British Motorcycle Industry: in review
As the title suggests, Steve Koerner’s book shines more light on the plight of the English makers.
When Argentina shut its doors to British motor imports, the bell tolled louder for the English motorcycle industry.
In 1948 the South American country imposed strict import quotas and significantly higher tariffs. Losing this single important market helped cause Vincent, the English manufacturer of sporting v-twins, to misfire, and ultimately end in 1955 with the final motorcycle to roll from the Stevenage factory.
Why another book about English cycle makers? Several already investigate the topic, including Bert Hopwood’s Whatever Happened to the British Motorcycle Industry? and Hughie Hancox’s Tales of Triumph Motorcycles and the Meriden Factory. Most recently, Abe Aamidor tried tackling the subject in Shooting Star: The Rise & Fall of the British Motorcycle Industry.
Koerner attended University of Warwick in England, graduating with a PhD in Social History. Enthusiastic about things British, Koerner’s thesis investigated the history of the nation’s motorcycle industry. Rewritten for a broader audience, his thesis became the book, which is comprehensible and not an academic treatise.
Photo copyright Steve Koerner. This photo was taken in June 1979 when Koerner was invited to tour the Meriden factory by its Workers’ Coop owners.
What Koerner accessed that nobody else seems to have are the annals of the Motor Cycle Industry Association in the Modern Records Centre at the University of Warwick library. “This is an amazing archive of information,” Koerner says of his original research, conducted in the 1990s. “It took me two years to get through it all. It contains materials about the industry and trade federation representing most of the manufacturing companies.”
Based in Coventry, the association was founded in the late 1800s, and archived information includes minutes, attendance books, guard-books, copies of telegrams, membership lists, periodicals, press cuttings, show catalogues and photographs.
Koerner mined more than just the association archive, also consulting surviving company papers of B.S.A. and Triumph, trade journals including the Cycle and Motor Cycle Trader magazine and a raft of documents kept at the British National Archives. “I don’t think any other historian of the British motorcycle industry is aware of these sources, never mind used them in a book on the subject,” Koerner says. Indeed, 67 pages of the total 350 in The Strange Death of the British Motor Cycle Industry include detailed notes and references.
“I haven’t spent a day of my life working in a factory or motorcycle retail environment,” Koerner says. “But I think I bring a different perspective to the (British motorcycle industry). It’s a business history when you get right down to it.”
Photo copyright Steve Koerner. In the B.C. Kootenays with his 1977 Triumph Bonneville sometime in 1978.
In Koerner’s ideal transportation world everyone would drive an Austin Cambridge or ride a Matchless G80, and he remains a devout fan of British motor products. That’s because Vancouver Island in the 1950s and 1960s was a different place. Ties to old Britannia were evident, and the corridor between Victoria and Cowichan Valley teemed with British motor products.
Born into this Canadian microcosm of British culture, Koerner became immersed in English vehicles. Apart from a couple of Chevrolets, his parents drove mainly British cars, including a Hillman Minx, a Humber Super Snipe and a Jaguar XJ6. “British vehicles have always been a part of the family, and remain so to this day,” he says.
An avid motorcyclist, Koerner rode a 1970 B.S.A. Thunderbolt around Vancouver from 1976 to 1978. “It was a vile beast,” he recalls, but that experience didn’t prevent him from owning a string of Brit-bikes, including a new 1977 Triumph Bonneville. He shipped the Triumph to England, riding to the TT races and visiting the Meriden Triumph factory in 1979.
Photo by Jurgen Pokrandt. Of his ride, Koerner says: “My Norton originally came out of the factory as a 1974 Roadster model with a red-coloured tank. Several years ago I changed it over to an Interstate model with a used tank (metal and factory original) and seat (both of which I found via the Norton Owners’ Club in Britain) along with new side-panels which come from Fair-Spares in Burnt Bridge near Birmingham. The tank is painted traditional Norton silver-grey. No, I realise the paint scheme is not correct for 1974 but I think it looks pretty good, despite, no doubt, objections from the purists.”
He currently owns a 1974 Norton Commando Mk. IIA Roadster, which he’s converted to Interstate specification. There’s also a 1958 Matchless G80 in the shed. However, the bike he now rides most is a Harley-Davidson Road King.
Koerner is as much a British motorcycle enthusiast as he is an academic, but he doesn’t wax nostalgic about the industry. He is critical in hindsight, and although players in the trade aren’t identified as heroes or villains, it’s fairly obvious who they are.
Courtesy Steve Koerner. This is the same Norton seen in the previous photo, and was taken at the Bracebridge Street factory in the early 1990s.
Managing director of Ariel and Triumph and later chairman of BSA, Jack Sangster, is a hero. “He was competent and successful,” Koerner says of Sangster. “I think he came out of the womb on a motorcycle, and he was effectively a talent scout, hiring Edward Turner and Val Page.”
Bernard Docker, chairman and managing director of B.S.A. from the late 1940s to 1956, is a villain. Koerner describes him as ‘inept and scandal-prone’.
B.S.A. was a massive company, with several divisions including Daimler – a low-production luxury limousine maker. Docker wanted the firm to break into the far more competitive middle class car sector, which in the 1950s was largely dominated by Humber, Jaguar and Rover. Moving Daimler downscale was a high-risk strategy, poorly conceived and executed with millions of pounds wasted. The results almost destroyed both Daimler and its parent B.S.A.
“If only a small amount of money had gone into motorcycles instead of cars,” Koerner says. “B.S.A. never recovered from drowning in red ink, and when Sangster took over he had to sell off assets to keep the company liquid.”
Koerner investigates many facets of the British industry, which seems to have built itself into a corner after the Second World War as it supplied mainly sporting motorcycles to a young, male dominated crowd. But the industry had tried post-1918 to design and market an ‘Everyman’ motorcycle, one that would appeal to a broader audience, including women. The scooter was the answer.
Many of these new products were either designed or built by the aviation industry (after the First World War, airplane manufacturers were looking to expand their markets and utilize their manufacturing capabilities). Vehicles such as the Skootamota and the Reynolds Runabout, and even the Ner-A-Car, which was engineered by an American but first built in Britain, couldn’t find traction.
Of the machines produced, Koerner says, “(I think) these British scooters failed because, although often innovative in concept, they were undermined by poor design work and engineering. I suspect the companies which made them just didn’t have enough experience in making motorcycles/scooters to make a success of it.”
Photo copyright Steve Koerner. This assembly line image was taken in June 1979.
Crippled by the early 1970s there is no easy answer regarding the downfall of the British industry, but Koerner’s book is one of the better attempts at an in-depth exploration. “Life is complicated,” Koerner says. “And there aren’t simple explanations. It wasn’t all Bernard Docker’s fault, nor was it German or Japanese manufacturers, or the attitude of management. It’s simply not that simple to explain.” | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
SDK Browser v2.1.0.0 [Special FREEWARE Release]
Copyright (c)2004-2016 by BITbyBIT Software Group LLC
Please visit www.bitbybitsoftwaregroup.com for more information on
The SDK Browser or AVD itself. Or email me at:
jamie()bitbybitsoftwaregroup.com
**********************************************************************
* SDK Browser (c)2016 BITbyBIT Software Group LLC
* ---------------------------------------------
* Copyright (c)2016 BITbyBIT Software Group, All Rights Reserved.
*
* SDK Browser v2.1.0.0 is a FREEWARE product from BITbyBIT Software Group LLC
* It can be posted on any Amiga site or other file area as long as the
* original archive is provided complete and without modification, and
* that this README file remain part of the archive(distribution).
*
* BITbyBIT Software Group LLC retains all rights to each distribution
* of the SDK Browser software and further reserves the right to request
* that older distributions be removed from any given web site or file
* area at any time.
*
* If you find The SDK Browser useful, and would like to see improvements and
* new software, and or simply want to support FULL TIME Professional software
* development for the AmigaONE(tm) and AmigaOS4(tm), then please consider
* purchasing the commercial version of this software. THANK YOU!
*
* The commercial version of the SDK Browser is available as a purchased
* product either on its own (US $24.95) or included as a component of the
* Advanced Visual Developer (AVD) Suite. Several powerful new features
* are still planned for the SDK Browser component and free upgrades are
* always included to the next major release number (in this case v3.0.0.0).
*
* Some features scheduled for the commercial release of version 3
* include, but are not limited to, Hex Dump display for binary files,
* AmigaGuide and "simple" HTML support, more cross-reference hot link
* support for all function and structure names within the AutoDocs and
* Include files. Locale support, a full GUI for all preference settings,
* seamless integration with AVD and much more.
*
* Please visit www.bitbybitsoftwaregroup.com to register your copy today!:-)
* Email: jamie()bitbybitsoftwaregroup.com
*
* BITbyBIT Software Group LLC MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES ABOUT
* THE SUITABILITY OF THE SOFTWARE, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING
* FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. BITbyBIT Software
* Group LLC SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES SUFFERED BY
* LICENSEE AS A RESULT OF USING, MODIFYING OR DISTRIBUTING THIS
* SOFTWARE OR ITS DERIVATIVES.
**********************************************************************
About the SDK Browser:
Maintenance Updates:
o v2.1.2.0 - Fixed a bug in the FREEWARE version which resulted in causing
AmiDock to quit/crash when the SDK Browser itself was quit.
Bug reported by: "imagodespira (Thomas)" on amigaworld.net forum.
o v2.1.1.0 - Added expection code to find the "xenares.doc" file for
the xena.resource library, which was expected to be named
"xena.doc". Bug reported by: "Kamelito" on amiga.org forum.
New Features in v2.1.0.0:
o The SDK Browser is now updated to build under the latest AmigaOS SDK (53.30)
for AmigaOS 4.1 FE, and any older style API calls (now deprecated under
4.1 FE), have been updated to use their modern equivalents.
o All file scan and Grep Search functions within the SDK Browser have now
been updated to use the newer AmigaDOS API calls, which support 64-BIT
filesystems. This means, not only faster file access, better memory
management, but full support for searching and reading files on very large
drives.
o (STRUCT)ure browsing has now been added to the pre-parsed navigation lists,
allowing for live browsing and quick lookups on the hundreds of struct { ... }
declarations found within the AmigaOS SDK include files.
As with the displayed content from the other lists, you may be able to
navigate to the definition of another struct just by double clicking
on its name in the main display. For example, let's say you were looking
for the definition of the "List" structure (from exec/lists.h).
1.) Under the "SDK" tab you select "Structures" from the pull-down list.
(you can also use ALT+TAB to make the "SDK" tab active (if needed)
and press "5" or "CTRL + 5" to choose "Structures")
2.) Now either scroll down, or start typing the first few letters in "List"
until you are viewing the struct List { ... } definition.
3.) Looking at struct List { ... } you see it contains references to the
"Node" structure. To quickly examine the definition of the Node
structure, simply double click on the word "Node" in any
"struct Node ..." reference and it should jump right to it
(under exec/nodes.h).
o User settable Fonts and displayed Tab lengths
- The Fonts to be used in both the main Display and navigation Lists
is now settable under the "View -> Set Fonts" menu. You can also
quickly switch back to the system defaults font in the same menu as well.
- The displayed Tab Length (for the main Display) is also settable
under the "View -> Set Tab Size" menu.
- Both of these new settings (and others) can be saved.
(see"Enhanced user preference settings" below)
o Dynamic target screen selector
- Under the "View" menu there are two selections for immediately moving
the SDK Browser window to another target screen; "Use AVD Workbench",
which will attempt to open/move to the main screen for AVD (if available),
and "Move to public screen..." which will open a quick selection list
of all currently open public screens, allowing you to pick one where
the SDK Browser window should move to. You can of course still set the
default screen to open on using the PUBSCREEN tooltype (see below).
o Mouse Wheel Variable Acceleration Mode
This new dynamic accelerator for Mouse Wheel events allows for much faster
movement through either the active list or body of text being displayed in
the main window. It works by watching how fast *you* move the scroll wheel
on the mouse, and accelerates or decelerates the amount of the display that
is scrolled with every "step" in the wheel based on how quickly or slowly
you move the mouse wheel.
Normal mouse wheel movements only scroll one line of the display for every
"step" of the wheel, no matter how quickly you move the wheel. However,
when "Mouse Wheel Acceleration" mode is on (default), one "step" of the
wheel may move half-way down a page of text in a single go. The effect
builds the longer you continue to move the mouse wheel at the same or
quicker rate, and slows back down as you slow down the movement of the
scroll wheel.
So for example, if you are viewing about a six page document, say about
250 lines, under normal mouse wheel mode, it would take around 26 "rolls"
of the mouse wheel to reach the last page of the file. However, under
the new Mouse Wheel Acceleration mode, you could reach the last page
of the document in as little as 2 or 3 *quick* rolls of the mouse wheel.
Just try it out on a few different sized file views, and then turn off
the accelerator by unchecking the "Enable Mouse Wheel Acceleration" menu
option under "View -> Enable Mouse Wheel Acceleration" to see the difference.
The goal of this mode is to give you the "best of both worlds"; single,
controlled steps of movement when you need to carefully read through
a section, and much faster "quick scan movement" when you want it.
o Enhanced user preference settings.
The following user settings will now be saved to ENVARC:BITbyBIT/AVD/
and restored the next time the program is loaded, (whenever you select
the "SDK BROWSER -> Save Settings" menu option):
- Target screen to open on; Workbench, selected Public screen or the
AVD Workbench screen
- Use System default or custom Font selections for both the navigation
list and the main display
- User settable Tab lengths (for the main display)
- Mouse Wheel Variable Acceleration mode (Enabled/Disabled)
- The SDK Browser's window position and size (both normal and Zoomed)
- Pen value for the text color of the main display
- Background Transparent mode (Enabled/Disabled) for the main display
o Two new Search Modes have been added:
- "Find Files (in dir)"
which allows you to select a starting directory path (say SYS:),
and a file pattern (say "#?.xml"), and the SDK Browser will
assemble a list of all files it finds in that path that match
the file pattern.
- "Search (in Search Results)"
which allows you to perform further "grep" searches within every
file listed in the current Search Results. When run all files in
the Search Results list which do *not* contain the text you are
looking for will be removed from the results list, leaving only
the files which do contain a match for the text in question.
This action can be performed as many times as you like as long
as there is at least one item still left in the search results list.
Using this feature can allow you to "filter down" within a set of
results to find some specific text. Take the above example for
"Find Files (in dir)" to build a list of all files with an .xml
extension on the SYS: volume, then use "Search (in Search Results)"
to further find just the .xml files which contain say, the text
"<key>". Then when you select any of those entries in the Search
Results list, it will open that file and jump to the first reference
to that text ("<key>") that is finds.
As with all other actions run from the "Search bar" these new search
actions are performed as a separate process, allowing you to continue
to browse to any other area of the software (even the Search Results
as they come in), while the search is being performed.
o Two new "Open In.." options for locating the currently viewed file
on the system have been added:
- "Open in File Browser" sets the path to the current file in
the "File Browser" tab of the SDK Browser itself.
- "Open in Workbench window..." will open a window on the Workbench
where the currently viewed file can be found.
o New application Icon donated by Martin "Mason" Merz (www.masonicons.info)
- Thanks Mason!
o Three new Tool Types have been added to allow for the remaining
"Send file to..." menu actions to be set externally, just like
could already be done with "Editor", and "Web Browser". So the
complete set of Tool Types for setting which programs are run
for these actions are (shown with internal defaults):
EDITOR = SYS:Utilities/NotePad
MULTIVIEW = SYS:Utilities/MultiView
WEBBROWSER = SYS:Internet/IBrowse/IBrowse
PDFVIEWER = SYS:Utilities/AmiPDF/AmiPDF
UNARC = SYS:Utilities/UnArc
If none of this Tool Types are present when you launch the SDK Browser,
then the above set of internal defaults are used. So, if for example
you want to use the new MultiEdit and MultiViewer from A-EON's "Enhancer"
package, simply set the EDITOR and MULTIVIEW Tool Types like this:
EDITOR = SYS:Utilities/MultiEdit/MultiEdit
MULTIVIEW = SYS:Utilities/MultiViewer/MultiViewer
o A touch of Color - Two new menu actions have been added to allow some
control of the background mode and text color of the main display area.
- "View -> Set Display Color Pen..." menu action gives you the
ability to set the text color of the Display Area to any
Color Pen value (0 - 15). These represent using the system
palette colors, as set with the preference tool SYS:Prefs/Palette.
The default Color Pen is "1" (normally Black).
- "View -> Set Background Transparent" menu action allows the user
to enable or disable "Transparent" mode for the background color
in the main Display Area (now on by default).
This mode allow a possible background image texture to be displayed
for the main text area, instead of rendering the solid background
color. See SYS:Prefs/GUI, under the "Gadgets" Subsystem, General Tab
-> Background texture.
Please note that, unlike changes to the Color Pen value, changing
the transparent background mode does not take effect on-the-fly.
To see a change of this mode, first use "SDK BROWSER -> Save Settings",
then "SDK BROWSER -> Quit SDK BROWSER", and run the program again.
You will see a reminder of this in the status bar text at the bottom
of the window, whenever this menu selection is made.
Features introduced in v1.6.0.0:
o Critical long standing bug fix, which would often leave a garbage character
or two at the very end of a displayed file under AmigaOS4(tm) - Update 4,
and would cause a complete system lock under the OS4 Beta, has been fixed.
o There were cases in v1.5.0.0 (and possibly earlier versions) where a
public screen lock that was used to obtain information about the screen
to open up on, was not being released. This would often cause Workbench
screen changes (like with the ScreenMode prefs) to be blocked and unable
to make live changes without rebooting and *not* running the SDK Browser.
Happily, this too has been resolved.
o Some improved filtering was added to help prevent duplicate entries from
being added to the History browser. In v1.5.0.0 a new History item was
added to the list every time you selected an item from the listbrowser,
even if you were just expanding a collapsed tree-view item (like a library
or function). So if you clicked 20 times on the same item you would end
up with a list of 20 identical items in the History list. Now, in version
1.6.0.0 only one entry will be added to the end of the list for that displayed
file, no matter how many times you may reselect it.
Features introduced in v1.5.0.0:
o Fully multitasking search bar with start/stop and pause/resume.
File pattern filter added to search bar, and maintained separately
for each search type. Interact with results as they are found,
or continue to use all other parts of the SDK Browser as the search
continues in the background. Search will continue even when hidden
or iconified, and is controllable from the commodity exchange as well.
o New History Bar added.
Quickly return to any of the last 20 items that have been viewed
previously. Browse forward or back with the arrow buttons, or pull
down and select a new position within the browser history. The
history bar works like a combination of a web browser forward and
back buttons and a rotating 20 item tabbed display. Giving you the
flexibility to quickly work with the last 20 items that have been
referenced already.
o Support for more than one interface(API) found within the same library.
If the XML file for a given library contains more than one interface
for accessing that library, then the SDK Browser will create a new
browsable Library tree for each interface and name them with their
respective interface name. This is also why the Interface name was
added to each library entry under the Library list.
o Many new improvements too numerous to list here.
Some other features found in this release:
o Mouse-Wheel support using the new OS4 standard mouse-wheel events.
Use Mouse-Wheel with qualifiers for even more browsing controls:
Mouse-Wheel only = Vertical Scrolling(move up/down)
Mouse-Wheel w/Shift = Horizontal Scrolling(shift left/right)
Mouse-Wheel w/Alt = Vertical Scrolling(page up/page down)
Mouse-Wheel w/Ctrl = Vertical Scrolling(home/end)
o AppWindow/AppIcon support: Drag-n-Drop text files onto the SDK Browser
window or Icon for quick viewing.
o Faster than ever before using newly optimized viewing routines and less
disk access.
o Quick find ANY item in the active list just by typing the first few letters
of its name.
o "Includes" browsing. Live browse the system includes using the new embedded
directory scanner.
o Convenient "Send To" menu for launching a helpful set of external viewers
right from the SDK Browser. Quickly open source files into the editor of your
choice, or open HTML files directly into your web browser of choice. You can
also launch the currently selected file with "MultiView", "AmiPDF", or
even "Unarc" those archives.
o New keyboard controls to enhance the existing "mouse-over" focused movement
keys and "mouse-wheel" support.
(TAB rotates the main chooser under the SDK tab, while a-z "urgent" keys can
be used for quick find indexing. Also "," "." "/" are now "Parent", "Enter",
and "Root", respectively.)
Alt+Tab now switches between "SDK" and "File Browser" tabs.
Ctrl+Tab now rotates through the Search Types chooser.
o Programmable SDK Paths. You can now specify up to 10 XML Interface paths,
10 AutoDoc paths, and 10 Include file search paths, as well as a default
"Project" path.
o Programmable EDITOR and WEBBROWSER tooltypes (see below) for use by the
"Send To" menu.
Commands and Tooltypes:(Default Settings)
-----------------------------------------
CX_POPUP=YES
CX_PRIORITY=0
CX_POPKEY=f1
PUBSCREEN=<default public screen>
HIDEKEY=esc
LEFT=<Number of pixels from the LEFT Edge of the Screen>
TOP=<Number of lines down from the TOP of the Screen>
WIDTH=<WIDTH in pixels to open the window to>
HEIGHT=<HEIGHT in lines to open the window to>
CENTERED=<YES|NO> <-- This option overrides the LEFT and TOP values (if
specified)
You can set all of the "Send file to..." external programs using:
EDITOR = SYS:Utilities/MultiEdit/MultiEdit
MULTIVIEW = SYS:Utilities/MultiViewer/MultiViewer
WEBBROWSER = SYS:Internet/IBrowse/IBrowse
PDFVIEWER = SYS:Utilities/AmiPDF/AmiPDF
UNARC = SYS:Utilities/UnArc
Each XML path listed below will be scanned for Interface Library Descriptor
files (IDL) and decoded to build the "Library" and "Commands" lists. Do not
override XML_PATH1 unless you know what you are doing. (Default values are
listed below as well)
XML_PATH1 = "SDK:Include/interfaces/"
XML_PATH2 = "SDK:Local/Documentation/MUI-3.9/xml/"
XML_PATH3 = <User specified path>
XML_PATH4 = <User specified path>
XML_PATH5 = <User specified path>
XML_PATH6 = <User specified path>
XML_PATH7 = <User specified path>
XML_PATH8 = <User specified path>
XML_PATH9 = <User specified path>
XML_PATH10 = <User specified path>
Each AutoDoc path listed below will be scanned in to build the "AutoDocs" list.
All files found under these paths will be added to the list as an AutoDoc
(this is so we do not filter out any normal text files like "bootstrap.txt" or
"rad.txt" that we actually want to keep).
Do not override AUTODOC_PATH1 unless you know what you are doing.
(Default values are listed below)
AUTODOC_PATH1 = "SDK:Documentation/AutoDocs/"
AUTODOC_PATH2 = "SDK:Local/Documentation/AutoDocs/"
AUTODOC_PATH3 = "SDK:Local/Documentation/MUI-3.9/AutoDocs/"
AUTODOC_PATH4 = <User specified path>
AUTODOC_PATH5 = <User specified path>
AUTODOC_PATH6 = <User specified path>
AUTODOC_PATH7 = <User specified path>
AUTODOC_PATH8 = <User specified path>
AUTODOC_PATH9 = <User specified path>
AUTODOC_PATH10 = <User specified path>
Each Include path listed here will be searched in order when The SDK Browser
needs to find a specific header file. The first two paths should only be
changed to the correct system header location (like if your SDK is not found
under SDK:). The first path also provides the "root" location for the
"Includes" directory scan lister. You are allowed to "parent" above it to
browse other areas of the SDK, and the "Root" button or keyboard "/" key will
provide an easy way to get back again.
INCLUDE_PATH1 = "SDK:Include/include_h/"
INCLUDE_PATH2 = "SDK:Include/netinclude/"
INCLUDE_PATH3 = "SDK:Local/common/include/"
INCLUDE_PATH4 = "SDK:newlib/include/"
INCLUDE_PATH5 = "SDK:Local/newlib/include/"
INCLUDE_PATH6 = "SDK:clib2/include/"
INCLUDE_PATH7 = "SDK:Local/clib2/include/"
INCLUDE_PATH8 = <User specified path>
INCLUDE_PATH9 = <User specified path>
INCLUDE_PATH10 = <User specified path>
The FILEBROWSER_PATH is the default path for the "File Browser" tab's directory
list. This is strictly for your own use, so set it to anywhere you want. Like
the first path of the "Includes", the path you specify here can be returned to
at any time using the "Root" button or "/" keyboard command. This "root"
location is reset every time you use the GetFile gadget under the "Project"
tab to select a new path location.
FILEBROWSER_PATH = SDK:
The next two tooltypes are used to specify what editor and web browser are to be
used by the "Send To" menu. Make sure to use a full path here to your
program of choice. The full path and filename of the selected file is added
after the values defined below for each program. For example the default for
EDITOR is: "SYS:Utilities/NotePad <filename>".
EDITOR = SYS:Utilities/NotePad
WEBBROWSER = SYS:Internet/IBrowse/IBrowse
*** About BITbyBIT: ***
BITbyBIT Software Group LLC was formed in November of 2003 by Jamie Krueger
as a new software development company dedicated to producing high quality
software for the latest release of the AmigaOS4(tm) operating system,
AmigaOS4(tm). The primary focus of the company is to bring a new level of
professional software development tools, in an easy to use graphical
environment, to the AmigaOS4(tm) platform. This software development suite
is called AVD.
It is only through the outstanding support of the Amiga Community itself that
the AVD project and software like the SDK Browser, AVD Template Project and
others can be brought to AmigaOS4(tm). Please do your part to ensure the
success of this great platform by purchasing commercial AmigaOS4(tm) software
today, or make a direct monetary donation to support efforts such as this.
THANK YOU!
BITbyBIT Software Group LLC is located in Janesville Wisconsin in the USA.
BITbyBIT Software Group LLC
1617 Kensington Street
Janesville, WI 53546-5833
USA
jamie()bitbybitsoftwaregroup.com
www.bitbybitsoftwaregroup.com
ENJOY!
Copyright (c) 2004-2018 by Björn Hagström All Rights Reserved Amiga OS and its logos are registered trademarks of Hyperion Entertainment | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Tightening the screws on pricey imaging exams, health insurer Anthem will no longer allow many patients to get MRIs or CT scans at hospital-owned, outpatient facilities, requiring them to use independent imaging centers instead.
The National Institutes of Health's All of Us Research Program aims to customize patient care to a fine degree that would both improve patient health and reduce patient care costs by creating a more efficient health delivery system.
The Precision Medicine Initiative is described by NIH as “a revolutionary approach for...
Any momentum to address prescription drug costs — a problem that a large number of Americans now believe government should solve — has been lost amid rancorous debates over replacing Obamacare and stalled by roadblocks erected via lobbying and industry cash. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Marten
Marten
The American marten (Martes americana), or marten, often incorrectly called the pine marten because of their close resemblance to their European relative, is a member of the mustelid family.
The name mustelid came from the fact that members of this family have developed anal scent glands which produce a strong repellent smell that are often used to mark territories. Other members of this family that can be found in New York include fisher, ermine, weasel, mink, and the river otter.
Marten are a small, slender bodied mammal with a long bushy tail that measure about one-third of their overall length. They have a pointed snout and large round ears in comparison to their head. Generally, the females are smaller than the males. They also have claws that are semi- retractable, just like a cat. The adult female will measure only 18-22 inches in length and weigh 1.5-1.8 pounds while the adult male will be around 20-25 inches in length and 1.6-2.8 pounds. Their fur is made up of long soft hairs. Fur coloring varies greatly between individuals from a pale buff-yellowish color to a reddish brown, with paler head and underparts and darker legs and a light colored throat patch.
Marten are often confused with fisher, another member of the weasel family. The fisher can be found throughout New York’s marten range and is similar in appearance and tracks, but the fisher is much larger in size than the marten. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Today, tomorrow, forever
The Great Cath Kidston Giveaway
Whilst visiting family in Surrey Mr P and I decided to go to Windsor to do a spot of shopping. The shops in Windsor are amazing, living in Cornwall our choice is a little limited, so I seize any opportunity available to visit different outlets, especially so close to Christmas. Parking in Windsor was straight forward, we found a great car park within the first few minutes and thought that the prices were very reasonable at £5 for over 4 hours (I didn’t spend this much time shopping as I had Mr P with me).
We visited the castle first which was amazing, then headed to the shops. It felt very festive with the Christmas lights and the projector on the castle. Trundling though the streets of Windsor I noticed a Cath Kidston, after previously having a conversation with Mr P about buying some new mugs, this was the perfect opportunity, I love their beautiful and elegant designs which bring a feminine touch into our home. I could spend hours walking around this shop looking at these wonderful collections.
On this particular visit, we noticed 2 ladies standing in the entrance with a wooden basket of red flat paper crackers offering these out to customers. I opened mine and it said 10% off of any purchase of £35 or over, not sure I was going to use this as I had only intended to buy 2 mugs. Mr P’s however was a free bag up to the value of £60, you can imagine my delight!
Mr P had a look of surprise followed by a large gulp when he saw how many bags were on display, we could be in the store for quite some time. With the help of Mr P I decided on a red overnight bag with a floral design, perfect for our adventures.
I love the way it comes with its own small storage bag, which take up less space when not in use. It also has a detachable shoulder strap with a funky colourful strip running through it.
Thank you Cath Kidston for my free bag I look forward to using it very soon. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
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